First week!

I made it through my first week in Peru! I feel like I've been here for so long but I have really fallen in love with (almost) all things Peruvian. Granted, the lack of hot water and the rooster wake up calls at 5:30 can get a little old but everything else here is just so unbelieveable.

Thursday was my first day at the prison. It's a high security prison, with a capacity for 1,000 people but there are actually 1,700 inmates. Most of them are in for drugs, especially the women as there is a lack of other money generating livelihoods available here in Peru. Here in Ayacucho, murder will get you 5 years in prison but drugs will get you 25 years. The system is definitely broken and in need of much change. There are a lot of kids in the prison who live there with their moms, but about 11 attend the program we help run. One of the inmates is the "teacher" and it is supposed to be set up like a regular pre school program. We pick up the kids at 8:30 and walk with them down to a separate wing of the prison, where we work with them on their numbers, colors, and all other toddler-friendly lesson plans. The room is tiny and dirty, a far cry from the pre school I attended. It's amazing the lack of amenities, including school supplies, cleaning supplies, and even toilet paper. After the kids struggle to sit still during their lessons, we play with them and help get things like snack organized. Four hours later we return them to their moms, who spend their days making beautiful blankets, bags, and other handicrafts which they sell to help them generate the 22 soles (aproximately 9 US dollars) needed to pay their monthy "rent" at the prison. Each woman is responsible for generating this revenue and there is no instance in which the women cannot pay this fee.

Friday was a field trip for the kids so the other volunteers and I picked them up around 9 and took them to a local pack. We tried to wear them out (or was it the other way around?) and returned a bunch of sleepy but happy kids back to their moms later that afternoon. We all had a blast but it's so sad to remember that these weekly outings will end when CCS closes its doors this upcoming August when the program is shut down indefinitely. Without the volunteers, the kids won't have the opportunity to leave the prison unless picked up by an outside relative. Some of the children and their mothers are obviously very attached and we've heard terribly sad stories of kids who have had to leave at the mandatory age of 4 only to be brought back because they are so miserable without their moms.

As I had never heard of a situation where children live with their incarcerated mothers until the age of four, I tried to go into it with an open mind. However, just after a few short days, I don't believe this is the best set up for the child. It seems much too difficult for both the child and the mother to be separated at the age of four, when the child is fully aware of what is happening. I definitely think the mothers keep their children with them because they believe this to be the best course of action for them but it's definitely not a normal environment to be brought up in. Some of the kids seem constantly exhausted and others are overly hyper and can be somewhat aggressive. I feel it would be better to allow the children to stay with their mothers for until the age of two and then be separated as they would not be really in full understanding of the situation and wouldn't suffer from such separation anxiety. However, the optimal choice (in my opinion) would be to not allow the children to live in the prison for any length of time. While I definitely don't believe the women to be bad people (many of them entered the drug trade because it was the only way to support their families, not because they were eager to become involved in such a dangerous line of work), I just don't believe this to be the situation that is most beneficial to the kids.

After a busy introductory week, we were all ready for the weekend! Some of the volunteers went to the coast the weekend, but I opted to stay in Ayacucho with about 10 of the other volunteers. Friday after the field trip, we went out to explore the town at night, which definitely picks up on the weekend. On Saturday morning we caught a bus to Huanta, a town about an hour and a half way by bus. All seemed relatively normal until some passengers got on the bus holding live chickens. Then they strapped some live sheep to the roof. I guess that is the kind of transportation you can expect when you only pay 4 soles (about $1.75) each way!

Huanta was beautiful and we stopped at a restaurant for lunch. A bunch of the volunteers are vegetarians and needless to say, Peru is not always the most vegetarian friendly country in terms of its food. We finally found a place that understood the term "sin carne" (without meat) and ate a big lunch before starting our trek. We had our sights set on a local mountain that had massive religious monuments but we definitely underestimated our horrible sense of direction and the difficulty the high altitude would present in terms of catching our breath. Almost two hours later we finally reached our goal and to say it was worth it is an understatement. The views were spectacular; it's just amazing to look out and see the Andes spread outwards for hundreds of miles on all sides of you. After roaming around the top of the mountain for a bit, we clamored back down and caught the bus (sheep and rooster free this time) back to Ayacucho. After another good dinner, we headed back into town until late.

Some people have been asking about my living situation in here so I should probably comment on that. We are living in a four story house just a few blocks away from the main square. The first floor has a living room, offices, kitchen and dining room. The second and third floors have all the bedrooms and bathrooms. The fourth floor is the roof, which has the laundry machine and outdoor seating. Everyone spends most of their time in the living room or dining room, where we're given breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Breakfast is always buns with jam, juice, smoothies, and tea or coffee. Lunch and dinner are usually chicken dishes and/or pasta dishes, with a side of rice, some type of salad, and a ton of fruit. The food isn't for everyone but I personally can't get enough of it!



Some first week notes:

-I've definitely noticed a major improvement in my Spanish since arriving here. People are happy just to hear you trying to speak their language and are extraordinarily patient and helpful. I've gotten much quicker and my vocabulary has definitely been boosted. I still get nervous sometimes but all in all I'm happy with how I'm doing so far!

-The people here are so friendly and happy to see Americans. They are equally eager to learn about my culture as I am to learn about theirs.

-The other volunteers and I are getting along so well! This is a relief since I didn't know any of them coming into the program but it's really working out so nicely and we're already planning to visit one another in our home cities and states!

-The in country staff is very helpful, eager to help, and extremely knowledgeable about Aycucho, the people and programs, Peru, and everything we should see and do in our time here.





The link for the pictures I've taken so far should be somewhere on this page so feel free to check those out!