Chevere

I think I experienced another Peace Corps High this weekend.  I thought nothing would top the look on the parents’ faces, but I was quickly proven wrong at Camp VALOR.  Let me start at the beginning.  When I showed up at the school to pick up the boys an hour late (cars are hard to find sometimes), they were more than ready to get on the road.  We made the 2.5+ hour trek to La Union, where the camp was taking place, with minimal talking.  I knew the boys because they are in one of my classes at the school, and they knew me, but we were far from friends.  It made for a pretty awkward trip, but nothing too terrible.  We walked into the center and practically stumbled into the huge Olympic size pool in front of us.  Immediately, they both gasped and asked me how deep it was.  I could tell they were nervous- about the pool and about the days ahead.  Assuring them that everything would be fine, we got them registered and settled into their separate rooms.  The look on their faces when they found out they could not room together was priceless.  I’ve never seen teenage boys look so worried.

They day came to a start a couple hours later after all of the campers and their Volunteers had arrived.  From that point on, I hardly saw my boys.  They were too busy going to chats, discussing things with their group leaders, and participating in the camp activities to worry about me.  Throughout the camp they learned tons of things from the effects of alcoholism, to sexual health, to preparing for college and their future, to how to become a respectable young man.  Of course, there was time for fun, too.  We managed to squeeze in a dodge ball tournament, potato sack races, tug of war, pool time, water balloon fights, relay races, a watermelon eating contest, a bonfire with s’mores (“just like in the movies!” as one of my kids said), and even a full-fledged soccer tournament.  Between the games and the lessons, they also had time to get to know and make friends with other boys their age from all over Piura and Tumbes.  To say the least, we kept those boys busy!

I wasn’t sure how much my kids were getting out of it until the last night, when we did an activity together.  Each Volunteer and his or her kids planned out an activity that the boys learned over the weekend to take back and share in their sites.  During our planning, I asked the boys what they thought was the most important part, and with no hesitation they both said, “Everything!”  They mentioned how cool, how chevere, how bacan everything was.  I joked and said, “Surely there was something you didn’t like?”  Their response?  No way, Jose!  They were both so impressed with the entire camp!  I then proceeded to ask them what they wanted to take back to El Arenal and share with their friends, and again their response was “Everything!”  Eventually we narrowed it down to college preparation, and the boys have planned to teach a class on how to find different colleges and tech schools, apply for scholarships, and prepare themselves for the future.  They want to teach it in school within the next couple of weeks.  The gumption they had while talking about their plans made me so proud of them.  In that instant, I knew that they had gotten something out of this camp.  And in that instant, you couldn’t have wiped the smile off of my face.  Peace Corps High.

Since I was so proud of them and wanted to let them know it, I decided to treat them to Pizza Hut before we headed back to El Arenal.  My kids and I, accompanied by other Volunteers and their kids, overtook the mall in Piura and basically took charge of Pizza Hut.  My kids had never been to a real mall before, and were floored when I said they could shop around for an hour or so.  The smiles on their faces will be ingrained in my mind forever.  Peace Corps High.

If nothing else, those kids were given the opportunity to leave El Arenal and see what else is out there, meet people from different places, and shown that they do have the means to make something of their lives.  They were shown that, although admirable professions, they don’t have to become field workers or taxi drivers.  They can go to college.  They can become doctors, engineers, teachers, or accountants.  They can become loving fathers.  They can avoid alcohol abuse and everything that comes with it.  They can create whatever life they want for themselves.  They can be whoever they want.

The ride back to site was much different than the ride to the camp.  Instead of awkward silence, laughter filled the space between us.  Instead of talking about the weather, we talked about their futures and what they had to do to realize their dreams.  And instead of running from me as soon as we got back to El Arenal, they both stopped to give me hugs before we headed in our opposite directions.  Peace Corps High.

All in all, Camp VALOR was a huge success.  Thank you to everyone who donated or was thinking of us this weekend.  The positive change in those boys’ lives would not have been possible without you.

“Here's to the crazy ones. The misfits. The rebels. The troublemakers. The round pegs in the square holes. The ones who see things differently. They're not fond of rules. And they have no respect for the status quo. You can quote them, disagree with them, glorify or vilify them. About the only thing you can't do is ignore them. Because they change things. They push the human race forward. And while some may see them as the crazy ones, we see genius. Because the people who are crazy enough to think they can change the world, are the ones who do.”

                     -- Apple Inc.

High

Everyone always told me that Peace Corps would have its highs and its lows, but that the highs would make everything worth it.  I’ve had my fair share of lows, but I’ve also experienced those highs that everyone always talked about.  But yesterday, I became fully aware of what it means to really have a Peace Corps high.  

Yesterday I sat down with the parents of one of the high school senior boys in my town.  I had invited him to accompany me to Camp VALOR (the boys camp that many of you donated to) this weekend.  He was obviously excited because of the opportunity to miss two days of school and swim in a real pool (even though he doesn’t know how to swim- I promised his parents I’d keep a good eye on him).  But his parents, as any parents would be, were a little concerned about letting him go.  First of all, they were trusting the gringa, a complete stranger from another country, to take their child to another town for four days.  Second of all, he would be missing two days of school, and he is a senior so he needs to be concentrating on his schoolwork to get into university.  Thirdly, he has never traveled- anywhere.  Sure, he’s left El Arenal to head to the market with his family, but he has never actually traveled anywhere for the pure joy of it.  To say the least, his parents were on the fence about letting him go.

This is where my Peace Corps High comes into play.  I sat down with his parents in my living room, listening to their concerns about their boy.  I assured them that the weekend would be beneficial, that he would learn things there that he wouldn’t be able to learn in school.  I assured them that he would be well taken care of and that there would be 40 other boys his age doing the exact same thing.  I promised them that he would call them every night to let them know how things were going and that I would keep my eye on him.  But the part that still makes me smile, and will continue to make me smile for days to come, was their faces when I finally convinced them to let him go.  I looked into their eyes, and sincerely told them that their child was a good example to other kids.  I explained to them that of all the boys in the school, the teachers had unanimously chosen him as the best candidate for coming to this camp.  I told them that the teachers regard him as a model student, as someone that others look up to.  In the eyes of his classmates, he is a leader.  He is a kid who would benefit from this camp, and be able to bring back what he learned and share it with others.  He was the first person the teachers thought of when I was explaining the camp.  As I was going off on this tyrant about how great a kid they have, their eyes glowed.  They couldn’t hide their smiles as they heard me singing praise about their son.  They looked at each other, and I could tell how proud they were in that instant.  That may have been the first time anyone had ever told them what a great job they did with their son.  

So now I know what it means to experience a true Peace Corps High.  It may have been a small thing, but the look on their faces is something that will stay with me forever.  I will be riding on the coattails of this High for days and weeks to come.

“I've learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.”
                -- Maya Angelou

Un Buen Dia

Today was a good day.

Four months of waiting has finally paid off- Today I moved into a new house with a new host family.  The house is located behind and up from my cement slab, so I HAVE CELL SERVICE IN MY HOUSE.  I no longer have to sit on my cement slab just to talk on my phone- I can lay in bed and talk, I can get ready and talk, and I can talk any time I want.  I don’t have to make phone dates because I will have service ALL of the time!  No more late night walks in the dark to sit on my cement slab and get attacked by mosquitoes!  Hallelujah!

I have my own room and my own bathroom!  I have never had my own bathroom before, so this is a real treat!  I went from a bathroom outside in a shed to a bathroom connected to my room!  No more combating mosquitoes and bugs while I’m showering!  This new room is almost twice the size of my old one, and the walls are cement as opposed to brick.  I have a closet area where I can hang all of my clothes.  Side note: I think this may be the first closet I’ve seen in Peru- ever!  I have an outlet in my room, which is a huge plus!  Actually, I have three!  No more draping a cord over the half wall to get electricity!  I’m still using my same uncomfortably hard mattress, but I can deal with that.  The kicker- I have my own television with CABLE! What?!  My own tv??  That’s right, the family put a tv in here and hooked up the cable in anticipation of me moving in.  Law and Order: SVU marathons on Tuesday, here I come!

That's my own bathroom, right there!

Another view of the bathroom.  Also, there is a mirror, which is unheard of in Peru.

Oh hey, what up TV!

My bed and closet area on the side.

PJ keeping things in line. Did I mention that my walls are Pepto-Bismol pink?

I have a CLOSET.  Still not fully unpacked- need to buy more hangers.  I obviously have more clothes than that!  When I'm finished I'll be hiding those suitcases from view.

Now, let’s move on to the family!  I have an 11-year-old host sister, whom I adore.  She was in my English classes and has been hanging out with me on my cement slab almost every afternoon, so I already know her fairly well.  Her name is Sabrina and she is so sweet.  I was here for about an hour today and she had already written me a note telling me how much she loves me!  I can already tell that she’s going to be like a real sister- sometimes I’m going to love hanging out with her, and other times she’s going to get on my nerves, haha!  Sabrina is in 6^th grade of elementary school and will head to “high school” next school year.  My host mom, Elva, is great.  I can tell that she’s worried that I won’t like things here, as she’s constantly asking me if I have everything I need.  She is really sweet.  This afternoon as I was making guacamole for my lunch (I’ve decided to cook for myself), she watched in awe as I threw the ingredients together.  She had never before seen guacamole and was loving watching me.  I can’t wait to teach her about different foods from the USA.  She works in the house all day, so I think we’ll have plenty of time to share recipes and stories.  My host dad, Miguel, is an old soul.  He’s fairly quiet, but I can already tell that he’s very loving and caring.  The water isn’t working in all of El Arenal, and he was very preoccupied with making sure I had enough of their saved water to shower and brush my teeth until the water is working again.  He carried bucket after bucket into my bathroom until he was satisfied with the amount.  To put it into perspective, I used less than half a bucket to take a great shower and brush my teeth.  I think I’ll be set on water for awhile!  Miguel works as an electrician in the rural regions of Piura two days and two nights a week. 

All in all, I am beyond satisfied with this family.   I know it’s only been one day, but I already feel more comfortable here than I did in my old house.  I can’t wait to actually be a part of a family in Peru!

Moving in to a new house is just one of the reasons why today was a good day.  As I was preparing my lunch, a psychologist that just started working in El Arenal showed up at my door to talk to me.  We just briefly met for the first time on Friday and we both mentioned different projects we wanted to do.  This afternoon she invited me to help her with an Escuela de Padres (essentially a meeting for parents of high school students) this week.  We are going to be discussing drug and alcohol abuse and she asked me to talk about different concepts from the United States.  I mentioned to her that I want to try and start a theatre group and she just so happens to have a good friend who is the head of a theatre group in Piura!  She is going to talk to him about maybe coming to El Arenal once a week to help out!  She also wants to work together on another project for teens about planning their future.  With her expertise and my access to Peace Corps resources, I think we’re going to make a great team!

My dear friend Richard said it best, “Isn’t it crazy how, when you change up one thing, everything else starts to fall into place?”  I think this host family switch has sparked a great change in my life here in Peru.  I’m starting to actually feel like a real Volunteer.  ‘Bout time.

Today was a good day.

“It's not so much that we're afraid of change or so in love with the old ways, but it's that place in between that we fear . . . . It's like being between trapezes. It's Linus when his blanket is in the dryer. There's nothing to hold on to.”
                                                -- Marilyn Ferguson