Pics Only!

Hey All,
This time I'm just gonna post some pics with their explanations so you can literally "see" more of my life here.
Chao!
Jackie

1. Henry in his favorite daytime lounging spot...

2. Some of my Christmas decorations (little ornaments with my family pics inside)...thanks Aunnie!

3. The kids out in the campo where I do my community bank...they LOVED the camera and got the biggest kick out of seeing themselves on the screen! haha

4. Only the most beautiful capital city...Cajamarca!

5. Today was the Anniversary of the Province of San Pablo... the Mayor is in the middle in the blue sash. They had a parade, fireworks, traditional dances, a soccer game, etc.

6. Me and my host sister Greysi- she was a flag-bearer..so cute!

7. My artisans and their "goods." Check out the swans made of recycled paper!

1.

November happenings!

Okay so there went a month and I have SO much it would be impossible to write. So I'm going to focus on some highlights and then talk about my day...here we go!

1. ALMA camp- we put on a camp for high school girls in our region a few weeks ago. It was so great. Each volunteer brought 2-3 girls to the capital city for a weekend of games, laughter and learning. We covered themes of self-esteem, drugs/alc, sex ed (they don't get this in school), gender differences, and had them do a mock problem-solving project in teams. I got to lead dance aerobics in the morning and we also had a spontaneous dance session where we taught them Cotton Eyed Joe, the Electric Slide, the Soulja Boy,  and more...so fun! Our Country Director also came and had great things to say about it.

2. Thanksgiving Break- a break it was! I had an amazing time relaxing on the beach with a few close friends. We made a wonderful meal and it was very special...if I had to be away from home, it was the place to be. I also got to see a bunch of friends who were in transit to other vacation spots around the country (Sidenote: Peru is SO big with so much to see, I wonder if I'll get to it all!).

3. My host mom's birthday party. First of all it was on a Monday night- but here they don't let that stop 'em. My family killed 2 ducks they had been raising in our neighbor's yard and it was the best duck I've ever had...soo delicious. So we ate and the beer/wine started getting passed around. It wasn't a huge party, but they had no lack of alcohol. We danced and danced, and every time I looked at my watch another hour passed. Midnight...one..two am. Nick (my site mate) and I saw the beer winding down and thought the party would be ending soon. Then they brought another whole box of 12 beers (the big ones, not personal size) and the fiesta continued. Finally at 4am we wound down...whew! It was a blast but I think it threw my whole week off sleep-wise. Good thing her birthday is only once a year!

4. I saw the funniest thing the other day, and I have to share. I turn the corner to go down to the high school with my site mate Nick and we see a lady, with a broom and water, literally washing the telephone pole outside her house. I don't understand why, but they wash the sidewalks- and even street areas sometimes- here. They say it gets dusty...but I had yet to see someone washing their telephone pole...ha! I couldn't stop laughing.

5. Another funny anecdote- There is a random clown I have seen twice in town who tries to woo me with his 3 lines in English- the same 3 lines both times. "Where are you from?" "Welcome to my country" "I love you, I love you so much!" Haha I couldn't even help but laugh.

OK today... I got to go to the "campo," or the rural area outside town where there is more poverty, to give a talk on personal financing/family budgeting to a bunch of teachers and it was a really neat experience. This community hardly has anything compared to where I live...a plaza, a health center, a municipality, one store, and a few schools. They don't have electricity except when they run the generator. I had the privilege of meeting Flor (means flower)- the janitor at the health center- when I went to help bring the snack for the participants. She captured my interest right away. Turns out she is 23 and single like me, and more outgoing than many campo women (they are often super timid and reserved, esp around me). It broke my heart to learn that she never got the chance to continue her studies past elementary school, when her dad got hurt and couldn't work- meaning they couldn't afford the school supplies/uniforms. But the most humbling part about it was she was not bitter/upset about it. She took up knitting and selling her products to support herself and her family. She really impacted me, and I hope to somehow work with her and the community of Tumbaden (even tho its pretty far away).

Enjoy the photos below...( yayyy they uploaded this time!!)
Until next time, be blessed,
Jackie

Projects!

Hey Everyone...It's been a while since I wrote, and some projects are beginning to form, so I wanted to give you the update:

• With the help of the local municipality, we've started an artisans group that meets every Monday afternoon. We have about 25 women (with more wanting to join) and they are working in knitting, crochet, recycled products, and other types of textiles I don't know how to say in English :) I am really excited to see where this could go, and with the support of the municipality we are better off than on our own.
• Had a presentation on Wednesday with the Chamber of Commerce I'm working with here that was started by a past business volunteer. Getting people to participate can  be super challenging, so we weren't expecting much. But about 35 people came out, many being small business owners. Most said they were interested in joining us, so I hope the momentum continues and we are able to function as an active group (up until now we have just been looking to find more members).
• Had the first meeting of the Community Bank I'm starting with a women's group in a rural area about 1.5 hrs walk from where I live. After some mis-communication/uncertainty and a lot of patience while it got worked out, we got started and the women put their first shares into the bank. It must be weird/uncomfortable to them to "give their money away" - or at least feel like they are, but some of the ladies helped me reassure the rest of the group that the money is staying within their group so they can save and take loans out, and that the interest will be shared between the group. I hope to take the President to the training we have in January since we need to bring a "socio" or community partner...we'll see!
• Last night was my brother and his fiance's engagement party, and I had sent them a video of congrats and another video I made with my English class where I taught them how to say "Congratulations Jason and Kristen" ...they showed them on the big screen and they were a big hit! I got to talk to a bunch of family/friends at the party as well, which made me feel a part of it :)

Ok I'm gonna run...English class in less than an hour! But I have internet in my house now, so I will be more accessible...BIG praise! Miss you all and feel free to reach out!

Jackie

Last week was the week of fiestas, (4 birthday parties in 5 days!) so I have my work cut out for me…here we go:

·         “La Hora Peruana” is a common thing here that you hear from the Peruvians themselves…it means that things will start approximately one hour later than is said. For example, if the meeting/event starts at “3pm” it really won’t get started until at least 3:30 but more likely closer to 4. One of the only exceptions I have seen so far is with fiestas, or parties. People like their parties here, and they show up on time.

·         It always starts off kind-of stiff because they set up the room with chairs along the walls and everyone sits very quietly waiting for it to begin. In parties where there is alcohol involved, the mood shifts substantially from the beginning to the end of the night.

·         The style of the party depends on the age level, but some things are universal- there is one table that holds the food, candy, cake, etc and you don’t touch it until they bring it around and serve it to you. For kids’ parties, the tradition is popcorn, jello, lollipops, mazzamora (a thick liquidy sweet drink made from purple corn), soda, a piñata, and a cake… oh and more candy. They usually serve food, too. A typical Peruvian dish for parties is ahi de gallina, which is potatoes with a delicious yellow cream sauce (made with milk, crackers/bread and chilies blended together) and shredded chicken.

·         There is always really, really loud music and dancing.  Even at my host sister’s 6 yr-old birthday party, the music was up and the little kids were dancing in groups and pairs. I got to lead them in a little dance circle J

·         The dancing is most commonly to salsa, cumbia, or whino (I’m totally spelling that wrong). Whino is an ironic name because it actually sounds like they are whining in some of the songs. But it’s growing on me and they love it here in town. The dance to whino is really cool- it’s a partner dance (all the dances here are) and basically you jump and stomp your feet to the rhythm and occasionally rotate sides with your partner. It’s really fun!

·         They sing “happy birthday” in English first then Spanish. Not sure where the tradition started, but it always amuses me to hear the thick Peruvian accents sing “hhheppy bartday”

·         La Hora Loca (the crazy hour)- this happens at the end of the party- and it really is crazy! There is certain music that goes along with it, and there are balloons, streamers, spray confetti, and entertainers. Saw my first one at one of the parties…enough to make your head spin!

·         My host brother turned 14 and his party was really fun- his friends sung in their own style and shoved some cake in his face and we danced a lot. Nick, my sitemate, was there too, and they had us show them how “Americans dance.” We even did the “going fishing” move..ha!

I feel like there is more to say but I can’t possibly write it all. I’ll write again soon with some more cultural tidbits!

I can’t believe it’s October already! Craziness. In Maryland its football, fall and the start of the school year. But here things are a bit different, so with the advice of a good family friend (thanks Mr. Pat J), I’m going to share a bit of the intricacies of life and culture here…Take it with a grain of salt and remember there are strange things about American culture, too.

1.       You can’t flush toilet paper down the toilet- the pipes aren’t strong enough. Also, its BYOTP, or bring your own toilet paper, because you often won’t find it in the bathroom.

2.       Here the school year starts in March and ends in December, but right now the teachers are on strike so they will likely be going through January.

3.       They are all about their fiestas (parties/fairs). Since I’ve been here there have been 2 already, and I haven’t seen the biggest one yet. Parades, dancing, music, and culture. I like that they have traditional dances and celebrations, we don’t really get that in the US.

4.       It’s totally PC to call someone “gordita” (little fat person), “negro,” (black), “china” (if they look like Asian), or “gringa” (white person) if their skin is lighter. They are actually used as terms of endearment. They are very direct here about physical appearance and no one gets offended.

5.       In general, the cultural is more indirect with saying “no”- in fact they don’t often take no for an answer. You have to make up an excuse if, for example, you don’t want to have a drink or eat something with a group.

6.       It is thought that cold drinks are not good for you, but cold showers are okay.

7.       Here they take mototaxis to get around town- Three-wheeled bikes with motors more or less. They have a steel frame but the material of the body is more like canvas, and the sides are open. It’s quite funny the first time you see it. And they drive super fast. They only people that have cars here are the wealthy and they transportation companies.

8.       You can walk almost everywhere, which I really like. I can walk to work in 5-10 mins and find pretty much everything I need in the local stores. They have internet cafes too but the signal is really weak.

For my next post, I’ll brainstorm some more and share more details. It’s starting to seem normal here so it’s harder to point out the cultural differences, but I suppose that’s a good thing J

Until Next Time!

So I can't upload photos on my blog, but check out my Facebook page to see the album I just uploaded! Had a great week...joined a soccer team (all men and me haha), had our first meeting of the chamber of commerce in town, working on a project with Nick (my sitemate) to build an auditorium/library in the high school...hope it comes through!

That's all I have time for now...sending blessings!
Jackie

What a difference a week can make! I have discovered so much this second week in site. I got to go to the Colegio (high school) for the first time and it was definitely an interesting experience. My site mate Nick teaches there almost every day- they just gave him his own classes (ha!)- so he introduced me to everyone there and I got to see a little bit of the way the schools run here. I may be teaching in the high school at some point, or at least teaching entrepreneurship to a mix of high school and Instituto students. Instituto is where the kids go if they want to get higher education but their parents can’t afford a university (or they didn’t pass the entrance exam). There is an Instituto here in town and I will also be working with them.

I also have met a ton more people this week, all of whom have been super welcoming. I’m excited to see the possibilities of work and relationships that will come.

It’s such a beautiful town and we have 2 great tourist sites (i.e. the ruins of Kuntur Wasi is where they found the oldest gold in the Americas and we have it in the museum) but no one knows about them. Also, there aren’t many established restaurants (most are in the front of peoples’ houses) or cute little artisan stores. This is going to be one of my goals I think- to help develop the tourism sector here- and I’ve already been working a bit with the tourism office in the municipality and they definitely want to work on this as well.

Funny anecdote…Last week I was at the monument with the ladies from the tourism office and there was a neighborhood meeting of all the people that live around the monument. One of the ladies was introducing me and before I knew it she promised the whole group I would teach their kids English. She hadn’t even asked me beforehand…ha! So I’m gonna roll with it, because everyone thinks we are here to teach English and it helps build rapport with the community.

It’s really fun when people are super excited to meet me and want to know all about the US- this happens pretty frequently, especially with kids…so cute!

I went with my host mom and her class to a field trip out to the campo (rural area) and it was very beautiful. They fed us and we hung out all day, and when we left they gave us a bunch of bananas and avocado from their trees…sooo good! Also the cheese and milk here are amazing, SO fresh. The farmers bring their milk to people’s houses every day and I love having my hot milk with coffee, mmmm! And the bread is super good, too.

Friday I went out to a different part of the campo to meet a group of rural women who make their own yarn to sell/make blankets, ponchos, etc. They are definitely more shy than the people who live in my “city.” But I hope to work with them and I admire the simplicity and peace I see in them. We walked an hour and a half each way to get there, phew!

Getting used to a slower pace here…this was really hard for me at first, but I am learning how to slow down and just enjoy my time instead of rushing. These first three months we are just supposed to be getting to know the community and doing a diagnostic with them that will show where the community stands now and its potential for growth. From there we can start to form our own projects with community members/groups depending on what they want to do.

I was going to add pics but they wont upload, so next time!

Blessings,

Jackie

Hello Friends and Fam!

Wow, so much has happened since I last wrote! Most recently, we had our swearing in ceremony last Friday at the Ambassador’s residence in Lima. It was b-e-a-utiful! I felt very proud and honored. Afterwards the country Director had a party for us at his house with lots of food and dancing, very fun. The day before, we had a celebration for our host families at our training center in Chaclacayo. We put on a fashion show and a talent show for them, and made food and decorations…the works! I led the group in performing the Thriller dance J

I miss my host family in Lima already, they were so sweet! I can’t wait to visit them in January since we will be back there for our first in-service training. I also miss everyone back in the states, especially my family. I tear up when I people ask me about them. Mom, dad and Jay I can’t wait until you come visit me in April!!

Now I’m at my site in beautiful San Pablo, Cajamarca. To get here you can either fly an hour or take an overnight (very comfy) bus ride- 15.5 hrs. Then from Cajamarca city I’m an hour and a half, and you can take a group taxi or a bus.

The weather is very nice here- the sun is super strong and comes up over the mountains at about 8am every day and its warm all day (except in the shade). It does get pretty chilly at night, though! And there is a rainy season that lasts about 4 months or so, starting in Decemeber….I’m planning on learning to knit and reading a lot.

At first when I visited my site 2 weeks ago I was very unsure if I even wanted to stay here. It’s very small (about 3,000 people) and I was afraid I wouldn’t have enough work/find community. Part of the difficulty was that we all had to leave everything and everyone we got to know and love in Lima. After ten weeks, I had some solid relationships and was very comfortable there. But this is part of the journey, and life is not about being comfortable- especially a life inspired to honor God.

My site is already growing on me as I get to know people and explore it more. There are ruins here that date back to 3000 bc and a monument to the only battle Peru ever won against Chile. And I’m starting to make friends and acquaintances. I’ve hit it off with a French girl who is interning with a company that grows and exports a fruit called “aguaymento” and the products made with it, like salsa and marmalade. She is here about 5 more weeks.

There is SO much more to say, but I think that will do for now. I’m going put my new address to the right so you will all have it next time I can get on. Thank you for your thoughts and prayers!

A Little Thing we call…Field Based Training

This week was amazing, in fact I’m gonna go ahead and say it was the best week so far. We started our journey in Trujillo, the capital city of La Libertad (the Department we traveled to). We had a bunch of current volunteers come visit and give a panel on their experiences. It was fun meeting them and helpful to hear some reassuring words and get some questions answered. Then we headed up to Otusco where we spent the week in the mountains. The ride up was beautiful but a bit frightening (haha). I sat in the front seat because I get motion sick, but that meant I had a full view of everything… apparently it’s not dangerous to pass people around blind turns as long as you beep first. Needless to say I was doing some praying and closing my eyes, but we made it there in one piece. When we arrived there- 6 prospective volunteers with our trainer- we were warmly greeted by the only gringa in site, our host Nicole. She is super sweet and laid back, making our whole trip smoother. The altitude took some getting used to, but the air up there was so pure!

We taught a three day session about business concepts and entrepreneurship to students at the institute, which is an alternative for university since many can’t afford it here. They were only a bit younger than us, and were pretty surprised to hear our ages. At first it was difficult to get the class participating since they were very shy, but after a little while (and some icebreakers) we got them going. It was definitely a challenging experience teaching in another language in a different cultural context, so I’m glad we did it in groups of 3 and not on our own. On the last day, they ran their own businesses and competed for profit. The winning group made these amazing chocolates with nuts and raisins and sold all of them- they were so excited! Afterwards, we gave them certificates (a big deal here) and took pictures. They all wanted pictures with us…it’s fun feeling like a celebrity for a little bit J

Some memorable experiences from the week:

• Our egg sandwich lady- every morning without fail we would stop in at our favorite breakfast spot- fresh egg sandwiches, coffee, muffins, mmmm I miss it already. They lady was so sweet and it was so cheap too!
• The yogurt/cheese store- more tasty treats, all fresh, and the store had some really cool marketing as well
• Visiting Trigo Pampa (nearby farm)- half an hour walk through the beautiful, mountainous landscape took us to one of the coolest farms I’ve been to. They really have their act together- everything is farmed organically, with the crops positioned along the hillside according to the amount of water needed. No organic chemicals used at all. And the farm is practically run by the students at the Institute where we taught, the ones who are studying agriculture/animal raising.
• The recycling lady- we couldn’t understand what she was saying most of the time, but she was the sweetest little lady with the biggest smile, and was ecstatic to receive our empty bottles so she could resell them for recycling.
• Trying Cuy (Guinea Pig) for the first time...veeeery interesting. I still want to try it fried cuz I think it'd taste better :)

Overall, this trip made me even more excited to get to my site and form relationships and start my life there. We find out on Tuesday where we will be going!!!! Thanks for reading, and I’ll be writing back soon with the news!

Hi All! I only have a few minutes but wanted to give some updates:

-I'm going to the Mountains!!!! Not sure where yet, but somwhere North of Lima :) SO stoked.

-Connected with some great girls here who share the same faith and we've started meeting together. Refreshing for my soul for sure.

-Lots of stuff going on right now- trying to learn the language, the business material in english and spanish, and keep strengthening relationships with my host fam, the staff, my PC friends. 3 have left our class already :/ It is really hard- the best way I can describe it is with a game we played where we stood in a circle and started by passing one ball around- then one more, and one more, until there were 10 balls flying around and we had to be looking in all directions and constantly on the move. I know this is really important for us and I also know I will miss the training atmosphere when I leave, but sometimes I just want to be at site and be able to establish my own schedule, relationships, etc. But it will come before I know it!

-I did advance a spanish level which was exciting...small victories :)

-This week, we will be traveling to the Sierra (Mountains) to visit a volunteer and have our FBT- Field Based Training. We will be facilitating our own classes in Spanish (groups of 3) to students in an institute. 4 hours each day for 3 days!! Lots of prepping this week, and still more to do when we get there, but its good pratice and I'm excited.

Ok- signing off for now, more to come! Thanks for reading, your support helps more than you know!
Chao!
Me :0)

Where to start…well it has certainly been an adventure so far. Below is where I live and my wonderful host family whom I adore already. I live in Yanacoto, which is about an hour outside the city of Lima, but is in the Departamento of Lima (departamentos are like states in the U.S.). My typical day: 6:30am wake up, language classes from 8am to noon, an hour lunch, business classes with my group/sessions with the whole training class until 4:30 or 5. Then I either go running or head home to do homework, help cook/hang out with my siblings, and head to bed around 10. Each day differs, but it is definitely intense.

My Spanish is much, much better already. The first week was frustrating just getting accustomed to being in a new place, speaking a new language, etc. It’s hard to find a new normal, and the week went by super slow. But this week has been better (and has flown by). I am making friends and slowly figuring out what it means to live out my faith in this context.

Now I’m writing from a cabina, or internet café by my house. These are common around here and are an example of the informal sector in Peru, which many Peruvians take part in…more to come on this later. For now, I just wanted to share that I am happy and well. This is tough, but it will prepare me well for my 2 years of service.

Some Highlights:

-My host mom was blown away by my soccer pump. We pumped up one of the balls I brought and she thought it was amazing J

-Last Sunday, spending Father’s day with my extended host family. We ate duck with rice and they took me in right away and spoke about how I was now a part of their family. I only knew them a few hours…the people are so warm here!

-My host siblings are SO cute. My sisters just hang on me and love on me (theyre 3 and 6 ). And my mom is so sweet and loves taking care of me and helping me learn Spanish. This has helped ease the transition, as I definitely miss my family back home.

OK that’s bastante (too much)!

Talk soon,

Jackie aka La Rubia

Hi Everyone! I am officially a blogger now :) I can't believe I report to staging in two days and will be arriving in Lima in three! I can't wait to meet the others in my Peru 19 training class. While things have been crazy, I have really been enjoying my last few weeks here. I'm glad to have gotten some warm weather and time outside as well.

I've put my address through August on the right side of this page. While in training, we are only supposed to receive letters for some reason, but if you're a writer I'd love to hear from you! The next time I write I'll be in Peru!!! Here is a map of the country- as a small business volunteer I could be in Piura, Lambayeque, Cajamarca, La Libertad, Ica, Arequipa or Lima. We shall see!

Thank you all for your support in getting me to this point. I appreciate you!

Talk soon,
Jackie
La Rubia (the blonde)

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