When Worlds Collide

Well folks, I apologize once again for the long span between posts. It’s an interesting thing: The moments in which you are having lots of experiences are the moments in which you should most be writing but you are so busy experiencing them that you don’t have enough time to write about them.  And such was the case with April and May. I have now had two vacations, one town party and lots of classes since the last time I wrote. I have visited the jungle twice, Machu Picchu once, attempted to run a marathon, taught lots of kids about birds, English, and decision-making, learned what it’s like to be a translator, showed my parents around my new hometown, cleaned an irrigation canal and played in said irrigation canal.

Just a week and a half ago, I wished my parents a good trip home after spending a whirlwind two weeks with them in this country that has become a home for me. So rather than write out the details of everything (because I’m sure half of you are getting the stories from my parents as well) let’s go to a classic favorite: the top 10 list!

1. Picking up the parents at the airport. My friend, Miguel, and his father drove me there and for the first time ever, I was one of those people waiting at the exit with a welcome sign! Then we chatted as we drove through the midnight Lima streets and I enjoyed watching them take in their first glimpse of Peru. Even if it was super late at night and they were exhausted. It was that excited exhaustion that comes from being incredibly tired but not wanting to miss a thing.

2.  Stopping in Huancayo and staying in la Casa de la Abuela. This is place is “our place” as Peace Corps volunteers staying in Huancayo. The small staff has become like family to us and the hostel is a home away from home away from home. I think they enjoyed seeing the place in real life rather than through the computer on Skype.

3. Soup breakfast! Their first morning in Laraos, I knocked on the hotel door with two pots of soup that I had collected that morning from the town party hosts. A little surprised about breakfast being soup, but glad for the hot meal, mom and dad enjoyed their “desayuno Larahuino.” This was the first of many new and interesting foods for them.

4. English class. While we were in Laraos, I still had a few responsibilities and one of those was teaching my English class. Luckily, mom and dad were all for visiting the class and talking with the kids. The kids loved meeting my parents and measuring their height against dad’s. And asking about his shoe size. Ha! And conveniently for my parents, my English class for the kids served as Spanish class for the parents.

5. Canal cleaning: For the first half of the day, mom and dad helped out cleaning the irrigation canals of the town and we all (meaning the whole town) enjoyed a lunch break on a sunny hill overlooking the town. Then, finding out that the second half would get messy, mom and dad took off and we went out to play. We arrived soaking wet and pretty muddy to the plaza where we danced a couple of times and hurried off to shower and change because the cold night was setting in.

6. Pachamanca: I think Pachamanca has made it on a top ten list before but it’s because it is SO good. And this time, mom and dad were there to enjoy it! From the ground to the table, they witnessed the grandeur that is pachamanca. We were invited to sit on the benches which is a nice honor. Unfortunately, dad’s legs were too long and he feared stepping on the food. So he stood while a very insistent tía worried that we weren’t eating enough. But we assured her, we were stuffed.

7. Transportation: I’m going to make this one point even though it could be several. So here’s the list the modes of transportation we utilized over the two weeks: airplane, taxi, private car, colectivo (shared car), minivan, bus, boat, train and our own two feet. I think my parents came to understand the difficulty that it is to travel to and from where I live despite being “close” to the city and the good luck that is sometimes required to get to where we want to go.

8. Saturday church in Lima: We were able to attend at the Adventist church with Miguel and his family. And true to church-day tradition, we went out to lunch afterwards altogether. It was a wonderful morning for me because my parents were able to spend more time with this family who has come to support me like their own daughter beyond anything I could have ever wished from an assigned host family. The challenge was translating the conversation during lunch. There came a point where I said that I would have to stop translating or I wouldn’t eat anything! It was a beautiful day.

9. Marathon: So, if you’ve already found out, I didn’t finish the marathon. And now that everyone knows, you might be asking, why would this make the top ten list? Well, true; the whole, not finishing part was definitely the low for me this month. But the marathon is more than those hours you spend running the day of the race. Preparing for the marathon got me through a whole lot of hard times this rainy season and makes it on my top 10 list for those months. The day and the moments before the race there was such a contagious air of excitement and camaraderie that was definitely a positive experience. And even running (up until the point where I didn’t finish), I felt great and came to know a completely different side of Lima. Even after it didn’t end as planned, I felt such support from the friends and family who were there. So overall, “marathon” belongs on the top ten list.

10. The jungle: Is there anything more I can say about the jungle? Well, yes. I could make a top 10 list just for the jungle. I love the jungle. Sure, it’s full of bugs that make you sleep in a mosquito net and hot and humid but it’s…the jungle! Along with coral reefs, it is among the most diverse ecosystems in the world and therefore a biologist’s dream. Being here in Peru, with the jungle so close, I am taking advantage of my travel here to go whenever I can (time and money allowing). So, I convinced my semi-reluctant parents to jump in a plane to Puerto Maldonado and on a boat to our jungle lodge in the Tambopata National Reserve. Although I was recovering from the marathon, I was determined to participate in everything our jungle tour had to offer: night walk, early morning walk to and vigil of a clay lick, kayaking on the river, ziplining through the trees, fishing with a cane pole and a night boat ride to spot caimans. We also saw capuchin and squirrel monkeys, jaguar tracks, capybaras and lots of big creepy crawlies! I knew I would like the jungle but I was a little anxious for my parents’ enjoyment of it. But Dad was in his element sitting in the ground blind. So what if he was looking at scarlet macaws instead of scanning for deer? And the American Fisherman found a cane pole and became the “South American Fisherman.” Mom was a good sport with the adventuring but I have a feeling that her favorite part was waking up in our bungalow with the relaxing sound of the rain on the thatched roof before we had to pack up to leave.

 

11. Sacred Valley: Going to Cuzco for the second time, I was excited at the possibility to see the sites of Cuzco that I wasn’t able to when I was there four years ago. And my parents were on board for a tour of the Sacred Valley. This is the valley below the city of Cuzco that is littered with Incan ruins. Although it was a bummer to be herded around this valley on a bus tour, I can’t deny that the sites to be seen were pretty impressive. Although the focus was to visit Incan ruins, I think I enjoyed the colonial church at Chinchero most…but that might be because it was sunset and beautiful.

12. Aguas Calientes: This town is the train stop for all those tourists who want to see Machu Picchu and don’t want to hike there to do it. Its name also means “hot waters” and is home to a lovely hot spring. Wanting to get to Machu Picchu early, we went to Aguas Calientes to stay the night and get up early the next day. This meant we had some time to enjoy the city with some hiking and some shopping. Cuzco had been a little too hectic and in-you-face for us but Aguas Calientes was relaxed enough that we could enjoy the cloud forest we were visiting. The parents were exhausted but I took the evening to enjoy the hot springs. And it was glorious.

13. Machu Picchu: How could this not make the list, right? I mean, it’s Machu Picchu! To be honest, I was seeing it for the second time and I was sadly aware that I wasn’t struck with the same jaw-dropping awe that I had felt upon my first sighting of this world wonder. Instead, upon seeing it again, I felt peacefully nostalgic. Luckily for me, I was there with two Machu Picchu first-timers and their excitement was more than enough for me.

14. Lima layover: My parents last day in Peru we flew from Cuzco to Lima early in the morning and then had all day to spend in Lima before their flight home at midnight:thirty that night. It was such a wonderful day. We took a silly bus tour of the city which, although informative, was made sillier by wearing headsets that told us more information about the sites we were seeing. One last gourmet Peruvian meal at Chef Gaston’s restaurant, Tanta, and soon it was time to go back to the airport. We laughed a lot that day and it was a perfect end to such a wonderful vacation.

We said our “see ya laters,” knowing that later wouldn’t be until December. They went home to Chicago and I went home to Laraos. I think it was the first time I had ever been the one to be left behind at the airport when wishing someone a safe trip. I told this to my mom and she said, “Yeah, how does it feel?” I responded with: “I don’t like it.” So here’s to a sharing of perspectives. I am so glad that my parents were able to visit me where I live, to see and experience firsthand the things that I write about on this blog. But I gained some perspective from their visit too. They’re reactions to some of the “normalcies” of my town reminded me of just how special it is to be living here. And although many people have applauded my “brave” decision to leave, I learned at the airport that sometimes it is harder to be the one who stays. 

Blessings.

A Gold Star

Well folks, I apologize. I have been very lax in keeping you up to date. I mean, the last post was only a few sentences long and had a video of the last year – which if you’ve been keeping up, you already knew about. So I hope to make it up to you with this one. And I know I’m writing about this at the end of April but I want to take us back to March.

So. As you know, I like to tell you what I’ve been up to while at the same time shedding some light on Peruvian customs. And this happenstance in March is no different. One happy Saturday in March, the municipality threw a party. I know, I know. Another party? And the answer is: yes. But this party is different. It’s not to celebrate some National holiday or the anniversary of the town or school. This time, it was to celebrate the works the municipality had completed in the last year. It was an inauguration party! So that Saturday, we visited the sites of all the works and inaugurated them.

At each site, the authorities gave little speeches and then selected community members to be the “padrinos” of the place. Literally, padrinos means godfathers. In this case, it’s more like sponsors. They give little speeches, give a little toast and then break a bottle of champagne with a hammer. After the christening, there is clapping and dancing and a little more celebrating. And then, we moved on to the next site. After the last site, the municipality treated everyone in attendance to a Pachamanca lunch. And if you’ll recall, pachamanca (meat, potatoes, fava beans, sweet potato and humitas) is delicious.

Pretty fun, right? But what projects were we inaugurating? We started with a little trip up the hill to the new trash management complex. This is a really great facility. The landfill is up with all the technology – geo-membrane and everything. There are composting beds and recycling storage. There is a tree nursery greenhouse and a vegetable garden. Quiñual trees border the fence and will soon be providing a lovely decoration. I couldn’t have been more proud of the municipality for getting this project up and running and finished. I was somewhat upset at the municipality for not involving me in the project at all since that definitely falls under my project goals. But, at the same time it’s very good because it means that they are succeeding without my outside help.

Then we loaded back in to the cars and made our way to the new bakery. Let me say that again: bakery! So I don’t think I’ve made mention of this yet but the bread situation in Laraos is pretty sad. Our break gets trucked in from Tomas (about an hour’s drive away) every 15 days. This means that the bread I buy in the stores in Laraos is anywhere between 1 and 15 days old. So, it’s not the most delicious of breads. But now we have a new bakery! And a new bakery means fresh bread! And the day of its inauguration, there were free samples for all and they were delicious.

Unfortunately, the bakery is still waiting to be up and running as a business but I’m sure soon enough, there will be bread coming out daily. And my hope is to be able to try some of my own recipes in the nice bakery oven. Fingers crossed.

We then walked over to the new hotel. The hotel was an abandoned project from the previous mayor when I first got to Laraos. You have to hand it to the new mayor for taking up this project and taking it to its completion. The hotel is beautiful. Eight rooms, all with a grand view of the lake (during and just after rainy season), hot water and a television.  The hot water and television are a sought after commodity here, if you didn’t know. We were all taking in the rooms of the new hotel when one of the authorities asked me if I would like to be the madrina of the hotel. I accepted and then I and the padrino, Jonay, made our way to the front for the formalities of the ceremony. Jonay is a young Spanish guy who works for an NGO in one of our annexes. I thought it was pretty funny that the two foreigners of the town were chosen to be the padrinos of the hotel. But, it was also nice to be recognized and honored in such a way by the community I have been trying to “integrate with” since I first got here. We each gave our little speeches and then, each with a hand on the hammer, broke the bottle of champagne. Never having purposely broken a bottle of anything before, I was a little surprised at just how messy it actually was. Sticky champagne all over my arm and I plucked little bits of glass off of my co-padrino’s hand. Then the band struck up and I danced with the mayor until it was time to go to the next site.

The other works to be inaugurated were the second floor of the municipality building and the newly-installed sidewalks. And as I said, when all the formalities were over, there was Pachamanca for everyone! And the band struck up again and everyone sat around drinking and talking until night fell. I, of course, having lost my patience for the drinking customs of Peruvian parties, made my escape shortly after finishing my lunch.

I walked down later in the evening to see what was still going on. Nothing much had changed…except for the sky. Night had fallen and I marveled at the stars. As you may remember, the last several months have been rainy. This means – cloudy. This means, I haven’t seen the sky at night in a while. And, let me tell you folks, a clear night sky here is incredible. Think about it. What inhibits our viewing of the stars from our homes in the states? Well, the first thing is light pollution. There are just so many lights that the flood out the natural ones. Then, you’ve got the air pollution. There’s usually some amount of smog or general haze over our heads and blocking the stars. And then there’s our life pollution. Sometimes, we are just too busy to take a walk and look up. Luckily for me, living in a rural town at around 12000 meters above sea level and with lots of free time, I am free from all those pollutions and able to see the night sky clearly.

And it was a beautiful view. That night, I looked up and took in the immensity of the night sky, dotted with brilliant stars and was happy with the recognition I had received that day from my community. I may be one little dot in the grand scheme of things but that day I definitely felt like a star in my community.

 

Blessings. 

Better Late Than Never?

Well folks, it's been a long time coming but finally I have a new post for you!

I title it this because we are often faced with the infamous "hora peruana," the Peruvian hour. The basic idea is that when we say that something begins at a certain hour, we know we can count on it beginning about an hour after that designated time. So with that little tidbit of culture I present to you, arriving on time according to the hora peruana, my first year video! Enjoy.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RkdWsOKMqYs

Blessings.

Painting World Pieces

Well friends, it’s been an interesting month what with the rain and the roads falling out but for the most part I’ve been here in Laraos and trying to get some short term rainy season projects started and finished. One in particular is what I want to write about today. That is the Peace Corps mapamundi initiative. In this initiative, Peace Corps volunteers get some folks together in their town and paint a giant world map somewhere public.

In my plan for summer school, I had included the world map project as part of a geography/ecology/culture class. As we know, my summer school plans fell through but from its remnants would rise the world map as a project all unto itself! (Did that sound epic? I wanted it to sound epic). In just one week I, with my battalion of niños, drew, outlined, painted, outlined, labeled and sealed a 1 meter x 2 meter mural map of the world.

Among other challenges, I found myself working with kids much littler than I had hoped. This proved challenging in a few ways. 1) The little kids couldn’t help my transfer my 8X11” drawing of the world to a 1X2 meter. So I found myself penciling Patagonia onto the wall myself and 2) The little ones couldn’t quite reach Russia. Meaning that they were a little too short to paint the countries further north. So I found myself stretching to paint Finland while the little ones painted Oceania a nice deep blue.

I could have found myself getting frustrated by plans going awry but to be honest, drawing and painting lost in the solitude of my iPod ear buds was incredible soothing. I was feeling productive and not overly stressed. As everyone passed by, they would flatteringly comment on my artistic abilities, asking for drawing lessons. The kids showed up on days I asked them to and they kept me company on the days that they were unable to help. And at the end, we had this wonderful masterpiece.

But the real eye-opening experience of this project proved to be learning just how much (or how little) my students and fellow comuneros know about the world. Most everyone could point out Peru on our map but ask about anything beyond South America and they were lost. Mention Australia and they are looking towards Greenland. Most everyone knows that I am from the United States by this point but not many people knew where that was.

Maybe most interestingly was watching everyone realize how small Peru is in comparison with other countries of the world. To people of a small town in the Andes, the biggest world they know is Lima. But when they saw the size of China, Russia, Australia, Canada and the United States, their world views expanded with their idea of what it a country can look like. And since we painted with sticky oil-based paint, hopefully the map can give some geographical perspective to the kids and any passersby for a long time. And just like that I took some baby steps back in to feeling impactful.

Blessings.

Lest January Pass Us By...

So I was waiting to post so that I could post the link to my 2011-in-review video that I made but since the internet hasn't cooperated for me, the video is still not available and January is about to pass us by without so much as a peep from your Peace Corps correspondent.

To be honest, there's not a whole lot to write about this month. It's been a slow month work-wise and I've probably talked to most of you about what I've been up to recently and you may understand why I have not posted. But because we can't let a month go by without a post (who knew that that was the goal?) and since the youtube won't upload my video quickly enough I'm just jibber jabbering on the computer screen.

Here's some cool things I did this month while in Lima:

1. Farmer's Market! Who knew Lima had one? But then, why wouldn't it?

2. Sitting in the grass in a park, watching a wedding and eating items from said Farmer's market.

3. Getting to know the Lima bus system. I can maneuver that sprawling city so cheaply now.

4. Running in to other volunteers as they came in and out of Lima on business or coming back from travel.

5. Baking (really just eating) cheese bread and playing cards at a volunteer's apartment.

6. Watching football with other volunteers at the ex-pat bar in Miraflores.

7. Girls night out.

8. Getting to know the area of Lima known as Barranco and seeing where Anthony Bourdain ate ceviche. When/if you come visit, I will take you there.

9. Beach! This was by far the best thing I did in Lima. Know why? Because it's the beach. Know why else? Because the beach is just so good for the soul. At least it is so good for my soul. It is a place of fun and playfulness in the sand the crashing waves but then, if you look out to the horizon, you realize that you are in a place of power and majesty and any turbulence is calmed.

Ultimately, here is why a trip to Lima was a good idea: it reminded me of the independent, adult person who I can be when I am not living in a "town" of 300 people, on a hill, in the mountains with limited transportation. In the city there is activity and life and people don't look at you like you don't belong. As much as I hate to admit it, as a Peace Corps volunteer, you are forced to give up parts of yourself be it because your sense of humor is lost in translation or because you are a professional in your town and professionals certainly don't splash other people in the face and swim away in to the ocean or because being a warm and friendly person may extend an unintended invitation cross-culturally. But the good thing is that while I was spending some time in Lima, I was reminded of those parts of myself that had been in hibernation for the past several months and it was good.

Blessings.

What is Christmas

Hello all and Happy New Year’s Eve. If you recall, I had posted on this day last year but the post was about Christmas. So staying true to that pattern, I thought I’d write a little bit about my Christmas this year. Sorry, it’s not in poem form, but I tried my best to paint a picture with my words of the images I saw this year on Christmas Eve.

So Christmas Eve. What a day. I had it in my head that I wanted to take a hike in the morning just like I had done last year during the day. Last year’s hike had been maybe an hour long and didn’t go far. I was still getting used to the altitude and to the area and might still have been a little nervous about getting lost. This year, I got it in to my head to take the same trail as last year but go farther, all the way to Circo, a high altitude lake. I had heard it was a 3 hour walk. So around 8:00 I set off for the Yuncalara waterfall with the dogs, Puma and Bobby, as company. I set off in the sunshine to see if I could make it to this place that people said was so far.

The first part I knew quite well. Once at the waterfall, I would make my way through the canyon that is full of beautiful rocks and a babbling stream that I can only assume gets its source from the mountain lake to which I was heading. I took a short break at the Campana, an area of the trail known for a rock formation that when struck sounds like a bell, and continued on. I passed through the known path in about an hour and once in Yuncapampa, I was treading new territory. Here the canyon opened up to small parcels of land on either side of the stream for pasturing animals and growing clover.

But that part didn’t last long. Soon I was entering what I will call quiñual forest part 1. I was actually glad to get out of the pasturelands because the dogs kept bothering the donkeys and cows. Anyway, then came the first part of the quiñuales. This is where I began to wonder if I was on the right path. There were many diverging trails and the one I had chosen, rather than following the brook, broke left and climbed and climbed in a direction seemingly perpendicular to the stream. As I climbed I encountered huge trees and knowing that they grow slowly, I could only imagine how old they were. It was also the section of the hike that I got incredibly fatigued.

Luckily, though still climbing, the trail flattened out significantly and made its way back to the brook and I came to quiñual forest part 2. This was the most magical part of the hike. After exhausting myself climbing up through the water-deprived quiñuales, I was rewarded with the vision of the papery red bark growing next to the brook, colors contrasting with the brilliant and vibrant green of the lichens and mosses growing on the rocks. The hike transformed from challenging to pleasant, wandering through what seemed like a secret and enchanted old-growth forest. It seemed that I was discovering new ways that the strong Andean sunlight could play on the leaves and the water at each turn.

Too soon, I emerged from that forest and found myself in the pampa, the high altiplano. No longer surrounded by the cover of the trees, I felt the vastness of the wide open space and the wind as my eyes took in the green scrubby grass and the ancient boulders spotting the plain. The cold, high altitude wind chilled me as it dried the sweat I had shed during the quiñual forest part 1. Now the path was nearly flat and I knew I had to be getting close. For some reason, I felt a sense of urgency to make it to the lake. The dogs were frolicking all over the plain and I couldn’t believe that they still had so much energy. Just over one more little hill and my eyes were treated to the feast of the vision that is Circo Lake.

The sun glinted off of the deep blue water, the colors so vibrant because of the strong equatorial light. The sun warmed but the wind whipped at my face. The dogs ran straight in to the water and began chasing birds. I walked along the shore looking for my own rock to rest and finding it, I sat down.

Now, I hadn’t set out on this hike with the goal in mind to jump in to this lake. It just turned out that I had gotten so sweaty on the way up that somewhere in the middle of the walk, I had decided that when I made it to the lake, I would reward myself with a refreshing dip.

So, I waited for the sun to come out from behind the clouds and then I prepared for the jump. I ran in to the glacial lake just as I had seen the dogs do upon our arrival (though I didn’t chase any birds). The water was cool and refreshing. Pulling myself out of the water, I stood in the sunshine a minute to dry and then sat on the rock to sun a little bit more. For fear of sounding like a hippie, it was just me and nature up there, totally alone and surrounded by landscape splendor. It felt great, refreshing and like a grand accomplishment. Merry Christmas to me.

But my hike was only half over. I took off down the mountain and through hail, rain and sun, I was back in Laraos in just under two hours and in time for the very low-key Christmas celebration with a couple of friends. Now. I know it was dangerous to hike so far by myself. But I’m pretty sure I will keep doing it because I love the feeling, the solace and the freedom that can only be found in those moments alone and surrounded by natural beauty.

I think I like this tradition that I’ve started and I hope that every Christmas Eve morning, I can go for a hike or a walk (anything active) to clear my mind, taking personal time during the holiday to meditate on what is important. And back in my room that Christmas Eve afternoon, I got to spend time (via Skype) with those people who are important. I hope that my words could capture how great this hike was. I’m not even sure that a picture could do it justice. And although I would have much rather been spending it with hot chocolate, Christmas movies, midnight church service and caroling with family and friends, I think that this one turned out pretty well too and I can always look forward to next year for those traditions. And we can add in my new one. So for next year...will anyone be up for a hike?

Blessings.

One Year

One year in site! One year in site! I actually celebrated this on November 30 but have been unable to truly reflect on the year until now. See, I wanted to give you a solid post that summarized the year, my experiences, my achievements, my frustrations and my thoughts and hopes for the upcoming year. But then I realized that a blog post like that would probably end up being the length of a novella. And who has time (or the retina strength) to sit staring at a computer screen for that long? So instead, I’ve got some top 10 lists for you. This time I did try to keep the lists at or below 10 items but as always, the order is irrelevant. Interspersed between the lists are some gems from my journal from the first four months in country. That’s right, you get to read my most private of thoughts. Enjoy it while it lasts. I apologize for the lack of photos but that’s what happens when I update from site. Maybe next blog I’ll give a photo review of the year. Anyway, here we go.

Top 10 Projects Completed

1. Summer School
2. Teaching once a week in the 5th and 6th grade classes
3. Eco-Club
4. Movie Nights
5. Recycle Contests
6. Creating green spaces in kindergarten and high school
7. Eco-camps - check out the video (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N3KcAvDWcQk)
8. Peruanas Poderosas - it's a calendar of Peruvian women leaders from the towns of volunteers
9. Life planning talks in the high school of Tin Tin, one of our annexes (or as mom likes to call it - our suburb)
10. Green spaces and garbage cans in the plaza

“I am a lot busier here, a lot more independent and I have a purpose beyond just being here in Peru to experience the culture. I am here for that, yes, but also to learn, teach, work, improve, make change and encourage agents of change. And it’s because of that that these days have flown as I think about the month.” - October 14, 2010

Top 10 Books Read

1. The Hobbit - J.R.R. Tolkien (duh)
2. Girl with the Dragon Tattoo - Stieg Larsson (who knew it would become so popular?)
3. Return to Sullivan's Island - Dorothea Benton Frank (I read it for Charleston nostalgia)
4. El Sueno del Celto - Mario Vargas Llosa (he's a Peruvian author who won the Nobel Prize for literature last year)
5. South of Broad - Pat Conroy (everone was talking about it...and for nostalgia's sake)
6. Water for Elephants - Sara Gruen (now that I've read the book, it's time to see the movie)
7. Bonk: The Curious Coupling of Science and Sex - Mary Roach (the title says it all)
8. Fluke: Or, I know Why the Winged Whale Singe - Christopher Moore (sent to me from Marisa and an awesome and ridiculous read for any marine biology nerd)
9. Five Stories - Wendell Berry (recommended and sent by Mr. Jesse Flanagan from Peace Corps El Salvador)
10. A Place on Earth - Wendell Berry (also from Jesse and a good read for anyone missing some old timey Americana)

“I had my chat with Diego yesterday. He dropped lots of hints about my site including: high, Incan ruins, trout farms, replacing volunteers, protected area, electricity and water, probably internet, minimal phone. …my talk with Diego coupled with a chat with today’s visiting PCVs leads me to think I’m going to Yauyos.” - October 21, 2010

Top 10 Failed Projects (or yet to be completed, depending on your mood)

1. Proper use/separation of garbage in public garbage cans
2. Green spaces in elementary school
3. Compost in elementary school and kindergarten
4. Environmental education workshop for teachers in the region in coordination with SERNANP
5. Anything in coordination with SERNANP (SERvico Nacional de Areas Naturales Protegidas)
6. Anything in coordination with the municipality
7. School garden

But hey, I have one year left. Who's to say that they won't happen this year?

“In one of these activities the Americans and Peruvians each made lists of strengths and weaknesses of their own culture and it was interesting to see what we identified. Americans said that we value hard work and efficiency, that we have a si se puede attitude and among our faults were our emphasis on ‘time is money’, isolation through technology and weaker family ties. Individualism/independence landed on both of our lists as a strength and a weakness of the American culture…defending us saying that many of us [PCVs] had chosen to come here to get away from some of that culture.” - November 14, 2010

Top 10 Movies/Shows watched

I don’t even want to get in to how much I have watched. Seriously, even thinking about beginning to process the quantity of AV I have viewed is overwhelming.

Top 10 Podcasts

1. Stuff You Should Know - puts me on track to knowing everything
2. NPR's Wait Wait Don't Tell Me - keeps me up on world news in an entertaining way
3. Radiolab - they talk about cool stuff...the end
4. Mouth Off - for my a cappella fix
5. The Moth - bringing back the art of storytelling (thanks for the recommendation Jesse)
6. Stuff You Missed in History Class - interesting stories that actually happened
7. Stuff Mom Never Told You - hitting the hard topics of sex and gender in our society
8. How to Do Everything - putting me on track to know how to do everything

“We came around a bend and I had the first site of my city. I nearly cried. It’s beautiful. It is on a hill nestled between two mountains with Andean terraces on either side. We had to drive 9 km up switchbacks, across 2 bridges and through a gate to get there.” - November 14, 2010

Top 10 Peruvian friends (in site, just in case Norma, Dany or Frank are reading)

1. Silvia
2. Isabel
3. Miguel

OK so I only have 3 Peruvian friends. But it's quality over quantity our our friendship is high quality.

“And I waited to write this frustrating part in the middle so that I could end this journal entry on a good note. Because – life is good, just frustrating at times.” - November 21, 2010

Top 10 Peruvian foods eaten

1. Aji de Gallina - shredded chicken in a chile sauce that isn't too spicy because it's mixed with cheese and milk
2. Ceviche - some would say it's raw fish but we all know it's cooked by the acidity of lime juice. It's best eaten oceanside.
3. Mazamora amarilla - basically a cornmeal pudding but so much better than that
4. Locro - I ate it today and couldn't be happier about it
5. Mazamora de calabaza - pumpkin pudding sweetened with cinnamon, sugar and cloves
6. Tallerines verdes - basically a spaghetti in pesto with a Peruvian twist
7. Pan con huevo - I know what you're thinking; this is way too basic. But I think a simple fried egg on bread is something whose deliciousness we've forgotten
8. Cuy - this had to make the list simplybecause it's guinea pig. Certainly not one of my favorites.
9. Jugo especial - this is a hot fruit smoothie augmented with a raw egg and algorrobina. Simply delicious.
10. Caldillo - the signature dish of Laraos parties; pretty much a hunk of meat in its own broth - nothing else.

“I got the task of tagging the fish after the gutting and the cleaning. I stabbed my hand twice – just like finger pricks – and I laughed at the idea that I was already giving my blood to Laraos. …I also laughed at the fact that even in the sierra of Peru, miles from the coast and a university, this marine biologist was still tagging fish.” - December 1, 2010

Top 10 Vacations

1. Paracas - Semana Santa trip to camp on the beach
2. Huaraz, Ancash - Required trip for training but way cool and deserves a return trip for some terkking and micro-brews
3. Chiclayo, Lambayeque - Also a required training trip. Very hot, very pretty and made me appreciate living in the mountains.
4. Huanchaco, La Libertad - A very touristy beach town that satisfied my ceviche and beach craving for a spell.
5. Palatine, IL, USA - So good to be home and celebrating love. Twice.
6. Charleston, SC, USA - Also, so good to be home and visiting friends and old haunts while still discovering new treasures.
7. Lomas de Lachay - it's a Dr. Seuss world. Stay tuned to Facebook or this blog for pictures.
8. Lima, Lima - who knew that the city would grow on me?
9. Huancayo, Junin - My most frequent getaway for a break and a relax from site. Also where I pick up my mail, do my banking and have my most successful skype conversations. Most of you probably already know this.

“I’ve walked up and down the hill a few times and am looking forward to more." - December 10, 2010

Top 10 Reminders of Home

1. Sign on pink paper that Mom sent in October of last year. All it says is "Love you much."
2. Photos of the actual house in Palatine and Queen Street in Charleston.
3. Teas sent in a care package from Mom.
4. A series of photos from Iris in which she reminds me of how awesome she is while simultaneously affirming me.
5. A certain music video made with two special Hubbards the summer before I left.
6. Holding pancake Saturday complete with Sara Bareilles, garbage television and mom's recipe.
7. Cards and letters from all of you lovely people that now decorate my wall.
8. Singing very loud along with any of my music.
9. Reading scientific journal articles or blogs and talking about them online with Iris, Marisa or Robby
10. Crossword puzzles

“But let’s talk about the power of walks for a minute. They are incredible. I have always been in favor of them and that support has only grown here. Don’t know what to do? Feeling blue? Need a change of pace? Scene? To move a little? Go for a walk.” - December 25, 2010

So there you have it; when in doubt, take a walk. So it's been a good year. It has had its ups and its downs and has gone both slowly and quickly. Now there is a little under one year left to go and I have no doubt that it will go just as quickly. It's time to get to work and to get to enjoying the time I have left here. But I won't deny that now, especially in this month, I am missing you all at home.

Blessings.