Peruvian moments

In honour of my friend Jen Quinlan in Zambia, here is a list (incomplete) of some Peruvian/Huancainan idiosyncracies:

Mini pop bottles are perfect for small, developing hands

1.The preferred street meat comes in the form of "anticuchos" - cow hearts chopped up, skewered and roasted on every other corner
2. When I am being served in a restaurant/store/on a bus, I am called "mamita" - no matter who is serving me
3. Beside most anticucho stands there is a newspaper kiosk, where people will accumulate to read the headlines of the various local and national papers - without ever buying one
4. In the hillsides around Huancayo, various groups (e.g. the military, numerous governmental ministries and schools) have made their mark by carving their insignia/logo in enormous letters that can be seen by a passing plane.
5. Putting a roof on a building here is a big deal. So big in fact, that it is accompanied by musical groups, drink and food and a general party to celebrate the accomplishment
6. Although Huancayo has no shortage of traffic lights, cars, taxis, and buses honk at every intersection they are passing through, at any pedestrian who is a potential passenger, and in general when the mood strikes
7. For the day of Santiago (the patron saint of farm animals, apparently), cows, donkeys, llamas, etc. are "dressed up". This involves their owner piercing their ears multiple times (approximately 5 times per ear) and decorating the piercings with colourful thread. This thread stays on until it falls off, making the animals look quite nice!
8. What has struck me the most (besides the smell of searing hearts) is how people don't seem to dress for the ever-changing weather. In general people wear a lot of layers, which serve the triple function of protection from sun, cold, and rain. My raincoat has gotten a lot of comments from people who don't own such a thing, can't believe that it is waterproof, and who keep checking to see if it has leaked yet. This is in an area where it rains every day from January to April - and the storms are fierce!

Working with...not potatoes!

I had a vision of my life working at the international potato centre (e.g. spending all day looking at, discussing, sampling potatoes), but it turns out that our project is almost exclusively focused on the vegetables that potato farming families also grow and sell. Work has been great so far: my co-workers are wonderful; I spend 1/2 time in the office and 1/2 time in the communities where we're working, which means that everyday is something new to look forward too; and I'm both excited, and challenged by my work. Right now we are in the process of running focus groups and a survey related to sustainable agricultural/vegetable growing practices, livelihoods, health, markets, and organizations in the 5 communities we'll be working with.











A resource map and list of crops by importance for consumption/selling

From there, the project will finance farmer field schools in each community for people who want to learn about organic/non-highly-toxic practices, and we are also going to work with a number of other organizations to promote consumption and production of (organic/ecological) local vegetables. I won't be here to see that part through, but things are looking good - although we're incredibly busy with meetings, and I wonder if anything will come through on time... We don't really have much choice with timing, however, as the potato harvest starts in April, and no one will have much time for focus groups and surveys at that point...











Examples of "ecological" (organic, but not certified) vegetables, and...POTATOES!

When life gives you lemons...

Today was one of those days where nothing goes quite according to plans...To start off, we had a meeting in a town about 40 minutes away at 6am (yes, on a Sunday). I hauled myself out of bed at 5 and we drove off through the sunrise - which was beautiful but I was too tired to take pictures - to "Vista Alegre" (an appropriate name). However, when we got there, the community association president informed us that he had cancelled the meeting because he wanted everyone to go to another meeting at 9am regarding the irrigation system in the area. Not all was lost though! The area is known for pancakes made with sweet potato flour, and barley coffee, both which were delicious. We visited a few sites in the area to make the trip worth our while, and headed back home.

When we got back to Huancayo around 9am, I decided to take a quick nap...and woke up at 12. I have been diagnosed with two "friendly" Peruvian parasites, and I think a side effect of the treatment might be exhaustion (or it may have been the 5am wake-up call). Nevertheless, I still had time to make it to the weekly crafts and clothing market that takes place downtown. Of course, as soon as I decided to go, it began to rain...a lot, with booming thunder. I saw cars driving down my street covered with hail, so I decided not to venture downtown.

However, my day ended up being great! I chatted with the couple who owns the building where I'm living and I did make it to a closer market, where I bought quinoa, mangoes, and some local veggies (to be washed in purified water and boiled until all possible parasites are dead dead dead) and flowering plants for my apartment. I've also had time to read a bit about the area...it looks like I have a few weekend adventures ahead of me!

Travelling around the Mantaro Valley

I have officially been living on my own in Huancayo for a week, and I've been able to get out and around the Mantaro Valley (the area surrounding Huancayo) for a few visits that have been memorable for a number of reasons (some great, some "interesting").

The view from the main square of Pucara

Just a short drive from Huancayo there are a number of small towns with fascinating histories and local economies. In one day I visited a town that specializes in weaving, another that has made its name in filigreed silver jewellery (the silver is thanks to the town of La Oroya - see previous post), and another that is a major fresh-water trout producer and exporter.

Part of my job is to travel around to the various small towns that have organic/ecological farmers associations starting up, as we are trying to promote healthy and sustainable production and consumption in the area. This meant that on Tuesday I got to go to an annual fair in the town of Pucara, where people had prepared a number of typical/historic dishes (such as guinea pig, dehydrated potatoes, quinoa porridge) and were displaying their organic vegetables. I really had a hard time believing that I was "at work."

Pachamanca is a traditional slow-cooked dish of potatoes, lima beans, sweet tamales (humitas) and...guinea pig (yes, that's a leg you see)

Today, a group of us from work decided to go back to Pucara where they were holding an annual Huaylarsh dance competition. The Huaylarsh is an old dance that depicts the harvest of a particular crop and the life in the particular community. Each community dances the huaylarsh differently, but the main themes are those of harvest, drinking and eating, finding a partner (and fighting over him/her), and the actions of a landlord/hacendado. Just as each dance is different, so too are the traditional outfits, but mostly the women wear big, short skirts with shawls and sombreros, while the men wear pants and a shirt that may or may not be highly decorated, with a belt and hat. Today it rained and hailed during the outdoor dance competition, so we left early, but here are some pictures!










The gringa is invited to dance... A "modern Huaylarsh" group

Arriving in Huancayo

Happy Birthday Mom!

Unfortunately, I'm not at home to celebrate my mom's birthday, since I am now in Huancayo - the city where I will be spending the vast majority of my practicum time. On Tuesday we drove out of Lima and almost immediately were in the mountains, which are lush and green compared with Lima. The road wound steadily up until we arrived at Ticlio - 4,800 metres with blustery snow of all things. Although I had been warned about the potential for altitude sickness, I felt fine...that is until I saw the damage that mining has done to the surrounding areas. We drove through La Oroya, a town infamous for being one of the 10 most polluted places in the world, and saw the open pits of contaminated water, piles of mine tailings, and barren hillsides.

So, I didn't have much hope for Huancayo, but it has turned out to be a city quite a bit nicer than La Oroya. The city itself is like any other - congested with buses and taxis and people - but the surrounding areas are absolutely gorgeous. The mountainsides are a patchwork of plots for crops, with most of the plots demarcated by short stone walls. It's rainy season now, so the fields are incredibly green, and the potatos are in bloom with purple, yellow, and white flowers. (The potato plant is actually quite large, with an extensive stem and flower system). In the mornings, the clouds are low enough that at times they are below the level of the city, and I haven't gotten tired yet of watching them rise up and eventually dissapate

Downtown Huancayo

I am settling in to life here with a new furnished "mini apartment" (a room with an attached bathroom and kitchen) across from Parque Tupac Amaru, about 10 blocks from the city centre. Huancayo has a weekly organic farmers market, so I went today and bought mangoes, avocados, carrots, honey, tunas (the fruit of the cactus), and of course, mini red potatoes. Hopefully I'll be able to whip up a few recipes for you all when I get home!