Sophie's Life in Peace Corps Perú

Dispelling Myths

2011-08-03T08:04:00.000-07:00

So as most of my readers know, I’m finishing up my third year in the Peace Corps serving as a Volunteer Leader and working in Huaraz, the capital city of Ancash, Peru. I’ve focused my time working with 50 teenaged youth on sexual health promotion and teen-pregnancy, STI and HIV prevention through the support of a small PEPFAR grant. Although one year is not much time in the educational spectrum, the lessons learned were enlightening for them and for me.

Ancash is located in the Andes Mountains of Peru, and the primary language in the rural towns outside the capital city of Huaraz is Quechua. The people are descendants of the Incas and retain more cultural influence from their ancestors than of the Spanish, who conquered Peru in the 1500s. The Incan roots in the Ancashinos are evident in the language, the farming and agricultural techniques, the spiritualism, and the health practices. Let's focus on the latter. I have learned of myriad health myths - ancient beliefs - and I have had the opportunity to dispel some of them during my classes. Here are a few gems:

• If a woman stands in the rays of a rainbow, she'll become pregnant.

• Eating Peruvian lemon on your period will stop your cycle and endanger your reproductive system.

• Women on their period cannot bathe or engage in physical exercise; these activities could be harmful to her health.

• Men have more sex drive than women.

• Men with larger penises are more sexually powerful than men with smaller penises.

What I’ve realized working in Peru is that so much of sexual education in a developing country is related to addressing gender inequality. “Machismo,” the belief of masculine superiority that systematically and culturally marginalizes women, is an ingrained social issue in Ancash. On their final exams, my students generally scored high, and through conversations, I know that they’ve learned many truths about sexual health. So if I’ve played a tiny part in the grand scheme of gender inequality by dispelling myths and empowering my female students, I’d say that’s a success.

Ode to Peru (and the places you'll go)

2011-06-26T11:11:00.000-07:00

Oh, my carelessness, my neglect. Profound apologies to this lonely webpage. One that has documented so many of my journeys, adventures, ups, downs and all-arounds of the past three years of my life in Peru. Now the clock is tick-tocking, and with this impending, inevitable "fin" in sight, I feel I still have some things to say, and that I can't leave with these things left unsaid.

If there was ever a doubt in your mind of my undying passion for food, well, rest assured, I'm obsessed. Recently, I was asked what my favorite things are: Simply put, food is the top of my list. Cooking, experimenting, eating & sharing it. Other high rankers are music/dancing (going hand-in-hand, of course), soaking in the rays of the sun, trying new things, and outdoor activities ~ hiking, skiing and beaching being the favs. Stay tuned for my "Ode to Comida Peruana."

Without a passion for my work, I'm lost. When everything else is falling apart, when parasites are ravaging my tired stomach, when friends leave and chapters end... if I still have my passion for my work, I'm OK. I see this with clarity now. If you're a PCV and your world is upside down, dive in to your work ~ it will probably change your life. And if you don't have work, lord knows I've been there, then reach out to someone who can help you kick-start this thing. Si se puede.

Now we know I love my Southerners, but it just doesn't get better than Peruvian hospitality. "Mi Casa es Tu Casa." Seriously. It's yours if you want it. In all seriousness though, Peruvians bring new meaning to the phrase "sharing is caring." If my host family in Tumpa has 10 people around the table and only one small piece of meat, you can bet that everyone's getting a bite. This morning, a little granny insisted on putting me in a cab, declaring that taxistas are unjust and she wouldn't have me paying more than a centavo too much. In Lima, at "Friends House," the Peace Corps hostal, the owners know all of our names. All of us who have passed through over the years. They know all of our sites. They probably know more than they'd like to, at times. And if it's your birthday, they'll make a huge deal over you with cake or wine. Sometimes cake and wine. Sometimes cake with little mini-beer candles on top. I'm taking this way of hospitality with me, wherever it is I may go.

Oscar Wilde once said, "I can resist anything but temptation." I have identified with and battled against that quote my entire life. Temptation is a dichotomous creature. In so many ways, she can lead you to new, beautiful adventures. Allowing yourself to be temped is taking a risk, and that drives me. When life is easy, I get bored. I just wouldn't be having fun if I weren't taking leaps of faith every now and then. I love trying new things, I love the feeling of adrenaline, and I love that I can continue reinventing myself every day. Living in Peru has allowed me to evolve in ways I couldn't have dreamed. Of course, temptation can be a dark mistress, and she can lead you into some risky business. But one thing's for sure: I'm growing up, I'm making good decisions, and I've got it pretty much under control. Otherwise, I would have gone rogue in the jungle by now.

This one time, I was accused by a community member for being an organ trafficker, and you know what? I might leave this country with my host siblings in my luggage. Maria was 12 ~ TWELVE ~ when I got here. Next month, I'm co-throwing her SIXTEENTH birthday party. Mexican tacos, music, balloons, and 20 of her friends. She's gorgeous and assertive, she's a great student, she's involved in youth groups, and the girl can spike a volleyball. Carlitos is almost two, and if he's within reach of his mama, he is clutching her breast for dear life. Hand down the shirt. His property. Back off, people. Mine. When I manage to pry him away from her, we walk (or run) around the Plaza holding hands. He loves toys, especially his truck that his godfather Rabbit gave him. It's barely recognizable now. Carlitos wasn't even there when I arrived three years ago. My, how my life has changed.

And I leave you, for now, with this last thought: "The only constant is change, continual change, inevitable change." Que Viva.

Smoke Signal

2011-02-04T04:41:00.000-08:00

I need to try to express how incredible, dynamic and exciting my life is right now. I’m pinching myself. What did I do to make this happen?

I’ve been on the road. As the Ancash PCVL, I've had the amazing opportunity to discover more of Ancash than ever would have been possible during my first two years of service. I spend hours in dusty, crowded combis, listenting to my ipod, watching he mountains pass by, to get to volunteers in their communities and provide support by monitoring their work and talking about life. I spend days in sites spending time with volunteers and their host families, community partners and friends - eating, chatting, walking around town, visiting local institutions or attractions like trash sites, latrine projects or green houses. And every time, I’m reminded of my experience in Tumpa – the discoveries, the joys and the frustrations of being a Peace Corps Volunteer in Ancash.

I spend a lot of time coordinating and running around Huaraz with Nelly, Ancash’s beloved Regional Coordinator. I put on my business casual and we visit the Ministries of Education, Health and Environment to strengthen relationships, learn about new initiatives, and inform their staff about our volunteers' progress in the field. Nelly is the most motivated, driven, passionate and dedicated Peruvian woman I have ever met, and she's taught me a lot about the ins-and-outs of Peruvian government, bureaucracy and culture.

My work with youth has only been more exciting since living in this city. Huaraz has a population of over 100,000 residents, and I work with the Health Center Huarupampa that serves just half of that population. With my partner, Mari, I’ve been teaching a group of student peer educators at a local public school on sexual education and HIV prevention. I also work with a youth group at a governmentally sponsored social center for neglected or abandoned children on healthy lifestyle issues like self-esteem, decision-making, and of course, sexual education and HIV prevention. After six months of work with these groups, I’ve managed to build and gain trust from the kids and I’m ready to delve deeper into sex-ed with them to keep them informed, healthy, and baby-free. A major reason I decided to stay for a third year in the Peace Corps was to develop more serious experience working in sexual education and HIV prevention, and I’ve discovered that this topic, and working with Latino populations, is my passion.

I’ve also gained a bit of policy experience in this new position. I sit on three Peace Corps committees: the Volunteer Advisory Council, the Peer Support Network, and the HIV Initiative Committee. Most personally fulfilling would be the latter group (read: arriba), but I enjoy being a part of and having input in the inner discussions of the current state and future of PC – Peru in all senses.

Ahora, next week, I will be departing on an on-foot adventure into the Andes Mountains with 5 PC friends, 2 Huascaran National Park Guards, and my backpack. We will head NE into and over the Cordillera Blanca to Pomabamba with the purpose of identifying new, potential PC sites and to set up a base-line for monitoring flora and fauna within the National Park lines. Jessica, our resident biologist and nature-freak, will head this scientific expedition and eschool us on the ins-and-outs of field biology. We will be gone for just over one week on this adventure, one that is sure to be the experience of a lifetime. I'll spend days leading up exercising, getting to bed early, and eating well to prepare for the trip.

Did I mention that my godson, Carlitos, is walking?!

And so I write this to send up a smoke signal, to profess my passion for my work, and to reiterate my undying love for this country, Peru.

***
Pictures of life lately: http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2245454&id=7403642&l=f779c41100
New Years Resolution: Hecho.
Plans this month: To celebrate the 5th Anniversary of my 21st birthday, and to celebrate the 50th Anniversary of Peace Corps.

I'm A City Girl Now

2010-09-08T08:46:00.000-07:00

So the new chapter has begun. I live in Huaraz and am serving my third year in Peace Corps Peru as the Volunteer Leader of the department of Ancash. Today marks four weeks back in Peru since my return from my special leave to America. My trip home was incredible and reminded me that I am, indeed, the luckiest girl in the world. The weather, the beach, the ocean, the food, my friends and family, the Welcome Home BBQ in CT, Mike, Moi, Maggie and Izzy spending the whole the long weekend with us in CT, reconnecting with my beautiful and AMAZING nieces, the weekend in New York City with Peyton, the visit at my mama's place in Montreal....It was heaven. Consider my proverbial batteries fully recharged.

Entonces, my Peruvian life continues. This month has been action-packed. I went from the US to Lima to Huaraz to Tumpa in 4 days (WOW - culture shock) and then I spent about a week in Lima for a bunch of different PC meetings. Reuniting with my Tumpa host family has been wonderful ~ I've been to visit twice so far and I think they really believe me now that I'll be keeping in touch and visiting them on a regular basis. Six new PCVs have joined our Ancash family and they're doing great! During their first few days in Huaraz, we went market shopping for beds, sheets, gas stoves, pots, pans, food, and other basic site newbie essentials. They're on their third week in site now, and todo tranquilo! They seem like a great group.

Yesterday, I started my work with two different youth groups here in Huaraz. I'll spend Mondays at a center for abandoned and neglected youth with about 25 at-risk teenagers and Saturdays with a group of about 25 student health promoters from a local public high school. I'll work with both groups on the whole spectrum of youth development themes: self-esteem, identifying values, vocational orientation, nutrition, hygiene, sexuality, HIV/AIDS, etc, etc, etc. The center will provide different challenges than the high school youth group, and I'm excited for these kids to keep me on my toes.

I'm totally in love with my new living arrangement ~ a small apartment connected to a modern Peruvian family's house. I have a full kitchen, i have an oven that i baked some chocolate chip oatmeal rasin cookies in last night (yum!), I bought a sweet couch in Lima, my electric shower is working (yay for hot water!), and I have internet! So, I guess it's sort of different from living in the campo in an adobe house...

Life is good.

****
Books: Just finished The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo (fabulous), revisited The Great Gatsby, and now on to Howard Zinn's People's History of the United States
Favorite moments this month: Buying my couch with our Safety and Security Officer, Enrique, in couchtown, Lima, and Ryan's visit to Ancash
Up Next: Site visits with Peru 13 Volunteers who just past the one-year mark in country, then back to Lima for med-checks, then site visits with Peru 15 to see how our newbies are doing after a month in site.

Chau, Tumpa

2010-07-21T11:08:00.001-07:00

Well, it's official! I completed my service in Tumpa as a Youth Development Volunteer this week! I now live in Huaraz where I will work as the Peace Corps Volunteer Leader in Ancash for one year. Completing and/or facilitating the management of my projects over to my community partners was the easy part... saying goodbye to my host family, neighbors, and students was something else entirely. I'm in a strange situation because I'm leaving Tumpa, but I'll be living within 1.5 hours of the community for a whole other year. In most cases, it was "Hasta Luego," and not "Adios para Siempre," but regardless of that distinction, Tumpa and I both knew that it would never be the same. Most likely, I'll visit my host family once a month to have lunch and catch up, but I won't see my students at the regular youth groups anymore. The last week in site was the ipodimy of the Peace Corps Roller-Coaster Ride: difficult, fun, stressful, tear-filled and bitter-sweet; but I was able to spend quality time with those people most important to me. Highlights included making bread with 2 favorite Baker families, my despedida (goodbye party) lunch with my host family featuring Picante de Pato con Yucca (yum!), getting surprised with an amazing "Congratulations, you did it!" home-made cake from my site mate, Kaitlyn, and the school Anniversary party - think: marching parades, healthy foods competition, indigenous dance performances, Huayno and drinking circles. It was an incredible two years, the best of my life, and I'll be processing the profundity of my experience for many years to come. Chau, Tumpa.

Pictures of my last days in Tumpa: http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2204844&id=7403642&l=b215bdde6d

****
New Favorite Book: The Tipping Point (I know, I should have read it a long time ago)
Special Leave plans: Amazon Jungle Trip and Connecticut/Canada Tour!
Up Next: PCVL of Huaraz starting August 18th

Mucho en Mayo

2010-06-02T15:29:00.001-07:00

At least I can't say I'm bored. As my Peace Corps service winds down, my work and life is busier than ever, and I'm going full-speed. After taking my GRE at the beginning of May, I met my Peru 11 group in Lima for our Close of Service conference. COS is a time for volunteers to get together to reflect on their service and think about the future, about what's next. Many of my friends are off to various graduate programs this fall, others are returning home to their families and leaving options open, and a lucky few are going to backpack through South America and explore the rest of this incredible continent. My "what's next" is still up in the air - there's a Plan A and a Plan B, and I'll be solidifying my plans sometime very, very soon.

After COS, I returned to Ancash and went on a Site Development trip with the Director of the PC Youth Development program. We visited 4 communities and met with community leaders including mayors, municipality workers, health center staff, school Directors and teachers, and other interested leaders and involved community citizens. We discussed Peace Corps and the potential of sending a PCV to these sites for 2 years - what kind of work would be available to the volunteer? who would be the community partners? where would the volunteer live? It was a really exciting and fun experience to be on the "other side" of the Peace Corps world and see what goes into Site Development before the PCVs get to their sites. I loved meeting new people from new towns, local leaders who are so excited at the prospect of having a gringo live and work in their communities on development projects and programs. It was refreshing, and gives me that extra revitalizing push that I need at the end of my service - knowing that after I leave site, life still continues here... and I digress.
Mother's Day was great - I treated my host mom, sister and baby brother to lunch and a day in Huaraz. We walked around the Plaza de Armas, took pictures, listened to some street huayno music and enjoyed the city. Maria, my 14 year old host sister, hadn't been to Huaraz in 7 years... It was a big day for her... followed up by an even bigger weekend...

CAMP ALMA! Shannon and I co-coordinated this leadership camp for teenage girls and it was a huge success! All of the Ancash PCVs invited 2 girls from their respective sites, and we all reunited in Yungay for the 3 day camp. I brought Maria and one of my student health promoters. We talked about women's rights, volunteerism, feminism, gender roles, sexual health (condom race included!), disabilities and diversity. The girls planned a mini-project on how to take the information they learned at the camp back to their communities and keep the learning process going. We tie-dyed tshirts, put on a Gringos Saludables play on gender roles, roasted smores by the bonfire, and featured a vegetarian menu to share an American custom/lifestyle with the girls. The weekend was months in the making, and ALMA turned out to be one of the best and most fulfilling events of my PC service.

After ALMA, I attended a 3 day HIV/AIDS promotion and prevention workshop. Peace Corps has access to PEPFAR (US President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief) funds so that PCVs can finance community-based projects to educate the youth on HIV/AIDS. The Department of Ancash is going to receive a large portion of these funds because the incidence of HIV/AIDS here is significant and growing rapidly. Chimbote is Ancash's second largest city and a bustling fishing port and the prevelance of HIV/AIDS is high. Economic migration from the Andes to this costal town and back again is one of the causes of this adverse phenomenon and is spreading the virus around the Department. So Peace Corps will be pushing a strong HIV/AIDS prevention initiative in the Ancashino classrooms and communities. The conservative and shy culture will present its challenges to our effectiveness, but I think the initiative is well worth it and has the potential to keep people healthy and HIV free.

From the HIV/AIDS conference I went back to Lima and ran my second complete Social Theater In-Service Training, this time with Peru 13 Youth Development volunteers and their community partners. The 3 day IST went really smoothly and I got to know the Peru 13ers a lot better. They're doing great work across the country, and now they have more active learning techniques and tools to add to their teaching methodologies in their sites. Alex (my Social Theater partner) and I have almost finished the Manual, and should be sending the final copy to Washington within a couple of weeks. This Social Theater Manual could then be distributed to Peace Corps posts worldwide to assist PCVs in training others on Social Theater in Service to the Communitites.

So during May, I spent time traveling back and forth between Ancash and Lima attending conferences, leading camps, and spending time in the office. I barely spent time in Tumpa with my students or host families, and I'm looking forward to getting back there to spend these last precious moments with my Peruvian friends, family and neighbors. But before that, I'm showing my sister Mary and her husband around Ancash! I haven't seen them in 2 years, and we've been having an incredible family reunion up here in the mountains! Life is good.

****
Book Reading: Once Minutos, Paolo Coehlo
Time left in Tumpa: 7 weeks
Up Next: Trip to Florida for Anna-Baine's wedding! First time to the USA in over dos años...

A quick update

2010-04-27T12:45:00.001-07:00

I've been terrible about posting lately because I've been so busy. The Healthy Schools project is in full swing - I finished a 5 week tooth brushing campaign and organized a successful community clean-up in honor of Earth Day. I've been working on self-esteem with the kiddies and life planning with the teenagers, I'm meeting with my Student Health Promoters three times a month, training the teachers on environment, hygiene and nutrition, and I've been planning ALMA - a leadership camp for teenage girls. On top of all that, I'm studying for the GRE and looking forward to my Close of Service Conference next week. In between it all, I'm trying to eat, workout and sleep when I can. Hence, no blogging in a while. But I'm still alive, things are great, and the rainy season is over. The next time I post I will probably have some big news, so stay tuned. :)

Here are some pictures of the Community Clean Up on Earth Day, my Tooth Brushing Campaign, and my Student Health Promoters.

***
Book Reading: Same one, no time.
New culinary frontiers broken: Host mom served pigeon for lunch.
Months left in Tumpa: 3.
New favorite blog: HyperboleandaHalf.blogspot.com. Delightful.

Nothing is as it seems...

2010-03-17T16:21:00.000-07:00

After teaching class today, I stopped by the primary school to check out the local NGO’s health campaign. The Doctora in Tumpa had given me the heads up, saying that she and the NGO workers would be administering fluoride and providing physical exams to the kids. When I walked in the room, posts were set up around the perimeter: the weight/height station, the fluoride station, the pharmacy station (we'll get to that later), the Doctora’s station, and the letters/pictures station. I greeted everyone in the room and went to sit with the doctora, who was alone, looking extremely bored.

“This is taking so long… there are still so many kids left,” she said.
“Oh well right, but, this is a really great thing that you all are doing for the kids – the free health care, and all” I commented.
“Ehhh… not exactly,” she said.

The Doctora proceeded to explain that this health campaign was less than perfect. The physical exams are given during school hours, but in order to administer any medicine or treatment, parents must be present… and there were no parents around when I was there. Also, there was barely any medicine. Despite being examined, the children were not receiving the full health care they needed. Suddenly it seems like they were putting on a big show…and my eyes drifted to the…letters & pictures station. The kids were drawing pictures and writing cards to their overseas sponsors, whose donations probably made their physical examinations possible that day. For those of you back in the US who have donated to an organization to benefit kids, and have at one time wondered where your money is going, well, here’s a snapshot.

School's in Session!

2010-03-13T07:08:00.000-08:00

It's a beautiful, chilly, overcast Ancash morning. I'm in Huaraz for our monthly meeting. On the agenda this month: composting, which will come in handy once my students learn to separate organic and inorganic waste. Also up is an ALMA meeting - Shannon and I are going to take advantage of our captive PCV audience this weekend to talk about the girls leadership camp that will take place in May. These days, I have barely enough hours in a day, which is a Peace Corps (or maybe an Ancash) anomaly. March is zooming by.
School started up again on March 1st, and I've began installing the materials in the classrooms for the Healthy Schools project. I'm busy with hygiene workshops, tooth brushing campaigns (I can't be totally sure, but browning baby teeth are evidence that some of these kiddies are brushing for the first time ever!!), and self-esteem classes. On Monday, we're going to elect 10 health promoters, whom I will train on hygiene, nutrition and environmental awareness issues. The health promoters will be leading organic gardens projects, healthy food activities and community clean-ups with the other students at Santa Fe to strengthen our Healthy Schools project. School's back in session, the kids are back in Tumpa, I've got my work cut out for me, and I couldn't be happier with site!

****
Currently reading: What is the What
In-site delightful surprises: Internet in the adobe kitchen window!
Months until COS: 4.5
post-PC plans: Sophie Sees South America Adventure Sept-Dec 2010... who's in?!

Thoughts on Haiti: Huaraz All Over Again

2010-01-26T12:28:00.000-08:00

In 1970, an earthquake the magnitude of 7.7 on the Richter scale hit off the coast of Peru and devastated the Andean department of Ancash, taking the lives of an estimated 80,000 people. Another 3 million were affected, making the quake the largest natural disaster in Peruvian history. Huaraz, Ancash’s capital city, crumbled to the ground. Ancash’s smaller villages were demolished; the adobe houses and buildings didn’t stand a chance. The quake destabilized the northern wall of Mount Huascaran, and towering at over 22,000 feet, the wall of the glacier broke off, creating a landslide of epic proportions that buried the urban town of Yungay. Only a couple hundred children and teachers survived the Yungay landslide because they were hiking on hills above the city, above the destructive reaches of the mud, ice, and debris that buried their town and families in the blink of an eye. The surviving children were dispatched to orphanages around the world.

Almost 40 years later, another massive earthquake devastates the impoverished island nation of Haiti. The statistics are shockingly similar: both Ancash and Haiti were impoverished areas before the earthquakes, both quakes left over 50,000 people dead and around 3 million affected, and both quakes completely destroyed basic and vital national infrastructure.

Today, Ancashinos sit in their adobe houses listening to the news come in about Haiti and are bitterly reminded of a not so far away past when they were living the same horror. Politicians and international aid workers should turn to Ancash as a developmental case study to help maneuver the unsteady waters of Haiti. What happens to an already impoverished society when a natural disaster strikes?

The earthquake in Ancash affected every aspect of the campasinos’ life, from family, culture, economy, infrastructure, and personal identity. Homes turned to dust. Crop fields were destroyed. Livelihoods were lost. Parents, siblings, and friends perished into the ground. Communities were destroyed. Access to drinkable water became the key to survival. The shock these losses take on a person’s self-esteem and self-worth are immeasurable. Peru lacked the resources to help their own people and turned to the outside world for rescue. What resulted in Ancash was a massive influx of international aid and support; richer, developed nations and organizations like the Inter-American Development Bank and the World Bank sent food, medicine and manpower in hoards. Survivors of the earthquake in Tumpa, my Peace Corps hometown, tell me about the planes that would drop boxes filled with clothes and medicine out of the sky.

One of the major challenges Peace Corps volunteers in Ancash face today is what we call the “culture of receiving.” Since 1970, Ancashinos have become accustomed to receiving international aid, mostly in the form of money. Whether the financial aid comes from NGOs with health, educational or micro-business missions, or from mining companies seeking to pacify exploited communities with quick and glamorous development projects, Ancashinos are in the habit of receiving money. Eager Peace Corps volunteers who are broke by default seek opportunities to start grassroots development projects, but often are not taken seriously, because to the Ancashino eye, a Gringo equals a greenback. Starting sustainable development projects in the Ancash communities without applying for grants is difficult and rare. And this might be because of how the outside world reacted to the earthquake of 1970.

When a national disaster strikes, basic human morality implores those of us capable to help those of us in need. International financial aid and involvement over a period of time is certainly necessary after major natural disasters wreak havoc on impoverished societies like Ancash and Haiti. But once the proverbial dust has settled, is continued international aid sustainable? When does international financial aid stop helping and start stripping a society of its national fabric and sovereignty? What happens to national and personal responsibility and self-esteem? In Tumpa, I often encounter a general lack of motivation, low self-esteem and apathy in the townspeople. Is 40 years of outside financial involvement more beneficial or detrimental to the growth and development of people from societies like Ancash? Did our morality in 1970 take a long-term demoralizing effect on these people?

Alternatives to long-term international financial involvement in response to natural disaster situations could include development programs like the Peace Corps Response, whose volunteers donate a few months to a year to educate people on healthy lifestyle techniques or micro-business strategies to help in the transition from crisis situations to peace. More widely known is the Peace Corps, whose volunteers live and work in developing countries partnered with host country nationals who seek to empower positive change and growth in their own communities. One human being extending a helping hand to another, offering knowledge instead of cash, is a resource that should not be underestimated. The international community should examine alternative options to financial aid that help developing communities transition to build their own countries with dignity so the citizens can really “own” their development.

Despite our academic knowledge, history continues to repeat itself. The role of international aid in times of crises like these must be examined carefully. If the Haitian people want to become a sovereign, self-sufficient, developing nation, the international community might examine appropriate alternatives to providing aid other than throwing money at the problem. Otherwise the Haitians might rely too heavily on financial support for the foreseeable future, obstructing the way for organic national development.

*Special thanks to Tim for inspiring me to write this.

Healthy Schools Program, Tumpa, Peru

2010-01-13T06:47:00.000-08:00

Since my arrival in Tumpa, I have worked on the Healthy Schools Program with the Health Post and Santa Fe school to reinforce healthy lifestyle behaviors in the youth, specifically in the areas of hygiene, nutrition and environmntal awareness. We have tackled these health problems with the youth by discussing and pacticing handwashing, bathing, toothbrushing, healthy meals, and trash management. After over a year of training and preparation, my Healthy Schools Program in Tumpa is becoming a reality! Peace Corps, Washington has approved my grant proposal and posted the project to the Peace Corps website. We are ready to take the Healthy Schools Program to the next level, and we need your help! Please pass on this email to any philanthropic friends who would like to donate and improve the lives of the Peruvian youth in my community. Below you will find a brief description of my project with instructions on how to donate.

Hygiene, nutrition and envionmental practices in Tumpa´s youth are very poor. Healthy lifestyle behaviors are seldom taught or reinforced in the home or school. Tumpa´s Health Post and Santa Fe school see the opportunity to strengthen healthy lifestyle behaviors in Tumpa´s youth through dynamic trainings and workshops; however, materials and supplies like trash cans and soap dispensors that reinforce these behavior changes do not exist and are needed. I need your help to improve healthy lifestyles in my Peruvian students!

Please visit the Peace Corps website to view the Healthy Schools Program profile, and please donate to improve the lives of my Peruvian students!

Go to the Peace Corps website at: peacecorps.gov
Click on ¨Donate Now!¨
Enter my last name ¨Dila¨ or my project number 527-015

OR
Click on this link: https://www.peacecorps.gov/index.cfm?shell=resources.donors.contribute.donatenow
and enter Peru in Search by Country of Service

Muchisimas Gracias!

****
¨La posibilidad de realizar un sueño es lo que hace que la vida sea interesante¨ -Paulo Coelho

Año Nuevo

2010-01-11T09:37:00.000-08:00

Happy New Year! This Christmas, Carl and Franceen met me in Cusco where we spent a beautiful week walking past Incan walls and visiting colonial churches and local weaving stores. Cusco is a very well preserved city, and the juxtaposition of Incan ruins with Spanish colonial architecture is unique and dramatic. In contrast, Huaraz has been destroyed three times over by intense earthquakes in the past 100 years; the cathedral in our Plaza de Armas has been under construction since the last earthquake. So I loved Cusco. We made our homage to Machu Picchu and spent Christmas at the Santuario Hotel right next to the ruins. Machu Picchu is breathtaking in a way that words really cannot describe. The city wasn't discovered until 1911 by Hiram Bingham, an American explorer, which means that the Spanish conquistadors had no idea Machu Picchu even existed. Machu Picchu is at about 8,000ft on a mountain ridge in a jungle climate, and there are hundreds of types of orchids that grow in the area. It's one of the most amazing things I've ever seen in my life.

I spent New Years camping out on a beach south of Lima with some friends - including Grant Picarillo, my classmate from GFA! He's in the Peace Corps in Guatemala and came down to Peru with his wonderful boyfriend to see the sights. The New Years trip was so much fun - including mimosas for Shannon's birthday, Vermont sharp white cheddar NYE picnics, fireworks at midnight and a great bonfire on the beach.

Before the holidays, back in Tumpatown, I was asked to be the madrina (godmother) for my neighbor's son's graduation from primary school. So I went to Rodney's graduation and danced with him and his classmates and ate half a cuy. Part of my responsibilities as the godmother of his graduation was to give him a gift, so I gave him a Spanish-English dictionary. Appropriate, no?

Right before school ended in mid-December, I had a final meeting with the health post, teachers and admin for my Healthy Schools project. The grant proposal is being reviewed by Washington right now and should be posted on the Peace Corps website sometime this week, so that's very exciting! More on that once it's posted.

So here I am, it's January, the rain isn't too bad just yet, but it's getting cold... School's out until March, so my life as a Youth Development volunteer is a little quieter than usual. Shannon and I are planning and coordinating a girls leadership camp in Ancash called ALMA, or Actividades en Lierazgo para Mujeres Adolecentes (Leadership Activities for Teen Girls). Every PCV in Ancash is participating and will bring 2 girls from each volunteer community to the 3 day camp. We're going to bring in local Peruvians to lead conversations and activities on leadership, women's health and environmental issues. We're going to get the grant proposal in by the first week in February, so we're busy at work looking for a site, planning the activities and working out the budget. I'm diving into my personal hobbies to pass the days - cooking healthy mostly vegetarian meals in site, working out for the first time since the marathon last year, reading, writing, watching trashy TV episodes and hanging out with my host sister. We cook together. Jess' Minestrone is next on the menu (YUM!)

I have 7 months left of my service in Tumpa. I'd be lying if I said I wasn't starting to freak out a little bit. I love it so much here, and the thought of leaving soon is heart-wrenching. So I'm keeping my options open. I know the right decision will come to me.

***
Amazing firework shows I saw over the holidays: 2
Currently reading: Three Cups of Tea
Post-Peace Corps options considering: ∞
Next blog title: TYLER RETURNS TO PERU!

Thanksgiving in Arequipa

2009-12-01T14:37:00.001-08:00

I just got back from a much-needed vacation to Arequipa, a dynamic and stunning department in the South of Peru. I spent the first few days of my vacation in the Colca Canyon with Edson, John, Ryan, Jon and Matt. We hiked to a beautiful oasis down in the canyon where we took in the beautiful surroundings, swam in oasis pools, avoided Pishtakos and Fish Tacos, sunbathed, and hiked around (Ok, some more than others).

I celebrated Thanksgiving Day in Arequipa City with about 20 other PCVs from all over Peru. I started my day picking up an iced-coffee at the Cuzco Coffee Company with Ancash Shannon and then went for a beautiful tour at the Monasterio de Santa Catalina with Edson. Then Ryan and I took my God-Dog Chewy on a little stroll to the Plaza de Armas and watched him stumble over himself playing with the pigeons in all his adorableness. At around 10am, I met a bunch of volunteers in the hostal kitchen and helped make our Thanksgiving feast - complete with stuffing, cranberry, salads and pumpkin pie. Once lunch was ready, Julie and I made a small Thanksgiving speech... and then we ate, and ate, and ate. Although there was no turkey present, lunch was delicious and a great taste of home. We hung out on the hostal rooftop patio all afternoon and enjoyed the gorgeous view of the city and surrounding volcanoes. We played pass-the-ipod and ended the night dancing in the bars on San Francisco. All in all, Thanksgiving was delightful. :)

Most Arequipeños say that Areqipa is the REAL capital city of Peru, and now I know why. The second largest city in Peru, the colonial structures are built from a white volcanic rock called sillar that glistens in the sun. Arequipa City is gorgeous and clean, Arequipeños are very friendly, and Andean culture and history can be seen everywhere. From the Monasterio to the Cathedral and the Mummy Juanita museum, I truly felt the Andean and Incan roots living on in the city. At an altitude of about 2700 meters, Arequipa is sunny almost year round and barely effected by the rainy season. All I can say is Arequipa is amazing and they are definitely Arequipin' it Real. But Ancash is Better. ;)

I spent the rest of the weekend walking on the beautiful streets of Arequipa, getting my fill of iced-coffee and rocoto relleno, spending quality time with some of my favorite Peru 11ers, and watching the sunsets on a rooftop bar on the Plaza de Armas in a Poncho while sipping on Pisco Sours.

***
Total time in Peruvian buses this week: 72 hours, and well worth it*
Total doses of Cipro taken: 1
Number of Pisco Sours drank: Hmmm...
Total sunsets viewed from atop the Plaza de Armas: Not enough
Number of "That's what she said" jokes played out: I couldn't count if I tried
Number of new God-Puppies acquired: 1, Chewy

A link to my pictures from my trip
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2176808&id=7403642&l=3352d4a421

Projects Update

2009-10-21T08:31:00.000-07:00

Work has been so busy lately! After the Social Theater In-Service Training in Lima, I came back to Tumpa and completed my Improved Stoves project. Now, 10 women are proud owners of their new stoves and will be cooking in a clean, smoke-free environment from now on. What's unique about this particular project is that my participants purchased their own stoves instead of receiving them for free as part of a grant or an NGO donation. The small and poor communities in Ancash receive so many donations, fueling the culture of dependency. I asked my participants to prioritize their finances, and instead of spending their hard-earned money on frivolous purchases, to spend it on something life-changing and worth while like an Improved Stove. They're happy, I'm happy.

This week, I'll be finishing the first draft of the Social Theater Manual. It involves a lot of writing and research and makes me feel like I'm back in college. I'm also finishing up a Peace Corps Partnership Program grant for my Healthy Schools Project. This project has the most potential to be sustainable and effective. I'm requesting a grant for materials and supplies to support healthy hygiene, nutrition and environmental practices among the youth in Tumpa. We're working with the Santa Fe school and its 500 students, training the teachers, giving classes and workshops on hygiene and nutrition practices, and forming student health promoters, all with the goal of improving and developing healthy lifestyle practices. Once the grant is on the Peace Corps website, I'll be sending out emails, blogs and smoke signals with more information asking for support and donations to my project.

On top of this paperwork, I'm still going strong with my self-esteem workshop. I've been working with 90 kids between 8 and 12 years old for the past 4 months. The favorite part of my day is walking into that Primary school and getting bum-rushed by what seems like a million screaming kiddies smiling and yelling, "Sofia! Sofia!"
Last week, I celebrated Global Hand Washing Day by giving 5 different workshops on hand washing. The kids loved it - think: soapy suds, water fights, and squealing children. Soon the kids will have soap and soap dispensers in their bathrooms (thanks to the donors of my Healthy Schools grant!), so they'll be able to wash their hands every day.

This week I organized a Nutritious Food Competiton in the Secondary School to provide a fun and interactive way for the kids to learn about nutrition. 257 students participated in 10 different grade sections by creating the ideal and nutritious meal. I invited 3 women from the Health Post, Rabbit and our new Regional Coordinator Nelly to be my judges. We tried delicious and creative nutritious local foods including mazamora de quinoa, tortilla de chocho, causa de verduras y pollo, and aguitas de manzana y menta. The kids did a great job, and the winning class (5B) will receive a private cooking class with yours truly! I'm going to teach them how to cook my favorite comfort meal - Spaghetti with a classic tomato sauce, garlic bread, salad, and desert. I haven't decided what to make for the desert, so if you have any simple and delicious ideas, email me!

I'm having a great time these days and making the most of my productivity until mid-December when the school year ends. I'll celebrate Christmas in Machu Picchu with BOTH of my beautiful parents, reign in the New Year in Ancash with Grant Picarillo and his +1... and do everything I can to stay busy during the slow, rainy months of January and February - I'm hoping to take Round 2 of Quechua classes for a couple weeks and develop a Summer School program for the kids that decide to stay in Tumpa.
October is almost over, and I'm looking forward to celebrating Halloween Huaraz-Style. My costume is a SURPRISE, but I promise to post pictures after our Halloween celebration.

As always, Sending lots of Peruvian love,

Sophie

PS: For more pictures of my little rascals... http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2171787&id=7403642&l=2391b14eaa

Here's to Family

2009-10-07T08:51:00.000-07:00

On August 11, 2009, Carlos Alberto was born into this Peruvian world and became the newest addition to my host family!
...Here's the story.
Angelica is my 38 year old host mom and works as a farmer in Ancash. She never graduated from high school because she became pregnant at 17 to Juan Carlos, my host brother who is in Army school in Lima. A few years later came my beautiful host sister, Maria, 14. She's got a couple more years of high school to go, and if I have anything to do with it, she won't be getting knocked up like her mother, and will be going on to University in Huaraz or Lima to become a professional young Peruvian woman. Alberto is my host dad. He really doesn't bring much to the family, and I don't want to badmouth him on my blog so I'll leave it at that. So earlier this year, Angelica started to put on weight. We all just thought she was putting on weight, but around June, she discovered that she was indeed 5 months pregnant! (Sex-ed is severely lacking in this part of the world.)
At 7 months, Angelica's water broke, and she gave birth to a premature Carlos Alberto. He's now almost 2 months old, eats ravenously, sleeps like a Dila, and cries just enough to let us know he's a tough little man.
Last night, in our adobe kitchen, Angelica asked me if I would be Carlos' Godmother. I squealed, accepted, and gave her a huge hug - something she's still not quite used to yet. I'm going to lay so much loving on this little man over the next year, and as his Godmother, he and this beautiful family will be a part of my life for the rest of my life. So Here's to Family, all around the world.

Mid-Service Conference and Social Theater

2009-09-20T19:39:00.000-07:00

I spent last week in Lima for my mid-service conference. I reconnected with my Youth Development Peru 11 group, I checked in with my doctors for a physical and a mandatory flu shot - ouch! and I co-facilitated a 3 day Peace Corps In-Service Training workshop with Alex, another volunteer. The week was a blast. It was great to be in Lima with my Peru 11 friends, catching up, eating great food, playing mafia (so fun!), watching a little American football, and relaxing.

But the highlight of the week was definitely the training workshop.

The name of the workshop was Social Theater in Service to Community, and Alex and I taught 27 Peace Corps volunteers and community partners from all over Peru how to use theater and improv with youth to boost creativity, self-confidence, and leadership skills in the youth and to address important social issues in a community. It was so exciting to use all the drama and voice skills that I learned as a student in Connecticut with Peruvian nationals and my peers in the Peace Corps. So during three days, the participants played and endless number of improv games and dynamics, developed characters, wrote and performed monologues, and created and performed 15 minute socio-dramas on common Peruvian social issues like domestic abuse, low self-esteem, malnutrition, and teen pregnancy. Social Theater is an excellent teaching methodology, and a great way to address issues in Peruvian commuities that prevent healthy development from occuring. Everyone loved the workshop, and I feel really great about it!

The next step is that I will help create a Peace Corps manual on How to lead an IST on Social Theater in Service to Community. The idea is to make this training session accessible and available to Peace Corps programs worldwide, so that volunteers can bring Social Theater to their communities.

Well that's all for now. Be well!

Sophie

Here's a link to more pictures from my week in Lima....
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2169375&id=7403642&l=3bb3b1b961

Campo Cooking

2009-09-05T08:13:00.000-07:00

I live in a town with two small tiendas that sell basic goods like tomatoes, onions, carrots and oranges. Occasionally I’ll find mangos during the rainy season, or avocadoes or spinach. But those times are few and far between. When I go to Hauraz, I stock up on broccoli and other fruits and veggies I can’t find in Tumpa, but without a refrigerator, the produce doesn’t last long. And I don’t have an oven, so that’s out. I’ve had to get creative with my recipes in site, and I thought I’d share a few that make those cold nights just a little warmer.

Broccoli Soup (Not quite as good as Panera’s, but it does the trick)

1 onion

3-4 cloves of garlic

½ kilo of broccoli

Heavy cream

Water

Curry Powder, Chili Powder

Sauté the chopped onion and chopped garlic until soft. Blend with chopped raw broccoli, water and cream for 2-3 minutes until soupy in consistency. Add a pinch of curry and chili powder. Boil the soup for 20 minutes. Serve

Edam Cheese Sandwich with Tomato on “Pan de Piso,” Toasted in a Pan.

Place two slices of cheese and four slices of tomato on one “pan de piso” and toast over medium fire in your Teflon pan. Mix equal parts mayo and Dijon mustard as a dip.

Lentil Soup (Delicious and great source of protein)

½ cup Lentils

1 “Pollo” bullion cube

1 Carrot

2 Tomatoes

1 bunch Spinach

1 liter water

Boil lentils, grated carrot and chopped tomatoes in seasoned water for 30 minutes on medium heat. Add spinach at the last minute, stir, serve.

Simple Tomato Sauce (Inspired by Franceen, who started teaching me to cook at age 2 with pots and pans on the kitchen floor)

1 kilo tomatoes

1 large onion

4 cloves garlic

1 carrot

1 bay leaf and hongo packet

Extra Virgin Olive Oil

Salt

Ground black pepper

In large pot, sauté chopped garlic, chopped onion and grated carrot with olive oil until soft. Add chopped or pureed tomatoes and bay leaf and hongo. Add salt and pepper to taste. Serve over pasta, over chicken, or as a side to quinoa.

Tuna Fish Tacos

Sauté sliced onion, sliced tomato and sliced aji with olive oil over medium heat. When soft, add tuna and gently mix. Serve with salt and pepper in tortillas or bread.

Homemade Mac ‘n Cheese (are you that surprised?)

1 cup bowties or other short pasta

4 slices of Edam cheese

1 spoonful of butter or margarine

Evaporated milk (It’s hard to come by fresh milk in the campo, and this is the only option. It’s a blessing in disguise when it comes to Mac ‘n Cheese.)

Broccoli

Cook pasta, and add chopped broccoli to pot 3 minutes before pasta is al dente. Drain. Add cheese, butter and milk to pot of cooked pasta with broccoli and stir over low heat until desired consistency is reached. Curl up with a movie and enjoy.

The Best Chicken Noodle Soup Ever

¼ de pollo from your town’s Pollada OR ¼ roasted chicken

1 “pollo” bullion cube

1 small carrot

½ cup noodles of choice

Oregano and Thyme

1 liter water

Boil seasoned water with grated carrot, noodles and a pinch of oregano and thyme over high heat. When noodles are almost done, add chopped chicken with juices. Turn off the stove and serve.

Carrot Salad (You can add any vegetables to this salad - avocados, tomatoes, onions, cucumbers - but carrots are easiest for me to come by.)

Grate carrot. For mustard vinaigrette, mix 1 dollop mustard with 4 teaspoons vinegar and 6 teaspoons olive oil. Drizzle over carrots and crack a little pepper on top.

Spinach Salad

Serve avocado and cucumber over a bed of chopped spinach from your Organic Garden (don't forget to bleach the spinach!) and drizzle with your favorite vinaigrette. FYI, my host mom is hooked.

The 2009 Pacasmayo Marathon

2009-07-06T15:42:00.000-07:00

I just returned from Pacasmayo, a funky costal town known for its world-class surfing and fantastic ceviche, where I ran a 10K alongside fellow PCVs, Peruvian nationals and international visitors. It was a great way to celebrate the 4th of July

weekend and the passing of my 1 year in-country mark.

Training for the 10K was almost impossible, living at 10,000 feet in a rural farming town with no paved roads, b

ut I was looking for a challenge, and figured that if I survived 1 year in the Peace Corps, I could survive a 10K. I was right!

Sunday morning was cool and overcast - Winter in Peru. I gathered with about 150 runners at the starting point and off we went at 8:30am on a challenging concrete, dirt, gravel and sand course.

The physical challenge was exhilarating, hitting different types of terrain, taking in some spectacular Pacific Ocean views, and running farther than I'd ever ran before.

I thought about the past year.... how far I'd come and how much my life has changed. I've met the most incredible people and built life-long friendships. That gave me energy to keep running. I thought about my loving and supporting family, all congregated together in Massachusetts celebrating the 4th of July, and felt the good vibes they were sending me while my feet hit the ground, one foot in front of the other.

When I hit the 5K turn around point I smiled, laughed and choked

up for a second, realizing that this is exactly where I am in my Peace Corps service, embarking on the 2nd half. I finished the course in 63 minutes happy, sweaty and was greeted by cheers and applause by a crowd of friends and strangers. It was a fantastic experience. I feel fit, grounded, loved, and I'm thirsty for more of this life I'm living.*

Visit the Pacasmayo Marathon Website at http://www.maratoninternacionaldepacasmayo.com/index.html

Dad's visit! And other tales.

2009-06-10T10:48:00.000-07:00

My amazing Dad was just in Ancash for a quick weekend visit. We had a cuy feast with my host family in Tumpa, a picnic at the glacial Laguna Llanganuco, strolled through the outdoor markets, and indulged in a spa session in Huaraz.

He also accompanied me to my "hair salon" where I got an ob

noxiously short hair cut (they shaved my neck!) for 5 soles... you get what you pay for, I guess! We had a blast, and I was sad to see him go. One lesson of the weekend was that it is SO EASY to visit Peru, even for a long weekend! Flight prices are super low and fly direct from JFK. Just saying...

Just before Dad was here, my counterpart Feliciana and I attended a Peace Corps conference in Chiclayo called Project Design and Management. We designed a project called Escuelas Saludables, or Healthy Schools, that we will implement in

Tumpa over the next 6 months. The main objectives are to train student health promoters to educate their peers on healthy hygiene and nutrition practices, to make the school a greener place by planting more vegetable and flower gardens, to educate the students and teachers on environmental protection, to construct a micro-landfill to bury the school's trash instead of burning it, and to install large jugs of drinkable water in every classroom to keep those kids hydrated and parasite-free! I'll also work in the lower school on a self-esteem workshop with a motivated teacher over the next 6 months. It will be fun and refreshing to work with the little guys. So I'll start those projects right when I get back from an unexpected trip to Lima...

One of the major frustrations of my experience has been getting sick. The beginning of my service was characterized by unending gastro-problems. Besides the constant diarrhea and vomiting, I was treated for giardia and bacterial infections. In Canada, giardia is more commonly known as "Beaver Fever," because the hikers drink from seemingly pristine lakes, and unknowingly consume Beaver feces. The side effects aren't fun. But lately, it's been sinus infection after sinus infection. Being sick in Peru is so much more inconvenient than in the States. It means I loose a lot of time being out of site, which is a bummer. So I'm heading to Lima to see a specialist so I can return to site in good health and focus on my projects!

That's all for now. Thanks for reading! As always, sending you lots of Peruvian love.

Stories about Site

2009-05-18T15:28:00.000-07:00

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

2009-05-18T11:35:00.000-07:00

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.

La Lluvia

2009-03-25T11:58:00.001-07:00

"Those who journey can easily understand,
the more they see the more they'll learn,
the more that they will be.
So this I swear to you, and this I swear to me,
I'll never rest till I've seen all I can see.
No, I'll never rest till I've seen all i can see."
-Brendan James

I've survived my first rainy season in the Andes. Although it's still raining, the sunlight is in sight at the end of this proverbial rainy tunnel. Over the past few months, I've been visited by my parents, who both came up to my site and met my Peruvian family. My trips with my parents were amazing and refreshing. I found complete peace on my jungle trip with my Dad. And apart from luxing-out in a beautiful beach bungalo in the North of Peru, the real highlight of my mom's trip was when she camp up to Llanganuco Laguna with some friends and me, and captured the kodak moment that was us jumping into that glacial lake in the nude. It was hard to see my parents go, but that's the sacrifice.

*Posing in our Ancashina mantas before the big jump*

I also spent two weeks in Huaraz learning Quechua, the language of the Incas with about 10 other Ancashino volunteers. Although I did learn a good base of the language, we did manage to behave like teenagers during our classes - defacing each others notebooks, etc. I have no idea how I'm going to survive going back to school after Peace Corps. Focusing is something I just can't...

*A little mid-Quechua-class yoga...*

School has started again in Tumpa, which means that my work life has been much more productive and exciting. Although the full school transition has yet to occur (we're still missing a couple teachers), I've initiated a couple promising projects. The Ministry of Education in Peru has identified the student's reading comprehension as being one of the greatest weaknesses in education right now. Thus, the school librarian and I are working on a Library Expansion project. Through local community fundraising a Peace Corps fund, Lidia and I will purchase books of fiction and non-fiction in Spanish, English and Quechua for the students. We'll fill up the library and start some reading groups with the goal of increasing reading comprehension among students in Tumpa. I also started a Youth Social Theater Group, and we had our first performance this week! It totally brought me back to my acting days at GFA. We prepared a play about Tuberculosis and the kids performed in front of their entire school on World Tuberculosis Prevention Day. The play was followed by a parade around town. It's great to see campo kids animated and enthusiastic. This friday, I'll start tutoring English to the most outstanding English students at Tumpa's high school. So I've got some interesting and dynamic projects going, which is just the motivation I need to survive the final weeks of the rain.
Enjoy the pictures, keep in touch, and keep the packages coming!

*Play practice at the health center*

*The whole theater group, post-show, with their Tuberculosis banner getting ready for the parade*

New Photo Albums of the Rainy Season

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2144301&id=7403642&l=e59e47c4ba

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2144318&id=7403642&l=acae448bc6

Lots of love.

New Year Reflections

2009-01-26T08:15:00.000-08:00

It’s already the end of January. I think back to one year ago – I was in Ketchum, Idaho breathing in the crisp mountain air and catching edges on the ski slopes of Baldy Mountain alongside best friend and surrogate sister Peyton. I remember a particular early-morning ski run we took on the mountain. It was an absolutely freezing and devastatingly beautiful morning. Peyton had taken the morning off of her job, and bundled up together on that windy mountain, we began to soak in the reality that I’d be leaving soon to some unknown destination to volunteer in the Peace Corps and that these last moments were truly precious. I knew then that my life was about to change dramatically. I could never have imagined the ways.

I’m coming up on another birthday, and thinking back over this last year, I think it’s actually been the best one yet. I celebrated my last birthday on the slopes with my mom in Idaho. We celebrated quietly with close friends that evening. I received my Peace Corps invitation to serve in Peru that same week. The next couple of months were spent saying way too many goodbyes to brothers, sisters, nieces and nephews, friends, cities, neighborhoods, and towns. On June 4th, I took an early morning flight to Miami and was the first trainee to arrive to an extravagant hotel, the site of my Peace Corps orientation. That day 38 strangers flew into Miami from all parts of the country with all sorts of reasons for making this decision to join the Peace Corps. We all knew that day when we got on the plane that we were making a sacrifice – leaving loved ones and all that is familiar behind us and choosing the unknown for our futures. It sounds absolutely crazy, now, thinking about it, but it’s the best decision I’ve ever made. This has been the wildest and most awakening year of my life. Believe me, it has not been easy. I have hit roadblocks. I’ve shed some tears. I truly know what it means to be homesick now. I have missed my life back home. But the high moments have far outweighed the low ones, and for me, if it were easy, it wouldn’t be fun.

In 2008 I cut off a foot of my hair, skied my heart out, surfed in Santa Cruz, went to AU graduation, said farewell to Glover Park, played Kings with high school friends, planned my 5 year high school reunion, ate my last lobster, felt the family love, got on the plane, started a blog, visited Ancash for the first time, swore in as a Peace Corps Volunteer, ate my first guinea pig, voted for Barack Obama, found cell phone service just outside my adobe kitchen window, conquered my fear of spiders (well, almost), forgot just how good a hot shower feels, taught Peruvian kids how to sing in English, made pancakes with my host sister, celebrated Christmas with my host family, rang in the New Year with my Peace Corps family, went running at 10,000 ft, splashed in giant puddles with my rain boots, jumped in a glacial lake naked, channeled my inner child, and felt truly and wildly alive.

In 2009, I’ll do more yoga, read more books, obsess over the Obama Presidency, work and play with lots of adorable kids, learn Quechua, dance Huaino, and attempt to make the most of all this. And believe me, I’ll be missing you all the while. But I think it’ll be worth it. *

Christmas in the Andes

2008-12-30T07:30:00.001-08:00

I'll let my pictures tell the story this time...

Posing in front of the Health Center's Christmas tree, the only one in town!

Christmas dinner - noodle soup, guinea pig and potatoes.

Host mom and me standing outside our house.
I guess I've got a hand-on-the-hip thing going this holiday season.

Juan Carlos, my host brother, catching dinner

Dinner!
I survived the holiday in my site.
These ducks were not so lucky.

Family and neighbors toasting Christmas.

Maria, my host sister, loving her Little Mermaid light-up pen that my mother sent.

My windowsill full of holiday cards and Christmas decorations.

This is my kitchen window. This is where I get my calls.

And it certainly is a room with view.

Happy Holidays!

Wrapping up 2008

2008-12-20T07:33:00.000-08:00

December 19, 2008

It’s 10:30am on Friday morning, and I’m sitting in bed drinking a cup of earthy Ancash brew. Iron and Wine in my headphones draining out the constantly blaring huaino playing in my house. If you’ve never heard huaino, it’s the music of this region of the Andes, and it’s something like nails on a chalkboard. I digress.

It’s been a very busy, very sunny week. For late December, I'm enjoying this “rainy season,” which apparently started in September. It rains every now and then, just enough for the landscape to turn greener, for the dust settle, and to allow for an occasional afternoon nap. But the past two weeks have nothing but sunshine... And we finished the World Map!

The early stages were intense – drawing grid lines and grid lines and grid lines with Rabbit over an entire weekend was far more enjoyable than it could have been. I definitely owe that guy a beer. Then came Day One of my World Map Project… where, as described in a previous post, I sat in the rain and waited and waited and waited for the kids to show. Just two weeks later, with over 20 participants between ages 11 and 17, we drew and painted the whole wide world! It’s not the most perfect World Map I’ve seen, but it’s ours – Tumpa’s – and I love it. The completion of the map falls on graduation week, an inevitable transition time that I’ve been semi-dreading. School’s out for the summer! I always loved that… but now I’m on the flip side, living in a small Andean village where all the descendants of the Incas are about to skip town for Lima or the coast. Oh… how times have changed for us all.

I’ve set up a summer camp schedule, which would be a lot of fun if anyone signed up. I’m offering a yoga and exercise club, a movie and popcorn night, an English club, a social theater group, and youth groups using games and art as informal learning tools. I’ve advertised at the school, I've used the town’s megaphone PA system, and of course word of mouth. And three kids have signed up. Count ‘em. Think: structure in an unstructured environment… oil and water, baby. I think I’ll probably end up standing in the middle of the Plaza, bag of candy in hand, yelling “If anyone’s out there, Come play with me!!!” I’m optimistic.

Things to look forward to: Christmas is just around the corner. This is bittersweet for me. This will be my first Christmas spent without one single family member. My parents and siblings will spend the holiday together in Montreal – one night at Kay’s and one night at my Mom’s. It’s very sweet - bittersweet - for me to know that everyone will be together while I’m away. My plans aren’t so bad though… I’ll spend Christmas 2008 with Angelica, Alberto, Maria and Juan Carlos – my Peruvian family - eating pachamanca, a coveted and delicious Peruvian meal that entails cooking spiced chicken, pork, beef, beans, camote and potatoes in a giant hole in the ground for hours. We’ll eat lots of chocolate this Christmas, as goes the tradition in Peru. Mine will be bittersweet.

Other things to look forward to: My dad’s visit on January 2nd… the perfect way to celebrate the New Year! I literally cannot believe that in two weeks from today, I will be in the presence of my dad. And just one month later, I’ll be lying on a beach with my mom celebrating our birthdays. It seems like light-years ago when I said goodbye to my parents at Newark airport in the wee-hours of the morning. Saying goodbye to friends and family (once, twice, maybe three times!) without knowing exactly the next time you’ll see each other is quite the sacrifice. So when I say I’m excited to see my parents, it’s a level of excitement that I’ve never experienced before. I’m so excited it almost hurts… like I can barely think about it… so at risk of shedding a tear on my precious MacBook, I’m changing the subject!

My little friend Gianella, 11, invited me to come to her lower school graduation this afternoon to eat cuy and dance huaino. Nothing like a little mid-afternoon guinea pig feast, complete with dancing with kids and parents. On Sunday the girls want make pancakes to celebrate their graduation. I’ll show them how to make paper snowflakes so we can decorate the house a-la-Rowayton. As a Peace Corps Volunteer, the holidays can be especially difficult and lonely. Tumpa is the farthest thing from New England, Connecticut. But this holiday season I’m lucky enough to be included, as a part of the family, in the Christmas traditions of my new Peruvian family. There’s a lot to be thankful for in this big wide world.

Sending Love.

Sophie

The beginning stages...

The completed World Map! Not the most beautiful color scheme, but it's mine and I love it.

The group of girls who finished the map.

Guinea Pig. It was good.

Gianella and me, at her lower school graduation, with her diploma.

World Map Project

2008-12-12T08:40:00.000-08:00

Since the last time I wrote, lots has changed. First, I am so proud to announce to my Peruvian neighbors that I have a new President of the USA… Barack Obama. And they’re pretty excited about that fact as well. Todo es posible. Also, I’ve reconnected with the now 34 members of “Peru 11,” the volunteers I worked, sweat, cried, laughed, dreamed, and played with during training. We’ve lost 4 people since we touched down in Lima, Peru on June 6th… and we poured out a 40 for each one of those lovely people. So 6 months later, 3 months after moving to site, we reconnected to share stories, exchange ideas, and of course to work, sweat, cry, laugh, dream and play together. It was a very wonderful, very intense week, and I was glad to return to my little-piece-of-heaven mountain town in Ancash. Ancash is better, after all.

So post-reconnect, I’ve started my World Map Project. I spent all weekend painting the ocean and drawing the world’s most precise grid with Rabbit, my PCV neighbor. All week from 3-5pm I’ll be at the school with the kids drawing and painting the countries, and today was the first day. At 3:00pm exactly, I sat outside the school in the cold rain (the rainy season has begun…) waiting for the sign of just one small child. Nothing. 3:15pm. Nothing. 3:45pm. UGH… Nothing. But a few long minutes later, as if by miracle of God, out of the mist appeared 3 kids. One 11-year-old cutie pie, and two 17-year-old aspiring artistas. So up we went to the school library, the location of said World Map. (By the way, the library is completely disorganized and stocked with government-provided schoolbooks… not very exciting for the potential reader). We started out practicing drawing to scale by copying a bunny rabbit from a small square to a large square. Almost instantly, the 17 year olds stepped up to the wall and began to sketch Africa and South America. The 11 year old was more timid, though, and very hesitant to approach the daunting blue wall. Not much confianza in herself. But her practice sheets were good, and I really believed that this small child could do it! So I started to draw a small section of Australia, and gently asked her to try to finish the following small section. Next thing you know, this tiny all-star had drawn Australia, New Zealand and all of the surrounding islands…to perfection. The older kids, along with myself, were quite impressed. This is a sweet project.

The kids have two more weeks of school until their summer vacation starts. Rabbit and I are currently in the planning process of creating a summer camp for our kids. Think: basketball camp, yoga class, game hour, healthy lifestyle development workshops, movie nights (popcorn included), field trips, microscope nature club, and lots, lots more. Well maybe not too, too much more.

So yes, nearly 7 months later, I’m still having a great time in Peru.

Lots and lots of love,

Sophia

On a political note... I just couldn't help myself.

2008-10-28T10:14:00.000-07:00

I applied for my absentee ballot in early July, but about 2 weeks before Election Day, my Peruvian P.O. Box is still devoid of my Election Materials. So, with a sense of urgency, I came down from the mountain and headed into the city to fill in a Write-In ballot – a ballot for people overseas like me who just never received the absentee ballot in the mail. I’m voting in this election, one way or another.

Even at 10,000 feet in the Andes, people have heard of Barack Obama.

“He’s the black guy, right?”

“That’s right,” I say, “He’s the first African American presidential candidate in the United States. These are really exciting times.”

“Is he a good guy?”

“Oh yes, he wants to protect the rights of the people and repair friendships with countries throughout the world.”

“He’s friends with Osama Bin Laden, right?”

That one always gets me… makes my blood boil a little bit. Either by smoke signal or messenger pigeon (or other?), the Republican Party’s lies and deceptions have permeated the lives of my Quechuan-speaking neighbors. And we don’t live in Lima, we live in a remote farm town at about 10,000 feet in the Andes. The politics of fear is that strong.

I try not to talk politics with Peruvians, but when I do, I realize that (surprise!) they’re not very trusting of the United States. Can you blame them?

I’ve been so disgusted with and embarrassed by the behavior of the Republican Party over the years, but when John McCain was nominated the party’s Presidential Candidate, I was taken aback.

I thought to myself, this man is not a neo-con, nor is he ultra-conservative. He bravely served our country in Vietnam. He’s never used his 5 years as a POW to gain political respect. And he’s had a career in Washington characterized by his attempts to bridge party lines. He was not the nominee I expected.

But as this election season unfolded, I watched in disappointment as the Senator’s moral fabric deteriorated before the eyes of the world. Once again, we have bared witness to a Republican campaign characterized by falsehoods and fear. And the scariest part of it all is that this method has worked in the past.

During campaign rallies, Senator McCain and Governor Palin made no reaction or objection to their audience crying out against Senator Obama, “Terrorist!” “Muslim!” racial slurs, and “Kill him!” Seriously? What is this?

In comparison, during Obama/Biden rallies, when an audience member yelled out against Senator McCain, Senator Obama immediately responded, “There’s no need for that here.” Thank you, Mr. Obama, for maintaining your integrity. Lord knows you’ve been given ample opportunities to lash out against your offenders.

I also want to pose a general question here, and I think it’s a fair one. Since when was it considered unpatriotic and anti-American to elect the crème de la crème to be the President of the United States? What is this “elitist” bullshit that the Republicans are spinning? Senator Barack Obama is the American dream. He is an exceptional human being who worked his way up from a humble background to Harvard Law to the United States Senate. What is wrong with that, I ask? I know I don’t want some average Joe Six-pack who scored C’s in college holding the highest office in the United States and possibly the world. Sorry, Joe. But I think we deserve better than that.

The McCain/Palin camp deems Barack Obama’s tax plan socialist because he once said that the idea is to “spread the wealth.” Guess what? Taxes spread the wealth. They fund public schools, hospitals, and infrastructure alllll over the United States. I’m not even going to start with Joe – I mean Samuel the Plumber, who’s not even a licensed plumber. This ill-intentioned, deceitful name-calling perpetuates my disappointment in John McCain and the Republican Party he represents.

The McCain/Palin campaign has gone too far. They’ve so much implied that Barack Obama is guilty of treason because he sat on a charity board with Bill Ayers. And to rebuke the rumor that Mr. Obama is a Muslim, John McCain told an audience member at a campaign rally, “No, M’am, he’s not a Muslim. He’s a good family man.” Barack Obama is a Christian. But now Muslims can’t be good family men? Tell that to the family of Kareem Rashad Sultan Khan, the 20 year old Muslim-American who fought and died for our country in the Iraq War, John McCain.

I think the Republican Party is scared. It’s scared of the idea of a United States of America run by a young African American Senator from Illinois whose business is organizing communities, whose ideas are inspired and creative and whose policies from health care to the economy to direct diplomacy are humane and just what we need.

And somehow, at 10,000 feet in the Andes, my Quechuan neighbors think that Barack Obama hangs out with terrorists. The politics of fear needs to come to an end now, because it affects not only the average American Joe Six-pack, but my Peruvian neighbors as well. And it’s fabrication, all lies. The United States is better than this, and it’s time we elect a President who represent our strengths.

In an election of such paramount importance and in a time of such dire need, I feel very far away. Part of me wishes I were in D.C. right now in the midst of the excitement. Yes, I’m doing my part for my country acting as the sole representative of the United States in my small Peruvian community. I’m working with some wonderful kids, and when I find myself sucked into the occasional political conversation with my neighbors (they start it!), I do my best to emphasize the strengths of my country and to squash the vicious rumors that have reached the ears of these Andean farmers.

General Colin Powell said in his endorsement of Barack Obama that he believes that an Obama election “will also not only electrify our country, I think it’ll electrify the world.”
So from high up in the Andes I send you all back at home this message: On Election Day 2008, please look and comprehend beyond the fear-soaked-falsifications of the Republican Party. They need a time out. Instead, elect Barack Obama, a great, stable, intelligent man, to the White House. He is the best we’ve ever seen. In other words, por favor, Barack the Vote.

With nothing but love,

Sophie

Some pictures to brighten up my blog...

2008-10-28T09:21:00.000-07:00

On Sunday, I worked the midnight market shift with Angelica, my host mom... 1am to 9am. It was amazing and intense. I can't believe she sells like this 3x a week. She works haaaarrd.

Host mama Angelica on the left packing up
some chives and cilantro for her customer.

My site mate Rabbit came over for lunch - ceviche -
to talk about the cocina mejorada he's putting in our kitchen.
A cocina mejorada is a kitchen made out of adobe, bricks and tin...
with one of these, your Peruvian kitchen won't fill with smoke!

Angelica and Maria teaching me to dance like a Peruvian.

Impromptu field-trip to Llanganuco,
one of the most beautiful glacier lagunas in Ancash.

October 11, 2008

2008-10-13T13:24:00.000-07:00

Saturday evening. I just finished eating dinner with my host family – a very underrated meal which, in the campo, consists of sugar water with a pinch of insta-coffee, a loaf or two of bread and occasionally the leftovers from lunch. Lunch time is where it’s at here – a 2 course meal with fruit, bread and desert involved. So, if any of you know me, you know that my eating patters have undergone an adjustment in this country. Anyhow, I’ve begun this blog with a tangent.

I realize through talking to you that many of you have no clue what I’m doing out here in the wild! So let me explain. The first 3 months at site, a Peace Corps Volunteer (PCV) like myself spends his or her time completing what is called a Community Diagnostic Activity. The CDA is a comprehensive project designed to increase the PCVs awareness and understanding of his or her community, so that the work done over the 2 years of service can be meaningful. This is done through informal interactions – just talking to people on the street - to surveys and interviews with leaders within my community. My goal is to learn about family structure, gender roles, religion, other forms of social structure, the education and health systems, the municipality, the history of my town, folklore, local beliefs, the state of the youth, local and external organizations active in the community, among other things. Essentially, I am doing a comprehensive research project on this little mountain town that I will call home for the next 2 years.

At the end of my first 3 months in site, I will present my findings to the Peace Corps authorities and my training class at Reconnect on the coast of Peru. During these few days of heaven that I’ll spend with the 37 people I trained with in Lima, we will “reconnect” by sharing our experiences of our first months at site. Other things we’ll be sharing will be the hot Peruvian sunshine, the cool Pacific waves, Thanksgiving turkey, ceviche, and a maybe a cold beer or two. I’m looking forward to it.

So now to describe an average day at my site. Ha! As if! I have willingly relinquished the idea of a “schedule” and live life to the beat of my own drum these days. Right now, I’m in the middle of a 2-week project at the school. The Peruvian school system is divided into Inicial (Kindergarten), Primaria (Lower School) and Secundaria (Middle and Upper School). My target youth age is from 12-18, so I am spending most of my first days and months in the Secundaria. Each grade is divided into sections A and B, so of the 5 grades, there are 10 sections. Every week, each section is governmentally mandated to have 1 hour of Tutoria, an hour where a teacher leads discussions on adolescent themes like decision-making, sexuality, communication, self-esteem, etc. As a youth development volunteer, this hour is highly appealing to me for several reasons. The topics discussed during Tutoria fall under my goals as a PC volunteer of developing a healthy lifestyle, developing vocational skills and developing leadership and community involvement within the youth. Also, if I can work together with the teachers during this hour by developing meaningful workshops, then my work has the potential of sustainability once I’m gone. Hopefully, the teachers I’ll work with will continue these workshops with the kids. By attending every section of Tutoria over the next 2 weeks, I’m getting to know all the Tutors, the other teachers, the kids, and the school administration. It’s a beautiful thing. Memories of GFA definitely run through my head. I feel really fortunate to work with a school system that is not so developed as a way to give back for my awesome New England prep-school education. These days it’s all about contrast.

I’ve also identified a few other projects I’ll probably work on during my service. My town does not have a trash collector – the trash is either burned or thrown in the river. Given that my town is at the base of one of the most important glacial mountains in the world, I would like to initiate an environmental education / recycling campaign with the long-term goal of getting a trash collection truck up here. The road from the main highway to my town (a 30 minute drive up the mountain), was created only 5 years ago, so I think there’s hope in this project. I also plan to create a community garden behind the health post as a way to promote nutrition while involving the nurses in the community. Over summer vacation, the health post nurse and I plan to create a teen social theatre group. She and I, both very experience in theatre, recently attended a Peace Corps workshop on the utility of teen social theatre groups. Besides increasing self-esteem and leadership skills in the youth involved, teen social theatre groups have proved to be an excellent method in sending social messages to developing communities in need. Through these plays, we’ll cover themes like gender roles, nutrition, environmental awareness, and alcohol and drug use. I’m thinking of starting an early morning running club (yes, I said it), a yoga club, and definitely an English club… or else I’ll probably be kicked out of this town. So many adults want to learn English, and if I can figure out how to tie in this club with youth development issues, then it could be great. I’m also going to make them teach me Quechua in return.

Other than that, I cook for myself, I do yoga almost every day, I read for hours, I go on beautiful hikes and runs, I’m taking lots of pictures, catching up on the occasional episode of Gossip Girl, and hoping that you haven’t yet forgotten about me! If you ar so inclined to send me a care package, Triscuts, Sour Patch Kids, US Weekly, and any sort of chocolate is greatly appreciated. If you want more ideas, let me know. ;)

Love,
Sophie

I wrote thi a couple weeks ago...

2008-10-13T13:22:00.000-07:00

Today the rain came. It started around 3 in the afternoon when I heard thunder rolling in. The sky went from it’s usual piercing-blue to a tumultuous mix of grey hues and down came the drops, watering the parched earth beneath me. There are many reasons why La Epoca de Lluvia is well loved by the campesinos in this mountain town. The pattering of the raindrops on the mud-turned streets is symphonic, and the already stunning countryside will turn lushly green with each subsequent afternoon downpour. And coming from a girl from small-town New England, I have absolutely no idea what I’m in for. Sure, I’ve experienced my fair share of ‘Nor Easters or the occasional power-outage. But from what I understand, La Epoca de Lluvia is a whole other ball game. It’s an excellent conversation starter or filler. “They say the rain is coming… what’s it like?” “Oh yes, it’s going to rain. It rains hard. Sometimes for weeks on end.” Well, like everything else over the past 4 months, I’m jumping into this proverbial pool of rain… headfirst.

Site

2008-09-11T12:12:00.000-07:00

So since I’ve come to site, I’ve been struggling to find a way to make a blog flow the same way as the ones I wrote during training. The truth is since I arrived at my site in Ancash just over 2 weeks ago, my experiences have been intense, random, curious, wonderful, challenging, and above all, totally fragmented. Coming out of training – 3 months of non-stop structure – and finally landing at my site – well the 2 worlds couldn’t be further apart. (Read: And this girl couldn’t be happier).
So I’ll do like I’ve been told in the past: write what I know. I know that I spent the past 2 weeks without a door to my room, and therefore absolutely no privacy. I woke up at 5am every day to wood chopping, crows crowing, family chatting (very loudly), music, and occasionally my host mom standing over my straw-mattress bed – Sophia! - letting me know her plans for the day, or whatever.
And the changes don’t end at the lack of doors and locks. I took my first (of two so far) showers like everybody else - with a big bucket in the middle of the patio in broad daylight. It was a slightly scary and very humbling experience, but at least I caught some rays. When you join the Peace Corps, things change.
I am one of the lucky volunteers with cell phone service, although spotty. I get a signal, but only when I’m on my tippy-toes hanging half-way outside my adobe kitchen window, so if you call and I don’t pick up, it’s because I’m currently not on my tippy-toes hanging outside my kitchen window. Leave a message, I’ll call you back. Actually, I probably won’t, my pocket’s a little light these days.
Lets see… more changes. I now eat guinea pig on a fairly regular basis. If deep-dish is to Chicago, guinea pig is to Ancash. And lucky me – that thing is packed with protein and kind of tasty. Seriously. While we’re on the topic of eating pets… I’m told there is an annual festival on the other side of the mountain where the townspeople slaughter and eat...cats. My host family is playfully threatening to prepare me cat but pretend it’s chicken or duck, and once I’m finished eating my meal, well, the joke will be on me. Mountain humor is somethin’ else.
One of the best parts of these past 2 weeks has simply been catching my breath and letting it all sink in. I’m starting to have those moments – “Oh my god, I’m in the Peace Corps, I’m in Ancash, I’m actually doing this!” – I finally have the time to let these realities sink in. And it feels great.
My host family is wonderful, funny and protective. My host sister is adorable. And my neighbors all seem really nice too. I am primarily partnered with a nurse, Feliciana, a modern and smart young woman – and she’s already really involved in community development. She’s full of ideas for youth development and we have some exciting activities lined up for this month. At the end of this month, we’re going to attend a Peace Corps Training Workshop on youth theatre groups as a way to reinforce leadership and community participation. Obviously I’m thrilled. Things are going well.
It’s one step at a time, and I’m slowly getting integrated – and acclimatized – in this beautiful mountain community that I am so lucky to call my home for the next couple of years.
I joined the Peace Corps because I wanted to experience something radically different than my life in Connecticut and DC, to gain a new perspective, and I’m embracing the changes.
Well, most of them.
Did I mention I have fleas?
Hasta la proxima!

Closer to the Sun

2008-08-13T19:16:00.001-07:00

One beautiful day during June of last year, I stepped into the elevator after my very first interview at Peace Corps headquarters in DC, waited until the doors slid shut, and did a little dance for joy. Ever since that first point of contact with Peace Corps, I’ve been imagining – dreaming – of what my site would look like. Would I be in Africa weaving baskets with native tribal women? Would I be living on a remote island in the South Pacific learning an entirely new language? Or would I be on Playa Hermosa in Costa Rica? After 14 months of waiting, my site placement was fished out of my training center’s pool. You heard me. Now lets just back this truck up for one hot minute and clarify a few things. My site was typed on a small piece of paper, rolled up, and tucked inside a blown-up balloon by the controllers of my destiny. The same was done for all 37 of my Peace Corps friends. After these months of anticipations, the Site Placement Ceremony began. One by one we approached the pool and fished out the balloons containing the sites of our friends, and one my one the stars aligned as we discovered our placements throughout Peru. It was a very emotional day in all the best possible ways. Now let me tell you a little bit about my site.

It’s paradise.

For the next 2 years I’ll be a resident in the department of Ancash in the sierra of Peru. Ancash is home to over 70 snow-capped mountains, over 100 crystal blue glacier lagoons, and all the extreme hiking and mountain sports you can dream of. My town is located at the base of Huascaran, the largest snow-capped mountain… in the tropics… in the world. The view is nothing less than spectacular. Less than 3,000 people live in my site, and they all speak Spanish and Quechua, the language of the Incas. The women wear traditional dress – bright colorful skirts paired with stylin’ sombreros. (Pictures to come, I’m totally buying an outfit!)

As a Youth Development Volunteer, I will work with the Health Post, the Municipality and the secondary school in my site on themes like healthy lifestyle development, vocational skills, community involvement and leadership. My work partner is a motivated young nurse who already works with kids in the schools and has tons of great ideas.

I visited my site last week and met a few leaders in the community and spent time with my new family. My host parents Angelica and Alberto are a young couple – younger than my siblings! – with a 19 year old son who trains for the military in Lima and a 12 year old daughter who lives with them and attends the school where I’ll work. Her name is Maria, and when I told her she has the same name as my real sister, she was very excited. She is beautiful and sweet and pure and I know she will become a very important part of my life here in Peru. My family is quiet, sentimental, traditional, funny and wonderful. At one point during the week I became pretty sick (totally normal for this job), and they cared for me like one of their own with that one Peruvian remedy of fresh oregano and mint tea, and that other Peruvian remedy of good old-fashioned TLC. The people in these mountain communities are shy, but with time and trust, I think I’ll be welcomed as a part of the greater community family.

Now lets get to the most important topic… food! It is Peruvian custom to welcome guests with a good meal(s). My family had a special afternoon planned for me when I arrived, starting at my host grandparent’s house. They have about 10,000 guinea pigs. Guess what I had for lunch? After slitting the throats of two of the fattest guinea pigs right there on the table at which I was seated, my grandmother Margarita proceeded to prepare one of the most memorable meals of my life (No offense, mom!). Let me tell you what – watching 2 little guys be drained of the blood, dehaired and cooked up might not get your mouth watering – but lets just say I was thankful I skipped breakfast that day. Lunch started out with a big bowl of soup. Then came the main course. On top of a mountain of rice and accompanied by E I G H T large potatoes, my spiced guinea pig took its throne. Lunch was followed up with an orange and a glass of soda. I ate every last bite. And it was pretty tasty, but it was the most I’ve ever eaten in one sitting. I definitely felt nothing less than victorious after I cleaned my plate (clean plate club has a whole new meaning). And if that doesn’t sound impressive, I dare you to visit me and see if you can handle it.
So the running joke of the week was that I’d eaten my mascota, or pet. My host family is very excited for my real family to come visit so they can serve them guinea pig too, and then they’ll love it and then they’ll return to the States and prepare the dish for all their gringo friends! Book your tickets and Get ready, family!!!

I’m thrilled to be living in a traditional and more conservative Peruvian society, and I think I’m going to have a very unique and rich experience in my site. The sun sets over the Cordillera Negra, a seemingly never-ending mountain range that I overlook from my small mountain town set high up in the sky.

On August 22, 2008, I will swear in as a United States Peace Corps Volunteer, and I’ll move to Ancash to start my service. I can’t believe training is almost over. I couldn’t have imagined this experience in my wildest dreams. I hope you enjoy the pictures and stories. Thank you to my family and friends for your continued support, and I wish you all LOTS of Peruvian love. XO.

Field-Based Training

2008-07-21T07:53:00.000-07:00

Field-Based Training
I just returned to Lima after a week out in the field – experiencing the real Peru. 10 of us Youth Development trainees boarded the cheapest and most luxurious bus you’ve ever imagined – Peruvians do it right – and headed 16 hours north to beautiful Cajamarca. This department is in the Sierra of Peru – beautiful green mountains of all sizes are reminiscent of the Spanish or Italian countryside. During the dry season the weather is perfect – clear and crisp air, hot sunshine, and cool nights. The rainy season, of course, is rainy… but everything gets even greener. It’s pretty dreamy. I visited 4 surrounding pueblos in the campo, from about 300 (tiny!) to 7,000 residents in population and worked with the volunteers in their classrooms and youth groups. I gave a workshop on values and self-esteem, taught an English class and lead some ice-breaking dinamicas with some really cool youth groups. People in the Sierra are very different from those on the coast – more conservative, traditional, and timid… so this made classroom interactions interesting! Most of the time the kids just blink at you – they aren’t used to answering questions or providing their own opinions. And gender roles are accentuated so that if there is participation, the boys talk and talk, and the girls sit quietly whispering among one another and don’t participate. It would be amazing to work with this population and see if they open up a little over the next 2 years. During my visit in San Marcos, this beautiful pueblo of 7000pop with a Plaza and fountain, paved streets, surrounded by gorgeous mountains (I digress), we visited the radio station where one of the PCVs had a monthly radio show discussing themes like self-esteem, sexual abuse, nutrition, etc. This was really effective in her community because most of the population in her town is illiterate. I listened to one of her broadcasts, and it honestly sounded just like NPR… very cool. Visiting the tiny pueblo was amazing – I’ve never seen anything like it. Forget paved roads, forget municipalities, forget health posts… think 1 small school and a couple homes scattered on a lush hillside, think farm animals everywhere, think latrines (actually, think peeing in a salad bowl in your room), think wood burning stoves and semi-roofed homes. The women wear traditional Cajamarcan dress and they are very proud of their hats. We had an amazing picnic at Lindsey’s host sister’s house in her yard overlooking the countryside. We prepared tomatoes, cucumbers and peppers – treated them with bleach – and made good old-fashioned turkey sandwiches. Life in the campo is slow and beautiful. In Cajamarca city, we talked with one PCV and the NGO he works with which aims to eradicate illegal child labor, one kid at a time. They target kids under 14 years old selling candy in the streets or carrying wheelbarrows in the markets. Shockingly, Peruvian NGO’s exist actually encouraging these youth to work, providing them with wheelbarrows and teaching them how to lift them properly. The adversity is great, but this PCV has remarkable accomplishments within this city. Talking and learning from the PCVs this week has made everything so much more real. During my last afternoon we did all the typical Cajamarcan touristy things. I checked out a few museums housing colonial-era Friar-run hospitals and Pre-Incan artifacts dating around 1000 BC, visited beautiful churches made of volcanic rock, tasted and bought some Cajamarcan cheese, and had one last ice cream – it competes with Italian gelato. After this trip to the mountains, I feel reminded of my original intent in joining the Peace Corps. I want to experience a culture totally different from mine, I want to be free of material and modern influences, and I want to live among the traditional people of Peru, and learn and grow from it all. Overall, I feel pumped and ready to go. Be well, and stay in touch!
Sophie

July 4th, 2008

2008-07-04T10:32:00.000-07:00

I can’t believe I am about to write this… but today marks the completion of 1 month in Cuerpo de Paz Peru. I truly feel like I got here yesterday… the days go by slowly, but the weeks just fly. I have learned more in the past month than ever before, experiencing the highest of highs while I navigate through this new chapter: Volunteering in Peru. Not that it’s been all roses; there have been hard moments and difficult realizations too, although few and far between. But did I mention my group is fantastic? We’re in this together, we’re going to support each other throughout this adventure, and I have complete confidence in this support.
I've spent the morning playing the greatest field games with my PC group - in full out in-it-to-win-it mode - and yes we won many activities. Dizzy bat, wheelbarrow races, water balloon throws, cracker eating contests, etc. Happy 4th!!!
So in the past month I have… Felt very much at home. Taken glacier-cold (not exaggerating) showers. Actually communicated with my family, in conversational Spanish, on a regular basis! I mean, we totally understand each other! Eaten rice and potatoes EVERY day, multiple times a day …and kind of liked it. Watched a chick flick in Spanish, and cried. Ran for President, and lost (I’ll get ‘em next time!). Had 2 really successful meetings with my youth group at the school in my town. Played more self-esteem building games than I can remember, and gotten completely in touch with my inner-child. Become really close with my host family. Experienced an earthquake. Played soccer with Peruvians. Shopped for food with my Mama in a wild outdoor market: think Peruvian Mamas poking, prodding, handling whole raw chickens. Taken the most crowded “bus” in the world, everyday. Craved coffee. Been visited by lots of awesome PC Volunteers. Conquered my fear of shots. Accepted giant flying crickets as my permanent roommates – they’re no Courtney and Nina! (Haven’t had any spider-sightings lately, but word on the street is Tarantulas are big here). Learned how to plant vegetables and make my own garden at Lima’s Agriculture University… can’t picture me with a rake and hoe? Guess again! Seen, breathed, felt, loved the Pacific Ocean. Fallen in love with the Spanish language again. Realized a Nuevo appreciation for chocolate… cake (as you can imagine, it’s becoming a problem). Changed my US dollars for Peruvian soles with a yellow-shirt-wearing person on the street. Dreamed big and held high hopes in the midst of poverty. Had some small victories in the gastro-intestinal department, emphasis on small. Attended the Corazon de Jesus Fiesta in my pueblo and danced… and watched in absolute amazement as the giant wooden float-like structures exploded with fireworks and sparklers. Loved the popularity of American 80’s and early 90’s music in Peru. Been SO excited to hear that LOST is sold on dirt-cheap pirated DVDs in absolutely every major city in this country (There is a God). Adopted the nickname “Mamita” gladly. Had a serious gossip session with 3 fabulous ladies in the back of a crowded bus on the way home from Lima. Lived off of $3.00 a day easily. Missed my mama. And my papa. And whoever is reading this, I’ve missed you too. (And Rose too!!!) Experienced some serious self-discovery. Been gently lulled to sleep by the sound of 10-20 dogs barking/fighting, ducks quacking, crickets (I mean, my roommates) singing, roosters crowing (my neighbor has 10 roosters, and they DO wake up at 4:30). Tasted cow intestine and stomach… and not liked it so much. Danced “sexy” and discussed Peruvian pick-up lines with my Spanish teacher… and she’s a woman… and she was a nun for 10 years. Woken up at 6 and gone to bed at 9 pretty much everyday. Learned how to teach and manage a classroom of 38 kids when I was expecting only 12... in Spanish. Explored, explored, explored. Soaked it all in. And loved every minute of it.
PAZ Y MUCHOS ABRAZOS.

¿Que Novelas?

2008-06-17T16:43:00.000-07:00

Crickets. Giant crickets. That fly. Arroz with every meal. Spending more than 90% of my day outdoors. NOT excercising, unless you consider lifting baby wipes instead of weights a form of excercise. My sleeping bag - that and my pillow are my most prized posession. Cold showers. Charlas. Awakening my creative side. Dressing down and no makeup. LOVING my short hair. Being pleasantly surpised daily - often. Coffee withdrawl. Alfahoras. White noise used to be ambulances and traffic in DC, now it´s roosters, dogs, ducks, and other wildlife. Potty-talk. The neighborhood kids. Guinea pigs. Pushing myself and learning so much. Being devoid of American/World news/pop-culture... (who wants to volunteer to send me US weekly!!) Cebiche. Crystal. Potatoes, hundreds of types. Rice. Potatoes. Rice. Rice. Rice. Get the point? La bicicleta! Outdoor classrooms... greatest thing since sliced bread. Mucho apoyo. Llamas! Combis. Chocolate cake... some things never change. Feelings of wonderment, humbleness, thanks, sheer joy, excitement and anticipation and dread, longing for home and the ¨status quo¨- but being so thankful for this experience. Poco a poco. It`s all very overwhelming. Dealing with a multiplicity of contradictions, and embracing the hell out of them. Making fantastic friends, and having so much in common. Toughest job I`ll ever love.

Earthquakes

2008-06-07T13:42:00.000-07:00

Appropriately, this morning, my first day in Peru, I experienced my first earthquake with my 38 new friends. As we ate our eggs and ham, the dining hall began to lightly tremble... But since the waiters pouring cafe con leche appeared totally unphased, well, we laughed it off! It really was no big deal - apppropriate really - as I´m sure this morning was the first of many small earthquakes - real and metaphorical - that I´ll experience in this fabulous country. After lunch, Glenn tried to feed an alpaca some chocolate, but that rude little alpaca spit on him. We´re already rolling with the punches. The weather is amazing - 70 degrees in the dead of winter here. I love my group, training is wonderful, and our leaders are amazing people. I have absolutely no complaints whatsoever, and I am so filled with emotion. Tomorrow I´ll move into my homestay for the next 3 months... and classes start on Monday. Can´t wait. XO.

One Week

2008-05-28T07:41:00.000-07:00

Here we go. I haven't written in a journal since I was six. Maybe five. I haven't written a paper in a year. Right now, I'm more nervous about sounding pretentious or self-righteous in this blog than I am about going to the Peace Corps, so bear with me.
So about that Peace Corps thing... I'm off in a week. I've been waiting for a year. Here we go. I haven't packed. I've started shopping for those little last-minute nick-knacks like hiking backpacks, duffel bags, day packs, you know... details. But the physical act of packing has yet to start. Maybe I should get on that so I don't induce a major panic attack before I begin THE greatest adventure of my life. (Am I sounding nervous yet?)
This year has been a complete whirl-wind... living in Ketchum and reconnecting with Peyton was by far the best decision I made this post-scholastic year.
This month has been a complete whirl-wind... I've visited almost every family member on my living family tree, played with the most adorable babies and kids who I am SO lucky to call my nieces and nephews, surfed, eaten my weight in: cheese/pasta/sushi/vegetables/fruit/allthingsIprobablywon'teatfor27months, stayed up til wayyy past my bedtime with friends from college and high school, stayed up til wayyy past my bedtime with my sister sharing the most personal and intimate stories, thoughts, fears, hopes for the future... I laughed, I cried, and I soaked it all in. My fuel for the next 27 months. Here we go.