Things To Think About...

Dear Friends,

It’s Saturday night, and though I’ll probably ending up posting this on Sunday or Monday, I wanted to get my thoughts down on paper while they’re still fresh. I’ve had much to do, and much to think about, today.

This morning, Laura and I again headed to the ProWorld office at 8:00 AM. Laura went with the current interns to Occoruro to paint the inside of the community center, and I went with the Cal Poly students to the community we had visited yesterday, to continue building stoves. Today felt much more productive than yesterday because we got an earlier start and we didn’t need to have an orientation since we’d had one yesterday. When we arrived, there were several community members waiting for us, so we quickly divided and dispersed the students to various households. While they began to build, Eliza and I went to some of the other homes in the community to find out which of the other families were adequately prepared for their stoves to be built. Each community member is expected to have prepared barro (thick mud made with dirt, water, and hair from humans, cows, pigs, and cuy), gathered the required bricks and ceramic pieces, and built a foundation upon which their stove will be constructed. At one of the houses I visited, there were about four vicious and territorial dogs, one of which tried to take a bite out of my leg. Although there are tons of stray dogs in Cusco and the outlying communities, I hadn’t considered them a threat until today. Apparently, it’s not uncommon for dogs in the rural villages to be more defensive of their turf—a good thing to know! Luckily, the dog bite wasn’t nearly as painful as the bump on my head from the day before!

At one of the houses that I visited, there was a man who was nonverbal and appeared to have Down’s syndrome. I had a brief conversation with his mother, who introduced him and informed me that he was one of her five children, and that he had “had an accident” and “fallen on his head.” In Peru, it’s unfortunately common for people to believe that certain disabilities require excuses and apologies. In fact, I recently learned that there are places in Peru in which families take the lives of newborn children who are born with disabilities because they see it as the most logical course of action. As I listened to this woman explain her son’s condition, I was saddened to realize that she had no information to inform her about what Down’s syndrome is, and how to best interact with a child who has it. I was simultaneously comforted to think about the presence of schools like Manos Unidas. Though Manos Unidas and places like it are not exactly commonplace quite yet, I hold onto the hope that they represent a movement among Peruvians toward greater understanding and acceptance of people with disabilities.

After investigating houses with Eliza, I joined Francesca and Cody as they followed a twelve-year-old girl, Diana, to the house of her grandmother. Diana led us across a field, over a brook, and along a path to her grandmother’s house, where her family excitedly awaited a new stove for their kitchen area. Diana has two younger sisters, Leticia and Silvana, and the three girls are so very dear. I enjoyed chatting with them, and learning that they have aspirations of becoming a police officer, a professor, and a doctor, respectively. I also met their mother, who told me that she is currently going to school in Cusco to become a pharmacist. She asked for my e-mail, which I gave her, and I hope that she and I can stay in touch.

As Cody, Francesca, and I worked on the stove, the two men of the house (grandpa and dad, I assume) took on the rather difficult task of cutting a hole in their roof for the new chimney. I was impressed not only by their manpower, but also by the fact that they trusted enough in our not-yet-built stove to cut a hole in their roof! It is incredible to see how resourceful and strong these people can be. Equally incredible is their hospitality. Most families in the campo live on about 100 soles, or 33 dollars, per month. It’s worth thinking about—living on a little over a dollar each day. And yet, as we worked, Diana’s mother left the house briefly and returned with a bottle of Coca-Cola and a bag of fresh fruit—for us. As I drank my mug of Coca Cola, my mind wandered a few years back to my time in Albania. When my friend Jayme and I visited the Roma (gypsy) community near the capital city of Tirana, we visited “houses” made of thin metal and cardboard, and spoke to young, single mothers with five and six children. When we came into their homes, they, too, would send their children off to buy us Fanta or Coca Cola or some other luxury that was clearly not an everyday expense. What a humbling and heartwarming experience to be given so much from people who have so little. We have much to learn from the way these people live—from their resourcefulness, from their simplicity, and certainly from their generosity.

After helping Francesca and Cody for a while, I headed back to our group meeting point. As I walked across a little log bridge over a creek, I stopped and took a moment to absorb my surroundings. As I took in the majesty of the mountains and the blueness of the sky, I felt called to thank God for the beauty of this country and the people I had met in the community today. It is so easy to become oblivious to the glory that has surrounded me for the last two and a half months. So many people talk of feeling small beside the ocean, but there’s something equally powerful about standing among mountains. In those moments of clarity, I thank God that I am here and that I have been blessed with the opportunity to meet my brothers and sisters in Peru. Being in the center of the mountains also reminds me of one of my favorite sayings: “Stop telling your God how big your mountain is, and start telling your mountain how big your God is.” Pretty cool, eh?

At lunchtime, I witnessed another great bit of generosity. As the Cal Poly students and I sat in a field with our sandwiches and water bottles, we were joined by a large group of community members, who arrived carrying a pile of glass plates and a large tub covered with a cloth. Inside the tub were about 40 oven-roasted cuys, prepared especially for us. Cuy is a source of income for these community members, and the preparation of such a prized and expensive dish for a group of 30-some volunteers was remarkably generous. I can’t say that it was the most delicious thing I’ve ever eaten, but I did my best with the serving of cuy that I received, and was actually rather impressed with how flavorful the meat was. As we ate, I also spent some time playing with one of the most precious babies I have ever seen. The sweetheart, whose name I can’t remember, had a very full head of hair for a ten-month-old, and was such a giggler! His mom and I chatted, and then she let me play with him for a while, and I pretty much fell in love. Each time that I lifted him above my head, he would giggle and the most beautiful smile would appear on his chubby face. So much joy.

After lunch, I joined team “Chad and Brad” on a stove-building venture for a family living down the road a ways from our starting point. The boys were fun to work with, and were clearly very talented mud throwers. They had turned the slapping of barro into something of an art, and though I wouldn’t say their stoves are always the prettiest, I have no doubt that they are durable! Working with the two of them made the afternoon fly by, and soon it was time to return to Cusco.

On the bus back to the ProWorld office, I read some more of The Life You Can Save. Truly, the more I read of this book, the more I realize just how much more I can, and ought, to do for people in need all over the world. I have so much to say about this book that I am going to reserve my thoughts for a future blog entry!
When I got back to the office, I logged onto my computer to check my e-mail. As per usual, my inbox was filled with a few personal e-mails and lots of advertisements from shopping websites. A while ago, I signed up for several websites that send along “daily deals” and “final clearance markdowns” and the like. I subscribed to them innocently enough, and haven’t bought very many things since having signed up, but here in Peru, I feel so guilty when I look at things like leather bags marked down from $350 to $90, and dresses “on sale” for $400. When I think of the difference that even fifty dollars would make in the life of a family in Occoruro or Pinancay, I can’t even consider buying that bag. (And, being a Whitman, I wouldn’t consider the $400 dress under any circumstances unless it were my wedding gown!). I hope to bring this “need vs. want” perspective home to the United States with me, and to consider the often superfluous items on which I spend my money. More on this when I tell y’all about The Life You Can Save.

Since returning to Cusco, I’ve prepared and eaten dinner, gone to the grocery store (which I was too tired to do yesterday), watched a movie, and written this blog! It’s just about sleepytime! My final comments:

1.My cousin Maura and her friend Gabrielle arrive in Cusco tomorrow! Good times ahead!

2.I have realized the food item that I will miss upon leaving Cusco, and it is, unsurprisingly, a cookie. I think that part of my love for this particular cookie is its dense, crumbly texture, which may not appeal to some. But I find it delicious, and I’m pretty sure that it will be hard to recreate such a cookie in the US. It’s called a “condesa,” and I recommend that anyone who travels to Peru find one and eat it and experience its crazy yumminess!

3.Tomorrow (which, by the time I post this, is probably “today”) is the 25th birthday of my dear, dear amiga, Jayme Ewanichak! For those of you know Jayme, you know that it’s worth celebrating that a person as awesome as herself has been here on the earth for 25 years! And for those of you who don’t know Jayme, you should meet her. I will make it happen for those who request an introduction! 

4.The final film installment of the Harry Potter series was released yesterday. Laura, Nicole, and I are all pretty super disappointed to have missed this premiere, and the three of us are all planning on seeing the movie promptly upon return to the US. As we discussed our shared excitement, Laura brought up the fact that movie tickets in the US cost a whopping 12 dollars these days, which amounts to 36 soles, or about four three-course dinners in Cusco. I am already having some serious anxiety about letting US dollars back into my life. Is Harry Potter worth it? Or should I wait for the video? The inner dilemma has begun…

For those of you who made it through this rather uber-long post, congratulations, and thanks for loving me enough to keep reading! In just over two weeks, I will be back in the United States! “Be it ever so humble, there’s no place like home!”