the last day in cusco

hi, folks.

i would like to apologize for several things at this point. one is my failure to have made any posts during the last few weeks of my time in peru. another is that i'm planning to post things, which will be both retroactive/retrospective, and out of order. but, hey, that's the nice thing about living in the editor-less world of blogs! and thanks again for reading.

this post comes from an e-mail message i just sent to friends karen and mary from the timmy foundation. karen and mary flew into lima the night of march 4, joining me and teresa at the mami panchita hostal. rob, karen's brother, was supposed to have come, too, but his standby status meant that this time, he stood by and watched karen and mary leave him at the indianapolis airport.

sunday, the 5th, the four of us flew to cusco, which almost didn't happen because the ventilator karen travels with caused the folks at lan peru a great deal of concern. eventually, we got permission to bring the thing on board, and off we went. after about an hour in cusco, dropping things off at the hotel we would be staying in the second half of the week, we headed to the sacred valley, which at only about 8,000 feet above sea level, is a lot easier to manage than cusco at 11,000 feet!

there are stories about the first half of the week that will have to wait for another posting, but, on thursday morning, after a sleepless, uncomfortable and scary night, karen and mary left to cusco to return to sea level. the four of us had planned to spend the second part of the week on "timmy business," after adjusting to the somewhat lower altitude of the sacred valley and machu picchu. teresa and i spent friday doing both "pennies for peru activities" and "timmy business," which meant we distributed donated clothing, school supplies, toys, and other items, visited a hospital, schools, and other locations in cities and smaller communities, scouting for possible timmy-sponsored medical mission trips, and purchased items for schools with funds raised by the beloit college track and field team--bless their fleet feet, strong arms, and generous hearts! (and more about them in another soon-to-arrive post!!)

so, here is the story of friday, march 10, our last day in cusco. it won't win a pulitzer, but it was a great day, and this is a way to preserve its memory. thanks for reading this far.

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right after breakfast, my dear friend and spanish teacher, Ursula, her sister Eliana, Eliana's 5-year-old daughter Andrea, Ursula and Eliana's friend Gaby picked us up at the Corihuasi Hostal. Ursula had arranged for us to rent a mini-van and driver (Coco, a friend of Gaby's) for $45 for the entire day--and boy, was it worth it!

First, we visited the Hospital Lorena (the hospital for poor people in the Cusco area--where it costs less than $1 to see a doctor), and visited the regular obstetrical unit and some neonatal units (long and short-term care). We also visited the pediatric unit. We were able to donate LOTS of baby and little children's clothes there. The moms and the nurses were gracious and appreciative. The babies were, of course, adorable, and oh-so-tiny.



Eliana had (thoughtfully!) prepared delicious sandwiches for us all, which we swiftly and gratefully devoured between our first and second stops.

Second, we went to a school on the outskirts of Cusco in the community of San Geronimo (I need to check on this name), where we visited both classrooms. We got to meet the children, hear them share what they were learning, and give away school supplies, toys, puzzles, and clothes. I also got to teach a bit, which I loved (of course). The children were delightful, and the teachers incredibly generous to us. The teachers were also understandably proud of their students--it was great to witness. Afterwards, the staff invited us to stay for a beverage, and we had an enjoyable little picnic on the school grounds, which had been painted by a previous group of American volunteers!


From the school, we headed out in search of an even more distant community, Sunccu (again, I need to check spelling, etc.). We were going to visit the school there to find out what was needed, and then go back to town to make some purchases. Coco deserves special mention here, because he drove us along some narrow mountain roads with really steep drop-offs. I could sense Teresa leaning to the center of the van several times, and occasionally sneaking peaks down! The turns were dramatic, and the occasional back-ups especially exciting!

Almost at the top of the mountain, we encountered a group of three people walking down a road. We asked them for directions to the community, and, then following their directions, turned around and headed up a different road. When we arrived at the community and school, we were informed that school had let out an hour or so earlier. So we turned around yet again, and headed back down the mountain. A little ways down, we encountered the same three people, who, this time, asked us for a ride down (we were now going in their direction).

It took about 10 seconds to realize that they were the teachers from the school! We asked what was needed for the 70 or so children in the school, and they said, "Everything--pens, pencils, notebooks, crayons, markers, scissors, rulers." So, we got the director's phone number and address, dropped the three of them off in town, and headed back into Cusco to get money and go shopping!

But, first, we stopped at an unofficial car-wash location, where young people wash cars all day long. We opened up the back of the van, and the kids kind of took turns coming to see what we were up to. We were able to give them some of the clothes and toys we had left. The kids were so sweet, and just as kind and polite to us if we couldn't find anything that would fit them. I was very impressed. We also went to one of the markets in downtown Cusco, and gave away more baby clothes. Actually, Ursula and Eliana gave away most of the baby clothes--Teresa and I wandered the market, scoping out potential recipients (and buying dyes!)

For exactly 600 soles (the budget we gave ourselves), or just about $200, we bought 84 large notebooks, 84 small notebooks, 36 pens, 48 pencils, 48 erasers, 10 large boxes of markers, 12 boxes of colored pencils, 24 pairs of scissors and 70 rulers. It was so much fun--I love shopping for school supplies!! When they had our order all boxed up, we carted it to the van, and headed back to the director's place, where we unloaded everything. I could see that the director was clearly overwhelmed, but just as clearly envisioning all the learning that was going to happen through the use of the materials!

By this time, it was almost 6 p.m., and we were all pretty tuckered out. The back of the van was littered with bags, and the clothes that hadn't fit anyone. Andrea had fallen asleep an hour or so earlier--kids are wonderful that way. We had dropped Gaby off to go to a class, and Coco dropped Teresa and me off at the Plaza de Armas for one final purchase of ceramics at Seminario (I had successfully resisted this entire visit until I realized it was my last chance!).

A couple of hours later, Ursula and Eliana and Teresa and I met up in the Plaza de Armas, and we headed off to dinner at CocoLoco (a favorite of Ursula's), where we laughed for hours. In one of my (frequent) Spanish errors, I referred to Alcoholicos Anonimosos as Alcoholicos Animosos (animated alcoholics), and we had started a new organization!

After a couple of photos back at the Plaza de Armas, it was the end of an evening, a great day, and an eventful (!) trip to Cusco and the Sacred Valley.

Well, that's the story. I'll include a couple of photos here.

Best,
Kathy

coming home early

hi, folks.

well, after a series of digestive "issues" and what seems to be a bladder infection, i have decided that while my spirit is happy, my body does not thrive in a "third-world" environment. therefore, i am coming home 2 months before i had planned. i have decided that this is a good thing, and to be happy about it. already, the trip has met and exceeded my expectations.

i feel incredibly blessed and enriched by the experience. and i feel energized and committed to keeping the people i have gotten to know in my heart and in my life, as well as continuing the kind of work i have been able to do here. this experience has reinforced what is important and what is not, and that is valuable knowledge, for sure.

today at the orphanage in sicaya, i got to hold a little baby for 2 and 1/2 hours, comforting her when she cried, and cuddling her while she slept. then, i got to hold another little baby for a half hour until he fell asleep in my lap. tough work, but somebody had/got to do it.

yesterday, at the aldea, i gave a baby her first haircut (while her teenage mother offered her a breast to distract her!), handed out knitting needles to all the girls, taught two girls how to knit (or at least got them started), taught two other girls how to use a laptop, and edit the autobiographies that they had written and i had transcribed for them, and taught an english lesson on "my future, my aspirations, my dreams."

this afternoon, kattya and gisela and i spent a delicious twilight hour in the Koky restaurant, chatting and laughing over tea and juice (me), a hamburger (kattya), and an Irish coffee (gisela). we had just said goodbye to erin, my (new) great friend from canada who finished her volunteer time at the aldea this morning, and her description of the going-away party the girls gave her warmed all of our hearts.

thanks for reading. more photos soon.

until next time,
kathy

a few random photos

On the top is the group that provided us with a serendipitous concert in front of our house Monday afternoon of this week. On the left is a street I pass every morning on my way to the combi. It just called my camera yesterday morning.

with luck, photos for you visual types

a great day!

Hi, folks.

Well, today was a fabulous day.

First, I treated myself to a taxi instead of a combi to get to the orphanage. So I spent approximately a dollar and a half instead of twenty cents, but it was SO worth it. I arrived early and in peace, and all the animals I saw along the way were alive and walking around instead of hanging from ropes in the market. Then I got to change, hold and play with Heidy, one of the babies, all the while chatting with the girls.

I shared with them my idea of publishing a book of them and they were so excited to write the stories of their lives. So we have lots of work to do in the next 3 and 1/2 weeks, but it´s going to be great. I´m going to take lots of photos, and I´ve invited them to take photos, as well. I´ve invited them to include pictures, poems, stories, whatever they want, and I´ll work with them to collect, arrange, edit and publish. Terry, of Terry and Alison, of Tinkuy, is going to help, and he´s very talented in these areas! I´m thinking a version that can be completed here, so that every girl can have a copy, and possibly an additional edition when I return to the U.S. I´m hoping Ursula can help me translate the stories into English, so the second edition can be in Spanish and in English.

We did some English--learning the names for clothing, and then we had a party with the girls, the folks from Tinkuy, and the tutoras and director of Francisco Mayer. There were many speeches, and it was a lovely occasion. Several of the girls gave speeches, and it was an emotional time for all of us. Then we had snacks, provided by the Tinkuy folks, and dancing. It was great doing Indian (as in Delhi) dancing in Huancayo, Peru. Those girls can boogie!

After a few errands, I went to Tino´s house, and all the Tinkuy volunteers and I ate lunch together (thank you, Sonia!) and had a little teaching seminar. It was fabulous! They have so many great ideas, it was fun just to facilitate, and throw in an idea or two just to "stay in the game!"

Then, I caught a combi home (one taxi is enough for one day!), and taught English to Gisela, Jose, and Katya. We talked about the weekend and everyone´s activities. It was fun to kind of switch the tables a bit, and have them work to find words (instead of me ALWAYS struggling).

Then I received a care package from T--THANK YOU, THANK YOU--with some great stuff, including M&Ms--yum--and giant knitting needles, so I can knit a scarf for one of the girls at the Aldea. Then it was time for a little run around the neighborhood. As I arrived home, there was a group of young musicians "jamming" in the little park in front of the house. They were playing traditional Peruvian music, and it was fabulous just to sit and listen to them. Look for a photo soon!

After a nice, warm shower, here I am, feeling pretty darn good. Thanks to you all for all the good wishes and supportive messages. Without them (and you), it would be so much harder for this gringa to stay smiling!

Best,
K

i think i fixed the multiple images

hi, folks. i think i fixed the multiple images. just a word--i think if you double click on the images, you can see them full size. but, i´m not sure.

sick again today, but i slept most of the day. i hope this part of my trip ends soon! it´s hard to stay my usually sunny self :) when i feel like crap (if you´ll pardon the expression).

oh, and by the way, if you feel the need to send me a care package (i urge you to keep it light, if you do, because it´s expensive to mail things here from the u.s.), you can mail them to me, c/o Marciano Miguel Mata, Urbanizacion Pio Pata, Las Peñas 103, El tambo-Huancayo. Junin. Peru.

just in case you feel the need. you should also know that my telephone number is (51) (64) 253445, and we´re currently the same as Eastern Standard Time.

best (and just a little pitiful today),
k

a quick entry

hi, there. just wanted to let everyone know that things are going well. i took a "vacation" day today, because i quit my tuesday-thursday job at the aldea rosario. gisella, my 23 year old "nieta" accompanied me there on tuesday, and she was so appalled at the situation, she told me i wasn´t allowed to go back. it was good to have my own suspicions confirmed. so, i´m looking for work starting next tuesday. actually, i already have another place lined up--a bit of a ride, but i think i´m going to get to work with babies!!! hooray!!!!

i cooked lunch for the family today--my first time. we had curried chicken salad (one of emily´s favorites), and i think it went over pretty well. i´m attaching a photo here (if i can).

best to you all, and please keep writing.

the laundry room

friends on the walk to francisco mayer

the entrance to francisco mayer

approaching the aldea francisco mayer

some of "las chicas" at francisco mayer

Huancayo--answers to questions

A bit of advice: this is really, really long, so don’t feel like you have to read it all!

Huancayo
Liza asked about Huancayo, so here it is: Huancayo is a city in the central sierra. It is a 6-7 hours’ drive east from Lima. Apparently it has grown quite a bit since the 80s and the terrorist activity of the Sendero Luminoso (Shining Path) guerilla organization. Huancayo is in the Mantaro Valley, so there are hills/mountains on at least two sides. The hills and mountains are beautiful. The city is not so beautiful—what cities are? There is a lot of traffic—lots and lots of honking. Most of the traffic is combis and taxis, with some trucks and private cars thrown in for good measure.

Combi Travel
I travel by combis most of the time. These are generally large vans or small buses, and they are usually in dreadful shape. It seems as if many are privately owned but affiliated with a company, but I’m not sure. Sometimes, I don’t think the vehicle is going to make it to wherever I am going, but it always does. It is an incredibly cheap way to travel, but the state of the vehicles really gives one pause. One rattled so badly, I was sure it was about to fall completely apart on the spot. Of course, the taxis are usually just as dilapidated. Within the city, it costs 70 centimos to ride (no transfers!). That is about 20 cents! I take one combi to work in the morning, and two back home, so I’m out about 60 cents a day for transportation.

Early Morning
Kim asked about my typical day, which I thought was also a great question. I get up around 5:45 (my alarm is set for 5:40, but anyone who knows me knows I need at least a few minutes to argue myself out of bed). Most mornings, Katya, the 15-year old in my host family, and I head out for a run at 6:00. We walk the few blocks to the malecon and down the stairs, admiring along the way the view of the mountains in the early morning cloud, sun, or mist. After a half hour or so of dodging combis, dogs, and the things dogs leave behind, we either take a detour so Katya can have a short swing, or we head directly home.

Living Arrangements
After showering, it’s time to prepare for my day’s work, and eat breakfast. By the way, I live with my family in Pio Pata, a barrio in El Tambo, which is connected to Huancayo, but not in Huancayo proper. Like most of the city outside of el centro, El Tambo has about a 50-50 mix of paved and unpaved streets. There are dogs everywhere. In the richest areas, houses have some sort of public front, but, for the most part, they are not made for looks. My family’s house, like many of the buildings in the area, is a work in progress. Now, it is one story, with the concrete stairs for a second story leading to what is now the roof. This is where Cheboly, the family dog, lives. My room is actually in a separate building from the house, with a dirt-floor, open-air space between my room and the house. This area is where we wash and then hang our clothes, where the staircase is, and where Chewaly marks her territory. My room has a tile floor and painted walls. The house has a kitchen, combined dining and living area, three bedrooms and a bathroom. The floors are unfinished concrete. A week ago, Marci (the father of the family), with the help of a carpenter and Jose (the son of the family), put up doors on the various rooms of the house. Until then, cloth curtains separated the rooms.

Water and Other Plumbing Issues
There is no heat, but we have electricity all the time, and water from about 6 a.m. until about 9 or 9:30 p.m. That means there is no flushing or washing for a good chunk of time every day. I don’t want to be rude to my family, or at all ungrateful, because they are absolutely fabulous, and treat me like the Abu they have named me, but I can tell you the bathroom presents my biggest challenges. I won’t go into detail here.

Breakfast and Departure
A little after 8, after a breakfast of tea and pan (bread), and usually some other small dish, it is time to head out for work. I walk about 8 blocks to Huancavelica Street, where I wait for a combi to Palian, the area where I work. The wait can be anywhere from a couple of minutes to about 20 minutes, with many, many combis going by, but eventually a combi to Palian comes by. I am really lucky if there is an available seat, but usually I have to find a place in the aisle to stand and hang on.

The Ride to Work
The combi winds its way to and through el centro, which includes a slow passage through the congested market district near the Avenida Ferrocarril. There are tiendas/stands for everything—bicycles, coffins, plastic items, fish, bread, shirts, toilet paper, socks, eggs, meat of all sorts, chickens (every morning I see hundreds and hundreds of plucked whole chickens, each hanging by a leg from a string or rope in the open air). Somehow, in the U.S., we can forget that the animals we eat actually ever had heads, but here that kind of forgetfulness is just not possible.

Aldea Rosario
After inching our way through the streets of the markets, we work our way toward Palian. On Tuesdays and Thursdays, I get off at the Aldea Rosario, a large (public?) orphanage for girls and boys from about 4 years old to 18, or so. It’s actually a farming compound, where they grow corn and artichokes and raise guinea pigs. There are multiple, one-story buildings, including administrative buildings and places where the children sleep. They have a concrete play area, where the children play futbol (soccer) and volleyball. I do crafts/manual arts there, and kids come and participate if they choose. Sometimes, there are just a few, and other times many. I have heard that there are about 70 children there altogether, but I’ve never seen even half that many. The kids are usually sweet, but pretty rough—on each other, and on whatever materials I bring with me. Although I have had a few good days there, I’ve had some really frustrating ones, too. I haven’t figured out my “mission” there, yet, but I’m trying.

I Left my Heart in Aldea Francisco Mayer
Monday, Wednesday and Friday mornings, I ride the combi a little farther, a get off at the Parque Palian. From there, I have about a 10 or 15-minute walk (depending on the amount of recent rain, and therefore depth of mud) to the Aldea Francisco Mayer. One morning this past week, I was stopped at the Parque by a very drunken man who insisted on playing “El Condor Pasa” (badly) for me on his guitar. When he was finished, he asked for a “propina”—I don’t think so.

Francisco Mayer is in the middle of farmland. My understanding is that this orphanage was started by Swiss (?) Methodists. Twenty-one girls from 10 to 18 live here. There are two women (called “tias” or aunts) who look after the girls. There is a director, but he’s not there all the time. And there are two older men who operate a wood-working shop on the premises. I love going to Francisco Mayer.

Morning Activities
The girls there are incredibly loving, to each other and to the volunteers. Now I am working there with only one other volunteer, an occupational therapist from Canada, Erin, who is volunteering with Tinkuy Peru (I wrote a bit about them in an earlier post). Working there is really satisfying, because the girls are so great. Friday morning we made scrunchies (thanks, Ann, Bill and Chris, for your financial support of scrunchy-making materials), and then Erin led a couple of games that had the girls laughing hysterically. Wednesday, we made “clocks” for practicing time in English, and then, instead of our usual English class, I was called upon to cut a few more girls’ hair.

Jessica
One of the girls, Jessica, had to have her hair cut because of the infestation. Her father brought her to the Aldea only recently (since I’ve been here), because her stepmother beats her. She was really resistant to having her hair cut, at first, but after seeing a couple of the other girls have their hair cut, she agreed. She sat there perfectly still while I cut her hair from long to short. The good news is that it turned out really nice, and she liked it a lot. The bad news is that, a little while after I had finished, when I lifted my hand to touch her hair in admiration, she flinched automatically from having been hit so much. Then she smiled and kissed me.

Our English classes are going well, but we’ve run out of time the last two days. We’re going to get back on track Monday, though. The girls who are participating (there are more and more each day) are working really hard and learning a lot.

Lunch
When I finish up around noon or 12:30, I catch a combi back toward el centro, where I often do a quick bit of shopping for the next day’s supplies and then catch another combi home for lunch. Lunch is always a big meal, usually with soup and then a plate of something, almost always including rice, boiled potato and some kind of meat. I think my favorite dish is “papas huanicainas,” which gisela (the 23 year old in the family) calls “Huancayo potato salad.” It is boiled potatoes with a delicious light green sauce and lettuce. Twice this week, I had lunch at Tinkuy Peru, another local volunteer organization (where Erin, Alison and Terry work, among others).

Teaching English
From 3 to 4, I now teach English to a class of 8 7-to-9 year olds at Tino’s school (Tinkuy). Thursday went well, but Friday I had trouble believing that I’ve ever been a teacher! I’ve got to think this through a little better, and figure out what’s needed. What was a bit ironic is that Friday at lunch we had a teaching discussion that I “facilitated” for the Tinkuy volunteers. The “seminar” went really well, but, then I guess that could be expected, since I’ve done a whole lot more of teaching teachers in the past few years than I have teaching children! I’m grateful for the opportunity to teach the children, but it is going to take some careful planning.

Wow! I didn’t intend for this to be so long, but time flies when you’re having fun. More later. Thanks for reading.

an odd week and weekend

early this week i came down with an intestinal infection. yuck. i was a big baby, but my host family took fabulous care of me. there is some theory about "frio" and illness that i don´t understand, but i wasn´t allowed to drink cold liquids or eat cold food. after a lot of tea, antibiotics and loperamide, and a couple of days of rest, i was back among the living.

this weekend, my family took me to a pueblo and marci´s ancestral home. it was a great experience. we hiked up the fields (an unusual concept for most folks familiar with american farming) and along roads in the process of being cleared. we ate a great meal of soup, trout, potatoes and rice. i had a hilarious opportunity to fall down while helping chase a pig that had gotten loose.

today was a bit weird. i spent 12 hours finishing a rough draft for a book chapter. it was weird because i was living in spanish in the house, and thinking and writing in english in my room. my family was incredibly supportive, calling me for meals, and then sending me back to my room and "computadora" when the meal was over. i wasn´t even allowed to wash dishes!

now, though, i´m heading back home after sending off my draft to my fellow section members, with two cervezas to celebrate with the fam while i prepare for working with mis chicas tomorrow!