Rainy Season

            Since we arrived to training in June in Lima, we have been warned of the Rainy Season in the Sierra and the unbearable summer heat on the coast.  As you know, I live in the Sierra, I therefore and blessed with the rainy season. Although it has not been as serious as I imagined, school is out, people have left for the coast, and I have a lot of spare time.  Yes, I am doing my Vacaciones Útiles (basically summer vacation) program, which is a lot of fun and keeps me busy, but I also have some serious Leland time. I have taken up knitting and am half way through my scarf, however, I have ran out of yarn, and my yarn lady is in Lima until March.  So, I have taken to Harry Potter.  Today, I finished the Prisoner of Azkaban, and I am moving right along. It keeps me busy on those long rainy days, and into the wee hours of the night (until about 10pm).  I hope to start to learn how to tocar the guitar in the near future.  Lastly, I have “dedicated” myself to running.

I have been trying to run and train for a half-marathon in Lima in May.  I debated mentioning this, because it is a hard, exhausting, and at times frightening commitment--I will be amazed and so proud if I finish the wretched 13-mile run. I live at just about 11,000ft surrounded on all sides by shadowy abysses or vertical slopes to higher ground—not ideal for running.  Also, did I mention the rain?  It is (will be) a daily occurrence, and it can be fuerte.  Training—Right now it consists of getting out regularly to run for 10-15 minutes straight.  Seems easy enough, I am still young and surely have a hardy intake of carbs to keep me going; so why is it that 5 minutes in and a slight incline ahead, I feel like sitting in the middle of the road, holding my knees, and crying?  It might be the fear of dogs lurking on a near roof-top or ledge, behind a chacra gate, or smack-dab in the middle of the road awaiting an afternoon chase.  Or perhaps it is the hail pounding on my back and my slushy shoes.  Yet, maybe it is the feeling of my shrinking lungs gasping and searching for air.  No, surely it is all three.  Sometimes it is hard to get out of bed and face the torment.  Other days, when I am equipped with some rocks or a stick (an invisible rock-throw works just the same to fend of unwanted dogs), when the sun is shining, and when the road it perfectly flat for those miraculous few meters, I feel as though I can go for days, just enjoying the sweat, the sun, my jams, and the views.  De repente, I can do this—I will keep you updated.   

My favorite part about a run is not the invigoration that I feel as I sprint up that last hill, the words of encouragement yelled at me from Quechua women washing their laundry in the river, the happy thought that perhaps I am burning off a portion of my mound of potatoes served the day before, or the mere fact that I have in fact made it back home.  Rather, I love when I come back from the run, take of my running shoes, and walk around my room in socks.  You see, it is kind of a faux pas to ever walk around in socks or heaven forbid barefoot.  There are a lot of beliefs as to what can happen to you if you are without shoes in the home.  Truly, it is frowned upon.  In addition, my floor is incredibly dirty, I sweep no less than 4 times a day.  Perhaps it dirties so quickly due to the little children running in and out, the new puppy rolling around, the many mice scampering around in my ceiling that knock outside dirt through the cracks, or the fact that my house is essentially made of mud and crumbles to touch.  Regardless, I love those precious minutes when I walk around in my already soiled feet just enjoying the touch of sock to wood.  It is so freeing and comforting.

My work?  What am I actually doing here besides making my own clothing, fending of furry critters of all sorts, and reading about the magical wonders of Hogwarts?  Well, although I have now been at site for nearly 6 months, I feel like I just now have a solid grasp on the community dynamic, the needs and frustrations of the people, and what life is like for those youth whom I am here to “develop.”  I will present my Community Diagnostic (the document I have been working on since I arrived in August) to community members and officials, I hope, in March (when school starts, summer is over, and people have returned to a deserted Chiquián).  At this point, I have many ideas, potential socios (people in the community to work with on the projects), and a lot of hope.  As projects and activities surface and materialize, I will write and update.

Right now, my main project is my “Summer Camp” with about 25 8-12 year olds.  We are focusing on Geography.  Each week is a different country (EE.UU, France, South Africa, Egypt, Brasil, India, China, Pacific Islands).  We learn about the history, culture, traditions, music, dance, art, people, geography, cities, just EVERYTHING.  We meet four times a week. Mondays we present, learn, and discuss.  Wednesdays we create; we do art projects representative of the respective country’s culture.  Fridays, we make videos for an interchange with another volunteer friend who lives on the coast, and leads a very different life.  We hope to show our kids the similarities that they have with their countrymen on the coast or in the sierra.  We also hope to educate and share the cultural differences that are also present within the country.  There is a lot of racism and stereotyping that goes into the three geographical regions of Peru (Coast, Mountains, Jungle).  Lastly, on Sundays, I show movies in the Municipality (I guess City Hall?) about that week’s country.  I think we are learning a lot and that the kids are enjoying it.  More than anything, I am happy to provide a space for the kids to come in the afternoons with activities.  Many work in the chacras in the mornings, watch TV or sit around the house by day, and frolic in the streets by night. I love the amazing diversity of our world, and I am happy to have the opportunity to share some of the incredible differences with this group of children who may never leave Ancash.

            Well, that’s that.  Here are some beautiful pictures that I took on an amazingly beautiful day last week. Enjoy.