Peace Corps in Peru

Food

2008-12-27T12:56:00.000-08:00

My diet is a high-quality complex carbohydrate diet. Every meal includes potatoes, and/or rice, and/or pasta. I eat Alpaca meat every day. Alpaca meat has the same texture and taste as a pork chop but is leaner. One of my favorite plates is chicharron de alpaca, which is fried alpaca chunks served with potatoes and chuño. Chuño is potato that is frozen in its young growth state, and thus is stunted into being smaller and has a darker color. I am told it is more nutritious than a normal potato. The new volunteers in the valley say it’s like eating Styrofoam. Needless to say they don’t like it, but I have grown accustomed to having it in my soup and it tastes fine to me. Maybe it doesn’t bother me because I know it is higher in nutritional value.
Chicken is more expensive than alpaca because the majority of the people in the mountains have alpaca. In my town there are roughly 1,000 people, and about 12,000 alpacas in the farms and ranches surrounding Tuti. In almost every big town, and city in Peru there are Pollo a la Brasa restaurants, which serve roasted chicken. The soft meat of chicken is always a treat from the tougher texture of alpaca. When I tell people outside of the Colca Valley that I eat Alpaca everyday they seem very surprised. Since alpaca is rare outside of the mountains, it is considered a delicacy and is expensive especially in cities like Lima.
The delicacy in the mountains is cuye (guinea pig). People barbeque cuye, and use different types of sauces depending on their preference. If people like you, they will invite you over to their house to have cuye, which is a big gesture since cuye is expensive in the mountains. Personally I don’t like cuye, I’d rather eat chicken or alpaca. Cuye doesn’t have that much meat, the skin is thick with a few hairs sticking out, there are a lot of bones, and is served with its claws and teeth still connected to the body. When the plate is served to you, you can’t help but feel that the eyeless cuye is staring right at you, mouth gaping, and fingers clenched like it had been burned alive and spent its last breath screaming for mercy. Some of the other volunteers think it tastes great, I wouldn’t argue against the taste, I’m just not too fond of all the work that involves getting to the meat and the presentation of a screaming guinea pig.
Beef is not very common in the mountains. People do raise cows for milk, but I think raising the bulls to sell them to another rancher for mating is more profitable then just selling the meat. Bulls sell for 1,500 dollars on up depending on the size of the bull. There has been a problem with people getting their cows and bulls stolen in the middle of the night. Some ranchers are armed with guns, and/or have dogs for protecting the cows. One rancher had a rottweiler for protection but the thieves killed the dog. Getting your cows stolen is a great loss, and I know of one rancher that had to quit ranching after almost all of her cows were stolen. She had to move to Arequipa City and find a job there.
Rocoto Relleno (stuffed) is one dish traditional to the region of Arequipa. Rocoto is a spicy pepper that they bake filled with vegetables, ground meat, and cheese, and is definitely delicious. Rocoto Relleno is one of the spicier dishes that you can get, the people in Peru are not as accustomed to spicy food as Americans are accustomed to spicy Mexican food. You can get ground chile with your meal at any restaurant, known as ‘aji’. I like to put it in my soup and with my fried potatoes. Peruvians comment on how much aji I use, amazed at how spicy I make my food.
In the mountains we eat soup for lunch and dinner, and have a plate of food served after it. On market days, we also have soup served for breakfast. Although I have eaten hundreds and hundreds of bowls of soup, I have not grown tired of it. The soup always has potatoes or chuño, vegetables, and alpaca meat in it. In the provincial capital Chivay, sometimes the soup is minestrone style with pasta. Either way, the soup is always pleasantly warm for the cold mountains, and is highly nutritious.
One of the positives of living in the mountains and not a big city, is that our breakfasts are always hearty. I am used to having big American breakfasts, and when I lived outside of Lima during training, breakfast consisted of bread, butter, and sometimes olives. When you stay at a hotel in the big cities, like Arequipa City and Lima, the hotels serve breakfasts of bread, butter, jam, and a cup of coffee. I joke with the other volunteers that that cannot be called breakfast. Call it what it is, bread and butter. When I’m in Arequipa City, I normally skip the free hotel “bread and butter”, and go find myself a real plate of food. I guess I’m just another American meat head that has to have meat, and/or eggs for breakfast. When I’m in Chivay I normally go to the same street vendor and buy 3 sandwiches of eggs and cheese (for $1), and then go to the store to buy a liter of orange juice. Oh yes, I finish all of it, and I am plenty ready for lunch 4 hours later.
On the coast a traditional plate is ceviche. Ceviche is raw fish served in a lemon sauce, with onions, sometimes tomatoes, and a slice of sweet potato on the side. The Peace Corps doctors warn us of ceviche since it is a raw meat, but I have eaten it several times and have not had any problems (knock on wood for me). Anytime I go to the coast, I have to eat seafood since I am a seafood lover and the only thing we get close to seafood in the mountains is fried trout. When I went to Piura, which is a coastal region in the north, I encountered a few burger joints. The burgers there were delicious and cheap. One of my favorites was a burger served with guacamole and Doritos chips, a combination that I have never thought of but definitely enjoyed. Burgers were one of the American foods I did not know I would miss, until I started dreaming about hamburgers. I would dream about being at the mall and ordering a couple burgers from a Wendys, or Burger King. Did you know that when you eat in dreams you don’t ever feel full in you dream? Well I didn’t until I started dreaming about eating burgers and woke up in the mountains of Peru, many miles from a burger, and my stomach screaming for a burger. I dream about burgers at least once a month. It’s one of those things you try to block out of your mind, because it is pure torture knowing that there is nothing I can do to satisfy my craving until I am in Arequipa City. That’s why almost every time I am in Arequipa City I go to Burger King at the local mall with my burger buddy Tom, and buy a Whopper, or a Megadoble which consists of two patties, bacon, cheese, tomato, and lettuce (my mouth is watering right now, I feel another burger dream coming on tonight). One of the times I thank globalization.
A general difference between Peruvian and American plates of food, is that Peruvian plates have ‘side meat’. By ‘side meat’ I mean that meat comes with your food, but is smaller than the other food that comes with your meal. In the States, a lot of times the meat is the main dish. Burgers, chicken, ribs, turkey at Thanksgiving (oh yes, I miss Thanksgiving), ham, omelets, chicken fried steak and eggs, shake n’ bake pork chops, t-bone steaks, top sirloin steaks, filet mignon, and salmon filets. Think of a platter of 20 plus spicy hot wings, with 5 teeny-weeny celery sticks in the middle next to a little cup of blue cheese dressing. Now THAT is American. To sum up the American train of thought when it comes to food, I’m reminded of an old commercial funded by the cow ranchers of the America where the slogan was, “Where’s the beef?”
My overall experience of Peruvian food has been good, and I know there are plates that I am going to miss when I return. Some I will probably never have again, like Pancha Mancha. To make Pancha Mancha you dig a gigantic hole in the ground, and cook large rocks for several hours in a fire. You use a red spicy seasoned sauce and marinate chicken. You then wrap the chicken up in leaves with potatoes and corn. You then throw the hot rocks in the hole in the ground, put the wrapped up food on top of it, place more rocks on top, and then cover the whole thing with dirt and let it sit for hours. The result is slowly roasted chicken, potatoes, and corn that are full of flavor since the juices cannot evaporate and escape. This was one of the first traditional plates we were taught about in training.
I’ve learned that I cannot over generalize Peruvian food because each region has its traditional plates, and typical foods. I’ve yet to travel to the jungle, which I hope to do for New Year’s, and when I’m there I’m sure I will experience some new plates. Food is very much a part of Peruvian culture, just like cultures across the world. And the varieties of typical plates found in Peru are a reflection of the diversity of the culture. Some cooking methods it seems you can find anywhere, like barbequing. But I would know I am at a Peruvian barbeque when I see slices of cow heart (anticucho) on the grill. Which I must say is absolutely scrumptious.

Kids

2008-05-04T11:16:00.000-07:00

Kids really make things easy. They really like to talk to me and find out if that bald headed monkey walking around town is actually real. They might not have ever met me, but they will ask, “where are you going?”, and then, “why are you bald?” You really learn to appreciate their directness. The other afternoon I was in the Plaza de Armas in Arequipa City and I saw two separate guys wearing Spider-Man outfits (yo-yo vendors in disguise), each playing with a yo-yo as they strolled down the sidewalk. They actually crossed paths at a street corner, which I had to stop and giggle at as I watched them stop in mid step as they saw the other, and from about 10 feet from each other they had a stare down while they flicked their yo-yo’s up and down. The sidewalk was busy with weekend traffic, and the pedestrians walked through this scene without a head turn or a slight notice to the event that seemed so foreign to me. My point is, me to the kids in Tuti is the equivalent of two yo-yo vendors in the middle of heavy urban pedestrian afternoon traffic wearing Spider-Man outfits and staring each other down while they flicked yo-yo’s like they were web-slinging training wheels, are to me. That might be a slight exaggeration because truly how can a baldhead compete with a Spider-Man outfit and a yo-yo? But you get the jist of it.
I taught summer English classes in the elementary in Tuti, and will start classes there next week. I continue to teach in the high school and have also been teaching in a high school/elementary school in the provincial capital. Because of my teaching, all of the kids in Tuti know me, and are quick to run after me and greet me. Sometimes they want to talk, or have me lift them up and toss them in the air or give helicopter spins, and other times they just want me to hold their hand or give them a hug. No matter how my day is going, it is a nice feeling when the pure and good spirit of a child is comforted by my presence or a simple touch. The people in the mountains are not very touchy, but no matter what a child always needs to be held. Whether it’s because my skin is a different color, or because my head is bald, or they just want to make sure I am real, I’m just happy that they want me to be the one to hold them.

2008-04-23T15:27:00.000-07:00

Sammy, the cousin of my host family's daughters. She's wearing the traditional dress of the higher part of the Colca Valley. The town was doing a promotion of tourism, and thus had her dress up for photo opportunities. Sammy's a real sweet kid and really smart. I was happy she didn't get bashful for my camera like she did for the others.

A Spring Summer

2008-03-20T11:52:00.001-07:00

It has been a nice experience to watch the valley change over the last 3 months. The rain started to come into the valley in January and rained for about a total of 16 days that month, and another 17 in February. The rain slowed down in March and was sporatic throughout the middle of this month. But when the sun does come out in the valley, it is very strong because we are so close to the sun, and then the land comes to life as the volcanic mineral-enriched soil is fed heavy doses of water and sun throughout the Peruvian summer. The people in Tuti are quick to say that we don’t have a summer in the mountains because of the rain. I think I would call it more like a spring season experience like back home in Portland, where there is a combination of rain, the sun fighting its way out of the clouds, and the plants shivering themselves back to life through the nights and morning cold. I’ve managed to wear shorts a couple times this season during early afternoon, but I can already tell that at night the winter cold has already begun approaching which forced me to dust off that sleeping bag wool liner and use it for the first time since December. Well, I guess if we don’t have a summer here, it sure was a nice spring. The valley is filled with different shades of green, yellow marigolds, snow capped mountains and hilltops that line the canyons edge, and pastures swollen with growth for the alpacas, sheep, and cows to feed on. This is the time of the year the earth exhales out one big breath, and waits to breathe back in until July.

2008-03-20T11:46:00.000-07:00

Pastures

2008-03-20T11:36:00.000-07:00

2008-03-20T11:30:00.000-07:00

The River Just Below the Dam

2008-03-20T11:19:00.001-07:00

2008-03-20T11:15:00.000-07:00

Stone Shed for Livestock

2008-03-20T11:06:00.001-07:00

2008-03-20T10:57:00.000-07:00

Condor flying above me

2008-03-09T12:17:00.000-07:00

Condors

2008-03-09T11:41:00.001-07:00

I went to the Cruz del Condor, which is a site for watching Condors. A few other volunteers and I were told that sometimes you have to wait up to 2 hours to see one. About 10 minutes into standing around and checking out the depth of the canyon, I started to take some pictures of one of the other volunteers looking at the canyon. As soon as I finished taking a picture, a huge shadow passed over me like the sun was being partly eclipsed. I looked up and it was a condor flying 20 feet over my head. I was definitely fortunate to have had my camera already out and I got some pictures of it. But even though I have pictures of it, there is no way a picture can give you any idea of how huge they are unless you see them as up close and personal like I did.
Cruz del Condor is in a lower part of the valley, and I was told that it is not common for the condors to fly as high in the valley where Tuti is. Well contrary to that, I was teaching summer English class to the kids in the elementary school during the month of February. Every Wednesday we would hop in the back of the municipalidad truck with about 70 people from Tuti (at one point I looked around and noticed that I was the tallest person out of everybody standing up, it was a special moment) and drive to Chivay to use the hot spring pools there to teach the kids how to swim. One day, when we were about 20 minutes from Chivay, we saw 20 (yes 20, it is not a mistype) condors flying in a line above the canyon walls to the north. The next Wednesday, we saw 13 more condors flying in a line in the exact same location. I do believe the locals when they say it is not common for the condors to be in that part of the valley, but I think since it is summer time the condors have to venture in different parts of the valley to find food for their newly hatched baby condors.
Even though the people in the Colca Valley are more accustomed to seeing condors then I am, they still get just as excited as I do when they see them.

Masked man nabs baby, and bull stops him!

2008-01-01T15:12:00.000-08:00

Livestock auction

2008-01-01T15:06:00.000-08:00

On October 18th we had an annual auction of livestock in Tuti. People from other towns came and either bought or sold bulls, cows, and sheep, the bulls selling for as high as 2000 dollars. It was an event that took place all afternoon, and included your stereotypical auctioneer who would count down from 20 and pause at each 5 second increment to give more detail about the animal(s), and would stretch out the last second to a full minute for those slow decision makers. There were of course the big ticket items, the biggest bulls of the bunch, and the smaller ticket items, sheep, which at times did not draw enough interest that the seller did not sell them because they did not get the price they wanted. The majority of the town attended the auction, as well as the snack vendors who sold lunch plates of chicken and potatoes, and jell-o with whip cream for dessert. Once nightfall came, the people moved to the plaza and found spectator spots in front of the municipalidad. The bull owners gave a display of value, as they dressed up themselves and their bulls, and conducted a skit on the street in front of the municipalidad. The owners wore traditional outfits (except for one owner who wore a mask and held a baby doll) while the bulls wore an embroidered blanket across their back, Peruvian flags atop their horns, and ribbons on their foreheads. Each skit involved 2 owners, with 2 bulls that had a plow strapped to them, and the owners would lead them up and down the street in front of the audience doing comical moves and dances, and using unorthodox moves to stop the bulls on command. The size of the bulls and their obedience were the determinants of their value.

Waiting

2007-10-21T16:53:00.000-07:00

As I write this I sit at the carretera (the main road) that runs from Chivay to Tuti, to Sibayo, and through Callalli. It is the one road of transportation, but more like an extremely long gravel road filled with assorted large rocks and plenty of dips and bumps. I am watching 2 cows stand in the middle of it about 10 feet from me, staring at me (I’m starting to notice a consistency of cows and I staring at each other) as they wait for their owners who are loading bulky bag after bag on their donkey whose legs are actually buckling from the weight. There is an old Incan trail that one can take from Tuti, through Canocota to Chivay, but it is only walk able for people. Thus the carretera is not only filled with rocks, dips, and bumps, but with sheep, donkeys, cows, the herders of the likes, bicyclists, taxi collectivos and combis packed with people, and the local farmer.
The farmers take their livestock up and down this road to graze on their land outside of town, and then return them to the security of the city limits before nightfall. Going to Chivay is not a problem for me since it is the provincial capital. If it is a market day (Monday and Thursday) and I am out by the plaza by 7:30am, I can usually find a ride in a half hour. On non-market days it can be about 2 hours of waiting, and nearly impossible to find a ride to Chivay from 10am to 4pm, and you can forget about going to Chivay after 6pm. Today I am going to Sibayo to go celebrate a volunteer’s birthday. Sibayo is not on the way to the provincial capital and thus is much more difficult to find a ride to. So here I sit waiting at the main road for a collectivo or a mini-combi to drive by with passengers from Chivay. Since it is Friday, I have no idea how many hours I could be waiting. Now going into my fifth month in Peru, waiting has become apart of my daily routine. I wait for collectivos, combis, delayed buses from Chivay to Arequipa City, delayed flights in Lima and Arequipa City airport, I wait for meetings to start at 8pm in the municipalidad when they were scheduled at 6 pm, I wait in collectivos and combis until every possible inch of sitting space is taken up and then we wait for 2 more passengers, I wait 2 weeks until I am outside of Tuti and in a place with a cell phone signal and/or internet to be able to receive information for projects and to be able to contact family and friends, I wait 3 weeks to go to a Arequipa City and get my mail. To go from Tuti to Arequipa City I spend 5 hours sitting, and for my future bus trip to La Libertad I will spend about 45 hours on a bus round trip. Not only do I spend a lot time in buses, combis, and collectivos, but the time spent in them is in a very uncomfortable position where I reach the threshold of discomfort and I have to find a happy place in mind which is usually a wide open space with my legs stretched out.
My patience has reached new levels, and to sit anywhere waiting for hours and hours becomes a treat if my legs have room. Especially being in a different country waiting to go to Chivay, Arequipa City, or anywhere else in Peru never gives me the feeling of waiting to be somewhere else because in my reality I am already there, I am in Peru.

Dogs in Peru

2007-10-21T16:51:00.000-07:00

The dogs in Peru are of a different culture. It is somewhat of a dogs’ heaven where they are able to run free, there are no leash laws. In Chaclacayo and the cities closer to Lima, it is common to see dogs on the roof tops, and they even run and jump from rooftop to rooftop barking at the passerby. The one thing that is not heavenly about the dogs in Chaclacayo is that they are aggressive and they will bite you. You do not go over to a dog and say “hey buddy, how’s it going there fella?” and stick your fleshy and meaty hand in the dog’s face. The real fun part is when you are going to go visit a neighbor and when you get close to their house, their dog charges at you while barking and bearing its teeth. No way do you turn around and run, or you are already doomed, you have to act like you are supposed to be going where you are going and walk casually while thinking, “I’m going to get bit!” I fortunately have not gotten bit, but have had two close calls. Several volunteers in my group were on the receiving ends of dog bites and for this is why it is Peace Corps protocol for us to receive several rabies shots throughout our stay in Peru. Dogs are everywhere; roaming the streets, digging through trash, getting shooed out of the local restaurant, pretty much going wherever they want until somebody tries to kick them. That’s the thing, as much as it is a dogs’ heaven here you would assume that the people here like dogs, but the people do not pet dogs. There is a common understanding between the two about their living together relationship and people maintain their position of dominance in the relationship by throwing rocks, and feinting a smack or kick at the dog. The dogs do serve as loyal property protectors of their owners and also fight for their property against other dogs on a continual basis.
In the mountains where I am living the dogs are not as aggressive, and are definitely different from the dogs closer to the coast. I do not feel threatened around them and I almost feel bad for them because nobody ever gives them any affection. I felt comfortable enough to pet 2 of them and the one wolf that I encountered in the plaza. Once I started petting, the muscles in their face completely slumped and they did not want me to stop, I am sure it was an experience like no other for them. When the locals saw me petting the dogs they looked at me like I was strange, and either laughed, or asked me why I was doing that. Last Wednesday I was petting one of the dogs in the plaza and even playing with him a little bit since he is about 8 months old, and the caretaker of the plaza asked me if that was my dog. I answered, “No”, and she said with a smile, “I’m going to kill that dog because he is always in my plaza”. This is not a joke, if a dog bites a local or a tourist, or roams around the plaza too much, they will poison him. In Chosica, one of the bigger cities close to Chaclacayo, I was told that the municipalidad puts poison in the park all the time to get rid of stray dogs (although owned dogs roam like stray dogs). One of the volunteers in Sibayo told me that a dog was killed two weeks ago in Sibayo for roaming around the plaza too much. Teaching a dog here to ‘Sit’, ‘Stay’, and ‘Heel’ is hard enough; I wonder if it is possible to teach ‘DON’T GO TO THE PLAZA!’

Plaza in Callalli

2007-10-21T16:48:00.000-07:00

A church in the plaza, there's one in every town no matter how big the town is

Streets of Callalli

2007-10-21T16:45:00.000-07:00

Paha Roofs (Thatched rooves)

2007-10-21T16:36:00.000-07:00

Sibayo is labeled a national tourist site by the government so the municipalidad has rules that the houses must be made of stone and thatched rooves to maintain a touristy look. Here is a photo of the locals redoing the roof. It is definately not the most durable roof but they figure the gain from tourism is worth more then the expense of maintaining the style.

By Hot Springs in Yanque

2007-10-20T22:17:00.001-07:00

Colca Baskets

2007-10-20T22:17:00.000-07:00

Due to popular request, and questions about what things are in the caves overlooking Tuti I have uploaded my photo of the baskets that are imbedded in the grounds of the caves. This type of basket in Quechua is known as Colca. It translates to something like a refrigerator, where these baskets were used as storage units for food and since the Colca baskets probably sit at an altitude of about 12,800 feet and out of the sunlight, they stay cool enough to preserve food. From these baskets derives the name of the cold, windy, and sometimes feels like a refrigerator valley that I live in, Colca Valley. Food storage was the primary use of these caves, and there is ample drinkable mineral water trickling down the cave walls. Of course some of the locals had scribbled their names on the walls, but other than that the majority of the caves looked untouched and Colca baskets worn down by the age of time sat in each cave we visited.

The Godfather of Champions

2007-10-01T09:46:00.001-07:00

I’m in the middle of my forth week in Tuti, Arequipa, which is a small mountain town (about 800 people) which sits at about 12,450ft above sea level. That’s at least 1000ft higher then the biggest mountain in Oregon, Mt.Hood. I was a little lethargic my first few days here but I have adjusted to the altitude and I’m enjoying the crisp, clean air of the mountains. I have been asked several times by the locals why am I being punished by having to live in Tuti for 2 years. They talk about how cold it gets (10 to 20 degrees at night during fall and winter), how there is no summer (it rains the 3 months of summer, but I explain to them how we get rain in 8 months of our year in Portland), and that it’s a small town (800 people which is less then half the size of my high school) with not much to do.
For me the site is the perfect work environment for my 2 year Peace Corps service. The town is Ley Seca which means alcohol is not permitted to be sold in the stores. They had a problem with alcoholism years ago, so now they have a town of early risers and motivated people. Everything shuts down early, each night I’m in my room by 8 which gives me at least a hour to practice my Spanish and keep my project/daily journals up to date. The town gets up around 5, sometimes earlier, which gives me about a hour in the morning to exercise. Tuti is small enough that I can make a visible difference in my projects, of which I already got a list of 8 potential projects for me to do during my time here.
The culture here is much different then the cities close to the coast. I was sitting in the plaza in Tuti for over a hour sketching an outline of the plaza, and only one person (who works for the local NGO and who I know well) asked me what I was doing. It is definitely a culture much more reserved, you can pretty much pick your time for conversations, which I enjoy being able to have times to relax and look at the beautiful landscape around me. Tuti is located in the Colca Valley, which is listed by most travel guides as one the top natural sites in the world. Anytime I travel from one city to the next in Colca Valley, I get stuck staring at the terrain, the hills, and the canon that I’m living in.
If I ever get antsy to get away, I live about 40 minutes away from Chivay, the provincial capital. They have hot baths with a steam room there, and tourist restaurants to satisfy my hunger for pizza. If I need to really get out and have a wild time, I live 4 hours away from the best big city in Peru, Arequipa City. Arequipa City is the 2nd biggest city in Peru, behind Lima which has all the things you don’t like from major American cities: pollution, expensive tourist restaurants and things to buy, dirty, the potential of getting robbed which includes areas you CANNOT go into without the expectancy of something violent happening to you, and nothing much to look at except buildings. If you ask Peruvians, and Peace Corps volunteers what is the best city in all of Peru, the majority of them would say Arequipa City. Its got some Spanish influence in its design, European style streets with buildings built with no space in between them, a lot of 80s American pop music, it has more of a really big town look instead of skyscrapers, lots of good restaurants with scenic views, places to play pool and darts, a variety of shops, nice hotels at decent rates, and things to keep you entertained at night without running into a bunch of club hoppers.
I just got done giving the fifth graders at the Colegio (High School) in Tuti a small lecture during English class about why it is not possible for them to just sit there and learn English; that it takes hard work, writing better notes, and doing it out of the sheer appreciation of having the opportunity of receiving an education let alone learn English. I’m fitting into my new role just fine as THE professor of English at the Colegio. They haven’t had a legitimate English teacher for a year now, and the current teacher is actually a math teacher. Me being the professor just happened, I thought I was going to go sit in on class, but then when class had started is when the other teacher told me that she was the actually the math teacher and she knew very little English. So there I was teaching the whole class, and I ended up really enjoying my interactions with the students. I had already thought about the possibility of teaching in a classroom setting during my time Tuti, and after my first day I decided that this was a perfect opportunity of me to learn how to teach English. I am the best person for the job here, I will learn classroom management, I have a set schedule with the students, they already have notebooks for me to base my instruction off of yet I am still free to teach how I want, I do have the math teacher there at times to be an authority figure to keep them under control, and the students like me being there because I am a volunteer and relatively young. I still don’t know exactly what I want to when I get out of Peace Corps but I do know that if I have 2 years of teaching English experience on my resume I will have many options of what I can do and where I can go.
I’m also the Padrino (Godfather) of the second grade volleyball team of the Colegio. That kind of fell in my lap too. I was eating dinner at the local restaurant that I frequent and I noticed that the daughter of the restaurant owner was printing out something. I asked what it was and she showed me an official document that said her team was trying to find a Padrino to show support for their team in the Colegio’s intergrado championship taking place the next day. Of course since I had the document in my hands, she asked me if I would be the Padrino. I knew accepting this would be mean I would have to give some type of gift or monetary support, but I was a little flattered that she asked and I didn’t have the heart to turn her down. I explained to her how I was Doble Pelado (Doble-Double, Pelado-Bald, and I have no money which makes the inside of my wallet bald, thus I am Double Bald) and joked with her that I would buy her a cookie, but in seriousness let her know that they would have to wait until the first of October for me to buy anything. She had no problem with that so I signed on the dotted line, my future forever intertwined with the destiny of the second grade volleyball team of Tuti.
I went to the Colegio the next day to show my support, and watch MY team put on a display of determination and will to win for their Padrino. I had let every student that sat down next to me know that my team was going to win. I could see the doubt in their eyes, it was not possible for the second graders to beat the third, fourth, and fifth graders. Apparently the fourth graders always win, and that was who my team was up against first. My team lost the first set against the fourth graders, but halfway through the second set, a wind of hope and confidence cascaded down the hills of Colca and through the valley until it rested on that very volleyball court which my eyes where set on. My team had taken the lead in the second set, and I could see belief twinkling in their eyes and an extra spring in their step. Not only did they win the second set, but they rolled the former champions into a ball, and spiked them right out of the tournament. My team jumped with glee, cheered with elation, and served their Padrino a sandwich and cups of FANTA! Oh what a special moment it was to learn that the taste of victory tastes like orange pop and a ham sandwich with cheese, tomatoes, light mayo, and mini crunchy Peruvian fries. Que Rico it was (Tasted Great). With the former champs out of the tournament, nobody could stop us, NOBODY! BWAHAHAHAHA!! I then continued to sit there for the next 3 hours, nodding my head in approval as I watched my team annihilate the remaining third and fifth grade teams. That’s right, James is not just a Padrino, he’s the Padrino of the Volleyball Championship Team of Tuti. I guess there goes my idea about giving them a cookie, a championship team deserves kneepads to protect their champion knees, and a brand new volleyball.
Well that’s pretty much the gist of my current Peace Corps experience. I have a Peace Corps cellphone but of course I don’t get a signal where I’m at, and the internet is not operating in Tuti. My outside communication, email writing, and blog updating is limited to whenever I venture out of Tuti, and only Arequipa City has fast enough internet for me to upload photos. I’ll do my best to keep all of you up to date when I am somewhere with internet access.

Tuti Cave/Photo of Climbing Group

2007-09-23T13:55:00.000-07:00

Sasquatch!

2007-09-23T13:44:00.000-07:00

Fashionably Fashionable Fashion Wear For The Mountains Of Peru

View into the other part of the valley

2007-09-23T13:32:00.000-07:00

After venturing around in several different caves, we hiked around a bend in the hill where we could see the valley of Tuti to the southeast and the next part of the valley that opened up to Chivay to the northwest. The view was just a tiny chunk of the Colca Valley but nevertheless seemed enormous.

Hike to the caves

2007-09-23T13:17:00.000-07:00

Cow's eye view of the valley

2007-09-23T13:04:00.000-07:00

Cave View overlooking Tuti and into part of the Valle del Colca

2007-09-23T12:54:00.000-07:00

In the hills of Tuti to the north, are a set of large caves at the top that overlook the town. Many of the locals had pointed them out to me, and told me they were ancient Incan caves. The people here really want to me to work for tourism, so I figured a trip to the caves could give me an idea if this was an actual selling point. Originally I was not big on the idea of flooding the town with North American and European tourists, but then I realized that tourism was one of the few ways of bringing in an outside source of income.
I had started my resistance bands workout routine again, but went too overboard on it, and managed to get a very uncomfortable pain in my neck the night before the hike. I woke up at 10:30 at night in pain, was unable to breath in comfort nor find any possible position in bed that was comfortable for my neck. I tossed and turned the whole night, and managed probably 4 hours of sleep. When I woke up, my hands had the shakes, and to say the least, I just did not feel right. I went to one of the little stores in the plaza and bought a pain killer, which helped with the pain but then made me feel lethargic and my legs feel like Jell-o. I knew this hike was going to be an mental experience, but there was no way I was not going to try to get to those caves especially when 2 other volunteers had made the trip to Tuti with the plans of me going with them to the caves, and 2 locals had changed their morning plans to show us the way.
At about 6:30am our group of 6 people headed off to the caves. Alonzo, one of my counterparts, led the way along with the Narcisa, an owner of one of the local restaurants and who has quickly become one of my favorite people in Tuti. I pretty much gasped the whole way, which was a combination of my collarbone hurting when I breathed deeply and being over 12,800 feet above sea level, and focused on just putting one foot in front of the other. Obviously out of all days this one of the worst days to feel like you just wanted to lie down. At several points through the steady climb, the traditional hat of Narcisa and the yellow shirt of Alonzo started glowing, and the tan hillside turned to a bright haze. I managed to avoid asking the other volunteers the rhetorical question of if everything was glowing in their vision too.
After two miles of hiking up hill, and only 200 meters from the caves, we encountered 3 cows hanging out and grazing away on the trail. The cows and us shared looks of, “what are you guys doing up here?” I wondered if they were escapees, and imagined that the owner had been looking everywhere low and not 400 feet above him on the side of hill/cliff.When we got to the caves I was finally able to rest and not worry about making sure my camera was in my uphill hand so if I passed out during the trek it would not fall to its demise. Here I was rewarded with one of the most spectacular views I had ever seen. Of course the valley is vast, but only from a birds eye view could I see all the contours of what surrounds Tuti. One of the volunteers exclaimed to me, “This is where you live!” It was like a dream where I was floating over this unbelievable terrain, and I was able to pause my dream and look at everything with vivid clarity. We all sat there in silence, feeling and listening to the wind rush up the hillside. The silence was broke when I and another volunteer watched a circling hawk, which was at about our eye level, break into a freefalling dive and dropped out of our sight. “That was awesome!!” we stated in unison. Earlier I had just been talking to this volunteer about how I heard the “whoosh” of a diving bird of prey in

Plaza in Yanque

2007-09-23T07:33:00.000-07:00

Site of another volunteer. The old lady in the pic asked me to take a picture of her after I had already taken it. They ask for photos and then when you take it, they ask for money.

Sibayo and Callalli

2007-09-23T07:29:00.000-07:00

Sibayo in the forefront, Callalli in the background

When it pays off to not pay attention

2007-09-23T07:22:00.000-07:00

A week and a half ago I was walking down this road with two other volunteers, going from Sibayo to Callalli. I was not paying attention to the other volunteers’ conversation because I was zoning out like I usually do when I look at the seemingly never-ending valley of vast hills and canon walls. My trance was broken when I heard a quick repetitive screech from a bird of prey. I looked up above me and to the right from where I heard the noise and I saw a falcon 20 feet above us. Literally within that second that I saw the falcon, I caught sight of another but smaller bird of prey (not sure what kind it was because it was moving so fast) diving down at the falcon. The falcon barrel rolled upside down and stretched its claws up into the sky towards the oncoming bird. I could hear the “whoosh” from the diving bird’s velocity as it cut through the air over the falcon, just inches from the talons.
To this I exclaimed to my fellow volunteers, “OH SH*#!” while I watched the falcon spin back over with its prized rodent still clasped firmly in beak. The falcon flew off with what was obviously the reason for the air strike, and I asked the other volunteers, “Did you see that?!” Unfortunately for them they did not which was probably the closest we will ever physically get to such a scene, but one volunteer did say that they heard the “whoosh” too of the bird of prey diving by. I hurriedly explained, “It was freaking amazing, the falcon had a rodent in its beak, and like, this other bird…”
The air battle transpired in just a second, but I still get goose bumps every time I play it over again in my head. I guess there are sometimes when it pays to not pay attention.

Church in Arequipa City

2007-09-23T07:13:00.000-07:00

Wolf in the Plaza

2007-09-23T06:58:00.000-07:00

On the last day of my future site visit in Tuti, i was sitting on a bench in the plaza waiting for a colectivo taxi (a taxi you wait for 6 other people to take with you to the same destination) when a wolf strolled on over to me. I already knew that it was a misconception that wolves are aggresive, people from the States think they are because in the states we have Husky/Wolf mixes and it is actually the Husky that it is aggressive. So there I was petting a wolf on a Sunday morning, and even had to push him off my lap a couple times because he wanted to get too friendly with me. I felt it was a nice way to wrap up my site visit.

Tuti

2007-09-23T06:48:00.000-07:00

Tuti right before sunset.

The ninth week of our training all the volunteers were scheduled to go on future site visits. 1 or 2 days before leaving (depending on the site) was when we actually found out where we were going. In my last interview with my director of micro-business I got to see a list of potential sites. None of the names meant anything to me except Arequipa. I did not have an initial response as he read off the list, because how could I give an opinion when I did not know anything about the different departments of Peru. I only had knowledge about Ancash because our Field Based Training was there, and knowledge about Arequipa because another volunteer at length had explained its beauty and the diversity of activities to do in Arequipa, and that from what he knew he thought Arequipa would be a perfect fit for me. Having respect for the other volunteer’s opinions, who has become a good friend, I told my director that I would of have liked to be placed in Arequipa, but that either way I knew he by far had more knowledge than I do about the sites, and that I trusted his decision.
Following the interview though, I heard everyday prior to our site selection that 2 other business volunteers had already been selected to go to Arequipa, and I knew there were only 2 available spots for business volunteers. The morning of the day we were to find out about site placement, a Spanish professor even told me the names of the 2 volunteers who were supposedly going to Arequipa. To this, I had absolutely no clue about where I was going, I just guessed Ancash because it was a mountain region, and the mountains have more Machismo so it was less likely for a woman volunteer to go there.
For finding out about where we were placed, the staff had put the names of future sites on foam fish and placed them in the training center pool. The volunteers then had to fish out the site names one by one, and then the directors would announce who is going to that sight. I was actually a little down going into our site placement. I was certain that when Ancash came up, it would be me, but I really did not want to go there only because I had already been there for Field Based Training and I wanted to see a new part of Peru. If any of the other names came up, I would probably have had to fake a reaction because I did not know any anything about the site, like faking that you are happy about a Christmas present after opening it and yet you are not sure what it is. So when Tuti, Arequipa was fished out and my director announced my name, I was stunned and elated. I had completely ruled out the possibility, which had me grinning ear to ear about getting placed there. Not only did that have me happy, but when I saw what 3 other volunteers we going to Arequipa with me (a married couple: 1 business, 1 youth development, and another youth volunteer), I was completely satisfied to know that I would get to share my 2 year experience with people I enjoyed being around during training, and whose personalities seemed to mesh together.

Earthquake

2007-09-23T06:45:00.000-07:00

I'm good, I was on my way to our Business Director's house on a combi (mini-public bus) in Lima when the earthquake hit, and I was practicing Quechua with another volunteer in the back of the combi. We were busy reading our notebooks, and we just thought we were on a bad gravel road and didn't even bother looking up. It wasn't until we stopped on the side of the road that we asked what was going on and at that point all the people were out of their houses and in the street. We went into our Director's house and we could see how some of the pool water had jumped out of the pool. The epicenter was south of Lima close to Chincha, Ica, and Pisco. I had actually visited Chincha the weekend of July 29th, which is a beach town with a diverse population of peruvians, afro-peruvians, and tourists. The living room in the house we were staying at collapsed during the earthquake and the people there have no water or electricty, but thankfully the family we stayed with is okay. About 30% of the Chincha is leveled, the town of Pisco is pretty much gone with half the hospital collapsed, and 25% of the buildings have collapsed in Ica, which has about 120,000 people. The richter scale of the earthquake was upgraded to 8.1, and there was about a dozen tremors over 3 days. The power went out for a hour in my barrio and a couple others the day after the earthquake, but the volunteers and I were pretty much unaffected by the earthquake and fortunately the majority of volunteers happened to be in Lima at the time at the Peace Corps Center for a variety of meetings. I had my future site visit last week, I'm going to be living in Tuti, Arequipa which is 3,790 meters above sea level (12,343 feet) which is over 1,000 feet higher than Mount Hood. I need to take two more weeks of Quechua before I head out, which is the language of the Incas. I don't need to know it, and I'll be using plenty of Spanish in my site but it is going to help with me intergrating into my site because the older people use at times and the people will have alot of respect for a gringo who can speak Quechua. There a few different types of Quechua but my group of 4 volunteers going to Arequipa are fortunate to have a Peace Corps professor of Quecha who is of Arequipa and knows the correct Quechua for us to learn. It's optional but I figured why not take advantage of getting to learn an indigenous language for free and maybe I'll have come home with 2 new languages. My primary project will be me working with the cheese company in Tuti. They want me to help look for new markets but first they need to standardize their product. I talked to them about changing their packaging since they only use ceranwrap for their product. I also connected up with 3 different youth associations about doing future projects with them, all the people want me to teach english, and there's a couple projects I want to do with tourism like helping them develop web pages and repairing the guardrails and chairs at sightseeing site and making a tablet with information about the Valle del Colca in Spanish and English. If your curious about exactly where will I be, look up Valley of Colca (Valle del Colca). I will be living in it, and it is spectacular and one of the must see sights of the world, there should be plenty of info about it in the internet.

Seesaw

2007-08-02T18:13:00.000-07:00

This was definately one of the more creatively made seesaws I have ever seen. Picture taken in the lot of a church located in the plaza of Chiquian.

Plaza of Chiquian

2007-08-02T17:58:00.000-07:00

Stream in Chiquian

2007-08-02T17:52:00.000-07:00

Mountain Ridge In Chiquian

2007-08-02T17:46:00.000-07:00

Bingo Night in The Plaza

2007-08-02T17:27:00.000-07:00

A group of my students did a Bingo night in the plaza in Chiquian for their business simulation. It was a smashing success, the group profited 200 soles and the town was enthralled with the game. The group had to get a permit for authorization to use the plaza but definately proved it was worth the work.

Business Simulation in Chiquian

2007-08-02T17:17:00.000-07:00

We had our field based training in week 6 (July 14th-July 22nd). My group, the business volunteers, left from Lima at about 11pm on a Saturday night, switched from bus to combi on an overpass just outside of Huaraz at 5am and at 16,000 feet above sea level, and then we serpentined down a mountain side on a road about 1 ½ the width of our combi until we reached the town of Chiquian. Chiquian has about a population of 5,000 and rests at 13,000 feet, and sits in bowl of mountains. When I got there and the sun finally rose up and exposed the surroundings of Chiquian my initial thoughts were that this is what I was waiting to see. I had only ventured around Chaclacayo and Lima prior to this, but both of these cities were urban and did not give me a taste of the geographical beauty of Peru. Green hills and valleys, snow capped mountains, and a couple waterfalls hidden from the common tourist. A group of us volunteers went on a 2 hour hike to one of these waterfalls, which included shimmying across a ledge that had only enough surface area for your feet and a drop off that would result in a severe injury or death :-D . One volunteer did not make it to some of the more severe parts of the hike due to altitude sickness. I had felt the shortness of breath due the elevation when I had first gotten off the combi and a couple hours following that, but it was not overwhelming to me but I’m sure it would have been a struggle if I had decided to go for a jog.
Also in Chiquian was the local technical and computation institute. Our assignment at the institute was to conduct a business simulation workshop, we separated into 5 groups of about 4 volunteers and each group taught a 3 day class of 15 to 20 students about basic business principles (intro to microbusiness, market studies, accounting, feasibility studies, customer service, etc.) and then we had the students separate into 13 groups out of a total of 85 students, create a business plan explaining an idea they had for a 2 day business and the costs and projected profits that it entailed, and then we had them present it to receive a loan of up to 100 soles with a 2% interest rate. They then setup their small businesses throughout Chiquian and sold off their products and services to the people of Chiquian. There was a variety of food businesses (papas rellenos, tamales, cuye, picarones which is like a cinnamon ring dipped in honey, yogurt, and more), programs for the computer, a breakfast delivery service, and our biggest hit which was Bingo in the plaza. All of the businesses earned a profit, the classes went better than I think any of us expected, some already motivated students probably gained a little know how in starting a business, and some of the timid students gained a little confidence in themselves and came out of their shells. Although we had a few struggles with classroom management after lunchtime, the well-detailed groups’ presentations wrapping up their results and the positive response and many thanks given by the students showed that the business simulation was a complete success. You obviously have to be realistic in your expectations of what a 3 day class can teach but I feel confident that we all got something valuable out of it. Actually the breakfast delivery group had already received future orders for the next week right before we left. There was a strong interest from the public and definately seemed liked it was gonna keep going. The yogurt group had actually won a contest a year before for best yogurt, and they sold out of their yogurt in 45 minutes during our simulation. They planned on to keep selling yogurt. The simulation wasn't about getting them to start a career business right there but to teach them basic concepts in running a business, and showing them how its not a business, its a culmination of simplifying and perfecting all the little components that make up a business. Some of the students I felt had the charisma and motivation to be successful entrepreneurs, they just needed some knowledge. While others might not end up being business owners but at least gained some confidence in themselves to focus on something and accomplish it. Discussing trading with other towns was not something we had time for and would not be pertinent in terms of logistics since Chiquian is fairly isolated and not easy to get to from the outside. I'm not sure if they will have another Bingo night, but two other volunteers and I are having a bingo night in my community in Chaclacayo in a couple weekends to raise funds for the community and have gotten the approval of the community leaders for the event and they are all excited.

2007-07-31T21:18:00.000-07:00

South Horizon of Honkopampa

2007-07-31T21:01:00.000-07:00

most of the pics below are of the mountains to the north of where i stood in Honkopampa, this is a pic of my view to the south/southwest. I was pretty much surrounded by huge mountains and valleys.

Rain moving in over Honkopampa

2007-07-31T20:38:00.000-07:00

Cactus and Snow

2007-07-31T20:30:00.001-07:00

We took a combi from Huaraz to Cuaraz to visit another volunteer’s site, and while we were bouncing back and forth between the two cities for a couple days I kept telling my fellow volunteers that I wanted to get at least one shot of a cactus with a snow peak mountain in the background. I felt that at least this pic could somewhat visually describe the ecological diversity of Peru. I do not know how many places on earth have snow covered mountain peaks and cacti within a few miles of each other but I think it is safe for me to guess not many. I finally got my shot in Honkopampa, laying admidst stone rubble of old ruins and what looked to be some type of rabbit droppings which was unavoidable since they covered the ground everywhere. Honkopampa is somewhat of a secluded tourist site, complete with ruins and a spectacular view surrounding you at all angles. One half of your view sits on the other side of an enormous valley, which appears to be an infinite horizon of hills pressing against blue sky and clouds, the other half of your view is filled with 6 to 7 snow covered mountain peaks and one snow covered mountain ridge whose height stretches into the clouds and length reaches farther then your eyes can see. We climbed atop of a hill above the ruins, and we were able to see a valley that dipped between us and the mountain ridge. I couldn’t pick one thing to look at, I just gazed trying to absorb everything in my sight. I wish I could have spent at least one day atop that hill from sunrise to sunset, and then I could say that I spent the day watching the earth breath and move. The wind currents are the opposite from back home, with the clouds moving from east to west. Everything was warm and clear at first and then around mid afternoon rain clouds started to brush across the top of the mountains. It was satisfying to see the different contrasts of weather, and how the mountains can catch the rain clouds before they get to you. This is one of the most rural sites you will find in Peru, with the locales being sparsely spread out across the hill sides.

Triplet Peaks in Honkopampa

2007-07-31T20:24:00.000-07:00

Honkopampa

2007-07-22T17:40:00.001-07:00

I have plenty to write about in regards to my 5 day trip in Chiquian, and my visits to Huaraz, Cuaraz, and Honkopampa. I’m running short on time tonite but I figured I’d try to do the hard part of choosing a few of the pics out the hundred photos I took and get them on the net so they can do some of the talking for themselves. I have been extremely anxious to share them with everyone and have spent 3 hours today converting them onto my laptop. I promise to give all you some thorough details about the adventure, but it is my first day back and I need to get prepared for the week. I hope these little computer sized pics can possibly give you a mere glimpse into the vast beauty that surrounded me. Walking away from it, and trying to put my camera down was one of the hardest things I’ve ever had to do.

Honkopampa

2007-07-22T17:40:00.000-07:00

Chiquian in the forefront

2007-07-22T17:30:00.000-07:00

Sunset in Chiquian

2007-07-22T17:22:00.000-07:00

Beekeeping

2007-07-22T17:02:00.000-07:00

We’ve been taking classes of agriculture every Saturday. We go to the local agriculture institute and are taught by the professors and students there from 8 am until about 1 pm. The first few times we covered different types of soil, basic details of some of the common vegetables and fruits found in farming sites across Peru, how to recycle some of the unneeded organics into compost piles, and pretty much a general overview of the dynamics that the Peruvian ecological system has to offer. Our last trip we got an introduction to cuye raising (overgrown guinea pigs known as a good source of protein) and to beekeeping, which is the number one business ran by Peace Corps volunteers in Peru. One of the professors gave us an up close demonstration of how to remove parts of the bee box and we were able to enjoy the taste of honey directly from the hive. Peru has a lot to offer in terms of beekeeping due to the weather and fauna here. China is actually the biggest exporter of honey, and sells it at an extremely low price, but Peru can still compete within the country due to the logistics of getting honey to some of the rural areas here. The US has lost about 60% of its bee population, and the number one reason that scientists have come up with is that cell phone signals are throwing off the bees communication signals.

Bee Boxes

2007-07-22T16:49:00.000-07:00

Peru and the Training Center

2007-07-07T17:32:00.000-07:00

Right now it is winter here, but it feels like summer during the day, and probably gets down to the high 50s at night. Peru, South Africa, Southern parts of China, and the islands around Indonesia and New Guinea have the most varieties of plant species in the world. The high amount of sun, with the tropical rains these places experience, especially Peru, where in one region alone, Ancash, has nine mountain peaks bigger than any mountain in the continental US, only one peak in Canada, and one in Alaska compete. In Ancash, they will have about 100 inches of rain a year, you couple that with being closer to the sun and more time in the sun then most other places of the world, it is a biological extravaganza. Peru has the coast, the sierra, and an unparalleled mountain range. The culture is rich here, but I’ve been to Jockey Plaza, a top of the line mall that has the feel, and prices of any upscale mall in the states, and then traveled a few minutes away from there and seen poverty, dirt covered babies, a naked woman walking down the street with just her purse, and crumbling buildings.
I compare the economical problems here with those of South Africa, where there are plentiful natural resources and yet the people of these countries are being exploited. What used to be Great Britain exploiting India and Africa for their resources has been replaced by corporations enabled by globalization. How is it possible for such a resource rich place like Peru to have extreme poverty in certain areas? The farmers can’t compete with companies like Dole who buy out chunks of land, undersell the competition, and have direct links to the market eliminating their need for a middle man. Peru is also a large producer of textiles, and yet cannot compete with the cheap synthetics of China where things are produced at such low quality, high quantities, and done so with no environmental regulation, that it impossible for any country to compete unless they do so with no ethical responsibility. Is there any hope? I believe so, one thing that can be done is the implementation of ICT in Peru, Information Communication Technology. As part of my job here, I could make a difference if I could help the artisans, farmers, beekeepers, and any other small business with international potential connect directly to the market. This would raise their potential earning per unit, and eliminate them being exploited by a middle man company who uses the leverage of having direct connections to the market. Peru in terms of ICT is first world right now, only about 10% of the people have internet access. The owners of these quality businesses here do not know how to use computers, let alone the internet, to their advantage. There is no guarantee that helping implement ICT is what I’m going to be doing, but this is one of the potential developmental projects that I might be doing to help the people of Peru.
The training center I take my classes in looks like a vacation getaway, complete with pool, and the biggest species of palm trees I have seen. We have secured entry, and barbwire on the walls. We all feel spoiled by our training site. It is here I spend most of my time, in a mix of Spanish, business, health, personal security, politics, and culture classes. We got a cat, and newfound stray puppy which I’m not sure is going to stay there after training is over, it might go with one of the married couple/volunteers. Half of the volunteers are Micro Business, and the other half is Youth Development. We are split up into 7, or 8 separate levels of Spanish classes taught by all native Peruvians. I have about 15 hours a week of Spanish with only 3 other people in my group, and is by far the best teaching of Spanish I have ever experienced. I have about 3 to 5 projects of business or community projects going at a time. Even though it seems like a lot, I feel lucky to have learning new things as my job. I have no complaints whatsoever. Here are some pics of the training site now, and the one we temporarily lived in for 2 nights and 3 days before we got sent to our host families.

Conference room

2007-07-07T17:26:00.000-07:00

The highly used conference room complete with almost all of the Peru 9 volunteers

3 of my favorite people

2007-07-07T17:18:00.000-07:00

From left: Sunni, one of the Peace Corps doctors and Medical Staff and always a sight for sore eyes, Drew one of my neighbors in Tres de Octubre, and Javier, one of the first volunteers I connected with and who is constantly harrassed by other volunteers due to him having a leg up on us in Spanish because of his growing up in a Mexican household

Front yard of training site

2007-07-07T17:11:00.000-07:00

Sunrise

2007-07-07T17:06:00.000-07:00

My first morning in Peru

Flower at current training center

2007-07-07T17:01:00.001-07:00

At the first site

2007-07-07T16:55:00.000-07:00

guards, and horses on the left

First site

2007-07-07T16:46:00.001-07:00

Our rooms on the left and right, our first training site

Lima

2007-07-04T16:41:00.000-07:00

We went to Lima the weekend of June 23rd for a cultural experience. We got split into two groups, my group going to Miraflores. Miraflores is very close to the center of Lima and has the feel of any real touristy big city you’ve been to, complete with big buildings, fancy restaurants, and a lot of taxis. Our professor gave us assignments while we were there, such as find a particular market and report back with directions in Spanish, and find how much it costs to take a taxi to X and how long does it take. Before and during our trip we were given several speeches about safety and how usually the first incident of a volunteer getting robbed takes place in Lima. The girls stayed close to the guys, and all the guys probably went a little overboard with the “I’ll watch your back, you watch mine” mentality but I do know that nobody got robbed during our trip. I definitely held off taking a lot of pictures to show anybody interested the nice brand new expensive camera that I had. We ended up meeting with the other group in the center of Lima, at the park in front of the President’s building and the Municipal. This place definitely had a safer feel to it, unlike the Chinatown district, thus the accompanying photos to this entry (the building with the Peruvian flag over it is the President’s building). The town I live in and the adjacent cities have a second world feel to them. The center of Lima is first world, but on the outskirts of Lima, which we passed through on our way in and out of town, was undoubtedly third world. Trash everywhere, buildings falling apart, and people getting on the bus at every stop singing, playing a wooden flute, or handing out candy for money. On our way out two other volunteers and I took the bus back and we happen to go through a red zone (areas that are off limits to volunteers due to high crime/risk) by accident. While we were on the bus we saw a group of teenage kids run in front of the bus, the one in back carrying a snatched purse. Our bus turned down the same street they ran onto and I caught a glimpse of them cutting down an alley way and the one with the purse tossing it in into a cubby hole.
The traffic was insane on the way home through this area. There is no such thing as traffic laws, every car/bus for themselves. Lines are not obeyed, people might as well have their hands glued to the horn. I would never drive here no matter how good of driver I think I am, I have never seen vehicles packed so tight together like this and I have been too the New York City many times and it looks like a carousel ride in comparison to this. The bus drivers slam on the brakes, and the accelerator, and every half minute you think you are going to get into an accident or hit a pedestrian. In Chaclacayo it isn’t as extreme, but still the bus drivers have a lead foot and cars pass each other in the oncoming lanes. The Combi, which is a mini bus, doesn’t wait for you to be completely on before it starts moving again with the door being wide open. The bus system is privatized, so ever bus is competing to get as many people as possible on the bus at a time. I suspect they have a quota to meet, and that at times the driver and employee working the door cut a deal with each other to take a little money off the top since there is no way for the company to know how many people were actually on the Combi. A number of us volunteers, including me, have been lied to a couple times about the rate to take the Combi by the employee working the door, and of course since I refused to pay more they passed up my stop. I managed to resist the urge to chuck the employee off the Combi in the name of Cuerpa de Paz (Body of Peace aka Peace Corps).

Peace Corps in Plaza de Armas

2007-07-04T16:35:00.000-07:00

Municipalidad in Plaza de Armas in Lima

2007-07-04T16:23:00.000-07:00

Miami Airport

2007-07-04T16:12:00.000-07:00

We had two days of training in Philadelphia. A lot of it involved discussing all of our individual concerns and questions about the Peace Corps experience. If there was one phrase to sum it all up, it would be, “it depends”. All of us are going to have our own individual experience, so what is going to happen just depends on what happens. The main thing I think we all got out of our two days in Philadelphia was that all of us have been going through the same stresses and concerns for the last few months and it was nice for all of us to feel that we are not alone in what we are feeling and to have people to discuss these feelings with. We are a fairly diverse group, a mix of personalities, I was actually the only volunteer to have a room to themselves in Philadelphia which I had no complaint about being able to spread my stuff out all over the place. That’s the American way, if there is space try to use it all up! Although I’m writing this almost a month after my Philadelphia experience, I remember that we all meshed pretty well, and now a month later, we all are still getting along. It’s different for me to be around the same group of people 10 hours a day, 6 days a week. I know I can only usually take about 2 days in a row hanging out with my friends back home, so when I start getting a little agitated here, I do my best not to correlate it to the individuals here and remind myself that it is me that needs to make the adjustment. The photo with this entry was taken in Miami Airport, during our layover on our way to Lima. I was one of the few volunteers who was not exhausted from the lack of sleep during our time in Philly and traveling. I remember being WIDE awake the whole time. I was on an adrenaline rush the whole time which continued to be anticlimactic because we spent hours on buses, planes, and in airports, and eventually I just wanted to get there.

Airplane over Chicago

2007-07-04T16:07:00.000-07:00

Mis Profesores

2007-07-04T15:25:00.000-07:00

One of the hard things to do is to try to balance my time between Spanish homework, business homework, developing community contacts, and spending time practicing my Spanish with the family. So I found the best way two kill two birds with one stone is to sit down at the kitchen table and to do my Spanish homework with the kids. They love to help and definately supply the energy to keep me going, and some other volunteers have grown envious of the home environment I have and have requested for me to let them know when I'm doing my Spanish homework so they can be assisted by mis profesores also.
This photo was taken on my first day. I had been sitting at the table for hours getting to know my family and trying to decipher what 3 voices at a time were saying to me. One of the kids had rushed in and let me know that mis amigos were outside. I was definately surprised at how elated I felt to see them when I stepped outside, I definately wanted to share with somebody what it was like to be culturally, and linguistically bombarded for hours straight.
From Left: cousins Yamelet and Danitza, volunteer Elijah, cousins Ronaldo & Marcio, Gabriel, volunteer John, and the always charismatic Cesar in front of course

Cumpleanos de Charlie aka Papito

2007-07-04T15:16:00.000-07:00

From left: One good lookin dude, Gabriel, Marcio, Cesar (slowly sneaking off Charlie's cap), Sandi (w/baby, Susana's brother) Charlie, Joanna (w/baby, Susana's sister), Adrian, Elena (Susana's sister), cousin Danitza, Susana, some girl i don't know, and Mario

Family

2007-07-04T14:58:00.000-07:00

Gabriel, cousin Marcio, y Susana in the kitchen

The Brothers

2007-07-04T14:46:00.000-07:00

I live with Susana, who is 37, her father Charlie aka Papito, and her 3 sons Cesar, Gabriel, and Mario, ages 11, 12, and 6 respectively (left to right in photo). The husband Cesar works in Lima and visits every other weekend. It is a very common thing here in Peru for the fathers to work in another city or country due to the potential earnings in other areas. Susana is the ama de casa (housewife), she spends her morning yelling at the boys to get out of bed, ironing their clothes, making breakfast (which is always light; bread with butter, cheese, or patea), trying to get them out the door on time, cleaning dishes and the house, doing laundry, grocery shopping, and constantly doing something throughout the day because really her work is never done. Not having her husband around to reinforce her words to her sons definitely has to be a difficult thing. They get away with as much as they can and have perfected selective hearing. Don’t get me wrong, I really like the boys, their energy is great, they are bright and full of life, I just try to do my best now to lay down some rules and to get on them about doing their homework and listening to their mom since I have established relationships with them. Sometimes I will track them down upstairs (where the mother and sons stay while I sleep downstairs) and will escort them to the kitchen when they are pretending not to hear their mother yelling for them. I’m not trying to be their dad, but I definitely see the need for another adult male figure in the house to keep them on track and reminding them of what’s important. I am very happy with my living situation. From the first day on I have felt extremely comfortable with my family here. I feel like my personality compliments theirs as well and we are very open with each other about everything. Well except for religion, of which I was asked if I believed in Dios in the first conversation I had with Susana. 95% of the population here is Catholic, so one’s religious beliefs will be closely scrutinized. I responded with a yes, as to not freak them out, and explained that my beliefs are a little different then theirs but that I did not wish to discuss such a touchy subject as religion since I felt that I did not have an extensive enough vocabulary to correctly convey my beliefs. This seemed like a sufficient answer, and afterwards I went outside and breathed a sigh of relief for my proper response when I noticed that we live next door to a church.

Mountain Top Group Photo

2007-07-01T12:44:00.000-07:00

I apologize to all of you who have been checking in on my page waiting for me to post. I have been ridiculously busy! I spend at least 12 hours a day studying, working on projects, and practicing my Spanish. Today is the first day I have had the time to connect my laptop to the network connection at the neighborhood internet cabina. I just finished figuring out how to get my pics onto the net. I have to run now before my temporary mom starts looking for me to eat lunch. I will try to type some more before the end of the night, on top of the healthy portion of homework I got. I want you all to know that everything is great, the family I live with is awesome and I think I was extremely fortunate and we are a perfect fit for my 3 months in Chaclacayo. I will give you all some more details hopefully soon and just know that the only reason I haven't been writing is because all my "free" time is spent working, studying, and making business/community contacts. Take care!

2007-07-01T12:37:00.000-07:00

Mountain climb

2007-07-01T12:22:00.000-07:00

Tres de Octubre is part of the city Chaclacayo. To the north, where the photo is looking, is Chosica. From the north to the south towards Lima, a number of cities sit between these two mountain ranges. Throughout my day the mountains are to my east and west and there is a haze covering them which is a combination of the cool air coming from the ocean and probably a little mix of pollution.

2007-07-01T12:05:00.000-07:00

On Father's Day we climbed a mountain that overlooked the community I live in, Tres de Octubre. The cement soccer field sits in the middle of the community. The yellow house below it, is about three houses to the left of the house I live in. The church is my next-door neighbor. The houses in the picture are pretty much what makes up the general community.

Aspirations Statement

2007-05-30T03:03:00.000-07:00

After I received my placement to Peru for Small Business Development/Promotion, the Peace Corps requested for me to update my resume and to write an aspiration statement to send off to the people that will be training me in Peru. This was meant to help them get a better idea of me as an individual, and to somewhat prepare them for my training needs. For those of who are curious about what this aspiration statement consists of, here is the Peace Corps guidelines to my statement, and my response:

Your aspirations statement should describe your expectations about your Peace Corps service and assigned project, your strategies for adapting to a new culture, and how your expect your service to further your personal and professional goals.
Now that you have read your Volunteer Assignment Description (VAD), please tell us about:

A: The professional attributes that you plan to use, and what aspirations you hope to fulfill, during your Peace Corps service.

B: Your strategies for working effectively with host country partners to meet expressed needs.

C: Your strategies for adapting to a new culture with respect to your own cultural background.

D: The skills and knowledge you hope to gain during pre-service training to best serve your future community and project.

E: How you think Peace Corps service will influence your personal and professional aspirations after your service ends.

A: I know how to present myself professionally, to be dressed appropriately, to be attentive, awake, to speak clearly, and avoid using slang. To not slouch, to not be negative, or complain. To shake hands and greet people warmly, to say please, thank you, and mucho gusto. Another attribute I possess and continue to strengthen is my patience. Others will not see me “sigh”, or feel rushed by my presence. I will live by the rule that, “my time is their time”, and I will take however much time it takes for me to understand, but for those working with me to understand. I take pride in my ability to take complex concepts and explain them in the simplest ways. I will take organizational and group communication terms and explain them to the people I am working with by using examples that they can relate to. During my professional customer service and sales experience I learned that you cannot use “cookie-cutter” techniques to talk to people, or simple role-play. No two people are the same, you must listen to the individual and ask open-ended questions, and understanding them can only be so effective unless they believe that you understand them. Lastly I will always remind myself that I have much more to learn. I will use the resources available to me and continue to self-educate myself throughout my entire service. No matter how experienced I think I am, what I know is limited to my own experience so I must continue to learn from others and challenge myself to expand my knowledge.
I aspire to live a life of self-sacrifice, to take this opportunity to help other people and to sacrifice myself for the good of the global community while gaining valuable personal cross-cultural experience that will further my ability to do so. I aspire to become fluent in Spanish to increase the diversity of people I am able to help and make meaningful relationships with. I aspire to successfully complete as many projects as possible and to extend myself to my limits. I aspire myself not to visit, but to live the culture. To understand each culture and subculture, but still see each person for the individual that they are.

B: Being an active listener will be one of my main strategies. I need to make sure I am aware of the purpose, motivation, and abilities of all the individual parts involved in an organizational process. The best way of doing that is having open dialogue with them, and listening to what those parts tell you. When working together as a group or forming organizations, conflict is a natural part of the organizing process. It is not about if conflict happens, but how conflict is dealt with. I will do my best to help those that I work with understand this and to use conflict as a way of fostering great ideas and to bring out into the open, questions and concerns they may have. I will recognize my host country partners as experienced professionals that are knowledgeable about Peru, and whom I should look to for advice. I will build quality relationships with my host country partners by having open and honest dialogue, and working as hard as I can for them while maintaining the highest quality of work.

C: I will try not to over think what things are going to be like when I get to Peru. I know whatever conclusions I may come to prior to service will likely not be what I experience when I get there. Keeping an open mind and being extremely observant will be the key to my cultural adaptation. Misinterpretation could be a factor that affects the dynamics of my social interactions, and I will need to avoid an American perspective when interpreting certain situations. Due to the wide variety of cultures that I have had friends derive from, I have been able to find consistencies and differences of how to carry myself around different cultures, and how to present a demeanor that shows respect, compassion, and a genuine desire to understand another’s culture. Learning the language will be an ongoing process for me, I will need to use non-verbal communication as much as possible. I will let my work ethic show how motivated, focused, and capable I am. I will let my smile and the glimmer in my eye show the compassion and love I have for people. I will crouch down when speaking with children, and use eye contact when talking with people to show my attentiveness. My body language will show approachability and openness to others, my head nods will show that I am listening. My energy will show my enthusiasm and love I have for life and work.

D: When I leave pre-service training I expect to have a solid base of Spanish where I will be able to continue to self-educate myself and progress effectively in my use of Spanish, and to have learned new skills and strategies in my verbal and non-verbal communication. I hope to gain knowledge about the cultural norms, values, and beliefs of the cultures I will be interacting with during my service so I will be aware of how I am presenting myself and how I am perceived. I hope to be aware of the Peace Corps expectations of me and what I can do to meet and exceed them, and to understand the evaluation process and what areas will be highlighted during the process. I hope to gain more knowledge about the people and culture I will be working with, and to learn ways and tips to progress that knowledge during my service. It will be important to me to learn during pre-service training how to successfully integrate into the host family’s home and to convey my respect and appreciation for them letting me into their lives’. I hope to be fully aware of all the resources available to me in completing my assignment.

E: I am going into the Peace Corps with an open-mind and an open future. Although there are many options and things I feel I would enjoy for a career, I am not making a decision until I finish my Peace Corps experience. I plan on taking this experience day by day and focusing on what is in front of me, and I believe that my work in the Peace Corps will eventually give me a clearer picture of my future. I believe that being able to help people for a living is an achievement in itself, and I am thankful for the opportunity I have been given to do so in the Peace Corps. I will continue to reach higher for my dreams and goals in life beyond my service, but I do not want to lose sight of what an amazing experience this will be.