Hey y'all.
This week was kind of "eye-opening" in the sense that we began to make our first real connections with los campesinos (country-dwellers). On Sunday, after spending the morning at Pisac, the Incan archaeological site/fabulous crafts market, we headed back up to Chicon to try, once again, meeting with the community leaders. Like Ober had (our Chiconian connection) told us, nearly the entire town was chilling at the cancha (field). As we became a part of the crowd of spectators, I was really impressed by the palpable feeling of community and togetherness. Children ran up and down the sidelines while their parents chatted and sipped freshly brewed chicha. We did manage to have a pretty informal chat with many of the community leaders, after which we were free to do what we wanted. We started a pick-up soccer game on the field and had a great time playing with the kids, who ranged in age from about five or six to about twenty. Afterwards, chaos (the good kind) erupted when we tried showing the kids (there were about thirty of them) some American group activities like elbow tag and the circle sit. As the sky darkened to pitch black, we finally decided it was time to take a combi home.
On Wednesday, I ventured into Chichubamba with Mecha, the ProPeru water filter coordinator, to check on the families who have already received filters. At first, I felt a little uncomfortable entering people's homes and standing awkwardly around the filter. But from observation, I quickly learned that it wasn't a big deal at all. The people in the homes we visited were extremely hospitable, inviting, and willing to answer questions. Here's what was super exciting: we asked many filter-owners if their families' health had improved after the advent of the filters. And the consensus was nearly unanimous...almost all of the Chichubambinos we met told us firmly that their children no longer suffered from diarrhea and digestion problems. Many were eager to explain how important the filters were to their families and how happy they were to have them. To be able to hear this directly from these people was a really great experience. I was hearing firsthand--straight from the source--that the filters were doing people good.
Today, we began our first round of community diagnostics. The first round is just a short encuesta with questions designed to give us an idea of what project possibilities exist and would be valued in the community. Though I was a little nervous at first, just as I had been the day before, my apprehension subsided slowly as I realized it wasn't really that difficult. In fact, it was inspiring and enlightening to catch a glimpse of the chakra (agriculture) life. One older couple, who proudly told us about their eight children, answered the "income question" by telling us that their ingresa was virtually zero because all the monthly earnings are devoted to paying for their son's college education. I was moved by how hard this man was working--and how 100% of his earnings went straight to his son's bank account. As we sat in their backyard, chickens and pigs doing their thing while the couple gave detailed responses to our questions, it felt like we were getting to know the real Peru.
I wish I had taken pictures. But I'll be visiting these communities for nine months, so I should get a photo or two.
18.9.10
Untitled Adventures
Hey y'all.
It's been an interesting week. On Monday, we got a taste of the water filter-building process when we spent the morning in the ProWorld workshop with Mercedes. We carefully measured out ground clay and sifted sawdust, then mixed them together with water. After kneading the mixture by hand, we stomped around in the mud for a long while (my favorite part!) to bring it to an even consistency. Eventually, when we got the okay from Mercedes, we used a press to shape the clay into filter form (comparable to a medium-sized bucket). Once the filter is properly baked in the kiln, it will be coated with colloidal silver. This ensures that the filter serves its purpose and provides its family with 100% clean water for two years.
On Wednesday, we experienced another aspect of the filters project; we went with Mercedes to the market where we set up an information booth and tried to garner interest. Personally, I was pretty nervous to approach people at first, especially because I had to speak Spanish. But suddenly I found myself telling more and more people about the benefits of filters (as opposed to boiled or bottled water), and many were very interested. The filters project happens to be my service placement for the next two months, and I'm looking forward to learning more about its various aspects.
On Tuesday and Wednesday, we visited the Media Luna and Chicon, the two communities in which we will be conducting needs assessments starting next week. Though the two looked somewhat similar in terms of aesthetics, our experiences in each community could not have been more different...
In Media Luna, we met in a meeting room with some community leaders and discussed, quite methodically, our plans for the coming week. The leaders gave us a little introduction to the community, as well as some ideas for projects. In general, it was a seemingly normal meeting, and we left with a better idea of what we are going to be doing.
The next day, we got up early, as walking to Chicon from Urubamba is a bit of a hike. When we finally made it to the town, we were informed that the community president wasn't around! But since Steph had already befriended two very friendly Chiconians on a previous visit, we instead decided to spend some time with them, and hiked up a bit further. To be honest, it was a pretty difficult, uphill journey, but we did see some interesting things, including 1.) two cows charge THROUGH a barbed wire fence 2.) extraordinary views of the mountains. Fiiiiiinally we reached the abandoned ProWorld casita that used to be an overnight haven for hikers. We all had a great time lazing in the sun and chatting with our Chiconian friends. It got even better when one of them, Ower, introduced us to his entire family on our way back down. We met his wife and daughter and sister and mother and grandmother and a ton of others. It certainly wasn't the meeting we'd been expecting, but it felt pretty "legit" to be shooting the breeze in the countryside with some real Peruvians. (and we even tried chicha, the famous corn beer of Peru!)
I think that's enough blogging for now. Sorry I'm still holding off on the pictures...the photo-uploader is so slow and I'm sleepy!
Peace.
It's been an interesting week. On Monday, we got a taste of the water filter-building process when we spent the morning in the ProWorld workshop with Mercedes. We carefully measured out ground clay and sifted sawdust, then mixed them together with water. After kneading the mixture by hand, we stomped around in the mud for a long while (my favorite part!) to bring it to an even consistency. Eventually, when we got the okay from Mercedes, we used a press to shape the clay into filter form (comparable to a medium-sized bucket). Once the filter is properly baked in the kiln, it will be coated with colloidal silver. This ensures that the filter serves its purpose and provides its family with 100% clean water for two years.
On Wednesday, we experienced another aspect of the filters project; we went with Mercedes to the market where we set up an information booth and tried to garner interest. Personally, I was pretty nervous to approach people at first, especially because I had to speak Spanish. But suddenly I found myself telling more and more people about the benefits of filters (as opposed to boiled or bottled water), and many were very interested. The filters project happens to be my service placement for the next two months, and I'm looking forward to learning more about its various aspects.
 |
| Mmm, brownies! |
In Media Luna, we met in a meeting room with some community leaders and discussed, quite methodically, our plans for the coming week. The leaders gave us a little introduction to the community, as well as some ideas for projects. In general, it was a seemingly normal meeting, and we left with a better idea of what we are going to be doing.
The next day, we got up early, as walking to Chicon from Urubamba is a bit of a hike. When we finally made it to the town, we were informed that the community president wasn't around! But since Steph had already befriended two very friendly Chiconians on a previous visit, we instead decided to spend some time with them, and hiked up a bit further. To be honest, it was a pretty difficult, uphill journey, but we did see some interesting things, including 1.) two cows charge THROUGH a barbed wire fence 2.) extraordinary views of the mountains. Fiiiiiinally we reached the abandoned ProWorld casita that used to be an overnight haven for hikers. We all had a great time lazing in the sun and chatting with our Chiconian friends. It got even better when one of them, Ower, introduced us to his entire family on our way back down. We met his wife and daughter and sister and mother and grandmother and a ton of others. It certainly wasn't the meeting we'd been expecting, but it felt pretty "legit" to be shooting the breeze in the countryside with some real Peruvians. (and we even tried chicha, the famous corn beer of Peru!)
I think that's enough blogging for now. Sorry I'm still holding off on the pictures...the photo-uploader is so slow and I'm sleepy!
Peace.
10.9.10
'bamba.
Hey y'all.
From Urubamba! After an incredibly long period of orientation sessions, I have moved in with my host family and am no longer living out of suitcases!
It sounds cliche, but it's true; Urubamba is gorgeous. It is surrounded by mountains on literally every side, and in many places, you can see the glacier, which is spectacular. Eventually, we will be hiking there!
If you ask anyone in Urubamba how to describe the town, the answer will be, almost undoubtedly, "tranquilooooo." (meaning "calm, peaceful, chill") And tranquilo it is. There aren't too many cars; the streets are instead alive with mototaxis, pedestrians, dogs (mucho), bicyclists, and the occasional van. It's hard to explain, but in Urubamba I feel like we have so much more time in a single day, at least when compared to my previous lifestyle in Nueva Jersey...
Today, I went a rural area not far from the town where ProWorld is working to install cleaner burning stoves in many families' homes. (Sorry I don't have pictures...you can check out the project here: http://cleanburningstoves.blogspot.com/) First, we watched as Jaime, the project coordinator, showed us the process from start to finish. Basically, the stove base consists of nine clay bricks, which are fastened together with a mud-water-guineapighair/hay mixture. There are also clay panels that lie on top to form the shapes of the circular cooking holes. The stoves also have exhaust tubes which release the fumes into the air through a hole in the roof. It's s a really simple and sustainable process (the stove is built entirely out of clay, with three pieces of old plow parts for support) that only takes about an hour, but can really improve the quality of life for the people who receive the stoves. And now for the point I was planning to make when I started this paragraph...after we finished one of the stoves, the elderly couple invited us in to have some comida (food). Though we told them we had to get home to have lunch with our families (it was nearly 2 o'clock at this point), they were unphased. "Sit down and have some," they insisted, as if to say "there's time." And if you're wondering, I can't remember exactly what they offered us, but it tasted like sweet potato.
My photo-uploader is really slow at the moment, so I'll post more later. Peace.
From Urubamba! After an incredibly long period of orientation sessions, I have moved in with my host family and am no longer living out of suitcases!
 |
| Street view. Those interesting vehicles you see are called mototaxis, and they will take you anywhere in Urubamba for 1 sol. |
It sounds cliche, but it's true; Urubamba is gorgeous. It is surrounded by mountains on literally every side, and in many places, you can see the glacier, which is spectacular. Eventually, we will be hiking there!
If you ask anyone in Urubamba how to describe the town, the answer will be, almost undoubtedly, "tranquilooooo." (meaning "calm, peaceful, chill") And tranquilo it is. There aren't too many cars; the streets are instead alive with mototaxis, pedestrians, dogs (mucho), bicyclists, and the occasional van. It's hard to explain, but in Urubamba I feel like we have so much more time in a single day, at least when compared to my previous lifestyle in Nueva Jersey...
 |
| Rosie, Rachel and I work on a stove |
Today, I went a rural area not far from the town where ProWorld is working to install cleaner burning stoves in many families' homes. (Sorry I don't have pictures...you can check out the project here: http://cleanburningstoves.blogspot.com/) First, we watched as Jaime, the project coordinator, showed us the process from start to finish. Basically, the stove base consists of nine clay bricks, which are fastened together with a mud-water-guineapighair/hay mixture. There are also clay panels that lie on top to form the shapes of the circular cooking holes. The stoves also have exhaust tubes which release the fumes into the air through a hole in the roof. It's s a really simple and sustainable process (the stove is built entirely out of clay, with three pieces of old plow parts for support) that only takes about an hour, but can really improve the quality of life for the people who receive the stoves. And now for the point I was planning to make when I started this paragraph...after we finished one of the stoves, the elderly couple invited us in to have some comida (food). Though we told them we had to get home to have lunch with our families (it was nearly 2 o'clock at this point), they were unphased. "Sit down and have some," they insisted, as if to say "there's time." And if you're wondering, I can't remember exactly what they offered us, but it tasted like sweet potato.
My photo-uploader is really slow at the moment, so I'll post more later. Peace.
6.9.10
Saqsawaman y Mas
Hey y'all.
Sorry I haven't been that prompt in the blogging department. Anyway, my beloved Bridge Year compatriots are updating their blogs as well, so to avoid redundancy, I won't talk about absolutely everything. I've only been here a few days, but I've already encountered some of the things that are often perceived as quintessentially Peruvian. Like cuy (salty roasted guinea pig), tea de coca leaves (since I came to Peru I have drunk more cups of tea than I had over the course of my entire life, I think), los menus (a popular choice for the traditionally heavy Peruvian lunch; menus consist of a salad/appetizer, soup, and main dish, usually with meat and papas fritas), llamas (self-explanatory), quinoa (an Andean staple grain), breathtaking views of the hills (photos below), parades (political and religious) architectural marvels (the Inca were truly ingenious) and altitude-related sensations (luckily nothing more than occasional shortness of breath and increased heart rate).
Today was especially special for me, so I'm going to go into more detail about my adventures. In the morning, we (the Bridge Year students) had an orientation session with Stephanie, our fearless leader. We talked about some of the "building blocks" of cultural values. For example, the concept of self, which can range from individualist (the needs of the individual are satisfied before that of the group) to collectivist (one's identity is in large part a function of one's membership and role in a group), is often shaped by the society in which one lives. We also discussed the spectrum of the locus of control, which ranges from internal (the feeling that one can dictate his/her life path completely) to external (the belief that certain things cannot be controlled and must therefore be accepted). Among things to be or not to be controlled are time and nature.
I have always been very interested in these concepts, especially the individualist/collectivist contrast, and the morning discussion made me very eager to find out where Peruvian culture lies on the spectrum. What I didn't realize was that I would get some insight only a short while later, when I visited Saqsawaman with Stephanie and my Bridge Year buddies. At this site, located right here in Cusco, is what remains of an Inca fortress. Constructed in the 13th century, these ruins are constructed of massive limestone bricks...some over four meters tall and 160 tonnes in weight. And what is awe-striking is not just the sheer enormity of the boulders, but the fact that they were transported nearly twelve kilometers--in a society where the wheel had not yet been introduced. These structures, unlike the work of the Spanish conquistadors who took over Cusco in the middle of the last milennium, the Incan constructions have been made to withstand the constant threat of earthquakes in Peru.
As our guide, Carlos, explained the process by which the Inca built Saqsawaman, it became evident to me that the Incan society was incredibly collectivist. Working in teams of one hundred to two hundred men to drag and fit the massive stones into place, the Inca people understood that the survival and success of the group ensures the well-being of the individual--and therefore the group gets priority. Carlos told us about a n Incan concept called "Ayni." This translates to "today you, tomorrow me." In other words, it implies a sense of faith in others/the group.
I was also struck by Carlos's comments when we visited an ancient temple in the vicinity of Saqsawaman. He explained how the Inca considered nothing more sacred than nature...the sun, the moon, the stars, rainbows. Unlike other societies, they acknowledged nature's power and accepted the fact that it cannot be controlled. The fact that such a wise people were pillaged, enslaved, and destroyed by the Spaniards is unreal to me. Is it inevitable that individualist societies will prevail?
On a lighter note, our group found ourselves in the midst of a spontaneous salsa lesson this afternoon! During Spanish class, Alex jokingly asked our teacher if he could show us some salsa moves, and to our great surprise, the five of us were soon learning the basic moves. So much for subjunctive and preterite and all that. Hopefully we'll get to try out our skills at one of the Peruvian clubs in Cusco before we depart for Urubamba!
 |
| The souvenir market at San Blas |
Sorry I haven't been that prompt in the blogging department. Anyway, my beloved Bridge Year compatriots are updating their blogs as well, so to avoid redundancy, I won't talk about absolutely everything. I've only been here a few days, but I've already encountered some of the things that are often perceived as quintessentially Peruvian. Like cuy (salty roasted guinea pig), tea de coca leaves (since I came to Peru I have drunk more cups of tea than I had over the course of my entire life, I think), los menus (a popular choice for the traditionally heavy Peruvian lunch; menus consist of a salad/appetizer, soup, and main dish, usually with meat and papas fritas), llamas (self-explanatory), quinoa (an Andean staple grain), breathtaking views of the hills (photos below), parades (political and religious) architectural marvels (the Inca were truly ingenious) and altitude-related sensations (luckily nothing more than occasional shortness of breath and increased heart rate).
 |
| Loyal supporters of a mayoral candidate at the Plaza de Armas |
Today was especially special for me, so I'm going to go into more detail about my adventures. In the morning, we (the Bridge Year students) had an orientation session with Stephanie, our fearless leader. We talked about some of the "building blocks" of cultural values. For example, the concept of self, which can range from individualist (the needs of the individual are satisfied before that of the group) to collectivist (one's identity is in large part a function of one's membership and role in a group), is often shaped by the society in which one lives. We also discussed the spectrum of the locus of control, which ranges from internal (the feeling that one can dictate his/her life path completely) to external (the belief that certain things cannot be controlled and must therefore be accepted). Among things to be or not to be controlled are time and nature.
 |
| Que marvelloso! |
I have always been very interested in these concepts, especially the individualist/collectivist contrast, and the morning discussion made me very eager to find out where Peruvian culture lies on the spectrum. What I didn't realize was that I would get some insight only a short while later, when I visited Saqsawaman with Stephanie and my Bridge Year buddies. At this site, located right here in Cusco, is what remains of an Inca fortress. Constructed in the 13th century, these ruins are constructed of massive limestone bricks...some over four meters tall and 160 tonnes in weight. And what is awe-striking is not just the sheer enormity of the boulders, but the fact that they were transported nearly twelve kilometers--in a society where the wheel had not yet been introduced. These structures, unlike the work of the Spanish conquistadors who took over Cusco in the middle of the last milennium, the Incan constructions have been made to withstand the constant threat of earthquakes in Peru.
 |
| The largest stones |
As our guide, Carlos, explained the process by which the Inca built Saqsawaman, it became evident to me that the Incan society was incredibly collectivist. Working in teams of one hundred to two hundred men to drag and fit the massive stones into place, the Inca people understood that the survival and success of the group ensures the well-being of the individual--and therefore the group gets priority. Carlos told us about a n Incan concept called "Ayni." This translates to "today you, tomorrow me." In other words, it implies a sense of faith in others/the group.
I was also struck by Carlos's comments when we visited an ancient temple in the vicinity of Saqsawaman. He explained how the Inca considered nothing more sacred than nature...the sun, the moon, the stars, rainbows. Unlike other societies, they acknowledged nature's power and accepted the fact that it cannot be controlled. The fact that such a wise people were pillaged, enslaved, and destroyed by the Spaniards is unreal to me. Is it inevitable that individualist societies will prevail?
On a lighter note, our group found ourselves in the midst of a spontaneous salsa lesson this afternoon! During Spanish class, Alex jokingly asked our teacher if he could show us some salsa moves, and to our great surprise, the five of us were soon learning the basic moves. So much for subjunctive and preterite and all that. Hopefully we'll get to try out our skills at one of the Peruvian clubs in Cusco before we depart for Urubamba!
 |
| The view from the top |
3.9.10
Bridge Year Begins
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| David (peer advisor), Rachel, Alex, Brett, Steph (our coordinator), Eleanor, y Divya (me) |
This is my first attempt at blogging, so try not to judge. Especially my seven loyal followers. Thank you, by the way. I have some information to share which some of you may find interesting.
I am in fact in Peru at the moment, in case you're wondering, but I thought I'd start by introducing the program and explaining why I'm here. Along with four other former members of the Princeton Class of 2014 (pictured above...follow their blogs too!), I have decided to participate in the Peru Bridge Year Program. It's a wonderful opportunity, sponsored by the university, for some incoming freshmen to delay their start at P-ton and instead engage in a different kind of education. Over the course of the next nine months, the five of us well partake in various social service projects while living with host families in the wonderful town of Urubamba. As we tackle the projects set forth for us by ProWorld (proworld.org), Stephanie (our program coordinator) and ourselves (we will be working on some community diagnostics to design and implement projects to benefit particular localities), we hope to grow and develop in three main categories:
- service learning
- cultural immersion
- relationship building
I guess that's all for now...I will post pictures and updates very soon!
Un abrazo de oso,
Divya
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