Friday, April 19, 2013

Lima, Peru: Saying goodbye to our friends in Peru and our fellow volunteers

Today was an amazing day with all the kids and parents. We went to each classroom to say our goodbyes and handed out some soccer balls, skip ropes, Frisbees and bubbles. The children sang us songs and said thank you to all of us for all the work we did to help them with their school.

We spent time in Christian's classroom baking and making food for the celebration in the afternoon. It was great fun to participate with the kids and see how much they enjoying cooking with us. We got to eat the things we prepared and spend time with the kids in the class and some of their parents. They presented us with a gift and thanked us for all we did to improve their classroom. We handed out back packs and t-shirts to the kids in the class.

It was a happy day, but a few tears were shed as we said our goodbyes. We also said goodbye to Miguel who helped us with all the repairs, and Luz who was our leader from IFEJANT and a wonderful lady.

Maria caught an earlier flight back to Lima and was able to go out for dinner with all of us. We had great food, some drinks, dessert and lots of laughs. After dinner, Maria, Mark, and Richard left for the airport. Darlene and Lianne are traveling in Peru together and leave tomorrow morning. Sandra and I leave very early tomorrow to travel Peru together. Frank leaves for Canada in the morning.

It was a great adventure together and I enjoyed my time with everyone. I hope to do more volunteer trips in the future.

Kerri Watson
DWC Participant
Lima, Peru; April 2013

Wednesday, April 17, 2013

Lima, Peru: Show 'n Tell & Sports Day

Wednesday was so much fun for all of us as we got to have show 'n' tell and sports day with the kids! We went to 4 classrooms and showed the kids pictures, Canadian money, and things from Canada. One class dressed up for us in costumes, and the grade 6 class did a lot of research on Canada and presented it to us. Then we went up the hill to their PE area with one of the classes and gave them some of the things we had brought from Canada including soccer balls, Frisbees, skip ropes, bubbles and then we played with the kids. Mark, Sandra, Darlene, Frank and Richard played soccer with the kids while Lianne showed some kids how to play Frisbee and I took pictures of all the fun. Everyone had a great time and the kids were so excited to spend time with all of us. Before we knew it was past lunchtime and the kids went back to class and we ate and got to work for the afternoon.

Darlene, Lianne, Sandra and I went shopping in the Inka plaza for souvenirs and gifts.. We found a little cafe and had a yummy dinner and interesting desserts. Mark went for dinner at a friend's (from Canada) mom's house and visited for awhile. Frank and Richard went for dinner by themselves. It was the only night we didn't eat together as a group.

Kerri Watson
DWC Participant
Lima, Peru; April 2013

Tuesday, April 16, 2013

Lima, Peru: Back to work after a great weekend

The painting on the outside of the building was completed today. The electrical is complete and the window frames are stained. The brick foundation for the sinks is being covered in cement for more stability and the plumbing is fully operational. A rock retaining wall was built along the one side of the building for more stability. The painting in the kitchen is almost complete, just a few touch ups required. The doors still need to be finished and painted. We sanded the big oven and stove so they can be painted as well. Everything seems to be coming along quite nicely.

Everyone had a great weekend doing and exploring different things. Mark went to Cuzco, Sandra and I went to the Nasca lines, and Leanne, Darlene, Frank and Richard stayed in Lima and did things in the area.

Now I would like to tell you about the bathrooms we use while at the school. There are no toilet seats on any of the toilets and only one roll of toilet paper, so you need to remember to get some before you go into the stall. The toilets don't flush with the handle, you have to take a bucket of water in with you and pour it in the toilet when your finished, which makes them flush after it reaches a certain point. It's quite an interesting experience to say the least.. Lol...Makes u appreciate the luxuries of home!

Kerri Watson
DWC Participant
Lima, Peru - April 2013

Lima, Peru: Day 4 and 5 of work is progressing at a steady pace

The electrical and plumbing are almost done and just need a few finishing touches next week. The last window frame has been made and will be stained next week before adding the glass and installing them. The one door was reinforced on both sides to make it sturdier and another hinge was added. We started painting the outside of the building, which matches the colors of the school. We also started in the lunchroom area and had 2 coats of paint done by the time we left on Friday. The school ladies have moved everything in the kitchen to the middle of the room and washed all the walls down for us, we will start that Monday. The weather is still sunny and warm everyday and the kids are starting to call us by name. They like helping with the painting and hammering.

Thursday evening we took taxis downtown and went to the Parque de la Reserva. We saw 10 of the 13 different fountains and the water lazer show, everyone enjoyed it very much. There was a tunnel fountain that we walked thru which was fun but a little wet.

Friday we finished a half hour early so we could shower and make it to the beach before sunset. We took photos of the waves, the surfers, the pier, the jelly fish washed up on the shore and of course the amazing sunset !! Today was Maria's last day with the group as she flys to Cuzco tomorrow, to tour the city and do a 4 day hike to Machu Picchu. We had a great dinner and lots of laughs, we'll miss u this week Maria.

Kerri Watson
DWC Participant
Lima, Peru - April 2013

Thursday, April 11, 2013

Lima, Peru: A Productive day!


We had a very productive day today. The mudding and sanding on the room is now finished and the painting has begun. We did two coats on the top half of the walls, the trim and the beams, so we should be done that portion but Miguel waters the paint down so much that we will have to do two more coats. It is like we are just putting colored water on the walls. There are no paint trays, so we just dunk the rollers in a big bucket of "paint" and wipe the excess off with a stick. The electrical is coming along great and we actually get English music on one of the radio stations. The framing for the windows is challenging as the walls aren't square and the wood isn't straight but we are getting it done. We've also stained the shelves and refurbished a table with stain and paint.

Now I would like to tell you about the traffic in Lima....They don't seem to have speed limits and if there aren't enough lanes, they just make their own.. There have been numerous close encounters for us and we have been so close to vehicles next to us that they are almost touching. It's like Russian roulette trying to cross at a crosswalk, pedestrians don't seem to have the right of way here in Peru. It is quite entertaining!

Kerri Watson
DWC Participant
Lima, Peru - April 2013

Tuesday, April 9, 2013

Lima, Peru: Our first full day of work

After breakfast we all headed back to the school to continue work on our groups project. It was another beautiful sunny day in Lima and our main project today was taking down a portion of the roof that badly needed repair. We also took down the wall behind the sink area and replaced it. We continued sanding/mudding the walls and sanding shelves. The roof was a challenge but we had it conquered by the end of the day. The children are such a joy to be around and they kept coming by to see us often, we are getting lots of high fives and smiles.. We are also meeting some of the parents and interacting with them as well, everyone is so friendly and curious to see what we are doing. After our first full day of work we were all ready for a shower and dinner.

Kerri Watson
DWC Participant
Lima, Peru - April 2013

Monday, April 8, 2013

Lima, Peru: Our orientation with IFEJANT, the kids and the project site

We all had breakfast together and waited for our van to arrive. Then we went to the IFEJANT office for our orientation meeting and enjoyed some delicious bananas and mandarins oranges. After our meeting we traveled in the van about 45 mins out of Lima to the school that we would be working on. After arriving we met the principal and the lady who heads the PAC committee, along with two sixth grade students who took us around to some of the classrooms. The students were very excited to see us, they sang us songs and asked us questions, and we sang oh Canada to the grade 6 class. Next, we met Miguel and he showed us the kitchen/workshop/lunch area on the hill above the school were we would be doing the much needed repairs. We had a late lunch and then went to collect our supplies. After several loads up the hill we had everything we needed and we started moving furniture, taking things off the walls, sanding and mudding the walls..

Kerri Watson
DWC Participant
Lima, Peru - April 2013

Lima, Peru: We're arrived

Saturday, April 6th was spent traveling the full day for most of us and we were all very tired by the time we arrived in Peru.
Sunday we divided into groups depending on the a five things we wanted to do: Some of us explored historic Peru, some explored the area around our hotel and one person caught up on some much needed sleep.
Looking forward to starting our project tomorrow.

Kerri Watson
DWC Participant
Lima, Peru - April 2013