From Wednesday:
Today I am sick. Sadly, I could not go to the school. But at least I can still play ping-pong. Yesterday, at the end of the day, I did get to go to the hospital (not for emergency) to get a nebulizer treatment (ours doesn't work here). I felt a lot better.
Wyatt
Friday, December 4, 2009
Wednesday, December 2, 2009
Sandboaring!
(I am finally getting around to typing Wyatt's post from our Ica trip)
Today we did something awesome!! We went sandboarding in a desert! We drove f-a-r into it but then we got our boards out. When you sandboard, you go down on your stomach (on your feet is for pros only). By the way, it was almost vertical. It was very fun (very,very)! The dune buggy that we went in was fun, going down the dunes in it was awesome....like a roller coaster!
Wyatt
Today we did something awesome!! We went sandboarding in a desert! We drove f-a-r into it but then we got our boards out. When you sandboard, you go down on your stomach (on your feet is for pros only). By the way, it was almost vertical. It was very fun (very,very)! The dune buggy that we went in was fun, going down the dunes in it was awesome....like a roller coaster!
Wyatt
hi all!
let{s see where was I in the grand catching up game? I did see that miss jenny summed up our weekend prety well, but what{s fun is the different perspectives, right?
(wow, just realizd that apstrophes are actually brackets on this keyboard. that{s annoying. i
don{t think i can hang. please know that not only do i know when to use one, but it is in fact one of my pet peeves - i have actually based some pretty big decisions on when they are and are not properly used...(amber will attest to this, wont you?)
(I am also aware that it is many of your pet peeves when people do not capitolize their I,s)
OK - back on track, sorry for the tangent.
Saturday 11/28 continued...
Alive and well off the dunes! After having a bit of free time to relax, we were off to the wineries! Very cool. Jenny brought up the point that put into perspective that (someone/many) had to haul the water from somewhere for this incredible wine making process. the equiptment was a treat in itself...ceramic vats, copper pipes, cement holding tanks. Incredible. Besides the 8 different grape varietals, the winery also housed pecan trees and 3 different types of mango trees! After the tour and tasting (YUM!) we sat in the shade of the trees and had lunch; then off to Nasca! The two hour drive wasn{t bad. About 20 miles or so outside of Nasca we stopped at a (36ft?) tower so we could see two of the lines. Kinda scary - but pretty cool - got us excited for what was to come!
I think we all enjoyed the walk through town to Panchos restaraunt - and the food was fantastic! (so great in fact, you might be able to read about it in Lonely Planet - we{re all going to write in to give him the boost he needs!) Really excellent BBQ chicken served with a lovely fresh salad (yes - this is the one i ate).
Buenos Noches Saturday....
...Buenos Dias Sunday 11/29
no desayuno this morning - we{re headed bright and early to fly over the Nasca Lines! I think to be honest were all a little nervous ( i think Pancho thinks i might have another panic attack). Our housemates back in Ayacucho had warned us it was pretty tipsy turvy...when we saw the six seater, that was nerve-wracking enough! But honestly, it wasn{t bad at all - it was exciting and fascinating to be able to see such treasures! (i liked watching our little shadow). Funny Jenny and I were both interested in the lines that were not on our map.
after safely landing and eating breakfast - we stopped at this little house outside of town - come to find out, its the ceramic demo. very cool. the young man - Andreas - talked to us about the history of his family and the craft to which his grandfather had learned the secrets...all while creating a beautiful piece right before our eyes! We were able to touch, hold, and feel pieces of pottery that were over 2,000 years old. Andreas let us feel a piece he was working on - let us feel the gritiness of the paint on the clay, then proceeded to take a smooth stone - touch it to the oils on his face - and rub it on the design. We were then able to feel it again - it was not only smooth to the touch, but shiny, and amazingly enough, ready for use! This was something the Nasca people figured out - because they were having trouble keeping the vibrant colors after the pieces were re-fired. Pretty ingenius, huh?
Back in Ica we were given a free afternoon. The four of us attemped to have lunch - after the 3rd time the staff came to let us know there was a problwem in the kitchen, we opted to just pay for our waters, and have ice cream.
I went in to lay down and woke up to a fever and the beginning of my untimely "cleanse".
i didn{t want to be a party pooper (no pun intended), so i popped a little green pill, had a EmergenC, and headed out with the group to the witches village.
It was a exciting and a little spooky too. This was the real thing. I couldn{t get a grasp if I thought Sara would have been psyched or freaked. There are no (public) women witches anymore. They were all condemmed, the last one having died in the late eighties - would love to know a little more about that...
We all got our cards read - I appreciated the fact that he wouldn{t read for the boys. wanted them to have good full lives without his words being in the back of their minds...
I realized afterwords that maybe I should have gotten my palm read; only because I hadñt before...anyhow, it was interesting having the cards read and then translated...I wanted to make sure he knew that I was feeling pretty bad at that poiint and that I hoped that wouldn{t have too much bearing on my reading. He said that I was sick because I was always taking care of everyone else...nothing I didñt already know. Though he did say my aura looked weak...I{m hoping this trip is helping with that.
Not sure what everyone else{s take was...but I think this trip will be life changing in some way for everyone. How could it not?
I spent the rest of the evening either asleep in the car or hanging out in the gigantic grocery store bathroom. Very exciting and TMI, I know.
But for the record, once we got back to our rooms I had the most wonderful care giver ever:
Mr. Edward James Farmer, Jr. He even battled a cockaroach in the shower because that water was colder for my forehead washcloth! Thanks Eddie!
xoxo
Monday 11/30
VIOLA! Must have been the waashcloth - cause it was a brand new day, with not a gurgle on the horizon!!
The boat ride was great. Had a really nice conversation with my seat buddy (Justin from both Washintons) about the different ways different people travel. Was refreshing to hear I{m not the only one who enjoys getting lost in where i am...and holy *¨´" - we were on a boat in peru - can{t beat that! the rock formatyions were incredible - much like natural bridges...learned some interesting informationa bout guano and sea lions and even saw penguins! (yes, mom, i said hello!). A bit of a hard mix of emotions. Exciting to be that close to the animals, yet feeling so invasive to their space....and hating the fact that they hardly even noticed our presence...
after the boat we walked around town, shopped the little markets, and finally got to have ceviche!!!! it was fantastic!!!!
I was nervous about the ride home, and the lack of toilts. But besides for the slow, steady climb (pretend you are a balloon...that{s how we all felt), we all survived.
Never felt so good to be (not) home...
i think i might actually go lay my head down on the bottom bunk again...
signing off a few days closer to being caught up...
now all that matters is that we are all safe and healthy...
christin
let{s see where was I in the grand catching up game? I did see that miss jenny summed up our weekend prety well, but what{s fun is the different perspectives, right?
(wow, just realizd that apstrophes are actually brackets on this keyboard. that{s annoying. i
don{t think i can hang. please know that not only do i know when to use one, but it is in fact one of my pet peeves - i have actually based some pretty big decisions on when they are and are not properly used...(amber will attest to this, wont you?)
(I am also aware that it is many of your pet peeves when people do not capitolize their I,s)
OK - back on track, sorry for the tangent.
Saturday 11/28 continued...
Alive and well off the dunes! After having a bit of free time to relax, we were off to the wineries! Very cool. Jenny brought up the point that put into perspective that (someone/many) had to haul the water from somewhere for this incredible wine making process. the equiptment was a treat in itself...ceramic vats, copper pipes, cement holding tanks. Incredible. Besides the 8 different grape varietals, the winery also housed pecan trees and 3 different types of mango trees! After the tour and tasting (YUM!) we sat in the shade of the trees and had lunch; then off to Nasca! The two hour drive wasn{t bad. About 20 miles or so outside of Nasca we stopped at a (36ft?) tower so we could see two of the lines. Kinda scary - but pretty cool - got us excited for what was to come!
I think we all enjoyed the walk through town to Panchos restaraunt - and the food was fantastic! (so great in fact, you might be able to read about it in Lonely Planet - we{re all going to write in to give him the boost he needs!) Really excellent BBQ chicken served with a lovely fresh salad (yes - this is the one i ate).
Buenos Noches Saturday....
...Buenos Dias Sunday 11/29
no desayuno this morning - we{re headed bright and early to fly over the Nasca Lines! I think to be honest were all a little nervous ( i think Pancho thinks i might have another panic attack). Our housemates back in Ayacucho had warned us it was pretty tipsy turvy...when we saw the six seater, that was nerve-wracking enough! But honestly, it wasn{t bad at all - it was exciting and fascinating to be able to see such treasures! (i liked watching our little shadow). Funny Jenny and I were both interested in the lines that were not on our map.
after safely landing and eating breakfast - we stopped at this little house outside of town - come to find out, its the ceramic demo. very cool. the young man - Andreas - talked to us about the history of his family and the craft to which his grandfather had learned the secrets...all while creating a beautiful piece right before our eyes! We were able to touch, hold, and feel pieces of pottery that were over 2,000 years old. Andreas let us feel a piece he was working on - let us feel the gritiness of the paint on the clay, then proceeded to take a smooth stone - touch it to the oils on his face - and rub it on the design. We were then able to feel it again - it was not only smooth to the touch, but shiny, and amazingly enough, ready for use! This was something the Nasca people figured out - because they were having trouble keeping the vibrant colors after the pieces were re-fired. Pretty ingenius, huh?
Back in Ica we were given a free afternoon. The four of us attemped to have lunch - after the 3rd time the staff came to let us know there was a problwem in the kitchen, we opted to just pay for our waters, and have ice cream.
I went in to lay down and woke up to a fever and the beginning of my untimely "cleanse".
i didn{t want to be a party pooper (no pun intended), so i popped a little green pill, had a EmergenC, and headed out with the group to the witches village.
It was a exciting and a little spooky too. This was the real thing. I couldn{t get a grasp if I thought Sara would have been psyched or freaked. There are no (public) women witches anymore. They were all condemmed, the last one having died in the late eighties - would love to know a little more about that...
We all got our cards read - I appreciated the fact that he wouldn{t read for the boys. wanted them to have good full lives without his words being in the back of their minds...
I realized afterwords that maybe I should have gotten my palm read; only because I hadñt before...anyhow, it was interesting having the cards read and then translated...I wanted to make sure he knew that I was feeling pretty bad at that poiint and that I hoped that wouldn{t have too much bearing on my reading. He said that I was sick because I was always taking care of everyone else...nothing I didñt already know. Though he did say my aura looked weak...I{m hoping this trip is helping with that.
Not sure what everyone else{s take was...but I think this trip will be life changing in some way for everyone. How could it not?
I spent the rest of the evening either asleep in the car or hanging out in the gigantic grocery store bathroom. Very exciting and TMI, I know.
But for the record, once we got back to our rooms I had the most wonderful care giver ever:
Mr. Edward James Farmer, Jr. He even battled a cockaroach in the shower because that water was colder for my forehead washcloth! Thanks Eddie!
xoxo
Monday 11/30
VIOLA! Must have been the waashcloth - cause it was a brand new day, with not a gurgle on the horizon!!
The boat ride was great. Had a really nice conversation with my seat buddy (Justin from both Washintons) about the different ways different people travel. Was refreshing to hear I{m not the only one who enjoys getting lost in where i am...and holy *¨´" - we were on a boat in peru - can{t beat that! the rock formatyions were incredible - much like natural bridges...learned some interesting informationa bout guano and sea lions and even saw penguins! (yes, mom, i said hello!). A bit of a hard mix of emotions. Exciting to be that close to the animals, yet feeling so invasive to their space....and hating the fact that they hardly even noticed our presence...
after the boat we walked around town, shopped the little markets, and finally got to have ceviche!!!! it was fantastic!!!!
I was nervous about the ride home, and the lack of toilts. But besides for the slow, steady climb (pretend you are a balloon...that{s how we all felt), we all survived.
Never felt so good to be (not) home...
i think i might actually go lay my head down on the bottom bunk again...
signing off a few days closer to being caught up...
now all that matters is that we are all safe and healthy...
christin
Investigating the Peruvian Healthcare System
In the last day, we have had a little too much excitement on our trip for my taste. As I mentioned, Wyatt got himself a cold as one of his souvenirs in Ica. With his asthma, we always have to be particularly careful about staying on top of Wyatt's colds. I had brought decongestant, rescue inhalers, and a nebulizer just in case, however, I neglected to check the voltage on the nebulizer before we left on our trip. The voltage on it is 115, a sort of unusual type that no one had the correct converter for. The house staff managed to come up with a 110-120 V converter which seemed to work....for awhile. Around 5 p.m., the nebulizer quit working and nothing would persuade it to start again. The day had been fairly stressful as I felt like Wyatt was on the verge of developing bronchitis which of course then very easily leads to pneumonia. The night before, we had spent about two hours watching Looney Toons in Spanish while I tried to keep him in an upright position. Having the nebulizer had reassured me that things would get better, but when it stopped working, my heart just sank. Wyatt was already a little wheezy and night tends to be the worst time for him. We didn't even have any hot water to steam up the bathroom for him as we had done in Ica. I made the supreme decision to call our house director and have him take us to the hospital for a good nebulizer treatment. Around 7 p.m., the director, Wyatt, Christin (awesome, amazing friend that she always is) and I hailed a taxi to get us to the hospital. I had no idea what I was getting Wyatt into, not knowing what the Peruvian healthcare system looked like. That's not entirely true: on our first day here, we had toured a clinic in a poor neighborhood, so bereft of supplies, the workers did not even have gloves. So my apprehension was understandable.
All in all, I am so glad we went. Wyatt got his treatment, felt immensely better, and slept like a rock last night. The experience was definitely a unique one and I'd say that Peruvian healthcare has some advantages over healthcare in the States, but I'm not ready to switch systems quite yet. First off, we very obviously went to a clinic that caters to Peruvians with money. We were the only gringos in the place which earned us a lot of stares, but no one looked destitute. Our director explained what we were there for and then did some haggling over the price of the service which needed to be paid for before anything more could happen. I don't know what occurs if you can't pay for service. We were then taken into the room where Wyatt was hooked up to the nebulizer, given his treatment, and sent on his way. All told, it took us about 35 minutes from start to finish and cost a total of 15 soles, the equivalent of-get this-five US dollars. Our director gave me the receipts saying I could ask for reimbursement from my insurance when we got back home. I could only imagine if I tried to get my 5 dollars back for a service which would have cost close to $1000 at home, being in urgent care and all.
So those were the good parts. Disturbingly though, we never actually were seen by a doctor. I heard the nurse tell him what we were doing, but he didn't give Wyatt an examination. Having dealt with this so many times, I was pretty positive that there was no pneumonia going on but it would have been nice to have an educated opinion. Also, the nurses (I guess they were nurses) kept asking me what kind of medicine to give him which I guess makes some sense, but again, I was hoping a doctor could make that determination. No one took his temperature, rather relying on the old hand-on-the-forehead, and no one listened to his chest, instead giving him a few thumps on the back and telling us to have him drink hot water before sending us on our way. The clinic itself was fairly clean, but I didn't see anyone wearing gloves, though Wyatt's situation didn't necessarily warrant it.
Anyway, Wyatt is feeling much perkier now though I skipped out on our placement for the second day in a row to give his immune system some time to bulk back up. I am going to organize the supplies and books in the common room so I feel like I am contributing something. As much as I feel like I want to be here and help these less fortunate children, it's amazing how quickly that becomes such a non-issue when my own child needs something. I know kids here suffer through much more with much less medical attention, and I had the vague feeling that several Peruvians thought I was overreacting. But that's one of the realizations I have had here: when you have more, you expect more, and you become accustomed to more. And in some areas, such as education, safety, and healthcare, that's perfectly acceptable. But how to allow all people to have expectations like mine and those of the majority of developed countries? Can we give all people the best of schools, hospitals, and safe neighborhoods? Or do we need to compromise and allow everyone a modicum of comfort, but no one luxury? Or, most uncomfortable (for me anyway) is that just the way it is, "capitalism at work", "survival of the fittest", whatever cliche fits, some have at the expense of others? These are the questions we all should ask ourselves, whether it is in regards to the healthcare issue in the United States or when we decide whether to spend the extra money buying fair trade coffee. Because ultimately, we are all answering these questions with our actions, whether we are doing so consciously or not....
Jenny
All in all, I am so glad we went. Wyatt got his treatment, felt immensely better, and slept like a rock last night. The experience was definitely a unique one and I'd say that Peruvian healthcare has some advantages over healthcare in the States, but I'm not ready to switch systems quite yet. First off, we very obviously went to a clinic that caters to Peruvians with money. We were the only gringos in the place which earned us a lot of stares, but no one looked destitute. Our director explained what we were there for and then did some haggling over the price of the service which needed to be paid for before anything more could happen. I don't know what occurs if you can't pay for service. We were then taken into the room where Wyatt was hooked up to the nebulizer, given his treatment, and sent on his way. All told, it took us about 35 minutes from start to finish and cost a total of 15 soles, the equivalent of-get this-five US dollars. Our director gave me the receipts saying I could ask for reimbursement from my insurance when we got back home. I could only imagine if I tried to get my 5 dollars back for a service which would have cost close to $1000 at home, being in urgent care and all.
So those were the good parts. Disturbingly though, we never actually were seen by a doctor. I heard the nurse tell him what we were doing, but he didn't give Wyatt an examination. Having dealt with this so many times, I was pretty positive that there was no pneumonia going on but it would have been nice to have an educated opinion. Also, the nurses (I guess they were nurses) kept asking me what kind of medicine to give him which I guess makes some sense, but again, I was hoping a doctor could make that determination. No one took his temperature, rather relying on the old hand-on-the-forehead, and no one listened to his chest, instead giving him a few thumps on the back and telling us to have him drink hot water before sending us on our way. The clinic itself was fairly clean, but I didn't see anyone wearing gloves, though Wyatt's situation didn't necessarily warrant it.
Anyway, Wyatt is feeling much perkier now though I skipped out on our placement for the second day in a row to give his immune system some time to bulk back up. I am going to organize the supplies and books in the common room so I feel like I am contributing something. As much as I feel like I want to be here and help these less fortunate children, it's amazing how quickly that becomes such a non-issue when my own child needs something. I know kids here suffer through much more with much less medical attention, and I had the vague feeling that several Peruvians thought I was overreacting. But that's one of the realizations I have had here: when you have more, you expect more, and you become accustomed to more. And in some areas, such as education, safety, and healthcare, that's perfectly acceptable. But how to allow all people to have expectations like mine and those of the majority of developed countries? Can we give all people the best of schools, hospitals, and safe neighborhoods? Or do we need to compromise and allow everyone a modicum of comfort, but no one luxury? Or, most uncomfortable (for me anyway) is that just the way it is, "capitalism at work", "survival of the fittest", whatever cliche fits, some have at the expense of others? These are the questions we all should ask ourselves, whether it is in regards to the healthcare issue in the United States or when we decide whether to spend the extra money buying fair trade coffee. Because ultimately, we are all answering these questions with our actions, whether we are doing so consciously or not....
Jenny
Summary of the Coast Trip
Well, the coast trip was awesome. Sandboarding was really, really, really (etcetera, etcetera) fun. We were on dune buggy that went over things really fast which was fun and I got to sit in the front...awesome. When we went sandboarding, Raenelle was brave and went first, then Sophie, then Mom, then me, and then Wyatt. I won because I went the furthest.
After we were done at the oasis, we went for a two-hour drive to Nazca. We went up a tower to see tow of the Nazca lines, the hands and the tree. The hands are Taurus, which is Wyatt's sign, and the Condor is Libra, which is my sign. The next day we got to ride in a small airplane to see the lines. I was able to sit next to the pilot and watch what controls he used. It was pretty cool. We then went to our guide's new restaurant in Nazca to have a delicious meal.
To add to my list of souvenirs, I have an egg made from three types of stone, a pyramid made from six different types of stone, a necklace of the Nazca condor, a ceramic Andean pan flute, and I am planning to get a statue of the monument of the Battle of Ayacucho. I might get a chess board if I can bargain down enough.
Now we are back in Ayacucho to do our placements for the next three days, then on to Macchu Picchu which I have heard from some of the other volunteers is really amazing. Some of the volunteers have been here for a long time, two of them that are leaving Saturday have been volunteering for a total of ten weeks.
I forgot to mention that in Nazca, we went to the Witches' Village and everyone got their cards read except me and Wyatt because we weren't old enough.
Eddie
P.S. I fell off the bunk bed yesterday. It hurt.....a lot. But I'm fine now and my ankle isn't broken as I can walk on it.
Tuesday, December 1, 2009
We Get a Vacation (after a week of work!)
I have quite a bit of catching up to do as we were gone to Ica until last night. Seven of us left after lunch to drive to the coast with our wonderful guide. The trip took about six and a half hours with roughly four of those ours spent on windy roads. The ride to Ica itself would have been enough to make for an amazing trip. We left Ayacucho at 9,000 feet and headed even higher up into the Andes. Our highest point was at 15,000 feet which we all could attest to with our shortness of breath and dizzying headaches. As we drove, the city slipped away and we found ourselves gazing alternately at sheer rock walls and tiny hovels perched precariously on the edges of cliffs. Llamas, alpacas, burros, pigs, sheep, and cows sparsely populated the mountainsides, grazing in places that looked impossible for them to get to. The huts in the area were made of mud brick, some roofed with corrugated tin while others were still attached with what my urbanite eyes assume to be straw.
The sheer immensity of the Andean highlands is difficult to describe. We went from forested areas to scrub brush, to bare rocks-some covered with snow. We passed waterfalls and mudslides, even going over one which had apparently just occurred hours before. The area we drove through seems untouched by time, something left over from the Incas. The ride was made all the more exciting by our guide' s desire to make up time. Evidently, traffic rules in Peru are quite a bit looser than in the States. For example, divider lines are mere suggestions rather than a device to insure one is not killed in a head-on collision with a semi on a 12,000 foot cliff. And our guide was one of the much more cautious drivers. An astonishing number of miniature concrete mausoleums exist on the sides of the highway, marking where people have been killed by motor accidents.
Our first stop on our coast trip was in Huacachina, a literal oasis in the middle of towering sand dunes. We arrived fairly late in the evening so after (oh so luxurious!) hot showers, we bedded down for the night. As it had been dark when we arrived, the next morning I was awed by the massive dunes rising 100s of feet tall in a circle all around our hotel. We ate breakfast where I confirmed that Peruvians do indeed "drink" their breakfast, and then we headed out to the dunes. Our vehicle of choice was a nine-seat red and yellow dune buggy which took off on a crazy ride through the dunes. Skidding over and around and sideways on the dunes made me lose all sense of what was up or down, but it was wicked fun. At various points, we stopped and our driver pulled out sandboards (really just pieces of wood with velcro attached) and we suicidally slid down near vertical slopes. The first time our driver stopped, I couldn't believe that he expected us to ride down the dune he was pointing to....and on our stomachs, head-first no less! But I irrationally figured that 1000s of people did this each year and I certainly wouldn't be the one to kill herself, right? Just to be on the safe side, I told the kids how much I loved them, much to their embarrassment, before I went. In fact, though it seemed like we were going down the dune at mach three, the bottom of the dune was a gentle slope . After I realized my neck wasn't going to be broken on landing, it was on. Sandboarding definitely ranks as one of the most exciting and fun activities I have done.
Other highlights of our packed weekend included a trip to a winery where we learned how Pisco is made. This Peruvian liquor is made into the famous Pisco sour which tasted vaguely like a really fantastic margarita (in my opinion). Of course we had to purchase some as well as several bottles of the local sweet wines. How to safely get these goodies home remains a mystery but they were too good to leave behind.
The next day took us to Nazca where we boarded an itty-bitty plane with seven seats for a 35 minute ride over the Nazca lines. The lines were discovered in the early 1900s when a crop duster was flying over the area. Estimated to have been etched into the ground by the Nazca peoples 1500 years ago, no one has yet come up with a completely satisfactory reason why they exist. The lines form geometrical shapes as well as various objects with significance to the Nazca people: monkey, falcon, spider, hummingbird, tree, and whale among others. The objects are generally several hundred feet across and they are only etched about twenty centimeters in to the sand. Our tiny plane took us over the lines, banking far right and left to give us good views below. Prudently, our guide had advised us all against eating before the trip so the plastic bags provided to all passengers remained mercifully unused.
A trip to a Nazca ceramic maker, one of only a handful that still practices the traditional form of pottery, a visit to the Witches' Village where we all had our cards read by a shaman, and a stop at Plaza Vea, the Peruvian equivalent of Wal-Mart, rounded out the day. Our last day on the coast took us on a boat ride to Islas Ballestas. The islands, off the coast of Paracas, are home to thousands of birds and sea lions. The birds produce copious amounts of guano (bird shit) high in nitrogen and therefore an excellent natural fertilizer. Every five to seven years, companies are allowed to harvest the guano from the islands and consequently, it is one of Peru's largest exports.
After all our fun on the coast, the ride home was a bit rough. By then, three people had been struck by the dreaded travelers' diarrhea and Wyatt had a juicy cold. As the bathrooms along the way are of the no-toilet-paper-no-toilet-seat-generally-no-flushing type, having an upset stomach was particularly unpleasant. Seven long hours and many bathroom stops later, we collapsed into our beds, grateful to be "home".
I ate a salad...
...and all I´m going to say is - Mark, I think I would definitely prefer your version of a cleanse!
So, I´ve been out of the loop for a bit...but, now that we´re back from our adventure, I have much to talk about. Forgive me (1) for the long upcoming post because (2) I don´t really know how to go back and post per day. (yes, I know - Eddie, I´m SURE you could tell me - but you´re upstairs!) and (3) the typos - I will do my best to corrrect them, but the keyboards are hard to use and take A LOT of time to fix!
so, here goes...
THURSAY 11/26
Well - I certainly hope everyone had a nice Thanksgiving - as Wyatt let you know, we had guinea pig (cuey). VERY traditional - but only for lunch, and it´s a delicacy. It was tasty for sure!
Eddie went to school with me that day - glad to give them the opportunity to see that not all the school´s are like the onés that they were with Jenny - good perspective though - getting to see both sides becasuse to be honest, I have to wonder if I´m getting it easy??? I really like my teacher - she is kind and wants to be there, and wants to see the children succeed. I think the kid´s enjoyd Eddie´s presence - there wasn´t a lot for him to do (kindof a hard age... "is he a teacher, is he one of us?") but he did great and we made the best of it for sure - we placed the new name tags on the desk which they were so happy about and wrked on a bit of English.
Hard to see Jenny so upset - it´s pretty rare. But at the same time - it was really good. Really good for her to have her meltdown in front of others - get their perspective...and one of the tings I love best about Jenny is that she ALWAYS takes somethng from her experiences. More to fuel her fire with!
We spent out free afternoon exploring the town and finally finding the grocery store. quite the adventure - it´s one of my favorite things to do when traveling in other cou ntries. Makes me wonder if we´re paranoid in the US, or if that´s what the differnece between developed and deeloping counrty is...(eggs in a basket out on the counter, milk in a bag on the shelf - and we can´t forget the slaughtered chickens in pieces out in the street market...) (not to be mistaken for judgement - just letting you all see what we are seeing...mere differences.)
I made my first (of 4 that same day) money exchang at the bank. VERY EXCITING - and smooth! (my kindergarden spanish is coming in so so handy!)
Jenny and I also took a motor taxi. This is basically a covered motorized 3-wheeled motorcycle - there is room for 2-3 passengers in the back. strange, exciting, adventuous - and only uno sole (33 cents)!
Besides for ending the evening cutting letters out of magazines (and of course realizing that THESE are the kinds of things that jenny and i will miss about living 1/4 mile away from each other) I would say, all in all it was a lovely thursday...even with out the fresh cranberry sauce and pumkin chiffon cheesecke!
FRIDAY 11/27
woke up to cutting more letters...there really arent that many P´s, are there? Thank goodness for Rolling Stone! (don´t worry jason, i did not take any of yours)
Anyhow, Wyatt (my other sobrino) came to class with me today! To be honest, I think some of the kids were a little confused...¨"Hey, I thought you were taller, and where are your glasses?" But once they realized he was in fact Eddie´s brother - it was a great day! I wish I would have had my camera - Wyatt was the front of the train, and he had the kids following him (i don´t think this was his plan but it seemed to go pretty well!) We also worked on a lot of English - we brought in two posters...one with fruit and one with colores. (and thanks Jodi for sharing ´´share´´ with me - it´s coming in handy!!!!)
One little girl - Marysabel - tripped and hit her head really ard. i picked her up and followed profesora maria to the sink outside - she splashed water on it. no ice. use what you got. also, once back in the classroom - she handed her a coin to press to her (very large) bump. it was cold i´m sure but it also seemed like it was to weish any harm away. wyatt and i sat with her for awhile - wyatt rubbed her back and i just held her hand and touched her hair. man, i tell you what - in the states - she would have been rushed frantically to the nurse´s office, immediately with an ice pack, her mother calle, and maybe even a visit to the doctor - let a lone the screaming that would have ensued...
I think maria was very happy with us that day - she was sad to learn we would not be there monday - she of course was happy for our visit to the coast, but would miss us.
me too.
i realzed that i would only be in class 3 more days. wow.
yes, me too...
wow - never will a car ride seem long again. 7 hours....
but honestly - the way there was ok. I was chillin in the way back of the passenger van with Eddie and Wyatt. Jenny was in the front seat - i asked if she wanted to sit next to Pancho and apologize for how ASSININE our housemates had acted. how DISRESPECTFUL!!!! how humiliating for Pancho, nice way to strenghthen the stereotype of the elitist American, and sorry - but can anyone say, "REAL WORLD, PERU" ?
anyhow - what a way to see the truly amazing and beautiful diversity of landscape i n Peru. Along with seeing the countryside and the people who work the land, we were privvy to many alpaca, sheep, cows, dogs, and an INCREDIBLE sunset!
Once we finally arrived, (after of course Pancho telling us we had along our journey reached 15,500 feet!!!! WOW!!!) we raelized that "the Oasis" was not only the name of the hotll we were staying in, but we were in fact - at the oasis...in the midle of the desert. wow.
so, we dropped our stuff off, and walked through town to a restaurant and had our first pisco sours. the official drink of the counry. tasted like a sour margarita (cheers mark) which was yummy, but the recipe also calls for egg whites. ya, raw ones. I realized later that this was the beginning of my cleanse...
SATURDAY 11/28
Once waking, besides for feeling somewhat cleansed (KEY WORD {no colons in spanish/ on spanish keyboards¨{ SOMEWHAT) , we realized, we were in fact in the middle of the desert. We were srrounded by the most incredible sand dunes. HUGE. After desayuno (breakfast) it was time for the dune buggy adventure. on the HUGE sand dunes. we buckled ourselves in, I had ridden on plenty as a kid - i would be fine. (keep in mind friends - this as most adventures, i let jenny plan. I did not look into what we were in fact in for, she said it sounded like fun. what more did i need?)
It was pretty fun. Riding across the dunes (cover your ears, by the way all you environmentlists). seeing some stuff i hadn´t ever seen. cool. right on. í could do this. people do this everyday, right?
For about 10 minutes. Then - i realized after a small hill - we might in fact go not only up - but down - some biger ones. I started to freak out. Really. We got to the edge of a VERY VERY STEEP dune - teetering on the edge. I thought I was going to lose it. I asked if I could just get out - I didnt care if they picked me up later or I just sat - I just NEEDED to get OUT.
Jenny saw I was NOT kidding. She made sure the driver knew - as if my convulsions and sobbing werent enough. So, after barely being able to stumble out, sit down, and catch my breath - I realized that the driver had actually stopped to let (us) sandboard down this GINORMOUS dune. Need less to say, I volunteered to video. It was pretty cool to watch everyone have so much fun. I think the driver - Ricardo - thought i just needed to calm down, then i would be ready. I quickly made him realize this was NOT the case. Pancho, my personal savior, then basically walked me all the way aroiund this massive hill so ricardo could pick us up when they were all done. this, my friwnds - was no easy tsk. Picture this - southern hemisphere, blazin hot sun, middle of the desert, no water. Thank goodness we grabbed our hats! And thank goodness, not only does Pancho have agreat sense of humor ("oh, look there is a hammock righ over there, by those trees - maybe we could grab a couple of cold ones") but ricardo came to check on us and i was able to grab my water bottle. the group left - we walked a biut more, drank outr beers (ya right) , talked about life in Peru, and then finally decided to sit our butts down and wait for our taxi.
wow....that was quite the experience!
and wow, quite a lot for you all to read.
i think i will take a break and come back after dinner!
xoxo
ciao!
christin molly
So, I´ve been out of the loop for a bit...but, now that we´re back from our adventure, I have much to talk about. Forgive me (1) for the long upcoming post because (2) I don´t really know how to go back and post per day. (yes, I know - Eddie, I´m SURE you could tell me - but you´re upstairs!) and (3) the typos - I will do my best to corrrect them, but the keyboards are hard to use and take A LOT of time to fix!
so, here goes...
THURSAY 11/26
Well - I certainly hope everyone had a nice Thanksgiving - as Wyatt let you know, we had guinea pig (cuey). VERY traditional - but only for lunch, and it´s a delicacy. It was tasty for sure!
Eddie went to school with me that day - glad to give them the opportunity to see that not all the school´s are like the onés that they were with Jenny - good perspective though - getting to see both sides becasuse to be honest, I have to wonder if I´m getting it easy??? I really like my teacher - she is kind and wants to be there, and wants to see the children succeed. I think the kid´s enjoyd Eddie´s presence - there wasn´t a lot for him to do (kindof a hard age... "is he a teacher, is he one of us?") but he did great and we made the best of it for sure - we placed the new name tags on the desk which they were so happy about and wrked on a bit of English.
Hard to see Jenny so upset - it´s pretty rare. But at the same time - it was really good. Really good for her to have her meltdown in front of others - get their perspective...and one of the tings I love best about Jenny is that she ALWAYS takes somethng from her experiences. More to fuel her fire with!
We spent out free afternoon exploring the town and finally finding the grocery store. quite the adventure - it´s one of my favorite things to do when traveling in other cou ntries. Makes me wonder if we´re paranoid in the US, or if that´s what the differnece between developed and deeloping counrty is...(eggs in a basket out on the counter, milk in a bag on the shelf - and we can´t forget the slaughtered chickens in pieces out in the street market...) (not to be mistaken for judgement - just letting you all see what we are seeing...mere differences.)
I made my first (of 4 that same day) money exchang at the bank. VERY EXCITING - and smooth! (my kindergarden spanish is coming in so so handy!)
Jenny and I also took a motor taxi. This is basically a covered motorized 3-wheeled motorcycle - there is room for 2-3 passengers in the back. strange, exciting, adventuous - and only uno sole (33 cents)!
Besides for ending the evening cutting letters out of magazines (and of course realizing that THESE are the kinds of things that jenny and i will miss about living 1/4 mile away from each other) I would say, all in all it was a lovely thursday...even with out the fresh cranberry sauce and pumkin chiffon cheesecke!
FRIDAY 11/27
woke up to cutting more letters...there really arent that many P´s, are there? Thank goodness for Rolling Stone! (don´t worry jason, i did not take any of yours)
Anyhow, Wyatt (my other sobrino) came to class with me today! To be honest, I think some of the kids were a little confused...¨"Hey, I thought you were taller, and where are your glasses?" But once they realized he was in fact Eddie´s brother - it was a great day! I wish I would have had my camera - Wyatt was the front of the train, and he had the kids following him (i don´t think this was his plan but it seemed to go pretty well!) We also worked on a lot of English - we brought in two posters...one with fruit and one with colores. (and thanks Jodi for sharing ´´share´´ with me - it´s coming in handy!!!!)
One little girl - Marysabel - tripped and hit her head really ard. i picked her up and followed profesora maria to the sink outside - she splashed water on it. no ice. use what you got. also, once back in the classroom - she handed her a coin to press to her (very large) bump. it was cold i´m sure but it also seemed like it was to weish any harm away. wyatt and i sat with her for awhile - wyatt rubbed her back and i just held her hand and touched her hair. man, i tell you what - in the states - she would have been rushed frantically to the nurse´s office, immediately with an ice pack, her mother calle, and maybe even a visit to the doctor - let a lone the screaming that would have ensued...
I think maria was very happy with us that day - she was sad to learn we would not be there monday - she of course was happy for our visit to the coast, but would miss us.
me too.
i realzed that i would only be in class 3 more days. wow.
yes, me too...
wow - never will a car ride seem long again. 7 hours....
but honestly - the way there was ok. I was chillin in the way back of the passenger van with Eddie and Wyatt. Jenny was in the front seat - i asked if she wanted to sit next to Pancho and apologize for how ASSININE our housemates had acted. how DISRESPECTFUL!!!! how humiliating for Pancho, nice way to strenghthen the stereotype of the elitist American, and sorry - but can anyone say, "REAL WORLD, PERU" ?
anyhow - what a way to see the truly amazing and beautiful diversity of landscape i n Peru. Along with seeing the countryside and the people who work the land, we were privvy to many alpaca, sheep, cows, dogs, and an INCREDIBLE sunset!
Once we finally arrived, (after of course Pancho telling us we had along our journey reached 15,500 feet!!!! WOW!!!) we raelized that "the Oasis" was not only the name of the hotll we were staying in, but we were in fact - at the oasis...in the midle of the desert. wow.
so, we dropped our stuff off, and walked through town to a restaurant and had our first pisco sours. the official drink of the counry. tasted like a sour margarita (cheers mark) which was yummy, but the recipe also calls for egg whites. ya, raw ones. I realized later that this was the beginning of my cleanse...
SATURDAY 11/28
Once waking, besides for feeling somewhat cleansed (KEY WORD {no colons in spanish/ on spanish keyboards¨{ SOMEWHAT) , we realized, we were in fact in the middle of the desert. We were srrounded by the most incredible sand dunes. HUGE. After desayuno (breakfast) it was time for the dune buggy adventure. on the HUGE sand dunes. we buckled ourselves in, I had ridden on plenty as a kid - i would be fine. (keep in mind friends - this as most adventures, i let jenny plan. I did not look into what we were in fact in for, she said it sounded like fun. what more did i need?)
It was pretty fun. Riding across the dunes (cover your ears, by the way all you environmentlists). seeing some stuff i hadn´t ever seen. cool. right on. í could do this. people do this everyday, right?
For about 10 minutes. Then - i realized after a small hill - we might in fact go not only up - but down - some biger ones. I started to freak out. Really. We got to the edge of a VERY VERY STEEP dune - teetering on the edge. I thought I was going to lose it. I asked if I could just get out - I didnt care if they picked me up later or I just sat - I just NEEDED to get OUT.
Jenny saw I was NOT kidding. She made sure the driver knew - as if my convulsions and sobbing werent enough. So, after barely being able to stumble out, sit down, and catch my breath - I realized that the driver had actually stopped to let (us) sandboard down this GINORMOUS dune. Need less to say, I volunteered to video. It was pretty cool to watch everyone have so much fun. I think the driver - Ricardo - thought i just needed to calm down, then i would be ready. I quickly made him realize this was NOT the case. Pancho, my personal savior, then basically walked me all the way aroiund this massive hill so ricardo could pick us up when they were all done. this, my friwnds - was no easy tsk. Picture this - southern hemisphere, blazin hot sun, middle of the desert, no water. Thank goodness we grabbed our hats! And thank goodness, not only does Pancho have agreat sense of humor ("oh, look there is a hammock righ over there, by those trees - maybe we could grab a couple of cold ones") but ricardo came to check on us and i was able to grab my water bottle. the group left - we walked a biut more, drank outr beers (ya right) , talked about life in Peru, and then finally decided to sit our butts down and wait for our taxi.
wow....that was quite the experience!
and wow, quite a lot for you all to read.
i think i will take a break and come back after dinner!
xoxo
ciao!
christin molly
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