Definitely frustrated

Well, I never expected this to be easy but right now my frustration level is over the top! I’ve been negotiating with my host family for a change in housing which when it actually happens will mean that I have half of a small house to myself complete with my own door and toilet. However, despite many promises and a chunk of change, nothing is materializing except my host mother’s latest brainstorm, a kiosk where she sells hamburgers on the street at night, I’m angry and having serious problems getting enough rest. So there’ve been some tough discussions with more to follow.

Then today, the very amiable internet café guy came to the house to tell me he’s closing the business after tonight because he doesn’t make any money on it. This has been such a great place to take my laptop, talk over Skype and get away from the continuous uproar in my house during the evening.

So I went to the beach to get away, get perspective and hope that a little more patience would appear over the horizon. The waves were huge, a few kids were surfing and the sky was gorgeous. All was well until a drunk guy threw himself at my feet pleading for something from the gringa (probably money). I said something in Spanish and scrambled off the beach remembering that the families I’ve talked to about HIV tell me that the addicts use the beach to shoot up cocaine and leave their needles in the sand. So today, this Peace Corps volunteer is closely related to the beach crabs that scuttle along at the surf’s edge.

Now I do know that “this too will pass”. That sooner or later, my host family will fix up my house and I’ll move. There will be another internet café for me to use. That next time I go to the beach, I’ll go to a more central location where there’s always someone I know in the vicinity. And I remember to practice yoga several times a week, meditate daily and keep track of my sense of humor.

On a brighter note, I’m finally doing a little more work in the community which feels great. I’ve been going house to house doing information gathering in a format prescribed by the Peace Corps. What I’m learning is interesting and my Spanish is slowly improving. This is background work for what is called a community diagnostic after which I will discuss the results with various community partners to establish priorities for my work here. I’m already biased because I want to work with prenatal education and HIV prevention. That will be enough for one woman for the two years I’m here. That is if I don’t go stark raving nuts first!


Peace Corps motto: The toughest job you’ll ever love.

The Grandmother with Itchy Feet goes to a Concert

When the grandma with itchy feet lived in Peru, she was always listening to music. You see, the Peruvians love music, especially cumbia. Music is always playing in houses, tiendas (tiny stores), combis (tiny buses) and at the beach. Now Peruvians don’t like quiet music, they like music LOUD and strong. When there is a party, everyone dances to cumbia all night long grown-ups and children together so that the whole neighborhood rocks with the sounds.
The most famous and popular band in Peru is Grupo Cinco. Grandma listened to the same songs over and over because Peruvians LOVE Grupo Cinco. So when Grupo Cinco came to grandma’s town, she went to hear them with her friends, Robyn, Sarah and Amara. The concert was in a stadium outside under a grey sky with the scissors birds flying over the ocean nearby. Now because grandma and her friends come from the US, they went to the stadium at 2 o’clock because that was the time for the posters around town said it would start. But Peruvians have another time that’s called hora Peruana (Peruvian hour) so according to their custom, the concert started much later.
Grupo Cinco was great with lots of horns, drums and five men singing. The music was so LOUD that grandma could feel her bones vibrate. Peruvians don’t sit and listen to music, they dance to music! The idea of Peruvians sitting still listening to Grupo Cinco is very funny and would never happen. But grandma sat happily watching the dancing and tapping her feet. She thought about her grandson Alex and granddaughter Katrina who would have danced along and loved the LOUD music of Grupo Cinco.

Note to parents, this story is best read to music of Grupo Cinco downloaded! A few details have been omitted such as grandma leaving early to avoid the inevitable drunkenness that would begin to take over and render the situation a wee bit difficult!

Inauguration day in Peru

What a day! I was in Piura following a regional Peace Corps meeting so I had the great luxury of my own room in a hostel with a flush toilet and shower! The morning of the inauguration, I woke early, turned on CNN to see the crowds gathering in Washington DC and tears started flowing. I knew that Jenni, Sean, Jeff and Sara were getting ready to join the crowds so I felt the pull to be with them as well as the thrill of watching this momentous change in our government. I headed out for tea at a shop with a wide screen TV showing the proceedings.

Then around 11 AM, the Peace Corps volunteers present from Piura and Tumbes gathered the restaurant of a posh hotel where there was a wide screen TV so we could watch together with lots of cheers and tears. At the end we all stood and sang the national anthem along with the millions watching in DC and via television. And then we went to a restaurant where I had a salad with organic lettuce and Roquefort cheese! Afterward, I thought back over all the events of the civil rights era starting for me with passionate arguments with my Dad in the late 1950’s as we watched the initial efforts to integrate southern schools via national news. I thought about watching Sean grapple with racism as he grew into a young man and his fear that Obama wouldn’t win the election. And of all the conversations with Peruvians about the symbolism of this election as well as their hope that Obama will bring about change that will benefit other nations in the world. No question, we all hold our heads a little higher now!

The next day, home to Tumbes where the rains come in the night accompanied by thunder and lightning. The air is always humid now, mud is everywhere and clothes don’t dry for days. Sometimes mid-day, I literally drip with sweat until the late afternoon when a bucket bath revives me. Many trees and bushes are in bloom with vibrant color. I’ve been watching the houses where gardeners live, tending their flowers through the dry hot times of the year. On every street there’s at least one gardener. And in the rice fields, they are planting a new crop that glows bright green.

Comes the rain

 

Well I’ve been out of contact through internet for a few days because this week the rains started so either I don't want to walk to the internet cabina with my laptop or the lights are out. The first few days were cloudy with occasional light rain. I loved it, the breeze was fresh, and the temperature dropped to the high 70’s, what a treat. Folks around me complained of being cold… Then the rain started in earnest, torrential rains that come in the night and pound on the tin room. The big surprise is that when the rain starts to pour the electricity goes off. Wham, the lights go out for the night. I actually don’t understand the explanation but given the shoddy state of the electrical system, it’s probably for the best. My family always seems to know when the electricity will come back on, “Oh, they’ll turn it on at 10AM”.
Last night, I was about to go nuts from the television in my house and a very noisy circus half a block away. The circus goes on until about midnight with a tremendous speaker system blaring music. Then the rain started, the lights went out, the music and TV stopped. That didn’t mean quiet in my house because the usual family uproar continued by candlelight but the circus folded for the night. When I woke to the sound of rain in the night I realized the roof over my room was leaking in places but I couldn’t tell where in the dark so in a moment of paranoia, I took my computer to bed with me! I could take anything else getting soaked but not my laptop. When morning came I really only had a puddle on one side of the room.
The rain is a welcome change from unrelenting sun bringing fresh air and water for the plants but there’s also a down side. The dry riverbed that runs through the town is used as a garbage dump so it is filled with garbage, vultures and huge pigs. When the rains come, the river bed fills and the garbage goes to the sea. So today, the paradox of a gorgeous marine blue sea contrasted with the swelling rivers carrying garbage. I walked along the shore this evening at sunset with one of the children chasing the crabs that scuttle along the beach and splashing in the warm water. Now I’m waiting for water, hoping for a bucket bath and water to wash clothing tomorrow. And waiting for the circus to end.

Toto, we're not in Kansas anymore

Another photo of the little guy who provides a lot of comic relief! He's stuffed with balloons!

Every day brings surprises! Today I went to the clinic expecting to do nutrition counseling with pregnant women but they weren’t seeing patients. The clinic was closed for a ceremony honoring the purchase of new equipment. The staff, the board of directors and various others were gathered in the tiny waiting room and after an hour or so, they started with introductory words. By now I also know that introductory words are given by a number or people and are not brief! Then the new equipment was blessed with sprinkling water and prayers after which we all got a small glass of champagne and toasted. After that we were served gaseosa (soda) and cookies. Then the list of new equipment was read including a new computer, a photocopy machine, new chairs, new blood pressure equipment, a machine for measuring oxygen levels and a Doppler for listening to fetuses (the first for this clinic). If I understood correctly, some of the money for this came from the US oil company that wants to drill for oil off the coast of La Cruz. They are courting the town.
And for the first time since I came here, I saw a nurse wash her hands with soap and water from a plastic bucket. So I watch the paradox of this clinic with expensive new equipment and no running water.
I’m also learning why the more experienced volunteers told us to take a book to every meeting. Punctuality almost unknown here so something to read or work on is helpful. At the same time, many meetings just don’t happen. I think I’ve had about 5 meetings scheduled this week where no one showed up. Then last night when I was at the internet cabina, the sister of a community leader showed up looking for me and took me to her brother’s house where we proceeded to get the work done that had been planned earlier in the week when he hadn’t shown up.
After the morning clinic ceremony, I asked the president of the board of directors for a few minutes time thinking I’d introduce myself and explain my goals. That turned into a full board meeting with the doctor who is head of the clinic. The meeting was pretty much a disaster as they spoke to rapidly for me to understand much except that the man in this group had the idea that I’d write grant letters to organizations in the US and bring in lots of money. I dodged this by saying I didn’t understand him (generally true) and that he’d have to talk to my director when she visits the end of February.
After which I wandered home on a blistering hot day for hot chicken soup, fresh orange juice and a lovely fruit called cerdwela (undoubtedly spelled wrong). When I woke, I took a bucket bath and then suddenly was involved in a television interview in support of a Peruvian NGO that is starting garbage and recycling project here. I knew this was coming sometime…but as I traipsed through the house wrapped in a towel, they appeared. So I quickly got into clothes and said my few words in front of a camera on the beach.
Like I said, I never know what to expect.

Conversations about the US

I can’t count the number of questions I get everyday just walking down the street and usually the same over and over. Today, I was sitting with my host brother Osvaldo looking at a book of pictures of Wisconsin. I thought he was going to melt when he saw a picture of a dairy farm and asked if I would ship him one of those cows. Or adopt him when I return to the US. So this is how the questions went today.
Sarita, you love your country don’t you?
Yes, I really do.
But your country dominates the whole world.
I know that and it’s not ok however I also love many things about the US.
You love the land.
I love the land and the people.
But not the politics.
Well, actually I like a lot of the laws and politics but like all countries, we have problems.
Yes, you have racists.
Every country has racists. If you woke up tomorrow and found that 500 people of another culture, race and language were living in La Cruz, you’d be frightened and see racism appear here. Right now, I’m the only gringa in town so you don’t see many people of other countries.
Hmm, you’re probably right about that. Your country doesn’t have petrol and takes our oil but we don’t get the money from it because it’s US companies that take the oil.
I didn’t answer that question because it’s painfully obvious here watching fish, shrimp and calamari unloaded from old boats ever day, often brought to shore on what are called launches, utterly rickety log rafts poled in with tubs of fish aboard. And the flares from the oil rigs that light up the evening sky while the town doesn’t have a decent water system.
Another frequent question revolves around the idea that there aren’t poor people in the US. And comparatively speaking the poverty here is severe with bare shelter and malnutrition rampant but it would be unheard of to see people sleeping in the streets. Social support systems are scarce however families help each other out, take each other in a safety net that is pretty tight like it or not!
And of course, many questions about Obama who is seen as someone who will bring about positive change as well as a victory against racism.

King of the house

The youngest kid in the house at naptime!

I'm through the holidays and ready to begin more serious work but everything takes place in Peruvian time which means that some meetings happen and some don't. I'm scheduled to begin teaching English classes for teenagers who are out of school for the summer, a class on self esteem for a youth group and do nutrition counseling at the health clinic. I'll see what really happens!

And I've asked my family to help me find a solution to the sleepless nights I frequently have living with 12 people in a room that has only 3/4 wall alongside the living room. We've come up with some possibilities that I hope to see materialize in the next month but then I still think in terms of US time not Peruvian time...

I always love comments on my blog because then I know it's being read! And then I feel like I have a cheering squad at home which cheers me on those days when culture shock seems very real.

Cheers
Sarita

New Year's in Peru

Wow. What a night. My second quinceneros and first New Year's in Peru. By this time, I knew the outline of the quinceneros so I anticipated an all night bash. The day was spend in frenzied preparations, cooking, cleaning, setting up an outdoor fiesta space, ironing clothes, hauling in cases of beer. Peruvian beer is 5% with bigger bottles than those in the US and I counted over 20 cases when the evening started. Then the DJ and sound system came at which time the house started to actually vibrate.

My friend Sarah came from her site nearby which made the evening just great. My family is quite hospitable, welcoming of Peace Corps friends and in the midst of the celebration, the DJ made a big deal out of the guests from the US who were here for 2 years as volunteers in the health program. The quinceneros girl was given the traditional presentation by her parents, grandparents, godmother and godfather. She had a court of attendants including squirmy 15 year old boys in ties and lovely girls in formals. Then the traditional waltzes. Dinner of pork (which I skipped), delicious turkey, potatoes (this is Peru) and a salad. Sarah and I had been cutting carrots into tiny cubes for several hours for this salad.

Then the crowd got down to serious drinking and dancing. I should mention that the family had put a net fence around the yard to keep uninvited guests out which meant that on the other side of the fence was half the neighborhood watching. And that drinking here takes place in a circle with one cup passed from person to person along with the bottle of beer so you pour your own. After you drink, you toss any that's left on the ground or floor and pass it on. At one point, Sarah said, "Doesn't this increase our risk of TB?" I could only laugh and say that this wasn't the best time to ponder that. At least in my family circle, people don't hassle me when I want to pass the cup without drinking.

My family has some incredible dancers. One of my host brothers could be dancing in an exhibition group. When he asked me to dance, I just laughed and said I'd have to drop 40 years to keep up with him. But I did dance with many of my host brothers to the cumbia. When they played reggaton, I bowed out.

At midnight, fireworks went off all over town as effigy dolls of last year were burned in the street. These are large dolls filled with firecrackers, dowsed with kerosene and set on fire. Then all the kids run around throwing more firecrackers in the blaze.

My about 4AM people were having trouble navigating the yard. Sarah and I went to my room where I actually fell asleep with the floor vibrating to the music. We got up early and went to the beach with hot tea and terrific birthday cake. After a long walk, Sarah went home and I alternated snoozing with helping in the clean-up. About 10 AM the men started another drinking circle and by 5:30, a fight had broken out in a nearby alley.

So I left the scene and walked to the internet cabina to write the story.

This morning I woke with a knot in my stomach and wave of homesickness thinking, "Two more years is a long, long time, whatever was I thinking". But of course, I'm not living 2 years right now, I'm only living today tired after an all night party!