Here it is, almost the end of February, and this is my first blog post of 2012. Sorry for the slacking. Things have been so slow that, for a while there, I lost all motivation to do anything, let alone blogging. I was in a dark place for a long time, and the only thing I wanted to do was be away from site. My mom and my brother can vouch for the fact that I was teetering on the edge of going home for a good 3 weeks or so. It seemed that no matter what I tried to do to make myself happy, nothing was working. All I could think about were the awesome things I could be doing at home. I had to really think and pray about that decision. But in the end, I decided that I chose to be here and I wanted to do this. I worked so hard to get into the Peace Corps and it was a dream of mine- I couldn’t just give that up because I had a tough couple of months. So despite the fact that not ONE SINGLE PERSON showed up to any of my summer programs; or the fact that I’ve been trying to change host families with no luck; or the fact that the heat is u.n.b.e.a.r.a.b.l.e. and getting worse- I’m determined to stick it out and do what I came here to do.
On another note, let’s do a quick review of the past couple months. Christmas came and went, and soon after that, I found myself on the beaches of Mancora, Piura. Mancora is in northern Piura, close to the border of Ecuador and Tumbes (another department in Peru). The beach was littered with Peace Corps Volunteers from all over Peru. At any given time you could find me either a) playing in the waves, b) complaining about the salty water and how the waves kept wrecking me, c) napping on the beach, or d) chasing down Sandwich Lady*. To make a long story short, we all thoroughly enjoyed ourselves and rang in the New Year in style.
The view of our "hostel" from my room.
Is this really a hostel, or is it a resort?
Did I mention that yellow is the color for New Years in Peru?
After Mancora, I headed back to site, bound and determined to get some summer programs up and running. I planned groups, wrote solicitudes to the municipality (formal requests for money and permission), and had everything ready. I organized a dance group in which I could teach girls dances from the US, and in return they would teach me typical Peruvian dances. I planned a World Map group for younger kids where we would learn about different places and cultures, and paint a mural of the world at the end. Lastly, I planned on forming a theatre group for older kids. When I handed out surveys for my Community Diagnostic all of the kids responded that they really wanted a theatre group, so I thought I would give the kids what they wanted. So, day 1 of my summer programs, I show up bright-eyed and bushy-tailed, ready to get things started! The class was supposed to start at 10am, but since it’s Peru I knew the kids wouldn’t show up until at least 10:30. So 10:30 comes and goes, then 11, then 11:30. By noon, which is when the class was supposed to end, still nobody had showed up. A little discouraged, I hit the streets, looking for any and all kids to invite them to the class the following day. The response from the kids is amazing, “YES! I’ll be there!” “Sure, I’ll go!” “Yeah Kelsey, I can’t wait!” So the next day, I show up again, same time, same place. And again, no one comes. Repeat this process for the rest of the week, and you have my summer programs in a nutshell. I spoke to my mayor about it, and, although she was very pleased with me for trying, she basically told me that no kids were ever going to show up because it was summer vacation and most of the kids leave El Arenal anyway. The conversation with her was discouraging in the sense that I had nothing to do for the months of January and February, but encouraging in the sense that my mayor was proud of me and supported me. So, because I had absolutely nothing to do to occupy my time, save watching movies and wandering the streets (all 3 of them) of El Arenal, I was in a bit of a rut, as explained above.
Then came Carnaval! Let me give you a little background on the grand celebration of Carnaval. Carnaval is celebrated all throughout South America, with the biggest celebration probably being in Rio de Janiero, Brazil. But here in Peru, Cajamarca City, in the department of Cajamarca, is where the party’s at! Carnaval is a celebration that takes place before Fat Tuesday and Ash Wednesday, in celebration of the beginning of Lent. Basically, it’s an excuse to drink, party, throw water balloons, and spray each other with paint. Ultimately, it can be compared to Mardi Gras.
Saturday, February 18th, was the big day. The day in which everyone dressed in their worst, put on war paint (or in my case a fake tattoo of the American flag), loaded their water guns with paint, and hit the streets in search of that one person that somehow managed to stay dry and paint-free. I bravely exited the hostel, water gun with tanks in hand, ready to soak any and all unsuspecting victims. Little did I know, the streets were lined with people ready to attack anyone that walked by, especially the big groups of gringos. Being blonde, I wasn’t safe from anyone. I could hide behind 3 people, and still the Peruvians would somehow manage to smother me with paint. By the end of the day though, no one could tell who was a gringo and who wasn’t. Everyone was covered in paint from head to toe, shivering because of the water and cold temperatures, and ready to hop in a hot shower. Speaking of showers, the 3 showers that I took that day didn’t eliminate all of the paint on my body, and as I’m writing this I’m looking at the blue paint still on my leg.
The rest of the days spent in Cajamarca were full of friends and fun, as all of us Volunteers from all over Peru were reunited again. We celebrated birthdays, joined in drinking circles in the plaza, went to an outdoor rave (minus the ecstasy and coke), danced the Macarena a million times, created the Helicopter Dance, threw water balloons at unsuspecting children, ate french toast, took naps in the plaza, ate chocolate cake, taught Peruvians the sprinkler and shopping cart, drank caṅaso at 9am with Amanda’s host family, ate pocket bread, and generally had a great time. Carnaval in Cajamarca was the best vacation and I can’t wait to go back next year.
View of the parade from one of the hostel balconies.
This is Cajamarca. Wow.
A few other Volunteers half-way through paint day.
Houses on the hill in Cajamarca.
The paint was so hard to get out of our hair that we had to help each other.
Mal and Cind, do you notice the shirt I'm wearing?
The Rock Forest, one of Cajamarca's tourist attractions.
Typical Sierra woman selling things on the streets of Cajamarca.
Parade. Such a pretty sight.
Peace Corps Volunteers being bullies on the balcony, squirting water on every single person that walked by.
Now I’m back in Piura, where any activity (including breathing) makes me sweat. I’m preparing myself for the upcoming school year that starts in March, and have lots of other things to look forward to. KRISTEN arriving in Peru in less than a month, training in Ancash, and a vacation in southern Peru are all events in my near future!
Love to you all.
*Sandwich Lady walks around the beach from noon to 5pm with a giant basket filled with the most delicious sandwiches I have ever tasted. If I wasn’t crowding around her basket or eating one of her culinary delights, I was frantically searching for her up and down the beach. I wish she was my host mother.
Disclaimer: all photos were taken by other PCVs.
“Go confidently in the direction of your dreams! Live the life you've imagined.”
-- Henry David Thoreau
