Animal Crackers in my Soup...Lions and Tigers Loop de Loop

When I was kid my mom, brother, and I would sing that song when eating animal crackers. That was what the commerical said. "Animal Crackers in my Soup! Lions and Tigers Loop de Loop!" Then we would bite them off in little pieces.

So how glorious was it to walk into the little tienda next to my house and see animal crackers sitting on the shelf. The tienda is owned by the father of my host dad. His name is Ricardo. So that makes him sort of my "Abueltio." I always go in and call out Papa Quispe!! and he scurries in from the back and rares back and says "gringita," and we shake hands and chat it up. Papa Quispe has had this tienda for more than 30 years. It has a little bit of everything; sugar, flour, fresh bread, aji no moto, cloves, soda, etc.

The best part though...animal crackers, and the brand name makes it even better...FAUNA. Yep! That is right FAUNA. Just like Flora is flowers and FAUNA is animals. These animal crackers are not circus animals though, they are pigs, and owls, chickens and rabbits.

"Animal Crackers in my tienda! Pigs and chickens on whom I dependa!" Hee Hee...FAUNA!!!

Who Needs Eggs, When You've Got Bull!s TORO, TORO!!

So right smack in the midst of Semana Santa and all its splendor in Ayacucho is the Sabado de Gloria or Saturday of Glory. This is a day of "Letting your emotion loose". I was told by my host family. It began at 10 a.m. and lasted well into the night.

The morning began in the plaza, which was begining to fill, in anticipation. There was a parade of Peruvian high stepping Paseo Horses. Then a few passes by a boisterous band and women and men dressed in their traditional Huamangina wear.

(This is my friend Eli or Elizabeth. She sells Muyuchi or the Andean Ice Cream)

At 10 a.m. began the annual JALA TORO or the pulling/running of the bulls in Ayacucho. The bulls are smaller than in Pamplona, Spain and not as Bravo or aggressive. They tie a rope to a bull, and they pull, saying JALA! JALA! which means to pull. It agitates the animal and then it begins to run all the way down the 28 de Julio and into the square. The people scream and take off running. Some are in front, some behind, and some right beside. The throng of screaming runners is lead by a group of Peruvian high stepping Paseo horses. There is a brass band with a drum, remember we are in Ayacucho of course. They go up the street playing DU du DU du DU du du! and then they come back down the 28 de Julio DU du DU du du du! That means the bull is coming. It gets the people all excited. They do this with about 4 or 5 bulls and waves of people. People run in groups or as individuals, and then do cheers and make human pyramids in triumph after they reach the plaza.
There is supposed to be no drinking in the "historic center" during Holy Week out of respect for the processionals and religious rituals, but I think that was waved this past Saturday JALA! JALA! Cops were walking among the people and they weren't saying anything to the people drinking, only the individuals selling the beer out of backpacks.
No I didn't run down the 28 de Julio, I know 2 people who did though!! I did run around the plaza though with them afterward. JALA! JALA! Again the plaza was filled to the gills, and party went on into the night. At night men and women dressed in their regular clothes, but also traditional Huamangina clothes, danced around in circles, and yes (de acuerdo) of course I joined them.

Semana Santa in Ayacucho, Peru - Processions, Alfombras, and Multitudes

So it is now Monday. I am still off of work because the people of Ayacucho are still celebrating. Why not follow one epic celebration with another, am I right? This time it is the anniversary of the founding of the province of Huamanga (where the city of Ayacucho is located.) A province is about like a county. All this celebrating began Thursday night a week ago, and as promised it was a roller coaster ride of emotion and celebration and intrigue, much like the Passion Story one can find in the Bible.

Let me pick up where I left off, after Sunday's triumphant entry into Ayacucho ERRum I mean Jerusalem.....

There were processionals each night. Throngs or multitudes of people turned out and lined the streets. The processionals are floats that are carried by Hermandads or brotherhoods. Apparently it is a real honor to be a part of one of these groups. The processionals are lead by candle bearing men and women, who stop at all four corners of the plaza to sing, usually a gripping and sad tune in either castellano or quechua. They are usually accompanied by a brass band with a drum to keep the solem mood and beat...BOOM BOOM BOOM!! as they walk along, swaying a bit from the weight of the float bearing down on their shoulders.

The processionals on Wednesday and Friday nights, as well as the procession of the resurrected Christ on Sunday morning are considered the major ones. They are either begun or followed by a mass. These processionals take place in the Plaza de Armas de Ayacucho or the main square. School groups and businesses take turns, as part of a concurso or contest of alfombras.

Alfombras are rugs. The students draw their design in chalk and then use an assortment of saw dust and flowers to create these ornate designs in the middle of the streets. They are usually a minimum of 12x12. They sort of form holy ground, and that night the large processionals walk across them, bearing the various images of the day.

These processionals sort of remind me of the 7 Stations of the Cross that some people attend in the United States, but in this case the station moves and not the people, and it is one station per night. Each night of the major processions (Jesus Encuentro de Maria, Santa Sepulcra, and the Ressurrected Christ - Sunday Morning) the Plaza is packed. You get in about 9 p.m. and you do not move until 12 midnight. You are shoulder to shoulder with everyone and their mama, and when the processional passes you the throngs of people like to turn and follow it. Making the throng or multitude of people now a wave. I guess a little fervor never hurt anyone.

I think my favorite was the procession of the resurrected Christ on Sunday morning at 5 a.m. out of the main cathedral. I arrived at 4 a.m. to go to the mass. I am not Catholic, but what the heck. The mass at times was drowned out by the sound of firecrackers going off in the Plaza outside. The throng waiting to enter the cathedral was already to the street. When the huge, heavy wooden doors swung slowly open, there it was. It is about a story and half tall and some say it weighs several tons, not sure. It was a wooden structure covered in white and silver foil paper and then candles. Perhaps a fuego disaster waiting to happen, but breath takingly beautiful nonetheless. Atop was an image of the risen Christ in all his glory. As the doors opened the whole crowd gasped in unison, and then applauded, as they entered the cathedral. The mass was held, and then the throng moved outside. This monstrosity of a float would be carried on the shoulders of 20 or so young men, who periodically siked themselves up with a call and response...."Con la Fuerza del senor, la fuerza de Jesus....Jesus Vive...VIVE!!"(With the power of God, the power of Christ, Christ lives?...He lives!! As this float began moving out of the cathedral the risen Christ image is lowered down for a moment because it is taller than the door. When it clears the door it is risen again. It is a pyramid of glowing flame. The band follows playing a joyful and triumphant march. The men carrying it along the way sway back and forth to keep going and to keep from tipping over in the corners. They say "Si se Puede" as they move along. "Yes we can" and all the people cheer.

Then it was off to the Presbyterian Church at 6 a.m...the sermon was "Three Lessons of the Resurrection Morning" and a there was a rousing verison of "Because he Lives" in spanish, all started off by the pastor saying there is a tradition in Huamanga. The tradition is that you turn and greet your neighbor with a fuerte abrazo or hug and say "Feliz Dia de la Pascua Resureccion."

Many of the Peruvians asked me what Holy Week was like in the United States. I told them there are some differences and similarities, but that the major difference was that our celebrations were more private and by church, rather than communal. Again I remind all that these processionals and other events were extremely Catholic. Most evangelicals or Protestants did not attend or participate. Many of the events were sanctioned and supported by the state and the city of Ayacucho. While at breakfast one morning, someone leaned over and said "Did you know that one of the President's cabinet members just sat down over there to eat breakfast?" I didn't, but I am reminded that Peru (especially Ayacucho) has both Protestants and Cahtolics, who do not really see eye to eye, but Peru is still largely a Catholic State. Its holdiays and celebrations tell me so.

Domingo de Ramos - Palm Sunday to the rest of you!

Domingo de Ramos or Palm Sunday came and went. The air was full of Catholic Fervor in Ayacucho. It was the first BIG processional of the 9 day (yes 9) Semana Santa Week here in the Andes Mountains. So there was a mass in the morning as the imagen de Christo - Senor de Ramos arrived at the Monastery Santa Teresa just below my house in Carmen Alto. He has real hair and flashes what looks almost like a peace sign, but that is just one gringa's interpretation. You tell me. He is made of wood, I think, and lives in the Main Cathedral all year in Plaza de Armas, except this Sunday.

At about 4 p.m. the throngs of people began to line the streets near the Cathedral and all the way to the Plaza de Armas or the Center of town. YES they all had palm branches too. Their's were shaped and woven into these intricate designs.

The procession was preceded by a large processional of donkeys (every other day they are burros), which for biblical purposes here they call pollinos, and other Andean animals like llamas and traditional Peruvian Paseo Ponies or horses. They are high stepping and have a unique gait, that is all I know. Who knew llamas were leading Jesus' triumphant entry into Jerusalem. This procession of animals and people decked out in traditional Huamangina wear (or dress) before the imagen is called a Chamiso.

Paco (my host dad) and I started out at the Monasterio Santa Teresa, then we joined the throng (SUPER FUN!! I must recommend) and processed our way toward the plaza, romping in about 3 inches of cut flowers laid in the street. Then we took a short cut to beat the processional to the Plaza de Armas, where it would cricle and then enter the Cathedral for an evening mass. When we cut off the processional must have gotten clogged becasue we mulled around the Plaza for at least thirty minutes to an hour before it arrived lead by another throng of Catholic faithful waving their palms proudly and some dude on a mic saying "Christo Vive, and the throng would raise their palms and shout back "VIVE!" AWESOME with a capital A, because I was there smack in the middle, whereelse would you expect me to be?

So the imagen de Senor de Ramos was lead by the Sacerdotes or the priests in all their ritual vestments and the alter boys. That circle of people were surrounded by the PNP or national police; some in special forces gear and others in their dress uniforms. Kind of makes you chuckle if you could have seen it. They had more protection than the governor who was riding a horse, then walking.

I keep using the word Catholic very heavily here. Protestants do not usually take part in all of this. I was glad though that Pastor David Luyo's sermon at the Presbyterian Church (El Arco) today was on Jesus' triumphant entry into Jerusalem. Atleast there was some recognition. I am getting the impression, after 8 months, that there is a fear of being or appearing Catholic, and vice versa of appearing Protestant or evangelico here in Ayacucho. Some of the Evangelicos feel like Semana Santa has become just another reason for people to drink here in Ayacucho. Some even call it Semana Trunca for that reason. After participating today I disagree. There were throngs of faithful people practicing and celebrating their faith. The only thing I am left reflecting on now is how heavily and heartily these folks that walked beside me "Were they putting their faith in the imagen del Senor de Ramos or in Christ himself...?"

I never SAW-sage a thing...Platos Tipicos para Semana Santa in Ayacucho

So here is the ¨Dish¨ literally. The favorite plate or foods that are typically consumed during Semana Santa in Ayacucho. The plate is Chorizo (The spicy sausage all broken up, not in link form) it is fried up and served with what else, potatoes. They put that atop lettuce and serve it with a beet and carrot salad. To wash it all down is PONCHE or milk flavored with peanuts, sesame seed, sugar and coconut. It is served warm. When ponche is served cold and moved around really fast it becomes a street treat called muyuchi (moy u chi) or Andean Ice Cream. I ate the infamous Chorizo today. Some of the restarants have it, but the place to go is the street that runs perpendicular to the Telefonica building (a well known site). The street below has been portioned off and "official" Holy Week vendors or atleast that is what their little smocks say have set up sidewalk restaurante row. In true Peruvian business fashion....little tents with picnic table and gas burner sidewalk cafes line the sides of the street and all sell the same stuff, for about the same price. 8 soles for a plate of chorizo (OW! That is like 3 dollars and yes for a plate of Chorizo off the street in Ayacucho that is alot). Arroz con pollo, escabeche de pollo, tallarin con pollo, and chorizo. They also have masamora (fruit pudding), chicha morada, and ponche. So really you just pick one that you think you can trust, and go at it!

Semana Santa Begins in Ayacucho, Peru

Today is known as ¨Viernes Dolores¨. Chicote or Tres Puntos is what some in Ayacucho call it. You might be saying to yourself, if you are in the United States right now, Semana Santa or Holy Week does not begin until Palm Sunday with the observance of the triumphant entry of Jesus into Jerusalem. True for that culture, but in Ayacucho, Peru the week (of 9 days) begins today with the Friday of Pain (loose translation). The first procession will take place in the district of Magdelena. The processions will shift to Plaza de Armas or center of Ayacucho and will get much bigger and more elaborate as the week goes on. A float or representation of sorts will process among the people around the plaza in the center of Magadelena. There were fireworks last night and I am sure more to come. This week is a layering of Catholic and Quechua ritual, but mostly Catholic. The protestants or evangelicos, as they are known here, might go out to see what is going on, but it seems to be just another week here for them. I have sensesd this innate and very real fear and obstinance by Protestants to be thoguht of as Catholic, as though it were a plague or sin. It makes ecumenism virtually nonexistent here. That has been challenging for me to understand and navigate, especially because my work friends are a mix of Catholic and Protestant. For the Catholics, and the throngs of people who will come to Ayacucho (the other YAVS and ME!!) for this week (Wednesday is when it REALLY gets rolling) it is a HUGE deal. My compañera at work just explained to me why today is ¨Viernes Dolores¨ or the Friday of Pain, it also involves the Tres Puntos. She said when she was little, but it doesn´t happen in her family now, her dad would whack them, across the rear end, either three times or with some belt like thing with three pieces. (I am picturing a cat of nine tails like thing without the sharp edeges) The principle of this is that you share in the pain of Jesus being rejected by his people and crucified on the cross. My compañera said it still happens here, and not just with niños, but adults too. She also told me that out in the streets people have little slingshots and they shoot you in the rear end with them to share in the ¨Viernes Dolores.¨ I think I might pass on this Ayacuchano tradition, and so will my rear end.

PyE Ayacucho 9th Anniversary Video

This is a link to a video that my compañero at work, Omar- the communications guru, made using pictures that I took. I love it. It is in spanish, sorry for those who do not speak or understand. The beauty is you can still capture the wonderfulness of the various moments of our celebration. Check it out.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r6QRzHdEd3Y

Traveling Snacks - Andean Munchies

So on our recent roadtrip to Huarapite, I spent a little while reflecting on the food that we ate, especially on the road. It was quite unique, and very much Andino. I have eaten these things before, but traveling in a crowded mini van or the back of a pick-up truck just seems to add something to the ambiance and aura of it all. First is choclo con queso - that is corn on the cob and a wedge of Andean, hand molded cows milk cheese. It is all crumbly fresh, and the corn is smokin´hot! They give it to you in a plastic bag. It costs about 50 cents or 1 sole. The women carry big rubber tubs on their head and all the corn is wrapped in a towel and paper to keep it smokin´hot. ¨Choclo! Choclo! Choclo con queso!¨They bark as they walk the sides of the road where a lot of cars stop for a rest. The women may add an ïto¨on the end of it all meaning ¨little, and I think Hey perfect for a snack so come eat!¨¨Choclito con queso or Chocolo con quesito!¨Corn on the cob in Peru, but especially the Andes mountains is BIG Kerneled. I do not know how else to describe it. It takes getting used to, but I love it. Next is potatoes sancochado or boiled potatoes. Little red tubers that have been boiled, again given to you in a plastic bag. Sometimes with a wedge of Andean cheese and a pinch of salt. You peel the potato with your dominant hand, and hold the cheese in your other and then go at it. Bite for bite, ARF ARF ARF! (That is the biting sound). Finally, a variety of breads. The bread in Ayacucho is fantastic and unique. You cannot get it other places, including Lima (the capital). When you go to the bus terminal there are booths and push carts selling bags of different breads, and the Andeean cheese to take with you or llevar were ever you are going. Chapla, rosquitos, wau-waus, Frances. You name it we were eating it. We were washing it all down with ponche or a hot rice oatmeal liquidy drink. The women from Huarapite had made it by the 5 gallon bucket full. SLURP!!

Hay Razones para Creer en un Mundo Mejor

Many of you may have already seen this Coca-Cola commercial. I believe the original is in Spanish, but there is a version in English as well as a version in Spanish with English subtitles. Here is the link to You Tube... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fiE8KbqQsf8 Take a look at it, whether or not you like Coca-Cola or appreciate their global presence. Watching this made me smile just a little...okay I caved to commericial propaganda. There is something hopeful about it. It is called Hay Razones para Creer en un Mundo Mejor or Reasons to Belive in a Better World. The kids are singing a song by Oasis called ¨Whatever.¨ I must admit to liking the kids version better. Check it out. See if it makes you smile.

Peace in Huarapite, but no Justice 27 years later

By April of 1984, the insurgent, Shining Path (Sendero Luminoso) was working heavily in the rural country side of Ayacucho to win converts by talk or physicality to support their Maoist-Socialist revolution. They sought to unite the poor farmers of the Andes Mountains by giving them someone to blame for their plight in life; the culpability they said lay with the government, so the Shining Path initiated a campaign that would become an illustration of three fold violence. The Path began by getting rid of local elected officials, not by voting them out of office, but by killing them. It really became a “You are either with us or against us sort of mentality.” Anyone thought to be siding with the government or military, or to be counter revolutionary was killed. This was usually done publically to instill fear.

On April 5, 1984 a military vehicle was attacked by a group of the Shining Path rebels in the District of Chiara. As a result two of the soldiers died. My host family also told me about this incident. My host mom remembers the day this happened. She is from a nearby pueblo. She said the Shining Path was occupying houses that had been abandoned near the main road. The original occupants had fled the violence of Ayacucho for Lima, the capital. She and her brother were tending the cattle and sheep in a field and heard a lot of what went down. It is rumored that the Shining Path had booby trapped the road with dynamite, and lie in wait. One of the survivors of the attack made it to a local military base, and then finally to Ayacucho proper to report the attack and death of his companeros. Ayacucho immediately sent detachments of soldiers to chase the rebels. When the soldiers arrived at the site of the attack, and followed the traces of the fleeing rebels they encountered a local youth along the way who directs them toward the route the fleeing rebels took. Instead of pursuing them via this youth’s advice, the soldiers headed toward a small pueblo in the district of Chiara, Niño Jesùs, Huarapite. This is located about 15 minutes from my host mothers pueblo of Remiapata. Upon arriving in Huarapite the soldiers began to kill anything that stood in their way. They killed parents in front of their minor children and raped teenagers. The military had no justification for killing any of these people. As a result of this massacre, 26 people were killed, two wounded by gunfire and many children were orphaned who were under the age of 10. Some of whom died from starvation days later. After wiping out the population the military went to the community of Añaycancha, near Huarapite, where they apparently were going to commit the same acts, but thanks to the timely intervention of a police contingent, the population was saved.

In April of 2010, with the testimony of witnesses, a team of Peruvian forensic experts, accompanied by lawyers and mental health experts from Paz y Esperanza were able to uncover 19 bodies buried in mass graves in 3 different sites in Huarapite.

So why do I write about this tragic and diabolical event that took place in a rural mountain community 27 years ago? I am writing about it because I am now a part of the story of Huarapite. I am a part of this story because of a thing called accompaniment. The family and friends of Huarapite waited 27 years for peace, and on April 5, 2011, fifteen of the twenty-six families got it. They were able to claim the “restos” or remains of their loved ones from the State of Peru, and lay them to rest in the Niño Jesùs, Huarapite cemetery. The local cemetery was actually the site of one of the mass graves. Three more families, continue to wait for the results of DNA testing, as the final three “restos” had to be sent to Lima for a more significant identification process. One thing that these families still wait for, even after the peace of laying their loved ones to rest in a dignified manner is JUSTICE. They wait for the news that the soldiers responsible for the deaths of their loved ones have been identified and captured.

Accompaniment is why I write this story. In the Old Testament, Ruth (vs 16-17) captures the ideology of accompaniament in a way that I still cannot. ¨Ruth replied to Naomi, “Don’t urge me to leave you or to turn back from you. Where you go I will go, and where you stay I will stay. Your people will be my people and your God my God. 17 Where you die I will die, and there I will be buried.¨ Walking alongside of friends and neighbors, sometimes strangers in acts of solidarity. I sat with these men and women as they stood in the hallway of the Fiscalia de la Nacion (the forensics lab) of Ayacucho and witnessed the scientists gently and respectfully transfer their loved ones remains (bones, but also some personal artifacts like remnants of clothing, sandals, a water bottle) from brown paper sacks and bread boxes that had been carefully labeled to small, white, undersized coffins. Each coffin was labeled with the name of the deceased.

Leonarda was her name. She was one of the family members bearing witness to the transferral of the remains. She is 45 now. She was 18 when her mother Mercedes was killed. As the oldest she was left to care for her brothers and sisters. One of her sisters was standing in front of me as they placed Mercedes remains in the small, white, undersized casket. Leonarda’s sister was 1 year old when her mother died. The young woman, now 26, crumbled at my feet as they placed the remains in the coffin, Leonarda burst into tears. My mental health teammates Jyudy and Milagros attended to Leonarda’s sister, and I sat in a chair next to Leonarda, holding her hand while she cried on my shoulder, and tried to catch her breath. “I feel so mixed up. I am so glad this day is finally here, but yet there is still no justice for my mother or the others” she said. There wasn't really anything to DO, it was more about BEING there, a presence. It was alot like my nights as a chaplain in the emergency rooms and trauma centers of Louisville, KY and Winston-Salem, NC. I couldn´t take away Leonarda´s pain, but i made space that she had waited 27years for. The space to begin greiving, in whole new ways over her mother´s unjustifiable death. The air was so thick with anticipation and sadness that it could have been cut with a knife. This sadness, anger, and grief had been suppressed for 27years.

Other parts of the two day Sepillo Digno included a mass lead by a Catholic Priest at the main Cathedral in Ayacucho. The priest was the grandson of Seminario Vasquez Cisneros, one of the 15 victims laid to rest that day. There was also a public velario or wake outside of the main cathedral. On the 5th of April, the anniversary of the massacre, the small, white, undersized coffins were loaded into 3 Toyota pick- up trucks, and joined by five mini vans full of family, friends, and supporters from Paz y Esperanza, Apoyo por la Paz, Cruz Roja Peru, and other organizations. This began the caravan that made the 3 ½ hour trek to Huarapite. Each vehicle was adorned with a white flag of peace. We stopped along the way for bathroom breaks aue natural and to snack on corn, potatoes, and cheese that the women had packed. The 15 men and women of Huarapite were on their way home. “This time with dignity, not like animals,” one family member said.

Halfway up the caravan stopped in Condorcoccha, along the way, to reroute a part of the caravan. One of the mini vans or combis was loaded with the family members of 2 of the fifteen victims and their small, white. undersized caskets. It was directed to Cangallo, which is where they are from. 27 years ago these two people had come to Huarapite to make business deals and to trade. They came to buy and sell. They never left Huarapite alive. April 5, 2011 they returned to Cangallo with the respect and prayers of friends and family, and accompanied by the ones that they left behind 27 yrs ago.

When the caravan arrived in Huarapite it was greeted by a throng of the citizenry who were unable to travel. In many ways it was like a mixed emotion homecoming. People held pictures of the deceased. There were mourners of all ages. They had gathered in front of the rural cathedral, made of adobe brick. The 13 small, white, undersized coffins were laid in front of the cathedral on the lean to, previously lined with tables. Another mass was held, again led by the grandson of Seminaro Vasquez Cisneros. This time he was more direct and to the point in his sermon, delivered as rain began to fall from the heavens, and intermingled amongst the Catholic rituals. He gave thanks for the peace of burial, but demanded justice for the deaths of the 26 victims of Huarapite. He spoke of the forgotten nature of Andean pueblos like Huarapite, and how they were only remembered during election campaigns when candidates tried to buy their votes with gifts. The priest demanded that the people begin to, if they hadn’t already, to recognize their humanity and worth, and how the death of these 13 people spit in the face of it all.

A short time later, friends and families of each fallen member of Huarapite, hoisted the small, white, undersized coffins on their shoulders, and took turns carrying their family, friends, and neighbors to their final resting place on the half mile procession to the cemetery, where in the rain, the caskets were interred in the new high-rise graves constructed in the cemetery.

Huarapite, from its beginnings to the present has had no basic services such as electricity, potable water, and sewage. These shortcomings are recurrent factors in many of the Andean pueblos. In many ways this small, rural, Andean community still lives the lifestyle of 27 years earlier relying on animal husbandry, agriculture (corn and potatoes), as well as the camaraderie and community that they have built to survive.

**I found out that Seminario Vasquez Cisneros, one of the fifteen victims of the Huarapite Massacre, was the uncle of my host grandmother, making her his neice.**

Tea Time with Lisa - The Video

I think I may have posted this link sometime ago, but heck let me just do it again. The link below is to a video of me casually talking about my work and life as a Young Adult Volunteer in Peru. It is from December 2010. Check it out. http://gamc.pcusa.org/ministries/yav/peru/

Election Day - Peruvian Style

Today are the Presidential Elections in Peru. Also Peruvians who live around the world go to vote for their president at their respective embassies in countries like Spain and Japan. Funny, lots of Peruvians living in Japan, who'da thought?!

So rules on elections day....

1. Voting is obligatory, that means you have to or you will be fined.

2. You have to go back to your place of birth to vote unless you were smart enough to move your registration. Sometimes that means a 12 hour, one way bus trip, but Peruvians seem

to make a weekend of it!! So heck why not.

3. All alcohol sales cease for the weekend so either stock up or go without.

4. No public meetings on that Sunday...that includes church services. Today a policeman and

a polling official were harassing some of the men who had gathered for an early morning

soccer match on the soccer field below my house. How exactly is a soccer game a public

meeting I am not sure, but she left and they kept on playing.

There is no primary system in Peru so most elections wind up like this one in a "segunda vuelta" or second go round. On the second time they take the top two or three vote getters and hold another election about a month or two later. So by May or June Peru will have a new President.

They will take office in July.

The candidates were Alejanrdo Toledo (a former President), Ollanta Huamala, Pedro Pablo Kuczynski (a Peru-American gringo businessman), Keiko Fujimori (her dad was the infamous Alberto Fujimori elected to three terms in a dictatorial-democracy), and Lucho Casteneda (a former mayor of Lima).

A president cannot serve consecutive terms (unless you are Alberto Fujimori and dissolve congress like in the 1990´s, that generally works). You are elected to a five year term, must leave office for atleast one term, and then you can run again. I guess if you are good it stinks becasue it disrupts progress, but if you are a freak then Peru can drop you like you were hot.

Launching themselves into the "segunda vuelta" are.... PPK...Pedro Pablo Kuczynski (who refuses to renounce his American citizenship) and Ollanta Humala (a former military man and a bit of a nationalist-left wing like Hugo Chavez tinge from what I hear). Humala seems to be very popular among the campesinoes, while PPK seems to be working it among young professionals, and apparently oversized mineral smelter workers in La Oroya.

It will be interesting to see what comes to pass.

LATE BREAKING BULLETIN!! That is what I get for using the T word (think)to liberally. KEIKO FUJIMORI will be joining Ollanta Humala in the segunda veuelta NOT PPK or Pedro Pablo Kuzcynski. Most of the people in my house thought he would when all of the votes from out of towners were counted. Guess they were wrong.

One of my friends here in Peru said ¨You cannot get two candidates more polarizing than Ollanta Humala and Keiko Fujimori¨. I think he is right.

Today is also the voting for congress and the Parlamento Andino which is made up of reps elcted from Andean nations like Ecuador, Peru, and Boliva. I think some family cousins are running for office.

I did ask Celia if people get excited about voitng for President. I mean I know I do. It is kind of a nationalistic freak thing, but I am a social studies teacher, and I dig it....so hush your snickering. Excercizing ones right to vote is an awesome thing.

Celia said people here vote because the HAVE TO. They do not really get excited because they feel for the most part out of touch with the national government and that they do not do a whole lot for them. Celia said people seem to get more excited abotu regional elections, because it is people that they know, and have seen before.

As for me, I cannot vote here. Not really interested in voting here anyway. So Paco, Celia, and I made PIZZA!!! Celia's mom, 73 yr old Michilda Vasquez Prado, came to town to vote. She still lives where Celia was born in a small Pueblo about three hours away called Remiapata. So she and I made a pizza together. Michilda has never seen or eaten pizza before. In Quechua she kept saying "What are we making? What is this again?" Celia kept saying "PIIIIZZA." Michilda invited me to Remiapata to cultivate potatoes, milk cows, and make Andean cheese. I am so in!!

Also joining us were Maarten and his kids. Maarten and his family are from Holland. Maarten teaches at the seminary and goes to the same church as Paco, Celia, Franco, and I. Franco was his usually entertaining self. Throwing food, slurping down chicha morada, grabbing anything off of the table and throwing it on the floor that he could, but what else is a curious 2 yr old to do.

9 Years of Paz y Esperanza in Ayacucho

April 1, 2011 was the 9th Anniversary of the birth of the regional office of Paz y Esperanza in Ayacucho. Our focus is human rights, especially with victims (individually and collectively) of violence. It began with the victims of the Violence (social and political) that gripped Peru from 1980-2000. Over the years it has grown into advocating for campesinoes that have been arrested and held against their will for crimes they did not commit to educating children, municipal officials, church leaders, and pastors on Domestic Violence. Team Ayacucho is an interdisciplinary team made up of lawyers, psychlogists, social workers, development experts, reporters and communication experts, administrators, and one gringo volunteer who is passionate about accompaniament, mission, and pastoral care (that's me!). HAPPY BIRTHDAY PyE AYACUCHO, HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!! On March 31, 2011 we held a church service or Accion de Gracias service at one of the local churches I work with, Christo Redentor. April 1st I joined the team for a "Paseo Institucional." That means no work and ALL play. We started out in Acos Vinchos at the Banos Termales, but it was rainy and the banos were, well cochino (or dirty, piglike) as described by one of my colleagues. Too bad. The ground was wet and muddy too, so we headed back to an encampamento in Ayacucho near the zoo. There we enjoyed a pacha manca (where you cook the meat and potatoes in the ground as an offering to pacha mama). We also played some games, and then volleyball and soccer. Good times.