Here are some “platos tipicos nortenos,” or Typical Northern Plates, as they are commonly referred to, that I’ve been eating around the holidays (clockwise starting in the left-hand corner): a) ceviche, b) “sudado,” or fish, vegetables, and herbs cooked in chicha de jora (of which I was given the privilege to eat the eye), c) fried fish served with plantains, and d) “patasca,” a corn-based soup eaten on Sunday mornings.
The people of the northern regions (Piura, Tumbes, Lambayeque) are very proud of their gastronomy and many Peruvians consider northern plates to be the best overall.
“Through art, I was able to show the complicated beauty of my Peace Corps site, a community struggling through cycles of poverty while trapped in the midst of a rich, booming tourism industry.” – “Documenting daily life in Colombia through illustration”
I am a #coffee master now. From top left: drying the coffee cherries, then peeling off the shells to get the coffee beans, toasting the beans, and grinding & packing them. Voila! #howiseepc #peacecorps #elsalvador
Special shout out to the little children of Jardín (preschool) who warm my heart every time they greet me screaming “SAMANTA” with a giant smile on their cute faces.
In the rural highlands of Guatemala, childhood malnutrition is a common health issue. Women in the community are working with Peace Corps Volunteer Nicole Mortenson to fight malnutrition through a gardening project. In this photo, a member of the gardening club is celebrating the new harvest!
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A few photos from my whirlwind of a time during training.
One of the first days we learned about all the different jujos that Paraguayans use in their terere, or cold yerba mate tea. My favorites include lemongrass (cedron/kapi’i) and mint (burrito).
One of my favorite spots in my training community was a little fish pond by my house! My host mom and grandparents would crumble up some bread and feed it to the fish, just to watch them. Sometimes my friends and I would play music here too.
On a visit to another volunteer’s site I got to work with bees! We harvested so much honey from a old rotted hive and gave them a new Top Bar Hive to live in.
Most time was (and will be) spent waiting for the bus.
All 45 trainees all celebrated Thanksgiving at a lovely cafe and reserve. It was a sweet time with friends.
For my Aspirantes in Accion project I was delighted to be able to put on Ahendu’i in my community with my friend Johnny. This was a festival of sharing music from both Paraguay and the United States. We served popcorn and lemongrass-ginger tea in hopes of luring a few undecided individuals and got about 20 people to come including six Paraguayans! This was a success for sure, especially since Paraguayans don’t usually go out on rainy days. I’d love to be able to share culture in a similar way in my site.
“Mamita de Flores. Every time she sees me she throws her hands up like this and scream-whispers ‘gringuuuucha.’ Never fails to put a smile on my face.” - Peace Corps Peru Volunteer Devon Martin http://bit.ly/1TUOkJJ
This Peace Corps Nicaragua Volunteer uses painting to integrate into her community–and we’re in love with all these gorgeous, bright colors! See more of Char’s paintings here.
Estuve haciendo “Johnny Queques” con el grupo de damas número uno. It’s a traditional Bocas quick bread. Made from freshly made coconut milk, and everything else you typically think of that goes in bread. I’ll buy four of these bad boys whenever someone is selling them in my community, at 25 centavos per piece I can’t help but support the woman who made them!
View from the top of #LaPuertadelDiablo. El Salvador is a beautiful country with warm, kind, & hardworking people. Visit for yourself! Don’t be scared off by the news headlines. #howiseepc #pcelsalvador #wanderlust #traveloffthebeatenpath
“Spinning the thread is one of the many steps in the process of making corte, the traditional wrap worn by indigenous women of Guatemala. Kids of families start working at a young age in order to help the family in their overall attempt to survive on a daily basis to afford food, firewood and transportation to and from markets.”
November 2 is día de los difuntos which is a beautiful tradition where people go to the cemetery to decorate, clean, and paint the tombs of their family members to honor them in death.
Stove project underway! Families in my village will have efficient stoves that use less firewood & contain smoke, preventing further deforestation & upper respiratory illnesses caused by open fire cook stoves. #howiseepc #pcelsalvador #peacecorps #environmentalhealth #forestconservation
