Updates (I promise to post photos when I have fast internet)

Well I have a lot of great stories to share with some awesome photos but unfortunately I have been trying to upload some photos for the past hour and have had no luck at all because of the extremely slow internet in Huallanca.

So even though I currently cannot share any photos, I just wanted to share a few updates. I promise to post photos as soon as I return to the modern world (a.k.a a bigger city) in a few weeks :-)

• Rainy season is still currently in full force in Huallanca and it rains every day almost ALL DAY. Every day that I leave the house I wear my rain coat, rain pants, and rain boots. It's now my signature outfit! Our once half empty rivers is filled to the brim and certain parts of the river have been flooding houses. A few weeks ago the rain totally washed away a section of our main highway that leads to Huallanca. And countless landslides have been occurring on the main roads. I am currently training for a marathon and to be honest doing long runs isn't very safe right now because there have been so many landslides. Having clean clothes is impossible because they can never get dry because of all the rain! In a world where you hand wash and air dry your clothes, rain can make that task impossible! So let's just say that lately I have been more smelly than usually ;-) 
• One of my good friends just had a baby and so I have been visiting her and her family a lot and enjoying cuddling her cute, tiny little baby girl. She is so precious-I wish I could post photos! 
• Classes have started and are finally into full swing. I trained the teachers how to use the library that I was able to create and everyone loves it. I have been very busy teaching classes at the 3 schools where I work (a high school, elementary, and a kindergarten school). 
• Yesterday I started up another group of Pasos Adelante (my youth sex ed/leadership group) and I am excited to see what this group will bring to the table. This is my third and final group of Pasos in Huallanca and while it is a lot of work to recruit youth and get them to actually show up each week, it is worth it!
• My boss came last week evaluated me and I for sure will be getting a replacement volunteer to continue the work that I have started in Huallanca! 
• A few weeks ago my neighborhood celebrated the tradition of Yunsa in which they cut down a tree, adorn the branches with balloons and simple gifts and then put the tree up in the middle of the road, dance around it for hours, cut it down again, and hand out the gifts. It was very interesting! Photos to come!

Like I said, I will post photos as soon as I have faster internet! Have a great week!

A Pasear

When walking through the streets of Huallanca daily, I can count on at least one person asking me “Kendra estas paseando?” Which basically translates to “Kendra are you going for a stroll?” The Spanish word “pasear” means to go for a walk, bike ride, car ride, hike, or to go somewhere just for the heck of it, as a way to pass time. It’s actually hard for me to give the term justice in English we don’t even exactly have a word for it in the US, which tells you that it’s something cultural and after being in Peru for over a year, I am finally understanding that. In the US, we generally don’t just “pasear”. If you are going somewhere it’s because you have somewhere to be or something you need to do. We generally don’t just “pasear” for the heck of it because there isn’t time. In a culture where everyone has their daily checklist full of things they need to complete, even for children who are usually packed full of after-school activities like soccer, gymnastics, and dance from the time they can walk. Who in the US has time to just go for a stroll to enjoy something or to pass the time? Nearly everything Americans do has a reason or a purpose.  Well, Peru’s culture is very different.  People generally don’t have checklists or jam packed schedules. People have free time to “pasear” and just enjoy life. It’s something that people in small towns in Peru do a lot. Which is why the Peruvians in my town always ask me “Kendra, estas paseando?” every time they see me in the street. At first I was kind of annoyed that every one asked me that because I always thought “Why would I just be strolling about? If I am walking down the street, it’s because I need to get somewhere, what else? But a few months ago, after spending over a year in Peru, I finally really got it. It’s a cultural difference. In Peru, it’s totally acceptable to just be out to “pasear” and Peruvians do it often. And now guess who you can often see just strolling about for a “paseo” with my students? ME! The students that I lead extracurricular groups with request that we go out for a “paseo” to the nearby water fall or to the grass field just for the fun of it and to hang out with nothing on the agenda and no time restraints, we are just out on a walk for the fun of it. And I have found that I really enjoy it. It’s not to check off my list of things to do but rather just a way to enjoy the day and the beauty around us and to spend time together. And because we can, because we have the time; because we don’t live in a super fast paced culture where time is money with a jam packed schedule.

Here are some photos I’ve taken on some recent “paseos” with some of my students:

My little Valeria has the sweetest little face!

I know it’s difficult in the US, but when you get a chance, head out just to “pasear” and enjoy the beauty around you J

Carnaval in Cajamarca, Peru

What is Carnaval?: It is basically several weeks of festivities right before Lent. And by festivities I mean that people heavily partake in the following: partying and dancing in the street, throwing water balloons and dumping buckets of water on anyone and everyone in the street, and street parades with very colorful costumes. In Cajamarca, Peru, every year from February 7th to March 3rd people are permitted to throw water balloons in the street. So basically during these dates, leaving your house is not safe! ;) Every country does Carnaval a little differently but these themes tend to occur in most every country in which Carnaval is celebrated.

Everyone in Peru knows that they best place in Peru to spend Carvanal is in Cajamarca, Peru. So for years Peace Corps Volunteers head up to Cajamarca during Carnavales to partake in the craziness. I went for the first time this year and it was absolute madness but so much fun! The best day was the paint/water war. Just imagine thousands and thousands of people in the streets partaking in the biggest paint war you have ever seen in your life. People literally walk around with buckets of paint, water, and flower and have at it. You can buy paint and fill your water balloons, water guns, or water buckets at any house or store that allows you to. The only part that I didn't like was when people would come up behind me with their hands full of paint and put it right in my eyes! The paint would get in my contacts and I was literally helpless because I couldn't see at all. But my friends helped me and we kept fighting. Like I said, it was absolute madness but so much fun at the same time. I wish I could have had my camera with me to take pictures in the streets but it would have gotten ruined from all the paint and water.

If you don't want to participate in the paint/water war, then you literally cannot leave your house that day. Even if you leave the house as an innocent bystander not looking to participate, people will throw paint or water at you anyway.

Starting out! Literally as soon as we stepped out onto the streets, people started blasting us with paint and water! I remember being nervous when we took this photo because there were some guys approaching us with buckets! 

By this point I was freezing cold and was ready to be done so we went back to the hostel to shower and rest. Running around in a paint/water war in the streets sure does make you tired! 

Apart from the paint wars we also got to spent a lot of time together as friends which is always appreciated :)

Gia, Abby and I :) 

Another highlight was the Carnaval parade. The parade went on for at least 5 hours and we got to see so many beautiful costumes and outfits. We made the mistake of leaving our hostel for breakfast in the morning and we returned soaking wet from being blasted by so many water balloons and water guns! We quickly realized (a little too later!) that the safest place to watch the parade was from the balcony of our hostel.

Abby and I watching the parade from our balcony. 

It was really rainy while we were in Cajamarca but my good friend Emily and I still managed to get out to the city look out :)

Please excuse my lack of posting lately-regular internet has been very hard for me to come by,. especially internet that is fast enough to be able to upload photos! But I have so many photos and stories of things that I have been wanting to share!