One month anniversary

 

I just celebrated my one month anniversary in Perú!  Sometimes, it seems like I just arrived yesterday.  Then, at other times, when I consider all the information I’ve been given and experiences I’ve had, it’s hard to believe it has been ONLY a month.  Here are some highlights of the past few weeks:

Technical Training

Nearly every day we are covering a new topic related to the technical skills we will need to implement health projects in the community.  Now that we’ve covered community diagnostic tools, we’re turning our attention to health indicators in Peru and potential program areas.  Chronic malnutrition and anemia are major problems here, strongly related to poverty and lack of education.  In this area, mothers and children will be our target audience.  We’ve been given training in exclusive breastfeeding and complementary feeding which are both critical in a child’s development and growth.  I now know how to prepare a cheap, home remedy for diarrhea since diarrheal diseases are very prevalent.  We’ve been given training in the preparation of affordable, nutrient-rich foods such as liver and sangrecita, which is congealed chicken or cow blood…there’s no better way to say it, unfortunately.  And yes, we had to try these things ourselves.  The liver was a little tough to swallow, but surprisingly, the sangrecita was pretty agreeable when cooked with onions and other spices.

                We spent last Saturday morning at the Agricultural University in Lima learning all about how to start our own (or community) gardens, and select seeds for planting and harvesting.  This was incredibly fun and useful.  I never thought of myself as someone who likes to garden, but I am so excited to get to site and start planting!  The university students taught us each step from the preparation of the earth, to planting, pest control, and harvesting.  Yesterday we returned to the University for our second lesson which was in small animal husbandry.  Let me know if you have any questions on raising ducks or chickens J.

                Another area we touched on is early stimulation for children.  I wasn’t aware until now how critical the first years of life are to a person’s development.  A lot of it is common sense really (to us).  Parenting resources abound in the states, and we don’t find it odd to talk or sing to babies.  However, in rural Peru this can be a little strange for mothers.  So, one way in which we can help is to offer educative sessions in early stimulation where mothers are encouraged to interact with their babies.  Since it wouldn’t really be feasible to tell these women to go out and buy toys, we were able to practice making toys from household materials.  The Peace Corps clearly understands the need to implement these activities in an affordable, sustainable way.

                Lastly, we learned about several of the initiatives that Peace Corps Peru has going on; this is in addition to (but complementary with) the health program goals. All volunteers will have the opportunity to join committees on Youth Development, Women in Development and Gender Issues, and HIV/AIDS.

Cultural Knowledge

                Our language professor arranged for us to take a trip to the National Museum in Lima to see a relatively new exhibit on Sendero Luminoso (SL).  For those that are not familiar with it, SL was a terrorist group in Peru, very active until about ten years ago.  Their idea was to do away with the bourgeois and foreign institutions and replace them with a revolutionary communist regime.  Their tactics became increasingly violent and it was the people in the rural areas of Peru that suffered the most.  Because this was taking place in the country, the government was slow to react.  When they finally did send armed forces, the peasants were caught in the middle.  Tens of thousands of people living in the rural areas were killed, either because they were suspected of being terrorists or because they did not support SL.  Only when the terrorism reached the urban areas did the government increase their efforts to stop the movement.  The leader of the SL movement was captured in 1992.  Many unjust imprisonments occurred as a result of the government’s fervor to eliminate SL from Peru.  However, SL is not completely dead and small cells are still active in the Peruvian jungle (one of the reasons that Peace Corps does not place volunteers there).  Nearly 70,000 people died between 1980-2000, and the photo exhibit we saw was a result of the National Commission of Truth and Reconciliation.  This is a part of recent history, and in talking with my host family and other Peruvians, the wounds are clearly very fresh.  We have to take this into account when dealing with issues of cultural integration once we go to our sites.  People in the rural areas may, understandably, be a little distrusting of outsiders.

Family Time and Just for Fun

                Last Sunday I made my first meal for my host family.  I made pizza and salad, which I’m pretty sure they liked.  It’s funny because while I’ve certainly consumed a lot of pizza at home, this is the first time that I actually made it… with homemade crust even!  It turned out beautifully, but it was kind of funny how it went down.  My meal ended up being an appetizer and then my host mom followed it up with soup and potatoes.  I wasn’t at all offended because they complemented the food a lot, but clearly the amount of food was not what they were accustomed to.  I was very pleased with the big salad which my host mom liked as well.  For my next meal, I will be making chili (by request).  This I can serve over a mound of rice so hopefully my meal can stand alone next time.

                Last week I attended Ms. Chosica 2010.  I’ve never seen a beauty pageant live and this was a trip to say the least.  The girls were pretty young so I couldn’t get over some of their outfits.  However, there was a traditional dress segment representing all the different regions in Peru that was really interesting.  In the end, my host sister’s friend was crowned Ms. Chosica so we went crazy for her.

                I went with a group of volunteers last weekend to see a salsa band from Cuba, and we danced non-stop.  I think they appreciated the enthusiasm of the gringos because they invited a bunch of us up on stage with them.  I jumped right up there and had a great time.  I believe video was taken so hopefully I’ll be able to share that via facebook.

                Finally, I went to Octoberfest in Lima yesterday.  I love doing things like that in foreign countries because they always have some local flavor.  Of course the main attractions were beer and sausage.  I had my picture taken with the guinea pig mascot in German couture…you have to see it.  That would be the Peruvian addition. As I mentioned before, guinea pigs are huge here- as food unfortunately, not as pets.

                I found out today that my host dad will be departing tomorrow to spend several weeks in the jungle where he’ll be working and spending time with family there.  I was pretty bummed to find out that he won’t be coming back until December so this was our last day together.  I made sure to get several family pictures.  He and I shared a nice moment today where he wished me all the best in my new site and assured me that I have a room here anytime I want to return.  I have been blessed with such a good family; I can only pray that the same happens for my two years in site.

And I think I’ll wrap it up for now…stay tuned!  Field-based training and notification of site placements will be coming soon…oh, the anticipation!!

Link to photo album with some new pics:

http://www1.snapfish.com/snapfish/thumbnailshare/AlbumID=3064331016/a=143181697_143181697/otsc=SHR/otsi=SALBlink/COBRAND_NAME=snapfish/