Site Placements and Swine Flu

Happy 28th of July to all! Today marks the Independence Day for the great country of Peru. Peruvians certainly know how to celebrate in style, and by “in style,” I mean for a really long time. Why take only one day to celebrate when you could devote an entire week to partying? Businesses have been shut down and schools are closed. Well, schools have technically been closed for a month, but that’s just a lucky coincidence relating to the swine flu. As you must know, the evil swine flu has grabbed the world by its grubby hands and is killing off people before you can say H1N1! Wait, is that not the case? Yeah, I didn’t think so either. But Peruvian newspapers do not quite agree. They would have one think that the swine flu is the worst thing to happen to the world since the birth of traveling flute bands…And the Peruvian people are buyin’ what they’re sellin’. They are also a bit wary of us gringos. Clearly we all packed this epidemic in our suitcases, between our fancy electronics and our Lonely Planet guidebooks. In fact, the Peace Corps staff had to send a letter home with all of us Volunteers to explain to our families that we are all healthy and swine flu-free. We will also be given face masks to wear in the event that they are needed. I cannot wait to rock mine and really freak people out in my town. Speaking of, I need to get back on the real topic at hand: I GOT MY SITE ASSIGNMENT! Beginning August 21st, I will be spending the next two years in the town of San Miguel, in the department of Cajamarca. Cajamarca is in the central highlands of Peru, and to quote my Gringo Bible (Lonely Planet travel guide of course), “Far off the gringo trail, the central Peruvian Andes are ripe for exploration. Traditions linger longer here, with delightful colonial towns among the least spoiled in the entire Andean chain.” Not bad, eh? I have not been to the town, but I have been to another town in Cajamarca. The other business group went to visit San Miguel, and they had some really great things to say about it. I’ll start with what I know, then make some general assumptions to give you all an idea of how fabulous my town is:

• The town is situated at an altitude of over 2700 meters. I’m a coastal plains girl, so this will be quite different. I plan on training for a marathon which is held in July… my poor lungs don’t know what they’re in for.
• Cajamarca is the dairy capital of Peru. This means two things. #1 I will be eating A LOT of cheese for the next two years, and I cannot wait. #2 Clearly, I will be purchasing my own cow.
• The people of Cajamarca still wear the traditional dress; colorful skirts for the women and giant cowboy-style hats for all. The taller the hat, the greater your status within the community. Closer to heaven, as they say! Integration is key, so I will be saving up to purchase my own hat.
• San Miguel has a population of 7,500. I could not locate it on a map. These are two good signs that I may get a parade when I arrive in town. At least I can hope…

Some other important information about my future:

Working Hard for the Money.
I will be taking over for a current volunteer in Peru 9. She works with an association of female artisans that weave textile goods. I hear they make really nice things, so you should all expect some home-made Christmas gifts! I believe she also works with a “lactation” group, helping with the production of cow and goat milk/milk products. In addition, there is a local Institute that has asked for help giving business classes. Looks like I’ll have plenty of work to keep me busy… as I always say, idle hands are the devil’s playground! Okay, I never say that, but I just may start.

L.I.V.I.N.
My new host mom is on the wrong side of 80 years-old… 81 to be exact. I’ve loved all of my grandparents here in Peru so far, so I’m pretty excited about having one for the long haul. My “big sis” is 50, so I have a feeling she’ll be more of the mother-figure. I also have a 15 year-old brother, who I believe has some sort of handicap. I’m not sure if he belongs to the 81 year-old or the 50 year-old. Guess that’ll come out eventually. I’ll be going to visit for a week beginning this Saturday, so I should be able to take some pictures for my next blog post.

Some pictures to enjoy!



My new partners! Three ladies a'weaving...

A local gal I found on google (and nice example of the Cajamarca hat)




I thought you might also enjoy a picture that the other business group took while going to San Miguel. This is a very questionable bridge that the taxi tried to drive across, but his brake line got stuck on a piece of wood before they made it across. I think I jinxed myself when I said I was okay with questionable bridges in my last blog:
(Please also note the angry farmer on the other side. The taxi debacle forced him to wait an hour before he could walk his cow across the bridge. Just another day in San Miguel!)



Also, I am thrilled to present you with the absolute BEST-EVER dog in human clothing photo. I will probably retire this segment of my blog after this one, because it cannot get better than this (at least until I can capture that cunning little guy that wears the Halloween vest). The best part is that this one involves my own dog, Rambo. We had three days of extreme cold here (temperatures dropped below 60 degrees), and my family became concerned that Rambo may catch a cold. The remedy came in the form of my 3 year-old brother’s terrycloth bathrobe, complete with hood. Rambo was not too happy about his ridiculous outfit, but he did survive the brutal cold snap, so all is well...