Cuy Caca Powered Houses

Hey guys and gals!
This week has been a crazy busy blur of homework, projects, birthdays, and cuy guano. So let’s start with the homework bit and make ya’ll wait on the cuy guano part (gotta save the juicy stuff for last). Well I moved up a level or two in my Spanish classes. I was a Novice High, now I’m an Intermediate Medium—and as with any advance in levels of classes, there is an increase of homework as well. Now to qualify, really it’s not anymore homework than I got each night in High School or College (but in College I had more time to work on stuff, seeing as class only took up a portion of my day) but as I mentioned last time I have about a 1-2 hour window to do homework…so it just seems overwhelming sometimes. So far I have been able to finish it all, with the help of my lovely family. They have been checking it to make sure it sounds reasonably intelligent, and that I use the right vocabulary and verb tenses.
Then to add to the homework pile, we have charlas to prepare for!! Charlas are just mini lectures using non-formal education techniques. I.E. not an old school lecture when we get up and preach a subject and everyone pays attention, or falls asleep—because let’s face it, those don’t work in English, let alone most of our broken Spainsh. Rather we teach charlas using games, activities, posters, and well, fun! So for next week my groups have to have 2 charlas ready. For Tuesday we (Ryan, James, and I) are giving a charla on alimentacion complementaria, complementary feeding, of infants between the ages of 6-11 months to all of the PC Staff and PCTs. So we are going to work today (Sunday) on a way to make that…well fun…to people who don’t have an infant and who aren’t thinking about a baby for, well we hope, at least the next 2 years. Then for Thursday my language class (Saritia, Frieda, Mark, and I) are presenting everything we could find about Lambayeque (a province in Peru). So far…we need to find more information. But my mom has agreed to help me cook a typical dish once I find one…so the internet will be my hero later on today.
Moving on to BIRTHDAYS! Our lovely Robyn had her 23rd birthday earlier this week and we all celebrated with an amazing cake and gaseosos (soda) at the St. Nicholas Heath Center where we have been having class recently. The cake was great, but sadly it didn’t leave me with much room for my awesome lunch of Aji de Gallina! Ok so this dish is by far my favorite dish in Peru (it was last time as well, but my family never made it…but this family loves the stuff!!) Its some sort of pure of aji, think hell of spicy pepper, milk, and who knows what…mixed up with shredded chicken served over potatoes and rice. MMMMMMMMMM. Ok moving on to the next birthdays. Brad has a birthday and a party, but I was feeling tired so decided to skip the “its Friday lets go grab something sweet or a beer to celebrate making it through the week” gathering and catch a nap. So I walked the 30 minute trek home (I hate combis so I avoid them when possible) and open the door to have my sister grab my arm and whisper something in my ear. Wait let me frame this for you. I was walking with my iPod in listening to country music, because let’s face it they just don’t have it here and I miss it! And my brain hasn’t quite gotten the English-Spanish 0.20 second switch time down yet. So I still have Josh Turner’s “Would You Go with Me?” stuck in my head and I get a “Yennifer! Nos Olvido la cumpli de mi papi” (aka my whole family forgot that day was my dad’s birthday…oops!) So the whole family, including me, goes into super rush mode trying to go buy a Lonche (a snack before dinner) and some gaseoso to throw together a last minute mini party before my dad makes it back from his accordion jam session down the hill (yeah how bad ass, my dad plays the accordion). Needless to say it was funny as heck, and we celebrate what I think was my dad’s 60-something birthday. Now before you mock me for not knowing my dad’s age, I’m sure they told me the first day I was here…but I forgot, and it’s IMPOSSIBLE to guess how old a Peruvian is.
Ok on to the part you all really have been reading this far for. CUY GUANO! So we went to a “green” house, that was actually called the white house (casa blanca)…have I lost anyone yet? Well this house was about 2 hours away from the center in Chaclacayo in…Pacaha…something Lima. (sorry I stink at town names). But it was basically a husband and wife team, with assistants, who have a completely 100% green and self sustaining house. They grown their own food, veggies, fruit, and meat, and power their house off of methane gas released from this huge underground digester that basically eats everything that doesn’t go into compost. It was really cool. They run everything that’s usually gas powered off, well basically farts. So the stove and gas lights, and then run a gas generator that powers their indoor lights, tv, and so on. Not to mention the older couple were cute as hell, it was just a fun day.
After the day of cuy farts, I decided I was going to go to this AMAZING pastry shop near my school to buy a postre (dessert) for my dad’s real birthday party we’re throwing today. I got the most amazing apple pie I’ve ever seen…sorry dad, but its true…just…wow, mouth water to look at, I can’t wait to taste it later! I’ll let ya’ll know how it turned out.
Before I leave to go join in on the usually Sunday rituals of a late breakfast and lots of laundry I’ll fill you in on my newest piece of information: I’m going to Alta Puira for field based training the week after next. While I was originally a little sad to find out this information, because I had always associated Puira with the beach…and well flat land--Jorge, one of our AMAZING PCMO (Peace Corps Medical Officer) has a presentation of PCVs sites all around the country. And low and behold…Alta Puria has MOUNTAINS and GREEN STUFF!!! God it looked amazing in the photos. It literally turned me from a grump to the happiest person in the room. Cause ya’ll know I love me some mountains!!!

Ok my laundry is calling, time to go add to these calluses on my hands and do this stuff the old school way! Miss everyone back home! Stay safe ! Love ya’ll, laters!