Saturday, June 16, 2012

A Peruvian/ American Birthday

 Photos from the big day and the day before!








First and foremost the month of June is a busy birthday month even here in Peru. My host brother, Yoni on the 5th, host mom and another volunteer, Hayden, the 12th me the 14th, another volunteer Kate the 16th, host brother Mayo (Alex) on the 24th, Emily on the 28th.....and if I missed someone sorry I'm at birthday overload! haha.
Anyways here in the Campo of Peru there isn't much of a celebration to birthdays. If they remember there is the Feliz Cumple, pasalo bien, and the frying of a cuy or another animal if you are lucky. But this is about the extent. My host mom forgot that it was her birthday until I reminded her. So we are joking about it and how the kids are going to find my a sapo (frog) to give me as a present the night before. They actually go to the river for a bit to look haha. I thought that would be about it for the passing of another year of life.
OH HOW I WAS WRONG!!!
At 3AM noises start from upstairs. I mean it sounds like the family has decided to redecorate in the middle of the night by dragging the furniture around and around. The noise goes on and on and on for about 30 min. Finally I think. Wrong at 4:30AM it starts again. Later I found out that my host mom, Martha successfully killed two rats that morning. haha. At about 7 or 7:30 Mayo starts yelling through the window Yenni are you awake? Yes! (Although don't want to be yet) Okay well then open your door.
Now this is odd because usually we open the window to chit chat. So we play around for a bit with me opening the other door, he runs around, I open the front door, and so on. Finally we are at the same door and I'm still half asleep. He rushes in to give me my 23 birthday spankings. haha. Now Mayo is 11 and quite small but that little kid is strong! After it was completely adorable though he gave me not 1 but 2 hugs and told me Happy Birthday. (Side note: the reason he decided I needed birthday spankings---for Yoni's 14th Birthday I explained that we have this custom in the States and they just thought that was a whoot!) Now people here in the Campo are not the touchy type so getting/giving hugs is kinda a big deal. When I went for breakfast my sister, Zaida and my host mom both gave me hugs and told me how happy they are that I'm here.  A little later Yoni told me to prepare myself because he is not only giving me my 23 spankings but 14 extra...haha (although he didn't follow through).
So I spent the day watching movies, hanging out with the host fam, went on a long run and to end the day Zaida took me on a hike. I've been asking her to take me to the top of this hill for about a month. It was beautiful from the top and fun spending time with her. To top things off, for dinner we had lentils because my host mom knows they are my favorite! Now doesn't that sounds like a good day!

Sunday, June 10, 2012

Selfish Moments

For the first time since coming to Peru I spent a day and a night completely alone. It was WONDERFUL!!! I can’t express how much I need some time completely devoid of other people. Yes some might say that I’m alone all the time: I have my own room and spend most of my time there BUT I’m not truly alone because I can hear my host family through the walls and floors. If they turn on music the turn it up so loud that I feel like I’m sitting right next to the radio. They yell and talk in such loud voices I can usually follow the conversation. They tell me when and to come to dinner or any meals. At mealtime we chat and chat and when I’m done eating and ready to leave the ALWAYS say No stay a bit longer and chat some more. So for that time my time is not my own. When we volunteers travel or “take our breaks from PCV life” we are always together and it is much cheaper to stay in one or two rooms in comparison to five individual rooms. Usually I love that we do this. It helps us bond and allows for venting frustrations BUT you try to be conscious of how much hot water you use, conversations are going on and rude/unsociable not to join in (and most of the time you want to anyways), time is still not your own because is very body ready to go eat etc.  None of the fore mentioned things are bad. Yet still a person or at the very least I need alone time were I don’t have to consider anyone but myself.
Selfish…Yes but to some extent aren’t we all. I mean I bet even Mother Teresa needed some alone time or took a selfish minute or two in her lifetime. Anyways back to my point: I feel so refreshed now. For instance today alone finished writing the Healthy School Project, scheduled the next two days of sessions with the school, finished the session information, helped my host mom with drying the corn, hand washed clothes in the river, and still have hours left to go in the day. For sure I’m going to have to take more personal/ alone mental health days. Also, it was really great to talk with my family and One Miss Emily Hays. The PCV life can sure put a cramp in communication, meaning it had been over a month since I talked with that girl…in just one month a lot can happen and a lot is forgotten, so that when we do get to talk we forget all the things we would usually share. Haha.
Now on a side note: Argh!!! Stupid strikes are messing up my plans. I had to reschedule my educational sessions because this Thursday starts another strike (which is why I was supposed to do my session) and when there is a strike almost no matter what it is about the schools close! Yes this time around the strike itself is BIG BIG here in Cajamarca but literally the schools close all the time and it makes it really hard to create and keep scheduled activities. Now for why there is a strike: We here in Cajamarca have actually already had strikes about this in previous months but this is a BIG BIG one because once again they are going to block the roads. So no one in or out unless it is an emergency. They are striking against the mines, specifically one called CONGA. Even though I live here I still don’t know all the details but what I do know is that the issue lies in water. You my friends will have to conduct your own research to know more… 
So I wrote this first part two weeks ago then I got suck in my site without travel options until today. Yet another educational session is going to be messed with this week because of the strikes. It is so annoying! haha. But at least got a chance to come into town get some English speaking time to rejuvenate  me for this next go around of striking....hope it doesn't last that much longer!!!!

PS More pics to come!