OK, so those of you who know me well....probobly more than you ever wanted to know- know that I live on peanut butter. I know its sooo quintesential bachelor of me, but I love a good peanut butter sandwhich, what can I say? Sans jelly of course...you dont need all that sugar! Always on wheat, and if I´m feeling extra culinary- I´ll add sliced banana´s, honey, and put it on toast. Yes its kind of wierd that I eat this for dinner most nights at home. But what can I say, its like getting all the protein out of a cheeseburger with out all the greese. Its fast, easy, and healthy.
As I sat in on my Spanish instruction the other day, my professor, made a side not after teaching me ´mantaquilla´ which is spanish for butter. He says to me with a sort of smiling suspicion, do you know peanut butter? Happy to hear he knows about my obsession- I loudly proclaim my love for the formula. He laughs wildly, after he calms down... with a queit speech- proclaims his disapproval. I obviously inquire further to find that it does exists in Peru, but it is expensive and considered an éxtra´item at the grocery store. ....not for me...
I went to the store after class, to buy my beloved butter. It runs about the same price as it is in America. Which is expensive since everything else here is about 1/5 of the price...if not less. And its not exactly JIFF, but thats ok with me. It keeps me sane, and healthy. I´m finally gaining back the notch I took in on my belt! I´m eating more now that I have it at my home here- because there are only so many times you can eat chicken in a row! And my Spanish is not good enough yet to buy meat from the butcher at the market....hell I don´t even know how to do it English! Who am I kidding?? If it doesn´t come pre-cut and wrapped up in plastic, I´m lost!
Oh, also to my delight, I found roman noodles.
I´m living now!!
Sunday, December 28, 2008
In Construction
Every house here seems to be in construction. And its not because of a real estate bubble! But, everywhere you walk you see the iron rods sticking up through the concrete another story over which the building actually exists.
It turns out that the families stay in these homes for generations. So, when you take over the home, or you have a child, or just when you can afford to do so, you add onto the house...which almost always means building up. The lots all share boundries. So you share the walls on each side of you with the neighbors, and the wall in the back to the people on the next street. There are no alleys....but without many cars, this isn´t a problem. The one problem it does create is what I like to call the New York City syndrom...trash goes out on the streets. But it doesn´t sit and wait here like it does in NY, because of the dogs. Ohhh the dogs. There are a ton of them, they rule the streets in packs, every block has its own- kind of scary. So, if you leave your trash out the dogs rip it to pieces...now you have a nice mess. So, the trash man comes 2-3 times a week, and rings a bell and shouts to bring out your trash...which everyone does.
There are several of these men who come through the streets selling or collecting things alarming residents with bells, whistles, or ...my persoanl favorite...the loudspeaker. They kind of remind me of the charactor in Monty Python and the Holy Grail, who admists the black plauge, pushes a wheelbarrel through town ringing a bell to ´bring out your dead´.
Anyway, its funny because people always have bricks stacked up on top of there houses complete with sand and contrete mix. People go to the store a buy more bricks. 10-20-50 bricks at a time! Then they just sit up there! I just want to finish them all!
It turns out that the families stay in these homes for generations. So, when you take over the home, or you have a child, or just when you can afford to do so, you add onto the house...which almost always means building up. The lots all share boundries. So you share the walls on each side of you with the neighbors, and the wall in the back to the people on the next street. There are no alleys....but without many cars, this isn´t a problem. The one problem it does create is what I like to call the New York City syndrom...trash goes out on the streets. But it doesn´t sit and wait here like it does in NY, because of the dogs. Ohhh the dogs. There are a ton of them, they rule the streets in packs, every block has its own- kind of scary. So, if you leave your trash out the dogs rip it to pieces...now you have a nice mess. So, the trash man comes 2-3 times a week, and rings a bell and shouts to bring out your trash...which everyone does.
There are several of these men who come through the streets selling or collecting things alarming residents with bells, whistles, or ...my persoanl favorite...the loudspeaker. They kind of remind me of the charactor in Monty Python and the Holy Grail, who admists the black plauge, pushes a wheelbarrel through town ringing a bell to ´bring out your dead´.
Anyway, its funny because people always have bricks stacked up on top of there houses complete with sand and contrete mix. People go to the store a buy more bricks. 10-20-50 bricks at a time! Then they just sit up there! I just want to finish them all!
Saturday, December 27, 2008
My Peruvian Christmas
I was lucky enough to have my Christmas celebration with a local family here. No I didn´t spend it alone :) Mary is the sister of Lorena, who is the Mexican volunteer companies liason here in Ayacucho. A native of Ayacucho, right now she is vacationing in Spain. Here is the tale of my Christmas celebration with her family...without her. Try to keep up with the amount of times that I did something wrong, I promise it will entertain.
Mary was kind enough to extend the invitation to me, although it felt more like a kidnapping. She called me from my house, where she was waiting for me (to my surprise), to bring me to her house for the celebration. It was about 6 pm, I was in the center of town, ironically doing some shopping for her two boys. I had spent a little time with the family before, and knew exactly what the boys had their eyes on for gifts. Or so I thought. I came directly home, where I changed quickly and began our good 3 mile walk accross town to her home. I had the presents wrapped, and I felt ready for the new celebration ahead. Maybe I was ready for an American celebration but not this one. First mistake, I dressed up. I was way overdressed. A bit embarrasing, but not the end of the world. When I arrived, I found out the celebration would not start until midnight. So, unsure of why I am there 6 hours early...I begin to play with her boys which are about 12 years old. Thank god they had video games! I climbed up into their living quarters, on the second story, I took a ladder that was just two tree truncks next to eachother, with some wooden planks accross for steps, some falling off. I felt like I was in a treehouse....but I assure you this is completely normal here.
A quick note on the house. This is the second family home I have been to here, and both have been much dirtier, smaller, and less well appointed than the house of the volnteers that I currently live in and am disgusted by at the same time. Cleanliness is just not a priority, and yes that goes for the resturaunts as well. The 8 of us spent the entire evening in a room no bigger than 10x10. It was the living room, kitchen, dining room, and later...dance floor.
After hours and hours of video games, the kids in and out of sleep. Dinner is finally served at midnight, and not a minute earlier! It was the usual fare, chicken, letuce, and rice. The same thing that is served at just about every resturaunt in Peru, although it usually comes with french fries instead of rice. They call is ´broasted´chicken...its the same type as you would get if you went to KFC and did not order the deep fried chicken...you know the other one...rotisorie, I think? Dinner is served, and the guest is always first here-which is nice. Then the drinks....they look to me and ask me where the wine is. I look around confused, only to later figure out that I was supposed to bring the wine. Oops. I immeadiatly left to buy two bottles down the street, in hopes to right my wrong...it wasn`t enough. The lights were turned off, and we sang. I think it was a Merry Christmas song...but I´m not really sure. Then we ate. Upon finishing, the boys were sent out to the streets where fireworks were out in full force. Imagine if everyone in a dense area like Chicago, on July 4th, conspired to set off their fireworks at eactly 7 pm....this is what the town was like at midnight! It was crazy...and fun.
We re-entered the house, where hot cocoa was waiting with paneton, a local bread specialty made just for christmas. Before paneton though, you were required to dance with a model of bady Jesus from their small model manger in the house. This morphed into some type of cradle the baby and dance type of thing, pass on the statue when your done. I obviously did my best dance...which I think was appreciated.
Afterwards, wine, and coca. Now it is adults only, the kids are asleep. And I begin to realize that there not only is there no time set aside for giving gifts to the kids, but I was the only one who had gifts for the kids, and, I had successfully not given them out. I just kept waiting for there to be, ok-now we give our gifts time....it never came. All the while, the dishes sit dirty around the kitchen, and the table....remember not a priority, but man was it driving me crazy!
Then the coca was passed around by grandma, all participated and I was engaged in my first real conversation about the drug trafficing in this country. I did not bring it up!! But, until now the subject has been beyond hush hush....it has not even been mentioned to me. They do not feel that the leaves they chew are addictive. But I assure you, these are what cocain is made from. Cocain is just many of these leaves, drained of their magic liquids, then dried into powder form...which then makes its way to the states. The farms are in the jungle, where the mafia is the law, and farms with landing strips are carved out of the rain forest. The powder form, from the best I can tell, is like chewing 100 of these leaves at the same time....probably more than you could logistically chew at once....but anyway....enough about drugs.
The wine continued to flow, the music became louder and louder, we danced, bought more wine, danced some more. After the 5 of us adults still up went through 8 bottles of wine I left. I walked in my door at 4:42am.
Not your typical American Christmas...it was interesting...and fun. Even if I made some mistakes along the way, I think they made an attempt to forgive the foreigner, and I tried to make every effort I could to say thank you.
Mary was kind enough to extend the invitation to me, although it felt more like a kidnapping. She called me from my house, where she was waiting for me (to my surprise), to bring me to her house for the celebration. It was about 6 pm, I was in the center of town, ironically doing some shopping for her two boys. I had spent a little time with the family before, and knew exactly what the boys had their eyes on for gifts. Or so I thought. I came directly home, where I changed quickly and began our good 3 mile walk accross town to her home. I had the presents wrapped, and I felt ready for the new celebration ahead. Maybe I was ready for an American celebration but not this one. First mistake, I dressed up. I was way overdressed. A bit embarrasing, but not the end of the world. When I arrived, I found out the celebration would not start until midnight. So, unsure of why I am there 6 hours early...I begin to play with her boys which are about 12 years old. Thank god they had video games! I climbed up into their living quarters, on the second story, I took a ladder that was just two tree truncks next to eachother, with some wooden planks accross for steps, some falling off. I felt like I was in a treehouse....but I assure you this is completely normal here.
A quick note on the house. This is the second family home I have been to here, and both have been much dirtier, smaller, and less well appointed than the house of the volnteers that I currently live in and am disgusted by at the same time. Cleanliness is just not a priority, and yes that goes for the resturaunts as well. The 8 of us spent the entire evening in a room no bigger than 10x10. It was the living room, kitchen, dining room, and later...dance floor.
After hours and hours of video games, the kids in and out of sleep. Dinner is finally served at midnight, and not a minute earlier! It was the usual fare, chicken, letuce, and rice. The same thing that is served at just about every resturaunt in Peru, although it usually comes with french fries instead of rice. They call is ´broasted´chicken...its the same type as you would get if you went to KFC and did not order the deep fried chicken...you know the other one...rotisorie, I think? Dinner is served, and the guest is always first here-which is nice. Then the drinks....they look to me and ask me where the wine is. I look around confused, only to later figure out that I was supposed to bring the wine. Oops. I immeadiatly left to buy two bottles down the street, in hopes to right my wrong...it wasn`t enough. The lights were turned off, and we sang. I think it was a Merry Christmas song...but I´m not really sure. Then we ate. Upon finishing, the boys were sent out to the streets where fireworks were out in full force. Imagine if everyone in a dense area like Chicago, on July 4th, conspired to set off their fireworks at eactly 7 pm....this is what the town was like at midnight! It was crazy...and fun.
We re-entered the house, where hot cocoa was waiting with paneton, a local bread specialty made just for christmas. Before paneton though, you were required to dance with a model of bady Jesus from their small model manger in the house. This morphed into some type of cradle the baby and dance type of thing, pass on the statue when your done. I obviously did my best dance...which I think was appreciated.
Afterwards, wine, and coca. Now it is adults only, the kids are asleep. And I begin to realize that there not only is there no time set aside for giving gifts to the kids, but I was the only one who had gifts for the kids, and, I had successfully not given them out. I just kept waiting for there to be, ok-now we give our gifts time....it never came. All the while, the dishes sit dirty around the kitchen, and the table....remember not a priority, but man was it driving me crazy!
Then the coca was passed around by grandma, all participated and I was engaged in my first real conversation about the drug trafficing in this country. I did not bring it up!! But, until now the subject has been beyond hush hush....it has not even been mentioned to me. They do not feel that the leaves they chew are addictive. But I assure you, these are what cocain is made from. Cocain is just many of these leaves, drained of their magic liquids, then dried into powder form...which then makes its way to the states. The farms are in the jungle, where the mafia is the law, and farms with landing strips are carved out of the rain forest. The powder form, from the best I can tell, is like chewing 100 of these leaves at the same time....probably more than you could logistically chew at once....but anyway....enough about drugs.
The wine continued to flow, the music became louder and louder, we danced, bought more wine, danced some more. After the 5 of us adults still up went through 8 bottles of wine I left. I walked in my door at 4:42am.
Not your typical American Christmas...it was interesting...and fun. Even if I made some mistakes along the way, I think they made an attempt to forgive the foreigner, and I tried to make every effort I could to say thank you.
Tuesday, December 23, 2008
Fun Facts and Findings of the Trip...and an editorial note
First, let me just say sorry for all the misspellings. I failed high school english aparently. The spell check on this thing is set to Spanish as is the MS Word...what do you want me to do??
Secondally, please sign up as a ´follower´ for the blog. I love knowing who is reading, and it keeps me writing knowing that people are actually reading it!
Now for FUN FACTS and FINDINGS
I will keep adding to this list as I go on, but generally these are small things that I think are worth sharing, but maybe not worth a whole entry!
1. I look like the unibomber.
2. I fantisize and romatisize about the life I left in Chicago nightly. ...mmmm.....Gibson´s.....
3. Everytime I see a knife for sale, I buy it. I´m up to three now. (one for my foot??)
4. I sleep every night in a fleece sleeping bag that I found ona Canadian canoe trip....sweet find.
5. Ironically, I bought a new pair of unassuming grey cross-trainers before I left, in order to be inconspicuious and not draw attention to myself. (not that that is possible here looking like I do) But the funny part is that, Peruvans are actually very fashion forward, and wear a lot of bright flashy cloths! So by wearing earth tones...I´m a wierdo...so, I recently purchased a white belt and hat to spruce up the wardrobe....I´m sure I´m fitting in now :)
6. The culture of the indegineous people is very much alive and well. Not only do you see the really, really old ladies carring sacks of coca and other plants down from the mountains everyday, but you also see younger women, even in their 30´s and 20´s doing the same thing. The other day, some 15 year old girls were performing a traditional dance ceremony in the street, they were carrying around todlers with their teeth!
7. I´m reading ¨The Odyessy¨by Homer at night. ....thats right...it was the only english book in the house...but I must admit I am enjoying it.
8. I´m not taking near enough pictures. (sorry)
9. Ayacucho is just over 9,000 ft. in altitude. And it literally, never snows here! (no skiing???)
10. Peruvians are not the most attractive people in the world.
11. Every mother wants to feed me. I thought this was just an American thing. Nope, turns out that the need to feed is cross cultural. Better finish my plate!
12. Other travelers say Cuba is a really cool place....I guess we´ll never know.
13. There are dogs everywhere here! They rule the street, and hang out on the rooftops of houses, and bark at you when you walk by....its great.
14. There is a neighborhood in Lima that they call `chicago chico`....literally translates to chicago boy. Since many Limoneons know only about the mob....or mob that once was in Chicago. They named the ruff neighborhood in town after us.....isn`t that sweet?
15. The guide books say that you need to boil the water for a minute in Lima before its drinkiable, and boil it for 3 minutes in the mountain regions (like ayacucho). My question is, what type of bad ass bugs exists in this water, that can survive for 3 minutes in boiling hot water?
16. The toilet paper here is almost always colored. Pink, Yellow, Brown. Do you see the potential problem here of having brown toilet paper???
17. The only llamas I have seen in Peru have been in the visitor burueas. Where are all the llamas? Its on the flag for god sake.
18. The unintended consiquence of having a mustache- you can't feel it when your nose drips
19. There are people dressed up in giant Zebra costumes in La Paz, at almost every major intersection. They direct the pedestrian traffic- and they are very zealous about their roles in this society...they are hilarious to watch!
20. I mountain biked down the worlds most dangerous road...and didn't even get a scratch. Now I want to organize a race down it!! Who's in??
21. There are German Shepards everywhere in Chile. Apparantly some German imigrant brought them over quasi-recently, and the trend took off. There are some strong ties between Chile and Germany....kind of strange.
Secondally, please sign up as a ´follower´ for the blog. I love knowing who is reading, and it keeps me writing knowing that people are actually reading it!
Now for FUN FACTS and FINDINGS
I will keep adding to this list as I go on, but generally these are small things that I think are worth sharing, but maybe not worth a whole entry!
1. I look like the unibomber.
2. I fantisize and romatisize about the life I left in Chicago nightly. ...mmmm.....Gibson´s.....
3. Everytime I see a knife for sale, I buy it. I´m up to three now. (one for my foot??)
4. I sleep every night in a fleece sleeping bag that I found ona Canadian canoe trip....sweet find.
5. Ironically, I bought a new pair of unassuming grey cross-trainers before I left, in order to be inconspicuious and not draw attention to myself. (not that that is possible here looking like I do) But the funny part is that, Peruvans are actually very fashion forward, and wear a lot of bright flashy cloths! So by wearing earth tones...I´m a wierdo...so, I recently purchased a white belt and hat to spruce up the wardrobe....I´m sure I´m fitting in now :)
6. The culture of the indegineous people is very much alive and well. Not only do you see the really, really old ladies carring sacks of coca and other plants down from the mountains everyday, but you also see younger women, even in their 30´s and 20´s doing the same thing. The other day, some 15 year old girls were performing a traditional dance ceremony in the street, they were carrying around todlers with their teeth!
7. I´m reading ¨The Odyessy¨by Homer at night. ....thats right...it was the only english book in the house...but I must admit I am enjoying it.
8. I´m not taking near enough pictures. (sorry)
9. Ayacucho is just over 9,000 ft. in altitude. And it literally, never snows here! (no skiing???)
10. Peruvians are not the most attractive people in the world.
11. Every mother wants to feed me. I thought this was just an American thing. Nope, turns out that the need to feed is cross cultural. Better finish my plate!
12. Other travelers say Cuba is a really cool place....I guess we´ll never know.
13. There are dogs everywhere here! They rule the street, and hang out on the rooftops of houses, and bark at you when you walk by....its great.
14. There is a neighborhood in Lima that they call `chicago chico`....literally translates to chicago boy. Since many Limoneons know only about the mob....or mob that once was in Chicago. They named the ruff neighborhood in town after us.....isn`t that sweet?
15. The guide books say that you need to boil the water for a minute in Lima before its drinkiable, and boil it for 3 minutes in the mountain regions (like ayacucho). My question is, what type of bad ass bugs exists in this water, that can survive for 3 minutes in boiling hot water?
16. The toilet paper here is almost always colored. Pink, Yellow, Brown. Do you see the potential problem here of having brown toilet paper???
17. The only llamas I have seen in Peru have been in the visitor burueas. Where are all the llamas? Its on the flag for god sake.
18. The unintended consiquence of having a mustache- you can't feel it when your nose drips
19. There are people dressed up in giant Zebra costumes in La Paz, at almost every major intersection. They direct the pedestrian traffic- and they are very zealous about their roles in this society...they are hilarious to watch!
20. I mountain biked down the worlds most dangerous road...and didn't even get a scratch. Now I want to organize a race down it!! Who's in??
21. There are German Shepards everywhere in Chile. Apparantly some German imigrant brought them over quasi-recently, and the trend took off. There are some strong ties between Chile and Germany....kind of strange.
Cultural Immersion
So, it occured to me the other day that I had not really seen any, or spoken to any other Americans in a while, save for my blog/email conversations. I think this experience is considered pretty intense! I´m not sure why I´m surprised by this, but it seems like I got by with my English while there were volunteers here, and now that they´re gone....not so much. Considering there are no other volunteers, I usually work with the a local representative of the organization, and as it turns out, I pretty much hang out with her, her family and friends in my off time. I think it is all the cause of sympathy, for my precieved loneliness. Whatever the case, it is pretty cool.
It is helping my learning curve for Spanish, becuase I am litterally not speaking English for days on end. Which is hard, considering I don´t really speak Spanish. To make matters more complicated, they speak Quechwan, the language of the natives, to each other. I didn´t really expect this to happen, but now that it is- I´m just going to roll with it. Because in the end I am getting a real cultural immersion expierence, while other volunteers are probably just hanging out with each other. Which is also fun, but I think I prefer the company of the families for the holidays.
I´m spending Christmass, which they celebrate on midnight tomorrow with their family. There are two boys, about 10 and 12, they are pretty fun to hang out with, and are pretty patient with my developing Spanish skills. We were all walking around town last night, as most families do here post dinner (which I love), and the kids were all googely eyed over the latest toys. I´m already schemeing about what to get them. I´m excited to surprise the boys with gifts, and to say thanks, in a round about way to the family for looking after me, as they have come to do. I have already cleared this with the powers that be, and it has been confirmed that it would be a nice gesture.
All in all, it won´t be the same without my family and friends. But, I knew that going in. And this, I think, is a good alternative.
To all those I will miss, much love, I will be thinking of you.
It is helping my learning curve for Spanish, becuase I am litterally not speaking English for days on end. Which is hard, considering I don´t really speak Spanish. To make matters more complicated, they speak Quechwan, the language of the natives, to each other. I didn´t really expect this to happen, but now that it is- I´m just going to roll with it. Because in the end I am getting a real cultural immersion expierence, while other volunteers are probably just hanging out with each other. Which is also fun, but I think I prefer the company of the families for the holidays.
I´m spending Christmass, which they celebrate on midnight tomorrow with their family. There are two boys, about 10 and 12, they are pretty fun to hang out with, and are pretty patient with my developing Spanish skills. We were all walking around town last night, as most families do here post dinner (which I love), and the kids were all googely eyed over the latest toys. I´m already schemeing about what to get them. I´m excited to surprise the boys with gifts, and to say thanks, in a round about way to the family for looking after me, as they have come to do. I have already cleared this with the powers that be, and it has been confirmed that it would be a nice gesture.
All in all, it won´t be the same without my family and friends. But, I knew that going in. And this, I think, is a good alternative.
To all those I will miss, much love, I will be thinking of you.
Monday, December 22, 2008
Looking Forward
I´m in the groove this week- feeling strong, healthy and with purpose. The healthy and strong part I have been working on for at least the last week or so- and it is a blessing to be strong and able. It is not easy to come from sutch a sterile enviornment like the US- into Peru, and not have your body respond to the change. That being said- I have finally found 2 or 3 resturaunts that I trust (I found pizza..thank god!! ...you can´t screw up pizza!). I have joined a gym, I have a goal for my time spent with the kids, and I am salivating as I spend my free time scheeming my great walkabout through Peru and beyond. Things are looking up.
The gym is an expierence all in itself. I can´t belive they actually have one..but its the real deal. Free weights, areobic machines, tredmill, spinning class, complete with sauna and steam room. And the grand finale?....HOT showers!! Yeeeehhhh haaaw. OK- they are usually just lukwarm....but still its much better than freezing cold! The place is decked out with sweet body building posters, your standard local meatheads, and a touch of high society Ayacucho. I didn´t really know that there was one, but it turns out there is. There are absolutly no ´business´jobs in Ayacucho, unless you work at one of the two banks, which makes me assume that most of these people are aquiring their welath through other means.
On the volunteering front, my relationships with the kids is growing. Especially since I am the only one there, I think they respect the fact that I am hanging out with them for the holidays. Of course this is a double edged sword, yes- it is sort of the goal and inevitable by spending time with them that our relationships grow stronger, but it makes the reality of the situation much harder to deal with on a pesonal level. All they need for god sake are parents, or at least one! It is dificult, because you know that you can´t be that person for them. However, the stronger relationships make the time spent there more fun for me, and I find myself playing more games with them, than spending time on my mural project. Hopefully I can accomplish both with my time here.
And so I sign out, dreaming of my soon trips hiking in the Andes and visiting the rain forest. As always, I will keep you posted.
Until then-
Chao!
¡Y Feliz Navidad!
The gym is an expierence all in itself. I can´t belive they actually have one..but its the real deal. Free weights, areobic machines, tredmill, spinning class, complete with sauna and steam room. And the grand finale?....HOT showers!! Yeeeehhhh haaaw. OK- they are usually just lukwarm....but still its much better than freezing cold! The place is decked out with sweet body building posters, your standard local meatheads, and a touch of high society Ayacucho. I didn´t really know that there was one, but it turns out there is. There are absolutly no ´business´jobs in Ayacucho, unless you work at one of the two banks, which makes me assume that most of these people are aquiring their welath through other means.
On the volunteering front, my relationships with the kids is growing. Especially since I am the only one there, I think they respect the fact that I am hanging out with them for the holidays. Of course this is a double edged sword, yes- it is sort of the goal and inevitable by spending time with them that our relationships grow stronger, but it makes the reality of the situation much harder to deal with on a pesonal level. All they need for god sake are parents, or at least one! It is dificult, because you know that you can´t be that person for them. However, the stronger relationships make the time spent there more fun for me, and I find myself playing more games with them, than spending time on my mural project. Hopefully I can accomplish both with my time here.
And so I sign out, dreaming of my soon trips hiking in the Andes and visiting the rain forest. As always, I will keep you posted.
Until then-
Chao!
¡Y Feliz Navidad!
Friday, December 19, 2008
A Good Day at the Orphanage
It was a good day to today...and you have to celebrate your successes. Being lonestar in this thing for now, I needed to make some adjustments. It is difficult working with these kids alone, and not knowing Spanish well enough to communicate with them, or their teachers/faculty in the school. Basically, I´m pretty worthless over there, unless the kids decide to let me in on all their little raindeer games, which usually doesn´t happen. So, I supervise- and break up fights mostly.
In order to feel like I have accomlished something, (possibly more for my own sanity than for the children) I set out on completeling some type of grand task during my time there. The kids have had a lot of exposure to international people through this program, and the first question they almost always ask is ¨What country?¨(are you from). Still, though, many of them cannot find Peru on the map without help. Natuarally I decided to focus on geography, and being the excellent artisan that I am ...right... I proposed to create a mural of the globe on one of the blank walls inside the orphanage. I figure that it will not only spice up the decoration, but the kids will learn country names and locations, capitals, oceans, and possibly flags along the way.
While this may not be the most important thing to teach them in life. It is something that I can contribute during my time there, and will hopefully continue to help them after I leave. I am really excited about being allowed to start it. It took a little convincing, these people don´t stray from the status quo to often, and convincing them in my battered Spanish was a chore...and I may have told them at some point that I was a professional painter...I´m not sure- I hope they are not dispointed!!
As I started work today, many of the children came over with a curoius eye, and allowed me to quiz them with the map I have as a guide. It was a win in my book and I look forward to working on it with the children the next couple of weeks!
In order to feel like I have accomlished something, (possibly more for my own sanity than for the children) I set out on completeling some type of grand task during my time there. The kids have had a lot of exposure to international people through this program, and the first question they almost always ask is ¨What country?¨(are you from). Still, though, many of them cannot find Peru on the map without help. Natuarally I decided to focus on geography, and being the excellent artisan that I am ...right... I proposed to create a mural of the globe on one of the blank walls inside the orphanage. I figure that it will not only spice up the decoration, but the kids will learn country names and locations, capitals, oceans, and possibly flags along the way.
While this may not be the most important thing to teach them in life. It is something that I can contribute during my time there, and will hopefully continue to help them after I leave. I am really excited about being allowed to start it. It took a little convincing, these people don´t stray from the status quo to often, and convincing them in my battered Spanish was a chore...and I may have told them at some point that I was a professional painter...I´m not sure- I hope they are not dispointed!!
As I started work today, many of the children came over with a curoius eye, and allowed me to quiz them with the map I have as a guide. It was a win in my book and I look forward to working on it with the children the next couple of weeks!
Wednesday, December 17, 2008
Meeting of the Peruvian Minds
Well, I´m just now recovering from my first (most people get more than one) sickness of the trip, and Im supposed to be starting as the group leader of my first project tomorrow morning.
About that...
Well, there isn´t exactly a group here to lead. In fact, there is just me. Nothing like being the leader of a group of one! 5 People had been signed up for the project (including me), one decided to travel these next few weeks with some people she met here, and come back for the project in Jan. Yet, another showed up tonight, only to realize it was probably going to be just me and her- and left! I suppose there is still hope for the other 2...I mean they still have 12 hours right??
So we arranged a meeting. A sit down- if you will, with the other ongoing organizers of the project to evaluate the situation. Here is how it played out.
After trying knocking and yelling about 10 times, finally a small girl opened an old, strong, green metal door. A brief conversation, she shuts the door, leaves, comes back, more conversation, some yelling in the background, and finally we are allowed to enter. I am guided back through a dark hallway, past a coup of about 30 guinea pigs (common dinner fare in these parts), under a clothed doorway and into a small room now containing myself, Mary, Lucy, (project partners) and Lucy´s mother and niece. We sat and discussed business. It was awesome! I came to realize that I have literally never discussed matters in which I work in someones home. It was cool- very personal. Seeing Lucy´s home also made me realize what a snob I have been. All this time, complaning about my living conditions and these people live in much less space, with a tin roof and dirt floors, and sleep next to the ginea pig coup. Now I feel fortuante! But back to business. What was decided? The project goes on, no matter if we have 1 or 15.
This is sort of an issue for me. As I enjoy having the house to myself, I´m not so sure about getting myself to this orphanage everyday alone. I guess I can entertain a few kids at a time on my own, or attempt to facilitate some group games with them. I just seems to kick up the difficulty a bit. And there is always the siren of travel beckoning, but to be honest, I was just getting setteled in here. I found a good grocery spot, where I can find some of my comfort foods. I joined a gym. Even made friends with some other American volunteers here working with other programs. What to do??
Either way, it seems determined for now. I will start out the project as if it wasn´t just me and if people show up along the way, great!
About that...
Well, there isn´t exactly a group here to lead. In fact, there is just me. Nothing like being the leader of a group of one! 5 People had been signed up for the project (including me), one decided to travel these next few weeks with some people she met here, and come back for the project in Jan. Yet, another showed up tonight, only to realize it was probably going to be just me and her- and left! I suppose there is still hope for the other 2...I mean they still have 12 hours right??
So we arranged a meeting. A sit down- if you will, with the other ongoing organizers of the project to evaluate the situation. Here is how it played out.
After trying knocking and yelling about 10 times, finally a small girl opened an old, strong, green metal door. A brief conversation, she shuts the door, leaves, comes back, more conversation, some yelling in the background, and finally we are allowed to enter. I am guided back through a dark hallway, past a coup of about 30 guinea pigs (common dinner fare in these parts), under a clothed doorway and into a small room now containing myself, Mary, Lucy, (project partners) and Lucy´s mother and niece. We sat and discussed business. It was awesome! I came to realize that I have literally never discussed matters in which I work in someones home. It was cool- very personal. Seeing Lucy´s home also made me realize what a snob I have been. All this time, complaning about my living conditions and these people live in much less space, with a tin roof and dirt floors, and sleep next to the ginea pig coup. Now I feel fortuante! But back to business. What was decided? The project goes on, no matter if we have 1 or 15.
This is sort of an issue for me. As I enjoy having the house to myself, I´m not so sure about getting myself to this orphanage everyday alone. I guess I can entertain a few kids at a time on my own, or attempt to facilitate some group games with them. I just seems to kick up the difficulty a bit. And there is always the siren of travel beckoning, but to be honest, I was just getting setteled in here. I found a good grocery spot, where I can find some of my comfort foods. I joined a gym. Even made friends with some other American volunteers here working with other programs. What to do??
Either way, it seems determined for now. I will start out the project as if it wasn´t just me and if people show up along the way, great!
Sunday, December 14, 2008
American Influence
I have often heard of the impact America has on the world. In fact I occasionally use the phrase ´when America sneezes the whole world gets sick´. But my realization of just how impactful America is has changed since I have left. It is amazing to me.
When I landed in Lima, on the car ride to the bus station, I saw McDonald´s, KFC, Pizza Hut, TGI Fridays, and Chile´s!! I couldn´t belive it! Here I was thousands of miles from home, and there are the same restaraunts that I have down the street at home! This was just the begining. Ica Kola, which rivals Coca-Cola for the number one soft drink here, is owned by guess who.....Coke! A brand that Peruvians identify with, and all the profits are going back to Atlanta! Other proof lies when I walk down the street and kids yell out Hi! and wave...I like that!
Also, people are walking around everywhere with english written on their clothing! I was shopping for a new hat the other day, and the saleswoman asked me (as usual) where I was from. After learing that I was American, she asked me, what does my shirt say?? I replied, soy muy caliente, in english it says, in bright sparkeling letters, IM SO HOT. Hilarious, we had a good laugh. Oh, and did I mention half of the hats in the store were American Eagle, Abercrombie, and NYC hats. I even found a Chicago Sox hat! Sorry Cardnal fans...I guess we havent made it to Peru yet!
It is also funny to here people talk to very foreign languages only to hear in the middle of the phrase the name of an american company or website ¨asfasfewagaghakarg....you tube...asdjfjiwefiadkjghi¨. It becomes clear very quickly how much influence mojor corporate players really have around the world. It may be impossible for a country/army/world leader to take over the world, but its perfectly possible for private companies to do so! And they do, all the time, and I love it! I love drinking Ica Kola down here and knowing that my money is going to an American company. And I love knowing that I live in such an important country. Even if someone has never heard of St. Louis, or Minneapolis- I need only to refer to their major corporate players. Ever heard of Budweiser? how about Target? for people to create some sort of connection with the place.
Even though our popularity as a country in the world is, well, non-existant, we still have the ability and power to influence the rest of the world. This is the lesson for the week, now we all have to pledge to use our power for good!
When I landed in Lima, on the car ride to the bus station, I saw McDonald´s, KFC, Pizza Hut, TGI Fridays, and Chile´s!! I couldn´t belive it! Here I was thousands of miles from home, and there are the same restaraunts that I have down the street at home! This was just the begining. Ica Kola, which rivals Coca-Cola for the number one soft drink here, is owned by guess who.....Coke! A brand that Peruvians identify with, and all the profits are going back to Atlanta! Other proof lies when I walk down the street and kids yell out Hi! and wave...I like that!
Also, people are walking around everywhere with english written on their clothing! I was shopping for a new hat the other day, and the saleswoman asked me (as usual) where I was from. After learing that I was American, she asked me, what does my shirt say?? I replied, soy muy caliente, in english it says, in bright sparkeling letters, IM SO HOT. Hilarious, we had a good laugh. Oh, and did I mention half of the hats in the store were American Eagle, Abercrombie, and NYC hats. I even found a Chicago Sox hat! Sorry Cardnal fans...I guess we havent made it to Peru yet!
It is also funny to here people talk to very foreign languages only to hear in the middle of the phrase the name of an american company or website ¨asfasfewagaghakarg....you tube...asdjfjiwefiadkjghi¨. It becomes clear very quickly how much influence mojor corporate players really have around the world. It may be impossible for a country/army/world leader to take over the world, but its perfectly possible for private companies to do so! And they do, all the time, and I love it! I love drinking Ica Kola down here and knowing that my money is going to an American company. And I love knowing that I live in such an important country. Even if someone has never heard of St. Louis, or Minneapolis- I need only to refer to their major corporate players. Ever heard of Budweiser? how about Target? for people to create some sort of connection with the place.
Even though our popularity as a country in the world is, well, non-existant, we still have the ability and power to influence the rest of the world. This is the lesson for the week, now we all have to pledge to use our power for good!
A Wedding, and a New Start
I went to my first Peruvian wedding!....(the happy couple above)....that didn´t take long! It was a non-traditional service since the two being wed were of different religions, but the venue was perfect. All outdoor, an intamite group of just 20-30 people- I thoroughly enjoyed meeting the friends and family of the bride, who is from Ayacucho. Another volunteer from the same project as me was the groom, and that is how I was invited. I have enjoyed getting to know him in the last couple of weeks. Its a new tough begging for them. He is from Isreal, and Jewish- and she is Mormon, and Peruvian. They plan to move to Isreal together in a couple of months, but no doubt the language barrier will take a toll. But in the words of the groom ´this makes life more interesting´.I agree, and while they start thier life together, I say goodbye to all of the volunteers from the last project and get ready for the next group to arrive. You never know exactly who is going to show up for a position like this, even if they have signed up. The preliminary count is just 5. This is down from 12 in the last project, and I´m sure it being the holiday season has something to do with it. The good news is that the house will be much less crowded, it will be easier to share the 1 bathroom with 5 people rather than 12! I think the smaller group size will also promote a more fluid relationship between the group members, and that is always a good thing. But, I think the size of the group as well as the fact that the children are out of school will make the work ahead a bit more challenging for this next session.
I am half way through my Español classes, and I feel that my comprehension is really comming along. Although my speech needs more pronunciation work, and more vocabulary! My teacher seems just as interested in learing about America than teaching me Spanish, which sort of makes me wonder who should be paying who. Nevertheless, I am learing, and that is a good thing!
Tuesday, December 9, 2008
An Awakening (yes another one)....and Sandboarding!
It was a very difficult day yesterday, but, I also had probably the most fun since I have been here. I am in Ica, a town notoriously known for theft and crime. It is a dirty and ugly city. However, just a few miles away lies an oasis of tourism called Hauacachina. It is a popular gringo getaway, and for good reason.
There are literally mountains of sand here. Some call them dunes- but they look like the rocky mountains to me- only made of sand. It is a complete desert, the only exception is a small lagoon in which the town/ resorts are centered around. (pictured) The best part about these sand mountains is that you can go sandboarding on them! They take you out on a dune buggy and really go to town, take you to some really cool vistas, and stop for several rides down various difficulty level dunes. It was awsome!
Although very different from snowboarding...I think mainly because of the boards that they give you- which are much smaller, and your feet are closer together, and also because the sand acts a little differently than the 
snow. Mainly in the fact that it hurts more when you fall. And I fell....a lot. I can hardly sit to write this thing right now.
That was the fun part- the debacle started when me and another girl decided to attempt to go to Paracas, a town just maybe 60 miles away or so that is famous for some beautiful islands just off the shore which are protected by a park system. I thought since we were right here it would be cool to see. Well, we waited until the evening to go to the bus station and buy ticketts. There weren´t any. The only bus option was going to be to go the next day- in which case we would not get there in time to catch the ferry to the islands that only leaves early in the morning. Another option was to take a taxi. Although, it just so happens that our hostel had posted a sign in our room that day stating ´there have been reports of people being robbed and left in the middle of nowhere by taxi drivers, the hotel does not take responsibility for....blah blah blah´ This was enough to thouroughly flip me out. Oh did I mention that the last bus to Ayacucho (home) was full. As it turns out there were three options, take our luck with a taxi, take a bus to Pisco (a town half way to Paracas- famous for the inventing the spirit that bears its name) right away, stay the night there, and take a taxi from Pisco to Paracas early the next morning, or stay another night in Ica and kiss the islands goodbye.
After appoligizing a million times, we opted to stay the night in Ica, and forget about the sea lions- I´ll go to the zoo when I get back. It seems like a no brainer the way I write it, but I was alone in not wanting to take the chance on the taxi. And I felt bad not going, but I knew it was the right decision.
This situation was the straw that broke the camels back for me. Those of you who know me well, know that I value my independence. In fact, sometimes it does my mind well to go somewhere when no one knows I am there. It is theraputic for me....I´m not sure why. This is much the reason why I thought the trip would be so healthy for me. I was wrong. I feel like I just got married to 15 strangers. We work together, sleep together, eat together, and travel together. Everything we do is a group decision, and it is impossible to do anything quickly. This is driving me crazy. And this is my awakening.
I pictured myself as a person who could adapt well to others, and adopt other points of veiw and ways of living. I thought this part of me was what made me good at relating to people. Well, as it turns out I am not. Last night I became frustrated to the point of meltdown. I just couldn´t take it anymore, and after the shutdown, it was hard to make even the simple decisions. I just wanted a safe place to sleep, a drink, and a ticket home. All of which was accomplished, save for the ticket home. But I did get a ticket to Ayacucho- which leaves tonight.
The day had quite the swing of emotions for me. It was a day in which I had some of the most fun, and encountered the most stress of my trip thus far. I´m sure there is more to come of both!
There are literally mountains of sand here. Some call them dunes- but they look like the rocky mountains to me- only made of sand. It is a complete desert, the only exception is a small lagoon in which the town/ resorts are centered around. (pictured) The best part about these sand mountains is that you can go sandboarding on them! They take you out on a dune buggy and really go to town, take you to some really cool vistas, and stop for several rides down various difficulty level dunes. It was awsome!
Although very different from snowboarding...I think mainly because of the boards that they give you- which are much smaller, and your feet are closer together, and also because the sand acts a little differently than the 
snow. Mainly in the fact that it hurts more when you fall. And I fell....a lot. I can hardly sit to write this thing right now.That was the fun part- the debacle started when me and another girl decided to attempt to go to Paracas, a town just maybe 60 miles away or so that is famous for some beautiful islands just off the shore which are protected by a park system. I thought since we were right here it would be cool to see. Well, we waited until the evening to go to the bus station and buy ticketts. There weren´t any. The only bus option was going to be to go the next day- in which case we would not get there in time to catch the ferry to the islands that only leaves early in the morning. Another option was to take a taxi. Although, it just so happens that our hostel had posted a sign in our room that day stating ´there have been reports of people being robbed and left in the middle of nowhere by taxi drivers, the hotel does not take responsibility for....blah blah blah´ This was enough to thouroughly flip me out. Oh did I mention that the last bus to Ayacucho (home) was full. As it turns out there were three options, take our luck with a taxi, take a bus to Pisco (a town half way to Paracas- famous for the inventing the spirit that bears its name) right away, stay the night there, and take a taxi from Pisco to Paracas early the next morning, or stay another night in Ica and kiss the islands goodbye.
After appoligizing a million times, we opted to stay the night in Ica, and forget about the sea lions- I´ll go to the zoo when I get back. It seems like a no brainer the way I write it, but I was alone in not wanting to take the chance on the taxi. And I felt bad not going, but I knew it was the right decision.
This situation was the straw that broke the camels back for me. Those of you who know me well, know that I value my independence. In fact, sometimes it does my mind well to go somewhere when no one knows I am there. It is theraputic for me....I´m not sure why. This is much the reason why I thought the trip would be so healthy for me. I was wrong. I feel like I just got married to 15 strangers. We work together, sleep together, eat together, and travel together. Everything we do is a group decision, and it is impossible to do anything quickly. This is driving me crazy. And this is my awakening.
I pictured myself as a person who could adapt well to others, and adopt other points of veiw and ways of living. I thought this part of me was what made me good at relating to people. Well, as it turns out I am not. Last night I became frustrated to the point of meltdown. I just couldn´t take it anymore, and after the shutdown, it was hard to make even the simple decisions. I just wanted a safe place to sleep, a drink, and a ticket home. All of which was accomplished, save for the ticket home. But I did get a ticket to Ayacucho- which leaves tonight.
The day had quite the swing of emotions for me. It was a day in which I had some of the most fun, and encountered the most stress of my trip thus far. I´m sure there is more to come of both!
Saturday, December 6, 2008
When in Rome...
So, I think It is sort of well known that when your in other countries you adapt to thier forms of living out of respect to their lifestyles and choices they have made. After all, you are visiting their country.
However, our volunteer house seems to have a rule system all of its own. There was sort of a falling out tonight amoung the French and the Koreans (yes I know it sounds like some old war movie). Luckily, as I am not the leader/overseer of this situation...yet!...so, it really isn´t my problem now. Although it does effect my living situation a bit. Nevertheless, it was a very good lesson for me, as I will encounter the situation again in the comming weeks. Always be respectful and polite no matter who/what/when/ or why. I have been writing about my problems- as you have seen in my previous messeges- and some of my feelings are shared. However, others have not been as coy with their comments and emotions as I believe I have. Of course, I´m no angel- I probably have enimies in the house I don´t even know about. But I suspect not- its hard to make enimies when you can hardly communicate!
When so many people are living together, in tight quarters, and from different cultures there are inevitably problems. But these aren´t the problems they had on the ´Real World´ because when differences arise, people act as if you are not only offending them, but their entire country, gender, or race. As you can imagine problems become accelerated with these feelings.
Hey, maybe MTV should get in on this!?
I guess the lesson here is always respect others, even if you can´t stand their cooking, dont agree with their self-cleaning principals, and even if you think they are insulting your gender. There is a time, place, and a way to solve such differences, and I hope when the leader role becomes mine I am able to handle these sensitive situations the right way.
However, our volunteer house seems to have a rule system all of its own. There was sort of a falling out tonight amoung the French and the Koreans (yes I know it sounds like some old war movie). Luckily, as I am not the leader/overseer of this situation...yet!...so, it really isn´t my problem now. Although it does effect my living situation a bit. Nevertheless, it was a very good lesson for me, as I will encounter the situation again in the comming weeks. Always be respectful and polite no matter who/what/when/ or why. I have been writing about my problems- as you have seen in my previous messeges- and some of my feelings are shared. However, others have not been as coy with their comments and emotions as I believe I have. Of course, I´m no angel- I probably have enimies in the house I don´t even know about. But I suspect not- its hard to make enimies when you can hardly communicate!
When so many people are living together, in tight quarters, and from different cultures there are inevitably problems. But these aren´t the problems they had on the ´Real World´ because when differences arise, people act as if you are not only offending them, but their entire country, gender, or race. As you can imagine problems become accelerated with these feelings.
Hey, maybe MTV should get in on this!?
I guess the lesson here is always respect others, even if you can´t stand their cooking, dont agree with their self-cleaning principals, and even if you think they are insulting your gender. There is a time, place, and a way to solve such differences, and I hope when the leader role becomes mine I am able to handle these sensitive situations the right way.
Thursday, December 4, 2008
Digging In
OK- I can do this. It may not be glamorous, and the work may be somewhat trivial, but damn it I signed up for it and I´m going to stick it out.
That being said, I´m dying for a cheesburger and a steak. I have pretty much been on a vegi diet since I got here- and not by choice. For a couple of reasons, first of all, we eat almost all of our meals together in the house, and second almost everyone has gotten sick at least once on the visit and they usually think it was bad meat. Personally I just don´t think anyone can bring themselves to ask the butcher at the local market to slice up the carcass he has hanging and bleeding in front of them. And given that the market is outdoors, and its about 80 degrees here, it is a little gross- and possibly not sanitary.
I can´t help but wish I was just traveling carefree accross the country seeing all of the sights, staying in hotels, eating out, and making friends along the way. There will be time for that at the end of my trip though. It is still a shock though, going from such nice living conditions to this. I can hardly stop myself from going out and renting a hotel room- especially since they are 5-10 dollars a night. You know, everything is so insanely cheap here- but the volunteers who have been here for a while have sort of adopted to the system, so to them- paying 3-5 dollars to eat out at night is outragous when you can cook for 10 people in the house for that much money.
The good news is I will be getting to travel along the way as well. Part of the budget can be spent on weekend getaways- which I will absolutly take advatage of. Today we took the kids to the arcade and helped them with their homework. Try doing word math problems en Español! But the arcade was fun- we were there for an hour, and I kept this kid, faustino´s streetfighter game full of tokens....and I spent just over 1 dollar! This kid keeps talking to me about Barack Obama- its hilarious! In fact I have heard a lot about Barack- he is, it seems, some sort of international hero- and it doesnt help that I´m from Chicago ( !I guess its better than being known for Al Capone¡). For better or for worse, the world is expecting a lot out of him- and us.
Anyway, I think I can stick it out. Most people are only here for 2-3 weeks. 2 months will be a challenge- but I keep reminding myself that is why I came down here. And after all the sun is shinning and I have a spot on the rooftop to soak up the afternoon sun in between work shifts....oh and I´m in the mountains- which I still love to gaze at and constantly dream of climbing. Which I no doubt will one day do, but I must be carefull as that is where many of the coca farms are, and I hear they don´t take kindly on strangers wondering onto their farms!
That being said, I´m dying for a cheesburger and a steak. I have pretty much been on a vegi diet since I got here- and not by choice. For a couple of reasons, first of all, we eat almost all of our meals together in the house, and second almost everyone has gotten sick at least once on the visit and they usually think it was bad meat. Personally I just don´t think anyone can bring themselves to ask the butcher at the local market to slice up the carcass he has hanging and bleeding in front of them. And given that the market is outdoors, and its about 80 degrees here, it is a little gross- and possibly not sanitary.
I can´t help but wish I was just traveling carefree accross the country seeing all of the sights, staying in hotels, eating out, and making friends along the way. There will be time for that at the end of my trip though. It is still a shock though, going from such nice living conditions to this. I can hardly stop myself from going out and renting a hotel room- especially since they are 5-10 dollars a night. You know, everything is so insanely cheap here- but the volunteers who have been here for a while have sort of adopted to the system, so to them- paying 3-5 dollars to eat out at night is outragous when you can cook for 10 people in the house for that much money.
The good news is I will be getting to travel along the way as well. Part of the budget can be spent on weekend getaways- which I will absolutly take advatage of. Today we took the kids to the arcade and helped them with their homework. Try doing word math problems en Español! But the arcade was fun- we were there for an hour, and I kept this kid, faustino´s streetfighter game full of tokens....and I spent just over 1 dollar! This kid keeps talking to me about Barack Obama- its hilarious! In fact I have heard a lot about Barack- he is, it seems, some sort of international hero- and it doesnt help that I´m from Chicago ( !I guess its better than being known for Al Capone¡). For better or for worse, the world is expecting a lot out of him- and us.
Anyway, I think I can stick it out. Most people are only here for 2-3 weeks. 2 months will be a challenge- but I keep reminding myself that is why I came down here. And after all the sun is shinning and I have a spot on the rooftop to soak up the afternoon sun in between work shifts....oh and I´m in the mountains- which I still love to gaze at and constantly dream of climbing. Which I no doubt will one day do, but I must be carefull as that is where many of the coca farms are, and I hear they don´t take kindly on strangers wondering onto their farms!
Wednesday, December 3, 2008
wake up call..... right...about....now
If there was ever going to be a wake up call on this trip- it was today. It has been a long one. I traveled to Ayacucho through the night and arrived here somewhere around 8 this morning. Enter the world of Ayacucho, and volunteering. Neither are glamorous. The house that we stay at is small, dirty, and packed with people. (see below)
And as luck has it, I end up in a room with two people who have been hooking up all trip...great. Its no surprise the rest of the volunteers have crammed themselves into the other rooms. All in all, I count 12 of us, living in a 3 bedroom apartment not bigger than mine at home, all sharing one bathroom. This is like the frat house, but dirtier, with girls, and you can´t communicate with anyone. Only one other volunteer is American. There are also 3 from France, 2 from Italy, 4 from Korea, one from Isreal, and one Chinese. Spanish is the only way to communicate. Even the europeans wont speak english to me, because they say I speak Ämerican English¨. I think they just can´t keep up. :) The house has running water about 80% of the time, and when it goes out, we (or I) manually switch the source to our private stash. Non of the above is ever heated. Unless of course its sunny, in which case you may choose to fill botels in the morning and leave them in the sun until you get home!
I also had my first introduction to the children and teachers I will be working with. Its sad. They call it an orphanage, but its not really the same as what we consider an orphanage. These kids might have parents, but they were drug addicts, or were violent with the children, or in some cases just dropped off babies on the front step of this place. Only to come back years later and reclaim their child. The ages vary greatly- from about 5-15, and they are all boys, which I am happy about. I always connect better with boys than girls. The daily schedule seems to be a 3 hour shift in the am from 9:30-12:30 and afternoon from 3-6. All meals are eaten back at the volunteer house and everyone takes turns cooking and cleaning. Given that most of the volunteers are about 22-25, no one really knows how to cook. Nevertheless, I plan on finding some beef if I can and making some mean american cheesburgers!
I start private Spanish lessons next week, and it is for certain that I will learn. The only question is how long it will take me and how hard it will be for me. As of now I am in the listening stage as they call it- I feel like a mute. Everytime I understand something and want to pitch in, I can´t think of how to say what I want. It is difficult, and I feel like everyone thinks I´m dumb.
It also appears that I´m going to have some real responsiblity on this trip. Apparntly the fee that we all paid upon entry is used through out the program for food ect, and at will of the leader. So, I´m already thinking of some cool weekend trips. Also, since I am the leader I am down here for longer than everyone else. Most of them are in this for 2 weeks. I will be overseeing two of these programs, and the first one starts 12/17. Before then I need to polish up on my Español and get to know the logistics of the city from the people who are here now.
I also had my first introduction to the children and teachers I will be working with. Its sad. They call it an orphanage, but its not really the same as what we consider an orphanage. These kids might have parents, but they were drug addicts, or were violent with the children, or in some cases just dropped off babies on the front step of this place. Only to come back years later and reclaim their child. The ages vary greatly- from about 5-15, and they are all boys, which I am happy about. I always connect better with boys than girls. The daily schedule seems to be a 3 hour shift in the am from 9:30-12:30 and afternoon from 3-6. All meals are eaten back at the volunteer house and everyone takes turns cooking and cleaning. Given that most of the volunteers are about 22-25, no one really knows how to cook. Nevertheless, I plan on finding some beef if I can and making some mean american cheesburgers!
I start private Spanish lessons next week, and it is for certain that I will learn. The only question is how long it will take me and how hard it will be for me. As of now I am in the listening stage as they call it- I feel like a mute. Everytime I understand something and want to pitch in, I can´t think of how to say what I want. It is difficult, and I feel like everyone thinks I´m dumb.
It also appears that I´m going to have some real responsiblity on this trip. Apparntly the fee that we all paid upon entry is used through out the program for food ect, and at will of the leader. So, I´m already thinking of some cool weekend trips. Also, since I am the leader I am down here for longer than everyone else. Most of them are in this for 2 weeks. I will be overseeing two of these programs, and the first one starts 12/17. Before then I need to polish up on my Español and get to know the logistics of the city from the people who are here now.
Tuesday, December 2, 2008
First thoughts
I´m in Lima! Its great and the trip went very smoothly- I say that when my final destination is still a 9 hour bus ride away..but hey-its not the destination right? You know I couldn´t help but thinking along the way that this really isn´t that big of a deal. Granted it seemed like a huge deal to even me, just 48 hours ago. But really it was just a few flights and several hours of travel. I´m here now, and yes the city is different, the people are different, and I´m having a blast figuring them both out- one question at a time! But even now, having only been here a matter of hours- I don´t know what I was so worried about. People are nice here, there are a lot of other tourist/backpacker/gringo´s like me. I feel relativley safe. I must say that my initial impression, albiet just a cab ride through and a cheap street corner dinner' the impression of Lima is well..lets say still pending approval. And that cheap dinner was CHEAP! I think the converstion comes out to about $1.80 for a chicken sandwich and a soda..I can get used to that!! Plus I´m riding VIP to Ayacucho! It was a whole $10 bucks extra! Lovin that! Speaking of busses, I better get on mine!
I hope all is well at home.
Until next time
Kev
I hope all is well at home.
Until next time
Kev
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