Cuy

Let it be known to all. I just witnessed a guinea pig birth. Welcome, Larry, Hairy and Mo.

abrazos
em

Cuy

Let it be known to all. I just witnessed a guinea pig birth. Welcome, Larry, Hairy and Mo.

abrazos
em

Language Acquisition

It's like, seeing the same sunlight come into my window every morning, but for the first time really looking at it. Or seeing numbers and symbols all jumbled together on a piece of paper one day, and the next being able to work with them, work answers out of them, master their meaning. I have heard Quechua every day for a year and a half now, and though it comes in leaps and bounds... this past week (after Quechua classes) I am now able to listen to my host mom while she's chatting away with Florcita on the phone and actually not hear a mumbling of vowels and deep throated German sounding k's... but understand what those sounds MEAN. It's a powerful knowledge, language. Makes you feel as if you can conquer something. Changes your perspective drastically. I still am at the "grasping" stage of this native language (I'm not fluent by any means... whatever fluent is anyways) and what I mean by grasping is, you know... you're in spanish class in ninth grade and the teacher tells you to put an 'o' at the end of the verb to make it first person present tense and you have to think about it really hard and look at the board.. "Crap. how do you say "have"? oh yeah. Tener.. Crap. I can't say Teno.. it's irregular.. what is it again? Oh right. Tengo." You know. That stage of the language learning. That's where I am when it comes to speaking Quechua. But listening... I can make out a majority of the conversations ahora. Which is exciting and.... well... Now I just need to pay attention. :)

Besos y Abrazos

Em

Ya vengo

Merry Christmas! Happy New Years 2011! Happy Sarah's and Courtney's Birthdays! Groundhog Day is in there too I believe. :)

Umm... so. With that said. When I started this blog back in the day and I wrote my little profile on the right hand side that says Youth Development Volunteer in Peru from 2009 til 2011. I didn't think that that number.. 2011.. would come up on me so soon. Too soon! Aack! So soon in fact that I will be keeping you posted on my continuing foreign plans. Cuz there will be.

Right now it's summer here (which means... just no school... the weather is rainy... yay!). So I'm teaching some vacaciones utiles classes for the kiddos (communication, p.e., art and wow. Who'd a thunk it? Math!). Ok ok. So I am not actually teaching math. I scouted and found some teen helpers who actually teach it. I'm just the facilitator man. This past week we did some paper mache.. oh yeah. Very messy. But what I'm currently really excited about is Club de Mujeres Poderosas (powerful women), in which 17 teen girls and I meet up 3 times a week and tackle different themes from sexual health to how to start a little successful business (Peace Corps gives me materials! soo.. although I know practically nothing about business.. I can still teach it :) to meeting professional women and talking about future goals. Last week we got to talk to girls from Oxnard City Corps on skype! It was pretty exciting from where I was standing. To get the two groups I've been working with the last 3 years together. No importa las fronteras. We have only 3 more weeks to go, but maybe they'll want to get together occasionally during the school year too. A ver.

There are exciting things on the horizon (Peace Corps 50th anniversary, Ancash Prom, starting up the school year, Rotary Club's participation in a project in Shilla... the whole familia's visit in April...) that I'm pretty thankful for. Right now I'm off to Quechua classes. Shumaq warmi to all of you. Let's see if that grammar finally stays in my cerebro this time around.

Recent peruvian fotos will be posted on my facebook later today... Chao for now!

Abrazos long lost but FUERTES,

Em

It's like a Video Game!

Jumping off the Dunes!

Anacapa Island. Whops. I mean Parracas.

Our Sand Buggie! And Colleen!

Alrighty then. It's so odd being a "senior". Peru 13 (my group) is on the downward slope of the Peacecordian two year experience. And yes. We have technically until August of next year... but suddenly that doesn't feel like enough time anymore! As if two years isn't nearly enough. It's nearing the end of the school year here ademas, meaning things are slowing down a bit (or will for sure in two weeks). And that means a trip back to Ventura is very near... So basically I have many feelings going on right now.

For Thanksgiving, us 13 Ancash chicas decided to head south for the three day vacation and go to Ica, Peru (the coastal department south of Lima) to explore the beaches and wine country. The trip started and ended on very awesome notes. The first being sandboarding. Yup. A lot like snow boarding but on sand dunes. The best part of the sand dunes would have to be the dune buggies of course. SO fun. As Christie so pointed it out "It's like a video game!! MARIO KART!!" I think that's definitely a fitting description. And I think I will always remember the hilarity that was Colleen and I being scared to sled down those sand hills (picture a lot of screaming and sand in the face and mucho profanity). The other highlight of the trip would have to be the last day where we visited a fellow Peru 13ers site, to check out the local wines, piscos and white water rafting. Chevere. The season for the river was low season so the rapids were only class 2 at most, but that didn't stop me from falling out once. And it was an absolutely beautiful river.. the contrast of the dusty rock hills jutting up in the background with the oasis of green around the river... bonito. Afterwards we happened upon a resort ish place that allowed us many a sampling of different kinds of piscos, a chance to swim in the river, chat, swim in the pool... we didn't want to get back on a bus. They were so friendly and it felt like we stumbled upon a little slice of heaven. Eventually we did get back on the bus. And on that bus we were accompanied by 35 teenage Lima boys who belong to a Soccer Club. We instantly became celebrities. Our seats happened to be in the very back and EVERY single one of the boys came and circled us. "Where are you from?" "Do you like Michael Jackson?" "You speak Quechua?" "Do you have a boyfriend?" etc. etc. We were very tired and Colleen had to hold up most of the conversation with them for a good two hours. The best part was when I got to sing Atrevete te te by Calle 13 with them. ahhhh.... knowing that song by heart finally paid off!

Currently back in Anca$h... this past week I got to help out at the Peru 15 IST (some in service training).... I even had to pretend I was a business volunteer for awhile. 8 gringos visited me in Shilla and got to see Amigos y Libros in action which was awesome. In site I have been teaching a lot about AIDS and sex ed in general (seeing as Dec. 1st was World AIDS day) as well as wrapping up my primaria school classes: English, Self Esteem and Leadership... Now I'll be planning for the vacation classes I'd love to do during January and February, touching up my world map, making a lot of bracelets and hopefully accomplishing some lake hikes when it's not too rainy.

I can't WAIT to see people (and Ben and Reggie) for the holidays.... two weeks and counting!

Abrazos,

Em

AmURica

So, I suppose I need to update this thing! I just got back from the U.S. of A.... Colorado to be exact. Pagosa Springs to be even MORE exact. For my dear amiga Jenna's wedding which was heart warming, fun, freezing (that true mountain air), amazing, dance- y, full of universidad friends and just a wonderful two days really. Yup. Two day trip to the states, no biggie. Actually. I'm pretty glad that it worked out that way (except for Mr. I'm going to give you air sickness so bad you'll wish you never came to Colorado prop plane from Pagosa to Denver) because it made me feel as if Peru is so close to home. It's only FOU (ugh) flights and a day bus away. But seriously, it's pretty chevere that one day I can be with people who speak my language in a place where everything just seems bigger (including airports, food, and beds) and the next I will be among colorful shorter women talking away in Quechua. I was probably annoying with all the references I made to this South American country though. In order to stop myself I started referencing Peru as the "P word" and if you didn't know this.. there are a lot of inappropriate words that could potentially start with P, so that was fun.

In the Lima airport about to embark the plane I must admit that I had a little panic attack. What will I do when I eventually have to leave this place? I can't just do that. Where am I supposed to be? I have to be with Itzel! With Gladys! With my host mom and Florcita! Can I really just stay and live down here in Peru? No. Well. Then. WHAT?! But then I just got on the plane and coming back so quickly was good. Now I'm ready to go back home for Christmas minus all that little panic attack stuff.

So. In short. It was awesome and I'm excited to go back to my actual casa in a month and I wish Jenna and Brian all the best!!!

Brought to you by the Letter P and the Number 4.

Abrazos Fuertes,

Em

Cortando Pasto

So. There are times when I am down (not at this exact moment... but there are times). Wondering what I'm doing in life... not so much right now but in a year or two or ten from now. Where I wonder if I'm making good decisions or doing the right things. Sometimes I even feel like I have a dissonance inside of me - a disconnect - and it makes me wonder who I really am. Peruvian Peacecordian, what's that, really?

Usually when I'm in this state in site all I want to do is ball up in my room but I usually end up forcing myself outside because that's where I slowly feel better (even if not a single one of my self directed questions is actually answered). I've taken up going to cut grass for the cuyes (guinea pigs) with my madre lately in the evenings.

It's a 10 minute walk through grass and chacras (fields), the trail made by many human feet who take the trail up the hill to do their farming and grazing of animales cada dia. We take our apaches with us (the colorful blankets women here use for warmth, for bags, as protection to sit on, to carry grass, etc.) and my host mom brings along the circular scythe and we go up to cortar the pasto. This little ritual, even though I am slow at actually cutting the grass and most of the time just end up helping carrying it back down the hill, more than anything else... calms me. I know that for my family it's just another day chore, but for me with the views and the tranquility - the soft steady sound of blade on grass, the bright blue pollera (skirt) of my mama, the gray clouds bursting into light with the sinking of the sun over the cordillera negra - it's a healing task. It's the best thing about where I live, the hills and the very nature around you just make everything that much better. It's way better than yoga. jeje

So there's an October reflection. Mas on the agenda would have to be the Feria de Universidades that we're putting on in Shilla on Wednesday for all the secundary kids.... Amigos y Libros is still goin' strong, Halloween is just around the rincon, and I'm a goin' to Colorado really soon! :) From mountains to mountains.

Abrazos y pasto para todos,

Emily