Celebration of San Francisco / St. Francis

As a devout Catholic country, Peru takes the celebration of saints pretty seriously. The past saints have given the Peruvian society the perfect reason to have a holiday from school and government offices like the post office and have large celebrations in the streets complete with dancing, games, food, fireworks, and plenty of drinking. 

A few weeks ago was the celebration of San Francisco de Asis (St. Francis of Assisi).  San Francisco is the patron saint of my town of Mocupe and the third saint celebration I have experienced since moving to Peru.  Here is the recipe for the perfect celebration of a patron saint:

I. Misa con Desfila (Mass with Parade)
There is an elaborate altar constructed to display the saint.  A picture of the saint - in this case, St. Francis - is surrounded by flowers and lights on a hefty wooden structure that has four parts to be carried by the men of the community.  In some celebrations, I have seen a generator attached to the back on a wheeled cart to power the lights and a small speaker as the altar is carried through the town.  It is usually accompanied by a small marching band, women continually throwing flower petals at it, and the entire town walking and praying along the way.

II. Games, Venders, Food - Carnival Style
Town celebrations here include games, restaurants/bars, venders, and rides setting up around the main square - called the Parque or Plaza de Armas.  The carnival like attractions continue anywhere between 3 and 10 days depending on the seriousness of the celebration.  A highlight of the celebration of San Francisco was getting dragged by little sabrinas to ride the "tren" as the majority of the town watched the gringa ride.  The train consisted of trailers made to look like a caterpillar hooked up to an old pick up truck.



III. Fireworks
Bottle rockets are a standard element to any town celebration.  They lead the desfila (parade) of the saint's altar and continue randomly through the entirety of the celebration.  The main firework attraction ends the carnival every night.  It is a 3 - 10 story constructed apparatus that spins and shoots fireworks called "Fuego Artificial" (artificial fire).  It's kinda scary to watch flames get flung at the dry ground and spin towards the watching children but it's pretty cool.

 

IV. Baile and Drinking Circles

No Peruvian event is complete without dancing - and dancing until the wee hours of the morning. Everyone in a Peruvian community dances - the young, the old, everyone!!!  And another integral part of any celebration is the drinking circles.  Drinking circles are essentially the only way people in my town "toma"- or drink.  Beer is only sold in 40 ounce bottles and usually accompanied by 1 cup.  The cup is then ceremoniously passed person to person to share the bottle of beer.  The ritual itself is kind of neat, but anybody who knows my germophobic tendencies can probably figure out this is not my thing!  At the celebration of the school's anniversary my first week in site I was invited to participate in countless drinking circles - I made a quick decision to just not drink in site at all to avoid having to participate.  So instead I explain my need to be an example to the youth and participate in all celebrations without drinking.  Being a good example is great and all but I really am just scared of the germs!

V. Peruvian Pasos Horses Dancing Marinera
Peru is well-known for the horse breed Peruvian Paso.  The horses have an unique 4-step gait sometimes compared to Tennessee Walkers.  The Paso horses are a part of all big town celebrations leading parades and displaying their talent for all to see. 
One of the national dances of Peru is Marinera - a pretty display danced in pairs with handkerchiefs. A really cool thing to see is a girl dancing Marinera with a horse as her dancing partner.  And this is included in all big celebrations! 


That is more or less the recipe for a town celebration of a saint.  I will continue this celebrating this weekend with the Celebration of Senor de Los Milagros (Father of Miracles) that will blog about soon!





Meanwhile, in the ole' USofA, St. Francis is celebrated with the annual (and usually much needed) Blessing of the Animals.  Thanks to my sister Elizabeth for sharing some photos from her church in Lookout Mtn, TN of their Blessing of the Animal celebration complete with special visitors from the Chattanooga Zoo

Pasos Adelante Conferencia

Pasos Adelante (Steps Forward) is a sexual education program of the Peace Corps with the goal of training a group of youth to be promoters of sexual health in their community.  The program begins with sessions to teach the students about sexual health and the prevention of HIV/AIDS, STIs, and teen pregnancy and then continues with teaching the students how to promote health in the community and teach their peers about sexual health. I will start working with Pasos groups the beginning of the next school year in March or so.  But for now I have been helping with other Pasos groups in my region.

On October 5, I helped other volunteers in my region to put on the first Regional Pasos Adelante Conference.  The conference is an opportunity for up to 6 students from each community near the end of the Pasos training to come together and reinforce their learning but really to focus on how to effectively promote sexual health in their communities and be a peer counselor in their schools.  The socios that help lead the groups – usually obstetricians and sometimes teachers – also come and have the opportunity to network and learn new activities and ideas from other groups.

The conference took place at Universidad de Senor de Sipan – one of the national universities in our region of Lambayeque.   So it was an added bonus for the kids to see the campus and university campus as many of these students from small rural pueblos have never been on an university campus. 

The obstetrician from my community, Guadelupe, was able to go with me to participate in the day’s events.  I never saw myself as a sex ed teacher per se (I mean, who does?!?!) but Pasos is an effective and needed program.  In the senior class at one high school I work with, 5 of 25 16-year-old girls will not graduate because of pregnancy.  That’s 20%! The most rapidly growing population of those infected with HIV in Peru are married women – a result of the machismo culture that allows men to sleep with other women as well as their wives and to never use a condom, as that is seen as “unmanly.”  So clearly we have some work to do here and the youth are the place to start.  I am looking forward to working with Guadelupe to improve sexual health and prevent HIV/AIDS and teen pregnancy in Mocupe!

 

III Concurso de Canto en Ingles / III English Song Festival

As a Peace Corps Youth Development Volunteer I work with public high schools, here called national schools.  In my site, I work with two – IE San Francisco in the main town of Mocupe and IE 11185 in my pueblo of Ucupe.

 

The English teacher at IE San Francisco worked with the past volunteer to organize an English singing competition with all of the students of her school.  And so when I arrived I began working with the students and teacher to organize and prepare for the 3^rd annual competition.  I spent a few weeks essentially working as a chorus teacher – something I never thought I would say and something I certainly don’t have the talent for!  But it was really fun!  Peru has an undying love for all things 90’s (scrunchies and track suits are still very fashionable here) and 90’s music is no exception!  Song choices ranged from Sting & The Police to Eric Clapton, Black Eyed Peas to Backstreet Boys.

On September 27, three other Peace Corps Volunteers in nearby sites came to Mocupe to emcee and judge our competition.  Students were judged based on Pronunciation, Organization, Originality & Impact.  The winners were the senior class girls with Christina Aguilera’s “Come On Over” - I will be working on posting the Peru version of Christina Aguilera on YouTube soon!!  The winners received 80 Nuevo Soles (the Peruvian currency).  80 students had donated 1 sole each to make the prize money.  Other prizes included cakes, candy, and drinks donated by teachers.

Obviously singing a few songs in English is not going to change anyone’s life or move the community forward, but it was a great opportunity to get to know many of the students with a fun activity they were all excited about!  Learning English is also helpful for students as they prepare to compete for a spot in university or an institute of higher education and the job market. So sing your hearts out Peruvian Backstreet Boys!

Rehearsal

4th Grade Girls (15 y/o) - NSync This I Promise You

2nd Grade Boys sing Eric Clapton - Tears in Heaven; complete with an angel!

Thanks to the other Peace Corps Volunteers that came to help - Lenny, Zack, and Keiko!
All of us with my socio Profesora Jackie

 

Date Night in the Peace Corps

What goes into planning a relaxing date night for a couple of 20-somethings? 
First decide whether to cook or go out.  Cook it is.
Now what to cook?  Some sort of Italian pasta with a bottle of wine – easy enough.
What time?  This is where dates begin to get creative when you date a currently serving Peace Corps Volunteer.

Last Tuesday night my boyfriend and I planned to have our first “dinner date” since I left for Peru in June.  We planned to both cook Italian – me fettuccini and he ravioli – then eat “together” on Skype at 7 my time, 8 his time.  And this is where we have a problem – nothing ever goes as planned in the Peace Corps. 

Halfway through cooking and 15 minutes until my date, the electricity went out, as it sometimes does.  I finished cooking by candlelight and with high hopes it would be a short outage.  With no sign of light or internet, we moved to Plan B – a phone date.

20 minutes later I sat in my dark room with a plate of fettuccini talking on my cell phone with my “date.”  Just as I got the bottle of wine I splurged on in the capital city open, the cell service was cut in my pueblo, too – another occurrence that periodically happens with no explanation.

And so on to Plan C.  There I was eating fettuccini by flashlight in Peru while my date was eating ravioli in a well lit room in South Carolina without anyway to contact me or know what was going on with his date.

This is the story of a relationship with a currently serving Peace Corps Volunteer. When you decide to date a currently serving PCV, you decide to go on a wild adventure that includes ups like a great excuse to travel to a beautiful country and have an entire family and community love you before they even meet you and downs like unpredictability and isolation even though you still live in the wonderful cushions of first world America. 

A long distance relationship, especially in the Peace Corps, takes some creativity.  The “little things” become really big things that take plenty of effort but are so exciting and appreciated that they are worth every bit of that effort.  So far we have learned to send flowers in a 3^rd world country, to have hot cookies delivered on a birthday, the art of a snail mail letter or well-timed e-mail, and certainly how to be patient and go with the flow when nothing goes as planned. Thanks for being part of my Peruvian adventure, Matthew Strauss! I look forward to more creative Plan A, Plan B, Plan C, and “Forget the Plan” dates in the future.

 

*Other fun reads about LDR or dating a PCV for my friends in PC relationships:

12 Reasons to Date a RPCV http://www.peacecorpsconnect.org/2012/02/12-reasons-to-date-a-returned-peace-corps-volunteer/

LDR Gifs on Buzzfeed http://www.buzzfeed.com/jeremybender/reasons-why-long-distance-relationships-are-better-than-y

26 Reasons to Date a RPCV http://www.thedatereport.com/dating/advice/26-reasons-you-should-date-someone-back-from-the-peace-corps/

Tips for Dating a PCV http://www.wanderbella.com/very-long-distance-relationships-tips-for-dating-a-peace-corps-volunteer/

My Big Fat Peruvian Family - Part 1

My Peruvian Family
Left to Right: Tia Romel, Liva, me, Lily
In Front: Valeria y Dayana

I decided it is about time to share about my loving family here in Peru.  When I received my site assignment of Mocupe / Ucupe, Lambayeque, my family information listed 6 women in my family ranging in age from 61 to 5.  Then my regional coordinator and another current volunteer in Lambayeque told me I would really only be living with one women and my house would be super “tranquilo.”  So basically I had nerves, excitement, and all around no idea what to expect.
From the time I first arrived in Ucupe, I found a big, loving family waiting for me with open arms. 

Livia

My Host Mother SISTER

 

 The one women I was told I would be living with is 55-year-old Livia.  While Livia plays the role of my host mom, preparing my meals, washing my clothes, taking care of me, she rarely calls herself such and prefers to be thought of as my host sister ;)
         Livia is a petite Peruvian and devout Catholic.  She once spent 8 years on-and-off living in Argentina with a family as their “empleadora” – a person who cooked, cleaned, and took care of the children.  In this way, she is accustomed to the role of caring for someone and does exceptionally well making sure my every need and want is filled – almost to a fault.  She also has a keen understanding of what is means to live in another country away from family and for this understanding I am most grateful.
          Livia’s mother died this past March on March 11, a day before her 72^nd birthday.  The family is currently observing the one-year mourning period.  All adult members of the family wear only black, do not attend parties, and do not dance.  I will soon add a post about what it is like to live with a family in mourning – just another adventure.
          Livia frequently explains to me how she lived alone after her mother’s death before I moved in; however, 5 other people sleep in our house every night and even more spend every evening in our living room, watching TV and chatting.  And so, Livia, along with 4 other people make up my “immediate” family here.

By joining Livia’s family I joined a big, extended family.  Livia’s mother was one of 8 children – 5 girls and 3 boys.  One of the daughters and one of the sons live in Lima and I have not met them.  Livia’s mother, as I mentioned, recently died.  This leaves 3 aunts who are very involved in my house and daily life: Nelly, Romel, and Nicol. 

Tia Romel, her daughter Lily, Lily’s daughter Dayana, and Romel’s other granddaughter Valeria all sleep in my house every night along with Livia’s friend Peta.  

Romel

My Aunt
Romelia, called Tia Romel, is always happy and enjoys being the jokester.   She and her husband have a house in the campo within walking distance from me. She spends her days there and her evenings/nights in my house.  There is a neat outdoor kitchen area, fields where they grow squash and corn, a great garden with beautiful roses and avocado trees, and lots of animals including chickens, ducks, guinea pigs, a pig, and a dog.

Romel has 3 children and at least 4 granddaughters that I know.  2 children live in Lima and her youngest daughter Lily lives with us.

Valeria

My Niece

Valeria is my 8-year-old niece.  Her father Juan Carlos, is the oldest son of Tia Romel.  He, his wife, and their other 2 daughters live in a town in the department of Lima but Valeria lives here in Ucupe with multiple aunts as surrogate mothers.  I met her mother and sisters on their visit when I came on my site visit in August.
        As I understand it, Valeria’s family was visiting here when she was very young and she got very sick.  Her mother was pregnant with her younger sister and needed to return to Lima.  Unable to make the trip, Valeria stayed here to get better.  After some time, the family decided Valeria had gotten use to life here and would remain here indefinitely. 
        She is cared for by Livia, Tia Romil, and Lily and now I share in the daily tasks of getting her homework done, making sure she baths, ect.  She is full of energy and your typical 8 year old girl who would rather play outside with friends then sit down to study Peruvian religion before test day.  And life with her is what I would guess a typical relationship of a much older sister with a much younger sister – 16 year young sister to be exact.  To Valeria, everything I have or do is exciting and should be shared, or even just given to her. Including my attention.  We have lots of fun but sometimes doors just need to be shut for a minute ;)



Lily with her daughter Dayana

Lily
My Cousin/Sister/BFF
Liliana, called Lily (pronounced LeeLee), is Romel’s 29-year-old daughter.  She has her mother’s sweet disposition and a smile and laugh that can quite literally brighten any day. She loves to include me in anything she is up to from painting her nails to going to buy shoes to going to birthday parties and dancing until the next morning. 

Dayana

My Niece
Dayana is Lily’s 5-year-old daughter and literally the light of my day.  She is a burst of energy and cutest thing you’ve ever seen.  When the popular (and terribly overplayed) song “Soy Soltera” comes on the radio, she dances with more sass than I’ve ever seen.  A smile and hug from Dayana will quickly stop any headache or confusion with this sometimes frustrating society. 

The other person who sleeps here most nights is Peta, Liva’s best friend.  I have my own room, as required by Peace Corps.  The other 6 people sleep in one room in 3 beds; however, 5-year-old Dayana likes to beg her mother and aunts for permission to sleep with “Tia Carolina” and I can hardly object to her big smile.

While the entire community does an excellent job of being my family while I am away from my family, these are the people I more or less spend every day with and, as such, are the ones who expect and who have specifically requested to be on my gift list should I find time to visit the states. (All of us are pictured together at the top)

I realize this is one of those posts that goes on probably too long but I could go one forever about my family here just as I can about my family at home and I look forward to sharing more of my adventures with Livia’s family over my two years with them.