Giving Thanks

As I reminisce on Thanksgiving holidays spent at home, familiarity is at the core of these family celebrations. During all the Thanksgivings I celebrated in the US, I was always surrounded by familiar foods, familiar faces, familiar places, even familiar tastes and smells. This familiarity marked the essence of the holiday for me, a sense of comfort flooding my body as I breathed in the scent of baking pumpkin pie. Just like everything else in the past year and a half, these past two Thanksgiving holidays have been different. Different, as I found out, can be a very good thing. Although I value the familiarity of home and the importance of tradition, the two Thanksgivings I’ve spent in Peru have been among the most memorable. Although I associate the holiday with familiarity, its foundations were surely quite different. I think the basis of Thanksgiving developed through the union and fusion of different cultures, different customs, and different traditions. As the pilgrims and Indians sat down at their supposed feast, I doubt the dual cultures and new smells evoked any deep seated sense of comfort or familiarity. I imagine it was in the discovering of each other’s potentially bizarre language, customs, and foods that made the event a legendary day of sharing that we continue to commemorate today.

Last year, after spending only three short months in my new Peruvian home of Poroto, I remember being extremely excited to reunite with my Peace Corps volunteer friends. Although being far from friends and family for Thanksgiving was different, we managed to create a little piece of America in the depths of the Andes Mountains in Ancash. This epic Thanksgiving celebrated with glacial lake hikes and high altitude turkey-trot races set a high bar for my Peruvian Thanksgiving expectations.

This year, we decided to bring Thanksgiving to the beach, and celebrated in Puerto Malabrigo, the site of the world’s largest left wave. Peace Corps volunteers traveled from near and far to reunite and celebrate together. We enjoyed the sunshine and spent the weekend preparing enormous pots of food. Each person brought their favorite family recipes to prepare and share; sweet potato biscuits, homemade stuffing, garlic green beans, pumpkin pie, banana pudding, ginger broccoli, chocolate cake, homemade applesauce, spicy cornbread, apple pie and more. Chris and Ellen even brought their pet turkey all the way from Cajamarca, which they’ve been raising since last year to serve as the focal point of this important meal.

Our Thanksgiving day began bright and early with a turkey trot 5K race. We all donned our matching red “Hang-5K” t-shirts and headed to the beach to work up an appetite for the afternoon feast. Although winner received a free surf lesson, everyone enjoyed participating in this memorable Thanksgiving event.

As most people know, I adore my Peruvian host family, so I naturally wanted them to join us in Puerto Malabrigo for this holiday celebration. I had been nagging them for weeks, raving about the enormous platters of delicious food and beautiful location of this year’s Thanksgiving, but as usual they wouldn’t commit 100% to coming. When they called to tell me they were on their way to join in the festivities I was quite excited (I think Joshy was won over when I told her 30+ gringos would be in attendance). We spent some time soaking up sunshine and frolicking in the waves, and then commenced the chaotic cooking frenzy.

After a weekend of cooking we sat down at a table that seemed to stretch out forever, filled with Peace Corps volunteers, host families, and other local community members. As different people stood to give “palabras” or toasts for the holiday, I found myself overwhelmed with emotion. With my host family by my side, delicious food on my plate, and friends filling the room, I’ve realized that familiarity isn’t found by simple repetition of the same people, the same places, or even the same foods, but rather by embracing the circumstances you’re given and creating something new and beautiful.

Thanksgiving leftovers on the beach... that is a tradition I could get used to. Cold turkey sandwiches never tasted so good.

Confronting Teen Pregnancy with Confianza

Teen pregnancy rates in Peru are extremely high, and the repercussions of unplanned early pregnancies are evident in a variety of ways. As youth development volunteers, many of us see the impact of teen pregnancy within our communities and work on diverse projects to address this issue. Tackling this problem is not simple, and the contributing factors to teen pregnancy are various. Long term planning and goal setting is lacking among most Peruvian youth in my community and the immediate necessities of life often dominate the focus and energy of people here- especially for those most affected by poverty. The short-term economic benefits of working in the fields or marrying young often outweigh the long-term benefits of finishing high school or pursuing a professional career. Many families do not have the luxury of a steady income, a two-parent household or educational opportunities, and thus find themselves caught in a cycle of poverty and limited options for the future.

Teen pregnancy affects a broad spectrum of the Peruvian youth population, but certain demographics are more susceptible to this trend. In my observations, teen pregnancy rates have a strong correlation to lacking educational opportunities. Unplanned pregnancies are much higher among adolescents who do not attend school or who live in more isolated caserios, indicating a lack of both sexual education and future opportunities. Although there have been several instances of students attending high school and becoming pregnant, there are many more cases that attract less attention because the girls do not attend school and are further removed from the public eye. Unfortunately it is often the most isolated and difficult to reach youth who most need intervention and education. Creating a comprehensive strategy to combat teen pregnancy is complicated and requires entering into a variety of social situations.
Since arriving at site I’ve worked with a group of youth health promoters who we train in sexual health topics including teen pregnancy, self-esteem and values, STDs, HIV and AIDS, etc. The members of this group have been the solid core of my work here in Poroto and forming trusting relationships with these youth leaders have helped grant me access to the “hearts and minds” of Peruvian teenagers. At this point we’re all very familiar with each other and able to delve into touchy issues and uncomfortable topics, providing important insight into the lifestyles, decisions, and problems of the youth of Poroto. The teens in my group are able to ask questions and share stories openly without feeling judged, and this has opened the door to many interesting conversations (some of which still make me turn rojita). I’ve seen relationships evolve, given love and advice, and helped talk them through important decisions, which is undoubtedly the most rewarding part of my work. Statistics of teen pregnancy and other youth issues can be overwhelming, but if I can have any kind of positive impact through the personal relationships I’ve formed I’ll consider my work here a success.

Apart from my work with my youth health promoters, I recently partnered with the local high school and health post to facilitate a school-wide teen pregnancy prevention campaign using the resources from PreNatal. I’ve really enjoyed working with this program because it encourages youth to think about consequences of sexual relations and pregnancy on a holistic level; considering repercussions not only for their personal future and health but also their future babies. The message of this program focuses on the importance of family planning and considering the implications of having a child at an early age which include a higher risk of birth defects, premature births, and maternal health problems. The program includes a poignant video featuring real teen parents, a series of personal reflection questions, and even a catchy music video. I facilitated these workshops with the support of the doctor and nurse from the health post and coordination from the school staff. The response was extremely positive from all those involved, and will hopefully influence the youth to think about their decisions and possible consequences.

Although working directly with youth is important, values are undoubtedly rooted in the home, and family dynamics have an incredibly huge role in personal development. Children of adolescent single mothers are much more likely to be teen moms themselves, creating a cyclical pattern that can be difficult to break. Additionally, teenagers with unstable home lives or lacking parental support are more likely to become teen parents. Working with youth only goes so far, so engaging parents is imperative to fully address teen pregnancy. I’ve recently started an “Escuela de Padres” program, which consists of a series of workshops for parents focusing on areas including familial communication, preventing alcohol abuse, and teen pregnancy. I’ve partnered with the nurse from the health post and recently had the added support of a psychologist. During these sessions we’ve encouraged parents to improve communication within the home, tackling potentially difficult issues such as sexuality. We’ve sought to engage parents in interactive sessions where they can share their struggles, successes, and concerns about raising teens. Never before did I think I would be talking about erections and masturbation in front of 20+ Peruvian parents, but Peace Corps continually broadens my comfort zone.

As I’ve explained, I’ve worked with youth, parents, the health post, and teachers on programs and projects to combat teen pregnancy, which leaves out one important faction: teen moms themselves. Accessing this particular group can be more difficult than the others, but is also incredibly important. I’ve found the best way to interact with these women is in informal settings, and my most successful attempts have been cooking classes. Last summer I worked specifically with pregnant women, many of whom are teen moms, during healthy cooking and maternal health classes. I also had a youth baking club which attracted the interest of teen moms, who otherwise wouldn’t participate in youth oriented activities. I’ve recently been working on nutrition and cooking themes in one of the most isolated caserios, where various mothers are under 16 years old. This has been an opportunity not only to reach out to these teen mothers, but gain access to other young women in isolated communities who do not attend school.

Teen pregnancy is a deeply rooted societal issue, reflecting cultural, political, familial, educational, and health practices. These complex influences affect adolescents in different ways, and the solution to decrease teen pregnancy rates is multifaceted and requires attention from various sectors of the community. Adolescents need access to quality educational opportunities, reproductive health information, strong values and decision making abilities, and familial support which calls not only for the support of local authorities and institutions, but also individuals who take a vested interest in the lives of the young people of the community. As Peace Corps volunteers we’re granted intimate access to the daily lives and personal decisions of Peruvian youth, so I would encourage each of you to capitalize on this confianza and confront teen pregnancy on a personal level.