Signing Off...

Since my last post, Dad and I hung out (yet again) in Arequipa and then spent a weekend in the frigid Chivay in Colca Canyon. This week can be simply summed up as "The week of Great Food and Long Hikes". The Arequipan province is known throughout Peru for its cuisine and it did not let us down. Dad and I also did several hikes through rivers and trails leading us to waterfalls, remote villages, and excellent views.

After several hours of flight delays (30 minutes in Arequipa, 4 hours in Lima, and 3 hours in Newark), we finally landed in Charlotte, NC on June 10th at about 5:00pm. I am still absolutely flustered by the stark differences between that South American country and this one. Private cars, huge interstates, chain restaurants - and the list of differences goes on and on and on.

After about nearly a week of being in the States again, I'm finally getting accustomed to life again (finding a job, registering for classes for the Fall semester, seeing family). Though, some things have still not changed: I'm still talking to myself in Spanish and driving my car way too fast.

Peru is a remarkable country. Often, as I listen to Cumbia (the Peruvian/Colombian music), I find myself reminiscing. I will take my memories of that country, the people, the music, the food, and the culture to me to UNC and wherever else life takes me. The invaluable lessons I learned and relationships I formed will never leave me.

The question I'm asked most often now is: "Will you go back to Peru?". Without hesitation nor doubt, my answer is simply: "Yes".


Thank you for sticking with me and this blog throughout my travels. For the last time, like they say in Peru: Ciao Amigo!

La Tierra de Las Inkas... (Travel Diaries 3)

Dad arrived last Friday and we rode an overnight bus to Cusco, Peru (the old capital city of the Inca civilization). This week has been full of museums (Museum of Popular Art, Museum of PreColombian Art, Museum of Contemporary Art, Museum of Regional History, Inca Museum), churches (The Santo Domingo Convent), and ancient Inca ruins (Sacsaywaman, Q'enqo, Ollantaytambo, Tambomachay, Puca Pucara, Pisac, and Moray). And, of course, we visited the new wonder of the world, Machu Picchu. Machu Picchu was definitely the highlight of the trip.

We had to leave Cusco at 3:00am in the morning to catch a taxi to the city of Ollanta. From Ollanta we hopped on a train at 5:00am that would arrive in Machu Picchu at 7am. In Aguas Calientes (the city where buses depart to Machu Picchu) we hopped on a bus that winded up a very narrow road until we reached the ruins. Upon arriving in Machu Picchu ("Old Mountain" in Quechua) we nearly ran to the gate where the hikes to the big mountain Waynapicchu ("Young Mountain") start, knowing that they only let 400 tourists hike up each day. The hike up was a strenuous 1 hour climb. However, the peak was totally worth it. From there we hiked another hour to a very remote ruin. Returning to Machu Picchu took us another 2 hours (4 hours of hiking). In the actual site, we had an amazing private tour with a guide who knew nearly every corner of Machu Picchu. Leaving Machu Picchu that day, I could not help but feel sad - it was definitely the most peaceful and remarkable place I have ever seen/visited in my life.

We leave this amazingly interesting and historic city tomorrow, headed to Arequipa (once more). I am going to leave you two slide shows:
1. The City of Cusco and Surrounding Ruins
2. The Ancient Inca City of Machu Picchu

Enjoy!

La Vida Loca... (Travel Diaries 2)

Photo slide show from Ica/Huacachina, Chincha, and - new - Lima. In Lima, I met a group of 5 Peruvian guys, about my age, and they toured me all over in Lima and then every night we went out to clubs. It was a great way to see Lima!

We're in Cusco now... Stay tuned.

Mala Suerte... (Travel Diaries - Part I)

Left Arequipa Friday night on the bus company renowned for crashes. I ate a hearty meal of chicken and jello and slowly dozed off to the motors of a diesel engine.

I awoke to a loudspeaker telling me to get off the bus very quickly because we had arrived in Ica and they had to keep going to Lima. So I got off, and remembering that I was headed to the district ´Huacachina´, I called a taxi.

I spent two days in Huacachina and it was beautiful. Huacachina is a paradise in the middle of the desert. In the middle of Huacachina sits a beautiful lake filled with paddle boats during the day. Around the lake is a boardwalk with seafood restaurants and blasting tropical music. And around the entire village, there are huge mountains of golden sand (like you might see in North Africa). So, for two days, I stayed either in a shaded hammock reading, or laying out by the pool, or talking to the hostal parrots, or stuffing my face with fish. Oh yeah, I also Sandboarded (snowboarding on a sand dune) and went on several tours of wineries. Quite different than the life I was leading in Arequipa.

Then it was off to Chincha (the supposed Afro-Peruvian part of Peru). However, when I arrived, there was NOTHING Afro-Peruvian about it. Just stinky and loud. So I decided to check in to a hostel and go to the countryside. My Peru guide book told me that in the countryside, there would be an old slave plantation where you could eat yummy meals, go on horseback tours of the house and the cotton fields, and learn to dance African style. The ride out there was beautiful- fields and fields of cotton and avocado. So I get to the Hacienda (plantation) and talk to the guy at the gate. First he laughs and then asks me how far I came - I say Arequipa. He laughs some more. Then, he tells me that for two years (since the big earthquake) the Hacienda has been closed for restoration. He says ´Bad luck, there´s not much else to do in Chincha´.

I returned to my hostel, confused. What in the world just happened? And then, I look at my guidebook, turn to the first page, and see that it was published in 2004.

I slept it off, and woke up this morning refreshed, ready to head to Lima: the monster city of Peru. Dad arrives on Friday. The next four days will be packed with my trying to get to know Lima... Stay tuned.

La Ultima Semana

I don't know how to do this. This has been one of the hardest weeks of my week.

Every day this week was another goodbye. Tuesday - 3rd and 4th graders. Wednesday - 1st and 2nd graders. Thursday - 5th and 6th graders and all the kids in San Isidro.

On Sunday, as a final outing with the older kids. I took about 7 older kids to a village a little further out from San Isidro - Quequena. It was an amazing day full of rock hopping in the beautiful river, eating ice cream, and laughing with the kids.

On Thursday, after my last day teaching English at Corazon de Jesus, I went to my last day of Tareas (Homework Project). What was perfect about that afternoon was how normal it was - so simple, so beautiful. I helped Elmer with English homework (like always). Then I helped Fernando with a drawing of the digestive system. After, I played UNO with about 4 kids until we served the big pot of soup to the kids. The whole time there were sporadic exclamations of "No se vaya!" (Don't leave), but mostly, everything was like always - which was so, very perfect.

Then it got a little more difficult. One of the older girls, Maria, presented a drawing that nearly 15 kids had contributed to. It was beautiful. Then she started crying and gave me a big hug. In that moment, nearly all the children ran up and hugged me at once with a chorus of "Por que se va?" (Why do you have to leave?) or "Se voy a extranar" (I will miss you). Two of the boys that I've been good buddies with the entire time, Kevin (12) and Wilbur (13), hugged me for a lot longer than the others. Near the end, when all the kids were leaving, Kevin and Wilbur returned with giant tears in their eyes. They told me that they would always remember me and that I've been one of the best friends in their lives. That's when the first round of tears started.

I got it together and while I was taking the big pot that held the soup and all the dirty bowls back to the house of the Sra. Martin (the San Isidro mom that helps us everyday with nearly every project), I ran in to Sra. Martin. She asked me why I had tears in my eyes and I told her it was because I was leaving. All of a sudden, she ran at me with a huge hug and started bawling. For a good five minutes, we cried and hugged each other. I thanked her for all of her work and she told me that she would continue taking care of the kids and that she wanted me to come back to San Isidro if I ever return to Peru. Her little six year old son, Miguel, also ran at me hysterically crying.

I got on a crowded bus with a sunset on the horizon and for the final time, I said goodbye to San Isidro, Mollebaya, and Socabaya. On the bus back, looking at the picture the kids gave me and looking out the window at the huge dirt hills that surround San Isidro, I could not help but cry - again. Though, this time, I wouldn't say it was a sad cry. It was a rare feeling of being completely satisfied. About four months ago, I traveled half way across the world from the hustle and bustle of the USA to the simple, yet trying life of San Isidro and Coporaque. I sacrificed sleep and, sometimes, sanity to help a people who try so hard, yet still have nothing. In every point in life, there are those people that will forever change you. San Isidro has done that for me - every child, every mother, every setback, and every success. I can not imagine not seeing the faces of those children every day.

Back on the bus, my friend leaned over to me, and whispered to me: "Better to loved and lost. Don't cry. You did a great job there."

Thank you San Isidro, thank you INTIWAWA, and thank you Peru for giving me an incredible life experience.

"Siempre para los niños, por los niños." ("Forever for the children, because of the children.")





I'm off on my independent travels for about a month (Ica, El Carmen, Lima, Cusco, and Puno). I'll keep updating you all on what I see.

Happy Mother´s Day!

Que dificil es decir Adios...

This was the week of Colca (Colca Canyon).

On Monday and Tuesday, the schools were closed due to the Swine Flu. So two volunteers and I thought it would be a great opportunity to travel to Cabanaconde and trek to the Oasis. So, early Monday (1 AM) we hopped on a bus that arrived to the quiet Colca Canyon city, Cabanaconde at 6 AM. We had a quiet breakfast of Coca Tea and Bread as we prepared ourselves to make the hike.

Though cold for the first couple of hours, the hike down was spectacular. The tranquility of the canyon was unbelieveable. Besides the tourists that were suffering from hiking the other way, there was no noise the entire time. Just the very strong sun, the scenery, and us.

The Oasis (our destination) is a small hostal in the middle of the canyon. There's several very authentic huts where we slept and a makshift pool full of river water. We spent the rest of the day here laying in the sun, reading, and eating fantastic meals prepared by the Peruvian hosts. At night, there was only candlelight. We played cards and gazed at the best display of stars I have ever seen.

The next day, after an early pancake breafast, we set out for a very steep but less difficult than expected hike up the mountain. It took about 3 hours. We then hopped on another bus to journey another 5 hours back to Arequipa.






This week was also my last week in Coporaque teaching English. On Friday, I returned to Coporaque to teach English greetings and say goodbye to the kids, the amazing teachers, the family that INTIWAWA always stays with when in Coporaque, and - ultimately - the village: my favorite place so far in Peru. I took another volunteer with me - the volunteer who has decided to continue with the English project I started. The hardest part was eating lunch with the family and remembering all of my stays there (my awkward first visit, my extended stay for the Congreso, and my several trips fighting with authorities to let me start an English project). Saying goodbye to them was extremely hard. All of the kids said: No te vayas, por favor (Please, don't go!). And the mother and father just thanked me for everything I did and asked me to always remember Coporaque.

Hopping on the bus back to Arequipa, I realized that it would not be hard to always remember Coporaque. I loved everything about that village - the pigs in the street, the dirt roads, the stone houses, the Alpaca steaks, the peacefulness, and even the instant coffee. I will forever miss Coporaque and the Colca Canyon.




How hard it is to say Goodbye.

La Gripe Porcina

This week was full of successes and rest. Friday was Labor Day in Peru, so schools were closed and I didn´t travel to Coporaque. And, the Arequipan government is shutting down schools on Monday and Tuesday to teach educators how to prevent the Swine Flu. It´s been good to have a bit of time off.

This week:
: We successfully organized the mothers of San Isidro to take over the breakfast project. My idea of community development is to empower the people to better their own community. So, in a meeting last week, I proposed that instead of us buying food and preparing food for their kids; instead, we should help the mothers give food to their children. So, we made the plan, went to the market with them, and now the mothers are making the food every morning.

: We also had two new long-term volunteers move in and start helping out. I also found the volunteers (I think) who will take over my projects when I leave.


Last week we had two major events in San Isidro. On Sunday was the 9th anniversary of San Isidro. It was full of dancing, food, and fun. On Monday, in the afternoon, we had the opening of the exposition of pieces of knitting that the mothers have been working on for a year. The following is a slideshow of both events.




On Monday and Tuesday, I'm off with a couple of friends to trek in Colca Canyon. Expect pictures on Wednesday.

Ciao!

Buscando Novia?

A lot of volunteers have left Arequipa, and as it stands right now, there are only 5 volunteers. So, obviously, we are working a lot. My hours every day, minus Saturdays, are from 9am-7pm or 8pm. My work has expanded from just teaching English and working in the homework project to taking children to the dentist office and waiting for them (3+ hours) and also to making and serving breakfast to 40 kids twice a week in San Isidro. We are all sharing the work, but we are exhausted. It's funny, because we were talking about how when we first got here, we went out to clubs nearly every weekend, and now we're like if we go out for dinner two times a month. But we're still loving the work!

Funny story: There's a girl in first grade at the school I teach English in in San Isidro. She talks and talks and talks. Anyway, one day, after everyone had left school one day... I was playing with this girl on the playground, and here is the conversation that pursued (while you're reading it, remember she is only 6 years old):

Katie: Do you have a wife?
Me: No. I'm pretty young to have a wife. I am only 18 years old.
Katie: Why does that matter? You should have a wife.
Me: Really?
Katie: Yes. I will help you find the prettiest girl in Peru and make her your wife. But you have to do some things too.
Me: Like what?
Katie: You have to always look handsome, be very sensitive, and - sometimes - make her jealous.

Four days later, and I'm still laughing about this conversation.

I have three pictures to share:

> CONGRATULATIONS TAR HEELS ON WINNING THE NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP! Hate that I wasn't there.




> Miah McClinton (on the right) is one of my really good friends in the states. She is a model and works for agencies that sell her photos to various companies all over the world. Here, in Peru, there are two cellphone providers - Movistar and Claro. Most people have prepaid cellphones, so they have to constantly buy these cards that refill their credit. Well, one day, I looked in a store window, and saw my friend Miah on the Movistar card for 10 minutes. Small world...





> The view of Arequipa from my room.

Feliz Cumpleanos!

Yesterday was the 3 year birthday of INTIWAWA. So at 4pm we had a big party in San Isidro with a huge spread of food, lots of cake, and lots of dancing. It was all of the volunteers, all of the Peruvian volunteers, all of the children, and all of the mothers of San Isidro. There was a beautiful segment of speeches where every group was represented.

The mother who spoke for all of the moms said the following to the foreign volunteers (like myself):

"Y a los extranjeros: Muchas Gracias. Ustedes vienen con el amor, la voluntad, la carisma, y la seriedad. Muchas mujeres en este pueblo dicen: "Por que tiene que ir a INTIWAWA hoy a mi nino?" Es porque para los ninos es importante el amor que traen, los besos, los abrazos, los "Te Quieros". Que vivan los extranjeros de INTIWAWA.

Translation: To the foreign volunteers: Thank you so much. You all come with love, with the will to work, with charisma, and with seriousness. Many mothers in this village ask: "Why does my child have to go to INTIWAWA today?" It's because, to the children, it's important the love you bring with you, the kisses, the hugs, the "I love you's". May the volunteers of INTIWAWA live forever!



Then, I, by default (for being the only volunteer currently who speaks Spanish), was the representative for all the 'gringos'. Here's what I said:

"Bueno, hablo por todo los extranjeros cuando diga "Muchisimias Gracias por los Bienvenidos a sus familias y a su pueblo". Hemos venido por la experiencia de viajar y todo de eso, pero nos hemos quedado por los ninos."

TRANSLATION:"I speak for all of the volunteers when I say "Thank you so, so much for welcoming us in to your families and to your village. We came for the experience of traveling, but we have stayed for the children."



Some random photos of Arequipa (some of them are really old - from the end of February and Valentine's Day), enjoy!

Shake, Shake, Shake...

Earthquake on Wednesday night around 9:30pm. News reports say it was a good 4.7 on the Richter scale. All the volunteers were sitting around a table eating when everything started to violently shake. The other American ran fast and far, screaming... at that moment, I was pretty embarrassed to say I was from the same country as her. The rest of us just went outside and kind of anxiously waited for it to end. It was maybe 30 seconds. As I look back on it: super, super cool.

I wanted to post some pictures, but internet was not working at Internet cafe so I haven´t had access to my laptop. I´ll try to work on that during the week.

Take care!

El nino dice: "Por que eres blanco?" and, oh yeah, Carolina is in the Elite Eight!

I'm starting to really get a groove here.

San Isidro (Mornings ~ Sunday-Thursday): It is very hard to teach here. Here, the children will dance on the tables when I'm not looking, scream to their friends, and throw things at each other. Some come without shoes. Nobody brings their supplies (English notebooks, pencils, homework, etc.). And, immediately when I enter the classrooms, the teachers leave and go home. The director of the school is the only one who seems to care about the children, the educational quality in the school, and the future of the children. He was telling that it is so hard in San Isidro because these kids do not have any goals - no motivation to work hard in school. There parents have never instilled a sense of working hard, appreciation of education, or a sense of self-appreciation in their children. But there are a few (out of 120), who genuinely care and want to learn English. Do I feel like all my work is in vain? I've thought about this a lot, and not really. Because, while they may not be learning as much as I want, they are learning some. And most of all, to most of the kids, I'm a big brother figure - for some, the only adult that cares about them. I enjoy the work and I love the kids.

El Proyecto de Tarea (Homework Project) (Afternoons ~ Monday & Wednesday): While this project goes on all week, I can only go every Monday and Wednesday. The number of kids is steadily growing (this week we had 65). While all of us suffer explaining anatomy, math, and history in Spanish, it is ABSOLUTELY the best part of the day. I definitely have my favorites (Wilbur, Kevin, Liseth, Elmer, etc.).

Coporaque, Colca Canyon (All Day ~ Friday): This is by far the most tasking project. The bus leaves Arequipa at 1am on Thursday morning and arrives in Chivay at 4am. From there I take a taxi to Coporaque (another 30 minutes). I try to get a couple more hours of sleep before I wake up early to go to school. During the day, I travel from first grade all the way to sixth grade (40 minutes each and continuous. These kids are perfect. Like angels (except sixth grade - they are at the age where the boys and girls push each other and flirt in violent ways). They are completely prepared and utterly interested in learning English (there's 90 of them). Leonel, the president of INTIWAWA, tells me that they are so much better behaved than in San Isidro, because the indigenous culture is very macho and many times that children are beaten. In Coporaque, I stay with a local family who cooks for me and keeps me company. It is great to share meals with them. Very soon after, I hop on another bus at 4pm to arrive in Arequipa extremely exhausted.



At nights, it feels so good to take a hot shower, sit down, and read a book (in ENGLISH!) with the windows open. I've been here for almost two months, with more than two and a half months left. The work is hard and a lot of times - as a volunteer - you aren't very respected. You get little sleep and infinite setbacks. I find myself on my own a lot causing me to miss home a lot. Sometimes I think about what I'm doing, and what possessed me to travel across the globe to help poor children. But, every time that the children hug me, or when they ask me how to say a certain word in English, or tell me never to leave because they like playing soccer with me, I ALWAYS reach the same conclusion: it has absolutely been worth it. For them, simply my presence and appreciation of them is a blessing to them.

It will be VERY hard to leave this place.

Peru is with Carolina Basketball!

Later in the week, I'll post something about how some people feel about Americans and the USA.

My first week...

These are pictures of my first week teaching in San Isidro, just outside of Arequipa. There are other pictures of me working with the kids of San Isidro with the homework project.

Work by the numbers:
> In San Isidro, I teach English to about 120 students during the week (Monday-Thursday).
> Starting this coming Friday, I will travel to Coporaque in Colca Canyon to teach 90 students in one day.
> The homework project (everyday in San Isidro from 3pm-5pm usually contains about 55 kids and 7 volunteers)

Persigan...

So we had a meeting last night after a week of crazy occurances:

> I got a call at last minute telling me that the teachers in Coporaque (Colca Canyon) didn't think taking time away from their class for me to teach English was "worth it", even though the kids don't have English. If the situation isn't resolved by next week, I'm going there myself to talk to the director.

> We are doing a Health Project with the kids in San Isido where medical students have volunteered to help us discover if the kids of San Isidro are living with parasites or not. This means that the kids have to give us a stool deposit and then it will be sent to the lab. However, none of the parents want their kids to participate because, outside of the cities, many Peruvians don't trust Western medicine. They'd rather send their kids to a Shaman. So, soon, we are going to go door-to-door to gain the trust of the parents.

> The teachers at the school in San Isidro "didn't want to come" this week, so they decided that school would start for them next week - despite every other public school starting this week.


We were all complaining in the meeting and Leonel stopped us and just said: "Persigan". Basically, keep on fightin'...


And, oh yeah (ENJOY!):

El pueblito Coporaque en el Canyon del Coca

Just got back from a 4 day long trip to Coporaque (the village in Colca Canyon) where we just held a very successful "Congreso del Ninos". At this conference, nearly 60 children of all ages came together (sometimes with parents) to talk about their rights as children (The right to a family, to not be abused, to education, to play, etc.).

I'm posting photos of the landscape of Coporaque and Colca Canyon, the Congreso, the house where I stay in Coporaque, and some more Carnaval Celebrations.

Coporaque has definitely delivered me some of my biggest adventures yet in Peru:
> A 3am hike to the river (3 kilometers) to catch fish until 7am. We were climbing up rocks, sliding down huge hills covered in mud, hopping rocks, and - of course - falling in the river.
> Another unplanned hike when at 5am our taxi broke down in the middle of a huge puddle. When it rains in Coporaque, it pours. And, in this particular section, the entire road was covered in about a foot of water for about a kilometer. The taxi broke down right in the middle. So, early in the morning, I and the driver (We were the only men in the taxi. For some reason, the women weren't up to it) pushed the taxi through the mud until it was on dry land. Then we walked the remaining 2 kilometers to the house. (I didn't take photos, but one of the women in the taxi did. She is going to give them to me so I can post them later).
> Having more meat in my teeth than ever before after eating a huge chunk of Alpaca meat.

Here are the photos:

¡Bienvenidos a Chivay!

"A volunteer is someone who loses himself in the work - who values what he is doing so much that sometimes he forgets about his own life and his own needs."

That´s what the president of INTIWAWA, Leonel, told me on the bus back from Chivay in Colca Canyon (roughly translated). We were deep in conversation about the state of the world - climate change and pollution, wars, religion, the United States, the Third World. Leonel continued by describing to me his philosophy (also roughly translated): "In this world there are good people and bad people. However, in the end, many good people can also be considered evil because their entire lives they never fought against destruction and injustice that took place right in front of them."

I spent the last weekend in the beautiful Colca Canyon region. We spent our time in a small village of no more than 300 people. The dirt roads that had been flooded by the rainy season weaved around small stone houses. Pigs, cows, alpacas, and hens would follow you down the street. Above you was a sky bluer than one you will ever see in your life (until the afternoon storm arrived). Things were quiet there - peaceful. We stayed in a small house with a family of 6 (Mom, Dad, Son, Daughter, Daughter, Baby). The kitchen and dining room was outside. Every morning we had a modest, yet simply perfect, breakfast of instant coffee and bread with cheese. Lunch and dinner were usually some combination of vegetables, meat (alpaca or chicken), and rice. The nights were cold and the days were hot. When it came to school, the kids were angels. They behaved and were eager to learn.

I believe that if there is to be a turning point in the way I see the world, this trip was it. One night, I was up late in the kitchen drinking Coca Mate with the youngest daughter and the mother of the house (everyone else had gone to bed). The mother was telling me that she loved life there (though that was all she knew as she had never travelled beyond the village). She said her concerns mainly surrounded the future of her children. Her son, now 13 years old, never got a good education. Therefore, he has taken up working in the fields and in the river. She says that he will probably forever live in that village and work. However, her second oldest, Antonella was only in second grade. In Antonella, her mother saw (as did I) someone who was eager to learn, had natural intellect, and was full of potential. But, being born in this village put Antonella at an immediate disadvantage to the children born in the cities (Lima, Arequipa, etc.). In the schools many subjects are lacking: computer skills, English, history, etc. The mother told me that all she wants is for her daughter to be able to go the university in Lima and fulfill the potential that she has. Unfortunately, her mother is unsure how that will ever happen as long as the government of Peru ignores the needs of the indigenous people.

INTIWAWA is grassroots. It reminds me a lot of the campaign as volunteers absolutely need to be flexible and have a lot of patience. This week we learned that the ¨Congreso¨ that I posted about earlier will actually be about 40 children instead of the 150 we originally though (many of the children can not participate during the weekend because it´s the only time they can help their parents with the work around the house and in the farm). We have also been ignored by the director of one of the schools in San Isidro until recently. School starts next week, meaning that we won´t be able to begin English classes in one of our schools until the second or third week of March.

Because of all of these setbacks and my experiences in Chivay, I am taking on a project where I will go every Friday to teach the Elementary School basic English. I am starting to draft a 9 week curriculum as soon as I post this. This will be, by far, the most difficult and tasking project I take on (especially since I have to do it myself, due to the lack of funds that INTIWAWA posseses). It will take most of my time and energy.

But like Leonel said, when you see injustice in the world, you have to fight against it - so that maybe, you can level the playing field just a little bit more.

Lo que hago.

**Sorry for not posting something for a while. I've become extremely busy! Recently, I've been looking for a host family for the remaining 2.5 months that I'm in Arequipa. Finally, last night, I found a family to move in with on March 1, but it took a very long time. Also, there has been a lot of volunteers that have been here for 5-6 months that are leaving now, creating a lot of restructuring among the volunteer base. I have taken over as the coordinator for all prospective volunteers all over the world. My job is to answer questions and prepare for the arrival of volunteers (housing, contact numbers, etc.). I have also become the coordinator of the English classes when school starts in March. INTIWAWA's job is to create a curriculum for the year - for all grades (120 students); implement that curriculum in two different schools; and, finally, organize all the English professors. Finally, we have a "Congreso de Ninos" in the indigenous Colca Canyon region on the 27th and 28th. This is basically a conference for our kids in San Isidro and Colca Canyon (150+) to gather and talk about their rights. I am working with two other volunteers to prepare about 15 children from the Colca region to present and lead certain segments of the conference. I am going to Colca Canyon this weekend, and then, again from Wednesday-Sunday next week.


BUT, today in San Isidro we had a mini-Carnaval with the children. The Carnaval is a HUGE celebration all over the Spanish-speaking world (Spain included). This is how I understood it: the Carnaval is a weekend long event every year. It started back in Medieval times. It was originally a protest against the Catholics, but has since morphed in to a big party - and Catholics celebrate it too (sort of like Halloween). Every country has different traditions. I hear the streets of Arequipa are going to be packed all weekend, but I'll be in Colca (where I hear there will also be huge celebrations with traditional food, drinks, music, costumes, and dancing). I will post photos of the Carnaval with the children. But basically, they mostly all arrived in costumes. We fed them a basic breakfast (pan con marmelada, "bread with jelly")... Then we painted faces... and arms (as you will soon see my arm in the photos). We played some games - tag and musical chairs. Then, came the most interesting part. We had cut a tree down, dug a hole, and basically planted it again. The kids decorated it with crazy streamers. Then, as partners, everyone danced around the tree. Partners took turns swinging a axe at the base of the tree and then drinking a cup of soda (it's usually beer, but these were children). We did this until the tree was cut down... again. Then, during the Peruvian Carnaval there is always has a huge block of time where the participants throw confetti, silly string, and this colored powder at each other. It was an amazing amount of fun! Then we ate cake, and planted three new trees. Photos are below.

I wanted to share a couple of other interesting things about this week:
> Rainy season has officially started in Arequipa. It rains EVERY day.
> The volunteer coordinator left Arequipa this week and we went out for traditional Arequipan food. I had a chicken dish, but a solid four volunteers had "Cuy". That is fried guinea pig - with eyes, teeth, everything. It was awful, and kind of interesting.

Ciao for now! I'll post about my experiences in Colca Canyon next week.

This is called, "Why I Love Peru and Why I Get Up Early"

Update.

Hola de Peru!

Just wanted to give you all a quick update of what things are like here, what's been happening, what I've heard and seen, etc...

1) I took over the English classes. The other American left, so the education of 60 children is in my hands. English is Tuesdays and Thursdays. We took the children to beach on Wednesday (none of them had never been before). So, on Tuesday we learned vocabulary for the beach (umbrella, sharks, sand, etc.) and on Thursday we worked on sentences from the beach ("I liked the beach a lot" or "My favorite part of the beach was the crabs"). They have had a blast this week!

2) I have a Peruvian friend who's pretty down on Peru. He says here, for many Peruvians, it's all about the money. He says when a lot of Peruvians walk by a child sleeping in the street they don't think twice. He also says that there is a significant amount of racism in this country (he says more than what he's heard of in the United States - I disagree). The racism is between the indigenous cultures in the mountains and the more urban culture. The indians are left behind in every aspect of society and their cultures are dying - including the beautiful language of Quechua. He says that's why it is so important to work with these kids in San Isidro and - starting March - in the mountainous regions. To him, the children have not been corrupted by Peruvian society. He believes that the work of Intiwawa is helping the children to recognize their rights and to be proud of their heritage and culture.

3) A little anecdote: The biggest of the three volcanoes that surround Arequipa - named the Misti - is just now accumulating snow for the first time in one month (it's raining a lot here). The people here say that it is the first time since they can ever remember that the Misti has not been covered in snow. They call it "el cambio de la clima" - climate change.

Otros fotos...

These pictures are more of San Isidro and the kids I'm working with. There are also many of the city of Arequipa and the main Plaza in Arequipa. Also, there are some pictures of the ride to and our time at the beach during the weekend. Enjoy!

El diario - Arequipa y San Isidro

There will be more pictures on Monday or Tuesday. I'm going to the beach with the other 20 volunteers for the entire weekend, so I wanted to post something before then.

Basically, as it is summer in Peru, the kids are out of school. Intiwawa is working hard to make sure that the children of San Isidro still have something to do and are still learning - even while they are on vacation.

My daily schedule is to wake up at 6:45am, get ready, and start walking by 7:20am towards a meeting place where all the volunteers meet every morning. From there we walk towards the bus stop (another 10 minutes). Along the way, I can pick up some fresh fruit and warm bread for breakfast. Then we hop on a bus that becomes more full than a subway in New York during rush hour. This ride is about 50 minutes, and by about 8:50 we arrive in San Isidro and the temperature by then is about 70 degrees.

Classes at the school are different every day. Mostly there are academics such as math, English, geography, psychology, history, and science. And then there is also art, music, and "deportes" or gym. These are not all taught every day. The school goes from 9am-1pm. The children - ranging from 6 years to 15 years - are divided in to groups and do a different combination of the 4 classes that are offered every day. Lunch is also served and there is about ten minutes set aside for the children to wash themselves and brush their teeth - simple things that are unfortunately not available in San Isidro.

Then, at 1pm, we hop on a bus and go back to our hostels, houses, or apartments. Usually, by then, we are all exhausted from a combination of the children and the heat. So it's nap time. A lot of times we get together in one apartment for dinner and eat together - usually a German dish since nearly 90% of the volunteers are German.

At night time, there is a lively scene in Arequipa. If we don't go out to the clubs, we watch a DVD in an apartment (usually in Spanish, the only language that everyone has in common). A lot of times, I go back to my apartment early to wind down and read for a couple of hours.

One of the activities that we did this week is a Brazilian dance/martial art known as "Capoeira". It is about two hours long and requires incredible upper and lower body strength, but it's a great time. Here's a couple of photos from our session:




Ciao!

Slideshow 1

Fire in the Sky

I landed in Arequipa this morning!

The weather is gorgeous and so is the city. There are a lot more people than I expected and everyone is in a hurry. Road rules are nothing more than an idea here. This morning has mostly been the landlord for the apartments that we stay in touring me around the city. His name is Jorge - a short, lively man who slips between Spanish and English so much it's hard to keep up with what language he is currently speaking. But he was great.

Everyone here speaks Spanish. So if I say: 'How much does that cost?' or 'That's not enough?', people won't answer me. So I'm thinking that I might have to stick with Spanish.

I'm exhausted, exhausted so I am going to go explore some more and then retire to my apartment. Tomorrow is my first day in San Isidro - the village I will be working in.

I wanted to close with a story from the plane: Last night, as we were flying over Mexico, for miles I saw these gigantic fires. Hundreds of them (and I know the difference between a fire and a light). I couldn't understand what they were for and all I wanted to do was go explore. Anyway, made me think of the magnitude of the adventure I'm embarking on... Just a thought.

Flight Patterns

Just wanted to give you a quick itinerary:

SUNDAY, FEB. 1
12:23 pm - BOARD plane in Charlotte headed towards Houston
3:55 pm - BOARD plane in Houston headed towards Lima

MONDAY, FEB. 2
4:55 am - BOARD plane in Lima headed towards Arequipa
6:20 am - ARRIVE in Arequipa and catch Taxi to meet group

Fun Facts

Potatoes, Tomatoes, Avocados, Sunflowers, and Weeping Willows all originated in Peru.


Peru has 84 of the 103 ecological zones in the world with 28 different climates.


On the last coffee exposition in Paris, Peruvian coffee was voted the best by both American end European tasters, out of 33 presented.


Courtesy of TripAdvisor.com

Children of the Sun

There have been some questions regarding what exactly I'll be doing in Peru. I will be working with the German NGO, INTIWAWA (Quechua for "Children of the Sun").

The website's presentations of the organization reads:

The primary goal of our organization is to help young men and woman and – together with them - improve their everyday situation. At this point we mainly work in San Isidro, a small village of about 90 families, located approximately 45 minutes from Arequipa.

The inhabitants of this village suffer from malnutrition, lack of education, alcoholism and domestic violence. Missing sanitary arrangements and unclean water lead to diseases caused by the lack of hygiene. Furthermore there is a constant shortage of financial capacity to afford basic human requirements such as medicine or a proper water supply system.

The aim of Intiwawa is to fight existing problems as well as research and fight the cause of these problems in order to prevent their development in the first place.

Gracias!

Gracias por su apoyo. Salgo primer de febrero. Regresen en aquellos tiempos.

Thank you for your support. I leave February 1st. Come back then!