Stories about Site

I've been in Peru for almost one year now, so I think a few reflections are appropriate. This experience is like nothing I imagined in my wildest dreams and at once everything I hoped for. The sun is shining in Ancash, and Tumpa has come alive again. As a Youth Development volunteer, I seek to work with a "triangle of support" in the community, which consists of the school, the health post, and the municipality. I've worked intensively with both the school and health post, but the municipality is another story...

Before I was invited into the community, Tumpa believed that Peace Corps was the CIA or some sort of spy organization. After years of site development on Peace Corps' end and with much convincing from Feli, the nurse at the health post and my lovely community partner, Tumpa ultimately decided to invite Peace Corps to work in the community. But the CIA sentiments still remained.

One unpleasant manifestation of those sentiments came in mid-January of this year, when I was invited to a town meeting only to be kicked out because some community members were still unsure and wary of my role in Tumpa.

I'd obtained permission to attend the meeting from the President of Tumpa, with the intention to present my summer vacation work plan to all the parents so they could register their children.
I put on my traditional dress, left my house, and walked to the Plaza, confident and hopeful that this municipality meeting with the parents would be a breakthrough in my Peace Corps service. I arrived to the Plaza and was waved over by a group of Tumpesinas, traditional dress, toothy smiles and all. We sat and chatted, and then the President of the community started by reading of the agenda for the meeting, with "Words from Sophie Dila, Peace Corps Volunteer," ringing in at #3. That's when things got interesting. One man interrupted by objecting to my presence for fear that I would "llevar los jovenes," or "take the children" from the town.
I froze.
A debate erupted. Town members, including the Justice of the Peace and my host Grandfather spoke out loudly in my defense, while others I did not recognize theorized - lets just say negatively - about my role as a PCV in Tumpa. I was asked to leave the meeting by the President. "The Walk of Shame" took on a whole new meeting that day.

Five months later, things are looking up. 

I organized a community clean-up for Earth Day where all the students took 1 hour to pick up trash off the streets of Tumpa. 

I've finally met the Mayor and he invited me to the next private municipality meeting where I will formally get to know the leaders of Tumpa and invite them to participate in my Improved Kitchen project. The Improved Kitchens will minimize smoke, making a healthier home. Many community members have approached me expressing interest in the project, and the Mayor thinks it's a great idea. So the "triangle of support" seems to be materializing.

My teen social theater group is going well, and I'm working in the Primary school with the little guys on a self-esteem workshop called Quien Soy Yo? or Who am I? 

I spent a weekend in Lima - woo hoo! - so that the previous trainers of the Youth Development In-Service Training called "How to Form a Teen Social Theater Group" could pass the torch to me and Alex, another Peru 11er. In September, Alex and I will train our Peru 11 Youth Development Group on this theme.

And this is about 9 months into site, 1 year in Peru... so my reflection here is that things moooveee slooowwwlyyyy. My levels of patience have exponentially increased, and I've learned to take one day at a time, being sure to celebrate the smallest of victories.

So there you go, a few stories about site. 

Hiking in Anca$h

One of the reasons that Ancash is Better is because of its eco-tourism. Ancash is home to Huascaran, the largest tropical snow-capped mountain in the world, hundreds of glacial lakes, amazing rock climbing, white-water rafting, and of course, the Andes mountains. During this beautiful dry season, I've been enjoying Ancash to the fullest, going on beautiful hikes around Tumpa with my site mate Rabbit and exploring the Callejon de Huaylas with Ancash volunteers. 

*May was the month of beautiful hikes* 

Erica and Callie invited me and a few of other volunteers to participate in an environ

mental clean-up of Santa Cruz trek, one of the most famous, challenging and beautiful in all of Ancash. We left early in the morning with about 100 Peruvian arieros, or donkey drivers part of the local tourist committee. With our backpacks full of water, snacks, and sweaters, we were ready to brave the the cold Andean night. We spent the day hiking uphill, taking pictures and videos, and catching glimpses of the snowcaps from beh

ind the clouds. We arrived to camp by sunset, set up our tents despite the garua - the cold drizzle, and shared a warm dinner of rice and beef stew with the arieros. The drizzle cleared the next morning and we took off to reach the top of the trek. After getting a little off-trail and fording a couple of bone-chilling r

ivers, we made it to the turn around point and were rewarded by a spectacular view of an enormous snowcapped mountain. And the naked glacial lake jumps are a blast.

Every now and then, Ancash volunteers like to have destination regional meetings. We had the last one at the top of the 69 trek - a short but challenging day hike at 4600 meters. W

e had a great time hiking up together and when we reached the top we stripped down, kept tradition alive, and jumped into the ice cold laguna. 

As a New Englander, of course I miss the beach, the seafood, and the costal lifesty

le. But I've become much more of an outdoorsy person since living in Peru, and have grown a true appreciation for the mountain life.