Heading south...

As you could probably tell from my last post, my original plans have changed quite a bit. Originally I intended to stay in Peru for 3 months, traveling a bit after I finished my volunteer work, and arriving  home in time for the wedding of a close family friend. However, I realized quite quickly I would need more time abroad and decided to return to the marvelous city of Buenos Aires after my time in Peru. I found a cheap flight, arranged to stay with friends for at least a month and that was that. I leave for BA a week from Sunday and I am really looking forward to it!

For the moment, I am sitting in the courtyard of my hostal in Arequipa. Arequipa is the second largest city in Peru (3rd being Trujillo). It is located in the south and many people come here en route to Lake Titicaca and Cusco (Machu Picchu) in particular, which is exactly what i am doing. Arequipa, as far as I can tell, is a really beautiful city. The scenery is flanked by 3 large volcanoes that neighbor it. I was almost surprised by the beauty of Arequipa upon entering. The plaza de armas is full of large trees and white stone structures. After spending so much time in the desert, this is a very welcome change of scenery.

I'm feeling much more energized and less emotional than in my last post, excited for the journey that lay ahead. Tonight I will travel to Puno, which is the city closest to Lake Titicaca. Tomorrow I will take a day trip to the islands on the lake. After that I will travel again by bus to Cusco where I will spend the week. I'm really looking forward to being in one place for a substantial amount of time. Since Monday, I have traveled from the beach town of Mancora in the very north of Peru to Arequipa in the very south. Lots of busses to say the least. Thank goodness for bus cama (very comfy seats).  When I arrive to Cusco I plan to book a 3-4 day trek to Machu Picchu. I didn't come very prepared for hiking and camping but am crossing my fingers that my gear is just fine.

I'm beginning to meet people in the hostals and fall into the groove of backpacking in South America. It's a way of life for a temporary period of time, but its amazing how many people are doing exactly the same thing. Sometimes when you are surrounded by thousands of people you can feel very lonely, and sometimes when you are all by yourself you can feel comforted with knowing you are really not alone at all.

On to the next chapter...

I have just arrived in Lima after 3 months in Trujillo. I am much, much sadder than I predicted I would be even days before leaving. I felt sad the week before I left. Sad to leave the friends I made, the city I came to know and the children at SKIP I grew to love. Not to mention some romance to boot.

At the same time, I was ready to leave. Although I enjoyed the work I was doing with SKIP I also grew a bit bored of it at the same time. Also, living in a house with nearly 20 people can be tiring at times.

However, as I sit here in my hostel in Lima, I feel a myriad of emotions. I am very sad to have left my life in Trujillo and the friends I made. I feel a bit lonely right now and I think it may be because I am used to having someone around me at all times. I'm nervous for the rest of my journey, as it will be a much more solitary experience. I often forget how difficult change is for me and become shocked at my emotions each and every time I experience a great change. It's hard to prepare yourself for an emotion you do not feel at that moment. Looking back, the people at SKIP were incredible and I feel so lucky to have met them all. I miss them so much already.

My experience at SKIP was about coming to know a new culture, meeting new friends from all over the world, and gaining experience working with children and families living in extreme poverty.

I am looking ahead to the rest of my journey and I am yearning for a friend by my side. Hopefully I will meet people while traveling and hopefully I will not feel lonely in Buenos Aires. I am reminding myself of the fortune I have to be able to travel like this. I am also reminding myself I have spent the last 24 hours traveling by bus and I am very, very tired. I do another 15 hours on bus tomorrow and I feel it is too much. Perhaps I will look into a flight. It is nearly 10pm and I am hoping for a good 9 hours of sleep (just enough to wake up in time for breakfast).

I'm looking forward to feeling refreshed tomorrow and continuing to reflect on past, present and future.

hace mucho tiempo!

hello blog world!

It's been a while since I last wrote on here and I think it's time I added a new post. It's hard to know where to begin.  I think I'll start with the guinea pig. A pet in the state but a delicousy in Peru. It's eating quite commonly here and I here is especially popular at festivals or holidays. I decided to try this furry friend, since when in Rome...I went with a Peruvian friend, Jorge, to a lunch spot across the city. We ordered a platter to share of half a guinea pig, rice, potatoes in a spicy red sauce. The cuy, as guinea pig is referred to in Peru, was interesting. I did somewhat enjoy it, but I am not sure I'll ever eat it again. All I kept thinking of was the furry pet I would see in the pet show growing up. This is a mascota (pet), not a food, I told Jorge, to his amusement! The cuy tasted good but was very fatty. It was a challenge to find a lot of meat and I wasn't willing to suck it off the bone as was Jorge. As cliche as it sounds, it essentially tasted like chicken or other game meat. To wash down the Cuy, we shared a large bottle of Inca Kola, which might as well be the national soda. It's yellow in color and I had been warned by many people (those not from Peru) that it was incredibly sweet. I actually thought it tasted better than I'd been prepared for. To me, it tasted a bit like cream soda, surprisingly.

I've come to enjoy (most) Peruvian food, the good, the bad and definitely the ugly; but I do have to admit I have started cooking my own food increasingly often!

up the mountain we go..

I've settled into life in Peru and much has happened over the last several weeks. It's been quite busy; full of traveling and exploring and teaching and learning. I'm certain I'm gaining more than I am giving here in Peru.

Last weekend I traveled six hours northwest by bus to the city of Cajamarca with 2 other SKIP volunteers. Cajamarca is in the mountains and was a welcome change of scenery. Since I've been in Peru, my bargaining skills have increased since you bargain for just about everything here. After visiting about 5 different hostals around the plaza in the center of the city we were able to bargain down the price at one hostal to about $8 a night per person. The room was nothing more than a cement cell with three beds and a window. However, the private bathroom and hot water were the real selling point. It was truly all we needed in a room. What struck me about this place, called Hostal Peru, was the Jewish star next to the name. As I approached the desk I saw a makeshift sign in Hebrew on the wall. The only word I could make out was "Israelis." This really caught me by suprise as I was under the impression that there were essentially no Jews in Peru. Except for me at this point. When I asked the guy behind the counter if the owners were Jewish, he gave me a bit of a puzzled look and told me that the daughter of the owner married a Jewish guy. Not sure why that would prompt them to market their entire hostal with a Jewish star, but I accepted it. The next day the owner herself was there so I asked her about it. From what I could understand, her family have some Jewish blood from generations back and her oldest daughters have moved to Israel and converted to Judaism. I guess she was inspired? Either way, I found it amusing I found a "Jewish" hostal.

I could feel the difference in altitude as we gradually ascended winding curves along the mountains. Upon reaching Cajamarca and journeying from hostal to hostal, up and down flights of stairs, I could feel the pressure in my lungs just a bit more than I normally would. Our last day in Cajamarca we ascended even further to a place called Cumbemayo.  Cumbemayo is the name given to natural rock formations in the mountain side. They are pretty amazing and our guide pointed out that several of them looked like animals or other figures. It was wonderful to do a bit of hiking and climbing around/on/under these formations. The story goes that at one point these mountains were completely covered in ice and when it began to melt the water created these unique stone structures. The Incans, however, did not use science for explanations, but rather magic and spirituality, and thus believed these stone structures were some sort of magical creations. The mountains were beautiful and littered with Peruvian women and children in typical dress, most begging for money, sadly enough. Many with sheep or dogs by their side. The children follow you and when you stop begin singing a song for you in hopes that you with give them some centimos. While I lament the fact that I only have sneakers rather than hiking boots, these children are running around barefoot as if the soles of their feet are made of rubber. They know the intricacies of these mountains like the back of their hand. The lives of Peruvians here are so completely different from the life I know in the US, but in many ways the common threads of humanity between us are transparent. Aside from understanding the presence of basic needs such as food, shelter and safety, one can see the comraderie of friends, the comfort of family and the joy of play.

I've settled back in Trujillo and this week was full of teaching and learning. I am planning a workshop with the psychologist this weekend for parents of children in the Guarderia. I feel so grateful to be working on things that are professionally relevent for me. I hope to write more about what I am doing at SKIP in the next post. Life here is busy, not too busy, but just about right.

Lots of people in tight spaces...and other various observations

It´s been some time since my last post, due mostly to the lack of internet in the house currently. But I´ve found a locutorio (essentially a convenient store with internet and telephones) that has fast internet and cost about 40 cents an hour. So here I am.

It´s incredible in Peru how resourceful the people are when it comes to space. The combis, or mini-buses, that crowd the city streets pack the riders in like sardines. One person hangs out the front door yelling to people on the street the destination of the combi, hoping they will jump on. Often you hear cries of ¨Huanchaco, Huanchaco¨ which is the beach town nearby. The bus may stop for you to get on, but you can´t always be sure it will come to a complete stop when you are getting off. More surprising than the buses, however, are how many people ride in one taxi or even on a bicycle. Usually the volunteers share a taxi to work or wherever else we may be going. Rather than 7 people taking 2 taxis (how silly) we jam pack into one. Unlike in Boston, where fitting even 5 people into one taxi is some sort of sin, the drivers generally don´t mind and don´t charge anymore. Even more amazing, are how bicycles are used in El Porvenir. El Porvenir is the district of Trujillo where the SKIP offices are located. It´s a very impovershed area here in the desert with scant resources. It´s not uncommon to see a father riding a bicycle with 2 or 3 children placed in various places on the bike. I was surprised when, after working in the nursery, the older brother of a 4 year old boy came to pick him up. The 8 year old took his 4 year old brother onto his bike and they rode home together like that. It´s truly a different world, yet similar at the same time. I´m still becoming accustomed and learning cultural norms, which happens to be fascinating for me. I think if I could spend my life becoming immersed in new cultures and learning new languages I would never get bored. However, reality calls.

But, for the time being, here I am :)

Arroz con leche...y helado y chocolate..

According to most parents, dinner comes before dessert. I guess the same will be true for this blog post. But clearly it's about the dessert. Apparently each week someone in the house makes dinner for everyone and we eat family style. The new volunteers are supposed to do it, so my week may be coming up soon. Any suggestions on what to make would be much appreciated. I think the idea is to do something from your home country, but what is American food anyways?? I'm surely not making hamburgers and french fries...Anyways! Ursula, a volunteer from California, but raised in Peru, cooked last night. She made rice with lentils and fried bananas. Very delicious. Moreso with aji added to it, which is a hot pepper sauce they add to just about everything here. We had it with beer, aptly named Trujillo. It tasted like bud light diluted with water. But the beer was just an added bonus anyways. When the meal was finished, I mentioned I was craving some chocolate, as I often am after a savory meal. The others agreed and said they wanted ice cream. Jenna, an australian volunteers, and I offered to go across the street and buy some. As we were leaving, Cat, a volunteer from the UK, offered to make Arroz con Leche with the heaps of leftover rice. Not knowing what arroz con leche was (aside from the name giving it away) she explained its rice with milk, sugar, butter, cinnamon, cloves etc. I thought it sounded fine, but we decided to get the ice cream and chocolate in addition. Upon return from the store (with chocolate chip ice cream and chocolate con mani in tow) we discovered the arroz con leche made. With my first taste, I had the kind of moment you only get when you are so pleasantly surprised with the intensity of your enjoyment at that moment. It was sweet, buttery goodness. Already full from the meal, I gave myself seconds when I realized that if you added ice cream to this heated concoction it became infinitely more delicious. Then when chunks of the chocolate bar were added, my mind was blown. The british called this rice pudding, which I of course had heard of but never tried as how appealing can rice pudding be? But I had been foolish before today, the rice pudding wins.

Training meeting

Today we had several training meetings which reinforced for me both the organization of this NGO and also how much it falls in line with my skills and interests. The two trainings were on consistent behavior reinforcement and child development, with the second being on group dynamics. Both topics that are highly useful when doing social work with children. It is a shame that my Spanish is not better and I am not here longer as I could get some very valuable social work experience here. There is a social work and psychology team that track cases and set up behavior plans for children, as well as work with the entire family. I like the holistic approach that SKIP takes to educating children. They recognize that children do not live in bubbles and in order to thrive each aspect of their lives must be attended to. The success of the child truly depends on the entire family, maybe even the entire neighborhood. Thus SKIP, an organization focused on education for youth, has not only social workers and psychologists, but also an economic development team that provides microloans and helps set up other projects for adults in the community. Moreover, SKIP utilizes members of the community to run the nursery, teach classes and play other various roles. It is not an organization completely run by outsiders, but involves community members, something necessary for the success of such an organization. The website for SKIP is skipperu.org in case you want to read more about it.

Hasta pronto!

Cebiche

Cebiche - good, but I'm not sure how much I can eat in one sitting. I think it will take some getting used to. Essentially it is raw fish that cooks in lime juice. Quite spicy as well. I'll post pictures of it later to give you a better idea. Cebiche or Ceviche is served all over Peru and Cevicherias are very common.

First two days at the SKIP house

Upon arrival at the SKIP house, Fran gave me a tour and sheets and a towel. I took a shower and fell fast asleep. It's quite cold here, especially when the sun is not out. So I was a bit chilly under the blankets but I have found that as long as I wear long pants, socks, shirt and sweater to bed, I'm usually bien. I guess usually in Winter there is sort of a gray haze that blankets the sky, but the past two days it has actually been sunny with blue skies. I told people I brought the sun from home, but I'm not sure they bought it. I can't wait for it to warm up just a bit. I think I forgot how cold the 50s can be (at night) what with all the hot weather we have had this summer at home. It's generally in the low 60s during the day.

When I woke up from my nap I met the other volunteers. They are all very nice and seem to be in their mid to late 20s. I was worried I may be with all younger people but that doesn't seem to be the case thus far. There are 9 volunteers currently living in the volunteer house, apparently it has capacity for about 20 people. I think more should be arriving in the coming weeks. SKIP has been on break for the past 3 weeks so things are just beginning up again. The classes don't begin for 2 more weeks and the offices don't open up for another week. I would like to get started, but at the same time I am greatful for some time to adjust. I will explain more about the SKIP organization in another post.

On Monday (my first day here)several of us we went to Huanchaco. Huanchaco is about a 20 minute taxi ride from Trujillo. It is a beach town where surfing seems to be quite popular. It seems a bit nicer than our barrio of Trujillo with perhaps more gringos, mostly in the warmer months though. I had my first taste of Peruvian cuisine out at dinner that night. I had a massive bowl of soup with what seemed to be cabbage and rice in a chicken broth. It was delicious. For my main course I had pollo saltado. It is essentially chicken stirfried in sauce with some vegetables. Served with rice and french fries. I think everything must be served with rice here. It was pretty good. After dinner we went to a very unique coffee shop. It had a room with a huge round cushion type thing and flat screen TV where we watched a movie. Boys Don't Cry was what we ended up with. Good film but really tragic and depressing. Maybe not the best choice for a Monday night!! I was so tired by the end that I was very happy to return to the house and hit the hay.

I told Sam, one of the other volunteers, that I never sleep late. That if I sleep til 9:30 it is a very good morning. So when I slept til noon the next day I surprised both him and myself! I guess I really needed that sleep. I got up and we covered donated books for the SKIP library in plastic. A few hours later we went to the SKIP offices and tidied up the library there a bit and organized some of the classrooms. I have yet to get my specific assignment but I think it will be in the guarderia or nursery. That night, five of us went and saw Hitchcock's Vertigo in a theater in the city center. I liked the film okay, not sure why it's such a classic though. I thought there were too many plot holes. But I'm no film critic.

Off to try my first ceviche! mas luego

El Mercado

There is an open market a few blocks down from the house that is absolutely massive. Today was my first venture there but I'm sure it will not be my last. I hope to return and take some pictures to show. I was quite intimidated on my first visit. Primarily because I don't feel adept to communicate with the vendors and various other people talking to you in the aisles. The market sells vegetables, fruit, meats, clothes and other household products and pretty much anything else you can imagine. Bargaining is a way of life there and things rarely sell for their asking price. But it is cheap cheap cheap either way. What struck me the most at first was that this was not a place for vegetarians. There were chickens hanging with the guts hanging out in all their glory. Chicken feet are plentiful and must be quite popular. Full animals hang, not sure what they are, perhaps goats. Leaving the market I saw pigs in a bag, quite heartbreaking to say the least. I could feel my stomach churn; this may take some getting used to. There were more bananas than I thought could be in one place. Literally streets full of bananas. Big, little, plantains. You name it. I ended up with carrots (one carrot may be the thickness of 4 carrots, incredible) and bananas. A good start I suppose. People walk around with wheel barrows asking to carry your things. I couldn't understand them and so at first thought they were asking if I would like a ride. I'm sure they would do that to. I will definitely return to the market. I'm sure it will be a great way to work on my spanish and get some good veggies and fruits for next to nothing. Tomorrow I'll write about the taxis, quite an experience each and every time...

Live from Peru

I've finally arrive to the southern hemisphere after many, many months of decision-making and planning. I'm relieved to finally be here and beginning to learn the culture, daily rhythms of life here and continuing to work on my Spanish. Unfortunately, for the latter, I have not been speaking it nearly as much as I should as often the volunteers speak English with one another. Despite this, I do think it is improving each day. Peruvian Spanish, unlike the Spanish I experienced in Argentina, is very clear and much like the Spanish one learns in school. Maybe if they didn't speak so fast I would actually understand more than half of what they are saying. BUT at least I'm understanding half.

Getting here was an adventure in and of itself. I left Pittsfield at 4:45 on Saturday afternoon and picked up the train in Wassaic. From there I arrived to NYC around 8:45 and spent a few hours at a friends apartment. A car picked me up at 3:30 am to arrive at JFK. My flight took off on time at 6:20. I had an hour layover in San Jose, Costa Rica and then finally arrived to Lima at 3:15. The journey through immagration and customs was quite painless. Upon entering the outside area of the airport I was bombarded by taxi drivers offering to take me to my destination (as Lonely Planet warned me I would be). I politely declined their offers (or maybe not so politely) and chose to sit in the airport for 4.5 hours as my bus did not leave for Trujillo until 10pm. After many hours passing the time reading, making friends with the nice waiter at the coffee shop and doing some excellent people watching (I like to think of this as my own anthropological study), I finally was ready to head to the bus station. As soon as I headed over to the crowds of people I was unsurprisingly approached quickly by a taxi driver. Wearing the sweater vest and name badge that many of the other taxi drivers were wearing, I decided to trust this fellow. I told him to take me to the Cruz del Sur bus station. After a bit of confusion, I clarified (in my most broken Spanish, as he spoke no  English) exactly which Cruz del Sur bus station in Lima I wanted to go to. Which is lucky because we passed the first one on the ride and I may have feared for my life sitting there. Driving through the part of Lima from the airport to the bus station was interesting. It was clearly a seedy area of the city evident by dilapidated buildings and people idly hanging out on the streets. I was glad to just be passing through. This would be my first glimpse of the truly developing country that is Peru. The taxi driver was pleasant and we made small talk, which was the first time I felt comfortable using my Spanish. The truth is, it is better to speak it and make a mistake then not use it and never learn. But I get nervous sometimes, you know. I finally arrived at Cruz del Sur bus station and not realizing that I should bargain with taxi drivers and that you do not tip them, I paid a whopping 55 soles and tipped 5 soles. Well at least I made his evening a little better. The bus itself was lovely, much like the one I took for 18 hours in Argentina. This was a slightly shorter bus ride of 9 hours, but after little sleep it was comfortable enough that I was able to sleep most of the night. The seats lay out nearly flat into beds (bus cama) and you are given a blanket and pillo while a movie plays. We were also treated to an assortment of sandwiches (I'm fairly certain most were bread with mayonaise and rolls with ham and cheese, intersting introduction to Peruvian cuisine) and beverages. I arrived to Trujillo on time at 7am. I was not sure if I was being picked up or was to take a taxi but I chose to take a taxi to the address of the house I had been given.

Mateo, the project coordinator, answered the door to the house and told me that Fran, the volunteer coordinator, had gone to the bus station to pick me up. Whoops. I hadn't been able to check my email since Saturday. He went to the bus station and told her that I was here, as she didn't have a cell phone. What a great first impression, I thought to myself. They quickly arrived back and after clearing up the confusion all was well. More to come on the first 2 days in Peru