Goodbye, group!

Nine of the students in our group traveled to Jorge Chavez International Airport in Lima Tuesday evening to board a jet bound for North America.  The others will spend another week or two traveling in Peru before they return home.  Our goodbyes were filled with smiles and tears as we parted ways, at least for a time.  Until we meet again, farewell!

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It is still before dawn.  But in the growing half light, I can begin to make out shapes undreamed.  On either side of the road that’s been running downward since before I was awake and before I was asleep there now appear, with increasing reality, svelte mellow mound shapes.  When the bus rests at a cross light, an untended mini-shack offers café and none of the platos tipicos.

It’s sooner than I thought for this realization.  But it’s also later in the morning than I expected.  And the unseen sun’s refracted glow has found a level of clarity to allow me to believe myself when I imagine the light-hearted, earth-grey dust is reminiscent of Lima.

It certainly isn’t from Quinua.  My eyes search for the accustomed succession of landforms.  The caked motor oil dirt of mechanic’s Ayacucho.  The jolted lush riverbed towns hidden under high stone hunks.  The badland scrub grass frontier that moves into the thick un-navigable cacti fields.  The lush upper pampas of Quinua that appear as soon as you cannot sit cramped in a taxi any longer.

Here in the place between where I’ve been and where I’m going, land continues to appear all around me and has learned to color itself, although only in black, gray, brown, and sand colored…sand.  I remember all my assurances that I loved Quinua and wanted to return immediately, but I had to finish my education and couldn’t promise when.

But will I ever return?  A missed chance at 1/7^th of the world’s wonders ups the likelihood.  But if such an unexpected and unfamiliar city, with its grainy decaying churches and vibrant Catholicism could remain a hidden Shangri-La to a once avid reader of National Geographic like myself, what other gemmed cities remain in other corners of the world for me to stumble across?

Maybe the bulk and gravity of Quinua’s high-seated mountains will draw me in again.  Perhaps the allure of those peaks and the sweet air of 13,000 feet is reason enough to return.  I don’t know.

All I know now is the ashamed excitement of leaving family and setting out for friends.

“Adios ciudad de Ayacucho.”

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The days ends

We finished our program back where it began three months ago — at the edge of the Pacific Ocean.  Kauai is a retreat center operated by the Biblical Union Church, a two-hour drive from Lima.  The facilities include simple accommodations, a meeting area, a pool, and the star attraction — a wide, sandy beach.

We began our first day revisiting our theme of poverty and migration.  We asked each student to describe the particular problem that his or her service organization was attempting to solve.  How were they succeeding?  How were they not?  Then we moved outside and posed another question:  If you were hired to direct the organization, what one change would you make?

We spent the rest of the day on individual interviews with one of the directors and a chance to unwind on the beach.  Something wonderful and therapeutic happens when sun, sand, water and people are combined — FUN.

On day two we discussed the idea of reverse culture shock, a phenomenon we expect many of our students will experience after they return to life in North America.  After talking about the symptoms, we suggested strategies to assist with re-entry.  Our students have changed in significant ways during these past ninety days — just compare the photos from the first week to those from the last to see evidence of this!

Returning home for our students may require as much work as leaving in the first place.  Forgetting what they have learned in Peru would be a waste.  Being unduly critical of what they will find when they return home would be unproductive.  A global citizen knows what it is like to live on the other side of the world, being mindful of this larger reality while actively engaging in one’s home community.

During her individual interview one of our students concluded that the most serious problem facing humanity is a lack of hope.  When asked the question, “Where do you fit in?”, she responded, “I want to help give the world what it needs — hope.”

Following Christ’s lead from the Sermon on the Mount, we ended with this challenge:  Don’t worry about what you will eat, drink or wear in the days and years to come.  Instead, find a way to seek God’s kingdom.  And let God take care of the rest.

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A fond memory

When we realized the railroad to Machu Picchu would be closed this season due to heavy rainfall and flooding, the students and directors began discussing alternatives.  We immediately reached a consensus.  If we couldn’t visit the capital of the Inca Empire, we would instead visit the legendary birthplace of the first Incas and the center of the Andean World:  Lake Titicaca.

Not only did we learn a lot about the past during the last week of the term, but our trip to the highest navigable lake in the world gave us a chance to experience living culture among people who still practice their traditional customs.

Here are some highlights:

• Arriving in Arequipa, the “white city”, known for its grand colonial buildings constructed of sillar, an ash-colored stone produced by the eruption of Misti and other nearby volcanoes
• Gazing into the face of Sarita, a 500-year old human sacrifice preserved by freezing temperatures atop Mount Ampato and now living in a climate-controlled museum in Arequipa
• Mounting a bicycle at 4,910 meters (16,108 feet) and cruising down to the village of Chivay — a 1,200 meter drop in 20 kilometers that produced an average grade of 6% — fast and fun
• Soaking in hot mineral springs afterward
• Hiking along the rim of Colca Canyon — deepest in the world — watching Andean condors soar overhead.  The wings of adult condors span more than 10 feet
• Viewing herds of llamas and alpacas tended by families in the rugged altiplano (high plain)
• Seeing hundreds of vicunas, wild cousins to the domesticated llama, as they grazed and ran in a protected reserve
• Riding in tricycle taxis from our hostel down to the port
• Greeting residents of the floating islands of Uros with Aymara phrases:  Kamisaraki (good day) and Waliki (response)
• Paddling a reed boat from one floating island to another
• Spending the night with families who dress and live according to local customs on Amantani Island (no cars to watch out for when you cross these streets!)
• Learning how residents of Taquile Island reveal their marital status through the color and placement of their hats and belts while
• Devouring plates of fresh trout
• Plunging into the clean, cold waters of Lake Titicaca.  At a water temperature of 8 degrees Celsius (46 Fahrenheit), the swim was short but sweet
• Relaxing in the warm sun as our boat returned to the port in Puno (“resting place” in Quechua).

Many thanks to our guide, Pepe Pedro, for offering us a trip that was as adventurous as it was educational.

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While living in the provinces each had an opportunity to research a topic of interest, using personal interviews as their primary source of data.  We began the weekend with a stimulating day of research presentations at Goshen Tambo.  The titles of their presentations reveal a wide variety of topics:

• Rainforest Fruit Production
• The Peruvian Mennonite Movement
• Mantas
• Peruvian Seafood
• Fiber Arts
• The Shining Path
• Informality
• Ceramics in Quinua
• Quechua: Examining Inherent Theatrical Elements
• Remembering Terror
• Motherhood in Peru
• The Prerequisites of Technology
• Cuzco’s Climate Change
• Parenting in the Andes
• Inca Kola v. Oro
• Social Services in Chimbote
• How Peruvians View the U.S.

The next day we celebrated the completion of service with a trip to Islas Palomino.  The sky was blue, the ocean bluer still.  We rode huge swells between the mainland and imposing San Lorenzo Island, learning from our guide about a prison for terrorists that once stood on a neighboring island.   After navigating around these islands the boat’s captain headed west toward Islas Palomino — Population: 1,000 (or more, sea lions).  Some accepted the invitation to get a closer look at these fascinating creatures in the fresh Pacific waters, relatively warm due to both the season of the year and the El Nino effect.  Others enjoyed the view from the boat, soaking up the sun and the amazing sight of a multitude of mammals perched atop a rocky island so close, yet so far, from metropolitan Lima.

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“It was our second day here at Yurac Yacu and we had a lunch invitation. Nancy, one of the Peruvian women that works at The Lazy Dog Inn, was having a birthday and it was being celebrated with a nice lunch, a feast we were of course invited to even though we had never met Nancy. Crowded into Nancy’s dark adobe house we ate together – tin plates piled high with potatoes, a cuy and very spicy sauce. A one-liter coke bottle was passed around and squares of chocolate cake toppled onto the tin plate. For most of the meal I was overwhelmed by the six potatoes in front of me and the spices that made my eyes water and nose run, yet the welcoming smile from Nancy and the clink of forks around the circle felt like such a beautiful community – a communion – that all I could do was smile back.

The past summer I really got into the topic of food – learning to make homemade bread, getting into a phase where I checked out different ethnic food cook books at the library and trying my hand at Indian nan bread or middle eastern falafel. Not only did I become interested in the art of making foods but the power and joy in eating and preparing food in community. One of the quotes that fueled my food craze came from the book Take This Bread, a spiritual memoir of a woman finding God while breaking bread when she started a food bank out of her church (literally off the alter) in San Francisco. The quote: “The sharing of food was an actual sacrament, one that resonated beyond church and its regulations, and into a real experience of the divine.”

In all my food thinking over the last year I had not thought a lot about the cultural implications of sharing food until these months in Peru. For as much as food has held its challenges here – in the quantity given or how the food settles in my stomach – it has also been the center point of many gifts. The meals around the kitchen table with my Lima family held wonderful times of connecting and conversation. I loved that we would sit and talk over a cup of anis tea long after the plates were cleared and late into the night. Over the sharing of food, community was built.

Every night that there are guests here at the Inn women from the community will come up and help to cook. Over the chopping of potatoes, peppers and carrots I have built such lovely relationships with these women, a community is created as we create delicious soups, stir fry and banana bread.

A few days ago during snack time with the morning class of 1-6 year olds I sat down on a mossy rock to talk with a cluster of girls who were eating their pan and fruta. Before I had even fully sat down, grubby hands were reaching out to share with me – one a grape offering, another a slice of mandarin. Estrella, one of the older girls, reached into her bag and offered me a little roll of bread. At first I felt bad. I didn’t want to be taking their food. I am well fed up at the Inn and who knows what food realities they live with. But then, how could I refuse such a gift for “Profesora Julia”? So we broke bread together, splitting the pancito in half and smiling as sweet crumbs fell into our laps. Over the sharing of pan, community was created.

Now a new quote will fill my journal…

“It wasn’t as much about food as it was about sharing with one another, leaving no one out. It took care of those who didn’t have anything by including them in the group. Because everyone shared, we were not aware of the ‘haves and have-nots’. They were covered by the community.” (Sarah H. Lanier, Foreign to Familiar, p. 60)”

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Standing on the corner of Arequipa and Angamos, I see her,
A splash of color against the gray.
Hot pink, orange and blue, skirt fanned around her knees.
A woven manta, heavy with child, crosses her shoulders.
In her hands, the bottom half of an empty Inca Kola bottle, her begging cup.

Looking out across the meadow, I see her,
A rainbow at home against the green fields.
Sheep, cows and children flock around her.
A striped manta, full of herbs, luisa, anis, balanced on her back.
In her hands, the mano of her totting child.

Sitting on the combi, I see him,
Eyes glazed over, he looks at buildings blur by.
Wrinkled hands rest in his lap, fingering his boleto.
A weak voice in a thickly accented castellano, he says “baja”.
Ambling down Javier Prado, he is perdido.

Walking down the dusty mountain path, I see him,
Eyes sparkling, reflecting the blue sky and mountain sol.
Worn but strong hands grip his burro laden with wood.
“Buenos Dias, Senorita,” he greets me, voice with a smile.
Walking down the road, he is home.

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Krista with her host Grandmother

There are seven students serving with four organizations in the greater Huaraz area.

Sarah and Julia are volunteering for Andean Alliance, a nonprofit organization started several years ago by Diana and Wayne, owners of the Lazy Dog Inn.  Each morning our students leave the comfort of the Inn and walk a bumpy trail to a nearby community of Quechua-speaking farmers.  They work with preschool age children, promoting early childhood development among a population of kids that receives relatively little physical, intellectual and emotional stimulation.  In the afternoons, they devote their energy to teaching English and playing games to help further the development of an eager group of school-aged children.  Julia and Sarah’s enthusiasm and love of learning are contagious.

Adriel and Connor volunteer for AWI, an acronym for the Good News Association in the local dialect of Quechua.  The project is supported by Wycliffe, a North American nonprofit dedicated to translating the Bible.  The organization recently finished translating the New Testament into Quechua and is currently working on the Old Testament.  This work requires intensive use of computers and specialized software, which is where our students come in.  Connor and Adriel have the gift of diagnosing computer problems, finding solutions, making upgrades and installing new software.  They have been given the task of helping staff  members at AWI learn to use new programs, a challenging assignment in a culture that often values tradition over efficiency.

Callie and Erika volunteer for Arco Iris (Rainbow), an orphanage founded by a Spanish doctor named Maria Jesus and supported by the Alliance Missionary Christian Church in Europe.  Callie and Erika work two different shifts each week.  On some days they begin at 7:30 am, helping to get the children ready for school.   They assist with cleaning and preparations for the midday meal, then eat with the kids when they return home from school.  On other days they begin after lunch and spend the afternoon helping with homework, assisting with after school activities and helping the little ones get settled at the end of the day.  One of their challenges is to offer culturally-sensitive support to Peruvian staff with differing parenting styles.  Erika and Callie have experience working with children and this assignment offers a chance to give their time and attention to those who really need it.

Krista volunteers for World Vision, a North American organization that promotes development in rural communities throughout the Andes.  On the day we visited, Krista helped organize a community-wide birthday celebration for children sponsored by donors in Canada.  She recorded family information for each participant, assisted staff with logistics and spent her free moments interacting with children as they arrived at the community center, anxiously awaiting the arrival of clowns, balloons and birthday cake.  Krista encounters many Quechua speakers on these visits to the farming communities far from Huaraz and has learned several dozen words and phrases that she finds useful during her interviews.  Her initiative, positive attitude and natural ability with children have been real assets as she relates to new families each day.

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Two worlds meet

Kelly and Micah volunteer for a fair trade company called Chanchamayo Highland Products.  Founder Jose Jorge grew up on a farm and understands how difficult it is for agriculturalists to support their families and provide a better life for their children.  He pays higher prices than most other buyers by insisting that those who produce his coffee beans and rain forest fruit do so sustainably.  But he can only buy as much as he can sell, and thus far his customers are limited to a small segment of the certified organic market in France and Germany.  One of his biggest worries, seldom verbalized, is that desperate farmers will soon turn to the production of coca leaves, a strong temptation given its high price.

Mr. Jorge believes that the families who work the land in Chanchamayo prefer to produce coffee and fruit and will continue to do so if companies like Highland Products can find buyers in the northern hemisphere who are willing to support them.  He hopes that the Goshen College students who work with him can help him reach English-speaking consumers, telling the story of his company and describing how his product line promotes economic, social and environmental sustainability for the region.

Kelly and Micah have been involved in many activities since they arrived in La Merced.  They have translated a brochure from Spanish into English, developing text that will help tell the company’s story on its new website.  They have developed an educational presentation for local school children to explain the phenomenon of climate change and what can be done locally to help solve the problem.  They have spent time with company staff, drying fruit, roasting coffee and making sauco preserves (tastes like a cherry crossed with a grape).   And, at their own initiative, Kelly and Micah have begun teaching English to staff who regularly interact with foreign tourists and wholesale buyers.

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Outdoors at a gang-prevention program

Chimbote is famous, both among Peruvians and former SSTers.  Peruvians think of the fish that are caught here, home to some of the best Ceviche on the coast.  SSTers think of Father Jack, Sister Peggy, Charles, Jaime and the hundreds of other characters who perform good words and minor miracles at Our Lady of Perpetual Help Parish each day.

Sadly, the city still suffers from deep poverty caused in part by overfishing, this year’s El Nino effect and the resulting decline of its principal industry.  Seeking to avoid the smell that characterizes an aging fishing port, most of the wealthier residents have moved to nearby Nuevo Chimbote (New Chimbote).  Those left behind try to eke out a life in the dusty streets and ramshackle buildings that comprise the older parts of the city.  The children here are particularly vulnerable to hunger, disease, violence, chemical dependency and gang activity.

Kevin came to Peru with a strong sense of calling to serve in Chimbote.  He loves spending time with children and is eager to get involved in their lives.  In the last few weeks he has worked with staff at a gang-prevention program, offering young teens opportunities to play, create and learn in a safe environment that helps keep them off the street.  He also assists at a neighborhood shelter where women and children can escape abuse and enjoy hot meals, educational programs  and the benefits of friendship.

Max is naturally gifted at drawing and other artistic endeavors, something that the parish staff soon discovered when they asked him to assist with a morning arts program.  He has helped kids learn to draw and paint, creating original artwork that graces the parish library’s walls.  In the afternoons Max works with boys and girls in an after school program.  On the day we visited he helped the instructor teach the kids about the importance of eating vegetables.  After a presentation on why they should eat foods of various colors, the kids got a chance to sample the fresh veggies.  Max and another volunteer distributed portions of tomatoes, lettuce, onions, avocados and other healthy foods that are common in Peru but rarely eaten in neighborhoods like these.

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