Drinking for Jesus

I’ve been putting off writing about this because I still can’t include pictures to accompany this story and I feel like my descriptions will not do it justice, but the tale must be told. The weekend before last I went to a party in my neighborhood (Chacrasana) and it was the greatest thing I have ever witnessed in my entire life. The party was celebrating Corazon de Jesus. I have no idea what Corazon de Jesus is supposed to be about, but I assume it must have something to do with fireworks, dancing, and beer, because that’s what this party was about.

For starters, there was a stage with a million giant speakers on it in a little tiny neighborhood blasting music (ranging from traditional Peruvian to techno) until literally 6 am. The stage with the band on it had a backdrop of a giant picture of Jesus’s face, easily the size of a highway billboard. In front of Jesus’s face was a basically naked gogo dancer doin’ her thing, because obviously those two things go together.

I have never seen so many fireworks in my life, nor have I ever been in such close proximity. After the initial blast off of 4^th of July style fireworks sent off in all directions right in the middle of the crowd, (literally they were sent straight above us so you had to run and duck for cover and hope for the best), we got our first glimpse of the toros locos. Toros locos are life-sized puppet type things in the shape of cows/bulls rigged with fireworks. Every half hour or so the music would stop and different men would take turns running straight through the crowd holding these things on their heads spraying professional grade fireworks off in all directions all over people. Like there were babies and mothers and a ton of drunk people in the crowd but it turns out they’re cool with it, and so was I.

The schedule was basically dancing, dangerous fireworks, dancing, dangerous fireworks, more dancing, more dangerous fireworks. Until 6 in the morning. It was awesome. There were also giant statue things like the size of bulldozers rigged with crazy fireworks that I can’t even describe. Some would shoot off halos of fire into the air (which obviously came straight down into the crowd) and that’s when you’d really have to be on your A game to avoid injury. There was also this amazing traditional dance performed by some teenagers from the neighborhood wearing like yellow and purple bedazzled bull fighter costumes and doing the most awesome dance moves to Peruvian mountain music. AMAZING.

Uh man, I wish you could have seen it, it was so incredible. Like this is the reason I joined Peace Corps. Not really but you know what I mean. Pictures to follow.

Un abrazo,

Kimberly

Adventures on the Combi

Today, a drunk man on the combi (bus-ish) tried to sell us raw meat from a yellow plastic grocery bag that he was carrying. He picked up a slab of raw meat, I believe it was pork of some kind, with his bare hands and asked us how much we would pay for it in the United States. And he was indignant when we were uninterested in his meats for sale via yellow plastic grocery bag. This man actually spoke a good amount of English, but unfortunately had meat pieces on his face and all over his clothes which made me think he might be somewhat unprofessional. I mean usually people selling raw meat on a bus are extremely professional so he’s going to need to step up his game if he’s going to make it in this business. I cannot wait to see what I’m offered next on the combi, although I have a hard time seeing how it could get much better than that.

I’m also existing on a diet of 100% carbs. I’m talkin’ white bread and starch, y’all. This morning mi mama gave me chocolate cake for breakfast. Most of my breakfasts consist of white bread and sugar spread, like literally caramelized sugar and milk made into a spread, it’s delicious but I’m pretty sure my doctor wouldn’t recommend it. I’ve also had milk with oatmeal in it as the drink for quite a few mornings. Nothing like having breakfast and washing it down with a nice glass of oatmeal… Honestly though it’s pretty good, very sweet. But nothing like the way we think of oatmeal back in the US of A (obviously, since they’re using it for a beverage). If it weren’t for the giant hill I have to walk up everyday I’d be in serious trouble. I actually went running for the first time today though and ran so fast and felt like I could run for 60 miles, and honestly I think it’s probably due to all this unitentional serious carbo-loading I’ve been doing. So, I have that going for me. Anyhow, everyday is a new adventure and I seriously can’t wait to see what happens next! Oh also we're going to REAL Lima on Saturday!! I'M SO FRIKKEN PUMPED!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Besos,

Kimberly

Screw Cold Showers, I’m Switching to Buckets.

Ok so after only 2 cold showers, I’ve made an executive decision to never take one again. Seriously there is no way you can wash off even 50% of the soap when you’re that eager to get out of the water. And it's winter here (by winter I mean 70s during the day but it legit gets cold at night). So I am now officially a bucket bath participant, which I didn’t think I would be so quickly but just trying to get down like the locals, ya dig? And honestly it’s so much better – I literally fill a bucket up half way with cold water and then boil water on the stove and add it to it. Hilarious. Just to be clear, I am not standing in a bucket nor am I using dirty water over and over again. I say this because that is initially how I envisioned this activity. But that's gross and you all know how I feel about germs. I'm not THAT Peace Corps yet. Pero en realidad, you stand in a shower next to the bucket of clean water and scoop it on you like mini waterfalls. Peace Corps, bro.

And about my Spanish…Spanish is hard. Like at the training center I understand casi todo, but speaking to my family is a whole other matter. First of all, the speak very quickly and softly and the end of their sentences drop off so I often have a deer in the headlights look after they’ve completed whatever they’re trying to say to me. I feel like an idiot most of the time but I’m just going with it – gotta learn sometime! And besides language barriers lead to hilarious misunderstandings. There are many things I say and that my family says to me that are completely lost in translation. The other night I didn’t get dinner because when my host mom asked me if I wanted anything I said no, thinking she meant like right that instant. I later realized she meant for dinner in general but was way too embarrassed to renig on that so I decided it was best to go to bed hungry and save face. Good decision or great decision?

Also, things are more expensive here than I thought, or could just feel that way on my Peace Corps budget. Last week I went crazy and bought shampoo, conditioner, and soap and totally broke the bank. I mean, who do I think I am buying soap??? So snobby. But anyhow, I’m having a frikken amazing time getting to know all of my fellow volunteers, it’s such a cool group of people, and exploring all the neighborhoods around the training center and my own barrio.

Hasta pronto!

Kimberly

I MADE IT!

Hola Compadres! ESTOY EN PERU!!!!!!! Finally! It was a long time coming but all signs so far point to it definitely being worth the wait. My epic Peace Corps journey began almost 2 weeks ago in Georgetown for staging, after which I had my last American meal consisting of buffalo wings from Rhino Bar (obviously) with Danielle Zuralow and Brittany Ryan, two of my favorite people who I’m counting on to hold down the fort while I’m gone. Dominos isn’t going to order itself, Brittany.

So anyway, I’ve been in Peru for the last 11 days. The first two I spent at a “retreat” center with the rest of my fellow Voluntarios from Peru 19 (that’s the name of our “class” slash volunteer group because we are the 19^th group of volunteers to come into Peru since Peace Corps re-entered the country) but literally we were like enclosed in a compound of Americans and didn’t leave the whole weekend, so I didn’t actually enter what I consider to be real Peru until last Sunday, when I met my host family and found out where I’m going to live for the next 3 months for training in Lima – and by Lima I mean like an hour outside the main city. 

My host family is so nice! No little kids which I was kind of hoping for, but there are at least 10 people living in this house with me, including my host mama y papa, 6 host brothers and sisters ages 16 to 31, the oldest sister’s husband who lives upstairs with her, my host grandmother (mi abuelita), and also a few aunts who I’m not sure if actually live here or are just here a lot. Either way it’s a lot of people coming and going and I’m totally into it. There are also two dogs living in the house, as well as a rabbit and a giant cage full of guinea pigs on the roof, which unfortunately I think we eat. Yeah. 

Mi abuelita is the cutest little old lady I have ever seen in my life. She is exactly how I pictured a Peruvian grandmother to be – number one she looks to be about 150 years old, she’s way under 5 feet tall, has two long gray and black braids down her back, and wears full traditional skirts. I gotta get some pictures up because it’s just too good to be true. Every time she walks by me she rubs her hands down my hair and face because she has automatic love for me. 

I live in the neighborhood of Chacrasana which is nice because there are about 10 other volunteers living on the same street (Chacrasana is all one street). My first day with my host family consisted of a giant lunch of rice, potatoes, and spicy chicken (this has been most of my meals so far actually), watching the Peru vs. Uruguay soccer game with the fam, followed by a two hour nap, dinner (rice, potatoes, chicken), and a spectacular rendition of Brave Heart dubbed in Spanish. I have to say I’m really impressed with the dubbing of American films here, impeccable work. So all and all not too shabby of a Sunday, eh? Oh by the way, my house for these 3 months of training has electricity, running water, AND the internet. No hot water but I need to have something uncomfortable or I would feel like I was cheating.

I also received my first “nice insult” very early on, like day 2 – Peruvians are known for being extremely blunt and political correctness just isn’t really a thing here. So on the “Combi” (the bus/van they use for public transportation) a man moving by said “perdon, flaquita”, which means “excuse me, skinny girl”. So fingers crossed I keep getting that one and this steady diet of rice and potatoes doesn’t change that to “perdon, gordita”. Only time will tell. I do have to walk up a mile-long giant hill, which to me is more like a mini mountain, everyday to walk from the bus stop to my house so that should help. All of Chacrasana is on one giant hill street. It’s also surrounded by mountains on all sides, so kind of like a mini mountain valley surrounded by bigger mountains. Again, I need to get some pictures up so you can see what I’m talking about. ANYWAY so much more has happened since then but I want to start from the beginning, I’ll try to write regularly now that I’ve got this thing up and know where the best internet café in town is (I’m integrating). I miss and love you all back home and I will keep you posted! Write me in any form – email, comments here, or (gasp!) REAL mail! I can give you the address if you’re interested – so let’s keep in touch. I LOVE YOU!

Love, Kimberly