UGGGGGGGGGGGGHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH...............
Hey, guys, this sucks right now.
PDM was great, IST was meh, and Ayacucho during Semana Santa was awesome. Now I'm back in site, trying really hard not to pass out because I'm so freakin tired...
Too late, as soon as I typed that, I went to sleep for 3 hours. Thank god my socia called right before then to inform me that we'll be resuming classes tomorrow instead of today, and that my other meetings were rescheduled.
Going from site to vacation is super easy- you stop worrying about your schedule, your meetings, your responsibilities and you only think about what you plan on eating next or how to get to the next activity that maybe, sure why not, you want to do.
Going from vacation to site feels like a punch in the face- you have to somehow immediately stop relaxing, there are loads and loads of laundry that you don't know when you'll have time to wash, you're exhausted and all you want to do is sleep for 24hrs, and you don't have a choice as to whether or not you feel like doing something- it's your project, your responsibility, your obligation... and it's all something you choose to do so you know you shouldn't complain...
but you do it anyway.
Naw, I'll stop complaining now but here's some more about what I did during the Semana Santa!
Ayacucho is kind of this crazy place when it comes to religion. According to most tourist info (e.g. Lonely Planet), there are 33 churches located in the capital city of Huamanga. According to the taxi man I made friends with on our way to a sketchtastic market in the hopes of recovering a stolen camera, there are actually 35 (two smaller, hidden ones that recently appeared). So what with all the churches in a town that holds a population of roughly 190,000 people, you imagine it's going to get kind of crazy during the days that Jesus was crucified and then brought back for the day.
You'd be right.
Although I spent roughly 4 days in Ayacucho, it just felt like longer because of how little sleep I got from all the amazing activities. There was the jalatoro, aka running of the bulls that turned out to be a series of 6 bulls, one bull at a time being lassoed and pulled through a street to the plaza del armas. This was fairly tame, mostly involving boys/men chasing the poor things and pulling at its tail, and the rope used to lasso the bull did much more damage than anything. The very first bull to come out of the fence was kind of crazy. It was being dragged along by some men on horses but it definitely fought back. Rather than following, it ended up pulling the man off his horse and chasing a whole crowd of people who were on a bridge- slamming into one man on the bridge while its rope clotheslined another man farther out who was probably drunk to begin with, but he flipped over the rope and landed solidly on his head/neck. Thankfully, there were people designated for this day to act as medics and the ambulance was soon on the scene to whisk this man away. The second bull ended up jumping the bridge and landing into the river, which turned out to be mostly rocks and a small trickle of water. That one just chilled out for a while.
A bunch of friends and I ran after the last bull to the main plaza del armas, where we met with some more volunteers and did what everyone else seemed to be doing at that moment- in a large, crowded plaza of people donned in red, with bulls and horses charging through every half hour or so, we built a human period.
It made sense at the time. Kind of.
We later saw a procession that involved a giant shiny coffin holding Jesus and a lot of flowers, being carried by a bunch of men, followed by a giant shiny Mary also being carried by a bunch of men.
And then we stayed up all night at some point (not me, I slept for about 2-3 hours) to celebrate Pascua (Easter) and that was when I giant lighted pyramid emerged from the church and as it did so, Jesus emerged from the top and the pyramid was carried around the plaza as well.
It was insanity, and I was exhausted from it all.
However, I didn't really do too much in the end and this vacation was really super chill (unlike Carnaval madness). It was really nice getting a lot of girl time, more or less, and I had a blast just... being. After Ayacucho, we took a terrible bus line called Huamanaga Tours to get back to Lima. Never take this bus line. It's a lot of money for very very very little comfort. It was more or less marked up 300% because it was Semana Santa, the bus reeked of piss and it was so hot, I felt like my body was just made of sweat and oil and it was all oozing through my skin.
Yea, it was gross.
Thankfully, I made it to the Peace Corps office and managed to track down the higher ups to ask for another vacation day so that I could relax in Lima and shake off that horrendous bus trip before boarding another one. The second one we took was Ittsa which is a FANTASTIC bus line, cool and clean smelling with calm voices through the intercom and complementary small dinner and breakfast. I passed out on this bus and woke up in Trujillo.
So my trip was amazing, and today I woke up to a meeting with my socia (the one I took to PDM with me- she's so pumped about our work and I'm just so happy she wants to get this project going!), a quick run to the municipality to see if my funds are in yet (nope), and a run into the CEM to see if my other socio was around so that we could discuss our current project (he wasn't).
AND THEN I got a phone call from a volunteer with good and bad news.
Good news: I have an amazing package waiting for me at the Serpost.
Bad news: They aren't willing to hold it for any longer and will be shipping it back today if I don't come pick it up.
WHAT?! I have been expecting this package from a super awesome person back home for quite some time, and the last time I checked (week before PDM/IST), they didn't have it. Apparently Serpost is only willing to hold on to a package for up to 15 days, but were kind enough to hold onto mine for 2 days longer. Why? Because they weren't open during Semana Santa, and had a strike during which time they weren't working.
So... they held on to my package for 15 days, but I technically wouldn't have been able to withdraw it for nearly half of those days. WTF.
But this is Peru, and I accept that insanity and nonsensical crap is at time an acceptable excuse. I grab a bus ticket and head to Trujillo to get my package. I show up at Serpost at 1:04pm- they're closed at 1pm. Clearly, I am too late to pick up this package now and must wait until they return at 4pm.
DSFO*^#$(*y#$c&$%*#&t(*#^e$%$*&dfure%@#t(#$c V75j(*^&^&^(*&^#y$nc is all I can think.
Still, I make a few phone calls, get some work done, calm my nerves down at the Starbucks, and return to find my package is waiting for me!
And am I glad that I waited for it! CARE PACKAGES ARE WORTH ANY AND ALL PAIN. On top of that, I got 2 other letters in the mail! SCORE.
AAAHHHhhhhhhhhh... so today was on the mild side of stressful but mostly alright and now ending on awesome. I'm supposed to be on a diet now, training for the half marathon (13.1!) in 2 months time, but I'm going to go ahead and say girl scout cookies and care package candy doesn't count.
It's true.
Well, that's all for now my lovely readers! This post was kind of epic long, but hey- a lot happened, ya know? Keep me updated on yourselves! Send me letters and things!
Love you lots and lots, and until next time-
Peace and Love.
Wednesday, April 11, 2012
Friday, April 6, 2012
day 293: pdm/ist is over and now i'm rocking ayacucho
Hey Amig@s
Oh boy oh boy oh boy, pdm and ist are FINALLY over... So for those of you who don't know these particular acronyms, PDM: Project Design Management and IST: In Service Training
So for PDM, I brought a socia of mine from the benificencia social, in the hopes that working together for 2 or 3 days would be able to get some projects I'm interested in underway. Can I just say, success? My socia was kind of really intense the entire time we were there but when we got there, she immediately focused on a project that would serve to educate youth and parents on sex ed- something that is not really talked about in my site or focused on by the health sector of the local government. We get a basic schedule worked out, figure out goals and objectives, walk our way through how to get the project funded, etc etc etc and BOOM- I have another project to work on once I get back into site!
This is just super exciting, simply because my interests lie in health and not having much to do with the health post in my site was starting to bother me. Now I'll be getting the health post, the municipality, the schools, the women's center, and the benificiencia social involved! Super awesome woooooo!!!
PDM ended, my socia got back on the bus to site, aaannndd IST started. I'm not going to spend the rest of this time complaining about the inefficiency of those next 2 days. I'm not going to spend the rest of this time venting about how much I hate being treated like I'm 6 years old. I'm not going to spend the rest of this time shaking my fists in frustration. But we did have a discussion and a lot of issues were fixed the second day, so I'll go ahead and say IST wasn't my favorite and at least it's over.
ANYWHO I said goodbye to Ancash once again (having been there for FBT: Field Based Training) and adios to a lot of my friends who would be staying there during semana santa (holy week) to go hiking/camping around the gorgeous glacier lakes and mountains. I would have loved to join them, but alas- I was set to head to Ayacucho for those glorious days.
So first, I get on a night bus from Ancash to Lima. Lima is wonderful. I had a burrito at the Burrito Bar that tasted like Chipotle, I drank a caramel frappuchino at Starbucks, I had amazing fries and a turkey sandwhich at La Lucha, and I got to hang with a bunch of friends of mine as we meandered through the streets and shopped. Oh, and I got my ears pierced. For the first time ever in my life. It hurt like a mofo.
The guy at the tattoo/piercing place gave me two options: the gun or the needle. After much consideration (cleanliness? pain? general BAMF factor?), I went with the needle. It cost a bit more, but the earring options were way cooler and they told me it'd be a mildly painful but quick pinch.
LIARS. ALL OF THEM.
First of all, the guy cleans all the necessary tools, everything is disinfected and well done (at least, to my untrained eye). Then he cleans my ears, marks where he's going to pierce holes into them, and I give him the ok.
OOOOOWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWW.
It hurts. But it was quick and the pain smarts but I'll live. Except now he's trying to get my earring into place and there's just blood spilling out that he keeps having to wipe up. A few minutes of twisting and tweaking later, he looks at me and apologizes- my ears are too fat, he's going to have to make the piercing larger.
WTF. NO.
But yes, my ears are large, fat, and deliciously Buddha like. I love my ears, but their greatness was now impeding this process. The guy goes back with the needle and that quick pinch? It gets extended into a loooonngggg painful thing and I immediately explode into tears.
Did I mention that I cry pretty easily to begin with? I'm not some delicate flower, mind, but it seems to be my immediate reaction to most forms of sudden, unprepared pain.... that and any movie that's even slightly sad.
Anyway, I explode into tears, this guy is still ripping a hole in my ear and it's like a few minutes of just awful awful pain. Another volunteer calls at this moment and I'm too busy sobbing to answer so I pass it off to another friend who accompanied me. FINALLY the earring gets put in and I steel myself for the hole in the second ear.
Dear Lord, please give me strength.
More tears.
Then it's done! I have earring in place! They are bloody and swollen and - naw, I'm just kidding, they were fine and quite pretty~ My eyes were puffy from bawling, but at least my ears looked nice (although maybe they did look awful and disfigured and gross, but everyone around me told me they looked nice and maybe they were just saying it because I would have died if I went through all of that for nothing, but that's what friends are for!)
I get stuff to clean them with and later that night, get on a bus to Ayacucho!
Ayacucho has been great so far. Churches galore and other volunteers to meet and make friends with :) Yesterday was a chill day and I mostly slept to make up for 2 restless nights on a bus. Today is the big day with the procession and tomorrow is the big party, as well as the running with the bulls I think?
We'll see :D
Anywho, that's all I got for now! Keep sending me updates on your lives, and I shall report later <3
Peace and Love to you all <3 <3 <3
Oh boy oh boy oh boy, pdm and ist are FINALLY over... So for those of you who don't know these particular acronyms, PDM: Project Design Management and IST: In Service Training
So for PDM, I brought a socia of mine from the benificencia social, in the hopes that working together for 2 or 3 days would be able to get some projects I'm interested in underway. Can I just say, success? My socia was kind of really intense the entire time we were there but when we got there, she immediately focused on a project that would serve to educate youth and parents on sex ed- something that is not really talked about in my site or focused on by the health sector of the local government. We get a basic schedule worked out, figure out goals and objectives, walk our way through how to get the project funded, etc etc etc and BOOM- I have another project to work on once I get back into site!
This is just super exciting, simply because my interests lie in health and not having much to do with the health post in my site was starting to bother me. Now I'll be getting the health post, the municipality, the schools, the women's center, and the benificiencia social involved! Super awesome woooooo!!!
PDM ended, my socia got back on the bus to site, aaannndd IST started. I'm not going to spend the rest of this time complaining about the inefficiency of those next 2 days. I'm not going to spend the rest of this time venting about how much I hate being treated like I'm 6 years old. I'm not going to spend the rest of this time shaking my fists in frustration. But we did have a discussion and a lot of issues were fixed the second day, so I'll go ahead and say IST wasn't my favorite and at least it's over.
ANYWHO I said goodbye to Ancash once again (having been there for FBT: Field Based Training) and adios to a lot of my friends who would be staying there during semana santa (holy week) to go hiking/camping around the gorgeous glacier lakes and mountains. I would have loved to join them, but alas- I was set to head to Ayacucho for those glorious days.
So first, I get on a night bus from Ancash to Lima. Lima is wonderful. I had a burrito at the Burrito Bar that tasted like Chipotle, I drank a caramel frappuchino at Starbucks, I had amazing fries and a turkey sandwhich at La Lucha, and I got to hang with a bunch of friends of mine as we meandered through the streets and shopped. Oh, and I got my ears pierced. For the first time ever in my life. It hurt like a mofo.
The guy at the tattoo/piercing place gave me two options: the gun or the needle. After much consideration (cleanliness? pain? general BAMF factor?), I went with the needle. It cost a bit more, but the earring options were way cooler and they told me it'd be a mildly painful but quick pinch.
LIARS. ALL OF THEM.
First of all, the guy cleans all the necessary tools, everything is disinfected and well done (at least, to my untrained eye). Then he cleans my ears, marks where he's going to pierce holes into them, and I give him the ok.
OOOOOWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWW.
It hurts. But it was quick and the pain smarts but I'll live. Except now he's trying to get my earring into place and there's just blood spilling out that he keeps having to wipe up. A few minutes of twisting and tweaking later, he looks at me and apologizes- my ears are too fat, he's going to have to make the piercing larger.
WTF. NO.
But yes, my ears are large, fat, and deliciously Buddha like. I love my ears, but their greatness was now impeding this process. The guy goes back with the needle and that quick pinch? It gets extended into a loooonngggg painful thing and I immediately explode into tears.
Did I mention that I cry pretty easily to begin with? I'm not some delicate flower, mind, but it seems to be my immediate reaction to most forms of sudden, unprepared pain.... that and any movie that's even slightly sad.
Anyway, I explode into tears, this guy is still ripping a hole in my ear and it's like a few minutes of just awful awful pain. Another volunteer calls at this moment and I'm too busy sobbing to answer so I pass it off to another friend who accompanied me. FINALLY the earring gets put in and I steel myself for the hole in the second ear.
Dear Lord, please give me strength.
More tears.
Then it's done! I have earring in place! They are bloody and swollen and - naw, I'm just kidding, they were fine and quite pretty~ My eyes were puffy from bawling, but at least my ears looked nice (although maybe they did look awful and disfigured and gross, but everyone around me told me they looked nice and maybe they were just saying it because I would have died if I went through all of that for nothing, but that's what friends are for!)
I get stuff to clean them with and later that night, get on a bus to Ayacucho!
Ayacucho has been great so far. Churches galore and other volunteers to meet and make friends with :) Yesterday was a chill day and I mostly slept to make up for 2 restless nights on a bus. Today is the big day with the procession and tomorrow is the big party, as well as the running with the bulls I think?
We'll see :D
Anywho, that's all I got for now! Keep sending me updates on your lives, and I shall report later <3
Peace and Love to you all <3 <3 <3
Friday, March 23, 2012
day 279: the little things...
Sup amigitos!
Wow, it's been kind of forever since I last updated. My bad. There really hasn't been much, though, to talk about. My daily life is starting to get mad busy with projects I'm working on, and some projects are starting to get modified as the days go on and I realize the resources I actual have available to me.
Still, what with things getting kind of hectic, I'm starting to realize that the little things that happen in my day really make a difference to how I will feel before going to bed that night. I've decided to give you a small list of things that make me feel instantly happier, even if it's just for a few seconds in my day:
- letting down my hair once I'm done with work. I get back to my room, usually mildly sore form having to stand/pace/sit for hours during a meeting or teaching or whatever, and the first thing I do is change into my inside clothes (running or basketball shorts and a tanktop) and let down my hair. I keep my hair up in a tight, out of the way, bun all day. Undoing that band and letting my hair loose is immediate tension release of all the roots and it gives you that immediate satisfaction of feeling yourself unwind. Love it.
- eating a snack before lunch. I don't know what it is, but there's this time period right between breakfast and lunch when I'm craving something kind of sweet. I'll take a quick walk outside to my neighbor's place and by myself some animal crackers or wafer cookies or maybe ice cream. Walking back into my room and sitting myself down to munch on a snack, right before I eat a full meal, makes me happy. It might be because I know I shouldn't (I'm just about to eat!) but no one can stop me...
- finding amazing youtube videos. Whenever I get internet, I know I get youtube crazy. I'm subscribed to a gajillion people and I watch all of the videos. Every once in a while, I stumble across something that I'm not subscribed to but can't help but immediately love it. Most of the time, they're just weird things that I can't help but enjoy, like http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=wjsZbnTNB8c#!.... wtf is that??? hahahahhahahahhahha
- hearing stupid jokes. I love jokes. How did the hipster burn his tongue? He ate his pizza before it was cool. If you say "beer can" with a British accent, you are saying "bacon" with a Jamaican accent. Hey, are you heading out for yoga class? Namaste here. These jokes make my life.
- hugs from very small children. I work with kids of all ages, but the majority are high school aged. When I go to teach a class at the comedor popular, however, there are a few very tiny kids running around sometimes and all of them love me. When I get mobbed by a few of them and they run up and scramble to give my kneecaps a hug, I just melt into a puddle of awwwwww...
- finishing a workout. So many endorphins swimming in my head, you just can't help but feel like a boss.
- getting a random phone call or text from someone I haven't talked to in a while. It's a sad fact, but I do lose touch with a lot of people whom I love. When I get a random phone call or a text message from them, however, I get this giddy feeling. Yea, sometimes the messages and stuff are just for some info, but it's just always nice to hear from people, no matter what!
- mail. This is more of a Trujillo thing than a daily, random, happy thing, but I thought I should mention it because I want to encourage everyone to send me mail. You know how it feels like to get mail. Snail mail isn't very common anymore, so when you reach into your mailbox and discover that someone has taken the time out of their life to send you something that they put thought and time into, that someone has been thinking of you at some point in the past... well, that feeling is glorious. Now imagine you are in another part of the world, you can't just call up someone and go meet them for lunch or whatever, you're disconnected from things that are happening back home and you're living as a stranger in a random town. Getting mail makes me feel like everything is going to be okay. Getting care packages? I've won the fricken lottery. So this is just more of a thank you to those of you who have written me letters and sent me little things to remind me of home. p.s. JAMIE! I'm like half dying, knowing that there's a box of girl scout cookies in the mail for me. DYING from the excitement. LOVE YOU GIRL!
LOVE YOU ALL and that's all for now~ I'll be writing more after I go to Ancash next week for training, and Ayacucho for Semana Santa/Holidays! Pictures too, if I can get them to load : )
Peace and love, y'all <3
Wow, it's been kind of forever since I last updated. My bad. There really hasn't been much, though, to talk about. My daily life is starting to get mad busy with projects I'm working on, and some projects are starting to get modified as the days go on and I realize the resources I actual have available to me.
Still, what with things getting kind of hectic, I'm starting to realize that the little things that happen in my day really make a difference to how I will feel before going to bed that night. I've decided to give you a small list of things that make me feel instantly happier, even if it's just for a few seconds in my day:
- letting down my hair once I'm done with work. I get back to my room, usually mildly sore form having to stand/pace/sit for hours during a meeting or teaching or whatever, and the first thing I do is change into my inside clothes (running or basketball shorts and a tanktop) and let down my hair. I keep my hair up in a tight, out of the way, bun all day. Undoing that band and letting my hair loose is immediate tension release of all the roots and it gives you that immediate satisfaction of feeling yourself unwind. Love it.
- eating a snack before lunch. I don't know what it is, but there's this time period right between breakfast and lunch when I'm craving something kind of sweet. I'll take a quick walk outside to my neighbor's place and by myself some animal crackers or wafer cookies or maybe ice cream. Walking back into my room and sitting myself down to munch on a snack, right before I eat a full meal, makes me happy. It might be because I know I shouldn't (I'm just about to eat!) but no one can stop me...
- finding amazing youtube videos. Whenever I get internet, I know I get youtube crazy. I'm subscribed to a gajillion people and I watch all of the videos. Every once in a while, I stumble across something that I'm not subscribed to but can't help but immediately love it. Most of the time, they're just weird things that I can't help but enjoy, like http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=wjsZbnTNB8c#!.... wtf is that??? hahahahhahahahhahha
- hearing stupid jokes. I love jokes. How did the hipster burn his tongue? He ate his pizza before it was cool. If you say "beer can" with a British accent, you are saying "bacon" with a Jamaican accent. Hey, are you heading out for yoga class? Namaste here. These jokes make my life.
- hugs from very small children. I work with kids of all ages, but the majority are high school aged. When I go to teach a class at the comedor popular, however, there are a few very tiny kids running around sometimes and all of them love me. When I get mobbed by a few of them and they run up and scramble to give my kneecaps a hug, I just melt into a puddle of awwwwww...
- finishing a workout. So many endorphins swimming in my head, you just can't help but feel like a boss.
- getting a random phone call or text from someone I haven't talked to in a while. It's a sad fact, but I do lose touch with a lot of people whom I love. When I get a random phone call or a text message from them, however, I get this giddy feeling. Yea, sometimes the messages and stuff are just for some info, but it's just always nice to hear from people, no matter what!
- mail. This is more of a Trujillo thing than a daily, random, happy thing, but I thought I should mention it because I want to encourage everyone to send me mail. You know how it feels like to get mail. Snail mail isn't very common anymore, so when you reach into your mailbox and discover that someone has taken the time out of their life to send you something that they put thought and time into, that someone has been thinking of you at some point in the past... well, that feeling is glorious. Now imagine you are in another part of the world, you can't just call up someone and go meet them for lunch or whatever, you're disconnected from things that are happening back home and you're living as a stranger in a random town. Getting mail makes me feel like everything is going to be okay. Getting care packages? I've won the fricken lottery. So this is just more of a thank you to those of you who have written me letters and sent me little things to remind me of home. p.s. JAMIE! I'm like half dying, knowing that there's a box of girl scout cookies in the mail for me. DYING from the excitement. LOVE YOU GIRL!
LOVE YOU ALL and that's all for now~ I'll be writing more after I go to Ancash next week for training, and Ayacucho for Semana Santa/Holidays! Pictures too, if I can get them to load : )
Peace and love, y'all <3
Wednesday, March 7, 2012
day 263: i think this is what you'd call "busy"...
Hey Amigos
Oh boy, are things starting to pick up... So here's a quick update on things that I've been doing in site now that school is BACK IN SESSION! woo!
1. I'm going to be doing a lot of work in the comedor popular (which works with a lot of single moms and those who live in more impoverished areas in my site) with the youth who meet there weekly. On Mondays and Thursday, I'm going to be teaching English (mondays with the smaller children, thursdays with adolescents). On Tuesdays, I'll be teaching health and nutrition to a group of women there. I'm hoping more that this is going to give me a chance to cook : D God knows I miss cooking and baking, plus I get to hang out with moms who are willing to listen to a random kid on how they can improve their health. How awesome is that? In late April, I'll be teaching environmental awareness on Wednesdays which is going to culminate in a project that my socio at the comedor is hoping to set up- on International Environmental Awareness Day (June 5th, I think?), we're gonna get a whoooole crap load of trees donated and distributed to each district in the province (larger provinces will get more trees than smaller ones, but everyone gets some!) My job is that the youth in my site are going to be taking care of these trees, marking their growth and making sure the trees are thriving as well as spreading awareness about the trees, doing projects to promote their care so that people are aware and not being stupid about them or tearing them down or something like that. Once that gets under way, I'm going to be drawing out the environmental group into an arts and crafts club where we take plastic and cardboard and other recyclable goods and make things out of them.
All of this is actually stuff I have no idea how to do. Well, not all of it but a lot of it. I'm going to be learning, basically, right along side all these kids but pretending for the most part that I totally know what I'm doing/talking about. It's grade A lying at it's finest and I will excel.
2. I'm currently working with a lawyer at the CEM (that stands for centro emergencia mujer, which is a service where people can report family/sexual abuse and get help) to form two committees in the two big schools here on awareness and prevention of family and sexual violence. The idea is that we're going to form these two committees, give workshops about awareness and prevention, do projects like a fair or a show or movie nights, etc. The committees are going to be formed from the students, parents, teachers, administration, and so forth and my job in all of this is to get the youth involved. Actually, I just had a meeting with the lawyer and it turns out my job is much more intense. He's made a basic outline of everything he wants to get done. Let me just tell you, it's really basic and kind of boring and all it really says are things like, "do a workshop on this day. do a workshop on this day with these people. have a meeting with the alcalde. have a meeting with the UGEL" and none of it goes into wtf the workshop's gonna be about, what he's gonna talk about during these meetings, etc. So I asked him about it, and he looks at me like it's so obvious- that's my job. And we can't start anything until I have a very thorough, like day by day plan for the year with every financial need so that we can then go present it to the municipality.
BS.
But ok, that is actually something that's gonna be a hell of a lot of work, but probably worth it in the end- even as something that I could probably make a manual or something out of so that they can do something similar to it every year to draw awareness. This is probably going to be the least fun of all my things, but it'll be worth it. I have a meeting this Saturday with youth from the two schools to discuss their thoughts on this as well as possible project plans. I need to prepare what I'm going to do during this meeting. I actually went to one school and visited 20 classrooms with the subdirector (like vice principal) and gave a little speech about what we're doing and why it's important. I really hope some of these kids show up.
3. SEX. Haha, no but seriously. I'm starting a Pasos Adelante club, which is a sex ed group aimed at teaching a group of kids for a few months on various sex ed things (how to use a condom, STIs, HIV/AIDS, teen pregnancy, etc.). I'll be working at the local health post on this, and predominately by myself but with the support of 2 nurses and an obstetrics nurse. At the moment, I'm trying to get the use of a school auditorium as well as getting my hands on a projector and sound system so that next Friday, I'm going to show Juno and the kids will come and we shall watch and have a discussion and then they shall all come to the pasos adelante group and be informed. Then there will never be teen pregnancy again. Lies, but knowledge is power so hopefully this will give the girls and boys a better chance to make smart decisions. We'll see how that goes.
4. Running group to start in April. This has nothing to do with sustainable projects or teaching or anything. I'm gonna be training for the Pacasmayo half marathon in June and running by myself is going to get difficult. I actually don't enjoy running with other people, since I've always used workout time as sort of "me" time, but I know that there are kids who are interested in working out so I guess I'm willing to sacrifice my "me" time for "hang out" time. At least I'll get them moving, and that's never a bad thing.
5. Forming a youth committee in the municipality. There is an interest, especially since I went to this workshop that some people in the municipality held. A few kids showed up and this idea was passed around, and I am all aboard. So far, the people who were in charge of the workshop haven't actually done anything since then. I'm hoping to get to the municipality and hunt them down some point probably in a week or two if they don't do anything until then, and light a fire. This is definitely something I want to exist in my site. There are so many youth here who aren't given an opportunity to shine in leadership positions. Sure, they have like the school government and things but that limits them to just their schools. It'd be amazing if they were given the opportunity to do stuff in the community, even if it's something as simple as organizing a fun soccer tournament, or getting their voices heard by the alcalde and the local government on problems that they believe need to be addressed in their community. I'm actually gonna see if I can get my host mom to help me with this project, although she's been rather busy lately with trying to balance work, kids, and a husband who's been ill and in/out of the hospital the last few weeks :c He's in Trujillo right now, after having traveled to Lima to go see a specialist, and she tells me that he's much more stable now but the way she says it... I'm gonna go out on a limb and say he's actually not getting better. Send prayers to my host dad if you can, please. He's a really great guy and I really wish he could get better and be healthy again.
*edit: 6. I forgot to mention that I'm also hoping to start my club for english teachers sometime next week. I need to talk to the teachers in the schools to gauge their interest, but hopefully some of them are interested in getting together to practice their pronunciation and communication with me, as well as maybe pick up some fun dinamicas and other game things to get their kids learning in another style. We'll see about this one.
*edit: 6. I forgot to mention that I'm also hoping to start my club for english teachers sometime next week. I need to talk to the teachers in the schools to gauge their interest, but hopefully some of them are interested in getting together to practice their pronunciation and communication with me, as well as maybe pick up some fun dinamicas and other game things to get their kids learning in another style. We'll see about this one.
In other news, I'm in the final phase of p90x. I just did plyometrics today and damn... I'm never gonna get used to that. I have PDM/IST coming up at the end of the month in Ancash. Basically, it's more training, but this time I get to bring my socio so we can more work done! woo! Finally, Semana Santa is in the beginning of April, which means I get a few days of vacation. I'm going to be travelling to Ayacucho to check that place out, so it should be really interesting.
Nothing much else going on. I know a few of you have been interested in my personal life as of late, especially since the last few facebook statues I've posted have been rather depressing... but no worries, ladies and gents. It's just the roller coaster that is Peace Corps. On the plus side, I'm getting better and better at taking all those frustration and negative emotions that keep surfacing, and squishing them into the little imaginary bottle I keep inside of me, to be vented at a more appropriate time and location. On the negative side, I've started to get better at bottling up my emotions in a pretty unhealthy way... but whaddyagonnado, ya know?
No worries, I have a regional meeting coming up next weekend so I'll be able to get to the big city and purchase a few things that'll make my life better- like a fan. I really want a fan. I might just break down and go to Pacasmayo to buy a fan, even if it's a bit pricier and bulkier that I want it to be, but it'd be wonderfully cool in my room.
Anywho, that's it for work and such for now. I'll report back if anything happens!
Until then,
Peace and Love
<3
Wednesday, February 29, 2012
day 256: it's march tomorrow!
HEY FRIENDS!
LEAP YEAR!
WOO!
Alright, got that out of my system. So tomorrow is March, which is super exciting for a number of reasons, the most super duper bit is that SCHOOL'S STARTING AGAIN!
What does that mean for me? WORK! FINALLY. Not having any kids around is great and all for me-time. Everything's super chill, I get my workouts done, I go to Trujillo for personal time/fun more so than running around trying to get things done, and I spend a lot of time reading and watching movies (friend me on Goodreads if you like!).
It gets kind of boring after a while.
Mind, I'm really great at doing nothing. But after a while you start realizing that doing nothing, leads to nothing. That- I'm not a fan of that. So, I gotta start pushing the people around in my site a bit harder; gotta start accessing the inner bully and making people move.
Actually, what I find kind of funny is that there are people in my site who have presented me really legit documents and plans and whatnots about projects and activities that have been planned- none of which they have actually DONE. The lawyer I'm working with has had 2 meetings written in his work plans that were supposed to happen this month. They did not happen. I called him to ask him about it. He had no idea what I was talking about.
Facepalm.
Ah well, we'll just see how far that one goes.
In entirely other news, my little brother has come to visit me! He had to leave Brazil to get his volunteer visa set up, so instead of the states he came to Perú to travel and see meeeeee <3 He was in my site for a day or two before he realized exactly how boring it can get around here, so now he's in Huanchaco- surfing and enjoying faster internet service... He leaves for Brazil again this Saturday D:
Uhm. That's all for now. Oh, wait- LENT! I'm not doing anything for lent this year. Never mind.
Yup, nothing.
Sorry. Boring post. I'll write again when something actually happens!
Love and Peace, always.
LEAP YEAR!
WOO!
Alright, got that out of my system. So tomorrow is March, which is super exciting for a number of reasons, the most super duper bit is that SCHOOL'S STARTING AGAIN!
What does that mean for me? WORK! FINALLY. Not having any kids around is great and all for me-time. Everything's super chill, I get my workouts done, I go to Trujillo for personal time/fun more so than running around trying to get things done, and I spend a lot of time reading and watching movies (friend me on Goodreads if you like!).
It gets kind of boring after a while.
Mind, I'm really great at doing nothing. But after a while you start realizing that doing nothing, leads to nothing. That- I'm not a fan of that. So, I gotta start pushing the people around in my site a bit harder; gotta start accessing the inner bully and making people move.
Actually, what I find kind of funny is that there are people in my site who have presented me really legit documents and plans and whatnots about projects and activities that have been planned- none of which they have actually DONE. The lawyer I'm working with has had 2 meetings written in his work plans that were supposed to happen this month. They did not happen. I called him to ask him about it. He had no idea what I was talking about.
Facepalm.
Ah well, we'll just see how far that one goes.
In entirely other news, my little brother has come to visit me! He had to leave Brazil to get his volunteer visa set up, so instead of the states he came to Perú to travel and see meeeeee <3 He was in my site for a day or two before he realized exactly how boring it can get around here, so now he's in Huanchaco- surfing and enjoying faster internet service... He leaves for Brazil again this Saturday D:
Uhm. That's all for now. Oh, wait- LENT! I'm not doing anything for lent this year. Never mind.
Yup, nothing.
Sorry. Boring post. I'll write again when something actually happens!
Love and Peace, always.
Monday, February 20, 2012
day 247: CARNAVAAAALLL
Amigitos.
I have to tell you something. It's very important that all of you pay attention. Please take out your calendars and mark the following days in 2013 as "MUST TRAVEL TO PERU" because you will NOT regret it.
What days? you ask... well, CARNAVAL OBVIOUSLY.
So for those of you who don't know, I was in Cajamarca the past few days, vacationing in this gorgeous department in celebration of Carnaval. Let me just tell you a few of the things I did in Cajamarca.
My first day there was spent simply relaxing, getting used to the climate (COLD, especially in comparison to my hot as hellfire site. I did not pack adequately for this weather, but managed to make do with what I brought). A few of the volunteers mentioned Cumbe Mayo to see the aqueducts and the bosque de piedras (rock forest). I figured, I'm not doing much else- of course I'll go!
Turned out to be the greatest decision ever.
This is one of the most beautiful places I've seen in Peru. The rolling fog that would come and go added this hint of eerie splendor, and the absolute quiet (minus our laughing and chatting and exclamations of delight) was just awesome, in the truest sense of the word.
After much more hiking and fun, looking at a few rock carvings and aqueducts and more gorgeous (and very wonderfully cold) scenery, we left to head back to the capital city (for more pics, check out my fb page!)
That night was spent at a bar with other volunteers, wishing some of them happy birthdays, and then later at the plaza del armas, joining drinking circles and enjoying the general merriment.
The next day was PAINT DAY. I have no pictures to describe the insanity and absolute fun of this day, because my camera would have been destroyed by the gallons of paint and water that was being constantly flung throughout the day.
Later that night, we went to celebrate one of our own's birthday! After not being able to find where anyone was, however, we went instead to an outdoor rave party and danced until morning. Literally. It was some of the greatest dancing I've ever done. Macarena a billion times? Enough times to convince a number of people on the ground (yes, we were on a fountain) that it was a legit dance they should be attempting throughout the night. Rodeo, elevator, cat walk, sprinkler, shopping cart, you name it- we danced it.
Next morning, I woke up with a voice that was just GONE from laughing and shouting from the night before. Thankfully, it was just parade day. There was a lot of water fights still going on, but we were out on the grass and just enjoying the sun and the atmosphere- until the dark, ominous clouds rolled in and the torrential rains came pouring down. Then it just got waaaaay cold.
Still, we continued to enjoy ourselves, eating and drinking and walking about for some elusive pizza.
Finally, I left to head back to site- but not without a lot of wishing that I could stay for just another day.
I'm now better prepared for Carnaval 2013 (what to wear, what to bring, how to get the right consistency of paint, etc.) and I really hope you just don't take my word for it. It really was a super fantastic awesome couple of days and definitely some that I am going to remember for the rest of my life.
Now I'm back in site, working again. My lil brosef will be visiting me for a few days (once the paro/bus strike ends down in Lima) and classes are going to start soon in March, so all my papers and plans need to be approved and put into some sort of order.
Until next time, dearest readers.
Peace and Love.
I have to tell you something. It's very important that all of you pay attention. Please take out your calendars and mark the following days in 2013 as "MUST TRAVEL TO PERU" because you will NOT regret it.
What days? you ask... well, CARNAVAL OBVIOUSLY.
So for those of you who don't know, I was in Cajamarca the past few days, vacationing in this gorgeous department in celebration of Carnaval. Let me just tell you a few of the things I did in Cajamarca.
My first day there was spent simply relaxing, getting used to the climate (COLD, especially in comparison to my hot as hellfire site. I did not pack adequately for this weather, but managed to make do with what I brought). A few of the volunteers mentioned Cumbe Mayo to see the aqueducts and the bosque de piedras (rock forest). I figured, I'm not doing much else- of course I'll go!
Turned out to be the greatest decision ever.
 |
| The view as we get off the van to being our hike through Cumbe Mayo |
 |
| like Jurassic Park, yo. |
 |
| Rocks! So gorgeous.. |
This is one of the most beautiful places I've seen in Peru. The rolling fog that would come and go added this hint of eerie splendor, and the absolute quiet (minus our laughing and chatting and exclamations of delight) was just awesome, in the truest sense of the word.
After much more hiking and fun, looking at a few rock carvings and aqueducts and more gorgeous (and very wonderfully cold) scenery, we left to head back to the capital city (for more pics, check out my fb page!)
That night was spent at a bar with other volunteers, wishing some of them happy birthdays, and then later at the plaza del armas, joining drinking circles and enjoying the general merriment.
The next day was PAINT DAY. I have no pictures to describe the insanity and absolute fun of this day, because my camera would have been destroyed by the gallons of paint and water that was being constantly flung throughout the day.
 |
| Here's the end of the paint parade though: hundreds mobbing the plaza del armas and swarming the historical landmark fountain. This was probably a bad idea, but gives you a hint of what the cray cray fray was like! |
Later that night, we went to celebrate one of our own's birthday! After not being able to find where anyone was, however, we went instead to an outdoor rave party and danced until morning. Literally. It was some of the greatest dancing I've ever done. Macarena a billion times? Enough times to convince a number of people on the ground (yes, we were on a fountain) that it was a legit dance they should be attempting throughout the night. Rodeo, elevator, cat walk, sprinkler, shopping cart, you name it- we danced it.
Next morning, I woke up with a voice that was just GONE from laughing and shouting from the night before. Thankfully, it was just parade day. There was a lot of water fights still going on, but we were out on the grass and just enjoying the sun and the atmosphere- until the dark, ominous clouds rolled in and the torrential rains came pouring down. Then it just got waaaaay cold.
Still, we continued to enjoy ourselves, eating and drinking and walking about for some elusive pizza.
Finally, I left to head back to site- but not without a lot of wishing that I could stay for just another day.
I'm now better prepared for Carnaval 2013 (what to wear, what to bring, how to get the right consistency of paint, etc.) and I really hope you just don't take my word for it. It really was a super fantastic awesome couple of days and definitely some that I am going to remember for the rest of my life.
Now I'm back in site, working again. My lil brosef will be visiting me for a few days (once the paro/bus strike ends down in Lima) and classes are going to start soon in March, so all my papers and plans need to be approved and put into some sort of order.
Until next time, dearest readers.
Peace and Love.
Friday, February 3, 2012
day 238: list of things i miss from the states
Sup friends,
So, I've been in Peru for what...8 months now? Wow. It feels like I just got here.
But in any case, there have been a few things that I do miss from the states that have been starting to become noticeable absences in my life here.
First and foremost, my family and friends. Obvy. Thankfully, I have good enough internet access that it's not too much of an issue. Also, my lil bro is in Peru right now! Plus, I love my 17ers like no other. For serious.
Now, in no particular order, here are some objects that I miss from the states. You will notice, it is predominately food related:
1. Asian food. Not just chifa, chifa, chifa (chinese food). I want pho, shrimp and basil spring rolls, thai iced tea, pad thai, red curry, kimchi jjigae, kalbi, bulgogi, sashimi, sushi rolls, good japanese ramen, and all the delicious sweets as well.
2. Speaking of sweets, I miss american snacks like big time. I was never a big snacker, but now that I'm constantly surrounded by snacks here, I do miss them. Like kettle corn, doritos cool ranch, marshmallow fluff, good chocolate (hershey's cookies and cream? ghiradelli caramel squares? lindt orange dark chocolate? omg, bacon chocolate...), almonds (so expensive here!), red vines, jerky (all forms. i love jerky.), swedish fish, hot fries, sun chips garden, pocky!, etc... if I were to ever go back to the states between now and the end of my service, my first stop (after eating, of course) would probably be costco and my suitcase on the return trip would be 50 lbs of snackage.
3. Gym. I've completed phase 1 of p90x, but in the words of my lil bro: I miss picking up heavy things and then putting them down. Plus, the gym has a pool, row machines, ellipticals, free weights, bench presses, and yoga mats. I don't have these things in my room. I should really invest in a yoga mat. I probably will once I save up enough? We'll see. I'd rather go travel with any cash I save up, but I do enjoy yoga...
4. Good coffee and tea. Coffee is predominately instant, or not even coffee (there's some brand called 'echo' or 'ecco' or something like that, and it's like fake coffee. Whatever it is, I don't like it.) and the tea is limited to just a few types (I did buy some green tea at the market, but it's not very good... I'm mostly drinking it now just because I bought it.) so I'm now at this point in my life where I consider Starbucks coffee, good. Yea. It's not instant. There is a coffee shop next door to a hostal we stay at that does have some wickedly delicious coffee, and I do make it a point to go there whenever I'm in, but nothing makes me feel more pampered and guilty as being able to get my favorite starbucks (soy iced grande sugar free caramel macchiato) to go. Whatevs.
5. Driving and organized streets. Getting into a colectivo is putting my life in the hands of a man who very likely paid a nominal fee and nothing more to get his license and drives a stick shift (although shifting gears may or may not be something he understands) of a car that should not be allowed on the road (exposed wires, all gauges not functioning, smell of gasoline very prominent, etc.). Then they cram 5 or more people into the car and hope to not run into any policemen (we usually never do).
6. Privacy and personal space. They don't exist. I'm pretty good about shutting my door and not talking to my family for hours at a time, and my family is very good at respecting my need for solitude. Anyone outside of my family thinks of this as very strange, and no one knows what a personal bubble is (made obvious by the number of times random people have sat on me or leaned against me or played with my clothes or hair while waiting to get off a bus. Like, seriously? Don't touch me). I have a very large personal bubble, or so I thought. That idea was destroyed pretty quickly and replaced with the idea that I have a very high tolerance for things I used to not tolerate before. I'm learning patience. It isn't really fun.
7. Having someplace to go when I get bored. There was always something to entertain me back in the states. Sometimes it was the park, the library, Six Flags, Disneyland, the mall, movie theaters, observatory, friends' places, or just walking around. Nowadays, if I'm bored (and I do get bored fairly often), I sit in my room and tumblr/facebook/youtube, read, watch tv on my laptop, and not much else. I suppose I could go to the library (so boring cause there aren't much in terms of books! I'm working on that, though), or just sit around outside somewhere (it's summer and hot and the air is full of buzzing insects. This is not my favorite idea), and sometimes I go to the market and just walk around (although people find me strange since I'm clearly just perusing, not intent on buying much).
8. Air conditioning. IT'S SO DAMN HOT. I visit the ATM in my site, because the small room it is in is usually air conditioned. I actually make it a point to pull out only a few bills because then I will have to return. So worth it.
Anywho, those are just some thoughts I had on the subject right now. It mostly came up because I can't fall asleep, since I'm going to make a quick trip to Trujillo tomorrow to buy somethings I am in desperate need of (toiletries, food things, etc.) and am super pumped cause I'll be making a stop at Starbucks... heh.
It's the small things in life that get you through it all, really.
Love and Peace, my friends.
Love and Peace.
So, I've been in Peru for what...8 months now? Wow. It feels like I just got here.
But in any case, there have been a few things that I do miss from the states that have been starting to become noticeable absences in my life here.
First and foremost, my family and friends. Obvy. Thankfully, I have good enough internet access that it's not too much of an issue. Also, my lil bro is in Peru right now! Plus, I love my 17ers like no other. For serious.
Now, in no particular order, here are some objects that I miss from the states. You will notice, it is predominately food related:
1. Asian food. Not just chifa, chifa, chifa (chinese food). I want pho, shrimp and basil spring rolls, thai iced tea, pad thai, red curry, kimchi jjigae, kalbi, bulgogi, sashimi, sushi rolls, good japanese ramen, and all the delicious sweets as well.
2. Speaking of sweets, I miss american snacks like big time. I was never a big snacker, but now that I'm constantly surrounded by snacks here, I do miss them. Like kettle corn, doritos cool ranch, marshmallow fluff, good chocolate (hershey's cookies and cream? ghiradelli caramel squares? lindt orange dark chocolate? omg, bacon chocolate...), almonds (so expensive here!), red vines, jerky (all forms. i love jerky.), swedish fish, hot fries, sun chips garden, pocky!, etc... if I were to ever go back to the states between now and the end of my service, my first stop (after eating, of course) would probably be costco and my suitcase on the return trip would be 50 lbs of snackage.
3. Gym. I've completed phase 1 of p90x, but in the words of my lil bro: I miss picking up heavy things and then putting them down. Plus, the gym has a pool, row machines, ellipticals, free weights, bench presses, and yoga mats. I don't have these things in my room. I should really invest in a yoga mat. I probably will once I save up enough? We'll see. I'd rather go travel with any cash I save up, but I do enjoy yoga...
4. Good coffee and tea. Coffee is predominately instant, or not even coffee (there's some brand called 'echo' or 'ecco' or something like that, and it's like fake coffee. Whatever it is, I don't like it.) and the tea is limited to just a few types (I did buy some green tea at the market, but it's not very good... I'm mostly drinking it now just because I bought it.) so I'm now at this point in my life where I consider Starbucks coffee, good. Yea. It's not instant. There is a coffee shop next door to a hostal we stay at that does have some wickedly delicious coffee, and I do make it a point to go there whenever I'm in, but nothing makes me feel more pampered and guilty as being able to get my favorite starbucks (soy iced grande sugar free caramel macchiato) to go. Whatevs.
5. Driving and organized streets. Getting into a colectivo is putting my life in the hands of a man who very likely paid a nominal fee and nothing more to get his license and drives a stick shift (although shifting gears may or may not be something he understands) of a car that should not be allowed on the road (exposed wires, all gauges not functioning, smell of gasoline very prominent, etc.). Then they cram 5 or more people into the car and hope to not run into any policemen (we usually never do).
6. Privacy and personal space. They don't exist. I'm pretty good about shutting my door and not talking to my family for hours at a time, and my family is very good at respecting my need for solitude. Anyone outside of my family thinks of this as very strange, and no one knows what a personal bubble is (made obvious by the number of times random people have sat on me or leaned against me or played with my clothes or hair while waiting to get off a bus. Like, seriously? Don't touch me). I have a very large personal bubble, or so I thought. That idea was destroyed pretty quickly and replaced with the idea that I have a very high tolerance for things I used to not tolerate before. I'm learning patience. It isn't really fun.
7. Having someplace to go when I get bored. There was always something to entertain me back in the states. Sometimes it was the park, the library, Six Flags, Disneyland, the mall, movie theaters, observatory, friends' places, or just walking around. Nowadays, if I'm bored (and I do get bored fairly often), I sit in my room and tumblr/facebook/youtube, read, watch tv on my laptop, and not much else. I suppose I could go to the library (so boring cause there aren't much in terms of books! I'm working on that, though), or just sit around outside somewhere (it's summer and hot and the air is full of buzzing insects. This is not my favorite idea), and sometimes I go to the market and just walk around (although people find me strange since I'm clearly just perusing, not intent on buying much).
8. Air conditioning. IT'S SO DAMN HOT. I visit the ATM in my site, because the small room it is in is usually air conditioned. I actually make it a point to pull out only a few bills because then I will have to return. So worth it.
Anywho, those are just some thoughts I had on the subject right now. It mostly came up because I can't fall asleep, since I'm going to make a quick trip to Trujillo tomorrow to buy somethings I am in desperate need of (toiletries, food things, etc.) and am super pumped cause I'll be making a stop at Starbucks... heh.
It's the small things in life that get you through it all, really.
Love and Peace, my friends.
Love and Peace.
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