Sparklers INside the House - Christmas in Ayacucho

So Christmas came to Ayacucho. It went pretty much as predicated., more fiesta than religion. We had our cultural exchange and all shared in the reading of the Christmas story around the table before dinner. Stomachs growling, candles were lit!!! Good times. Mama Julia (Habacuc, my host dad´s mom) even lead us in some spontaneous Quechua hymns. The kids Penuel, Miguel, and Eunice who were so excited to participate in the advent ritual and reading of the Christmas story the day before, BAILED on me though. Sheridad stuck with me.
The other kids just wanted to light the candles so they could play with the fire. Not happening on my watch. They got their opp later around midnight when the fireworks went off all around the city. It was a spectacle and deafening. Then all of a sudden I realize I am no longer in the front yard but standing next to the kitchen table with 6 children AND adults waving sparklers around INside the house. I feel like I should have something to say here...oh wait!! That was said the next day when Rosa (my host mom) realized the geniuses burned her table cloth in multiple spots. She asked me if I was involved. UH, no...incindiary devices indoors IS NOT my calling I explained, I then referred her to said photos of the night before which demonstrate my innocence. Culpable parties, please stand at this time....(oh no takers).
No turkey though. My family does not have a refrigerator (by choice because we live 50 yds from the market) and so like many people in Ayacucho they headed out the morning of Dec 24th to buy a turkey and other carne to prepare. I am a planner with flexibility. Just an outline please, something to go by. Planning has been one of my struggles in living here, basically it happens at the last minute or ultima hora and life goes on. All the turkeys were frozen and in order to get it to the big community roasting ovens (the ones that are usually for baking bread are turned to turkey roasters on this day, no chapla sorry) it needed to be bought and prepped in the morning. So to go with our INCA (remember the lamb BAHHHH!!) we had ¨Lechon¨or roast pig. Succulent, none the less. Rosa asked me if that was okay? I was a little taken aback by the Spanish Inquisition. I mean I explained that we could eat my shoe and I wouldn´t know the difference becasue this was my first Peruvian Christmas. It sort of gave them license to stick in what ever they wanted and this oblivous (well maybe not) American wouldn´t know the difference.
Rosa wanted everything to be perfect for this Christmas, I KNOW!!! and it was. It was great. Loads of family and friends feeding and spending time together. That I think was my favorite part. The house was loaded to the gills and so was the kitchen table, but no matter what there always seemed to be room for one more. Rosa made sure of that, and she always makes room for one more at the table whether it is Christmas or not. Again, not to drive this point home too many times but, it was a time to remember - complete with fireworks (those incendiary devices) INdoors.

Christmas in Ayacucho, Peru (a preview)

So I have been patiently listening and trying to grasp what will or will not happen in Ayacucho, Peru around Christmas. I will let you know later what comes to pass. A lot of it has been peeking my curiostiy. This morning at breakfast Rosa, my host mom, enlightened me a little more.
Rosa first said, that Christmas here is more like a party or fiesta here. The evangelical church does not typically observe advent or preach or talk about the birth of Christ. They have chocolatatas and parties where kids and adults recieve gifts. I heard in church on Sunday that there would be a program on Friday the 24th during the afternoon evening, a 4 hour affair not the usual two hour service, according to Pastor Miqueas. I have not heard if we are going or not. I wonder what it will be like? Maybe I could pop in. On the 24th of Diciembre there will be a gathering at the Sulca-Tucno house. It will be at 12 midnight leading us into Diciembre 25th. We have decided to have a sorteo or gift exchange by drawing names, instead of buying something for everyone. I drew Miguel Gomez´s name (he is a cousin). He is a drummer and young man so I got him some new drum sticks and a watch.
Rosa also told me this morning that she needs to season the meat tommorrow, and I said ¨the turkey?¨ She said yes, but ¨Also the carne.¨ Huh? Isn´t turkey meat?!! You know what I am just not going to ask in a house of vegetarians that eat meat. Rosa explained we would have the traditional turkey, but also this year lamb. I said what gives. She said that Papa Victor (Habacuc´s dad) had given Sheridad a newborn lamb as a present sometime back, and they had been raising it there at the house in the city. About ten days before I arrived they shipped it off to Papa Victor and Mama Julia´s house in Chacra so that when I arrived a crazy sheep wouldn´t be galavanting about. As if that would the craziest thing I experienced here?(I felt bad for Sheridad). Is anyone else getting this Charlotte´s Web sort of feel in their bones? The lamb´s name was Inca. Èach week the Sulca-Tucnos would give mama Julia a little money or propina to help take care of Inca. Well apparently last week Inca the attitudinal sheep head butted Papa Victor and knocked him down. One of Habacuc´s brothers saw what happened and well needless to say Inca has now become Inca Kola and will be joining us for Christmas dinner. Sheridad was sad, she hopes to get another lamb. That is what I know for now about Christmas dinner.
I have talked a little bit with the Sulca-Tucnos about our Christmas traditions, as they ask. They mainly want to know what we eat and do. Rosa invited me to share the meaning of advent and the wreath and to read the Christmas story with their family on Christmas eve when I mentioned that was something we did at church. She thinks it will be fun to have an intercultural exchange this year, me too. I think I am going to enlist the kids...Eunice, Penuel, Sheridad, and Miguel to help me. We will see how it goes.

Dios Taytallay - Psalm 23 in Quechua, a hymn

**This is my favorite Quechua hymn. It is Dios Taytallay or the 23rd Psalm. The Quechua words are in bold and the spanish are in regular font.**

//Dios Taytallay qamllam kanki ñuqallaypa Michiqnillaypa manam impas pisiwanqañachu. //

Dios Padre solo tú eres para mí, mi pastor nada me faltará

Sumaqllaña ikllirmuq pastokunapim

En hermosos pastos verdes

ñuqallaytaqa samaykachiwanki

me hace descansar

ñuqataqa pusawanki yakukunapa

a mi lleva a lugares

sumaq hawkalla samananmanraqmi

donde puedo descansar.

Qanqariki pasaypaqña

Tú, cuando yo estoy

Kallachkaptiypas

sin fuerzas

ñuqallaytaqa kallpanchaykuwankim

cuando yo estoy sin fuerzas

prometellawasqaykiman hinaraqmiki

conforme a tus promesas

allin ñanninta pusakullawanki.

mellevas por buenos caminos.

Santa Fe Kids Graduate

I recently received a photo and acknowledgement that the children that I worked with in Santa Fe, Guatemala in 2004-2005 as a Young Adult Volunteer (YAV) graduated from Primera or the 6th grade in October. They have several choices now. They can try to enroll in middle school or there is a special program in the city of Retahuleu about 30 minutes down the road that meets once a week for half a day and is an intensive program. The latter option would allow the young people to work in the fields or where ever they can earn money, but also continue their education.
I team taught this class their first year. It was first grade and my partner teacher was Mercedes Lorenzo-Castro. I am so proud and I know she was. They are so smart and gifted.
I am privileged to have worked with them and learned from both them and Mercedes. Congratulations to Hector, Brenda, Elma, Dulce, Eber, Raul, and especially Maestra Mercedes (who balanced teaching and completing her own middle and high school educations alongside of the students she taught, and graduated last year).

Advent in Peru, Maybe?

Advent is a time of active waiting, we wait for what we know will happen, because it already has, the birth of our savior. Each year for the four weeks before Christmas Christians in a variety of contexts around the world ¨wait¨together for the innocence of the Christ child who would come to suffer for many to be born in their hearts. The innocence of the manger that would grow to challenge the established order and powers and prinicipalities who denied access and guard justice as something to be distributed at their own whim.
The evangelical churches here in Peru do not usually follow the liturgical calendar and therefore do not typically celebrate or observe advent. I have found though that many Peruvians do know what advent or adventamiento is, they just do not use a wreath or really talk or preach about it. The Catholic Churches here do observe it, though they seem to use different color candles, but with similar meanings and themes.
Most of the sermons in the evangelical churches that I visit have just been going on with whatever the pastor wants or needs to preach on. Advent is one of the things that I miss while being here in Peru. The waiting, hoping, introspection, and reflecting while we observe the four weeks before Christmas. (and the hymns and music OHH!!)
I missed it so much in fact that I collaborated with the Director of PyE Ayacucho (an ecumenical organization) and the secretary to get 5 bellas or candles for a wreath. There was no greenery unless we used alfalfa which would rot too quickly or coca leaves which are sort of dry and might ignite (no mas fuego por favor). So we had five candles on a tray. That is okay though. It still went on, and by the way I love Peruvian candles, they burn slowly and seem to last forever, and you do not get that drippy wax all over you.

It is not a perfect wreath, but it was ritualistically there. Each Monday at our staff meeting we open with a biblical reflection and singing. For the past four weeks we have reflected together on advent. I lead the reflection and while one of the team members came forward and lit the candles. We talked about the meanings of each one (hope, peace, joy, and love), read some bibilical reflections to prepare us during this time of waiting and even managed to work in a little talk of access, peace, solidarity, and justice along the way. The PyE Ayacucho folks are always good for a theological discussion or unhashing of some kind. Some of the folks at Paz Y Esperanza are or were raised Catholic so they know what Advent or Adventamiento is. It was great to share a part of my culture with them, and to hear some of them reflect on advent and waiting for Navidad and the noche bueno as well.

I remember from living in Guatemala in 2004-2005 talking a lot about two types of waiting, fatalistic and hopeful. The first, waiting on something we knew would happen or was coming, and the other just as it sounds, waiting on something that we hope or want to come. As I travel to the different barrios of Ayacucho and the countryside to sit with victims who are step by step transitioning, through difficult proceses and work, to becoming survivors of the internal violence of Peru (1980-2000). I am reminded by their stories of horror, becasue of the violence and abuse at the hands of the military and the Sendero Luminoso, that many of them know a different reality than I, while at the same time many of us seem to anonymously walk in solidarity because we share threads of the same reality. The more powerful and tranforming thing though is I can also hear and recognize the hope resonating in their words and songs. Hope that is just as contagious and infectious as the Quehcua women´s laughter, timely advice and wisdom, and our mutual curiosity. I hear their hope that manifest itself in listening to one another and entering into a sacred space with my Peruvian compañeras and I. A sacred space (sometimes an adobe house and other times a grassy field) where the ¨Emanuel¨ on which we wait to be born in our hearts is already present and doing amazing things with people of Ayacucho, Peru.

Que Sera, Que Sera - Jose Feliciano

One of my favorite artists that I have discovered, okay well rediscovered (he is the one who sings Feliz Navidad - the version they are playing right now on your American Radio station), is Jose Feliciano. He has been around a while singing with the likes of Gloria Estefan and having a solo career in his own right. Below is a link to his song ¨Que Sera, Que Sera¨which is basically what will be, will be. I rediscovered him riding in the 4x4 toyota to Putis on one of Raul´s top 10 mix tapes we found in the glove box.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kNXeAceK7Yg

Who Needs Hands When you Have a Skirt?

Today we had our final GAM (Grupo por Ayudando Mujeres) of the year in Callqui, the small pueblo just above the city of Huanta, about an hour from Ayacucho Proper. Remember Callqui (the Presbyterian Church specifically) was the sight of the grizzly slaying of 6 or 7 men, including several youth, during a prayer service in December 1984 at the hands of the Peruvian military.

So Ruth, Milagros, and I set out with Raul our driver. This was going to be a chocolatata and afternoon of games. We brought each mama a paneton of their very own to take back and share with their families on Christmas, and also some to share right there. We also brought the women a lunch of Pollo a la Brasa (Rotissere Chicken) which is one of my favorite things to eat here in Peru. The women brought the chocolate minus the milk for the chocolatata, potatoes, and a salad to add to lunch. That is something that I have really liked about my visits to Callqui. Our bi-monthly gatherings, from our workshops to a snack have been collaborative rather than us always bringing and giving something/evverything, thereby creating dependency. The women have really taken ownership over their GAM and it is delightful. They often suggest or have issues they want to work on and demonstrate an innate ability to take care of one another. I know this because I witness it. My understanding of Quechua has gotten profoundly better now I just need to work on responding back in Quechua.

This day we took our chocolatata and pollo a la brasa out to the local park for a picnic. The women spread out thier manatas which are their brightly colored, multi-purpose blanket/backpacks and WALAH!! instant picnic. The verb in spanish for ¨to picnic¨ is picnicar. Okay no really it isn´t I just made that word up along with Carol from the office, there really is no such word. Before we ate we played soccer and other games, as well as sang some hymns. One of my favorite Quechua hymns is Dios Tatayllay or the 23rd Psalm. Yes, I want to repeat, women played soccer together in Peru, CALL THE PRESS!!! They suggested it. Piluta qaitayta yachunkichu? I asked. Do you want to play soccer? (in Quechua) Everytime I asked, Mama Concepcion Quispe would stick her foot out from under her skirt, kick, and laugh like she was playing. Classic. Imagine four Quechua mamas in their 70´s playing soccer with a gringa, and her two Peruvian office mates. Concepcion played goalie or archero for my team. She is good. Mama Paulina was the goalie for the other team. When the ball would come near her Concepcion would sort of squat down and instead of using her hands she WOOSHED it up by scooping the ball into her skirt. How resourceful. She saved a lot of goals that way.

We also played a game where you race to see who can wrap the other teamate in toilet paper the fastest, then another round to see who can return the paper to the roll the fastest. It was called moomi or mummy. Before lunch we had a brief hymn sing and time of prayer. All of these women are evangelical Chrisitans, Presbyterian infact. It was truly a great day. So in this blog entry is in honor of my friends in Callqui. Concepcion, Amyra, Sabina, Junana, Paulina the mamas of Callqui who continue to care for one another and each other while trying to walk in soldarity down a path of grief that had been suspended for some thirty years. For what I offered them, but most of all for the lessons they taught me through laughter, fumbling, humilty, cross cultural pastoral care and love for the stranger.

This is Mama Concepcion Quispe and I celebrating a GOOAALL-AH!!