August 25, 2005: Headlines: COS - Peru: Blogs - Peru: Personal Web Site: Peace Corps Volunteer Kim in Peru: The hardest part of this experience will be the cold, especially since the water there elicits a unique form of brain freeze in the form of a shower. I’m not sure that my newfound appreciation for cold showers can survive there.
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August 25, 2005: Headlines: COS - Peru: Blogs - Peru: Personal Web Site: Peace Corps Volunteer Kim in Peru: The hardest part of this experience will be the cold, especially since the water there elicits a unique form of brain freeze in the form of a shower. I’m not sure that my newfound appreciation for cold showers can survive there.
Peace Corps Volunteer Kim in Peru: The hardest part of this experience will be the cold, especially since the water there elicits a unique form of brain freeze in the form of a shower. I’m not sure that my newfound appreciation for cold showers can survive there.
"I will be working with a truly fantastic group of women, called Club de Madres Esperanza. They are composed of 6-8 very talented ladies. These women are all knitters and have a great product to sell. They hand-knit with 100% alpaca wool, and make hats, scarves, shawls, capes, ponchos, and blankets."
Peace Corps Volunteer Kim in Peru: The hardest part of this experience will be the cold, especially since the water there elicits a unique form of brain freeze in the form of a shower. I’m not sure that my newfound appreciation for cold showers can survive there.
August 25
Chiquian
(DISCLAIMER: EVERYTHING ON THIS SITE IS PROPERTY OF KIMBERLY K. SMITH, AND PEACE CORPS HAS NO RESPONSIBILITY FOR ANYTHING SAID HERE.)
[Excerpt]
Well, I am back in Buenos Aires. My site visit went very well. I will be living in the city of Chiquian, in the department of Ancash, for the next two years. The hardest part of this experience will be the cold, especially since the water there elicits a unique form of brain freeze in the form of a shower. I’m not sure that my newfound appreciation for cold showers can survive there.
However, if cold water is my only problem, I’ll be fine. I will be working with a truly fantastic group of women, called Club de Madres Esperanza. They are composed of 6-8 very talented ladies. These women are all knitters and have a great product to sell. They hand-knit with 100% alpaca wool, and make hats, scarves, shawls, capes, ponchos, and blankets. My Peace Corps predecessor has helped them with quality control and appearance. My primary goal is to get them established in a sustainable market, to which they can continue to work and communicate with after Peace Corps is gone.
Secondary projects could include working with the mayor in the municipality to improve tourism, as well as working with a different women’s group to start a beekeeping business. Both prospects sound interesting, and I will have to wait to see what works. My personal hope is to start a new Chess Club in Chiquian; I really enjoyed our Club in Buenos Aires, and would love to teach the game to a new set of kids. I like watching them learn.
I think the most meaningful parts of my time in Chiquian were the friendships I made with two women about my age. One women, Marie, was the youngest member of the Club de Madres Esperanza, and has two young kids. She’s as busy as anyone I know in the States, and a little bit timid, but we seemed to get along pretty well. She showed me all around her home, at least, which is a sign of “confianza” in Peruvian culture. This level of admittance usually requires the trust that can only be established with more time.
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Story Source: Personal Web Site
This story has been posted in the following forums: : Headlines; COS - Peru; Blogs - Peru
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