So Much to Say

...but I won't be doing it in this post.

Instead, I want to share something that I thought was kind of cool. Over the past week my host mom has been harvesting quinoa - the super food, we're starting to hear so much about in the States. Well, it is grown here in Peru, and it's pretty cool.



It's very nice to see your food go directly from the field to the table. It makes one feel connected to what they eat. I recommend everyone grow a small herb garden or vegetable garden. I guess just one of those things I learned in the Peace Corps (well, and from my family...but I'm not blogging about that).

Just a Quick Word

For all you faithful blog followers out there (all six of you)I want to let you know I'm still here. And sometimes I even have ideas to write about, but I've been doing so much writing (for IST Theatre Manual, Youth Newsletter, IYFD Group, Resume, Cover Letter, you see what I'm talking about) I haven't been able to get myself in blog writing mode. Nor have I taken many new pictures lately. I'll try to do that.

I do want to let you all know, I have really been enjoying the company of my host mom. The other day we had a really deep and intimate conversation about marital relations in Peru. I think I've said how much I adore my host mom, Mama Gi, but sometimes I'm so amazed at how different we are, but how much we get along and enjoy each other. She's told me on a couple of occasions that she is sad when she comes home at night and my light's not on. She has truly become a good friend and sometimes I have moments with her and I just want to cry thinking of leaving her. So far I've been holding it together, but I'm waiting for the tears to fall. It's gonna be a faucet here before too long.

Okay, more soon and hopefully pictures.

Good Day

It's hard to think of the last time I could post about one of my most perfect days in Peace Corps, or a day that I've had such a quality day of work, friends, and personal time. Yesterday was just such a day.

I woke around 6:00am which is my normal time and I read a chapter or two (or three if I'm honest) of Animal, Vegetable, Miracle by Barbara Kingsolver. Around 8:30 we had a great breakfast of vegetarian lomo saltado (I think in that case it's just saltado) which is a combination of homemade french fries, tomatoes, and onions all fried up. Breakfast is always better on days when Papa Julio has a day off from driving his combi. This breakfast was no exception. Papa Julio and Mama Gi had an important day of trying to find a ram to breed with her five female sheep (ewes), and so I decided today was the day to check back in with all of my community partners. So what did I do? I read another chapter or two (or three if I'm honest) of Animal, Vegetable, Miracle, got ready to be seen in public, and trotted off down the hill to visit my contact in the town hall. Before I made it past the plaza, I ran into him (Professor Alberto) and we chatted for awhile. Mostly, he told me he doesn't see there being any work, but he wants the Youth Association to take advantage of my presence before I leave in August. He also asked me if I was going to marry some guy from Jangas, but that's really a normal conversation for me. Before long we ran into my friend Hugo (who has been such a huge help since my first day in Jangas - he's really a god-send). Hugo and I set off on a mission to re-organize the Youth Association.

We visited a couple of people we knew to be leaders, and then I headed off to check in at the Health Post, Hugo in tow. It had been almost a month since I had set foot in the health post. The last time I was there, I left a little annoyed with the staff as they were taking a project I had spent many moments working on and turned it into...well, a big mess. But I felt it was time to eat humble pie and rectify the situation. I'm glad I did. I ran into Julia - the woman in charge of the health post - and we chatted for awhile. She felt the way I did about the group we were trying to create and encouraged me that we could make it more youth friendly and do a restart in a couple of weeks. I felt reassured.

Next stop, the school where I set up a couple of meetings, but Hugo and I had a mission. In our plan to re-start the Youth Association we decided to invite the 5th year students (think Seniors) to join the group. So we went to the two classes and invited the 5th years to come and take part in the planning meeting. Three community partners down, one to go. Hugo and I then went to the president of the split off youth association (oh what a tangled web this is) and invited him and his group to come and reunite the two groups into one, new, stronger, happier super group. Okay, that's a bit dramatic...Truthfully, I'll be happy if 5 people show up. And then we called to my main community partner who is currently working at one of the mines (like silver - I think) who we managed to wake up at 11:50am. I'm not sure what his work schedule is like, but that was very weird. He was invited, then allowed to go back to sleep. Hugo and I decided on a location, said good-bye, and I headed back to my house.

When I arrived, lunch wasn't ready but it was going to be good (black-eyed peas and rice which I planned on eating with the hot sauce my sister just sent me in a care package). So, I sat in my room and decided to study a little Spanish. One of my new methods for doing so, is to watch the Argentinian series Mujeres Asasinas (Women Murderers). Yes, it's as scary and demented as you would think, but I've learned a lot of new words (some swear words and bad phrases) to keep improving my Spanish.

Lunch was served around 1:45pm, and today it was just my older, younger sister Yuli and me. It was special though as we had a sister-to-sister heart-to-heart which we haven't had in months. We talked about things like if we were dating (that's a no on both of us), if she was excited to start classes again, and my excitement and sadness to leave Jangas in a few months. It was a wonderful meal, not just for the food, but I felt like I hadn't been connecting well with Yuli as of late, so this meal put all my fears to rest.

The rest of the day was spent watching more Mujeres Asasinas, reading one chapter or two (or three if I'm honest) of A,V, M, and then taking some time to watch the second season of Mad Men and completing about 10 Suduku puzzles. Papa Julio and Mama Gi did not find the ram that they hoped, so they'll have to try again at a later time.

Really, a pretty good day. Sorry no pictures, but I guess that's just how most good days go, we don't have pictures to remember them by except in our hearts.

In Answer to Your Questions:

Describe a typical dish. What foods are your favorites?

I think we’re always curious about how others eat. If you think about it, we schedule meetings, dates, and reunions around food. Food is a part of our national culture and we are fascinated by other types of meals around the world. Go to any major city in the States and you’ll find pages and pages in the phone book of Mexican, Thai, Chinese, etc. restaurants. Not so in Peru. Even in Lima, I have only ever heard of one Mexican food restaurant and not many more than one or two of any other restaurants with different ethnic foods. Peruvians are very proud of their food. I once heard a Peruvian say that they had read that according to an article she had read, Peru had the third best food in the world after France and Japan. I tried not to laugh when she told me she had found the random article on the internet. Plus, let’s face it; there is great Indian food and Italian food that might rank a little higher in the minds of others. The good news, for me, is that I don’t hate Peruvian food. But I do admit to coming to Peru hoping for great Mexican type foods. Spicy dishes full of flavor on sizzling plates with homemade tortillas. The reality, although still very tasty, is quite different.

Here a typical family eats foods high in starch and carbohydrate content. Most dishes come with a mound of rice AND a mound of potatoes or a mound of potatoes AND a mound of pasta. Peruvians really enjoy condiments (as they call them), but it’s not like mayo and mustard (although those are included from time to time) usually they like sauces like chili sauce examples include aji Amarillo which is generally put over potatoes which is not really that spicy but is very tasty or papa/cuy picante which is spicy potatoes and guinea pig with ground up rocotto (the chili of Peru) on top. This is one of my favorite foods. I became a vegetarian in Peru (for health reasons) but I still eat cuy (guinea pig). The way I see it is I only get two years to eat the cute little things we put in cages and call pets, so I should take advantage. Not to mention, cuy is very expensive for Peruvians so it would be impolite to not eat it if someone put it before me. For every ounce of starch I eat, I probably only eat about a ¼ of an ounce of vegetables, and I would never eat fruit if I didn’t buy it for myself.

I might have written about this before, but there are a lot of myths of health based around food. Like many in the world, many Peruvians believe that water – at room temperature or colder – will cause a cold. What we consider “old wives tales” prevail in parts of this culture as science. The worst one in my opinion is the idea that fruits are “cold” foods that will cause someone to be sick longer. I don’t know many people in the States that don’t know that Vitamin C can help prevent colds and boost the immune system, and what’s the best source of Vitamin C? Citrus fruits, of course. I get so frustrated when people ask me which vitamin they should take (actual pill-like vitamin) to heal themselves. I’ll tell them the vitamin and then I’ll say, but it’s really better to get your vitamin intake from foods like broccoli, oranges, strawberries, etc. They look at me like I’m crazy and then tell me their DOCTOR told them to not eat those things. Their DOCTOR! I don’t frustrate very easily when it comes to obvious cultural differences, but this is one that really bothers me. I can’t handle when medical professionals believe the same myths that science has proven aren’t true. Science has proven that we can drink cold beverages and not catch a cold or that “cold” foods do not give you a cold, right? Or am I crazy? That’s always a possibility.

Some Peruvian food really is good though, even if it does lack a side salad, and I appreciate my family’s recent efforts to include more vegetables in their diet. I’ve even been able to introduce such foods as macaroni and cheese, lasagna, tacos, and my family’s personal favorite: vegetable soup! My host dad calls it, sopa de colores (soup of colors) because I’m always expounding on the idea that all you need to do to have a good vegetable dish is to have a number of different colors and I tell them the key to good vegetable soup is to find as many different colored vegetables (and fruits b/c we always include tomatoes) as possible. My host sister, Yuli has now made this soup twice without me around. I’m pretty proud of her and excited if this is the one dish they will continue to eat after I leave. I’m trying to write a blog about taco night, because when I came into the Peace Corps, I strangely enough had the idea that all food in Latin America was like Mexican food, oh how wrong I was, so more on that later.

These pictures are of California Cafe where I spend my internet time. Pretty cool place, huh?

Opinions and the Recommendation Game

For I love to play the recommendation game. You know when you are sitting in a restaurant and you’re not exactly sure what you want, you ask the waiter or waitress, “what do you recommend?” Now the answer in the States usually includes an answer. “Well, I’m particularly fond of the blue cheese chicken or if you’re into salads, I’d try the cob.” I like this game. It gives me an opportunity to try something new AND not make a decision. The game is only fun if the other party will play it with you, and I have a hard time finding participants in Peru. The other day I was at the fruit stand and I knew I only wanted to buy a small quantity of fruit, but I wasn’t exactly sure what I should get. So I asked the woman working at the tienda what she recommended and her response was, “it’s all good.” I believe her, but that wasn’t the question. The question is what she would get if she were in my place. So being the former journalist I phrase the question a different way, “what’s good during this season?” The senora again responds, “It’s all good.” I still believe her, but I’m growing increasingly frustrated that she won’t play one of my favorite games. Finally, after a long silence where I’m not sure how to get my new friend to play my game she finally says, “It’s mango season.” So thankful that she has at least tried to play along I buy two mangoes for my host sisters (I’m already sick of them and it’s only the beginning of mango season).

I encounter this problem a lot. I’ll be sitting in a restaurant here in Peru and again I’ll be unsure of what to order and so I’ll ask for a recommendation. I’m usually lucky to get an answer, but if I do, you can bet that I order that particular item because I want to give Peruvians the idea that their opinions and ideas have value. The underlying problem here is twofold. First, it’s a matter of self-esteem. Peruvians (as a generalization) are not taught that their opinion matters. But when you’re playing the recommendation game with me, your opinion always counts. I rarely ever turn down a recommendation. One of the things we do in the youth development program is not only teach about self-esteem, emotions, and self-knowledge but recently I went to several classes and put signs on three different walls in the class room. The first reads, “I agree.” The second, “I don’t agree.” And the third states, “I’m not sure.” Then I read different phrases (the older the group, the more controversial) and the students then have to walk to the sign where their opinion is stated. One of the phrases says, “You can get good work even if you don’t finish high school.” The students then have to defend their answer – not all of them, but I call on different ones to see why they think what they are thinking. I’m amazed with how little these students think about their own opinions. Many students thanked me for the activity after class saying it was the first time they had thought about the topics I had brought up (everything from education to abortion) and they appreciate that I don’t judge their opinions which is key to teaching these types of classes. I absolutely have to put my opinions and ideas out the back door, but I do get to play devil’s advocate and it is fun to get people to think about their answers. Now that I think about it, I would love to get more activities like this – so if you have any, feel free to send them to me.

The second fold in the twofold underlying problem is that this is a culture of people who don’t want to offend other people. They are a very polite culture. For example, sometimes people are invited to a party in which they know they cannot attend, but regardless they will accept the invitation and then just not show up. Because it is better to save the face of the person who is inviting you to their face, if you don’t show up the inviter can always say they never invited the invitee. So while playing the recommendation game people don’t want to offend nor be offended. They don’t offer up their opinions readily in case it’s contrary to yours and then you would be offended. I like aspects of the polite culture, but it is frustrating when you set up a meeting or invite people to event and they never show.

I have had minor success playing the recommendation game with younger children. Often times they will be helping out their parents and somehow they’ll catch my eye, and so I’ll ask them what do you recommend. After some hesitation, and maybe a little prodding on my part, they will quite frequently give me a response. And no matter how good or bad the recommendation I always take it to show the child that their ideas are valued and valuable. I guess it’s one of the little things I try to do on a daily basis to improve the lives of those I encounter.

Yuly's Birthday and Other Cultural Things I Didn't Know

So my older younger sister turned 18, October 1st and here in Peru Birthdays are very important, but mostly an important time for family. So all of my host mom's side of the family gathered to eat cuy and celebrate Yuly's 18th. This date marks the first time I actually found myself sad to think about leaving them in the summer of 2009. I teared up a number of times, but luckily, no one noticed. All in all it was a pretty chill day, but for the record: I love my host family and even my host extended family.

The birthday girl is to the right and my host dad "Papa Julio" to the left. The cuy was good, but not as spicy as normal.

This is my host mom's mom. They call her Mama Antu, and I love her. She's so great. She always says how much she' going to miss me when I leave and she's always checking to see where I'm gonna go. One day I asked her what she thought about having four girls before she had a son and she said, "I think it's pretty great."

Another thing I learned lately is that sheep are not allowed to eat alfalfa because it knots up their stomach. Below are pictures of my host mom and aunt (Tia Rosa) pressing the alfalfa out of the stomach of a sheep that didn't know any better. Notice they are using a sandal. I love Peru!

Never a dull moment in the Peace Corps.

Quien Soy Yo? - Who Am I?

"Quien Soy Yo?" is a program curriculum for children between the ages of 8 and 14 to learn more and develop their own self-esteems. It was created by a Peru-5 volunteer who only recently returned to the States after taking a third year and being a tech trainer for Peru-11. The curriculum uses activities such as personal flag, discussions about the things that make us special, as well as tools that help the children think about their favorite things and what they like about themselves. This has become an important tool for Youth Development volunteers here in Peru. It's a great curriculum that you can just jump into as soon as you get to site whether your Spanish is great or poor. Plus, any teacher, public official, health worker, social service worker, or educated person in Peru will tell you that everyone in Peru needs to have their self-esteem built up.

In the United States we don't really ever think about this. My generation has been practically raised on self-esteem and self-discovery, but it's easy to see the effects that a low self-esteem can have on children or their country. I know that might sound dramatic, but really believe that working with young people and their parents to raise self-esteem would help drop the statistics on alcoholism, familial violence, and poverty. Having a healthy self-esteem not only makes you more confident in yourself but in your ideas and your ability to carry them out. Their is a lot of idea stealing in Peru. If one business sprouts up that is successful, in a matter of weeks you will see five more just like it and right next door. Yet, Peru is country rich in resources and the people I have met have the most untapped potential.

When I arrived in Jangas, I immediately started teaching "Quien Soy Yo?" in two classes of fourth graders. They seem to enjoy the class, and every where I walk I get greeted with a "Buenos Dias, Profesora" and a kiss in the cheek. I already see some of the quieter kids coming out of their shells. And the kids now state with a little more conviction their likes and dislikes. But they're still learning to appreciate themselves and those things that make them special. I'm hoping to rap up this class and move on to something else. I also am looking forward to doing similar curriculums (but slightly different in the older classes).

These are the two teachers that I work with. The top picture is of Prof. Blanca and the bottom is Prof. Rosa. They're great teachers. I'm very impressed with their professionalism and desire to work with me. Plus, their students are pretty well-behaved.

The Pics for Jangas

Finally, I am able to post some pics of Jangas, Ancash. This is a view from a neighboring hill.
To the left of that hill in the background is Huascaran, but this wasn't a very clear day. I hope to go out in the next couple of weeks and get a good shot. It's really beautiful here right now. It's bright, sunny days and lately it's been clear enough to see Huascaran, although I think I need to go down the road a little to get a good picture.

Yeah, I live here now. It's so beautiful. I feel very lucky. And even though it's only been about a week, I really like it here. I was even feeling a little under the weather yesterday and still found myself thankful for my family (that pumped me so full of natural home remedies for my different symptoms) and my new room.

I had a meeting on Friday with the four communication teachers, and it looks like we're going to start a Journalism club. Who knew? I haven't been a practicing Journalist since 2002. This should be interesting. But I guess it's a whole new vocabulary. And I will be working with the communication teachers so maybe they can help me improve my Spanish. It's better, but I've somewhat stalled and now would like to take it to the next level. There are some other potential options for work as well, like self-esteem classes in the primary school, computer classes, and tutoria (which is like a potlach class where I can teach healthy lifestyle and money management classes).

My first meeting with my primary project is tonight. I'll be watching another volunteer give a talk on business, which I am very excited to learn about as well as meet the other members of the Young Adult Association. After Ryan (the volunteer teaching tonight) finishes with his classes we're going to move into learning traditional dances. And after we're going to do some environmental projects.

I've been here just under a week, and I already feel like I've been here for a year.

I LOVE ANCASH! And as the other volunteers in this department say, "Ancash is better."

Good Start

So I'm here. Well, I'm there. Because I have to use Internet in Huaraz in order to stay in communication. Although you might notice my new address in the upper left-hand corner of the screen. I'm currently having some difficulties putting pictures of Jangas on my blog. So they might have to wait.

Here's the latest information:

I adore my family. I have a host mother and a host father. My host father, Julio, drives a combi (small bus like thing) and my mom, Gi, is mostly a house wife, but she sells cuyes (guinea pigs) and tends a garden. I have two younger sisters. One is named July (pronounced Julie) she is 17 and is studying to be an executive assistant, although she really wants to be a police officer. We're talking about running in the mornings, even though we both talk about loving our sleep. My younger sister just tuned 16 and she is finishing up her last year in secondary school. Her name is Yoshina but we just call her Yoshi. She is so sweet. They have all been so kind to me thus far. Especially my mom who tries so hard to cook meals that I will like. I became a vegetarian in Catilluc, so I realize that cooking for me now is no easy process. I try to be accommodating, but I've managed to lose 15 pounds that I so desperately needed to lose. So, I don't really want to go back to eating too much meat and dairy products.

The main difference between my work in Jangas as compared to my work in Catilluc is that already (day two) I have two potential clubs/classes. In Catilluc it was like pulling teeth to get anyone to work with me. On Friday I meet with a teacher in the local colegio to talk about starting or helping with a Journalism club. As you may or may not know, my Bachelor's degree is in Journalism. So I'm really excited to see if I can be of any service in this area. I also met with a very excited woman who teaches the computer classes. I'll be sitting in on her classes on Monday to see if I can bring anything to the table to help out. My main counterpart agencies have already expressed interest in working in theater and dance, environmental causes, as well as helping the teachers in the local school with computers, and other areas.

My counterpart, Milton, has been such a huge help. He is the President of a Young Adult Association. They do many things in the community like recycling, teaching about nutrition, and they will be my main support during my next year in Jangas. I am so excited to work with them. Currently, they're working with a third-year business volunteer who is teaching them about small business design and application. After he finishes his workshop, we'll start dance classes which I am really excited about. I have wanted to learn how to do more the traditional dances while I am here. After the danza (dance) workshops we'll work on a campaign to teach people about the proper way to burn trash. Apparently, there is a big day where everyone burns their garbage but they include things like plastic bags and other toxins which really aren't great for the environment. It's so hard to believe I have a support system of young people who are excited about getting into the community and making a difference.

I wish these pictures would load, but I just might try again later. Until then...

Getting along with the Rents

So since returning from Vacation, I have had the rare opportunity to get to spend a lot of quality time with my host mom. She really is the amazing person that I first met when I moved to Catilluc. The other day we went to a parillada (bbq) and really had a good time. I danced and she helped serve and take care of the people. I got to meet some more of her sisters, my host aunts. And mostly it just felt really chill and naturally to be with her.

My host family (ul Ailyn, me, Yobani, ll Fran, Maximo)

It's good that I'm starting to get along wtih Yobani, because Rosa left me about a month ago. I'm really feeling the lack of good, close friends. Friends that I can confide in and not hear about it the next day in the community. Gossip is an amazing thing in these small Peruvian towns. Not that I can blame them. They didn't have a written language in this country until the Spanish came, and most of their entertainment came through storytelling which caught them up on what was happening with the families in nearby villages. Gossip is just a continuation of that particular tradition. Now, of course, that doesn't make me feel any better when I hear lies about me in the community. But I'm learning I can't always control what other people think or say about me. This is one tough lesson for me, because I always want to be liked by everyone, and I don't want anyone to have a bad opinion of me. But I need to grow up and move on.

Mama Casilda and me.








Things in Catilluc have certainly been difficult since December. I feel like everytime I managed to get my foot in the door while staying planted firmly on the ground, then another big bomb will drop in my lap and completely devastate me. Of course, the current highlight, is just getting to spend quality time with my host mom and host family. It's so nice to feel like I'm a part of this family really for the first time since my early days in Catilluc.

The Continuing Search for Motivation

Motivation can be a difficult part of the Peace Corps service. Some people are easily motivated, while others need some kind of inspiration. When I graduated from college I worked three jobs. I didn’t necessarily need the money, and I didn’t necessarily make a lot. I think I just wanted to be busy. Here, in Catilluc, every day is battle to find the motivation to do something, anything. I spend four plus hours every morning alone in my room trying to find the motivation to brush my teeth, get dressed, and be a part of my new community. I’m not sure exactly why it’s so hard to go out into Catilluc proper and start my day or my work. And when I’m not in Catilluc, I am so motivated to try a million projects and interact with the amazing people who live here. And then I return, and I feel weighed down by the burden and responsibility. I’m hoping this is a temporary result of having too much responsibility put on my shoulders by everyone around me. Responsibility that my training and education tells me is not really mine.

One of my greatest fears about development work is making the mistakes of generations before me. There is really no way to apologize for colonialism and imperialism. There is no way to apologize for the mass murder of cultures and societies in the name of development. Now, I’m not naïve enough to think I have some kind of special power that could change the way Peru exists as we know it, but isn’t it the small deaths that lead to the bigger ones. If I just took the full responsibility of the CAID for the next year and a half and then watched the doors close after four years of Peace Corps intervention, would that be a small death or just me being “overly-dramatic”? Or would it be better to walk away from the work right now, and not enable the irresponsibility of others (not that they are irresponsible in all areas of their lives, just in this organization)? And after nine months in country, I have very little to show for my time.

The above sounds so pessimistic; and I honestly don’t feel pessimistic. I feel realistic. Like now is the time of my journey to take a serious look at what I’m doing and why I’m doing it. I am making so me very strong friendships that I would honestly miss if I left tomorrow. The other day I was returning from Llamapampa (a local caserio – 45 minute walk) with my “mama” in Catilluc and it was starting to lightly rain. Now Mama Casilda (as I call her) is no spring chicken. She must be in her 50’s at least (which in this culture makes you look much older than you are), but we started to run. I was surprised by this behavior because I don’t think I’ve seen a Peruvian run yet. But Mama Casilda has this giggle that is infectious, and I found myself running and giggling with her in the rain. Every time I eat with them (which is very frequently as my host family is nowhere to be found) she insists that I need to eat more. Of course usually one plate of plain white rice is plenty sufficient, but I find myself trying to please her because she’s so sweet. Of course I’m gaining weight because of it, but it doesn’t matter at this point. Weight can always be lost, but I would never want to lose her respect especially over a measly plate of rice. Little by little I’m learning new things about myself. Little by little I’m finding that I can be content even in difficult situations. And little by little I see rays of sunshine in this very rainy time of year and time in my work.

Mama Casilda with a sheep head. I love her laugh, and we laughed a lot this day as well.

Bad Days and Good Days

So my last blog reported on me having another bad day and another bad conversation about the frustrations of development work in developing countries. BUT the next day, was one of the best I've had at site. I spent most of the day with community members, some good friends, some old friends and I'm laughed a lot yesterday. I'm thankful that the time between good days and bad days is decreasing. I still wonder if I'm helping or hindering the process, but I believe that's a normal question. And for the time being, I can deal with the ambiguity of it all.

I received a call this morning from the community phone. We don't have phone lines in our houses. We just have on community phone where everyone receives there calls. Oh! And we don't have cell service either. So I received a call from the Peace Corps office in Lima telling me that my APCD will not be coming to visit my sites. Allegedly the sierra (the mountains - where I live at 10,000 feet) has received more rain this year than normal. Roads are washed out and travel has become very difficult. Also to make travel even more difficult, there is what seems to be a strike of Agricultural workers. They are blocking road ways in protest and some people have even been killed - probably accidents. But that's the reality of strikes in Peru. I bring this up, partly for everyone to understand the realities of life over here, and partly because one of my closest friends in coming to visit me in a couple of weeks. I'm really hoping the strike will reach an agreement or I will be unable to get to Lima to pick her up. The last time we spoke, on the phone, all she said was "Yeah there are things I want to do, but mostly I just want to hang out with you. So please just get here. That's all I'm asking." And because of the rains...it's hard to fly. And because of the strike...it's hard to get anywhere on land. Here's hoping two weeks solves the problem.

Cajamarca Vacations

So in most cases, Peru has a very easy geographical system. For many of the departments' (think states) capital cities are named after the department. So I live in the department of Cajamarca, and the capital of this deparment is also named Cajamarca. In the Peace Corps (Peru - at least) we get permission to go into our capital city once or twice a month to buy supplies, jump on highspeed internet, and see some of our other friends to exchange stories and get advice about projects. Sometimes we have meetings to discuss departmental projects, and let me tell you...I have lived in smaller and larger cities for too long because I LOVE going to Cajamarca. Sometimes I love it so much that I don't want to return to Catilluc. I like the slightly faster pace. I like that I can go grab food that I am somewhat accustomed to, and I like that I can speak in English (for the most part) with my PC buds. I can call my family and friends to catch up on their lives or lend support if they need it. It's really a nice retreat.

Life is still beautiful in Catilluc. I adore my family and feel us growing closer everyday. I bought a book for my siblings in Cajamarca. They seem to really enjoy them, so I thought I would help build their library a little bit, especially because I am always reading - or try to set a good example. I haven't seen my counterpart yet this week, but things are a little crazy here as the next three days are the 25th anniversary of the secondary school. I'll try to remember to talk more about the system of education in Peru in an upcoming blog, but for now I'll just say, give them any reason to not have school, and they don't. (Gross overgeneralization, but that's my experience in Peru so far). More on this later.

I'm doing well. I'm somehow managing to avoid the cold/bronchitis that is going around. I don't feel lonely, but I do feel like I can't get a handle on the classes I want to teach in the CAID yet. I really need support (someone who will work beside me) or this will never be sustainable, but for now I'm working on patience. One example is I started reading Leon Uris' Exodus, and my copy is missing thirty (really good) pages. So now I have to wait till we can send me another copy. Ah well, I need to learn patience. It's a good start.

Lessons learned

So a good friend recently wrote me with three very good questions. I thought I would answer them for everyone. So in no particular order:

What am I learning?
What's great?
What's not so great?

Peru is great. I'm loving life here. I'm really very content. Lately I've been cooking a little more which is something I've always wanted to do and tomorrow I head to Cajamarca to buy a guitar because I want to learn how to play! By the time I come back to the States I might be able to accompany myself on the guitar.

Let's see what am I learning, I imagine you're not referring to my new desire to cook or play the guitar...so I'm learning a lot about patience, about a loosening up and letting go. I used to be so afraid to "let my hair down" and now I realize there was nothing to fear. I hope that I am much more fun and learning to have fun is a valuable lesson that I continue to learn everyday here in Peru.

What's great? Peru in general, my younger siblings, taking it easy, my counterpart, good Spanish speaking days, when people love my cooking, and emails, letters, and packages from home.

What's hard? My bad Spanish speaking days, potatoes and rice, lack of communication, cultural nuances that drive me nuts, my mom being gone all the time, being so far from the one's I love and not having anyone to share this with (that's not neccessarily referring to romance either). I miss my friends and family.

So yeah, life again is really grand. My mom is back and we spent a lot of today cooking. I hope that we can continue to build on our relationship.

15 minutes and not much to report

I take an hour everytime I go to the cabina (internet place), but of course after reading and responding to all the emails I have very little time. So here's a quick update off the cuff so to speak.

I'm doing much better. The past couple of days I have felt a dramatic improvement in my Spanish with quite a few examples. A couple of days ago I spoke at the Town meeting, and I managed to speak for about five minutes in Spanish without any gramatical problems, at least that's what my friend said. And I believe her because several people took me for, if not fluent, at least proficient...until I corrected them.

Oh the fun thing about the town meeting, is that if you don't show up for two, you have to pay a fine. It's only 5 soles (think $1.66), but when you live in a town without parking meters it's a pretty good way to raise some dough. And it makes people attend. Of course I want to start instigating dramas and songs so that at least it's not boring and the important information is not lost on the masses. But we'll have to see how that idea flies.

Also, I think the rat problem is fully taken care of. I have seen my guardian angel cat a few more nights, and our little kitten is starting to chase them away in the rafters also. Not to mention I now have my ceiling completely covered with mismatched plastic, but I don't care. Also, finally have the pictures of friends and family up on my wall in my room...it only took me a month.

Gone for a bit

I just wanted to send out a quick post letting everyone know that I might be out of blog/email range for about a week, but we'll see. Our entire crew is breaking up into smaller groups to go to three different places in Peru for Field Based Training. I'm going with seven of my friends to the Department (I think that's what they call they're state type things) called Ica. It's just below Lima (the department not the city). I will try to email and post while I'm there, but if I don't get around to it I apologize.

Other than that, we had another day at La Agraria. This time we learned about beekeeping and cuy (guinea pig) raising. It is fascinating how nutritious and valuable guinea pig is to eat. I do hope I get to try some soon. We tried some fresh honey and man was it great. I've been somewhat addicted to honey since I've been here. Usually for breakfast I have a cup of coffee con leche (with milk) and two rolls with mantequilla (butter, but really margarine) and honey. It's wonderful.

Anyway, our time at La Agraria cruised by and then a few friends and I went into Lima for a little time. We decided we needed a quick pizza fix so we went to the Calle de Pizzas (Street of Pizzas) in Miraflores. The pizza was as close to home as I imagine anything can be here, but then of course I haven't visited a fast food restaurant yet.

Afterwords, we headed to a little Artisan marketplace so I could buy a purse to take with me to Ica. We found many other wonderful treasures too, but are wary about buying until we know where we are going in our site placements. Remind me to talk about site placements eventually. I found a cute little purse and we were off to meet a friend of one of the girls I was exploring Miraflores with. We are getting really good at asking for directions around here because we have to do it a lot. Eventually we arrived at our destination and had some great food for a really affordable price. In fact, we had a cold beverage, a sandwich with fries, a pastry, and coffee all for 22 soles (s/.). That's about $7. It was heaven. We returned somewhat late, but I still beat my family home from their daily activities.

Now we head off on a new adventure to see new parts of Peru. I'm so lucky!

The Day to Day

So, I thought I would try to talk about my day. I don´t have a lot of time left, so here goes nothing.

I wake up at 6:00am and eat breakfast with my host mom (the one who had me at five) and my two sisters. Usually it´s coffee with milk, toast or bread, sometimes ham, avacado, or something else. Then I watch the news in Spanish where I understand very little, but thankfully for pictures I get the gist. At around 7:00 my mom takes my sister´s to school and I take a shower and get dressed. Around 7:30 (when headed to the PC training center) or 8:00 (if I´m headed to a language and culture class in my town) I head to training. I´m in training most of the day and around 5:00pm a bunch of the volunteers return together. We walk up this crazy hill (which I hope to take a picture of eventually) and head home. I greet my sisters and talk to them about their days as well as talk with my mom. Every other day I head to the internet cafe to post. But we usually eat around 7:00pm. Then my mom and I chat for awhile longer.

Here are the pictures:

This is my friend Sam and me with the extended family at a mass celebrating the life of a member of our family. I don´t know all of the people in this picture. Sam is to my right and my mom, Loly is over my left shoulder. You probably recognize my sisters. By the way, this is the second mass I attended. I´ve attended three in a week.

Here´s another picture with Sam and me. This is at a pizza place we went to last night to celebrate our first week in Peru.

Here´s a night shot of the town I live in, at least for these next 10 weeks.

Here´s an artsy shot of a moto taxi driving by. They have three wheels and are crazy, but most people take them to get up the hill.

Alright, peace everyone.