Agua y Saneamiento

This is what a reservoir should look like, in one of the communities that doesn't have high levels of EDA (that's code for diarrhea...the runs...if you will).














The technician and I (I'm taking the picture, hence, not pictured) giving a charla about hand washing and safe water to the community of Nuevo Progreso.

















The reservoir (it's locked so we can't look inside) in Cochoa. Surprise!
PS - Do you like my hat?















The water as it comes into the water system in Cochao, can YOU figure out why there is a high level of EDA's in this town? Hmm...

Pushing and Pulling

I showed up to the Health Center today to write a letter for the municipality of Chavín de Huantar. It was actually a very Peace Corps day!
I saw the technician I was working with, who was washing a car by the way, and said, “When are we working on those letters?”
“Oh, yes, well, why don’t you get started on them and then I’ll come and help.”
So, I battle the computer for a while, in the meantime everyone looks at me and asks me to give them a new computer for the health center. I’m sorry, I know I’m here to help but these guys work for the government that requires that they fill out forms on the computer and learn computer programs. It is obviously in the budget for them to furnish computers to the health posts. I know I’m a foreigner but could they please just fill out a form to ask for a computer through the appropriate channels?
Ok, sorry, sidetrack… I get him in there and we fix the letters all up to ask that the municipality of Chavin help the three communities that we have visited with their water systems:
“Alright, let’s go print these out.”
“Right now?”
“Yes, why not?”
“Oh, ok.”
So we get there and print out the copies.
“Alright, let’s go to Chavin and hand them in.”
“Right now?”
“Yes, you and I said we would write them on Wednesday, we told the municipality that we would turn them in on Wednesay, now might be a good time to turn them in.”
“Oh, ok.”
So, I did put the logos on the letter and did amaze a few doctors with my ability to type without looking at the keys, but mostly I just kept following the steps and made him follow them too, which, if you weren’t sure, is a lot of what Peace Corps is all about.

Silence in the Peruvian Campo

In the rustic setting of the Peruvian sierra, I live amongst the Quechua speaking, traditionally dressed population. Perhaps some of you have the naïve notion of life in the country, away from the commotion of the city and it is possible that in some sites without electricity. However, let’s analyze the present moment. I’m in my room, listening to an episode of Seinfeld on my laptop (I really did get a lot of work done today, don’t worry), my host family was just given a new TV from host brother who lives in Lima and they decided to put it right next the wall of my room so some sort of techno-Hindu music is now blasting from that side of the room, on top the tenents are blasting the customary Huayno music, and oddly enough the music changes to well, more huayno when you go outside. I’ve never quite understood how that happens but the loud unnecessary music seems to change when I go outside my room. How does that even work?

Goal 2

There are three goals of which I’m theoretically completing as a Community Health volunteer in Peace Corps Peru. The second one is: “Peace Corps Volunteers, along with the participation of Service Providers and community health promoters, will organize and strengthen programs promoting good hygiene and sanitation practices, and proper preparation and use of water.” Oddly enough, when I attempted to describe this to the water inspector of San Marcos, he didn’t believe me. So, I short letter later, entailing goals, objectives, and recommended projects by the Peace Corps, he looked at me and said, “Wow! We could really help each other!”
So, this past week I went to four different caseríos with him to check the water supplies. Along the way we gave several hand washing charlas, a few of which someone might have listened to.
Three of the communities are classified as high risk because they have higher levels of “EDA’s” (Ok, it’s diarrhea but EDA sounds so much nicer…) than the other communities that the health center attends. You could really tell a difference between the communities that were not high risk, they had locks on their reservoirs, lids, and didn’t have mud flowing into their water supplies. Quite intriguing. So, now we are going to work on a project to improve the water in the high risk areas. Yay!

Popular Names in Peru

Jhon
Darwin
Jefferson
Washington
Franklin Rosmelh (kinda like Roosevelt)
Fatima (nickname Fatty)
Sister (for a boy)
Stalin
Hitler

Normal Conversations

A conversation between my 11 year-old host-sister and me yesterday afternoon:
Jesse: “Amanda!”
Me: “Jesse!”

-- Pause. –

I then walk slowly away in case Jesse actually had something to tell me, like a sentence.


Conversation on the combi this morning [in Quechua]:
…
Me: “Where are you from?”
Quechua woman: “Huarimayo.”
Quechua woman to the rest of the combi: “She just asked me where I was from! Haha!”
Rest of combi: “Hahahaha!”

What?

With water inspector [in Spanish]:

(Talking about the pH test that he runs on water supplies in the nearby communities…)
Inspector: “It’s rare that the pH’s of the water samples fall within ideal range.”
Me: “Really, are they usually too basic or acidic?”
Inspector: “It’s fresh water.”

Oh, and here I thought we were living on an island. Wait…


Conversation with small boy in Chiclayo [in Spanish]:

Boy: “What’s your name?”
Me: “Amanda, nice to meet you.”
Boy: “Do you speak Spanish?”
Me: “Nope, not a word. Weird, huh?”
Boy: “Oh. Where are you from?”

We continue this interaction for about five more minutes.

Conversation with co-worker [in Spanish]:

Me: “I don’t know why people here name their kids after such horrible men like Hitler or Stalin.”
Co-worker: “My dog’s name is Hitler.”
Me: “Oh.”

Conversation with Celia, girl that lives in my host-family’s house [in Spanish]:

Me: “Hi! How are you doing?”
Celia: “Good. You got fat.”


Conversation on the street [in Spanish]:
A guy: “Amanda!”
Me: “What?”
-- Pause. --
I turn around to a group of ten guys, I don’t recognize anyone and they are all looking at me with a very blank and strikingly similar look in their eyes.

I then walk slowly away in case one of them actually had something to tell me, like a sentence.

PDM in Chiclayo

Group picture of PDM - Chiclayo.













Juan and I giving our final report on our project.














Casey and I having a coffee in Chiclayo!

Happy 4th of July!

Today I actually celebrated the 4th of July in a bigger way than I usually do! The Baptist missionaries in my town invited me to a party with the other missionaries that were in the area and we had a BBQ! Usually when people ask me about what typical American food is, I don’t have a clear answer for them. So much of the food we eat reflects on other cultures that I have a hard time pin pointing what distinctly American food would be. Today, I think I came up with my answer as I piled my plate up with the American cuisine of baked beans and potato salad. It’s not that we eat this food everyday, it’s that trying to find it in another country is usually not possible. This got me thinking. What else would fall into that category…rhubarb pie, grits, collard greens, egg salad, chicken pot pie, hmm.. Well, if anyone reading this can think of other distinctly American food items, as in can’t find it in a foreign country (aka hamburgers/ hotdogs are out) please email me or comment on this blog to share! I need all the answers I can to this age old Peruvian question.
Also, if anyone knows how long a flight would be to Lima from Italy…..