Lima Marathon 2013

After months of training and preparing, on May 19th (my dad´s 62nd birthday!) I ran a half-marathon in Lima. Since 2009, Lima has put on a big marathon race in which you can also opt to run a half marathon or a 10k. I ran the half marathon- 21.9 kilometers (13.4 miles) with a time of 2 hours and 3 minutes and I had a blast! I actually thought my time was going to be around 2 hours and 30 minutes since that´s around what I run in the mountains at high altitude so I was pleasantly surprised to have almost a half hour cut off my time thanks to running the actual race at sea level! 14,000 people participated in the race and it was very well organized and put together (which is saying a lot since it was put on by Peruvians!). I had so much fun and I definitely want to do it again next year :) A bunch of other Peace Corps volunteers also participated in the race and a Peace Corps staff member who was also participating put on a spaghetti feed dinner for all of us the night before. We had a great time hanging out together and catching up as we loaded up on our carbs for the big race. The dog bite and difficult days of training and many hours spent running at 12,000 ft were all worth it!  

After the race, feeling good! 

14,000 runners participated! 

Sonrisas Peruanas comes to Huallanca

About a week ago an NGO called "Sonrisas Peruanas" (Peruvian Smiles) came to Huallanca. Sonrisas Peruanas is a Non Profit Organization that travels to remote areas of Peru to help Peruvian children living in poverty with dental hygiene and prevention. Since their goal is to teach children about dental hygiene and prevent cavities and decay, they teach kids how to care for their teeth, give out tooth brushes and tooth paste, and do fluoride treatments to protect kid’s teeth. This is not just any NGO, it is an NGO that is very special to me because it was started by my boyfriend (he is a Peruvian dentist) over a year ago and it is fact because of his NGO that we met 9 months ago. This was the first time Sonrisas Peruanas came to Huallanca and it was also the first time that my boyfriend's first visit as well. Since I knew everybody in my small town would be watching and gossiping about the gringa's boyfriend, I wanted to wait a while until he came for a visit. 

Three dentists from Lima and one local dentist from Huallanca came with the NGO and we did two different dental campaigns on two different days and were able to help about 150 kids in Huallanca. The first day we went to one of the schools where I work (in "the forgotten neighborhood") and the second day we help an open campaign in a different neighborhood. It was a big success for the kids and a lot of fun! We were able to put a lot of sustainability into it by bringng the local dentist to the campaings and having her meet the moms and have them sign up for dentist appointments. Seeing the dentist in Peru is free if you have insurance the Peruvian government (which is also free)! Even though seeing the dentist is basically free, people don't ever go because they are not in the habbit of it and don't see the importance. The only reason people really go is to get teeth pulled because they have neglected caring for their teeth. Most Peruvians don't even own a teeth brust and will have to get many rotted teeth pulled in their life time. This is something that Sonrisas Peruanas is trying to change!

Here are some photos of the first campaign we did in the school:

With Pammela, one of the dentist.

The first campaign at the school.

Excited to have their goody bags with tooth brushes and tooth paste!

Jer talking with the moms about taking their kids to the dentist.

Playing games with the kids after the campaign.

:)

Here are some photos of the open campaign we did the second day:

And some photos of us just hanging out in my cute little town:

To learn more about Sonrias Peruanas visit their awesome website!!: sonrisasperuanas.com

New house and "adopted family"

About a month ago I decided to move houses and into a different living situation. I really liked my host mom and aunt and the adorable kids, but there were some factors with the host dad that were really affecting my mental health and I decided that it was time to move. I moved in with my first host mom´s brother and his wife who live just down the street from the first house that in which I lived. The couple has kids who live in Lima and the dad works in the mine and isn´t home very often so it´s pretty much just me and the mom living the house and things there are really chill. So I live in a very calm and quiet house but I have an "adopted family" who has taken in and made me their own which in the home in which I spend all of my time even though I don´t officially live there.

 

Let me explain:

Back in February, I met an amazing family who I slowly became very close with. Over these past few months, I have spent more and more time with them and they have truly made me a part of their family. They are very humble, kind, fun, and just wonderful people and I feel so lucky to have them in my life because they bring so much joy to me. In the home of this family there are two couples (two brothers and their wives) and 8 kids. I eat lunch with them every day and spend as much time with them as possible and they never fail to brighten my day and to put a smile on my face J So I basically rent a room from a couple but then have my family life with a different family who I visit and spend time with every day. It´s a situation that I really appreciate because I have my own space so that when I need to work, or just relax, I can do so in peace but then I also get quality family time every day when I visit them. They have truly made me a part of the family as I help cook and clean, help them prepare and sell food in the streets, buy them groceries, bathe the children, help the kids with their homework daily, etc. In return they feed me and give me lots of family love-a pretty good trade off if you ask me! Being a part of their beautiful and humble family is truly one of my favorite things about my life in Peru :)

It´s interesting because when I studied abroad in Ecuador, I had a similar situation. I had a host family that wasn´t the greatest but I ended up meeting a neighboring family who was amazing and took me in, making me a part of their family. I still have great contact with them today and have gone back twice to visit them in Ecuador because I love them so much! I always find the most amazing families in Latin America even if they aren´t the inicial families that I get placed with.

I am so thankful for Latin American hospitality and the importance that they place on family values and spending time with family! It has been such a joyful experience for me :)

 

Here are some photos of me with my “adopted” Peruvian family:

On a walk with the kids

I love my adorable Yanelita!-Just look at that smile.

Mama Benita knitting a seat cushion.

Precious!

Part of the family!

Mama Katty and her kids

Napping outside with the pig and cat :)

A typical day hanging out outside of the house after lunch.

Going to sell grass at the market (people buy it for animal food).

Selling food in the street with Katty.

Benita feeding the pig

So much love :)

The other part of the family :)

My adorable babies!

The humble little home where we spend all of our time laughing, dancing, and loving life :)