This is my last weekend in Peru so I´m trying to cram in as much as possible... unfortunatly most of it will be studying and preparing my lessons for next week. Yesterday was a good day- I worked a lot but also got out to take a break. Walked up to the plaza and sat on a bench and enjoyed the beauty of Cuzco. If there is one thing I´ll miss about Cuzco it is the Plaza de Armas- I could go there and sit and watch people and think all day long, every day. It is a beautiful place.
I had lunch with some friends as well and after enjoying the day and getting some work done I went home and had dinner and got ready to go out. I really haven´t gone out much here... but I´d be itching to dance for awhile. All of the TEFL students (they call us teflers) met up at a little pub and hung out and then we went to dance. The first place we started at was kinda boring in my opinion- just a bunch of reggetone... so I headed out with a few people to venture out for SALSA. Salsa we found! It was brilliant. So brilliant that we shut the place down. Ha ha.. I do that pretty commonly in Denver, but ¨shuting down¨La Rumba means 1:30/2:00 at the very latest. Here... ha ha- we left at 5:30 am. I walked home as the sun was rising... it was quite peaceful. I said I was deprived of dancing.... well I got my fix. It keeps me young :). There is nothing I love more then dancing & my feet can tell you that I danced it up!
This morning I had to set the alarm because I have studying and work to do- so I´m working off 3 hours of sleep right now but actually feel great. Sometimes dancing is better energy then sleeping.
Today I´ve spent the whole morning in the computer lab working on my lessons and assignments. Hopefully I´ll get a lot done and get out of here to enjoy some of the sunshine. It is BEAUTIFUL here today. Off I go to work....
Saturday, February 7, 2009
Thursday, February 5, 2009
Little breaks...
On a quick break at school...
Wednesday night after I wrote a blog in the peak of my frustrations I went out to dinner with a bunch of people from school. We found a little restaurant that had Thai food.... that was a huge treat. Some of the teachers from the school came, which I was kinda bummed at first but it ended up being a good thing for me hanging out with them outside of the institute. I struggle with the school I'm getting my TEFL from- (although there are some really good aspects)... but it was good to see the professors in a setting outside of the school. We had a great time- a group from the school mixed with a group outside the school, mostly peruvians & we had some interesting conversation over Thai food. It was what I needed in the moment... to stop everything and not think about anything.
There was a couple that won me over pretty quickly there- she is an American and he is Peruvian & they were the a wonderful couple... I got along great with them and she twisted my arm to go to a salsa club to dance for a little while. I haven't danced much since I've been here so I took her up on the offer. Good decision. Until I had to wake up the next morning that is. Ohwell, sometimes you have to seize the moment & take a break from the ¨musts¨and enjoy the ¨wants¨. It was good to dance for a bit. I don´t particularly like the dancing in Cuzco (the style of Salsa) as it is very rehearsed. The reason I feel in love with Salsa is for the spontanous freedom that it brings me. But I did manage to find a dancing partner from Lima & for a few hours I forgot about all my worries. Those Lima boys sure know how to dance (Ï´m talking to you ¨camisa negra¨). Nah- it was good though to relax.
Waking up to my cold shower at 5:30 am was a pretty big slap in the face-but I managed and the rest of the day was LONG- but I survived. I actually did much better on my reviews of my class (although I personally felt the class went worse)- but this school is SO focused on methodology. This class has been more like taking foreign language classes then my Spanish classes were.. EVERYTHING they talk about is ¨termonology¨. The CCQ of the EPA.... . What is Method two of the E? To me the model that they use is very dry and boring.. but when I do it that way I get great reviews. So- I figure I just need to do my work here, take what I can from it and get back on the plane to head North. I´m so excited to teach in the States. I love the teaching aspect! This past week I was in class from early in the morning until early evening and then in the evenings we teach and are observed by about 15 people. Talk about pressure. The first time teaching EVER & I have my students to build report with and an audience observing my technique. I´ll be glad when I´m done with the observations. I have one more on Monday.
Monday will start my practical teaching. I have a class here at the institute. I got an intermediate 2 class... they are pretty decent at conversational English. That is good and bad. Good that they understand a bit of English but bad in that the grammar that I´ll be teaching will be complicated. Monday I have to teach them the future perfect tense. That gets confusing because there has to be two events that happen at two different times, but simultaniously. Hmmm.. should be interesting. I have to get my lesson plans for the week done this weekend and then next week I´ll be in class all day again and teaching in the evenings. I went to observe the class that I´ll be taking over and there are about 11 students when the class is full. The teacher that is teaching it now is ironically from Littleton, CO. That was kinda cool to run across her. She signed a 6 month contract but is ready to be done teaching I think- so she was happy to have the week off next week.
Everything else (if there IS anything else) is going well. I get home late at night and last night saw my host mom & brothers for the first time in awhile... they were like ¨what a miracle!¨ I have no life right now. BUT I´m hoping to get all my lesson plans done today so I can enjoy the WEEKEND!!!! My last weekend I´ll have for awhile I´m sure. I´ll be teaching until Friday night next week and then Saturday morning at 8:00 am I´m off to Lima. I´ll get to spend the day with Willy´s family one more time and then (PRAY PRAY PRAY) that I get out on my flight Saturday night/Sunday morning at 1:00 am. I´m flying stand-by so I need everyone to send their prayers that I make it out. IF I make it that far I´ll be in Atlanta on Sunday late morning and try and catch another flight to Denver. IF all that goes well... I´ll be home next Sunday!!!... and back to work & the real world on Monday. Exhausting to think about BUT I´m just taking it one day at a time for now.
This weekend I´m not sure what I´ll get into- but something always comes up. I´m going to try and take a little day trip to a market that is about an hour and a half away on Sunday. One last day in the country.
I always think about things I want to write about as my day goes on to share the experience that I´m having and often forget by the time I sit down to write. This morning I was reminded of one thing though.... Living in Cuzco I don´t trust anyone. If someone is trying to help me- there is a pretty good chance they are trying to get something out of me. That didn´t amaze me at all as I´d experienced it many times in Costa Rica. The part that DID amaze me is what you have to be the MOST careful of. The kids. I guess I always had an image in my head of the innoncence of children... that they can´t be corrupted. Wrong. The number one thing that I have to be on guard of here is the kids. They come up in groups and one will try and distract you will the others work to steal.... I encountered this this morning when I was walking to the school and a little boy who is a shoe shiner started walking with me. I knew he wasn´t interested in selling me a shoe shine becuse I was wearing flip-flops. Red flag. I watched as they tried to do their magic but told them strongly- no and went the other direction. They knew I knew & gave up quickly. Pretty amazing that the kids are so well trained. Sad.
Enough for now. Just trying to capture the experience as a whole. Last weekend! Time has flown by. I´m excited to have a life for two days.....
Wednesday night after I wrote a blog in the peak of my frustrations I went out to dinner with a bunch of people from school. We found a little restaurant that had Thai food.... that was a huge treat. Some of the teachers from the school came, which I was kinda bummed at first but it ended up being a good thing for me hanging out with them outside of the institute. I struggle with the school I'm getting my TEFL from- (although there are some really good aspects)... but it was good to see the professors in a setting outside of the school. We had a great time- a group from the school mixed with a group outside the school, mostly peruvians & we had some interesting conversation over Thai food. It was what I needed in the moment... to stop everything and not think about anything.
There was a couple that won me over pretty quickly there- she is an American and he is Peruvian & they were the a wonderful couple... I got along great with them and she twisted my arm to go to a salsa club to dance for a little while. I haven't danced much since I've been here so I took her up on the offer. Good decision. Until I had to wake up the next morning that is. Ohwell, sometimes you have to seize the moment & take a break from the ¨musts¨and enjoy the ¨wants¨. It was good to dance for a bit. I don´t particularly like the dancing in Cuzco (the style of Salsa) as it is very rehearsed. The reason I feel in love with Salsa is for the spontanous freedom that it brings me. But I did manage to find a dancing partner from Lima & for a few hours I forgot about all my worries. Those Lima boys sure know how to dance (Ï´m talking to you ¨camisa negra¨). Nah- it was good though to relax.
Waking up to my cold shower at 5:30 am was a pretty big slap in the face-but I managed and the rest of the day was LONG- but I survived. I actually did much better on my reviews of my class (although I personally felt the class went worse)- but this school is SO focused on methodology. This class has been more like taking foreign language classes then my Spanish classes were.. EVERYTHING they talk about is ¨termonology¨. The CCQ of the EPA.... . What is Method two of the E? To me the model that they use is very dry and boring.. but when I do it that way I get great reviews. So- I figure I just need to do my work here, take what I can from it and get back on the plane to head North. I´m so excited to teach in the States. I love the teaching aspect! This past week I was in class from early in the morning until early evening and then in the evenings we teach and are observed by about 15 people. Talk about pressure. The first time teaching EVER & I have my students to build report with and an audience observing my technique. I´ll be glad when I´m done with the observations. I have one more on Monday.
Monday will start my practical teaching. I have a class here at the institute. I got an intermediate 2 class... they are pretty decent at conversational English. That is good and bad. Good that they understand a bit of English but bad in that the grammar that I´ll be teaching will be complicated. Monday I have to teach them the future perfect tense. That gets confusing because there has to be two events that happen at two different times, but simultaniously. Hmmm.. should be interesting. I have to get my lesson plans for the week done this weekend and then next week I´ll be in class all day again and teaching in the evenings. I went to observe the class that I´ll be taking over and there are about 11 students when the class is full. The teacher that is teaching it now is ironically from Littleton, CO. That was kinda cool to run across her. She signed a 6 month contract but is ready to be done teaching I think- so she was happy to have the week off next week.
Everything else (if there IS anything else) is going well. I get home late at night and last night saw my host mom & brothers for the first time in awhile... they were like ¨what a miracle!¨ I have no life right now. BUT I´m hoping to get all my lesson plans done today so I can enjoy the WEEKEND!!!! My last weekend I´ll have for awhile I´m sure. I´ll be teaching until Friday night next week and then Saturday morning at 8:00 am I´m off to Lima. I´ll get to spend the day with Willy´s family one more time and then (PRAY PRAY PRAY) that I get out on my flight Saturday night/Sunday morning at 1:00 am. I´m flying stand-by so I need everyone to send their prayers that I make it out. IF I make it that far I´ll be in Atlanta on Sunday late morning and try and catch another flight to Denver. IF all that goes well... I´ll be home next Sunday!!!... and back to work & the real world on Monday. Exhausting to think about BUT I´m just taking it one day at a time for now.
This weekend I´m not sure what I´ll get into- but something always comes up. I´m going to try and take a little day trip to a market that is about an hour and a half away on Sunday. One last day in the country.
I always think about things I want to write about as my day goes on to share the experience that I´m having and often forget by the time I sit down to write. This morning I was reminded of one thing though.... Living in Cuzco I don´t trust anyone. If someone is trying to help me- there is a pretty good chance they are trying to get something out of me. That didn´t amaze me at all as I´d experienced it many times in Costa Rica. The part that DID amaze me is what you have to be the MOST careful of. The kids. I guess I always had an image in my head of the innoncence of children... that they can´t be corrupted. Wrong. The number one thing that I have to be on guard of here is the kids. They come up in groups and one will try and distract you will the others work to steal.... I encountered this this morning when I was walking to the school and a little boy who is a shoe shiner started walking with me. I knew he wasn´t interested in selling me a shoe shine becuse I was wearing flip-flops. Red flag. I watched as they tried to do their magic but told them strongly- no and went the other direction. They knew I knew & gave up quickly. Pretty amazing that the kids are so well trained. Sad.
Enough for now. Just trying to capture the experience as a whole. Last weekend! Time has flown by. I´m excited to have a life for two days.....
Wednesday, February 4, 2009
Mid-week hump
Almost every moment that I've written anything on this blog it has been with a joyful heart and much excitement. I haven't written in a few days because I've been struggling this week a bit- and figured I shouldn't write about it... but the more I think- that is exactly what this journey is about for me the good moments and the bad. This week has been 90% good with a few rough times in-between but it just so happens that in this very moment that I'm writing that I'm having a hard day.
First things first... I'd like to appologize to any and all of my teachers that I was ever a pain to (that covers ALL of them I believe) because this teaching business is no joke. I am EXHAUSTED. My students have been lovely... wonderful- they are my favorite part. The institute that I'm learning through has been a bit of a struggle. I'm really battling with what I believe versus their methodology... but I have to learn and take what I can from the program and be on my way in another week and a half (I can't believe it is going so quick). I know one thing I'M HAPPY THAT I'M NOT STAYING HERE LONGTERM. That is for all of you to hear back home.... Mom, Dad, Grandma... Grandma & Grandpa, Judy & Paul, Debby & Kerry..... all of you I AM coming home :). This has been one of the best experiences of my life and I am more then excited about teaching when I get home- but I could not stay and teach in Cuzco for many reasons.
The place is beautiful. Wonderful city to see- for a weekend & then move on... but this place does not have my name on it as home. I wish I had the opportunity to see more of Peru- but financially and time-wise I'm grounded here. Peru is a BEAUTIFUL country. I'll feel some relief to step off the plane in Lima again too!
So here is to the past three days being three of the hardest days that I can remember in a LONG time. I wake up at 6:00 am and get my cold shower (it is such a struggle for me getting in the shower every morning), get to school at 7:00 am before anything is going on and by the time I get out of school at 7:00 pm I have about 5 hours of homework and lesson planning to do. I go home and eat and go to my room and study. Three nights in a row I've slept with my computer and books in bed with me and wake up at some point mid-night to work a little more & try and get more sleep before the alarm goes off again. I will be more then relieved when this is all over. The part that I struggle with the most is not all the work- I miss being in college and studying like crazy- I actually love that part. The part that is really really hard for me is being enclosed in a building from when the sun is rising and leaving after the sun is set. I have a lunch break but I have to do homework during the break so that kills that. I NEED MY OUTDOOR TIME- where I breathe in some air and see the daylight. This weekend I'm hoping to be outside a bit.
My head is throbbing from over-kill on information and stress. I just need to take a deep breath. This is me being honest :). BUT I'm SO thankful for all of this and the opportunity to get this license- it will be me accomplishing one of my personal dreams... I am excited to teach, teach, teach!
Please know that even though I vented a bit I consider myself one blessed girl. See the pictures below and they will speak every word of why I'm here and how great my experience has been.
Blessings,
Lindy
First things first... I'd like to appologize to any and all of my teachers that I was ever a pain to (that covers ALL of them I believe) because this teaching business is no joke. I am EXHAUSTED. My students have been lovely... wonderful- they are my favorite part. The institute that I'm learning through has been a bit of a struggle. I'm really battling with what I believe versus their methodology... but I have to learn and take what I can from the program and be on my way in another week and a half (I can't believe it is going so quick). I know one thing I'M HAPPY THAT I'M NOT STAYING HERE LONGTERM. That is for all of you to hear back home.... Mom, Dad, Grandma... Grandma & Grandpa, Judy & Paul, Debby & Kerry..... all of you I AM coming home :). This has been one of the best experiences of my life and I am more then excited about teaching when I get home- but I could not stay and teach in Cuzco for many reasons.
The place is beautiful. Wonderful city to see- for a weekend & then move on... but this place does not have my name on it as home. I wish I had the opportunity to see more of Peru- but financially and time-wise I'm grounded here. Peru is a BEAUTIFUL country. I'll feel some relief to step off the plane in Lima again too!
So here is to the past three days being three of the hardest days that I can remember in a LONG time. I wake up at 6:00 am and get my cold shower (it is such a struggle for me getting in the shower every morning), get to school at 7:00 am before anything is going on and by the time I get out of school at 7:00 pm I have about 5 hours of homework and lesson planning to do. I go home and eat and go to my room and study. Three nights in a row I've slept with my computer and books in bed with me and wake up at some point mid-night to work a little more & try and get more sleep before the alarm goes off again. I will be more then relieved when this is all over. The part that I struggle with the most is not all the work- I miss being in college and studying like crazy- I actually love that part. The part that is really really hard for me is being enclosed in a building from when the sun is rising and leaving after the sun is set. I have a lunch break but I have to do homework during the break so that kills that. I NEED MY OUTDOOR TIME- where I breathe in some air and see the daylight. This weekend I'm hoping to be outside a bit.
My head is throbbing from over-kill on information and stress. I just need to take a deep breath. This is me being honest :). BUT I'm SO thankful for all of this and the opportunity to get this license- it will be me accomplishing one of my personal dreams... I am excited to teach, teach, teach!
Please know that even though I vented a bit I consider myself one blessed girl. See the pictures below and they will speak every word of why I'm here and how great my experience has been.
Blessings,
Lindy
Tuesday, February 3, 2009
Sunday... a lovely day
I woke up early on Sunday energized and refreshed after a good nights sleep. Ate breakfast with my host mom and was off to have a day of exploring. I wandered around with my friend Merell- a girl from Amsterdam. All my friends here are quite international- there are VERY few people from the States... kind of refreshing really. We walked around Cuzco all day- exploring new corners of the city... finding new plazas to sit and people watch in. We went to the main plaza- the plaza de armas and watched a big ceremony of the army- they marched around the plaza chanting and singing.. it was quite the ceremony (not really sure what for) but entertaining. We walked and walked until we couldn't walk anymore and decided to have a girls day and do manicures.... peruvian style. One lady did our nails in a bucket in a loft of a store....but it was fun we could just be girls for the day and it was dirt cheap.
Next I decided to conquer my Sunday mission.... to find GOOD ice cream. Cookies and cream preferably- we went to the avenida del sol- I had remembered seeing an ice cream place that was labeled "the best in the world".... just what I was looking for. Ish... quite the disappointment. Ice Cream is not Peru's strong point. Oh well... we got our little ice cream & took it to the park and enjoyed it. The sceanary was great, ice cream...boooooo!
After our ice cream we headed back home so I could call all my family since they were all together for the Superbowl- YEAHHHHH!!!!!!!! It was sooooo good and refreshing- uplifting to hear my family. I love Peru & all my experiences but I miss my family SO much. Even the ones in Oregon seem so far away from here. I am learning lots but will be super excited to getting back home- I'm one blessed girl where I'm from & the people in my life. I have lots to go back to!
After getting my fill of my family I drug my friend from Amsterdam to watch the Superbowl with me at a little bar. There were two latinos watching and for some reason I KNEW they were from Mexico... I asked them and sure enough... I joked with them that Mexicans would be the only Latinos interested in the Superbowl. They will probably be the only two Mexicans I come across in Peru. There was another guy from NY and two from LA and we all bonded over the 4 hour superbowl. Good game. Good company. GREAT food. That was the first time I'd eaten in a "real restaurant" and I had a chicken sandwich that was to die for. The only problem was that we watched on ESPN so EVERY 30 seconds there was a commercial break we had to watch the ESPN commercials- about 5 commercials that were repeated the ENTIRE game... not the fun traditional ones. Bummer.
Great night though- fun to watch from here.
Next I decided to conquer my Sunday mission.... to find GOOD ice cream. Cookies and cream preferably- we went to the avenida del sol- I had remembered seeing an ice cream place that was labeled "the best in the world".... just what I was looking for. Ish... quite the disappointment. Ice Cream is not Peru's strong point. Oh well... we got our little ice cream & took it to the park and enjoyed it. The sceanary was great, ice cream...boooooo!
After our ice cream we headed back home so I could call all my family since they were all together for the Superbowl- YEAHHHHH!!!!!!!! It was sooooo good and refreshing- uplifting to hear my family. I love Peru & all my experiences but I miss my family SO much. Even the ones in Oregon seem so far away from here. I am learning lots but will be super excited to getting back home- I'm one blessed girl where I'm from & the people in my life. I have lots to go back to!
After getting my fill of my family I drug my friend from Amsterdam to watch the Superbowl with me at a little bar. There were two latinos watching and for some reason I KNEW they were from Mexico... I asked them and sure enough... I joked with them that Mexicans would be the only Latinos interested in the Superbowl. They will probably be the only two Mexicans I come across in Peru. There was another guy from NY and two from LA and we all bonded over the 4 hour superbowl. Good game. Good company. GREAT food. That was the first time I'd eaten in a "real restaurant" and I had a chicken sandwich that was to die for. The only problem was that we watched on ESPN so EVERY 30 seconds there was a commercial break we had to watch the ESPN commercials- about 5 commercials that were repeated the ENTIRE game... not the fun traditional ones. Bummer.
Great night though- fun to watch from here.
Monday, February 2, 2009
The biggest adventure of my life.....
Saturday was a good day. Real good day. In fact it was a day that will stick out in my mind for the rest of my life. It started really early... Alfonso and his wife and their daughter picked me up at the crack of dawn and we started off to go pick up the 200 loafs of bread before we hit the road. We started the journey by driving up to the mountains and about an hour and a half to another town where we´d pick up a friend of Alfonso and his wife to show us the route and translate for us. Where we were going there would be no paved roads or Spanish spoken.. the people that we visited in the villages spoke quechua. Our additional passangers were the woman and her two kids, one fourteen years old and the other just two. With a full tour bus we set out on our journey... I was wide-eyed trying to soak in all the sceanery and the views. We went on for a long time away from any civilization. About 2 1´/2 hours into the journey we got stuck. That would be the first of MANY times we got stuck.... after that we were stuck more then not. The solution.... to get unstuck of course- again and again and again. How? Lift the van and put rocks under the tires and then build a road with any rocks you can find. After you´ve gone a few feet collect the rocks behind the vehicle and build more road. Slow process to go a few feet my friends. Once again I´ve learned patience. We did that many times- at one point coming across a fast paced stream that was about 2 1/2 feet deep where we all had to get out and cross so the vehicle could cross without any weight.... that was a memorable moment. We went as far as we could go until we were REALLY stuck. This time for about 5 1/2 hours. We walked up to a village that was nearby and these people were in SHOCK to see me. Their reactions were kinda painful... most of the kids were afraid of me as if I were an alien... they had NEVER seen a white person before. I´ll do the best I can to describe the village we were approaching......
This is a place I never could have imagined. Walking up the hillside there is nothing but beautiful sceanery surrounding me for miles and miles. This is the land of llamas and alpacas wondering free. Most of the open field had horse wondering free mingling with some pigs and sheep. The animals outnumbered the people by the hundreds. As we got close to the village there were a few horses with their front holves tied together so they would stay close by....donkeys, pigs and alpacas that were the village animals. There were some huts- or houses where the people lived. They were made out of rocks stacked on top of eachother formed together with dried mud- the ceilings were made of dried grass straw. The doors were no higher then 3 feet... and the few people we came accross in the house were not much taller than that. I felt tall for the first time in my life as I ducked to enter the house. The house was a one room I could hold my hands out and nearly touch each wall.... if I took one step left Iwas in the kitchen one step forward in the dining room and one step to the right the bedroom (no walls) where the entire family slept in one ¨bed¨. As I took those few steps I had to be careful not to step on the dinner.... live guinea pigs that ran around on the floor to be breed for food. That was a sight!
The land that they had cultivated was the ONLY land they had ever known other then a trek to the next village- that looked just the same. It was almost painfully quiet... no TV, no radio, no interruptions. In that moment I tried to picture the lifestyle....nearly impossible. These people had NEVER seen anything of any outside world.... what they lived was everything they knew... it was generation after generation of routine. I can´t imagine even a day in that life...not because it is bad or wrong...but because I come from an opposite world...where quiet and stillness are often signs of laziness and weakness. Made me think.
The woman (girls 10 and older) were there to breed and weave. All the women were weaving all day long- that was their task in life. The girls start to have kids at about 13 years- or close after (basically as soon as they can) and they have around 6 kids each. The first village we were at had about 20 people total..... we joked around that you would ¨marry¨or be with whoever was born your same age. WOW! Talk about a concept for THIS GIRL to swallow. If you were lucky you would have 2 MAYBE 3 guys to choose from to have your kids with and spend all your life with. I´m pretty sure I´d be in trouble :) :) :) (I can just hear you all laughing and thinking... that is so true- shut up)! WOW. That was and still is an incredible concept for me to grasp. You would know that person since birth.... and hopefully like them. Okay...I have to move on because I can´t and probably will never comprehend that concept.
Back to the point. We greeted all of them and told them to hike down to our van that we wanted to give them some gifts. We made the journey back down to the van and worked on getting the van unstuck again.... a little bit forward, a little bit back. At one point Alfonso needed to be in the back of the van but have someone driving it while he was doing whatever he was doing. By this time people had come from several villages and there were about 40 people gathered....who would drive? Believe it or not I was the ONLY other person that had EVER driven a car- so hop in and 4-wheel it Lindy.....with a live audience. Another moment....¨where am I and what am I doing¨??? UNO DOS TRES.... my job was to floor it (I´m not sure this was the best idea but Alfonso insisted on it) and steer up the terrain. We would go a little bit forward and a little bit back. I was laughing in my head pretty hard as I imagined what they were thinking of this alien white girl driving like a maniac. Oh.... and this is my REAL LIFE.
After being stuck for about 4 1/2 hours we had enough people that had gathered from near and far to give away the supplies. That was a cool moment. The kids all lined up behind the back of the van and we gave the bags away- each kid walked away with a bag of supplies and everyone got some bread. It was cool to see the excitement of the kids and how greatful they were to recieve the supplies. Alfonso encouraged them to study and work on education- which seemed like the right thing to say... but for the first time in my life the thought passed through my head..."Is education necessary?" I mean IF they were to become educated it would be so they could leave the life that they were living, and had lived.... to advance. Did they want to advance? I can't answer those questions, but who am I to say that they way they are living is wrong? Lots of questions that crossed my mind throughout the day for sure.... none of them do I have any immediate answers. It's good to question your views- so I'm thankful for that and the smiles that these little kids had on their faces (until I got back in their view and they turned away- darn gringa :)).
There was one great part about being the blonde hair- blue eyed girl in this village. The highlight of my day was when this little boy probably around 8 years old approached the line and had all of his body covered in clothes and pulled his hat all the way over his face. I tried to figure out why.. then realized that he was albino... and all the other kids made fun of him. I walked over to him and they tried to get him to peek out of his little hat to look and see that I'm white with "white" hair and light eyes too..... That he wasn't a freak- just different from the people around him. A moment that is in my heart for the rest of my lifetime was when he peeked out under his cap and looked at me and got the slightest grin. They told the other kids to stop making fun of him because there were a lot of people just like him..... just not where they live & that he is in fact "special". Another moment that made it all worth while.
The rest of the day was full of adventure as well..... we got unstuck and said good-bye.. and headed to yet another village that was sort of on the way back. This time there had been word we might be coming and as we drove down a dirt road there were kids chasing the van. We got to a middle ground and once again gave out the supplies... kids lined up behind the van anxious to get some treats. The thing that amazed me about all these dirty little kids was how bright their clothing was. Very typical traditional clothes worn by all of them- and you can't help but LOVE the big brown eyes peering up at you. That made the trip all worth it! The work that Greg & Kirsten are doing with "Sense the World" is admirable work and I got to witness it personally that they are doing some great things throughout the world. I am honored to be able to have worked through their organization.
Returning back to "civilization" we stopped at the clinic just before you leave and gave the clinic the reading glasses, medications, first aid kits etc. as they would be able to distribute them better then we would have been able to. The main concern was that the supplies that we gave would be used for a cause and not to be sold- so the clinic was the best place for those supplies. By that time it was about 4:30 pm and we hadn't eaten so I treated them to lunch- we all went to get chicken and papas (french fries) a favorite of peruvians. We got fed- they have a saying here that is "fully belly- happy heart" true true. Then the drive back to Cuzco.... it was a long drive but it was good.... we got back home and I was exhausted. My host mom had dinner waiting for me but I couldn't eat anymore- I just headed to my room and crashed by 9:30 pm. I was one tired girl after a brilliant day.
This is a place I never could have imagined. Walking up the hillside there is nothing but beautiful sceanery surrounding me for miles and miles. This is the land of llamas and alpacas wondering free. Most of the open field had horse wondering free mingling with some pigs and sheep. The animals outnumbered the people by the hundreds. As we got close to the village there were a few horses with their front holves tied together so they would stay close by....donkeys, pigs and alpacas that were the village animals. There were some huts- or houses where the people lived. They were made out of rocks stacked on top of eachother formed together with dried mud- the ceilings were made of dried grass straw. The doors were no higher then 3 feet... and the few people we came accross in the house were not much taller than that. I felt tall for the first time in my life as I ducked to enter the house. The house was a one room I could hold my hands out and nearly touch each wall.... if I took one step left Iwas in the kitchen one step forward in the dining room and one step to the right the bedroom (no walls) where the entire family slept in one ¨bed¨. As I took those few steps I had to be careful not to step on the dinner.... live guinea pigs that ran around on the floor to be breed for food. That was a sight!
The land that they had cultivated was the ONLY land they had ever known other then a trek to the next village- that looked just the same. It was almost painfully quiet... no TV, no radio, no interruptions. In that moment I tried to picture the lifestyle....nearly impossible. These people had NEVER seen anything of any outside world.... what they lived was everything they knew... it was generation after generation of routine. I can´t imagine even a day in that life...not because it is bad or wrong...but because I come from an opposite world...where quiet and stillness are often signs of laziness and weakness. Made me think.
The woman (girls 10 and older) were there to breed and weave. All the women were weaving all day long- that was their task in life. The girls start to have kids at about 13 years- or close after (basically as soon as they can) and they have around 6 kids each. The first village we were at had about 20 people total..... we joked around that you would ¨marry¨or be with whoever was born your same age. WOW! Talk about a concept for THIS GIRL to swallow. If you were lucky you would have 2 MAYBE 3 guys to choose from to have your kids with and spend all your life with. I´m pretty sure I´d be in trouble :) :) :) (I can just hear you all laughing and thinking... that is so true- shut up)! WOW. That was and still is an incredible concept for me to grasp. You would know that person since birth.... and hopefully like them. Okay...I have to move on because I can´t and probably will never comprehend that concept.
Back to the point. We greeted all of them and told them to hike down to our van that we wanted to give them some gifts. We made the journey back down to the van and worked on getting the van unstuck again.... a little bit forward, a little bit back. At one point Alfonso needed to be in the back of the van but have someone driving it while he was doing whatever he was doing. By this time people had come from several villages and there were about 40 people gathered....who would drive? Believe it or not I was the ONLY other person that had EVER driven a car- so hop in and 4-wheel it Lindy.....with a live audience. Another moment....¨where am I and what am I doing¨??? UNO DOS TRES.... my job was to floor it (I´m not sure this was the best idea but Alfonso insisted on it) and steer up the terrain. We would go a little bit forward and a little bit back. I was laughing in my head pretty hard as I imagined what they were thinking of this alien white girl driving like a maniac. Oh.... and this is my REAL LIFE.
After being stuck for about 4 1/2 hours we had enough people that had gathered from near and far to give away the supplies. That was a cool moment. The kids all lined up behind the back of the van and we gave the bags away- each kid walked away with a bag of supplies and everyone got some bread. It was cool to see the excitement of the kids and how greatful they were to recieve the supplies. Alfonso encouraged them to study and work on education- which seemed like the right thing to say... but for the first time in my life the thought passed through my head..."Is education necessary?" I mean IF they were to become educated it would be so they could leave the life that they were living, and had lived.... to advance. Did they want to advance? I can't answer those questions, but who am I to say that they way they are living is wrong? Lots of questions that crossed my mind throughout the day for sure.... none of them do I have any immediate answers. It's good to question your views- so I'm thankful for that and the smiles that these little kids had on their faces (until I got back in their view and they turned away- darn gringa :)).
There was one great part about being the blonde hair- blue eyed girl in this village. The highlight of my day was when this little boy probably around 8 years old approached the line and had all of his body covered in clothes and pulled his hat all the way over his face. I tried to figure out why.. then realized that he was albino... and all the other kids made fun of him. I walked over to him and they tried to get him to peek out of his little hat to look and see that I'm white with "white" hair and light eyes too..... That he wasn't a freak- just different from the people around him. A moment that is in my heart for the rest of my lifetime was when he peeked out under his cap and looked at me and got the slightest grin. They told the other kids to stop making fun of him because there were a lot of people just like him..... just not where they live & that he is in fact "special". Another moment that made it all worth while.
The rest of the day was full of adventure as well..... we got unstuck and said good-bye.. and headed to yet another village that was sort of on the way back. This time there had been word we might be coming and as we drove down a dirt road there were kids chasing the van. We got to a middle ground and once again gave out the supplies... kids lined up behind the van anxious to get some treats. The thing that amazed me about all these dirty little kids was how bright their clothing was. Very typical traditional clothes worn by all of them- and you can't help but LOVE the big brown eyes peering up at you. That made the trip all worth it! The work that Greg & Kirsten are doing with "Sense the World" is admirable work and I got to witness it personally that they are doing some great things throughout the world. I am honored to be able to have worked through their organization.
Returning back to "civilization" we stopped at the clinic just before you leave and gave the clinic the reading glasses, medications, first aid kits etc. as they would be able to distribute them better then we would have been able to. The main concern was that the supplies that we gave would be used for a cause and not to be sold- so the clinic was the best place for those supplies. By that time it was about 4:30 pm and we hadn't eaten so I treated them to lunch- we all went to get chicken and papas (french fries) a favorite of peruvians. We got fed- they have a saying here that is "fully belly- happy heart" true true. Then the drive back to Cuzco.... it was a long drive but it was good.... we got back home and I was exhausted. My host mom had dinner waiting for me but I couldn't eat anymore- I just headed to my room and crashed by 9:30 pm. I was one tired girl after a brilliant day.
Friday. Getting ready for our Saturday Adventure....
Wow! What a weekend. Too much to write and my 24 hour days just turned into about 20 hours of work load. Should work out.... 3 hours to sleep and an hour to eat inbetween :)!
Getting right to it... We'll start with Friday afternoon/evening. I met with Alfonso at 3:30 to start getting our supplies set up so we could take our trek to deliver our materials for "Sense the World". He told me his wife was away working so we'd need to get everything ready that evening. We went to his house and laid out all of the materials in different "stations" so we could bag up the school supplies and basic necessities such a soap, toothbrush, toothpaste, vitamins, etc. We started bagging and got about half way done when we realized we didn't have enough soap & shampoo packs so I suggested we go buy the rest... thinking it would be just a few extra soles and a quick stop at the shop up the street and we'd be back. 5:00ish- we start out to get a few more packs of soap. 5:15 we get to the supply store and they no longer have the bulk soap we bought b/c a hotel came to purchase all of the rest of the soap. No problem, we'll just spend a little bit extra to get the brand that IS avaliable... Checking out like I said is quite the process... after four different stations and them gathering our soap & shampoo we are off...almost done (so I think). We get to the car when Alfonso "remembers" that we want to take candy to the kids...he explains to me they never have candy...again, no problem... just a little extra money. 5:45 we get to the candy shop when he decides we need cookies and water for the journey since it will be a long one. Okay... pack it up, I mean what is a JOURNEY without cookies and water, afterall they are the essentials, right? 6:00...Off to home to finish working.... not quite. Alfonso gets a phone call that he owes money to a bank that needs to be paid before they close at 7:00. He explains to me that he doesn't have the money because he just got his tour bus fixed (it had been broken) therefore he hadn't had any work. So we start out on a journey to find a few of his friends he could borrow money from. We go all over and he can't get ahold of any of his friends...so I do what anyone would do in this situation and offer to lend him the money. 6:30 we start out looking for a bank so I could withdrawl a bit of money. We get to the bank and I wait in line to use the ATM... not really paying attention to anyone around me. I get up to the machine and realize the gentleman in front of me had left his bank card. I tried to run after him but couldn't catch up to him in the hussle and bussle of the busy street. Realizing we were on a tight schedule I took the card back to the bank and turned it into a security guard. Simple as that right... explain the situation and be on my way... haha... yeah right. It drew quite a crowd and they wanted to give me an award for turning it in...explaining that I was in a hurry and I just need to get money and go they had me fill out some forms, sign and be on my way. As i was getting money out of the ATM one of the gentleman kept yelling out in a thick accent "this lady is lovely JUST lovely". Embarrased I took my money and ran.....
....6:45 we are back in the car and on our way. To the bank to pay the fine and back home to finish the materials... BUT.... to get to the bank quickly requires that we take a right. That normally wouldn't be a problem but on this given day in this given moment there happens to be a traffic police in the middle of the road directing traffic straight for no apparent reason. Alfonso decided to ignore the traffic police that is blowing a whistle in the middle of the street and directing us straight and took the right. Hmmm... I thought....that seemed wrong, but who am i the foreign gringa to know what is going on around me. We continue on straight until we get to a light a block and a half away. Suddenly I hear a whistle being blow quite obnoxiously...getting closer and closer. It was then that I realized that we were getting pulled over by an officer...by foot. He caught up to us and we were stuck with the cars in front of us. Once again thinking to myself...this should be no problem since Alfonso himself told me that he is a police....found out pretty quickly that there are different kinds of police in Cuzco and they do not mix. 6:50 the police starts yelling at Alfonso and jumps in the car with us. Interesting. This is one of those moments I described when you think "where am I & what is going on?" Go with this one Lindy.... They start arguing because Alfonso is telling the police that before we get escorted to the police station that we need to go pay his bill at the bank. The police says no. Who wins? The driver of course..... so off to the bank dodging traffic to get there before the doors close. 6:59 (no exaggeration) We get to the bank and Alfonso runs in with the money... I sit quietly in the car with the police and wait, as I am told. 7:15 next stop... police station. I wait in the car as told. A few police come out to the car and ask why the gringa is sitting in it. He explains we are working on a project & shows them his police badge... and once again they disappear into the police station. Around 8:00 Alfonso emerges from the station with a ticket and we are on our way. He makes a few calls and explains to me... "I'll take care of this on Monday, my boss can over-ride it". Great, I think.....are we going home to do the materials now?
8:30-9:15 we finish packing up the rest of the bags of material and Alfonso takes me back to my place...."get some rest for tomorrow.... when we take the adventure" The adventure, I thougth to myself has already begun my friend.
So I do as I'm told and get in my bed get some sleep and set my alarm to 5:00am to start THE REAL ADVENTURE..........
Getting right to it... We'll start with Friday afternoon/evening. I met with Alfonso at 3:30 to start getting our supplies set up so we could take our trek to deliver our materials for "Sense the World". He told me his wife was away working so we'd need to get everything ready that evening. We went to his house and laid out all of the materials in different "stations" so we could bag up the school supplies and basic necessities such a soap, toothbrush, toothpaste, vitamins, etc. We started bagging and got about half way done when we realized we didn't have enough soap & shampoo packs so I suggested we go buy the rest... thinking it would be just a few extra soles and a quick stop at the shop up the street and we'd be back. 5:00ish- we start out to get a few more packs of soap. 5:15 we get to the supply store and they no longer have the bulk soap we bought b/c a hotel came to purchase all of the rest of the soap. No problem, we'll just spend a little bit extra to get the brand that IS avaliable... Checking out like I said is quite the process... after four different stations and them gathering our soap & shampoo we are off...almost done (so I think). We get to the car when Alfonso "remembers" that we want to take candy to the kids...he explains to me they never have candy...again, no problem... just a little extra money. 5:45 we get to the candy shop when he decides we need cookies and water for the journey since it will be a long one. Okay... pack it up, I mean what is a JOURNEY without cookies and water, afterall they are the essentials, right? 6:00...Off to home to finish working.... not quite. Alfonso gets a phone call that he owes money to a bank that needs to be paid before they close at 7:00. He explains to me that he doesn't have the money because he just got his tour bus fixed (it had been broken) therefore he hadn't had any work. So we start out on a journey to find a few of his friends he could borrow money from. We go all over and he can't get ahold of any of his friends...so I do what anyone would do in this situation and offer to lend him the money. 6:30 we start out looking for a bank so I could withdrawl a bit of money. We get to the bank and I wait in line to use the ATM... not really paying attention to anyone around me. I get up to the machine and realize the gentleman in front of me had left his bank card. I tried to run after him but couldn't catch up to him in the hussle and bussle of the busy street. Realizing we were on a tight schedule I took the card back to the bank and turned it into a security guard. Simple as that right... explain the situation and be on my way... haha... yeah right. It drew quite a crowd and they wanted to give me an award for turning it in...explaining that I was in a hurry and I just need to get money and go they had me fill out some forms, sign and be on my way. As i was getting money out of the ATM one of the gentleman kept yelling out in a thick accent "this lady is lovely JUST lovely". Embarrased I took my money and ran.....
....6:45 we are back in the car and on our way. To the bank to pay the fine and back home to finish the materials... BUT.... to get to the bank quickly requires that we take a right. That normally wouldn't be a problem but on this given day in this given moment there happens to be a traffic police in the middle of the road directing traffic straight for no apparent reason. Alfonso decided to ignore the traffic police that is blowing a whistle in the middle of the street and directing us straight and took the right. Hmmm... I thought....that seemed wrong, but who am i the foreign gringa to know what is going on around me. We continue on straight until we get to a light a block and a half away. Suddenly I hear a whistle being blow quite obnoxiously...getting closer and closer. It was then that I realized that we were getting pulled over by an officer...by foot. He caught up to us and we were stuck with the cars in front of us. Once again thinking to myself...this should be no problem since Alfonso himself told me that he is a police....found out pretty quickly that there are different kinds of police in Cuzco and they do not mix. 6:50 the police starts yelling at Alfonso and jumps in the car with us. Interesting. This is one of those moments I described when you think "where am I & what is going on?" Go with this one Lindy.... They start arguing because Alfonso is telling the police that before we get escorted to the police station that we need to go pay his bill at the bank. The police says no. Who wins? The driver of course..... so off to the bank dodging traffic to get there before the doors close. 6:59 (no exaggeration) We get to the bank and Alfonso runs in with the money... I sit quietly in the car with the police and wait, as I am told. 7:15 next stop... police station. I wait in the car as told. A few police come out to the car and ask why the gringa is sitting in it. He explains we are working on a project & shows them his police badge... and once again they disappear into the police station. Around 8:00 Alfonso emerges from the station with a ticket and we are on our way. He makes a few calls and explains to me... "I'll take care of this on Monday, my boss can over-ride it". Great, I think.....are we going home to do the materials now?
8:30-9:15 we finish packing up the rest of the bags of material and Alfonso takes me back to my place...."get some rest for tomorrow.... when we take the adventure" The adventure, I thougth to myself has already begun my friend.
So I do as I'm told and get in my bed get some sleep and set my alarm to 5:00am to start THE REAL ADVENTURE..........
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