Camp VALOR

Photos from our boys leadership camp in Chulucanas, Piura. Because I'm a girl, I wasn't a counselor this time. But I ref'd field games with my friend Susan and played the female love interest in our dinner theatre telenovela Cuerpo de Pasión. A lot of fun and way less stress, but I didn't go away with any warm fuzzies this time.

Not to say the boys didn't have fun. The two I brought with me had a great time. But I don't know if they left motivated to change their community. Maybe I'll need to wait a little while in order to see the impact it had on them.

Jhonatan and Renson, the two boys I took from my community.

Relay races during field games.

Kick-boxing for morning exercises.

To build team spirit at the beginning, the boys had to de-ice-ify a t-shirt and put it on their camp counselor, Douglas.

Doug was pretty excited.

Me in my "ref" uniform. I found Susan's and my jersey at the border market for $3. I think they are technically from a team in Europe. The whistles are from our med kits. Thanks, Peace Corps!

The boys playing water balloon volleyball. That handsome devil on the left is Jhonatan, one of my teen health promoters.

The volunteers who participated. We always do a "loco" photo after the legit shot.

At the end of the camp, we had a talent show, and (in the spirit of the World Cup) we girls performed to "Wavin' Flag" ... the David Bisbal version. We had a hard time keeping up with the Spanish lyrics at some points, but we had fun.

All of the boys, counselors and the ladies.

Bonding with my host mom

The smell wasn't unbearable at first. More like a mild annoyance. But despite cleaning all my dishes, washing my clothes, looking under my bed, even peeking under the mattress -- I couldn't figure out where it was coming from. And it was getting worse.

Deep down I think I knew. We'd heard the scurrying for a few days, and then one night I saw them: two small, gray furballs running along the walls just below the tin roof.

Most people don't like mice. I'm pretty indifferent, as long as they don't eat my food or fall on me while I'm sleeping. But my host mom ... it's kind of her thing. Like how some people can deal with spiders and ants but can't stand cockroaches. Norma can put up with a lot of things, but not mice.

The next day, she went into Tumbes and bought rat poison, placing a dish on the floor of my room near the scene of the First Appearance.

So, I guess that's kind of how I suspected the now rancid smell in my room was probably a decomposing rodent. Since I couldn't find it, I figured it was lodged in one of the many cracks or crevices of my walls. And I braced myself for an uncomfortable few days.

Norma took one step into my room and walked right back out, holding her nose. She returned with a small flash light and started the search. When she spotted him, Norma shrieked and ran to get the broom and dust pan.

I suppose since I was an accomplice to the rat poison, it would make sense that the mouse would choose his final revenge by dying in one of my shoes. I'd just hoped that he'd die before he got to carry out his evil plan.

I doused the spot with bleach water and threw out my shoes while Norma carried his tiny gray body away to toss behind the municipality. When she came back, we looked at each other -- pale, wide-eyed -- and we both just started laughing.

Nothing like a little pest control to provide some family bonding.

What I Have Been Up to Lately

Training teen health promoters in HIV prevention and attending their replicas in the high schools.

We have 37 teen promoters in 3 communities this year.

Teens are focusing on the ABC method, A being Abstinence, B is Be faithful

... and C is Condoms.

They also learned a little more about the common sexually transmitted infections.

Sessions this year are entirely game- and activity-based. It's all hands-on and participatory. HIV Jeopardy is a favorite among the teens.

Making peanut butter from scratch ... sort of.

I brought peanuts back from the jungle, and we crushed them up with a rock.

My host brother, Samir, had a hard time getting the hang of it. It turned out exactly how you would expect crushed peanuts to turn out, but my host mom didn't want to add oil, so we just sprinkled it on top of jelly and toast.

Pumping up with our aerobics group.

We do a hike every month out into the countryside.

Our group resting in a town about an hour away by foot.

Working with other Global Fund committee members to present about tuberculosis and HIV in communities.

A group of college students came to present a skit about tuberculosis. People loved it.

We handed out 150 invitations and sent announcements over the loud speakers, but only 25 people came. What can you do? We had to tell ourselves that it was 25 more people who knew more about TB and HIV than before!

Educating parents on HIV and STI prevention through Escuelas de Padres.

Both the obstetrizes from the district came to help out with the session and try to appeal to the usually apprehensive male crowd.

The parents were really uncomfortable, but lightened up a little when we start to debunk myths about size of genitalia and its relation to potency, masturbatory tendencies and bestiality.

... and of course when we whipped out the banana.

Celebrating Women's Health Day (28th of May)

The psychologist working at our health post gave a presentation on domestic violence.

More than 50 women came -- double the amount we were expecting. We suspect it had something to do with a promised raffling off of goodies.

Attending the weddings of former teen health promoters.

Actually, just one former teen health promoter. She dropped out senior year to get married, which made me a little sad. But I take solace in the hope that she has, in fact, found her dream man and the life she wants to lead. Even if it's not what I would have chosen.

Sarah was my plus one and some of the other teen promoters were there.

Playing in the dirt.

As part of our latrines project, we're also building some veggie gardens in the community for families with kids (or anyone who has interest).

All the participating families came out to help build the first one and hear a session from the NGO Cáritas' environmental engineer.

Not a bad month.