What am I doing in Peru? I am working with the Environmental Section of Peace Corps Peru. We work in three main areas: Reforestation (or forestation), Environmental Education, and Solid Waste.  But we can do other projects as needed for our communities because our most significant job is helping the communities we live in in whatever way we can.

I work in three communities. Two of these Cerro Alegre and San Isidro have sufficient resources to solve most of their problems on their own. The third, Cerro Candela, is a very poor community and the individuals do not seem to understand how to “get it together” enough to solve their problems.  They seem to be overwhelmed by their poverty rather than focused on the resources they do have, as many desperately poor people are.

The other problem these communities have is that the Mayor of the District of Imperial, the district in which these communities are, either pockets the money his district has, or is spending it on things various communities desperately need. Like electricity and potable water. But I am the only one who has suggested the latter possibility.

All of these communities have a problem with garbage. Although the garbage is picked up twice a week many people throw their garbage outside of their homes, on the streets but especially in the small river and the irrigation canals, which run inside and around the community. When I was doing the interviews with people in these communities someone said that people burn their trash because there is no water.  Although only one person said that I found it a really interesting comment. But most of the people thought that throwing their trash was a bad thing and on the other hand burning it was acceptable. In actuality burning it is far more dangerous to the health of the community than throwing it in piles. Both are bad for the environment.

In Cerro Alegre and San Isidro I hope to

1. Install baskets that can hold the garbage above the reach of the dogs that roam the streets.

2. Educate the people in these towns to use these baskets rather than throwing their garbage in inappropriate places.

In Peru people do not have garbage cans, they do not have space to put garbage cans in my town. Although mine are small towns the houses are right next to each other with no space between then. The people put their garbage in plastic bags within the house and then in a 5-gallon bucket or rice sack. The garbage men take the 5-gallon bucket or rice sack, dump it into the garbage truck and then throw it back on the ground for the people to retrieve.

In Cerro Candela I hope to:

1. Help them get electricity to their water pump. They need to be more organized for this bureaucratic process.

            2. Help them get money to install water pipes for the houses that are above the main area of town.  At this time they carry water up a 45 or more degree sloop to their houses.

There are other small projects I could do. One person I work with wants to put an area for the young people to play chess in her small park; maybe we could install an area for younger children to play also. In another town there is a playground that needs to be repaired.  In Cerro Candela the children have essentially nothing, so a library or a play area would be a great addition to their lives.

I have really just started here. Three months were spent in training and three months to get to know your community. Now I start the real work.

Jan and everyone,

Yes the small spoons are very much like demitasse spoons, except everyone uses them here. They don’t use teaspoons. (But if you are really a well-mannered person from the Sierras  (the mountains) you only use a large spoon, meaning no fork either.) Actually hot dogs are only rarely served here. White rice is served almost twice a day. The best cooking secret from here is to put your sweet potatoes in the full sun for 5 days and then in the shade or inside. They are very sweet that way you don’t need to add any sugar (if you ever did add sugar.) They also have a purple sweet potato, which is also very good, (only the outer surface is purple.) Of course, there are various types of potatoes, actually about 2,000 to 4,000, but I see 10 or so in the market every time I go there.

They grow artichokes and asparagus around here but rarely eat them. They are canned for export. In fact 100% or 50% (I don’t remember which) of Costco’s jars of artichokes hearts are canned about ¼ of a mile away from here.

There are several varieties of corn that are commonly served, usually on the cob, in soups. Tamales are usually served Sunday morning. The Tamales are wrapped in banana leaves and pieces of meat and olives and peanuts are mixed into them, rather than the masa wrapped around a filling.  The Corn masa is courser and more brilliant orangish yellow color than what I have had in the US.

mayacoba beans: I had to read a little in the Internet before I could answer this. I was served a dish of yellow beans, three kinds of yellow beans, this last week. Nothing especially different about cooking these but they call them either yellow beans or canary beans. Apparently these were crossed with another bean to arrive at the mayacoba variety.

I have had Quinoa here as well as the U.S. Mostly it is served the same as they serve oatmeal, a soupy drinkable breakfast with canned milk, or it is added to soups.

The food here is excellent, but I can’t really tell you why, the biggest difference I notice is that they use way too much salt, (and sugar) and that they really care about their food. They have a great deal of pride in Peruvian food.

I have had so much ceviche or cebiche that I have no interest in having any more for a few months.  But it also is very good. We only eat ceviche when we are close to the coast and I am about 30 minutes from the ocean. I also had excellent (to die for) goat yogurt last week.

Sopa Seca is the specialty of Cañete. Basically spaghetti with a spicy sauce. I will figure out the recipe and add it to my post one of these days. My father is more than glad to teach me how to make it.

The diets here on the coast generally lack vegetables, there are some but not many, except for the sweet potatoes.  Fortunately they are cheap as well as good. A truck was driving through town offering a sack (50 to 100 pounds, I don’t know but a large sack) for 15 soles (less than 7 dollars).  Fruit is easy to obtain and there are many different varieties, many can be found in the US some cannot.

Things I will already miss about Peru or just take home with me:

1.     Those little spoons they stir the coffee with.

2.     The crowed combi rides (combis are vans that take you almost everywhere.)

3.     Maybe even the moto-taxis (three wheeled motorcycles that take you everywhere, maybe for a slightly higher fee, but they are very convenient.)

4.     The good food. Yep, the food here is much better on average than in the U.S. Occasionally it is oh hum but only at Bembos (like McDonalds) is it worse than oh hum.

5.     Adding lime to chicken soups. Try it. It is excellent.

6.     Very few Peruvians smoke, they know it is expensive.

7.     Many of the houses here have a beautiful sense of architecture.

Things I don’t understand: Why do they start the business day at 8 or 9 when the sun sets at 6 or 6:30? They live a great deal in the dark here. Or at least my families have. When I start early morning patrol to figure out peoples’ schedules then I might learn more.

One thing I won’t miss: The traffic in Lima. At one point there are 6 lanes of traffic going into Lima. OK, I realize this is a big city and 6 lanes going into a big city should be no big deal, except this is on a one way road with only two-lanes.  Driving is a constant game of switching lanes and trying to cut other drivers off. I think everyone hates the traffic in Lima.

I have been up and down the coast of Peru since my last post. I am now in my site in Cerro Alegre in the Department of Lima, District of Cañete, an agricultural area much like Salinas. This is a nice quiet suburb with a few minimarkets, just like Fresno the Mini Markets lack fruit and vegetables, many mototaxi’s waiting to take you to Imperial, the bigger town near where there are an amazing number of little stores selling everyday items.

The nicest place I was at Tina Silva’s site, in the north in Lambayeca. Or at least when I was there, it was country quiet, with a beautiful view of some mountains. I felt I could live there forever. Much of the coast is irrigated agriculture or desert sands. Much of it I passed in the night on buses with the windows covered with shades or moisture. So although I have traveled pretty much coast to coast that doesn’t mean I have seen the whole coast.

I have not been in the Sierras, yet...I will in a few months.

Things I will already miss about Peru or just take home with me:

1.     Those little spoons they stir the coffee with.

2.     The crowed combi rides (combis are vans that take you almost everywhere.)

3.     Maybe even the moto-taxis (three wheeled motorcycles that take you everywhere, maybe for a slightly higher fee, but they are very convenient.)

4.     The good food. Yep, the food here is much better on average than in the U.S. Occasionally it is oh hum but only at Bembos (like McDonalds) is it worse than oh hum.

5.     Adding lime to chicken soups. Try it. It is excellent.

6.     Very few Peruvians smoke, they know it is expensive.

7.     Many of the houses here have a beautiful sense of architecture.

Things I don’t understand: Why do they start the business day at 8 or 9 when the sun sets at 6 or 6:30? They live a great deal in the dark here. Or at least my families have. When I start early morning patrol to figure out peoples’ schedules then I might learn more.

One thing I won’t miss: The traffic in Lima. At one point there are 6 lanes of traffic going into Lima. OK, I realize this is a big city and 6 lanes going into a big city should be no big deal, except this is on a one way road with only two-lanes.  Driving is a constant game of switching lanes and trying to cut other drivers off. I think everyone hates the traffic in Lima.

I have been up and down the coast of Peru since my last post. I am now in my site in Cerro Alegre in the Department of Lima, District of Cañete, an agricultural area much like Salinas. This is a nice quiet suburb with a few minimarkets, just like Fresno the Mini Markets lack fruit and vegetables, many mototaxi’s waiting to take you to Imperial, the bigger town near where there are an amazing number of little stores selling everyday items.

The nicest place I was at Tina Silva’s site, in the north in Lambayeca. Or at least when I was there, it was country quiet, with a beautiful view of some mountains. I felt I could live there forever. Much of the coast is irrigated agriculture or desert sands. Much of it I passed in the night on buses with the windows covered with shades or moisture. So although I have traveled pretty much coast to coast that doesn’t mean I have seen the whole coast.

I have not been in the Sierras, yet...I will in a few months.

Things I will already miss about Peru or just take home with me:

1.     Those little spoons they stir the coffee with.

2.     The crowed combi rides (combis are vans that take you almost everywhere.)

3.     Maybe even the moto-taxis (three wheeled motorcycles that take you everywhere, maybe for a slightly higher fee, but they are very convenient.)

4.     The good food. Yep, the food here is much better on average than in the U.S. Occasionally it is oh hum but only at Bembos (like McDonalds) is it worse than oh hum.

5.     Adding lime to chicken soups. Try it. It is excellent.

6.     Very few Peruvians smoke, they know it is expensive.

7.     Many of the houses here have a beautiful sense of architecture.

Things I don’t understand: Why do they start the business day at 8 or 9 when the sun sets at 6 or 6:30? They live a great deal in the dark here. Or at least my families have. When I start early morning patrol to figure out peoples’ schedules then I might learn more.

One thing I won’t miss: The traffic in Lima. At one point there are 6 lanes of traffic going into Lima. OK, I realize this is a big city and 6 lanes going into a big city should be no big deal, except this is on a one way road with only two-lanes.  Driving is a constant game of switching lanes and trying to cut other drivers off. I think everyone hates the traffic in Lima.

I have been up and down the coast of Peru since my last post. I am now in my site in Cerro Alegre in the Department of Lima, District of Cañete, an agricultural area much like Salinas. This is a nice quiet suburb with a few minimarkets, just like Fresno the Mini Markets lack fruit and vegetables, many mototaxi’s waiting to take you to Imperial, the bigger town near where there are an amazing number of little stores selling everyday items.

The nicest place I was at Tina Silva’s site, in the north in Lambayeca. Or at least when I was there, it was country quiet, with a beautiful view of some mountains. I felt I could live there forever. Much of the coast is irrigated agriculture or desert sands. Much of it I passed in the night on buses with the windows covered with shades or moisture. So although I have traveled pretty much coast to coast that doesn’t mean I have seen the whole coast.

I have not been in the Sierras, yet...I will in a few months.

Thoughts from Peru:
About ten times (ok only 3) a little bird that is in the northern part of Peru in the coastal or maybe the foothills (nothing is called foothill here) region has been mentioned, apparently it is a must see for birders world wide. Every time it is mentioned I think of friends visiting. Much too premature for any planning, I have not yet taken or passed the various tests, especially the one in español. Let alone have any idea where I will be working. All I know is that I will be in one of six departments: Lambayeque (where the bird is, I think.), Amazonas (not to be confused with the Amazon Jungle…as I was before I got here), but this area is the headwaters of the Amazon River, Ancash, Lima, Junin and Ica. No Peace Corps volunteer is sent to Cusco, it has plenty of NGO’s working there. I was given a description of my site, but then we were told to forget it as everything would change. But that is the Peace Corps motto “be flexible.”
We have had three notable earthquakes since I have been here, we must be due for a forth as the past couple of weeks have been quiet. Two woke me up and the third was talked about.
People here talk about how hot it is, I just can answer, “Well, hot for Chacalacayo.” This is a nice, peaceful community with some large beautiful houses, of course the PCV’s don’t live in those houses, we are supposed to be living in low middle income houses, mine clearly is. A nice quiet loving family. The men (42, 24 and 19) work; the father as a taxi cab driver and the older son as a conductor on combi’s (small crowded buses) I am not sure what the 19 year-old does and the mother sells something like Avon, takes care of me, something the Peace Corps pays her for, cleans the house and makes the meals. I almost giggled last Thursday when her dinner consisted of home made French fries, white rice and cut up, sautéed hot dogs. She was tired of cooking for everyone. She usually cooks very good meals, of course way too much rice, half the plate is usually white rice, but she is learning to give me less, vegetables (I am lucky to have a mom who fixes plenty of vegetables) and some piece of meat, usually chicken.
The weather here is cloudy with afternoon clearing, today it was rather clear and of course I forgot my camera. There would have been some great shots of the areas where houses are built just below obvious rock fall areas.
Lima apparently is heavily clouded this time of year. But on the down side everything is very dusty, I feel sorry for the trees their leaves are ineffective they are covered with so much dust. But the landscaping is interesting. Many of the plants are exactly the same as Fresno (Mulberry, verbena, palms, etc.) plus the addition of various houseplants. Ficus very common here as a tree or a bush, and others that I don’t know the correct names of but I will try rubber trees, are really trees, hibiscus is everywhere along with boganvia. I guess it not only rarely rains, but also it never freezes. Although, we have been forewarned: with the el niño it may pour this year. The houses are not built for rain. Most seem to be unfinished, like those in Palestine waiting, perhaps, for future generations to live there, This house has areas where only a piece of something has been placed over the top to prevent dust or perhaps rain from entering. Last Saturday it did rain as we were going to Lima, but not in Lima, and for less than 5 minutes.

 MY ROOM

MY BEAUTIFUL FLOOR

 View from my window

 Various pictures of and from the Peace corps training center.

Chaclacyo, my home for the next 9 weeks. East of Lima at the base of the sierras. The Mountains I see are rocks with some lines of trees.  Obviously the trees are where there is a bit more water.  We went about 20 minutes to the east last weekend and there was one Mountain we could see with some green on it. I have had some interesting fruits that I never had before and there are more in the markets. I will post more pictures next week but for now these pictures are of my room and the Peace Corps Center.