Endings and Beginnings

Hello dear friends and family!

I apologize that it's been almost two months since my last post, it has not been for a lack of news.  April and May have been absolutely crazy months.  Here is my best attempt to recap the latest happenings here:

March: I became a godmother.

This is me with Abraham Valentino Pisfil Azabache, my new godson, and his grandparents.  This is one of the families I am closest to, and they asked me to be the godmother of Abraham's first holy blessing and his first fingernail cutting... yes, you read that correctly.  In Peru you can be asked to be the godmother/godfather of many different things, but doing so for baptism is the most serious, and implies the most financial obligation.  The family asked me to be the godmother of baptism as well, but I explained that I can't promise I will be here or be able to support him like I would want to, so we're sticking with the holy water and fingernails for now.

March: Quality time with my host parents.

With some significant financial help from my (real) mom, I was able to give my host parents a pretty great gift-- a trip to Trujillo to celebrate my host dad's birthday, Easter, and my general appreciation for both of them.  Trujillo is only 4 hours away but the reality for many families in Peru is that if you don't have family members who live somewhere, you won't visit that place.  So I was able to treat them to a hostel with a fantastic roof deck and entrances to some very important pre-Incan ruins that they had never seen (even though they are some of the most important ruins of the Moche, the pre-Incan culture that was present in Monsefú too).  It was an incredible trip that I feel so thankful to have been able to share with them.  There were lots of tears and sentimental moments about how much we care for each other.

March through present: Sex Ed for Teachers, Parents, and Students.

With the company of my Youth Development sitemate (Kimberly) since August 2012, I've become a lot more involved in the largest high school in Monsefú during my second year.  Together, we and the Health Center are presenting an integral training in Sexual Education that started with sessions for the high school teachers, then for the high school parents, and now for the high school 3rd graders (about 13-15 years old).  So far this project has gone surprisingly smooth, and I think part of that has been getting all of the teachers and parents on board before talking to their kids about such untraditional topics as sex, contraceptives, STDs, and masturbation.  A large part of the project is correcting myths that are prevalent here-- golden nuggets such as "don't shower/eat lime/eat hot peppers during your period because it will make it stop and that's unhealthy," "a man has to finish once he's erect because otherwise it will hurt him," "you can't get pregnant the first time," and "the pull-out method is an effective contraceptive method."  There are even some myths among the Health Center professionals that we've had to discuss-- the level of understanding of homosexuality was an obvious difficulty, and recently I've got in some heated discussions about the long-term fertility consequences (or lack thereof!!) of male masturbation.  Needless to say, we're all learning a lot!

March-April:  A dream come true project.  

No exciting picture, but a huge project began that brings together everything I have wanted for the artisans since my first weeks in Monsefú.  By luck I made a great contact at the regional Chamber of Commerce, and they are now spearheading a huge project that integrates Peace Corps, regional and national governmental programs for artisans, an NGO working with the artisans, Monsefú's municipal government, and the regional public university in order to put together a long-term project for public investment in preserving Monsefu's artisan craft.  This would involve many level of training, but the end goal would be the construction of the "House of the Artisan" in Monsefu to be a shared workshop and tourist attraction.  This is something we have all wanted for a long time and after so many broken promises from the local government, it looks like it might finally happen!  My site replacement is going to have his/her plate full.

April 19-21: Dance Workshop.

A friend and fellow volunteer named Kelly came all the way from Ancash (in the mountains, way down near Lima) to teach a weekend dance workshop to Roberto's dance school.  The workshop went really well but the reality of the dance school in the last few months has been frustrating.  Roberto does not run it like a business because he doesn't charge anything to his teen students, and he's lost the support of his older, more experienced dancers because he neglects them in favor of the teens.  His attitude has changed a lot recently, but I guess that's a part of him growing up (which he still needs to do).  All problems aside, the teens involved in the dance school love it and have a healthy way to occupy their time, and Kelly's workshop helped them improve their precision and dance technique.

April 22-April 30: Last Hurrah in Colombia.

Using up my last vacation days before the deadline, I traveled to Colombia with two other volunteers, Hallie and Michelle.  We visited Bogotá, Medellín, and Cartagena for a total of 10 days... and it was incredible!  I always had a feeling I would love Colombia, and I was right.  Bogotá and Medellin are light years ahead of Lima in terms of public transport, cleanliness, and general order.  Cartagena and the coast was wonderful, especially the Tayrona National Park (pictured above) outside of Santa Marta.  The food was nowhere as good as Peruvian food, but it was a nice change to enjoy plentiful high-quality coffee, pizza, burritos, and other comforts that are not as common in Peru. 

Colombia was a life-changing trip for me, because I met someone who you will probably be hearing about a lot if you haven't already.  I'll explain a little more in my May activities.  

May 1 - 7: Close of Service Conference and Final Medical Checks in Lima.

This is the beginning of the end, folks.  All of the people who came in to Peru together on June 9, 2011 (or rather, those who have survived two years) reunited in Lima at the beginning of May.  We received diplomas signed by the Ambassador recognizing our two years of service, and we got all of the administrative and medical information we need to close out our last few months.  Soon after this conference, I set my official end date to Peace Corps service: August 2, 2013.  ah!!

While in Lima, I also got to spend some more time with this person I met in Colombia.  Without delving too far into my personal life on a public blog, he is really someone special and is effectively changing my life because... as some of you know... I have decided to move to Santiago, Chile after Peace Corps service.  This decision is really sudden and unexpected, but it's something I have to do for my current and future happiness.  If anybody has good job contacts in Chile, please let me know!  Also around this time, I applied to, interviewed for, and got rejected from my dream job in New York (with a satellite office in San Francisco) so that made the decision a little easier.  Since I'm trying to get some private sector experience, it might even be better for me to stay international, so that I can woo employers with my perfect English.

Lima was a whirlwind not only for Close of Service Conference and this visitor, but also because we had some serious security incidents among my peer volunteers.  Everyone is okay but it was a harsh reminder that we're not in the clear quiiiiite yet.

May 24 - 26: Girls' Leadership Camp ALMA

A HUGE thank you to Donna Ayers, Jette Simon, Mom, and Mary Lotto Ross for your donations to our camp!  It literally would have been impossible without you.  Yet another successful Camp ALMA, with 53 happy adolescent girls from our region going home with new knowledge about their bodies, their futures, and their communities!  They learned to belly dance, they took vocational exams and met diverse female professionals, they learned how to use a condom, and they talked about what makes a healthy romantic relationship.  I was able to bring 4 wonderful girls from our sex ed class, who I now know much better and trust me more.  Up next, Camp VALOR for the adolescent boys in the end of June-- thank you to Dad, Fran, Caitryn, and whoever else donated!  I don't have the donor list yet but again, these chance-of-a-lifetime camps would be impossible without your support!

So there you go, a short summary of the huge changes happening in my life in the past few months.  Lots going on work-wise, lots of personal life changes, and lots of transitions happening.  Here's what the end of my service will look like:

July 31: Last day in Monsefú.

August 1-2: Close of Service in Lima (officially end Peace Corps service).

August 2-7: Visit Santiago, Chile.

August 8: Arrive at RONALD REAGAN NATIONAL AIRPORT AT 1 PM!!

Sometime around September 8 or later: Move to Santiago, it seems.  Eeep!!!

I love you all and can't wait to see you in August!

Links to recent photo albums:

March, April, May 2013

Colombia

Girls' Leadership Camp ALMA 2013

LAST Chance to Donate to my Projects!

Dear family and friends,

No sooner have we closed donations to our ALMA Girls Leadership Camp (thank you for your donations) but it's time to fundraise for our VALOR Boys Leadership Camp, to take place at the end of June.  This is the last camp I will be participating in, so if you've had an itching to donate to my projects but haven't yet, this is it!

We will be putting on a three-day camp for a total of 60 adolescent boys from our towns across the region of Lambayeque, from rural, semi-rural, and urban communities.  Our focus will be promoting the "well-rounded IRONMAN"- through activities in agriculture and business, environment, future planning, nutrition, sexual health, and gender equality (fighting the ever-dominant machismo).  So, in order to achieve our goal we need to raise money FAST, about $2,300 in the next month.  A little goes a long way here in Peru!  If you weren't able to donate fast enough to contribute to the girls' camp, here's your chance!  Once we reach our goal, the link will close.

DONATE HERE!

https://donate.peacecorps.gov/index.cfm?shell=donate.contribute.projDetail&projdesc=13-527-019

Camp VALOR 2012, held at a local environmental NGO Headquarters, same location as Camp VALOR 2013

Scary stories around the campfire

Our ever-popular "Body of Passion" nightly soap opera, telling tales of the dangers of STDs

Boys setting future goals and planning out the steps of how to get there

Here in Peru, sleepovers are not a thing and Peruvian teens in our region have very few opportunities to attend overnight camps.  Camp VALOR is a valuable opportunity for both young leaders and boys-at-risk to learn and be inspired by each other, and have a safe space to talk honestly about relationships, health, and other topics with their peers and Peace Corps Volunteers.  The boys will take vocational exams and learn from exemplary young male professionals about different careers, they will have talks about puberty and sexual health with our Peace Corps doctor from Lima, and they will learn about how to take care of the environment through separating trash, creating compost, and making ecological products like sweet potato popsicles for sale.  Keep in mind this is all benefitting boys from communities that often don't have the human or financial resources to offer these kinds of high-quality trainings.

As with all of our projects, a significant portion of the budget (40%) is coming from local community contributions and donated support.  All donations made through this link are secure through the Peace Corps website and tax-deductible.

DONATE HERE!

https://donate.peacecorps.gov/index.cfm?shell=donate.contribute.projDetail&projdesc=13-527-019

Will you help us meet our fundraising needs?  Please forward this email on to friends and family you think may be interested!  The Peace Corps Volunteers of Lambayeque, Peru and our adolescent campers thank you!!  Any questions feel free to email me or you can read more about the project in the donation link.  

Thank you and sending all my love,
Kim

R-E-S-P-E-C-T, Find Out What It Means to Me

Happy belated International Women's Day!  On March 8th and everyday, I want to give thanks to all of the women around the world who have been and continue to be pioneers in the worlds of work, family, and civic participation.  Considering the audience of this blog, I'd especially like to thank the men and women from my parents' generation who knocked down walls of gender stereotypes and broke the silence against issues of sexual violence so that more women can live happy, healthy, safe, and fulfilling lives.  Until recently, I had no idea how much your bravery should be appreciated.  

As I mentioned in a previous blog, I never saw myself becoming a "feminist" and when I was younger, I considered it somewhat embarrassing how my mother treated many things as gender issues, when I didn't see much of a problem with it.  I will always remember the look of concerned disapproval in her eyes as my teenage self watched trashy programs like MTV's "Real World" and she told me, "Kim, you know this is just television and isn't the real world..." I would roll my eyes and exasperatedly say "Yessss Mommmmm..." but now I get it.  She was concerned about how women were portrayed in these trashy shows, and she was concerned about the message her teenage daughter was absorbing from them.

I had the privilege of growing up under the impression that if I worked hard, I could do anything that I want in life, not matter whether I am a boy or girl.  As I grew older I definitely learned that this was not 100% true (for example, old boys club mentality in the workplace) but overall, I still had it pretty good.  After living in Peru for almost two years, I now understand how ridiculously privileged I was to grow up as a "liberated" woman.

I could write for pages and pages about the situation of women here, but instead I'll try to be succinct and just give you some bullet points about my life recently.  Keep in mind that what I experience are essentially "first-world problems" compared to the discrimination, objectification, and violence that many Peruvian women here will live with for most of their life (as you've read about in some of my "Monsefú Faces" profiles).

• All this past week, my sitemate and I visited the Monsefú radio programs to talk about various women's issues, in honor of International Women's Day.  We also dedicated all month of our once-weekly radio program to women's issues.  Our thought with this kind of project was that the people who most need to hear these messages are the women who live in the poorest, rural zones and/or aren't permitted to leave the house, so the best way to reach them is through radio (which the majority of people listen to), not a formal public event.  We covered topics including:
• Violence Against Women and the services of the Women's Emergency Center in Chiclayo
• Education of women and their importance in political and economic development
• A history of women in China over the past 100 years
• Street harassment 
• The objectification of women in the media (TV, newspapers, etc.)  It is BAD here.  The worst part is how many women seek objectification, evidenced by grossly exhibitionist shots from teenage girls all over Facebook and their responses of "thank you!" to the crude comments made by their male friends.
• Genderization and how that affects your kids in letting them express themselves fully
• Empowering songs for women- Aretha Franklin's "Respect" and Beyoncé's "Listen" (the latter of which has a Spanish version!)

This is always what the last (exterior) page of a regional newspaper looks like,
with the title "the bad girls." Usually the nudity is worse than this photo.

• Overall, we were treated as well as you could hope for by the radio hosts, and we received very positive reviews from the listeners.  However, we did have a laugh after one radio host wouldn't stop telling us how beautiful we were (on-air)... while we were trying to talk about empowerment of women!  It will be a longggg time before these kind of comments are viewed as unprofessional in Peru, so we pick our battles on other more important things.

• Speaking of more important things, our last radio interview led to me describing on-air some of what I went through in middle school (physical, sexual harrassment for about a year).  At the time, we were accompanied by a female teacher and her student who I happen to know well because she was an "All-Star" at our ALMA Girls' Leadership Camp last year (thank you donors!).  As we were signing off, she said to the listeners that any teenage girl who is going through something like I described should not be afraid to tell their parents, because she went through something similar, got her mother involved, and the situation was resolved.  I was so proud of her for being so honest and strong!!

• During this same week, my sitemate and I made a presentation to the public high school teachers about a sexual education project that we are going to implement, because it has already been approved by the school director.  The program will begin with 5 workshops each for the professors and parent association members, so that we are "all on the same page."  As we were explaining this, a male teacher raised his hand and asked if we could please explain what kind of educational degrees we had that qualified us to be teaching this, and what kind of relevant experience and training we have, because it seems very "odd" to him that two "young unmarried women" would be teaching these topics, especially to professors who are already professionals.  Thank God we are working hand in hand with the Health Center on this.  Our work partner (a female obstetrician) jumped up and very politely explained to him that this sensitive subject will be treated in a very professional manner, and that not only are the Peace Corps Volunteers qualified but they will be working with Health Center professionals as well.  Later, she made a little comment about the teachers being quite "special," which I really enjoyed from our very well-mannered partner.

• From what I can remember, this "young unmarried women" comment is the second-most sexist thing that has been said to me here (not counting the crude things said by strangers on the street), although I recognize it was mixed in with some age-ism as well.  The first-worst comment occurred when a former mayoral candidate asked me if I was going to be modeling a bikini at the Artisan Fashion Show, and when I told him "No," he said that he wasn't going to come, then.

• A few nights ago, my sitemate and I were not only harassed verbally on the street (around 8:30pm) but two young guys started following us until I whipped around and screamed at them to go away, saying "Stop disrespecting us!  This is harassment, I don't know you and I don't want to know you!"  As you know, the worst "street harassment" that has happened to me is when a group teenage of teenage boys in a mototaxi reached out and grabbed my butt while I was running.  Much worse things have happened to other female Volunteers.

• Today, I came across a disturbing item on a District Councilman's Facebook (he's like the 7th most important authority in Monsefú) -->
• His comment says "Have a good weekend, friends: Lucecita" (the girl's name)
• This is not the first time he has posted a "girl of the week" photo with a half-naked woman on his Facebook.  I remind you, he is a public authority.
• As you can see below, I responded, because I've decided that I have to speak up against these things, even if it means confronting a public figure.  Why am I here if not to break the silence on these issues?
• My response: "Mr. Councilman-- in your post on International Women's day, you said that women don't only want roses, they want respect.  Therefore, can you explain to me how your repeated publications like this one show respect to women?  We are not objects, and that an authority would promote things like this, with the "woman of the week" on his Facebook, which is a public space, seems very incorrect to me.  With all of my respects to you as a person.
• As you can see, someone responded to my comment.  Luis Gonzales is one of the most respected radio show hosts in Monsefú (the one who donates space to Peace Corps Volunteers to do our own mini-show), and he says: "This deserves a separate comment (which I translate loosely to "full response")... what happened, a slip-up or did they hack your Facebook??"  :) :) I love that comment, and I'm excited to see what happens from here.  So far, no response from the  councilman.  I'm not worried about political fall-out because this councilman has essentially no political power.  He has a bad relationship with the mayor and isn't very respected in general.  
• UPDATE: The Councilman not only didn't respond, but put together a slideshow of the "bombones" (bon-bons) of Monsefú, scanning up and down the bodies of girls between 17 and 25 years old.  I commented once more, and this time he responded by telling me that my Artisan Fashion Show promoted the beauty of Monsefú too.  This really hurt but after collecting myself I responded as calmly and rationally as possible, explaining the (huge) difference and how his promotion of women as sexual objects contributes to a vicious circle of objectification and inequality.  Sigh.

• My (real) mom is more worried about my safety that she was before, because I am getting so involved in women's issues, and thinks I could become a target.  As I told her, I will tell all of you:  I only speak out in certain situations, when it is safe and appropriate.  As you see in the "unmarried women" situation, often these kinds of comments can be treated very politely.  On the radio also, we are very even-tempered about these topics.  Other times, I need to be and can be a little more direct :)  And if my Mami Martha isn't worried, then you shouldn't be either Mom!

• Today, my sitemate Kimberly and I attended the formal flag-raising ceremony that is put on every Sunday by the mayor's office, and this time it was partially to honor International Women's Day.  The mayor (a woman) gave really great words for the event, and gave out a ton of awards to women who have made significant achievements in various lines of work and civic participation.  Before the ceremony started, the mayor told us that the national TV show "Public Enemies" was present.  From her comment about it being "one of those shows at 11pm" and it's name, I guessed that they were doing a political investigation against the mayor.  Not wanting to get involved with this, Kimberly and I left the ceremony a little early to avoid any potential interviews.  Sure enough, as soon as we parted ways on the other end of the park, the reporter chased down Kimberly, grabbed her and kissed her cheek, and told her how beautiful she was.  He then asked her general questions about Monsefú which she tried to answer politely until he suddenly grabbed her in a "Monsefú hug" (or so he said), told her (in her ear) how lucky he was to meet someone so beautiful, kissed her on the cheek again, and attempted to make her twirl while the camera-man ran his camera up and down her body.  She managed to get away at this point and call me (because I had walked away without any idea that this had happened).  Absolutely livid, I helped her contact Peace Corps' security officer who said he will have the US Embassy make a formal complaint with the TV station so that this piece does not air on national television.  We also called the mayor's office, who thankfully treated it somewhat seriously by saying this "shouldn't be tolerated." This was much more than I expected from the very traditional male Public Relations chief.  In general, he is a great guy, but he has also told me how great it is that I wear skirts because "too many women wear pants these days."

A picture of the TV sleazebag.

• UPDATE: Kimberly and I just came back from a meeting with the mayor and chief of public relations which left us feeling sick our stomachs.  While they did call the reporter to ask him not to air that "interview," they told him that we as foreigners were "sensitive" to those kind of things, and the female mayor said to us that this was all a big cultural misunderstanding, because we only shake hands and don't kiss on the cheek.  Kimberly did a great job of explaining to her that a kiss on the cheek is a nice part of Peruvian culture, but taking that farther into sexual harassment is not okay and not a cultural misunderstanding.  We're still hoping that Peace Corps will handle this and we'll see tonight if it airs on television.  

• I'd like to end on a positive note, so let me tell you about a wonderful moment I had yesterday.  I went to the neighboring town of Ciudad Eten with two other Volunteers, and as we were leaving, I heard "KIMBERLY!!!" and turned around to see a young girl named Liliana who was part of my summer vacation program last year, and who participated in our ALMA Girls' Leadership Camp.  I hadn't seen her in a year, and she was squeezed me so hard in a hug (which is pretty unusual among Peruvians)!  She introduced me to her parents and told us that she had been listening to us on the radio talking about women's issues.  She loved it because it was the same kind of message we gave to them at ALMA, and she says she is going to be a strong woman! :) :) She also begged me if she could be an ALMA All-Star (second-year campers who serve as Counselors in Training), which I will try to make happen!

So, on that last positive note, I would like to thank you all for your donations to our ALMA Girls Leadership Camp 2013, we have reached our donation goal!  I will hopefully have the donor list soon so I can thank you individually, and if you would still like to donate, we will have a link for our Boys Leadership Camp soon.

Women's issues are a cause I never saw myself becoming so attached to, but as you can see with the examples from just this week, the circumstances have fostered a deep passion in me.  While cultural change sometimes seems impossible, our young leaders like Leidy (the girl on the radio) and Liliana give reasons to believe that things are changing.  Over the last month, I have also engaged in a number of conversations with my host family, university age women, radio hosts, and authorities that suggest that consciousness is rising, and I believe that our work is partially responsible.  I hope that we have made some notable difference in the role and treatment of women here, because I know that the women here have forever changed me.

(Belated) Guest Post: Dad's Trip to Monsefú, Cuzco, and Machu Picchu

I have the pleasure of writing this long delayed guest blog for Kim following my visit with her over Thanksgiving, and what a pleasure it was both to see Kim in her element and to share some very special experiences including Machu Picchu with her.

Kim greeted me at the airport in Chiclayo, the city nearest to Kim’s town of Monsefu. We traveled on to Monsefu, where I met her host family, the Sanchez-Vilchez family. Gilberto and Martha are simply a lovely couple, warm, generous and affectionate with me as well as Kim. This is clearly her home (for now!) and as a non-Spanish speaking visitor I could only listen in with amazement as Kim conversed with Gilberto, Martha, and their live-in daughter Mayra, with such fluency that to my naïve ear it might as well have been Mandarin. Her cultural competence was apparent in lots of other ways as well, including her haggling with taxis drivers over proposed fares. Anyone who knows Kim knows you shouldn’t make the mistake of thinking she is anyone’s fool, as some of those drivers quickly discovered.

That very afternoon was the grand opening of a new soccer facility with two (small) artificial fields flanking a central building with a second level covered by a roof but open on the sides. The extended families of Monsefu form teams that include members both young and old. The Vilchez-Sanchez family had already played by the time Kim and I arrived, so we joined them at a table and chairs on the second floor. The weather was warm with a lovely breeze, and I was privileged to be included in the drinking circle, a Peruvian tradition in which there is but one small cup which is passed around the circle along with a seemingly endless supply of large bottles of beer. You receive the bottle from the previous imbiber, then wait for your neighbor to finish with the cup. You take the cup and with a decisive flourish whip the remaining drops onto the floor before filling the cup with your own beer. What a lovely experience it was to sit there relaxing with Kim’s extended host family surrounded by other extended families having fun competing and socializing. It took me a bit longer than perhaps it should have to realize that others weren’t filling the cup, merely pouring a small quaff. At any rate, as others left the circle and so my turn came around again more and more quickly I finally caught on. Fortunately it was about time to head home anyway, thank God.

For the next couple of days I followed Kim on her rounds of Monsefu, meeting the artisans, officials, friends of the family, and others she works with. I was struck by how it seemed that every third person we passed in the street knew Kim, and how Kim always had time to stop for some conversation with everyone. No wonder she has been able to accomplish so much in her time there – it’s people power.

A workshop on Costs and Pricing with the artisans

I was also touched by how warmly I was greeted by all. Apparently being Kim’s “Papa” confers quite a bit of status. Quite a number of people gave me small gifts, food or drink. Kim’s host family were extraordinarily generous in sharing their house and meals with me (I noticed that Martha always made sure I got the best servings), and just generally including me (with Kim’s translation services) in their conversation. In addition, I got to meet Kim’s host sister Karina and host brother Erick when they came with their respective spouses Fernando and Amy and all their children to their traditional Sunday midafternoon lunch at the parent’s house. One afternoon we visited with another Peace Corps volunteer who works at a nearby beach town, so we had the opportunity for a stroll on the beach and I got to see some fishermen in their traditional small boats made with reeds (although extra buoyancy is added these days with blocks of Styrofoam inside!).

Reed boats in Santa Rosa, a fishing style used since pre-Incan times (minus the styrofoam!) 

On my last day in the area, Kim and I traveled back to Chiclayo and had lunch at a wonderful restaurant named “Fiesta” where we had an appetizer called “grilled ceviche,” one of the best things I ever put in my mouth.

After a connecting flight through Lima, we arrive in southern Peru, in Cuzco.  The two major archeological sites we visited were Ollantaytambo and Machu Picchu. I should pause a moment here to explain a bit about Machu Picchu, the Sacred Valley, Incan culture, and Peruvian history. As you know, the Incans were a great civilization whose culture dominated the west of modern day Peru as well as stretching into Columbia and Chile.  Cusco was their capital, but they had numerous holy sites including Ollantaytambo and Machu Picchu that celebrated their connection with all nature. They recognized the duality of all things, hence their worship of the sun and the moon and their belief that the “Adam and Eve” of the Inca were literally the children of the sun and the moon.  Incan architecture was always carefully planned to synchronize with the movements of the sun, moon, and stars. They believed that the river Urubamba that flows through the Sacred Valley was itself literally a mirror image of the Milky Way. You have all seen pictures of Machu Picchu and can see how surpassingly beautiful it is. Lured by stories of cities of gold, the Spanish Conquistadors invaded and destroyed the Incan civilization, its rulers, and its shrines, taking all their magnificent gold and silver icons and melting them down to ship back to Spain. They were totally ruthless. They captured the Incan emperor and ransomed him for enormous quantities of gold, requiring the Incans to strip their own temples. Then, instead of releasing the emperor, they killed him anyway. They destroyed all the Incan temples they could find and built churches on top of their ruins. You may be able to discern from my description that I was simply horrified by this history, and couldn’t help but notice that so many of the indigenous descendants seemed to be among the poor while the upper classes seemed to be of lighter skinned Spanish descent.

Ollantaytambo was one of the shrines as well as a self-sustaining community in Incan times. Although it too was destroyed by the Spanish, enough has been restored to get a sense of what it might have been like, to witness the carefully terraced hills used for agriculture, and admire the astonishingly fine stonework of the Incan masons working only with other stone and copper tools. In the picture below notice how the Incans had painstakingly fashioned multi-ton stones so finely that one cannot slip a sheet of paper between them.

Temple at Ollantaytambo

Ollantaytambo was also interesting in that many of the walls in the town itself are still intact, and the houses are inhabited, so that one can get some sense of what daily life might have been like.

The town of Ollantaytambo

Ah, Machu Picchu. After taking a train through the Sacred Valley and staying overnight in the town of Aguas Calientes, we took a winding half-hour bus ride to the base of Machu Picchu and then hired a guide. Machu Picchu is unique in that it apparently was never found by the Spanish and hence was largely intact when it was “discovered” by Hiram Bingham (with the direction of Inca guides, of course) in 1911.  After touring the site and taking a side hike to the Sun Gate, Kim and I initially agreed that while we found it to be fascinating and impressive, it didn’t seem “magical” as often described in guidebooks. In hindsight however, I have found that my memory of the place, and indeed my experience of being there has grown and deepened as time has passed. I now think the “missing magic” was ironically a product of how, after several days of immersion in Inca culture, it felt quite normal to be there, as if we were visiting a nearby town whose inhabitants had only recently departed. By then I could easily imagine being a resident of Machu Picchu, watching as the Emperor, carried on his litter along the Inca Trail, passed through the Sun Gate, and descended to the main gate of the city. This kind of altered reality was facilitated by the fact that the site is so relatively intact that but for the addition of thatched roofs and a willingness to live in very small houses by today’s standards, one could move in tomorrow.

To even attempt to describe the careful planning that went into the construction of this site would be overwhelming, but let me mention just a few:

The construction of the site was exquisitely integrated into the topology of the geography, and great care was taken to delight the residents with extraordinary views at every turn.

Temple of the Sun, on top of another temple

Sacred doorway

One might wonder how a town at such an altitude could maintain a water supply for its population. The answer is that MP is placed between and lower than two geological faults that supplied natural springs. Those springs were then funneled by hand carved stone canals and powered by gravity over 2500 feet to a fountain for the exclusive use of the Incan Emperor and his family and then continuing on to supply fifteen more fountains for the rest of the population.

As one gazes upon the beauty that is MP, it is astounding to learn that 60% of the stone work is in fact underground in the form of foundations and drainage for that which is visible. That drainage, which goes down up to nine (!) feet was essential for a space that gets about 76 inches of rain per year, mostly within the seven months of the rainy season.

In the end, this was really an amazing experience for me.  Kim is twenty four years old and quite an independent young woman, and so I had imagined that the opportunity to spend ten days sharing this kind of fabulous experience combining adventure with the intimacy of being a part of Kim’s everyday life was probably past.  I will forever treasure this time spent with her even more than the fulfillment of a bucket list life experience. Thank you Kim.

First of Many Lasts

Hello again!

Get excited everybody… this is the second to last time I will ask you for money!

This May, all of the volunteers from my region will be uniting to work on a very special project– bringing together 60 teenage girls from rural, semi-rural, and urban communities for a 3-day leadership camp, with the theme of “Peace of Mind, Body, and Environment.”  These annual camps (one for girls, one for boys) are unparalleled opportunities for young female leaders to come together and bond with like-minded peers as they learn about mental, physical, and environmental health.

Activities and topics include a career fair, aptitude test, recycled arts workshops, trash management trainings, sexual education sessions and leadership habit development. In addition to helpful life skill sessions, our camps give teens a safe and inviting space to share who they are and where they see themselves in the future. The camps foster an environment for sharing highly personal topics, things they can’t normally express in schools nor in most homes.

Hearing from an HIV-Positive speaker at Camp ALMA 2012

Here’s where you come in.  A significant portion of the camp’s budget (40%) is coming from local community contributions and donated support.  But the rest, $2,200, volunteers are fundraising through the following link.  All donations made through this link are secure through the Peace Corps website and tax-deductible.

DONATE HERE!

Please help us meet our fundraising needs!  As my last 5 months come to a close, this girls camp (and the following boys camp) will be even more special to me than they were last year.  The Peace Corps Volunteers of Lambayeque, Peru and our adolescent campers thank you!!  Any questions feel free to email me, leave a comment, or you can read more about the project in the donation link.  Relatives, please remember that if you are receiving this update by email, you cannot respond by “reply,” I won’t receive it!