September = 1 year in Peru!

Hi everyone,

Wow, I feel like it has been ages since I wrote an update about my simple little life here in Peru. I´m sure that could be due to a lot of things, including Greg and Jackie´s visit taking up time or being really busy with Peace Corps projects! But I think both of those are only half truths. The real truth is that I this month was filled with Peace Corps run workshops which were dragging me away from my town and not leaving us much time to sit on the internet because us volunteers were happy to have reunions with each other. When I finally got back to my town about a week ago, I made a pact with myself to stay in town as much as possible and avoid unneccesary trips to the city or even to the main town. Hence, I have been internet and technology free most of the time, but missing all of you a lot! It´s always a thrill, and a little overwhelming, to get online and have a ton of emails (admittedly mostly from Peace Corps) to catch up on.

So what have I been doing then, sitting around in my still elecrticity free town? Well actually, more then I expected! My town´s school recently had a visit from the Ministy of Environment of Peru because of its great participation in an environmental netork of local schools (which a third year volunteer in my town organized and I help out in one institution). This meant having a few frustrating meetings with the school staff and fun outings with the students organizing the trash and trash cans. They have made a wonderful first step buying trashcans and making recycling bins for every classroom, but unfortunately the disposal process is still lacking and that is where I will be focusing my energies in the upcoming weeks. I found it comical that the Primary kids (elementary level) were much more aware of what to put in each colored bin then the highschool level kids. This month I will also be starting english classes for adults in my town, as well as working with an NGO to start small vegetable gardens and potentially fish farming. I´m sure it will be a slow process with the NGO, but I´m happy that they have taken an interest in my town and in my work and that they have kept up contact. Plus it makes my community happy!

On a more personal level, my time that I have dedicated to staying in town has led me to feel more and more like a member of the community. After Greg and Jackie left, I decided to make an effort to include myself in more things and not let uncomfortableness or shyness hold me back. Since then, I have learned how to cut and pick out good cooking firewood (before I was an inactive observer), how to skin and cut fish that the guys catch (my spear fishing has taken a downturn in luck), learned more slang and been more and more filled in local gossip. Unfortunately, knowing gossip can sometimes be a sad realization when you find out that someone talks about you for no reason. But I guess it is the same all over the world. Mostly, no matter what I hear, I feel honored that I am being entrusted with information and feel more knowledgeable about the people with whom I share my life. Just today in fact I felt like a real trusted community member instead of an outsider on my way into town. I was in a moto when it stopped to talk to another moto driver who sad he needed the number of a kid in town. He asked me if I had it and when I said yes, he entrusted me with money to buy the kid some ore phone credit while I was in town. The night before, another friend did the same, asking me to buy him some credit while I am in town. It seems like a small insignificant thing, but it feels much bigger to me to be acknoledged as someone who knows other people and their phone numbers and to be trusted with favors and money.

In terms of my personal family life in my Peruvian family, things have changed a lot since the time I arrived. My oldest host sister who is 17 years old is now engaged to her boyfriend of two years. Yes, she is really young and I was not thrilled to hear her announcement, especially when I heard she wouldn´t finish highschool either. But, like most things in life, it is much more complicated then it sounds. My other host sister has her 15th birthday coming up the 25th of September. In Peru, the 15th birthday of a girl is a big deal, kind of like a coming of age celebration. They literally invest hundres of soles in one big party. They have put down payments on dresses, cakes, a sound sistem, decorations, and bought two turkeys to eat that day. They have arranged for 7 pairs of young kids to learn a synchronized dance the night of the party to perform before my host sister will come out with her partner. It is going to be a night to remember and I´m really glad I will get to be a party of it.
Oddly enough, this birthday party story ties in to the theme of death. Here in Peru, there is a tradition of observing something called ¨luto¨ when someone dies. This means that when a family member dies, everyone in the family dresses in black and does not go to parties, dance or drink or a set period of time depending how close the family member is. This means, for parents or kids it could be years in black with no partying. For a grandparent or greatgrandparent I think it is less, a couple of months. The time periods of this type of mournig are not fixed, but are chosen by each individual and generally known by the public. Anyway, my host siblings great grandmother was very sick for the past few months and my host Dad always made reference to the fact that if she died, we would not have my host sister´s birthday party. Unfortunately and saddly, she passed away four days ago. Luckily for the family, they had been expecting it for some time and were not taken too much by surprise. This event threw my host sister into a period of insecurity, after all the invitations and organization she had invested in her party, was her dad going to cancle it all? Well, it looks like no, he wont cancle it because he has already invested too much money in the party. He tells me he just wont dance at the party as he drinks a few beers yesterday durring a day off work in Peru. I found the whole ordeal interesting and a good cultural exchange for me.


Overall, things have been really great here. The weather is starting to get warm again which means ripe bananas and avacados are coming back! I cant wait for fruit season again! Also, this September 11th, while reflecting on the twin towers and those who lost their lives that day in the United States, I will also be celebrating my year anniversary in Peru. I cant believe in 11 day one year ago I landed in the country that will be my home for two years of my life. I want to say thank you to all my family and friends that have kept in touch and continue to write me, send me things and send me love. You have no idea how much it helps to hear stories from home and to be kept up to date. It meant a lot to hear from all of you when my dog died because I feel like people from the U.S. have much stronger connections with their pets then the community I live in and it was nice to get condolences from people who understand that connection because a person and their dog. I want to say for the millionth time that I LOVE getting emails, no matter what they are about because it reminds me of home and makes me feel connected. So even if you just want to send me a list of this delicious american foods you ate that day or that week, silly things you pet or kid did, or your weekly ¨to do¨ list, go for it because I love any little detail you want to send and I will make a concentrated effort to respond with personalized emails.

Love you all, thanks again. Saludos a todos de mi comunidad. Les extaño un cantidad!

Carolyn/¨Carito¨

PS for great pictures of my town, my life here and pictures of Greg and Jackie´s visit, check out my and Jackie´s facebook albums!