amazon trail

new pictures added from my adventure to the peruvian amazon with mom. plus a few from lima and our day trip to huanchaco. click on the pictures link on the right, then courtney's pictures tab, then the album "amazonas octubre 09". it was an INCREDIBLE trip. just like the discovery channel. and absolutely BEAUTIFUL sharing this part of my life with mom. enjoy!

spring forward

there is no place so awake and alive as the edge of becoming. –sue monk kidd

the last few months have been absolutely CRAZY! they have brought huge changes, both with the community as well as in my work and personal life. as always, there’s been beautiful highs matched with painful lows, and the continuous promise of good things to come.

well, i guess i’ll start where i left off in mid-july: changes in the community. in september, todd wrapped up his 2 years in chimbote with numerous going-away parties and events. we had several weeks of good-byes, matched with more welcoming events for jenn and marcelle. it was hard to say good-bye, as todd has been such an essential part of our first year here, but he’s off on his own adventures yet again, with the assurance that his time as an IWM was fruitful. he’s left his fingerprints on so many beautiful projects in chimbote!

one of the highlights of the going-away events was a weekend trip to cajamarca with JUMIFRA, the youth council at the parish. 17 of us headed into the andies for a gorgeous weekend trip. it was absolutely beautiful! we spent the time exploring several incan sites, the beautiful incan/colonial city, and just enjoying time as a group outside of chimbote. it was such a privilege to go with JUMIFRA. most of them are our close friends and they don’t often have the opportunity to travel—a beautiful experience to be able to share together. highlights of the trip were: hiking through incan ruins, breathing clean air, climbing the cerro to get a gorgeous view of the city, a quick rainstorm (the first for our chimbotano friends who only know life in the desert), and the incan baths (which are hot springs that have been built up to be small public bathtubs—possibly not very sanitary, but being submerged in hot water felt awesome…something i will never again take for granted in the states).

we’re now starting to settle down a little bit as a community of 5 women! jenn jumped right in at the parish, taking over many of the roles that todd had occupied including confirmation classes, theater, and helping with english. she’s also thinking about starting a woman’s group at the parish. this had been a dream for jane and i since we started our time here, but hasn’t happened yet for lack of extra time, so we’re all really excited that jenn will help make it a reality! i’ve always been interested in feminist spirituality, but being a woman in a machismo society has made me much more aware of the feminine wound and societal limits that are placed on women…

marcelle, julie, and i have been busy with our new program—Servicios a Domicilio MADELEINE. this is the project that i had mentioned before—home health care for patients with chronic health issues or short-term home-health needs. julie and i have been in charge of the project, along with an administration intern at hospice, and it has certainly been a learning experience! i never in my life thought i would be starting a new business in a foreign country! after months of planning and meetings and making supplies by hand, we’re proud to report that after only a week, we have 2 patients! poco a poco, no? next week we are hoping to have a few more join—we’re planning several campaigns to spread the word about the program and hopefully widen our patient base. we’ve been assured that there is a great need for a service like this in chimbote, but like most things in peru, it just might take a little time to get rolling.

this also means that my time officially working for the posta and hospice has come to an end. i will still be available to help with certain projects, but my focus will be on MADELEINE. i ended my time with the posta with a bang—a huge health campaign that i planned with one of the other nurses in a zone of chimbote that is incredibly impoverished. i’m happy to say that it was a huge success! our focus was on children between the ages of 1-9, and we were able to offer medical consults, fluoride dental treatments, nutritional diagnostics and nutritional counseling (about 25% of the kids we worked with are malnourished), treatment for parasites, hemoglobin/anemia testing, free hair-cuts, and family planning consults with a midwife—many much-needed services to an area that cannot afford healthcare.

and the fun part: i get to be a nurse by day, and a singer in a rock band at night! another thing i never thought i would be doing in a foreign country! or really anywhere. the group has been in progress for about 2 years now with some guys from the parish, but just recently has officially started! we began rehearsing in mid-september and have already had 3 shows, including a big concert downtown in one of the plazas overlooking the ocean! there’s a horrible video of the show that i’ll try to get posted on youtube as soon as i get a copy. although it takes every free minute, it has been a ton of fun! i’ve always loved to sing, but life in chimbote has made me realize my need to sing out loud as much as possible!

other great news: my mom is coming next week! it will be beautiful to share my chimbotana life with her—to show her where i work, who my friends are, what i’ve been doing with my life—all the things a mom needs to know about her baby girl.

ALSO!!! we just got internet in the house! very exciting news! i can hopefully update this blog more than once a season, as well as be much more available to skype with YOU.

take care. laugh often. love well.

txt msgs

hey all. to the few of you who have sent text messages to my phone, MY CODE HAS CHANGED. the clave is now:

122486

keep them coming. it´s always nice to know that you´re loved!

highs and lows

lord, grant me the serentity to change the things i can, the courage to accept the things i cannot, and the wisdom to know the difference. –st francis of asisi

a new season means it´s about time to update you again. it has finally turned into winter here. for all the midwesterners reading this, you would laugh at the word, as winter here basically means highs in the 60s and lows in the 50s…pretty mild to apply the word, but chimbotanos are cursing the weather and cringe whenever they have to go outside…i personally am really enjoying the break from the heat. things like walking through the market or between patient`s houses for hospice seem so much more manageable these days…although, other simple tasks like drying laundry are much more difficult, considering clothes take a few days to dry without the sun.

june was a complete roller coaster for me—it brought both the highest highs and lowest lows of my experiences thus far in peru. i won´t go into the lows here, but i will tell you that i took a much-needed vacation! my beautifully amazing friend heidi (from my loyola years) came down to visit me! the visit could not have come at a better time, as i was in dire need of seeing some of the more beautiful parts of peru, being reminded of the incredible country and culture i live in, but mostly, needing to be in the presence of someone who loves me and knows me outside of this context. we dined well in cuzco, climbed the mountains of macchu picchu, and enjoyed the tourist sites of lima. this being my third time to macchu picchu, i was almost dreading the actual travel part of heidi´s visit. as i mentioned when allie came, there´s an incredible guilt that comes with seeing a part of the country that most of my peruvian friends will never have the opportunity to see, especially when i am choosing to live in solidarity with them. however, the third time was indeed a charm! we went during the festival of inti rami—the incan festival of the sun, which celebrates the winter solstice and honors the sun god. unfortunately, we weren´t able to go to the festival`s culmination, a ceremonial sacrifice of two llamas, one balck and one white, in the ruins of sacsayhuamán. it was incredible to be there during that time, as cuzco became an unending party with countless parades and dancing in the streets. the most beautiful part for me was that the majority of the people celebrating were peruvians. obviously there were a ton of tourists, but it was encouraging to see a cultural festival in cuzco that brings peruvians together, one that is not designed specifically for gringo tourists.

june also brought another huge festival specific to fishing cities like chimbote—the feast of san pedro and san pablo (saints peter and paul, patron saints of fishers and farmers). the city was filled with events and fairs and concerts. it was incredible to see chimbote come so alive! san pedrito ends on june 29th with a special ceremony—the idol of san pedro is carried down to the port in a procession of incense, flowers, and hymns. the entire city watches as the statue is carried by boat throughout the bay to bless the waters.

a quick update on work situations—
work at the posta continues to be a little challenging. currently i am working two days a week in the clinic, as well as one afternoon with the promotoras de salud (health promotors). i could not have imagined what i was getting myself into when i accepted the title of leader of the group, a title that continues to frustrate and humble me! i had anticipated that i would be there as a reference person for the health teaching aspect. instead, i have been charged with leading the group in all senses of the word, which has been incredibly challenging, to say the least. imagine going to pluto and being handed a group of baby aliens and told, ``well, they`re all yours`` without any sort of instruction, knowing what to feed them, where to get diapers, or means of communication with the little devils. well, this might be a bit extreme, but it has been interesting! i have definitely had to look to outside resources and be creative with what i do with them, but the truth is, i´m still not exactly sure where to go with them sometimes…if anything, it has been another lesson in humility and creativity…

time at hospice continues to go really well. i currently spend three days a week doing home visits in the community, although i am considering adding more time in the upcoming months…i feel like it was a smooth transition, and my time there is always well-spent. a typical day consists of visits to 8-11 patients, providing wound care, IVs, bed baths, massages, foley and nasogastric tubes, and spending time chatting with patient and family. one of the most beautiful parts has been working with the staff. as difficult as the subject matter is of hospice care, they always seems to bring joy to the work and truly touch the lives of the families we work with. that is the true beauty of hospice: providing patients dignity in death while allowing them to continue living fully in the last phase.

last week at hospice, i had another ´´this is why i`m here`` moment. the patient i was with has always been one of my favorites—he just turned 20 and is dying of leukemia. i ended up at his house alone for about an hour, waiting to meet up with the rest of my team to visit more patients. he isn´t much of a talker, and is generally pretty depressed, but always seems to brighten up a little and talk with me. it was so basic, but we had beautiful time of just playing cards and talking and laughing. it seems trivial, but it´s moments like these that remind me of my mision here and encourage me—i am alive to love god and love others, whatever that may look like, and not just in chimbote. i was laughing out loud, thinking about how beautifully sacred the moment was.

we are also in the beginning of planning and brainstorming for a new ministry in chimbote. hermana juanita is dreaming about starting a home-visiting program for patients with cronic illnesses. the work would be very similar to hospice, but we would be serving a different patient population. many of the potential patiants are people who are interested in hospice care but do not necessarily qualify, as their diagnosis is not yet terminal. the project is still in the beginning phase, but i`m really excited about being a part of the group that will initiate this much-needed service in chimbote.

i have also been working with the youth at the parrish in preparing them for confirmation. it has definitely had it´s challenges, but mostly in the frustrations of typical peruvian meetings, such as starting at least an hour late every week! but on the other hand, i have really loved getting to know the kids and spend time with them. i honestly love kids at that age and i am finding that peruvian adolescents are remarkably similar to u.s. adolescents! we had a huge confirmation event last weekend at the parrish as a way of introducing the kids to the other groups. the day consisted of numerous relay races, a dance-off, and a concurso de barras—each group performed a song and cheer in competition with the other groups. although my community of kids took third place (mostly due to faulty judging…), it was a lot of fun. one of the beautiful things about this culture is that although adolescents still get embarassed easily, they always love a good dance competition.

the end of winter will also come with some major changes for our missionary community. todd will be coming to the end of his two-year term in august and is headed back to california. it will be incredbily hard to see him go, and all of chimbote is already wondering about how some of his projects will continue in the upcoming years. one project that he will be leaving in the hands of the youth council of the parrish as well as the missionaries, is constructing a new youth center at the parrish! the community is really excited about this project, as it will provide computers, classrooms, as well as general space to hang-out. there is unfortunatley very little for youth to do in chimbote, along with limits of safety, so the project is being met with great anticipation and excitement! much of the funding is coming from outside sources, and we are still looking for financial support. if you are interested in supporting the center financially or with materials, please let me know by sending an email: courtneyjcranston@gmail.com. thank you for the support!

fortunately, we will also be recieving two new missionaries in august! jen is a recent graduate from st. louis university and is going to be working in the parrish. we are all hoping that she will continue some of todd`s ministries as well as bring some fresh ideas to the parrish. marcelle is an experienced nurse from texas. she is thinking about joining us at hospice, and hopefully helping with the new home-visitng program (although she doesn`t know that yet!!). the transition will definitely be challenging, but i am really excited to have fresh new faces and be reminded of the excitement and energy of starting a new mission!

love god. love others.
-corina

fotos

new album added from camping on the beach, retreat in tortugas, and bullfighting in trujillo (see photo link on the right). enjoy!

breathing space and bullfights

i never realized that broken glass could shine so brightly.
leonard bernstein´s mass

first of all, please forgive my poor English skills—i´m finding myself in limbo right now, balancing somewhere between english and spanish, but not fully grasping either at the moment. so, highlights:

camping: in the middle of march, a group of us took advantage of the beauty of south america and went camping on the beach in besique! we only went for one night, but it was probably one of the highlights of my entire (almost) 8 months in chimbote! we arrived in the late afternoon and caught the last few hours of sunlight catching HUGE waves and bodysurfing into shore. the lifeguards were pretty upset that we were swimming out so far, but then again, they had reason to be concerned, considering many chimbotanos do not know how to swim. that night we built a huge campfire on the beach and then slept in a make-shift tent of old plastic bags under a little thatched roof. although the chill at night was miserable, it was so beautiful laying under the stars with the waves crashing just meters away, hanging out with beautiful friends. in the morning, we attempted to go fishing to make our own fresh ceviche, but were unable to catch anything because of the incredibly huge waves, crashing into us on the rocks. apart from being wonderfully fun, it was also a beautiful picture of south america, enjoying the beaches and playing in the surf with several people who have truly become close friends in such a short time here.
retreat: the day after camping, hermana leonila, todd, jane, julie and i left chimbote yet again for our annual retreat. we went to a beautiful little retreat center that the diocese owns in the small beach town of tortugas, about an hour south of chimbote. we spent the entire week in near-silence: journaling, praying, doing yoga, reading through old journals, resting, and spending time as a community. such a beautiful break from the chaos and dust of chimbote and absolutely refreshing for my soul. a short description of tortugas from some stream-of-consciousness journal time:
18.3.09 6 PM i am sitting overlooking what feels like the shell of a fishing town—quiet, almost-deserted, looking at a peaceful bay of small one-man fishing boats reflecting the last rays of the setting sun casting drops of light into the green clear water below, surrounded by hazy mountains of sand and and fury, guarded by pink and purple clouds; listening to the whispers of peaceful waves playing on smooth black rocks, punctuated by the hunt of sea birds diving for dinner and the distant calls of simple fishermen retiring their nets in defeat. A scene that fits better in the alchemist, on the shores of algeria, but never even imagined in totugas, peru.
feria de san jose: in march we also took advantage of an invite from an older friend (aka sugar daddy) to take a day-trip to trujillo, a wealthy city on the coast a few hours north of chimbote. we went for the celebration of san jose, the patron saint of trujillo. they model the festival after the running of the bulls in spain! it was pretty incredible—they actually ran bulls through the narrow streets of the las delicias neighborhood, then had a ceremonial bull fight! i had never seen one before, and while i had been warned, it was still quite violent and bloody. but beyond the bloodshed was a beautiful art that was celebrated. the bullfighters were kids—one was 12, the other 19! but the art of bullfighting runs in their blood—their father and grandfather have both been in the ring, and were there encouraging and cheering for the next generation. after the bullfight, we went to a fancy dinner with the former mayor of chimbote, as well as other very wealthy peruvians of varying titles and fame. it was such a treat, but depressingly ironic to be sitting outside the gorgeous glass house of the rich and famous, sipping expensive wine and talking about the extreme poverty of chimbote…
wedding: a few weeks ago, the girls and i were invited by a friend to go to a wedding in a tiny town outside of chimbote. it was so beautiful to be invited to share in the special day of 2 complete strangers, but the whole party welcomed us with open arms. it was pretty similar to a wedding in the states. the actual service was simple, little more than a regular mass, but the reception after was a huge party! the orquestra from one of the main discos in chimbote played for the reception. main differences in a peruvian wedding reception:
o music is pure cumbia, salsa, and huayno (go here to learn more about huayno). and everyone dances!
o party favors were wine, beer, cigarettes, halls cough drops, and rolls of toilet paper
o even though the party was still going strong, we decided to leave around 7 am to get a little sleep!
hospice: in february i started working with the hospice program run by the sisters of charity. it has definitely been a challenge, but overall i am loving the work. it is so beautiful to be able to go into the homes of my patients at such an incredibly painful time and truly connect with both the patient and the family. in my limited experience, i have already found that while death of the patient may be dreaded or feared, it is often met with a sense of relief. and the staff that i work with at hospice has the beautiful work of easing that transition and simply being a loving presence
semana santa (holy week): easter in peru is so much more than a few extra people at church on sunday and honey ham! the celebrations start the week before on saturday. i went with several friends from the parrish to climb the cerro de paz (hill of peace) and participate with about 2,000 other people in the stations of the cross. in most cities in south america, the tallest hill or mountain boasts a huge cross. this is the effect of the christianization of south america. as high spaces were often the holiest places for indigenous religions, the spanish chose to place crosses on top of the highest hills to symbolize the sovereignty of christianity. so in this now-christian nation, as a symbol of repentence and in memory of jesus´s journey to golgatha, every year there is a huge procession up the mountain, culminating in mass at the top. although hot and crowded, it was a pretty cool experience. and, being the only gringa in the crowd, i was singled out for an interview and made my peruvian radio debut!

the celebrations continued throughout the week with a palm sunday procession and numerous special services throughout the week. on holy friday, the youth of the parrish acted out a live stations of the cross through the streets of chimbote. it was pretty interesting to be a part of, and we actually gatherd a pretty good crowd that followed to the last station. all of my roommates participated, todd having the honor of playing jesus (hopefully not perpetuating stereotypes of jesus as white middle-class, but because no one else wanted to do it!). it was a pretty powerful image to be standing in a dirt soccer field after dark, with three people above the crowd hanging on crosses and the eerie sounds of women weeping at the feet of jesus.

todd´s brother and sister arrived on saturday with their significant others and we dyed easter eggs with some peruvian friends--and i realized what a strange tradition it is! for easter sunday, we had a huge feast at our house with the roommates, todd´s family, and all of the incarnate word sisters in chimbote, complete with pisco sours and an easter egg hunt--a beautiful mix of cultures!

overall: things are going pretty well here! after 8 months, i still feel like i am discovering new things and being awed by the culture and humbled by how little i know about the world. but on the other hand, life is normal(ish), i have a beautiful community, and i´m forgetting bits and pieces about what life was like in the states. as it starts to cool down a little here as fall approaches, i am missing spring in the states and all the excitement and new life and beautiful green buds...but then again, i am learning to appreciate the beauty here, generally in subtler places.

so breathe in the fresh air, be thankful, and laugh with delight!

back to reality...

but it actually feels pretty good to be ¨home¨ in chimbote, although time with allie has made me miss all the comforts of home terribly...

pictures of our adventure are up. enjoy!

http://mividaperuana.shutterfly.com/

vacay!

and it´s about time! i am so incredibly excited. i´m headed out to lima today to pick allie up at the airport. then we´re off to cuzco, inca trail, macchu picchu--you know, the safe, tourist-version of peru! then we´ll come back to chimbote for a few days, so she can see the other side of peruvian reality.

i abosolutely cannot believe that today marks our 6 month anniversary of being in chimbote. and how will i celebrate?! a HUGE hug from someone who loves and knows me (it has been 6 months since i had one of those!). what more could i ask for?

another turning point, a fork stuck in the road

hi all. again, another long time in between posts. sorry, such is life! and life is busy nowadays. so many updates for you:

i suppose the big thing right now, the ¨turning point¨ is that i officially had my last day this week at Maternidad (the maternity hospital I had been working at). although i had a really beautiful experience and learned so much, and delivered 7 babies (!!!), i´ve decided that it´s time to move on. i was struggling with feeling like i wasn´t really able to make any sort of contribution there. they have a full staff, as well as numerous midwifery interns who are there to learn. at times i felt like i was robbing them of their learning experience, as i was just another person there who lacked the expertise to really be a part of the team. in addition, because they are not really used to having long-term volunteers, i never really received training apart from the occasional obstetriz who was willing to teach me a few things. definitely a beautiful experience, but now that i´m feeling a little more settled in this place, it´s probably time to take more initiative and move on.

this also means that i get to take the fork in the road, which i am honestly looking so forward to! in my days that i was working at maternidad, i will now be working at hospice. honestly, at first this option terrified me, with such limited language and understanding of some of the issues that go into healthcare here. there is something very humbling about doing healthcare in the homes of my patients. it is a completely different role, where i will be the guest, i will have to adapt to their rules, while providing healthcare and a presence of comfort. i anticipate that the true beauty of hospice will be sharing in the lives of my patients and their families; more than wound care, foleys, and injections, but truly entering into their lives at such a critical time, and being present to their needs beyond the physical. i guess i would say that this is the beauty of hospice, but also the beauty of nursing; that is, of taking care of human beings, not just human bodies. i can´t even imagine the new challenges that this work will bring (besides walking around in the killer heat all day!), but i trust that it will be beautifully rewarding.

in addition, starting in february i will be working with a group called ¨Promotoras de Salud¨ (Health Promoters) through the Posta Santa Clara (the clinic i have been working in). Promoturas is volunteer-run program that currently focuses on healthcare of the elderly population in my neighborhood. they serve the elderly through home visits, free healthcare services at the posta, as well as social and spiritual health promotion and events. this year we will be adding families with special needs to the program. i´m still not exactly sure what my role will be, but it will include directing the volunteers, the Promotoras, in their work, in guiding how home visits should be conducted, as well as health teaching for the volunteers. this will be a great challenge, as some of the volunteers have little or no education (at least 2 are completely illiterate, which obviously brings complications of its own). this will be an opportunity to integrate my education with some creativity!

so many people have asked me about how my spanish is coming along…i can´t believe i ever thought that i knew spanish before coming here! it is absolutely incredible how much i have learned and understand now that i didn´t 5 months ago. i still have a long ways to go, but it´s a beautiful thing to find myself comfortable in the language. when jane and julie were gone for 2 weeks traveling in the beginning of january, todd and i committed to speaking only Spanish in the house. and as much as i dreaded it, and even opted for silence at times because of the exhaustion that can accompany conversation, it was proof that i am able to survive in this language, in this place, without those things i often rely on.

jane, julie and i recently hit our 5 month anniversary of being here! into our 6th month, and at times i still feel like we just got here, others i can´t remember what it´s like to live in the states and that reality feels so distant. i am feeling like i am definitely settling into the community more here, with a routine and a solid group of friends, but the settling is juxtaposed with the reality that i will never fully understand this culture, that i will never really be peruvian (for as long as i live here and as many peruvian slang phrases that i throw into conversation to give the appearance of belonging!). i´m sure there is an official name for this phenomenon, but i´ll call it ¨interculturalism¨ or simply integration—that is, the phenomenon of attempting to take on a reality that is not truly your own, to internalize two distinct cultural frames of reference. of trying to understand and experience a life that is not fully attainable. of trying to be a part of a culture that i will never fully understand, because my worldview is grounded in my u.s. culture. i am not attempting to rid myself of this worldview (i realize there is also some really beautiful aspects), but rather to come to a deeper understanding of the human struggle. of what it is that makes us humans, apart from the cultures we know. if anyone has thoughts on this, maybe someone who has officially studied intercultural sensitivity or lived in another culture, please feel free comment on this!

on a lighter note, my sister is coming to visit the first week of march! i am so incredibly excited to see her and especially to travel a little bit. i will be going back to cuzco, but this time, i get to experience a few days of the inca trail, which i have heard is absolutely incredible! it will also be wonderful to have someone here who knows me outside of this context, someone to bridge my two worlds a little bit, and for her to be able to relate to my experience. this also means that if you have been absolutely dying to send me something, but have held off for an opportunity of little to no shipping costs, this is your chance! no pressure at all, just an opportunity; if you need my home address, let me know!

enjoy the snow for me, and take care!