Countdown

One more month of preparations and then I will head towards my new adventure: Honduras. I will be working for the GIZ in Tegucigalpa. More news to follow soon.

Holidays: Lima and Tingo Maria

1. Beach in Lima
2. Agur and me after an amazing lunch
3. Agur loves Peruvian beer and food, so do I ;-)
4. Desert-like neighbourhood in Lima
5. One of my favourite animals
6. + 7. Cacao fruit: very very yammy
8. Me walking through a banana plantation
9. Me and a bundle of Peruvian kids who all wanted a photo with me... I should have charged them...
10. Beautiful sunset in Tingo Maria
11. La Bella Durmiente (the sleeping beauty) and the skyline of Tingo Maria
12. Busy Saturday in Tingo Maria
13. The famous coca bridge
14. Tingo Maria and the river (forgot the name...)
15. Selva
16. Tourist

Jesus, Local Food habits, and mountains, mountains, mountains

Buenos días!!!

Today, it is Tuesday, the 10th of March and I left Germany exactly four weeks ago (does not seem that long ago though). So I guess it is time to post some nice stories again. Actually I should work and type in the answers from my weekend-interviews, but I think posting is more important right now.

First of all, life in Huánuco is not that exciting. I still spend a lot of time in the office, although I often do not know what to do here. Anyways, last weekend I went to visit my peasants in the countryside which was an amazing experience (see photos at the end of the blog). People in the city are a bit strange and not really open but the people in the mountains are amazing, open, kind and curious. They share everything they have (which is not that much) and treat you like a family member (although I did not have to work, like the others... ;-). I actually started my interviews, which was quite a step, but often I do not get the sensitive data or people refuse to talk to me... I do not want to bore you with the details of the research but rather tell you something about life here. Well, the Andes are amazing, the landscape is incredible and the mountains really fascinate me (although I always thought I was a beach/coast person). On Monday morning I climbed up a 'small' hill to visit one farmer on his field that was half an hour away from his house. I helped his wife carrying the lunch and was negatively surprised how much out of shape I actually am (really need to start running tomorrow, but you know me, I'm lazy and I hate running). But I have an excuse: it's also the altitude. Huánuco is situated on about 2000 metres above sea level, and the hill I climbed was on 2800 (remember thats almost like Germany's highest mountain: Zugspitze: 2962m) and you know that the air is thinner on these altitudes. Well, the view was amazing (see photos) and the climbing defintely worth it. In the end I did not take the interview, but had a really nice chat with the farmer.

On Sunday evening ( I had spent the day with two different farmer families), I went to an evangelic church (luckily I am protestant so that was fine) to attend the service in the next-door building (just another dark building with a few benches and a small altar). The father of one of my interviewees is a part-time pastor, and it was only his family, two boys and me attending the service. It was quite a nice service, although the guy is not the best preacher which could have to do with his readings skills (unfortunately there is still a lot illiteracy in Peru). But the service was really interactive and the songs are great. And the best part: the pastor mentioned me about three times in 20 minutes: first he mentioned that god loves all people (also the gringos!) and that we are all the same in front of Him, then welcomed la gringa (me) officially in the community, then wished me good luk with my work and that god should bless me and take care of me. I think I could not get any better support for my research than this.

To come back to another important topic: I promised you to keep you updated on the food issue. Here my small weekend diet in the communities.
Satuday night: pasta with potato, desert: delicious rice with milk and sugar (note: 3 times carbohydrate)
Sunday morning: potato soup and bread, maize
Sunday lunch: rice, tuna from the can with onions (called a salad) and potatos
Sunday evening: potato soup with great bread, Maize
Monday morning,: Potato soup with pasta, really nice baked bananas and roasted maize

I dont think that I could live from that, but I'm sure that too many carbohydrates are not healthy. well in between I had some nice granadillas (like passion fruit) and peaches... Yes, I have a fruit addiction. I do not know if I told you already, but since I have no kitchen I'm pretty much dependent on what the local restaurants offer and that is nothing special (rice with chicken, rice with meat, pasta and potatos). I gues I'm turning vegetarian again and I actually found some nice vegetarian places... To not loose weight (although that would be nice) I indulge my passion on chocolate cookies and banana chips. And every day one orange juice keeps my vitamin C level up!

Next topic: social life. Last week I met Jesus at a forum about Andean alimentation (really interesting and nice food). This is a nice story. Hes a cool guy, long brown hair, green eyes, aged 29, wandering around Peru for some reasons I did not get, not too handsome, but open and interesting. He does not look Peruvian (althoug he has quite a tan), but told me he is. His grandparents were German and Spanish, apparently. I always knew that Jesus was not that blank and that he's not from Nazareth. And I kind of suspected that he also has some German blood. We went for a drink (yeah Jesus does drink alcohol)and talked a bit. He told me that last year, he was asked to be Jesus' voice on earth and that he was honoured to play it... I thought: let the guy talk, if he thinks he's Jesus or his voice, that's ok... But then I got it right: his real name is David and hes only playing the Jesus in the play they organise here for the Easter processions, but still I think he's a nice person and maybe I will ask him to give me his blessings for the research (not that I already have enough!)

So far so good. I will keep you updated on my encounters with any more prophets or saints.. Enjoy the photos and take care!
Life's awesome ;-)
Lena














1. Jesus, a nice original Peruvian (he is professor) and another girl I met at the forum.
2. On the way from Huánuco to Yanayacu: in(famous) public-private transport
3. The river in the Yanayacu valley
4. Sunrise
5. Me and a really friendly sheep
6. My interviewees
7. Wonderful mountains
8. Catlick on the way to the next farmer
9. Carrying the lunch
10. Mountain view
11. Happy me, finally arrived at the chacra
12. More mountains
13. Tired, waiting for a car to take me to Huánuco
(Note: the photos are upside down, start watching at the end...sorry. Still do not know how to organize this blog. maybe someone can tell me how that works?)

Hey guys,
sorry about the fotos they seem to be in some kind of disorder... But I have no clue how to rearrange them ... No clue about html...
This time I'll not bore you with a long story, I'll just post some photos. I spend the last weekend with my housemate (yes, I do actually have one, suprise!) going out eating, drinking and exploring the nice nature around Huánuco. The pictures you see here are from the temple ruins of Kotosh close to Huánuco. Enjoy!!!
Miss you guys!
XX
Lena

Let the research begin

Hola a todos,

where shall I start? There is so much to say… I started this blog a few days ago, so nevermind the time shifts... First of all, I have arrived in the place of my research: Huánuco. A small, but lively city in the central Andes, where Motos (like Rikshas) are the main transport medium... I thought I have arrived in India... More about the city in the next blog...

well, I'll start with something practical: my bed sucks. I’m lying here in my barely furnished room on a mattress that’s surely older than I am. Oh, and there is no slatted frame, but just some wooden planks. not that comfy.... But I should not complain, often rooms are rented without any furniture at all. So I should be glad with my old bed and my desk (without a chair!), and not to forget the really nice white curtains... However, this place is in a safe area and costs me (‘schlappe’, how do I translate that) 32 Euros. Ey, guys, not per week, per month! ;-) I’m thinking about buying a tv, because I safe so much money... I live with an annoying dog (you could also call him a white rat) that already had the guts to enter my (groundfloor) room twice, and an older couple, and maybe some other girl who might be the daughter, don’t really know. So getting to know people in this house might be a bit hard. The shower is cold and there is whatsoever no access to kitchen facilities until now (I’m so western, I need my fridge for cheese and milk and yoghurt ;-( ) which kind of sucks because from time to time I need my selfmade pumpkin soup and salads... this brings me to the next topic: food!

Peruvian food is good, diverse and tasty. But, they don’t really use vegetables, it seems, although they have them in abundant quantities. Every lunch (lunch is the big meal of the day which annoys me a bit, because I’m not used to it) comes with rice! Or with rice and potato or with potato chips or with pasta. But almost always rice (and it’s not even from here, it’s imported!). And Peruvians love meat (we kinda clash here, the Peruvians and me): every lunch comes either with Pollo or Res or something else. Well, today I had chicken (famous pollo a la brasa) with potato chips and one slice of tomato and a bit of lettuce. It was good, but 1) too much for lunch 2) too greasy for me 3) too much meat. I don’t know how it is possible to stay thin here without a kitchen, since this is what Peruvians eat most of the time (on the street): Pollo a la brasa, arroz con pollo, tallarin con pollo... Peruvian food is really good and rich and combines great characteristics from different continents (Chinese is really big here), but in a greasy kind of way. Yesterday evening I had the most amazing fruit salad ever, I did not even know all the fruits. Next time Ill eat it, Ill take a picture! On Monday I had great Chinese-Peruvian food: some pollo, gambas, vegetables, pineapple in a really nice sweet souce (probably full of sugar) with served with wan-tan (and rice of course). And on Sunday I had great and healthy Cebiche (much better than in Panama): Fish or seafood marinated in onions and lemon! Delicious! Another really great aspect are the drinks. Lunch is served with either water mixed with some fruits (pineapple, apple...) or Chicha (sweet red maize drink. Love it!). And of course there are great fruit markets and shops where you can always get a nice fresh orange juice, pineapple juice, or banana milkshake for small money! I love that, and I missed it a lot after Panama! Well, there is some really nice stuff I still haven’t discovered yet, but I will keep you updated on Peruvian food. So, anyway I have to find a solution to the-not-too-grow-too-big-problem (Panamanian kgs are still with me, don’t want that to happen with Peruvian ones) ... well, to be very European I could start with a bread-breakfast (but how without fridge nor coffee?) instead of having causa(= potato filled with maiz or peas) or rice... Well, I let you know once I find a solution, otherwise youll just not recognize me when I come back as a ton (Btw Peruvians are also not really thin either).

Ok , now I’m sitting in my office (quite a dark place but luckily the door is open and the street noise can come in ). First of all, I’m burnt: face and arms.... argh, I totally underestimated the Andean sun! Well, why am I burnt? For the first time I went to the ‘campo’ yesterday to meet the farmer families I will do my research with. My boss and I took the motorbike and drove to the district Santa Maria del Valle, where we were supposed to meet some farmers. Although I had read a lot about poverty in Peru and I knew that the Andes are the poorest part of the country, I was still quite surprised. It is not that people starve (no, some are quite well nourished it seems, on the other hand some are really really thin), but it is more the way they live. The houses are quite simple, dark and the kitchen is a simple fireplace more or less. They eat on the floor and normally sleep in the same room as their guinea pigs (which they eat and sell, haven’t tried one yet). They mostly have less than one hectare of land and plant maize, alfalfa, carrots, lentils (and some other things where I forget the names). Most of them eat what they produce and do not really have a lot of stuff left to sell... So far so I good, I met some really nice people and I learned a lot. And I have to say the region is amazing, the hills, the rivers, the sun!!! I will post some photos soon! And the people are so nice, I came with an empty backpack and I left with a filled one (Limas (lemons), eggs, bread, honey...). We had to either eat or drink at every house and at the end of the day I was stuffed.

And now the story of how we got back to Huánuco... I love adventures... When I asked my boss, Ingeniero Ronald, the day before we went what I had to take he said: nothing special. And totally forget to advise me to bring sunblocker, a hat and well, something in case we would stay there for the night... so, when we arrived in that village (forgot the name), he was like, hey maybe we can stay the night. Me: eh, eh, maybe. But I have contact lenses and without them I’m blind (guys, you know with -7,5 it’s no fun running around w/o glasses or w/ lenses that have been in for 24 hours=you cant see anything either)... he looks at me really annoyed and says ok, then we go back tonight. But what should I have done? I was so resolved to actually take of my ‘western glasses’ and to be flexible, open and with as few prejudices as possible. But I could not be flexible in this case. I could not just have said ok, lets stay and the next morning wake up and either having to throw away the lenses (being almost blind) or run around with them not seeing much ( I don’t know if any of you people has done that before but I can’t stand that feeling). So what should I have done? In the end we went for dinner at one farmer’s house ( a friend of my boss), where we met his colleague, and then went home. Three people on the motorbike with 2 heavy backpacks and, here we go, without light. Yep, fun. The village is about 1 hour away from Huánuco, which is pretty ok with light, but in the evening around 7 when it gets dark, it seems quite far away. But there were stars and somewhere else the moon, so that was ok. What was not ok were the dogs. I really don’t mind dogs, I actually like them. But the dogs here are terrifying. During the day it’s ok, they ran after the motorbike and try to bite you, but during the night they seem even more aggressive and determined to actually try human meat. Well, you never know if these little monsters have rabies, so it is always recommended to slow down a bit and calm them down. Well, that’s what my boss did, but one almost bit me. I hope we do not EVER have to go back at night again...

Now, the research: I’m not that satisfied with my progress... I have heard from others they have actually started researching and that they have a lot of information and that the organisation plans everything and so on. Well, 1) I am in Latin America and 2) my organisation is tiny (compared to big organisations such as IOM or UN Habitat...). That said and kept in mind, I haven’t really started my research. Yesterday was really interesting and I learned a lot, but it was not as such research. And sitting in the office trying to read some documents is almost the same as in Utrecht. My organisation here in Huánuco consists of two people ( in Lima there are about 10 and in other districts are a few more): my boss and the girl who goes visiting the farmers every day. The guy is great and helps me a lot and takes great care of me (found my room, showed me the city, takes me to dinner!!!), and has wonderful ideas for my research and I really appreciate that a lot! So tomorrow I will go and visit the weekly market for the first time and then I will select the farmers I will be working with. So that will be a great step forward and I’m really excited!!! However, working with such a small organisation and having to rely on one person only is quite hard and I have to admit, I now envy a tiny little bit those people working with a big organisation with a big staff, that has a lot of information, data, and so on... But it was my choice to do this with a small local farmers’ organisation and now I have to live with it. Yeah, you always want what you can’t have... At the moment I have the feeling that the start is really difficult and I expected a bit more help from the main office in Lima. At least the guy here is great and has a lot of knowledge!

Honestly, I don’t know if this research is going to work out fine. I still don’t know how I will approach the problem, neither if this is only going to be some investigation that supports the organisation’s goals. Maybe I need someone that really pushes me... My Spanish is ok and I can work my way around with the people in the city and my boss, but the peasants have quite a different dialect and I don’t know if I’ll understand all they say...

So, as you see there are a lot of challenges ahead: first and foremost the dogs, then the big and important research (if this does not work out I don’t get a degree ...haha), getting to know people (next week two students start working in the office, so maybe I can meet some people my age, since in my house that seems impossible ;-)) and of course the food!

One last word: although I have complained quite a bit in this blog I want to say that there are still great things in Peru: First of all my boss Ronald, the landscape and the sun, the juices and the fruits and the really really nice and open people!!!

Keep in mind: Life’s awesome and I miss you!

X

Lena

Mirando al cielo

...I actually reserved a spot at the window when I booked the flight to Lima to be able to watch the Andes from the plane. It turned out I sat next to a really nice couple that immediately gave me tips on how to get around in Lima, how dangerous the area is where my hostel was, at the same time showing me fotos of their holiday in chile (bit annoying ;-))... As nice as they were, I had to switch to the nice german guy (hi Andreas!) I met before to chat about what we could do together in Lima, so my plan to watch the Andes was kinda screwed. The whole story ended up in me jumping around different seats to take fotos (will put them up later) of the Andes and their bleakness (IDS-people: this was my first official observation!), and me forgetting my super super funny german book (Neue Vahr Süd) in the plane... bummer (will ask my Ma if she can send me another version).

Now, I'm sitting at my own desk, in the oficina of the CNA (my organisation) in Lima (surprisingly a tiny bit more quiet than Panamá, but as chaotic and hectic as a Latin American city apparently has to be), trying to make something out of a deficiency of information... Is it too much to expect some information about the region I'm going to do my research in, starting next week???
Anyways, the people seem really really nice, and try to help me as much as they can. I actually already learned so much these two days about local markets and food security...
Let's roll back 24 hours: I had the honor to be picked up from the airport by three (!) CNA guys yesterday, however without prior notice from my internship coordinator (I do not know if he calls himself like that haha), who then dragged me to the office (I was able to convince them to let me bring my stuff to the hostel where I sneaked into the shower for 30 seconds haha) and directly to lunch (yammy arroz con pollo but much better than in Panamá)! Then a sincere conversation and presentation about the organisation was given to me! I have to say these guys, and especially my supervisor (although he mumbles and I can hardly understand him) are great, they care a lot about me and they want my reseach to be great. So thats good news!

Next week, I will move my butt to Huánuco (which I can still not properly pronounce) to start the research! Then you'll get more news.

Remember: Life's aweseome!

Liefs
Lena

countdown

Welcome to my first blog everyone!
In three weeks my next big trip is about to start and I figured it is about time to start my own blog. We'll see how that works out. I'm not promising anything...

This time my Fernweh will bring me to the marvellous country of Peru where I will conduct the research for my Master's Thesis. I will most probably be working in the Andes, looking at the food security situation of farmers and their families and their participation in local markets. It will be fun!!!

Enjoy this blog and please leave comments whenever you want to.
Lena