Rain

24 November 2009
Today I woke up to the familiar sound of rain falling. Familiar in another life. Here in my desert home in Northern Peru it’s a very foreign sound. I awoke and thought the sound I heard was the water coming from the tap someone left open until it ran dry yesterday morning or maybe that I was delusional. I looked out my window through the mesh I duct taped in to keep the bugs out and looked at my “backyard”, which is really a small area we call a corral where we raise ducks and guinea pigs and noticed that the ducks were drenched and the dirt floor was now mud. At first I was glum; trekking around in the rain is not my favorite thing to do because then you’re stuck in wet clothes. But then I realized I’d finally get to break out my spiffy raincoat to wear as I made my way to the special school. I stepped out of my room and grabbed my tea cup, since it oddly wasn’t yet on the table. No sooner than I set the cup on the table, my host mom comes running into the “dining room” fretting that the water isn’t boiled yet because she thought I wouldn’t be getting up early. Confused, I stood there; she knows that on Tuesdays and Thursdays I go to the special school at 9 and am up somewhere between 8 and 8:30. Then, with a chuckle, I realize it’s because of the rain. Because it’s raining, there probably won’t be school. I must have looked surprised or incredulous because she tells me, “Ven. Mira!” as she directs me to the door to look at the lake forming in front of our door and rain continuing to come down. With a laugh I think, “What the crap… we’re not in Cajamarca!”, and follow instructions to go back to bed despite wanting to go play in the rain. Cajamarca is another department, in the mountains of Peru, where it is currently wet season and volunteers make good use of their raincoats.
Later, as we’re eating lunch, my host mom asks if it rains like that in the states to which I say yes. My host sister asks if we have thunder and lightning storms, and I tell her I LOVE THEM. Then my host mom asks if I like to go out and play in the rain. I LOVE PLAYING IN THE RAIN! Laughing and slightly embarrassed, I tell her that I wanted to go play in the rain, but didn’t want the neighbors to think I’ve completely lost it. She told me I should have gone and played in the rain anyway and that she likes to go stand in the rain and get wet. So now I know, the next time it rains cats and dogs in the desert I’m taking my host mom to go play in the rain.

So November has been flying by. I have about 2 weeks to finish and turn in a draft of my diagnostic and then another week to turn in the final copy. December is looking to be rather full as well! Pretty much everyday there is something booked and for about a week I'll be out of site.

One of the other volunteers working in Special Ed is organizing a conference in her site about Disability and we'll each bring people from our site to participate. The following day, we're having a meeting among volunteers to work on best practices manuals and starting to organize the Disability Committee. THEN I leave that night for our Early IST which is our meeting after 4 months. It'll be the first time in 4 months I'll be seeing most of the youth volunteers and I'll also have to present my community diagnostic and turn in my final draft. I'm going to stay a couple days to visit my training host family.

I'm currently "gestionar-ing" or organizing for a group from the US to come to my site and help our youth out with hearing aids! It all started with a comment from the Deaf-Mute class teacher about wanting hearing aids for her students. I did some research and sent an email for more information and they wrote back asking about transport and how many people etc. It's still up in the air, but they are coordinating with one of their team members who has connections to Peru to see when his next trip to Lima is planned. (!!!!) All crossable parts of my body are crossed that it ends up working out.

My town was recently invaded by 14 gringos and 34 more Peruvians from Trujillo. My community's Disability Association coordinated with a group from Trujillo (Corazones Unidos con Personas con Discapacidad) and a group from the US (Joni and Friends: Wheels for the World) to come and donate wheelchairs, walkers, and crutches to a ton of people from Cayalti and the area. I have mixed opinions on it. The people did great things for my town's people with disability, but one in particular was less than open to my presence. I was talking to a 12 year old boy who was getting a wheelchair and his grandmother to find out if he goes to the Special School and to introduce myself (do my job... get to know community and those I'm serving) and he told me I couldn't be in that area "so as not to interrupt the job they are doing". The effect of the assistive devices continues after they leave as does the person's life. They were there 4 days, I'll be here 2 years. These are the people I'll be working with and it helps my job to be able to know their situations. Unfortunately, this one person (not gringo!) made what should have been a joyous event be a rather unpleasant memory. (AND the grandma brought her grandson the next week to school and there I was able to continue talking with her and building a relationship!)

I haven't put many pictures up recently (though I did just find a post that had pictures that was saved but never published and published it) but I've been working on a video to show before I present my diagnostic to my community. Seeing as Peruvians are notoriously late to meetings, I figured I'd aprovechar (take advantage) of it to show a video of pictures of my past 3 months in site and some of the things the youth are doing. I'll be adding more to it up until I have to present, but here's the sneak peek!

So it´s been over a month since I´ve written, and I´m not really sure what to update on. I don´t really know what I did this month. I made a little progress on my diagnostic and have even started writing the introduction, but still lack the basic demographic and health information. I helped out with an Escuela de Lideres (School of Leaders) workshop and was able to get some diagnostic info from the students there. Recently helped with Escuela de Padres (school of parents) and got some info from the parents. Other than that diagnostic stuff I´ve been going to the special school twice a week and teaching my english class.

I feel well adjusted to my town, but am still searching for how exactly I fit in with the
organizations I´ll be working with. I don´t want to just be another set of hands at the special school but don´t yet have the confianza with the teachers to try and make any changes. The school year is winding down (dec. 30ish it ends) and so I think I´ll continue observing and thinking of things for next year. I participated in a march for inclusion a couple weeks back in Chiclayo, but nothing was done IN my town for the week of inclusion.

My english classes are going. And while it´s not exactly what I want to be doing it gives me something to do and for the most part the kids seem to enjoy it. They are doing demolition and then reconstructing in the school, so our classroom has changed. They now study in the afternoon and are in a room the size of a closet. there is barely room to pass through the 2 rows of double desks. BUT we now have a white board!! I greatly prefer white boards to chalk boards in the states, but here the preference is even greater. In the states, at least chalk boards are typically smooth and you can more or less read what is written on them. Here, the chalk board is part of the plaster wall that has been painted with chalk board paint and is bumpy and makes the writing almost illegible.

I have pictures to post and stories to go along with them, but will do that later. Just wanted you all (those few that read this.. haha) to know I´m alive and well and enjoying my peruvian life.

Also, if you get the ganas (desire) to send me anything, I would love crossword puzzles. I did the one in the newspaper almost daily before, but the crossword puzzles here are weird- and in spanish. So if someone wants to clip their daily puzzle, save up a few and send them to me I would be forever grateful. Other things that make my life happy: chocolate, notes about what´s going on, magazines you´ve already read- I don´t really get much world news down here, swedish fish, and if someone could figure out how to send chicken harvest soup and the salad bar from prospector´s I would be in love! :)

Love and miss everyone and hope you´re enjoying Fall while I sweat my butt off down here.

Pictures

So I found this post that I saved, but never posted. Pictures of my birthday (dancing with pops, Yilda and her mom presenting me with my cake, my host mom chopping up some freshly killed duck) a shot of dusk in the middle of the desert on the way home from Chiclayo, and some of Cayalti's youth dancing Marinera the typical coastal dance.

Today I was asked when I am going to "empezar regalando"- start giving, as in when I´m I going to start giving things out. clearly gringos only come to give away things. the poor woman was incredibly confused when I explained that I´m not giving out anything, and that I´ll be here for two years.

Lesson to the gringos: when you travel or go abroad for charity, don´t just give things out. It creates a culture in which people expect all gringos to come bearing gifts and reduces their ability to be self sufficient. Work WITH the people, give them your time and friendship, share your skills. The whole the give a man a fish thing.. it´s true.

In other news. I´ve been keeping busy with my special school 2 days a week, working on my diagnostic (though not as much as I should be..) and going to various meetings here and in Chiclayo. I just promised to teach my dad´s elementary kids English 1 hour a week, starting next Wednesday so we´ll see how that goes. I have no idea how to teach English so this should fun. I´m meeting tons of people, most of whom I don´t remember their name but at least I try to remember their position or role, such as the lady that works in the municipality or which school they are the director of, etc. still no marriage proposals, though one guy straight up asked me to have his child and I´ve had plenty of people tell me they are sure I´ll find my Peruvian boyfriend and in the same breath warn me about Peruvian men.

Oh, I also apparently have really tasty blood. The mosquitoes have eaten me alive, mostly my arms and my face which makes for an attractive look. I´m told that once the mosquitoes get to know me, they won´t bite as much. Still, I asked the doctor to send me some bug repellent which I will coat myself in every day. I couldn´t figure out why there were so many mosquitoes (and I've been told it´s not even mosquito season yet) and then the doctor mentioned all the rice fields and it clicked. My town is surrounded by rice fields, sugar cane, and corn. Growing rice involved large amounts of stagnant water and mosquitoes breed in stagnant water. Thus making my site mosquito heaven. Note to self-turn down any possible invite to work the rice fields.

ok, it´s time for my afternoon siesta. let´s see how many mosquitoes bite me in my sleep.

Dear Grandpop,

You would like Peru. You´d be frustrated by people not speaking English, but you would love them for their ingenuity. Riding in a mototaxi to a caserio, or small farm community, I saw all sorts of jerry-rigged things. Nothing ever goes to the trash until it has lived it´s life at least 4 or 5 times over. I´ve seen tables attached to bicycles to create carts and bicycles that are beyond their years but still work thanks to Peruvian ingenuity. Their ingenuity spreads even into jobs. They think of everything to make money, find a need and fill it. Pretty much every family has some sort of side business, and often that business has a side business. For example we make copies, type documents, print, and bind manuals. But the side business of the side business is that we also sell snacks and gum, pens and erasers. All to earn a couple extra soles. Where our bathroom wall doesn´t go up all the way, cardboard boxes have been sewn together and taped up to fill in the 1 foot gap. Most cars should not run. And I don´t mean by US standards. they just shouldn´t work, but they do. Held together with wire and dirt they rumble down the road, a typical station wagon loaded with at least 5 passengers plus the driver and who knows how much other cargo. It´s a mechanics dream.

You would also like the big machines. While the farms are mostly run by manual labor- men and women bent over planting, weeding, and harvesting there are also a good number of big machines. If you were here, you´d probably be able to tell me what they´re all for, but I have no idea, ust that they´re BIG. Our street was being paved and there were more big machines, but also men with buckets of sand and a broom. Quite the contrast.

Most of all, you´d like the drinking circles and cheap beer. It´s not uncomon to start at 9 am on a Sunday and spend the whole day drinking. Or after a long day in the fields to partake in a drinking circle. Sometimes they drink canaso, a strong homemade liquor they make from sugar cane, but usually its one of Peru´s various cheap beers, Pilsen and Cristal and once in awhile Brahma if the money´s really tight. If they´re in a spending mood, they might splurge for a Cusquena which is not too bad. Grandpop, you could pass hours in a drinking circle sharing a couple cases of beer and stories about your farm equipment and what you jerry-rigged that day.

I could see you sitting around shooting the breeze with any number of the various old men I see hanging around town. And when I see something poorly jerry-rigged, I smile and think to myself "My grandpa coulda done better."

A couple of photos

¡¡¡Los Hermanos Yaipen!!! I went to their concert in Chosica with my family and ended up front row with a group of friends. It was amazing. This was during their hip thrusting part. There was also booty shaking and overall flirting with the audience. Los Hermanos Yaipen are to Peru what NSYNC was to the US in their day. Needless to say, it was an unforgettable night

Dear US Taxpayers: Be proud. Peru just welcomed 36 new Peace Corp Volunteers into their communities and homes. These 36 people are set out to do great things and be prime examples of US citizens. Keep us in your thoughts, as our job isn´t always the easiest but is bound to be an adventure. This picture is from the first and last time I, as a PCV, will be clean and well put together- at least until Close of Service in two years. Next to me is Franny, a fellow Lambayequean, Youth Volunteer and my best friend here. Next to her is Isa, our wonderful and fearless Tech Trainer. She is an amazing person and a great friend and fellow clumsy person :)

My Lima family at swearing in. Pops was taking the picture and Vivi was running around getting dirty or eating. I miss these people like crazy, but am blessed with another great family here in Lambayeque.


This is what being a Youth PCV is all about. Getting hugged by 14 mothers and a father all at once with heads landing where you´d rather they didn´t. This was a dinamica we did at the end of the Escuela de Padres session and it allowed normally reserved parents to be silly for a little. The session was about healthy communication with your children. Part of my job is working with parents of youth to change some behaviors at home and thereby improve the lives of the youth. I had so much fun and I think the parents enjoyed it too. I love my job!!

More later. These took about 30 minutes to load, I was surprised it didn´t take longer.