Callqui, Ayacucho, Peru

Yesterday I had my first opportunity to go to Callqui. This is a small barrio of Huanta which is about an hour from Ayacucho. I was excited to be asked to go. So Amanda and I, accompanied by Raul set out in PyE's 4x4 toyota. On the way I got my first taste of mountain rain. I never thought I would say "AMAZING!" when talking about rain, but it was. Callqui is where one of the GAMs or Grupos para Ayudar Mujeres (Groups to help Women) meets. A majority of these 8 women were affected by the Violence that began in Ayacucho (Chuschi) as did Paz y Esperanza. They were impacted directly or indirectly, they lost someone to the violence or were hurt themselves through assault and mistreatment. The workshops that Amanda and Milagros lead are designed to create a safe space for the women to talk and process their stories from then, as well as their lives now. They also help provide some space to encourage the women's work on their self esteem.
These women, in Callqui, are fascinating. Most of them only speak Quechua, one of the native languages of Peru, while a few spoke bothQuechua as well as castellano,which is what they call spanish. My host family speaks both Quechua and castellano so Rosa (my host mom) is going to help me to learn to speak it. I could only understand parts of what they were saying yesterday. They talked about their weekend and what they did, and of course that lead them into struggling with their views and interpretations of scripture, as their faith and daily lives are intertwined. Even though I did not know everything they were saying, I was amazed that I could pick out these things. Ironically enough a majority of these women are members of the Presbyterian Church in Callqui. They were excited to learn that I was a Presbyterian as well.
They always begin the meeting with a dynamica or icebreaker. We had partners and were mirrors of each other. Amera was my mirror. Whatever she did, I did, then we reversed roles. There was a lot of giggling. After that they gathered in a circle and began to talk about thier weekends and what had past since their last meeting. The women like to sit on these little squatty stools or really a log about a foot high, if that. They seemed comfortable. Every three minutes Amanda would send one of the women away from the group, to face a wall where they could not hear the conversation. Then they would return and someone else would go. As the group closed for the day Amanda asked the women who were sent away to explain in one or two words what it felt like to be separated from the group. They used words like lonely, and sad. Amanda (who by the way speaks Quechua like a champ and is a native Peruana) reminded them to be aware of when they feel this way because one of the goals of the workshops is that the women walk together in solidarity, and that when one is separated, then they all are.
After the group ended Amanda distributed seeds to women for hearty vegetables that would grow near there homes like beets, broccoli, and carrots. This is part of the healthy eating initiative that PyE hopes will help the women with a healthier diet and hunger, but also trickle down to their families as they are the cooks. Then, like any good gathering of Presbyterians WE ATE! The women made Caldo de Gallina or chicken soup, and Amanda and I had brought some sweet bread to share. They also set out a big bowl of canchitas or roasty toasty corn kernals. I hope to go back. As we told one another good bye, that was their question to me in a combination of Quechua and castellano "When are you coming back?" I hope it is soon, not just for them, but for me too.