As I mentioned in a previous post, I am corresponding with a 3rd-grade class in New Mexico. My first letter to them is posted on this blog, on September 23rd. The students in the class wrote letters to me. I meant to write back to each of the kids, but got stalled by the size of that task. Finally, their teacher told me to just write to the class as a whole. Here's the letter I wrote to them. It duplicates some of what I've already posted on my blog, but there is some new content. Also, it's interesting to see what third-graders want to know about Peace Corps service in Peru. Enjoy!
Dear
class,
Thank you for your letters. I apologize for taking
so long to reply. I am all done with Peace Corps training school and now I have
moved to the place where I’ll live for the next 2 years, serving as a Peace
Corps volunteer. I will miss the family I lived with all fall, in Yanacoto. I
said goodbye to my host mother and father, my sisters, brothers, nephews, and
Benjy and Kaiser the dogs. Now I start a new phase of my time in Peru.
Now I live in the state of Junin. My village is
called Marco and it’s close to the city of Jauja. The GPS coordinates are
South: 11 degrees, 44.762 minutes, and West: 75 degrees, 33.506 minutes. I am
east of you, in the same time zone as New York. I live high in the Andes
mountain range now. The elevation of my house is 11,423 feet.
My new family has fewer people but a lot more
animals. My new host mother is Fabiana, and my father is Moises. I have one
sister, Katia, who is married to Roberto. They live in Jauja. They have a son,
Nicolas, who is 2 years old. He is at our house a lot. He and his grandparents have
a very close relationship. Here in Peru, many children call both their mother
and grandmother “mami” and both their father and grandfather “papi”.
There are so many animals at our house! We have 6 cattle,
5 sheep, 20 chickens, 2 turkeys, 30 guinea pigs, a beehive of bees, 2 dogs and
a cat. All the farm animals live in our compound, in sheds attached to the
house.
Every morning,
my family takes the cows and sheep to the pasture in the valley, and every
night they bring them home before dark.
Now I’ll answer some of the questions you asked me. Several
of you asked what I do in Peru. I help the people in my village to take care of
their natural environment. We are growing trees to plant on the hillsides where
people cut down all the trees long ago when Spain controlled Peru. I also will
teach English and nature science to the children in the village schools. In the
coming months, I will help improve trash management in our town. I hope to
start an environment club and go hiking with the kids. I know you went hiking
in the Sandia mountains. Was that fun? What did you learn? Maybe you can send
me some pictures.
A few of you asked if I like sports. I like to ski.
I also like to go hiking, like many of you. On Sunday I went hiking with some
of my new friends here. We visited an archeological site on top of a mountain
at 13,300 feet in altitude. It was an observatory in ancient times. The people who
lived here before the time of the Inca Empire used it to keep track of the
seasons.
I was glad to hear that several of you like to read.
I like to read, too. Right now I’m reading “The Lord of the Rings”. We have a TV,
and of course all the shows are in Spanish. I like reading better than TV. I
like music. I play Native American flute. Last week I got to play a duet with a
Peruvian man who played a Peruvian flute. Maybe Mister Klein can play you some
Andean flute music so you can hear what it’s like. Try to imagine what we
sounded like, blending the flute styles from two continents!
You wanted to know what we eat. Here in the Andes, they
eat a lot of potatoes and beans because they grow well here and are easy to buy
at the market. They also eat chicken, pork, beef and Guinea pig. My family has
a big meal at lunch, and soup for dinner. However, my favorite food is pizza,
which is hard to find here.
Several of you asked about my dogs, but I live with
different dogs now. It sounds like many of you have pets; dogs, cats, fish and
birds. Like in my old house, the dogs here are working dogs. They help herd the
cows and sheep to and from the pasture and they guard the house at night. Even
the cat works: she catches the mice in the attics. Sometimes at night I can
hear her above my ceiling, chasing the mice.
Although it is summer here, it is rainy season, so
it is often cool, between 45 and 65 degrees. And it is very muddy! This is what
my street looks like after a rain.
You asked me about Halloween. Yes, they do celebrate
it in Peru. In the cities, there is some trick-or-treating. Out here in the
countryside, they don’t follow that custom as much. Instead, they visit the
cemetery and have a party there to remember their departed relatives. Now it is
almost Christmas. There is a nativity scene in the town square in Jauja, but a
lot fewer decorations than in the USA. Also, not everyone gives presents.
Instead, there is a family dinner at midnight on Christmas Eve.
In response to the questions about me, I am a
grownup like Mister Klein. I have a daughter who is 19. She lives in Japan,
where she is studying at a university in Tokyo. I am Anglo with a little Native
ancestry but not enough to be an enrolled tribal member. I speak English like
my parents. They live in Albuquerque. I knew some Spanish before I came to
Peru. Now I speak Spanish every day and I’m getting more fluent quickly. My
birthday is April 13. My favorite color is blue. I was a college teacher in
Colorado, but now I am taking a few years to serve in the Peace Corps. It is
hard work, but I like it. It is fun to get to know the people of Peru.
Well, I hope that gives you some idea of what my new
home is like. I’m sorry I can’t answer each of you individually. I am very busy
settling in and starting my new job. Next time, I’ll tell you some more about
Peru and answer the questions you send me.
I hope you and your families have a happy holiday
season.
Best wishes from Peru,
Alane
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