Wet Hot Peruvian Summer, Part I

With my dad and sister volunteering to guest blog and recount our crazy Perez family adventures from last June, I'll admit, I've become just a little bit lazy. Looking back on the past few months' blog posts I realize it's time to pick up the slack and catch you all up on the actual work I've been doing; the nitty-gritty of my life as a volunteer and the reason why I came here in the first place.

After my Mid-Service Training in Lima with the rest of my lovely WASH 20ers this past December, I returned to site just as we started to head into summer. Peruvian summer is nothing like the summers I spent growing up in Pacifica, summers that inevitably ended in a city-wide festival of our notorious fog [Fog Fest 2015, I'm ready for you!]. In Peru, the type of extreme weather you experience in the summer depends on your location. Sierra folks enter the rainy season and are often rained in for the entire day, bundled up tight and are even affected by landslides.

On the flip side, coastal volunteers are just plain HOT. Summer kicks off toward the end of December and doesn't quit until March or even April. As you travel along the coast, the closer you get to the equator the hotter it gets. I know the volunteers north of me would call me a wimp or tell me I don't even know what hot IS if they came down to Guadalupe for a visit, but believe me when I tell you it is HOT and it's the basis of every conversation had. As my dad often likes to quote (from Fools Rush In, a Perez family favorite), "The white people are melting!"

At least I get these beautiful sunsets once the heat backs off for my evening runs

 December is filled with graduations, chocolatadas, Christmas and New Year celebrations. When I went home for Thanksgiving, I visited my sister's Spanish class which I've been sending monthly letters to since the beginning of my service. She and her classmates sent me back to site with a stack of Christmas cards to give to the kids my site mate's and I work with in a small school in Casa Blanca. Ben and I went out to Casa Blanca to hand out the cards during their end of the school year chocolatada (a Christmas celebration that involves a lot of super sweet hot chocolate and panetón or Peruvian fruit cake) and graduation celebration.

Flor, the only one out of the three graduating students to attend the celebration

These cuties!

 Other Christmas celebrations included a chocolatada with the group of young adults with whom Amanda started the juice shop and Lucia continues to work. There were treats and dancing and, as usual, it was wonderful to hang out with them.

Oscar and Lupita, the newest juice shop couple

Salud!

Within my own host family, we celebrated Christmas with a midnight feast. We had a huge turkey, arroz arabe, potato salad, empanadas, tamales, champagne, hot chocolate and I made some sweet potato casserole. The food was delicious and lasted for about 4 more meals. It was perfect.

Feliz Navidad!

A mother-son moment

Everything was so delicious!

My host parents, Mari and Julio

For New Year's, I decided to take a solo trip to visit my friends serving in Ancash, the sierra department just south of La Libertad. My friend and fellow PSN representative, Nathan, lives just 20 minutes outside of Huaraz, the capital city, and he was more than happy to be my tour guide for the trip. We met up with other volunteers to celebrate the new year, visited his site where he's planting trees with local farmers, hiked up to a beautiful lake and enjoyed AMAZING food (curry, chai, and beer on tap!). It was an awesome trip but I only wish I had taken more photos!

Hiking out to see Nathan's trees

Nathan's trusty sidekick, Mambo

Perfect day for a hike to a lake

Enjoying the view of the Cordillera Blanca, poking out from behind the clouds off in the distance

This pup followed us up to the top and hung out with us for a bit

Mountaintop Friends

When I returned to site it was time for my favorite Peruvian tradition: La Bajada de Reyes. Last year, Amanda and I joined a group of children singing Christmas songs door-to-door around the center of town (click here to refresh your memory). This year my host mom, host sister, Trini, and I joined a group of musicians and rode out to a small town called Nuevo San Marcos where the previous volunteer, Gina, initiated and completed a cocinas mejoradas project. I had been out before a few times with a group of teachers to hang out and lead activities with the kids who live in that area. The kids are adorable and we sang with them and had another chocolatada.

The Band

The Dancers

Las Pastorcitas (Mari, me and Trini)

Later that week we continued our Bajada de Reyes around the center of Guadalupe, sang in the Plaza de Armas and were even invited to sing at the mayor's house. Each house we visited us invited us to eat sandwiches, drink Inca Cola and, of course, kiss the baby Jesus of each nativity scene.

Because our service as volunteers lasts two years our integration into our communities is a fully developed and enriching experience. As I stood with my host mom and sister singing and shaking my tambourine with the tiny community of Nuevo San Marcos, I thought about how last year, there I was singing the same songs in the houses of my neighbors. As we prepped our delicious feast and waited for midnight to come on Christmas Eve, my family and I reminisced about how much had happened in the past year and I realized that I had been there for it all. These are no longer events that we just happen upon or get wrapped up in, these are traditions our communities invite us to be a part of and to take with us when we leave. As the time I have accumulated here grows and the time I have left becomes smaller, the list of things I'll miss when I leave gets longer and longer.