Leg 1. Bus from Lima to Cajamarca: 17-19 hours. This is actually the best part of the trip for me, as the reclining seats are comfy, and my childish nature allows me to sleep for 90% of the trip. Also they’ll play your movies on the TV system if you ask nicely.
Leg 2. Find a car that will drive you from Cajamarca to San Miguel: This can take hours, as you have to wait for the driver to find enough passengers to make the drive worthwhile. The minimum is five, the maximum is eight-ish, I believe, though it could be more if there isn’t luggage in the trunk. On my first ride, we were pulled over by the police on two occasions for having excess passengers. Fortunately the driver was the second-cousin-once-removed of the first policeman and had fixed the second policeman’s leaky radiator last year, so we were able to continue on our trek (though out of respect, one of the passengers hopped out of the car each time and walked up a few blocks, where we picked him back up “out of sight” of the police).
Leg 3: Once you have secured driver and passengers, the final phase commences. The first hour of this trip is on a paved road, but the next two to three hours are a doozy. Let’s just say it involves potholes big enough to swallow a llama and some seriously sharp curves. Oh, it may also involve the sketchy bridge from my previous post, but don’t worry, they fixed it. And by fixing, I mean they threw a mound of dirt over the top. We drove across it on my way back from San Miguel without incident. I’m not going to lie, I was sort of disappointed not to get stranded on it like my friends. I’ll suffer just about anything if it makes for a funny story. But anyhow, now you’ve made it to San Miguel; best case scenario: 21 hours of travel and only four large men sitting on top of you. I honestly cannot wait for visitors!
A few pictures San Miguel in all her glory:
This is the main plaza in the town, as well as the (only) church. The church is made of Adobe, which is essentially compacted mud. The majority of the buildings in this region are made of Adobe.
This is actually the view from my house; my only visible neighbors are seven pigs, twelve sheep and a cornucopia of cows.
Speaking of my house, I was a tad nervous about seeing it. Upon arriving in Cajamarca on Monday morning, the nine of us that will be living in that department met with our Regional Coordinator. He went one-by-one, describing our families and homes. I was last, of course. After talking about really nice houses with tile floors and cable TV, he came to me and stopped dead in his tracks. The description went something like this, “Well, Kim… your family has a BIG heart. They are a bit on the poor side… but they have BIG hearts. The house is humble, and you may want to change after a few months… but gosh that family has a BIG heart!” Hmmmmm… interesting. To make a long story short, I met the family and fell instantly in love. They really do have big hear
ts, in all honestly. Within the first ten minutes of meeting, I received no less than twenty-two hugs. My mom, Madi, cannot decide what she enjoys more: hugging or laughing. These two actions fought it out for the majority of my visit. My little brother, Jonatan, is fifteen and has down syndrome. He cannot speak very well, but he can make motions to express himself quite well. He is incredibly caring and loveable, just like his mommy. As if this wasn’t great enough, I am also graced with the presence of my 81 year-old grandma, Elvia. She is equally delightful; very energetic and bubbly. She tells people in town that I am her granddaughter, not bothering to explain the whole Peace Corps/American thing. This garners quite the befuddled look, but good ol’ Elvia doesn’t think a thing of it.
This is in our yard, where we have a cornfield and garden (complete with avocado tree… I couldn’t be more excited if it were a tree of pure gold). After lunch, we sit out in the cornfield and chat for a few hours. Every twenty minutes or so, we see a car pass by on the main road into town. Mom points each of them out to me and gets rather excited, often leading to a fit of laughter.My new house can be described as very “Peace Corps,” perhaps even pushing the envelope to be called “National Geographic.” The walls are Adobe, and the floors are Mother Nature’s finest dirt. The kitchen consists of a fire pit and stone covering used for a stove/oven. There is nowhere for the smoke to escape, so the walls and ceiling are covered in soot. I’m in desperate need of a health volunteer to teach me how to fix this, before I come home with the black-lung. The highlight, however, is that there is a colony of cuyes living in the kitchen, and I do not mean in cages. I counted at least 25 of them, and they scatter about as they please. During meals, they run over my feet and nibble at my toes; I just know they are getting revenge for my killing one of their own a few weeks back.
A few more pics to enjoy:
A few of my new siblings
I brought tomatoes for a salad one day. Mom peeled them up and let the peels drop on the floor for the cuyes to enjoy as well!
My room is on the second-floor, though I have to climb two ladders to get up there… sort of a hay-loft, if you will. The room is very large and spacious, though also dirt-floored. I do have a balcony off of my room with some incredible views; I’ll definitely be investing in a hammock once I can afford one. Pics of my room (second floor) and staircase:
Though they may be humble, I could not be more pleased with my house and family. I truly believe that this experience is about living as the locals live, and this is much more than what many Peruvians have. I look forward to many months of conversation, and of course hugs, in this new home of mine.
So a little more about the work that I will most likely be doing over the next two years (though we’ve been warned that ultimately many projects fail, while new ones may arrive)…
1. Artisan association: I will be working with a group of women who make woven goods, such as scarves, pashminas, table-cloths and other similar items. This type of weaving (and in particular, the design) is exclusive to the region of Cajamarca. The group has been formalized association for over ten years now, and may be ready for exportation soon. They are definitely ready for some serious marketing initiatives, so that should be fun. I have seen some of their work, and it is incredible; it would definitely sell in the States and other more “demanding” countries. To see more, take a look at their website: http://www.sabinevess.nl/miguel.html (Step One: Fix their website!!).
Also, they gave me a cake to welcome me to town. Boo-yeah!
2. Lactation Institute: There is a local Institute (sort of the equivalent to a technical school in the U.S) that focuses on teaching students how to make and sell dairy-related products, including cheese and yogurt. One of the “lactation specialists,” as I like to call him, is my community partner, so I should be working quite a bit here. Not to mention it is right next-door to my house. They have already scheduled “Learning Computer Skills with Kim” classes for the week that I arrive… yikes! They also want me to eventually teach a business course to the students, and maybe help them in the sales strategy for their products. I think I am most excited about this particular project, as it combines two of my favorite things: teaching and cheese. I cannot wait to dazzle you all with my dairy-product-making abilities in the near future! In addition, one of their cows had a baby while I was there, and they named her Kimberly. Which means I get to watch my little namesake grow into a lovely young lady during the next two years. I’ll be sure to post lots of proud-auntie pictures for everyone to enjoy.
3. Group for the Disabled: My host-mom is actually a part of this group, which aims to help disabled youth in the community. As mentioned, my little brother has down syndrome, but right now there is no school, facility or specialists to help him. I also met two other families with disabled children, one of which is 18 years-old, but he has to go to the Elementary School with his little sister. It is pretty sad, but the group is incredibly motivated in obtaining government and NGO-grants. I believe I’ll be helping them most with their group organization and searching for more funding opportunities. The leader of the group is another of my community partners, and he is wild and fun. He gave me not one, but two tours of the town, introducing me to at least 90% of its inhabitants. Also, his name is George. Not Jorge, but George. And yes, he is from the Jungle (one of the three regions of Peru). I’m sure he and everyone else has heard the joke a million times, but when I mentioned that he is George of the Jungle, everyone laughed hysterically for a good five minutes. “Wow, the gringa has a sense of humor!” I think they love me already…
So now I’m enjoying the last few moments of living in Lima, with my host family, and close to my Peru 13 buds. Next Friday I officially swear in as a Peace Corps Volunteer. The last 9.5 weeks have FLOWN by, which I’m sure the next two years are sure to do as well. I look forward to the challenges and gratifications to come, as well as sharing them with you.
Chao!
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