Jenny Chapman, Peace Corp Volunteer in Peru

Sent: February 20, 2003
Subject: Handwashing....Is it necessary?

Hey everyone! Hope all is well back in the good 'ole US of A! Life in Peru is fine, interesting to say the least. Sunday I had my town meeting with Santa Rosa, the village I will be supporting. It went very well. About 50 people showed up (men, women, children). They were are all so intrigued and as excited as I was. I even found a place to stay. I will be staying in one of the only houses that isn't made out of adobe. I have the first floor of a house which is 2 big rooms all by myself! There is actually even an outhouse! Most poeple in Santa Rosa have latrines or just go outside! I don't have a shower though. I have to buy a tub so I can take sponge bathes! Can't wait! I went from having cold showers to having no showers, but that's the Peace Corps! That night I went to the Health Promoter's house. Her name is Manuela. She has a very modest, basic, adobe house. The first room had 2 beds pushed together, a table, a small TV and about 200 potatos on the floor. The next room back had another bed, chickens and a small pen with the guinea pigs! We walked outside the back and there were ducks, cows, cats and dogs! We went into a little hut they used as their kitchen where she was cooking lima beans and potatos over her little wood stove. So that's what I had for dinner. And no wonder I know have about 60 bug bites! But she is really nice and her 3 daughters are adorable. Dirty, but adorable.

I certainly have a lot of work to do in the area of hygiene and health. On Monday I went with Manuela to her family's chakra (field). They had just planted wheat and we were going to weed. So we leave her adobe house with her 3 little girls (7, 5 and 3). She tells me it's just up there. I look up and up and up and finally see way off in the distance people working, literally on the side of a mountain. So we climb and climb and climb, past pigs and cows and corn fields. Finally we made it. I grab a pick and in the penetrating Peruvian sun begin to work away. There were about 8 of us. Everyone was speaking in Quechua. Finally we finish and sit down. Manuela pulls out some bread and hands it to me to eat. Okay, keep in mind I just was weeding, in the Peruvian soil.... Yeah, no handwashing going on. Then out of the blue comes the grandma. She just climbed up the mountain with a barrell of potatos on her back for us to eat! I barely made it up the mountain! There isn't even a trail half the time and here comes grandma with 20 pounds of potatos she had been cooking all morning for us. Oh yeah, and she brought corn too! These people are truely quite amazing. The other day when I walked 2 hours to see my friend Julie in her village, I was talking to this lady who was herding her sheep and goats on the side of the road. She was with her 2 kids and was carrying firewood on her back. She was 7 months pregnant and getting ready to hike about 45 minutes up to her village. No big deal! Okay, back to my story. Manuela's little girls are picking berries off trees, dropping them on the ground and eating them, no washing. They get thirsty and go drink water from a puddle of water near the cows! On the way back down while leading their 3 cows the girls stop and pee at the river and drink from the river. I casually mention that it might make them sick. No! We never get sick. Okay! I'll keep my mouth shut. We then stopped at their corn field and pulled dried stalks to give the cows to eat. Quite the adventure!

The next day I walk into town and organize volleyball and other games with about 20 kids. It was a lot of fun but they wore me out! They had a blast though! Now, everytime I walk into town, which looks empty at first sight, all the kids come out and run to me screaming "the gringa's coming, the gringa's coming". Now everytime I leave Lushca (Manuela's youngest) cries when I leave. Once school starts back up in March/April I plan on starting a youth league with planned activities and projects.

In the meantime I am just getting to know my community. I stopped by the President of the Bee-keeping Organization yesterday. They showed me the beehives. They have about 16. Mostly all women work with the bees and they are going to take me out next time they go to teach me! I'm pretty excited.

Well, that's most of everything. Tomorrow Manuela and I have a capaciation from 8:30am - 4:30pm.

Miss you all!

Jenny