Apologies

Sorry ya´ll that I sort of fell off the face of the world. I am fine and well just busy busy. Also I thought that I posted this last week but it didn´t show up. Once again sorry Clumsy is my new nickname these days. Let´s see... I did have a dance performance I dressed up like I was jane from tarzan and performed a dance from the jungle and also a very pretty cumbia in the white and black outfit located at the right of the screen. I was not even nervous and everyone wonders where I got the skills since I am a white girl. I took the meds they made my legs better and then now they are back to ugly since I finished the meds. I am ok with it since it is not something more serious. Finally finished teaching English today super excited that I will have my mornings free to do other health related work. It was worth it because now all the kids know me and everyone thinks I am a professor too. I was visited by another volunteer that was having trouble in her site. We went to the river, practiced stilts, and she got a taste of my life here. Her opinion very hot, very busy, and extremely unique. So I am still trying to figure out if it is my fault or my site that my life is so strange. Went to a superbowl party with some other volunteers it was funny because I had no idea who was even in the superbowl. Finished with my interviews in the community and am now evaluating the results. I have also held two sessions on the prevention of diarrea and weighed young children to see if they are malnourished. Those that are suffering from malnutrition enter into this nutrition program so that they can recuperate. Last friday was my uncle´s birthday party where we danced a ton and then everyone ate a dish of my guinea pigs. I am working on getting that project rolling. The garden is officially in my name and I have reliable team working now small but effective. I think we are going to start over now that we know what works and what doesn´t. I have been enjoying my own radishes and cucumbers. Still waiting on the carrots, cabbage, beets, squash and tomatoes. Someday I will have sweet vegetarian plates of my own organic vegetables. Also we began selling the products which is super exciting. I will start a business here at least one before I leave. On valentine´s day I went for ceviche followed by dancing in my block party and later another birthday party. I felt anything but lonely on this day. Because here they celebrate it as the love day and the day of friendship. Though I did have a freak accident with balloons when I was trying to help decorate. I blew one up too much and it popped hard into my left eye. It started swelling and thought it might turn black I was covering it with a popsicle and trying to blow up another when it also popped into my other eye and hit my neck. By the end of it I looked like I got beat up by my husband. It was hilarious luckily the swelling went down before any terrible rumors could start. I have been world´s of clumsy lately. Also I experienced my second tremor. The first one woke me up at 3 am and it was small but I though maybe I was dreaming because my bed was shaking. But really the earth was quaking ha. The second one happened this past week and was stronger the whole house shook. I don´t expect there will actually be a earthquake where I live so no worries. It is officially rainy season which I throughly enjoy and had a lovely shower yesterday in the pouring down rain. The people here think I am very strange because I like to play in the rain. I got to travel a bit to another department and visit 2 museums about incas and then head to the beach for a few hours with 40 students from summer school. It made the pains of teaching totally worthwhile to share that experience with my kids. They are really quite pleasant when you are not having to try to keep them under control. It was really sweet to because all the moms were terrified to watch their kids leave to travel alone and I was entrusted with about 20 personally. I took it as a huge compliment. The sun and the sand really got me alive and kicking again. That was a mouthful of a story. I will try to do better next time so it is not so long.

Getting my dance on

Still teaching English. On top I am now spending more time working in the Health Center working with mother´s that have malnourished children. As well as training more health promoters so that we can reach everyone in this large district. I went to the Grupo 5 concert which was as usually amazing. Love that group and apparently they love me too because they were flirting with me, and inviting me to come dance on stage. I had gotten used to being famous in my site but being noticable with one of the most popular groups in Peru. That is an accomplishment it was like every thirteen year olds dream. What can I say boy bands are dreamy. I would have danced on stage but there were too many people from my town at the concert. Instead I just got my dance on close to the stage. It was lovely and perhaps if I cannot find better work I will be the stage dancer for Grupo 5 after my service. I went to the dermatologist to see why my legs have had this ugly rash for 2 months. Apparently, I am allergic to my pants. How do you resolve that issue? Not wear pants but then everyone tells you that you have ugly legs and the cycle begins again. I got some meds hopefully they work. I went dancing with some girl friends in a dance club which was really enjoyable it was inside but with an open roof. Huge dance floor filled completely. There is the crazy hour where no one can leave the dance floor for the full hour. It flies by though and I did it in heels! I have been elected to be the nutritionist for another program aimed at preventing malnutrition aiding mothers with small children. I also tried stilts this week. Surprisingly much easier than I thought it would be. I am going to be ready for the circus by the end of my service. I think I will also learn how to juggle. My dance group is back in action so my nights have been filled with classes we will be performing next week. The garden has a lot of potential and will be getting help from NGO too so here comes the business. There is a lot of local interest in my vegetables so the next harvest will be sold the funds will support youth working there and gain funds to continue the project. It sounds so much easier than it is going to be. But I have faith I have unyielding faith that I am going to do something great here and that all it takes is lots of elbow grease and being a pain in other people´s asses. People ask me why I laugh when I am alone here, and I tell them that the other person who would be laughing at the joke is in the states. In my heart and on my mind, I think about ya´ll all the time!

Beginnings

So I have started teaching English four times a week to children between the ages of 8 and 16. It requires a lot of patience but is rewarding when they learn. I have so much respect for teachers their job is incredibly challenging. It rained once here I of course was out playing in it. I learned that it first rains water and then it rains insects. Literally. The ones that fly forget how to fly or something because they just start falling out of the sky or from my ceiling. Largely right now it is beatles or grasshoppers and every night I learn about another. But the rainy season still has not arrived in full blast. Which is unfortunate because the rain would really help out the garden. And because everyone talks about how all the vegetation turns this beautiful green instead of looking dried out and dead. On the list of new beginnings I have inherited 30 guinea pigs. Here they are called cuyes. I will in the future have a project breeding cuyes either to donate to families of lesser resources so that they can breed them or try to start a business selling them. First I have to get people to want to eat them. They are awkward and make silly noises I am working on naming all of them. So I continue to learn more and more things I also will be learning how to make honey too. I think with my youth group I am going to start a soap making project. Went to the river again rode my bike all the way there. My legs are definately stronger now I just have to do some push ups or something to keep the arm strength. It was nice because it is really hot right now unfortunately I got kind of burned not bad though. As for the laundry update I am improving immensely. Tomorrow there is a concert of Grupo 5 I believe I will be attending with some friends to get my dance on. It is the aniversary of a neighboring community so I may also do a dance performance tonight with my dance group. Sorry I have not eaten anything exciting or exotic lately all I know is the fruit here comes from the trees in houses and parcels you cannot beat the freshness. Sorry for being all over the place the heat is getting to me. With amor.

the day to day

Back to meetings and planning , interviews, hanging out in the garden and exploration of nearby places. I live in the capital of my district which means it is large but nearby are all these little communities called caserios. This week was dedicated to the exploration of these caserios. The first visit failed but was still an enjoyable bike ride with a friend. We stopped on the way home to climb a tree because his legs were tired. I fell out of it the first try but suceeded the second. The next day I walked for 30 minutes to the next nearby caserio and hung out with a group of moms. The update for the garden is plants are growing not all of them some better than others but all around it is a better organized project now thank goodness. Wednesday was another friends birthday. House party we danced and drank until we were merry. Let´s just say that twenty first birthdays are definately different in the states but all end the same with the birthday boy wasted and acting ridiculous. On Saturday I taught a lesson about handwashing in a caserio that was super successful and solified my plans for returning in the future. However, in the afternoon I had my first breakdown about whether the people here value my work let alone me as a person. Consequently, I rode off into the countryside and cried in a corn field underneath two rainbows. It was terribly beautiful and I regreted not having my camera with me. All around it was actually a great relief and got me journaling again. I missed writing, hell I missed sounding educated when I spoke. I tried to translate four sentences into spanish even using a dictionary and could not. I can only hope someday to be profound in spanish. Had a meeting with the boss in the city on Monday. Clarified my role in the community and that I am actually a valuable asset. Glad that is all cleared up. Got to do some shopping in the open air market on of my favorite pass times. Venders of all shapes and sizes with strange products all jumbled together in chaotic order. The taxis drive straight through the crowds of people. My favorite are the fruit stands with pretty colors, free samples, and undeniable freshness. This morning I went to another caserio where I will also be teaching during summer school. My classes start next week I think it will be a great way to get to know more people and solidify myself as some sort of a professional in this place. Then I walked around with some health workers vaccinating dogs for rabies. Random. Still working on my community diagnostic and stalking NGOs looking for potential funders in the future.

Clean Slat

I always am surprised when I reflect on all the great things I accomplished in the previous year and usually laugh when I remember how I spent the previous New Year´s and compare it to my current situation. The experiences vary so much year to year. This year I spent it with a friend´s family. We built a doll which is symbolic of all the bad stuff from the previous year and at midnight you burn it. Also throughout the early evening people write their saludos for their friends and family. More or less roasts which were hilarious and the best part is they play on loud speakers for all the town to hear. Plus there was sparklers and fireworks. A turkey dinner followed by drinking and dancing with the family. I was gifted a handful of lentils for luck. Plus wearing yellow to also bring luck, green for my health, and red for love. There is the twelve grapes too that represent 12 wishes one for every month. Then with some friends we went dancing in town. It was all around very new and different hopefully superstition holds true and I will have worlds of luck, health, and love for 2010. I spent New Year´s Day with the mayor and his wife eating ceviche, drinking clarito and dancing for 5 hours. Pretty much every party goes on until I call mercy and then still goes on for about 5 hours after. I have many hopes for this next year as I am sure everyone does. Today it is back to work and back to normal if that exists. It is slightly sad here as school is out which means many people leave to travel, professors may or may not return the next year, and friends will be leaving for the university. So in some ways progress is coming to a halt on the personal front. Meanwhile on the professional front I am solidifying my plan for work this year. Apparently, the rain is coming which means more heat. This is the first year that I have lost weight during the holiday season with a high probability that I am going to lose more. Still trying to get used to the fact that people stare at me, call me white girl, skinny girl or that I am the most beautiful woman ever. My ego will be destroyed when I return to the states. Trying to get back into the swing of things I will start teaching English fairly soon and I think I will start a walking club since a lot of people are looking for a way to lose weight but do not really want to exercise. The community garden is going mostly well, some things have been stubborn about growing so I think I will add soy to the mix. I even started singing to the plants since I heard that was good for them. Happy New Year may it bring beautiful connections, unexpected joys, and loads of laughter.

Holiday

This week was full of dancing, music, hugging, and gifting. I celebrated with the staff at the health center and with my dance group on Monday. Tuesday was the graduation of the high school. I danced with the directors, professors, and students alike. It was very fun to see so many kids completing this chapter of their lives and moving on to hopefully something bigger and better. I could not help but think about all of our graduation parties past. The difference is that everyone parties together instead of having individual parties. Wednesday and Thursday I participated in these events where you visit a smaller poorer community and give toys, hot chocolate, and fruit cake. Play with the kids or put on a little show about Christmas. Then there was Christmas Eve which during the day has no celebration until midnight. We put the baby Jesus in his crib and then everyone hugs and kisses. Followed by a turkey dinner (Which I saw killed earlier in the morning and lived in my backyard) and we gave gifts. I went to a baptism party and danced until the wee hours of the morning. Christmas day I passed working with my garden and took a trip with some family to the river nearby. I helped teach some girls how to swim. It was so relaxing laying in the ebb and flow of the current. At night another secret santa party with a youth group. Today I decided to return to the river to be one with nature and get in touch with the flow of my life. The pressure is so much less when you ride with the current than when you ride against it. It was definately a challenge spending my first Christmas away from my family. But all difficult times pass and we have to remember that the challenges contribute to our character and are necessary to reach joy. I can only hope that you all had a lovely holiday with your near and dear. I am so grateful to have all of you in my life. Your support keeps me going through the tough and rough. Even though we are far apart you are all still a major part of my life. With love.

GRowth

This past week I finished with the improved cooking stoves project. Thank goodness because it was almost the death of me. Very physically demanding and a pain to coordinate. The community garden is completing its planting today. I think it is just in the knick of time. The raining season is definately coming. On an exciting note the first plants are already popping up. I love when you can see progress. I have being interviewing the authorities and members of my community to try to determine what the main issues are here. Looks like malnutrition, diabetes, alcoholism, domestic violence, unplanned pregnancy, and unemployment. Some of these I feel qualified to conquer the others I suppose everyone will learn together. I also started teaching yoga this week which is great because my practice has been sort of inconsistent. There appears to be a decent amount of interest. This week will be all about christmas. I have a bunch of secret santa parties. I think that it will be a rather enjoyable holiday it appears that everything is the same as in the states except there is no snow and that something similiar to fruit cake is not only very popular but desirable. I am working on finding friendships and solidifying my work here. I found out today that I am apparently much more socialable than the previous volunteer but there will likely be down falls to that. I have to be careful on the differences in gender roles and how friendships function here. This is definately a conservative society and we are just a bunch of crazy liberals in the states. Things that I would never have thought about are a big deal. So I keep dancing and keep planting seeds literally and figuratively. Mostly about how women can do things too, that punctuality is important, that it is possible to set and achieve goals in the future, and the hard work and planning pays off. I will write again to tell stories about the holiday week of adventures. I love you all and merry chirstmas.