August 8, 2004
Emergency at home! My grandfather just passed away. I am making preparations to leave, so I can be with my family.
After hours of searching, I finally found a bus ticket to Lima. I leave at 11:00 pm tonight. I was getting worried!
August 7, 2004
Today was the health campaign in El Milagro. I was up there all day from 9:00 this morning to 7:00 in the evening. I barely got to stop for lunch. I was the ‘pharmacist’. The families of El Milagro come to our Health Campaign to receive free doctor’s visits and free medicines. Prescription drugs are extremely easy to obtain here, you are supposed to have a prescription, but can usually walk up to any drug store and get anything you want. ACJ keeps a supply of prescription drugs on hand for the Health Campaign. It was my job to give the correct medicines to each person. It was great practice for me because I got to speak with each family, learn their names, and learn a little bit about medicine too. I was invited to church by one mother with her next weekend. The church they attend is a evangelistic church; a result of huge missionary influence in El Milagro. I look forward to attending.
After work, I met with my new friend Karla and we went to a discoteca to dance. It was my first experience with dancing in Trujillo. We had a great time! I am so glad to have a real Peruvian friend.
August 6, 2004
I tried out the step class this morning at the gym – not for me. It was too slow. Afterwards, a couple stopped me on my way out and they had the usual questions for me. Where are you from? Why are you here? After introductions, I realized that they also work at the gym and speak pretty good English. We then got into a conversation about how Peruvians are exploited in jobs abroad. They had worked for Carnival Cruises last year and barely lived to tell about it. They left Peru with the promise of good wages for a good job. They said that they were worked to death for little money. (Less than $100 a month, for 16-hour days, 7 days a week.) Then they went on to say that as Peruvians with college educations they could only work in the US or Europe as maids or laborers, not as professionals. It was a very enlightening conversation for me. They were very sincere and unobtrusive, yet very truthful. It made me almost ashamed to know that I had been on a cruise line where these very people had been exploited.
August 4, 2004
I got up early this morning and went to the 7:00 am Taebo class. Afterwards, I went with my new friend, Lourdes, to go to the English Institute of Trujillo. She takes English classes there and I was hoping to volunteer in the Conversation Club. However, the director was out of town, so we are going back on Monday. We returned to the gym and had juice with the guys at the juice bar. Everyday at 2:00 pm, children from a group home come to the gym to have Taebo class. Since this sounds like a perfect counterpart for a future volunteer, I asked my friends to show me the group home. We visited and I spoke with the Director and she was overjoyed to hear about Peace Corps and actually begged for a volunteer. I told her I would pass the information along to Lima. I finally made it to El Milagro around 11:00 where I helped some kids with a crossword puzzle race, then organized the office. I ate lunch with a friend named Carla that I had met at the gym. She speaks great English. After lunch, I checked email, and then returned home to chill for a couple of hours. At 8:00, I went back to the gym for another Taebo class. After Taebo, I went with Carla to her friend’s house where I met more people. It has been a good day.
August 3, 2004
I got up early this morning to meet the Peace Corps staff for my site visit. The purpose of the visit is to meet my family, see my work, and just make sure I am safe and healthy. My family was so great! They talked with PC staff and saw my room. Then we went to El Milagro to view my work. Overall, I think they were pleased with my work as a volunteer. I have to admit I was a bit worried that they would tell me I wasn’t doing enough. A great thing I realized during this visit is that PC staff is super supportive and they want you to be happy. As long as you are trying to get to know your community and applying yourself in your work, they are content.
August 2, 2004
Today is Counterpart Day. Peace Corps staff from Lima is here in Trujillo to have a workshop with my counterpart and to do a site visit. Mostly to clear up any doubts anyone has about Peace Corps role in Trujillo’s YMCA and to see how I am faring. All my coworkers from El Milagro came to the workshop and said some great things about my work in the center.
At 5:00, I had a meeting with YMCA to coordinate the events of the week. Then at 7:00 pm, I met up with the Peace Corps staff to eat dinner. We ate at Romano’s, my favorite café. I was home by 10:00pm, but can not sleep because I am so nervous about my site visit tomorrow.
August 1, 2004
I got in to Trujillo this morning around 5:30 am, to find that I had left my keys in Piura. I had to wake up my family to let me into my room. I slept to nearly 2:00 pm, had lunch at 3:00 pm, and then went with my site mate into town for a little shopping and internet. We swapped vacation stories, ate dinner, and then headed home. I just finished “Cold Mountain” – great film, sad but excellent.
July 31, 2004
I just spent the last week in Piura, up near Ecuador. PC gave us 4 free vacation days because it is Independence Holiday here in Peru, so I decided to head to the beach and sun. I met up with other volunteers from Cajamarca and Piura. We traveled to Mancora, a cute little beach town in very northern Peru. We stayed at the only place we could find that wasn’t outrageously expensive. It was very basic, with a shared bathroom, 4 single beds to a room, but in a great location. We got great tans, ate Ceviche (great raw fish dish typical to Peru), went out at night, spoke English, and just generally had a fantastic time. I also spent 2 days in Piura, the capital of the department, with a couple other volunteers. I traveled to Catacaos, a big artisan area, and bought a great leather handbag and some pottery. We had great food, great shopping, and great times together. I needed the break from normal PC life. Now it is back to life as a PCV.
July 23, 2004
I had the opportunity to play basketball today! It was great. I met up with some friends from the gym at an outdoor court and played for a couple of hours.
July 22, 2004
I slept in this morning. I had a peanut butter and jelly sandwich for breakfast. I think I have probably eaten pb&j as often here in PC as I did when I was a kid.
Around 12:00 pm I ventured to the computer café, at 2:00 pm I had lunch with the family, and at 4:00 pm I went into Trujillo for a workshop at the YMCA office. One of my coworkers, a psychologist, attended a workshop in Lima and wanted to ‘train’ us as well. The focus of the workshop was personal space and boundaries. We did activities that involved drawing, coloring, and playing with play-doe. I did not really agree with some of the conclusions that my coworkers drew. For example, we were asked to pick a crayon, paying particular attention to which color we chose. After we chose our color, my coworker explained what each color said about our particular personality. If you chose red then she said you had a lot of aggression. If you chose yellow, a lot of happiness. She didn’t explain that the color definitions were just theories, but tried to convince the entire group that this was always accurate. Another coworker didn’t agree with what her color said about her and this caused a heated discussion, yet the workshop leader could not be dissuaded from her views. It was an interesting meeting; it lasted for about 3 hours.
Afterwards, I went to the gym. Taebo rocked, as usual. There is always variety, which is great. I have some new ‘torture’ techniques for when I get back to coaching.
I have to say, besides the fact that the exercise is good, the gym has warm (notice I didn’t say hot) showers and that in itself is enough to keep me coming back for more!
July 21, 2004
I could barely get out of the bed this morning, I was so sore! Taebo is kicking my butt. I went to work around 10:30 am. Only a couple of kids were in the center. I played cards with Edwin, a really cool little dude. He is such a clown, always making a joke or making fun of my Spanish. Lunch was so-so with mashed potatoes, rice, and fish. I am trying to work up the courage to tell my Peruvian Mom to give me less rice or, hey, none at all. I just don’t want to hurt her feelings. I told my family about my Taebo class and even gave them a demonstration. They got a real 'kick' out of it.
I returned to El Milagro around 3:00 pm to visit another school with my counterpart. This particular school was humongous and very different from the first one we visited. At the door, the teacher was very hesitant about allowing us to visit and talk with the teachers. We were finally allowed in and were bombarded by kids. It was recess time and all 1300 kids were in the courtyard. It was a sight! Of course, every single one of them turned toward me, the new Gringa. I recognized a few faces. The bravest of the curious came up to me to ask my name, where I am from, the usuals. We visited with the teachers who have students that are in the YMCA program. Generally speaking, the kids are allowed to run wild. It is up to them to stay in their classroom and do their work. The students realize that not all kids are able to attend school, thus appreciate their place in the classroom. Which I guess is good thing in a way. The kids appreciate their opportunity to learn. It is just so terrible that not all kids have the right to an education. Many can’t afford the required school uniforms, books, and supplies.
I went to the gym again. Hopefully, I am developing a routine. I used the weights for half an hour then did Taebo for an hour. Taebo is great! What a stress reliever to be able to act like you are punching and kicking someone. I felt like I was back in basketball conditioning, except I wasn’t the one doing all the yelling. The instructor had us running laps, ‘running our motors’, doing push ups and crunches. If only my basketball girls could have seen me work!
July 20, 2004
My Spanish class this morning only had two students. I am not complaining though; it is so much easier to actually get something accomplished. We talked about family and learned a few new vocabulary words. My afternoon class was loco! I had over 20 kids and we ‘attempted’ to have our class at the same time as a mother’s meeting. We were packed on this little table in the corner with very little space. Everyone kept telling us to keep quiet, but the kids were rambunctious. It was a true test of my patience, I have to admit. I wanted to scream. The kids have this winy voice they use when they want something and it was grating on my nerves! Many of them have problems working alone and feel they must copy everything exactly. They don’t really understand the term ‘creativity’. All and all I think my lesson was a hit. All the kids were showing off their family trees to their moms.
I headed to the gym after work to workout. I first attended the Pilates class. Not for me, I was dying. I made it through it, but just barely. (Too slow and too ‘abdominal’ intense for me.) At 8:00 pm, I showed up for the Taebo class. What great fun. I loved it. I have never done Taebo before, not even in the states. I was beat after the hour workout. Before I could get out of the gym, the Taebo instructor introduced himself and asked me the usuals. I told him about my work with the YMCA and he says that he too works with abandoned kids in downtown. They come to the gym 3 days a week for activities. I told him I would like to visit his program. I think that would be a great secondary project for me.
July 19, 2004
Since I feel 100 percent again, I joined a gym bright and early this morning. I worked out for about 45 minutes with weights. Afterwards, I went with my brother to Trujillo to buy a few things. We were back to the house by 2:00 pm for lunch. The weekly YMCA meeting was at 4:00 and lasted until 8:30 pm. I was in bed by 11:00.
July 18, 2004
Thank goodness I feel better! My fever is gone. I woke up and realized I had slept through the night. Still think I will take it slow today, just in case. I went to Trujillo to buy my bus ticket to Piura for the end of the month. I am going to the beach! Some of my fellow volunteers and I are going to celebrate the Peruvian Independence Day in Mancora, a city very north of here, right on the Ecuador border.
After lunch with the family, we walked to the appliance repair shop. Their computer monitor is broken. My dad was full of questions about how much housing costs in the states and what it’s like to live in the country.
