So, did you know they have Olympics in prison? I did not either, but today, I went to the opening ceremony for the Ayacucho Prison Olympics!
We brought volleyball jerseys for the women´s team and I did not fully understand this until we went to the crowded main courtyard for the big ceremony. Marisol and I scooted in late and took our seats under one of the three tents they had set up for the VIPs. (The only time in my life probably I will get to sit at a VIP tent for any kind of Olympics) The sun was hot, so the shade of the tent felt nice. The courtyard, which is a little bigger than a basketball court, was lined by crowds of spectator (ie, the male prisoners not participating as athletes). Our seats in the tent were directly behind the "godmothers" of the teams. These were three women with their hair done up, dressed in their nicest prison clothes, with maroon velvet sashes around them. They were inmates too. They were also holding big bouquets of flowers. I wondered who got these for them. Was it an expense for the Ayacucho prison?
The announcer was rapidly and very loudly narrating. There were at least ten teams, all in different uniforms, all inmates, lined up in front of the VIP tents. Each team had a banner that was held in front of them by eager supporters. But the icing on the cake was definitely the mascots. Yes, there were mascots (Now this explained the huge Silvester the Cat I saw earlier in the hall). There was a Pink Panther, one or two lions, a Tigger (from Winnie the Pooh) and a boxing monkey. All of the mascots were dancing around and acting silly like a good team mascot is supposed to do. Hilarious!
The announcer yelled Spanish into the microphone and a guy stared singing and playing the keyboard even more loudly into the huge amplifiers. Yes, there were huge amplifiers as well as a huge sound board. They pulled out all of the stops for this!
Next, was the lighting and running of the Olympic torch. Wait, they were going to let an inmate run around the other hundreds of inmates with a big burning torch. Yep, sure enough they were. The slim runner dressed in a white soccer uniform and some running shoes proudly held the torch for it to be lit. Then, he ran slowly around the entire courtyard as we cheered. Finally, he placed the torch in an old coffee can that was hung on the end of the courtyard. Soon whatever was inside the coffee can caught fire and the Olympic flame was up and going. I asked Marisol if the flame continues to burn the entire games. She laughed and said no because the games go on for weeks and weeks.
I keep forgetting I am in a prison right now.
Now it was time for the parade of the athletes. The herd of athletes turned and circled around the courtyard so that the would walk right in front of the main tent. Some teams waved to the crowd. Some saluted. The women´s team had traditional dancers from Puno (costumes looks a little like a tacky Quincenera dress mixed with a stripper outfit) dancing preceding their athletes. There were soccer teams, basketball teams, volleyball teams, and even a few boxers. The members of the last team to go were each holding small yellow flags that said, "maxima" on them...as in maximum security. They might as well have said, "I won´t back down...ever" Yikes, I didn´t want to mess with them.
As the parade of athletes was coming to a close, Marisol and I had to leave. Alejandro was waiting in the parking lot to pick us up. Oh, what a day!
I Won´t Back Down, Tom Petty
Showing posts with label prison. Show all posts
Showing posts with label prison. Show all posts
Friday, June 19, 2009
For So Long
This morning I went back to the prison and had my favorite volunteer experience so far. Today we did not take the children out of the prison for an outing, but rather we helped the older men celebrate Father´s Day.
Alejandro (my favorite driver here) drove Marisol (our volunteer coordinator) and me on the dusty, bumpy road out of town to the prison. Our arms were loaded down with a huge cake, two bottles of red soda (Peruvian Big Red maybe?), and some volleyball jerseys (will be explained in the next post). Our entry today was expedited because of our tardy arrival, me being the only gringa, and we were not taking any children out of the prison. I got my two stamps on my arms thinking, "this is the closest I´ll ever get to having tatoos." There was a quick search and we were inside the walls.
It was a busy day in the prison. There was a big ceremony in the main courtyard (this too will be explained next) and a health campaign with tents and doctors in another courtyard. We entered the women´s area and Marisol was greeted like an old friend. The inmates do not wear uniforms and are all dressed like normal people on the street. Thus, it is difficult to tell who is incarcerated and who is not. There is a small stand with candy and a few other things like juice at the front of the women´s area, so three women seemed to be running that. I smiled and tried to speak with them. One pretty woman was named Carmen and she was particularly happy. I wondered what they were in for.
We also took care of a little business. My jeans as well as another volunteers jeans were torn, so Marisol asked if they could fix them for us. It was going to be about 2 soles (about 60 cents) to fix. What a bargain! I hope I see those jeans again.
While we waited for the Father´s Day celebration, I watched the action that was taking place. There were some people dressed in suits, important people from some company, a man dressed in a green dinosaur mascot suit and his escort, a highly make-uped woman in a tight yellow suit with her hair pulled tightly into various clips. They were walking around passing out big green and blue balls to the children. There were of course several people to take pictures of this to make sure they got the proper media coverage for their do-gooding. It was quite a funny sight particularly because I kept remembering we were in a prison. Also, several of the children were frightened of the dinosaur man because they had no idea what he was. Can´t imagine they see lots of those around a prison.
After a about half an hour of waiting, it was finally time for the Father´s Day celebration. We were escorted through the crowded hallway, through the packed courtyard where the health campaign was taking place, into a smaller room. I think it is normally used for the daycare/nursery. I walked through the long lines of male prisoners waiting for their turn to talk to a doctor and couldn´t help but feel extremely self-conscious. Every eye was on me. I do not say this in a conceited way at all, but in a matter-of-fact every prisoner watched me (the only gringa for miles) coming and going.
A group of about 26 older male prisoners were escorted into the room and they sat in one line on either side of the room. I helped to set out the tres-leches cake we brought on a table at the front of the room. The cake joined piles of churros, small donuts, rolls and sandwiches. The smell of fresh baked pastries surrounded me. I help to pour the red soda into small clear cups for each man, after awkwardly spilling some when I first opened it.
I looked around the room at the men´s tired, wrinkled faces. There eyes looked worn and a little sad and I wondered many things about them. I wondered how long they had been here. I wondered what they did to get in here. I wondered if they were sorry. I wondered where their children were and what they thought. I wondered if the men would get out soon or if some of them would die here.
Soon the "ceremony" started. The main social worker started by welcoming them and introduced the organizations that had helped today and through out the year. When they turned to Marisol and me to thank Cross Cultural Solutions, I wanted to announce, "I only carried the cake." But I didn´t. I just smiled. Then, we passed out the treats. I tried to serve each thing like I was serving my own grandparents. I smiled at each man and looked them in the eyes, (just like my mother taught me) if they did actually look up at me. Several said thank you and about two men looked up and smiled at me as they did. The main social worker wished them a Happy Father´s Day and said that we hoped they would have a good Father´s Day on Sunday with their families.
Marisol offered me a churro and I didn´t take it at first, but thought to myself, "how many times can I enjoy a churro in a Peruvian prison?" It was actually the best churro I have ever had. We enjoyed some more treats and I tried to just keep smiling. Just as I was thinking to myself what a nice, happy little celebration this is, the main social worker stood up to close the ceremony. That was fine. But then, one of the men stood up to say a few words. He was the nice man in the maroon sweater who had smiled at me earlier.
As he spoke, I was over come with emotions. Of course he was speaking in Spanish, so I didn´t understand every word, but I was still touched by the sincerity in his speech. He first said thank you on be half of all of the men and his gratitude is what made me choke up. He continued. My lip quivered. He spoke of how many of their children had gone on with their lives and have forgotten them. Now, I had to turn around and open my eyes really wide to hold the tears back. I looked around at the faces of the other men and thought of how I won´t be with my own father on Father´s Day. However, I get to celebrate later with him. And next year too. However, I wondered when the last time they were with their own children at their own houses for Father´s Day. Or for a birthday. Or for their child´s birthday. I was glad I could be there to celebrate with them. I thought my dad would like this gift better than anything I could have bought or done for him.
Another man spoke too, and by this time I could see the red in a few of the other men´s eyes. Wow, I almost lost it at this point. Several men came up to us after the ceremony to thank and hug us. I was touched by their appreciation and I just wished I could have done more. All I could really do was stand there and smile. I also forgot for several moments that we were in a jail. They were just old men and I didn´t see them as criminals. I even wished they didn´t have to be in here for so long.
For So Long, Honeybrowne
Alejandro (my favorite driver here) drove Marisol (our volunteer coordinator) and me on the dusty, bumpy road out of town to the prison. Our arms were loaded down with a huge cake, two bottles of red soda (Peruvian Big Red maybe?), and some volleyball jerseys (will be explained in the next post). Our entry today was expedited because of our tardy arrival, me being the only gringa, and we were not taking any children out of the prison. I got my two stamps on my arms thinking, "this is the closest I´ll ever get to having tatoos." There was a quick search and we were inside the walls.
It was a busy day in the prison. There was a big ceremony in the main courtyard (this too will be explained next) and a health campaign with tents and doctors in another courtyard. We entered the women´s area and Marisol was greeted like an old friend. The inmates do not wear uniforms and are all dressed like normal people on the street. Thus, it is difficult to tell who is incarcerated and who is not. There is a small stand with candy and a few other things like juice at the front of the women´s area, so three women seemed to be running that. I smiled and tried to speak with them. One pretty woman was named Carmen and she was particularly happy. I wondered what they were in for.
We also took care of a little business. My jeans as well as another volunteers jeans were torn, so Marisol asked if they could fix them for us. It was going to be about 2 soles (about 60 cents) to fix. What a bargain! I hope I see those jeans again.
While we waited for the Father´s Day celebration, I watched the action that was taking place. There were some people dressed in suits, important people from some company, a man dressed in a green dinosaur mascot suit and his escort, a highly make-uped woman in a tight yellow suit with her hair pulled tightly into various clips. They were walking around passing out big green and blue balls to the children. There were of course several people to take pictures of this to make sure they got the proper media coverage for their do-gooding. It was quite a funny sight particularly because I kept remembering we were in a prison. Also, several of the children were frightened of the dinosaur man because they had no idea what he was. Can´t imagine they see lots of those around a prison.
After a about half an hour of waiting, it was finally time for the Father´s Day celebration. We were escorted through the crowded hallway, through the packed courtyard where the health campaign was taking place, into a smaller room. I think it is normally used for the daycare/nursery. I walked through the long lines of male prisoners waiting for their turn to talk to a doctor and couldn´t help but feel extremely self-conscious. Every eye was on me. I do not say this in a conceited way at all, but in a matter-of-fact every prisoner watched me (the only gringa for miles) coming and going.
A group of about 26 older male prisoners were escorted into the room and they sat in one line on either side of the room. I helped to set out the tres-leches cake we brought on a table at the front of the room. The cake joined piles of churros, small donuts, rolls and sandwiches. The smell of fresh baked pastries surrounded me. I help to pour the red soda into small clear cups for each man, after awkwardly spilling some when I first opened it.
I looked around the room at the men´s tired, wrinkled faces. There eyes looked worn and a little sad and I wondered many things about them. I wondered how long they had been here. I wondered what they did to get in here. I wondered if they were sorry. I wondered where their children were and what they thought. I wondered if the men would get out soon or if some of them would die here.
Soon the "ceremony" started. The main social worker started by welcoming them and introduced the organizations that had helped today and through out the year. When they turned to Marisol and me to thank Cross Cultural Solutions, I wanted to announce, "I only carried the cake." But I didn´t. I just smiled. Then, we passed out the treats. I tried to serve each thing like I was serving my own grandparents. I smiled at each man and looked them in the eyes, (just like my mother taught me) if they did actually look up at me. Several said thank you and about two men looked up and smiled at me as they did. The main social worker wished them a Happy Father´s Day and said that we hoped they would have a good Father´s Day on Sunday with their families.
Marisol offered me a churro and I didn´t take it at first, but thought to myself, "how many times can I enjoy a churro in a Peruvian prison?" It was actually the best churro I have ever had. We enjoyed some more treats and I tried to just keep smiling. Just as I was thinking to myself what a nice, happy little celebration this is, the main social worker stood up to close the ceremony. That was fine. But then, one of the men stood up to say a few words. He was the nice man in the maroon sweater who had smiled at me earlier.
As he spoke, I was over come with emotions. Of course he was speaking in Spanish, so I didn´t understand every word, but I was still touched by the sincerity in his speech. He first said thank you on be half of all of the men and his gratitude is what made me choke up. He continued. My lip quivered. He spoke of how many of their children had gone on with their lives and have forgotten them. Now, I had to turn around and open my eyes really wide to hold the tears back. I looked around at the faces of the other men and thought of how I won´t be with my own father on Father´s Day. However, I get to celebrate later with him. And next year too. However, I wondered when the last time they were with their own children at their own houses for Father´s Day. Or for a birthday. Or for their child´s birthday. I was glad I could be there to celebrate with them. I thought my dad would like this gift better than anything I could have bought or done for him.
Another man spoke too, and by this time I could see the red in a few of the other men´s eyes. Wow, I almost lost it at this point. Several men came up to us after the ceremony to thank and hug us. I was touched by their appreciation and I just wished I could have done more. All I could really do was stand there and smile. I also forgot for several moments that we were in a jail. They were just old men and I didn´t see them as criminals. I even wished they didn´t have to be in here for so long.
For So Long, Honeybrowne
Friday, June 12, 2009
You Gotta Know...
...I went to jail today! I have never been to jail--in the U.S. nor otherwise--but today was the day!
About 9 volunteers and I, along with our placement director (Marisol), went to the prison here in Ayacucho to take some of the children there on a little outing. Children are allowed to stay with their mothers (who are actually the ones incarcerated)until they are about 3 or 4. The women are mostly there on different types of drug charges, usually transportation of drugs.
Alejandro drove us in our white van for about 20 minutes to the outskirts of town where the prison is located. We had to show the guards out front our passports and they recorded our names and passport numbers into a large handwritten book. They stamped our right inner arms with the first of three stamps we would receive. We had to line up so they could count us. Meanwhile, I saw several guards with long hand or feet cuffs as if they might be getting ready to transport someone. This was getting exciting!
We knocked on the little door outside and had to wait quite a long time before we were allowed to enter. We weren´t exactly sure what was going on, but the Ayacucho sun was getting pretty hot (and they told us it was winter here). Later, we found out that there was a stabbing and a search of the cells going on inside. Glad they told us this after we left the prison for the day.
Our group entered the first holding chamber and we were searched by the guards. Luckily, we got a woman guard because she definitely patted us down and made me chuckle in a "I´m pretty uncomfortable with this" kind of way. We also got stamped again, but this time on our inner left arms. We passed through some smaller rooms where I found out that the guards do full searches on visitors day. Glad we didn´t come on Wednesday.
We walked over a bridge type thing to reach another holding area. This time when we entered we got stamped one last time. There were more guards and people in suits. Lawyers maybe. There were also two dogs just laying around. (There are random dogs everywhere here and this was just further proved by the fact they are in jail too)
Next, is when my heart started racing. We entered a walkway skirting the courtyard full of male prisoners. They were all in lines doing some sort of check in maybe, but we still definitely got lots of cat-calls. A herd of gringas must have been the high point of the day based on the whistling. We walked around to the women´s side and entered their little courtyard. On the way in there was a little store like thing selling candy and snacks. Wait, I thought we were in prison.
Once in the women´s courtyard (about 1/4 the size of the men´s), we saw many women sitting around and most of them doing some embroidering. We had to wait for Marisol to fill out some more forms and figure out which children were coming with us. While we were waiting, one of the volunteers who had been there before showed us around the women´s cells. I could not believe the amount of stuff crammed into the cells and hallways. Again, wait, I thought we were in prison. How did they get all of this stuff?
There was food and plenty of utensils for cooking. We saw some women cooking a nice hot pot of soup. I also saw a big knife for cooking. I know this is my first day in prison, but I sort of thought you weren´t allow to have big knives in prison. Four women per cell with a little wash "room" in the middle.
Back downstairs to play with kids, walk around watching at the women at work, and to stand around. I thought to myself how these conditions do not seem as bad as they could be. I know that is probably naive to say, but the place was clean enough and they are allowed to cook food. It seemed like a little community and based on the conditions I had seen in other parts of the country, it did not seem awful.
Ok, finally ready to go and we each grabbed a kid. I got a cute little girl a little about 2 and a half years old named Mitay with two braids in her hair and overalls. She clung to me as we walked back out of the maze to the front. I felt weird walking back by the male prisoners, but somehow thought I was protected by little Mitay clinging to me.
We loaded up the van, each with a little one on our laps, and began to sing as the van took us to the main plaza. When we arrived in the main plaza there was actually a protest march of little school kids (at this point I am no longer surprised by protests). They held signs about child labor and rights to education. Marisol bought bird seed and the our little ones threw it everywhere as flocks of pigeons came to eat it. Mitay loved it and laughed every time she threw it as high as she could in the air.
After feeding the birds, each of the kids got some vanilla crackers and some juice for a snack. They all sat in a cute little line waiting patiently to be served. Next, we each took our little one´s hand and walked around the plaza. What a cute sight to see all of these volunteers holding the hands of these little Peruvian children!
Back into the van and Marisol said the first child asleep would win the game. Ah, the old turn anything into a "game" trick and kids will go for it. Well, all of them did except for Mitay. She instead insisted on standing in my lap and yelling in the most ear-piercing voice Marisol´s name. I tried to tell her to be more quiet because the other children were sleeping, but she didn´t really go for it. Oh well, this was the highlight of her week and who was I to deprive her.
When we arrived back at the prison one little boy started crying because he didn´t want to go back. It broke our hearts. All of the children pretended to be sleeping soundly (if they weren´t actually sleeping soundly) so that we would hold them. The men prisoners were walking around the hallway now and I felt really self-conscious as we made our way out. Several tried to talk to us and I just smiled as we passed. We made it back out of the prison and headed back toward the van all ready for a big lunch.
Today, I finally felt needed. I had so much fun and felt like we were actually helping. I´d like to do this again.
You Gotta Know, Pat Green
About 9 volunteers and I, along with our placement director (Marisol), went to the prison here in Ayacucho to take some of the children there on a little outing. Children are allowed to stay with their mothers (who are actually the ones incarcerated)until they are about 3 or 4. The women are mostly there on different types of drug charges, usually transportation of drugs.
Alejandro drove us in our white van for about 20 minutes to the outskirts of town where the prison is located. We had to show the guards out front our passports and they recorded our names and passport numbers into a large handwritten book. They stamped our right inner arms with the first of three stamps we would receive. We had to line up so they could count us. Meanwhile, I saw several guards with long hand or feet cuffs as if they might be getting ready to transport someone. This was getting exciting!
We knocked on the little door outside and had to wait quite a long time before we were allowed to enter. We weren´t exactly sure what was going on, but the Ayacucho sun was getting pretty hot (and they told us it was winter here). Later, we found out that there was a stabbing and a search of the cells going on inside. Glad they told us this after we left the prison for the day.
Our group entered the first holding chamber and we were searched by the guards. Luckily, we got a woman guard because she definitely patted us down and made me chuckle in a "I´m pretty uncomfortable with this" kind of way. We also got stamped again, but this time on our inner left arms. We passed through some smaller rooms where I found out that the guards do full searches on visitors day. Glad we didn´t come on Wednesday.
We walked over a bridge type thing to reach another holding area. This time when we entered we got stamped one last time. There were more guards and people in suits. Lawyers maybe. There were also two dogs just laying around. (There are random dogs everywhere here and this was just further proved by the fact they are in jail too)
Next, is when my heart started racing. We entered a walkway skirting the courtyard full of male prisoners. They were all in lines doing some sort of check in maybe, but we still definitely got lots of cat-calls. A herd of gringas must have been the high point of the day based on the whistling. We walked around to the women´s side and entered their little courtyard. On the way in there was a little store like thing selling candy and snacks. Wait, I thought we were in prison.
Once in the women´s courtyard (about 1/4 the size of the men´s), we saw many women sitting around and most of them doing some embroidering. We had to wait for Marisol to fill out some more forms and figure out which children were coming with us. While we were waiting, one of the volunteers who had been there before showed us around the women´s cells. I could not believe the amount of stuff crammed into the cells and hallways. Again, wait, I thought we were in prison. How did they get all of this stuff?
There was food and plenty of utensils for cooking. We saw some women cooking a nice hot pot of soup. I also saw a big knife for cooking. I know this is my first day in prison, but I sort of thought you weren´t allow to have big knives in prison. Four women per cell with a little wash "room" in the middle.
Back downstairs to play with kids, walk around watching at the women at work, and to stand around. I thought to myself how these conditions do not seem as bad as they could be. I know that is probably naive to say, but the place was clean enough and they are allowed to cook food. It seemed like a little community and based on the conditions I had seen in other parts of the country, it did not seem awful.
Ok, finally ready to go and we each grabbed a kid. I got a cute little girl a little about 2 and a half years old named Mitay with two braids in her hair and overalls. She clung to me as we walked back out of the maze to the front. I felt weird walking back by the male prisoners, but somehow thought I was protected by little Mitay clinging to me.
We loaded up the van, each with a little one on our laps, and began to sing as the van took us to the main plaza. When we arrived in the main plaza there was actually a protest march of little school kids (at this point I am no longer surprised by protests). They held signs about child labor and rights to education. Marisol bought bird seed and the our little ones threw it everywhere as flocks of pigeons came to eat it. Mitay loved it and laughed every time she threw it as high as she could in the air.
After feeding the birds, each of the kids got some vanilla crackers and some juice for a snack. They all sat in a cute little line waiting patiently to be served. Next, we each took our little one´s hand and walked around the plaza. What a cute sight to see all of these volunteers holding the hands of these little Peruvian children!
Back into the van and Marisol said the first child asleep would win the game. Ah, the old turn anything into a "game" trick and kids will go for it. Well, all of them did except for Mitay. She instead insisted on standing in my lap and yelling in the most ear-piercing voice Marisol´s name. I tried to tell her to be more quiet because the other children were sleeping, but she didn´t really go for it. Oh well, this was the highlight of her week and who was I to deprive her.
When we arrived back at the prison one little boy started crying because he didn´t want to go back. It broke our hearts. All of the children pretended to be sleeping soundly (if they weren´t actually sleeping soundly) so that we would hold them. The men prisoners were walking around the hallway now and I felt really self-conscious as we made our way out. Several tried to talk to us and I just smiled as we passed. We made it back out of the prison and headed back toward the van all ready for a big lunch.
Today, I finally felt needed. I had so much fun and felt like we were actually helping. I´d like to do this again.
You Gotta Know, Pat Green
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