tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-59686360796540528902023-07-17T21:36:17.027-07:00Peas, Hominy, and Quinoa:Food for Thought from the Romeros in AlpacastanAnonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02263552218047633829noreply@blogger.comBlogger40125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5968636079654052890.post-81797141743747593402014-09-21T12:14:00.000-07:002014-09-21T12:14:05.390-07:00Wrapping This Thang UpThis will be the last blog post. As most of you know, we are now back in the States and fully moved to Olympia, WA, beginning the next stage of our lives together in the beautiful Pacific Northwest. So here's how our last month in Peru went.<br />
<br />
Doing as my family does everything else - at the last minute, they finally came to visit when we had only a month left in the country. We headed into Lima, met them at the airport, hung around Lima some, then went to Huaraz, where we stayed in our community and went out for day trips to various attractions. Next we returned to Lima for a few days and flew to Iquitos to check out the jungle. Then we returned to Lima for a few more days and they headed back to the States while we returned for the last week and a half in our village.<br />
<br />
I'll let the photos speak for themselves instead of trying to remember precise itineraries from a few months ago. We didn't take too many pictures of the stuff in Ancash because we'd seen most everything before, so most are of Iquitos.<br />
<br />
<a href="https://plus.google.com/photos/117294776926503762156/albums/6061582709371819617?authkey=CIP0lbax_pe38gE">Iquitos and More</a><br />
<br />
Now, a few thoughts on leaving our home from the past two years. Food? We won't miss so much. After all, we have rice and potatoes here too. Constant miscommunication? We can probably do without it. Our host family? That's another story. It was really tough. Our host mom insisted on riding the combi down to Huaraz and walking us to the bus station (that we had navigated countless times on our own previously), and moments before the bus departed not only she but also a good friend of Amanda's and her very cute two year old daughter showed up to invite us to some snacks for the trip. Stuffing us with unneeded calories to the very end - that's Peruvian love. In two years I've maybe once seen a Peruvian cry, and even then I wasn't sure that I actually saw what I think I saw. The fact that there were tears at our departure speaks well to the connection we made over these two years. Needless to say, we will be keeping in touch with our Peruvian family.<br />
<br />
I think that's about it. Thanks for reading these past two years, and if ever you have a question about Peru, feel free to get ahold of us.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02263552218047633829noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5968636079654052890.post-56300202821240771542014-07-16T13:55:00.000-07:002014-07-16T13:58:56.136-07:00A Stitch In Time Saves Your Toe<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0mm;">
This post will probably
be one of our last as our time here in Peru is rather quickly coming
to a close. Since the last post in April not a whole lot has happened
or changed, but I'll try to get a good idea across to you of what the
last 6 months of Peace Corps service looks like.</div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0mm;">
<br /></div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0mm;">
Work</div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0mm;">
I'd often heard that
the last several months are the most productive. Given the usual
attitudes of those in my community, I wasn't expecting much, but it
does seem now that since April my projects have taken off. I finished
up the 12 week “Steps Forward” sexual education course with three
different groups and took one of the best students to a regional
conference of which I was part of the planning committee. I finally
got a handful of house visits done with three different mothers who
have kids under one year of age, though that's come to an abrupt
stop; more on that later. As part of the English Teaching Committee,
I went and talked to the new training group in Lima about, you
guessed it, teaching English. And Amanda and I have expanded the
classes we'd already been teaching in Jinua, an annex of our
community, to reading as well, which have been a joy and a success.</div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0mm;">
<br /></div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0mm;">
Amanda's projects got
started quite a bit sooner than mine did, so her last few months have
been more about wrapping up than getting off the ground. But even
then her workload has increased since summer vacation (January and
February here). She's been to every meeting she can in order to talk
to as many people as possible about climate change and how it relates
to garbage management. In the space of a few months, she's spoken to
several hundred people, which means she can close out her grant on
her garbage cans project and send in the final report. Also, this
past week a group from Peru 22, the training group a year after ours,
came to visit for IST (In-Service Training) so they could learn from
Amanda's experiences in both municipal garbage management and GLOBE,
the climate change monitoring program mentioned in previous posts.
She did a bang up job, and I could not have been prouder as she
received recognition for her efforts from both the volunteers and her
boss.</div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0mm;">
<br /></div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0mm;">
Play</div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0mm;">
Throughout the two
years there have been many activities we were planning on doing and
never got around to for lack of time, money, or unforeseen
obligations. Now, as we're running out of time, we've decided to make
sure we get to see and do what we've wanted to see and do.
Unfortunately, the list will have to stop past the first two, as I've
injured myself in a way that will incapacitate me for at lease the
next few weeks.</div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0mm;">
<br /></div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0mm;">
First, some thermal
baths that live up to the hype. In a little known town above Carhuaz,
next to an idyllic river, and looking out over the beautiful Ancash
scenery of adobe houses with tiled roofs built on rolling hills of
green, there is a small hot spring that churns out scalding hot water
that you can barely dip a foot into. Next to it, however, is its
slightly cooler sister spring that is perfect for sitting, relaxing,
and, if we're to deduce from the empty shampoo packets lying around,
taking a bath. Small amounts of garbage aside, it was perfect:
isolated, no crowds of people, gorgeous surroundings, and pleasantly
hot water flowing around you. If you ever make it to Ancash, avoid
Monterrey and Chancos, the usual destinations for those seeking a
relaxing afternoon. Head to Carhuaz instead, grab the colectivo that
heads up to the smaller communities above, and ask to get off at the
baños. You won't regret it.</div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0mm;">
<br /></div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0mm;">
Next up, Laguna 69.
Often referred to as the most beautiful lake the Ancash region has to
offer, the trail head to Laguna 69 is right up past Laguna
Llanganuco, probably the most frequented lake we have due to both its
beauty and accessibility. However, we'd already been past Llanganuco
twice, once just to see it and the other time as we were finishing up
the Santa Cruz trek last year. Thus, we'd avoided Laguna 69, because
we'd have to take that same route a third time, and there are still
so many things we've yet to see in other parts. Then again, it's
supposed to be absurdly beautiful, so in the end we booked it last
week and on Friday made the three hour hike up to the lake. First,
the good news: it was completely worth it. I'd say it's my top
activity in all of Ancash. You get a real taste of what a longer
several day trip looks like without having to sleep outside in
absolutely freezing temperatures, you get to see a truly stunning
lake, and you have the comradery of a sizable but not too sizable
group of tourists from all over the world, most of whom are
incredibly friendly and interested in getting to know one another.
Now, onto the injury.</div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0mm;">
<br /></div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0mm;">
I've mentioned in past
posts the competition among Ancash volunteers to jump into more
glacial lakes than anyone else. I did seven in my first several
months and then didn't do any for over a year. I decided I'd do one
last one and call it enough, and so I stripped down, dove into the
very cold water, and upon scrambling into the relatively warmer (but
still kind of cold) air cut my foot on a rock. I say cut, but it's
more like sliced open an inch long section of my toe and then shoved
up as hard as I could so it looked like a large triangular section of
my toe had just been removed. And then there was the blood. Amanda
ripped up my under shirt, wrapped up the toe, and tied it off with
the another strip from the shirt, and the bleeding stopped pretty
soon afterward. But then I had to walk down another two hours to the
bus... and wait another two hours for everyone from our group to
arrive... and then another two hours to arrive in Huaraz where I
could get to the emergency room. The bad news? Seven stitches,
antibiotics, an order to stay off my foot for a while – thus wiping
out the possibility of finishing up my house visits, and having to
get the stitches out in Lima while my family is visiting from the
States. The good news? I didn't lose the toe, and, after I jumped in
the lake, six more people decided it would be a good idea, did so as
well, and not one of them had to visit an emergency room afterward.</div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0mm;">
<br /></div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0mm;">
Here are some photos,
and in case not everyone is interested in seeing pictures of a
mangled toe, I've put those photos in a separate album with a bonus
picture of Amanda's bloody eye from a burst blood vessel.</div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0mm;">
<br /></div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0mm;">
<a href="https://plus.google.com/photos/117294776926503762156/albums/6036748527446950337?authkey=COLK3ZDv_I6RMg">[Laguna 69 and Reading Classes]</a></div>
<div class="western" style="margin-bottom: 0mm;">
<a href="https://plus.google.com/photos/117294776926503762156/albums/6036760982866721377?authkey=CLfkgLWtleK2sAE">[Medical Emergencies]</a></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02263552218047633829noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5968636079654052890.post-50559950061381338332014-03-31T15:16:00.000-07:002014-06-08T13:35:15.973-07:00Parackin´ Out<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">This past week we were supposed to have
gone to Arequipa, hiked the Colca Canyon, eaten some rocoto relleno and relaxed
in what is supposed to be one of Peru’s cleanest and most beautiful
cities. Unfortunately, our plans were
disrupted by some strikes, but we made the best of a bad situation, traded in
our bus tickets and headed to Paracas, a nature reserve located on the coast of
Ica and one of the country’s fastest growing attractions. You see, in Peru,
when life gives you lemons, you hand them back and ask for limes.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">Paracas has two main attractions, the first
being Las Islas Ballestas, three small islands, maybe ten or fifteen miles off
the coast, which various animals call home. You see a huge quantity of the
guano birds, which produce inch upon inch of crap until some poor soul comes
out and shovels away several feet of it to be used as natural fertilizer. There
are also terns, pelicans, boobies, and even Humboldt Penguins. However, by far
the most stunning sight is the countless number of sea lions lounging about: a
couple thousand at the very least.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">Number two on the “to do list” is the
nature reserve. While dominated by mile after mile of sand inland and rocky
cliffs along the coast, there are some truly beautiful beaches, and the dunes
make for a beautiful backdrop. You can see the scattered attractions in a tour
bus or a private taxi, but we decided to rent bikes – not thinking ahead of
time what eight hours on a bike seat will do to a person who hasn’t been on a
bike in nearly two years. We got back to our hostel sore and many hours later
than we had planned, but it felt good to do something active and thoroughly
exhausting.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">Being on the coast in a touristy area of
Peru, it’s only assumed that we ate plenty of seafood. Ceviche, fried fish,
grilled fish, calamari, you name it. It was all delicious. What we hadn’t
anticipated was to find a restaurant specializing in paella, one of the
signature dishes of Spain. We have absolutely no experience in what paella
should be, and it’s possible that a Spaniard would scoff at the Peruvian
imitation, but it was damn good nonetheless. And the best part of Paracas? It’s
home to another volunteer, with whom we were able to catch up and grab drinks
(mine an embarrassingly tall and tri-colored concoction named after Machu
Picchu).<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">Our original vacation was set for a week,
but this included 17 hours of travel to Arequipa from Lima and 17 hours back.
Paracas is just under four hours away, so we were able to spend around four
days in Paracas and the rest in Miraflores. While there, we checked out a
high-end chocolate shop, grabbed a burrito in Barranco, and accidentally found
a third location of the chocolate museum we’d already visited once in Cuzco and
once in Miraflores. Unfortunately, they didn’t have the particular chocolate
dessert Menda was looking for, so we headed over to the Miraflores branch and
somehow ended up walking out with a bar of dark chocolate weighing in at a
kilogram. It’s probably sold for baking purposes, but who’s gonna say otherwise
if we want to just eat it straight?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">Parque Kennedy is the focal point of
Miraflores, the neighborhood in which the volunteers usually stay when passing
through Lima, and one of its many appeals is the curious quantity of cats
roaming around. We had a few hours to kill one morning, so we decided to see
how many photos we could take of different cats. We never got an exact count,
but I think we hit somewhere between 80 and 90. Below we’ve included some of
the better photos of them along with pictures from Paracas and a few from past
entries that I never got around to uploading.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US"><a href="https://plus.google.com/photos/117294776926503762156/albums/5997077350041715841?authkey=CPXLnsKnkrCbVg">[MEOW]</a><o:p></o:p></span></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02263552218047633829noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5968636079654052890.post-2621735673175386702014-03-12T08:32:00.001-07:002014-04-04T13:21:16.321-07:00In Case You´ve Forgotten Us...<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">We are, indeed, still alive. I apologize
for the extended absence, but I assure you all that we are as well as can be
expected. We’re just about at the year and a half mark, and were I to write in
detail of every little thing, you’d find yourselves in a particularly bad bout
of déjà vu, for since late November (the anniversary of our having landed in
Paria), it seems we’ve been stuck on repeat ourselves. Therefore, with this
post, I will try to keep you updated while still shy of over-informed.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">Summer School:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">As some of you may recall, in the previous
summer we taught two months of vacaciones útiles with each week devoted to a
different theme and always a bit of English vocabulary. This year, we taught
the same five courses for the two months straight with each day of the week
assigned to its own subject. I taught public speaking, English, health and
science, and Menda taught geography. Public speaking I cancelled after five
weeks because no one was willing to prepare a speech beginning to end - even
after being walked through step by step how to do so for over a month; English
went reasonably well, all things considered; health was basically going through
the <i>healthy homes</i> aspect of Peace
Corps Peru’s Community Health Program; and the science class was definitely my
favorite part. Rote learning is the standard in Peru, and I wanted to do a
little something that showed the kids that learning can and should be
interactive, so each week I prepared two experiments with which the kids could
practice the scientific method and hopefully enjoy themselves as well. Menda’s
geography class covered a different continent each week and, among other
things, discussed the differences and similarities between the students’ lives
and those they saw in videos from the Sesame Street Panwapa series.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">English Classes:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">Throughout January and February I also
taught an adult intensive English class. Five nights a week, I met for two
hours with three students and went through as much as we could cram in. I’ve
had my heart set for some time on teaching high school English, but this
experience makes me think that working with a more adult population could be
very rewarding as well, maybe in a night school or junior college setting.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">Peace Corps Projects:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">Since my overwhelmingly unsuccessful
attempt to teach sexual education last school year, I’ve modified my approach.
I’m hoping to work within the framework of an already established class
(personal, familia y relaciones humanas) with a younger group (that might still
have some inkling of respect for authority), and use the scores on the post
exam for a grade. Fingers are crossed. My job with the mothers took a hit after
the health promoter I trained last November and December disappeared off the
face of the earth. So I’m training a new health promoter during a one hour cram
session and starting house visits with four mothers starting at the end of this
month. Amanda’s trash can project continues to be both a daily encouragement
and sucker punch to the nose. The community’s looking cleaner, people are by
and large using the trash cans in the correct way, and it’s good to see
something physical that our time in the Peace Corps will leave behind. But...
There are always a few black sheep who are unhappy with any changes made, and
they always bleat the loudest. We should be able to shrug it off , but it’s not
always easy to remember that the happy majority don’t usually feel the need to
report their satisfaction and appreciation for a job well done. It looks like
yet another attempt by Menda to plant a bunch of trees has fallen through due
to people’s unwillingness to dig their own holes. You’d think as many free
trees as they’d like would be incentive enough, but they want the trees first
on the promise they’ll dig the holes later. Another volunteer has had moderate
success through the sale of stickers in Huaraz that fund payment to the
landowners wanting to plant trees. Though we still don’t necessarily agree with
paying someone to receive something for free, we certainly sympathize with the
struggle all other volunteers face in trying to help someone who doesn’t really
want to be helped. You do what you have to. Lastly of our current Peace Corps
projects is GLOBE. Look it up. It’s an international climate change monitoring
program that uses kids to gather the data. I built a GLOBE box last year, and
I’m currently repairing an old one from another volunteer. With these two,
Menda will be able to teach climate change in a very hands-on way to kids in
two of the grade schools in our community. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">Mid-Service:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">I’m not sure if I’ve yet written about
mid-service. Summed up, after a year in site, they pull us back to Lima, shame
us into thinking we’ve not done enough, make us poop in a cup, and send us back
to finish out the rest of our service. Not really, though. It was nice to see
the faces we went through training with, I found the other volunteers’
successful projects to be more inspiring than discouraging, and pooping in a
cup was... awkward, but we both came back with a clean bill of health.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">Carnaval:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">As I mentioned last year in this here blog,
during Carnaval, each community takes its giant cross and walks it down to
Huaraz, a priest says mass over the crosses (apparently with no room for
people), and then they’re walked back up to their respective sites. And then
everyone gets drunk. And chops down some trees. And then drinks some more.
Etcetera. What I didn’t write about last year was Martes Guerra (Mardi Gras),
mainly because I was violently sick last Martes Guerra. Depending on where you
celebrate this day, there are varying degrees of wildness. In Cajamarca, for
example, gangs of youth roam the streets with buckets full of water, paint,
used motor oil, or any other spare fluid they can find and proceed to dump it
on their victim of choice. Advice from a volunteer who has gone to this storied
event was to duct tape your shoes, but don’t wear a giant plastic hazmat suit,
because it just makes you a bigger target. Once upon a time, they say that
Martes Guerra was as crazy in Huaraz, but now it’s usually just water and flour
that the gangs of youth throw on you. We were hanging out in the fourth story
apartment of a third year volunteer, throwing water balloons and dumping
buckets of water on unsuspecting people below. But as they say, it’s all fun
and games until someone breaks a windshield with a poorly aimed water balloon. No,
seriously. I had to pay the guy 250 soles, but he was really nice about it. He
took it all in the spirit of the day, but just wanted his windshield paid for.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">Other Activities:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">We’ve been in Peru for a year and a half,
but I’m only now starting to feel like I have the things I need to feel...
normal, I guess. I may have mentioned this previously, but I started a book
group among the volunteers. Each month we meet after our regional meeting,
discuss the book chosen the previous month and choose a new one for the next. We’ve
read <i>Candide</i>, <i>Mountains Beyond Mountains</i>,<i> A
Thousand Splended Suns</i>,<i> Bel Canto</i>,<i> Americanah </i>and<i> Tenth Of December</i>. Ultimate has also started up again, and each
Friday there’s a pickup game with various Huaracinos, volunteers and tourists.
And to top things off, the new volunteer leader for Ancash is an experienced
swing dancer, so the three of us are giving swing lessons and are hoping
eventually to do a swing bomb (swing dancing flash mob) in the plaza de armas.
Also, Menda has been meeting with a friend (from the church we went to for a
while) to practice her Spanish (and the woman her English). She is likewise
baffled by some of the obstacles faced when trying to help people in the campo.
For example, she tried to donate her time teaching campo women to read only to
find that they refused to be taught unless you gave them a gift of some kind –
money, sugar, etcetera. It’s good to know that we’re not the only ones facing
these kinds of challenges.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">I think that’s it for now. As always, an
email, phone call, letter or package will always be appreciated. As it usually
takes a month or so to mail anything, your time is quickly running out to
support us with gifts of pictures of candy.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02263552218047633829noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5968636079654052890.post-21528896735156852242013-12-25T11:58:00.001-08:002013-12-25T11:58:27.677-08:00End Of Year Wrap UpHere are some photos from these last few weeks of the school year here. A few from classes, a few from a chocolatada, a few while planting trees, the winners of a poster contest Menda sponsored and of course some from Christmas with our host family.<br />
<br />
<a href="https://plus.google.com/photos/117294776926503762156/albums/5957689963116357425?authkey=CNbz25GTl6npFQ">[Fotos]</a>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02263552218047633829noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5968636079654052890.post-37079043880707957812013-12-01T12:24:00.000-08:002013-12-01T12:24:08.401-08:00ThanksgivingSo we had a few Thanksgiving celebrations. The Sunday before, we had a potluck with the other volunteers in which we took over the kitchen of a local café. There was turkey, green bean casserole, sweet potato pie, pasta salad (Menda´s plate), spiced peaches (my own contribution), apple strudel and several others. The apple strudel was made by two Austrian women who, as it turns out, work three times a week at the school in our site. So I´ve begun helping them out in whatever small ways I can with the English classes they organize there.<br />
<br />
We also celebrated thanksgiving in Trujillo, eating too much Papa John´s while sitting in a mall. It was the most ´Merican I´ve felt in a long time. The rest of the time, we explored the city and relaxed on the beach in Huanchaco. Not too shabby.<br />
<br />
We´ve got a few pictures for you from Trujillo, but also included are a few shots of the kids in Jinua transplanting the cherry trees they´ve been growing since April. Here they are: <a href="https://plus.google.com/photos/117294776926503762156/albums/5952515554367690993">Trees and Trujillo</a>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02263552218047633829noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5968636079654052890.post-55815727967087746092013-11-16T14:34:00.001-08:002013-11-16T14:34:37.243-08:00Happy Birthday, PariaSo I guess yesterday was the anniversary of our town. I was pretty sure they celebrated that a little over a month ago. Oh well, here´s an album of <a href="https://plus.google.com/photos/117294776926503762156/albums/5946976878965985505?authkey=CNGJn7-Csvfg0wE">little kids in traditional Peruvian dress.</a>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02263552218047633829noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5968636079654052890.post-27399585053641683142013-11-12T07:06:00.001-08:002013-11-12T07:06:37.864-08:00Just A Small Update With A Few PhotosIn no particular order:<br />
<br />
We got some chickens.<br />
<br />
Menda's public trash can project is a success.<br />
<br />
We almost "stole" another neighbor's cat - by this I really mean that we gave it food when it came by to visit, but the last cat we did that for never left.<br />
<br />
Menda got a 500 gram bar of chocolate at a museum in Lima. It only took us a few days to finish it off. They also had a 1 kilogram version, but I think it was two of the smaller ones back to back in the same package.<br />
<br />
A neighbor gifted us a puppy, but after spending the night whining by the door, it sprinted back home when our host dad left for work in the morning.<br />
<br />
We had a big birthday celebration for Menda, me, and our host sister (who happens to share the same day with me). Our host brother and sister came in from Lima, our other host sister from rural Ancash with a few friends, a smattering of various family members from the community (including our cousin's new baby girl), and a handful of volunteers. It was a bit early for a Thanksgiving celebration, but that's really what it felt like. We had twelve people packed around a small table, ate picante de pollo, and politely turned down the bubble gum flavored soda - a matter of national pride here.<br />
<br />
Menda points out that a fair number of our posts have at least some small mention of a kitten. I apologize; fewer kittens in the future.<br />
<br />
<a href="https://plus.google.com/photos/117294776926503762156/albums/5936177675318271265?authkey=CLWHr5ebm8uDqAE">Chickens, a Kitten, and a Big Bar of Chocolate</a>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02263552218047633829noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5968636079654052890.post-23876514450133065602013-10-13T12:46:00.001-07:002013-10-16T10:01:26.158-07:00Manu Manu (do doo do do do)<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
<o:OfficeDocumentSettings>
<o:AllowPNG/>
</o:OfficeDocumentSettings>
</xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
<w:WordDocument>
<w:View>Normal</w:View>
<w:Zoom>0</w:Zoom>
<w:TrackMoves/>
<w:TrackFormatting/>
<w:HyphenationZone>21</w:HyphenationZone>
<w:PunctuationKerning/>
<w:ValidateAgainstSchemas/>
<w:SaveIfXMLInvalid>false</w:SaveIfXMLInvalid>
<w:IgnoreMixedContent>false</w:IgnoreMixedContent>
<w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText>false</w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText>
<w:DoNotPromoteQF/>
<w:LidThemeOther>EN-US</w:LidThemeOther>
<w:LidThemeAsian>X-NONE</w:LidThemeAsian>
<w:LidThemeComplexScript>X-NONE</w:LidThemeComplexScript>
<w:Compatibility>
<w:BreakWrappedTables/>
<w:SnapToGridInCell/>
<w:WrapTextWithPunct/>
<w:UseAsianBreakRules/>
<w:DontGrowAutofit/>
<w:SplitPgBreakAndParaMark/>
<w:EnableOpenTypeKerning/>
<w:DontFlipMirrorIndents/>
<w:OverrideTableStyleHps/>
</w:Compatibility>
<m:mathPr>
<m:mathFont m:val="Cambria Math"/>
<m:brkBin m:val="before"/>
<m:brkBinSub m:val="--"/>
<m:smallFrac m:val="off"/>
<m:dispDef/>
<m:lMargin m:val="0"/>
<m:rMargin m:val="0"/>
<m:defJc m:val="centerGroup"/>
<m:wrapIndent m:val="1440"/>
<m:intLim m:val="subSup"/>
<m:naryLim m:val="undOvr"/>
</m:mathPr></w:WordDocument>
</xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
<w:LatentStyles DefLockedState="false" DefUnhideWhenUsed="true"
DefSemiHidden="true" DefQFormat="false" DefPriority="99"
LatentStyleCount="267">
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="0" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Normal"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="heading 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 7"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 8"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 9"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 7"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 8"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 9"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="35" QFormat="true" Name="caption"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="10" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Title"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="1" Name="Default Paragraph Font"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="11" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Subtitle"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="22" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Strong"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="20" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Emphasis"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="59" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Table Grid"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Placeholder Text"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="1" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="No Spacing"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Revision"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="34" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="List Paragraph"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="29" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Quote"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="30" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Intense Quote"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="19" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Subtle Emphasis"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="21" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Intense Emphasis"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="31" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Subtle Reference"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="32" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Intense Reference"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="33" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Book Title"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="37" Name="Bibliography"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" QFormat="true" Name="TOC Heading"/>
</w:LatentStyles>
</xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 10]>
<style>
/* Style Definitions */
table.MsoNormalTable
{mso-style-name:"Tabla normal";
mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0;
mso-tstyle-colband-size:0;
mso-style-noshow:yes;
mso-style-priority:99;
mso-style-parent:"";
mso-padding-alt:0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt;
mso-para-margin:0cm;
mso-para-margin-bottom:.0001pt;
mso-pagination:widow-orphan;
font-size:12.0pt;
font-family:"Times New Roman","serif";
mso-ansi-language:EN-US;
mso-fareast-language:EN-US;}
</style>
<![endif]-->
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">So we just finished up our first big
vacation in Peru, a seven day trip into the reserve zone of Manu National Park,
the least disturbed rainforest in the world. We went with a company called
Pantiacolla and would highly recommend them to anyone interested in seeing the
jungle. We left our house the afternoon of the 1<sup>st</sup> and got back the
morning of the 12<sup>th</sup>. There was a lot of travel time packed in there
(by foot, car, bus, boat, train and plane), but we got to see a lot. The total
number of <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">identified</i> animals that we
saw came to around 80, including 8 species of parrots, 6 species of monkeys, 4
species of vultures, 4 species of woodpeckers, 2 species of caiman, and a
jaguar. Here’s a rough itinerary of our trip and the pictures that are worth
303,000 words:</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-US">1
October:</span></b><span lang="EN-US"></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">We took a night bus from Huaraz to Lima,
getting in around 5:30.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-US">2
October: </span></b><span lang="EN-US"></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">From the bus station, we grabbed a cab to
the airport, and after spending less than 15 minutes to get from check-in,
through security, to the boarding gate found ourselves with an excessive amount
of time to wait around.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The flight was
only an hour and twenty minutes, and by mid-day we’d already arrived in Cuzco.
A short cab ride later, and we found ourselves with the majority of the
afternoon free to do nothing but draw out money to pay the tour company and
explore the city. Well, drawing out money between our two Peruvian accounts and
our American account ended up taking the better part of the afternoon due to
cash limits and foreign flags, and we still didn’t have enough. We even had my
mom running to the bank back in Urbana to try to sort everything out. Thankfully
we had scheduled an extra day in there so any travel delays wouldn’t prevent us
from making our tour on the 4<sup>th</sup>, so we were able to pull everything
out we needed the next day and even took advantage of that extra time to book a
day trip to Machu Picchu. We also ate at a restaurant called Greens that night.
They have their own organic garden, and have everything on the menu labeled by
percent organic. This is a place that in the States would have cost a small
fortune, but with Peruvian prices it was maybe only slightly more expensive
than a meal at Olive Garden. It was without a doubt the best meal we’ve eaten
while in Peru and would make a serious running for best we’ve ever had.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-US">3
October:</span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">We were picked up around 4:30 in the
morning, and an hour and a half in van to the train station, an hour and a half
in train to Aguas Calientes, and a half hour in bus later, we got our first
view of our first wonder of the world. To be honest, I was expecting to be
underwhelmed, but I was pleasantly surprised at just how wonderful this wonder
was. Also, while we were there, we ate the 8<sup>th</sup> and 9<sup>th</sup>
wonders of the world: the chocolate chip cookies they sell there. We would go
back just for the cookies. They really are that good. We got back to our hostel
around 6:30, drew out the rest of the money for Pantiacolla and ate a small dinner.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-US">4
October:</span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">The first day of the tour is primarily
travel, starting at around 5 in the morning. However, this isn’t so bad, as it
includes driving through the mountains of Cuzco and descending into the cloud
forest (the entrance to the cultural zone of Manu National Park). Along the
way, we stopped frequently to see various animals and even got to see a group
of eight or so Cocks of the Rock, the national bird of Peru. The lodge we ended
the day at was basically a small collection of screened in huts with a few
beds, but there were hot showers, so we definitely had not made it into the
really jungly jungle just yet.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-US">5
October:</span></b><span lang="EN-US"></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">We left the lodge at about 5 the next
morning and travelled a couple hours in van before getting to the Madre de Dios
River, where we began the first of many, many hours in boat over the following
six days. Along the way, we picked up people who were on the 9 day tour, and
stopped in a few interesting spots before arriving at our lodge just outside
the reserve zone – very similar to the last one but no hot showers. All along
the river, any time there was an animal, we’d stop and take pictures; or if the
situation allowed, pulled onto a beach and set up the telescope as well. You’ll
notice some of the pictures are significantly better than others. Those were
either taken with our camera through the telescope or taken by our guide with
his camera and our memory card. We also stopped at a tree that has aerial roots
that drop down from the branches; the end effect is that a single tree looks
like a huge forest of smaller trees. Around the trunk, the roots are so dense,
you can’t get past them. The guide called it an “Avatar Tree,” as it resembled
the trees in the movie.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-US">6
October:</span></b><span lang="EN-US"></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">From 5 until noonish we travelled in boat
from the lodge outside of the reserve zone to the one inside. However, as
before, we stopped frequently to see animals and other interesting sites along
the way, so it didn’t feel like just travelling. That afternoon, we did some of
our first actual hikes, first to a lake in which we spotted animals and, once
it got dark, searched out some caiman (cousins to alligators and crocodiles).
We hiked back in the dark, searching for eyes that reflected back our the light
from our flashlights and got to see a bunch of spiders, as well as a poison
dart frog, the most poisonous land animal on the planet. One of the other
people on the tour saw a snake hanging out in a tree, took a picture of it and
ran, unsure of the potential danger he might have been in. Turns out it was a
viper, the most venomous of all the snakes found within the park.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-US">7
October:</span></b><span lang="EN-US"></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">We once again got up very early, this time
to hike to a lake to see the giant otters that live there. (This is the same
lake where they shot the footage for Planet Earth, and our very own guide was
the one who for six months helped BBC with the footage.) There was a baby
otter, so we couldn’t get very close (if mothers get stressed, they stop
producing milk, and the babies die), but after we got back to the dock, the
otters followed us, and we got to see them really close up as they ate the fish
they had just caught. We also saw monkeys, parrots, and other animals while on
the lake but the otters were definitely the highlight. In the afternoon, we
went to the lodge owned by the government where they sell goods made by local inhabitants
and teach about their customs. As it so happens, both the captain and the boat
hand are of that (thoroughly modernized) tribe, and they were able to fill in
the blanks about the uses of the arrows and spears that were on display. We
then hiked back to our lodge from there, seeing various plants and animals
along the way.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-US">8
October:</span></b><span lang="EN-US"></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">This morning we travelled out of the
reserve zone to get to a posh touristy lodge at which we’d be staying for the
remaining two nights. At the suggestion of the chef, we left especially early
to increase our chances of seeing animals along the river. It paid off. We saw
a jaguar casually strolling along the beach. After a brief rest in the early
afternoon, we headed out to an observation point built 140 feet high, on top of
the first branches of a massive Ceiba tree. We had previously on the tour seen
the largest known Ceiba tree in the world, but this one was still not small in
comparison. We climbed a tower to get onto the platform and then spent the
remainder of the evening spotting animals and waiting for the sunset. We hiked
back in the dark, keeping an eye out for animals, and boated back to our camp.
After dinner, we saw an injured baby tapir just hanging out on the grounds. A
lady who worked there said it comes and visits every now and then.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-US">9
October:</span></b><span lang="EN-US"></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">We got up especially early once again so we
could beat the other tourists to the Macaw Claylick, the attraction around
which the lodge was built. Various animals in the rainforest eat clay for a
variety of theorized reasons, probably to offset the acidity of their diet or
to supplement it with more minerals. This particular claylick is frequented by
several species of birds, especially red and green macaws (just think parrot,
and the first image that pops into your head will be this one). Around fifty or
sixty gather every morning to eat clay or just to socialize with the other
birds. We took an excessive amount of photos while at the claylick and with
difficulty narrowed it down to 10 or so to show you all. We also have a video
taken by our guide with our camera through his telescope of a toucan attacking
a tree full of nests, eventually grabbing a baby bird and eating it. Menda
afterward was left with a deep desire for Fruit Loops. In the afternoon we
headed to a lake at which we saw some more giant otters, kept our eyes peeled
for sloths (to no avail), and saw a bunch more birds.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-US">10
October: </span></b><span lang="EN-US"></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">Thirteen hours of travel: three hours in
boat, one hour in car, 15 minutes in boat, then the remainder in car. The car
broke down briefly, and as we were hanging out in a small town waiting for it
to be fixed Menda reminded me it was her birthday. Whoops. To be fair, I don’t
think I’d fully awaken yet, having been up since 4 and dozing on and off
throughout the preceding hours. I bought her chocolate cake to make up for it.
During those 13 hours we got more of an opportunity to talk with the other five
people who made up our group. There was an Australian couple in their thirties,
a Dutch couple in their fifties, and a Swiss woman in her forties. We got back
to Cuzco about six and we went out to celebrate Menda’s birthday properly. We
shopped around for a good restaurant, but most everything was so... Peruvian.
We like Peruvian food, but that’s what we eat at home, so we ended up going
back to Greens. The second time around was just as good, and though it’s
perhaps a little lame that in our brief time in Cuzco we ate at the same place
twice, it was, after all, Menda’s birthday, and that’s what she wanted. And I
gotta say, after eating, I didn’t care one bit that we didn’t branch out. That
food was incredible.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-US">11
October:</span></b><span lang="EN-US"></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">We finally got the opportunity to explore
Cuzco a bit. Although entering the cathedrals was not permitted at that hour
(they were either closed or in the middle of a service), we walked around and
took pictures of as many of them as we could. We also stopped by the local
market to buy some of the famed bread of Cuzco and a manta (brightly colored
blanket used to carry babies, groceries, and to keep warm) as gifts for our
family. Then we grabbed a cab to the airport (from check-in to boarding gate
must have been under five minutes this time), we flew into Lima, went to
Miraflores and spent the rest of our day just enjoying ourselves. We got
falafel, went to a chocolate museum – where we somehow walked away with a bag
of chocolate tea, mango chocolate jam, and a bar of dark chocolate weighing in
at over a pound, and met up with our host brother (who is currently working in
Lima). He saw us off at the bus station, and we began the final leg of our
travels.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span lang="EN-US">12 October:</span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">Throughout the whole vacation, everything
had been on time, well organized, professional, and incredibly satisfactory.
It’s funny that it took coming back to Huaraz for something to screw up. The
bus never pulled into the terminal; it just stopped on the street outside
because they couldn’t easily back in and expected us to figure out on our own
that we were supposed to get out and grab our luggage from beneath the bus. Not
to mention it was 5:30 in the morning and we might easily have slept through
the whole thing anyway. Well, we finally figured out something was up, stopped
the bus on the highway, got out, grabbed a cab to our bus stop, and made it
home by around 6:15. Our host family was really excited to see us. Ma ran to
the door to greet us and promptly offered to wash our dirty clothes from the
trip. We politely declined, ate some fried egg sandwiches, and then we slept.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US"><a href="https://plus.google.com/photos/117294776926503762156/albums/5934608751794270001">[Cuzco, Machu Picchu and Manu]</a></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US"><a href="https://plus.google.com/photos/117294776926503762156/albums/5934327407990530481?authkey=CNymgMn3iLjjaQ">[Manu Fauna]</a></span><br />
<a href="https://plus.google.com/photos/117294776926503762156/albums/5935358443265363137">[Manu Flora]</a></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02263552218047633829noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5968636079654052890.post-73340562736434131902013-09-06T11:30:00.000-07:002013-09-06T13:00:57.971-07:00One Year In Perú (Almost)<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">I’m gonna start a little negative and work
my way up to the more positive stuff.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">First off, this past week our abuelito,
Virgilio Huané Cacha, passed away after nearly 88 years of life. In the United
States, when a family member dies, usually the community of friends, family,
and church pitch in, bring food, run errands, etcetera. Here, the family works
for several days straight preparing food for anyone who wants to come and give
their condolences. At first, it seemed a little harsh to us, but it keeps you
busy – and I mean busy, sun up to sun down – and cooking for other people, or
really doing anything nice, also makes you feel good. Then again, it didn’t
seem as though our family was quite as upset as you might expect. They were
definitely sad, but it didn’t seem the ordeal that it often is in the States. Death
in general seems to be more accepted here. It’s more celebrating, less
mourning. During the mass, the priest had three main points in his homily: We
should thank God for the life of Virgilio, we should ask forgiveness on his
behalf, and we should ask God to help guide us in our own lives. It struck me
that there was no great mention of death there. Perhaps it would have been
stating the obvious when there’s a coffin directly in front of him, or maybe
it’s just the style of this particular priest, but the service seemed to be far
more about life than death, and I can’t say I’d have had it any other way. Then
afterwards, everyone, barring our family, went and got drunk at the burial and the
following meal at our uncle’s house. There are some pictures we got of the pots
in which they prepared the food. I’ve seen hot tubs smaller than those things.
Oh, and Menda got harassed by a drunken professor asking her if she knew who
Robin Hood is.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">The other bit of negativity has to do with
our jobs. We were told time and time again during training last fall that we
would regularly deal with disappointment throughout our two years of service,
still it’s no less baffling when it happens. Two examples:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: 36.0pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">Menda worked with our district
municipality, local mayor, and the governor of an annex to expand the trash
route to more people. This project would eventually entail some education to
explain to the people the why of it, but primarily it’s just explaining the what
and the how. All parties involved in the planning were immediately on board;
the only hurdle to overcome was how to cover the costs for the municipality.
This burden usually falls on the people who now have an alternative to burning
their trash or throwing it on the ground, therefore contaminating their air,
land and water. And what would the cost be? About a sol per month per household
(less than 40 cents in US dollars), and unfortunately, this was deemed too
much, and the community voted not to expand trash collection to their annex.
Disappointing, but what can you do? Still, not as bad as the volunteer who saw
the president of the local water committee kicked out because he suggested that
50 (Peruvian) cents per year was a reasonable amount to pay for the chlorine to
ensure safe drinking water.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">The second job-related bit of
disappointment has to do with my attempt to start a group of Pasos Adelante – a
program developed by Peace Corps Peru and the Ministry of Health of Peru to
capacitate young adults in training their peers in themes of self-esteem,
HIV/AIDS, future planning, and other equally noble pursuits. I, over the course
of a month or so, spoke with the director of the school two or three times to
successively discuss the program, pick a time during the week to teach the
course, and finally once more before talking with the teachers who oversee the
hour in which I was going to teach. I then went and talked with all of the
classes to explain about Pasos Adelante and have the kids voluntarily sign up.
I was more than a little excited when I had 39 kids opt to take my 12 week
course. The following week, I went an hour early, spoke with each of the four
classes from which I’d be drawing students – to remind them we’d be starting
class that day, and at the appointed time I made the announcement that we’d be
starting immediately. Maybe it’s the fact that I had selected to teach during
the hour that directly follows their twenty minute afternoon break. Maybe they
all signed up the previous week as a joke on me. Maybe my expectations of
starting on time for a forty minute period were completely unrealistic.
Regardless, no one showed. Five of the kids had a legitimate, previously
discussed reason for not being there; I’m still unsure what happened with the other
34. The teachers that should also have been starting class at that time just
sat by and watched as I floundered, and as I complained to Menda on a stoop
outside the school, I saw kids still leaving the school to go to a bodega
twenty minutes after class was supposed to have started. So what’re my next
steps? Not sure. The director suggested I try teaching outside of school hours,
but if the kids don’t show up when they already have to be there, I don’t see
much chance of them being there when they don’t. I’m thinking of trying to take
over a class that already exists, that they already have to be at, with a
teacher in the room and all, and then using whichever kids are in that class as
opposed to taking volunteers. The only problem with that plan being that if the
kids don’t volunteer, and in the next year I want them to teach their peers,
the chances of them being in the least bit effective are pretty slim. We’ll
see, I guess.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">Now on to the more positive, or at least
neutral, aspects of our service:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">We are continuing with the English and
environmental classes we’d been teaching in one of the annexes of our town, and
now we’re also teaching computer classes. That school is one of many which
received a ton of those tiny little “a laptop for every child” computers. You
know, the ones that look more like toys than computers, in the bright colors,
with an old distribution of linux specialized for use in classrooms. Well, the
laptops kinda suck, but clearly the kids are still learning some of the basics
which may serve as a foundation for knowledge acquired in the future – how to
use a mouse pad, which key to press to insert a space, stuff like that. At this
point we’re working on getting them comfortable with the equivalent of MS
Paint. Color selection, click and drag, text boxes, etcetera. Creativity is
still a challenge for a lot of the students; they tend to just copy whatever
drawing pops up by default when they start up the program, but with a little
pushing and prodding they’re definitely getting more accustomed to using
whichever side of the brain it is that’s supposed to supply the creative
juices. For example, we had them draw a picture of something that starts with
the same letter as their name. Sure, we had three or four casas drawn for every
kid whose name started with a c, but at least they were copying each other
instead of the computer. Most importantly though, it seems like they’re having
fun doing something that isn’t just rote learning.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">This past weekend, the volunteers of Ancash
hosted a three day camp called VALOR (Varones Adolescentes Lideres Organizados
Responsables) – yeah, I think they were kind of stretching it with the acronym
too – in Huascarán National Park for the teenage boys in our sites we see as
potential leaders. There were sessions on health, machismo, future planning,
Huascarán National Park, and tree planting in addition to a talent show, a
career panel, and a hike up to Lake Churup. Menda stayed back in site due to a
meeting that she wouldn’t have been able to be back for, but I still got to
take the two kids from our community we had picked. Whether or not the kids
learned something about the environment, changed their perspective on gender
roles, or decided on a potential career path, it was great to see so many boys
from across the various communities in Ancash hanging out, making friends, and
sharing a little about their home. In the States, many of us had regular
opportunities to get out of the classroom, broaden our minds, have a little fun
in the midst of learning, but this was most likely a first for the majority of
the kids there. I’m proud of the small role I played in making it happen, and
if I can only figure out how to help make the Pasos Adelante conference later
this year an equally big success.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">After months of hard work, grueling grant
writing with its accompanying groveling, and generally increased levels of
stress, Menda has succeeded in acquiring ten 120 liter garbage cans, painted
inside and out with anti-corrosive paint, with holes in the bottom for drainage,
and metal posts on which to rotate, along with the cement to install them.
We’re still waiting on the welder to arrive to solder the tops on, but every
single bit of it was funded by the municipality. Our mayor also worked his tail
off in acquiring some tools and additional smaller garbage cans just for the
plaza. Using this sizable donation from the municipality, Menda was also able
to acquire funds through a Peace Corps grant to do the necessary education so
the garbage cans won’t just sit there unused as well as enough money to revamp
some older garbage cans already here. This all works together with a
community-wide campaign to deal with the excessive amounts of garbage floating
around. For those who live too far from the collection route or those too
stubborn to pay a small fee, we are also continuing our work with familial
landfills, cubic meter holes in which to put all the garbage that can’t be
recycled or used for compost.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">Included with the grant are also funds to
build a G.L.O.B.E. climate monitoring box. Google G.L.O.B.E. It’s pretty sweet.
Started by Al Gore (shortly after he invented the internet), G.L.O.B.E. is an
international initiative to educate students around the world about climate
change, and not only that, but have them participate in the research as well.
Students at schools participating in the G.L.O.B.E. program, through a variety
of different tools, report on temperatures, cloud cover, rain fall, etcetera in
order to have a standardized and widespread system of data collection. Like I
said, pretty sweet. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">Another project on which we’re working is
to develop a network of geocaches in various volunteers’ sites, particularly
those next to Huascarán National Park with tourist destinations. For those
unfamiliar with geocaching, it’s basically a GPS-based treasure hunt wherein
the final destination reveals a box in which you leave some small trinket and
take something someone else had already left. It’s inexpensive, fun, and we’re
hoping it can drag some tourists to some locations not already on the top 5
list of Ancash-based tourism. We’ll keep you updated in future posts as we make
progress.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">I’ve been organizing games of ultimate for
some time now with the youth in my site, but it wasn’t until the last month or
so that I got some guys around our age interested, and it seems I may finally
have the weekly pickup games I’d been hoping for. They’ve still got a bit to
learn about disc control, throwing under windy conditions, and reading the disc
in the air, but they get the rules, they show up to play, and week by week I’ve
definitely seen progress being made. I’ve also introduced hacky sack to the
same group of older guys. They work up at the ruins in our site, so when there
aren’t any tourists around, they don’t have a lot to do. Enter hacky sack.
Additionally, I showed the hacky sack to my mom, asked her if it was something
she could potentially make, and a few days later she had made one using some scrap
yarn and dried beans. I got her some red and white yarn at the market so she
can make Peruvian flag ones too, but the real goal I have now is for her to
teach other women in the community, and then using locally shorn wool and
locally grown and dried beans or corn, they can start an eco-business.
Environmentally friendly, no cost to the producers past a little TLC, and a
potential source of income. Besides, it would be pretty cool to start a new
trend among the youth sitting around at street corners. Plus, I came up with a
sweet name for marketing. Chaki means foot in Quechua, so Chaki Sak. And now
back to disc sports. Just yesterday, I went to a welder, bought a meter and a
half long stick and a half meter long pipe, had a point pounded onto the former
and a cap welded onto the latter, and now I have a goal for disc golf. Not a
basket, but an old-fashioned tonal pole like the ones used when the sport was
first getting started. The tube sits on top of the pole, and when the disc hits
it, it rings out. And the best part? It only cost me 15 soles (a little over
five bucks).<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">About a week ago, I decided to go to up to
the lake above our site in order to get some publicity shots for Huascarán
National Park. The idea I had was to take a picture every fifty feet or so and
then compile it into a video they could then use to promote the hike up to our
lake. Well, I got up to the lake (6 km of trail rising from 3400 meters to almost 4500 in under three hours – a new record for me),
and then decided I wanted to head over to San Cristobal, a large rock formation
that sits on the side of the mountains above our site. From the lake, you can
see something that looks a lot like San Cristobal and which makes it appear as
though you have to walk along the top of the ridge to get to it. So I hiked up
to the top of the ridge, then decided, why not go a little higher, then a
little higher, and a little higher after that. Before I knew it (three hours
after leaving the lake, that is), I’d arrived at the top of the last peak
before they become completely snow covered, and what did I behold but two
beautiful lakes right beneath me, of which I’d had no prior knowledge. By this
point, however, it was three in the afternoon and I’d already eaten my five
packs of cookies, six mandarin oranges, and drank my liter of water; I decided
I’d better head back as opposed to going down to the lakes. So I proceeded to
climb down from the mountaintop on which I’d been resting and start to walk
along the top of the ridge to eventually arrive at San Cristobal. The first
impasse I reached I decided to skirt around the edge on a very narrow ledge
until I got around the giant rock formation in my way. At the second impasse,
there was no available ledge, nor could I climb down to my left toward the lake
and the route home, so I had to climb down to the right. At least this part
wasn’t dangerous. It might even have been fun if I hadn’t already been dead
tired, but the dirt and rocks that made you perpetually slip and slide was
instead quite a nuisance. Finally around six, I manage to make my way around
and up to San Cristobal. I’d called a local guide and confirmed that there was
indeed a path down, steep though it was, back to our site. I even thought I
found that path, but I hadn’t. Instead, I ended up climbing down a small valley
behind San Cristobal which became more and more dangerous as the light faded.
About that time, I called Menda to have her meet me at the cross, which I could
see from where I was climbing down but not much of what lay between. What began
as thick patches of grass with hidden rocks waiting to trip you and random
holes trying to twist your ankles, quickly turned into thick patches of bushes
and trees with giant boulders blocking your path and drops of five or more feet
that you had to slide down if you didn’t feel like jumping into the black
unknown. Finally at one of these such drops, I realized the drop was not a mere
five feet, but, rather, the tiny flashlight which provided what little light I
had – it was of course a new moon that night – couldn’t shine far enough to
reveal the bottom of the cliff of which I’d started to slide off. Well, as is
only reasonable, it was at that point that I accidentally dropped my
flashlight. Fortunately, it caught on some branches, so if I could only dangle
by one hand, I could maybe reach it, and then proceed to pull myself back up.
Well, all went smoothly, and I was once again swimming my way through bushes
and trees with thorns a plenty. Menda, who had previously been guiding me by
watching my light called to say she could no longer see anything moving.
Assuming there was just something between the two of us, it didn’t occur to me
that maybe I was circling around to the front of San Cristobal as I followed
the line of the steep ravine into which I’d almost fallen. At this point, our
family, obviously more than a little worried that we’ve not returned home,
calls me, or rather calls their son in Lima, who then calls me and asks where I
am. I tell him that it is pitch dark, I’m lost, and Menda is waiting at the
cross at which I’m pretty sure I’ll never arrive. A giant phone tree then
followed, or maybe more of a phone vine which tangles in upon itself, until
everyone’s called everyone else at least twice, and no one is left without
knowing that I’ve somehow gotten myself lost. Eventually, our uncle is called
who lives way out above the farthest annex of our site, and he manages to find
me in a matter of minutes. Either I’d stumbled across his property in the dark,
or he’s just that good. Probably the latter. Menda walks down from the cross
using only the light from her cell phone, gets accosted by a few dogs on the
way, and we meet up at our aunt’s house before proceeding home. I was gone for
a total of twelve and a half hours, there wasn’t a part of my body that didn’t
ache, and I had to get up early the next morning to gather up the two kids who
were heading off to Camp VALOR with me. Menda also says I smelled pretty bad. When
they talk about male pride in a negative sense, this is undoubtedly what they
mean. For the record, though, I had asked a guide to go with me that morning,
but he was busy. The only upside is that I got some pretty great photos along
the way.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">The last thing I’ll mention is that in less
than a month we’re heading to Madre De Dios, just north of Cusco, to go on a
seven day tour of the rain forest. It’s the shortest tour we could find in
which we’d actually go into the reserve, but we’re not complaining. It’s
costing us an arm and a leg, and it’ll be hot and muggy, but when else are we
going to have the chance to do something like this? Manú National Park is one
of the few reserves left in the world with virgin rain forest. And in case some
of you hadn’t seen the footage yet, just this past week they found a previously
unknown group of indigenous people living in the rainforest in Madre De Dios. <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FuK4pE8PkXk">Incredible.</a><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">Also, a huge thanks to everyone who has
sent us a little something in the mail. We feel very much loved. As a thank you, here are some pictures:</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
[<a href="https://plus.google.com/photos/117294776926503762156/albums/5920576901758479825?authkey=COeS8YqKho-TQA">Miscellaneous, Mountains, and a Hot Tub Full of Papas</a>]</div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02263552218047633829noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5968636079654052890.post-7886472199870099352013-07-22T13:58:00.001-07:002013-07-22T13:59:43.842-07:00Send Us Something!Pictures, letters, candy, your latest home taxidermy project, anything! Send us something!<br />
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Charles/Amanda Romero</div>
<div>
Casilla Postal 277</div>
<div>
Huaraz, Ancash</div>
<div>
Peru, Sudamérica</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
The rest of the Ancash volunteers receive stuff all the time from home. We look pretty lame. Help us convince them that we´re cooler and more popular than we really are. Send us something! Please?</div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02263552218047633829noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5968636079654052890.post-46150012697410110992013-07-12T10:37:00.001-07:002013-07-12T10:39:33.797-07:00You Wish You Were Here<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: inherit; line-height: 115%;">As some of you may have
remembered, we got married two years ago from the 26<sup>th</sup> of June. As a
treat to ourselves, we decided we’d take a little vacation out to the beach.
You see, we may live over two miles above sea level in the middle of the Andes,
but we’re still less than four hours away from the ocean. [See title of this post.] We decided on
Huarmey, which is one of the three main coastal cities in Ancash, though
calling it a city is probably a stretch. I guess it’s one of three <i>places people live</i> on the coast in
Ancash. We took a bus over the Cordillera Negra – not highly recommended, we
both ended up puking, and landed in Casma, one of the other two <i>places people live </i>on the coast in
Ancash. An hour colectivo ride later, we arrived in Huarmey, hopped in a moto
taxi, and got to our hostel. The room smelled kind of funny, there were English
classes being taught directly outside our room, the electric shower shocked us
both several times, and I don’t think I’ve ever played on a more frustrating
pool table (no room to shoot, uneven surface, and pockets that are about half
the size of normal ones), but the owners were incredibly nice, and we had a
great time nonetheless. We’re Peace Corps volunteers; we don’t (or shouldn’t)
need anything too fancy anyway, and we were only paying around 15 dollars a
night.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span lang="EN-US" style="line-height: 115%;">The first day we just
strolled around Huarmey, went to the market, grabbed some dinner, avoided a
parade; the usual things we do day to day. The second day we got up, made some
breakfast, and headed over to the sand dunes forty miles north of the hostel
where we did some sand-boarding. It turns out not to be as easy as it looks.
It’s not much like sledding, longboarding, or any other what-I-would-have-thought-of-as-comparable
activities, and after doing a few too many front-<i>head</i>-springs down the dunes, we decided to grab lunch and head back
to Huarmey. It just so happens that we were there on a holiday – or, rather, we
planned it that way so we wouldn’t have to use a vacation day – and when we
walked over to the beach we got to see a procession with an imagen and live
band marching across the sand. So we quickly avoided all of that, found a cozy
spot, and attempted to doze while trying to avoid soccer balls that were flying
past us and ignore the several bands that had gotten onto fishing boats and
were simultaneously playing patriotic songs and shooting off fireworks. It was
like a little taste of ‘Merica, and it took about 20 minutes for us to decide
we’d rather pack it up and head back to the hostel to relax. The ocean was
quite beautiful though. The next morning we returned to Casma, found a
different company with which we could travel back to Huaraz, and made our way
back home. This time, the driver decided to slow down before taking the curves,
and we didn’t fear the vehicle was going to tip over at any moment. It’s the
little things that make life not worth puking over. We did have a great time
though, and I’ll count myself lucky: two years of marriage and she still wants
me around. </span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;">¡</span><span lang="EN-US" style="line-height: 115%;">Wepa!<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: inherit; line-height: 115%;">So we got back Sunday, and
after a few days in which we had for some reason scheduled several meetings, we
left town again Wednesday morning to begin our four day trek across the
Quedabra Santa Cruz. In addition to the two other volunteers that came along,
there were two Canadians and two French guys. We hiked up and through the
mountains, at one point through wind and now up to a pass at 4,750 meters (a
little under three miles high) and back down the other side. We, thank
goodness, had decided on using a guided service which included among other
things donkeys to carry supplies and a cook to prepare the meals for us, and it
was well worth the money. We were still carrying a 40L and 45L backpack the
whole time, but we didn’t have to carry tents, food, or extra blankets for the
(very) cold nights. I also added four more lakes to my count, so I’m now at
seven glacially fed lakes in which I’ve swam. The trek was absolutely gorgeous,
but I think I’ve discovered I’m more of a day hike kind of guy... or maybe a
lower altitude trekking kind of guy. I enjoy camping, but when there’s wind and
snow, it’s just not as enjoyable sleeping outside. I could talk a lot about the
stuff we got to see, but I think pictures will tell the story a lot better,
even if they still don’t do it justice. I’ve trimmed the over 160 photos we
took down to just 80 plus a few from digging micro-rellenos and our trip to
Huarmey.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span lang="EN-US" style="line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-size: small;">[</span><a href="https://plus.google.com/photos/117294776926503762156/albums/5899768367725324513">ENJOY!</a>]</span><span style="font-size: small;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02263552218047633829noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5968636079654052890.post-46126999161353596092013-06-21T08:26:00.001-07:002013-06-21T08:26:24.485-07:00A Death in the FamilyI am sorry to have to share with all of you that Kitty has passed away. We´re not sure exactly the cause, but for a few days she had stopped eating and couldn`t go to the bathroom. We made her comfortable, tried medicine, but last night around 10 PM she stopped breathing. So in honor of Kitty, here is an album of prevoiusly published photos that represent her at her best and cutest:<br />
<br />
<a href="https://plus.google.com/photos/117294776926503762156/albums/5891952230278770225">[Best of Kitty]</a>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02263552218047633829noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5968636079654052890.post-77410173800710306062013-06-13T14:29:00.000-07:002013-06-13T14:52:53.324-07:00Lehman Party!<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
<o:OfficeDocumentSettings>
<o:AllowPNG/>
</o:OfficeDocumentSettings>
</xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
<w:WordDocument>
<w:View>Normal</w:View>
<w:Zoom>0</w:Zoom>
<w:TrackMoves/>
<w:TrackFormatting/>
<w:HyphenationZone>21</w:HyphenationZone>
<w:PunctuationKerning/>
<w:ValidateAgainstSchemas/>
<w:SaveIfXMLInvalid>false</w:SaveIfXMLInvalid>
<w:IgnoreMixedContent>false</w:IgnoreMixedContent>
<w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText>false</w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText>
<w:DoNotPromoteQF/>
<w:LidThemeOther>ES</w:LidThemeOther>
<w:LidThemeAsian>X-NONE</w:LidThemeAsian>
<w:LidThemeComplexScript>X-NONE</w:LidThemeComplexScript>
<w:Compatibility>
<w:BreakWrappedTables/>
<w:SnapToGridInCell/>
<w:WrapTextWithPunct/>
<w:UseAsianBreakRules/>
<w:DontGrowAutofit/>
<w:SplitPgBreakAndParaMark/>
<w:DontVertAlignCellWithSp/>
<w:DontBreakConstrainedForcedTables/>
<w:DontVertAlignInTxbx/>
<w:Word11KerningPairs/>
<w:CachedColBalance/>
</w:Compatibility>
<m:mathPr>
<m:mathFont m:val="Cambria Math"/>
<m:brkBin m:val="before"/>
<m:brkBinSub m:val="--"/>
<m:smallFrac m:val="off"/>
<m:dispDef/>
<m:lMargin m:val="0"/>
<m:rMargin m:val="0"/>
<m:defJc m:val="centerGroup"/>
<m:wrapIndent m:val="1440"/>
<m:intLim m:val="subSup"/>
<m:naryLim m:val="undOvr"/>
</m:mathPr></w:WordDocument>
</xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
<w:LatentStyles DefLockedState="false" DefUnhideWhenUsed="true"
DefSemiHidden="true" DefQFormat="false" DefPriority="99"
LatentStyleCount="267">
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="0" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Normal"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="heading 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 7"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 8"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 9"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 7"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 8"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 9"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="35" QFormat="true" Name="caption"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="10" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Title"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="1" Name="Default Paragraph Font"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="11" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Subtitle"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="22" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Strong"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="20" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Emphasis"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="59" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Table Grid"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Placeholder Text"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="1" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="No Spacing"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Revision"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="34" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="List Paragraph"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="29" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Quote"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="30" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Intense Quote"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="19" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Subtle Emphasis"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="21" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Intense Emphasis"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="31" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Subtle Reference"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="32" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Intense Reference"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="33" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Book Title"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="37" Name="Bibliography"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" QFormat="true" Name="TOC Heading"/>
</w:LatentStyles>
</xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 10]>
<style>
/* Style Definitions */
table.MsoNormalTable
{mso-style-name:"Tabla normal";
mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0;
mso-tstyle-colband-size:0;
mso-style-noshow:yes;
mso-style-priority:99;
mso-style-qformat:yes;
mso-style-parent:"";
mso-padding-alt:0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt;
mso-para-margin-top:0cm;
mso-para-margin-right:0cm;
mso-para-margin-bottom:10.0pt;
mso-para-margin-left:0cm;
line-height:115%;
mso-pagination:widow-orphan;
font-size:11.0pt;
font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";
mso-ascii-font-family:Calibri;
mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin;
mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman";
mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-fareast;
mso-hansi-font-family:Calibri;
mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin;}
</style>
<![endif]-->
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span lang="EN-US">In no particular order, here is the stuff that has happened over the
past month or so.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span lang="EN-US">As some of you may recall, about three months ago I thought I had
twisted my ankle but had actually broken a small bone in there somewhere. I got
the X-ray a few weeks too late, and there was nothing they could do to set it,
so I took some pills, rubbed on a cream, and stayed off of it as much as I
could for a month and a half. Immediately following the month and a half, I
walked an obscene amount, my ankle started hurting again, so I went to Lima,
got an MRI, and set up an appointment in Huaraz to have a doctor read the MRIs
and figure out what should be done next. I got my foot wrapped in some type of
long-term sticky gauze to immobilize the joint, took some more pills, and have
been getting magnetic therapy. Yes, it sounds like quackery, but supposedly it
helps soft tissue injuries to heal faster. I’ll finish up my last of ten
initial sessions today and have another consultation with the doctor to see
what she thinks. I’ll also be able to finally remove the gauze stuff from my
ankle, which at this point is only mobilizing Menda to sit as far away from me
as possible due to the smell. Wish me luck.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span lang="EN-US">The cherry trees Menda planted with her class in Jinua continue to
grow. At the last count, I believe 17 had sprouted.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span lang="EN-US">This past month has been filled with lots and lots of training.
About a month ago now, we had the training for PEPFAR (President’s Emergency
Plan For AIDS Relief). We were supposed to bring two community partners<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>(or <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">socios</i>),
and although I thought it likely I would end up with no one there, I ended up
with three. We made a plan for starting my Pasos Adelante group (a program
focused on helping teens making smart decisions in their lives) and got up to
date statistics on HIV, AIDS, STIs and more for our region and Peru in general.
I walked out of it definitely feeling a little more prepared and a little more
supported in my efforts. After PEPFAR, the Lehmans were here for four days –
which I’ll talk about more below, and then I had to go to my next set of
trainings: In Service Training and Project Design and Management. For the IST
portion, we had to have a community partner come along. Mine ended up unable to
come, but as I wasn’t alone in this, I didn’t feel terribly out of place
without my own Peruvian at my side. That being said, I was a bit bored. A lot
of the activities we did were for the sake of the community partners, but the
volunteers had already received more in depth training on the same stuff during
our first ten weeks in the country. The day where my group got to build an
improved cook stove was definitely time well spend though. During Early In
Service Training, we got to work on these too, but this last time was a little
more informative I felt. However, the highlight of IST I would say, not for
reasons of usefulness, was definitely the day where we talked about training
peer educators. The information wasn’t new, but we did some dinámicas (active
learning games? I’m not sure how to translate that) which were just wonderfully
uncomfortable. I wasn’t too pleased at the time, but it’s a great story now.
The first involved every volunteer standing up and exchanging massages with
their community partners. A shoulder rub, no big deal, right? Except that after
the shoulders came the head. Just kind of bizarre. Still, that doesn’t begin to
compare to the awkwardness of then grasping the shoulders at the side, and then
running your hands down to the ankles. I had as my partner another volunteer
who didn’t have a socio, so we just kind of laughed about it. Some of the
others had socios of the opposite sex though, and they were none too pleased.
Awkward dinámica number two: While music was being played (after the Peace
Corps organizer asked the person leading the sessions to involve no more
dancing), we had to dance with our socios – to a slow jam no less – with our
hands behind our backs and a balloon pressed between our stomachs. When the
music stopped, we had to press toward each other until the balloon popped. I,
once again, was partnered with a volunteer and simply pulled out a ball point
pen and popped the balloon. Others weren’t so lucky and ended up thrusting into
their partners.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And since we’re on the
topic, I shared this experience with another volunteer, and he responded,
“That’s nothing.” He had had an even more awkward experience during a training
in his site. Everyone stood in a circle, passed around a doll, and had to kiss
the doll in a location of their choosing. Then, after this was already done,
the facilitator instructed everyone to then turn to the person on their left
and kiss them in the same place. The volunteer ended up kissing an old man on
the ear, and the person to his right had to kiss his foot. The worst part about
all of these is that they didn’t connect back to any point. A dinámica should
demonstrate some aspect of what you’re trying to teach. If it doesn’t, it’s
just a pointless activity that stretches the day out, or in some scenarios
proves painfully awkward. Next came PDM, and although we heard a lot of useful
information, by the end of the second day, we were clearly all reaching our
limits. The focus was on behavior change theory: all the barriers we’ll face in
convincing people to wash their hands, boil their water, stimulate their baby,
etc. and how best to overcome them. It’s really interesting stuff, and under other
circumstances I think I’d have been really engaged, but I was brain dead by
then. I walked out knowing that I should use behavior change theory during my
service, but I just don’t think that it will work... Get it? The efficacy of
the action is my barrier... Nevermind.<a href="http://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=5968636079654052890" name="_GoBack"></a> </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span lang="EN-US">Last weekend I took the TESOL exam. If I passed, I will receive
official certification for teaching English as a second language. The extreme
irony is that it is one of the most poorly constructed courses of which I’ve
ever heard. Instead of sending in small assignments along the way with a final
test that covers some of the material at random, there is one gigantic test to
evaluate the students. A test that with no less than four volunteers working on
it together still took nine or ten hours. And the real bummer? It’s through an
online company that may or may not be taken seriously by future employers. We
weren’t told about that when we signed up. Oh well.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span lang="EN-US">And now for the best part... We had visitors! The Lehmans came and
visited for four days. They got to see our site and the pre-Incan ruins
therein, Nicholas got altitude sickness, we all went up to see a melting
glacier, and, best of all, they brought us American candy and barbecue sauce
from the loving folks back home. On the way to the glacier, we stopped to see
the Puya Raimondi, a plant unique to the Andes that blooms every hundred years
or so and dies immediately afterward. It has several thousand flowers when it
blooms and tens of thousands of seeds are released. Menda wanted to make sure I
mentioned that she saw it first on Planet Earth, and then we got to actually
see it. The glacier sitting at 17,600 feet, called Pastoruri, is a sad story.
Less than a decade ago, you could ski there, build snowmen, etc. Now, you’re
not even allowed to walk on it because it’s so small. In all honesty, it wasn’t
that impressive to see for someone who has dealt with winters in Illinois and
has seen giant snow-plowed mountains of ice and snow, but for the impact that
climate change is having it is tragically important. In the streets of Huaraz,
they still sell scarfs and hats with images of people skiing on them. How long
before anyone even remembers what that is here? But we didn’t let that get us
down. The visit from the Lehmans was such a breath of fresh air. I can’t
imagine what it was like for Peace Corps Volunteers in the 60s, without blogs,
phones, occasional (even if slow) internet, and all the other things we don’t
have to do without. Still, it was incredible to be reminded that we’re not as
alone as we sometimes feel.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Thank you.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span lang="EN-US">I think that’s about it. As always, feel free to drop a question in
the comments, and our address is in the side panel! Send us something! A
letter, a Jimmy John’s menu, anything. Send us some pictures of you, and we’ll
put them up on our wall. It’s not as good as a visit, but it sure does add some
comfort and love to our lives. We miss you all. And here are some pictures from
the aforementioned activities:</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span lang="EN-US">[<a href="https://plus.google.com/photos/117294776926503762156/albums/5889083383732892625">Molering and the Lehmans</a>]</span></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02263552218047633829noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5968636079654052890.post-17318066660219319352013-06-10T14:34:00.000-07:002013-06-10T14:34:27.629-07:00Dat SauceI definitely owe a longer post than this, however, what with PEPFAR and then the Lehmans visiting and then IST/PDM, I´ve been quite busy. So I´ll take the time now just to mention the most important thing.<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
1) I regularly have food cravings for all kinds of stuff you just can`t get here (Jimmy Johns, real cookies, deep dish pizza), but none I crave so consistently as some Li´l Porgy´s sauce, and the Lehmans brought us some! Now, eating meat here is always a risky choice, but have you ever tried barbecue sauce on:</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
- Bread</div>
<div>
- Ramen</div>
<div>
- Crackers</div>
<div>
- Your Finger</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Or lacking those, just squirted straight into your mouth or, if a syringe is handy, injected directly into your bloodstream? Yeah, it´s still good.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Thanks to everyone who has kept us in their prayers, sent us stuff, or written us letters. They keep us going when we can´t do it of our own accord.</div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02263552218047633829noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5968636079654052890.post-27746120492525226512013-06-08T20:57:00.001-07:002013-06-08T21:01:38.450-07:00Shameless Plug For DonationsEarlier this year we, the 25 or so volunteers in Ancash, did a leadership camp for high school girls, and now we're back at it again with the same for boys. This is a great opportunity, because it brings together youth leaders from all across Ancash, and it also helps to combat machismo, teen pregnancy, and a whole bunch of other stuff that hinders the youth of Peru. If you'd like to help out, the donate link is below. (We promise not to do this too frequently.)<br />
<br />
<a href="https://donate.peacecorps.gov/index.cfm?shell=donate.contribute.projDetail&projdesc=13-527-025">https://donate.peacecorps.gov/index.cfm?shell=donate.contribute.projDetail&projdesc=13-527-025</a>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02263552218047633829noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5968636079654052890.post-67444161550175480402013-05-20T11:51:00.003-07:002013-05-20T11:55:15.479-07:00Lagunas!This is the same link from the last post, but, as we´ve added pictures from hikes up to two additional lakes, we figured it was worth a repost.<br />
<br />
<a href="https://plus.google.com/photos/117294776926503762156/albums/5872745709674431553?authkey=CNjQh4GY8u2D_gE">[LAGUNAS]</a>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02263552218047633829noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5968636079654052890.post-68815876899992190972013-04-30T14:47:00.000-07:002013-05-20T11:54:31.247-07:00A Nice Day For AhuacThis past Sunday we finally found the time to hike up to the lagoon
above our site, Ahuac/Awak/Aguak. (Pronounced more or less like “a walk” – get
it?) We’d been told it’s around a four hour hike to get there, so we made sure
to get an early start. Of course, the week prior Menda planted her vivero (tree
nursery), which ideally should be watered multiple times a day until the seeds
sprout, so first we had to walk down to Jinua. We finally set out for the
lagoon a little after seven in the morning with two other volunteers who had
stuck around after the regional meeting the day before. It’s about a forty
minute hike up to the cross (of which we’ve previously posted pictures) and
from there a fairly level walk... for the next 15 or 20 minutes, after which
it’s straight uphill for the next three and a half hours. From our house to the
lagoon we hiked about seven kilometers total and gained a total of 1300 meters
in altitude. It took us just over four and a half hours, including many breaks
for water, snacks, and a little much needed recovery for our lungs. We got
there, and while our courage was still sufficiently high, Menda and I swam in
the snow and ice fed lagoon (my second polar plunge). We then feasted on
PB&Js, mandarin oranges, animal crackers, and cookies – chocolate mint by
the way. After sitting around for a bit, we headed back down, moving much
faster and taking fewer breaks. It’s easier to lose your balance when going
downhill, but the increased oxygen intake as you move lower and lower makes you
feel invincible – until you fall, that is.<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span lang="EN-US">[<a href="https://plus.google.com/photos/117294776926503762156/albums/5872745709674431553?authkey=CNjQh4GY8u2D_gE">PICTURES</a>]</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span lang="EN-US">As a side note, the next day is when I usually work in the health
post and Menda teaches environmental classes in Jinua. I debated not going,
because I was more than a little bit tired the next morning but finally settled
on it, because A) I usually just sit at a desk and help with consultations for
babies and B) I needed to invite the boss to a conference on HIV/AIDS. I got
the invitation to him, but we’re in the middle of a week during which health
post staff go door to door seeing if all the children and elderly are up to
date on their vaccinations, so I ended up walking up and down hills for over
five hours the next day. Yeah. It was good exercise at the very least<a href="http://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=5968636079654052890" name="_GoBack"></a>.</span></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02263552218047633829noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5968636079654052890.post-1247360037887795302013-04-27T09:23:00.001-07:002013-04-27T09:23:15.042-07:00Hey, Fattie, Gimme Some!<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
<o:OfficeDocumentSettings>
<o:AllowPNG/>
</o:OfficeDocumentSettings>
</xml><![endif]--><br />
<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
<w:WordDocument>
<w:View>Normal</w:View>
<w:Zoom>0</w:Zoom>
<w:TrackMoves/>
<w:TrackFormatting/>
<w:HyphenationZone>21</w:HyphenationZone>
<w:PunctuationKerning/>
<w:ValidateAgainstSchemas/>
<w:SaveIfXMLInvalid>false</w:SaveIfXMLInvalid>
<w:IgnoreMixedContent>false</w:IgnoreMixedContent>
<w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText>false</w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText>
<w:DoNotPromoteQF/>
<w:LidThemeOther>ES-PE</w:LidThemeOther>
<w:LidThemeAsian>X-NONE</w:LidThemeAsian>
<w:LidThemeComplexScript>X-NONE</w:LidThemeComplexScript>
<w:Compatibility>
<w:BreakWrappedTables/>
<w:SnapToGridInCell/>
<w:WrapTextWithPunct/>
<w:UseAsianBreakRules/>
<w:DontGrowAutofit/>
<w:SplitPgBreakAndParaMark/>
<w:DontVertAlignCellWithSp/>
<w:DontBreakConstrainedForcedTables/>
<w:DontVertAlignInTxbx/>
<w:Word11KerningPairs/>
<w:CachedColBalance/>
</w:Compatibility>
<m:mathPr>
<m:mathFont m:val="Cambria Math"/>
<m:brkBin m:val="before"/>
<m:brkBinSub m:val="--"/>
<m:smallFrac m:val="off"/>
<m:dispDef/>
<m:lMargin m:val="0"/>
<m:rMargin m:val="0"/>
<m:defJc m:val="centerGroup"/>
<m:wrapIndent m:val="1440"/>
<m:intLim m:val="subSup"/>
<m:naryLim m:val="undOvr"/>
</m:mathPr></w:WordDocument>
</xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
<w:LatentStyles DefLockedState="false" DefUnhideWhenUsed="true"
DefSemiHidden="true" DefQFormat="false" DefPriority="99"
LatentStyleCount="267">
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="0" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Normal"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="heading 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 7"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 8"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 9"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 7"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 8"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 9"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="35" QFormat="true" Name="caption"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="10" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Title"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="1" Name="Default Paragraph Font"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="11" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Subtitle"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="22" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Strong"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="20" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Emphasis"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="59" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Table Grid"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Placeholder Text"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="1" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="No Spacing"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Revision"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="34" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="List Paragraph"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="29" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Quote"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="30" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Intense Quote"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="19" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Subtle Emphasis"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="21" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Intense Emphasis"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="31" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Subtle Reference"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="32" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Intense Reference"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="33" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Book Title"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="37" Name="Bibliography"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" QFormat="true" Name="TOC Heading"/>
</w:LatentStyles>
</xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 10]>
<style>
/* Style Definitions */
table.MsoNormalTable
{mso-style-name:"Tabla normal";
mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0;
mso-tstyle-colband-size:0;
mso-style-noshow:yes;
mso-style-priority:99;
mso-style-qformat:yes;
mso-style-parent:"";
mso-padding-alt:0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt;
mso-para-margin-top:0cm;
mso-para-margin-right:0cm;
mso-para-margin-bottom:10.0pt;
mso-para-margin-left:0cm;
line-height:115%;
mso-pagination:widow-orphan;
font-size:11.0pt;
font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";
mso-ascii-font-family:Calibri;
mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin;
mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman";
mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-fareast;
mso-hansi-font-family:Calibri;
mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin;}
</style>
<![endif]-->
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span lang="EN-US">Now that I’ve got your attention with that title, let
me explain. The culture of Peru is, needless to say, quite different from that
of the States. Most differences are pretty easy to adapt to, but there are a
few commonly found in casual conversation that are a little further removed.
The first I’ll refer to as “calling it like it is.” This means whether you’re
skinny, fat, tall, short, light, dark, et cetera, no one will have any problem
calling you exactly that. It’s not done to make fun or single anyone out, it’s
simply done. Menda remembers learning about this particular cultural phenomenon
while in high school Spanish class, mentioning it to her uncle later, and him
carefully informing her that even if it’s commonly done, that doesn’t mean it’s
not rude and inappropriate. Can’t say I disagree, yet I’ve witnessed a sweet old
man greet a teenage girl with the Spanish equivalent of, “Hey, fattie!” and the
girl took no offense whatsoever. Imagine even bringing up the weight of a girl
that age in the States. You simply don’t do it.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span lang="EN-US">The second shocker is inviting yourself to things. No,
not to parties, sporting events, or any other kind of social gathering, but to
food, drinks, or whatever else may be within eyeshot. I might be walking down
the street with a single piece of chocolate purchased at one of the bodegas by
our house – for Menda of course, and a kid passing by would have absolutely no
problem saying, “Invííítameee!” I’d actually understand... maybe... probably
not... if I was walking around with a giant bag of candy with plenty to share
and a kid shouted, “Gimmesooome!” but amount, anonymity, and item have zero
impact. If you’re carrying something (anything, really)<a href="http://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=5968636079654052890" name="_GoBack"></a>consumable
in plain sight, expect even a perfect stranger to ask you to share. The flip
side, of course, is we can invite ourselves to their stuff as well, but I’ve
still not quite become comfortable with it yet.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span lang="EN-US">Something else I’ve encountered in Peru (albeit only
once) that I’d never seen in the States is a double banana. Don’t worry, you
read that correctly. A double banana.One banana peel, two bananas inside. Don’t
believe me? There’s a picture included in the linked album below.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span lang="EN-US">In an effort to play a greater role in our community,
and because we still understand so little of the situation regarding potable
water, we recently attended a meeting in the plaza in hopes of understanding
what the issues are that everyone’s always complaining about. Well, we still
didn’t find out, because the meeting was focused solely on the illegal use of potable
water by the construction company building the new school. First, they took
attendance. They called the name of every family from the community to see who
was there. Our community’s small but not that small, so we baked in the sun for
a good twenty minutes or so. Then, anyone that wanted to speak had the
opportunity to do so, with the head of APAFA (PTA minus the T) intervening
between every comment to make some minute detail clear. From what I could tell
(which wasn’t a ton, because a lot of the comments were in Quechua), everyone
there had the exact same opinion, but a good portion of the people wanted to
put their own particular spin on it, sometimes two or three times. After a
couple hours of this, everyone agreed that the only thing they could do was to
cut off the water source for the construction company and let the situation
develop from there. So the whole group of people at the meeting stood up and
marched to the school where they cut off the water. Of course, in Peru, that
doesn’t mean flipping a switch or turning a knob, it meant digging a meter and
a half down in two locations and literally cutting the water pipe. We got bored
before they reached the pipes, so we didn’t get to see the climactic moments,
but this whole situation is case in point one of the “main” (That one’s for
you, Tessa) issues found in Peru: an extreme willingness to act but without any
great consideration of the consequences. For one, if the company decides to
back out of the deal, who’s going to finish the school? For two, the people
working for the company are the men of the community, so carrying the water
buckets from the drainage ditch to the construction site falls upon their backs.
On the other hand, the company had apparently already used several thousand
soles worth of water for which they weren’t intending to pay, so maybe cutting
the pipes really was the only feasible solution. In the States we probably
would have halted construction, taken the company to court, and five years
later the school still wouldn’t be finished. But this is Peru: incredibly
well-intentioned, not always able to see the big picture, but unwilling to be
taken advantage of in the meantime. It has its perks; it looks like the school
is going to get finished.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span lang="EN-US">In other exciting news, I had a stomach ache for about
two weeks straight. The pain was the only symptom, so it wasn’t a bacterial
infection, but after I shoveled some poop into a jar for a lab tech, the test
came back negative for a parasite. Still, they treated me for giardia, because
poop tests are notoriously inconsistent, and I got better. Either that or the
parasite got smarter and decided to lie low for a while.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span lang="EN-US">Menda recently started teaching environmental classes
in one of the caserio’s grade school, and this past Monday was Earth Day – as I’m
sure you’re all aware. So after some research on what will grow at this
altitude and some prep work, we dug out a space with the students for a tree
nursery (vivero), and on Earth Day the kids got to plant over 150 cherry tree
seeds. Having never grown cherry trees before, we’re crossing our fingers they
sprout, but if not, I guess we’ll try another species.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span lang="EN-US">Here are the pictures: [<a href="https://plus.google.com/photos/117294776926503762156/albums/5871550413240726049?authkey=CNOE5J_c-5TdpAE">VIVERO AND A DOUBLE BANANA</a>]</span></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02263552218047633829noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5968636079654052890.post-22039472210251256762013-04-09T08:35:00.000-07:002013-04-19T08:58:16.030-07:00Life is Like a Box of Rough Agate<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
<o:OfficeDocumentSettings>
<o:AllowPNG/>
</o:OfficeDocumentSettings>
</xml><![endif]--><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">We are now about seven months into our
service; we’ve been in site for four. The initial hurdles have been hurdled,
and now our real service starts. To be honest, though, I feel like up until
actually getting on the plane back to the States, we’ll probably keep on saying
that same thing. <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Now our real service
starts. </i>Our close of service conference is less than a year and a half
away, and we’re already having to start looking at our future after Peace
Corps. I thought this rather strange until I realized this is a major pattern
in the way we all live. Driver’s licenses have their permits, college has its
tests and applications, weddings – actually, I’m not sure why weddings take so
long to plan, jobs are often developed from internships, children seem to be a
topic of discussion no matter where a relationship stands. We seem to start
everything years ahead of time.</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">For us, right now, what this means is
that I’m looking at how best to get my certification to teach. For those of you
unaware of this situation, I’ll sum it up quickly. I was supposed to already be
certified, but due to a technicality, I was unable to apply to the secondary
education minor while at UIUC and ended up just getting a degree in English.
Peace Corps has a wonderful service called the Coverdell Fellows program which
wipes out a lot of the time, money, and energy wasted on applications to
graduate programs, but there’s a catch: it’s still a master’s program when all
I want is a teaching certificate, and the discounted tuition doesn’t mean much
when we’re already tens of thousands in debt from our undergraduate education. There
are more universities than I care to sort through that offer some sort of
incentive to attend their particular brand of higher education, but it kind of
seems like they just want your money. Hence the name of this post. There’s
maybe something to be polished out of all of this, but it’s really hard to get
past the cost.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">So what are my other options? Right now,
the leader of the pack is moving to Chicago, finding an alternative teaching
certification program through a university in the area, teaching inner city
high school English for a few years, and walking away with a teaching
certificate, invaluable experience, and hopefully not too burned out. The
insight into where we’d be living would make it easier for Menda to find a
position, and the appeal of being so close to family and friends definitely has
its pull, but it still remains to be seen if I can find a program that fits my
particular situation. Another option is Teach for America. They eliminate a
small amount of previously accumulated debt, they’ve been trying to draw in
returned Peace Corps volunteers in recent years, and there’s something exciting
about not knowing where we’ll be. It also means we’d potentially be very far
from our family and friends, and Menda would have to try last minute to find a
job that she can live with for two years. Not as attractive an option, but it’s
still on the table. There’s also the possibility of grad school for Menda as
well, possibly in natural resource management, applied ecology, or really
anything related to environmental science. Or we could go the route of moving
to some national park for a job for Menda – not at all unappealing. In both
scenarios, I would probably work on a teaching certificate through an online
program and find a school locally to get the required classroom experience. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Onto other exciting stuff. We’ve finally
started the TESOL course we stupidly signed up for last December. It’s not that
it’s a bad idea to get a little training in teaching English; it’s the source
and the timing of it. Apparently, the company we’re doing it through is simply
the cheapest on the market, but it won’t necessarily be recognized by everyone
to whom it will matter (future employers). Still, for the price, it doesn’t
hurt to have something else to throw on a résumé, and it seems as though the
information will be pretty useful. We’ve done two of the twenty lessons thus
far. The course is pretty evenly split between teaching methods and attempting
to explain the English language to people who have never had to think about
grammar before. As an English major, I have built up a resistance to this kind
of instruction, but it’s torture for Menda. I think we technically have until
June or July to finish everything, so if we do three or four a week, we’ll have
plenty of time to wrap everything up.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Speaking of teaching English, we’ve
started up classes in one of the caserios. Once a week we take the combi down
to Jinua and attempt to instill some understanding of the language which seems
nearly as pervasive as Spanish when it comes to music, advertisements,
t-shirts, and other commodities of mass-consumption. Like foreign language
education in the States, we’ve given them each a modified version of their name
which they will use while in the classroom, or, in the case of our first class,
in the street, because no one unlocked the school for us. During vacaciones
útiles, we had an open door policy. It served its purpose; people in the community
now know who we are. However, this time around, we had a sign up, and the
students helped us come up with an attendance policy which will hopefully keep
the kids out that don’t actually want to learn.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">I should probably say something with
regard to my program goals. Just to remind you, I have two main things I should
be focusing on for the duration of my service. The first is educating mothers
with children younger than four about nutrition, hygiene, prevention and
symptoms of common illnesses, and early childhood stimulation. The second is
working with youth 12-17 years of age and instilling some level of
responsibility in their personal lives. In other words, I’m teaching sex ed.
I’ve not so much started on either of these goals yet. There’s a level of
comfort I’ve not quite reached with walking into someone’s home and telling
them what they’re doing wrong – especially given than I don’t have kids myself
– or talking to kids about something that’s still rather taboo for the people
of my community. I’ll get there, but there are going to be a few steps in
between. This next week I’m starting to help out in our health post. Every
Monday, I’ll go and pull patient histories, weigh and measure babies, and
whatever else they need that’s within my abilities. Through this, my face will
be seen, I may glean some appearance of being knowledgeable from the fact that
I’m working there, and eventually I’ll maybe feel comfortable talking to
mothers in their own homes. Of course, I’ll still need a translator, because my
Quechua is somehow not quite advanced enough to talk about the more detailed
issues of infant health.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Menda, on the other hand, is kicking
some ass. She got back from her training in Lima with a plan for a community
cleanup campaign, and every day she’s been making phone calls, writing up
documents, putting together presentations, and scheduling meetings. She’s
planning on working with the school in Jinua to teach a weekly environmental
class, through which she would start a tree nursery, participate in the
G.L.O.B.E. project (www.globe.gov), and convince the kids the world isn’t their
garbage can. Basically, she’s already working on all of her program goals. If
it weren’t for machismo, I’m pretty sure no one would still want to talk to me.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Apparently rainy season is finally
wrapping up, though it’s really not been so bad. It’s like a slightly more
rainy Illinois spring, but we got some pretty crazy hail these past few weeks.
Water can’t all that easily get into our rooms, but hail can stack up by our
door, melt, and then flood part of our bedroom. (There’s a picture in the
gallery linked to below.) Still, the rain hasn’t slowed us from getting out and
having some fun.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Semana Santa was about a week ago now,
and with some of the non-earned vacation days we volunteers get we decided to
stay home. Part of this was because Menda had just gotten back from her
training in Lima, and the idea of traveling isn’t as appealing after having
just done so. However, we primarily stayed because a bunch of volunteers from
other departments were coming in to Ancash, and, for us, staying home means
staying in one of the world’s premier backpacking destinations. We didn’t end
up going with the other volunteers on everything they did, which included Lake
Llanganuco (a glacial lake below the highest peak in the Andes), Pastoruri (a
glacier which used to have skiing but will be gone in five to ten years due to
that much beloved <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">theory</i> of climate
change), and Chancos (hot springs in a series of increasingly warmer caves, the
hottest of which you can apparently boil an egg – or I imagine burn yourself
pretty badly). They also visited the pre-Incan ruins in our site, and I (Menda
was feeling sick) got to go with two other volunteers and some nice Limeños who
gave us a ride up to the trailhead for Laguna Churup – a glacial lake at 15,000
feet. Of the people with whom I went, I was the only one to make it all the way
there. Lonely Planet said it was a beginner hike, but there were three parts
where I had to pull myself over steep rock faces with a metal cable – the top
one which was frayed and broken – I could barely feel my hands due to the cold,
and though everyone we saw told us it was only a couple hours to get there,
that was just another example of the chronic chronometric understatement so
commonly encountered here. Still, it wasn’t all bad. There’s a competition
among Ancash volunteers where the winner (or loser depending on how you look at
it) has swum in the most glacial lakes. Well, this was my first. I think I have
26 more to go if I want to break the record – I don’t.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">Also during Semana Santa was the
traditional Catholic procession, complete with creepy statues and lots of
drinking. Regardless, it was a sight to be seen. It was more or less exactly
like that scene in the Godfather, minus the gunfire. Even more cool, however,
were these giant drawings that were done in the street. There were probably 15
or so of them, mostly religious imagery, with logos of their corporate sponsors
in the corners, and all made almost entirely with sawdust. They dye it a bunch
of different colors, sketch out the drawing in chalk, and then pour it into the
appropriate sections like a giant paint-by-number watercolor. This all goes
down the morning of Good Friday. Then, after all that work, the procession
comes through with their creepy statues, crowds of people, and four or five
marching bands and trample over all of them. There’s probably an Easter
metaphor in there somewhere. Also, the Easter bunny does not visit Peru.
Somehow they missed out on that particular perversion of Christianity.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">I think that’s pretty much it. I’ll add
in another reminder to mail us pictures. It’s less than three bucks to send them
through the USPS, and you’d have a revered spot on our wall. Only one person
has sent any so far (Thanks, dad!), and it means a lot to us. Oh well. Here are
some of ours:</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">[<a href="https://plus.google.com/photos/117294776926503762156/albums/5864867054599569649?authkey=CI2o-tKKqK2LUg">MORE KITTY AND SEMANA SANTA</a>] </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">After writing this post, we had a very
interesting day, so I’ll add it in. We had a meeting at 6:30 in the morning
with the mayor, the regidores, and an anthropologist from the district
municipality. It was almost three hours, but we talked exclusively about
tourism, Menda’s community clean-up plan, and our community diagnostic, which
we were able to officially present. In the afternoon we had a meeting with an
environmental group comprised of local young professionals. Menda presented her
community clean-up plan, and I organized a start date for our English classes
in Willkahuaín for the guides. We’re due to start them in about two weeks, and
they asked if we could have a traditional Peruvian ceremony beforehand. In this
ceremony, people bring offerings to Paccha Mama (Mother Earth). We didn’t
really know what to expect, but we soon found out. Immediately following the
meeting, the president of the organization asked if we’d like to attend one of
these ceremonies at that moment. I guess it just so happened that one was going
on. There was a fire in the center, and it took place next to a large, flat ceremonial
boulder that far predates the Incans. There are five holes bored into this rock,
and in them offerings are placed. Throughout the whole thing four or five types
of flutes and a conch shell were played while everyone stood in a circle
chewing coca leaves and placing them in the flames – though we of course didn’t
chew them, because it’s against Peace Corps rules. Near the end of the
ceremony, a man danced around the fire and placed flowers over each of the
holes bored into the rock. I can’t say I really understood what was going on –
being both unfamiliar with Peruvian tradition and Quechua – but it was
definitely quite an experience. We at the very least now understand what they
mean when they say mystic tourism. There was a girl from the Czech Republic
there as well.</span></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02263552218047633829noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5968636079654052890.post-92110952822717364652013-03-16T13:06:00.000-07:002013-03-16T13:06:39.230-07:00A Quick UpdateWe finished up our rough draft of our community diagnostic, Kitty is still adorable, I just got back from Early In Service Training in Lima for the health program, and Menda leaves tonight for the environmental equivalent.<br />
<br />
The rough draft of our diagnostic is very rough. The Spanish in it must be just awful. We still have a few last data to retrieve, and we should be presenting it to our municipality within the month.<br />
<br />
We have more pictures of Kitty, but we´ll have to upload them some other time.<br />
<br />
EIST was actually pretty useful. If I´m entirely honest, after completing the diagnostic and summer school, I was feeling pretty unsure what to do next in site. I know my program goals, I know what I should accomplish by the end of my service, but somehow that knowledge didn´t translate into, "What am I going to do tomorrow?" I´m still not certain, but I feel a lot more confident in my uncertainty now.<br />
<br />
About two weeks into site, I twisted my ankle, not badly, and ever since then have been retwisting to a lesser degree never quite allowing my ankle to heal. Then about 3 weeks ago I really twisted the crap out of it. I was stepping off the stoop of our mayor´s house, couldn´t see the curb that was underneath - and that really needn´t be there at all as it doesn´t do a thing, and right he stepped out of his house I was sitting on a bench howling. Menda delivered our solicitude and then helped me hobble back home - thankfully only about 20 or 30 meters away. I elevated it, stuck it in a tina of ice cold water, and two days later it still hurt, but I could walk without limping or anything. Problem solved... except the swelling that never receded and the constant retwisting that occurred in its weakened state. So I went to see a doctor while I was in Lima, got some x-rays, and now I can´t run or play sports on it for a month and a half, because I guess I broke some tiny bone in there somewhere. I have some cream and pills that are supposed to bring the swelling down, but it´s still not clear if everything is healing right. Regardless, it´s too late now. (Disclaimer: the Peace Corps doctors were consulted the night I twisted it, and they wanted me to go to Huaraz for an x-ray, but I refused. Whoops.) The big bummer, however, is that this weekend is the first annual (that´s for you, John) volunteer 5k, 10k, and half marathon. And ironically enough, I bought soccer shoes while in Lima so I can play pick up ultimate in Huaraz on Fridays and so I can play on my mayor´s soccer team on Sundays. Oh well. I guess I still have a few years.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02263552218047633829noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5968636079654052890.post-52478982499207625382013-03-04T12:46:00.000-08:002013-03-04T12:56:28.980-08:00Map and a KittyNot too much different here. We´ve been working hard to finish up both summer school and our community diagnostic, yet, somehow in the middle of all that, we´ve still found the time to paint a 4 meter wide world map with some of our students and adopt a kitten. I think were calling him, "Kitty." Our host brother found him hiding in the corn in the chakra that is our backyard.<br />
<br />
<a href="https://plus.google.com/photos/117294776926503762156/albums/5851581362518751761?authkey=CLTLmru-nYiFsAE">[PICTURES]</a>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02263552218047633829noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5968636079654052890.post-35560381945068177382013-02-08T11:40:00.002-08:002013-02-08T11:40:56.463-08:00CarnavalMost of Carnaval is filled with frequent religoius...ish celebrations, water fights, flour fights, and heavy drinking during all three.<br />
<br />
Here are some photos from the celebrations in our town, and we´ll try to add more as we take them.<br />
<br />
<a href="https://plus.google.com/photos/117294776926503762156/albums/5842659410896877185">[Carnaval Pictures]</a><br />
<br />
Also, just to describe a little of what´s going on in some of these photos. The crosses for a couple of weeks are carried from town to town for various celebrations and eventually are walked back up to their respective homes. The people climbing trees are preparing the corta montes. This is where you chop down a tree, dig a hole in the street, replant the tree, decorate it, drink and dance around it, throw water and flour at each other around it, chop it down, and when it falls everyone runs in and tries to grab the decorations they want - which are, from what we´ve seen, limited to your imagination; there were blankets, baskets, and everything inbetween adorning the trees. Kind of a cross between a maypole, a piñata, and Christmas... not sure where the water and flour fights fit in though.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02263552218047633829noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5968636079654052890.post-27744602715355470332013-02-02T08:03:00.000-08:002013-02-04T05:00:32.358-08:00The International Year of Quinoa<span lang="EN-US">For some reason not yet ascertained by
Menda or me, in Peru, each year has its own special title. This title has to go
at the top of pretty much every official document. A couple of weeks ago we
were turning in our solicitude for a space on which to paint a world map mural
(which we'll be hopefully doing this coming week) and realized we had no clue
what 2013's special title is. We asked our host brother, and he thought he had
heard on the radio it was “The Year of the Advancement of Indigenous
Communities,” or something like that. Sounds good, but he wasn't entirely
certain. So we texted our PCVL and she informed us that it was actually “El Año
Internacional de la Quinua,” or, in English, the title of this post. So, go
out, buy some quinoa, and celebrate the international year of quinoa.</span><br />
<br />
<span lang="EN-US">We previously posted some pictures of us at
the cross on the hill an hour or so above our town. Well, we were invited by
the mayor to go up to the cross with some other people to reinforce the base
and prepare it for the upcoming celebration (Carnaval). Why did it need to be
prepared? During Carnaval, each community takes its cross (Yeah, every
community has an official cross), and carries it to the local chapel—in the
case of Paria and its caserios, the chapel about 50 feet from our house in the
plaza. Then, with all the crosses seated in the chapel, the priest has a
service for the crosses. I don't think people are allowed to go to it, but in
our town there's probably room for some. However, later during Carnaval, all
the communities surrounding Huaraz then carry the crosses down to the church
there. During this service, there are so many crosses, that even if people were
allowed to and wanted to go, there apparently isn't room enough. I tried to ask
as non-offensively as possible why the crosses needed a service, and did the
priest come up with a new sermon every time, or does he just repeat the last
one, or is there a special one said only during that day, but the only answer I
got was, “I'm not sure. It's just the custom here.” I suppose there are some
pretty weird traditions we have in the States too, but I'm not sure we live up
to the craziness here.</span><br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">Another custom of Carnaval is giant water
and flour fights. Right now there are just sporadic groups of kids wandering
around with water balloons and buckets full of water, but apparently on “War
Tuesday” which I think is the equivalent of Fat Tuesday/Shrove Tuesday/Mardi
Gras/whatever other names exist, there are gangs of 30 or 40 kids a piece that
will drench you if you give them the opportunity. This past week, we were
walking through one of the tiny parks that hide in the middle of some of the
blocks in Huaraz, looking for a Mexican restaurant that supposedly is in there
somewhere, and we saw a group of 10 or 12 kids with buckets walking slowly
toward us. We started to turn and walk away, but then it appeared to me that
they were moving a little faster, so I sprinted. Well, I didn't warn Menda, and
as soon as I started running so did the kids, so she ended up getting hit, but
she seems kind of proud of it now. “I got hit with water during Carnaval!” I
think I'd still rather be able to say, “I avoided getting hit with water during
Carnaval.” Either way, the Superbowl is this Sunday, and we're going to head
over the apartment of our PCVL with the other volunteers to have a little
party, and it just so happens that her apartment building has a roof adjacent
to the park where we were chased by those kids. So what are we going to do?
Buckets, balloons, hoses, you name it. We'll be prepared next time.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">A few weeks ago, we were walking over to
the health post to get the contact information for mothers with kids under the
age of three (so we can start the encuestas we've been avoiding for weeks now)
when we were approached by a guy who I guess had heard of us through our host
cousin. His name was Christian, and he heads up a group of locals who work to
promote tourism in our communities. We set up a meeting for the following
Sunday (at 7 AM) not entirely sure what to expect. A lot of times in Peru,
people are really enthusiastic about doing something, but come the time to
actually do it, they are busy, or forget, or I don't really know, because they
ultimately don't show up. Well, Christian did show up, and so did two others
from their group (including our host cousin) and the meeting went
extraordinarily well. For one, they acknowledged that Menda was present and
directed questions toward her. Not always a given. For two, they wanted to get
started on English classes for aspiring guides far sooner than we were able to
accommodate. We told them late March, after our community diagnostic, after our
“Early In Service Training” in Lima, we could begin classes. This is a huge
difference from a lot of other experiences we've heard about from other
volunteers. People love to talk big here, make grand statements, but between
raising kids, maintaining 4 or 5 chakras, and working other small jobs here and
there, no one really has the time to do the things they want to do. This group
is young, enthusiastic, don't yet have families of their own, and have the time
to work with us, not only on English classes but reforestation, tourism,
cleaning up the community, et cetera. Once again, I feel as though we've really
lucked out. We also had the teniente gobernador of a caserio of Paria come and
visit us at our house randomly in order to set up English classes there as
well. Two English classes set up for after EIST and we're probably going to add
another in a third location eventually. Maybe that one will fall into our laps
as well.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">Another encouraging meeting we had was with
a technician at a tree nursery nearby. They have three huge properties full of
9 or 10 different species of trees, about half of them native, and it's all
funded by the government of our district. If you want a couple thousand trees
to plant, all you have to do is request them, and they'll be delivered to the
location of your choice free of charge. We went to the nursery with another
volunteer who lives fairly close to us, and even with two males present, the
technician also paid attention to Menda, answered her questions, recognized she
was able and knowledgeable.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">After visiting the tree nursery, we visited
a guy whom the other volunteer had met in Huaraz who owns a hotel, or owns a
property and is constructing a hotel. He's originally from Lima, but recently
settled in a little town about a half hour walk from Huaraz, and, with the
guidance and encouragement of his wife, started to construct this absolutely
gorgeous hotel. The name of the place is “La Casona de Marián,” and there are
beautiful gardens, 17 rooms, a chapel, and an incredibly gracious and welcoming
owner. There are some pictures of the place included in the link at the bottom,
and given its proximity to our site, this will probably be the hotel of choice
for any of you who come and visit us. The other great part about this meeting
is that he's very interested in exchanging promotions between our site and his.
Marián is a small town, beautiful, but without much draw for tourists. It's
close enough to our site, that we can have information about his hotel at the
pre-Incan ruins in our site, and he can have information about the various
attractions at our site in his hotel. Another great contact, and another
meeting in which Menda felt included.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">So three meetings, all in which Menda had
her voice heard. Put bluntly, this is not the norm. The usual interaction, no
matter how very little I had to do with planning a meeting, arranging a class,
or writing up a report, usually ends in me being the only one addressed. It's
not something intentionally done, it's not vindictive or purposefully
demeaning, it doesn't happen every time, but it happens frequently enough that
changing our community's attitude toward women and their roles has become the
center of my focus and my primary goal for the next two years. There's
absolutely nothing wrong with a woman staying at home with the kids, taking
care of the house, and cooking. Likewise, if a man works Monday through
Saturday at a job and Sundays in the chakra, that's his choice. However, the
impact that these long-defined roles have had on gender equality is
devastating, so even though these offenses are usually done without mean spirit
or spite, they still do a lot of damage. It's not outright sexism, just as in
the States, <i>most</i> overt racism has had its day and <i>most</i> people are
repulsed by it. However, in some ways, the beneath-the-surface, day-to-day,
largely-unnoticed varieties are worse, and they're certainly harder to combat.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">Apart from meetings, we've been incredibly
busy with vacaciones útiles (literally, useful vacations, but, in English,
summer school). Four times a week we've been teaching a group of rambunctious,
occasionally well-behaved youth with ages between 3 and 13. We originally
intended on teaching 8-17, but the older kids don't show, and the youngest ones
are usually in the care of their siblings, so if they can't go, neither can
their brothers and sisters. We've set up the classes with each week having a
different theme. Basic introductions in English, the human body, biology,
recycling, and we're going to be doing geography/world cultures, music and
dance, nutrition and exercise, and one more yet to be decided theme. We're
slowly learning how to teach in this very different environment. Kids here
don't learn the same way. Everything is rote. Whenever we introduce a new game
or activity, it takes the kids a while to figure out that this is something
they can do. We tried watching WALL-E (in Spanish) and they couldn't handle 80
minutes of sitting still. Then again, the next day we made paper beads out of
magazines and flowers out of bottle tops, and they worked for two and a half
hours straight without problem. Another challenge is the age gap. Eventually,
Menda had the bright idea to separate the kids with certain activities, so
they're working with others more or less on par with their level. Before, the
easy stuff had the older kids misbehaving, and the harder stuff had the younger
ones bored and loud. It's been fun though, and I've even gotten pull out the
guitar a few times. I found some bluesy chords that accompany “the hokey pokey”
quite nicely and wrote a gypsy jazz version of “head, shoulders, knees, and
toes.” We play various games with the frisbee on a regular basis, and the kids
have caught on quite fast.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">Speaking of ultimate, there are weekly
pickup games in Huaraz to which I'll eventually start going. Right now, we're
too loaded down with stuff we're doing and the many other things we're supposed
to be doing. We're in the midst of our second week of Quechua classes, we're
teaching 4 times a week, we're supposed to be interviewing people with our
encuestas so we can finish our community diagnostic by the beginning of March,
we have a correspondence course we're taking on teaching English as a foreign
language in which we're yet to start the readings and assignments, and Menda's
about to start sessions with a Spanish tutor. Still, it's far better to be busy
than idle, and it feels good to be making small amounts of progress here and
there. A quick side note, “llamakaa” (pronounced like the Jewish hat) in
Quechua means “I am a llama.”</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">We also went to a wedding this past weekend
for a couple at our church. They brought in 5 musicians from Lima and they not
only played the wedding, but our church service the day before and a concert at
the cultural center in Huaraz. It's the first (and quite possibly last) time
we've heard classical music while in Peru. The orchestra of which they're a part
is only two years old, and they have to import their musicians, because there
just aren't many Peruvian classical musicians. The lead violinist was from
Michigan, the second also from Michigan though his parents are Brazilian, and
the pianist was from Cuba. (The violist and cellist were from Peru I believe.)</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">This entry is getting a little overly long,
so I'll close with an observation we made after walking around earlier this
week in search of a place to eat. Peru: The land where every vegetarian
restaurant serves hamburgers and a place called The Mediterranean serves paccha
manca and lomo saltado but no hummus or felafel.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">[<a href="https://plus.google.com/photos/117294776926503762156/albums/5840382372668582321">PICTURES!</a>]</span></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02263552218047633829noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5968636079654052890.post-30894524435196134512013-01-04T10:37:00.001-08:002013-02-02T09:33:44.775-08:00Corn, Cookies, and a Bald Cypress<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
<w:LatentStyles DefLockedState="false" DefUnhideWhenUsed="true"
DefSemiHidden="true" DefQFormat="false" DefPriority="99"
LatentStyleCount="267">
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="0" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Normal"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="heading 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 7"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 8"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="9" QFormat="true" Name="heading 9"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 7"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 8"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" Name="toc 9"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="35" QFormat="true" Name="caption"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="10" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Title"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="1" Name="Default Paragraph Font"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="11" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Subtitle"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="22" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Strong"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="20" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Emphasis"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="59" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Table Grid"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Placeholder Text"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="1" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="No Spacing"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Revision"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="34" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="List Paragraph"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="29" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Quote"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="30" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Intense Quote"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 1"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 2"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 3"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 4"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 5"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="60" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Shading Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="61" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light List Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="62" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Light Grid Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="63" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 1 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="64" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Shading 2 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="65" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 1 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="66" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium List 2 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="67" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 1 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="68" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 2 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="69" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Medium Grid 3 Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="70" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Dark List Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="71" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Shading Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="72" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful List Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="73" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" Name="Colorful Grid Accent 6"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="19" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Subtle Emphasis"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="21" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Intense Emphasis"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="31" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Subtle Reference"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="32" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Intense Reference"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="33" SemiHidden="false"
UnhideWhenUsed="false" QFormat="true" Name="Book Title"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="37" Name="Bibliography"/>
<w:LsdException Locked="false" Priority="39" QFormat="true" Name="TOC Heading"/>
</w:LatentStyles>
</xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 10]>
<style>
/* Style Definitions */
table.MsoNormalTable
{mso-style-name:"Tabla normal";
mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0;
mso-tstyle-colband-size:0;
mso-style-noshow:yes;
mso-style-priority:99;
mso-style-qformat:yes;
mso-style-parent:"";
mso-padding-alt:0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt;
mso-para-margin:0cm;
mso-para-margin-bottom:.0001pt;
mso-pagination:widow-orphan;
font-size:11.0pt;
font-family:"Calibri","sans-serif";
mso-ascii-font-family:Calibri;
mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin;
mso-fareast-font-family:"Times New Roman";
mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-fareast;
mso-hansi-font-family:Calibri;
mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin;
mso-bidi-font-family:"Times New Roman";
mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-bidi;}
</style>
<![endif]-->
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">I can't entirely remember where we last
left off, so I'll just start with Christmas. Some very nice people sent us
cards, candy, a couple of calendars, books, finger puppets (that were made in
Peru), and a bunch of other small trinkets. Thanks so much for all of those.
There may have been decorations up in Huaraz, and we had a wonderful time
celebrating with our family here, but these gifts made the season just a little
more homey. Christmas turns out to be a pretty informal affair here. With our
family, we sat around on Christmas Eve, we exhanged some gifts, ate, and
chatted. Not entirely different from the States, but you usually don't receive
paneton, a bar of chocolate, and a can of milk as some of your gifts back home.
Well, maybe the chocolate. All in all it was not too bad, though I was pretty
sick the next day. I recovered shortly thereafter and then proceeded to get
sick for New Year's as well. This second time I had some sort of bacterial
infection in my intestines. But two days and six very large pills later, I was
feeling myself again. It wasn't how I'd really planned spending Christmas or
New Year's, but the good news is, if this pattern keeps going, I won't be sick
again until Valentine's Day or maybe Easter.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">One of the gifts we got for our family was
homemade chocolate chip cookies (made by Menda). They turned out really quite
good, and I think our family finally understood a little of why we were
constantly talking about them. Cookies are one of the food items easiest to
miss here. Then again, Menda talked about cookies pretty regularly in the
States too.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">It's getting into the sowing season here,
and nearly every day from sunup to sundown our brother heads out to one of the
many chakras our family has scattered around the area. There's one across the
street, one a couple of miles away with a hefty hill to climb between, and one
between Paria and Huaraz among others I'm sure we don't know about as well.
There's something both wonderful and sad about seeing all the people working in
their fields. There's the connection that everyone around us obviously feels
for the land. They still have a relationship with it here. Then again, we are
here working to help modernize the country. Before long, they won't be using animals
and a hand-carved wooden tool to sow their fields.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">Speaking of sowing (well, sewing), the
other day, our brother told us he was going to stitch up some pants, which to
be honest didn't really sound all that exciting, but then he pulled out this
beautiful old Singer sewing machine. This thing was ancient. Apparently it
belonged to our abuelito a long time ago. But wow. Gorgeous. I definitely am my
father's son, the way this antique took me.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">The cards and wall calendar we received,
along with two maps of Huaraz and Ancash, a 50<sup>th</sup> anniversary Peace
Corps poster, and a printed off letter from Obama to Peace Corps volunteers so
far is all we've managed to get up on our walls. There are still a lot of empty
spaces. (Mail us photos! We'll put them up!) So one of the things we decided to
do was paint a mural. We found a picture of us climbing a bald cypress at the
arboretum that Allegra took for our engagement photos, scaled it down, printed
it off, drew a grid on it, on a separate sheet redrew the tree with a few
embellishments, drew a grid on the wall, drew the tree on the wall, painted the
tree on the wall, tried really hard to get the pencil off the wall, touched up
the tree a bit more, and now we have a bald cypress on our wall. Our bald
cypress. The one I proposed in. It takes up a ton of space, but it also is
feeling more and more like a home.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">Oh, we also ate a whole bag of Dorito's in
about ten minutes. It was my starting-to-feel-better gift from Menda. Somehow,
it seemed like the best thing to down after not eating for two days. My, how
our perspective on food has changed.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-US">And Menda wants to write a little about the
New Year's traditions here:</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i><span lang="EN-US">On New Year's Eve I went to Huaraz to
meet some other volunteers for lunch (Charles was home sick).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The city was packed with vendors.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The tradition here is that yellow is good
luck on new year's eve especially yellow underwear, it seemed like every other
vendor was selling yellow underwear.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The
streets were like a sea of yellow between the underwear, party hats and other
party supplies people were selling.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The
other popular items being sold seemed to be fireworks and wine.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The streets were so crowded and there were so
many temporary vendors in some areas that I got turned around since it was hard
to see my surroundings past the sidewalk.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>The fireworks here are an interesting tradition too.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They are primarily just for noise not
visual.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Also people just stand around
and set them off where ever using whatever like their cigarette.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Back in Paria there was a party in the Plaza
which we decided to sit out after our family explained that it was going to be
mostly drunk people dancing around.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Our
family didn't really do anything special for New Year's.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We all just took it easy.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>One last tradition my mom explained to me but
I've yet to see is burning your old clothes.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>I guess the idea there is just to get rid of the old and start fresh or
just have an excuse to go shopping.</span></i><br />
<br />
<span lang="EN-US"><a href="https://plus.google.com/photos/117294776926503762156/albums/5829664703118522385?authkey=CPu8qr231pWUWQ">[PICTURES!]</a> </span></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02263552218047633829noreply@blogger.com0