Peru - Developing World Connections

Lima, Peru: And end to a fantastic experience

2011-10-28T14:43:00.000-07:00

Day 5 was partly spent assisting in the production of concrete and cleaning up the site in Nuevo Esperanza where we have spent the majority of our time during the week in Lima (a close second is spent sitting in traffic). The other part of Friday was spent with children; giving out presents and our clothes that had been washed by local mothers.

The children were very appreciative of the work done on their elementary school, and many hugs an 'muchas gracias' were given to their new Canadian friends. Near the end of the day we sat down for a meeting with the principal of the school and the leader of IFEJANT, dwc's host partner organization in Lima, Peru. We gained some additional understanding of the lives of the children after hearing of the work and learn program at the school that teaches the working children work skills as well.

After our meeting we were invited to a classroom where we received key chains made by the children and traditional Peruvian blankets. Then we were entertained by a children's dance and an entertaining performance by Michael and an older local woman, followed by a group dance party. It was wonderful to hear the children express their gratitude towards our help and we left feeling very appreciated.

Overall our time in Lima was fantastic. It was not a holiday, but an eye opening experience to be immersed daily into the culture and lives of true Peruvians. We worked hard but it was worth every bucket of concrete, shovel of dirt, and row of bricks to be able to gain insight into the impoverished areas very few westerners ever see. The children are unbelievably talented and beautiful, and only further enhanced our time in Lima. From what we have seen of this diverse and colorful city, it has certainly enticed us all to go further into exploring Peru and consider participating in future DWC volunteer experiences.

Tony, Mike, Graham, Kathleen, Rob, Sara, Anita, Phil, Dana, Doug and Vic
DWC Team
Lima, Peru October 2011

Lima, Peru: An eye-opening experience

2011-10-28T14:41:00.000-07:00

Hola Amigos!

Day 4 of our volunteer experience was much less physically demanding and very enjoyable - but productive in a different way than previous days. While Tony stayed at the school work site fixing up the fine details on the stairs to the second floor, the rest of us on invitation visited some homes of the families whose children attend the school. Bringing flowers to accept the families' hospitality, we soon realized we had underestimated what we would see. To summarize the experience, it was nothing short of eye-opening. The level of poverty present in their community made us all reflect on and appreciate the day to day luxuries we often take for granted. However the children are always smiling and happy both at school and at home, and were proud of their homes, trying to drag us to visit their families too. It was a humbling experience, and the gratitude expressed to us from the mothers and fathers was a blessing, affirmation that assisting in building this school is truly worth all the work we have done.

After we returned and ate some lunch, we continued to add to the brick walls we have been working on all week. We are becoming very skilled and efficient brick-layers! Next on our schedule was play time, where we played assorted relay games and (of course) soccer on teams with the children. They are fantastic 'football' players, and have so much energy! Candy and pencils were handed out at the end, and exhausted we headed to the hotel once again.

As we look toward our last day with bittersweet feelings I will say ciao for now.

Dana Schreiner
DWC Participant
Lima, Peru October 2011

Lima, Peru: Hard work and good company

2011-10-28T14:33:00.000-07:00

Our second and third day was a little demanding but this group, it seems, would not have it any other way. The skills that were displayed were amazing. Abdios, the site foreman, begins the day by explaining what has to be done (all in Spanish) and then we turn to Doug for the real directions. Doug and Sara make up the 'A' for laying bricks, Anita and her mate Pedro make up another team while Sara, Kathleen and the rest of the 'Boys' spend most of the time giving each orders about how things should really go!!
While we work the kids from the school, like kids everywhere, want to hang around and watch skilled craftsmen and women work. These kids who make up some of the 250 pupils at the school have the largest brown eyes and eye lashes my wife would die for. They are keen to know our names and always seem to be laughing. Kathleen is determined to have them clean up around the school and even bribes them with candies when they fill their respective bags. Of course some of the kids have figured it out that if they get garbage from the already filled bags (it's kind of a Peruvian recycling plan) they still get a candy.

Tony Dufficy
DWC Team Leader
Lima, Peru October 2011

Lima, Peru: Our first day on the project

2011-10-28T14:30:00.000-07:00

We were taken from our hotel to the headquarters of the partner operation for our project. Each day our rep, Señora Luz, from IFEJANT, comes to the hotel and travels with us to the site. We stop off at the Lima Walmart every morning where Team Leader, Tony buys our big jugs of water for the day. We travel, for an hour each way, in a 1980's 12 passenger van that is expertly driven in the beyond chaotic traffic of Lima by our driver and his wife who navigates out the side window. At the headquarters we were introduced to our young and accomplished interpreter, D'Angelo, who will be with us a few days. We were thanked by one of the board members and provided an orientation of the schedule before we drove to the school. The school is on the outskirts of Lima in a place named Neuevo Esperanza. The school is on the side of a hill/rock and presently has about 6 classrooms full of the most happy and darling children. We were taken through 3 of the classrooms to be introduced to the children. Their interests were what our names are and how old we are. Sara lies about her age at home and keeps it up in Lima! They smile when they hear that Phil is Dana's father and when Graham tells them, in Spanish, that Mike is his 'padre'. Graham is very helpful with the translation from his Spanish classes and travels. We learned in a grade 1 class that Peru has a RAT that takes your teeth instead of the toothfairy. His name is Rocotta! After the tour it was down to work. Michael is the fashionista on the site in his black, denim man pries and stylin' t-shirts. Days into the job the quips keep coming!

Our work entails construction of the second floor of the San Jose Obrero School. Doug's construction expertise has been appreciated by our foreman Abdios and when in doubt we qll defer to Doug. Classes operate in our full on construction site with the children running about the danger zone; the sounds of their singing, voices and smiles is definitely motivating. The upper floor has no safety barriers, rebar poking out every where and we are fully exposed to the sun all day. When you pause from your work on the top of this building and look out you see the children's homes terraced up many hundreds of feet. A larger home is about 20x40; most are smaller. The work on this day was preparing for and pouring concrete slab and stairs. We worked an hour longer to 6pm to try to get it finished while the concrete machine was on site. The process was primitive and exhausting but luckily aided by a team of 7 locals that carried tins of concrete on their shoulders, along side our guys, up and down a steep ramp to the top floor. Other team members mixed the concrete, rock and Anita, Dana and Sara carried 100 buckets of water across the street for the mix. They were not dry at the end of the day. We felt very satisfied at the end of this work day to see all the concrete poured and the stairs to the floor done!!! We headed home at 6pm sunburnt, tired and dirty!

Evenings are fun. We feel good to be clean again and begin the hunt for a place to eat and 2 for 1 pisco sours!

Haste luego!

Tony, Mike, Graham, Kathleen, Rob, Sara, Anita, Phil, Dana, Doug and Vic
DWC Team Leader and Participants
Lima, Peru October 2011

Lima, Peru: 2nd October DWC Team Arrives

2011-10-28T14:17:00.000-07:00

The team departed Kamloops on Friday night, Oct 15th and arrived in Calgary to join up with the 3 team members from there. We were hosted by team member Sara for a little farewell party in her home. We flew Calgary-Houston-Lima and arrived at 11:30pm, after sitting on the tarmac for an hour; free drinks from United Airlines. We checked into the pleasant Bayview Hotel after a very long travel day. The resident turtles were there to greet us in the charming inner courtyard.

Sunday would be our only free day so we set out to see a bit of Lima. Our hotel is next to the Marriott in the ocean side Miraflores district. It just happened that Justin Bieber was arriving at the Marriott that day so mobs of teen girls were gathered outside singing his songs and screaming for him ALL day and night. When the girls knew that we were from Canada they would ask if we knew him! We walked up one of the main avenues and experienced many sites including Lima's Run for the Cure, one of the many cathedrals, 1700 year old Lima peoples ruins and a local craft market. On the way, walking through a park, all of us were randomly hugged (abrazo) and danced with a big group of locals; a great sign of the fun to come! Our Team Leader, Tony, took us to lunch at a fun outdoor restaurant on the square where we were served our first pisco sours, some tried cuy (guinea pig) and alpaca. Rob had his second encounter with a surprising foot fetish friend!

The rest of the day was spent doing whatever we were interested in (nap). We walked up the street for a nice dinner at what has now become very comfortable..."Tablo for 11, por favor". A night is not complete with out 'a stop off ' at the neighboring sports bar. The same 2 corner tables seem to be waiting for us each night and Vic.

Tony, Mike, Graham, Kathleen, Rob, Sara, Anita, Phil, Dana, Doug and Vic
DWC Team Leader and Participants
Lima, Peru October 2011

Lima, Peru: Memories and gifts to last a lifetime

2011-10-17T10:46:00.000-07:00

I can´t believe that two weeks have come and gone. This has been the most amazing time of my life working with such energetic and fun loving people on such a worthwhile project. I am so proud to have been part of such a hard working group.
We managed to cut rebar to specific lengths with just an ordinary hack saw. Then these were bent into shapes for the rebar column. The rebar columns were held together by twisting wire around the shapes.The rebar columns were then erected in their specific places. Next we had to haul up bricks from the floor below. The children would come and help us on their breaks passing bricks along a line. The last person on the line would then throw them up to a catcher on the second floor. Miraculously no bricks were lost this way (our foreman kept mentioning that bricks were $1 each).We had lots of fun joking with him. Then we had to haul sand up the ramp in buckets. The children would do their bit as well. They were so enthusiastic helping. It was hard for the teachers to get them back to class. It was wonderful to see them so busy and helpful. We also mixed the cement for laying the brick walls. It had to be just the right mixture. This was very hard work. Once that was done the bricklaying began. That was fun. We managed to get 6 walls erected before our bricks ran out.
We were very lucky with the weather. I doesn't really rain here , just gets very damp when the clouds are low. It is very cool in the morning and evening but when the sun finally breaks through you definitely need sunscreen. As it is spring here in Oct we weren't bothered by any mosquitoes.
We were able to have lots of interaction with the children which was a great highlight for all of us. Every morning the children would have dancing lessons to Peruvian music outside. On occasion we were able to join in. That was great fun.
On our last day , it was a holiday for the children and it was strange being at the site with no sound of childrens voices. Later in the afternoon they showed up for more photos. Then we were called in for a debriefing while the children, teachers and parents got a room ready to give us a show. They had dancing, music, Inka Cola and cookies that the children had baked in class for us. The children presented us with a going away gift which will always be treasured.
For helping with the project IFEJANT gave us each a Peruvian manta (blanket) . These will be treasured forever as well. The schoolmaster mentioned that the children will pass through the school but our bricks and mortar will last forever as a reminder of all the work we have done. He also mentioned that inspectors would drop by and because the project has been coming along so well the school would be able to have more donations from the government. What a truly amazing project we have been able to do.

Every little bit helps!

Lorna Stephens
DWC Participant
Lima, Peru October 2011

Jaen, Peru: Working away!

2011-10-11T17:05:00.000-07:00

We have made major progress on the site today. Concrete is being made, and painting is progressing well. Richard and his crew show the volunteers how they can mix several bags of cement into concrete. In other countries, the workers mix one bag at a time. Here is the process: Step one, add all ingredients and dry-mix. Step two: make a huge cauldron for water. Step three: add water, and start mixing concrete at the edge, continuously sliding the mix into the trench.The method yields a huge amount of concrete, which is a good thing, because the footings are 1.7 cubic meters each. Empty cement bags are filled with sand to create a dam for the footing. They are removed after the concrete sets in about 30 minutes.

Meanwhile, a new addition to the world arrives, Evelyn Rosemary, born just after her pregnant mother attended our "meet the parents" evening last Thursday. Her proud mother and father show her to each of us.

Volunteers have moved to the school stairwell, scraping, washing and painting. There's still a lot more digging and painting to do, but spirits are high as we progress through our work.

Cam Grant
DWC Team Leader
Jaen, Peru: October 2011

Lima, Peru: Incredible experience

2011-10-11T15:02:00.000-07:00

Our one week of volunteering has completed, funny how a week can go by so quickly! This experience has been incredible, what has moved me the most is how what I had considered to be a "vacation" has really been so much more than that. The first day we arrived I was overwhelmed with how excited the kids were, they had practiced songs for us, bombarded us with questions and were eager to learn and say all our names. The principal, Mr. Edwin, was in a suit, which later in the week I saw him dressed in regular jeans and a sweatshirt, that first day, I didn´t realize it, but we were kind of a big deal!

On our last day on site we had a sports day with the kids and after it was all said and done, because three of us were traveling to Cusco this week, we were given quite a send off. All the kids said "Muchos Gracias" for our all our help in unison and much more (I wish I could understand!). They also presented us with gifts, beautiful Peruvian blankets, I was so touched. I hope the school knows that even though they were so grateful of our help in just a short week, I am even more grateful of how accepting and welcoming they were to me in this short time. Everyone I have met in Lima has gone above and beyond to make our stay not only a chance to immerse ourselves in their culture, but they have really opened their arms and made us feel welcome. Thank you DWC, Jen Baillie and the rest of the team, for this once in a lifetime opportunity. It has really shown me that no matter when and where in the world, any place can feel like home.

Jennifer Ng
DWC Participant
Lima, Peru October 2011

Lima, Peru: Connections

2011-10-11T14:41:00.000-07:00

World Connections is a great way to describe my experiences in the first week of this adventure. All of our work group are somehow connected to our Team Leader Jen Baillie. Everyone brings their own talents to our team but enthusiasm, energy and a determination to learn is common to all. Our new friends in Peru from Luze, our DWC/IFEJANT host, through to the children of San Jose Obrero school all bring the same common qualities. The construction is bricks and mortar with rebar reinforced concrete columns. When the Engineer came to the site there was an animated discussion with the site foreman, Abdias, then a few minor adjustments. Seems Inspectors have an impact on quality control all over the world!!

There is a fantastic connection being made between our new friends and ourselves. Personalities are world wide and shy, mischievous, outgoing but we are all working towards a common goal which quickly transcends any language and cultural differences.

During the mixing of the mortar all of the 10-12 year olds of one class enthusiastically carried buckets of water, sand and stone to the top floor. Then they came around and talked to us. They taught me to say `fabricarde esquella`` and I taught them to say build the school. We would point to each other and repeat the phrase laughing at each others pronunciation. One of the 11 year old girls (likely a future teacher) explained to Amelia and I how to place the bricks without wasting any mortar. When we didn't quite get it she wagged her finger at us and said no, no, no, until we got it right!! Marjorie also taught Amelia many more Spanish words to add to her expanding vocabulary.

Friday afternoon became the highlight for everyone when we were organized into teams for games which began with an impromptu soccer match where everyone joined in including a dog and a boy on a scooter. No one knew who was on whose team but a laughing good time was had by all. My highlight was when our Amarillo (yellow) group sat after the games eagerly anticipating the next event, three 4-6 year olds came up to me and were intrigued by my blue eyes. They jumped on my back and we rough housed until our 11 year old Captain brought our group to order. A hearty thank you was given along with gift presentations to Amelia, Jen and Duncan who are departing Sunday.

The evening connected a whole other cultural norm as Peru scored twice and defeated Paraguay in a sold out soccer match in Lima. As we watched on TV at our Hostal, host Ronal leaped up and down and cheered outside along with hundreds of others within ear shot. Go teamwork go eh!!

Russ Carmichael
DWC Participant
Lima, Peru October 2011

Lima, Peru: Work hard, play hard!

2011-10-11T14:18:00.000-07:00

Hola,

Today was action packed day at the school, building and playing with the children. We started to make the walls for the two new classrooms with bricks and cement, its definitely going to be a long process but we will get it done. The children got to help out by bringing us water when we needed it, to add to our mixture of dry sand and cement. I would suggest wearing sun screen and drink lots of water while working, even though it is overcast you will still get burnt.

After lunch we got to hang out with the children, they love playing soccer with everyone and playing Stella Stella which I taught them. When all the kids came up to the playing court we had some organized competition with the children: potato sack races, 3 legged races, spoon races pop the balloon, wheelbarrow races. Once we finished the the games we brought out the juice and cookies we brought to share with the kids, they were super excited. We handed out prizes to all the children (stickers, Canada pins, tennis balls, pencils, soccer balls, gloves, t-shirts and hats), the kids loved them and tried to trick us by saying that they didn't get a prize.

Over all it was a fantastic day!!!

Jessica Darville
DWC Participant
Lima, Peru October 2011

Jaen, Peru: The DWC team is complete!

2011-10-10T11:03:00.000-07:00

Weary, but thrilled to be joining us so far away from home, our delayed volunteers, Freda and Bill, arrive at 6:30 in the morning yesterday after an overnight ride. After many hugs, our little group of Developing World Connections volunteers is complete! The rest of Sunday is time for walks, conversations and reflection on our bonds with our world family far away from Canada.

Today Bill and Freda join in with the rest of the volunteers. We mixed concrete and began the process of setting in re bar footings and posts. We had to manoeuvre a tall re bar column frame to it's permanent place on top of the kitchen footing.

Meanwhile, the volunteers have begun to "spruce up" the school exterior and grounds-entrance gate, while other volunteers work with re bar and concrete. Richard demonstrated to Michelle, Hazel, and Linda how to apply the 50/50 water/paint mix to the walls with spilling paint from the roller while Sharon and Patricia applied red oxide paint primer to the gate.

Later, Bill handed out rainbow gummy worms to the children at recess. Imagine Bill offering a snake, then violently wiggling it when each child approached!

Cam Grant
DWC Team Leader
Jaen, Peru: October 2011

Jaen, Peru: Exploring the countryside

2011-10-08T10:39:00.000-07:00

In the morning, our group hired a van and driver to see the surrounding countryside of Jaen. Sylvia, the chair of CEPRONAM, and Yolanda, our English translator, joined us. Yolanda brought us "grenadico" fruit. It has a brittle outer shell, like a soft eggshell. When squeezed, the pod cracks open to reveal a soft inner core full of seeds and a delicious gelatinous interior that is sucked fro the hole at the top of the fruit, created by removing the stem. Our first stop is down a dusty road to the edge of the Maranon river, a marine highway into the Amazon since the beginning of time.

What a surprise! We think we are far from civilization, only to be greeted by dozens of youth, who ask us to join them in a dance to music played by a disk jockey, with electricity supplied by a portable Honda generator. Needless to say, we all joined in, waved our arms in the air, danced and sang; some were songs in Spanish, and others were similar to "rave" music, with plenty of base beat.

In the afternoon, we passed by buildings stencilled with slogans and illustrations showing there is controversy surrounding industry practices in the Amazon. One is of a shovel that is crossed out with the words "Vota Asi" above. The land surrounding this part of the Amazon is very arid, similar to Arizona, there are "limon" trees, papaya and rice fields where the land can be irrigated. Along the road, we see HUGE wild Thanksgiving turkeys, saved from the celebrations in Canada!

Cam Grant
DWC Team Leader
Jaen, Peru: October 2011

Lima, Peru: Building relationships

2011-10-07T16:33:00.000-07:00

With a few days of volunteering under our belt, our group is getting into the swing of our new routine here in Lima. Although we are not fluent in Spanish, and our hosts are not fluent in English, the relationships between us that have developed in these few short days in noticeable. Yesterday when we arrived on our job site, the kids were preparing to start classes for the day and some of us were already on the roof getting ready to work. One young girl, about nine years old, approach me and asked where Natalie was. I told her she was on the roof, and she ran off to greet her. Another young girl called my name out from the ground below while we were working away - we had introduced ourselves briefly three days earlier and despite all the new names to learn she had remembered me and my name. Throughout the day, the school kids came up onto the roof to take photos with us and say hi. We have come to know many of the kids and their personalities during our time here.

We have also created relationships with the local work crew. On our first full day of work, our foreman, Abdios, used the English-Spanish dictionary to tell Duncan to "surrender" - to stop working because he was not bending the rebar properly. Quickly, the exchange became a joke, and each time one of us struggled or did something improperly, Abdios would yell out "Duncan! Duncan!". It was all in good fun, and the event was the starting point of Duncan and Abdios" friendship during this trip.

This experience has made me realize that difference of language is hardly an obstacle to building relationships and friendships. A funny incident, or an exchange of names, however brief can spark memories that will last so much longer.

Amelia Bowden
DWC Participant
Lima, Peru October 2011

Lima, Peru: Settling in, Work and Play

2011-10-07T08:54:00.000-07:00

I woke up and my back was a little sore today. I think I slept a little funny, although it could have also been from the bed. I feel like my bed on one side dips down a bit. Not enough that I feel like I'm going to fall off or anything just like I'm lower down (lol). Bread must be a normal thing for meals here. We had buns with breakfast again. Although instead of eggs this time we had meat with it. It was like round ham or something maybe a mix of meat. They have this jam, I think its figs. So I put some of that on there too and its sweet tasting. I had lemon tea with my breakfast. The buns we had today for breakfast are the ones that kinda rip apart the top of your mouth when you eat. They taste great though.

Our rides have been on time so far since we started taking the vans. It’s the same couple everyday that drives us in. I don’t know their names yet. Its been pretty crazy the first few times we got on the bus. I'll have to ask them in the next few days. Our rides are always interesting but much the same everyday. Aside from the crazy driving that is.

We got to the job site today and the lady that has the key for our locked room, with our stuff in it was a little late. I went up on the roof to talk to the foreman and see what we were doing for the day. Its not like working at home where you can just get told and go and do it. He tells me what we are doing and I say "no entiendo" (I don’t understand). Then he tries a few more times to explain it and he points to stuff. At this point I figured out we are doing something with rebar. Its amazing what you can figure out with no verbal communication. He pointed to a jig he had set up so I knew right away we were bending rebar for our columns. So all I needed was for him to show me the sizes. Once he did a demo I made some marks and I was able to show the other people that were going to start bending. Today was a lot of cutting and building rebar cages. My work buddy is Jessica, her and I were cutting tie wire to tie all the rebar together. Back home I would just use a zip cut on a grinder to cut through it real fast. Here they use a chisel and a hammer. Then they lay the wire on the rock and hammer the chisel through it. Takes a bit longer but works well because the wire is very thin. The kids in the school all left early on a few buses to go on a field trip. There was about four kids that were hanging around the job site. We found out they were still here because their parents couldn’t afford to send them on the field trip. They hung out and helped us do some work. They seemed to like working with me and Jessica. We had them hitting the chisel with the hammer, while one of us held it. I have to admit I was really worried at first. I didn’t want them to miss and hit my hand. However they all did a great job! The oldest one looked about 8 years old, maybe 10. The youngest one maybe 6. They helped us for a bit, but then went and talked to the other people in our group. They are typical kids they get board easy and then get into mischief, but we had fun and got a bunch of pictures with them.

Once we got some of the wire cut a group was able to start building rebar cages. Just like construction that I work in, the first time you do something it usually takes a lot longer. To understand what the foremen wanted and do the first cage took about 3-4 hours. It was pretty much lunch before that one was done.

Lunch was a bit hard at first today. We were originally going to eat on the roof, but when we got everything set up and were starting to put sandwiches together, the kids were just standing there watching. It reminded me of a hungry dog looking at you at the dinner table. We were told when we had our orientation that you cant share your food with the kids. You have to be careful about what you share with them. If you don’t have enough for everyone that’s there then you cant share with them. We ended up moving down to one of the classrooms to eat lunch. Our host rep that was there sat with us to make sure the kids stayed out and didn’t bother us during lunch. Its hard not to feel bad for eating in front of the kids. We get a pretty long lunch which is nice because after we eat we have some time to play with the kids. I brought out my hacky sack I brought along with me, and Russ brought some soccer balls so he pumped one up. We got a group of us together and started playing with the hacky sack and the kids came over to join us. Were not the best at it and I think that was good because they had a fun time playing with us. If we kept it up in the air for more then three or four times everyone cheered. After about 10 minutes of playing with the hacky sack, a soccer ball came flying up on the roof. Russ tossed it up from the ground and immediately the kids started playing with it. However kids will be kids, and as soon as one of them seen some dogs messing around on the ground he thought it would be a good idea to throw the ball off the roof at them. Of course he didn’t come close but the ball rolled way down the hill. So we sent him after it to go get it.

Back to work after some fun with the kids. We managed to get 2 more rebar cages done by the end of the day and stood them both up. I think that were making really good progress so far. Also we're getting to be really friendly with the workers and learning more Spanish everyday. Even if its only one or two words. The workers are becoming more out going and I think they are enjoying working with us. Near the end of the day I handed out some hard hats and safety vests to the workers that were donated from my work, FRPD (Fraser River Pile and Dredge). We got some group photos and then some with just me and the guys. That was the end of the day and we got in our van bus and headed home.

On the way home we got some some busy parts and the traffic came to a stop. The lady in the bus was telling us to close our windows and keep our stuff down. I guess it’s a usually thing that people come up and grab things like cameras and bags out of the windows of cabs and buses that tourist are riding in. We made it back to the hostel safe and sound. Once we were back it turned out that one group of girls locked their room key in the room. The best part was that the guy working here that barely speaks English told them he didn’t have a spare key. They got all worried and went up to their room to see if there was any way to get in and the guy came up with the key. He totally played a trick on them (lol).

Paul Sweryda
DWC Participant
Lima, Peru October 2011

Lima, Peru: Amazing first day!

2011-10-06T13:56:00.000-07:00

Hola,

Our first day was amazing. We all agreed to individually pay extra for a Spanish lesson and tour. They taught us all morning then took us to exchange our money in soles, then to the market, and off to a tour of town. It is highly recommend as it was very helpful for around town and also at the work site the next day.

The weather is fairly cold at night, and where the hostel is located I would recommend pants and socks/shoes. Perhaps even a jacket.

Our second day was our first day at the job site! What an amazing experience. We were able to meet all the kids, they had songs prepared and were excited to meet us. That is where the Spanish lesson comes in handy, its warming to be able to interact with words. The work site is a lot warmer of a climate, I would recommend, hats, work gloves, proper shoes, and some long shorts and t-shirts.

If you are going to bring donations I would recommend some picture books of animals, the kids were very curious about what Canada looks like. Extra recommendation, bring toilet paper (!papel higenico¡)

Natalie Sweryda
DWC Participant
Lima, Peru October 2011

Jaen, Peru: Digging in

2011-10-05T10:34:00.000-07:00

Time slows a little here, and the volunteers' internal clocks are now beginning to sync with the pace of life in Peru. It's hot and dry; the streets are dusty, partly from a great deal of water main upgrading, and the general nature of the climate at this time of year as we're heading into summer south of the equator. We even had a whirlwind that was strong enough to tear some corrugated iron roof sections off a nearby house. The wind was welcomed by the volunteers because it becomes very warm when clouds open to bright sun in a blue sky. We are now careful to refill our bottles with water from our 25L water container, and rest when our bodies tell us we need to rest and seek shade.

The kitchen will take several weeks of labour to build, so our accomplishments are measured in metres of trench dug and the vision of setting up the first concrete forms and bending rebar. We marked the outline of the kitchen with lime. There will be six 4' deep holes dug for pillars, all joined by 3' deep trenches, dug into soil that is like soft sandstone shale. It's very hard and slow work.

Reporters from two newspapers, one named La Prensa, and one TV station "Hora 20" and a Radio Unico, showed up at the site. We have no idea how they discovered what we are doing, but we are elated that CEPRONAM and Developing World Connections are able to show the Peruvian world what community partners can accomplish.

Cam Grant
DWC Team Leader
Jaen, Peru: October 2011

Jaen, Peru: Getting to Jaen

2011-10-02T11:21:00.000-07:00

The DWC volunteers took a 1.5 hour flight from Lima to Chiclayo. Chiclayo city has a dry landscape, with the majority of buildings constructed of brick, giving the city a sandy-brown colour. In the distance, there are agricultural crops. We arrived in Jaen after a 6-hour double-decker bus ride from Chiclayo. There, we were met by CEPRONAM's Sylvia, Yolanda and Mario, plus a number of family members. We were very warmly welcomed and whisked away to our hotel using several mototaxis, a very common means of inexpensive transportation.

The tired volunteers had a late dinner with our hosts, then turned into bed just before midnight. The air in Jaen is warm and humid, evidence of it's being closer to the equator than Lima. Tomorrow, we will get an orientation and discuss building plans for the new kitchen.

Cam Grant
DWC Team Leader
Jaen, Peru: October 2011

Jaen, Peru: Arriving in Lima

2011-10-01T10:07:00.000-07:00

The Kamloops volunteers' alarms rang around 4am, and we collectively jumped out of bed to greet this new adventure! Well, maybe that's not quite the case, because I was still doing last minute packing a little after midnight. All eleven volunteers are taking various routes to our destination: the Bayview hotel in the Miraflores area of Lima, which is close to la playa ( the beach), various parks and walkways. Lima is only two hours ahead of Canada's west coast, but culturally distant in that Peru is a predominantly Spanish speaking country and steeped in history as old as the Pyramids.

After flying to Toronto, it was a very relaxing flight to Lima. Arriving late, we were met by the Bayview van- it is always a good feeling to see a sign that says "Developing World Connections", an instant connection to the country which we will all come to know better over the course of two weeks. We arrived mysteriously short two volunteers, despite phone calls to our accommodation. Their whereabouts were unknown until we found out later that evening when we arrived at our hotel that they were unavoidably delayed in Huston, Texas and will join us later. Michele, our emergency contact at DWC in Kamloops, relayed a message via email that the two were safe and looking forward to joining us as soon as possible.

October 1st, we spent a relaxing day wandering the streets of Lima. We saw the changing of the guard at the royal palace, marvelled at the Baroque and classical architecture, stopped to gawk at massive 18th century doors, and wandered in underground catacombs, complete with the mortal remains of centuries of monks and saints. Lima is a vibrant city with very clean streets and parks. Many couples arm-in-arm, and people scurrying to and fro along the numerous pedestrians only streets, a feature many would be envious of in cities like Vancouver and Toronto.

The weather is perfect, not too warm, or too hot. We quickly decompressed down to the unhurried pace of the Peruvian. English is rare in this part of the world, but we walked, discussed, laughed, and walked some more, then we ate. We had to ask some of the patrons what they would recommend, then with taste buds watering, we enjoyed ethnic diversity. In the evening, we walked the warm night streets, bustling with families and the rest of the smiling populace, feeling safe and serene, and then walked up a flight of stairs to mouth-watering fare at the Bircher Benner Fina Cocina.

We are up early, packed and away to Chiclayo tomorrow.

Cam Grant
DWC Team Leader
Jaen, Peru: October 2011

Lima, Peru: From the Team Leader.

2011-06-06T11:51:00.000-07:00

Volunteering in Lima for the past four weeks with my team has been one of the most rewarding experiences I have yet to encounter.

On Friday June 3rd we went to school for a fair well ceremony and to enjoy “fun day” with the kids. Our day started with a ceremony hosted by the Mayor of Villa Maria and the Director of the school, Edwin. The municipality has donated a stove with gas to the school as a result of the new facility that the DWC team has been working on this past month. At a previous meeting with IFEJANT Edwin informed the team that 70 percent of the children in the community are malnourished and 40 percent of those are chronically malnourished. Knowing that the community now has a better kitchen with new equipment makes me feel hopeful that soon these percentages will shrink. Edwin said their goal is to feed breakfast and lunch to 150 children each day, and I can’t help but to feel proud that my team has helped to create this change.

Taking a step back to look at the big picture, I’ve come to realize that this project is bigger than just a team of students helping out. When the municipality of Villa Maria sees a Canadian group working on a project to better the productivity of a school, they are forced to think about what contribution they are giving to better the lives of their people. This consideration led to the donation of supplies to the school’s kitchen.

The construction project we have been working on has been challenging for many reasons, be it language barrier, frustration with construction, a misunderstanding on what needs to be done and why, or just plain exhaustion. However, working through these challenges not only makes the experience memorable, but it helps a person develop and grow in ways that cannot be replicated through textbooks and lectures. This is a concept that San Jose Obrero strives to teach its students, and it is something that we can all take and apply to our lives.

The past four weeks have been nothing short of amazing I am so fortunate to have been able to volunteer with, and get to know, such an amazing group of people.

Leah Donatiello
DWC Team Leader
Lima, Peru May 2011

Lima, Peru: Lessons learned

2011-06-03T13:19:00.000-07:00

With only 2 more days left in our volunteer project, we had another busy workday. The kitchen is now complete and yesterday a new eco-friendly gas stove was brought to the school, courtesy of the local municipality. The exterior and interior has been painted and 3 out of 4 doors have been installed. In 4 short weeks, our team has constructed a building, which in my opinion looked impossible at first given the environment we were in. San Jose Obereo is located in the poverty struck mountain region of Villa Maria and our building has been constructed on a cliff overlooking the school.
We have all worked to the best of our abilities on this project and along with the construction we have bonded with the children and created relationships that will never be forgotten. The children make us feel very welcome and their presence has made this experience unforgettable. To witness first hand the extreme poverty that these children and their families live in has really impacted me and made me become much more appreciative of life. Before coming to Villa Maria I had no idea what to expect. The children are full of so much happiness and joy yet they work ever so hard inside and outside of school to live the life they live. My passion for soccer was a huge reason for my interaction with the children. Everyday at least once I would make my way to the school basketball/soccer court and play with the Niño’s and Niñas even if it was only for 20 minutes. They love soccer and for me to play with them, teach them tricks, and share my love for the game was amazing. I remember telling my team leader, Leah, that this was exactly what I wanted to do when I arrived in Peru. Play with children, make them smile and realize that even though it may seem like the 9 of us are strangers from an unknown world, we at one point in our lives were kids just like them.
Mahatma Gandhi once wrote “the best way to find yourself is to lose yourself in the service of others.” In my 4 weeks at Villa Maria, not only have I learned many life lessons, but have found myself in a way that I never could have imagined. To be able to help the members of this community has been an experience, lesson and a pleasure. The relationships and memories that have been created will remain in my heart forever.

Ryan Aujla
DWC Student Volunteer

Lima, Peru: May 2011 Student Team

2011-05-31T09:29:00.000-07:00

Lima, Peru: May 2011 Student Team

Wow, only one week left of our four week adventure here in Lima, Peru. On May 26th we were picked up in the morning and taken to a working school for children and adolescents called MANTOC. Children take part in all areas of this school, they have a kitchen in which the children learn how to bake in a safe and sanitary way, and they can also learn the essentials of math when pricing these goods for sale. Its a very different perspective to comprehend, but it allows children who would normally not be able to afford public or private school, to still get an education.

At work we are busier than ever!! The experience and awareness that we have gained from working over the last 3 weeks will be beneficial for the rest of our lives. With only one week left the last final push has come to try and get everything done. The roof is finally finished, also interior and exterior painting is coming along nicely. Its a gratifying feeling to know that when we are gone, there will be three new usable rooms that were not there when we got here. This will allow the mothers to have a clean and safe working environment when preparing the meals for the kids. Everyone's Spanish is improving immensely, except they definitely seem to understand mine better when I make bold hand gestures, sometimes I wonder if it just sounds like Spanish in my mind. No that can't be it. But seriously we are all able to communicate fairly effectively with the children and parents at the school.

This has been an amazing experience, I was somewhat anxious when starting out because I had never personally met any of the other participants who are on this trip. But when working and living together the bonds that have been established, if even for a short period of time, will be an everlasting memory. I believe that when we finish off this week and take a step back to see what we have all accomplished together as a team, we will have our heads held high, but firmly planted in reality.

Rory Callaghan
DWC Student Volunteer

Lima, Peru: The richness of the Experience.

2011-05-26T08:42:00.000-07:00

We now have nearly three weeks of volunteer work under our belts on this trip. The nine of us have undoubtedly gained insights and experiences that would not have been attainable any other way. San Jose Obrero, the school we are working at, has a strong community and culture that has been humbling to witness, even in the most poverty stricken areas I have ever seen.

While the residents of Villa Maria seem comfortable with their modest lives, from a Canadian perspective it is amazing to think that so many of the world's 7 billion live in similar conditions. Their hospitable and collectivist nature means that we are never short of helping hands, even from mothers with babies on their backs and the keen primary school kids.

Our structure is coming along very nicely. Now in the second half of the project, we are short on supplies so some of the lumber and roofing materials are being reused from old buildings. Today everyone was very busy all day, filling, sanding, priming, roofing and interacting. We have all been challenged in a number of ways, be it our patience, interpretation skills, or dealing with adverse situations such as stepping on nails (that was me).

The language barrier has made it tough to talk to the people about anything beyond the basics. We would all agree that our IFEJANT meetings have provided massive insights about the local slums, because we have had a translator who has provided great relief and knowledge. We have learned that children who work can provide nearly as much income as their parents, and are vital to family wellbeing. Kids may be as young as seven when they start to work, and schooling is just a single important part of one's education. The vast majority of youngsters above that age in Villa Maria probably work.

Even the craziest challenges on the trip have only added to the richness of the experience. We've found motivation through the sunny afternoons we've been blessed with, the smiling faces of the locals, and through each other. I cannot wait to complete our project and share what I've learned about a diverse country, community and people.

Matt Melville

DWC Student Volunteer

Lima, Peru: May 2011 Student Team

2011-05-19T08:37:00.000-07:00

Our day started with our journey to villa maria which is around 50 minutes away from Casa Rodas Hostel in the area know as Miraflores, Lima. As slightly cloudy and gloomy as it was we were all filled with energy to start interacting with the locals and the children.

Our construction consisted of building three rooms, which were to be used for school and maintenance purposes. Today we finished the construction of the walls around all the three rooms. After all the barriers we have come across, especially the frustration with the language barrier, it’s amazing to see our hard work for the past week and a half start taking shape.

Today a number of the children’s mothers came by to help and we got to interact more with the locals. Our Spanish has improved a lot since our arrival and we can almost say all the construction equipment’s in Spanish, which is a progress from hand gesturing and signs. We know we are not changing the world with our small acts however we know that we are making a difference in these peoples’ lives and not to mention their influence on our lives.

Witnessing this first hand is nothing short of worthwhile.

Suud Nahdi,
DWC Peru Volunteer Participant

Student Team in Lima for 4 weeks working with IFEJANT

2011-05-17T09:12:00.000-07:00

In a blur of the first few exciting and positively challenging days in Peru, many things stand out to me personally. I have adjusted to life here at Hostel Casa Rodas with my new small family, enjoying playing cards, making meals, swapping stories, sharing laughs, trying new foods and fruits, as well as getting some dirt under my fingernails at the school. At times, the nine of us seem to have become as close as the Peruvian cars.

Our work at the school in Villa Maria is extremely eye opening, especially for those of us who have never witnessed this type of poverty. The most interesting part of my experience thus far has been interacting with the children who are so happy with the smallest of pleasures, even stacking bottle caps together to create a pyramid structure can bring such joy. I am constantly learning new things about myself and about the world around me.

The language barrier between our group and the locals has been challenging, but at the same time it pushes us to learn and expand our vocabulary. So far this has been an incredible and enjoyable experience, I look forward to working at the school, playing with the kids, learning a new language, growing closer to my teammates, and to teaching them all euchre! I send my love to family and friends Canada!

Carley Hoja

DWC Participant

Huancayo, Peru: Visiting with the school children was Wednesday's Highlight.

2011-04-21T09:42:00.000-07:00

We can see clearly now, the first thing we did was to clean the windows on the ground floor of the administration building. What a difference it made to have clean windows and have that extra bit of sparkle. As the windows were being cleaned Jesse showed up with a surprise for the team. She had brought supplies for Pachemanca, an amazing Peruvian dinner baked traditionally in the ground. Instead of painting the team was set to digging a hole, and washing rocks and then potatoes in preparation of building the oven and supplies still in transit. All the team knew was that they were in for a real treat.

Pachemanca is a traditional Inca dinner, the first step after building the oven is to build a fire and let it burn until the rocks lining the ground oven are white hot. All the rocks are then taken out of the oven and potatoes are lined along the bottom they are then covered with hot rocks. The next layer was a shocking amount of meat, a rack of pork chops, a side of sheep and four chickens, all had been marinated the day before in herbs and spices. Next Lima beans were added and corn husks. Large sacs, plastic and finally dirt was used to create a seal and keep the heat in. We left it for an hour, uncovered it to discover a veritable feast. What a great way to create a lasting bond between the Groupe de Huancayco and the Canadian/ German team!

The highlight of the day was to visit a school of grade one and twos. The kids were shy at first but soon had lots of questions for us about Canada - questions about “squares” (playgrounds), Canadian children and animals; particularly the type of fish. We brought handmade wooden toys, chocolate, and hair pretties for the girls. Every child said gracias for their gift as their eyes lit up with excitement. Seeing the joy on the faces of some of these kids brought tears to our eyes. One of the teachers thanked the team for coming and for sharing with the school and welcomed us to future visits. As a bonus, the teachers brought out the rest of the students, and as luck would have it, we had enough toys and chocolate to give them all a gift, too. In total the school has 32 students. Just before the team left some of the children gave the team members giant hugs before rushing back to class. It was a moving experience and one the team will never forget.

DWC Participant
Dan

Huancayo, Peru: Tuesday's activities.

2011-04-21T09:37:00.000-07:00

After days of scraping concrete, filling holes and cracks, base coats again and again, Maestro Jorge worked his baton and had the team working to finish the project with the final coats of color. Dan was up to his elbows in paint, literally mixing the paint with his hands so that the crew could once again put another coat of paint on the ceiling. It is absolutely amazing how great the final product looks and will brighten up the school and the neighborhood.

Once back at the hotel ,cleaned and refreshed, the team split into two groups one to go shopping for Alpaca blankets and the other to work on their natural beauty (manicures, pedicures and even one hair cut). We will let you guess who was on each team.

Charlotte the Tortuga is always on our minds. Throughout the trip little turtles have been appearing in the weirdest and oddest places. We think it is Charlotte’s spirit reminding us to work hard, have fun and that slow and steady wins the day.

Even though we had worked hard during the day, we were up to learning more Peruvian culture hosted by Jesse and the office staff. Callientitos, Pisco Sours, and new dance moves at a local establishment made for a very fun evening. Connie and Judy were especially good students, quickly picking up the groove.

DWC Participant
Dan

Huancayo, Peru: Monday of Holy Week.

2011-04-21T09:34:00.000-07:00

The week started off in a good and productive manner. We arrived at the work site well rested from the weekend and ready to paint. It wasn’t long before Jorge (the painting maestro) had the spatula’s out, and pointing “Aqui, Aqui” It is so hard to believe that we missed so many spots. This is going to be the best finished ceiling in Huancayo. It is amazing to see the workmanship that is possible with limited resources and tools.

It is really cool to see all the pomp and ceremony of Holy Week . Each evening the Church square comes alive with elaborate processions around the square each celebrating a significant event in Christs’ life leading up to Easter Sunday. The streets are lined with families creating and selling elaborate woven palm leaves, sheath’s of wheat and breads to sell to the faithful. It has become a nightly ritual for us to watch the festivities as they occur.

Funny after seven days in Huancayo, we noticed that there are no franchise fast food restaurants in town, or at least none that we have seen. The streets are crowded with vendors selling incredibly smelling treats and tasty food, and little independent restaurants in every nook and cranny but no Americanized “McDonalds”. It seems like a little pocket that North America has not really found yet.

DWC Participant
Dan

Huancayo, Peru: Updates from the first week.

2011-04-18T10:48:00.000-07:00

We all arrived in Lima at different times, odd times, early or perhaps late times. Our team leader Tom Fair had everything organized so it was trouble-free travel upon arrival. There was a driver with name cards to identify us at the airport. In no time, he drove us to the Bayview Hotel in Miraflores. Dan and Tom arrived about 1:30 am on the 7th, just in time to have a celebratory beer. Paul arrived about 5:30 am, knocking on Dan's door to get a couple hours shut-eye before starting the Lima adventure. Conny flew in from Germany on the Apr 7th at about 10:00 pm. Finally Judy arrived on the 9th at 1:30 am, bursting through her roommate Conny's door and waking the whole hotel up. Judy's energy continues to carry on through this Peruvian adventure.

Tom arranged accommodation at the Bayview Hotel in Miraflores. It is quaint and very central to the action in the neighbourhood. Miraflores is an upscale part of Lima close to the coast. Staff at the hotel are friendly and helpful. One of the highlights of the hotel is a big turtle in the back patio. The team has named the turtle Charlotte. Dan is deathly afraid of Charlotte and has nightmares of her biting his toes off. However, Dan and Charlotte grown to live in a state of happy co-dependency, as Charlotte is fed fruit daily and in turn acts as a wine caddy by night.

It is unusual to have few days of free time before starting on the project in Huancayo. Some planned for a day or two to get adjusted. However we were set back a day because of the Presidential election, which wasn't hard to miss as every street was nearly covered in campaign posters or graffiti of various parties and their candidates. Everything shuts down for the day including buses to Huancayo and the sale of wine and beer. Given extra time for team building, the first order of business appeared to be to create names for team members.

Some how, it is a long story that no one quite remembers (or perhaps chooses to forget) but Dan was given the name red chicken. He didn't like that so much so we changed the name to 'Pollo Rojo' (red chicken). He still doesn't like it but consensus ruled. Since then he has become Senor Atlas. Another long story is how Tom got his name but everyone remembers this one. While eating at a restaurant the first evening in town Tom adventurously ordered a dish he was not familiar with. When the dish arrived, there was a large pile of what looked like chicken livers. Dan and Paul tried a piece each and agreed that one piece was just fine. Tom dug in and eat about half. Turns out that they were chicken hearts, thus the name Muchos Corazones, or Many hearts. Tio Thomas (Uncle Thomas) is Tom's other name. Conny quickly received the name Pequeno Diablo (Little Devil) because of the sparkle in her eyes. She brings really great energy to the team and adds a more international flavour to the group. When she speaks Spanish it is her third language. Judy has few names. Lima is hot and with her fair skin and red hair she was soon known as Frito Camarones (fried shrimp). And day or so later with some attention from local boys Roberto and Alberto she also became known as Abja Reina (Queen Bee). At times she shares the same name given to Paul, which is Momma Sito but hers is the feminine form of Momma Sita, for at they times parent the group. Possibly from missing their children at home. Paul is also known as San Pablo (Saint Paul) he acts as body guard to Conny and Judy when out on the streets seeing as he stands a good foot or two above the locals and keeps an eye out for possible danger. A better name would be Grande Pablo.

On a more serious note, we discovered that Lima has excellent cuisine (aside from chicken hearts), good shopping and many interesting districts to visit. Dan and Paul had a go at surfing. The ocean off Lima has a consistent 5 foot breakers and it was tough even getting out to try to catch a wave. The instructors would yell 'paddle! paddle! paddle!' for encouragement and one time Paul (or maybe Dan) turned back to their instructor and yelled 'But I am!'. Dan successfully got up after a few tries, whilst Paul only managed to get to his knees on the board then toppled over. However they got back to the shore they were both happy with the experience. Dan and Paul weren't the only ones to catch a wave though. Conny, Tom and Judy had stayed on shore to watch the boys surf. Before heading out Paul had prophetically mentioned never to turn your back to the ocean. Well, apparently the ocean doesn't like to be ignored either! During a conversation between Judy and Tom a rogue waved completely doused the two from head to toe. Conny being more mindful of her surroundings managed to jump out of the way and was spared wet clothing.

We took the bus to Huancayo on the 12th and started our project at the school on the 13th. The bus ride was long but comfortable as the bus taken was a double decker tour type. We were able to watch three movies in big reclining chairs and was served a dinner too. The road was twisty and seemed to climb endlessly into the heart of the Andes. At times the bus slowed to a crawl and we were able to watch the Andes 500 as other vehicles would dangerously pass us on the narrow roads; one side at times being a cliff and the other the mountain wall. So there was little room for error. The best way to deal with this was to just go to sleep and hope you woke up still alive.

Our bus driver safely brought us into Huancayo late in the night and the team was greeted at the bus terminal by a large contingent of locals involved with the project. We immediately felt very welcomed and watched our luggage be whisked away by truck to the hotel, Los Balcones. After being on the bus for 8 plus hours a walk to the hotel with Violetta (the project co-ordinator) sounded perfect. We all felt the altitude (Huancayo being 10,500 feet) by the time we arrived. Even after being here a for nearly a week climbing the two flights of stairs to our rooms leaves us out of breath at times and it is not that we are in bad shape or so we hope anyways.

Work started on the 13th and so far the team have put in three full days. The day starts with breakfast at the corner cafe and the van picking the team up at 8:15. The same route to the work site is rarely taken more than once so there has been a great opportunity for the team to see Huancayo. There are many Volkswagen Bugs used as transportation in Peru and naturally the game Punch Bug was started to pass the time during the drive to the worksite. It has now become a death match game between Dan and Judy with Conny and Tom being helpful at pointing out the upcoming Bugs for the two of them.

The plan for the group originally was building desks, unbeknown to group leader Tom the plan had changed. The team was now to paint the upper level of the administration building. Day One had the team scraping and sanding the walls and ceiling smooth for the paint. We are all fast workers and in a couple hours had that done. We felt good about our accomplishment and looked forward to the next day's schedule of painting. Days two and three were spent filling holes and cracks with putty and then scraping and sanding the areas smooth in preparation of painting. The afternoon of day three the team was able to put up the first coat of paint. Day four saw the second coat and then a third coat of paint go up. Week two has been scheduled for working on garden plots which are incorporated into the walkway design in the courtyard area. The walkway was made by a previous DWC team and their team members names can be found written in cement tiles, sometimes accompanied with Canadian pins or Canadian money for embellishment.

Each day the group is greeted at the work site by their interpretor, Jesse. Jesse spends the day with us and helps with communication between the painter and the team members. We tend to make a mess of the Spanish language but no one can say we don't try. Jesse is very patient with our attempts at it. At lunch time the Huancayo home team, consisting of Nancy, Christian and Huan Carlos, arrive with lunch. The meal is always delicious with a lot of variety to choose from. The home team has been very accommodating and helpful.

Jesse has also worked as a tour guide for the team. She has taken the team to see many sites in and out of Huanycayo and helped to explain some of Huancayo's history. One night she arranged for the group to go see traditional Huancayo musicians complete with dancers who performed two dances specific to the city of Huancayo. At one point the dancers picked Conny and Dan to join in on the second dance. The team has also seen how alpaca wool is made into yarn and weaved for blankets.

Come back and read up on the team members various adventures and illnesses!

Collaborative effort by DWC Participants,
Judy, Paul and Dan

Huancayo, Peru: April 2011 - Off to a good start

2011-04-11T16:22:00.000-07:00

Buenos Dias!!!

Our Peru team of 5 have all arrived safe and sound. We have a very good group of participants (3 from Kamloops BC, 1 from Alberta and 1 from Germany) and I believe that we will get along with each other well. The past few days we have seen a lot of Lima and had some great meals and wine. Today we head to Huancayo on Cruz del Sur on the 1:30pm bus. I spoke with Violeta, our host partner contact at Arguendianos, and she is going to be meet us at the bus depot.

Looking forward to getting started on the project. We will keep you posted.

Tom Fair
DWC Team Leader

Huancayo Peru: August 2010 - Last day on the project and saying goodbye

2010-11-25T09:43:00.000-08:00

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

Huancayo, Peru: August 2010 - Macchu Picchu

2010-11-25T09:22:00.000-08:00

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

Huancayo, Peru: August 2010 - When in Rome

2010-08-23T13:35:00.000-07:00

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

Huancayo, Peru: August 2010 - Team Leader Shalen's thoughts

2010-08-23T13:30:00.000-07:00

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

2010-08-23T13:27:00.000-07:00

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

Huancayo, Peru: August 2010 - San Jeronimo and cooking

2010-08-23T13:24:00.000-07:00

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

Huancayo, Peru: August 2010 - Torre Torre

2010-08-23T13:21:00.000-07:00

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

Huancayo, Peru: August 2010 - Antojitos

2010-08-23T13:16:00.000-07:00

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

Huancayo, Peru: August 2010 - Hugo and the Pisco sours

2010-08-23T13:13:00.000-07:00

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

Huancayo, Peru: August 2010 - Working Days.

2010-08-23T12:09:00.000-07:00

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

Huancayo, Peru: August 2010 - The Project

2010-08-23T12:01:00.000-07:00

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

Huancayo, Peru: August 2010 - Arriving

2010-08-23T11:56:00.000-07:00

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

Huancayo, Peru: August 2010

2010-08-23T11:47:00.000-07:00

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

Huancayo, Peru: Excursion into the Rainforest

2010-05-25T09:29:00.000-07:00

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.

Lauren Hoffman
DWC Student Team Leader
Huancayo, Peru May 2010

Huancayo, Peru:

2010-05-25T09:25:00.000-07:00

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

Huancayo, Peru: The first days of the project.

2010-05-11T09:06:00.000-07:00

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.

Lauren Hoffman
DWC Student Team Leader
Huancayo, Peru 2010

Lima, Peru: May 7th, 2010.

2010-05-10T09:12:00.000-07:00

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.

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.

Heather Ling
DWC Participant,
Student Experience - Lima, Peru, 2010.

Lima, Peru: The most beautiful part of Peru.

2010-05-06T08:40:00.000-07:00

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

Lima, Peru: Arrival in Peru!

2010-05-05T14:16:00.000-07:00

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

April 24, 2010: Heading Home.

2010-04-26T08:44:00.000-07:00

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.

2010-04-26T08:42:00.000-07:00

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

2010-04-26T08:40:00.000-07:00

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

April, 2010: The final project days.

2010-04-22T10:49:00.001-07:00

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

2010-04-22T10:47:00.000-07:00

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

April 19, 2010: Trenching

2010-04-20T08:50:00.000-07:00

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.

2010-04-20T08:47:00.000-07:00

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!

2010-04-20T08:45:00.000-07:00

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.

2010-04-20T08:41:00.000-07:00

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 …

April 13th & 14th: Bricks, Rebar and Peruvian Beef.

2010-04-15T09:32:00.000-07:00

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!

2010-04-15T09:15:00.000-07:00

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.

2010-04-15T09:11:00.000-07:00

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.

March 22, 2010: A Letter from IFEJANT to the High School Students from Kamloops

2010-03-23T08:56:00.000-07:00

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.

All children hope to have adequate facilities for their education and regrettably in our country this is not possible for all children. However, you have made these hopes a reality. You have supported these children so they may continue to study and organize continually demand the fulfillment of their human rights.

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.

A couple of posts from the High School Students Perspective on Volunteering in Peru.

2010-03-15T09:43:00.000-07:00

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.

-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

March 9th: The High School Student Perspective

2010-03-09T15:12:00.000-08:00

Buenos Tardes!! After a night of the literally-best shopping in-my-life at Largo Mar and a late night, we woke up at 7:00am to get ready for another day at NASSEA School. The bus ride over was a unusually quiet one, everyone was falling asleep and that was the perfect time for bue-meister (Mr. Buemann, Teacher) to take his camera and take unflattering shots of us drooling and sleep deprived teenagers. Once we got there we went straight to work and started painting and getting messy. We had so so much fun getting to know the children but after a few minutes and with the help of a Spanish dictionary we started getting to know each other really well. Brian (a kid from the neighbourhood) and I started having very funny conversations. As I type, we’re finishing up the painting and getting ready for the kids. This trip has been going so well. I’m feeling really good about what we’re doing at this school. I can’t wait to see what we do tomorrow and the day after that. This is the SERIOUSLY-BEST-TRIP-IN-MY-LIFE!!

- Leah !

Oh my goodness! There is so much I could say right now; it’s so crazy! It’s been such an amazing experience already, and we’ve only been here three days! The things you find here are very…different. Driving, first off, consists of no seatbelts, 4 people in a back seat, and no turn signals or traffic lights. Like none. It’s literally chaos. Also the fact that we get stared at wherever we go is a bit weird, but it’s really amusing. There’s something new around every corner, and it’s so surreal to really be here after waiting for this trip for so long. I say on behalf of everyone that we’ve already learned so much about Peru and the people here. The past two days at the school have been such a whirlwind of activity – everyone has been working super hard, and it feels great to be able to contribute to a cause like this. Everyone around us is so positive, and it’s really great to get to be around the kids while we work. We’ve whipped out the dictionary numerous times today to try and communicate with them, and it’s actually really fun! We learn a lot by speaking, and there are a lot of phrases that we’ve picked up on already. Though, I am still not able to decode the conversation Jess, DWC Team Leader, is having on the phone on the couch across from me…lots of ‘hoolio’ and yelling and laughing…muy loco. Haha! Everyone is also getting along really well – definitely a contributing factor to all the fun we’ve been having. So many good times have gone on, and there are some pretty sweet insiders that we’ll be remembering. My abs are so sore from laughing its not even funny. It’s been so amazing though, and I’m looking forward to the rest of the experiences!

‘Jess, this has been like the best trip of any trip in the entire universe of all trips ever taken in my whole entire life. Like ever!’

- Maddy H.

At the risk of sounding cliché and repetitive, I fist want say that this trip is amazing. It’s hard to find the words to describe what you’re seeing and what you’re feeling unless you are actually here, working, learning, and travelling. We learn about Peru: geography (“which is actually very fascinating!” – Mr. B) culture, language and most importantly we learn about ourselves. We came to Peru expecting to help the people here by volunteering in their schools and by bringing donations: which we have done and its’ not hard to tell that what we have done so far is so greatly appreciated. But what I did not realize to such a great extent was how much this trip would help us. I truly believe that in these long three days, all of us have truly grown as people and as members of the international community. Our eyes and our hearts have been opened… as cheesy at that sounds. So what have we learned exactly? Personally, I think that this trip has really clarified for me what I want to do in my life and the direction I’m headed. I know I want to experience more cultures and I know I want to go into a career where I can travel, learn new languages and help people all over the world.

Jess said I should talk about the differences between Canada and Peru… and there are so many its unbelievable, but if there weren’t, this trip would be no where near as interesting. Firstly, obviously the difference in language is huge. A Latin-American phrase book and Spanish-English dictionary is always close by. Mostly, at the school and when we’re around Lima, we speak Spanglish: an odd combination of two different languages cobbled together, and most of the time no one has any idea what anyone else is saying. It’s frustrating, but when you can finally understand what someone is trying to communicate to you, the feeling of satisfaction and fulfillment is so overwhelming. Another difference is the driving, as other bloggers before me have mentioned.

When travelling by taxi we split up into three groups of five, meaning there is four of us squished in the backseat of a tiny taxi speeding down highways and little roads going 80 kilometers an hour when the speed limit is only 50. (if you’re reading this mom, don’t worry we’re quite safe… Peruvians are the best bad drivers you’ll ever come across).

Another difference is food, no where else will you find lime that is so acidic it can actually cook fish. And I’ve eaten an unbelievable amount of potatoes and rice. As for the bathrooms, when we have flush toilets, you can’t put the toilet paper in it or it will clog. And when there aren’t flush toilets, you can find a small hole in the cement the size of the base of a small water bottle. That is an experience I will never forget. Of course there are so many differences I could write about, but for times sake, I’ll just mention a few: architecture, clothing styles, schools, city layout, diversity and the overall culture.

As excited as I am to experience the rest of this trip, I wish I could slow down time and make it last longer!

- Claire

March 5th, 2010: Kamloops High School arrive Lima, Peru.

2010-03-08T08:41:00.000-08:00

After a long day of travelling yesterday, we woke up to the sound of car alams and Jess’ voice…

Our grumpy moods were soon taken care of though, when our breakfast time came. Breakfast was not only delicious, but also caused a flurry of conversations with all the new fruits and jam’s. We then made our way to our host partner’s headquarters where we were introduced to the crew. We met two Peruvian girls and two boys and one of them played his bamboo flute for us which was INCREDIBLE.

After lunch, we bused our way downtown to catch a tour bus to Mt. St. Christobale which had an amazing view but the ride up was a little windy. Then, after purchasing our own bamboo flutes, we returned downtown where we went into an amazing church where the bones of 25 000 people are!

An adventurous day it most definitely was, learning lots about to be in Peru. For example, one should always look both ways before crossing the street and one should not point at people with your finger. People stare at us because of the colour of our hair. Tonight were going dancing, it should be a blast!

Anne Simpson
Developing World Connections Participant
Lima, Peru
March 2010

Peru 2010: Kamloops High School Students - March 2010

2010-03-08T08:37:00.000-08:00

Kamloops High School Students will be working with new host partner, IFEJANT, in Lima.

Friday, March 5^th, 5:03 pm, Lima, Peru

It’s Jess here checking in just before the rest of the team arrives tonight. Everything is ready to go and I can’t wait for the team to arrive as I know it’s going to be an incredible experience for them. We will be volunteering at two schools in the “cones of Lima” which are on the fringes of the city. Here people live in densely populated areas in very precarious and marginal conditions. In both schools, we hope to get a head start on the construction of bathrooms which at present are non-existent. At first, the bathrooms will be like outhouses, but we are building them in the right place so that eventually they can be connected to a sewer system.

It’s going to be a busy schedule as we are packing a lot into 10 days. We will be meeting and working with the members of IFEJANT (host-partner in Lima), working children, students, teachers, and many other Peruvians. Tomorrow, the group will hit the ground running – after the orientation and a welcome lunch, we are going to tour the centre of Lima and view this massive city from atop a hill. After dinner, we will experience tradition folklore dancing and music and hopefully test our Peru legs by doing some dancing of our own! On Sunday, it’s straight to work throughout the days and it’s going to be hot, humid and dirty. At nights, we will continue exploring other parts of Lima that contrast extremely with the marginal areas we will be working in. After a community celebration on Wednesday, we are off to Cuzco first thing Thursday morning to explore the wonders of the Ancient Incan Empire and the beauty of the Andes. On the last day we will return to Lima and go 40 km’s south to rest and relax on the beach before flying home to real life.

Lima, “City of Kings”, is a diverse place with extreme contrasts. The grip of extreme poverty, sprawling population and pollution does not surpass Lima’s incredible history, lively spirit, incredible vistas, savoury tastes and, above all, it’s inspiring people.

I am very excited because I know the students are going to have an unforgettable experience – this will truly be a life changing experience offering them a new and valuable perspective. It is my hope and sincere belief that their experiences and, above all, the people they meet, will inspire them; I hope this inspiration will serve them well in their personal development and create in them a lasting personal commitment to global citizenship, solidarity, sustainable living and service to others.

Jess

DWC Team Leader, Development Coordinator

The Students Last Post: Saying Good-bye to the project and partners.

2009-06-15T09:16:00.000-07:00

A lot has happened in the past couple of days. Work ended last week with little incident; the waterline trench was well on its way to completion, and some tiling had begun. We then moved into one of the best weekends of the trip thus far.

Saturday started at 7:00 am when we were picked up by Nancy and Senor Elies (save three group members who were sick), and began one of the most amazing, most uncomfortable bus rides I have ever experienced. We travelled across the Mantaro River Valley, and then ascended an extremely steep, extremely bumpy gravel mountain road. It crisscrossed across the mountain feet as we slowly climbed over a thousand feet. The road was barely wide enough for our small bus, and 95% of the ride involved one side of the road ending in a drop off to valley floor below. Many times there was barely eight inches between the van and certain death (to be dramatic). As harrowing as it was at times, it was also very exciting, and I never once felt in danger. Half way up the road the bus pulled over, and we all filed out to enjoy the phenomenal view (we could see the entire Mantaro River Valley). We stayed for about 30 minutes, took many photos, enjoyed the breathtaking view, and listened to the silence. After that, it was back to more bus riding, which eventually leveled out.

The rest of the day was incredible. We travelled through the mountains and visited about a half dozen small towns. We had the privilege of seeing where Senor Elies grew up, and each small town presented something new and interesting to us. The little towns were amazing, hidden amongst the hills and mountains; it felt very secluded and peaceful. We visited a colonial town where a Spanish church from the 1600’s still stood, and we stopped at another town for one of the best meals we have had yet. The last major stop of the day was at a local dairy farm where we were able to purchase delicious yogurt, and were given a small tutorial on how cheese was made, and the social program the dairy farm had underway. After the dairy farm, it was time to begin the long journey back to Huancayo. By that time in the day everyone was exhausted, so the drive back down the mountain was not as fun as the drive up. We trudged through the doors of our house around 5:30 pm, tired, sore, but altogether still excited about the wonderful day we all had.

Sunday started even earlier than Saturday for a few of us: 5:30. We took taxis to the bus terminal, met Eric there, and hired cars to take us out to La Merced and the jungle. There were only six of us; the rest of the group wanted to sleep in and spend the day at the Sunday market on Huancavelica Avenue. After another crazy drive through the Peruvian countryside, we arrived at the town of La Merced. Once there, we hired a tour guide to take us to the jungle. This was one of my most favourite days of the trip so far. The tour began with swimming in the river underneath a beautiful waterfall. The water was very warm, and we never wanted to leave; it was too much fun. However, our guide had other ideas. After a brief walk and tour of the jungle there, we filed back into our van and headed out to go and catch a ride on a riverboat.

The riverboat was interesting. We got in, put on ridiculous orange life jackets, laughed a ton about that, and then the boat was off. We travelled across the river, then up a little ways, then back down a little ways, and then we docked. It took all of ten minutes. Amusing as that is, it was still a fun ride, and we took lots of pictures. After docked we were herded back to our van and told we were going to visit an “authentic” native village. Instead of authenticity we got a tourist attraction. Upon our arrival, we were garbed in “traditional” clothing, our faces were painted, and we were sat down for a little speech delivered by an elder with a bow and arrow, a parrot, a drum and a rattle. We all thought it was quite hilarious and enjoyed the little speech (which none of us understood). Due to time constraints, we had to leave before the elder’s performance was over. However, that wasn’t until we got to take some pictures of us holding the parrot. Our way back to Huancayo was another long journey, and we didn’t walk through the doors until 9:30 pm. However, we were all still smiles as told the others about our day. Those who remained home had a wonderful day that began with pancakes, involved lots of market purchases, and lots of relaxation. It was a pretty great Sunday for the entire group, regardless of what each person did.

Monday marked the beginning of the end of our work at the project site. The trench was complete, and rubble clean up began. Tuesday was our last official working day. I spent the majority of the day tiling wit h Kelsey, and the others continued the clean up and making sure everything was in order. Wednesday was our last day on the project site. However, it wasn’t spent working. Instead we helped prepare the pacha manka that were going to enjoy with the Arguedianos members. We visited, had refreshments, and engaged in the whole process of the wonderful traditional meal. While everything was cooking, we walked over to a concrete soccer field where the DWC men played the Arguedianos men in an epic soccer match. The girls sat on the sidelines and cheered on our guys. At the end of the 45 minute game, DWC was victorious with a 3-1 win over Arguedianos. It was a great, good-natured came, and everyone was ready to enjoy the pacha manka by the time it was over. The meal was absolutely delicious (especially the umitas for dessert), and we were all groaning with full stomachs by the time it was over.

At 3:00 pm our ride showed up, and we had to go through the difficult process of saying goodbye to the jobsite, our ever present site dog Snickers, and all the wonderful people we have met and come to love here in Huancayo. It was a bittersweet affair. While we are all excited about our cultural tour, and eventually making it back to Canada, we weren’t all ready to leave the project behind. We have all had such a wonderful experience, and it is astonishing how the time has flown by. With our last farewells to everyone, we piled into our work bus one last time, and went home.

Here we come Machu Picchu.

Students in Peru: Another Perspective

2009-06-08T15:36:00.000-07:00

After travelling from Vancouver to Lima the previous day, I woke up on Sunday morning to make the final leg of the trip to Huancayo. It was going to be an 8 hour bus ride, and having never been somewhere like Peru, I had no idea what to expect. All I had to go on was a friend of mine who had told me horror stories about his travels though Central America, where he would have to ride rickety buses that were absolutely packed with people—and chickens.

I was quite shocked, then, when I boarded a beautiful double decker bus that put Greyhounds to shame. Not only that, but the ride to Huancayo was absolutely gorgeous; having only seen a small, dirty part of the heavily urbanized Lima, I was all the more blown away by Peru’s picturesque landscapes and the many quaint villages that we would pass by. After 8 hours of seeing the country, sleeping, and battling altitude sickness, I was finally finished traveling and could begin my time in Huancayo.

The house that me and the 11 other people (or gringos, as I would soon learn we would be called) along on the trip was also a pleasant surprise. It had all the necessities, like good beds, a kitchen, a shower, and even a TV! Now, don’t get me wrong—it still took some time to adjust. The stove didn’t work quite perfectly (I’m not saying I’ve been expecting the house to explode from a gas leak, but you never know), the shower electrocutes you a little when you touch the shower head, and, of course, all the channels on the TV are in Spanish. Oh, and apparently in Peru you can’t flush your toilet paper down the toilet, you have to throw it in the garbage. As awful as that sounded to me, it really hasn’t been that bad. You just have to make sure not to accidentally drop anything in the garbage, because fishing it out is not an option.

The next morning, Monday, we went to work and I got to see the actual project that we came to work on. It’s a school that’s being built for children who are forced to drop out of school because they need to start working to help support their families. This school has a flexible schedule, and teaches kids skills that will directly help them in getting a good job. The work itself has been pretty standard stuff, but it’s pretty cool to think about how much this facility is going to help children who would otherwise be trapped in poverty with no way to improve their situation.

While the work we do is mostly things like painting and digging holes, are weekdays are anything but boring; incidents such as the “dog-napping incident” keep things very interesting. Basically what happened there was the guy who drives us to and from work in a little bus/huge van, was accused of stealing someone’s dog one day when he came to pick us up. I believe the exact words of the person who witnessed and reported the incident translated to something like “the van of gringos stole that dog!”

The day of the incident our driver was late, as usual, and in what I imagine was an attempt to make up for his tardiness, he offered Michiah, DWC Team Leader, a bag of oranges. That was nice, but after that he also reached down and pulled up a small white dog and extended that out to Michiah as well. Michiah motioned that he didn’t want it—the oranges were enough. Now, the driver may very well have just been showing us the dog rather than offering it to us as a package deal with the oranges, but due to the language barrier, we may never know for sure. He had to bring the dog back a few days later so that the woman who had had a dog stolen could inspect, and it was apparently not the same dog, ridding our driver of all dog-snatching allegations. Now, if he had stolen the dog, I would assume he would bring a different dog for the lady to inspect, so I still have my suspicions… but I was not in charge of the investigation, so I guess the case is closed.

We don’t do a lot of sitting around here, and we’ve been getting to experience the culture of Peru quite a bit on top of working on the school. The Sunday after I arrived, we went to a traditional Peruvian party (or festival maybe, I’m not sure what to call it… you’ll see why in a minute). It began with us travelling a little way out of the city to a tiny little farming community in the middle of nowhere. Arriving at 11 am, we were handed beers, and a fairly large band—maybe 25 people—started to play. It was a mobile band, with trumpets, saxophones, and drums, and they then led us to a second location, where we were served “breakfast.” The meal was some sort of soup, with what I was told was corn (but it was nothing like the corn I’m used to) and meat. I have to say, I thought it was awful. The “corn” was very strange, and the meat was suspect at best. Having said that, I was very happy to be able to try it; it did not taste good, but I guarantee you will never have the chance to try that dish in Canada.

Next came the really cool part of the day. We were led, again by the band, to another location where some of the locals cut down two large trees. We proceeded to carry the trees on our shoulders to yet another location—that seemed very far, but probably only because we were carrying giant trees—and managed to stick them in holes in the ground, standing them up again. Before we stood them up, the tops of the trees were decorated with balloons and blankets, and then we danced around them for quite a while. I will tell you this: you haven’t lived until you’ve danced with a 70 year old drunk Peruvian woman around decorated trees.

Finally we were led to a final location to have dinner. Unlike breakfast, I thoroughly enjoyed the meal. It was beans, meat, potatoes, and tamales prepared in underground fire pits. I couldn’t tell exactly how it worked, but it was a big pit in the ground filled with hot coals that cooked the food over a long period of time. It was a long day packed with things I had never done before, and it was easily the coolest experience I’ve had in a long time.

Volunteer Participant
DWC - UBC 2009

The first six day in Peru!

2009-05-26T11:08:00.000-07:00

On May 18th, ten of the twelve group members met up in Lima. Michiah, our Developing World Connections Team Leader, met most of us at the airport and took us back to the hostel we were staying at for the night. There, we met the other members for the first time over a traditional Peruvian supper of Domino's pizza and water. After much talk and laughter, we all branched off to our rooms to shower and go to bed. At 6 in the morning the next day, we hopped into some taxis for a short ride through Lima to the bus station, where we would embark on an 8 hour trip through the Andes to Huancayo. The trip was amazing. We ascended up to 15,000 feet at the highest point, and were able to look out at some incredible scenery.

When we finally arrived in Huancayo, we were met by three very gracious, very excited members of our host organization. They took us to the house where we are staying for the duration of our project. It is a very neat house, and was fully stocked and prepared for us by our wonderful hosts (including new beds, blankets, and pillows). However, there was one small problem being a lack of running water for the majority of the day, and cold water if it was flowing. While our wonderful hosts have taken care of that at this point, it did add a certain exclamation point to the fact that we are in Peru. It helped to put us at ease in a way, to prepare ourselves for the suspension of some of the comforts we are used to. After getting our things organized, our guide Eric showed us how to get to the supermarket so that we could make use of our fridge.

Our first full day in Huancayo, Wednesday the 20th, Eric took us on a stroll through downtown Huancayo, and pointed out some of the more interesting facets of the city. Very cool. It ended up being a lengthly walk, and by the time we got home, were were all very hungry and tired, some of us feeling the altitude more than others. Dinner was followed by some quality group bonding, and an early to bed; Thursday would be our first day on the job site.

Thursday the 21st was started with much excitement. We were all very anxious to see what we would be working on, and to get started. At 8:30am we left our nice little home and headed out. When we arrived at the site we were put to work sanding and plastering the 2 buildings at the site in order to get them ready to paint. We were a very industrious group, and by 2:00pm, we had completed our day's work. With an hour to kill, we decided to explore the neighbourhood surrounding the job site.

Friday the 22nd: painting day. Our group was ready to get truly dirty with some serious painting. The day flew by, and everyone was in high spirits. Nevertheless, by the end of the day everyone was a little weary (in a good way), and we all needed a shower and a nice meal. Both were delivered.

On Saturday we all had a nice slow morning, and sat out on our rooftop patio to catch some sunlight. Some girls went into town to do some laundry, and the rest of us puttered around the house. At 3:00 pm, a guide came to pick 7 of us up to take us to Torre Torre (the Towers), natural geological formations minutes from our house. They were amazing, and we spent a few hours hiking and enjoying the beautiful view of the city of Huancayo and the the rest of the river valley. Our guide then took us through the local neighbourhood, a more impoverished part of town, and we got to enjoy some of the sights. The children were particularly amusing, yelling "Gringos! Gringos!" when they saw us, smiling, laughing, and running around. The adults were also pleased to greet us as we passed by. The whole excursion was extremely rewarding. When we arrived home at 6:30, we found our remaining housemates to be very relaxed and pleased with their own afternoon, where they caught up on some sleep. It was a really good day for everyone, topped with a delicious supper and lots of laughs.

Until next time!

-Developing World Connections Student Volunteer 2009
Alix Stupich

PERU: Final Entry

2009-04-20T10:37:00.000-07:00

Ultimo el Blogo for April 18, 2009

We did it! The school isn’t finished by any means, but in our two weeks in Huancayo, we got a lot done! On our last day our Contractor, Allahandro, brought in a small cement mixer, mucho 45 kilo bags of cement, a dump truck load of true gravel and some workers who know how to handle cement. We got to work making concrete while some of our team members touched up the painting we had done earlier to the upstairs classrooms. Rotary President Sean McKenna, his wife Jennifer and Dr. Ben Anders went with Violeta, our super helpful Arguedianos contact to pick up and deliver the six white boards, markers and coloured chalk for the three schools we visited. They reported shock on the faces of each Principal at the generosity of our group. They graciously accepted our gifts and it is truly gratifying to know that we have improved the learning environments for mucho, mucho children!

Back to the concrete making!! Here’s a recipe for you do-it- your-selfers: 45 shovelfuls of gravel, of 45 kilo bag of cement, a container or so of water from the 5 litre old vegetable oil can with a handle welded onto it (hey, whatever works!) Put this all into the cement mixer, mix and then pour into wheel barrows, then walk the w.b.’s into the Admin Building and pour out the concrete! Well, two hours and twenty minutes later, we had some tired team members, seemingly unfettered cement workers and a beautiful cement floor for the Admin building! I have to say, we were all proud of ourselves. I think we surprised our hosts with our very strong work ethic and determination!

With our work at the site completed we shared hugs and congratulations with the one another and our now “amigo” workers!!! It was an emotional, joyous moment none of us will soon forget!

On Friday night, we were treated to another example of Peruvian culture. Our friends from the Rotary Club of Huancayo hosted a marvelous dinner at Past President Juan’s beautiful home. We were entertained by a delightful trio who sung traditional Peruvian songs in a very passionate way. At this point, we all agreed, it would be nice if Canada could adopt some of the passion this country exhibits so freely. We don’t shake hands, we hug and kiss on the cheek to say hello and good bye. We dance because the music is so inviting! We ate Peruvian favourites, drank sweet Peruvian wine (everything can’t be perfect) and danced with our Rotary Amigos and Amigas! It really was a delightful evening that again, we will not forget!

It’s Saturday and we are on a bus on the way back to Lima (ahh…sea level)! It has been great sending these blogs but like our work on the site, we are finito!

See you all back in Kamloops!

Regards

Jaimie and Tom

Peruvian Smiles, Gravel, and Pancamacha

2009-04-20T10:22:00.000-07:00

April 16, 2009

It’s been four days since we last wrote. And boy, what a four days we’ve had! Two new members arrived and have helped immediately. We’ve been working very hard and have finished painting the upstairs classrooms. Next, we cleaned out the floor of the Administration building and then a big Dump Truck dumped a full load of what some might call gravel, but gravel with grandé rocks is what we called it! Our job was to transfer this gravel onto the very rough floor of the Admin Building. Our Contractor told us afterwards, this should take two days but we did in one hard day! The next day they brought in a tamper and we flattened the rough gravel. Pretty tough work but we got it done! At the same time, half our members finished cutting lines in the paint to truly finish the classrooms.

All this week, we have had visits from the delightful children who live next door. Both Anette and her brother Beckham (yes named after soccer hero) brighten our day each day with a visit including hugs, “Buenos Dias” and a huge smile. Certainly helps keep us going! This leads onto the very pleasant part of our week: visiting the young children in their schools! What a treat for us all to see the children and see their smiling faces! It’s amazing to us to see the conditions they are taught in and the contentment in their eyes and the gratitude they showed us! This is what these trips are all about! With money we raised at Rotary Daybreak, we are buying white boards (2 for each) markers and coloured chalk (yes, they only have white). This will be delivered on Friday before we leave!

On a very pleasant note, we took in some local culture when the Arguedianos (the local group we work with) prepared a traditional festival meal for us-called Pancamacha! This is a meal dated back to the Inca days and it involves roasting of rocks for many hours over a big campfire. After many ours, you take of the rocks, empty the ashes and then put in the pit the following: sweet potatoes, potatoes, whole chickens, pork, sheep (lamb) broad beans and corn tamales with sweet corm meal. Then the red hot rocks are put back on top followed by burlap sacks, plastic and then completely buried with earth. 45 minutes later, we were served a delicious roasted meal that we all loved, if if it was way too much food! Our hosts were so gracious and very hospitable! It really was a great cultural experience!

That’s all for now.

Regards

Jaimie and Tom

PERU: April 12, 2009

2009-04-13T08:40:00.000-07:00

With one week behind us, a full weekend of Easter festivities, and three tours of the Huancayo district, we feel like we are a lot more in tune with Peru, Huancayo and it’s people. Talking about Easter festivities, we saw some great floral displays, busy, busy public markets, and a moving reenactment of the crucifixion of Christ. Not only was this moving, we all had to hike up close to 1,000 ft. to witness this. It took place in the town of Concepcion and was deeply spiritual to many of the locals. Many of us have had a bout of Montezuma’s Revenge (locally referred to as the Peruvian two-step). One of our members has had a particularly hard time of it as he has been down for three days.

In our tours, we climbed many, many steps and got to great vantage points. We could really feel the altitude and the thinness of the air. We saw a beautiful, fertile valley below us; amazing when you realize this is all growing at 10,500 ft. It really was worth the hike up (Peruvian Two-Step notwithstanding)! The weather has been on again off again, but when it is on, you realize you are 11 degrees south of the equator. But when it’s cool, it is cool-36 F last night. Finally our Rotary friends took us touring today and we saw some beautiful gardens, spectacular stone structures and visited a unique village with high spirits and ate Rainbow Trout for lunch.

Our last two team members arrive tonight so as of tomorrow, we will have a full team raring to go! We will have the building painted, ready for the next stage by weeks end.

That’s all for now.

Regards

Jaimie and Tom

PERU: On the Project Site

2009-04-09T08:30:00.000-07:00

We have spent two days at the worksite and we have accomplished the following: sanded the cement walls and ceilings, then applied cement filler to patch any cracks or blemishes. Then we applied two coats of primer and it is starting to take shape! We need to fill in any new cracks that appeared after the primer. It will probably need a couple more coats to finish it off. On to anecdotal stuff: Grant almost sanded a scorpion, which was a little freaky but very interesting. Sean McKenna has taken strong liking to the three dogs of the camp. The one he favours the most, the rest of us question if it really is a dog or some alien creature (ugly pictures to follow-of the dog as well). We have had visits at the worksite from the young children who were here last year. Tom remembers them and they certainly remembered Tom (very cute-the kids; not Tom)! The local NGO and our local contractor have been just excellent thus far and we really look forward to working with them for the remainder of this project. As we now have two days under our belt, our initial fears for the weaker sex have proven to be unfounded. The men are working just fine!

One thing that certainly is clear to us, is we are working in the real Peru, not some glitzy, touristy area whatsoever. It’s very different from where we live; we may have much more material goods but they live with great passion, friendliness and sense of family. We really feel privileged to offer our help down here.

On Wednesday night we joined the Rotary Club of Huancayo for their dinner meeting. We were treated to a performance by their Junior Symphony Orchestra as well as performances by some of their members with very great talent. We introduced one another with the aid of our young Exchange Student Ailsa Miller who did a great job translating for both sides. We were really proud of her the way she handled the pressure. It was a delightful evening which opened the door to future partnerships with this friendly club.

That’s all for now folks. Talk to you again soon.
(Jaimie for…) Tom

PERU: The first several days

2009-04-07T16:10:00.000-07:00

We spent one day traveling by air: First flight, Vancouver to LA and second flight, LA to Lima, Peru. The airlines weren’t exactly perfect as both The McKennas and the Anders lost one bag each. As of this writing, still no sign of them yet. We were all pretty tired so we slept well.
Day two:
We headed from Lima to Huancayo by bus. We climbed from 125 ft. above sea level to 15,000 ft in less than five hours. Doesn’t feel too good, we can all vouch for that! Luckily, we descended to Huancayo at 10,600 ft. which feels much better! The highways weaving through the mountains were really spectacular (switchbacks which made Duffy Lake Road look like childs play). Highlights of our bus ride include seeing two full moons: the first was a brilliant bright one in the Peruvian night sky; the second was from one of our team members who will remain nameless, right Debra, entered the bathroom pulled down her pants and then, when the bus made a particularly hard corner, came flying out of the door! Like I say, we saw two Full Moons on the trip.

Day three:
Today started with Jaimie claiming he got pick pocketed. After having a “Royal Meltdown” all morning, cancelling all his credit cards, he finally found his wallet which he hid just a little too well. In the afternoon, we met with some local Rotarians and we will go their meeting on Wednesday night!

That’s all for now folks. Talk to you again soon.
(Jaimie for…) Tom