Today I went with a few women from a local NGO to almost all the schools in the District inviting teachers to a workshop about a teaching methodology for ecology ("Enseñanza de la Ecología en el Patio de la Escuela - EEPE") that is propagated by the Audubon Society. Since I live in the community, they are depending on me to do a bit too much. They were surprised that I hadn´t contacted all 20 teachers on the invitee list I put together. Please. It was hard enough to get all 20 names, representing all the different schools in the District. There are so many teachers, and I certainly don´t know them all much less have time to go from school to school telling them about the workshop. Things are getting a little overwhelming. At the very least, I ended up going to two schools I´ve never been to before. I really like the directors in 2 of the rural caseríos. They act as both director and only have one other teacher there to help them teach the entire school. As you can guess, that is a challenging task. However, they maintain their humor and seem more motivated to teach than some of the directors of bigger schools, and to teach well. They both complained that the PC volunteers didn´t go to their schools to do "Tito, el Tigre Tonto". I told them before the end of the school year we would...ooh, promises I´m not sure I can keep. We actually were going to do it at one of their schools but nobody was there when all the volunteers arrived, so we instead did it at a school in my town that actually sent me an official document while I was gone requesting our presence.

In other news, I started reading the most gigantic book possible about Mao. It´s co-written by the author of one of my favorite books, Wild Swans. What a terrible, terrible monster he was. I already knew that, but the more I read, the more I wish he would´ve been shot as a kid. And I´m only on page 30.

communication barriers

Today I went to the secondary school (high school) in Letirá, one of the caseríos of my town where I am working on the environmental commercial spot project. Unfortunately, the teachers just did not understand what a commercial means. After a while hanging out with the teachers and the kids, they showed me the "practice runs." Hearing that word made me believe that they understood the concept. Especially since I had said things like "it´ll be an opportunity for them to practice their communication skills" (one of the classes taught in Perú), and "a chance to use their creativity" and of course "just like you see on TV." However, once they started organizing the kids for practices, I realized that what they actually ended up doing was starting different environmental activity stations...recycling paper, burying trash, cleaning the bathrooms and making environmental signs. Right. I don´t know how that happened, but I am so used to unexpected failures now that I wasn´t fazed. "How about including a message...like while the team is working, one person explains why it´s important that that they do that activity, why is it important to take care of the environment..." The teachers looked kind of confused. I´m not really sure what they were thinking...how could you have a competition between different environmental activities? Who works the hardest? I have no clue, but all I know is that something environmental will be filmed and hopefully by Friday when the camera crew comes, they´ll have speaking parts.

stories of triumph

This past week, a group of 6 volunteers did "Tito, el Tigre Tonto," our play about self-esteem, in 5 different schools over 2 days. I was nervous the night before the premier since it was in MY site, and the star of the show got a little "loosey-goosey" on box sangria before our first practice at 10:30PM, 3.5hrs later than planned. Despite that, it turned out really well. Everyone from the kids to the directors to the woman from the Municipality who helped me coordinate everything seemed to love it! I have a small part (thankfully) but get to help Tito rock out at the end to this song "Rebelde", which is a popular teenie bopper song around here from Mexico. We never had time to come up with some hot choreography, so basically Prima (who plays Tito) and I just look like fools lip syching in the beginning, swaying back and forth and then try to grab kids to dance. The Peace Corps doctor came with us both days and even filmed the first showing on his camera...so one day, if you´re lucky, you just might be able to live the magic.

After being out of site for a week because of the plays and a Peace Corps workshop, I was eager to jump back into community life! On my first day back, I went with my host family to a party at a chapel located in the middle of the chacras (farms). Nobody could really explain to me the purpose of the party...it was something like honoring the cross of something. Yup. There was a cross adorned with some banners, looking very pretty. Unfortunately, I didn´t bring my camera. And I am still kicking myself for not bringing it...after eating a second lunch and feeling like my stomach was either about to burst or barf, the hostess asked me to dance with her son. I didn´t realize it was the first dance and it was to Marinera. They handed me a white handkerchief, the band started playing, and my dance partner broke out some fancy footwork, stirring up the loose sand beneath our feet as about 100 people looked on. I just kind of danced like my host family always dances (which was wrong, but acceptable) and waved my arms and the handkerchief around, extremely confused about how to dance. If I had been even the second pair to go, I would have been ok, but I had no precedent! Oh, well...Anyway, after 2 other couples danced, they did this activity called "Subiendo el Palo Balanceado" which is basically, "Climbing the Balance Stick (Balance Beam)". Except the Stick was propped up on one end with a short stubby branch and on the other end by a branch about 10ft high. 3 little boys kept on trying to climb up the Stick in bare feet to reach the top where there were 7 shirts hanging on a pole. That was the prize. I knew one of the kids, Juan...he´s an 8-year old orphan who gets into fights, but every time he sees me he comes right up to me with a smile as wide as his face and the brightest eyes possible, and says my name so sweetly. I was really, really rooting for him to win. One by one, they climbed, swayed and fell, somehow always landing on their feet. As time went on, they noticeably got closer and closer, keeping the audience in suspense. It was a classic boyhood ritual, framed by a swarm of hovering dragonflies and flowering cotton fields. This went on for about 20 minutes. Juan kept on getting really damn close but would look up too soon, or look down at somebody, or get really excited and smile, then fall. I think everyone else watching was also rooting for him. And then, finally...Juan did it! He got high enough to grab the pole and hang on. He grinned radiantly down at everyone, as they in turn looked up at him, cheering. I was so happy, a few tears came to my eyes because he looked so damn happy. And I severely regret not being able to take a picture of his unforgettable moment of triumph. The contest wrapped up with a dance between Juan holding the pole with shirts on it and one of the hostesses. He looked happily overwhelmed. I was just standing on the sidelines bursting with pride.

Tonight, I celebrate the birth of the mayor at another party. It sounds like it´ll be a lot of dancing and passing the vaso (drinking beer). I´m definitely bringing my camera this time!

unexpected events make my life interesting

One of my host mom´s aunts died of cancer recently. I guess they didn´t invite me to the funeral because who wants to go to a funeral for fun, especially right after another funeral of a friend? However, I have been able to witness a little of what happens during the aftermath of a Peruvian death. There have been a few family members drifting in and out of the house dressed completely in black. Peruvians wear black for a week straight after the death of a family member although if husbands or other close loved ones die, women may choose to wear black for a year or so.

One night during dinner, a diminutive woman with observant eyes walked in wearing all black. She sat down to eat with us, without an introduction. With some difficulty and awkwardness, I have grown accustomed to the lack of (or extremely late) introductions to strangers. Before beginning her fish broth, she put her hands on both sides of the bowl and said a full minute´s worth of grace. I didn´t really think anything of it, nor of the fact that she inserted a lot of "thanks to the glory of God" phrases into her conversation. But like the good member I am of the newly formed PC-Perú Agnostic and Atheist Diversity Club, I immediately felt a tad bit less at ease when I found out she was evangelical. "Please God, please don´t let her ask me if I believe in God" I mumbled to the non-existent God in my head. Turned out to be an extremely interesting night, instead of painful.

She told us about how her father received God at some low point in his life and apologized for having failed his marriage and been a bastard, and made everyone cry cry cry and now he´s gone to heaven. Unfortunately, her brother never received God before his death so he´s in hell right now. Next she explained that the town of Talará once had a lot of money, more than Lima, but God doesn´t like sinners nor fornicators so now it´s a craphole in ruins. That lead to her complaining about the price of food in Sechura and how it´s much cheaper in Talará. In fact, she was trying to buy a fish in Sechura and the guy told her it was 3 soles. She informed him that that was overpriced and an injustice, you think the only thieves are in banks and state offices, no, YOU also are a thief, and God sends thieves to hell. She got the price she wanted. So since then her sister decided she should do the shopping. Anyway, she´s gone, I think, so no more getting blessed by God every time I walk out of the door. Which would´ve been alright but I don´t know what to say or do. "Thanks" and smile? Hope so. And no more hearing chanting, thinking it´s some calm peaceful prayer and then all of a sudden, "FFFFTH-UERZA!!!" mumblemumblemumble"FFFFTH-UERA!!!" and imagining that someone´s face just got spat on. And wondering whether my host family also thinks she sounds more like she´s practicing black magic. (Or that she has Tourette´s.)


At 10am this morning, the local school was supposed to make recycled paper. I had provided the teachers with instructions and brought them materials. Part of the materials included mesh with a wooden frame. I thought the Municipality would find it easily in Piura but it turns out that they had to scavenge up a big dirty wooden frame from the Municipal tool shed, sawed it up to make it the right shape, and industrially stapled the mesh onto it. It was a 3-man effort. Carrying this heavy thing to the school, I felt like my dad had just went out of his way to make sure I could complete a school project that really should´ve been a relatively simple task, like he used to do.

Anyway, I was supposed to work with 3 teachers (3 classes), representing 2 different grades -- about 100 kids. Right. Well, first of all, I didn´t realize that I was doing anything but taking pictures and giving them advice. Then as I was waiting for the teacher to figure out where to do it so we could plug in the blender, the kids who were running around bezerk told me all the teachers were in a meeting. "Uh, I guess I´ll just start" I told the teachers. Obviously, it was a disaster. Hell no, I can´t control 100 Peruvian kids running around with buckets of water and shredded soggy newspaper without any teachers present! Especially since the other grades decided to leave their classrooms and join in on our Lord of the Flies fiesta. Plus, I think I´ve used a blender once or twice in my life. Nervous that kids were going to push each other (since they were) and water would splash over the electrical sockets, I tried calming them down with an improvised mini discussion about trees and trash and the environment. After the 2nd batch of blending the soggy newspaper, I noticed that there was smoke coming out of the blender base. "That´s not right," I said. "No, it´s normal!" the kids shouted. Kind of wanting them to be right since the blender looked like a cheap piece of crap, but extremely doubting that smoke coming out of an electrical device was alright, I did one more quick batch after waiting for it to cool down. So we made 2 ugly sheets -- ugly since the mesh box thing was way too big for the project. But I didn´t tell the Municipality lest I hurt their feelings.

After making two sheets and pounding it with a brick, I started to leave because I was 30 min late for a meeting at another school. I didn´t sign up to be a substitute teacher. Plus, it was extremely necessary that I complete these meetings within the hour. It would´ve been fine if I was free. Well the kids had already been doing this a little earlier, but as soon as I stopped the demonstration, the kids started going AWOL in a soggy shreded newspaper war. Some kids were sweet and took the cloth we were using as part of the project to wipe me clean before my meetings. Then I realized that my satchel was locked in the admin office since the secretary had left to Sechura without telling me, and the director was in a meeting at the Municipality. I quickly and desperately told one of the kids I knew to bring my satchel to my house when the director came back, borrowed money from my host aunt across the street, and hopped a mototaxi to the next school feeling extremely grimy. Then I walked back home for 20 minutes in the afternoon sun without a hat or sunblock, which was definitely not the plan.

Damn disorganized disinterested schools that sneakily get me to take over their students which results in soggy crap getting thrown all over the place. At least the kids are loveable despite it all.

Due to sisterly demand...

...a new entry, one month after the last.

I AM WORKIN ON:
- A small book of the birds that you can see in my mangroves. It´s for schools to use with their kids so I´m trying to make it cute, interesting and funny...but it´s not like my Spanish is perfect now, so we´ll see how it goes. The biologist I work with has a lot of editing to do...haha. I decided to do it because a) no one else was, b) the biologist is too busy, c) a lot of info about birds is in English, d) the teachers were asking for more info about the birds.

- June 5th is World Environment Day. We´re planning clean up campaigns in all the caseríos and my town itself as well as marches.

- Movie Night. Probably Finding Nemo or Ice Age. That is if I get my laptop (which I just brought over from the US!) to be able to play DVDs again.

- Getting high school kids to create their own environmental commercials. We already spoke to the local TV station and they agreed to film them and play them on TV. Not sure how it´ll turn out since I spoke with the communications and science teachers in one of the caseríos and they´re like, ok come back and we´ll let you know. So I´m not sure what that means -- if they understood my idea or if they like the idea or not. Peruvians around here are not very expressive, so it´s hard to know what they actually think.

- Still working on the "social network" idea, but it´s on hold until after June 5th or something.

- Preparing to translate for some eye doctors from a US NGO, Vision Health International. They´re going to provide free eye surgeries for people of extreme poverty who have correctable, yet debilitating, eye problems. One of my friends who did it last year said that he got to see a lot of the surgeries. And that there were all these old farmers coming in and not showing any signs of pain when they had a huge needle stuck into their eye. And then this 15-year old kid got the same thing and howled in extreme pain and nearly broke my friend´s hand. Shows how tough these old farmers are. And how being non-expressive is part of the culture. The most exciting part right now is that since I´m volunteering, 5 people from my town get to be recipients of this surgery. I´m working with the Centro de Salud to pick them from the 2 poorest towns in my District. It´s great because I don´t do too much with those schools, so now I have an in with the community. Hopefully I can visit these people afterwards and start projects with them. Gradual change that affects a lot of people is more effective to meet development goals...but being able to directly affect the lives of 5 people in a big way is going to be really rewarding.

- Us volunteers in Piura have a theatre group together. We´ll be premiering our first play in two schools in my town next week. It´s about this tiger that can´t do anything right and everyone, including his own mom, makes fun of him. Then he finds a guitar and starts rocking out, and everyone loves him, giving him a new burst of confidence. And then yours truly, Gaby la Gata Guapa (the hot cat) invites him to rock out at her birthday party. It ends in a rock song and dance number that I will be choreographing with Cactus...it´s about self-esteem. It makes me cry.

- Selecting 20 teachers for the first of 4 workshops on an experiential methodology of teaching kids about ecology, propagated by the Audubon Society. I´m working with an NGO in Piura, the biologist included. I´m supposed to already know all these teachers, which is not the case. I might know half. Hey, this site is really big. Apparently, by the 4th one I´ll be able to give the training myself. Yeah right. Each workshop is 4 days. Hopefully I don´t have to go to all of them. I won´t have any weekends left to do laundry and write the book!

OTHER PARTS OF MY LIFE:
- Hm. Well, I ate a caramel Cadbury egg today as a reward for finally washing my filthy sheets. That was delicious.

- The farmers are on work stoppage today, so the town is dead. In other areas they blocked the roads and stuff so now no cars can come through. I was hoping for some crazy antics and good photo ops, but everything is just calmer than usual.

- Mother´s Day involved the women drinking and dancing by themselves and shouting merrily and being the silliest I´ve ever seen them be. Then as the day progressed, the men got drunk, the women didn´t let themselves get drunk, and it got a little ridiculous. My host mom kept on telling Mila´s husband (Mila is one of my best friends here with the cute kids) to dance with "La China". I figured out today that she did that to stop him from drinking more, and dance instead. It was a bad ending to a happy Mother´s Day because he, like most fishermen around here, has an alcohol problem which leads to him becoming a violent bastard. He used to hit Mila, in front of his kids, too. Apparently this subsided once their daughter was born. No wonder the 8-year old boy, Edwin, is so quiet and introspective. He will just walk into my room and not say anything, even after I speak to him. He´ll just smile.

...Mila is going to give birth again this month. Hopefully, it´ll be a girl. If it´s a boy, it´s possible he´ll get violent again...Oh, and on another note, I stationed myself next to Mila and made sure she didn´t drink any beer. She didn´t want to but people kept on pushing it on her. Hmph. I might have to start a "no drinking if you´re pregnant" campaign!!

- To end on a better note, Saturday night the Municipality celebrated Mother´s Day by raffling out 300 presents to mothers. I was on the lineup to present the presents to the mothers, so I got to give them a little pat on the shoulder, the awkward greeting here if you don´t give a kiss on the cheek. Some kids did some dance numbers, which will inspire me when I choreograph the Volunteers´ hot dance number...

And that´s a month in a big nutshell.