I spent New Years Eve in Chipillico again this year, more because Edgar had to work, but I really liked their New Years traditions and I had missed a lot last year being stuck at a quincinera with my host sister last year. So Edgar and I decided to hang out in the plaza of Chipillico this year and bring in the New Year. We hung out with one of my health promoters kids. It ended up being really fun. Unfortunately the tradition of burning the dolls (scarecrows) to get rid of the old and make room for the new was scarce this year. I was really disappointed. However, they do celebrate with lots of yellow. There was yellow hats, balloons and everything everywhere. Also, since we were in the plaza, when midnight struck everyone celebrated and then came out of their houses to wish their neighbors a happy new year. I thought it was sweet, many of the mother’s in my project came out to give me hugs for the new year. I also set off my first fire cracker in my life. Even though I have played with fireworks for many years, I have never touched a true fire cracker. I didn’t believe it was a big deal because kids all over Chipillico were setting these things off, but when it was given to me I was warned to throw it as soon as it was lit. I did exactly that, however, it didn’t leave me hand without leaving a sharp sting and loosing the hearing in my ears for a few seconds. I decided one fire cracker was enough!!!
After a pretty quite New Years, I went to visit Edgar the next day. When we were talking a bar owner who lives on my street came up to the police station saying that a well known problem of Chipillico named Jamber was at her bar and was mad when she couldn’t come up with change and stole one of the speakers from her stereo, then his wife punched the woman and they ran off together. Therefore, Edgar said he had to go address this problem.
I have previously had problems with this specific person, when I first came to Chipillico he approached me in the plaza one day, asked me to be is girlfriend (really more specifically sleep with him), because all Americans are the same and that was what we do. I was really upset after this interaction because I felt cornered upset as how I was viewed and frustrated with my Spanish that I couldn’t say anymore to him. I had him write his name in my notebook and I took it home to my family and they told me to stay away from him that he was a little crazy. After this I didn’t have much to do with him, other then people coming to me and asking if I could help his daughter because it was believed he was molesting her, and the mother was badly abusing the girl. It was something unfortunately I could not get involved in. Then, my very last interaction with him was on New Years Eve, when Edgar and I went to the plaza, I was a few steps ahead of Edgar and when Jamber saw he me he proceeded to get himself all worked up to bother me. However, fortunately when Edgar stepped into view he shut his mouth!
So anyway, back to New Years Day, Edgar went off to address the problem and I decided to go to my families pharmacy and hang out. Probably 20 minutes after I left Edgar a car came racing up yelling and asking for help, so we all ran out there to see what the problem was and there was a guy in the back of the car covered in blood and only faintly conscious. He had been stabbed multiple times. My host sister put an IV in his arm and the car raced off to Las Lomas to the nearest place they could get medical attention. Turns out the guy was Jamber’s brother-in-law and had tried to go talk to Jamber after the situation that had taken place in the bar and Jamber was ready and stabbed him repeatedly.
So this lead to an overnight hunt of Jamber, which in the end he was found hiding in a shed behind his house. Then, because of the rain he was detained at the police station in Chipillico for a few days before someone from the city could come and take him away. Edgar said after spending a few days with him he is convinced he is crazy. He apparently was able to describe the stabbing in detail and explain with each stab that he was going after the heart. He remembered everything very vividly. Edgar said he also acted like fool over the few days they had him locked up and Edgar and his partner got very little sleep during the nights. Then in the end, Edgar had to escort him to Piura which made him even more mad. But fortunately for everyone he is going to be locked up for many years in probably some of the nastiness and more dangerous prisons in the world. The man he stabbed turned out to be in the hospital for awhile, he was a diabetic which made the situation worse and Jamber had perforated an intestine. He is home now, but constantly fighting fever. It sounds like he has awhile to recuperate.
So the good news is that Jamber is gone from Chipillico, and more fortunately, I pray that the real threat to his daughter is permanently out of her life, because that was a very sad situation in which I felt helpless because as a volunteer that falls way out of my jurisdiction.
And in the end, it was an interesting way to bring in the New Year. It’s always something in Chipillico!
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