This is an e-mail I sent to my family and friends a few days ago:
"Well, I just wanted to say hi...and to tell you all some good news. As of yesterday, my project to start a local soup kitchen for the girls at a local high school was approved by the governor and local municipality office. That doesn´t mean that the project will be up and running; we still have a lot of fundraising and soliciting to do! (No worries, I´m not asking you fine folks for help.) But for the first time, I´m optimistic that this project might actually have a chance.
If all does go well, then approximately 250 students (most of whom work/go to school, live far away in the campo, do not have access to good financial resources) will be able to pay 1 sol (.33 cents) for their lunch meal that will consist of approximately 750-925 calories of healthy carbohydrates, protein, fat, a fruit, and a glass of milk. (I have been working with a nutritionist for the exact measurements.) My committee consisting of the school director, 2 professors, advisor to the Governor´s office, me, and the nutritionist have gotten quite a few things together to make this happen. Our budget is currently at 50,000 soles (USD $17,000) + 7,000 soles (USD $2500) monthly (mostly for cooking gas, firewood, and food). So even though I don´t know what will happen tomorrow, today I´m in a celebratory mood. :) When I go into town tomorrow, I might even splurge on a 10 soles meal for myself instead of the usual 3! Yep. :)
Otherwise, things are going well in Peace Corps Peru. I still actively keep up on my blog, http://peacecorpskatiekit.blogspot.com (with about 625 hits so far...so popular) and for one fleeting second last week, I even thought about extendng my service to a third year...but then I came back down to earth. My year as a Peace Corps volunteer has been amazing. Some highlights so far: Serving as this town´s judge for everything, including judging the best guinea pig dish competition (and, surprisingly, not throwing up afterwards even after eating almost 20 different types of guinea pigs); meeting other volunteers who dedicate themselves daily to make things better, sometimes at the expense of themselves; falling in love with the Spanish language (even when I´ve made some gaw awful mistakes...never, ever translate ¨Saving Private Ryan¨ literally); being able to bargain for my fruits and vegetables so that I can get 100 avocados for 5 soles (USD $1.75)...um hmm, I´m a stud; and seeing a town come together with good intentions. Yep, I am just full of sunshine and puppies right now!
The biggest Debbie Downer really has been the homesickness. (I spent last Christmas secretly crying in my room since we don´t really celebrate it here.)...Oh, and of course, the people (probably includes you), the food (right now, Lender´s frozen blueberry bagels and strawberry cream cheese), and my car (Dan, Amy, Wendy, please continue to shield her from rain, hail, and heavy snow). But more often than not, I find myself doing fine and spiffy!
Anyways, I just wanted to say ¨hi¨ to y´all. I hope that your time in the states (or wherever you are) finds you doing just as well, if not better (sunshine and puppies). Please be well.
Katie"
Monday, August 23, 2010
Friday, August 13, 2010
La Senorita Amistad, Responsibilidad, y Puntualidad
Okay, here´s me last night serving as a Beauty Pageant judge. Besides being the cuy (best guinea pig dish) judge for this town, I also have the responsibility of determining who´s Miss Responsibility, Miss Friendship, and Miss Amistad of a local girls high school. The criteria included their overall presentation, elegance, and eloquency. Here´s me posing with one of the winners. They served me coffee, a chicken sandwich, and we had even had a half time show...just like a real pageant!
Tuesday, August 10, 2010
Una actualizacion
I started my physical therapy in site which has been rather odd. My doctor likes to hum along loudly to 80´s American music while he works and the session starts off by him pouring hot wax all over my arm (and not in a sexy way either).
Everything else is going well. My team for the student soup kitchen and I met with the governor´s office yesterday. You know that it was a big deal since I even put on a blazer (with jeans, of course, since we are in the campo still). No official word, yet. He´s going to meet with his committee sometime this week and we should have an answer soon as to whether or not his office can help. It´s a big deal, because if the governor´s not on board with the project, then it would be hard to continue it. He sounded optimistic though so we´ll keep our fingers crossed. For the first time, I feel as though the project might actually have a chance at taking off. If everything goes as planned, we should be able to open by the start of Peru´s school year of next April. I budgeted that s/.3000 (or USD $1000) monthly should keep the project afloat and I want all of that money to come from the Peruvian´s as this country should be able to help themselves.
I´ve also been asked to judge a ¨Ms. Responsibility¨ contest at a local girls high school on Thursday. The winner will be judged based on their appearance, answers to questions (I think there is actually a ¨I wish for world peace¨ question in there somewhere), their academic performance, and overall grace. Okay, so it´s more like a beauty pageant. And although I am no expert to this type of thing (um...grace?!), I´m glad that they asked because it shows me that they view me as a role model to the girls. There will be two other judges as well (both young professionals) and we will all be dressed up. As for our compensation, cuy (aka guinea pig) will be served to us for dinner. Ugh. I have to eat it in front of a live audience, so no choice but to shove it down my throat yet again.
Otherwise, I´m glad to be back in site. Internet went bye'bye here, so my posts might be more sporadic from now on. If anybody needs to get a hold of me, please call. Thanks!
Everything else is going well. My team for the student soup kitchen and I met with the governor´s office yesterday. You know that it was a big deal since I even put on a blazer (with jeans, of course, since we are in the campo still). No official word, yet. He´s going to meet with his committee sometime this week and we should have an answer soon as to whether or not his office can help. It´s a big deal, because if the governor´s not on board with the project, then it would be hard to continue it. He sounded optimistic though so we´ll keep our fingers crossed. For the first time, I feel as though the project might actually have a chance at taking off. If everything goes as planned, we should be able to open by the start of Peru´s school year of next April. I budgeted that s/.3000 (or USD $1000) monthly should keep the project afloat and I want all of that money to come from the Peruvian´s as this country should be able to help themselves.
I´ve also been asked to judge a ¨Ms. Responsibility¨ contest at a local girls high school on Thursday. The winner will be judged based on their appearance, answers to questions (I think there is actually a ¨I wish for world peace¨ question in there somewhere), their academic performance, and overall grace. Okay, so it´s more like a beauty pageant. And although I am no expert to this type of thing (um...grace?!), I´m glad that they asked because it shows me that they view me as a role model to the girls. There will be two other judges as well (both young professionals) and we will all be dressed up. As for our compensation, cuy (aka guinea pig) will be served to us for dinner. Ugh. I have to eat it in front of a live audience, so no choice but to shove it down my throat yet again.
Otherwise, I´m glad to be back in site. Internet went bye'bye here, so my posts might be more sporadic from now on. If anybody needs to get a hold of me, please call. Thanks!
Sunday, August 8, 2010
El agua y la plaga
I'm finally back in Cajabamba again after being away for about a month for physical therapy. Lucky enough, one of the Cajabamba hospitals does have a physical therapy program as well, so my therapy will continue here.
As for how things have been going for the last few days...We are facing a serious water shortage in my site. The water has been getting shut off earlier and earlier, now at 2 p.m. until the next day. One of the nearby rivers has dried up and rainy season does not start until a month and a half away. Because we are not as fancy as other countries, transporting water from other towns do not apply here. Hopefully, it'll rain sooner this year, but in the meantime, we've stopped flushing the toilets regularly and I've started bucket bathing.
Second, a group of US doctors were here in Cajabamba for two days for a medical missionary trip. Of course, I got to translate again and the experience was awesome! I am a little in love with Spanish right now, so getting the chance to speak Spanish for hours on end is a dream.
Equally as exciting was that one of the doctors lent me their scrubs. As such, we (or maybe just me) were "Grey's Anatomy" yesterday. I had them call me Dr. Yang...Awesome! And the patients themselves even called me "Doctora"....Awesome, awesome! When the photographer from a newspaper started taking pictures, I used my stethescope to listen to one of my "patient's" heart so that I looked very official. (Only to sit down again immediately once the picture was snapped. He he. I was maybe a little too giddy with excitement.)
Anyways, I'm sure that the US doctors didn't think anything weird of it. In fact, I think they were complimenting me when they said that they could tell I had been in the Peace Corps for a year....surely they were impressed by all the good work I've done.
Unfortunately, the rest of the day was less eventful. There were some truly awful cases, probably made worst by the fact that I live here, too. A 9-year-old girl had really enlarged lymph nodes. After the "other" doctor (hmph!) checked her over, she thought it could possibly be cancer or something else.
Which brings me to my next point, about 7 hours away from my town is a city called Trujillo, where people from my town go back and forth regularly. It is also the place where a boy has just died from the Bubonic Plague and where other cases have been reported. The 9-year-old's enlarged lymph nodes and other symptoms are consistent with the plague's. So sadly, a Bubonic Plague diagnosis would be better for this girl than the latter since treatment is available. Isn't it strange the problems that third world countries have to deal with?
As for how things have been going for the last few days...We are facing a serious water shortage in my site. The water has been getting shut off earlier and earlier, now at 2 p.m. until the next day. One of the nearby rivers has dried up and rainy season does not start until a month and a half away. Because we are not as fancy as other countries, transporting water from other towns do not apply here. Hopefully, it'll rain sooner this year, but in the meantime, we've stopped flushing the toilets regularly and I've started bucket bathing.
Second, a group of US doctors were here in Cajabamba for two days for a medical missionary trip. Of course, I got to translate again and the experience was awesome! I am a little in love with Spanish right now, so getting the chance to speak Spanish for hours on end is a dream.
Equally as exciting was that one of the doctors lent me their scrubs. As such, we (or maybe just me) were "Grey's Anatomy" yesterday. I had them call me Dr. Yang...Awesome! And the patients themselves even called me "Doctora"....Awesome, awesome! When the photographer from a newspaper started taking pictures, I used my stethescope to listen to one of my "patient's" heart so that I looked very official. (Only to sit down again immediately once the picture was snapped. He he. I was maybe a little too giddy with excitement.)
Anyways, I'm sure that the US doctors didn't think anything weird of it. In fact, I think they were complimenting me when they said that they could tell I had been in the Peace Corps for a year....surely they were impressed by all the good work I've done.
Unfortunately, the rest of the day was less eventful. There were some truly awful cases, probably made worst by the fact that I live here, too. A 9-year-old girl had really enlarged lymph nodes. After the "other" doctor (hmph!) checked her over, she thought it could possibly be cancer or something else.
Which brings me to my next point, about 7 hours away from my town is a city called Trujillo, where people from my town go back and forth regularly. It is also the place where a boy has just died from the Bubonic Plague and where other cases have been reported. The 9-year-old's enlarged lymph nodes and other symptoms are consistent with the plague's. So sadly, a Bubonic Plague diagnosis would be better for this girl than the latter since treatment is available. Isn't it strange the problems that third world countries have to deal with?
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