By Sheethal Shobowale, KF9, Peru

I had the pleasure of attending Asociación Arariwa’s 25th anniversary celebrations. In true Peruvian form, the celebrating lasted two weeks with lots of fanfare – a parade, music, dancing, eating and of course, Cusqueña (Peruvian beer) and sweet Peruvian wine.

Just for some background on the organization, there are three divisions of Asociación Arariwa -

• ARARIWA PROMOCIÓN – Whose mission is to support rural development, strengthen production systems, fortify institutions and improve quality of life.
• CENFOPAR (Centro de Formación y Producción Arariwa) – Whose mission is to develop a better alternative technical education for young people, creating new community leaders as well as promote adult education and their economic activities.
• UNIDAD DE MICROFINANZAS – Whose mission is to contribute to the improvement of the quality of life of low-income women and their families by offering financial and educational services.

UNIDAD DE MICROFINANZAS is the division I know and love.   This division is Kiva’s socio and partner.  And this is where I have spent most of my time in Cusco.

Asociación Arariwa - Unidad de Microfinanzas

The first event was a Sunday parade in the Plaza de Armas (main square in Cusco).  I wore the Arariwa uniform and marched with the rest of the staff and directors.  After the parade, there was a lunch for the whole staff at a traditional Peruvian restaurant.

Here’s a rather hard to watch video of the parade.  I was marching and filming (and holding the Arariwa banner!) at the same time, hence the shaking.

The next weekend, there was a sporting event in the morning and a party at the Arariwa offices that lasted into the wee hours of the morning with a ton of dancing (just as Bryan Goldfinger, my Kiva Fellow colleague mentioned in a past post).  Members of the Board of Directors and staff made several powerful speeches about the growth and importance of the organization to the lives of so many Cusqueños.  Currently, Arariwa has more than 14,000 microfinance clients in the Cusco area and has made an impact on so many more people, when you consider the families of Arariwa’s clients.

There was entertainment, a live band and of course a lot of dancing.  We ate the popular Cusqueño dish called chiriuchu that is normally eaten in June during the Festival of Corpus Christi.  I met staff from the Arariwa offices outside of Cusco – Urubamba, Siquani and Quillabamba and danced a traditional Andean Peruvian dance called Huayno with many of them (or at least I tried .

Unfortunately, my Flip camera got lost during the festivities so I can’t post the videos I took of the speeches and the dancing (I asked someone to take of me dancing).  Here are some photos I took of the parade (I’m wearing the Arariwa uniform for the parade) and some photos that other staff members took of the party  -

I was honored to be part of the celebration and am happy to be working with such a meaningful organization.

Please help me continue to make Asociación Arariwa successful for the next 25 years – Please LEND to Asociación Arariwa entrepreneurs on Kiva!

Sheethal Shobowale is serving as a Kiva Fellow (KF9) at Asociación Arariwa, in Cusco, Peru.

“Vacations with a Purpose” Cover Story writes about Mountain Spirit Institute’s work in NZ/Peru
“To Travel is to Explore, Dream, Discover“

"Vacations with a Purpose" Cover Story

An article recently appeared in New Hampshire’s Kearsarge Magazine about Mountain Spirit Institute by writer Deb McKew. It  can be read on our Press Clips Webpage, as an excerpt from the magazine. Click on the first listing at the top of the page.  We encourage you to purchase this good read of a magazine if you’re in the New Hampshire, USA area.  Publisher Laura Jean Whitcomb does a great job with the magazine.

The article has a shot of MSI founder R. Richards doing a bit of ice climbing on a glacier in Mt. Aspiring National Park, and covered Mountain Spirit’s core mission of getting people connected “with themselves, each other and the environment”,  where we “combine experiential wilderness programs with spiritual development”.

Richards near Mt. Aspiring, NZ

As the article states, “some programs are solely wilderness based while others are workshop based.”

The article informs readers of the educational programs and unique nature of  MSI mission of getting people out of their native countries and into the mountains and cultures abroad. Being a non-profit organization, MSI strives to bring people of different backgrounds and countries together, to learn about  new ways to work together, and to re-examine one’s role in the natural environment, and in the world community.

I will go back to English for this post.

Well, once again sorry for not updating but yeah I’m still alive. One reason for my slacking is that this week I’ve been having acid reflux and it has really bothered me to the point that I’ve been throwing up right after eating lunch or dinner. I’ve also been feeling tired a lot and so just take naps…and so I think it is once again, my body trying to adjust to this 3,800 meter city. Today the effects have somewhat subsided as I have been a bit more selective of my food…but it is very annoying. I think it was caused by my eating a lot of spicy foods here (yes Peruvian food can get spicy like Indian food…) and drinking or eating acidic or citric stuff like oranges and limes and lemonade and such. Yes I’m cutting back on them all now and eating bread and water and soup and other similar dry or acid-lowering stuff.

I actually started working in the clinic that I reported in my initial arrangements with the Hampy organization, and tomorrow marks the end of the 2nd week working there. The name of the clinic is “Clas San Jeronimo”, in the San Jeronimo district of Cusco and part of the Ministerio de Salud of Peru, so yeah its government-funded/operated. This means paying for many of the treatments and medications is very cheap but at the same time it can also mean bureaucratic-speed acceptance of new technologies and methods, or precautions – as in, they finally got an EKG, but yet to put money towards training a specialist for using it – it all depends on the medicos, who are stretched out in other areas…so yes even though things are cheap there is definitely areas for improvement to invest in and volunteers can definitely help.

I am working mainly in this department called TOPICO. As a spanish word I think it is in reference to our english word Topical, which generally pertains to matters relative to a superficial area or particular place like the skin or a body part. And that is generally what the work pertains to – wound care and cleaning of the various patients that walk in, injections, removing stitches, putting in stitches… There may also be emergencies that randomly come up and since there is no ER in the clinic, the patient gets whisked into our room for treatment, trauma and blood and all…

Honestly, the work does keep one busy and there is so much for me to learn and I do feel stupid sometimes. But that is primarily because I am limited by my knowledge and experience as a 1st year med student (i.e., I don’t know how to do stitches or put an IV line in an emergency, or making sure to address patients in espanol in the formal tone and not the informal tone, or knowing correctly how to do injections). But slowly I am beginning to learn about how to do some of these unfamiliar or HIPPA-barring things as time passes and the experience is very good. I’ve done my best to clean wounds when I can, gave one injection today, and help with resupplying the clinic when its needed, and I guess that is good enough for now. I accept the fact that I’m only a student and trying to learn as much as I can about the system and methods and do my best to help where I can. Plus, my time here is limited, so I will focus on doing the best at what I can and know how to do. I get that nagging feel of course that I could do more, but hey again, I accept my limits as a mere student doctor.

And to be more flexible, I requested to see if I can help in other areas of the clinic, like the Ecografia area. They also said there are opportunities to help with deliveries of babies – but they mostly happen on nightshifts! (8PM-8AM). I am still considering doing one night shift sometime next week…

Aside from the new work, I must also report that I visited many of the popular ancient ruins of Cusco such as Pisac & Ollantaytambo, Chinchero, Saqsayhuaman, and I think I’ll put up pictures regarding them all very soon.

Oh and Happy Turkey Day to you, who likely is reading this from the United States.

having lunch at home

starting to get our house in order… getting back out in the ministry

isaac & mario preaching

as well! whew… what a whirlwind these past few months have been for us all! we’re really enjoying spending so much time with Vanessa, Mauricio & Valentina (left) & we’re becoming spoiled with Mauricio’s fabulous cooking!

Vanessa & Valentina ~ music workshop

We all went out in field service this  morning (right) … which was just a few blocks up from our house. Afterward we took Valentina to the park that’s next door & bought chicken for lunch. Tonight we have our meeting AND tomorrow morning we leave for Quillabamba to help in a Kingdom Hall build! They call it “Eternal Summer” and it’s part of the jungle actually! I can’t wait to be in hot weather! It’ll be a nice retreat!Here’s a couple of pictures of Valentina & Mom in her music workshop yesterday, which just happened to include paint!

W temacie pierwszych lekcji, to miałam w czwartek lekcję gotowania i jedną z potraw w Europie można przyrządzić, więc poniżej przytaczam przepis. Jest to rodzaj sałatki z kurczakiem i z małymi modyfikacjami będę ją przyrządzać.

Salpicón de Pollo

Składniki:

1 pierś z kurczaka

½ ostrej cebuli czerwonej

½ kg ziemniaków odpowiednich na frytki

1 większa marchew (opcjonalnie)

1 maly słoik majonezu

Pietruszka

1 limonka

Sól, pieprz, olej

Sałata

Przygotowanie:

Pierś z kurczaka ugotować. Umyć warzywa. Cebulę pokroić drobno, ale nie posiekać. Jeśli jest ostra namoczyć w wodzie. Ziemniaki i marchew obrać i pokroić w kostkę – ziemniaki w większą, a marchew w drobniejszą. Ziemniaki usmażyć na rozgrzanym oleju. W wodzie po kurczaku ugotować marchew. Kurczaka porwać na drobne kawałki. Pietruszkę drobno pokroić. Wrzucić do miski kurczaka i sporo popieprzyć. Dodać odcedzoną cebulę, wystudzone ziemniaki i marchew. Posolić, dodać majonez, pieprz (wg uznania), sok z jednej limonki i pietruszkę, a następnie dokładnie wymieszać. Sałatę umyć i poodcinać twarde części (w Cusco zdezynfekować w wodzie z sokiem z limonki). Na talerze położyć liście sałaty (ilość zależy od tego, czy mają być tylko ozdobą, czy też jedzone). Na liście położyć sałatkę i posypać pietruszką.

Moje modyfikacje obejmują mniej soli i mniej majonezu. W sumie ilość soli wynikała z nieporozumienia odnośnie zrozumienia hiszpańskiego słowa poco (trochę). Kucharz poprosił o spróbowanie czy jest wystarczająco słone. Kolega spróbował i powiedział, że poco mas (trochę więcej), które miało znaczyć ze dwie szczypty. Natomiast kucharz dorzucił niezłą garstkę.

Drugą potrawą, której się nauczyłam jest Mazamorra de Quinua – rodzaj puddingu. Niezłe, choć bardzo słodkie. W związku z problemami w dostaniu niektórych skladników w Europie, nie przytoczę przepisu.

As far as the first lessons are concerned, I had cooking lesson on Thursday. One of the dishes may be prepared in Europe, so I give the recipe below. It is a kind of chicken salad and with small modifications I plan to be making it. I am not specialized in English cooking vocabulary, but we will see what I learnt watching Saturday Morning Kitchen on BBC while I lived in UK;-)

Salpicón de Pollo

Ingredients:

1 chicken breast

½ red onion (picante)

½ kg potatoes good for chips/ fries

1 big carrot (option)

1 small jar of mayonnaise

Parsley

1 limon

Salt, pepper, oil

Lettuce

Preparation:

Cook chicken breast. Wash vegetables. Cut onion finely, but don’t chop. If the onion is picante, soak it in the water. Peel potatoes and carrot and cut into cubes – potatoes in bigger ones and carrot in smaller ones. Fry potatoes in the hot oil. Cook carrot in the water left after cooking the chicken. Tear the chicken into small pieces. Chop parsley. Put chicken into big bowl and add quite a lot of pepper. Add onion (without the water), cooled potatoes and carrot. Add salt, mayonnaise, more pepper (if needed), juice from one limon and parsley and mix finely. Wash lettuce and cut out hard parts (in Cusco disinfect lettuce in water with limon juice). Put lettuce leaves on the plates (amount depends on if it is going to be just garnish or be eaten). Put salad on the leaves and add parley on the top.

My modifications include less salt and less mayonnaise. In fact the amount of salt came from a misunderstanding about Spanish word poco (a little). The cook asked us to try if there was enough salt. A colleague tried and said poco mas (a little more) which was supposed to mean a couple of pinches. Well, the cook added quite more.

The other dish that I learnt to cook was Mazamorra de Quinua – a kind of pudding. Not bad although very sweet. I expect problems with finding some ingredients in Europe so I will not post the recipe.

“Ésta es la más visitada por los turistas. En la calle Hatun Rumiyoq (“De la Roca Mayor”) se encontraba el palacio de Inca Roca, que actualmente pertenece al Palacio Arzobispal.

En esta calle que va desde la plaza de Armas hasta el barrio de San Blas, se puede apreciar la enigmática piedra de los doce ángulos.” (Fuente del texto y más información en Wikipedia)

Desde el siguiente enlace podéis acceder a las fotos que realicé en el 2009 de la ciudad de Cuzco (Qosqo – Cusco) – Perú:

Álbum de fotos de la Calle Hatun Rumiyuq de Cuzco – Perú. (live spaces)

Otras fotos de Perú en este blog.

Otras fotos de Cuzco (Qosqo o Cusco)  en este blog.

Como introducción la siguiente foto:

Fotos de la Calle Hatun Rumiyuq de Cuzco (Qosqo o Cusco) – Perú.

CC martin_javier #2009

Właśnie przechodzę w fazę ustabilizowanego życia, więc nie dzieje się dużo. Cały czas uczę się hiszpańskiego i widzę wyraźne postępy. Z mówieniem są cały czas problemy (muszę się bardziej przyłożyć do słownictwa). Natomiast jestem w stanie coraz więcej zrozumieć. W środę wybrałam się na spacer do dzielnicy, która nazywa się San Blas. Jest to część miasta położona powyżej centrum Cusco, ale cały czas w odległości spacerowej. Po drodze jest kilka fajnych miejsc widokowych, więc zatrzymałam się na jednym z nich i przez dluższą chwilę podziwiałam na zmianę widok miasta i grające w koszykówkę i siatkowkę uczennice na boisku bliżej mnie. W związku z tym, że chwila mi się trochę przedłużyła, zaczepił mne pan, jak mi później powiedział, na emeryturze. Jak się dowiedział, że się uczę hiszpańskiego, stwiedził, że muszę ćwiczyć i przez dłuższy czas rozmawiał ze mną po hiszpańsku. Rozmową to trudno do końca nazwać, bo on mówił, a ja raczej wykazywałam zrozumienie i potakiwałam, natomiast przekrój tematów był naprawdę szeroki – począwszy od standardowych pytań skąd jestem, co robię, jak długo tu będę i wspomnieniu papieża, poprzez sytuację ekonomiczną w Europie i Peru, jego pracę, piłkę nożną (czy ktoś może mi powiedzieć czy Polska się zakwalifikowała na najbliższe mistrzostwa świata?!), a skończywszy na nazwiskach polskich księży, którzy uczyli w kolegium salezjańskim (szkole od 6 do 17 lat, po której się albo idzie na uniwersytet albo kończy nauki), do którego uczęszczał, jak był dzieckiem:-)

Ustabilizowane życie obejmuje zakupy w „normalnych”, a nie turystycznych sklepach. Czasami jest łatwo, bo można palcem pokazać, a czasami trzeba wysilić hiszpański. Kilka dni temu chciałam kupić normalne kubki ceramiczne. W miarę oddalania się od centrum spadały ceny i znajomość angielskiego. Udało mi się poprosić po hiszpańsku o większe kubki z innymmi wzorkami i zapłacic 2.5 sola za kubek (podczas, gdy za turystyczne i pamiątkowe trzeba było zapłacić 20 soli:-)

I’m just moving into stabilised life stage here, so not much is happening. Mainly I learn Spanish and I can see clear progress. I still have problems with speaking (I need to learn more vocabulary). I am able to understand more and more though. On Wednesday I went for a walk to the part of the city called San Blas. It is located higher than the centre of Cusco, but still in walking distance. There are a few nice viewing points on the way, so I stopped at one of them and spent a while enjoying the view of the city and schoolgirls playing basketball and soccer on the yard below .As the while became a long one, I was greeted by a man standing nearby. I found out later that he was retired. When he heard that I was learning Spanish he kept speaking Spanish for a long time for my practice. It is difficult to call it a conversation, because he was speaking and I was showing understanding and agreement, but the range of topics was really wide. We started with typical questions – where I am from, what I do, how long I plan to be in Cusco and mentioning the pope. Next was economic situation in Europe and Peru, his work and soccer (can anyone tell me if Poland qualified to the next world championships?!). We finished with the names of the Polish priests who taught him in Colegio Salesiano (school from 6 to 17 years old after which children either go to university or finish education) which he attended in his childhood:-)

Stabilised life includes shopping in „normal”, non-touristic shops. Sometimes it is easy when I can point what I need, but sometimes I need to stretch my Spanish. A few days ago I wanted to buy standard ceramic mugs. The further I went from the centre both prices and knowledge of English was falling down. I managed to ask in Spanish for bigger mugs with different pattern and pay 2.5 soles for each (while touristic, souvenir mugs would cost me 20 soles:-)

Primeros Directores de BELLAS ARTES – Selva, Sierra y Costa

Roughly 120 days from now I’m teaching a workshop in Peru.

My planning has already begun. You might find that a little surprising, but it’s very true. And while this might seem like a lot of prep time, let me assure you, it isn’t. Not by a long shot.

And when I say planning, I don’t mean dragging out my suitcase or beginning to prepare lecture notes. Those will come, in time. I mean, one of the basic questions is which camera will I take – my Leica or my Hasselblad?

At the moment, I’m beginning to prepare the logistics of my photographs. My personal introspection of what I’d like to make while in Cusco for the first time – what I’d like to make while there, not what I’ll be teaching. In fact, this note is somewhat of a primer on what we will be considering while there.

You see, in many ways, I’m in a similar position to the students who will be attending the Peru in Book Form photographic workshop. I’ve never been to Peru. I’ve never witnessed Easter in Peru. I’ve never seen Cusco. I’ve never been to this hotel. I’ve never flown through Lima. So, it is difficult for me to know exactly what will happen, which is what is so exciting.

(For those curious why the heck I’m teaching a workshop in a city I’ve never visited, I’m working with the producer of the PhotoExperience workshops who specializes in photography in Cusco. Between the two of us, we’ve got it covered.)

I think one of the most difficult things about doing an event like this is fighting the urge to preconceive what will happen or what I will see. More seasoned photographers might stand over my shoulder: “been there, done that“ trying to share the easiest solution with me, but again, my mind is telling me otherwise. I have grand visions, but there is always a catch.

In my editorial and newspaper days, assignments NEVER appeared like the concepts I’d preconceived. On the one hand this was frustrating. My visions were always incredible, and often times the visuals in front of me were not. I’d find myself cursing the assignment editor or saying to myself, “Gotta make chicken salad out of chicken sh%$.”

But on the other hand, arriving at unexpected things was fantastic, kept me on my toes, challenged me, and in the end made me a far better photographer. Heading into unknown territory with my camera became second nature, which has helped me tremendously when it comes to shooting weddings or even portraits. I don’t get rattled.

So today I find myself dreaming about Peru and also trying to figure out how I’m going to “design” my photographs – better yet, create my story.

I don’t know what I’m going to see in Peru. I could go online and look up Easter and try to find something specific, and part of me wants to do that, but I’m fighting the urge. Perhaps I don’t really want to know. I want to see with fresh eyes, knowing that what I see has never happened before. Each year brings something new, something I learned from photographing Sicilian Easter over a four-year period. I would return to the same towns, shoot the same events and see different things each time.

I’m thinking about other aspects of my images: how do I want them to look? In what format? Color or black and white? What size prints will I make? Will the prints be digital or traditional? Am I shooting for more of an editorial look? Gallery look? Or a book?

The specific goal of this workshop is to photograph Easter in Peru with the idea of producing a book from the material. What size book? What format? Will this be a commercial book? A personal book? A limited edition? Softcover? Hardcover?

What if I shoot two different ways and make two different books? Can I even do that? Will it water down the images if I try to do two things at once? Should I research previously published books on Peru? Of Easter?

Okay, by now it is evident I just finished my morning coffee, and that perhaps I’m a little fixated on this issue. Guilty as charged.

But this is my reality. You see my “design” on my images changes. I’ve got more than one look, and I’m trying to predict the future.

The easiest thing to do is shoot my Leica and Tri-x. I’ll love it. I know because I’ve done it so many times, in so many places. But I could also use the Hasselblad, which I love for portraits. Maybe I could shoot the action with the Leica and the slower stuff with the Blad?

It would be so great to board the plane with two small bodies, two lenses and a small bag of film. Light, easy, simple. But my mind tells me I can do more, make more, but this might just be another trick.

But in the end I can’t allow the concept of a book, or what a gallery might like, overpower the basics of light, timing and composition. I need to put myself in the best position to make the best photographs that are most reflective of me as a photographer.

It’s so easy to get lost in the “design”.

So, today my planning and designing continues. Soon I will work on lecture notes, slideshows, etc. I will curse myself for losing at least half of my Spanish ability. But I will also relish the idea of what will happen 120 days from now. I will dream about the moments and the happiness we will experience.

Like a fire burning inside, keeping us creatively warm, until that moment when the starter gun says,” Go!”

www.santafeworkshops.com
www.photoexperience.net
www.milnorpictures.net

beiceiceeleetea
10/10/09

Bike tour por Lima – Peru

Saímos daqui de São Paulo com este tour reservado através da agência especializada Gouté.
Como já descrevi, Lima é uma cidade litorânea totalmente estranha já que a praia fica uns 50 m abaixo do nível da cidade.

Pra fazer um passeio de bicicleta, só se for pela parte alta. E foi o que fizemos.
Às 9:00 hs em ponto, estávamos na Bike Tours pra pegarmos as nossas magrelas e sairmos pra fazer o Bay Tour  junto com o nosso guia, o José. Veja a foto da família já que eu estava conversando com a Re pelo celular:

Começamos pelo Barranco, o bairro boêmio e artístico da cidade  (é quase uma Vila Madalena). Passamos pela orla e chegamos a iglesia La Ermita, onde é fácil de se ver o estilo de construção inca …

…e a Puente de los Suspiros, onde diz a lenda que quem a atravessar sem respirar, terá o seu desejo (que foi pedido logo em sua entrada) atendido.  Fizemos os tais pedidos e quase “morremos” asfixiados!! rsrs

Continuamos por Chorrillos, uma bairro heróico pois foi lá que os peruanos lutaram contra os seus inimigos mortais ( inclusive, até hoje!), os chilenos. É bem antigo e tem  até uma vila de pescadores .

Voltamos pedalando e fizemos um pit stop no bar Yazu, um pé-sujo peruano muito bom !

Por uma coincidência, o José tirou uma foto nossa que tem tudo a ver com o nome do bar. 

Lá comemos um sanduba de chincharrones (quase um de pernil de estádio de futebol) e tomamos a nossa primeira chicha morada, que é um fermentado de milho muito popular no Peru. Pra quem nunca experimentou tem um gosto de suca de uva mais aguado  e como eles usam algumas especiarias também ( cravo, canela, etc), resulta em algo parecido com um vinho quente frio. 

Voltamos e ainda passeamos por todo o bairro Miraflores, quase um Jardins deles  e que tem vistas estonteantes do mar. Dentre elas uma das mais belas, a do restaurante La Rosa Naútica que fica literalmente dentro do mar (e que não fomos pois a agenda e os nossos estômagos estavam lotados!).

Antes de encerrar o tour ( ~4 hs de duração) passamos pelos parques da orla marítima alta onde existe o parque do Amor…

… e até uma mini-imitação dos bancos do Parque Güell.

À tardinha, comemos como lordes ingleses. Deixa eu explicar melhor!
Fomos tomar um “lonche” que nada mais é do que uma herança deixada pela cultura inglesa durante o sec XIX que é mantida até hoje.
É isto mesmo! Um chá da tarde com várias comidinhas especiais no La Bonbonniere.

Nos serviram  sanduíches ( triple multicolor, triple de aceituna, butifarra de jamon ingles e empanada) …

… doces (milhojas de manjarblanco, alfajores, turron da D Pepa e Pionono)…

… além de chás e cafés. Muito interessante este costume angloperuano e o restaurante também é bem bonito. Curiosidade: manjarblanco é a mesma coisa que doce de leite. 

Cansados, retornamos ao hotel com o fog de Lima cada vez mais presente. E desta vez justificado já que acabamos de tomar um legítimo English Té!!

Hasta. E hasta Cusco ( ou melhor Qosqo) 

.

Aquí les paso el dato de los sabrosos quequitos bañados, revisen el link de la pagina web de esta empresa y verán loas opciones que tiene, muy buenas combinaciones en los sabores!!!

The Sweetest CupCakes – Kekitos bañados.

Moja szkoła hiszpańskiego ma w swojej ofercie wycieczkę „Real City Tour”, która ma za zadanie pokazać Cusco nieturystyczne. Być może dla mnie było trochę za późno na taką wycieczkę, bo już jednak trochę Cusco i zwyczajów tutejszych wdziałam, ale jednak zdecydowałam się na nią wybrać. Dla mnie najciekawszy był początek – obejrzeliśmy jak robi się, szeroko tu używane, cegły z błota. Najpierw miesza się ziemię z wodą i słomą i wyrabia poprzez chodzenie bosymi nogami po takiej masie. Trochę jak przy winobraniu, tudzież kiszeniu kapusty w „Chłopach”. Mężczyźni, którzy to robią przez cały dzień zarabiają dziennie 10 soli. Jest to praca dla niewykwalifikowanych pracowików, albo osób, które są w trakcie zarabiania na zdobycie jakichś kwalifikacji. Pomimo kiepskiej płacy jest do niej sporo chętnych…

Następnie po kilku dniach, kiedy błoto zrobi się lepkie, w formach wyrabiane są cegly, które są następne suszone i sprzedawane. Pomimo, że cementowe cegły są trwalsze, te cieszą się dużą popularnością ze względu na niską cenę.

Następnym punktem programu była szkoła ogólna od 6 do 17 lat. W związku z tym, że wycieczka odbyła się w sobotę, dzieci nie było. Mogliśmy natomiast porozmawiać z przewodnikiem o systemie edukacji i problemach. W Peru edukacja jest obowiązkowa do 17 lat. Szkoła, którą oberzeliśmy jest szkołą państwową – darmową, jednak zdecydowanie o gorszym poziomie niż szkoły prywatne. Rzadko które dziecko po tej szkole idzie na uniwersytet. Jakiś czas temu rząd wprowadził coroczne egzaminy dla nauczycieli, czy spełniają wymagania. Dla tych, którzy speniają są przewidywane jakieś dodatkowe benefity. Spowodowało to podobno strajki nauczycieli.

W Cusco są dwa uniwersytety – państwowy – prawie bezpłatny i drugi – prywatny (Andina). W przeciwieństwe do szkół niższych, uniwersytet państwowy jest uważany za lepszy niż prywatny.

Kolejnym odwiedzonym miejscem była Chicheria, czyli miejsce, w którym robi się chichę – napój podobny trochę do naszego podpiwku, robiony głównie z kukurydzy i będący napojem ważnym od czasów inkaskich. Zaskakujące dla mnie było to, że jako pochodzenie chichy podano nam kulturę Chimu, a nie Inków, którzy przejęli ją przy okazji wojny. Przyrządzana jest ona poprzez zmieszanie kukurydzy z cukrem i odstawienie na dwa tygodnie dla fermentacji. Potem część płynna jest przenoszona na dzień-dwa do innego naczynia (stągwi ceramiczych). Mam nadzieję, że nie pomieszałam czegoś. Chicha jest robina w domach, które oznaczone są „flagą” (a w zasadzie jakąś szmatą na drągu) w kolorze głównie czerwonym, choć widziałam też niebieskie. Można tam pójść i kupić szklaneczkę (a w zasadzie szklanicę;-). W związku z tym, że chicha była (jest?) napojem boskim jest też specjalny sposób celebracji jak się ją cały czas, szczególnie na wsi, pije – oddając szacunek dla Apu (boga-gór) poprzez dmuchnięcie nad szklanką chichy i dla Pachamamy (matki ziemi) poprzez odlanie odrobiny na ziemię.

Następnie mieliśmy okazję odwiedzić dom ubogiej rodziny, jakich dużo w okolicach Cusco (i pewnie nie tylko) i usłyszeliśmy o największych problemach związanych z biedą – przemocą w rodzinie i alkoholiźmie. 60% mężczyzn jest alkoholikami i po alkoholu stosuje przemoc!

Wycieczkę zakończyliśmy na tradycyjnym rynku San Pedro. O tym miejscu opowiem oddzielnie, bo chadzam tam po zakupy żywnościowe i myślę, że niedługo będę mogła opowiedzieć o nim jako „swoim” miejscu;-)

My Spanish school has in the offer an excursion called „Real City Tour”, which is supposed to show non-touristic Cusco. Maybe it was slightly too late for me to go for such tour, because I saw some of the Cusco and some of local traditions. Nevertheless I decided to go for it. For me the most interesting part was at the beginning when we saw how widely used mud bricks are made. First earth is mixed with water and straw, then it is mixed by walking barefoot on this mass – something like in the vineyards at the beginning of wine production. Men who are doing it for the whole day earn 10 soles a day. It is a job for non-qualified workers or people who are in the process of earning money for gaining qualifications. In spite of bad pay there are a lot of people willing to do it… Next after a few days when the mud is sticky, the bricks are made in forms, dried and sold. In spite of the fact that cement bricks are more durable, mud ones are very popular because of the low price.

Next point of the program was general school for kids from 6 to 17 years old. The excursion was on Saturday, so there were no children there. We could talk with the guide about education system and its problems. In Peru education is obligatory until 17 years old. School, which we visited is state owned – free but clearly with lower level than private schools. It doesn’t happen often that the child from this school goes to university. Some time ago the government introduced annual exams for teachers to check if they fulfil the requirements. The teachers who pass these exams are supposed to get some additional benefits. We were told that this caused teachers’ strikes.

In Cusco there are two universities – state one – almost free and the other – private one (Andina). Opposite to the lower schools, the state university is regarded as better than private one.

Next visited place was Chicheria, a place where chicha is made – a light alcoholic drink made mainly from corn. It is important from Inka times. I was surprised to hear that its origin is in Chimu culture not Inka one. Inkas overtook it at a war. It is made by mixing corn with sugar and putting off for two weeks for fermentation. Then the liquid is moved to the ceramic jars for a day or two. I hope I haven’t mixed something. Chicha is made at homes marked with a red „flag”, but I’ve seen blue ones as well. Anybody can go there and buy a glass. Chicha was (is?) god’s drink and there is a special way of celebration of drinking it, still kept especially at the countryside. The respect is given to Apu (god of mountain) by blowing over the glass of chicha and for Pachamama (mother earth) by giving a little of chicha from the glass to the earth.

Then we could see the house of poor family – one of many in the Cusco neighbourhood (and probably not only there) and we heard of the biggest problems related to poverty – family violence and alcoholism. 60% of men are alcoholics and after alcohol are violent!

The excursion was finished on the traditional market of San Pedro. I will write about this place separately, because I go there for time to time for food shopping and I think that soon I will be able to write about it as „my” place;-)

El 28 de Diciembre del año 2000 ocurrió un evento que hizo historia en la Carrera Profesional de Odontología de la Universidad Nacional San Antonio Abad del Cusco. Y es que ese día 6 estudiantes de dicha Carrera Profesional decidieron formar el grupo “Los Aguardientosos” en una reunión muy peculiar. Los integrantes iniciales fueron: Jimmy William (quien les habla), José Luis Chávez (Chelo), Raúl Herrera, Juan Jaramillo (Lagarto), Luis Lozano y Julio Loayza. Con el tiempo la cantidad de integrantes se incrementó y es así que Wilbert Tintaya (Torkaza), Abdón Concha y Juan José Carbajal (Hampton) se integraron a esta agrupación.

Fuimos el único grupo con página web (uy, geocities ya cerró, lo volveré a poner en la red pronto) en la Carrera, logramos dirigir el Centro de Estudiantes de la Carrera Profesional de Odontología y fuimos invencibles en cuanta competencia participábamos. En la actualidad cada integrante del grupo se encuentra atendiendo sus ocupaciones personales, pero cada vez que hay oportunidad de una reunión aguardientosa siempre estamos ahi.

Como olvidar tantas anécdotas juntos, tantas reuniones en las que siempre hubo alegría y entusiasmo por hacer las cosas bien. Si alguien necesitaba apoyo, ahi estaban los Aguardientosos para extender la mano y hacernos borrar nuestras penas. Recuerdo muchas de las reuniones, pero las contaré conforme vaya pasando el tiempo.

Nuestro primer informe en la Universidad como Aguardientosos se dio en el Curso de Anatomía General, curso en el que el Doctor Luque nos conocía como la barra brava, el grupo que hacía chacota en la parte de atrás de la clase, grupo al que no le tenía fe en la exposición, pero sin embargo fuimos los mejores. Aquella vez las exposiciones se hacían con papelotes o con Retroproyector, pero nosotros fuimos los que nos diferenciamos del resto e hicimos una exposición con Proyector Multimedia. El tema a exponer era los músculos de la pierna y vaya que ni bien empezamos con la exposición captamos la atención de la concurrencia, aun hast ahora estoy buscando el archivo de esa exposición ojalá Chelo pueda recuperarlo. Al finalizar la exposición al Dr Luque no le quedó otra que felicitarnos porque realmente fue un trabajo muy bien hecho.

Quiero aprovechar la oportunidad para felicitar a nuestros amigos Luis Lozano y Juan Jaramillo por su graduación el día de ayer 20 de Noviembre que desde ese instante son 2 Odontólogos más al servicio de la comunidad. Brindemos, como buenos Odontólogos y Aguardientosos, en su honor: cepillado, seco y volteado.

SALUD AGUARDIENTOSOS!

Patricia’s dad, Carlos, celebrated his birthday yesterday. Patricia’s dad and several of his family members played traditional Peruvian folk songs on the guitar, banjo and accordion. We all ate yummie lechon, even Brianna!!!

After a few cervezas papi even danced to traditional Peruvian folk music… bad uncoordinated gringo

Carlos playing guitar

Brianna Nayaraq con su bisabuela

Baby Brianna watching her grandpa play guitar

Gracias a todas las personas y mascotas de Lima y provincias que ha confiado en Ruff Me. A continuación imágenes del último envío a Cajamarca.

Gracias a todas las personas que han comprado Ruff Me Ropa para mascotas guapas estos pocos meses. Aquí uno de nuestros últimos envíos. Graciasssssssssss!.

“El Coricancha (quechua: Quri Kancha, ‘templo dorado’ )^, originalmente Inti Kancha («Templo del sol») es el templo inca sobre el cual fue construido el Convento de Santo Domingo.

Fue uno de los más venerados y respetados templos de la ciudad del Cusco, en el Perú.

El recinto de oro, como era conocido, era un lugar sagrado donde se rendía pleitesía al máximo dios inca: el Inti (Sol), por lo que sólo podían entrar en ayunas, descalzos y con una carga en la espalda en señal de humildad, según lo indicaba el sacerdote mayor Willaq Umu (Vila Oma).” (Fuente del texto y más información en Wikipedia)

Desde el siguiente enlace podéis acceder a las fotos que realicé en el 2009 de la ciudad de Cuzco (Qosqo – Cusco) – Perú:

Álbum de fotos de Coricancha y Convento de Santo Domingo en Cuzco – Perú. (live spaces)

Otras fotos de Perú en este blog.

Otras fotos de Cuzco (Qosqo o Cusco)  en este blog.

Como introducción la siguiente foto:

Fotos de Coricancha y Convento de Santo Domingo en Cuzco (Qosqo o Cusco) – Perú.

CC martin_javier #2009

After I completed my career as a grad school student, I found myself lost for the  first 6 months.  I had a job, a boyfriend, and a place to live, but I felt unfulfilled. The lack of responsibility felt quite good. However, I had so much free time that I kept searching for additional activities to fill my schedule. In an effort to regain my lost passion for art, I signed up for a drawing class on Saturdays. However, drawing was not what I needed. It was traveling.

I found how great and exciting planning a trip abroad was when I first set my mind on visiting Machu Picchu, The Lost City of the Incas in Cusco, Peru. Although I’m Peruvian, I’ve never been in Cusco before. The last time that I was in Peru was 11 years ago. So I thought it would be a good place to start and reconnect with my roots.

I plan to use this blog to record my trips, and write about places that I find interesting.

Poor Megan.  About a week ago she bought an airline ticket to fly to Cusco tomorrow with Shelley.  (Funny story – if you want to buy an airline ticket online, you book the ticket, then get a confirmation number, then take that number to Plaza Vea, give them your confirmation number, pay there, go back home, get an email from the airline confirming your purchase, and then print out your e-ticket.)

The payment went through, and today Shelley got an email asking her to check in online to save time at the airport tomorrow, so she did.  Megan, however, did not get such an email, and when she went online to check in, she was told that her booking didn’t exist, even though she had her e-ticket.  When I heard about this, I was sure it was going to be an excellent addition to my blog, you know, writing about other people’s misery and all that.

Anyways, Ana Maria called the airline, LAN Peru, this morning and asked why the booking didn’t exist, and at LAN they tried to explain that someone went to the LAN office and cancelled the flight.  Now according to Ana Maria, LAN does do refunds for cancellations but it takes usually about a month for you to get your money back, so theoretically, all they had to do was cancel the cancellation, and everyone would win.

But what actually happened was Ana Maria had to call about 5 times today and talked to about nine different people.  Here’s how the conversations went overall.

Call 1:

Ana Maria: So why is her ticket cancelled?
LAN: She must have cancelled it online.
Ana Maria: I’m pretty sure that she didn’t.
LAN: Yup, it says here that she did.
Ana Maria: Well I have the girl right here and she never cancelled the booking.
LAN: Um… let me check.  Call back in an hour.

Call 2:

LAN: Actually, it says here that she went to our office and cancelled the booking.
Ana Maria: She definitely didn’t do that.
LAN: Yes she did.
Ana Maria: No, she definitely didn’t.
LAN: Yes, it says right here.
Ana Maria: She never went to the office.
LAN: I’m pretty sure she did, but let me check.  Call back in an hour.

Call 3:

LAN: She definitely went to the office to cancel it.
Ana Maria: Listen up, you.  This girl is a gringa, she doesn’t know her way around town, I don’t even know where the LAN office is, and she doesn’t speak Spanish.  So how exactly did she go to the LAN office and cancel a flight that she didn’t want to cancel?
LAN: I’m not sure, let me check.  Call back in an hour.

Call 4:

LAN: Okay, maybe she didn’t go to the office.
Ana Maria: Finally!
LAN: We’re really not sure what’s going on here, so it’ll take some time to figure out what happened.  Sorry about that.  Call back in an hour.
Ana Maria: Argh.

Call 5:

LAN: Well apparently she wants to fly to Cusco and we don’t want to give her a refund, so I guess here’s her ticket.
Ana Maria: Ya think?
LAN: Sorry about the trouble.  Enjoy your flight and remember LAN for all your future travel needs!

The Best of 2009 Blog Challenge:

What was your best trip in 2009?

Machu Picchu at sunrise. Photo: Cathey Franke

I travel a lot for the job, mainly to Stateside locations like Maryland, D.C., and California. When I travel for pleasure, I try to choose locations with some personal significance – visits to family, visits to historical places I’m obsessed with, visits to quirky & bizarre locales. Beaches, mountain drives, powwows, Mark Twain’s house, Big Apple – I love it all.

Earlier this year I made a 2-week trek to Peru to finally hike Machu Picchu, sandboard in Huacachina, and whitewater raft the Urubamba River. This was doubly special for me because 1) being from Peru, Machu Picchu has been a life-long dream and 2) I was able to bring my brother, mom and dad as well. As wonderful as it was for me to experience, it was even more amazing to share it with my parents who never thought they’d be able to visit the ancient sites of their homeland.

I’ve been meaning to write a narrative about the experience – and I suppose I will soon – but for now here is a photo essay of an amazing trip…and one I hope to replicate again next year. Click on any photo for larger image!

San Francisco iglesia in Lima. (Photo: JER)

Bird attack at San Francisco plaza in Lima. (Photo: Cathey Franke)

Settlements on drive to Ica Peru. (Photo: Cathey Franke)

Brandy sampling in Pisco, Peru. (Photo: JER)

Corrupting the lad. (Photo: JER)

Dunes of Huacachina. (Photo: Cathey Franke)

Pre-dune buggy ride in Huacachina.

Sand boarding in Huachachina.

Oasis in Huacachina, Peru. (Photo: Cathey Franke)

Boating on lake at Huacachina oasis in Peru. (Photo: Cathey Franke)

Flying over Andes to Cusco, Peru. (Photo: Cathey Franke)

View from our hotel in Cusco, Peru. (Photo: Cathey Franke)

Cusco, Peru. (Photo: Cathey Franke)

"You can pet my lamb for an Oreo." (Photo: Cathey Franke)

Hiking to Sacsayhuaman. (Photo: Cathey Franke)

Sacsayhuaman in Cusco, Peru. (Photo: JER)

Brave kids on Pisac Mountain. (Photo: Cathey Franke)

Adorable boy that followed me for my camera. (Photo: Cathey Franke)

Hiking and climbing up Pisac Mountain. (Photo: Cathey Franke)

Descents down Pisac Mountain. (Photo: JER)

Just before the guard told me to get off the ledge... (Photo: JER)

Trail to the skies on Pisac Mountain. (Photo: Cathey Franke)

Terraces on Pisac Mountain. (Photo: Cathey Franke)

Sun Temple ruins on Pisac Mountain. (Photo: Cathey Franke)

Line for bus to Machu Picchu at 5am. (Photo: JER)

Sunrise on Machu Picchu - totally worth the early morning line. (Photo: Cathey Franke)

The gang on Machu Picchu. (Photo: Our tour guide)

Entrance to the ancient city. (Photo: Cathey Franke)

Terraces on Machu Picchu - serious hiking. (Photo: Cathey Franke)

Machu Picchu. (Photo: Cathey Franke)

Llamas - landscapers of the ancient city. (Photo: Cathey Franke)

Whitewater rafting on Urubamba River. (Photo: Mayuc Tours)

Water in Urubamba River was FRIGID! (Photo: Mayuc Tours)

A fantastic time! (Photo: Mayuc Tours)

Gorgeous Cusco on our last night. (Photo: Cathey Franke)

Stray dogs rule the streets of Peru.

Central Market in Lima. Apr 09
Cusco. Apr 09