I Have A New Sister

A couple of weeks ago, my dad shared with me that he would like to sponsor a person from Alto Cayma through the Acercandonos sponsorship program. I looked through the files of people on our waiting list and saw that we had a little girl named Ariela who liked to play chess. Because my dad also plays chess, I thought he would enjoy this girl.

Ariela lives in a house with a cement roof and cement floors. She and her family have access to running water and electrcity. She has three other brothers and sisters, and her family has monthly income of 500 soles or a little less than $180. She celebrated her eleventh birthday on October 29th, and she in the the fifth grade of primary school.

This is Ariela, and I get to meet her this week and tell her that we are sisters!

Adventures in Eating Part II

I mentioned in an earlier blog post that I was looking forward to trying cuy. In Peru, cuy is a typical dish. In the United States, cuy is cooked guinea pig.

Victor's daughter Nikole celebrated her fifteenth birthday this week. As some of you know, in Central and South American, birthday number fifteen is very special. It is also called a quinceaneara, and it marks the passage from childhood to womanhood. Traditionally, the family of the new fifteen year old, hosts a party to present their daughter. Nikole didn't want a party - she asked for a laptop! As you can imagine, computers like these are very, very expensive for families in Alto Cayma. However, the parties are usually just as expensive. Victor thought his daughter was pretty smart to ask for something like this, so he and his wife agreed.

On the day of Nikole's birthday, I was invited to go out to lunch with the family. Nikole's favorite dish is cuy. Of course, I jumped at the chance to try guinea pig.

Friends, this is what was on my plate.



This is Nicole showing all of you in the US what cuy looks like.



Much to my dismay, this is what the underside of cuy looks like.



I really was nervous to try cooked guinea pig. Especially when I saw its teeth, claws and liver were still in tact. It definitely doesn't taste like chicken, and I'm not quite sure how to describe it. I did, however, learn that it has zero cholesterol and is an incredibly healthy meat.

I think I put a serious dent into the cuy corpse. I did draw a line at the head. I could not eat the ears, etc. I was also convinced that it was looking at me.

I asked Nikole if I after I tried cuy, I could be considered a real Peruvian. The family overhead and laughed. Yes, they told me, you are Peruvian now : ).

Vacation for Victor

This week my Peruvian boss, Senor Victor, left for his first vacation in four years of working for Association Serving Alto Cayma. Victor has six-day work weeks, and the amount of hours he works is incredible. For this reason, I am thrilled that he is going to spend a week in Lima away from the office.

I was able to go to the airport with Victor’s family to see him off. While Victor did a lot of travelling solo in his twenties, he hasn’t been away for an extended period of time since he had children. Everyone in the family was a little nervous. Victor’s youngest child, Emmanuel, was especially worried. He asked his dad to leave a picture of himself at the house so he could look at it. This was the first time his dad had every gone anywhere without him for more than a day or two. However, when I mentioned to Emmanuel that was the “Señor” de la casa for a week, he seemed to perk up a little.

I am excited to hear about Victor´s adventures with his family in Lima. Emmanuel and I are making a ¨Welcome Home¨ sign to greet Victor with when he comes back.

Rain, rain, don’t go away! I know you won’t come again another day.

Perhaps a better title for this blog entry is: The Weather in Southern Peru

I have been living in Alto Cayma for almost three months, and I have experienced exactly seven minutes of light drizzle. In North Carolina, we would call this a drought of epic proportions. In Arequipa, Peru, we call this normal. The weather here is a little different than what I’m used to. While you in the United States are in the middle of fall, the people in Peru are in the middle of spring. While you are cooling down, we are just starting to heat up.

As I was thinking about the differences in seasons today, it occurred to me that this is my year without an autumn. I experienced the end of winter and springtime in Slovakia, summer for three weeks in the US and then I came to South America for the tail end of their Peruvian winter. Now it’s springtime for me until December, when I will return to the US in time for another winter.
The sun in Alto Cayma is very, very strong. The skies are always blue, but there isn’t much cloud cover. Because most of the land is sandy, the sun reflects off the ground and, at times, makes sunburns inevitable. I am always a little pink after a day in the sun ---- and that’s with a sombrero and sunscreen. If I don’t have my hat and I am outside for more than twenty minutes, I will have a sunburn by evening.

Today is one of those rare days where the sky is a little grey, and it looks like it could rain. I am hoping for, praying for and dreaming of rain : ).

In Alto Cayma, I am Señorita Meghan

“Good morning Señoriiiiiiiiiiiiita Meghaaaaaaan!”

Every Friday I teach at two different high schools, and these are the words that my students greet me with when I enter the classroom.

“Good morning,” I usually answer them.

Most of the time I enjoy teaching in the high schools in Alto Cayma; although, I have noticed that classroom respect and etiquette is very different than in Slovakia and in the US.

Because of all the people in the Acercandonos sponsorship program, and the students I teach at two high schools, it is a rare thing for me to walk through the streets or ride the combis and not hear, “Hola Senorita Meghan!” from someone. Whenever I see one of my students as I’m walking through the streets in Alto Cayma, it is my habit to speak with him or her in English. I have found that I have two groups of students: one group of students is terrified to speak to me in English. Usually these students will literally run when they see me coming (I usually run after them) or they will hide and as I walk by I hear them whispering, “Shhhh. No quiero hablar ingles!” (Shhh. I don’t want to speak English). Usually, I sneak up behind them with a “Boo!” and “How are you?”

Thankfully, I have a second group of students who love practicing their English with a Gringa.

It is good to be back in a classroom.

A Combi Adventure

When you're main form of transportation is of the public variety, your life can never be boring. Unfortuantely this past week, my life was a little too exciting.

Last Tuesday, after three days of rest and recooperation, I was feeling like a caged animal. There is only so much rest a sick person - or a healthy person - can have. So, I decided to go across town to my weekly Spanish lesson.

At three in the afternoon, I was caught up in the most-lunch rush hour as the Peruvians were making their way back to work after their extended lunch hour. For this reason, the combis were crowded. I counted 28 people (including the driver) on my combi. Unfortunately, Tuesday was an unusually warm spring day, and the windows on the combi were closed. I had just finished eating lunch (read: a piece of bread that I was able to stomach) and between the heat, the smells of my fellow passengers, and the maniac fast-slow-stop-go combi driving, I was starting to feel a little sick. Five minutes passed, and it seemed the driver was in even more of a hurry than before. My stomach started rolling, and I recognized it as the sign that I was about to revisit my lunch. I wasn't sure what to do. People in the combi were literally sitting on each other's laps, and there was no safe place to turn if I needed to be sick. So, I didn't the only thing I could think of. I called out to the driver, "Senor Conductor! Senor Conductor! Si no puede manejar con mas cuidado, voy a botar en toda la combi." (Roughly translated: Mr. Diver, Mr. Driver! If you can't drive with more care, I am going to throw up all over the combi.)

Immediately, the people on the combi started shifting away. The combi assitant, who rides in the back with the people to help open and close the door and take people's fares, started yelling, "Stop! Stop! Stop!" Almost immediately, the combi slowed to a corner and stopped. "Tu," (you), they said adressing me, "OUT!" Shocked, I looked around. "Yo?" (Me?), I asked innocently. "Out!" They said again. I gathered up my things and stepped out of the combi. That's when it occurred to me: They're kicking me off! Flabbergasted, I remember thinking Can they do this?.

Yep, they can.

There Are Angels in My Life Who Keep Their Wings Hidden

I know that there are angels in my life. I am certain of this because I saw feathers this weekend.

Saturdays are usually our busiest days here in Alto Cayma. Saturdays are the days in which we have a total group meeting with every sponsoree (and usually their family), youth group meetings, English classes, college sponsorship meetings, etc. This past Saturday, like every other, was busy.

I arrived at the church where we have our monthly meetings, and within two minutes of setting foot inside the nave, my stomach started gurgling. Nothing hurt, but it was an odd, rolling, sea-sick feeling. I ignored it because I was trying to round up my English class - the kids and I were singing two songs in English at the beginning of the meeting.

I ended up throwing up before the kids took the stage. Thankfully, I was able to help direct the group with my partner in crime and coteacher, Isela, and I barely made it through "The More We Get Together" and "Shake Another Hand" before I sprinted to bathroom again. At this point, I was simply confused. What in the world did I do to myself? It was a little ridiculous. One hour later, though, I was still making regular trips to the bathroom - until finally I decided simply stretching out on the bathroom floor was more efficient. Isela sat with me the entire time. She even ran to the store to get gum so that I could get that awful sick taste out of my mouth. And when I realized that I just wanted to be in Peruvian home in my Peruvian bed instead of on a church floor in Alto Cayma, Isela took a taxi with me and made sure I got home okay. She even held a bag for me when I sick in the car. Angel #1.

I got home and things seemed to settle for a little bit. I changed into pajamas but immediately started getting cold chills. Thinking I had a fever, a rummaged around for the farenheit thermometer mom bought me a year and a half ago before I left for Europe. I was shocked to see that my body temperature was 93.1. At this point, I was already curled up under two wool blankets and comforter on my bed. Unfortunately, I couldn't stay that way for long because my stomach kept rolling.

It got to the point where I was making a trip to the bathroom every twenty minutes - for vomiting and diarrhea. Then, I would pass out on my bed for ten to fifteen minutes, and begin again.

After about two hours of this, my host mom said, "Meghan, I think you need to go to the hospital." "Charo," I told her, "I want one more hour." I have spent some time in emergency rooms thanks to my accident prone nature - usually for broken bones and stitches, but I have never actually been to a hospital for medicine and IVs and such. The idea of going to a hospital in Peru didn't make my stomach feel any better. However, after an hour, I realized that this was not going to get better on its own. "Charo," I told her, "Vamos."

I sat with my host mom in the hospital for about thirty minutes before I was seen - not too bad all things considered! I knew that I was really dehyrdated and I remember asking everyone (doctors, nurses, people in the hallway) if I could please have some water. Thankfully, I didn't have to wait long --- I was immediately hooked up to an IV and, over a period of a couple of hours, had almost 2 liters of water added to my system. The doctors were also quick to wrap me up in warm blankets. What a difference water and a little warmth makes! I was nowhere near 100%, but I felt like a new person.

As I lay in the bed in a room I shared with several other sick people in the middle of the night on Saturday, I kept apologizing to my host mom. "Charo, Disculpame," I told her. "I am so sorry that I am keeping you up." Charo's response, "You're my daughter. Where else would I be?" Angel #2.

I was too sick and tired to wish that I were at home. It didn't matter where I was, I just wanted to feel better. In the hospital, Gloria called to check on me because she hadn't heard from me since I had gone home that afternoon. Charo spoke with her first, and then passed the phone to me. I don't remember anything that I said to her, but I do remember her saying to me in English, "I love you." Angel #3. That was exactly what I needed to hear.

The doctors ran some tests, and ended up sending me home with tests to take care of in the morning. It turns out that I had a stomach infection. My doctor was unsure whether or not I had a parasite --- so he decided to treat for everything. I have antibiotics, pain medicine, anti-nausea medicine, a sedative to help me sleep, and a pill that helps build good and healthy bacteria up in my system --- and guess how much all that cost? Just under $80 (including the hospital visit!). I was shocked.

The doctor told me I should rest for three days, but after that, I was fine to do what I wanted. On Sunday, I slept pretty much around the clock. Today (Monday) was day #2 of rest, and it was definitely healing. Tomorrow, however, I think I might climb the walls. I am feeling much, much better.

Some of you may know that I have a fascination with angels. I love the image of Michael the Archangel protecting people, and I love to read Gabriel's messages during Advent and at Chrismtas time. One of my favorite verses is from Hebrews 13:2 --- "Don't neglect to show hospitality to strangers, for by doing that some have entertained angels without knowing it."

There are angels in my life who have shown me love and grace. They don't look like angels from the outside, but I am certain it's only because they've found a way to keep their wings hidden.