22 Junio 2012

Why do I feel like Lu does not work well with others?

Exhausted and impatient.

By the time I leave Peace Corps there are going to be huge teeth marks in my tongue.

I miss working with and for professionals

19 June 2012 take two

A question that I have been revisiting regularly for the past couple years is this:

What is it that flipped the switch in the parents of western cultures’ society? What is it that made an entire community of parents decide to sacrifice for their children? What was it that gave them the push to get their children out of workers’ clothes and into the classroom?

I keep coming back to WWII.

Something big. Upsetting. Makes it worth fighting when you lose your freedoms or security.

Now, being aware of this, I have begun to see a pattern.

When I read the book, The Help, the moment where the working class women decided to speak up in numbers was when a neighbor was murdered and a fellow maid was arrested.

When my ten-year-old student was raped, then the women started to think about their childrens’ safety and stimulation and begin to stand up for the after-school program.

Why do we have to wait for the terrible to happen for us to feel passionate? Why can’t we see what is right and good without having to experience horrendousness to be able to recognize it’s opposite?

Is change that scary? One would rather live in the wrong until something more frightening shows its face?

19 Junio 2012

The reality that I am leaving is sinking in for me as much as my host family and Peruvian friends.

It was the blanket.

Doña Juana and I were planning the weaving days, when we are going to do what, and we realized the slight race against the clock. It shocked us both.

Now, everyone is focusing on making every moment count.

I am spending less time on yoga and books and more time just sitting together. Tonight my host family was hanging out in my room eating their new favorite: sloppy joes, which I translated to ‘juanes cochinos’, big hit. I had no desire to get back to my book, and they just kind of hovered. I think I can count on one hand the number of times Don Juan has been in my room, tonight was one of the best.

My mother sent me a care package that was a s’more making kit (thank you, mom!). It was the first time I had eaten a graham cracker in 2years, and put together as a s’more… longer. I explained that ‘s’more’ means “quiero mas” and that is exactly how it hit. Making s’mores has this romanticism to it as is, but in this situation, where we are trying to pour the last of everything we know into each other, the excitement had its own satiation.

Right now the dog just came in the room to cuddle up in bed and I found myself saying, “No, ma’am, you finish chewing that dried goat leg on the floor. When you are done, you can come to bed.” To which I received a little wining temper tantrum.

When is that sentence ever going to come out of my mouth ever again in my life?

I attempted to make sharper cheese before I left for Lima. It involved what felt like an era of pressing, simmering, cooling, salting, and wrapping… after drying it turned out to be a better texture than the cheese we usually make, but actually more bland. I know, you cheese expert you, you are just thinking,
 ‘how can you attempt to make good quality cheese without a thermometer or refrigerator?! Silly girl!'
 I know, oh wise one. It was worth a shot… and perhaps two or three more. 

16 June 2012

this weekend were Close of Service med checks in Lima.
now that a bit of every liquid in my body has been extracted and processed I feel only mildly abused.

I did meet some incredible people.
Thank you Sarah (property of Libby) and Charlie (property of Jules) for being so flexible and pleasant even through the goopy peruvian food and carrying poop samples around in bags...


Charlie is the tallest man I have ever met, strong, kind, thoughtful, handsome, and one week out of the Marines. He finished his service in Afghanistan only to head to South America to visit his sister, and my good friend, Juliane before she finishes her Peace Corps service in Northern Peru.
What a family, I know.

Can you imagine a Military or a Peace Corps that works together? Instead of armed forces being brute strength and pressure, and instead of Peace Corps being this fluffy 'live the hard life get little development work done'... what if we put our differences aside and worked together?
Charlie expressed severe frustration with the situation in Afghanistan. Their corrupt government forces civilians to fight, we kill them when they attack us, the civilians hate us. We leave, their corrupt government continues to abuse their citizenry (especially women), and the whole world is angry at us for not stepping in to protect. He feels a strong pull to be there to help, but we are stuck in this conundrum of death. They try to build roads and bridges to send a message that Americans aren't bad people and there to kill, but our interests in controlling oil cannot be neglected.
We talked a lot about how the lack of literacy and general access to education for the population of the communities around where he was based affects their understanding of the war and why we are there.
We talked about how the military officials aren't trained in the local dialect, so there is a huge disconnect and inability to explain.
What if, when the military is sent out on a mission, it is paired with Peace Corps volunteers sent to educate and provide health access to civilians? What if Peace Corps became something more intense,  something dangerous and right in the heart of present politics and policies? Would that not carry so much more potential for real progress, change, and success stories?

I can say, I would join.

10 June 2012

I love Sundays.

Everyone was on the patio together, including Elvis’ father and brother who had come down from the alpaca ranch.

We did the week’s wash.

Jerkied and marinated meat Pablo brought down.

Milked and fed the cows.

Cut hair.

Bathed.

Played.

Now, I am looking at a cheese recipe to see if we can’t make our cheese a bit more sharp with the limited supplies we have.

I love this.

Also, Pablo is very interested in sending Elvis and Roni to Casa Chapi to get an education as well. I feel SO good about that. While he is a loving father, he and his wife are not a good influences with their drunkenness and domestic violence. I will feel MUCH more free to leave knowing these guys have a safe and stimulating home…

9 Junio 2012

There were quite a few wins this weekend.

The kids loved the astronomy trip and are begging to go back again next year.

Mrs. Quico’s husband thinks sending their kids to the Casa Chapi Orphanage to get an education is a good idea. They are going to view the space next week.

The women are thinking! They are coming up to me with ideas; On how to make the community more safe, how to create an environment that is more stimulating for their children, how to keep the library open and accessible, how to get the afterschool program running again. Just the fact that they are actually thinking, being creative, and coming to me with ideas has left me full of hope.

We are absorbing a couple of these women into the VALE committee and having a brainstorming session in one month.

My chest feels light.

7 June 2012 take two

Ironic. The morning that I am gently reprimanded by my host father for being un-lady like by yelling at a macho, lying, irresponsible councilman is the same day I am asked to speak to community parents about the child rape situation.

Who says I want to be lady-like? Who says these women and girls should be?

Why do I feel like I am fighting the suffragist movement on my own?

Miryum is a teacher in the elementary school. She is beautiful and patient and one of the kindest people I have ever met. Because of the rape incident this week, she asked me to come and speak at the monthly parents’ meeting at the primary school. 

“Can you tell the parents to be more aware of where their kids are, an not let them play in the streets? Maybe they will listen to you.”

No, I can’t.

 First of all, it is never the victim’s fault in rape cases, and the last thing I am going to do is hint at the fault belonging to the parents of the 10 year old walking home from school. Second, he was a neighbor, a friend, someone the family knew. He invited the kids into his house for a snack. Culturally, it would have been rude for the kids to say no to their neighbor offering them food. Especially when they are hungry, and people offer each other food here all the time.

I don’t have the answer. I don’t know what could have prevented something like this (except an after-school program….) other than education.

I agreed to speak, and decided to focus on awareness.

I informed the parents that something violent happened in the streets of madrigal to one of our young students and everyone involved in the situation was affected, including the teachers in the school, and that is why they asked me to come speak today. I asked them to think about what everyone can do to make Madrigal a more safe, stimulating environment for their kids. I asked them to think about what they can do, what the teachers can do, what the local nurse can do, and what the municipality can do.. Then, in July when we have Encuentros de Padres, we will not only discuss their ideas, but help put them into action.

Then, I quizzed them: So, when is Encuantros de padres? Hands go up “July”

What do I need you to do until then? Silence… then guesses

“watch our kids closer?”

 dammit, “no”

 “Be more conscientious and careful with our kids?”

 “yeah, kind of”

“I need you all to be aware of what is happening with your children for the next month, and think about what we all can do to make their lives better.”

Here is to hoping.