“We cannot even begin to imagine the emotional and physical strain that coping in the aftermath of a natural disaster has inflicted upon these humble people.” This is a quote that’s posted on the wall in the common room at PSF that sums up my experience in Pisco.

Since I have last written, I’ve been able to work on a couple different projects to see how the earthquake has effected various families and communities in and around Pisco.

I mentioned before that Pisco isn’t the prettiest place. It’s dirty, sanitation is very poor and you can smell the garbage everywhere. That said, I absolutely love it here. The hands-on attitude of getting things done and seeing everyone at PSF work so hard every day to make a difference is inspiring. There are 80 volunteers from all over the world, from ages 18 to over 60. Everyone is so interesting and different but we all come together for a common purpose.

A typical day at PSF is exciting, busy and exhausting. Everyone wakes up at around 7am for breakfast. I dont have an alarm but for some reason I wake up a little before 7am naturally (either because my body is used to it or because I sleep in a room with 13 other people in bunkbeds and old hard mattresses.) Some of the walls and ceilings are tarp so the roosters or cars help to wake me up also. If you’re on the crew to make breakfast you get up at 6am to cook for everyone which is actually a very fun way to start the day. Then we have morning meeting which is hard to explain. It can be intimidating, inspiring, fun, frustrating, positive or negative. It’s always different but the same. You can always count on there being a lot of swears and reminders why we are here. The two most common things you hear are “F***ing Bueno” and “Para los ninos.” Project leaders explain what needs to be done that day and how many people are needed. Then someone reads off each project (usually there are around 10) and people shout out their name to hopefully get put on the board for the project they want. Morning meeting ends with a yell ranging from “Do it para los ninos” to ” Get the F*** to work!!” We work from 9am to 5pm and if you get back in time, you fight for a quick cold shower before dinner at 6pm. After dinner sometimes I have spanish class or someone puts on a fundraiser to raise money for a project. We’ve had bellydancing and salsa classes, learning how to make a walet out of a milk carton, trivia night, etc. After that, everyone sits around a bonfire with a beer and a piece of cake from “cake lady” down the street. I love that woman. Usually everyone goes to bed by  midnight to do the whole thing over again.

What I love about volunteering at Pisco Sin Fronteras is that the majority of things I’ve done so far, I had no idea I was even capable to doing. Working with an organization focused on reconstruction, it’s amazing how much peole know about tools, and building and how willing everyone is to show you what to do or teach you their technique. I’ve learned how to mix cement in a mixer, but also in a pile in the road with a shovel for hours. I’ve learned how to lay bricks, dig a correct trench, make an earth bench out of tires and use power tools. The circular saw is probably my new best friend. One morning I cut 100 pieces of wood to size, and wanted more (until i cut through a nest of massive flying beetles by accident). I also worked with two other people to build lockers out of scrap wood. I did not anticipate how big of a project that would be. We had to plan it, find wood, break it apart, take out nails, cut it to different sizes and make sure every locker was supported and could open and lock. I felt very handy by the end. It’s an amazing feeling to know that none of the wood you find is the correct size but with a few plans and marks, you can just go cut it and in a few seconds you have something you can build with. I also learned how to use an angular saw to cut through uneven cement. I probably had dirt in my lungs for two days but it was so frickin cool, it was worth it.

The whole reason why I find all the construction stuff so amazing is because i’ve been able to see things being built for people who really need it. The concept of giving free materials and labor to a family or community is incredbile. Even though I have a lot to learn, instead of asking someone to “cut this” or “move this” I feel like I can contribute. There’s no “man’s job” here. Things that I might have never had the opporutnity or desire to do, I’ve learned and can actually help build something to last.

I’ve been lucky enough to work on a couple different community projects. I laid bricks and mixed cement for a community center and worked on a huge project to build a park for another nieghborhood. Both are needed for multiple reasons and it’s been amazing to see the progress. A special thing about working on these projects is that the community loves to come and help whenever they can. We hosted a huge BBQ at the park one afternoon and it was incredible to see how many kids came that will benefit from a safe place to play. I had the chance to have some amazing conversations with people in the community.

One particular conversation with a 14 year old girl really stood out. We talked forever about everything from music to school to boys. Her dad left her family when she was born and she takes care of her sick mom. Her only brother lives in Lima to try to make enough money to support them. She talked a lot about how much she loves to read and learn but how her teachers at her school are bad and she can’t afford books to read. We talked about her dreams to continue school to become a writer and to learn English but she explained she will never have enough money and she needs to take care of her mom. This isn’t a rare situation for children in Pisco.

I’ve also made friends with a lot of young mothers. Each one of them is so beautiful and strong. I had the chance to tutor a mother and daughter in english after dinner one night. The mother was only 24 years old and her daughter was 12. Sex Education, pregnancy prevention and aid for teen moms is badly needed and i’m glad that along with domestic violence, it is included in the community development proposal for where this orgaization will look to go in the next few years.

I also celebrated my 22nd birthday here in Pisco. I know some of you were asking if i had forgotten it again like when i was in Ecuador for my 19th but I DID remember it and it was fantastic. I helped cook dinner for the 80 volunteers. We made empanadas that looked more like samosas but tasted amazing. After an exciting Trivia Night, i was surprised with a huge chocolate cake (they know me so well already) made by ”Cake Lady”. I taught a couple people how to drink a beer upside down in a handstand and then a dare evolved for some people to shave their heads. The boys shaved mohawks and some girls shaved a strip of hair just above one ear. I don’t know if it’s because dares are taken seriously at PSF or if it was because “all of the cool kids were doing it” but i thought if there was any time in my life that I would shave my head, it would be now. I can picture my dad shaking his head and my mom asking “Why?” but I hope if there’s one thing you remember about this blog, this won’t be it. It’s just a couple inches shaved off and I actually kinda love it. It’s impossible to see with my hair down and barely noticeble when it’s up but it was an exciting moment that I don’t regret. Atleast I didn’t jump off any bridges for a thrill again! It was definitely a memorable birthday in Pisco.

For the weekend, the Operation Groundswell group took over an hour bus ride to a movie theatre in Ica. We saw “Que Pasa Ayer II”  (The Hangover II). It was a fun night out. The next morning I went surfing at the beach in Pisco and then we went paintballing in the afternoon. It was an awesome weekend that ended with food poisoning.

After a miserable 24 hours, I had a wake up call when I signed up for a new project on a house for a man named Juan. He was an older man with a horrible intestinal problem. He slept in a room with tarps and blankets for walls. He didn’t have a bathroom and his kitchen was a fire pit that his dog liked to lay on. Most of his house was outside, without a roof and bad foundations. Every breath i took in was filled with dirt and I couldn’t believe he lived like this, especially in his condition. He collected anything he could find, so that he could sell it. The original plan was to give Juan a nice new house but after finding out that he didn’t own his property, the plans were changed. There is too much of a risk for the government to force them to leave, to put so much time and money into such a project. It was really hard to accept that we couldn’t do everything we wanted for Juan and it was even harder to tell him but he assured us that anything we could do he was thankful for. This is one project I really wish I could have worked on from start to finish but after a few days, our time at PSF was over..

It was very bittersweet to leave. A couple weeks went by so fast and I wasn’t ready to say goodbye. The Operation Groundswell crew was leaving for Cusco to do a 5 day trek to Machu Picchu. The original plan was to travel around Peru and possibly head to the jungle for 10 days after the trek. It was an easy decision to come back to PSF. After an amazing week in Cusco, I’m back here now and I know it won’t be long enough again but it’s great to be somewhere that feels so much like home.

More about a thrilling trek and PSF projects to come.

I’ll close with another quote from the common room wall:

“Bite off more than you can chew, then chew it.” 

Megan

Hello from Peru! 

I’ve never had a blog before but it’s a pretty cool idea so stick with me while I get the hang of it. I’ve been in Peru for about 10 days and have been in PISCO all week!! I already have so much to say about everything going on here but I have to mention a few things about the awesome four days I spent in Lima. 

I arrived in Lima late Wednesday night and met the rest of my crew for the first time. The program that I’m in Peru through is called Operation Groundswell. It’s headquarters are in Canada with service opportunities around the world but it’s only four years old. Out of the 13 of us, 11 are Canadian and I realized how little I know about anything related to Canada. Jonah, the founder of “OG” is actually the leader of my trip right now along with Laura who’s really chill and super sweet. Both are awesome leaders with great knowledge about traveling and getting around in Peru.

The four days in Lima you could say was our orientation. We got to know each other really well and did little activities to prepare us for what we would be doing in Pisco. We learned about the history of Peru (which is an AMAZING story by the way), the present government situation, and all about Lima through a 20 km bike tour up the coast, walking tours around the historical center of Lima, and a 5 hour competitive scavenger hunt embracing our tourist side. (My partner Chris and I won! VICTORY!) Some fun things Ive learned: There should be a badass movie made about Francisco Pizarro ASAP, policemen in Lima love the theatre, meeting the Canadian Ambassador is actually pretty cool.

We also spent one of the days visiting Pachacutec, one of the many slums around the city. We visited a school and three daycare centers that were called “Wawa Wasi.” There is one woman per daycare with eight children from 1-3 years old and she gets paid $50 total a month. They work morning until night every day… it just doesn’t seem fair but it was amazing to see how motherly and loving they were. It was definitely an eye opening experience to see such lively and happy children surrounded by such extreme poverty.

AND NOW…. I am currently sitting in Pisco Sin Fronteras (Pisco Without Borders)

I don’t even know where to start. Ive only been here for a week and I have so many amazing stories and great things to say about this organization. The goal of Pisco Sin Fronteras is not to be here at all but will stay here for as long as it takes. It works to help Pisco support themselves, and makes sure not to have the community dependent on them. One of the first things we were told was that you are not volunteering for an organization but you are the organization. Everyone’s ideas are heard and supported and I think this is a main reason why PSF has been able to do so many amazing things for Pisco. People are here to work. If you are being lazy, you will be called out (and probably given a cleaning job). Every morning we have a meeting that I can only discribe as an experience. Project leaders describe what they are doing that day, how many people they need and people shout out their name to get put up on the board.

Everyone shares the responsibilty of taking care of PSF. Every morning you sign up for cleaning jobs around the house. Although we clean, you always still kinda feel dirty. You work all day, they fit a lot of people into a very small space. I live in the “Penthouse” but dont let the name fool you. Some of the walls are just tarps and there are 14 beds with old, uncomfortable mattresses. You get used to quick, cold showers and washing your clothes by hand. Some people just turn their underwear inside out to get more use out of them which might be gross but its kinda smart. (I might be guilty of doing that once… and might not be ashamed of it either.) Its definitely not a beauty contest although there are a lot of good looking people here. There arent many mirrors and the small ones in the bathroom dont have good lighting so most of the time I think I look decent but who knows.

What was a little unfortunate was that almost right when I arrived at PSF I came down with a nasty fever, migrane and killer chills that kept me in bed the first day of work. I soon found out its just a matter of time before everyone gets sick, and I was just the lucky first. Its just something that everyone deals with multiple times while in Pisco. “Pisco Belly” is also way too common. In fact, all the rules for PSF and any important notes are posted in the bathrooms because they realized thats where people spend a lot of their time. You learn to find the humor in being sick because everyone can relate. Even though people are sick a lot, everyone always takes care of each other. When I was sick, people that I had never met before were giving me their blankets and clothes off their back to keep me warm. People were making me tea and bringing me food to try to eat. Its really a wonderful place to be, and it makes being sick not so bad. By the next day, I was out of bed and working. It took a couple days to get most of my energy and strength back but working through it actually really helps because what you can accomplish in one day feels great.

This week I have worked and pushed myself harder than I have my whole life (and Id like to think Im not the laziest person in the world). Im so sore all over my body and it feels really good. I spent a couple days breaking apart module boards that were donated to us by the steal factory and then hammered all the nails out of it. Sounds kinda easy but its some of the most tedious, frustrating and difficult work ive done. You can be working on a board for 30 minutes and all you need is one more nail, and then the board splits. You just stare at it for couple seconds with this defeat but then when you pick up another board and make it usable,  it feels really good. Its such an important job because all the houses and furniture are being made out of these recycled boards.

I also was on a project to put a concrete floor in a kitchen of a school. Doing a concrete pour was probably the coolest thing Ive done so far. You mix the cement, shovel the gravel, carry buckets of water and then move wheelbarrows of concrete over uneasy ground and then repeat until the job is done. So incredible. It took all day with a good group of people to finish a little room but now that room in the kitchen of that school has a concrete floor! The school still has a lot of work to do on it. The damage from the earthqauke is evident but the kids are still there playing in the yard that consists of piles of dirt and rocks. That school will be a project for PSF for a long time, but it will eventually get there : )

I also have been able to be involved in a couple community development meetings at PSF. This is eventually going to be the new direction of PSF. I just LOVE this idea because Pisco will always be at risk for earthquakes and if another big one comes and destroyes everything again, including what PSF has done, we want the community to be able to pick themselves up again. Community development is a huge undertaking that involves health, english and academic education, teaching trades, biodesiel, mental health and disability services, therapy and education for abuse and domestic volience, recreation for kids, and so much more. Although this idea is barely 2 months old, I think PSF is approaching it the right way. They are researching a lot about what the situation is now, what is available and what is being done. They are looking to work along side local organizations and potentionally tweeking them to make them more efficent and helpful. They are not looking to go in and take over. They want to train Peruivans to help each other and set up more activites and services that eventually Peruvians will lead. I love this approach because I think it has the potential to really empower the community. The projects already attempt to involve people so that they will feel a connection and take care of it. For example, one project is building a huge park that will be a safe area for kids to play. Someone told me a little girl came up to him with a dirty needle the other day. This broke my heart knowing that these are the kind of places where all these kids have to play. But Instead of just building it for the community, so many children and adults come to help. Hopefully if they helped put in a post, or worked on a path or helped paint a mural, theyll protect it, clean it and wont let someone mess it up.

After an exhausting week, the OG crew decided to do something fun and go camping!! Saturdays are a half day and we have Sunday off so we went to the beach. When I heard we were going to do this, I didnt really know what to expect. We are about a five minute walk to the ocean. Pisco isnt the prettiest place, it smells kinda bad, and I heard the beach is nice but has a lot of garbage. To my surprise, our leaders planned a night at a beach at Paracas. It was BEAUTIFUL! Peru just keeps on surprising me. It was only 20 minutes away and it was in the middle of the desert. There were huge hills of sand with cliffs that lead to the Pacific ocean. We walked down to the beach, which wasnt big but was beautiful and there was almost noone else. We made a fire, cooked some dinner, roasted smores and had a blast all night. Jonah and Laura switched off playing the guitar and we all rocked out to music. We had good conversations and even met some Peruvians and danced a little salsa on the beach in the dark. We had no tent but literally all just slept on the sand in sleeping bags under the most stars Ive ever seen in my life. It was an amazing 24 hours that ended with running into the ocean and exploring the cliffs.

Its been an unbelievable ride so far, and I cant wait to see what tomorrow brings.

Before I wrap it up, I wanted to take a little time to thank everyone who has donated money and helped me fundraise for Pisco. I can assure you it will be going to deserving causes. After combining all of the money that each member of the OG group raised, we are able to fund some incredible projects. Instead of just handing the money over to PSF, (even though I have no doubt they would put amazing use to the money), we are waiting until the end of our trip to decide as a group which projects we would really like to fund and how much to give to each one. The money that you have donated will be able to give so much to the people here. I really cant say thank you enough. Actually being here and witnessing how much Pisco needs, just makes me so thankful and amazed at all of your generosity. If you still would like to donate, you can do so at any time. August 15 is actually the four year anniversity of the earthquake and also the international fundraising day. I will probably still be in South America at that time but if youd like to help out in anyway you can check out the PSF website:http://www.piscosinfronteras.org/ or email me at megan.wycklendt@gmail.com

Congrats to everyone who graduated! Hope summer is starting off wonderfully for all of you!

Love,

Megan

Hello from Peru! 

I’ve never had a blog before but it’s a pretty cool idea so stick with me while I get the hang of it. I’ve been in Peru for about 10 days and have been in PISCO all week!! I already have so much to say about everything going on here but I have to mention a few things about the awesome four days I spent in Lima. 

I arrived in Lima late Wednesday night and met the rest of my crew for the first time. The program that I’m in Peru through is called Operation Groundswell. It’s headquarters are in Canada with service opportunities around the world but it’s only four years old. Out of the 13 of us, 11 are Canadian and I realized how little I know about anything related to Canada. Jonah, the founder of “OG” is actually the leader of my trip right now along with Laura who’s really chill and super sweet. Both are awesome leaders with great knowledge about traveling and getting around in Peru.

The four days in Lima you could say was our orientation. We got to know each other really well and did little activities to prepare us for what we would be doing in Pisco. We learned about the history of Peru (which is an AMAZING story by the way), the present government situation, and all about Lima through a 20 km bike tour up the coast, walking tours around the historical center of Lima, and a 5 hour competitive scavenger hunt embracing our tourist side. (My partner Chris and I won! VICTORY!) Some fun things Ive learned: There should be a badass movie made about Francisco Pizarro ASAP, policemen in Lima love the theatre, meeting the Canadian Ambassador is actually pretty cool.

We also spent one of the days visiting Pachacutec, one of the many slums around the city. We visited a school and three daycare centers that were called “Wawa Wasi.” There is one woman per daycare with eight children from 1-3 years old and she gets paid $50 total a month. They work morning until night every day… it just doesn’t seem fair but it was amazing to see how motherly and loving they were. It was definitely an eye opening experience to see such lively and happy children surrounded by such extreme poverty.

AND NOW…. I am currently sitting in Pisco Sin Fronteras (Pisco Without Borders)

I don’t even know where to start. Ive only been here for a week and I have so many amazing stories and great things to say about this organization. The goal of Pisco Sin Fronteras is not to be here at all but will stay here for as long as it takes. It works to help Pisco support themselves, and makes sure not to have the community dependent on them. One of the first things we were told was that you are not volunteering for an organization but you are the organization. Everyone’s ideas are heard and supported and I think this is a main reason why PSF has been able to do so many amazing things for Pisco. People are here to work. If you are being lazy, you will be called out (and probably given a cleaning job). Every morning we have a meeting that I can only discribe as an experience. Project leaders describe what they are doing that day, how many people they need and people shout out their name to get put up on the board.

Everyone shares the responsibilty of taking care of PSF. Every morning you sign up for cleaning jobs around the house. Although we clean, you always still kinda feel dirty. You work all day, they fit a lot of people into a very small space. I live in the “Penthouse” but dont let the name fool you. Some of the walls are just tarps and there are 14 beds with old, uncomfortable mattresses. You get used to quick, cold showers and washing your clothes by hand. Some people just turn their underwear inside out to get more use out of them which might be gross but its kinda smart. (I might be guilty of doing that once… and might not be ashamed of it either.) Its definitely not a beauty contest although there are a lot of good looking people here. There arent many mirrors and the small ones in the bathroom dont have good lighting so most of the time I think I look decent but who knows.

What was a little unfortunate was that almost right when I arrived at PSF I came down with a nasty fever, migrane and killer chills that kept me in bed the first day of work. I soon found out its just a matter of time before everyone gets sick, and I was just the lucky first. Its just something that everyone deals with multiple times while in Pisco. “Pisco Belly” is also way too common. In fact, all the rules for PSF and any important notes are posted in the bathrooms because they realized thats where people spend a lot of their time. You learn to find the humor in being sick because everyone can relate. Even though people are sick a lot, everyone always takes care of each other. When I was sick, people that I had never met before were giving me their blankets and clothes off their back to keep me warm. People were making me tea and bringing me food to try to eat. Its really a wonderful place to be, and it makes being sick not so bad. By the next day, I was out of bed and working. It took a couple days to get most of my energy and strength back but working through it actually really helps because what you can accomplish in one day feels great.

This week I have worked and pushed myself harder than I have my whole life (and Id like to think Im not the laziest person in the world). Im so sore all over my body and it feels really good. I spent a couple days breaking apart module boards that were donated to us by the steal factory and then hammered all the nails out of it. Sounds kinda easy but its some of the most tedious, frustrating and difficult work ive done. You can be working on a board for 30 minutes and all you need is one more nail, and then the board splits. You just stare at it for couple seconds with this defeat but then when you pick up another board and make it usable,  it feels really good. Its such an important job because all the houses and furniture are being made out of these recycled boards.

I also was on a project to put a concrete floor in a kitchen of a school. Doing a concrete pour was probably the coolest thing Ive done so far. You mix the cement, shovel the gravel, carry buckets of water and then move wheelbarrows of concrete over uneasy ground and then repeat until the job is done. So incredible. It took all day with a good group of people to finish a little room but now that room in the kitchen of that school has a concrete floor! The school still has a lot of work to do on it. The damage from the earthqauke is evident but the kids are still there playing in the yard that consists of piles of dirt and rocks. That school will be a project for PSF for a long time, but it will eventually get there : )

I also have been able to be involved in a couple community development meetings at PSF. This is eventually going to be the new direction of PSF. I just LOVE this idea because Pisco will always be at risk for earthquakes and if another big one comes and destroyes everything again, including what PSF has done, we want the community to be able to pick themselves up again. Community development is a huge undertaking that involves health, english and academic education, teaching trades, biodesiel, mental health and disability services, therapy and education for abuse and domestic volience, recreation for kids, and so much more. Although this idea is barely 2 months old, I think PSF is approaching it the right way. They are researching a lot about what the situation is now, what is available and what is being done. They are looking to work along side local organizations and potentionally tweeking them to make them more efficent and helpful. They are not looking to go in and take over. They want to train Peruivans to help each other and set up more activites and services that eventually Peruvians will lead. I love this approach because I think it has the potential to really empower the community. The projects already attempt to involve people so that they will feel a connection and take care of it. For example, one project is building a huge park that will be a safe area for kids to play. Someone told me a little girl came up to him with a dirty needle the other day. This broke my heart knowing that these are the kind of places where all these kids have to play. But Instead of just building it for the community, so many children and adults come to help. Hopefully if they helped put in a post, or worked on a path or helped paint a mural, theyll protect it, clean it and wont let someone mess it up.

After an exhausting week, the OG crew decided to do something fun and go camping!! Saturdays are a half day and we have Sunday off so we went to the beach. When I heard we were going to do this, I didnt really know what to expect. We are about a five minute walk to the ocean. Pisco isnt the pretty place, it smells kinda bad, and I heard the beach is nice but has a lot of garbage. To my surprise, our leaders planned a night at a beach at Paracas. It was BEAUTIFUL! Peru just keeps on surprising me. It was only 20 minutes away and it was in the middle of the desert. There were huge hills of sand with cliffs that lead to the Pacific ocean. We walked down to the beach, which wasnt big but was beautiful and there was almost noone else. We made a fire, cooked some dinner, roasted smores and had a blast all night. Jonah and Laura switched off playing the guitar and we all rocked out to music. We had good conversations and even met some Peruvians and danced a little salsa on the beach in the dark. We had no tent but literally all just slept on the sand in sleeping bags under the most stars Ive ever seen in my life. It was an amazing 24 hours that ended with running into the ocean and exploring the cliffs.

Its been an unbelievable ride so far, and I cant wait to see what tomorrow brings.

Before I wrap it up, I wanted to take a little time to thank everyone who has donated money and helped me fundraise for Pisco. I can assure you it will be going to amazing causes. After combining all of the money that each member of the OG group raised, we are able to fund some amazing projects. Instead of just handing the money over to PSF, (even though I have no doubt they would put amazing use to the money), we are waiting until the end of our trip to decide as a group which projects we would really like to fund and how much to give to each one. The money that you have donated will be able to give so much to the people here. I really cant say thank you enough. Actually being here and witnessing how much Pisco needs, just makes me so thankful and amazed at all of your generosity. If you still would like to donate, you can do so at any time. August 15 is actually the four year anniversity of the earthquake and also the international fundraising day. I will probably still be in South America at that time but if youd like to help out in anyway you can check out the PSF website: http://www.piscosinfronteras.org/ or email me at megan.wycklendt@gmail.com

Congrats to everyone who graduated! Hope summer is starting off wonderfully for all of you!

Love,

Megan