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Global Urban Trek 2008
Hard-working HospitalityJuly 5, 2008
For the seven members of our team who have been living in the Yaycuy Camuy house, almost every day here has taught us about the high value of hospitality in Peruvian culture. Yaycuy Camuy is constantly opening its doors to welcome friends from the community and around the world. The Yaycuy volunteers are continually seeking fresh ways to form strong relationships with new people. Here’s a glimpse at what we’ve been up to:
Recorridos:
You usually can’t wait for people to come to you – you need to take the first step. Through recorridos (journeys throughout the city) our team heads to parks or neighborhoods where children typically hang out to strike up friendships. During one of our recorridos, we played an impromptu game of soccer with a group of 10- to12-year-old boys. They creamed us, though we like to think it was just because we were outnumbered.
Educational Programs for Children:
Once Yaycuy has already formed relationships with local children, they take the friendships a little deeper and host fun, educational programs. Of course, Peruvian kids could learn about their country from books, but how much more meaningful would it be for them to learn through experience? Our team planned such an activity.
By building miniature houses, “harvesting” various crops, and playing homemade instruments, the children not only learned creativity and cooperation but also had the chance to develop more pride in their heritage. The latter is especially needed in a country that places so much value in being light-skinned and blonde.
Los Exploradores Guardaciudadanas:
The new Exploradores (Explorers) are really the epitome of what Yaycuy hopes to offer to the community. Made up of two small groups of twelve- to fifteen-year-olds the Explorers are kids from poor families who work on an intimate basis with Yaycuy. The seven of us on Global Urban Trek are very excited to deepen our relationships with these adolescents, especially the five older ones, whom we’ll mentor individually in a series called Amigos del Alma (Friends of the Soul).
Cooking and cleaning:
I don’t know if any of us realized before coming to Peru how much time it takes to maintain a constantly hospitable house. Meals can take hours to prepare and dishes at least an hour to wash afterward. Keeping floors and bathrooms clean is a never-ending task, especially when – how should I put this delicately? – proper functioning of your team’s digestive tracts is questionable thanks to the new environment (read: diarrhea – days and days of diarrhea). But, surprisingly or not, there’s a deep satisfaction in regularly participating in manual labor, as we work together and create an atmosphere of order and openness.
- Jacque
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