1 x 2 x 3 x 4 = Me

Wow, so I'm 24 and halfway through my YAV year. That is unreal on both levels. I believe this was my 6th birthday outside the US. For my entire childhood, it always snowed on my birthday, HS, was always in Mexico on AMOR mission trips, College was just a grab bag, and now I´m here.

I do not understand why our culture always asks "how does it feel to be

24?" (or whatever age you are turning) Why do we ask that? IT FEELS EXACTLY THE SAME AS 23 AND 364 DAYS. Why does a semi-arbitrary (I didn´t choose the date, it just happened) date mean that we should somehow feel different? I see more value in questions like "what did you learn while you were 23?" or something that actually asks about my life.

Sorry about that rant. Feburary 12th marked the halfway point for us (sept 1 - July 27: 329 days). I think that one is a little more strange. I am now on the back side of this trip. I really feel like I just got here. I know that it has been an enernity since that day we six boarded a plane in NY for her, but at the same time it really feels like yesterday. But what have I learned during my time here? I have learned that I do feel really at home in other countries, espicially latin ones. I know that I have said this before, but I love walking down the street or riding the bus because it just feels so natural. I really enjoy this type of work. It is hard because since I´m a temporary volunteer, in lots of ways, I´m not as involved as

others (espicially because I am splitting time between two organizations), but I love what we do and feel like it is actually doing things for the good of humanity. I do know that wherever I go, I do need a strong community. I have a good back up here, but don´t feel completly enveloped in this world yet.

I have set becoming more invovled in my life here as a goal for the rest of this year, but one of the challanges to that is that I travel a lot. General laws of physics say that if you are not actually in a place it makes it more difficult to be there. But that is not a complaint. I am so blessed to be able to see so much of this country. A prime example of this was the trip that I just finished with a group of people from 1st Presbyterian of NYC. They arrived on sunday

and we took a tour of Lima (including the photo exposition from the conflict period, chifa, plaza de armas, and parque de aguas). Then monday morning we headed out to Huancavelica. Tuesday was spent getting used to the altitude and had a few meetings with members of the El Mecurio cooperative. The group discussed fair trade and the group´s involvement. I personally spent my time hanging out with the artisans joking, learning a few words of quechua, and watching as they knitted monkeys. We then ventured up to see part of the community of Santa Barbara (in which the majority of El Murucrio lives) and got a first had look at the landslides that have been plaguing the andean region of Peru for the last 2 months.

Wednesday - Friday we spent the day in the community of Wayanay, which is a small village in the middle of the andes. When I am there, I half expect Frodo and Gandalf to come walking through. The community truly opened their arms wide for all of us. We were blessed with mountains of food consisting of Guinea Pig (cuy), trout, sheep, and of course, potatoes. They showed off their knitting, looms, health center, and even gave the group an opportunity to take home a few of their products. Then on the 2nd day we all worked together on a reforrestation project to help protect the community from landslides and the 3rd was all about smoke reducing stoves. I really enjoyed the

planting day because it involved the whole community and the whole group working together, on their knees in the middle of the andean sun. Most white hands were covered with gloves while the brown, wrinkled, callosed peruvians both dug holes and put the saplings in the ground. It was a moment in which both cultures opened up and sought a connection that would not be found any other way. At the end of the day there were 300 more little trees in the ground, hopefully leading to a more secure future, but there were also more openess, care, and knowledge of others planted in the planters, and hopefully that will lead to even more in the future.

To hear a podcast about this trip: website or

Created with Admarket's flickrSLiDR.

¿Ya has acostumbrado?

Today is one of those days that you have to step back and remember, my life doesn't revolve around technology. I laugh because when I decided to become a YAV, one of my reasons to do so was to simplify my life. Instead, I find myself writing this blog entry this morning in word because one computer, the one that has the document that I am supposed to be working on, won´t turn on and now that I´m on another, the internet isn't working on it. So, you all get my frustrations instead. Oh well, I guess a Thursday morning with my coffee and some typing is probably good for my soul. Also, to anyone who doesn´t read this blog in its actual space (google reader, etc,), check out the real site because I´m quite proud of my map that shows where I have blogged about druing this over 2 year run we have so far.

It is strange to look back and realize that I have now been here in Peru for 5 months. That is a long time and in some ways it doesn't seem real. In some ways, I feel like I just got here and in other ways, I have completely forgotten what the US is like. Whenever I meet people here, one of their first questions that they ask me (after the standard name, where from, “oh, I have a cousin in…”) is “ya has acostumbrado” or “have you accustomed yet.” My answer is always yes (well, it is “sí” but you know what I mean). I have gotten used to being here. To he heat of January. To the general lack of sunshine. To the crowded streets, dirty facades of the buildings (since there is no rain to wash them clean), to the cobradors who cannot understand what I say when I tell them where I want to go, to the prices of what things should be when they try to overcharge me (in my frugality, I am learning fair prices for everything and have learned to accept what I should pay and just go with that rather than ALWAYS trying to bargain something down). I love having bread and butter for breakfast and dinner and then a solid lunch in between. I have gotten used to chifa almost once a week. I have gotten used to my work schedules and am generally pretty busy. I feel at home with my family and love meal times when we are all together to laugh. In all, I have more that accustomed myself to Peru, I now am at home here.

It is kinda strange saying that because yesterday, I got my plane tickets back to the states finalized. I will be landing at SeaTac at 1:22 pm PDT on the 27th of July. I know that is almost 6 months away, and that is more than half of my total time in this country, but it is strangely tangible now. Previously, we didn't have them set and it was nice because in some ways, it really felt like I was going to be here forever. But, it is set and I have a lot left to do. In this second half of the year, I am excited to welcome 3 groups to the country and help them see why I love this country, to have my Callie and Scotty (sister and best friend) come and hike the Inca Trail with the YAVs in may, to keep at my jobs, to make more trips to La Oroya, be more and more connected to my workplaces, to find ways to really connect with my host family on a even deeper and meaningful way than evening soap operas and rummikube, to put down my laptop and pick up a book, to finally buy a knee brace and start running again, and just find ways that when I leave this country, I do feel like I left a part of myself here. I know that I am “acostumbrado” to Peru, but in the next 6 months, I really look forward to really trying to learn how to better become Peruvian.

How do you feel about where you live? Are you accustomed? Do you feel at home? What does home even mean to you?

On a side note, I have a fund-raising benchmark coming up. If you have a few extra bucks or something, I could really use it, just click here. No worries if you can´t. I understand that times are tight for everyone. I love you all. Thanks for reading and I look forward to sharing even more with you all.

Pictures

1. Door near CENCA institutional workshop in San Bartolo
2. Sunset in San Bartolo
3. Waterfront in San Bartolo