Peru went through a terrible “conflicto armado“ during the 80s and 90s, and it has really affected the people and culture here today. You may have heard of the Communist group the Shining Path (Sendero Luminoso). The campesinos often got right in the middle conflicts between this group and the government, and thousands of innocents were murdered. I am slowly realizing that every person I meet and talk to here has their own tragic story from that time, whether they lost brothers, fathers, mothers, or friends, or whether they witnessed terrible acts of violence, or whether they have been financially impacted by the events that occurred. Ayacucho is one of the areas that has been most affected by this violence. This weekend, there is a special event going on in Putis, a region of Ayacucho, where over 90 bodies were found in a mass grave. They were murdered in cold blood by the government. Paz is hosting this event to give the families who are left behind closure, as well as to use this horrific event as an example of what happened all over Peru, to raise awareness and to create more of a passion for justice and reparation. I encourage you to watch the video at this link to learn more about this. Im excited to be here during this time, especially because the Ayacucho office has a Mental Health team that I can shadow and learn from. Also, kind of exciting that I get to be on TV tomorrow morning!! Holly, Claire, Solomon, a Mexican friend, and I were interviewed about why we came to attend these events. Please be praying this Thursday, Friday, and Saturday during these very important events.
http://www.pazyesperanza.org/ayacucho/index.html
Wanted to tell you all about my amazing visit with Dr. Christine Kepner this past week as well!!
How fun that we are both Christine Ks ... although it kind of confused everyone here a little bit :) She arrived last Sunday in the morning and spent the whole week with me until Friday morning. Im sorry I dont have pictures quite yet, but I will put some up when I get back to Andahuaylas next week.
Dr. Kepner was a huge encouragement to me. It was super awesome that she speaks Spanish so perfectly (shes a Spanish professor at Wheaton), and she was so wonderful about being an advocate for me both with my host family and especially at the office. We had a really productive meeting with Lupe, my supervisor here, and I feel a lot better about my time in the office, as we 
were able to figure out more specifically what is expected of me. Dr. Kepner and I also enjoyed time with my host family exploring Andahuaylas a little bit (and even discovered a monument to a Peruvian author she likes, José María Arguedas!), a delicious lunch at the beautiful Laguna 
Pacucha with some coworkers, a trip out to some communities with some amazing views of the mountains, and more. I especially enjoyed just being able to verbalize and process in English some of the things I have been experiencing and battling in my time here. She was an amazing support. Thank you Dr. Kepner!Sorry to be short and picture-less, but because this trip was unexpected I didnt bring my own computer, so Im bumming off others.
As always, I appreciate all your love and support and prayers. Thinking a lot about my Wheaton friends (and my baby sister) heading back to school tomorrow!! It makes me miss you all even more. I hope the first few days go smoothly. And for the student teachers, especially Haley, Abby, and Luke! Im so proud of you and I know you can do it!!
Mucho amor, y muuuuchos abrazos, Christine
so glad you get to stay in Ayacucho for the Putis event! you will learn tons. what a great opportunity. My prayers are with all of you during this important and solemn event.
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