My English classes are going well and I’ve also started two series of “tutoria” workshops; one focusing on self-esteem and responsibility for the 5th and 6th grade primaria students in Shiran, and another focusing on youth issues like alcohol, drugs, and peer-pressure for the 5th grade secundaria students in Poroto. I was a little intimidated to give an alcohol session in Spanish to a group of 16 year olds, especially because I’ve seen about half of them drinking shamelessly in the local streets and restaurants. However, I was surprised with how well it went, and they were relatively willing to participate. Alcoholism is such a huge problem in Poroto, so it was interesting to hear their reflections on why students might start drinking or what kinds of influences affect their decisions. Of the most interesting responses; fathers who condone and/or encourage drinking, boredom, curiosity, pressure from others. Drinking seems engrained in the culture, and Peruvians don’t seem to need any excuse to drink. Alcohol is prevalent not only at parties and dances, but also baby showers, baptisms, quincineras, religious holidays, political rallies, and every Sunday afternoon. The infamous Peruvian “drinking circles” are extremely common just about any day of the week, which consists of a group of people who sit in a circle with a large beer bottle in the center and share one singular glass. The first person pours himself a small glass, drinks it quickly, shakes it out (because that clearly kills all the germs), and then passes it to the next participant who repeats the process. This can continue for hours as they polish off various “cajas” (boxes) of beer. I’ve seen drinking circles that range in size from 2 people to over 15 people. The whole thing can be complicated, and there are special rules if women are participating in the circle. In fact, we practiced a drinking circle during our training (with water, of course) to learn how the process works. At many restaurants they will only give you one glass with each bottle, so we quickly learned what this crazy Peruvian drinking circle entailed. There’s obviously a difference between people who participate in these drinking circles and festivities on special occasions and those who are drunk more often than they’re sober.

It is encouraging to see youth who are enthusiastic and committed to imroving their role in their communitiies; this weekend I atended a Youth Congress in Trujillo that was sponsored by Ceprocut, a Peruvian NGO that promotes youth engagement. We left Poroto bright and early and the 30 youth piled on two packed combis headed to the department capital. Youth from the surrounding districts of Laredo and Simbal were also in attendance to share their opinions and visions for the future and listen to a series of lectures and workshops from local leaders. If I’ve learned anything about Peruvian events it is that they wouldn’t be complete without balloons and loud noises. Of course, this was no different; shortly after arriving we were all armed with whistles, balloons, noisemakers, and balloon animals as we were led out to the Plaza de Armas in Trujillo to participate in a parade promoting youth involvement and informed voting. We circled the center of the city as video cameras captured our marching and chanting. Of course, if you give over 100 teenagers balloons and noisemakers, you can only imagine how their concentration will hold for the following 4 hour series of lectures. Anyway, the information presented was interesting and the youth had a chance to conduct a workshop to brainstorm different suggestions and objectives they had for the current electoral candidates. They presented these proposals to the audience and will seek to obtain the signatures of the candidates to indicate their commitment to youth initiatives.

This weekend was also the Festival de la Primavera in Trujillo, which is referred to as the city of Eternal Spring. Although the foggy weather in Trujillo seemed somewhat ironic for this festival, it was still a cool spectacle to observe. The highlight of the festival was a huge parade encircling the city that featured elaborate floats carrying the “queens” of different countries. Each queen wore an elegant gown and waved to the crowd as they passed by, pulled on their float by a tractor and carefully observed by military personnel or security guards.

For those of you who know me well, you know that bike riding is generally not my favorite activity. My family and many close friends love mountain biking, so it would be a great hobby to participate in. However, I think I was traumatized as a child when I was lost in the woods during a family bike ride so while I don’t mind leisurely bike rides, intense mountain biking isn’t a personal passion of mine. However, when I found out that Peace Corps offers bikes to those who are interested, I figured this would be a great opportunity to improve my attitude about biking.

I recently got an email saying that our bikes had arrived in Trujillo, so I called my friend Ian who lives close by and we decided we would go in and pick up our bikes. We casually mentioned that it would be fun to ride our bikes back to Ian’s site, which is about a 45 minute combi ride from Trujillo, but I left without giving it too much thought. When I met up with Ian we decided we were feeling adventurous, so we set out on a mission to collect our bikes and find a way to ride them back. We were sent on a bit of a wild goose chase to find the actual location of our bikes, but eventually found them. Now, the bikes we receive are usually passed down between Peace Corps volunteers after going through maintenance so the quality of the bikes varies quite significantly. When we arrived at our regional coordinator’s house to pick up the bikes, I was pleasantly surprised with a really nice Trek mountain bike. Ian, however, got the “Cadilak” of bikes (yes, that’s actually the name brand written on the frame), complete with a seat that doesn’t move and extremely noisy gears. Determined to continue our adventure, we ignore the quality of Ian’s bike and decide to set off for our sites.

Keep in mind, I forgot to bring clothes to bike in, so I am wearing Ian’s basketball shorts that are meant for a 6’3” boy, my nice white sweater, and 4 sole flip flops. Not to mention, we both are happily rocking our brand-new helmets (part of me wishes I would have had my camera, but another part is very glad I don’t have documentation). Looking like serious cyclists, we proceed to find some local policeman to help us navigate our way out of the city. They clearly think we’re crazy, but reluctantly explain the most effective route towards Laredo, also offering an emergency contact phone number which they seem to think might be handy during the course of our expedition. Trujillo is a huge city with crowded streets and heavy traffic, not to mention fairly dangerous outskirts. However, Ian confidently asserts that we’ll be totally fine and I agree; after all, we have helmets (which also ward off robberies and kidnapping, in case you didn’t know). As we’re pedaling through taxis and buses, I wonder whether or not this is a very good idea, but luckily we make it out of the city and onto the main road without any problems. As we continue along the road we see many interesting sights, including two dead dogs. After that lovely run-in, the views get much prettier as we pass sugarcane fields and the steep cerros lining the road. After several miles of riding we decide to switch bikes; poor Ian is not only carrying a huge backpack, but also riding his beat up bike with the most uncomfortable seat in the world. We continue on, happily chatting as we pedal back to Bello Horizante. After several more miles both of our butts hurt so bad we have to take a break. We stop in a tiny little town for some water and provide everyone with their daily dose of entertainment. After a short break we reluctantly hop back on our bikes and quickly ride back to Bello Horizante, proudly passing several Peruvians on bikes. When we got back to Ian’s site we proceeded to polish off a solid 1/5 of Ian’s leftover birthday cake, which was a fabulous end to a great adventure.

Although I’ve only been here for about a month, working within the schools has been an extremely eye-opening experience. First of all, the school day only lasts from 7:30am until 1:00pm and includes (at least) an hour of “recreo,” which is recess/sports hour. There aren’t enough teachers to cover all the scheduled classes, so many teachers are left instructing classes that they have no experience in. For example, the English classes I’ve been teaching were previously taught by the gym teachers who can in no way speak, write, or teach English. The students either translate words from Spanish to English in their dictionary or essentially just hang out. It seems as though their time would be better spent focusing on a subject where there was at least some sort of qualified instructor. However, I’m excited to have the opportunity to help teach some English classes and hopefully promote more active learning. Each English class I do seems to improve little by little, and the students seem engaged and interested.

Another issue I’ve noticed at the school is that there are frequently classes left without a teacher because the teacher just doesn’t show up that day. When this happens, the students play sports, hang out by themselves, or leave. Although I know it is too early to make any premature judgments, I’ve experienced multiple classes every week where a teacher is not present and students are left running around the school grounds. For example, today I went by the school and spoke with the director about starting an internet and computer class. He informed me that the school had access to about a dozen computers with internet access, but they weren’t being utilized because there was no one who could teach the students in this field. I volunteered to come in and see what kind of programs I might be able to start. I immediately became excited thinking about the possibilities to do a cultural exchange, job and career research, typing and resume preparation etc. I clearly got way too ahead of myself, because when we got into the computer room (which was covered in a solid ½ inch of dust), the director realized that the internet doesn’t actually work. Apparently they are reconstructing the internet tower that originates in Lima, so no schools involved in the state-sponsored internet program will actually have internet access until at least November. I found it hard to believe that no one knew that such a valuable resource was completely out of commission. Anyway, after my failed attempt with technology, I was called into one of the secundaria classes who were hanging out without a teacher. This seems to be a fairly accepted trend, so the students know how to entertain themselves, but clearly aren’t accomplishing any sort of academic progress.

Despite the many issues that are evident in the schools here, there are definitely teachers and students who seem genuinely interested in education, and hopefully I can partner with them to help make small improvements in the schools here. The systemic functioning of Peruvian schools may not change any time soon, but hopefully small modifications or programs can help provide the beginnings of small, positive changes.

Peruvian festivals and parties are always memorable, so I should have expected my first Quincinera to be quite an epic event. Fiestas are taken quite seriously here, and I suspect a substantial portion of every family’s income is spent on celebrations of some sort. Quincinera’s are huge parties in honor of a girl’s 15th birthday. I’ve heard a lot about these events, so when my host sisters invited me to join them for their friend’s Quincinera, I jumped at the chance to attend my first Peruvian Quincinera.

The event was held in the town’s coliseum, which houses the basketball, volleyball, and football courts in a large cement gymnasium of sorts. There were between 200 and 300 guests in attendance, all sitting in an enormous circle around the perimeter of the coliseum. There were pink balloons, streamers, signs, and other decorations adorning the gym walls, and girls wearing prom-like dresses were situated next to a table with a huge pink and white cake. Around 11:00pm the Quincinera made her grand appearance as she slowly descended from the top of the stairs, preceded by her brothers waving shiny swords and accompanied by an honored escort and her parents. The guests rose and oohed and ahhed over her shiny, pink, poofy dress as Thalia’s famous Quincinera song played in the background. Following her entrance, several speeches were made and she danced to the same song six times (yes, six!) with various honored guests. I’m not sure what the deal was with the song or its rhythm, but absolutely no one was clapping on beat, which became increasingly obvious as people tired of listening to the same song on repeat.

Around 12:30am after the introductory dances were winding down, women in evening gowns delivered enormous plates of food to everyone in attendance. Steak, sweet potatoes, potatoes, corn, etc- which we were somehow expected to eat gracefully with a flimsy plastic fork and no knife. I saw several people near me (including myself, surprise surprise) launch their corn and/or potatoes onto the dance floor. Once we finished our massive second dinner, so began the “Hora Loca”, or “Crazy Hour” in case anyone really needed that translated for them. A clown comes running into the building and around the huge circle of guests, waving balloons and jumping frantically as loud music and bright lights begin flashing throughout the coliseum. He proceeds to pull the Quincinera and all of her friends onto the dance floor, give out balloons and masks, and begin a series of ridiculous dances. I of course couldn’t escape, so I was lucky enough to participate in la hora loca which turned into muchas horas of dancing. The whole night was quite an experience- it reminded me of a lower-budget version of MTV’s “My Super Sweet 16” Peruvian style.

Volleyball and soccer are hands-down the most popular sports here in Peru. Nearly every girl in town plays a mean game of volleyball, and the boys all play soccer whenever they have a chance. Ask any Peruvian youth what their favorite hobby is, and the answer is “jugar voley” or “jugar futbol” at least 99% of the time. I’ve been practicing my volleyball skills and slowly progressing, but I still can’t really compete with the majority of the 10-16 year old girls in my town, which is somewhat embarrassing. My favorite new phrase the girls taught me is “con mucha yucca!” which means “put some force into it!” Although my actual volleyball skills leave a lot to be desired, I do enjoy watching both sports and the school has recently begun school-wide tournaments every Friday. I played the part of cheerleader today as I watched about 6 different games of soccer. Although several hours of watching soccer became somewhat monotonous, I did get a manicure in the bleachers from some of the girls who were waiting to play.

Although there are many things I love about Poroto, one of my favorite activities is definitely exploring the local chacras. Fresh fruit grows throughout the surrounding fields, and I’ve tried several new fruits lately on little adventures I’ve taken with my host sister or other youth here. Today we went to explore the river, which runs through Poroto and provides a main source of water for the town. I’ve learned that any “paseo” usually turns into a several hour expedition, and this was no exception. We set off for the river and passed through various fields where farmers were harvesting crops, burning sugar cane, and leading cows through the chacras. It seems like my host family is related to just about everyone in town, so we chatted briefly with various aunts, uncles, and cousins as we passed by. Although the river wasn’t particularly full, it was still quite pretty. We continued onto the main road and finished out the next several miles of our “paseo” intermittently walking, running, and eating fruit.

This weekend was our first regional meeting, where most of the 24 volunteers living in La Libertad met in Trujillo. It was nice to see everyone and get to know some of the older volunteers who are living in our department who were celebrating their first full year in Peru. Although we’ve only been in our communities for about two and a half weeks, most of us were ready for a little break to share stories, catch up, and relax.

We decided to go sand boarding on Friday, which was quite an adventure. Ian, Royce, Jim, Erin, and I piled in a rickety red van with our new friend and guide, Miguel. We proceeded to drive 45 minutes outside of Trujillo into the middle of nowhere, passing sugar cane fields, empty streets, and sandy dunes. As we drove further out the landscape transformed into a desert, complete with high sand mountains and overwhelming silence. Miguel gave us our brightly colored wooden sandboards and we hiked up the side of a steep sand dune. Once at the top we caught our breath, and peered down the dune, which seemed pretty steep. Despite our mini-lesson, I don’t think any of us really knew what we were doing or how we were supposed to stop, but we decided to just go for it. It was pretty awesome, and although we eventually got the hang of it I think we all tumbled down the mountain during our first couple of tries. I know I certainly did. By the end of the afternoon we were all covered in sand- in our eyes, ears, mouth, pants, shoes… we took about half of the desert back to Trujillo with us. Although we all had pretty epic wipeouts, I think Erin won the prize for most impressive face-plant. It was such a cool location- nothing like anywhere else I’ve been.

In addition to actually sandboarding, we decided sledding on sand would be pretty sweet.

The American Flag outside the US Embassy in Lima, Peru

On the anniversary of 9/11 we’re reminded of the fragility of life, of security, and of power. Even the strongest nations are vulnerable, and the threat of terrorism looms as a potential threat to all those who live in the modern world. Although I am far removed from the US, as I honor the memory of 9/11 I think it is incredibly appropriate to be living in Peru, taking advantage of one of the many privileges I’m afforded as an American. Few countries have the opportunity to support international volunteers and promote development through local engagement. In a world that can seem so immense and sometimes so overwhelming, the short time that I have served as a Peace Corps volunteers has further opened my eyes to how small the world can be. Sensationalism in our media that focuses on violence and fear can distract us from the beauty that lies in global relations.

I remember how the world community rallied behind the US after the attacks on the twin towers. Not only did America unify over the simultaneous grieving and recuperation process, but America was supported internationally as we fought to find our path forward after such a tragedy. Although large-scale events where multiple countries are unified and focused may not occur with great frequency, I believe Peace Corps volunteers are fortunate enough to see intercultural collaboration and unification on a daily basis. Every day since I have arrived in this country I have engaged in some sort of cultural exchange. The shared meals, laughs, stories, and traditions have proven to me how valuable it can be to travel and see how the rest of the world lives. The simplest interactions can be compelling symbols of shared experiences and understanding.

I was thinking about the name of the Peace Corps in Spanish, “Cuerpo de Paz” which literally means “Body of Peace.” As I begin my service I frequently wonder what kind of impact I will have; as one person in one small community, what kind of difference can I possibly make? Realistically, I am not going to make any large-scale contributions to the development of Peru. However, I am only one of the thousands of Peace Corps volunteers living throughout the world and representing the values, skills, and traditions of the US. In this “body” of volunteers we each have small roles, just as each part of our body has its own function separate from the whole. The individual interactions we have with people throughout the world leave traces of “peace”- smiles, successful projects, friendships, support. Although small on its own, when combined with the thousands of other small-scale impacts made by volunteers throughout the world, the “Cuerpo de Paz” is a body that represents countless shared experiences and positive interactions on the parts of both volunteers and their host communities. I can think of no better way to represent the heart of the United States than by providing the opportunity for citizens to travel and support other countries as they learn and grow from the experiences they are afforded as adopted members of communities throughout the world.

I’ve started teaching four English classes each week, two with older students at the secundaria in Primaria, one in the primaria in Shiran, and one in the caserio of Mochal. Each group of students is very different, but I’ve enjoyed getting to know the students through my lessons. For the most part, they’re extremely interested in learning English, so it’s been a fun experience. However, ability levels, ages, and attentiveness definitely vary among the students, so keeping the lessons both relevant and interesting can be a challenge. Some of the older students have started meeting with me in the afternoons to practice their English and just hang out, which has been nice.

I’ve also been able to continue interest in my running; I’ve had several different youth join me on my runs this week. Not only is it a good way to bond with some of the local youth, but I also think it promotes healthy lifestyle choices. Plus, I’m usually given fresh fruit from someone’s store or chacra at the end of the run, so it’s a bonus for me! In addition, I’ve been working on my volleyball skills and they’re coming along slowly but surely. The girls are extremely encouraging and full of praise for any small improvement I make. They keep inviting me back to play with them, so I can’t be ruining their games too badly.

One of the most important tasks we’ll be carrying out during our first 3 months of service is conducting a community diagnostic report. This report seeks to identify the resources, dynamics, trends, and issues occurring within our site. A significant portion of this diagnostic is conducted through informal conversations, attending organization meetings, and living within our new towns. I’ll also be conducting interviews, surveys, and utilizing other tools to compose a report that will help me formulate projects and work plans for the following months. I’ve been attending various meetings, organizations, and schools and I’ve begun to organize some data and observations for my report.

I had a session with the director and teachers from a local school this week and uncovered some of what they identify as pressing issues within their community. As we work with the local population it is important to realize what strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats they encounter in their community and it can be interesting to hear their perception of current issues. It seems like parental support is one of the most significant problems within this school. Parents often don’t place great emphasis on education or school work because the long-term benefits are more difficult to understand. In a district where 90% of the economic revenue is generated through farming, parents often rely on the assistance of their children in the fields. The necessity of immediate help in agriculture often takes precedence over the long term payback of studying and educational advancement. Additionally, many parents do not have high education levels, so even if they support their children’s academic pursuits they are often unable to provide assistance with daily homework or projects. The link between parent involvement and student success seems to be extremely relevant in this community.

Another aspect of the community diagnostic and my future work will be partnering with the local government and programs supported by the municipality. Today was the “Dia de la Alfebetización” or “Literacy Day” in Peru, so I was able to participate in a celebration with the community and representatives from PRONAMA, which is the national literacy program in Peru. Among other things I helped hang balloons, befriended an incredibly precious 90 year old woman, and was spontaneously interviewed on someone’s video camera.

I’ve talked about all of the following at some point in my blogs, but thought I would clarify my Peruvian “vocabulary” for all of you.

Important Vocabulary:

1. Gringo/Gringa: That would be me- an American or white foreigner. This term can be both endearing and condescending. It tends to be endearing if it ends in “ita”- for example, I am always a “gringita” to the little old women in town. Generally, I’ve found that it is more of a positive term than anything, but it can get a little old.
2. Combi: Small, usually ghetto mini-vans that are the main form of transportation in Peru. They run along main roads and are come fairly regularly to even the smallest towns. The seats are narrow, hard, and provide about enough leg room for a 4 year old. The ceilings are also precariously low and I tend to hit my head multiple times per week. They are most often filled with people, chickens, sacks of potatoes/pineapples/other produce, ice cream carts, etc.
3. Cobrador: The man in charge of the combi. He sits on a little bench in the aisle and skillfully jumps in and out of the combi as it barely comes to a complete stop. He is usually found yelling “SUBE SUBE SUBE!!!” or “BAJA BAJA BAJA!!!” (get on, get off!). He is in charge of collecting pasaje (fare), which fluctuates based on the person who is paying as well as the cobrador’s mood.
4. Hora Peruana: An excuse for Peruvians to show up anywhere between 5 minutes and 2+ hours late for meetings, events, and gatherings.
5. Cerros: Mini-mountains without trees- kind of a cross between a large hill and a mountain. Peruvians are famous for the Andes, so anything less than serious mountains are classified as cerros.
6. Caserio: Small little pueblos that surround a more populated town. These are especially common in agricultural areas where the main town is surrounded by fields and farms. The main town may have several small stores, casual places to eat, and a main school, but the caserios are often composed only of a few small houses of local farmers. They may have schools, but they’re usually early education schools and often lack resources.
7. Charla: Education Session that focuses on informing a certain population about a relevant topic; for example, HIV/AIDS, Self Esteem, Leadership, Healthy Lifestyles, Basic Business Practices, etc. These are a big part of Peace Corps, but also Peruvian culture. They can be conducted in schools, at meetings, and with different groups and organizations.
8. Arroz y Papa: The staple food groups of Peruvian culture. Rice and Potato. They love ‘em. Clearly your belly can’t be filled without both arroz y papa at every meal. Luckily my host mom knows I don’t want to “engordar” (get fat) so she takes it easy on the arroz.

The school days in Peru begin with “formation,” where all the students line up in a military-like fashion to sing the national anthem, do simple marching exercises, and hear announcements. The director of the main school in Poroto agreed to present me to the students and teachers at the school during formation, so I began my day by being introduced by microphone in front of hundreds of students. I also gave an impromptu speech indicating my interest in working with the youth both within and outside of the school. The whole thing was kind of funny, but it was a great way for almost all of the youth in the community to at least know who I am and have some indication of why some crazy “gringa” has been wondering around Poroto. I also had a chance to meet the teachers from the secundaria and arrange to participate in some of their classes in the upcoming weeks. Everyone’s first interest is teaching English, but they also seem open to some of the other projects I would like to eventually implement.

Immediately after this meeting I went to the primaria in Mochal and taught an English lesson. Teaching at this school is a bit of a challenge because the ages range dramatically, but the lesson was fairly successful today. It is amazing how difficult it can be to explain basic concepts of language to students who have never heard English before. It took me a solid hour to explain the difference between the question and answer segments of “What is your name?” and “My name is ____.” However, they eventually caught on and we were able to cover some different topics. As I was teaching I looked out of the corner of my eye and saw a group of people with a video camera and I wanted to die. I had no idea who they were, but I certainly wasn’t particularly excited about my first English lesson being filmed. I later learned that they were university students who were doing a project about rural education systems, so I was able to speak with them a little bit about what I’ll be doing here.

This is along the road surrounded by sugar cane where I walk to the caserio to give English lessons.

After our English lesson was over one of the mothers invited me to lunch at her house, which was definitely a treat. We shared a lunch of arroz con pollo as well as fresh avocado pulled right off the tree in her farm. The house was definitely humble, with mud floors and walls, a tin roof, and two small rooms, but you would have never known by her kindness and generosity. She was warm and inquisitive about my life in the US and my adjustment to Peru. Her daughter was playing with a doll as we ate, and when I asked what her doll’s name was told me it didn’t have one. Seconds later, she held up the doll, which was your typical blonde haired, blue-eyed doll, and immediately declared, “Se llama Kelsi, porque sus ojos son celestes como tuyos!”

After lunch she and her two adorable children gave me an extensive tour of their farm and we sampled all kinds of new fruits as we trekked through the fields. I also met her three cows: Julio, Estrella, and Gringo; when I asked her why the one cow was named Gringo she giggled and explained “because its white, of course!” After my tour she filled a huge bag with sugar cane and guaba to take back with me and enjoy later.

Life in Poroto has been going well! I’m still settling into the lifestyle here, but I’ve been pleasantly surprised with how busy I’ve been and the experiences I’ve had thus far. My mentality of what constitutes a productive day is slowly beginning to shift in order to adapt to the culture and pace of life here in Peru, but I’m definitely excited about the opportunities that await and the relationships that I’m slowly beginning to develop.

The infamous “Hora Peruana” is quite evident here in Peru; people tend to be late for just about everything. I went to meeting about the water systems and importance of clean drinking water at the health post this morning and it started a solid 2 hours after it was scheduled. Luckily I was able to have some interesting conversations in the meantime, but I still can’t believe how acceptable it is to be incredibly late to meetings and gatherings. Regardless, the water meeting was informative and definitely seems to be one of the main focuses of development here in Peru. It affects nearly every sector of society, so the government is working to help promote clean water throughout the country.

I visited one of the school director’s in a nearby caserio to plan some events in the upcoming weeks, which worked out well. I’ll be teaching some English classes as well as meeting with professors and parents to determine some of the needs of the school and the community. The director was ready to have me jump in and begin teaching and facilitating workshops, lessons, and meetings, but I had to explain that I first needed to get to know the community and the people here in order for my work to be relevant. It was encouraging to see his enthusiasm, and I’m looking forward to beginning projects soon. Later, I met with the Consejeras de Salud youth group where I’m also going to begin presenting workshops and “charlas” in the upcoming weeks during their sessions.

Today I had a really informative conversation with the obstetrician from the health post in regards to some of the issues facing the youth of Poroto. As I’ve mentioned before, teen pregnancy is a huge issue here in the town, so the obstetrician was able to offer really valuable insight into this trend. So far this year there have been 16 teen pregnancies of the 52 pregnancies total, which reflects about 31% of the total pregnancies. Several of these adolescents are only 15 years old, which just breaks my heart. There are several girls around town who are clearly very young and have one or more children. For example, I was playing volleyball with a group of girls last night and one of the girls (who couldn’t have been more than 17 years old) took a break from the game to breastfeed her infant. The number of teen pregnancies is apparently down significantly from last year when there were a total of 48 in the district of Poroto. Although it is obviously an incredibly complex issues with a myriad of influences, the obstetrician attributed lacking education, values, and long-term planning. In an area that often subsists based on the day-to-day production of crops and agricultural success, I can understand why long-term planning isn’t instinctive for the youth of the area. Self-esteem and confidence also seem to be lacking in many youth, which can influence the decision making capability of the young people here. Also, if a young couple gets pregnant, the father often has little interaction with the child and will not take responsibility in its life. This leaves the mother dependent upon herself and her family and as the obstetrician said “many children without last names.” Marriage is becoming less and less common in Peru, especially in areas with high poverty levels, so even couples who have been living together for years with several children are very seldom officially married. I have so much to learn about the specific dynamics of this issue, but I hope I will be able to approach it and have some impact during my two years here.

Hiking with the Jovenes through the Chacras

Later in the evening I went on a hike with a bunch of teenagers from the community; I was expecting to go on a stroll through the fields, but it turned into a pretty epic 3 hour hike. We wondered along the road, stopping at different houses and picking up new friends to join us. We ended up climbing through the fields of pineapple and sugar cane to the top of the mountain. I’m still amazed at the way pineapple grows in long lines along the steep mountain terraces. When we made it to the top they used a giant 15 foot stick to knock a fruit called “guaba” from the trees. This fruit may be the most interesting I’ve seen. It grows on trees and looks like giant pea-pods; when you crack it open it resembles cotton, which you eat, but has giant black seeds that you spit out. The whole process of harvesting and eating the guaba is definitely an experience. The hike was a good way to relax and get to know some of the youth from the community, and also enjoy some beautiful views.