Hello all,
Here´s my first promised update, although I have to pound this out at the internet café instead of on my computer (just worked through some virus issues) so it won´t be as detailed as I hope to get in the future.
What I´ve been up to lately is revisiting the capital to fix the new computer and talk to a university about giving citizenship chats to my high school, a whole lot of teaching (including in their version of kindergarten now... I´ll have to brush up my nursery song knowledge), and the new addition of a radio show. The town offered me an hour every day on their FM radio station which I´ll use to introduce some international news to the town, talk about community and health issues, and three days a week play some world music (I´ve certainly got enough to fill an hour a day for several years...). I´m going to start getting pretty busy here before too long, but that is exactly what I wanted and is refreshing. I´ve been reading two books a week lately, so as much as I like it hopefully that´ll slacken as I´ve got more and more meaningful tasks to fulfill.
Well, this was criminally short, but I´ve got quite a bit to do. Keep posted for the meatier stuff coming up...
Sunday, September 21, 2008
Monday, September 15, 2008
Update
Hello all,
Well, I finally oot a funcioning computer so I should be able to type up blog posts now and put them up when I get access to the internet. That once a week I promised awhile ago is now viable, then.
On the news front, I now have a family to stay with, which is awesome. My mom and dad are both 40 and their primary sustenance is their chacras, or fields. They grow corn, potatoes, alfalfa, lima beans, and quinua, which is a cous-cous like grain with a lot of protein. I helped plow a chacra last Tuesday and I was probably as tired as I´ve ever been afterward. I walked the bulls from 9am to about 5pm with only a small break to eat in between. Still, it was very interesting and even strangely fun, although I´m sure the more of it I do the less fun it´ll be with time (and probably the easier).
I also have an eight year old little sister that has become my shadow and two younger brothers that are studying in the capital. I am getting used to some pretty rustic living conditions, from the outhouse without light or toilet seat (but it flushes!) and washing my own clothes by hand to the four days of various sheep innards to eat as we just butchered a sheep. It is interesting how quickly one gets used to all this as I can´t say any of it bothers me all that much, although if we keep eating like this I will be skinny indeed upon my return (already down 15-20...).
As for work, I am teaching English in the Primary and Secondary schools and will be putting together adult english and computer classes before too long. I have yet to get seriously involved on the business side, but I am having meetings all this week with different organizations that may hopefully be able to get me started there. I also have a heft community diagnostic to take care of, so I am fairly busy right now.
Well, that´s the news I have for now. I´ll get more descriptive in the future now that I can devote some time to it...
Well, I finally oot a funcioning computer so I should be able to type up blog posts now and put them up when I get access to the internet. That once a week I promised awhile ago is now viable, then.
On the news front, I now have a family to stay with, which is awesome. My mom and dad are both 40 and their primary sustenance is their chacras, or fields. They grow corn, potatoes, alfalfa, lima beans, and quinua, which is a cous-cous like grain with a lot of protein. I helped plow a chacra last Tuesday and I was probably as tired as I´ve ever been afterward. I walked the bulls from 9am to about 5pm with only a small break to eat in between. Still, it was very interesting and even strangely fun, although I´m sure the more of it I do the less fun it´ll be with time (and probably the easier).
I also have an eight year old little sister that has become my shadow and two younger brothers that are studying in the capital. I am getting used to some pretty rustic living conditions, from the outhouse without light or toilet seat (but it flushes!) and washing my own clothes by hand to the four days of various sheep innards to eat as we just butchered a sheep. It is interesting how quickly one gets used to all this as I can´t say any of it bothers me all that much, although if we keep eating like this I will be skinny indeed upon my return (already down 15-20...).
As for work, I am teaching English in the Primary and Secondary schools and will be putting together adult english and computer classes before too long. I have yet to get seriously involved on the business side, but I am having meetings all this week with different organizations that may hopefully be able to get me started there. I also have a heft community diagnostic to take care of, so I am fairly busy right now.
Well, that´s the news I have for now. I´ll get more descriptive in the future now that I can devote some time to it...
Monday, September 1, 2008
First Impressions
Hello all,
Well, the first several days are over and I´ve survived all-right. I still don´t have a host family, but I´ll be looking for one in earnest in the coming week or two. I know that there´ll be something somewhere, and for the time being I´m staying in the municipal hotel, which needs some touching up but is otherwise pretty comfortable, if cold. It does feature potentially the best toilet in town (still no seat, though), which is all mine, so I can´t complain too much.
The town fiestas just got over, which is why I haven´t gotten much done, and they were pretty nice. I described a bit what was to be expected, and it all was pretty exciting. When I have more time in the future I´ll make sure to write a bit on the fiesta culture here, as well as a lot of other descriptive topics, but for now I´ll just keep you updated on what´s happening on my end. Unfortunately my computer was the next electronic device of mine to bite the dust, but thankfully the information on it was all intact and recoverable. There´s an outside shot it can be fixed, but I´m not holding my breath. I´ll know more tomorrow when I´m next in cell phone coverage. At worst, there is another volunteer nearby who has two laptops and may be open to selling me one at a reasonable price. I do have internet in my town, which saves me a lengthy walk, but it isn´t always available so I need to prioritize my time on it.
As for the town, everyone seems pretty nice, if a little withdrawn at first. After a little partying with the mayor and city council among other community dignitaries, I feel as if I´m a little more accepted than my first couple of days. I´ve yet to do anything of any significance with them, but there will be plenty of time in the coming weeks. In the meantime, I´ve already contacted the local schools (they have a primary and secondary/high school here) and set aside a few days to work with each. It appears as if I´ll be thrown into an English classroom right away in the secondary school as they´re looking for another professor. I´ve made it clear that I have no idea how to teach English from the ground up, but would be glad to be a resource and a temporary fill-in. Well, that´s about all the news I can remember,
Zach
Well, the first several days are over and I´ve survived all-right. I still don´t have a host family, but I´ll be looking for one in earnest in the coming week or two. I know that there´ll be something somewhere, and for the time being I´m staying in the municipal hotel, which needs some touching up but is otherwise pretty comfortable, if cold. It does feature potentially the best toilet in town (still no seat, though), which is all mine, so I can´t complain too much.
The town fiestas just got over, which is why I haven´t gotten much done, and they were pretty nice. I described a bit what was to be expected, and it all was pretty exciting. When I have more time in the future I´ll make sure to write a bit on the fiesta culture here, as well as a lot of other descriptive topics, but for now I´ll just keep you updated on what´s happening on my end. Unfortunately my computer was the next electronic device of mine to bite the dust, but thankfully the information on it was all intact and recoverable. There´s an outside shot it can be fixed, but I´m not holding my breath. I´ll know more tomorrow when I´m next in cell phone coverage. At worst, there is another volunteer nearby who has two laptops and may be open to selling me one at a reasonable price. I do have internet in my town, which saves me a lengthy walk, but it isn´t always available so I need to prioritize my time on it.
As for the town, everyone seems pretty nice, if a little withdrawn at first. After a little partying with the mayor and city council among other community dignitaries, I feel as if I´m a little more accepted than my first couple of days. I´ve yet to do anything of any significance with them, but there will be plenty of time in the coming weeks. In the meantime, I´ve already contacted the local schools (they have a primary and secondary/high school here) and set aside a few days to work with each. It appears as if I´ll be thrown into an English classroom right away in the secondary school as they´re looking for another professor. I´ve made it clear that I have no idea how to teach English from the ground up, but would be glad to be a resource and a temporary fill-in. Well, that´s about all the news I can remember,
Zach
Wednesday, August 27, 2008
I´m here!
Hello all,
Well, I´m now in my site in the Colca Canyon. I still don´t have a family, which isn´t good, but I´ll survive until I can find one. I´m hoping it gets taken care of within the next three weeks, and am confident it should be. For the next three days we have Fiestas Patrias here so I won´t work much. There will be bullfighting, traditional dances, a beauty pageant (unfortunately none of the contestants live here- young women appear to ditch at first opportunity... small town living), and plenty of music and food. I also found out that there is internet only an hour walk away, and possibly in my town. But I still don´t have cell signal. You can´t have everything I guess...
Well, I´m now in my site in the Colca Canyon. I still don´t have a family, which isn´t good, but I´ll survive until I can find one. I´m hoping it gets taken care of within the next three weeks, and am confident it should be. For the next three days we have Fiestas Patrias here so I won´t work much. There will be bullfighting, traditional dances, a beauty pageant (unfortunately none of the contestants live here- young women appear to ditch at first opportunity... small town living), and plenty of music and food. I also found out that there is internet only an hour walk away, and possibly in my town. But I still don´t have cell signal. You can´t have everything I guess...
Thursday, August 21, 2008
Adios, Yanacoto!
Hey all,
I haven´t written in awhile because things have been very, very busy since my last post. I have been getting ready for heading off to site, saying goodbye to my new family and friends, and packing in a lot of those lasts... fiestas, visit to the quality pizza joint in the nearest big city, hitting up Jockey Plaza, which is pretty much a glorified American mall. From here on out it will be pretty ¨rustic¨as they say in the Peace Corps, and I´m looking forward to getting the chance to see what I´m really made of.
Training is pretty much finished at this point, which is both good and bad. The bad is I won´t be seeing most of these folks for quite some time, although we´ll keep in touch I´m sure. The good is the actually training part is over, which was getting kind of tiresome. If you have a hankering to revisit high school, then training is for you. If not, you´re counting the days until site. That being said, the information was pretty good and it´s obvious that our trainers worked as hard as possible to get us ready for a pretty uncertain situation. I certainly couldn´t think of a way to do it better.
As far as last impressions culturally of this area, it is surprising how much this feels like home after only 3 months. It´s really like I´m leaving all over again. There are certain cultural differences that jump right out at you, such as a lot less concern for personal space, although my family has been good about that. Still, I can´t say that there´s anything here that really bothered me all that much, and even the town-wide loudspeaker announcements each morning at 6 a.m. got to feeling like normal. There are also some great cultural practices here that I wouldn´t mind importing back to the states, such as greating literally everyone you pass on the street and saying thank you to the cook after you finish every meal. I also have gotten used to the greeting kiss, although that still wouldn´t fly in the midwest I´m sure.
All in all, I´ve had a great three months here but am excited (and not a little intimidated) to move on to the real work. The next three months will be tough as I integrate into the community and start planning what exactly I´ll be doing in the next few years. We have a pretty intense community diagnostic we´ll be doing for much of that time and outside of that I´ll have to make sure to prioritize my time so as not to burn out right off the bat (during my visit I was approached by a load of town organizations about helping out, so I´ll ideally have plenty to do).
Well, to sum up, I´ll be making weekly posts from here on out as I can only get internet once a week. Mail will be even worse if I have to get a box in the capital- once a month. The good news is I´ll have a cell soon enough that everyone can call. It will be free for me, but I would caution those who want to talk to check it out with your provider first. This international stuff can get tricky, although most phone cards should work at the worst. Adios,
Zach
I haven´t written in awhile because things have been very, very busy since my last post. I have been getting ready for heading off to site, saying goodbye to my new family and friends, and packing in a lot of those lasts... fiestas, visit to the quality pizza joint in the nearest big city, hitting up Jockey Plaza, which is pretty much a glorified American mall. From here on out it will be pretty ¨rustic¨as they say in the Peace Corps, and I´m looking forward to getting the chance to see what I´m really made of.
Training is pretty much finished at this point, which is both good and bad. The bad is I won´t be seeing most of these folks for quite some time, although we´ll keep in touch I´m sure. The good is the actually training part is over, which was getting kind of tiresome. If you have a hankering to revisit high school, then training is for you. If not, you´re counting the days until site. That being said, the information was pretty good and it´s obvious that our trainers worked as hard as possible to get us ready for a pretty uncertain situation. I certainly couldn´t think of a way to do it better.
As far as last impressions culturally of this area, it is surprising how much this feels like home after only 3 months. It´s really like I´m leaving all over again. There are certain cultural differences that jump right out at you, such as a lot less concern for personal space, although my family has been good about that. Still, I can´t say that there´s anything here that really bothered me all that much, and even the town-wide loudspeaker announcements each morning at 6 a.m. got to feeling like normal. There are also some great cultural practices here that I wouldn´t mind importing back to the states, such as greating literally everyone you pass on the street and saying thank you to the cook after you finish every meal. I also have gotten used to the greeting kiss, although that still wouldn´t fly in the midwest I´m sure.
All in all, I´ve had a great three months here but am excited (and not a little intimidated) to move on to the real work. The next three months will be tough as I integrate into the community and start planning what exactly I´ll be doing in the next few years. We have a pretty intense community diagnostic we´ll be doing for much of that time and outside of that I´ll have to make sure to prioritize my time so as not to burn out right off the bat (during my visit I was approached by a load of town organizations about helping out, so I´ll ideally have plenty to do).
Well, to sum up, I´ll be making weekly posts from here on out as I can only get internet once a week. Mail will be even worse if I have to get a box in the capital- once a month. The good news is I´ll have a cell soon enough that everyone can call. It will be free for me, but I would caution those who want to talk to check it out with your provider first. This international stuff can get tricky, although most phone cards should work at the worst. Adios,
Zach
Sunday, August 10, 2008
Arequipa
I just got back from my site where I’ll be living for the next years, and I couldn’t be more pleased. The town is called Madrigal, in the department (state) of Arequipa, described by some as the Texas of Peru because of its distinct, prideful culture. The city is beautiful, nestled in the Colca Canyon valley, which is the deepest canyon in the world, as mentioned earlier. I’m actually only a couple hour walk from the deepest part of it.
The town itself is small, only about 400 families, and very agrarian. Nearly everyone has a farm, or chacra, and is there all day. So, I’ll only have a small window between 6pm and bedtime to get most of my work done, although I can plan and do research during the day while most of the population is gone. I can also work in the schools and go to the farm and help out. I should have plenty to do overall, especially since there is great tourism potential there. There is an Incan fortress overlooking the deepest part of the canyon, ancient cliff-face tombs- one of which has a mummy, a rock forest, hot springs, cave paintings, and even a rope bridge and an abandoned mine (cool to explore if not exactly tourist-centric).
The people are also amazing. Everybody greets one another when passing in the street, everyone seems to know everyone else, and there seems to be a genuineness there that you don’t see that often. I think I’m pretty much a new toy for the kids, as I got a little buddy right away, Maria, complete with a lamb that follows her around. She wanted to do everything with me, as did a young boy named Emerson who showed me around a lot of the spots to see. My primary duties are with adult organizations, but I believe that I’ll end up doing a lot with the kids of the town as well, as they’ve not got a whole lot to do with their free time.
The scenery is spectacular. You can see where the canyon plunges down from the town square (which has a beautiful stone church that may have been built 400 plus years ago). Mountains are all around, and after a rainfall their peaks are covered with snow. An hour’s hike away is the river at the bottom of the canyon, which isn’t very deep but fast in a whitewater sort of way. Within the town, the houses are mostly of stone or adobe, and walking down one of the dirt streets with stone buildings and animals all around makes you feel like you stepped back into the middle ages. Apparently the scenery gets even better after the rainy season, when everything turns green and the sun is out much of the time.
On the downside, I will probably not see a toilet seat again for the next couple of years. Also, it is bitterly cold at night without any heating per se, so I’ll have to get creative with covers, long underwear, etc. People also only bathe once a week, which is another throwback element of the town. I will probably kick it up a notch and go into the nearest “big” city, Chivay, once a week to shower/bathe at the hot springs in town. Either way, I’m going to have to get used to being dirty much of the time. Still, I entered the Peace Corps expecting “rustic” conditions and this is pretty much what I asked for. I’ve become too soft over the last year or so and a little hard work and grit will be good for me.
Overall, I think I will have a great time over the next couple of years and furthermore I think there is room for me to really help in some aspects. That’s the important thing, anyways. Well, I have to two weeks left in Lima before I head to site for good. When that happens, I’ll be updating once a week. I also will have a cell phone again, which you can call after our cell phone tower gets built in town (about a month or two in). This is it!
Here are the long promised pictures, covering my trip up north to Cahamarca, my small vacation to the holy mountain of Marcahausi, some more pictures of my house here in Yanacoto, and my site to be, Madrigal:
http://picasaweb.google.com/zijerem/Peru2
Oh, and I started picking up poetry lately. For some reason it’s just flowing right now, which is strange because I’m not used to doing much with the creative arts. Here’s one I wrote recently that came out in about ten minutes:
It courses
Down the mountain
Rushes over and
Around
Rocks, moss-laden
Branches, obstacles
Of many kinds
For it is its
Nature
It cannot burst
Asunder the
Iron bounds of
Gravity or
Retract its wet
Wanderings
However much it
Might wish
So it plunges
Ahead
Leaping and bounding
Over and
Around
Until it meets its
Match
An obstacle insurmountable
A wall, whether of
Rock or
Concrete
A halting force
Doest it then flow
Around, or
Stop, and
Puddle?
Or does it rage
Against this
Impediment,
Struggle, scratch,
Chip away
Until it can
Once again skip
Over and
Around?
The town itself is small, only about 400 families, and very agrarian. Nearly everyone has a farm, or chacra, and is there all day. So, I’ll only have a small window between 6pm and bedtime to get most of my work done, although I can plan and do research during the day while most of the population is gone. I can also work in the schools and go to the farm and help out. I should have plenty to do overall, especially since there is great tourism potential there. There is an Incan fortress overlooking the deepest part of the canyon, ancient cliff-face tombs- one of which has a mummy, a rock forest, hot springs, cave paintings, and even a rope bridge and an abandoned mine (cool to explore if not exactly tourist-centric).
The people are also amazing. Everybody greets one another when passing in the street, everyone seems to know everyone else, and there seems to be a genuineness there that you don’t see that often. I think I’m pretty much a new toy for the kids, as I got a little buddy right away, Maria, complete with a lamb that follows her around. She wanted to do everything with me, as did a young boy named Emerson who showed me around a lot of the spots to see. My primary duties are with adult organizations, but I believe that I’ll end up doing a lot with the kids of the town as well, as they’ve not got a whole lot to do with their free time.
The scenery is spectacular. You can see where the canyon plunges down from the town square (which has a beautiful stone church that may have been built 400 plus years ago). Mountains are all around, and after a rainfall their peaks are covered with snow. An hour’s hike away is the river at the bottom of the canyon, which isn’t very deep but fast in a whitewater sort of way. Within the town, the houses are mostly of stone or adobe, and walking down one of the dirt streets with stone buildings and animals all around makes you feel like you stepped back into the middle ages. Apparently the scenery gets even better after the rainy season, when everything turns green and the sun is out much of the time.
On the downside, I will probably not see a toilet seat again for the next couple of years. Also, it is bitterly cold at night without any heating per se, so I’ll have to get creative with covers, long underwear, etc. People also only bathe once a week, which is another throwback element of the town. I will probably kick it up a notch and go into the nearest “big” city, Chivay, once a week to shower/bathe at the hot springs in town. Either way, I’m going to have to get used to being dirty much of the time. Still, I entered the Peace Corps expecting “rustic” conditions and this is pretty much what I asked for. I’ve become too soft over the last year or so and a little hard work and grit will be good for me.
Overall, I think I will have a great time over the next couple of years and furthermore I think there is room for me to really help in some aspects. That’s the important thing, anyways. Well, I have to two weeks left in Lima before I head to site for good. When that happens, I’ll be updating once a week. I also will have a cell phone again, which you can call after our cell phone tower gets built in town (about a month or two in). This is it!
Here are the long promised pictures, covering my trip up north to Cahamarca, my small vacation to the holy mountain of Marcahausi, some more pictures of my house here in Yanacoto, and my site to be, Madrigal:
http://picasaweb.google.com/zijerem/Peru2
Oh, and I started picking up poetry lately. For some reason it’s just flowing right now, which is strange because I’m not used to doing much with the creative arts. Here’s one I wrote recently that came out in about ten minutes:
It courses
Down the mountain
Rushes over and
Around
Rocks, moss-laden
Branches, obstacles
Of many kinds
For it is its
Nature
It cannot burst
Asunder the
Iron bounds of
Gravity or
Retract its wet
Wanderings
However much it
Might wish
So it plunges
Ahead
Leaping and bounding
Over and
Around
Until it meets its
Match
An obstacle insurmountable
A wall, whether of
Rock or
Concrete
A halting force
Doest it then flow
Around, or
Stop, and
Puddle?
Or does it rage
Against this
Impediment,
Struggle, scratch,
Chip away
Until it can
Once again skip
Over and
Around?
Friday, August 1, 2008
Arequipa!
Hello all,
I´ve got some good news today. We were assigned our sites and I will be heading south to Madrigal, Arequipa. It is a small town high up (10,500 feet) and perched on the edge (or somewhat within- don´t know yet) of Colca Canyon, the deepest canyon in the world. Apparently this town is more or less straight out of The Bridge of San Luis Rey. I will be working on tourism initiatives to capture some of the dollars that flow through the valley regularly because of its adventure sports/sightseeing reputation. I will also work with an artesan group that makes different types of clothes (the clothes the women wear have been described to me as the most beautiful traditional garb in the world) and an association of milk producers. My host family has a farm, so I´ll likely help out with that, which is exciting because they practice the terrace-style farming that one usually thinks of when/if they ever get around to thinking of farming in Peru.
I am going next week to check it out for a week and meet some folks before returning for the last two weeks of training. There is no internet and only rumors of cell coverage, so missives will be no more than once a week when I arrive permanently. I´m just flush with information, but I¨ll do more describing when I´ve experienced it for awhile. I´m definitely pleased, as this is what I´ve been asking for all along. Should be amazing...
I´ve got some good news today. We were assigned our sites and I will be heading south to Madrigal, Arequipa. It is a small town high up (10,500 feet) and perched on the edge (or somewhat within- don´t know yet) of Colca Canyon, the deepest canyon in the world. Apparently this town is more or less straight out of The Bridge of San Luis Rey. I will be working on tourism initiatives to capture some of the dollars that flow through the valley regularly because of its adventure sports/sightseeing reputation. I will also work with an artesan group that makes different types of clothes (the clothes the women wear have been described to me as the most beautiful traditional garb in the world) and an association of milk producers. My host family has a farm, so I´ll likely help out with that, which is exciting because they practice the terrace-style farming that one usually thinks of when/if they ever get around to thinking of farming in Peru.
I am going next week to check it out for a week and meet some folks before returning for the last two weeks of training. There is no internet and only rumors of cell coverage, so missives will be no more than once a week when I arrive permanently. I´m just flush with information, but I¨ll do more describing when I´ve experienced it for awhile. I´m definitely pleased, as this is what I´ve been asking for all along. Should be amazing...
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