Feliz Navidad de la Tierra de Piña!

Feliz Navidad! I love Christmas. Really, really love it. I typically start blasting Christmas music the day after Thanksgiving and savor every Christmas tradition possible. Despite being 22 and the oldest child in my family, I am still the one who wakes up my entire family on Christmas Day before sunrise. Christmas conjures images of hot chocolate, snowy walks, candlelit church services, and time with family and close friends, so I wasn’t sure how spending Christmas in Peruvian summer without the familiarity of loved ones would be. Although I undoubtedly missed the traditions and people of home, spending the Christmas season in Poroto was definitely an experience. I may have traded a Christmas morning snowy walk for a hike through Poroto’s pineapple fields and candlelit church services for firecrackers at midnight, but despite these alterations in my Christmas traditions, I was able to share in an intimate cultural celebration as part of a Peruvian family and community member.

Nativity play at a caserio graduation celebration

Christmas in America seems to start as soon as the Jack-O-Lanterns have rotted after Halloween, but here in Peru the majority of Christmas celebrations occur during the week of Christmas. The Peruvian summer is beginning and school is finishing for vacation, so end of the year festivities were intertwined with Christmas celebrations at the local schools. In addition to handing out graduation certificates I also found myself fashioning angel wings and shepard’s robes for the nativity scenes that accompanied graduation ceremonies.

Graduation ceremony

Chocolotadas are possibly the most important, or at least most prevalent, element of a Peruvian Christmas. Chocolotadas are large events sponsored by different organizations or community members that distribute massive quantities of hot chocolate, paneton, and toys to children and families in need. I attended various Chocolotadas this Christmas season as well as planning one with a youth group I’ve been working with. Although it may not seem like a particularly complicated undertaking, I realized how many details must be accounted for when planning a chocolotada with about 12 sixteen-year-olds. The group was ambitious in their selection of a location, as we decided to do our chocolotada in Huayabito, Poroto’s furthest caserio which has no communication and no transportation. However, the poverty levels there are extremely high and we decided our efforts would be most worthwhile in this location. The youth managed to acquire various donations for chocolate, milk, toys, and panetons from local community members, but on the day we were scheduled to do our chocolotada we were still short several toys as well as a means of transportation to Huayabito. Previously we’ve walked to this caserio, but a three hour hike in extreme heat and sun carrying Santa-size sacks of gifts would have been impossible. After much craziness and rapid exchanges of ideas possible solutions (your uncle has a moto!, but your cousin has a donkey!, well why don’t we just convince the health post to let us use the ambulance!, we can walk, no! I’ll die!, and so on) we finally managed to find someone’s uncle’s cousin’s friend who let us pile in the back of his pickup truck. As for the lacking gifts, the youth generously volunteered to pool their own hard-earned money to purchase the remaining presents, which I think was an awesome testament to their dedication to their community. Luckily we survived the trip through the mountains in the pickup truck

Fortunately we arrived in one piece despite the crazy serpentines, uneven paths, and steep cliffs. Upon our arrival we wondered around the town in search of the senora who promised we could borrow her giant pots and pans to prepare our chocolotada. After wondering through a few fields and dodging several turkeys, we managed to find Senora Rosemary who helped build a fire and get started with our enormous vat of hot chocolate. As we sat under the thatched roof with neighborhood kids anxiously monitoring our progress, each youth took turns wearing the santa hat and adjusting the hot chocolate to their own personal taste. When it was all prepared we transported it to the soccer court and immediately families from throughout the caserio emerged from their homes and fields to share in the Christmas celebration. We distributed hot chocolate, cake, and toys to dozens of children and families in the district, and after several hours our chocolotada turned into a community-wide dance party. It started with a dance competition among the littlest members of Huayabito, but before long the shy senoras from the town were dancing with the 16 year old boys from the youth group and everyone was laughing and enjoying the afternoon.

The following day was Chocolotada #2 with the health post, and I was in charge of organizing the youth health promoters to help facilitate games and activities with the kids in attendance. Trying to play Christmas games with over 100 small children who were anxiously awaiting their toys was a bit of a task, but as soon as Papa Noel emerged from the health post doors, they were mesmerized. Román, the orthodontic intern at the health post, made quite a convincing Papa Noel. Drinking hot chocolate in 80 degree weather seemed somewhat strange, but the event as a whole was a lot of fun.Papa Noel was a big hit

Consejeras de Salud with Papa Noel

Health Post Staff

One of my favorite celebrations during this year’s Christmas season was the Christmas party and gift exchange with Poroto’s health post staff. I adore all the staff at the health post and they treat me as if I’m a part of their family. In honor of the Christmas holiday they butchered a giant hog and we feasted together. Although they offered to let me kill the pig, I passed and opted to make chocolate cake and salad instead. The gift exchange was a hilarious event as each person had to stand up and make a speech about the following person. Needless to say there was plenty of laughter, hugging, and Christmas cheer. To conclude the fiesta we all held hands and belted out Feliz Navidad (and I of course ended up singing the English lines as a solo).

Christmas Eve, or La Noche Buena, is celebrated more than Christmas day here in Peru. Shortly after waking up my host mom and host grandmother (who is visiting for the holidays) asked if I would like to help select the Christmas Eve turkey. Having heard endless accounts of the importance of the famous Christmas turkey, I happily agreed to be a part of the selection process. We walked to a neighbor’s farm to check out our options, and ended up examining each turkey thoroughly to ensure we found the fattest and most delicious turkey available. We threw the lucky winner into a bag and hauled him back to the house.Selecting the fattest Christmas turkeyChristmas dinner at midnight (almost)

I opted out of the skinning and de-feathering process, but spent the rest of the day cooking and hanging out with my host family. The turkey was too big for our small oven, so we took it to the town bakery where nearly everyone in the town was gathered to cook their Christmas meal. It is Peruvian tradition to wait until midnight to eat Christmas dinner, but we were all famished at 11 so we cheated and ate early. Our Christmas dinner consisted of a giant turkey, cake, paneton (which is kind of like flaky fruit cake), bread, stuffing, and hot chocolate all served as finger food without individual plates. The dinner was really nice and we were accompanied by the grandmother and 2 nephews. As the clock struck midnight we lit off firecrackers and gave each other big hugs, which is a Peruvian tradition and personally my favorite part of the evening.Yum- Joshy enjoyed the turkey!
Our precious neighbor, Biga!

Christmas day began with a family walk to the chacra. Accompanied by the donkey we all headed out to the pineapple fields to enjoy the sunshine and harvest avocado, papaya, and pineapple. We hiked around the chacra for several hours, climbing trees, eating fruit, and just hanging out. My real family called while I was out in the field and my host family couldn’t stop laughing as I chatted in English. My host mom insisted on grabbing the phone and yelling “Feliz Navidad!” but the communication abilities between the two families were pretty limited beyond that. They are both so interested in one another; I hope that one day they’ll have the chance to meet. I certainly missed my “real” family and friends this Christmas, but I felt very well loved here in Peru, and although I was eating pineapple in the sunshine instead of gingerbread houses by the fire, it was a very special Christmas indeed.

More than anything I think this holiday allowed me to reflect on the true meaning of Christmas. This Christmas was not only stripped of the commercialism so engrained in American culture, but also devoid of many of the usual comforts and joys of a holiday spent with those I care most about. However, the celebration of Christ's birth and entrance to the world doesn't need to be accompanied by Christmas trees, gifts, or even my family and friends. I have been so blessed with this opportunity and without faith and His strength I don't think I would be here.

Horas Locas

Joshy, Me, Flor, and Juanita

Lately I’ve been quite the social butterfly here in Poroto, and after a weekend full of graduation bailes and a wedding my dancing legs are ready for a break. Each graduating class hosts a “baile de la promoción,” which is a huge party to celebrate the culmination of their years in high school. The baile is a sort of glorified prom with families and friends, speeches, dinner, and dancing until 6am. On Saturday morning I accompanied my host sister, Joshy, and her friend, Flor, to Trujillo to pick up her dress and primp for the big event. All graduation bailes have coordinated theme colors, so for the Virgen del Carmen dance each girl wore a fuscia dress adorned with varying degrees of sparkles, ruffles, and rhinestones. As per usual, we were running behind schedule with the day’s activities and when 6:00 rolled around Flor was still in the middle of getting her hair done. They’ve been doing work on the main road for months, so the typical hour long trip back from Trujillo can take up to 2 hours. The baile was scheduled to begin at 7pm, so we luckily found a friend with a taxi to take us back to Poroto. The trip felt more like a safari than a taxi ride, as we were driven on rocky roads, across a small river, and through surrounding fields in order to avoid construction and make it back quickly.

The graduates were introduced as they walked pair by pair through the door and along the red carpet. A series of speeches and individual dances followed the grand entrance, where the professors, students, and the madrino and padrino were honored. Madrinos and padrinos, which are essentially godparents with more extensive financial responsibility, are incredibly important in Peruvian culture. Not only does each Peruvian child receive padrinos, but padrinos are also selected for major celebrations and milestones (as well as not-so-major events). The night continued with dinner, dancing, the infamous hora loca, a live band, and more. At one point in the night I was selected to sit in the middle of the entire dance floor and be personally serenaded by the mariachi band, which was sufficiently embarrassing. The nights festivities lasted until after 5am, and this was only the beginning of the weekend. My host family at Joshy's promocion baile- me, Sr. Maximo, Joshy, Sra Pasquala, Max

The following day I was invited to a wedding with my host family. I was excited to see a Peruvian wedding and realized I hadn’t been to an American wedding in several years. The wedding was held in a beautiful location in Poroto, with perfect weather and lovely scenery. Many of the traditions are similar; bridesmaids, flower girls, throwing the bouquet, etc. The wedding was a lot of fun, and I even got a picture with the bride and groom.

Immediately following the wedding I went to the promocion baile for the other graduating class, which was similar to the previous nights activities. I sat at a table with teachers who had also attended last night’s baile and we were all struggling to stay awake. Before I could drift off to a deep sleep in my plate of pollo I was pulled onto the dance floor by the clown on stilts and managed to summon enough energy for la hora loca.

Pilgrimage to see the Virgen

Peruvian festivals and holidays are often based around religious traditions or celebrations. Each year thousands of devoted Catholics who reside in the region participate in a pilgrimage walk from Trujillo, the department capital, to Otuzco, a city nestled in the mountains about 75 kilometers east. The walk is in honor of the “Virgen de la Puerta” who is a famous religious symbol that the citizens of Otuzco rely on for protection of their city. Brian, one of the La Libertad volunteers, lives in Otuzco so he invited us to participate in this pilgrimage walk. I immediately agreed, anxious to take part in any cultural experience here in Peru, but I didn’t give much thought to the distance or difficulty of the walk. We definitely had no idea what we were in for…

Here we are at the Plaza de Armas in Trujillo, looking happy and ready to go.

Participants start from varying points around the Trujillo area, but we decided that if we were going to do this crazy pilgrimage we were going to do it right. Our epic adventure began at the Plaza de Armas in Trujillo, where the five of us gathered and braced ourselves for the walk ahead, still having no concept of what we were getting ourselves into. It took us a solid hour to even escape from the city of Trujillo, and by the time we reached kilometer mark 0 on the main road, the sun was hot and we’d already logged a few kilometers. To fully appreciate how ridiculous we looked, you have to imagine 5 gringos wondering aimlessly on the side of a busy road with big backpacks. Several cars and police officers stopped to ask us if we were lost and kindly point us back to the city; however, when we explained that we were participating in the pilgrimage walk they seemed amused and encouraged us on.

Taking a break amongst the sugar cane

The road was straight and monotonous, lined with sugar cane and cerros without any new sites or turns to help the distance pass faster. Finally at kilometer 21 we arrived in Quiriuac where we happily collapsed into chairs and shoveled down enormous plates of rice. At this point it was already about 4:00pm and we were only a little over half way for our day’s walk. After a quick break we continued on, trying to motivate ourselves with sad renditions of Christmas songs and lots of shared stories.

Approaching Quiruac

The sun set quickly, and we continued our adventure by the lights of our headlamps. When we reached kilometer 31 we all literally collapsed on the side of the road, exhausted and unsure how we’d finish the rest of the day’s walk. As I said, I was having fun but I also kind of wanted to kill myself. We lay on the ground for a solid 30 minutes before finally picking ourselves up and continuing the following 6 kilometers to Shiran. We sat down in the first restaurant in Shiran, exhausted and spirits low. The day’s 37 kilometer walk took about twelve hours and we had finished about half of our entire journey.

Kilometer 31 almost killed us all

Luckily, after a night’s rest we were all a little more cheerful and ready to start our second day of walking. As we began our trek we all looked like we had aged about 50 years as we lay on the ground stretching and hobbled out the door.

Shiran was lined with people along the road stuffed into sleeping bags or resting under tents. This section of the pilgrimage was more crowded with people, which provided a much needed morale booster. The trek also diverged off the main road and onto a rocky, dusty path that curved and climbed with the mountains. The green fields of pineapple and sugarcane and rocky riverbeds provided enjoyable scenery, but the sun was strong and the continual incline provided additional challenges for our poor legs.

I definitely felt a bond with the other “pilgrims” as we continued on our journey. The shared sighs and groans broke any language barrier, and we spent much of the day alongside the same groups of people. Throughout the walk there were hundreds of little stands selling cold drinks, frozen marcianos, and a variety of food. We finally arrived in Casmiche, which was our last major landmark before arriving in Otuzco. We ate lunch and napped in a beautiful grassy oasis in the shade of banana trees before completing the final 17 kilometer stretch.

Relaxing before the final ascent

After leaving Casmiche we entered a portion of long, winding, steep roads that seemed never ending. Trujillo has 0 altitude and Otuzco rests at about 2800 meters, so in addition to the 75+ kilometers we walked, we also climbed almost 9000 feet in altitude. Before long the sun had set and the chill of the mountains set in, luckily the lights of Otuzco served as a beacon before became too disheartened.

Finally arriving to Otuzco, 32 hours later!

Plaza to Plaza- here we are in Otuzco!

Around 8:30pm we entered the city of Otuzco, and slowly hobbled the last several blocks to the Plaza de Armas. 77 kilometers, 24 hours walking, 32 hours total adventure. The city was swarmed with people celebrating, singing, and dancing.

We entered the church in the plaza and saw the infamous “Virgen de la Puerta” and hundreds of devotees illuminated by the votive candles lit in her honor. Exhausted, we certainly didn’t have energy to participate in the dancing or celebrating. Instead, we went back to Brian’s host family’s house and they generously fed us a big meal and provided hot salt water to soak our aching feet.

The audience enjoying the Burro Cross

The following morning we attended the “Burro Cross,” which is a crazy competition between dozens of donkeys from Otuzco and the surrounding area. Each caserio enters their prize donkey and jockey who enter the donkey race at the Otuzco town festival. The donkeys, ridden by 8-10 year old boys, follow the race course and cross the river in a race to determine the fastest donkey from Otuzco. Donkeys are not meant for speed or agility, so watching this race was hilarious. Seconds after the race began there were unmanned donkeys, donkey collisions, and donkeys running in every direction. Surprisingly there were also some donkeys who were remarkably quick. Not only was there a prize for the fastest donkey, but also the “burro más burro” (essentially the dumbest donkey).

The donkeys and their jockeys

The whole weekend experience was definitely memorable, and of the tens of thousands of people who participated in the walk and festival, we appeared to be the only non-Peruvians. Taking part in events like this and sharing in the cultural practices of the people here (no matter how crazy they are) is something I really value and could never be replicated on a vacation or quick visit to the country.

Peruvian PTAs

One of the most important aspects of the local Peruvian educational system is the APAFA Parent organization, which essentially a glorified PTA with more extensive responsibilities. The APAFA is responsible for budget related issues, maintaining accountability, and planning events for the school. The APAFA is headed by a board of parents who serve as the governing body for the organization. The structure of APAFA meetings is extremely formal and they can last for up to 4 hours. Emotions tend to run high as each parents seeks to verbalize their opinions, and divisions amongst parents also form quickly over controversial issues.

Today I attended the APAFA meeting at the main Poroto school with both primaria and segundaria parents. I was invited to sit at the front table with the director and junta directive. The meeting was held outdoors on the volleyball court, so parents were sitting over 100 yards away in the bleachers. I was elected to be the Vanna White of the APAFA and hold the papelotes indicating the order of business, budget expenditures, and future topics. I was also given the opportunity to explain my summer plans for the youth of Poroto, which was a great chance to inform parents with the backing of the APAFA president and the director of the school. I’m planning daily programs for the youth, so hopefully they will be interested and able to attend. Work and heavy responsibilities at home often monopolize the free time of youth, so it can be difficult to convince parents that programs are a productive use of time. The idea of speaking at the APAFA meeting was to communicate with parents the details of the programs and hopefully convince them that my classes will be beneficial

Entrenamiento y Diversion

Early IST (In Service Training) is an opportunity for all youth development volunteers to gather together after our first three months at site to share our community diagnostics and receive various technical training. The week was a great opportunity to reconnect with friends from training and also get some fabulous ideas for projects and programs to initiate in the upcoming months. The training was held at a retreat center seemingly far removed from civilization, but with snowcapped mountains and enjoyable scenery. Our training included teen pregnancy prevention, youth entrepreneurship, and other exciting programs I hope to implement at site. We also shared our community diagnostics, which was good insight into the work the other volunteers are doing. There are 33 youth development volunteers in our group spread throughout the country, so hearing the individual reports of communities and hopeful aspirations from other volunteers was both interesting and motivating.

We celebrated World AIDS day during training and participated in local community celebrations. My group went to Kyle’s site and we joined the local school in a parade around town to help raise awareness about HIV/AIDS. In addition, we gave a charla to a primaria class about the details of HIV, how it spreads, and how to prevent its spread. Initially I was concerned about talking to such young students about a disease that is spread primarily through sexual relations, but the students were mature and we came armed with fun dinamicas and games to help illustrate the transmission of the disease.

The following day we travelled to another volunteer’s site which is located at the base of Huascaran, one of the largest and most impressive mountains in South America. As we were driving through the windy road to the site I was completely overwhelmed by the beauty of the local surroundings. The enormous snow-capped mountains perfectly placed in the bright blue sky were such an incredible view. The aesthetic beauty was incomparable, and made me so grateful for the opportunities I have through the Peace Corps. There are so many moments where I step back and realize how incredible this experience has been so far and how much more I have to look forward to. Although living abroad for 2 years in a foreign place can present its challenges, I can’t imagine being anywhere else or doing anything else. This really is a blessing, and I hope to never lose enthusiasm or appreciation during my service.

Once we arrived at the site we gave a presentation about recycling and the environment as we instructed the students how to make bracelets from recyclable materials. The school was an incredible example of utilizing the natural resources and habitat to benefit the students and incorporating healthy lifestyles and environment into school curriculum. The school featured various murals advocating health, gardens filled with herbs and compost, trash cans and recycling, and art classes that produce beautiful products using local materials. Among the most impressive artesania made at the school were handmade scarves, blankets, hats, and bags made from local sheep wool and died with local plants. I was able to model a hand knit skirt, hat, and other products, and left with a beautiful knit blanket.

The retreat center is located close by the old city of Yungay, which was the site of a massive glacial landslide and earthquake in the 1970s. Very little remains of the city of Yungay, and the new city was rebuilt several kilometers away. One evening we decided to take a walk to see the remains of the city, but didn’t expect much. Much to our surprise the site of the earthquake has been transformed into a beautiful memorial garden, complete with roses, mosaic walkways, and tree lined paths. The site is also commemorated with wreckage from the earthquake. The steeple of the town’s church remains intact and serves as the focal point of the garden memorial. We couldn’t have stumbled upon a more incredible time to explore this garden; as the sun slowly set behind the snowcapped mountains behind the church, radiant sunbeams and a colorful sunset also decorated the mountains on the opposite side of the church. I have never before experienced a sunset where the views in both directions were so stunning I couldn’t decide where to focus my attention.

The week of training was a refreshing chance to catch up with other volunteers, see some beautiful sites, and get excited about new projects and programs to start up at site.

Glacial Lakes

Despite being exhausted from yesterday’s activities we were determined to take advantage of the incredible hiking available in Ancash. We woke up at 5am and set off to Laguna Churup, a hike through the mountains that leads to a beautiful glacial lake. We piled in a taxi and slowly meandered through winding, bumpy roads. As we ascended to the starting point we passed through various small towns where men and women in traditional dress tended to the pigs and cows lining the pastures. When we arrived at the base of the climb we were surrounded by mountains covered by snow and half-immersed by low lying clouds.

As we continued our hike we passed waterfalls, steep rock crevices, and beautiful views. After about three hours we arrived at Laguna Churup, which is an incredibly clear turquoise glacial lake surrounded by snow capped mountains and rock cliffs. Although the cloud cover blocked some of the view, it added to the mystical feel. There is a tradition for Ancash volunteers to jump in as many glacial lakes as they can during their service, so Kyle, one of the proud Ancash volunteers, dove in the freezing water and provided entertainment for those of us who preferred to stay clothed and dry.