Last day of working in Huancayo today and it has proven to be a rewarding experience. although we will not see the completion of the school, we feel good knowing that we helped to get it one step closer. One day it will be full of children and will hopefully be the beginning of a new way of schooling in Huancayo. Be able to working side by side with the foreman, Maestro Augusto, was a rewarding experience in itself. He is an easy going guy with a sense of humor. Communicating was easy, he spoke zero English but with the help of our "pocito espanol" and a lot of hand signals we managed to get quite a bit of work done in the admin building. Its nice to be able to visualize what the entire place will look like when it is completed. The classrooms are already done, they have tiled floors and large windows and big fancy doors... the walkway that we worked on looked something like a labrynth, twisting and turning around what will be gardens and a meditations and chess area. There is a large grassy area for the kids to play if they like. The brick and cement keep the buildings cool in the day time. I am unsure whether or not Lizette and her family will be a permanent residence on the property after the completion of the school. But for the meantime it is necessary and quite a privilege for us to be able to see the daily life of this woman and her child while working at the jobsite. It was a little sad knowing we would not be back the following Monday to keep working with the group, Yessie, Augusto... and have Nancy bring lunch at 1pm. Its so funny how easily one can fall into a routine. But mostly it will be sad that we wont get to see any of them again.
I never thought saying goodbye would be so hard. Its amazing in such a short time the kind of bond you can create with a person. The kindness that our friends in Huancayo showed us is more then I can explain. Each and every one of them made it so comfortable to be there and it felt like home in no time at all. Nancy and Yessie arranged a tour for us on our last day, to see some of the country side we hadn't seen yet. We drove out of Huancayo, through a few small towns and into the country to the beautiful farmlands of the Andes. We stopped to hike up a beautiful cobblestone trail to the top of a mountain to see some ancient Wankan ruins. The Wankas were a civilization that lived in the area in the same time as the Incas (but nowhere near the Incas). They were a much stronger civilization and extremely strategic in the building of there city. It overlooks the mountain in all directions. They were wiped out by the Spanish however, same as the Incas. It was very warm and sunny, and although we were exhausted by the time we reached the top, it was worth it to experience the ruins. As well as the incredible view of Huancayo and surrounding area. The countryside was some of the most beautiful I had ever seen, old tapia and adobe style houses, ruins, freshly plowed fields ready to be planted, some already being harvested by old women wearing traditional layered skirts with aprons vests and hats. Towering over everything were beautiful eucalyptus trees, the air was fresh and clean with the slight scent of eucalyptus. It was quiet and peaceful, not like the city. There were donkeys, sheep and cows grazing on the land.. Its the kind of peaceful and simple life that I dream of. Cristian says its only about 10 soles/meter for land out there. That is less then 5 dollars Canadian!
Driving back down the mountain side, we stopped in a little village to see the oldest church in Huancayo. It is 450 years old. Beautiful, like something you would see in the movies. it was so... incredible. And cobblestone walkway leading over a bridge and all the way up to the front door.
On the ride there and back, I got to sit beside Cristian. It was nice having him near so I could ask questions about things. He and Yessie are so helpful anytime we have questions about the culture or anything. So we chatted a bit and he shared with me some photos of himself when he was younger and his family. It was so nice getting to spend a little extra time getting to know him. Wish I had even a few more days to get to know him better. And Yessie too...
Our farewell was rushed and chaotic. But we hugged and said our thank yous and goodbyes. I cried when I got on the bus. Some people asked what the best part of the trip was, and by far, it was making friends with the locals. I left a piece of my heart in Huancayo today. And one day soon I will be back for it.
Amber Lee
DWC Participant
Thursday, November 25, 2010
Huancayo, Peru: August 2010 - Macchu Picchu
We boarded Inka Rail, en route to Aguas Caliente at the base of Macchu Picchu. The train followed along the Urubamba river through the Sacred Valley of the Inkas and with windows all around, we had a spectacular view of the Valley. We watched as the mountains went from dry, and brown with tall eucalyptus trees, to lush and green, and almost jungle. The mountains here are somewhat different then at home. Our mountains have a much larger base to them, these ones here shoot straight up. We arrived in Aguas Caliente around 5, grabbed our luggage and walked through endless markets up steep and narrow cobblestone streets to our hotel. Our hotel here was called, " Plaza Andina". We went to grab a bite and then call it a night because we had to get up at 3:30 to get in line for the bus to Macchu Picchu.
Karin and I (and everyone else) had requested a wake up call for the next morning. We had also attempted to set the alarm clock... Our wake up was to be at 330. The alarm never went off, and the phone never rang. We woke up to the sound of a rooster crowing. I guess that was our wake up call! We packed our bags and walked down to the bus stop. There was already people in line and more on their way. The bus ride was quite an amazing climb up a switchback up to the high Andes. when we got to the check point, we got out and walked. up a few flights of stairs.. but that was nothing. The most beautiful and overwhelming feeling I have ever had happened when we reached the top of our climb. I have waited and waited, and come all this way. And there it was the ancient Inka city of Macchu Picchu. All I wanted to do was cry. About 20 minutes had passed before I even took a picture. I just sat and stared in awe.
Soon enough, Pursy gathered us up for our history lesson. He is such a thourogh and informative guide. We learned many things about Macchu Picchu. one thing being that the city itself is not named Macchu Picchu, but that is the name of the mountain to the north. The City's name in still unknown but there are some thoughts on what it might be however. The man who discovered it in 1911 was told buy a local farmer that their might be some ruins up there (pointed) on Macchu Picchu. It wasn't, but was in the middle of three mountains. But he decided its name was Macchu Picchu. The man was an American by the name of Hiram Bingham. He found many artifacts, such as pottery, textiles, tools, etc. and He brought them all back to the united states with him and still today they remain in Yale Universtity. Which is tragic for Peru. Their history should be preserved in their own country not the united states.... :( More and more things we learned... the Inkas had an irrigation system running through the entire city, trenches carved out of the stone running down each street and into beautiful fountains. And then, while we were in one of the houses and pursy was telling us what each room was for he showed us a small room with a small hole in the floor... it was a bathroom! There was a completely different pluming system running through the city for sewage. How fantastic is this place!!
Next we climbed up Waynapicchu to get a fabulous view of Macchu Picchu and the Sacred Valley. Waynapicchu is the tall tall mountain in the background of Macchu Picchu when you see pictures... the Inka trail goes all the way to the top. It was the most difficult hike I have ever done. Mind you I dont do much hiking.... But it switch backed all the way up one side. Inka stonework made stairs all the way up... it was so rewarding getting to the top!
Amber Lee
DWC Participant
Karin and I (and everyone else) had requested a wake up call for the next morning. We had also attempted to set the alarm clock... Our wake up was to be at 330. The alarm never went off, and the phone never rang. We woke up to the sound of a rooster crowing. I guess that was our wake up call! We packed our bags and walked down to the bus stop. There was already people in line and more on their way. The bus ride was quite an amazing climb up a switchback up to the high Andes. when we got to the check point, we got out and walked. up a few flights of stairs.. but that was nothing. The most beautiful and overwhelming feeling I have ever had happened when we reached the top of our climb. I have waited and waited, and come all this way. And there it was the ancient Inka city of Macchu Picchu. All I wanted to do was cry. About 20 minutes had passed before I even took a picture. I just sat and stared in awe.
Soon enough, Pursy gathered us up for our history lesson. He is such a thourogh and informative guide. We learned many things about Macchu Picchu. one thing being that the city itself is not named Macchu Picchu, but that is the name of the mountain to the north. The City's name in still unknown but there are some thoughts on what it might be however. The man who discovered it in 1911 was told buy a local farmer that their might be some ruins up there (pointed) on Macchu Picchu. It wasn't, but was in the middle of three mountains. But he decided its name was Macchu Picchu. The man was an American by the name of Hiram Bingham. He found many artifacts, such as pottery, textiles, tools, etc. and He brought them all back to the united states with him and still today they remain in Yale Universtity. Which is tragic for Peru. Their history should be preserved in their own country not the united states.... :( More and more things we learned... the Inkas had an irrigation system running through the entire city, trenches carved out of the stone running down each street and into beautiful fountains. And then, while we were in one of the houses and pursy was telling us what each room was for he showed us a small room with a small hole in the floor... it was a bathroom! There was a completely different pluming system running through the city for sewage. How fantastic is this place!!
Next we climbed up Waynapicchu to get a fabulous view of Macchu Picchu and the Sacred Valley. Waynapicchu is the tall tall mountain in the background of Macchu Picchu when you see pictures... the Inka trail goes all the way to the top. It was the most difficult hike I have ever done. Mind you I dont do much hiking.... But it switch backed all the way up one side. Inka stonework made stairs all the way up... it was so rewarding getting to the top!
Amber Lee
DWC Participant
Monday, August 23, 2010
Huancayo, Peru: August 2010 - When in Rome
Today is our second last day of working on the school. We finished the walkway we started last week and feels great to be done. A few of us went to help Maestro Augusto lay bricks on the second floor of the admin building, as well as finish off the roof. Laying bricks is kinda fun, we wet the bricks really good, mix up some cement and dirt and water, slop it on ans lay the bricks. After the walls are done they get covered in a layer of cement for a smooth finish which can be painted later. this is a very common way to build here. Haven't seen any 2x4's and drywall yet. Before the walls can get covered, the bricks must be soaked in water. So I had the lovely job of hosing down the walls of the bathroom upstairs. After a bit, Augusto was ready to start wiring. So he tosses up an extension cord and brings up a little circular saw. He motions to Jeff to dry his hands so he can hold the plug in the socket so it wouldn't fall out. It properly fit and had to be held in place in order for it to work. I told him my hands are already dry so I would hold it for him. Augusto grabbed a bucket, turns it over next to the wall and stands on it. I follow him over to the wall with the plug and extension cord in hand right into the massive puddle of water on the floor from wetting the bricks earlier. (but its a good thing my hands weren't wet) I held the plug in place while he dug out a place in the bricks to put the wires for the light, hoping he didn't fall of the tippy bucket. I'm pretty sure they teach you in elementary not to do this kind of thing. Ha ha.. when in Rome...
After work today we were going to a restaurant to eat and learn how to salsa! Yessie brought a friend of hers who knows how to dance really good to teach us how to salsa and merengue. we had the whole upper floor of the restaurant. It was so much fun! we invited everyone from the office and they brought along some friends with them too. Just a we bit into the dance lesson Nancy's husband and little girl came. We see this sweet little girl about 7 or 8 run up the stairs and right to her mothers side and announce, "HELLO MY FRIENDS!" in her best-est English ever! She had so much fun dancing with us. as did everyone! Cristian came, Augusto came all dressed to the nines, and few other friends from the office also showed up. It was really great time with everybody and I have lots of pictures to remember it. Tomorrow will be our last day working at the school. I am really sad to not be returning Monday and also a little sad not knowing when it will be ready for the kids to start attending. But I'm happy knowing we helped to get it closer to that point.
Amber Lee
DWC Participant
After work today we were going to a restaurant to eat and learn how to salsa! Yessie brought a friend of hers who knows how to dance really good to teach us how to salsa and merengue. we had the whole upper floor of the restaurant. It was so much fun! we invited everyone from the office and they brought along some friends with them too. Just a we bit into the dance lesson Nancy's husband and little girl came. We see this sweet little girl about 7 or 8 run up the stairs and right to her mothers side and announce, "HELLO MY FRIENDS!" in her best-est English ever! She had so much fun dancing with us. as did everyone! Cristian came, Augusto came all dressed to the nines, and few other friends from the office also showed up. It was really great time with everybody and I have lots of pictures to remember it. Tomorrow will be our last day working at the school. I am really sad to not be returning Monday and also a little sad not knowing when it will be ready for the kids to start attending. But I'm happy knowing we helped to get it closer to that point.
Amber Lee
DWC Participant
Huancayo, Peru: August 2010 - Team Leader Shalen's thoughts
August 19, 2010
As I sit in my hotel room I think about how every time I vacation to a new exotic country, I feel as though I’m living in a surreal place. Sometimes it seems as though I don’t realize the true magnificence of my experience until much later... upon return... upon reflection... It is as if, I am living a dream; a beautiful dream where I explore wholeheartedly and experience truthfully.
The experience as a Developing World Connections Team Leader has given me a huge understanding and appreciation for the work and effort that other Team Leaders put into making a trip like this successful. When all the others are drinking Cervesas after dinner my mind rolls around budgets, numbers, planning and execution for the following day. This is a job people, don’t kid yourself.
However, having said that, I am extremely thankful for this job. I never said that a challenge wasn’t good. The reason I do new things, go new places, and learn is because I like challenges. I don’t think anything worth doing is ever easy. Great success comes from trauma, turmoil, and drama. And in the midst of all these things, there is so much joy... If you choose to see it.
What amazes me the most on every trip I take, is people. In my life, people around me are always telling me I trust too much, I give too much, and get screwed too much. But, every time I come to a foreign land, I am refreshed in my belief in people. People all over the planet, no matter their race, religion, culture, language, or ethnicity are basically the same. We are all striving to make our lives magnificent. And if we stop for a moment and reflect on our blessings, I think that in every culture, no matter our wealth or standing in society we can realize that our lives truly are as such...Magnificent, glorious, unbelievable, and amazing.
Having said this, let me tell you about my new friends. These are the friends and people that teach me so many more things than I could ever learn in any class or from any book. For me, life is truly about people. And our wow’ed experiences with people create the moments that make life worth living... nothing else.
First, our host partner in Huancayo Peru, Arguedianos has a host of employees. These people are the friendliest and most accommodating people I have ever met. They are so happy to greet us, feed us, take us on tours, plan excursions, party with us, and plan with us... I can tell that they are truly excited and happy to be with us; and rightfully so we are equally excited to spend time with them. Do you know how amazing it feels when you come to another country and you are welcomed by a personal tour guide with open arms? Just imagine, it’s pretty wild... It’s almost like I’ve always had these friends in Peru even though we certainly just got here. Our friends at Arguedianos have brought us lunches each day, cooked for us, danced with us, sang with and for us. I cannot express my thanks to these people, Jessie, Cristian, Nancy, Violeta & the rest of the gang...
Secondly, somehow along the way we met a Peruvian guy named Victor. I don’t really even know how we met a military journalist from Lima, but we did. I think it was Laura and Drew who originally randomly met Victor and made friends. Somehow though, serendipitously we had the pleasure of spending some time with him in Huancayo. His English was very good and this made for some entertaining nights with too many Pisco Sours down the hatch and just the right amount of Salsa and Merengue dancing to make you want just a little more... What amazed me about Victor was he truly cared for our safety even though we all had just met. It was like an instantaneous friendship... For example, he walked Nicole back to the hotel one late night when the rest of the gang wanted to stay late at the discoteck. Further, Victor always kept his eye on every individual in the group making sure we kept a close eye on our belongings and one another. If for even one brief moment someone from our group was out of sight, Victor would ask around and search them out to be sure they were always ok. He walked us home several nights, always encouraging the group to walk in the areas where light surrounded us... He shared stories about his heart being broken, his interesting job and his corny jokes. And not once did he ever do anything that appeared self centered, sleezy, or unkind.
These are the people that make life worth living...
Shalen Curle
DWC Team Leader
Huancayo, Peru
August 2010
Huancayo, Peru: August 2010 - Tambo Anya
Today Violeta( Developing World Connections Host Partner) took us to a school where we were to give our donations. The bus drove us out of Huancayo and into a small farm town called, Tambo Anya. When we arrived we were greeted by the principle of the elementary school. There were a few kids peeking around the corner at us and running and hiding when the saw me with my camera. lol. The principle took us into the grade 5-6 class first. They sang us a little song that translated to, "how are you my friends how are you?" and we replied, "very good!" They had a chance to ask us some questions, like where we are from, our names, what our weather is like, what kind of animals we have etc. We also asked them the same kind of questions. Some of the kids said the wanted to attend university, to become things like engineer, architect, doctor. We presented them with our gifts. 4 backpacks for the class room filled with, books, scribblers, pencils, toys, etc. and also a soccer ball and frisbee. none of the kids had ever seen a frisbee before so we did a little demonstration :) Some of the kids got up to try too. Its going to take a little practice :) We noticed that some kids were still wondering in after a while and we were told that the kids come whenever the parents can bring them. Because some live far out of town and also the kids help out on the farms. I think that is typical in any farming community in any culture. but in ours, maybe old fashioned? ..
We then went to the grade 1-2 class, This time after all the Q&A's we played a little game. The over and under game. We divided into two groups and made two rows down the class room and each team got a ball. We had to first pass over our head to the next person and then they have to pass under their legs to the next person. The last person gets to run to the front of the line and start again. Who ever cycles through the group the fastest wins! When Shay asked if they wanted to play a game, and Violeta translated, the kids faces lit up and said SIIIII!!!! And with big smiles they were ready for their game. Next we went to the 3-4 class. This time Andrew played a little Ben E. King on the guitar and we all sang Stand by Me. The kids sang a song back to us too. We passed around the gifts and candy too. The kids were delighted to have us there and asked us lots of questions. Jarret did a little yoyo demo and one of the boys got up to try. Jarret said if He could get it all the way back up again he would win the yoyo! And he did. While they were demonstrating the frisbee I was crouched next to some the desks. I heard a little voice whisper, senorita, senorita, senoritaaa. I finally noticed a little boy was trying to get my attention. he asked me something but I couldn't hear because he was whispering. He was saying, quanto anos? (I had Violeta tell me what he said) quanto anos means how old are you? so I told him, and I guess that is all he needed to know. it was so sweet :) Each of the class rooms were in three separate buildings, and in between was a beautiful courtyard. In the courtyard was also a garden. When we all gathered there one of the teacher's, Ricardo, brought us each glass of inca cola on a tray. Inca cola is bright yellow and taste a bit like bubble gum or cream soda. Some of the kids came out to play with their new soccer balls and Andrew and Jeff played with them. After, we all gathered and Ricardo thanked us for coming and brought out some gifts for us! He explained to us that the town was built on an archealogical site. The Huancas use to live in this valley many many years ago (hence the name Huancayo) And the Incas tried to defeat them but failed. When the school was built, a garden was made in the courtyard which the children tend too. While digging in the garden, the children came across some archaeological finds! Pieces of pottery, tools, and even toys, from the time the Huancas lived there. He told us that as a gift for coming to the school we may each take a piece with us. I was so thrilled to see these, I dug through the box and took so many pictures. What an amazing find! I part of me felt like this history should stay in the country, but another part of me thought what a wonderful memory to take home. and one of the coolest pieces I will ever get from another country. I'm sorry Peru but I'm taking a piece of pottery home with me. And of course it is proper to take a gift when given :)
Before we left some of the children came out and shared their breakfast with us. Each morning the kids get a packaged bun and milk for breakfast. It was so very sweet of them to share with us, it really touched my heart. A bun and milk is so simple.. it was for them, but they shared with us.. :)
After the school we went to work and continued up on the second and top floor of the admin building. We layed bricks, (well, some of us did...) with Augusto, and hauled equipment up to the roof top on a rickety wooden ladder.
Amber Lee
DWC Participant
We then went to the grade 1-2 class, This time after all the Q&A's we played a little game. The over and under game. We divided into two groups and made two rows down the class room and each team got a ball. We had to first pass over our head to the next person and then they have to pass under their legs to the next person. The last person gets to run to the front of the line and start again. Who ever cycles through the group the fastest wins! When Shay asked if they wanted to play a game, and Violeta translated, the kids faces lit up and said SIIIII!!!! And with big smiles they were ready for their game. Next we went to the 3-4 class. This time Andrew played a little Ben E. King on the guitar and we all sang Stand by Me. The kids sang a song back to us too. We passed around the gifts and candy too. The kids were delighted to have us there and asked us lots of questions. Jarret did a little yoyo demo and one of the boys got up to try. Jarret said if He could get it all the way back up again he would win the yoyo! And he did. While they were demonstrating the frisbee I was crouched next to some the desks. I heard a little voice whisper, senorita, senorita, senoritaaa. I finally noticed a little boy was trying to get my attention. he asked me something but I couldn't hear because he was whispering. He was saying, quanto anos? (I had Violeta tell me what he said) quanto anos means how old are you? so I told him, and I guess that is all he needed to know. it was so sweet :) Each of the class rooms were in three separate buildings, and in between was a beautiful courtyard. In the courtyard was also a garden. When we all gathered there one of the teacher's, Ricardo, brought us each glass of inca cola on a tray. Inca cola is bright yellow and taste a bit like bubble gum or cream soda. Some of the kids came out to play with their new soccer balls and Andrew and Jeff played with them. After, we all gathered and Ricardo thanked us for coming and brought out some gifts for us! He explained to us that the town was built on an archealogical site. The Huancas use to live in this valley many many years ago (hence the name Huancayo) And the Incas tried to defeat them but failed. When the school was built, a garden was made in the courtyard which the children tend too. While digging in the garden, the children came across some archaeological finds! Pieces of pottery, tools, and even toys, from the time the Huancas lived there. He told us that as a gift for coming to the school we may each take a piece with us. I was so thrilled to see these, I dug through the box and took so many pictures. What an amazing find! I part of me felt like this history should stay in the country, but another part of me thought what a wonderful memory to take home. and one of the coolest pieces I will ever get from another country. I'm sorry Peru but I'm taking a piece of pottery home with me. And of course it is proper to take a gift when given :)
Before we left some of the children came out and shared their breakfast with us. Each morning the kids get a packaged bun and milk for breakfast. It was so very sweet of them to share with us, it really touched my heart. A bun and milk is so simple.. it was for them, but they shared with us.. :)
After the school we went to work and continued up on the second and top floor of the admin building. We layed bricks, (well, some of us did...) with Augusto, and hauled equipment up to the roof top on a rickety wooden ladder.
Amber Lee
DWC Participant
Huancayo, Peru: August 2010 - San Jeronimo and cooking
On Sunday we went to the Sunday market, which is the biggest market in Huancayo. A street shuts down for about 5 or 6 blocks. and is lined with 2 rows of vendors. Most of the goods were the typical Peruvian handcrafted goods, such as silver, painted gourds, cheesy souvenirs, and alpaca blankets and sweaters. There were some foods and a special spot designated to manufactured items, like shoes. I had fun walking around and did manage to find a few great things. One of which came from a man who made some purses out of recycled leather. they were one of a kind and just what I was after. There were a few vendors who made one of a kind items such as Jewelry and purses wallets etc. Mostly men, and very funky hippy like people. I liked them, they were right up my ally :) I wasn't feeling well so I didn't stay to long. And I'm sure it had nothing to do with the fact that about 4 vendors told us to turn around and go back the other way because there was a man following us. they warned us to keep our bags close in front of us and to ignore if anyone tries to, for example, spill water on us, spit on us, or ask us to hold a baby. Because that is when they will try to rob us. The people were very kind to help us out. Again with the kind people... so wonderful. Nothing came of that man, at least not for us.
I spent the next evening and most of the next day at the hotel because I came down with a terrible cold and wanted to sleep it off so I could just be better. When every one got back from working I was told that Jessie and Lisbeth had arranged to take us in our bus to see a few things around the area. I thought I should try and get out of the room and attempt to feel better so I tagged along. And was so glad I did. The driver drove us out of Huancayo and into a small village where there was a family who spun alpaca wool and would weave wall hangings, blankets, sweaters etc. Here is the fantastic part. Not only is it all handmade by them but it is dyed using only natural plant dyes and in no part of the process at all are chemicals used. This is just what I've been looking for! She showed us how she spun the yarn and what plants were used for dying. There were two types of plants used for a few different colors, (cant remember which ones) A certain type of wood used for the blue and small bugs on who burrow themselves on a cactus for the red. you squish them of course for the red color :) She then showed us how to weave on these beautiful wooden machines, all done by a foot pedel. I had a hard time controlling myself in here. It was my goal this year to start investing in more natural fibers and dyes for my own clothing. I ended up spending and total of... 535 soles. Two blankets, 5 sweaters, and half a kilo of alpaca yarn.... oh yeah.. by the way.. does anyone know how to knit? All but three are gifts for people. No, Im not telling who, you can wait :P This amazing shop was run out of their home and looked to be in the courtyard of the home. It was a typical South American home, of you can imagine what you've seen in the movies. the front was gated and when you walked in it opened into the courtyard. The house itself was at the front of the compound (above the gate) and their were stairs to go up into the home. on the ground floor under the stairs, there was the most beautiful terra cotta, very large sink. Which every home I have seen so far always has one in the yard. I intend on having one too one day :P
Afterwards we went to a town called, San Jeronimo. There was a festival going on there. It is the festival of their patron saint. The festival lasts 6 days and is very lively with, dancers, beer gardens, carnival rides, games, vendors and more. There was a parade of people dressed in costumes and masks dancing wildly down the street followed by a live band playing some traditional tunes. The dance was called Avelino and is traditional to the festival. Will have to research some more info on that.. After that we drove to see a very very big statue of the virgin Mary in a town called Concepción.
Tuesday was a normal day at work, except for the amount my nose was running. And after work we were going to attend a cooking class. I was so excited to learn a traditional Peruvian dish!! We met up with the teacher and he took us to a the traditional market where we were going to buy fresh ingredients for the class. There was many beautiful fruits, vegetables and grains etc. And of course lots of fresh meat, cheeses, dairy products. I was happy that what we were making was a vegetarian dish because I was hungry and I was looking forward to eating it! Also, I wouldn't trust the meat in the meat market just because of how long it sits out for. Amoung other reasons... Many people in the group were shocked at the sight of the meat market. But really, its just where people go to buy their meat. After all, meat is dead animal remember? And here they use all parts of the animal, at home, most of it is wasted. I must admit the smell was a little offensive, but you guys sure enjoy the smell after its cooked and covered in spices don't you? Nobody wanted me to remind them that the meat they have been eating for the last week in the restaurants came from there. Haha, people are so silly. Welcome to the meat market.
We went to a friend of the chefs home and cooked up a wonderful traditional Huancayo meal. Here is the recipe:
Papas a la Huancaina- potatoes with Huancaina sauce
13 plates
26 medium potatoes (new potatoes and yellow are best)
1kg of cheese (white "fresco" Mexican or Peruvian cheese works ok but you could use feta for a stronger flavor)
3/4kg, small hot peppers ( yellow aji mirisol works best but you could use yellow Mexican chili too)
1 cup evaporated milk
1/2cup vegetable oil
8 soda crackers
1 onion
salt
lettuce
3 hard boiled eggs
black olives
Parsley
lime
picante pepper
boil and peel potatoes and allow to cool. in a blender, blend the cheese, peppers, milk, oil, crackers and salt.
The sauce should be fairly thick, if not add more crackers, of too thick add more milk.
slice onion in bowl and squeeze lime over top. add finely chopped picante pepper.
lay a bed of lettuce in a serving dish and place the potatoes on top. cover with the sauce. Cut the hard boiled eggs in half and place the side. add black olives if desire and sprinkle with chopped parsley. add onion salad to the side.
This dish can be served slightly cold.
It was delicious! Please enjoy!!
Amber Lee
DWC Participant
I spent the next evening and most of the next day at the hotel because I came down with a terrible cold and wanted to sleep it off so I could just be better. When every one got back from working I was told that Jessie and Lisbeth had arranged to take us in our bus to see a few things around the area. I thought I should try and get out of the room and attempt to feel better so I tagged along. And was so glad I did. The driver drove us out of Huancayo and into a small village where there was a family who spun alpaca wool and would weave wall hangings, blankets, sweaters etc. Here is the fantastic part. Not only is it all handmade by them but it is dyed using only natural plant dyes and in no part of the process at all are chemicals used. This is just what I've been looking for! She showed us how she spun the yarn and what plants were used for dying. There were two types of plants used for a few different colors, (cant remember which ones) A certain type of wood used for the blue and small bugs on who burrow themselves on a cactus for the red. you squish them of course for the red color :) She then showed us how to weave on these beautiful wooden machines, all done by a foot pedel. I had a hard time controlling myself in here. It was my goal this year to start investing in more natural fibers and dyes for my own clothing. I ended up spending and total of... 535 soles. Two blankets, 5 sweaters, and half a kilo of alpaca yarn.... oh yeah.. by the way.. does anyone know how to knit? All but three are gifts for people. No, Im not telling who, you can wait :P This amazing shop was run out of their home and looked to be in the courtyard of the home. It was a typical South American home, of you can imagine what you've seen in the movies. the front was gated and when you walked in it opened into the courtyard. The house itself was at the front of the compound (above the gate) and their were stairs to go up into the home. on the ground floor under the stairs, there was the most beautiful terra cotta, very large sink. Which every home I have seen so far always has one in the yard. I intend on having one too one day :P
Afterwards we went to a town called, San Jeronimo. There was a festival going on there. It is the festival of their patron saint. The festival lasts 6 days and is very lively with, dancers, beer gardens, carnival rides, games, vendors and more. There was a parade of people dressed in costumes and masks dancing wildly down the street followed by a live band playing some traditional tunes. The dance was called Avelino and is traditional to the festival. Will have to research some more info on that.. After that we drove to see a very very big statue of the virgin Mary in a town called Concepción.
Tuesday was a normal day at work, except for the amount my nose was running. And after work we were going to attend a cooking class. I was so excited to learn a traditional Peruvian dish!! We met up with the teacher and he took us to a the traditional market where we were going to buy fresh ingredients for the class. There was many beautiful fruits, vegetables and grains etc. And of course lots of fresh meat, cheeses, dairy products. I was happy that what we were making was a vegetarian dish because I was hungry and I was looking forward to eating it! Also, I wouldn't trust the meat in the meat market just because of how long it sits out for. Amoung other reasons... Many people in the group were shocked at the sight of the meat market. But really, its just where people go to buy their meat. After all, meat is dead animal remember? And here they use all parts of the animal, at home, most of it is wasted. I must admit the smell was a little offensive, but you guys sure enjoy the smell after its cooked and covered in spices don't you? Nobody wanted me to remind them that the meat they have been eating for the last week in the restaurants came from there. Haha, people are so silly. Welcome to the meat market.
We went to a friend of the chefs home and cooked up a wonderful traditional Huancayo meal. Here is the recipe:
Papas a la Huancaina- potatoes with Huancaina sauce
13 plates
26 medium potatoes (new potatoes and yellow are best)
1kg of cheese (white "fresco" Mexican or Peruvian cheese works ok but you could use feta for a stronger flavor)
3/4kg, small hot peppers ( yellow aji mirisol works best but you could use yellow Mexican chili too)
1 cup evaporated milk
1/2cup vegetable oil
8 soda crackers
1 onion
salt
lettuce
3 hard boiled eggs
black olives
Parsley
lime
picante pepper
boil and peel potatoes and allow to cool. in a blender, blend the cheese, peppers, milk, oil, crackers and salt.
The sauce should be fairly thick, if not add more crackers, of too thick add more milk.
slice onion in bowl and squeeze lime over top. add finely chopped picante pepper.
lay a bed of lettuce in a serving dish and place the potatoes on top. cover with the sauce. Cut the hard boiled eggs in half and place the side. add black olives if desire and sprinkle with chopped parsley. add onion salad to the side.
This dish can be served slightly cold.
It was delicious! Please enjoy!!
Amber Lee
DWC Participant
Huancayo, Peru: August 2010 - Torre Torre
At 12:30 today Cristian, Jessie and Lizbeth met us in the lobby to take us to go see Torre Torre, beautiful rock formations on the outskirts of town. So we hopped into three cabs and drove up to a very high point at the edge of Huancayo. We started our hike up a dirt road and passed by many people and farm houses. about a minute into the hike we stopped to talk to three little girls sitting outside their home. we asked there mother if we could take photos, so we took a few photos and then kept on our hike. I'm trailing behind the group (as usual) taking pictures and I hear a little voice calling from behind me. "senora, senora!" I turned around and one of the little girls was following me trying to catch me attention. She asked me if they could come with us to Torre Torre (in Spanish of course) And I said yes (in Spanish of course :p) Her face lit up as she jumped down to the road and ran to grab my hand. The older girl came running up and grabbed hold of her sisters hand and we started walking. Then I hear little footsteps running up behind me and I turn around and I see the youngest running to catch up. She grabbed a hold of my other hand. Together we walked down the road to catch up with the group. The three girls spoke very good English and the demonstrated to Nicole and I what they knew. they counted all the way to 30 and sang a color song, amarillo, yellow, azul, blue, verde, green, etc. They asked me if I had sisters, brothers, mother and father. they said they had a mother and father too :) once we got up high enough we stopped to take a few photos. The view was incredible, you could see all of Huancayo. Torre Torre was beautiful too, much like hoodoos but a darker color like terra cotta. So the group, me and my three little friends in hand carried on up higher. When we stopped again to collect some rocks I asked the their names. Nayeli, 8, Kathy, 5, and Diana, 3, (looked closer to 4 though) I was picking up some pieces of the Andes for my roomie, Mel, who collects rocks and once the girls saw what I was doing they all started to pick up rocks for me, I wanted only three or four but ended up with two handfuls! lol! Sorry Mel, but I had to leave some behind lol. They also picked a few tiny berries off some low laying shrubs and said, fruta, fruta, and ate them. and then shared one with me. I woulda pegged them as poisonous but.. whatever.. lol. Everytime I took a photo of one of the girls they insisted on seeing it. I offered to let them try to take a picture all by themselves. I showed Nayeli how to take the picture and after one shot passed it to her sister, Kathy. And with a little coaching from Nayeli, Kathy took a few shots. Loved it, and didn't want to give the camera back.lol. Her face lit up everytime she pushed the button. And then I showed her each photo she took. On our way back down the mountain I saw many green leafy branches laying about. All three girls started to collect them and drag them along behind them. I asked Jessie what these leaves were used for. She said they are used for medicine, you boil the leaves and breathe it in, and its good for your lungs. I said what is it called, and she said, eucalyptus! I was so excited!! I leaned down to pick up one of the leaves to smell it but then she added that the old dry ones are no good. It the fresh ones the use for medicine. So Lizbeth found a near by tree and picked me a small branch. It smelled wonderful! I don't think I will ever again get a chance to smell fresh eucalyptus! I brought the leaves to one of the team members who has been stuffed up since she got here. She shoved the leaves up her nose. So then I wondered, if the dry ones are no good, then why are they collecting them? I asked and Jessie said they use the old branches for fire wood, since most of the houses outside of town use fire to cook and for warmth. I also asked about sugar cane. No they don't grow it here ( I didn't think so) but in the jungle they did. here they grow corn and harvest the stalks which are sweet, much like sugar cane. Some people eat the inside like sugar cane but mostly is it used in baking and cooking.
Jessie also told us about how they build their houses. Using a mixture of dirt, water, and wheat pieces the build up there walls using a wood frame to shape and let it dry in the sun. There are two ways to make it. One is that way, the other is making bricks the same way but it smaller molds. this way is called Adobe. I can't remember what the other style is called, but I will ask tomorrow.
On the way down the hill I spotted a young boy sitting on the grass with a tipped over wheel barrow. Looking a little closer I saw that the wheel got stuck in a crevice and the poor boy was stuck there. Andrew ran up to help the boy get the wheel barrow out of the crevice and helped him off the hill. The poor little boy looked so sad and we noticed he hurt his finger. Shay cleaned it and bandaged it up for him and he was on his way. His wheel barrow was full of dried eucalyptus branches :)
I said adios to my little friends and we hopped on the bus to go back down into town. We stopped at a park with a church and a red area with a pool. Shay, Laura, Drew and I got to dress up in traditional Peruvian dancing outfits for three soles a person! And we had some fun taking pictures. Went to the pool for a bit and then cabbed it back to Los Balcones. It was a really beautiful day :)
Amber Lee
DWC Participant
Jessie also told us about how they build their houses. Using a mixture of dirt, water, and wheat pieces the build up there walls using a wood frame to shape and let it dry in the sun. There are two ways to make it. One is that way, the other is making bricks the same way but it smaller molds. this way is called Adobe. I can't remember what the other style is called, but I will ask tomorrow.
On the way down the hill I spotted a young boy sitting on the grass with a tipped over wheel barrow. Looking a little closer I saw that the wheel got stuck in a crevice and the poor boy was stuck there. Andrew ran up to help the boy get the wheel barrow out of the crevice and helped him off the hill. The poor little boy looked so sad and we noticed he hurt his finger. Shay cleaned it and bandaged it up for him and he was on his way. His wheel barrow was full of dried eucalyptus branches :)
I said adios to my little friends and we hopped on the bus to go back down into town. We stopped at a park with a church and a red area with a pool. Shay, Laura, Drew and I got to dress up in traditional Peruvian dancing outfits for three soles a person! And we had some fun taking pictures. Went to the pool for a bit and then cabbed it back to Los Balcones. It was a really beautiful day :)
Amber Lee
DWC Participant
Huancayo, Peru: August 2010 - Antojitos
After work we relaxed at the hotel and then met the group in the lobby to go for supper. We were going to go out to a pizzaria with live music. On our way there we stopped on front of the church in Costitution park where we heard loud music and a saw a crowd of people. We wondered over and there dancing in the street lights was Micheal Jackson!! Well, a Peruvian version anyways. He was the most fantastic impersonator anyone had seen. A fabulous dancer, just as good as MJ was himself. He had the outfit and even the facial expressions he had down. We stopped and watched for a bit and took a video, so when I get my hands on it, you all will get a chance to see it.
We walked three blocks to Antojitos and finally and 8 o'clock we managed to sit down for dinner. Inside this place was a really nice atmosphere, pub like with wood floors and beams. Decorated with antiques such as lanterns and pots etc. We ordered a couple pizzas and soon after the band started. Most of the group got Pisco sours, I however am still ify on the raw egg part of it... although it is delicious I think i will hold off for a while... the pizza was some of the best pizza I had ever tasted, others thought so too. Cristian came to meet us a while later (have I mentioned Cristian yet? Cute guy works for Arguedianos as accountant and as our translator/chaperone) as well as Jessie (Yessie) and her sister ?Lizbeth? (I think its actually Elizabeth but is pronounced different in Spanish) Jessie is our real translator, Cristian was our substitute). we all ate pizza and listened to music. after a while the place started to fill up and there was lots of dancing going on. We got up to danced and tried to salsa, lol and had a ton of fun. Two Peruvian men in suits smoking cigarettes asked to dance with Lizbeth and I and I got smoke in face for the longest song ever.... :( Yes, they still smoke in the bars down here. I was tired so I went back to the hotel when we left. The others went to another bar with a group of people we met at Antojitos. Saturday night, there will be more dancing and pisco sours to come...
Amber Lee
DWC Participant
We walked three blocks to Antojitos and finally and 8 o'clock we managed to sit down for dinner. Inside this place was a really nice atmosphere, pub like with wood floors and beams. Decorated with antiques such as lanterns and pots etc. We ordered a couple pizzas and soon after the band started. Most of the group got Pisco sours, I however am still ify on the raw egg part of it... although it is delicious I think i will hold off for a while... the pizza was some of the best pizza I had ever tasted, others thought so too. Cristian came to meet us a while later (have I mentioned Cristian yet? Cute guy works for Arguedianos as accountant and as our translator/chaperone) as well as Jessie (Yessie) and her sister ?Lizbeth? (I think its actually Elizabeth but is pronounced different in Spanish) Jessie is our real translator, Cristian was our substitute). we all ate pizza and listened to music. after a while the place started to fill up and there was lots of dancing going on. We got up to danced and tried to salsa, lol and had a ton of fun. Two Peruvian men in suits smoking cigarettes asked to dance with Lizbeth and I and I got smoke in face for the longest song ever.... :( Yes, they still smoke in the bars down here. I was tired so I went back to the hotel when we left. The others went to another bar with a group of people we met at Antojitos. Saturday night, there will be more dancing and pisco sours to come...
Amber Lee
DWC Participant
Huancayo, Peru: August 2010 - Hugo and the Pisco sours
The next day we went back to the work site and finished laying stones. It was pretty much the same day as the last. Afterwards again, we cleaned up, relaxed, and met up for dinner. this one was especially special :) A few days ago we met a man in the lobby named Hugo. He started chatting with Nicole and we found that he was fluent in English, and from a nearby village but was staying in Huancayo for a few days. Hugo is about 70 years old, well traveled, well educated, and about the friendliest person you'll ever meet. So we invited him for dinner with us to La Lenas. During dinner he bought us a round of Pisco sours. Pisco sour is a famous Peruvian drink. And a must have when visiting Peru. The drink is made using 3 ounce of pisco, which is a white brandy, lime juice, egg whites and bitters (whatever that is) and blended until frothy. Its really delicious and I intend on bringing home some pisco and learning how to make them. P.S. Pisco sour makes you really silly really fast :) We learned a lot about Hugo. He worked as an engineer but is now retired. The village where he lives are full of very intellectual people and half the town has been abandoned because when people finish school they travel and often don't come back. I guess that is what happens when the majority of the people are intellectuals and not many are working class. Hugo was never married, the woman he going to marry was killed in an accident when he was about 25. He claims he was never married because he had no time for marriage, but I think its because he was heartbroken. He has three sisters who lives in Lima. He said the one sister is crazy and he really admires her husband because he puts up with her. She showers many times a day and changes her clothes many times a day too. But apparently is borderline genius. The other sister has a really controlling husband, and the other is boring, she doesn't ever want to leave the house. After dinner we had so much energy from Pisco sours that we decided to roam around and see the city and the markets at night. Hugo came with us to show us where to buy cheap phonecards because on the street sometimes they sell phoney ones. He also showed me where to buy postcards at the post office. And then we checked out a couple stores. He said young people give him so much energy and he felt so good hanging out with us. And that we had good vibes, he said. lol. He was also a big fan of the Beatles in his day :) I like that tidbit.
The next day while standing on the corner of the market with Jeff, Nicole, and Jamie, we ran into Hugo. He was going to get a phone card. So we all walked together. Its so nice to have a friend here and someone you can trust. He is wonderful to take shopping because he knows what is a good price to pay and can translate so well. And he is coming dancing with us Saturday night! Hugo really reminds me of my grampa, he looks like him when he smiles. He leaves for Lima on monday.. we will miss him he goes...
Amber Lee
DWC Participant
The next day while standing on the corner of the market with Jeff, Nicole, and Jamie, we ran into Hugo. He was going to get a phone card. So we all walked together. Its so nice to have a friend here and someone you can trust. He is wonderful to take shopping because he knows what is a good price to pay and can translate so well. And he is coming dancing with us Saturday night! Hugo really reminds me of my grampa, he looks like him when he smiles. He leaves for Lima on monday.. we will miss him he goes...
Amber Lee
DWC Participant
Huancayo, Peru: August 2010 - Working Days.
We started worked early this morning after eating breakfast at the Coqui cafe. We got there and met a man named Augusto. He is assistant to the foreman, Alejandro. And brother in law. He showed us how to mix up cement and lay the stones on the walkway. I can get used to this!! It was really fun and very satisfying. It was similar to weeding a garden for me, very therapeutic and can work on it all day :) The whole group ended up working on the walkway, Shay put some music on and away we went. On the property there is a little house lived in by a small family. They look after the place when no one is there. the woman is Lizette and her little girl is Kimberly. Not sure of the husbands name, we have not met him. But Lizette and Kimberly are there every day. There is a tap that comes out of a pipe in the ground and everyday Lizette and Kimberly come out to wash the dishes in a little wash basin. Afterwards she washes up the clothes. She sits on a little paint can and Kimberly plays nearby and gets into trouble. She is 15 months old. The place where I go and cool off is in the stairwell of the school, and is right next to where Lizette does her washing. Kimberly warmed up to Karin and I in no time. We love to take breaks from working to play with her. Sometime in the late morning Lizette has a visitor come by with a little boy named Isaac. They sit together all day while the kids play together. Isaac is about 2 1/2 I think. Karin and I played ball with the both of them. Isaac is sure a good little soccer player! He can kick that ball better then I can! Little Kimberly is still to little to kick so mom helps her. But she rolls the ball really good :)
At noon, Nancy brings us lunch and we eat in the admin building. She brings fresh buns, chicken, tomato, lettuce, avocado, rice, tea and inca cola. It is a little bit different everyday but mostly its that. We eat and relax out of the sun. about mid day the sun gets very hot. I don't think it feels any more hot then home but the truth is, if I were outside at home working all day in the direct sunlight it would be just as unbearable. I know that the sun is much stronger here so I did make sure to wear sunscreen. But at home, it seems I can be outside for a few days in a row without sunscreen and not even tan. Most people likely burn in one day out in the sun. So I thought if I wore sunscreen, by the end of three weeks I might have a nice tan. But it only took half a day to get a good tan, and a burn on the back of my neck and shoulders. Even with sunscreen on. So by day two I wore long sleeves and a hood.
We only work until 2 because the sun is so hot. So after work we have free time to roam around, shop, eat, sleep, do whatever we want. We meet at 6 or 7 for supper. The whole group decided to check out the artisan market that Karin and I stumbled upon the first day. Karin and I decided to go down some of the streets to explore a little further. There a lot of street vendors, some with food or candy or, whatever really. We walked by a little place and could smell something really delicious so i thought I would investigate. Right there in the doorway of this little shop was a stove top of some sort with a pan cooking up something wrapped in corn husks. They smelled so good!! I didn't know what they were but I knew they cost only one soles (less the 50 cents) cant hurt to try it for one soles. This sweet little old lady came out to wrap one on up for me. Once I walked away I opened it up and saw that is was the most delicious warm fresh piece of cornbread. I walked back to ask her what it was called and that it was "muy bien". She called it Humitas. which seems to be a version of the tamale.
That evening we went to eat in a place called Donatellos. Pizza and Pasta. I ate a veg pizza and it was delicious. I have to say, we a very well fed here. And are very very lucky. When going into a third world country you never know what you may get. But here we have a clean hotel room, great food and friendly people. I had a little bit of wine with supper.. and it didn't mix well with the altitude...
Amber Lee
DWC Participant
At noon, Nancy brings us lunch and we eat in the admin building. She brings fresh buns, chicken, tomato, lettuce, avocado, rice, tea and inca cola. It is a little bit different everyday but mostly its that. We eat and relax out of the sun. about mid day the sun gets very hot. I don't think it feels any more hot then home but the truth is, if I were outside at home working all day in the direct sunlight it would be just as unbearable. I know that the sun is much stronger here so I did make sure to wear sunscreen. But at home, it seems I can be outside for a few days in a row without sunscreen and not even tan. Most people likely burn in one day out in the sun. So I thought if I wore sunscreen, by the end of three weeks I might have a nice tan. But it only took half a day to get a good tan, and a burn on the back of my neck and shoulders. Even with sunscreen on. So by day two I wore long sleeves and a hood.
We only work until 2 because the sun is so hot. So after work we have free time to roam around, shop, eat, sleep, do whatever we want. We meet at 6 or 7 for supper. The whole group decided to check out the artisan market that Karin and I stumbled upon the first day. Karin and I decided to go down some of the streets to explore a little further. There a lot of street vendors, some with food or candy or, whatever really. We walked by a little place and could smell something really delicious so i thought I would investigate. Right there in the doorway of this little shop was a stove top of some sort with a pan cooking up something wrapped in corn husks. They smelled so good!! I didn't know what they were but I knew they cost only one soles (less the 50 cents) cant hurt to try it for one soles. This sweet little old lady came out to wrap one on up for me. Once I walked away I opened it up and saw that is was the most delicious warm fresh piece of cornbread. I walked back to ask her what it was called and that it was "muy bien". She called it Humitas. which seems to be a version of the tamale.
That evening we went to eat in a place called Donatellos. Pizza and Pasta. I ate a veg pizza and it was delicious. I have to say, we a very well fed here. And are very very lucky. When going into a third world country you never know what you may get. But here we have a clean hotel room, great food and friendly people. I had a little bit of wine with supper.. and it didn't mix well with the altitude...
Amber Lee
DWC Participant
Huancayo, Peru: August 2010 - The Project
On our first day in Huancayo, we took two taxis to go see the jobsite. we weren't able to work yet because we all needed a day to aclimatize. So we rode through city center and out into the outskirts where the road turned to dirt and rocks, and fewer and fewer buildings. The Jobsite is in a farming community, where the houses are few and each have a plot of land, and is not very developed. Pigs, sheep, cows, goats, roosters, chickens, and plenty of stray dogs. All of the properties are gated and locked. High dirt walls with rocks along the top and broken glass bottles on top of that. (to keep people from jumping over) Inside there are three buildings, one is the school, one is the administration building, and the other is the home of the woman who watches after the place. The school is beautiful. Unfinished it stands, painted blue with windows and steel doors. Two levels and 6 class rooms. Let me tell you a bit about the project and host partner...
The "JM Arguedianos" training center is an institution that has been dedicated since 1984, working for the children's rights of Junin and Hauncavelica. During some years ago the government institutionalized two programs for trying to protect childres, one of these programs is DEMUNAS (local place to defend children's rights)and the other one is MUNICIPIOS ESCOLARES (municiple leaders who try to defend children's rights inside the school). The first of this program is applied in districts and provinces of Junin and the second one is applied in all the elementry and high schools, both are being converted in public politics of Peru.
Project:
The project, "productive school for working children and teenagers" intends to address the problem of the high precentage (40%) of children and teenagers that are excluded from the educational systems due to economic and cultural factors, and gender discrimination.
Data presented by the ministry of education indicates that of the entire student population from ages 0-16 in our country, 34% live in big cities like Huancayo. Of these, 60% are the migrants from the rural communities surrounding Huancayo and other regions. These students arrived in thes area as a product of the political chaos, with their parents being unable to find work. this in turn has forced all the family members to work as street sellers (newspaper, candy, market sellers, house cleaning workers etc.).
Many on the working children and working teenagers do not finish their studies due to the following reasons: Educational institutions with flexible class schedules do not exist in the city of Huancayo. the majority of these working kids/teenagers work during the morning through to early aftrnoon, making it impossible for them to arrive in time for classes. As well, the subjects taught at school are unrelated to thier "jobs" causing students to lose intrest in, and drop the their classes. The cost of their education is so high that neither the parents nor the children can afford it.
The project intends to cover the majority of working children population for which we have arranged for the school to be flexible regarding class schedules. The students may come to class when they have finished their work activities and in some cases, classes will be held on saturday and sunday to accommodate to the students needs. The curriculum will not be based on the official studies program only, but also on courses to reinforce working activities. these course will be focused on topics which the students do not feel strong at. We do not want to change their work activities because they already have been working at them for a long time and have developed the necessary skills to preform these jobs; what the school will provide is the training that allows students to preform their jobs more efficiently and with the opportunity for increased income. The overall aim is to promote the needs of working children/teenagers of Huancayo for access to basic productive education. This would allow the rights to equality, identity and education without exclusion.
I am so pleased to be a part of this project. Due to a lack of funds and support the school has been an ongoing project for the last three years. The students are still unable to use the school. It was an extremely overwhelming feeling walking onto the property, its sort of hard to describe... I understand and can feel the passion that has gone into building this school for the working children of Huancayo, and its hard to accept the fact that we will not see the completion of it before we leave. And will not know for how much longer the project will go on for before it is finished. Tomorrow, we will go back and start work on the school.
Amber Lee
DWC Participant
The "JM Arguedianos" training center is an institution that has been dedicated since 1984, working for the children's rights of Junin and Hauncavelica. During some years ago the government institutionalized two programs for trying to protect childres, one of these programs is DEMUNAS (local place to defend children's rights)and the other one is MUNICIPIOS ESCOLARES (municiple leaders who try to defend children's rights inside the school). The first of this program is applied in districts and provinces of Junin and the second one is applied in all the elementry and high schools, both are being converted in public politics of Peru.
Project:
The project, "productive school for working children and teenagers" intends to address the problem of the high precentage (40%) of children and teenagers that are excluded from the educational systems due to economic and cultural factors, and gender discrimination.
Data presented by the ministry of education indicates that of the entire student population from ages 0-16 in our country, 34% live in big cities like Huancayo. Of these, 60% are the migrants from the rural communities surrounding Huancayo and other regions. These students arrived in thes area as a product of the political chaos, with their parents being unable to find work. this in turn has forced all the family members to work as street sellers (newspaper, candy, market sellers, house cleaning workers etc.).
Many on the working children and working teenagers do not finish their studies due to the following reasons: Educational institutions with flexible class schedules do not exist in the city of Huancayo. the majority of these working kids/teenagers work during the morning through to early aftrnoon, making it impossible for them to arrive in time for classes. As well, the subjects taught at school are unrelated to thier "jobs" causing students to lose intrest in, and drop the their classes. The cost of their education is so high that neither the parents nor the children can afford it.
The project intends to cover the majority of working children population for which we have arranged for the school to be flexible regarding class schedules. The students may come to class when they have finished their work activities and in some cases, classes will be held on saturday and sunday to accommodate to the students needs. The curriculum will not be based on the official studies program only, but also on courses to reinforce working activities. these course will be focused on topics which the students do not feel strong at. We do not want to change their work activities because they already have been working at them for a long time and have developed the necessary skills to preform these jobs; what the school will provide is the training that allows students to preform their jobs more efficiently and with the opportunity for increased income. The overall aim is to promote the needs of working children/teenagers of Huancayo for access to basic productive education. This would allow the rights to equality, identity and education without exclusion.
I am so pleased to be a part of this project. Due to a lack of funds and support the school has been an ongoing project for the last three years. The students are still unable to use the school. It was an extremely overwhelming feeling walking onto the property, its sort of hard to describe... I understand and can feel the passion that has gone into building this school for the working children of Huancayo, and its hard to accept the fact that we will not see the completion of it before we leave. And will not know for how much longer the project will go on for before it is finished. Tomorrow, we will go back and start work on the school.
Amber Lee
DWC Participant
Huancayo, Peru: August 2010 - Arriving
I arrived at 11:50pm on sunday and was picked up by a man named Ronas and a driver. Ronas is the manager of the Casa Rodas hostel which I stayed at. He often helps out the Developing World Connections groups when they come to Peru. Very kind and charming... The Hostel was nice, very cold inside though!! its all tile floor and the windows are just glass on hinges, no frame, no screen. its kinda cool. In the morning i ate breakfast and took a cab to the bus station to meet the group. The buses were very nice big buses. which was very necessary because we had a 7 hour drive ahead of us... we winded up mountain roads and saw all sorts of villages... dwellings at the side of the road, women washing clothes in tubs outside, children playing, dogs, lots of dogs, stray and scavenging. Chickens, sheep, donkeys, pigs, cows, goats. Not a single llama!! Yet...
We all started to feel the altitude on the climb up the mountain. My face started to feel like I had a bad sunburn. I had not yet been in the sun at all. It was interesting. I started to have difficulty breathing but was overall okay.
We arrived in Huancayo at about 8pm and we met by the Arguedianos host partners, Violetta and Alejandro. Piled our luggage in the truck and walked to the Hotel. Checked in. Sleeeeep.
The altitude is funny. We are all huffing and puffing just to crawl into bed at night! heart racing, the whole works. Some have headaches and we all seem to be experiencing cold like symptoms, stuffy runny nose and sore throat. But coca tea is the key. And thankfully it is very available. In our hotle lobby for example, always hot coca tea ready to be drank. It is so helpful, tasty and addicting... go figure, haha. Not only is it good for altitude sickness but it is good for digestion.
Day 2: Huancayo
Today we slept in, went for breakfast at the Coqui Cafe next door to the hotel. Fresh made waffel and fresh juiced papaya! yum! Afterwards we were met by two lovely ladies, Fabiola, and Nancy who are part of the host partner group, Arguedianos. They took us in a cab around the city center and to the jobsite. I will talk more about the jobsite tomorrow. We went to a hat park... yes, a hat park.. Their were giant hats (used as umbrellas over the benches) in a beautiful park square with bidges and fountains. It was very unique... :) Afterward we walked around a mall, which, Im not going to lie, was really boring. I didn't come here to shop in a mall with fashions and prices the same as what I can find in Red Deer. Even though I get easily suckered in 'cause I do enjoy shopping... but I have to remind myself what things exactly I wanted to buy while in Peru... and it wasn't that. But it was helpful to learn were the supermarket was. And was, I admit, a good way to get used to the city.
Before dinner, we had some time to kill so Karin and I decided to take a little walk around city center. Got some great photos of the children chasing pigeons in the park as well as some beautiful photos of a colonial church. (will post later) We stumbled across a little artisan marketplace with beautiful andean crafts. Including of course, woven textiles and knitted sweaters. I bought my first ever alpaca sweater :) for 32 soles. Which is roughly about 15 buck cnd! Heck ya!
On the way back to the hotel I was taking some photos of the sunset light against the church and a woman with a child stopped me and asked, foto? pointing to the child. I thought she may have been giving me a photo op for of course a small fee. (tourists tend to get that) Of course I said ok sure.. But then she handed me the baby!! and explained again, no, we want a photo of the baby with you!! For no money of course, and we both felt bad for thinking so.. So i got to hold this sweet wide eyed pudgy cheeked little peruvian baby :) Filled my heart with joy!!
We finished the day off With a good meal at a fine Restaurante! Tomorrow morning, off to the jobsite!
Amber Lee
DWC Participant
We all started to feel the altitude on the climb up the mountain. My face started to feel like I had a bad sunburn. I had not yet been in the sun at all. It was interesting. I started to have difficulty breathing but was overall okay.
We arrived in Huancayo at about 8pm and we met by the Arguedianos host partners, Violetta and Alejandro. Piled our luggage in the truck and walked to the Hotel. Checked in. Sleeeeep.
The altitude is funny. We are all huffing and puffing just to crawl into bed at night! heart racing, the whole works. Some have headaches and we all seem to be experiencing cold like symptoms, stuffy runny nose and sore throat. But coca tea is the key. And thankfully it is very available. In our hotle lobby for example, always hot coca tea ready to be drank. It is so helpful, tasty and addicting... go figure, haha. Not only is it good for altitude sickness but it is good for digestion.
Day 2: Huancayo
Today we slept in, went for breakfast at the Coqui Cafe next door to the hotel. Fresh made waffel and fresh juiced papaya! yum! Afterwards we were met by two lovely ladies, Fabiola, and Nancy who are part of the host partner group, Arguedianos. They took us in a cab around the city center and to the jobsite. I will talk more about the jobsite tomorrow. We went to a hat park... yes, a hat park.. Their were giant hats (used as umbrellas over the benches) in a beautiful park square with bidges and fountains. It was very unique... :) Afterward we walked around a mall, which, Im not going to lie, was really boring. I didn't come here to shop in a mall with fashions and prices the same as what I can find in Red Deer. Even though I get easily suckered in 'cause I do enjoy shopping... but I have to remind myself what things exactly I wanted to buy while in Peru... and it wasn't that. But it was helpful to learn were the supermarket was. And was, I admit, a good way to get used to the city.
Before dinner, we had some time to kill so Karin and I decided to take a little walk around city center. Got some great photos of the children chasing pigeons in the park as well as some beautiful photos of a colonial church. (will post later) We stumbled across a little artisan marketplace with beautiful andean crafts. Including of course, woven textiles and knitted sweaters. I bought my first ever alpaca sweater :) for 32 soles. Which is roughly about 15 buck cnd! Heck ya!
On the way back to the hotel I was taking some photos of the sunset light against the church and a woman with a child stopped me and asked, foto? pointing to the child. I thought she may have been giving me a photo op for of course a small fee. (tourists tend to get that) Of course I said ok sure.. But then she handed me the baby!! and explained again, no, we want a photo of the baby with you!! For no money of course, and we both felt bad for thinking so.. So i got to hold this sweet wide eyed pudgy cheeked little peruvian baby :) Filled my heart with joy!!
We finished the day off With a good meal at a fine Restaurante! Tomorrow morning, off to the jobsite!
Amber Lee
DWC Participant
Huancayo, Peru: August 2010
I have arrived in Peru now, and am happy to be settling in Huancayo. The trip was good, we met up with three others from our group in Vancouver. Stayed the night at a hotel in Lima, then took a bus from there to here. The bus ride was 7 hours and was up, up, and up the whole way. We are now higher than the peak of Whistler, I have definitely never been this high up. It is hard to get used to the altitude, very tired and short of breath but the coca tea helps a lot. The rest of our group has been here for a week so they gave up all the tips and heads up on how we would feel.
There are pretty much no other tourists here so we definitely stand out. The host company we are working with toured us around today and took us to the work site. It's a cool project for sure, the first school of its kind being built here. More to come!
Jessica Saavedra
DWC Participant
There are pretty much no other tourists here so we definitely stand out. The host company we are working with toured us around today and took us to the work site. It's a cool project for sure, the first school of its kind being built here. More to come!
Jessica Saavedra
DWC Participant
Tuesday, May 25, 2010
Huancayo, Peru: Excursion into the Rainforest
Fortunately everyone seemed to recuperate quickly from the flu. We were all back to work on Monday where we continued with the garden. We have spent a lot of time shoveling and wheel-barrowing dirt, in order to level the land. The boys have been helping Mr, Alejandro mix and pour cement. We are all happy to see the garden starting to take shape (and look like the blue prints). In fact, it seems like we are over half way now.
We are looking forward to putting our mosaic pictures into the walkway of the garden. Everyone is going to work in pairs and will be making their own design. The time has been flying by already, most of us are pretty exhausted at the end of the workday. We like to come home and catch up on some reading, also card games are quite popular at our house particularly rummy. We booked a rainforest excursion on the weekend and 8 of us went. It was an amazing experience.
The day began bright and early at 6am where we hopped onto a bus and headed out of Huancayo. Along the way our tour guide filled us in on the different histories of different towns we passed through. We stopped to see viewpoints, churches, and waterfalls, until finally we got to the main attraction. We got out of the van and started a half an hour hike to the waterfall we came to see. It seemed like we would never get there until finally we could hear the rush of the water, we turned that last corner and there it was! We quickly got into our swimgear and heading out into the water. The closer we got the windier it got which caused the spray to pelt against our skin. The current was moving quickly as well so by the time we all made it to the bottom of the falls we were laughing pretty hard. At first the water felt freezing but soon we became used to it. We stayed about twenty minutes screaming, laughing, and snapping pictures. We then began the hike back down to the van.
We moved slower on the way down in order to take in the beautiful lush rainforest. Once we got back to the van we came across a man who had numerous snakes available to be held (and photographed). A few of us summoned up the courage to hold the grey boa, of course we took a picture for proof. We then headed to a restaurant for lunch where we were fortunate enough to sample some traditional jungle food such as wild boar, deer, and various fish.
Next we went to a native community where we got dressed up in traditional clothing right down to have our faces painted. We danced around a bonfire with the members of the community and did a little shopping as well. Our final stop was at a coffee factory where we could sample some jams and coffee liqueurs, again we did more shopping.
Finally we got onto the bus to start the long drive back home. We rolled into Huancayo at about midnight and barely made it to our beds before crashing for the night. Today was a leisurely day spent shopping at the Sunday market we have come to love and lounging in the sun. Our group is eager to start this next week of work as we are all really hoping to complete the garden.
Finally we got onto the bus to start the long drive back home. We rolled into Huancayo at about midnight and barely made it to our beds before crashing for the night. Today was a leisurely day spent shopping at the Sunday market we have come to love and lounging in the sun. Our group is eager to start this next week of work as we are all really hoping to complete the garden.
Lauren Hoffman
DWC Student Team Leader
Huancayo, Peru May 2010
Huancayo, Peru:
Tuesday we awoke eager to begin our first day of work. We found out that we would be doing a garden for the school. This involves clearing a field of weeds, long grass, and rocks. This task alone took us all of Tuesday and Wednesday.
While we were busy clearing the land we quickly became acquainted with a few critters. Marlie seems to be a magnet for the big, beefy spiders. We soon found this work to be very exhausting; especially, since contrary to what many of us thought the weather has been very sunny and hot. We have been struggling to adapt to the heat and the physical work. After work on Wednesday our translator and life saver Yessi took us on a tour of the city. We stopped to see all of the parks. This was not only interesting but also gave us a feel for the city and helps us to navigate our way around the city.
Finally we went to see the Torre Torre sandstone formations-a highlight for all of us. The driver could only take us so far and then it was up to us to hike the rest. With a few breaks and perseverance we finally made it to the top. It was a breath-taking experience literally. We all agree that it is an activity we hope to repeat before it is time for us to leave Huancayo.
On Thursday we began leveling the ground, more very labour intensive work. I think all of us girls are fortunate to have our three hardworking guys Mike, Will, and Jake here to help lighten our load a bit. Thursday a few of us started to feel ill and it has quickly gone through most of our group. Luckily for us we arrived at work this morning to find out that we had to wait for cement and there was no work for us today. Instead we were in for a real treat.
We went to Yessi´s house to pick up a basketball and a soccer ball and with that we were off to the park. We began to toss the basketball around and soon enough we had a few children circling us to watch. At first they were quite shy but once one little boy got in on the game it seemed like the children kept multiplying in numbers. Until we all had a little group to play with. We spent most of the morning at the park playing games with the kids, taking pictures, and just enjoying one another´s company. We were having so much fun that before we knew it we were due back at the worksite for lunch.
After lunch the women that stay at the house on our worksite asked us to play volleyball with them. Of course we were happy to do so, we didn´t realize what a workout it would be. These two moms were able to play volleyball and watch their kids, and we still tired out before they did. Tonight everyone is taking it easy as no one is feeling a hundred percent. We are hoping that the weekend will do us good and we will be ready for action Monday morning. Unfortunately this flu caught us at a bad time as it is Sarah´s 21st birthday today. We have decided to postpone a night of fun until a later time when we can all enjoy it.
Lauren Hoffman
DWC Student Team Leader
Huancayo, Peru May 2010
While we were busy clearing the land we quickly became acquainted with a few critters. Marlie seems to be a magnet for the big, beefy spiders. We soon found this work to be very exhausting; especially, since contrary to what many of us thought the weather has been very sunny and hot. We have been struggling to adapt to the heat and the physical work. After work on Wednesday our translator and life saver Yessi took us on a tour of the city. We stopped to see all of the parks. This was not only interesting but also gave us a feel for the city and helps us to navigate our way around the city.
Finally we went to see the Torre Torre sandstone formations-a highlight for all of us. The driver could only take us so far and then it was up to us to hike the rest. With a few breaks and perseverance we finally made it to the top. It was a breath-taking experience literally. We all agree that it is an activity we hope to repeat before it is time for us to leave Huancayo.
On Thursday we began leveling the ground, more very labour intensive work. I think all of us girls are fortunate to have our three hardworking guys Mike, Will, and Jake here to help lighten our load a bit. Thursday a few of us started to feel ill and it has quickly gone through most of our group. Luckily for us we arrived at work this morning to find out that we had to wait for cement and there was no work for us today. Instead we were in for a real treat.
We went to Yessi´s house to pick up a basketball and a soccer ball and with that we were off to the park. We began to toss the basketball around and soon enough we had a few children circling us to watch. At first they were quite shy but once one little boy got in on the game it seemed like the children kept multiplying in numbers. Until we all had a little group to play with. We spent most of the morning at the park playing games with the kids, taking pictures, and just enjoying one another´s company. We were having so much fun that before we knew it we were due back at the worksite for lunch.
After lunch the women that stay at the house on our worksite asked us to play volleyball with them. Of course we were happy to do so, we didn´t realize what a workout it would be. These two moms were able to play volleyball and watch their kids, and we still tired out before they did. Tonight everyone is taking it easy as no one is feeling a hundred percent. We are hoping that the weekend will do us good and we will be ready for action Monday morning. Unfortunately this flu caught us at a bad time as it is Sarah´s 21st birthday today. We have decided to postpone a night of fun until a later time when we can all enjoy it.
Lauren Hoffman
DWC Student Team Leader
Huancayo, Peru May 2010
Tuesday, May 11, 2010
Huancayo, Peru: The first days of the project.
We arrived very early Saturday morning in Lima. We then got picked up and were off to our home for the night - the Flying Dog. Since most of us had been up for nearly 24 hours we spent the day napping and relaxing. We met up with out three participants that had spent the previous week in Cuzco. We all enjoyed a nice dinner together and got to know one another.
So far everyone is doing well and is very excited to be here. The following day we got up and packed up to head to the bus station. Where we then got on a very long bus ride to Huancayo. We only travelled a short 200km but it took a little over 8 hours. It was a very twisty turn-y ride, some people felt motion/altitude sickness. But it didn´t last once we arrived. We got to our house, set up beds, and got ourselves organized.
Today we spent the day getting to know our way around Huancayo. We went for a big grocery shop to stock our house. Tomorrow is our first day of work and we could not be more thrilled to start our project.
So far everyone is doing well and is very excited to be here. The following day we got up and packed up to head to the bus station. Where we then got on a very long bus ride to Huancayo. We only travelled a short 200km but it took a little over 8 hours. It was a very twisty turn-y ride, some people felt motion/altitude sickness. But it didn´t last once we arrived. We got to our house, set up beds, and got ourselves organized.
Today we spent the day getting to know our way around Huancayo. We went for a big grocery shop to stock our house. Tomorrow is our first day of work and we could not be more thrilled to start our project.
Lauren Hoffman
DWC Student Team Leader
Huancayo, Peru 2010
Monday, May 10, 2010
Lima, Peru: May 7th, 2010.
Today we were invited to the Mother's Day celebration at the school, which started off with a speech by the principal about how important family was and how very thankful they were to have us. There was a problem with the contractor and the classrooms were not going to be painted in time for school to start on Monday, so we took on that job as well as working on the bathrooms. Everyone was incredibly grateful to us which they let us know by accepting us full out into their community celebration.
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All the children and mothers gathered in the community hall, and after the speeches each grade took a turn doing a dance they had learned starting with the three year olds. It was incredibly adorable and everyone had their cameras out clicking away. After each grade had finished their dances we were called up to the front and had a toast with all the mothers which we were then paired up with by the principal. The music started playing and everyone started dancing to the spicy Peruvian tunes, it was like nothing I had ever seen before. The next song brought the children to the dance floor and everyone was holding hands, smiling, laughing and having a great time. I think they may have been laughing at the crazy moves we brought to the dance floor, but it was awesome none the less.
After we finished dancing everyone was served this delicious meal, and when it was done we took pictures with everybody, I actually felt like kind of a celebrity. The celebrations ended with tons of hugs, kisses and thank you's, and I left with this overwhelming feeling that I am still trying to figure out because it was like nothing I had ever felt before.
After we finished dancing everyone was served this delicious meal, and when it was done we took pictures with everybody, I actually felt like kind of a celebrity. The celebrations ended with tons of hugs, kisses and thank you's, and I left with this overwhelming feeling that I am still trying to figure out because it was like nothing I had ever felt before.
Heather Ling
DWC Participant,
Student Experience - Lima, Peru, 2010.
Thursday, May 6, 2010
Lima, Peru: The most beautiful part of Peru.
When I told people I was going on a trip to Peru, some gasped and said, “Wow Peru! How beautiful! Full of palm trees and beautiful ocean.” As Peru does boast beautiful beaches and hot weather, what I saw today is definitely not tourist material.
We drove about an hour out of Miraflores, where we are staying, to an area without streets or grass or ocean or trees. It was breathtaking. Mountains of dirt and dust upon which thousands of people construct their houses, their livelihood, and live with their families. We drove up to a one storey brick building under construction. The blackboard hanging on the wall suggested it was a place of learning, and it was. We had arrived at our worksite.
The principal and mothers of the area showed us around and the impact that these people had on the lives of their students was immediately evident. We went into a classroom to see what it looked like while the school day was in session and 30 little ninos chimed “Buenos dias!” altogether with smiles across their faces. It was a beautiful sound!
What a wonderful place to be. During the day we worked around the school painting an office for the principal, cleaning and organizing a workshop room, chipping away concrete on the bathroom floors (the beginning of the waste disposal system), and any other odd jobs they presented. What a difference a day makes! The school is looking great after only 8 hours of labour and I am excited to see what it looks like after a month. I think this will be the most beautiful part of Peru I see.
Jennifer
DWC Student Participant
Lima, Peru 2010
Wednesday, May 5, 2010
Lima, Peru: Arrival in Peru!
After meeting a few participants along the way, we arrived in the Lima airport at midnight to our wonderful host Ronal and the humid air of Peru. The airport was a busy place, with taxi drivers calling at us from every direction. We hauled overtired selves and our large amounts of baggage and wound our way Lima for about 30 minutes until we reached our hotel in Miraflores. It was surprising that although late at night, the city wasn't really that dark.
We got up for our first breakfast around 10am, and part of the group went to explore the area, while a few of us went to the IFEJANT office to sort out our work plans. We will be working about an hour away from our hotel, building washrooms for a school of about 120 working children. At first we were quite startled to learn that the school literally teaches the children to work, but after much contemplating and hearing how the school also emphasizes what we would consider to be 'typical' education of math, writing and sciences, we realized that these children have to work, and the school is teaching them better practices to be more profitable and create better opportunities for them later in life. We will be continuing the building process the Kamloops High School Student group recently started, and hopefully finishing the washrooms during our four weeks here, although we know building doesn't always go to plan.
With the exception of one participant fluent in Spanish, the rest of us are scrambling to pick up as much as possible, as quickly as possible.
Adios!
Erica
DWC Team Leader
Monday, April 26, 2010
April 24, 2010: Heading Home.
Day 14 was our last day together as a team and our return trip to Lima. After our downhill bus ride, we settled back into the hotel and enjoyed a farewell dinner as well as celebrating another birthday! Violeta was able to join us for the dinner making it truly special. Collectively we all feel really good about this trip - we made some excellent new friends - both from Canada and here in Peru - and we contributed to a school project (opening soon!) that will make a tangible difference in the lives of Peruvian children!
Adios amigos!!
Developing World Connections Volunteer Team
Huancayo, Peru
April 2010
April 23, 2010: The Last Work Day in Huancayo.
Day 13 was our last work day and we were all determined to finish as much work as we could! More bricklaying, filling forms, cleanup, and cutting rebar (500 pieces) rounded out our day! Ultimately, we were able to complete most of the structural work for the second level! The trench is also ready to go and we’ve prepped rebar for the next round of construction.
Hablamos luego …
Pam
Developing World Connections Participant
We also took a string of photos with our host partners and said goodbye. It is amazing how quickly our two weeks passed but we’re all really proud of what we accomplished and are looking forward to seeing the next steps! We also feel really lucky to have worked with such amazing people here in Peru. From our construction teachers to our host partner translators to waitresses we met at local restaurants, we have been treated royally and built lasting friendships. This truly was a memorable and fantastic experience.
Hablamos luego …
Pam
Developing World Connections Participant
Thursday April 22, 2010
Day 12 was another mixed day. Half of us went to the worksite and the other half visited a second local school. Work today was bricklaying and continuing to build and fill forms for the cement pillars that will be the second floor supports. We’re getting pretty expert at filling forms and our chain gang reached new levels of efficiency! We also had just enough water for the day … a waterline break meant the entire neighbourhood had no water for the afternoon. Good timing!
Hamblamos luego…
Pam
Developing World Connections Participant
The school visit was another really touching experience. The kids greeted us with hugs and lots of energy! They loved the wooden toys and pencils that we brought as a gift and sang songs, showed us their school garden, and asked another string of questions! They knew where Canada was on a map and were eager to play soccer and volleyball with us. They also wanted to send us home with corn from their garden. It was a truly enjoyable experience
and we received some of the most amazing smiles of the trip! Hamblamos luego…
Pam
Developing World Connections Participant
Thursday, April 22, 2010
April, 2010: The final project days.
Wednesday April 21, 2010
Day 11 was ultimately a productive day, but we had a few setbacks. Setback one was a late pickup at the hotel so we got to the worksite quite late. Setback two was more trenching - we discovered that we needed to go a little deeper so the trenching crew was back in action. This involved kneeling in the trench to dig a few inches deeper. However, this few inches was through straight rock! Using only a chisel and arm power, mission accomplished by
the end of the day!
Setback three was a collapsed form midway through pouring the concrete …and we learned “it is not what happens but how you react that is important”. After some minor expletives and panicked staring, we moved to a quick solution and within 20 minutes were pouring more concrete!
The rest of the day was bricklaying - there are always more bricks to lay - and a visit to a local weaving shop after work. The weaving shop was amazing - hand made blankets, bags, coats, and everything else imaginable! The wool is alpaca and hand produced using natural plants and animals for dyes. We received a tour through the weaving process and a number of us walked away with some excellent finds. A neat end to an ultimately good day!
Thursday April 22, 2010
Day 12 was another mixed day. Half of us went to the worksite and the other half visited a local school.
Hamblamos luego…
Pam
Developing World Connections Participant
Day 11 was ultimately a productive day, but we had a few setbacks. Setback one was a late pickup at the hotel so we got to the worksite quite late. Setback two was more trenching - we discovered that we needed to go a little deeper so the trenching crew was back in action. This involved kneeling in the trench to dig a few inches deeper. However, this few inches was through straight rock! Using only a chisel and arm power, mission accomplished by
the end of the day!
Setback three was a collapsed form midway through pouring the concrete …and we learned “it is not what happens but how you react that is important”. After some minor expletives and panicked staring, we moved to a quick solution and within 20 minutes were pouring more concrete!
The rest of the day was bricklaying - there are always more bricks to lay - and a visit to a local weaving shop after work. The weaving shop was amazing - hand made blankets, bags, coats, and everything else imaginable! The wool is alpaca and hand produced using natural plants and animals for dyes. We received a tour through the weaving process and a number of us walked away with some excellent finds. A neat end to an ultimately good day!
Thursday April 22, 2010
Day 12 was another mixed day. Half of us went to the worksite and the other half visited a local school.
Hamblamos luego…
Pam
Developing World Connections Participant
Tuesday April 20, 2010: Day 10
Day 10 was finishing off the last bit of the trench, laying more brick, and starting to pour the concrete columns. Bricklaying involved scaffolding today as we finally reached the height where it is required! Scaffolding also meant handing everything up a level so the passing began - bricks, cement mix, water, shovels, trowels, etc.
We all continue to be amazed and intrigued at how we are using no power tools in construction, but every job is accomplished with simple efficiency. Alejandro and Abel are masters of making walls straight using only string and a weight. We mix concrete using a volcano formation to pour in the water. Making sure walls are level means using a tube filled with water. It is truly remarkable and we all feel privileged to witness our Peruvian teachers in action!
As for the concrete columns, we first built wooden frames and filled in the cracks as best we could using the empty cement bags. The columns are the structural support and the result of all of our rebar tying and prep. Alejandro and Abel led us through making sure the frames were straight and once they were level we formed a chain gang to get the concrete up into the columns. We all wore a little concrete by the end of the day, but three columns are poured!
Hamblamos luego…
Pam
Developing World Connections Participant
Tuesday, April 20, 2010
April 19, 2010: Trenching
Day 9 was all about trenching. We also continued to lay brick, mostly completing the bathroom on the second level and all four walls to mid-level (scaffolding comes next), however, the trenchers carried the day! They unearthed some very massive stones using grade 8 math, fulcrums, levers, and sheer brute strength. By the end of the day the trenchers reached the 40 centimeter depth that is required and the very important sewer line can be completed!
A few team members were down sick with stomach aches, but this didn’t stop them from contributing and continuing to help out. It was also one of our team members birthday today so we had an excellent dinner complete with cake for the birthday girl.
Hamblamos luego…
Pam & David
A few team members were down sick with stomach aches, but this didn’t stop them from contributing and continuing to help out. It was also one of our team members birthday today so we had an excellent dinner complete with cake for the birthday girl.
Hamblamos luego…
Pam & David
April 17-18, 2010: The week-end.
Days 7 and 8 were the weekend and we made good use of our downtime! Highlights were a tour around Huancayo, Chupaca, Rio Mantaro Valley, and the surrounding countryside as well as dinner with Violeta and her brother, Jimmy.
The tour included Identity Park (featuring Peru cultural symbols), an animal market (pigs, sheep, horses, cows, chickens - alive and dead - for sale), farmland, a mountain climb, pre-Inca ruins (where we saw ancient grain and agricultural storage), a boat ride around a local lake, churches, and the ancient Wariwilka temple and springs. We were joined by Nancy, her daughter, and Cynthia, two of our local host organization partners, who helped make the day truly memorable. Other memories … excellent driving by our tour driver (and a few close calls!), a wedding extravaganza, the good humour of our tour guide and his immense knowledge of history, and beautiful views of Huancayo from a distance and the Valley.
Dinner with Violeta and her brother was a fantastic traditional beef dish with corn bread and unbelievable sauces for Peruvian potatoes. We went to the local market in the morning (quite the experience) to pick up supplies and then helped with the cooking. It was a fun evening and Violeta and her brother gave all of us Peruvian pins to take home as a keepsake. We are all well fed and rested and ready to head back to work tomorrow!
The tour included Identity Park (featuring Peru cultural symbols), an animal market (pigs, sheep, horses, cows, chickens - alive and dead - for sale), farmland, a mountain climb, pre-Inca ruins (where we saw ancient grain and agricultural storage), a boat ride around a local lake, churches, and the ancient Wariwilka temple and springs. We were joined by Nancy, her daughter, and Cynthia, two of our local host organization partners, who helped make the day truly memorable. Other memories … excellent driving by our tour driver (and a few close calls!), a wedding extravaganza, the good humour of our tour guide and his immense knowledge of history, and beautiful views of Huancayo from a distance and the Valley.
Dinner with Violeta and her brother was a fantastic traditional beef dish with corn bread and unbelievable sauces for Peruvian potatoes. We went to the local market in the morning (quite the experience) to pick up supplies and then helped with the cooking. It was a fun evening and Violeta and her brother gave all of us Peruvian pins to take home as a keepsake. We are all well fed and rested and ready to head back to work tomorrow!
Hamblamos luego…
Pam & Cathy
April 16, 2010: Four Wall and Dancing Feet!
Day 6 was continuing to build brick walls - four walls are officially up! We have a lot of work left to do, but definite progress has been made. We also began another project - digging a sewer line trench. This is going to be quite a project - the soils is dry, we’re using pick axes, shovels, and buckets, and there are many stones that need to be discovered and moved. Kudos to Abel (who took over for Alejandro today) as our construction supervisor. He ably assisted us with a waterline break in addition to keeping us on track laying brick.
We also had a great visit with our neighbours next door and gave them some of the clothes and toys that members of our group brought. The rest of the clothes have been given to our host partner for distribution to the schools and families they are working with.
Finally, we wrapped up the day and work week with a great evening out. The ladies went shoe shopping after work and with the assistance of Violeta, many found some great buys. The shoes were well tested at a local restaurant with live Peruvian music. The pan flutes and mandolin were particularly impressive. Despite multiple sore backs from trenching and bricklaying, we took to the dance floor and picked up some dance steps from traditional dancers who made an appearance. We also sampled a traditional Peruvian dish - guinea pig! We’re all looking forward to the weekend to let our bodies recuperate and before work next week.
Hablamos luego …
Pam
We also had a great visit with our neighbours next door and gave them some of the clothes and toys that members of our group brought. The rest of the clothes have been given to our host partner for distribution to the schools and families they are working with.
Finally, we wrapped up the day and work week with a great evening out. The ladies went shoe shopping after work and with the assistance of Violeta, many found some great buys. The shoes were well tested at a local restaurant with live Peruvian music. The pan flutes and mandolin were particularly impressive. Despite multiple sore backs from trenching and bricklaying, we took to the dance floor and picked up some dance steps from traditional dancers who made an appearance. We also sampled a traditional Peruvian dish - guinea pig! We’re all looking forward to the weekend to let our bodies recuperate and before work next week.
Hablamos luego …
Pam
April 15, 2010: More Rebar and meaningful visits.
Day 5 was a combined day where half of us continued to work on the second story of the school and half of us spent the morning at a local elementary school. Work today was mostly finishing building the rebar column supports, putting the rebar in place and laying brick. We all agree that laying brick is very satisfying work as we are able to see results immediately! We managed to complete half of one wall, about a quarter of a longer second wall and we started a third over the last two days.
In addition, because the roof is only so large (and we don’t want anyone to fall due to overcrowding) some of us worked around the yard cleaning up broken glass, cardboard and rocks. This brought back many fond prairie memories for some of the group, but at an altitude of 12,000 feet, bending over for too long can lead to extreme dizziness! Our Grandma neighbour from next door also stopped in to visit and brought her grandson. She is a marvelous lady and stayed to help pick rocks - she also talked a mile a minute in Spanish and confused all of us!
The school visit was extremely touching but it also reinforced for us how much of a struggle life can be for underprivileged children in Peru. The school we visited were children from kindergarten to grade three. The school had three teachers who split classrooms and grades between them. The students were mostly being raised by grandparents or single moms and many did not have clean clothes or school supplies. We were greeted with hugs, kisses, and much hand grabbing as the children eagerly tried to show us their classrooms and look at their photos after they posed for pictures. The children were preparing for a parade next week and they also eagerly tried to share popcorn with us!
We visited each of the classrooms individually and were treated to songs, riddles, and a stream of questions about our names, ages, children, Canada, animals that live in Canada, the size of our houses, the cost of plane tickets, and why one of our team members was so tall! The children eagerly answered questions we posed and a huge thank you to our translator (and Peruvian guru), Violeta. We left the children with a pencil and crayon set each and the smiles on their faces were unbelievable. We left a few additional supplies for the teachers and were warmly thanked and welcomed back anytime. It was a truly rewarding experience and hopefully the school we are helping to build will lead to similar smiles on the faces of many more children!
Pam & David
Hablamos luego …
Thursday, April 15, 2010
April 13th & 14th: Bricks, Rebar and Peruvian Beef.
April 13, 2010
Hablamos luego …
April 14, 2010
Hablamos luego …
Developing World Connections Participant
Pam Kovacs
April 12-24, Peru.
Day 3 was our first day at the worksite and wow! Kudos to previous DWC teams who did some amazing work! The school is currently a single-story administration building and a two-storey classroom building with room to grow. Everything is painted in bright welcoming colours and the space has a really positive feel. At the worksite we were welcomed warmly by Alejandro who proudly wore a hat with a Canada logo on it! He remembered our returning team members from previous years and once our translator arrived, we got right to work! We also received hugs and warm greetings from the school’s next door neighbours. Members of our team who were here previously indicate that the family next door regularly stops by to give hugs and welcome new DWC teams to the neighbourhood! What a great way to start our project!
The remainder of the day was hard work! We moved 516 bricks from a rooftop down two flights of stairs so they are close by where we will be working. Our main task will be building the second floor of the administration building. Half of the team worked on moving bricks while the other half prepared rebar column support for the second floor. It was a productive and exhausting first day but everyone is looking forward to seeing the administration building take shape. We had a fantastic lunch and dinner and other than a slightly dangerous motorcycle ride to get tools and some challenges in learning to properly fit rebar supports, it was a very rewarding first day!
Hablamos luego …
April 14, 2010
Day 4 was bricks, bricks, bricks and rebar, rebar, rebar! We continued to build nine rebar column supports (a multi-step, multi-person process) and we also began to build brick walls for the second floor - very exciting! After a challenging morning trying to get water upstairs and cutting many (many) wires and rebar we settled into a smooth rhythm and got an amazing amount of work accomplished! The sun was hot and we appreciated any sun and breeze
that came our way. We were definitely all ready to head back to the hotel for showers and a quick rest. It was a quick rest as our impromptu cooking class earlier in the week led to an amazing dinner experience…Right next to our hotel is a gourmet cooking school. The interest some of our ladies showed earlier in the week led to a very generous invitation to come to the school for dinner and a cooking lesson! Our gringo posse arrived and were treated to a fantastic menu and cooking lesson. Carlos, one of the head instructors (who also holds a Guinness Book of World Records record for largest trout ceviche serving) led us through a truly enjoyable and fun dinner experience. Carols is a true teacher and showed us step by step how to make ceviche, Pisco Sours, and a Peruvian beef stir-fry (flambé included!). By far our best meal to date. Carols was ably assisted by several of the school’s students and we learned many tips … limes need to be in cold water prior to squeezing to get the best taste, fish cooks in ceviche marinade (seriously!), and garlic can’t be minced using a machine otherwise the taste is lost. Excellent recipe notes were taken and we all look forward to bringing a taste of Peru back home.
Hablamos luego …
Developing World Connections Participant
Pam Kovacs
April 12-24, Peru.
April 10-12, 2010 - Hola from Huancayo!
Hola from Huancayo!!
Over the last few days our group of 12 volunteers and our very experienced Team Leader, Tom Fair (this is his fourth trip to this project!) arrived in Lima and successfully rendezvoused at our hotel. We enjoyed a dinner in Lima getting to know one another and discovered we’re a diverse group, but with many things in common. We’ve got retirees, teachers, a doctor, a chef, a consultant, an administrator, a manager, a lawyer and moms, dads, husbands and wives. Our ages are from 25 to 67. We’ve discovered that we share a love of food (new foods in particular), spirits, and sharing stories from previous trips and adventures. We also share a desire to work hard, learn lots, and generally make this trip memorable … and so far so good!
Day 1 was a long day of traveling from Lima to Huancayo. We had a deluxe bus and drove through some amazing scenery. The altitude reached close to 16,000 feet and luckily only one of us was affected really adversely by the
change in altitude (and he’s on the mend and should be back in action shortly!).
After the long journey we were met and helped by our host partner, ARGUEDIANOS, at the bus station. Violeta ensured we had a fantastic and easy arrival. and we quickly settled into our hotel after a late dinner. We also discovered that sharing food and sampling plates would ensure food would not go to waste (and benefit everyone’s adventurous taste buds), so the plate passing began!
Day 2 was project orientation followed by a city tour and a visit to local artisans. Project orientation was fascinating! We met our host partner, ARGUEDIANOS, learned about the project we are helping with - stage four of completing a local alternative school for children who are high risk to drop out of school and often work to support their families. We discussed some of the challenges that face Peruvians and Peruvian children and asked a stream of questions about the project, meeting with local children, what the project would accomplish, and what the challenges and successes were to date. A big thank you to the previous Developing World Connections Teams that have come here to work on this school project! Amazing progress has been made and complete credit goes to our host partner here in Huancayo who have been hard at work and continue to make this project successful!
The rest of the day was continuing to acclimatize to the altitude and we toured the local downtown area. We soon saw the economic spectrum that makes up Peru and the extreme poverty that is always present. We met some very interesting people and also enjoyed a visit to local gourd artisans who make incredible artwork with a small carving tool, coal, and natural dyes - very impressive. Equally impressive highlights were an impromptu cooking class, a first class shoe shine, a lost cab driver and a very crowded bus ride back to the hotel (some local children insisted on giving us their seats)! We’re all looking forward to getting started bright and early tomorrow morning on the project!
Hablamos luego …
DWC Participant Peru April 2010
Pam Kovacs
Over the last few days our group of 12 volunteers and our very experienced Team Leader, Tom Fair (this is his fourth trip to this project!) arrived in Lima and successfully rendezvoused at our hotel. We enjoyed a dinner in Lima getting to know one another and discovered we’re a diverse group, but with many things in common. We’ve got retirees, teachers, a doctor, a chef, a consultant, an administrator, a manager, a lawyer and moms, dads, husbands and wives. Our ages are from 25 to 67. We’ve discovered that we share a love of food (new foods in particular), spirits, and sharing stories from previous trips and adventures. We also share a desire to work hard, learn lots, and generally make this trip memorable … and so far so good!
Day 1 was a long day of traveling from Lima to Huancayo. We had a deluxe bus and drove through some amazing scenery. The altitude reached close to 16,000 feet and luckily only one of us was affected really adversely by the
change in altitude (and he’s on the mend and should be back in action shortly!).
After the long journey we were met and helped by our host partner, ARGUEDIANOS, at the bus station. Violeta ensured we had a fantastic and easy arrival. and we quickly settled into our hotel after a late dinner. We also discovered that sharing food and sampling plates would ensure food would not go to waste (and benefit everyone’s adventurous taste buds), so the plate passing began!
Day 2 was project orientation followed by a city tour and a visit to local artisans. Project orientation was fascinating! We met our host partner, ARGUEDIANOS, learned about the project we are helping with - stage four of completing a local alternative school for children who are high risk to drop out of school and often work to support their families. We discussed some of the challenges that face Peruvians and Peruvian children and asked a stream of questions about the project, meeting with local children, what the project would accomplish, and what the challenges and successes were to date. A big thank you to the previous Developing World Connections Teams that have come here to work on this school project! Amazing progress has been made and complete credit goes to our host partner here in Huancayo who have been hard at work and continue to make this project successful!
The rest of the day was continuing to acclimatize to the altitude and we toured the local downtown area. We soon saw the economic spectrum that makes up Peru and the extreme poverty that is always present. We met some very interesting people and also enjoyed a visit to local gourd artisans who make incredible artwork with a small carving tool, coal, and natural dyes - very impressive. Equally impressive highlights were an impromptu cooking class, a first class shoe shine, a lost cab driver and a very crowded bus ride back to the hotel (some local children insisted on giving us their seats)! We’re all looking forward to getting started bright and early tomorrow morning on the project!
Hablamos luego …
DWC Participant Peru April 2010
Pam Kovacs
April 10th - 24th, 2010: Short Term Group heads to Huancayo, Peru.
The first Peru Short-Term Developing World Connections Volunteer Experience group of 2010, is heading out April 10th-24th, to continue work on the Agricultural School located just outside of Huancayo, Peru.
This group is lead by DWC Team Leader Tom Fair.
The Participants range in age from 25- 67 and are mostly from Kamloops, BC and area.
This group is lead by DWC Team Leader Tom Fair.
The Participants range in age from 25- 67 and are mostly from Kamloops, BC and area.
Tuesday, March 23, 2010
March 22, 2010: A Letter from IFEJANT to the High School Students from Kamloops
On behalf of IFEJANT and the children from the NASSAE and San José Obrero schools, we would like to thank you for having chosen to visit our country and for having contributed to the children’s education, which is their fundamental human right. By helping build classrooms and bathrooms, you have expressed your friendship and solidarity.
Thank you with all of our hearts. We hope that this spirit of solidarity grows and strengthens in each one of you. The bridge of solidarity that has been sown with the presence of our counterpart Jess is now strengthened by the connection we find with you. It is our hope that from this connection many other Canadian youth will connect with us in solidarity.
We will always wait for you with an open heart!!!
Your friends from IFEJANT, NASSAE and San José Obrero.
Monday, March 15, 2010
A couple of posts from the High School Students Perspective on Volunteering in Peru.
We woke up nice and early today, ate our regular breakfast of buns and jam, and headed to one of the forty-nine districts in Peru, where we will be working again tomorrow. This trip has been absolutely amazing so far. We have learned that Peru is in serious need of a number of things, besides toilets in which you can flush toilet paper. First, there is a shortage of clean water in Peru. Second, there is a shortage of cement mixers. Indeed, the term “back-breaking” is not to be taken lightly in the Latin-American construction business. The drivers are crazy, the traffic is unbelievable, and the work is long and sweaty, but despite the honking and the polluted air, I think we can all agree this one trip that won’t be easily forgotten.
Among some of the other things we’ve learned is the fact that you haven’t really eaten fries until you eat them in Peru. And it also goes without saying that’s it’s never a good idea to cross the street without looking, ESPECIALLY in Lima. We're not even half way through our trip, and we’ve already seen and experienced more than some people will in a lifetime. The people are friendly, the food is delicious, and in a city of eight million, we’ve met the handful of people who had the potential to change our lives.
Lastly, one the things I’m sure we’ve all taken to heart is that in Latin-America, you don’t mix cement; cement mixes you.
Among some of the other things we’ve learned is the fact that you haven’t really eaten fries until you eat them in Peru. And it also goes without saying that’s it’s never a good idea to cross the street without looking, ESPECIALLY in Lima. We're not even half way through our trip, and we’ve already seen and experienced more than some people will in a lifetime. The people are friendly, the food is delicious, and in a city of eight million, we’ve met the handful of people who had the potential to change our lives.
Lastly, one the things I’m sure we’ve all taken to heart is that in Latin-America, you don’t mix cement; cement mixes you.
-MACKENZIE
Let me just start off by saying, that this trip has been amazing. I have learned so much and we aren’t even half way through. Working at the first school was so much fun, we worked with some extremely nice people, who were always patient even when it took us awhile to figure out what each other were saying. It was so amazing to see what we have done for them and help them in as many ways as we could. After we had finished everything, we went and played with kids in a soccer game. All of them were so good and pretty much blew me away with their soccer skills. They were all so happy and the laugher was contagious until it hit everyone.
Today and tomorrow we are working at a pubic school that isn’t sponsored by the government. The school hold s200 students and I have no idea how they fit them as the building was so small. With our contributions and donations we were able to start building a bathroom for them so that it is more comfortable for them to be in school. These last few days we have all put a lot of effort into working but I have never felt so satisfied with what I have done. Working with these amazing kids just opens my eyes to all the possibilities of doing more volunteering. They are so gracious of the work we have done and it just makes me feel so happy and proud. I have truly grown as a person and I am so thankful for this experience.
I can see myself volunteering in the near future. The few people that we have met have made this experience one to remember. I will always have the memories and the experiences that I have taken on this trip with me forever. Buenas Tardes!!
-CARISSA
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