In
just over a month, I finish my two years of Peace Corps service and I leave
Peru for good. I feel every emotion possible about this, but mainly extreme sadness
to be leaving behind the community that I have called home for the past two
years and the people that have become my family. I have been an emotional wreck
lately knowing that the day will soon come in which I have to leave Peru. These
two years have gone by so fast and I wish I had more time to continue working
on my projects and to be with the people and children that I love so much in
Huallanca. However, at the same time I feel ready to start the next chapter of
my life in the US. My plans are to move to my city of birth Portland, Oregon
with my Peruvian boyfriend to work and start a life there. Grad school for
social work could be in the near future :) I feel very anxious to go back and quite
terrified to get back to the faced past life of the US, but I know that it’s
time.
Every
time a group of Peace Corps Volunteers finished their service and prepares to
head back to the US, there is a group who puts together a “Peace Corps
yearbook” and they have us answer a lot of silly questions about our service
and publish it in our “yearbook” along with a photo of us. The questions and
our answers always seem to turn out quite funny so I am going to share mine
since it is an ammusing summary of my two years in Peru.
There
are some every day words in Spanish we use often that I will translate in
parenthesis. So here it is:
"Kendra
served in the lovely, little mining town of Huallanca, in the beautiful and
culturally rich mountains of Ancash. She spent her two years forming bonds with
many families in her town, loving on all the adorable little kids with chapped
cheeks, hiking, talking to anyone who would listen about safe sex, reading
books to the little ones in her library, and mastering the art of dancing
huayno. She focused her work on a sexual health project to do everything
possible to lower the high teen pregnancy rate, and on starting a very tiny but
colorful and welcoming library at her favorite primary school."
Did you “aprovechar (take
advantage of) that s***”?
Heck
yes! I apprvechared not only life in site but life in Peru and South America. I
will leave Peru with a ton of amazing Peruvian families and friends very close
to my heart and having aprovechared living in such a beautiful country-by the
time I leave I will have used up all my vacation days because I explored Peru
and South America so much.
What was the most ignorant thing
you’ve heard a US Citizen say during your service?
“Peruvians
must be so sad to live in mud houses”
What was the best compliment you
received during your time here?
All
the times I was told “You look like a Barbie” were supposed to be compliments
but I don’t feel very happy about that comparison.
What was your great
success/failure?
Thanks
to a SPA grant I was able to turn an unused, falling apart classroom into a
very colorful and welcoming primary library that is filled to the brim with
children’s books and educational games that I know will be used every day even
after I leave because it is located at a school and the teachers have the key.
Combi story:
My
site was so far from Huaraz that we had to take a bus instead of a combi so I
rarely took a combi during my two years of service. But this one time I had to
pee in a bag on the 4 hour bus ride from Huaraz to my site. My site mate was
sitting next to me while I peed in said bag but he didn’t know until later
because he was sleeping.
“I couldn’t have done it
without…”
Yoga,
running, warm clothes, cipro (the drug of the stomach gods), the beautiful
mountains, daily phone calls to my boyfriend in Lima and to my Emilita in
Arequipa, my awesome fellow Ancash Volunteers, all the constant love that I got
from the adorable kids in my site, and my Peruvian mom, Benita who was my
biggest confidant and friend in site.
Favorite
Peruano en tu sitio:
All
my adorable neighbor kids who made me smile every day and gave me endless
abrazos (hugs) y besitos (kisses). And my awesome Peruvian mom who is always
energetic and positive despite the poverty in which they live.
What is the weirdest thing you’ve
eaten?
Definitely
cat. Or fried sheep blood.
Best/worst smell in your site?
Worst
smell: Pee alley by the market, and the second floor of the market where they
sell tons of tocush (fermented potatoes that smell like death), me after not
bathing for two weeks, my students and socios (counterparts) who also rarely
bath, and the smell of dying/burning animals from the camal (slaughter house)
which I lived 10 feet away from during my first 8 months in site.
Best
smell: I can honestly not think of a single good smell in site.
What Peruvian article of clothing
or accessory are you planning to rock when you return Stateside?
My
traditional Ancash clothing: pollera, llankis, lliclla, chicles, and sombrero.
I will rock my Ancash pride even if no one in the states knows what the heck I
am wearing!
What will you be most remembered
for by people in your community/or your host family?
The
fact that I ran “every day” and got bit by a dog once while on a run and it
bled a lot and I cried.
Most useful/useless item brought
to Peru?
Most
useful: Every winter clothing item that I brought because my site is freezing
(I can literally see my breath in my room sometimes), hiking boots, and rain
boots. This past rainy season was so bad, I seriously don’t know what I would
have done without my rain boots! Least useful: Anything that didn`t keep me
warm.
Good toilet paper substitute:
Leaves
and rocks.
A time you stared Death in the
face in Peru:
When
Leland and I trekked from Olleros to Chavin and on the last day of the trek by
the time it got dark we were still a 3 hour walk away from Chavin and we
thought we were going to have to sleep in this tiny pueblo full of drunks who
were sure to cut into our tent at night and murder us. We thought we were going
to have to stay awake all night and fend off the drunks until a miracle car
showed up and was able to take us down to Chavin to sleep there.
Longest you've gone without
bathing?
Two
plus weeks.
What will you miss the most about
Peru/your site?
The
mountains, the impossibly blue Ancash sky, having the most beautiful hikes,
treks and lakes in my backyard, my host mom and siblings, the slow pace of
life, all the adorable kids who love on me every day, the cheap and delicious
fresh fruits and vegetables, eating potatoes for breakfast, lunch and dinner (I
never thought I would miss that but I am realizing now that I really will miss
my papitas!), dancing huayno, hanging out with my awesome fellow Ancash PCVs,
and having every single day be an adventure.
Have you left Peru in the past
two years? If so, where did you go?
Yes,
I have gone to Ecuador twice and Bolivia once. I love South America!
Craziest health problem:
Pooping/sharting
my pants 7 times as an adult.
Best vacation story:
I
took a trip to Bolivia with Emily, Nydelis, Lindsay and Anel in which we
explored La Paz, the Salt Flats, and did the bike ride down the death road.
While on our tour of the Salt Flats, our driver/tour guide seemed to be a bit
psycho during the first few days and we basically almost got into a fist fight
with him at dinner one night. Driving in the middle of nowhere with him for 4
days was a bit terrifying and we weren’t sure if we were going to make it out
of the Salt Flats alive. We definitely had some moments where we thought he was
going to murder us all in the middle of nowhere. “¿¿Y ahora??”
Funniest misspelling or
mispronunciation you’ve seen in Peru:
On
a welcome sign for a laguna in Huari, Ancash they translated “Belleza Natural”
to “Natural Prety”.
Best thing you’ve seen on a
t-shirt:
My
80 year old Quechua grandma always wears this shirt under her sweater that says
“I’m bringing sexy back”.
Are you leaving any pets behind
or taking any with you?
I
hope to not take any stomach parasites back with me to the states.
Lluvia story:
Rainy
season was so bad this past year, it literally rained all day and night for 3 months
straight and the main road leading down to my site was completely swept away. We
had at least 5 big landslides during this past rainy season and our river rose
so much that many houses got flooded.
What will you not be sad to leave behind?
Belligerently
drunk men slurring their words while saying incoherent/inappropriate things and
not letting go of my hand, mean street dogs, tocush, being un-shamefully cut in
line every time I am waiting for something, and corruptness.
What English phrases will people
in your community remember?
“Good
after noon teacher!”
A time you almost resorted to
physical violence:
Every
time a Peruvian tried to cut me in line. So basically every day.
A time you actually resorted to
physical violence:
During
a lovely chocolatada (chocolate/gift
giveaway during Christmas time) in which all the moms were pushing, yelling,
screaming and straight up fist fighting to get inside. I was volunteering and
had to do some crowd control.
Favorite/least favorite Peruvian
dish?
Favorite:
Ceviche (from the coast NOT from the sierra), papa a la huancaina, caldo de
gallina. Least favorite: TOCUSH, caucau.
What story will you find yourself
telling in 2030?
The
time the Ancash volunteers had a regional meeting in Huari and we dressed up in
traditional Ancash clothing from head to toe, ate a traditional meal of fried
cat, and then went to the plaza to start a drinking circle and dance huayno.
The Peruvians would not stop starting at us and taking photos/videos of us because
seeing gringos dressed in traditional clothing was so odd to them.
Would you do it again? What would you do differently? What would you keep the same?
I
would definitely do it again! But if I was to do it a second time, I wouldn’t
take things so seriously and let Peruvians with their sometimes frustrating
ways get me down.
How many cell phones/bank
cards/USBs/sunglasses/cameras/girlfriends/boyfriends have you gone through?
I
have gone through 3 claro phones and I surprisingly still have my original
movistar phone. But I think that’s because I rarely used my movistar phone my
first year in site because we didn’t have movistar service. And thankfully I
still have the same boyfriend that I met a month after moving to site :-)
What lengths did you have to go
to for Internet/cell phone reception?
To
use internet in my site you usually have to wait 10 minutes for one page to
load. And for the first year in site there was no movistar service so my site
mate and I got claro phones but rarely used them because saldo is expensive and
goes fast.
What question are you
asked/conversation do you have on a daily basis?
Every
single day people love to talk about how cold it is, “!Ayyyy que friiiiio hace!!” (It’s soooo cold!) Or if the sun is out and we
are outside “!Me muero de calor!” (I am dying of heat!) Every time I am walking
from one place to another “¿Señorita Kendra te vas a pasear?” (Miss Kendra are
you just walking around aimlessly?) And then of course there are always the
sapos wanting to know “¿Cuanto pagaste por tus zapatos? Tu camara?
Tu casaca? Me puedes traer ropa de estados unidos?” (How much did you pay for your
shoes? Your camera? Your jacket? Can you bring me clothes from the US?)
What are you most proud of?
My
adorable library at my favorite primary school and my Youth Sexual Health
Promoters from Pasos Adelante.
Meltdown story:
When
some of my least favorite doctors at the health center lectured my Pasos
Adelante students and I for twenty minutes on how we need to saludar (greet) every
single person in the Health Center every single time we walk in. I started
crying in front of all my students because I was so frustrated and then in
private I gave a piece of my mind to one of the doctors and started giving my
Pasos charlas at the colegio (high school) after that.
Thoughts on invitar-ing
(food-sharing):
I
adore how students always share their refrigerio with others. Invitaring is such
a “care for your neighbors” mindset and I love it. What I am not fond of is
when it turns into the whole “Inviiiiiitame pues señoriiiiita, no seas
maaaaaaaala”. Nails on a chalk board.
Any disgusting hygiene habits you
wish to share?
I
now wear the same clothes for a week straight, only shower when absolutely
necessary, and have picked up the charming Peruvian habit of picking my nose in
public and eating like an animal with my hands and slurping every last morsel
off a piece of meat to the bone marrow.
What has Peru taught you?
How
to enjoy life! How to take in the scenery around me, to take long and relaxing
lunch breaks, how to be lazy, how to party and dance until dawn. But mostly how
to just sit back and take it all in and not feel like I have to be productive
every second of every day.
What’s your favorite place in all
of Peru?
Huaraz.
The most beautiful snow covered mountains, beautiful Quechua culture, awesome
cafes to chill and eat good food, and with the most beautiful hikes, treks, and
lakes in South America, there is always an awesome adventure awaiting in
Huaraz.
Best advice that you received
from other Peace Corps Volunteers/staff:
“Never
leave home without toilet paper”. I can’t remember who told me that but I know
that every time I have accidently left home without toilet paper, I have been
sorry.
Do you think you’ll come back and
visit Peru? How long will it be?
Definitely,
especially since I will eventually marry my Peruvian boyfriend and we are going
to save up to build a beach house on his land plot in Lobitos, Piura. And I
want to visit my site as much as possible to see all the kids that I love so
much grow up.
Did you pick up any new hobbies
or activities?
Huayno
dancing!
Best item received in a care
package:
Annies
mac and cheese and Nutella!
Culinary masterpiece you’ve
perfected in site:
French
toast with campo bread and weird Peruvian syrup.
Chapas (nicknames) in site:
I
still get called gringa every single day.
Favorite feriado in Peru?
Fiestas
Patrias in my site is amazing! My site knows how to party hard with Peruvian
spirit!
What is one thing that you will
never acostumbrar (get used to) to?
The
Peruvian slide. Cut me I will cut you! And the obsession with desfiles
(marching). I just don’t get it. And no I do not want to participate in our
schools desfile with the teachers because I feel like Hitler.
Anything you’d like to confess?
I
never watched TV shows at all until I joined Peace Corps and had so much free time.
Have you been robbed? What did they take?
My
backpack got sliced open in Ayacucho during Semana Santa and they took my
wallet. Even though I had it under my arm the entire time those professional,
sneaky rateros (robbers) that come from Lima know how to fool a gringa.
How do you handle the piropos
(cat calls)?
By
cursing in English under my breathe and secretively flipping them off.
What’s the most creative thing a
Peruvian has said to you in English?
WASYANAME
WASYANAME WASYANAME
Favorite Spanish/Quechua saying:
Ama sua, ama llulla, am aquella. (Don’t steal, don’t lie, don’t be
lazy)
Biggest language blunder:
Anytime
my Mexican or Ecuadorian Spanish comes out and I use the word “cachar”.
Most embarrassing story:
Well
thankfully my boyfriend really loves me and I had already pooped my pants like
5 times in his presence or else the time that we went beach camping and I
accidentally pooped on my hand (during one of the hundred times that I went
outside the tent to poop out water) and then went back into the tent and
smeared it on his chest would have been pretty embarrassing.
Favorite wall décor in your host
family’s house:
I
find the calendars of extremely white babies and children to be very
interesting.
How has Peace Corps changed your
future plans?
It
has reinforced my dream of becoming a school social worker. I love working with
youth in a school setting but as a social worker rather than a teacher.
Biggest lie that you’ve
told/someone has told you:
Anytime
a socio has acted interested in working on a project with me.
Best chisme you heard from a
Peruvian about another Volunteer?
Tyler
Frank has three wives in Huaraz.
A time when you wished you’d said
no, but didn’t:
Every
time I said yes to eating tocush.
Thoughts on cumbia/huayno:
I
LOVE HUAYNO. My site mate and I are master Huayno dancers and the people in our
site love nothing more than seeing us dance Huayno. And much to my Peruvian
boyfriends dismay I will be listening to Huayno constantly when we move to the
states.
What scares you the most about
returning to the States?
I
have really acustumbrared (gotten used to) to the slow pace of small town life
here and I am terrified about not being able to keep up/getting really
overwhelmed when I am back in the states.
Best read during service:
“A
Piece of Cake” by Cupcake Brown
Most amusing misconception you
have heard about the U.S.?
That
we only eat canned food and we throw out clothes away after wearing them only
once.
Strategies for keeping warm/cool:
Putting
on every piece of clothing I own and hiding under the covers with a cup of
boiling tea.
What do people in your site
consider your strangest behavior?
My
general gringa existence seems to be quite strange to them. And the fact that I
go for runs, eat raw carrots, and drink plain, cold water makes me an absolute
alien.
What did you miss most about the
States?
Not
being stared at every time I am in public. Houses that have heating and
fireplaces. Being able to drink tap water. Having people actually give you the
time of day when you walk into a store or restaurant.
Did you almost go home? What made
you ultimately stay?
No.
Times definitely got tough and I had a lot of rough days but the amazing days
and the kids always made everything worth it.
Longest you’ve gone without
seeing another Volunteer?
A
few days. I had my darling site mate Tyler.
What have you done in Peru for
the first time in your life?
Pooped
my pants as an adult, teach sexual education to youth and adults, gone weeks
without bathing, danced huayno, learn some Quechua, peed in a bag while on a
bus, laughed, cried, and wanted to punch someone all in the same hour, summated
a mountain peak, applied for a grant, started a library.
Best/weirdest gift from a
Peruvian:
My
little sister gifting me a dirty pair of socks.
Weirdest Peruvian remedy that
actually worked for you:
Nothing.
They have all been bizarre things that don’t work.
First meal you will have when you
get back to the States:
Mexican
food at my family’s favorite Mexican restaurant. I will be just thrilled to
drink unlimited, free tap water and chips and salsa!!!!!
Best prank pulled on/by you:
Anytime
a socio has acted interested in working on a project together.
Memorable first impressions of
other Peru 19ers?
Kae
Rae and I became instant friends when we both realized our love for gangsta
rap.
Training recuerdos:
Kaeli
getting locked out of her house when she had diarrhea and having to poop
outside in plain daylight, our awesome Yanacoto crew (Y-City!!), going to the
Romeo Santos concert and screaming like a 10 year old girl, me getting the
superlative as most likely to date/marry a Peruvian and having it come true
basically as soon as I got to site.
Most memorable day in site:
The
time Tyler and I ate ceviche in site and we didn’t get type 7 diarrhea.
How do you plan to respond to the
question, “What was Peace Corps like?”
“It
was the best but most difficult thing I have done in my life.”
A time when your patience was put
to the test:
Every.
Single. Day.
Have you changed? How so?
I
am much more patient. And I think I have anger problems now from dealing with so much bullshit from Peruvians.
What kept you going when times
were tough?
Crying
more times that I can count on my site mate’s shoulder and having him to vent
to about the difficult Peruvians in site. My fellow Ancash volunteers inspiring
me every day. My weekly two hour long phone conversations with Emily McGinnis.
And always having my Peruvian boyfriend to talk to who has spent part of his
life in the US so he understand both Peruvian and US culture very well and can
help me see cultural reason to difficult situations.
What's next?
Moving
back home to Portland, Oregon with my Peruvian boyfriend where we will
hopefully reacostumbrar juntos to life in the states while being very Peruvian
together.
Any advice to other Volunteers?
Don’t
give up on projects that you see great potential in, no matter how difficult
and frustrating things get. Do something that makes you happy every day. And
don’t every forget out lucky we are to be living in this beautiful and chaotic
country of Peru where our lives are an everyday adventure.
Shout outs:
To
all my amazing Ancash volunteers: I love you all and would not have been able
to do this without all out laughs and crazy adventures. Ancash is better and it
always will be! Lila, my Bolognesi sister, thanks for understanding my pain
every time Bolognesi was left out of being saludared in Ancash Huayno songs. To
my site mate- turned-brother (and
sometimes dad) Tyler, thanks for being a shoulder to cry on and for keeping me sane
in our impossible but darling site. Kae Rae, thanks for helping me get through
PST and all our crazy memories. Emilita, thanks for all those 3 hour long phone
conversations. I don’t know what I would have done without you and all your
kindness and inspiration!
