Wednesday, November 30, 2011
House Tour pics
Monday and Tuesday afternoon I went on home visits. I wrote about it in another blog post, but again, these were homes that past short term volunteer groups built. These visits were kind of follow ups to see how things were going with the families. I was pretty uncomfortable taking any pictures inside these peoples homes, which is why there is only 1 picture, but here are some of the outside and the neighborhoods we were in. Definitely the poorest parts of Chimbote.
One thing that is hard to look past is all the garbage everywhere. Last weekend there was a dedication ceremony for a statue at church and they passed out hard candies during it. 95% of the people, young and old, just tossed the trash onto the ground. I think part of the reason for all the garbage, too, is that people will go through others trash to see if there is anything they could use.
The neighborhoods we visited
Children playing out in the field. It is pretty impressive despite the poor nutrition, that most of the kids around here that Ive seen are developmentally on track gross motor-wise. I think a lot of it has to do with not having things like swings, walkers, or even car seats to put their babies in. The parents or care givers are forced to hold them or put them on the floor to play, promoting better strength, coordination, and movement development. And then the older children don't usually have a tv or video games to sit in front of, so they play outside and are a lot more active. I tell ya...the kids here are tough, too! I have seen some pretty nasty falls where the child just hops back up and keeps going!
The only picture I took of the inside of a house. You can see the dirt floor and the estera walls. Sheets are used to make doors.
More kids playing.
Each neighborhood gets their water from a spigot like this. It is turned on from 5 to 7 in the morning. People stand in line with their buckets to get their water for the day. Most of the homes have electricity. I am not sure if that is turned on all the time. I kinda doubt it.
As we were walking back the parish we passed by this house. Often times, when one is doing well financially they will add a second level to their home, which is what these people are doing. They have come up with a pulley system to bring the cement blocks up. You can see next to them what it eventually will turn out to be.
Hmmm...this MIGHT be oversharing...
..but Im not embarrassed about it! So dont feel awkward for me haha...
Before I left Wyoming I went to the doctor to make sure I had all the right shots and to get any suggestions about sickness from her. She gave me a prescription in case I had bad stomach issues and then some meds for urinary tract infections since I wasnt sure what the bathroom situation would be like. Anyway, I put all those pills, plus ibuprofen, Advil pm, vitamins, nyquil, immodium, pepto bismal, and some other random cold and flu meds in a giant ibuprofen bottle for the trip. A pharmacy in a can! Besides the vitamins and nyquil, I havent used any of it yet. Until yesterday. We were out doing home visits, and instead of walking we had motor transportation...or a motorcycle with a trailer hooked up to the back. It was a BUMPY ride and by the time I got home I had a pretty raging headache. I figured ibuprofen would fix that. So I dug into my bottle and popped 4 ibuprofen. Or so I thought. I felt a little woozy, but assumed I was just tired from a busy day. It wasnt until I used the bathroom that I realized what Id done. My urine was orange. Like PUMPKIN orange. NASTY! Instead of taking 4 ibuprofen, I took 4 pills that you use to make the bladder or something numb when you have a UTI. 4 was probably a bit of an overdose, but it did take care of my headache. I have drank a TON of water today to try and get rid of all that orange. Since my host family only has their water turned on for a couple hours in the morning, they adopt the "if its yellow let it mellow, if its brown flush it down" policy. But no where have I read what you do about orange... So let this be a warning to you all...only mix pills together when none of them could be mistaken for something else!!! ;)
Before I left Wyoming I went to the doctor to make sure I had all the right shots and to get any suggestions about sickness from her. She gave me a prescription in case I had bad stomach issues and then some meds for urinary tract infections since I wasnt sure what the bathroom situation would be like. Anyway, I put all those pills, plus ibuprofen, Advil pm, vitamins, nyquil, immodium, pepto bismal, and some other random cold and flu meds in a giant ibuprofen bottle for the trip. A pharmacy in a can! Besides the vitamins and nyquil, I havent used any of it yet. Until yesterday. We were out doing home visits, and instead of walking we had motor transportation...or a motorcycle with a trailer hooked up to the back. It was a BUMPY ride and by the time I got home I had a pretty raging headache. I figured ibuprofen would fix that. So I dug into my bottle and popped 4 ibuprofen. Or so I thought. I felt a little woozy, but assumed I was just tired from a busy day. It wasnt until I used the bathroom that I realized what Id done. My urine was orange. Like PUMPKIN orange. NASTY! Instead of taking 4 ibuprofen, I took 4 pills that you use to make the bladder or something numb when you have a UTI. 4 was probably a bit of an overdose, but it did take care of my headache. I have drank a TON of water today to try and get rid of all that orange. Since my host family only has their water turned on for a couple hours in the morning, they adopt the "if its yellow let it mellow, if its brown flush it down" policy. But no where have I read what you do about orange... So let this be a warning to you all...only mix pills together when none of them could be mistaken for something else!!! ;)
Tuesday, November 29, 2011
Random pictures
Some more pictures from our trip to the ocean and then some random ones from the last week.
It actually rained measurable rain for about 30 minutes when we were at the ocean. First rain Id seen since I have been here!
But it didnt last long!
The church at the hostel-retreat center we went to. Man, if every church had a view like this of the ocean, I bet itd always be a full house!
It was a little windy!!!
One morning, all these taxis (called collectivos) were lined up outside the church. It was the 16th anniversary of the #26 line and they were waiting for a blessing.
Sr. Peggy and Maggie
Guinea pig...a treat in Chimbote...to EAT! Here they are in live form
Jaime is one of my favorite people here! He is a mentally disabled man that lives at the parish. This is his chair and his coloring book that he always reads. He doesnt speak (maybe 1 or 2 words), but I think he has a pretty good understanding of whats going on. Not a fan of having his pic taken haha! I tried to sneak in with one, too :)
Cooking in Chimbote. Kinda like cooking in Wyoming for me ;)
They tasted good though!
But the pizza turned out good!
Inca Cola and Ceviche...a true Peruvian meal. Inca tastes like bubble gum and cream soda all in one.
A dead turkey for the kitchen at the parish. Wish it didnt turn out so blurry...it looked cooler in person!
Since Advent started, each morning there is a little service to hang the next ornament on the Jesse Tree
But the pizza turned out good!
Inca Cola and Ceviche...a true Peruvian meal. Inca tastes like bubble gum and cream soda all in one.
A day in the life...
Yesterday my alarm goes off at 543am as it does every weekday. Like a pro, I put my contacts in in the dark, put on the same clothes Id run in for the last 5 days (lets just say they smell "fresh") and head out to the Parish to meet Manini for the morning run. It is one of those runs where I feel like I could go forever (despite the fact he has to throw rocks at TWO dogs cuz they were lunging for us!). We run about 40 minutes and then I head home. My host mom, Paulina, has a smoothie waiting for me as she does every morning. This one has mostly strawberries in it. Most of the time I don't know what I'm drinking, but its always good :) I finish getting ready for the day by taking a bucket shower. Ive got it down to a pretty good science where I only need to use 2 buckets of water to get "clean", although I don't really mind the cold water as the temperature outside is getting warmer.
8am is when Morning Prayer starts. Between getting ready at my house and heading back to the Parish for prayer, I usually have enough time to check email (and usually not reply to any haha) and eat a peanut butter sandwich. Monday, I get to prayer about 5 minutes late and then for the next 5 minutes try to be secretive about fumbling through the prayer book to find where the heck we are reading from. I wasn't sly enough though, because someone finally taps me on the shoulder and points to the page number where we are at. Shoulda probably just asked in the first place!
Prayer usually lasts about 30 minutes and then there are always a few minutes of announcements afterward. If I listen carefully I can pretty much understand what is being said. This time I decide I don't really need to listen. Then I fill up my water bottle and ask one of the guards, Jose, to walk me to Corazon de Jesus where the PT clinic is. Right off the bat, I almost get hit by a taxi. I swear, they purposely speed up and veer towards pedestrians if they see you trying to cross the road. In college, I remember confidently walking into the road, not checking for cars, figuring they'll stop when they see me. This is NOT the case in Chimbote.
Anyway, Jose and I continue the 7 or so minute walk to the clinic talking about novias and novios (girlfriends and boyfriends), how Peruvian women are extremely jealous, and how so many volunteers that come here end up marrying a Peruvian. This is basically a conversation I have everyday with at least one person. By now, I'm a pro at saying "amigos solo" (just friends), "Yo no quiero novio" (I don't want a boyfriend), and "no entiendo" (I don't understand) to any reply after that :)
We make it to the clinic and nobody is there. Luis, the guard at Corozon de Jesus comes and tells me there is no PT, because there is a big meeting having to do with money or something like that. Which if I HAD paid attention at announcements after prayer I would've known about. Oops! So back to the Parish we walk, trying to convince Jose it is good to be friends rather than confessing your love to someone you have only just met and who really doesn't speak the same language as you!
For the rest of the morning I help Fr. Jack with office work. Its pretty comical when the computer is involved. He hates using it and gets so frustrated. So instead of sticking it out and learning HOW to use it, he lets me do it all. I consider myself an expert at looking up names and addresses on whitepages.com and can cut, copy, and paste with the best of em! But if I never have to address 100s of envelopes at a time, look up an address in a notecard "filing" system, or alphabetize things again, I think I will live a very happy life! 4000 Christmas letters will do that to you.
We stop working about 1pm and then it is lunch time. Maggie and I eat ceviche at one of the restaurants in town. It costs about $5 to do so. I don't do it much, but its a good substitute when I'm getting really sick of white rice. Ceviche is pretty darn good anyway, fresh raw fish with a lemony-cilantro sauce, kinda spicy, and lots of onions.
After lunch, it is rest time until about 3-330. Sometimes I actually read or take a quick nap, but most of the time I use it to email, type up exercises or instructions for PT, or other computer stuff. Its surprising how quiet and shut down everything gets around here. Also a good time to play with the puppies as they usually let the wander around the parish at this time. Yesterday, two more were given away, and now there is only one left!
After siesta, Katie and I tour homes with her host mom. These are homes other short term volunteer groups have helped build when they come to Chimbote. The reason for these visits was a follow up to see how things were going, see how many people lived in the house, what they did, and what their hopes and dreams were. I am stoked to go along because I haven't been in very many homes since being here. She had 8 homes on her list and of those, 4 were around to talk with us. I bring my camera with and get a lot of outside pictures, but feel pretty uncomfortable intruding on peoples personal lives by taking photos inside their homes.
There is a lot of variety to the homes we went to, but all are very poor. Estera walls and roofs make up the homes. Dirt floors throughout. There are various "rooms" to the homes and some have a sheet or blanket hanging for a door. Cardboard boxes or various other materials are used to fill in more open areas of the roof so the sun doesn't shine in too much, drying everything out. Old calendars make up the majority of decorations on the walls, but their are some photos as well. In one house, chickens, dogs, and cats are running around. Another house has 9 people living in it, I think, with children ranging from 16 to 2 years old. All the children in the houses hope to one day work as a professor, doctor, police officer, or the clothing industry. It is really encouraging to hear those dreams and hopefully they can stay in school and have the means to accomplish that. The homes we are in all have electricity (I'm not sure if its on all the time). In each neighborhood there is a spigot that is turned on from 5 to 7 in the morning where everyone comes with their buckets to get their water for the day. All in all, I am impressed with these homes and the people in them. Filth and structure aside, the families are trying to make them homes. The furniture might be plastic stools, a bench made with a 2 x 4, or mattresses without sheets. The children play with lumber scraps or old plastic bottles. But everything is kept up well and as clean as possible.
We go back to the Parish just before 6pm. I hang out a little longer before heading home. My host sister, 3 year old Julia is waiting for me to get home. She loves to come into my room and play with my stuff. Her favorite is my camera. She likes me to take her picture and or try to take some on her own. But her fingers are always covering the lens. No matter how hard I try to show her different. She also likes looking at my photo album and putting on my headbands. Dinner is at 7pm. The menu is raw potatoes with some kind of cheese sauce, rice, and chicken. Pretty typical. Paulina asks me if I want to try something. She says the name, but I don't know what she is talking about. You'd think Id have learned my lesson by now. Its olives. She puts three in with my potatoes and cheese. Black olives are on my list of things I REALLY cant stand (along with tomatoes and chicken tacos). Buuuuut....technically I asked for them. So I swallow each whole, trying not to really get the taste in my mouth at all.
My host dad leaves in the morning for medical treatments in Lima, so last night is the last time I will see him. He is always fun to talk to. We spend an hour chatting after dinner is over. Maybe you wouldn't really call it chatting though, more like me listening (and for the most part understanding) what he is telling me (usually about history of Peru, the US, religion, etc), but not really being able to add much more than "si", "no se", smiling, frowning, or laughing. And lots of nodding!
By the time I leave the dinner table it is almost 845. I am EXHAUSTED as I usually am at the end of the day. I attribute it mainly to being outside in the warm, humid temps all day and working so hard to understand enough talk that is going around me. I read for a little bit and am asleep by 10.
And that's it, a typical day in Chimbote. And by typical, I mean never really knowing what is going to happen. Yesterday, the "plan" was to go to PT in the morning and the daycare (la cuna) in the afternoon. Oh well!
8am is when Morning Prayer starts. Between getting ready at my house and heading back to the Parish for prayer, I usually have enough time to check email (and usually not reply to any haha) and eat a peanut butter sandwich. Monday, I get to prayer about 5 minutes late and then for the next 5 minutes try to be secretive about fumbling through the prayer book to find where the heck we are reading from. I wasn't sly enough though, because someone finally taps me on the shoulder and points to the page number where we are at. Shoulda probably just asked in the first place!
Prayer usually lasts about 30 minutes and then there are always a few minutes of announcements afterward. If I listen carefully I can pretty much understand what is being said. This time I decide I don't really need to listen. Then I fill up my water bottle and ask one of the guards, Jose, to walk me to Corazon de Jesus where the PT clinic is. Right off the bat, I almost get hit by a taxi. I swear, they purposely speed up and veer towards pedestrians if they see you trying to cross the road. In college, I remember confidently walking into the road, not checking for cars, figuring they'll stop when they see me. This is NOT the case in Chimbote.
Anyway, Jose and I continue the 7 or so minute walk to the clinic talking about novias and novios (girlfriends and boyfriends), how Peruvian women are extremely jealous, and how so many volunteers that come here end up marrying a Peruvian. This is basically a conversation I have everyday with at least one person. By now, I'm a pro at saying "amigos solo" (just friends), "Yo no quiero novio" (I don't want a boyfriend), and "no entiendo" (I don't understand) to any reply after that :)
We make it to the clinic and nobody is there. Luis, the guard at Corozon de Jesus comes and tells me there is no PT, because there is a big meeting having to do with money or something like that. Which if I HAD paid attention at announcements after prayer I would've known about. Oops! So back to the Parish we walk, trying to convince Jose it is good to be friends rather than confessing your love to someone you have only just met and who really doesn't speak the same language as you!
For the rest of the morning I help Fr. Jack with office work. Its pretty comical when the computer is involved. He hates using it and gets so frustrated. So instead of sticking it out and learning HOW to use it, he lets me do it all. I consider myself an expert at looking up names and addresses on whitepages.com and can cut, copy, and paste with the best of em! But if I never have to address 100s of envelopes at a time, look up an address in a notecard "filing" system, or alphabetize things again, I think I will live a very happy life! 4000 Christmas letters will do that to you.
We stop working about 1pm and then it is lunch time. Maggie and I eat ceviche at one of the restaurants in town. It costs about $5 to do so. I don't do it much, but its a good substitute when I'm getting really sick of white rice. Ceviche is pretty darn good anyway, fresh raw fish with a lemony-cilantro sauce, kinda spicy, and lots of onions.
After lunch, it is rest time until about 3-330. Sometimes I actually read or take a quick nap, but most of the time I use it to email, type up exercises or instructions for PT, or other computer stuff. Its surprising how quiet and shut down everything gets around here. Also a good time to play with the puppies as they usually let the wander around the parish at this time. Yesterday, two more were given away, and now there is only one left!
After siesta, Katie and I tour homes with her host mom. These are homes other short term volunteer groups have helped build when they come to Chimbote. The reason for these visits was a follow up to see how things were going, see how many people lived in the house, what they did, and what their hopes and dreams were. I am stoked to go along because I haven't been in very many homes since being here. She had 8 homes on her list and of those, 4 were around to talk with us. I bring my camera with and get a lot of outside pictures, but feel pretty uncomfortable intruding on peoples personal lives by taking photos inside their homes.
There is a lot of variety to the homes we went to, but all are very poor. Estera walls and roofs make up the homes. Dirt floors throughout. There are various "rooms" to the homes and some have a sheet or blanket hanging for a door. Cardboard boxes or various other materials are used to fill in more open areas of the roof so the sun doesn't shine in too much, drying everything out. Old calendars make up the majority of decorations on the walls, but their are some photos as well. In one house, chickens, dogs, and cats are running around. Another house has 9 people living in it, I think, with children ranging from 16 to 2 years old. All the children in the houses hope to one day work as a professor, doctor, police officer, or the clothing industry. It is really encouraging to hear those dreams and hopefully they can stay in school and have the means to accomplish that. The homes we are in all have electricity (I'm not sure if its on all the time). In each neighborhood there is a spigot that is turned on from 5 to 7 in the morning where everyone comes with their buckets to get their water for the day. All in all, I am impressed with these homes and the people in them. Filth and structure aside, the families are trying to make them homes. The furniture might be plastic stools, a bench made with a 2 x 4, or mattresses without sheets. The children play with lumber scraps or old plastic bottles. But everything is kept up well and as clean as possible.
We go back to the Parish just before 6pm. I hang out a little longer before heading home. My host sister, 3 year old Julia is waiting for me to get home. She loves to come into my room and play with my stuff. Her favorite is my camera. She likes me to take her picture and or try to take some on her own. But her fingers are always covering the lens. No matter how hard I try to show her different. She also likes looking at my photo album and putting on my headbands. Dinner is at 7pm. The menu is raw potatoes with some kind of cheese sauce, rice, and chicken. Pretty typical. Paulina asks me if I want to try something. She says the name, but I don't know what she is talking about. You'd think Id have learned my lesson by now. Its olives. She puts three in with my potatoes and cheese. Black olives are on my list of things I REALLY cant stand (along with tomatoes and chicken tacos). Buuuuut....technically I asked for them. So I swallow each whole, trying not to really get the taste in my mouth at all.
My host dad leaves in the morning for medical treatments in Lima, so last night is the last time I will see him. He is always fun to talk to. We spend an hour chatting after dinner is over. Maybe you wouldn't really call it chatting though, more like me listening (and for the most part understanding) what he is telling me (usually about history of Peru, the US, religion, etc), but not really being able to add much more than "si", "no se", smiling, frowning, or laughing. And lots of nodding!
By the time I leave the dinner table it is almost 845. I am EXHAUSTED as I usually am at the end of the day. I attribute it mainly to being outside in the warm, humid temps all day and working so hard to understand enough talk that is going around me. I read for a little bit and am asleep by 10.
And that's it, a typical day in Chimbote. And by typical, I mean never really knowing what is going to happen. Yesterday, the "plan" was to go to PT in the morning and the daycare (la cuna) in the afternoon. Oh well!
Sunday, November 27, 2011
Wait a second...do I LIKE dogs???
There are 2 dogs that live in the parish and they had puppies not quite 3 months ago. There are 5 of them and boy are they cute. 2 have been given away so far and they are looking for good families to give the last 3. This little one was helping me with my work this afternoon :)
Saturday, November 26, 2011
No habla espanol. Oh wait...no habla
For the last few weeks I've been battling a cold. And by the way...this is not the place to joke about tuberculosis...my bad!!! Anyway, it's not been a raging cold to any extent, but this morning I woke up with NO voice. Can barely manage to eek out a few squeaks. But you know what that means? I'm off the hook for trying to have actual Spanish conversations today. I tell ya...I really am trying to learn this language, but it is EXHAUSTING! If only there were just 100 words that I could speak and understand that could cover every possible aspect of conversation I'd be set hahaha. But just when I think I've got it pretty much covered, someone sneaks a new word or phrase in there! Anyway, I'll enjoy my temporary reprieve for the day and enjoy the silent world.
Thanksgiving was sooooo relaxing! We went to the beach, had a REALLY good fish dinner, and then got to relax at our hostel for the rest of the night. Best part was...this place had actual showers!!! My first real shower since I got here. Mind you, the water was cold and there was no electricity (lights are only on from 6-11pm), but I still very much enjoyed my cold, dark shower. Oh to be clean!
We got back yesterday afternoon and I was able to call my parents. Caught them at Scheels, but I got to talk to Dad, Mom, and Tom which was great. Suprising at how fast a 50 minute phone care wears out! Sounds like they had a fun fun time in Bismarck and got to see all the relatives. Lucky!!! And a big congrats to Tom who finished 4th over in the Turkey Trot and to my dad who took 2nd in his age group. There were 1600 people in the race!!!
Last night was a special Mass in remembrance of Fr. Jack's sister who died a month ago. A bunch of priests, sisters, and tons of people from around the parish showed up. I'd say about 400-500. Afterward the soup kitchen fed the parishoners and then there was a special meal of these REALLY good parmasean shell things and then turkey. So I even got to have some turkey around Thanksgiving time :)
Next week is my last week in Chimbote. After that I'm going to Machu Picchu for a 5 day hiking/camping trip. Should be a blast! I still am not a 100% sure what Machu Picchu is. To be honest, I thought it was Stonehenge. And then when I got here, I really thought it was Stonehenge, becuase the computer here has its desktop picture of Stonehenge. Well, now I know. I'm going to see Machu Picchu that is NOT Stonehenge. Obviously I missed geography and history classes somewhere along the line. Geesh! Anyway, I'm ready to come home and at the same time I'm very sad to leave Chimbote. That must mean the trip was worth it for me huh?!
Here are a few more pics from the last week!
Katie, Sr. Peggy, Maggie, and Fr. Jack walking along the ocean for our Thanksgiving celebration!
Thanksgiving dinner. Fish and french fries. Muy rico!!!
The ocean still is a little cold, but I was brave enough to go up to my waist :)
Self portrait. This was where I worked out in the morning. Can't beat this view!!!
Maggie took a spill on one of our runs. Pretty good road rash! Luckily that morning we were stopping at a nursing home type place, so a nurse there cleaned em out for her.
Fr. Jack's Mass for his sister. A packed house!!! I'll post more pictures of the church later. You can't tell from here, but the alter is actually a fish tank.
Sr. Peggy and some of the other nuns after the mass. They all had strawberry daiquiris with REAL strawberries! A treat!
Happy Thanksgiving hahaha! I got to gnaw on the drumstick of one of the turkeys. Nice huh?!?!
Miguel's turn haha!
Another karaoke night with my Peruvian amigos!
The flower shop we stopped at to get the petunias for Mass
Hard to tell in this small picture, but the little box looking things out there are people's homes. Estera woven walls built on the sand.
The next few are just some random pictures of the parish neighboorhood. Such a variety of living spaces. 
Thanksgiving was sooooo relaxing! We went to the beach, had a REALLY good fish dinner, and then got to relax at our hostel for the rest of the night. Best part was...this place had actual showers!!! My first real shower since I got here. Mind you, the water was cold and there was no electricity (lights are only on from 6-11pm), but I still very much enjoyed my cold, dark shower. Oh to be clean!
We got back yesterday afternoon and I was able to call my parents. Caught them at Scheels, but I got to talk to Dad, Mom, and Tom which was great. Suprising at how fast a 50 minute phone care wears out! Sounds like they had a fun fun time in Bismarck and got to see all the relatives. Lucky!!! And a big congrats to Tom who finished 4th over in the Turkey Trot and to my dad who took 2nd in his age group. There were 1600 people in the race!!!
Last night was a special Mass in remembrance of Fr. Jack's sister who died a month ago. A bunch of priests, sisters, and tons of people from around the parish showed up. I'd say about 400-500. Afterward the soup kitchen fed the parishoners and then there was a special meal of these REALLY good parmasean shell things and then turkey. So I even got to have some turkey around Thanksgiving time :)
Next week is my last week in Chimbote. After that I'm going to Machu Picchu for a 5 day hiking/camping trip. Should be a blast! I still am not a 100% sure what Machu Picchu is. To be honest, I thought it was Stonehenge. And then when I got here, I really thought it was Stonehenge, becuase the computer here has its desktop picture of Stonehenge. Well, now I know. I'm going to see Machu Picchu that is NOT Stonehenge. Obviously I missed geography and history classes somewhere along the line. Geesh! Anyway, I'm ready to come home and at the same time I'm very sad to leave Chimbote. That must mean the trip was worth it for me huh?!
Here are a few more pics from the last week!
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