Monday, April 25, 2011

Bring on the BEACH!

I have earned my vacation!!!  Yep…it’s FINALLY here, I am going on my first official vacation in Peru, and I am doing it in the beautiful beach town of Mancora with a bunch of other volunteers.  It is Semana Santa, which is 4 days leading up to Easter, and it is our “free vacation days” so I am really looking forward to it. 

However, the past few weeks have definitely been really busy  and exhausting so I am excited to get away.  I have been working on a number of things lately, but first let me give you the break down.  I technically work with 3 organizations.  The first one is the health post, that is where I spend the majority of my time, the second one is with the organization PLAN international, and the third is with the group of health promoters (women who live in the town).  However, projects I am working with in each group also overlap within the other groups.  For example, what should be our biggest project right now is the CADI, this is a center for early childhood stimulation.  My community has been given funds, toys, uniforms, and a place to hold these sessions from PLAN International, and it is run by the health promoters in the community, and my nurse in the health post helps to train the promoters. 

So basically since I am involved in all 3 organizations, this means 3 times the amount of work for me to do.  Early in the month I was in meetings with PLAN getting materials to help train the promoters and other advice, then in the health post I have been putting together presentations to give to the promoters in the following weeks on early childhood stimulation, and then I am also considered one of the health promoters so I was recently assigned a group of 8 mothers to be working with.  And the CADI is just ONE of the projects I am involved in!

This month has also been busy for other work in the health post, we have been working on a vaccination campaign for HPV, which has meant making lots of posters and banners for the community, and going into the school to give information sessions.  Also, we have been putting together information boards for the waiting room that give health statistics on the community.  This I really like, because the people typically have no clue what is going on. 

Then, with the health promoters, they are eager to start up where the previous volunteer left off with a cocinas mejoradas project (improved cooking stoves).  I appreciate their enthusiasm, but the frustrating part of this project for me is that I don’t think it is something my community needs.  From the homes I have visited where people have these stoves, they also have gas stoves to cook on.  I feel like the cocina is more of a novelty and less of a necessity.  Plus, cocinas require wood, which there is a lack of around here.  The big issue to me is latrines, we HAVE to get people from using the bathroom wherever they choose and direct it to a sanitary place (whoever thought latrines and sanitary could be used in the same sentence). 

So this past week I went with the health promoters to visit some houses and see what is going on, what the previous volunteer did and what improvements we have left to make.  Since most of these projects require a substantial amount of money, I don’t think they are feasible right now, I need more time before I can start approaching mayors and asking for loads of money.  So I have suggested dong a “health neighborhoods” project and we do small presentations on small ways to improve their homes, and the families that make the most improvements win some sort of prize, and when we do finally do a latrines or cocinas project they can be first considered.  However, my health promoters are stubborn women and want to do do do without the organization.  So convincing them is difficult. 

On another side note, I recently went to visit the library a previous volunteer had built in a neighboring town.  She had finished this up right before her close of service and never got to see some things implemented so she emailed me asking if I could check on a few things.  I was happy to do so, her library is beautiful, it was built from the ground up.  It is a one room building with a cement floor, tables and chairs and shelves of donated books.   From what I understand, some of the money donated to this project was from a family who lost their son in the United States and wanted to donate money towards something in his name.  It’s really a beautiful place, and I think it will be an excellent place for kids to spend their time.  Right now, it’s only open 2 days a week and there is a women who just sits and keeps and eye on things and the kids come and go.  My hope is to start a reading project there, and get the kids more involved, as well as other projects.
When it rains it pours!  I spent a lot of time in the beginning trying to figure out my place here, but then it all just happened and I am more busy then I ever expected to be.  I am thankful and overwhelmed, but I know it will all work out

Wednesday, April 6, 2011

Babies

Last week was pretty dull, but this week has been incredibly busy and it´s only Wednesday. I have been to a few meetings and it just seems like there is a lot happening in my little town, and a lot for me to get involved in.  It´s great, I´m glad!  But it means the next couple months will be very busy.

March and April have seemed like the month for babies.  We have had many mothers bringing in their new few day old babies.  Yesterday I had the opportunity to witness two brand new babies, born that morning being brought into the health post.  Both babies were brought in by people other then the parents, because the mothers had spent the night or morning birthing the baby and were in no shape to make it to the health post.  It´s so different here!  In the U.S. a baby is never born in the home unless they just come too fast!!  Most people want their baby born in a hospital with medical staff and all the fancy machines and medicines just incase anything were to happen.  But not here, the babies are born in the homes, usually by a community midwife or family. 

Since there isn´t a doctor that lives in the community, there is no other option.  I think at times, when avaliable the obstetrician get involved, but most of the time she isn´t near by either.  Then afterwards, the family brings the baby to the health post to make sure they are okay, and then they go back to their business. 

Another thing, was when a new baby comes into the health post the family must go buy the manila folder and fastners which will be the child´s medical chart in the health post.  I thought this was so strange.  The health post does not have materials to make charts, the family has to bring it.  What a crazy system!!

But it all makes me think how crazy we are in the United States.  Everyday these babies are born, and of course there are ones with complications, but many are just fine.  And they bring them in the world without all the fancy machines and stuff and they are okay.  Really, when a baby wants to come, it´s coming, we just usually try and make it to the hospital.  This is not to say that when I have kids I want to just have them on a dirt floor or straw mattress bed in my house, and let my neighbor handle all the birthing stuff.  I am going to want to be in a hospital...just in case.  But WOW!  we spend a lot of money on unnecessary stuff sometimes!

Saturday, April 2, 2011

SAY WHAT?!?!!?!?

My Dad thought this would be a good topic to blog about so here I go.  I get asked the question a lot about how my Spanish is coming along.  This is a very frustrating topic sometimes, because some days I feel like it’s not coming along at all.  Which I wish wasn’t the case but I live and work in a community that is entirely Spanish speaking…so it should be coming along great…right?!?!....WRONG!
Recently I had the opportunity to think about it more.  I went to my training and virtually all of the staff running the training is Peruvians.  However, when they speak Spanish I understand them so well.  It has a lot to do with them being highly educated and speaking in proper Spanish, and living in Lima.  It is all the same Spanish I was taught.  So why don’t I understand when people talk in my community.  Well let me explain this in a way you will better understand. 
Those of you from Maryland who are familiar with Smith Island will understand the best.  You know when those people come off the island and talk many of us question ourselves “Where the hell are they from”, because even though they are from the same state, they sound crazy.  After years and years of living on that island they have developed a very distinguishable dialect. 
Well I live on Smith Island, but instead of it being an island it’s a valley, and instead of everyone having the same last name of Evans, its Cordova.  And instead of speaking crazy English, they are speaking crazy Spanish.   And unfortunately there aren’t any of those delicious cakes here either. 
I’ve come to realize that everyone here speaks with their very own dialect and it’s very difficult to understand sometimes.  They speak in a lot of jerga (slang) too.  Sometimes when I am really listening I realize they are not even finishing their sentences, sometimes, not even their words.  But they understand this within each other.  However, I, as an outsider trying to learn the language am not getting it at all. 
So not only am I just trying to learn the dialect of the community I am trying to understand the accents as well.  For example, my host family is from the jungle; almost all of them were born and raised there.  And they have lived between my town and the jungle for the last 12 years.  So the people from the jungle have their own way of speaking.  My family tells me they have picked up most of the accent from here and they don’t talk like jungle people anymore, but I don’t think that explains why I can’t understand what my host Dad is saying.  I feel like everything he speaks, even when he is just making noises  contains the rolling r.  So pretty much whenever he opens his mouth I am lost!  And when my parents come my host sisters want me to translate him and my real dad when they talk…I don’t think that will be a very productive conversation. 
Now BJ’s Dad…whoa!  I don ‘t know what the heck that guy is saying most of the time.  And from having the opportunity to visit his family that live in the middle of nowhere I understand he developed his speech from simply being in the middle of nowhere and talking to people who spoke exactly the same as him. 
So not only am I learning the language I am learning why and where they speak the way they do.  I have accepted the fact that I am going to leave Peru in 20 months and be speaking crazy Spanish.