24 Junio 2012

The last four days were ALMA.
There isn’t a better way to describe it: ‘alma’-spirit.
Actividades de Lideres Mujeres Adolescentes

It was a 3-day leadership camp for select female adolescent leaders from all over the Department of Arequipa. There were 30 young women participants and 15 volunteers (Peruvian and American) running the camp.
After 6 months of planning, and thousands of dollars of donations from friends, family, strangers and NGOs (Quechua Benefit, Village de Andes, and more) it can’t be described as anything but a success.

The moto of the camp was “Know Your Potential”. We focused on two specific themes: vocational orientation, and health (this included a huge focus on creativity for both themes). Every talk was oriented around learning through play and interactive activities.

The girls arrived Thursday afternoon to be divided into teams with whom they would compete all weekend. They received points for participation, punctuality, answering questions correctly, as well as winning the sports challenges. After icebreakers and name games they had a two-hour obstacle course meant to just be pure fun and getting to know one another. It successfully exhausted them, and they were released to their rooms for monopoly, playing cards, and the movie Tin Tin projected in their dorms.

The first full day the girls were up bright and early after many of their first experience with a hot shower. This day’s theme was Vocational Orientation.
They had a field trip to visit the best university in Arequipa (and one of the best in Peru-UNSA), then received a series of workshops.
The first was given by Mario on professionalism where the girls took an aptitude test and discussed professions that interested them.
Then they got a talk from Chris and Mario about the steps one needs to take in Peru in order to enter University.
This was followed by money management and saving by Tim and Chris. It was the most fun finance talk I have ever seen in my life.
Then I had organized a panel of professional women to come and talk to the young ladies about where they came from, and how they became successful women.
After lunch America taught the girls how to build a resume,
Mila gave a talk on professionalism and communicating with you body (eye contact, hand shaking, etc) linked to a game of charades followed by mock interviews that Amber organized.
At the end of the day they received a workshop from Richard on Spanish-speaking artists, and how the lives of these famous artists influenced their work. The girls then spent a couple hours expressing their emotions through differing artistic mediums.
The day concluded with an egg-drop contest organized by Tim and Amber that lead to many-a-joyously-screaming adolescent.

Each night consisted of breaking off into teams and processing and reflecting on the day. The girls were in their rooms by 9:30pm but the volunteers stayed up until about 11pm or later to prep for the following day’s activities, dreading the 5:30am wake up call we were responsible for making the following morning.

Saturday was focused on Health (physical and mental).
It began with a sexual education talk given by a Peace Corps doctor that we flew down from Lima- Thank you Suni! Not only did the girls learn about the changes happening in their body from someone educated, but they learned about STDs and safe sexual practices.
This was followed by an activity given by Mario and Rocio about healthy relationships discussing family interactions, romantic relationships and male and female stereotypes.
After lunch they had a nutrition workshop given by Tim and myself then I gave the girls a yoga class that discussed the importance of physical and mental fitness as well as learning a new way to meditate.
They then moved on to mask making. With Kim, they talked about how some people are different on the outside than the inside and spent hours making masks to put on their ‘outside’ that expressed their inside, using the ideas of expression from the art talk the day before.
Amber wrapped up the day by talking about setting and meeting goals,
then after dinner Kim and I made a Jeopardy game that reviewed the weekend’s information. The “daily double” questions consisted of each team’s counselors competing against one another in physical challenges. More screaming adolescents. Somewhere in there the girls and all the volunteer counselors played flip cup. No worries, water, not beer.

Sunday morning Amber organized a closing ceremony involving a processing what to walk away from ALMA with (America), as well as a photo show of the camp (Lu and Tim), prizes for winning and non-winning teams(America and Tim), certificates (Mario and Amber), and cake (America and Rocio). Special thanks to Kim and Divya for feeding us all weekend!
Obviously, this was a HUGE team effort.





ALMA is one of the projects I am most proud of for helping organize in my Peace Corps service. Thank you to all of my friends and family who donated money to make this camp happen.

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.