Sunday, February 19, 2006
Comments!
Thank you all for your comments, your giving me strength from the States! It is wonderful to get a response and the great advice... I´ve changed the settings so that you are all able to leave comments without having to sign up as a ¨blogger¨member. Thanks again for sharing your thoughts...Love, Matt
rice and potatoes
The rice and potatoes everyday are getting a little old. I’ve been grocery shopping in Trujillo or Otuzco when I leave site. This gives me the opportunity to augment my meals and change my diet a little. The daily multivitamin is essential, because I know I’m not getting nearly enough nutrients from all the carbs I’m eating. (Dinner can consist of pasta and rice soup, rice and potatoes, and some bread on the side.) I’m not eating a lot of fruit now, like I was in Lima or in the states, which means very little fiber. I found a fiber cereal called “Angel Fibra”, with raisins. It’s the equivalent of “Total”. But how do you eat cereal without milk? We don’t have milk because we don’t have a fridge. So, because I know I should be getting more calcium I’ve been buying powdered milk and adding water to each portion I consume. As for protein, we have chicken, but no red meat. I found a grocery store in Trujillo (and most likely the only one) that sells peanut butter. Yes, peanut butter. Peruvians have no concept of it, but this one grocery store imports many international foods. Thanks to God. On top of peanut butter I’ve been making a natural protein shake with a plant called Kiwicha grown locally. Maca is another grain that is high in protein. The ground/powder form can be purchased and added to water, boiled water that is….I boil all water that I drink.
And although these trips to the grocery store or to the market to buy fruits and vegetables are necessary it’s not easy. I can hike down (1 hour) to a town called Motil every Monday to got to the farmers market, or when I’m in Trujillo (4-5 hours away) or Otuzco (3 hours) I can go to a market or grocery store. Planning these trips has become easier, as I learn trails and bus schedules. Soon we’ll be able to eat some of our vegetables from our own garden. I tried to make pancakes and pizza last month, but I wasn’t exactly successful. You’d think such an easy thing could be done, but out in the country there are all kinds of obstacles!
My pancakes came out flat and burnt, for the lack of baking soda (which later, I was told is essential). The pizza was alright but very hard to cook evenly over a fire and with a stir-fry pan. Cooking over a fire is ridiculously hard, you cannot tell the temp, and it frequently goes out. I now understand why women cook the same things, one because of lack of knowledge and two because it takes a lot of ingenuity and creativity to cook anything different with such a primitive heating source. So in the end, no one liked my pancakes, not even the dogs, and the adults liked my pizza, but not the kids. I think the mozzarella cheese threw them off. I will continue to experiment, as I have much desire to teach the family about new ways to prepare/cook food and typical American food. P.S. Peruvians have never heard of burritos, enchiladas, quesadillas, or chimichangas. Unbeknownst to me, Mexican food never made it this far south, and it’s a sad thing that these Latin’s have never engorged themselves in such a delicacy…lol.
As summer winds down (less than a month) I’ve decided to run a children’s camp in town. It will last for a week, every morning from 9-12am. I’d like to facilitate healthy activities for the kids, such as a hand washing day, nutrition day, hygiene day, etc. and incorporate arts, crafts, games and songs. The week after, “Carnival” begins here in town, and although it is celebrated all over the country during the month of Feb. we evidently celebrate only the second week of March. Carnival is a celebration like Mardi Graz, minus the parades, floats and partial nudity. They celebrate by throwing water balloons, or by squirting water with water guns. The department of Cajamarca is notorious for their carnival celebration (last week of April, first week of March). It takes place in the capital city. Everyone is a target, it has gotten so bad in years past that the police have sanctioned certain hours for play time. Kids out in the country take carnival to another level (as I have heard), by throwing balloons full of paint, and even pig excrement. Thank you Peace Corps for not assigning me to Cajamarca, and boy do I feel sorry for the volunteers who live there….
I will be traveling to Lima (12 hours away by bus) for a conference on the 14th and 15th of March. It’s a two day event held at PC headquarters to reconnect and teach our counterparts about projects and funding. I’m bringing my two counterparts, Juan and Rosa. I hope to head out to Santa E. to visit my old host family, and take advantage of some of the finer parts of the country capital (read=American restaurants, shopping, and nightlife).
Last night as I was walking home from Chota, after a short visit with Ana, and I was struck by the beauty of a marvelous sunset. It span throughout the entire horizon, incredible colors of red, and purple and blue. I stood in awe, taking it in. Pinching myself as a reminder of the gift I was given to serve as a volunteer in such a beautiful country. I’ve come to find the sunsets here don’t last as long as ours. In just a matter of minutes it can go from dusk to complete darkness. I think it has something to do with the equator and the location of Peru. Don’t ask me, I slept through that geography class.
I think of all of you often, and wonder what life is like in the states. I mostly think of Boston and memories from these past few years. (P.S. my bedroom walls are adorned with dozens of pictures of you guys). Henniker comes to mind, and the realization that the poor in town are so much richer than the poor here in Carata. We have everything at our fingertips, and here, people go hungry. I understand why it’s so difficult for PC volunteers to come home after two years of service, that transition seems to scare me. It is often said that reverse culture shock is worse. When you realize it’s your own home, your own country that you’re afraid of, when you know you should recognize the world around you and you can’t. Just a thought…xoxoxox
I´m trying to connect a link to snapfish so you can see entire albums of mine. the link is here http://www.snapfish.com/home/t_=10136724 Eventually it will be listed on the right hand site of this site. There are currently old pics of mine from 2001-2005. Check it out!
And although these trips to the grocery store or to the market to buy fruits and vegetables are necessary it’s not easy. I can hike down (1 hour) to a town called Motil every Monday to got to the farmers market, or when I’m in Trujillo (4-5 hours away) or Otuzco (3 hours) I can go to a market or grocery store. Planning these trips has become easier, as I learn trails and bus schedules. Soon we’ll be able to eat some of our vegetables from our own garden. I tried to make pancakes and pizza last month, but I wasn’t exactly successful. You’d think such an easy thing could be done, but out in the country there are all kinds of obstacles!
My pancakes came out flat and burnt, for the lack of baking soda (which later, I was told is essential). The pizza was alright but very hard to cook evenly over a fire and with a stir-fry pan. Cooking over a fire is ridiculously hard, you cannot tell the temp, and it frequently goes out. I now understand why women cook the same things, one because of lack of knowledge and two because it takes a lot of ingenuity and creativity to cook anything different with such a primitive heating source. So in the end, no one liked my pancakes, not even the dogs, and the adults liked my pizza, but not the kids. I think the mozzarella cheese threw them off. I will continue to experiment, as I have much desire to teach the family about new ways to prepare/cook food and typical American food. P.S. Peruvians have never heard of burritos, enchiladas, quesadillas, or chimichangas. Unbeknownst to me, Mexican food never made it this far south, and it’s a sad thing that these Latin’s have never engorged themselves in such a delicacy…lol.
As summer winds down (less than a month) I’ve decided to run a children’s camp in town. It will last for a week, every morning from 9-12am. I’d like to facilitate healthy activities for the kids, such as a hand washing day, nutrition day, hygiene day, etc. and incorporate arts, crafts, games and songs. The week after, “Carnival” begins here in town, and although it is celebrated all over the country during the month of Feb. we evidently celebrate only the second week of March. Carnival is a celebration like Mardi Graz, minus the parades, floats and partial nudity. They celebrate by throwing water balloons, or by squirting water with water guns. The department of Cajamarca is notorious for their carnival celebration (last week of April, first week of March). It takes place in the capital city. Everyone is a target, it has gotten so bad in years past that the police have sanctioned certain hours for play time. Kids out in the country take carnival to another level (as I have heard), by throwing balloons full of paint, and even pig excrement. Thank you Peace Corps for not assigning me to Cajamarca, and boy do I feel sorry for the volunteers who live there….
I will be traveling to Lima (12 hours away by bus) for a conference on the 14th and 15th of March. It’s a two day event held at PC headquarters to reconnect and teach our counterparts about projects and funding. I’m bringing my two counterparts, Juan and Rosa. I hope to head out to Santa E. to visit my old host family, and take advantage of some of the finer parts of the country capital (read=American restaurants, shopping, and nightlife).
Last night as I was walking home from Chota, after a short visit with Ana, and I was struck by the beauty of a marvelous sunset. It span throughout the entire horizon, incredible colors of red, and purple and blue. I stood in awe, taking it in. Pinching myself as a reminder of the gift I was given to serve as a volunteer in such a beautiful country. I’ve come to find the sunsets here don’t last as long as ours. In just a matter of minutes it can go from dusk to complete darkness. I think it has something to do with the equator and the location of Peru. Don’t ask me, I slept through that geography class.
I think of all of you often, and wonder what life is like in the states. I mostly think of Boston and memories from these past few years. (P.S. my bedroom walls are adorned with dozens of pictures of you guys). Henniker comes to mind, and the realization that the poor in town are so much richer than the poor here in Carata. We have everything at our fingertips, and here, people go hungry. I understand why it’s so difficult for PC volunteers to come home after two years of service, that transition seems to scare me. It is often said that reverse culture shock is worse. When you realize it’s your own home, your own country that you’re afraid of, when you know you should recognize the world around you and you can’t. Just a thought…xoxoxox
I´m trying to connect a link to snapfish so you can see entire albums of mine. the link is here http://www.snapfish.com/home/t_=10136724 Eventually it will be listed on the right hand site of this site. There are currently old pics of mine from 2001-2005. Check it out!
Sunday, February 05, 2006
HAPPY BIRTHDAY JENNI!!
February 2nd! Happy Birthday Jenni! I’ve been in Perú for more than four months now. It began to rain last week. Finally. The rainy season came late, but it sure came. It has been raining on and off for a week now, starting in the morning at 10 or 11am and continuing all day until evening. These “aguaceros” will last until March or April, and then the season will change to summer. Dry and hot during the day and cold at night. Meanwhile, I’ve decided to purchase rubber boots….
My mountain bike arrived this month. Peace Corps rents bikes to volunteers who live in areas where there is little transportation. It’s a great program, as the bike is free of charge, and after my two years of service I either return it or donate it to a replacement volunteer. Included was a bright red helmet. I am quite the eye-sore in town with my fancy American bike and flashy red helmet. Some of the country folk I’ve encountered on the road greet me with an open mouth and long face. Helmets do not exist in Peru. I may as well be an astronaut on earth in their eyes. lol
One afternoon, my host dad Juan and I were sitting in the dinning room. He was helping me with some grammar exercises. Our cook, Marta and her daughter, Merley and Jesus (Juan’s son) were out of the house. Hours later when the three of them came home, we watched some TV and waited for the rain to slow. Someone noticed that our chicken was gone. Sometimes they walk down from where they stay and come onto our patio, usually they stay there but they can walk as far as into the road as well. We were sure the chicken had escaped into the road and had taken off. Unfortunately no one had been around for several hours.
We looked everywhere for the chicken. Even I helped, knowing that chickens cost about 12 or 13 soles (and it would probably be my next meal) I was anxious to know its whereabouts. It began to get late and we ate dinner, pondering over the chicken. We came to the conclusion that it had escaped during the afternoon and was probably long gone or someone in town had brought it home for themselves. I went to bed.
Juan awoke early in the morning to a peculiar noise he claimed to be a rodent under his bed. The noise continued until he couldn’t stand it anymore and he got up. He saw a large white mass under his bed. Laughing, he managed to free the chicken and return it to home, up around the house. More laughable is the fact that Marta tells me she couldn’t sleep that night, because she was thinking about the chicken! She was so relieved to know that the meal had been spared and the mystery was solved!
This month I’m going to begin to work with two local farmers in town. They are both friend’s of Juan and trustworthy men. I’ve visited their fields and was impressed with their products and knowledge. They are growing potatoes (of course), corn, carrots, pura pura, lettuce, radishes, yucca, ocra, various herbs, apples, peaches, tomatoes, quiwicha, onions, and much much more. Many vegetables I’ve never even heard of. One of the farmers raises bees. Yeah, honey. I’m very excited about helping them out, learning how they work and the crop seasonal calendar. The more I can learn about what is grown in my community, the better. As I will be focusing on nutrition for many of my health presentations. I can’t expect people to prepare and eat food that isn’t available to them. This “internship” with the farmers will be very rewarding.
Anna, a volunteer from Peace Corps Dominican Republic arrived on the 25th. She is continuing her service in Peru and will complete her fourth year as a volunteer this year! She comes with tremendous experience, and a great understanding of Castellano. She lives a hour and half from me and is the closest volunteer to my site. We live in very similar towns, and we’ll be programming together over this next year. I’m delighted to have a volunteer close by, especially someone who speaks English and understands American culture!
ps Sunday night i will be celebrating the super bowl on a rooftop in Trujillo. GO PITTSBURGH, EAST COAST PRIDE!
My mountain bike arrived this month. Peace Corps rents bikes to volunteers who live in areas where there is little transportation. It’s a great program, as the bike is free of charge, and after my two years of service I either return it or donate it to a replacement volunteer. Included was a bright red helmet. I am quite the eye-sore in town with my fancy American bike and flashy red helmet. Some of the country folk I’ve encountered on the road greet me with an open mouth and long face. Helmets do not exist in Peru. I may as well be an astronaut on earth in their eyes. lol
One afternoon, my host dad Juan and I were sitting in the dinning room. He was helping me with some grammar exercises. Our cook, Marta and her daughter, Merley and Jesus (Juan’s son) were out of the house. Hours later when the three of them came home, we watched some TV and waited for the rain to slow. Someone noticed that our chicken was gone. Sometimes they walk down from where they stay and come onto our patio, usually they stay there but they can walk as far as into the road as well. We were sure the chicken had escaped into the road and had taken off. Unfortunately no one had been around for several hours.
We looked everywhere for the chicken. Even I helped, knowing that chickens cost about 12 or 13 soles (and it would probably be my next meal) I was anxious to know its whereabouts. It began to get late and we ate dinner, pondering over the chicken. We came to the conclusion that it had escaped during the afternoon and was probably long gone or someone in town had brought it home for themselves. I went to bed.
Juan awoke early in the morning to a peculiar noise he claimed to be a rodent under his bed. The noise continued until he couldn’t stand it anymore and he got up. He saw a large white mass under his bed. Laughing, he managed to free the chicken and return it to home, up around the house. More laughable is the fact that Marta tells me she couldn’t sleep that night, because she was thinking about the chicken! She was so relieved to know that the meal had been spared and the mystery was solved!
This month I’m going to begin to work with two local farmers in town. They are both friend’s of Juan and trustworthy men. I’ve visited their fields and was impressed with their products and knowledge. They are growing potatoes (of course), corn, carrots, pura pura, lettuce, radishes, yucca, ocra, various herbs, apples, peaches, tomatoes, quiwicha, onions, and much much more. Many vegetables I’ve never even heard of. One of the farmers raises bees. Yeah, honey. I’m very excited about helping them out, learning how they work and the crop seasonal calendar. The more I can learn about what is grown in my community, the better. As I will be focusing on nutrition for many of my health presentations. I can’t expect people to prepare and eat food that isn’t available to them. This “internship” with the farmers will be very rewarding.
Anna, a volunteer from Peace Corps Dominican Republic arrived on the 25th. She is continuing her service in Peru and will complete her fourth year as a volunteer this year! She comes with tremendous experience, and a great understanding of Castellano. She lives a hour and half from me and is the closest volunteer to my site. We live in very similar towns, and we’ll be programming together over this next year. I’m delighted to have a volunteer close by, especially someone who speaks English and understands American culture!
ps Sunday night i will be celebrating the super bowl on a rooftop in Trujillo. GO PITTSBURGH, EAST COAST PRIDE!
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