As usual I always have problems with the buses that go from my site to Piura. On the way to Piura they tried to pass my site saying I didn’t have a pass, but once I got on the bus to prove it he said he was joking. I yelled at him for about 15 minutes and I spoke Spanish so fast I don’t even recall what I said. I know it made sense because another lady on the bus was agreeing with me. The drivers just laughed it off. On the way back to site they didn’t have any drivers so we ended up leaving two hours late. The closer to site I got the worse the roads got. We bounced all over that mountain and it scared the crap out of me. I have to say it was the scariest bus ride I have taken. Those bus rides are one thing I will not miss at allllll.
Once I got back from Piura I have NO idea who was at our house, but I sure as hell didn’t like her. I noticed her playing cards with my family when I got back and then I realized she was staying at our house. I didn’t starting having my problems until the next morning when she starting talking as LOUD AS POSSIBLE at 7am. She was making all kinds of racket outside my bedroom door and it drove me crazy. She kept this up for next few hours and I can’t put into words how loud and annoying she was. Then I decided I would go out the front door of the house to avoid punching her in the face. Well she ended up going down the same time as we did and gave me a speech on how she wanted me to only go out of the front door. As soon as I heard that I tuned her out because I was so mad I don’t even know her reason why.
My next encounter with her was when I was trying to just watch some Grey’s Anatomy and she started her racket making all over again and I couldn’t even here my computer and she was OUTSIDE. So I decided that during her afternoon nap I was going to blast music on my computer and then go outside her window (where the balcony is) and read, listen to music and make some bracelets. I don’t think I woke her up at all due to her loud snoring, but oh my gosh I am hoping she doesn’t stay for much longer.
I later figured out she is my mom’s sister and that my host sisters find her annoying too. She kept telling us to change the TV to something she liked even though the three of us liked what was on. They were really frustrated by her and yes, each morning she seemed to be louder than the morning before. To give you a visual of her, she wears a jean cowboy hat, jeans so tight that her fat hangs over them and a shirt that isn’t long enough to cover that fat. She is also missing a few teeth.
Another day I was bonding with my sisters on the balcony and I realized that they make fun of their grandmother too. I never understand what she is saying and I know she talks to herself all the time, but what I didn’t know is they find it just as funny as I do. We laughed for a good 15 minutes at grandma rambling all over the porch. I know grandma always tells me something about the upstairs door and people stealing her clothes and that’s why we need to keep the upstairs door locked, but I thought I was just misunderstanding her because who the hell would rob us and why they hell would they want her clothes? But, my host sisters informed me that, yes that is what she is saying and in fact she is a little crazy because no one would rob us and if they did, they wouldn’t want grandma’s clothes.
This week was also fun because I taught my family how to make banana pancakes. I told them about making pancakes with Brittany last week and they seemed interested in them so I offered up teaching them how to make some good ole American pancakes. Little did they know it would be my first time making pancakes from scratch as well! It ended up going really well. I tasted the batter and knew it needed a little more milk and after that we starting cooking them. It was also different then the few times I have made them because this time they were being cooked over fire…not a stove. Haha. After a few bad ones and trying to get the heat just right, we ended up having about 10-15 delicious pancakes that everyone seemed to love.
They were asking questions about ways people eat them and when I told them a little butter on top with some syrup my host mom left the room and brought back a water bottle that she had filled with sugar cane syrup right off the cane. We threw some of that and butter on top and they loved them even more. I told them they could use strawberries instead of bananas and maybe even mangos. It ended up being one of the most fun days…especially when a passerby saw a gringa cooking in the kitchen and had to stop and watch for 10 minutes. My annoying host aunt kept telling me the pancakes needed to be fried, but I kept telling her that they would basically be like tortillas and that wasn’t the point.
I also informed my family that I was returning back to the States (wait for another blog post on why I am leaving). Needless to say, this broke all of our hearts. We cried for a good 15 minutes hugging each other and then talked about it. They knew I was going to be going to Lima for a few days so I now have the phone number of everyone in Lima that they know. I plan on trying to spend time with my old host family and my host sister from here who is back in Lima. Telling them I am leaving has been the hardest thing I have done yet. I love them so much and they really are my family. They told me that I am their daughter now and when I am in Peru they are here to take care of me. I assured them that my friends, family and house in the USA are now their friends, family and house.
Friday, January 14, 2011
Monday, January 10, 2011
Blue building for sale...email if interested
This last weekend I went to Piura and it was a blast. We had our January regional meeting which meant everyone was coming in from Piura and Tumbes. Saturday was spent just getting things done. I got some laundry dry cleaned, printed some pictures, made my phone calls among other things. After the errands with Jillian and Brittany we decided it was necessary to have a pedicure. It was cheap which is why it later was messed up that night, but oh well. At least my feet don’t look like they have been wondering around a muddy mountain for a couple months. I’m sure that will all change once I return to site. For lunch we wanted to return to a restaurant that we went to when visiting Piura during training. We forgot the name, but knew the city it was in. Once we hailed a cab and got to the city, the next step was getting a moto taxi after we figured the name of course. We knew the name of the place had the word Azules in it and the moto driver claimed he knew where it was. He then took us to a blue building (azul means blue). Here’s how that conversation went:
Moto: Here it is
Me: This is just a blue building
Moto: No. They moved the restaurant here.
Me: That sign says, “for sale,” and this is an empty building.
*moto driver takes off again and mysteriously takes us to the right place*
Whatever. Haha. We walked in the restaurant, sat down and began looking at the menu. We all agreed that the menu and restaurant looked a little different, but it had the same food and we remembered where we sat. Jillian said her chicken was different, but mine and Brittany’s fried shrimp and fish was the same. After paying the bill and walking to get another moto driver we then realized we ate at a restaurant next door to the restaurant we actually wanted. At least the food was good.
For dinner that night we went to a pizza place just down the way from our hostel. One night I had a pineapple, bacon and peach pizza. It was DELICIOUS!!!! Who would think that peaches on a pizza would be good? I can’t wait to make it when I get back! This night though, we went all Italian. It wasn’t like any Olive Garden or Fazzoli’s though, but it worked. It was complete with Pisco Sours, although not Italian…delicious and garlic bread.
The next day I spent just chatting with the friends and family in the States and also with my Tumbes people. We all caught up about things at site and good stories. Later we went to see Tron at the movies and although in Spanish, I was able to get the entire thing. It was such a great movie. I can’t wait to watch it again, but hopefully in English. Haha.
One thing that made this weekend complete was that my host family in Chaclacayo called me. It was so good to talk with them and just catch up on everything. They are so sweet and I miss them so much. They want me to call them and let them know when I am in Piura so they can call me. Seriously, I think I will just runaway and live with them forever.
My last eating adventure ended up being more like a discovery. We went to the new Plaza Vea that just opened up and heard rumors of a Burger King and Pizza hut being new in town as well. On a side note: I bought a two-person tent for 50 soles which is like $20 American dollars. Impulsive buy…yes. Get over it. So after talking with some security guards who complemented me on my Spanish we went to Tottus which is like the competitor of Plaza Vea because they said that Burger King lies they…and boy were they right. Not only was there Tottus and Burger King, but there was KFC, Pizza Hut, nice clothing stores, other local chains of restaurants and in the future a Starbucks and Cinemark is opening up. It’s a mall in the works. Best. Discovery. Ever.
Moto: Here it is
Me: This is just a blue building
Moto: No. They moved the restaurant here.
Me: That sign says, “for sale,” and this is an empty building.
*moto driver takes off again and mysteriously takes us to the right place*
Whatever. Haha. We walked in the restaurant, sat down and began looking at the menu. We all agreed that the menu and restaurant looked a little different, but it had the same food and we remembered where we sat. Jillian said her chicken was different, but mine and Brittany’s fried shrimp and fish was the same. After paying the bill and walking to get another moto driver we then realized we ate at a restaurant next door to the restaurant we actually wanted. At least the food was good.
For dinner that night we went to a pizza place just down the way from our hostel. One night I had a pineapple, bacon and peach pizza. It was DELICIOUS!!!! Who would think that peaches on a pizza would be good? I can’t wait to make it when I get back! This night though, we went all Italian. It wasn’t like any Olive Garden or Fazzoli’s though, but it worked. It was complete with Pisco Sours, although not Italian…delicious and garlic bread.
The next day I spent just chatting with the friends and family in the States and also with my Tumbes people. We all caught up about things at site and good stories. Later we went to see Tron at the movies and although in Spanish, I was able to get the entire thing. It was such a great movie. I can’t wait to watch it again, but hopefully in English. Haha.
One thing that made this weekend complete was that my host family in Chaclacayo called me. It was so good to talk with them and just catch up on everything. They are so sweet and I miss them so much. They want me to call them and let them know when I am in Piura so they can call me. Seriously, I think I will just runaway and live with them forever.
My last eating adventure ended up being more like a discovery. We went to the new Plaza Vea that just opened up and heard rumors of a Burger King and Pizza hut being new in town as well. On a side note: I bought a two-person tent for 50 soles which is like $20 American dollars. Impulsive buy…yes. Get over it. So after talking with some security guards who complemented me on my Spanish we went to Tottus which is like the competitor of Plaza Vea because they said that Burger King lies they…and boy were they right. Not only was there Tottus and Burger King, but there was KFC, Pizza Hut, nice clothing stores, other local chains of restaurants and in the future a Starbucks and Cinemark is opening up. It’s a mall in the works. Best. Discovery. Ever.
Friday, January 7, 2011
Little tortilla girl
The bus station in Piura that takes me from Piura to Pambarumbe is called Terminal Castilla and I think needs its own TV show. It’s already has a character line up starting with: The Morropon Guy, Gelatina/Pan Lady, The Blind Guy, Music/Movie Man, The Bus Drivers, The Ticket Vendors, The Passengers , The Moto/Taxi Drivers, The Food Venders and The Random Item Vendors. I will now take time to explain a little bit about each.
The Morropon Guy is a man who is there every day and he is doing his best to sell you a ticket to the city of Morropon. All he says all day long as fast as he can is, “Morropon, Morropon, Morropon, Morropon!” His voice has this ring about it that makes it stand out more than anyone else’s voice. There are days I would give anything to just punch him. He is bald and wears raggedy clothes and just wonders around screaming Morropon 4 times in a row before he starts all over again.
The Gelatina/Pan Lady is a woman who comes on your bus before you leave or just wonders around the station in general selling gelatina (jello) and pan (bread). All she says while wondering is, “Gelatina…Pan…Gelatina…Pan,” in a voice that makes it sound like she is on the brink of death. When she comes by your seat she gives you a death stare with the gelatina and pan in your face just makes you feel weird. You don’t make eye contact with this lady. She always has her gray hair pulled back in a pony tail that goes all the way down to her butt. She wears a skirt to her knees with some beat up old blue flats and usually some type of button up top. She is what you would call “gordita.”
The Blind Guy is well, obviously blind…or he claims to be. He comes on your bus before you leave and starts to give the same speech about how he is blind and likes to help poor children. Depending on which bus he is on, he inserts the name and then says thanks. After that he walks around shoving his hand in your face asking for money. He always seems to skip the seats that don’t have people in them. Weird. He wears jeans with a blue and gray poncho and has a brown wooden cane. Every now and then he has a baseball hat on and his eyes do look a little funny.
The Music/Movie Man sells movies and music all over that little place. He always tells you these artists that usually you have never heard of. The movies and music come in little plastic sleeves and the more expensive ones come with what I call, “Google Images.” I will explain more about that later. This guy isn’t pushy, but he is always there with his box of entertainment.
The Bus Drivers, Ticket Vendors, Passengers, Moto/Taxi Drivers, Food and Random Item Vendors are always there daily and can always throw in some humor when needed.
At Terminal Castilla you can buy almost anything. The items seem to be things that most likely fell off of a moving truck and were scooped up in the nick of time to be sold. You can always find someone with sun glasses, belts, watches that don’t work, locks, flashlights, wallets (maybe recently stolen?) and other goodies. Anytime you bus stops along your route you can be prepared for others to come rushing on the bus usually with bread, drinks (that have pull tabs already open…sketchy) and fruits (usually mangos).
Now I said I would take some time to talk about, “Google images.” Many places, usually restaurants, want to make their menus or signs look extra fancy. They know that they can achieve this by adding some pictures. I will use a restaurant as an example. Normally when you go to a restaurant and point at the picture to tell the waiter that that is what you want. They say ok and write it down. If you do that in Peru, you are most likely going to be told that they don’t have it. Therefore, I believe they just “Google imaged” a picture of some random food and stuck er’ right on the menu to add some sparkle. This happens all the time and now I just know to pick a name on the menu and hope it’s there.
Anyway. I took another trip to Piura on January 2 with Brittany and Jillian met us there. We stayed only one night, but I was able to get a lot done. I went to the supermarket and bought a bunch of food to bring back so I can cook some goodies for my friends and family. I also figured out how to get to this city outside of Piura that has an artisans market. I took a collectivo which is like a cab, but it doesn’t leave until all the seats are full and everyone goes to the same place and of course I made friends with the people next to me. I have learned that my good ole’ southern hospitality seems to really win Peruvians over. I usually make friends everywhere I go and I love it!
At the market I wondered around and bought some goodies for me and for my family as well. It was fun just being able to wonder around and see all the pretty things. If you don’t know, an artisans market is a market that sells things that are all handmade and decorated. They have tons of touristy things as well as things for your house. One thing I bought for my house is a bright green and yellow hammock. They’re a little expensive (around $30 American dollars), but it’s so necessary for reading. I mean I can’t just sit in a chair when I can have a hammock on my balcony. Sheesh.
On the way back to Pambarumbe the bus blew a tire on the road so we were slightly delayed, but nonetheless it was fixed somehow and we didn’t have problems with it after that. One of my host sisters from Lima and my host brother went back to Lima the day after I got back. It was sad to see them leave, but they have facebook so I can keep in touch.
One day I went to Jesus’ house and she taught me how to make tortillas. It’s not so hard and I am pumped to try to make them on my own. Another day I left at the crack of dawn to head to Santiago and helped Brittany cook some pancakes and teach a class in English. It was about an hour walk, but it was beautiful. The class was tons of fun too. There were around 25 kids and we played games that taught them colors and numbers. They picked up on it pretty quick too! Most of the kids were well behaved. I don’t think they liked the hot chocolate and pancakes we made them, but I thought it was delicious. Haha. On another note, Brittany’s cat had kittens…and they all died.
We left for Piura on Friday afternoon because this was the weekend for a regional meeting. I had some laundry to finish and pictures to print, but other than no plans but the meeting.
The Morropon Guy is a man who is there every day and he is doing his best to sell you a ticket to the city of Morropon. All he says all day long as fast as he can is, “Morropon, Morropon, Morropon, Morropon!” His voice has this ring about it that makes it stand out more than anyone else’s voice. There are days I would give anything to just punch him. He is bald and wears raggedy clothes and just wonders around screaming Morropon 4 times in a row before he starts all over again.
The Gelatina/Pan Lady is a woman who comes on your bus before you leave or just wonders around the station in general selling gelatina (jello) and pan (bread). All she says while wondering is, “Gelatina…Pan…Gelatina…Pan,” in a voice that makes it sound like she is on the brink of death. When she comes by your seat she gives you a death stare with the gelatina and pan in your face just makes you feel weird. You don’t make eye contact with this lady. She always has her gray hair pulled back in a pony tail that goes all the way down to her butt. She wears a skirt to her knees with some beat up old blue flats and usually some type of button up top. She is what you would call “gordita.”
The Blind Guy is well, obviously blind…or he claims to be. He comes on your bus before you leave and starts to give the same speech about how he is blind and likes to help poor children. Depending on which bus he is on, he inserts the name and then says thanks. After that he walks around shoving his hand in your face asking for money. He always seems to skip the seats that don’t have people in them. Weird. He wears jeans with a blue and gray poncho and has a brown wooden cane. Every now and then he has a baseball hat on and his eyes do look a little funny.
The Music/Movie Man sells movies and music all over that little place. He always tells you these artists that usually you have never heard of. The movies and music come in little plastic sleeves and the more expensive ones come with what I call, “Google Images.” I will explain more about that later. This guy isn’t pushy, but he is always there with his box of entertainment.
The Bus Drivers, Ticket Vendors, Passengers, Moto/Taxi Drivers, Food and Random Item Vendors are always there daily and can always throw in some humor when needed.
At Terminal Castilla you can buy almost anything. The items seem to be things that most likely fell off of a moving truck and were scooped up in the nick of time to be sold. You can always find someone with sun glasses, belts, watches that don’t work, locks, flashlights, wallets (maybe recently stolen?) and other goodies. Anytime you bus stops along your route you can be prepared for others to come rushing on the bus usually with bread, drinks (that have pull tabs already open…sketchy) and fruits (usually mangos).
Now I said I would take some time to talk about, “Google images.” Many places, usually restaurants, want to make their menus or signs look extra fancy. They know that they can achieve this by adding some pictures. I will use a restaurant as an example. Normally when you go to a restaurant and point at the picture to tell the waiter that that is what you want. They say ok and write it down. If you do that in Peru, you are most likely going to be told that they don’t have it. Therefore, I believe they just “Google imaged” a picture of some random food and stuck er’ right on the menu to add some sparkle. This happens all the time and now I just know to pick a name on the menu and hope it’s there.
Anyway. I took another trip to Piura on January 2 with Brittany and Jillian met us there. We stayed only one night, but I was able to get a lot done. I went to the supermarket and bought a bunch of food to bring back so I can cook some goodies for my friends and family. I also figured out how to get to this city outside of Piura that has an artisans market. I took a collectivo which is like a cab, but it doesn’t leave until all the seats are full and everyone goes to the same place and of course I made friends with the people next to me. I have learned that my good ole’ southern hospitality seems to really win Peruvians over. I usually make friends everywhere I go and I love it!
At the market I wondered around and bought some goodies for me and for my family as well. It was fun just being able to wonder around and see all the pretty things. If you don’t know, an artisans market is a market that sells things that are all handmade and decorated. They have tons of touristy things as well as things for your house. One thing I bought for my house is a bright green and yellow hammock. They’re a little expensive (around $30 American dollars), but it’s so necessary for reading. I mean I can’t just sit in a chair when I can have a hammock on my balcony. Sheesh.
On the way back to Pambarumbe the bus blew a tire on the road so we were slightly delayed, but nonetheless it was fixed somehow and we didn’t have problems with it after that. One of my host sisters from Lima and my host brother went back to Lima the day after I got back. It was sad to see them leave, but they have facebook so I can keep in touch.
One day I went to Jesus’ house and she taught me how to make tortillas. It’s not so hard and I am pumped to try to make them on my own. Another day I left at the crack of dawn to head to Santiago and helped Brittany cook some pancakes and teach a class in English. It was about an hour walk, but it was beautiful. The class was tons of fun too. There were around 25 kids and we played games that taught them colors and numbers. They picked up on it pretty quick too! Most of the kids were well behaved. I don’t think they liked the hot chocolate and pancakes we made them, but I thought it was delicious. Haha. On another note, Brittany’s cat had kittens…and they all died.
We left for Piura on Friday afternoon because this was the weekend for a regional meeting. I had some laundry to finish and pictures to print, but other than no plans but the meeting.
Sunday, January 2, 2011
Cock fights and Christmas
(Prepare for another long blog…as it has been a long time since I have been to Piura. Included in this blog: my Christmas and New Years)
As many of you know I took a 2.5 day mental vacation to Piura. I needed to get out of Pambarumbe to clear my mind, get a good night of sleep, good food and talk too many of my friends and family. I even talked to people who I haven’t talked to since I have been here. I was able to sleep and eat and clear my mind. I believe I know what decision I will end up making, but I am spending, or I should say, I am trying to listen to what the Lord is saying. I left Piura with clear thinking and a happy heart and mind.
Nothing about any of this is easy, but ultimately I am the one who has to live and work here and it’s not worth being unhappy. Peace Corps doesn’t even want you to be unhappy…that’s why they give the option of going home. I know if I do come back to the USA that I have other options to work internationally and of course locally too; I can always return to my favorite little tienda ever, Victoria’s Secret (thank you Salleye). Man do I miss having some good undies and bras to wear. Ha! Don’t expect me to return before January 15 because I have many things I want to work on before then, but I can’t make promises after the 15th.
Anyway on the way back from Piura things got interesting. We were going around the mountain when our bus slammed on its breaks and then after a few minutes turned the engine. I figured we were just having engine problems, but come to find out, there was another giant bus who was having problems and because the roads are so tiny (basically one-way) we couldn’t pass. We sat there for a few hours and I just watched Grey’s Anatomy and played with this kitten that escaped his box. The owners of the kitten weren’t even around so when the bus took off I was panicking because there wasn’t any way I could take this little kitty back to Pambarumbe. First of all, I have no way to feed or care for it and secondly, I am probably going back to the States and as much as I would love to take a new kitty home, my parents would kill me and plus, I have Bella and Lucy waiting for me and they are all I really want.
Once we got to Paltaschaco the owners got on the bus and saw me with the kitten. I told them that it escaped its box and I have been keeping it. The lady accused me of stealing her cat, but I think she was joking. They shoved the kitten in the box and screamed at it when it was meowing uncontrollably. I told them if they want to kitten to be quiet they should hold it because it’s scared. They took my advice and it worked. I’m not sure why, but Peruvians find me very entertaining and interesting when they realize the love I have for animals. They like to even tell me, “You like animals.” The entire time I was holding that kitten I would get the strangest looks. Oh well. I ended up getting back to Pambarumbe a few hours late and my family found it hilarious for some reason. For some reason both my host families have found me very entertaining when it comes to things that just happen…like late buses or combis they just laugh and laugh. I have been told my facial expressions speak more Spanish than I do. I have also been told many times that I pick up dancing quicker than Spanish. Whatever. These hips don’t lie…
I woke up the next day deathly ill. It was basically these horrible stomach cramps and migraine. My body ached all over and I would break in to hardcore sweats and then 30 minutes later I would be freezing. I ate breakfast and then literally the rest of the day I stayed in bed and watched movies, tv shows and slept. Around 7:30PM my sister brought me some tea and these little pieces of cake. It was really sweet, but I wasn’t hungry and I needed water since I was sick so I just threw it out.
The next day I woke up feeling better and my family served me a mango the size of my head for breakfast. It was delicious!!! I make myself laugh at how my fingernails sometimes have an orange tint to them from all the mango eating I do.
While I was waiting with Mirtha to go to Santo Domingo, Brittany came around the corner because word spread that I had her cell phone. Due to the fact I couldn’t call her, she didn’t know I was planning on dropping it off on the way. We spent some time catching up and making plans for Christmas Day. She rode the bus part of the way back and we went separate ways. Once we got to Santo Domingo I am not sure why we even went and I just went to find Aman and hang out. She showed me around her city and we ran into Chris and visited with him for a little bit.
I had lunch with her family and it was pretty good. I got to spend time with some of the people she works with as well. Everyone was beyond friendly and super affectionate. I love Peruvians. Americans, listen up, when I come back, rather it be now or later, I plan on greeting you all like Peruvians…it’s nicer ok!
On the way back Mirtha and I hitch-hiked the entire way back since there weren’t any more buses leaving. Have you ever gone down the side of a mountain in the rain, in a car without windshield wipers, on a road made for one car, but always has two, in a car made for 5 but had 6 people, 5 turkeys and a plant and some luggage? I have and it was pretty fun. It’s just another day in the life. Thank you Peru. Always classy and always full of surprises. The rest of the day was uneventful. I read on the balcony and watched Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants 2 with my sister.
Christmas Eve I woke up feeling sick again. Yay. Same thing as the day before. I will be eating rice and potatoes and for dessert…cirpo. Thank God for Cipro because I have been on a Cipro diet this last month. Now PC says that many volunteers if you will, make a mess, in their pants. I have yet to have this happen (fingers crossed), but I did come pretty close to it when I opened up my bathroom door and a freakin bat flew out. There aren’t enough words to explain the emotions that went racing through my head. Basically I did a backwards flip outside the bathroom door and didn’t quite stick the landing. I’m fine. I went to my hill to take a picture of all the pretty fog that looked like it was tucking my city in like a blanket.
While at my hill I played with my favorite dirty kitten that now reminds me of Pig Pen from Peanuts. This poor kitty just will always have a cloud of dust over its head. (Now that I think about it, there are people in my city that remind me of Pig Pen). The kitty loves me and slept on my shoulder for a little bit and I have fleas now, but why not add a little something else to the mix? Walking down the hill I noticed a lady was playing with her parrot. That’s right. A freakin parrot. It’s not even in a cage so I went to see what that was about. She has had it for years and it speaks Spanish. It blew me kisses and called me mamacita senorita.
On Christmas Eve I ended up reading about 100 pages in my book, watching one episode of How I Met Your Mother, 6 episodes of Sex and the City, the movie Year One, The Sweetest Thing and some other movie I have never heard of. Needless to say, it wasn’t like most Christmas Eve’s. I did on the other hand get to meet my two other host sisters who study in Lima. They are super beautiful and sweet. They are around my age too!
And now for a Christmas Story:
Peruvians celebrate Christmas a little bit differently than we do. For starters the main celebrations take place at midnight on Christmas Eve. Everyone and their mom has a nativity scene set up, but Jesus is missing. Why is Jesus missing? Well at midnight on Christmas Eve there is a celebration to go put Jesus in his manger because; well now it’s the 25th…Jesus is born! I freaking love this tradition because it’s so simple and sweet. And honestly, I want to try to bring this home for next Christmas. After you put Jesus in his manger, we all have a giant feast of food. Pretty cool.
Christmas Day isn’t that exciting in Peru. You don’t really do anything at all which is why I hitchhiked my way to Santiago to hang out with Brittany. The car I hitchhiked in happened to have Anna in it, who was headed to Santo Domingo. Once I got to Santiago Brittany showed me around and then started watching Elf. After numerous interruptions from US family phone calls and Brittany’s family, we finished the movie. Her mom fixed me some food that looked terrible and I told her I was terribly sick (which I was) and that I couldn’t eat a lot. The next movie we watched was the National Lampoons Christmas Vacation. We weren’t lucky to finish that one because people wanted us to come out and dance. The people were terribly drunk, but we complied just to get it over with.
A few songs into dancing I realized the lack of cars to hitchhike my way back to Pambarumbe and if I was going to walk, then I needed to start walking then because it would be dark in an hour and it was an hour walk. After much debating about walking and figuring out what to do…all of us decided what was best and I got back to Pambarumbe in the coolest way ever. For my own personal safety, I will not talk on here about how I got back, but if you know me personally, you should totally ask because it was AWESOME. It turned a crappy Christmas into a cool one. At least I didn’t cry and sing too many Christmas carols to myself.
The day after Christmas I spent with my host sisters watching movies and just being lazy. I was reading a book when they came to ask a question and we all ended up looking at each other’s pictures and listening to music for a few hours. It was a lot of fun and I am going to hate to see them leave in a couple weeks. If I remember correctly, one of them has facebook so that will help in keeping in touch.
Not sure if I ever brought this up, but I have this thing I do every time I go into my room. It’s called a BSB check. I search my entire room with a fairly thorough look to check for: Bugs, Spiders and Bats. It may sound crazy, but I always anticipate some creature from the depths of Peru to be out to kill me. And if you remember, I have a shot to kill policy in my bedroom. I should probably clean it because there is a bug graveyard starting to build up in my room. Gross. Where is Bella when I need her?
One day my host sisters and I went and took some stuff to their old aunt’s house. I’m not sure why they invited me because it was only a 30 minute trip, but I was glad they did and learned things along the way. I learned we have a mango tree right in front of my house. We also have lime trees, guava trees, mandarin trees and orange trees. There is also a group of banana trees my neighbor has that you can see from our house. Their aunt, by the way, has a pig that is GIANT. I have never seen such a pig in my entire life. This big looks like it could eat me alive. I literally couldn’t quit staring and I pray that I never have to hear it killed because that’s going to take a loooong time.
I have noticed the closer it gets to January the more rain there is and the stronger it is too. One day my host sisters and I went to clean the church and it basically rained the entire time. All I really wanted was a dust mop because that would have saved us half the time. Oh well. I entertained people by playing the piano. I played Titanic just for Lee. (You’re Welcome Lee)
Side note: My host brother, Julio, who is the Catholic priest I met when visiting is in town now. He is super sweet and should be here for a couple weeks. Anyway, I also learned this week how to make one of my favorite foods called “Papa a la huancaina.” It is super delicious and I know I can find all the ingredients in the States expect for maybe two items. They are types of spices and I don’t know what they are called in English. It seems pretty easy to make too so plan on my attempt at that when I get back. Finally they just gave me a recipe book with Peruvian dishes and I typed up about 6 of my favorites. Luckily I think they are all pretty easy to make and most of the ingredients I know can be found in the USA. Win.
On New Year’s Eve I left and went to Brittany’s to go to a baptism. I heard they are extravagant events here, but this one wasn’t that grand. They only have it one time a year and it was only three kids. Of course there were parties because let’s face it, Peruvians will take any excuse to party. I hitch-hiked my way back to Pambarumbe to celebrate New Year’s with my family and friends.
We had dinner around 10 that night and for some reason I was the only one who was given a tortilla which I found special and funny. After that we just watched tv and hung out. For midnight we went to the top of the hill near the church and lit a stuffed man on fire. That’s right. At the stroke of midnight there was a guy stuffed with hay and clothing and we lit him on fire. It’s some type of strange tradition, but I was fortunate enough to help light him on fire. It was pretty awesome. Then we went to a person’s house and continued dancing until around 1:30 in the morning.
For my first day of 2011 I ate a giant mango for breakfast and then hitched a ride to Santiago to attend a cock fight with Brittany in Santa Ana. My first day of 2011 and I went to a cock fight. It wasn’t as gruesome as I anticipated, but it was pretty cool. Considering my hate for roosters and chickens I wasn’t appalled by it at all. Plus, when am I ever going to get to do something like that again? It was funny because since it wasn’t in either of our cities I didn’t expect to recognize anyone, but after walking in there for 5 minutes some guy yelled my name from afar and there were 4 guys from my city who offered us a seat. One of the guys had a rooster that was fighting and it won! I have to say I felt pretty cool when people recognized me AND knew my name. Haha.
I had to leave the fight asap because there was a mass for my parents anniversary. I hopped aboard some fun transportation and went back to Pambarumbe just in the nick of time. After mass we went to my grandmother’s house and had a fiesta. There was food and drinks for all and for some reason I was the only one given this food that I really liked. Lol. Not sure why, but oh well. It was way better than what everyone else was given. After the party we all took a ton of photos and bonded. I have to say, I love this family so much. They are amazing. But for my first day of 2011 I went to a cock fight, church and then a party. It’s going to be a good year!
And now for a 2010 wrap up:
The year 2010 was basically amazing. I can’t believe all the things I was fortunate enough to do and accomplish. I want to thank everyone who was a part of it too. Without you all, it wouldn’t have been possible. I have the best friends and family ever! In 2010 here were the top five things I am most proud of: I graduated college, turned 22, went to Egypt, went to Peru for the Peace Corps and learned Spanish. How amazing is that? All in one year. There are 1,000 other things that made that year amazing, but it would take forever to write. I know 2011 is going to be amazing as well and I can’t wait to see what it brings.
As many of you know I took a 2.5 day mental vacation to Piura. I needed to get out of Pambarumbe to clear my mind, get a good night of sleep, good food and talk too many of my friends and family. I even talked to people who I haven’t talked to since I have been here. I was able to sleep and eat and clear my mind. I believe I know what decision I will end up making, but I am spending, or I should say, I am trying to listen to what the Lord is saying. I left Piura with clear thinking and a happy heart and mind.
Nothing about any of this is easy, but ultimately I am the one who has to live and work here and it’s not worth being unhappy. Peace Corps doesn’t even want you to be unhappy…that’s why they give the option of going home. I know if I do come back to the USA that I have other options to work internationally and of course locally too; I can always return to my favorite little tienda ever, Victoria’s Secret (thank you Salleye). Man do I miss having some good undies and bras to wear. Ha! Don’t expect me to return before January 15 because I have many things I want to work on before then, but I can’t make promises after the 15th.
Anyway on the way back from Piura things got interesting. We were going around the mountain when our bus slammed on its breaks and then after a few minutes turned the engine. I figured we were just having engine problems, but come to find out, there was another giant bus who was having problems and because the roads are so tiny (basically one-way) we couldn’t pass. We sat there for a few hours and I just watched Grey’s Anatomy and played with this kitten that escaped his box. The owners of the kitten weren’t even around so when the bus took off I was panicking because there wasn’t any way I could take this little kitty back to Pambarumbe. First of all, I have no way to feed or care for it and secondly, I am probably going back to the States and as much as I would love to take a new kitty home, my parents would kill me and plus, I have Bella and Lucy waiting for me and they are all I really want.
Once we got to Paltaschaco the owners got on the bus and saw me with the kitten. I told them that it escaped its box and I have been keeping it. The lady accused me of stealing her cat, but I think she was joking. They shoved the kitten in the box and screamed at it when it was meowing uncontrollably. I told them if they want to kitten to be quiet they should hold it because it’s scared. They took my advice and it worked. I’m not sure why, but Peruvians find me very entertaining and interesting when they realize the love I have for animals. They like to even tell me, “You like animals.” The entire time I was holding that kitten I would get the strangest looks. Oh well. I ended up getting back to Pambarumbe a few hours late and my family found it hilarious for some reason. For some reason both my host families have found me very entertaining when it comes to things that just happen…like late buses or combis they just laugh and laugh. I have been told my facial expressions speak more Spanish than I do. I have also been told many times that I pick up dancing quicker than Spanish. Whatever. These hips don’t lie…
I woke up the next day deathly ill. It was basically these horrible stomach cramps and migraine. My body ached all over and I would break in to hardcore sweats and then 30 minutes later I would be freezing. I ate breakfast and then literally the rest of the day I stayed in bed and watched movies, tv shows and slept. Around 7:30PM my sister brought me some tea and these little pieces of cake. It was really sweet, but I wasn’t hungry and I needed water since I was sick so I just threw it out.
The next day I woke up feeling better and my family served me a mango the size of my head for breakfast. It was delicious!!! I make myself laugh at how my fingernails sometimes have an orange tint to them from all the mango eating I do.
While I was waiting with Mirtha to go to Santo Domingo, Brittany came around the corner because word spread that I had her cell phone. Due to the fact I couldn’t call her, she didn’t know I was planning on dropping it off on the way. We spent some time catching up and making plans for Christmas Day. She rode the bus part of the way back and we went separate ways. Once we got to Santo Domingo I am not sure why we even went and I just went to find Aman and hang out. She showed me around her city and we ran into Chris and visited with him for a little bit.
I had lunch with her family and it was pretty good. I got to spend time with some of the people she works with as well. Everyone was beyond friendly and super affectionate. I love Peruvians. Americans, listen up, when I come back, rather it be now or later, I plan on greeting you all like Peruvians…it’s nicer ok!
On the way back Mirtha and I hitch-hiked the entire way back since there weren’t any more buses leaving. Have you ever gone down the side of a mountain in the rain, in a car without windshield wipers, on a road made for one car, but always has two, in a car made for 5 but had 6 people, 5 turkeys and a plant and some luggage? I have and it was pretty fun. It’s just another day in the life. Thank you Peru. Always classy and always full of surprises. The rest of the day was uneventful. I read on the balcony and watched Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants 2 with my sister.
Christmas Eve I woke up feeling sick again. Yay. Same thing as the day before. I will be eating rice and potatoes and for dessert…cirpo. Thank God for Cipro because I have been on a Cipro diet this last month. Now PC says that many volunteers if you will, make a mess, in their pants. I have yet to have this happen (fingers crossed), but I did come pretty close to it when I opened up my bathroom door and a freakin bat flew out. There aren’t enough words to explain the emotions that went racing through my head. Basically I did a backwards flip outside the bathroom door and didn’t quite stick the landing. I’m fine. I went to my hill to take a picture of all the pretty fog that looked like it was tucking my city in like a blanket.
While at my hill I played with my favorite dirty kitten that now reminds me of Pig Pen from Peanuts. This poor kitty just will always have a cloud of dust over its head. (Now that I think about it, there are people in my city that remind me of Pig Pen). The kitty loves me and slept on my shoulder for a little bit and I have fleas now, but why not add a little something else to the mix? Walking down the hill I noticed a lady was playing with her parrot. That’s right. A freakin parrot. It’s not even in a cage so I went to see what that was about. She has had it for years and it speaks Spanish. It blew me kisses and called me mamacita senorita.
On Christmas Eve I ended up reading about 100 pages in my book, watching one episode of How I Met Your Mother, 6 episodes of Sex and the City, the movie Year One, The Sweetest Thing and some other movie I have never heard of. Needless to say, it wasn’t like most Christmas Eve’s. I did on the other hand get to meet my two other host sisters who study in Lima. They are super beautiful and sweet. They are around my age too!
And now for a Christmas Story:
Peruvians celebrate Christmas a little bit differently than we do. For starters the main celebrations take place at midnight on Christmas Eve. Everyone and their mom has a nativity scene set up, but Jesus is missing. Why is Jesus missing? Well at midnight on Christmas Eve there is a celebration to go put Jesus in his manger because; well now it’s the 25th…Jesus is born! I freaking love this tradition because it’s so simple and sweet. And honestly, I want to try to bring this home for next Christmas. After you put Jesus in his manger, we all have a giant feast of food. Pretty cool.
Christmas Day isn’t that exciting in Peru. You don’t really do anything at all which is why I hitchhiked my way to Santiago to hang out with Brittany. The car I hitchhiked in happened to have Anna in it, who was headed to Santo Domingo. Once I got to Santiago Brittany showed me around and then started watching Elf. After numerous interruptions from US family phone calls and Brittany’s family, we finished the movie. Her mom fixed me some food that looked terrible and I told her I was terribly sick (which I was) and that I couldn’t eat a lot. The next movie we watched was the National Lampoons Christmas Vacation. We weren’t lucky to finish that one because people wanted us to come out and dance. The people were terribly drunk, but we complied just to get it over with.
A few songs into dancing I realized the lack of cars to hitchhike my way back to Pambarumbe and if I was going to walk, then I needed to start walking then because it would be dark in an hour and it was an hour walk. After much debating about walking and figuring out what to do…all of us decided what was best and I got back to Pambarumbe in the coolest way ever. For my own personal safety, I will not talk on here about how I got back, but if you know me personally, you should totally ask because it was AWESOME. It turned a crappy Christmas into a cool one. At least I didn’t cry and sing too many Christmas carols to myself.
The day after Christmas I spent with my host sisters watching movies and just being lazy. I was reading a book when they came to ask a question and we all ended up looking at each other’s pictures and listening to music for a few hours. It was a lot of fun and I am going to hate to see them leave in a couple weeks. If I remember correctly, one of them has facebook so that will help in keeping in touch.
Not sure if I ever brought this up, but I have this thing I do every time I go into my room. It’s called a BSB check. I search my entire room with a fairly thorough look to check for: Bugs, Spiders and Bats. It may sound crazy, but I always anticipate some creature from the depths of Peru to be out to kill me. And if you remember, I have a shot to kill policy in my bedroom. I should probably clean it because there is a bug graveyard starting to build up in my room. Gross. Where is Bella when I need her?
One day my host sisters and I went and took some stuff to their old aunt’s house. I’m not sure why they invited me because it was only a 30 minute trip, but I was glad they did and learned things along the way. I learned we have a mango tree right in front of my house. We also have lime trees, guava trees, mandarin trees and orange trees. There is also a group of banana trees my neighbor has that you can see from our house. Their aunt, by the way, has a pig that is GIANT. I have never seen such a pig in my entire life. This big looks like it could eat me alive. I literally couldn’t quit staring and I pray that I never have to hear it killed because that’s going to take a loooong time.
I have noticed the closer it gets to January the more rain there is and the stronger it is too. One day my host sisters and I went to clean the church and it basically rained the entire time. All I really wanted was a dust mop because that would have saved us half the time. Oh well. I entertained people by playing the piano. I played Titanic just for Lee. (You’re Welcome Lee)
Side note: My host brother, Julio, who is the Catholic priest I met when visiting is in town now. He is super sweet and should be here for a couple weeks. Anyway, I also learned this week how to make one of my favorite foods called “Papa a la huancaina.” It is super delicious and I know I can find all the ingredients in the States expect for maybe two items. They are types of spices and I don’t know what they are called in English. It seems pretty easy to make too so plan on my attempt at that when I get back. Finally they just gave me a recipe book with Peruvian dishes and I typed up about 6 of my favorites. Luckily I think they are all pretty easy to make and most of the ingredients I know can be found in the USA. Win.
On New Year’s Eve I left and went to Brittany’s to go to a baptism. I heard they are extravagant events here, but this one wasn’t that grand. They only have it one time a year and it was only three kids. Of course there were parties because let’s face it, Peruvians will take any excuse to party. I hitch-hiked my way back to Pambarumbe to celebrate New Year’s with my family and friends.
We had dinner around 10 that night and for some reason I was the only one who was given a tortilla which I found special and funny. After that we just watched tv and hung out. For midnight we went to the top of the hill near the church and lit a stuffed man on fire. That’s right. At the stroke of midnight there was a guy stuffed with hay and clothing and we lit him on fire. It’s some type of strange tradition, but I was fortunate enough to help light him on fire. It was pretty awesome. Then we went to a person’s house and continued dancing until around 1:30 in the morning.
For my first day of 2011 I ate a giant mango for breakfast and then hitched a ride to Santiago to attend a cock fight with Brittany in Santa Ana. My first day of 2011 and I went to a cock fight. It wasn’t as gruesome as I anticipated, but it was pretty cool. Considering my hate for roosters and chickens I wasn’t appalled by it at all. Plus, when am I ever going to get to do something like that again? It was funny because since it wasn’t in either of our cities I didn’t expect to recognize anyone, but after walking in there for 5 minutes some guy yelled my name from afar and there were 4 guys from my city who offered us a seat. One of the guys had a rooster that was fighting and it won! I have to say I felt pretty cool when people recognized me AND knew my name. Haha.
I had to leave the fight asap because there was a mass for my parents anniversary. I hopped aboard some fun transportation and went back to Pambarumbe just in the nick of time. After mass we went to my grandmother’s house and had a fiesta. There was food and drinks for all and for some reason I was the only one given this food that I really liked. Lol. Not sure why, but oh well. It was way better than what everyone else was given. After the party we all took a ton of photos and bonded. I have to say, I love this family so much. They are amazing. But for my first day of 2011 I went to a cock fight, church and then a party. It’s going to be a good year!
And now for a 2010 wrap up:
The year 2010 was basically amazing. I can’t believe all the things I was fortunate enough to do and accomplish. I want to thank everyone who was a part of it too. Without you all, it wouldn’t have been possible. I have the best friends and family ever! In 2010 here were the top five things I am most proud of: I graduated college, turned 22, went to Egypt, went to Peru for the Peace Corps and learned Spanish. How amazing is that? All in one year. There are 1,000 other things that made that year amazing, but it would take forever to write. I know 2011 is going to be amazing as well and I can’t wait to see what it brings.
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