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.

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!

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

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

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!

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

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

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

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.