An EYEful of Peru...

Okay, so, aside from all of the wonderful, fun, new and exciting things that I’ve been experiencing here, I’ve also had some slightly demoralizing health issues. It’s just one thing after another. First I got sick with a cold, which quickly became what I believe to be a sinus infection, and then I got a sore throat and lost my voice, which, thankfully is now coming back. Just when I thought the coast was clear, and that I’d finally have a chance to get better and finally be able to begin fully enjoying my time here, I woke up on last Tuesday (August 30^th) morning with conjunctivitis (pinkeye) in my right eye. I didn’t realize what it was at first so I made probably the worst mistakes possible- putting in my contacts, not telling my host mom, and then going out for the afternoon (Tuesday was a holiday here). My eye got worse as the day progressed and eventually I went home to gather up my stuff and walk to the ProWorld office to do some homework. My host parents had gone out with friends that afternoon, so I couldn’t tell them about my eye until they came home. When I finally came home they were there and I let them know what was up, and they knew immediately what it was. They happened to have some gentle antibiotic eye drops for pinkeye in the house, but when I woke up the next morning it was much worse- it basically looked like someone had punched me in the eye. My host mom and I decided that I would not go to my classes that day, and instead we went to the doctor, who was surprised at how bad the infection was for only being just over 24 hours old. So he prescribed some stronger eye drops and since I’ve been using them, my eye started getting better, and now it’s just about back to normal. It hasn’t been itching at all for the past couple days (I didn’t go to classes on Thursday either and I didn’t go on our project outing on Friday), and the redness is almost gone. But my cough and cold are still hanging on tight- though much better than they were before.

Alright, enough of my complaining- there’s way too much good happening to focus on the bad stuff. I’m just frustrated because I want to be healthy!

The first thing I need to talk about is last weekend. It was so much fun. My host Dad’s birthday was last Sunday, so they had a party for him on Saturday and Becca and I were really excited to see what it would be like. Our ProWorld group had a Salsa lesson that night at 7, so we went to that, but instead of going out afterwards with everyone, we caught a cab and headed home. When we got there, some guests had already arrived, but not all of them, and we went around and did the customary kiss on the right cheek with a “¿cómo estás?” which is the polite way to greet people here in Peru. We ended up sitting on one of the couches in the living room while people arrived and we introduced ourselves to them, and eventually the music began. They blasted it so that the bass was shaking the walls, and the drinking, which had begun even before Becca and I arrived, became even more fervent (I just had water all night).

As more people arrived, the guests (who were mostly friends and some family) began dancing. Our host Dad, Oscar, is an incredible dancer- he knows so many different styles. Becca and I served some food, as well as the Puppy Chow we had made as our gift to Oscar. It wasn’t like Puppy Chow in the US- we used a sweetened breakfast cereal called Estrellitas (little stars), and we weren’t able to find chocolate chips or melting chocolate at the nearby grocery store, so we bought a box of chocolate bars and melted them down with butter and organic peanut butter. We also added pretzel pieces. We were not at all sure how it would turn out, but once the powdered sugar was added, it tasted just about right. All the guests at the party loved it, and now our host Mom, Nancy, wants the recipe.

Anyway, we expected this party to go to maybe 1:00 in the morning. What we didn’t know was that it was only getting underway at 1am. The party lasted until 4:00am and I think only because Oscar ended up passing out on his bed around 3:30. Needless to say, Becca and I slept in on Sunday.

We learned a lot about different types of music at the party, like Cumbia, Salsa, and Chicha, which a family member we met, Pilar, told us is a combination of Indigenous music from the Andes and Cumbia.

It was a wonderful experience, even though Becca and I were super tired because we had both gotten up at 7:00am that morning to go to our project outing in Ocurruro. It was unlike anything I’ve ever experienced before, with such a tight bond between so many friends and family members. I didn’t know half the people’s names that night, but Becca and I were treated like family all the same. We’re excited now because our 13-year-old host brother, Oskitar’s (Oscar’s), birthday is coming up on September 8^th (this Thursday!) and he’s going to have some of his friends over for a party. I think it’s going to be a great time, especially because Nancy told us that some of her and Oscar’s friends will be coming too.

Now, a little about our first project outing last weekend. It was really beautiful, but also difficult. We’re working in a small high-altitude community called Occoruro, and that’s where we’ll be directing all of our volunteer efforts. Friday was our first morning of work and we went back on Saturday too. On Friday we laid the foundation and began building up the walls of a galpón de cuy, or guinea pig house. It sounds comical, but cuyes (guinea pigs) are a hugely popular culinary treat here in Peru and people have been eating them for just about ever. The reason we’re building the galpón is because the people in the community don’t have anywhere else to keep the cuyes except in their houses, where they also eat, sleep and keep other food and materials. Before ProWorld started working in the community, everything was kept on the floor in the homes, and it was very unsanitary and dangerous because the cuyes would run all over and rates of disease were really high. With this cuy house, the family will have a separate place far from their home where they can keep the cuy safe, as well as keep their health.

So, when I say guinea pig house, what probably comes to mind is some kind of wooden enclosure, pretty small, with wire around it to keep the cuyes in, right? Well, that’s not at all what this guinea pig house looks like. We built it out of mud (barro) which we made right there in a little pit that had been dug in the earth, and we just added water and sloshed around in some rubber boots that had been provided in order to mix it up to the right consistency, and adobe bricks. The bricks had already been made and piled up some 20 or 30 yards away from where we were working, so we had to walk back and forth and carry them, one brick at a time, to the work site. Each brick probably weighed about 50 pounds. By the end of the day my arms felt like they were going to fall off, and it was especially tough on Saturday when the walls were higher and we had to lift the bricks up over our heads to set them in the mud. But the cool thing is that we finished the walls on Saturday. On Friday all that needed to be done was smoothing mud around the inside and outside of the walls, building a roof and creating the separate sections inside the house for the different cuyes that need to be kept apart. I didn’t go, because of my eye, and I’m really sad I missed it, but my eye pretty much better and I didn’t want to risk anything that might have put it back the way it was.

So far, in terms of culture shock, and homesickness, not too much has bothered me. There are differences for sure, like throwing toilet paper away instead of flushing it, and even at parties nobody waits to start eating until everyone is served- you just eat when you’re handed your food. I’ve also noticed that the use of space here is so different- any space that can be utilized is, and when something is big or spacious or luxurious, it already strikes me as weird.

My experience at the eye doctor was really different too. The clinic was essentially a glasses store, but looked more like a small souvenir shop, very small, with a creaky wooden floor, and the doctor’s office looked more like a college professor’s office than anything you’d see in the U.S. related to medicine. It had all kinds of trinkets all over and his desk was really messy. I felt like I had been called to the principal’s office or something, except of course for the two eye examination machines sitting in the middle of the room. Don’t get me wrong- I’m not saying this in a judgmental way, in fact, I think it was a really good experience for me to see that a doctor’s office doesn’t necessarily have to be sterile and white with a polished tile floor and nothing on the walls but medical posters. It actually made me more comfortable to be in this doctor’s office, because it seemed so relaxed and friendly.

So far I’m loving my host family, and everything about Cusco. But there is the occasional sight or thought that is really difficult to handle. Poverty isn’t very hidden here the way it is in a lot of the U.S. It’s right there in front of you. And even though Occoruro is a beautiful community, it’s also really difficult to navigate the class and race differences we encounter there, at least for me. I’m glad to be helping, but am I just another “rich” white person telling others how to live? I don’t know. One of the most difficult things to realize is that this is like a vacation for me, it’s a visit, but for those people in that community, it’s life- day in and day out. And at the risk of placing value judgments on our different lifestyles, I’m just going to say that even though to us it might seem beautiful, or simple, or easier, it’s not a way that I’d want to live. Is that awful? I don’t know. Is that only because I grew up the way I did, where I did, and so I judge their lifestyle based on mine? I don’t know.

Also, yesterday, we visited the ruins at Pisac, and Ollantaytambo which we both beautiful. I forgot my camera (stupid me!) but the wonderful people in my group took plenty of pictures of me and of the ruins themselves.

More soon! I start my internship tomorrow- I’m working at an orphanage nearby my house. It’s a home for abandoned girls, and one other girl from my program is working with me. Our job is to provide the girls with someone to trust, to talk to, and to plan workshops to help improve their self-esteem and just give them a chance to have some fun. I’m very excited to begin!

Pictures from the ruins coming soon!