Dolor de la cabeza

Hi! I only have 11 minutes left on the internet so this is going to be a quick update...

Fun thoughts:
Last night I went to my first Peruvian party! The host mom of my friend Brian had a birthday so all the neighboorhood gringos y su familias were invited! So, I get there and we are all sitting in a circle around the family room, so you can see everyone but it's quite hard to start a conversation from across the circle. There was also one bottle of beer and one glass. I'll say that again for emphasis, there were about 15 people, one bottle of beer, and one glass. The beer went around the circle, when you get the bottle, you "cheers" the other person with the glass (sitting next to you) and when they are done drinking, they dump the little bit that is left in the glass and then hand it to you... then you fill up your glass and cheers the next person who you hand the bottle to and drink from the cup, pouring any extra in the communal bowl in the middle of the circle.
We had a birthday cake with guanabá filling! It was delicious! Though Casey did have a point when she told be that it had the consistancy of wet toilet paper. But still, delicious wet toilet paper...
Let's see, oh, while I was there I learned that ceviche is ok to eat (a fish dish that they serve here and also in Mexico as well as other countries in Latin America. It consists of raw fish that is "cooked" in lemon juice, this cooks the meat chemically, and then assorted spices, onion, and other garnish are added) as long as you drink something warm with it! It won't make you sick if you have warm tea, or a hot drink but if you have cold beer, then you will get sick the next morning. So now you know. I thought maybe it had something to do with the alcohol, but I was wrong, in fact warm beer is just fine.

Woohoo! I'm sick!

Well, I finally got sick from eating la comida peruana!

Thursday was a really interesting day, we went to a Health Post or Health Center to meet our contact and basically do an internship for the day. I'm going back on Monday too to help them to a presentation in the primaria (elementary school?). On Thursday, we made posters and cut out letters to promote the campaign of Rebella Vaccinations. Then, we talked with the workers there (only five full-time workers for thousands of people). We asked them about the most common diseases and among them was diarrhea. Unfortunately, the root cause of this is basically poverty because the people there do not have potable water nor bathrooms/latrines/anywhere to go the bathroom. Many of them can not boil the water because they do not have the capacity to do so. All in all, a very sobering experience. We visited four comedores populares, like soup kitchens, in the area. They were very small rooms, sometimes shacks, where women worked to make food for the poor. Meals cost 1.5 soles, which is equivalent to 45 cents. But, many families buy four meals and then take them home to split among their family of eight because they don't have enough money to all get a meal. Also, the govrnment gives the comedores populares rice and oil (I heard some get tuna but I didn't see any) so if they are going to serve vegetables they have to buy them themselves. It's hard to convince people to eat vegetables if they can't afford them... So, it appears we have our work cut out for us.
We are going to conduct "charlas" to help instruct people in more healthful practices and we each have to design, organize, and execute one by ourselves and one in a group. The group project can be over anything, not necessarily health related, so it can even be a hiking club or a running club. The individual project will take place through the health post, though.
Tomorrow I'm going to help the health center in Ricardo Palma to catch stray dogs and vaccinate them for Rabies! That should be interesting, I'm not sure how we are going to accomplish this but it sounds exciting.
Let's see.... the classes that I am going to are just for Peace Corps volunteers who are training in my group. The volunteers in Environment and in Community Health. We are also split into different groups for language classes and also for technical training. We are going to be starting organic gardening classes on Saturdays in Lima! I'm quite excited about this, we are going to an agriculture university or something and talk with super cool experts about how to start a garden. Then, we can have a garden at our site and always have vegetables, as well as start a community garden to help promote health eating habits.

A day in the life...

Hi again! I actually went to the cafe today to do some research but the website is down... Urgh. Anyway, I have gotten an email or two asking questions about what I do on a day-to-day basis so I'm going to describe the last 24 hours.........
OK, 4pm yesterday.. I was in class! We have class from 8-5 everyday from Monday to Friday and 8-12 on Saturday. Yesterday we learned about our CDA activity which requires that we chat it up with various members of the community (people that we meet in the plaza, the street, the grocery store, etc.) and talk to them about religion, economics, organizations in the area, health, you know, normal small talk. From this, we are going to come up with an idea of what to do in the community and in groups of 2-5 we are going to design, organize, and execute a public service type event. So, that was overwhelming.
So, then I came here for an hour with some friends that live in my neighboorhood so that I could find my way home, and yes, I did. I got there and Brian and Tsutsuy were heading out of the barrio to go to our friend Lauren's birthday party. We decided to go but check in with the host families first. Mine wasn't expecting me to be out so late but it turned out that she had left and the daughter was hanging out waiting for me.
That's one thing that's pretty different that we have all had to get used to. We don't have cell phones or really access to regular phones so if we don't tell our family where we are going, we can't go until we tell them. I live 20 minutes walking away from the training center and there are others that live 20 minutes walking in the other direction so this gets to be a logistical problem. Also, no one really wants to walk by themselves that distance because of the stray dogs that come at you and the scary men (if you're a woman) we usually carry rocks to throw at the dogs or walking sticks to keep them back with.
OK, so then I went to the par-tay, which was moving out of the house and in to the calle. We decided to find a bar and ended up at a place that had space for maybe 25 tables of four but had four. There was a small counter selling sodas and beer and a bunch of men playing cards, ten motorcycles outside, and maybe 15 women lined up outside chillin'. We decided this would be a fine place to purchase beverages and sit at the other two tables in the place.
Then, we went to a restaurant! Asking the lady that worked there, she said the only place was Chosica but the guy at the pay phone said there was one down the road by the cruces. Don't know what that means so I asked him to estimate the meters and he said 200. Two blocks of aimlessly wandering later, we found the restaurant and for four soles each, we got about a quarter of a chicken, a large mound of fries, and a nice looking salad. Everyone was afraid to eat the salad for fear of dysentary but I decided to eat the whole thing. (And I'm fine. And it was really good) That was all for the night and we went home to the familias.
At the casa my host mom was asleep which was annoying because I needed to ask her questions for my homework. Luckily, a host sister who I've rarely talked to was up watching TV so I asked the perfect just before bed question. What do you think about the current political and social situation of Peru? What can you tell me about terrorism in Peru? Yep, that was definitely the first homework assignment I got for my spanish language class! Anyway, it wasn't to bad, if a little awkward. And I ended up talking with her and the other sister who I haven't talked to that much. So, all in all, a good experience. Except for the terrorism.
In the 80's there was a lot of terrorism from the Sendero Luminoso group and then Alan Garcia became president and decided to fight fire with fire and send all the military forces to get the terrorists. You should look it up but it was a lot of violence, starting in the country towns and progressing to Lima and the larger cities. FYI: the areas where volunteers are placed suffered no or very little terrorist activity. And, again, this has ended, else we wouldn't be here.
OK, bed time after that. Then at 6am I met Casey for a nice run in the neighborhood. We ran for about 40 minutes and only got chased by about six dogs so that was good. Don't worry, I have my rabies shot. Although that's just because I happen to already have gotten it before I left. I got back and took my shower in a bucket (at least it was hot water! Exciting times!) And ate a breakfast of a roll and honey, instant coffee, and evaporated milk. Then to meet the friends for class and walk twenty minutes to the training center (by ourselves for the first day!)
At 8am was the classes of language and culture. We discussed terrorism and politics and then played a game which really just checked if we had read about the mini-project. We hadn't. But, I was the last one to play and this meant that I got a chocolate. Very exciting. I like that game.
Then we watched a movie on terrorism and the Sendero Luminoso in Peru. Very sad and stressful emotionally. Immediately after that we had to join the rest of the group and think of a game to play for a field day of sorts that we are having on Friday. This was a bit of a difficult transition by the way.
I'm on the red team and we made a cheer, "Rojo! Rojo! Mejor que todos!" Yep, pretty good, I know. Then, lunch time.
Because of some reason or another, I got two lunches. I brought one, which I though was going to be my boxed lunch. But, then she brought another one. So, I don't know. I had an enormous amount of food. Two ham on roll sandwhiches, two bananas, a cup of salad (lettuce, tomato, limon), rice, potato, beef or something, and pineapple juice with extra water and sugar. My goodness.
Then we had technical training time. This is when we talked to the community health person about tomorrow. We are going to the Ministry of Health in different places in groups of four. There we are to do something. It sounds complicated. I know part of it entails finding a point of contact in the community and setting up a health activity of some sort so we can write a lot about it. And then we broke up into groups to work on our presentations that are due next week. One on holistic health (yoga for me!) and development organizations (pan american health and education foundation for me!)
Ok, one hour up... I'm out.

Con la familia

Today is the second day with my host family! They are all very sweet and it's a really big family. The Mom and Dad have six children and the youngest is 21. So, two still live at home and two visit often with children. It's a big crazy but I'm enjoying it. It's exhausting talking in Spanish all the time and I if I space out for one second, this is usually when they ask me a question or make a really funny joke. The food has been ok so far, no traveler's sickness! Must be those enzymes I'm taking! Also, I haven't heard of anyone getting sick yet so that's probably it too. The food hasn't been crazy, more rice and potatoes than I'm used to but nothing that strange. Not saying that people haven't been eating strange things around me... just that nothing has ended up on my plate.
Ok, this is kind of a boring entry. Next time I'll write more but I have to go because my friend is waiting for me and we have to try and find our way home! That's right, I live twenty minutes away and us five that live out here are still unsure of which unmarked street leads to our house. It's been interesting living with a family and without cell phones because you can't change your plans. And, you have to have a buddy in my case because we don't know where we are going! Anyway, miss you all and comment on my blog entries! I want to here from you! Or email me!

From Peru!!

Hi! I´m in Peru!!! We arrived last night around 10:30pm and finally left the airport around midnight. Customs, baggage claim, and everything else was complicated and the fact that there was a group of 38 magnified the problems a bit. But we all loaded onto the bus and loaded our baggage on a bus heading towards the training center. We, however, went to a place called Huampani, which is a retreat center north of the city.
It's nice and definitely in Peru! The rooms and bathrooms remind me of the Costa Rica casitas. These are called bungalows, which just sounds more fun. I think that every hotel should call their rooms bungalows and then they would get more business.
We all arrived at 1:30am to the center and crashed. I was put in charge of setting the alarm and, though I changed the hour on my watch, I failed to change my phone because I didn't have it on. So, when I set my alarm I set it for seven but my two roommates and I got up and ready at 6 because of my little lapse in judgement. Oh well, we took an hour nap and then went to breakfast. :)
We've learned how to contact the PCMO, Peace Corps Medical Officer and I took a little optional course on Survival Spanish just now. We also got to meet some volunteers that are down here and have already been in Peru for a year. It was really interesting hearing some of their stories. First of all, they all are in town because they are going to run in the Lima Marathon tomorrow, which is awesome and I intend to run as well next year! Woohoo! Also, many of the volunteers have a dog or cat! One of them has 13! Now I'm thinking of getting a dog when I get to my site....
During my interview with my APCD, I talked about my interest in nutrition as in over or under-nutrition and also I have been recently thinking about water sanitation as that deals with bacterial and viral diseases because of contaminated water. She said I came to the right place so that was very encouraging. I also told her about my research, which I really don't think she wanted to know... Hmmm...
Ok, going to go interview about my new host family!! Aaah! Wish me luck!!!!

September 15, 2006

I’ll be boarding a plane in just a few hours to arrive at Lima, Peru! I honestly can’t believe that it’s here. I’ve been at staging since September 12th and have met some amazing people who I’m going to have the privilege of working with over the next two years which have been a welcomed relief. For the last few months, thinking about the Peace Corps experience has felt a little isolating. No one I talked to regularly could really understand the anxieties that I was having or the hopes that I had for the coming years. But on the first day of staging, we each shared these same things with each other and realized that we are dealing with the same issues, and now we can deal with them together. It’s nice to know that all these friendly faces will still be with me tomorrow night. Now it feels like I’m not leaving everything behind.

Some super-cool new friends that are all leaving for Peru in the morning! Ten to one says they’re all asleep right now…. Yes, that’s the White House in the background.

Before I left! Look! I had long hair! Anyway, this is in New Mexico at the famous wine festival, so good that we had to try it twice!

Why the Peace Corps?

Hi everyone!

I thought a quick introduction of who I am and what I’m writing a blog for would be appropriate.
So, after months of preparation (I started this crazy application process in October 2005!) I’m finally on my way to Peru! I joined the Peace Corps and I’m going to be a “Community Health Promoter.” Now, to avert any future questions, yes, there still is a Peace Corps. And no, it’s not a bunch of hippies. They have a flourishing program that has expanded to include such interesting and useful sectors such as Small Economic Development, Youth Development, Environmental Action and Awareness, and, coolest of all, Community Health!! And that’s just in Peru.
Ok, anyway, basically, this whole idea for the Peace Corps started when I came back from a semester studying Spanish in Costa Rica and realized that I really did want to volunteer abroad after I graduated college. I had kind of always known but this experience really cemented my plans. I began searching the web, talking to people, reading books (yes, people still do that), about traveling, working, and volunteering in other countries.
I was looking for a way to work in a health capacity, like public health or medicine, and had no medical-related or public health degrees. Try and find a good program that will take you up on that. It’s hard.
Long story short, I started the application process to the Peace Corps in October 2005 with a bit of hesitancy. I was still looking around for another program as an option but as time passed and I continued that long and tedious journey through the Peace Corps application, I realized that this just might be a perfect fit. I had convinced the recruiter to nominate me for Health Education because of my eventual goal of working with community health, even though my studies and past experiences weren’t exactly directly linked to this goal. Also, a myriad of things began to happen… I’d ask other people about the Peace Corps and they almost always had a story to tell of a parent or a friend or a relative that had served and they always seemed to have positive, enthusiastic stories to share. Talking with friends and mentors about the long time commitment, I received a surprising amount of comments saying that that was just enough time to integrate with the community, be accepted, and get some work done.
In May (2006), I graduated from the University of Arizona with an M.S. in Biochemistry and Molecular Biophysics and all I had to tell colleagues and professors about my marvelous future plans is that I had applied to the Peace Corps. I was pretty confident that I would go wherever the invitation sent me but not knowing did weigh on me as well as the nagging fear of just not getting in at all.
Shortly after graduation, I finally got a large packet in the mail! My roommate was home when I came in with a large envelope and watched as my hands shook opening the folder. PERU!! Woohoo! Then we commenced jumping up and down, probably in circles, and being highly entertaining in general. That was it, I was definitely going to Peru.


OK, hope that was interesting for everyone.

Disclaimer

The contents of this website are mine personally and do not reflect any position of the U.S. government or the Peace Corps.

Mail me things!

Hey! I'm getting ready to go to the airport to fly to Washinton D.C.! Aaaah! I will be there for three nights and then I'm off to Lima, Peru! I can't believe it's happening so soon!!

I wanted to post some quick information before I left about sending packages, if you feel so inclined....

Again, make sure to send any packages in a padded envelope. Packages in boxes tend to be charged more customs fees (both to send AND to pick up!) and get rifled through more often, leading to missing items. Also, send letters and packages AIR MAIL. Not economy surface mail. Yes, I know it's cheaper. No, it will not get there in the estimated time. For future reference, 4-6 weeks = 6 months; 2-4 days = 1 month. Oh, and no chocolate or other things that can melt into a large congealed ball by the time of arrival...please. :)

OK, send me letters! Write me emails! Send me packages! Like....Grey's Anatomy episodes?? Betsey?? ;)

Alright, I'm going to go practice lugging around my 100+ lbs. of luggage around the kitchen before I go make a fool out of myself in public!