It’s 6am, can’t sleep any longer. It begins to get light here about 4.45am and we have returned to an old trick of putting black plastic bags over windows to keep the room dark a little longer. Our bedroom also has a skylight which allows light to beam down at this ridiculous time of day. All that however, has not meant I sleep much longer.
The highlights of our journey and stay in Peru, mostly Cusco, have been numerous indeed. Certainly they have out weighed the low points. This journey has not been a holiday but an experience. It’s been hardwork, fantastic and frustrating all at the same time. Not idyllic like a villa in Tuscany or a place in Provence for two months, but different – certainly in language, history, culture and conditions in which people live. It has been enjoyable too, teaching and working with the people at Pumamarca – the teachers and children - I did not come here to teach, but have enjoyed trying to teach English with limited Spanish. Andrea has thoroughly enjoyed working with the teachers and children in the kindergarten and has made a tremendous difference to their program even though it has been softly, softy - by suggestion rather than, - do it this way.
So what have been the highlights? - the tour of dungeon like structures below the basilica in Lima – quite amazing, the vists to Sacred Valley, Macchu Picchu, Lake Titicaca and Puno all have added to the memories of Peru. The scruffy, but smiling and happy children, the teachers who work under difficulty, well, we see it that way, but the conditions are quite good despite not having the modern teaching electronic equipment classrooms in SA have. Other highlights have been the festivals, the costumes people wear for dancing and parades, Corpus Christi parade in Cusco, and then, the other volunteers who each bring a great deal of experience to the projects of Peru’s Challenge.
Another highlight for me, but not so much for Andrea, has been the Spanish lesson we have received during the past 7 weeks. I really struggle with the language, but surprise myself sometimes in what I do know or at least understand.
Of the low points – frustration that things go slowly in Peru, for example Andrea and I want to get a chimney flue organized for Ernistina so that her kitchen does not fill with smoke as she cooks over an open fire – 3 weeks spent getting no- where , but at last some small action is now taking place. And perhaps we may see something by the time we leave. Perhaps, perhaps. The slow journey up the mountain each day on the “golden gismo” – Peru’s Challenge mini bus and the bone jarring ride we have. The time spent waiting –“The bus will leave at 9.30am”…., but it never leaves til 10am!!- or later.
Living with strangers is a difficulty but not necessarily a low point – it does mean comprising and sharing facilities which is both frustrating and annoying at times. I think one low point which really gets to you, is the constant mindfulness of watching what you eat, washing hands, drinking only bottled water and having to use bottled water for cleaning teeth and cooking. We have remained well and healthy because of our vigilance with this, but 50% of the of the volunteers have succumbed to upset stomachs, visiting DR Victor, and several have ended up in hospital overnight or for 2-3 days. You begin to wonder who will be the next “chucker”.
The teachers at the school offer food to us, such as the meal each day provided to the children, but we refuse and it seems rude to do so, but we are not willing to take a chance.
But perhaps the biggest low point is not getting a hot shower – or for that matter a warm shower each day. All too often the showers are luke warm or cold – so you wait until manana to try again. This is a “house” problem as it is poorly set up with gas hot water services that do not cope – no such thing here as a hot water service with reservoir of hot water. With the amount of sunshine we have had here, in the last 7 weeks, an easy problem to fix. Running out of gas occurs frequently- with 3 gas heaters, 3 showers and 3 gas stoves and ovens it’s no wonder gas bottles are being changed regularly when all are the 9kg or similar. Don’t worry we have suggested better methods!!!
Wed. 18th. Eureka! After 2 weeks or more, the chimney flue has actually been ordered and will be ready by Friday. This is a great achievement for us – as I said, nearly 3 weeks of asking about it and bingo!! – it happens in 2 days – that’s Peru!!.
Being flexible is a true requirement of being in Peru. Today some volunteers were ready to go to the school and others into Cusco with some children and their students for a special school dance festival. Within 10mins of setting out we learn that a school holiday had been declared so schools were closed for the day. Given that the school will also be closed next Monday and Tuesday for the INTI RAYMI festival it means lessons prepared are just put on hold.
Latest Happenings. As I mentioned earlier some chn from the school were involved in a dance festival cum competition between schools so once the fiasco about schools being closed was resolved we travellled into Cusco central and became quite proud spectators of the event. There were at least 30 schools represented – primary aged chn – each school having about 20 dancers in traditional costumes – again all different. Cusco was packed with families, tourist, teachers and chn. Plaza de Armas was closed once again to traffic – this has occurred at least 6 times since we have been here – I don’t know if this bothers the locals but it must be an inconvenience for some people. After the parade and dancing we did some shopping – each bought a llama fibre jumper then looked in some of the up market jewelry stores.
Today – Thursday, not usually a teaching day, but up to Pumamarca again for lessons – a catch up day. Friday, teaching once again and Spanish lessons. It was also one of the young volunteers birthday, Saira is from Aberfolye Park in SA and she turned 20. The other young vols – also from SA, organized a celebration for her and we all went out to dinner to the Fallen Angels, where both Andrea and I had a steak – the first red meat since we have been here. Once again the taxi ride home was memorable as 5 of us piled into a tiny car and as we bounced along the rear tyre gave out so we all pile out while the driver changed the wheel. This of course was done without one word in English spoken or espanol for that matter!
A slow start Saturday morning, we left to go into Cusco about 10.30am and discovered, yet again the main Avenida de Sol and Plaza de Armas closed for another procession. University students, the future artisans of Cusco had constructed huge figurines, some quite gross, others of cultural significance and they were pushing, pulling them around the city squares. Needless to say there were 1,000;s of people jammed onto every vantage point to see the procession as it made it’s way slowly around the city centre. Tonight there will be fireworks in the Plaza as part of the lead up to INTI RAYMI – festival of the sun.
OK, it’s Saturday afternoon, 3.30pm, next week we will be in Santiago, Chile, for a stop over on our way home. The past 7 weeks has been an interesting time, a real adventure for us and without Peru’s Challenge we may not have ever visited Peru or Sth America, but certainly there is plenty to see and do in this part of the world. I will now down load some pictures to tempt you to travel this way if you haven’t done so.
Cheers
Trevor
Love from Barb and Reg.