Some very exciting news...
Last month my sister, Natalie, (who is my best friend in the whole world and who I miss like crazy) and her boyfriend, Rick, had a baby.
His name is Max and although I haven't met him yet I still love him to bits.
He's absolutely gorgeous and perfect.
I'm sad I won't get to meet him until I get home but apparently all he does is sleep, cry, eat and poo so I'm not missing too much.
So, to Nat and Rick I wish you lots of smelly nappies and sleepless nights. Oh the joys of parenthood you lucky things!!
Ps. If anyone is reading this scroll down to the other posts on here. They´re all new so yeah, enjoy that!!
Monday 28 October 2013
Some more important stuff
Got some more stuff to tell you that I thought needed it's own post.
Cass and I have set up a secondary project at the University near the aldea.
We met Professor Britaldo who works at the uni but who also comes to teach at the aldea once a week.
He's such a lovely and generous man and he helped us to set up a language swap at the uni. Through this we met Ms Socorro who works at the uni as well.
At the moment we are going to the uni on Saturdays to observe english lessons and to help the existing english teachers there. Eventually we hope to teach our own English lessons which would be brilliant. We're really excited and proud of ourselves and can't wait to see how it turns out.
I just want to thank Professor Britaldo because without him we never would have been able to do it. He has been so great to us while we've been here and he and his daughter Lia include us in loads of things and invite us for dinner and help us with anything we need and we love them.
We want to thank Ms Socorro and her family too who have been great friends to us as well. Socorro takes us to lots of places such as nice food places and to a uni event where there was a parade to the stadium and then each faculty did a performance. That was so much fun and we had never seen anything like that in England.
The parade and me with Socorro...
Socorro is such a great woman, she's so lovely and always there to help us if we need anything. She treats us like we're part of her family and invites us to her house for food and to watch films in her little home cinema.
We're so glad we met them all and they make our time here even more enjoyable.
That goes for the people at the aldea too. Everyone who works there and the director who help us and make us feel welcome.
Thanks to the tias who are just some of the most amazing people I have ever met.
And to all the kids who have accepted us wihout question and made us feel wanted.
I'm really happy I chose to do this.
Cass and I have set up a secondary project at the University near the aldea.
We met Professor Britaldo who works at the uni but who also comes to teach at the aldea once a week.
He's such a lovely and generous man and he helped us to set up a language swap at the uni. Through this we met Ms Socorro who works at the uni as well.
At the moment we are going to the uni on Saturdays to observe english lessons and to help the existing english teachers there. Eventually we hope to teach our own English lessons which would be brilliant. We're really excited and proud of ourselves and can't wait to see how it turns out.
I just want to thank Professor Britaldo because without him we never would have been able to do it. He has been so great to us while we've been here and he and his daughter Lia include us in loads of things and invite us for dinner and help us with anything we need and we love them.
We want to thank Ms Socorro and her family too who have been great friends to us as well. Socorro takes us to lots of places such as nice food places and to a uni event where there was a parade to the stadium and then each faculty did a performance. That was so much fun and we had never seen anything like that in England.
The parade and me with Socorro...
Socorro is such a great woman, she's so lovely and always there to help us if we need anything. She treats us like we're part of her family and invites us to her house for food and to watch films in her little home cinema.
We're so glad we met them all and they make our time here even more enjoyable.
That goes for the people at the aldea too. Everyone who works there and the director who help us and make us feel welcome.
Thanks to the tias who are just some of the most amazing people I have ever met.
And to all the kids who have accepted us wihout question and made us feel wanted.
I'm really happy I chose to do this.
Yep, there's more!
I've actually written this whole thing as separate parts because I left it so long that everything got muddled so this post is loads of other stuff that I've got vaguely written down but that didn't fit with the other two.
I think I should start with the shower because that's become an important part of my life here in Peru.
I have two issues with the shower.
1. It's freezing cold
2. It doesn't always work.
We actually have two bathrooms but we've written one off as a bad job because it smells and it's generally a bit gross.
It's actually gotten to the point where I have to fight an internal battle in the morning over whether or not I should have a shower. Sometimes the decision is made for me because it doesn't turn on. However, on mornings when it does work it becomes almost like a sport trying to gear myself up for a shower and then tactically having a shower in a way that will be the least traumatic.
I've tried just going straight in and facing the water like arch enemy... but that just shocks me so much that I can't think and I forget why I'm there. At the moment I'm trying the 'poco a poco' technique (little by little) which involves just inching my way in to the shower. (Poco a poco is something people say to here us a lot in relation to learning spanish. That seems to be the only advice they have. Or at least the only advice we can understand).
I'm sort of banking on the idea that the summer will be so ridiculously hot that I'll be thankful of a cold shower. This is sometimes the case when we do sports with the kids after which we quite fancy a cold shower. I've even taken to goin outside in the midday sun and doing a few starjumps to make it feel like I want a cold shower. Unfortunately these are the times when the shower doesn't feel like working. It also likes to cut out when I've just put shampoo my hair which is helpful. It's a source of frustration for Cass and I but it's quite funny when we come out of the shower covered in soap looking like we're going to punch something. All part of the Peru experience I suppose.
Linked to the shower anecdotes I can also tell you that we have a definite problem ants in our house which appears to originate in the shower. The wall is quite cracked so stuff can get through there and it's a bit... anty - for lack of a better word.
We've also discovered a tree just outside our house that appears to be the home of an ant nest (is that the right word? I wanted to say ant family or ant village but they definitely aren't right). Some of the ants on this tree are MASSIVE!! I'm not even exaggerating. Some of them have heads so big you can see their eyes moving around. It's horrible. And I'm sure they smirk at me when I look at them as if they know im scared of their weird little faces. Anyway, the ants of the tree have made a habit of coming into our house in groups and we sort of freaked out a bit and bleached all around the edges of the house but all that did was make everything smell of bleach. I think we're going to get some Raid (insect repelllent/killer stuff) so they can't come in. Honestly they're disgusting. I've taken to tucking in my mosquito net all the way around my bed so nothing can get in at night. I might be slightly paranoid.
Just thought I would mention some of the stuff going on at the aldea too.
There seems to stuff going on all the time. They have parties for the younger children with sweets, dancing and little games which they all seem to love. The children in the baby house get all dressed up for the parties and they look so cute. We spend a lot of time in Casa 5 (baby house) and they're possibly the most gorgeous children I've ever met - a bit of a handful at times (I imagine this is a bit like being a mother of 5) but still cute.
The baby´s party...
For example the other day we were sat with Tia Paquita and the 3 four year old boys who were doing their homework. They had two squares; one for colours they liked and one for colours they didn't like. When asked which colours he didn't like David couldn't come up with any so had to put all the colours in the 'colours you like square'. I just thought it was really sweet that he couldn't bring himself to dislike any of the colours and he looked really sad when Tia Paquita made him put brown in the square.
After the baby party they sometimes have a disco for the older kids in the auditorium. Yet another opportunity for Cass and I to embarrass ourselves with our dancing. It was fun though because they all just laughed at us. All the lads here can dance. All of them. And they all want to. It's so different from home where most teenage boys would be reluctant to dance properly with a girl. It's like a whole culture of gentlemen.
Us at the disco with Gloria...
We've been going to some classes with the kids for the last couple of weeks which is really good because we can get to know the kids a bit better.
We've been to cosmetology where they learn to cut and style hair. It soon became apparent that as soon as you enter that class you consent to having your hair cut because in our first lesson Cassie was given a pair of scissors and was also asked to cut my hair. It was a tense moment to be honest. For both of us I expect. It was alright though because the other girls helped her. They only thing is they have quite a small number in these lessons so will undoubtedly want to practice on me again which makes me think that if I keep being their model then I'll be left with less hair than my dad by the end of the year. Wahey!!! (Sorry Dad!)
We've also been to 'costura y manualidades' which we've guessed means sewing and needle work. This can be quite difficult because we struggle to understand instructions when we're learning new things. Trying to learn how to crochet when the instructions are told to you in spanish is definitely one of the most challenging things we've done so far. I'm serious. When the teacher had finished speaking and handed it over to me I literally was just left with no idea where to even begin so I'd just aimlessly twist the thread around the needle hoping that it would miraculously turn out alright. It didn't for a while but eventually I finally made progress. Very slow infuriating progress but still. I actually really enjoy it but it does get to a point where I feel like I'm going to throw it across the room which is when I have to put it down.
You may have noticed that we do stereotypically 'girly' things like hairdressing and sewing. The boys do carpentry which we really want to have a go at but we aren't allowed because it's considered a 'boy thing'. But we get our nails done by the girls which is nice. They really love to paint nails and have practically used up all of Cassie's nail varnish.
We also go to the sports lessons which are really fun. I get really sweaty and gross but it's ok. I've even played football which I've never really played before. I was awful but it was so much fun.
Outside the aldea there always seems to be lots going on too. Piurans seem fond of setting off flares late at night or early in the morning to celebrate saints days. The resulting bangs are so insanely loud and wake us up at ridiculous hours in the morning. The other day we heard them and there was a procession making it's way along the streets. We aren't entirely sure why but everyone gathered to watch it as it stopped in front of the aldea. Unsurprisingly it was something religious and we spotted a life size black Jesus being carried along. We were shocked as we'd never seen a black Jesus before. We think everyone did a little prayer or something and the procession moved on. I'd never seen anything like that before but I think they happen a lot around here.
We've also experienced a peruvian club or 'dicsoteca' as they are called here. Just another place for Cass and I to dance badly except here complete strangers ask you to dance with them. This was a bit awkward actually because it's so different from places at home where you can just pretend it hasn't happened but here you have to actually reject people and it feels a bit weird. Our friend Lia had to say no for us to start with and we just danced with her which was really fun.
At the moment we have stuff planned for Halloween which we are really excited about. We're doing a little party for the younger kids with sweets, face paint and stuff like apple bobbing. The tias are getting very excited about it and so far we've helped make some costumes for the kids in the baby house. Leylie is going as a witch and Angie as a princess. The only flaw is that they're made entirely from crepe paper. We didn't have the heart (or the language) to tell them that they would probably break almost instantly. They're really cute though. I'll try to get some pictures before they're ripped to shreds.
We've also set up English lessons for the older girls which theyre really looking forward to. We're a bit nervous but really excited and proud that we've managed to set it up.
Some happy news for you now. Baby Miguel Angel has been adopted. Apparently the process takes about 8 months but has now finally gone through. We met his new mummy and daddy and they are really lovely and they adore Miguel. Miguel seems to love them too. They took him home last week and whilst Tia Paquita was sad to say goodbye she agrees that it will be better for him... although we do all miss his cheeky face.
Tia Paquita went to visit him the other day amd said he was very happy and very well cared for so I'm happy that he'll get a proper family.
One last picture of Miguel because he´s cute...
It's quite easy to forget whilst you're here that it is an orphanange and that all these kids haven't got proper families and as we learn more about their backgrounds we find each story just as sad as the last. So it makes me sad sometimes to think that all these amazing kids have experienced such terrible things but still always have a smile on their face. They're all brilliant and so is the aldea.
I think that's a good place to end this one.
I think I should start with the shower because that's become an important part of my life here in Peru.
I have two issues with the shower.
1. It's freezing cold
2. It doesn't always work.
We actually have two bathrooms but we've written one off as a bad job because it smells and it's generally a bit gross.
It's actually gotten to the point where I have to fight an internal battle in the morning over whether or not I should have a shower. Sometimes the decision is made for me because it doesn't turn on. However, on mornings when it does work it becomes almost like a sport trying to gear myself up for a shower and then tactically having a shower in a way that will be the least traumatic.
I've tried just going straight in and facing the water like arch enemy... but that just shocks me so much that I can't think and I forget why I'm there. At the moment I'm trying the 'poco a poco' technique (little by little) which involves just inching my way in to the shower. (Poco a poco is something people say to here us a lot in relation to learning spanish. That seems to be the only advice they have. Or at least the only advice we can understand).
I'm sort of banking on the idea that the summer will be so ridiculously hot that I'll be thankful of a cold shower. This is sometimes the case when we do sports with the kids after which we quite fancy a cold shower. I've even taken to goin outside in the midday sun and doing a few starjumps to make it feel like I want a cold shower. Unfortunately these are the times when the shower doesn't feel like working. It also likes to cut out when I've just put shampoo my hair which is helpful. It's a source of frustration for Cass and I but it's quite funny when we come out of the shower covered in soap looking like we're going to punch something. All part of the Peru experience I suppose.
Linked to the shower anecdotes I can also tell you that we have a definite problem ants in our house which appears to originate in the shower. The wall is quite cracked so stuff can get through there and it's a bit... anty - for lack of a better word.
We've also discovered a tree just outside our house that appears to be the home of an ant nest (is that the right word? I wanted to say ant family or ant village but they definitely aren't right). Some of the ants on this tree are MASSIVE!! I'm not even exaggerating. Some of them have heads so big you can see their eyes moving around. It's horrible. And I'm sure they smirk at me when I look at them as if they know im scared of their weird little faces. Anyway, the ants of the tree have made a habit of coming into our house in groups and we sort of freaked out a bit and bleached all around the edges of the house but all that did was make everything smell of bleach. I think we're going to get some Raid (insect repelllent/killer stuff) so they can't come in. Honestly they're disgusting. I've taken to tucking in my mosquito net all the way around my bed so nothing can get in at night. I might be slightly paranoid.
Just thought I would mention some of the stuff going on at the aldea too.
There seems to stuff going on all the time. They have parties for the younger children with sweets, dancing and little games which they all seem to love. The children in the baby house get all dressed up for the parties and they look so cute. We spend a lot of time in Casa 5 (baby house) and they're possibly the most gorgeous children I've ever met - a bit of a handful at times (I imagine this is a bit like being a mother of 5) but still cute.
The baby´s party...
For example the other day we were sat with Tia Paquita and the 3 four year old boys who were doing their homework. They had two squares; one for colours they liked and one for colours they didn't like. When asked which colours he didn't like David couldn't come up with any so had to put all the colours in the 'colours you like square'. I just thought it was really sweet that he couldn't bring himself to dislike any of the colours and he looked really sad when Tia Paquita made him put brown in the square.
After the baby party they sometimes have a disco for the older kids in the auditorium. Yet another opportunity for Cass and I to embarrass ourselves with our dancing. It was fun though because they all just laughed at us. All the lads here can dance. All of them. And they all want to. It's so different from home where most teenage boys would be reluctant to dance properly with a girl. It's like a whole culture of gentlemen.
Us at the disco with Gloria...
We've been going to some classes with the kids for the last couple of weeks which is really good because we can get to know the kids a bit better.
We've been to cosmetology where they learn to cut and style hair. It soon became apparent that as soon as you enter that class you consent to having your hair cut because in our first lesson Cassie was given a pair of scissors and was also asked to cut my hair. It was a tense moment to be honest. For both of us I expect. It was alright though because the other girls helped her. They only thing is they have quite a small number in these lessons so will undoubtedly want to practice on me again which makes me think that if I keep being their model then I'll be left with less hair than my dad by the end of the year. Wahey!!! (Sorry Dad!)
We've also been to 'costura y manualidades' which we've guessed means sewing and needle work. This can be quite difficult because we struggle to understand instructions when we're learning new things. Trying to learn how to crochet when the instructions are told to you in spanish is definitely one of the most challenging things we've done so far. I'm serious. When the teacher had finished speaking and handed it over to me I literally was just left with no idea where to even begin so I'd just aimlessly twist the thread around the needle hoping that it would miraculously turn out alright. It didn't for a while but eventually I finally made progress. Very slow infuriating progress but still. I actually really enjoy it but it does get to a point where I feel like I'm going to throw it across the room which is when I have to put it down.
You may have noticed that we do stereotypically 'girly' things like hairdressing and sewing. The boys do carpentry which we really want to have a go at but we aren't allowed because it's considered a 'boy thing'. But we get our nails done by the girls which is nice. They really love to paint nails and have practically used up all of Cassie's nail varnish.
We also go to the sports lessons which are really fun. I get really sweaty and gross but it's ok. I've even played football which I've never really played before. I was awful but it was so much fun.
Outside the aldea there always seems to be lots going on too. Piurans seem fond of setting off flares late at night or early in the morning to celebrate saints days. The resulting bangs are so insanely loud and wake us up at ridiculous hours in the morning. The other day we heard them and there was a procession making it's way along the streets. We aren't entirely sure why but everyone gathered to watch it as it stopped in front of the aldea. Unsurprisingly it was something religious and we spotted a life size black Jesus being carried along. We were shocked as we'd never seen a black Jesus before. We think everyone did a little prayer or something and the procession moved on. I'd never seen anything like that before but I think they happen a lot around here.
We've also experienced a peruvian club or 'dicsoteca' as they are called here. Just another place for Cass and I to dance badly except here complete strangers ask you to dance with them. This was a bit awkward actually because it's so different from places at home where you can just pretend it hasn't happened but here you have to actually reject people and it feels a bit weird. Our friend Lia had to say no for us to start with and we just danced with her which was really fun.
At the moment we have stuff planned for Halloween which we are really excited about. We're doing a little party for the younger kids with sweets, face paint and stuff like apple bobbing. The tias are getting very excited about it and so far we've helped make some costumes for the kids in the baby house. Leylie is going as a witch and Angie as a princess. The only flaw is that they're made entirely from crepe paper. We didn't have the heart (or the language) to tell them that they would probably break almost instantly. They're really cute though. I'll try to get some pictures before they're ripped to shreds.
We've also set up English lessons for the older girls which theyre really looking forward to. We're a bit nervous but really excited and proud that we've managed to set it up.
Some happy news for you now. Baby Miguel Angel has been adopted. Apparently the process takes about 8 months but has now finally gone through. We met his new mummy and daddy and they are really lovely and they adore Miguel. Miguel seems to love them too. They took him home last week and whilst Tia Paquita was sad to say goodbye she agrees that it will be better for him... although we do all miss his cheeky face.
Tia Paquita went to visit him the other day amd said he was very happy and very well cared for so I'm happy that he'll get a proper family.
One last picture of Miguel because he´s cute...
It's quite easy to forget whilst you're here that it is an orphanange and that all these kids haven't got proper families and as we learn more about their backgrounds we find each story just as sad as the last. So it makes me sad sometimes to think that all these amazing kids have experienced such terrible things but still always have a smile on their face. They're all brilliant and so is the aldea.
I think that's a good place to end this one.
If I could sum up Peru in one word that word would be rice...
Yeah, I thought I understood that I would be eating rice every day but I didn't really give it much proper thought.
But seriously I eat rice twice a day for lunch and dinner and it's not even like you can say 'I just won't have the rice today' on some days because if you do that then you go hungry. So rice it is. Rice and generic meat. I can't complain really though because it's all really nice food.
Well except for the occasional cow stomach we have to eat. Yeah, cow stomach. That was a weird moment when we realised that the strange rubbery substance cooking on the stove was cow stomach. To be honest it was a bit gross and I couldn't eat much of it but I did try. What was weird was that when I mentioned it to my mum and dad they said 'oh yeah, cow stomach. That's called tripe' as if eating cow stomach is a normal thing to do.
We've also been met with a mysterious meat that still had hair on it. That was another thing that I couldn't really eat as it makes me feel a bit sick.
There's also this jelly type thing made from the peruvian drink called chicha morada. The taste is alright but the consistency is slightly gross and it's sort of congealed. It's considered a dessert over here so we get as sort of a treat which is ironic because we don't really like it much.
Me eating the weird dessert...
Aside from those things we love the food at the aldea. The tias are all amazing cooks.
We've tried loads of new stuff too outside the aldea. Some of it sounds strange but bear with me.
We've had mushed up banana that's cooked with meat. That was so nice but it sounds really odd.
There's fried slices of banana with goats meat and unpopped popcorns. It's called Chifle and they're like banana crisps. These are my favourite new thing we've found. They're so good.
This is a packet of chifles...
I've eaten more fish in this first 2 months here both in and out of the aldea than I have in the rest of my life put together. All fresh with eyes literally staring up at me from the plate.
We came home the other day to everyone sat in the auditorium eating 'pollo a la braza' which was essentially chicken an chips. Apparently this is typical peruvian food. We said it was pretty typical in England too. I think it was friends of the aldea who brought in all the food because they brought in cake and Inka Kola too. That was a really nice surprise because we didn't know that stuff like that happened.
I've also tried the official typical dish of Peru which is called chervice. I'd heard so much about it and about how good it was so I was prepared to really love it. As it turned out it was raw seafood with lemon juice. Not my cup of tea really. I tried it and I must the omly person in Peru who doesn't like it. No one can believe it when I tell them. They can't understand why I wouldn't think it was amazing.
We've also witnessed just how fresh our food in the aldea is. Cass and I went for a stroll around the aldea one day and stumbled upon a pen full of ducks and little ducklings. We were really surprised because we had no idea the aldea had ducks. We came to the conclusion that we must be eating their eggs or something but this was a naive and optimistic thought. A few days later some of the kids took us back to see the ducks and this time we were horrified. The ground was littered with feathers and it became obvious as we approached that we entered a scene of mass slaughter. Turns out that we eat the actual ducks - not their eggs. We ate duck later on that evening and I would have felt guilty because it was running around happily that morning but it tasted so nice that I forgot about that.
The ducks and the aftermath...
Cass and I have also taken it upon ourselves to sample peruvian chocolate and biscuits. You know, to get a complete picture of peruvian culture. We thought it was necessary. We've particularly enjoyed white chocolate sublime bars. So much so that a couple of times we bought boxes of it which have 18 bars in them. We figured this would be better for us economically as we would spread them out over a couple of weeks. What actually happened is that we ate the whole box in one day. Oops. So we had to stop doing that.
Mmmm, sublime...
So there you go. To the people asking me what I eat in Peru the answer is mainly rice.
Sorry I'm the worst blogger ever
Well when I started writing this I had called it 'I can't believe it's been a month'. Well it has now been another month since then so I'll just call it 'I'm sorry I'm the worst blogger ever'. I think Cassie has written 4 or 5 posts by now so I appear to severely lagging behind.
With that in mind I shall just press on.
In some ways it feels as though I have been here much longer than 8 weeks because I can't imagine not being here but at the same time I feel like 8 weeks has flown by. If time keeps going like this I'll be home before I can blink.
It's been a bit difficult of late because we can't really talk to people. Before I came here I had been saying to anyone who would listen that I was going to work in an orphanage in Peru for a year and when they would ask if I could speak Spanish I would say 'oh not yet' dismissively as if it wouldn´t be an issue. As it turns out not speaking Spanish is a pain in the neck as it means we can't really do as much as we wanted to yet or talk to many people. There's also a very laid back culture here known as the 'mañana mañana' culture (literally meaning 'tomorrow, tomorrow') so combined with the language barrier this has made it somewhat of a challenge trying to get a timetable up and running. In fact the mañana, mañana thing is so prominent that we have taken to just assuming that people will be late and so far we haven't been disappointed. 8am classes nearly always start at 9am or just whenever the teacher arrives. No one seems to mind though so who are we to judge? We've gotten so used to this that we often say things like 'Well they said they'd be here at 9 so they'll probably be here about half past'.
That being said we are trying very hard to learn spanish so we can do more to help. So far I can say things like, 'put that down', 'be careful' and 'Pedro pablo is not a toy!'. Pedro Pablo being the 7 month old baby who the other children like to fight over. They don't quite seem to understand the idea that you can't just pull on a baby's hair to get his attention.
Unfortunately this is not good enough Spanish to understand what's going on in the aldea and we often just stumble upon events and end up standing there awkwardly, unsure as to what on earth is going on. Still, it's all very exciting and we've met lots of new people and seen lots of things. In truth it's possible that we have been told what's occuring but that we've just misunderstood. Sometimes people will tell us something and we nod wisely as if we understand and then wander off whilst frantically trying to look up words we remembered in the dictionary. It's all quite amusing really. We're optimistic, however, that one day we'll know in advance what is going on and be able to understand what's being said. Here's hoping. We're also hopeful that one day we will be able to understand enough to watch the kids programmes in the mornings because so far I don't get any of that either. I'm particularly looking forward to Sesame Street and Kim Possible.
We can decipher some things though. For example there was mass breakout from the aldea a couple of weeks ago! Well when I say mass breakout I mean 4 boys escaped and ran away. It was in the paper and everything. Very exciting! As it happens it was only mentioned to us in passing a couple of days after it happened and 3 of the boys are safely back so it appeared to be approached with the same laid back attitude as I mentioned earlier. Also considering there are 24 security guards I'm not 100% sure how they failed to notice 4 teenage boys climb the wall of the aldea and scarper off... but never mind.
We've done quite a lot already actually and we've tried to explore a bit of the local area.
We've been to Catacaos, the local arts town with a daily market. You know the sort - tables of useless tat and rubbish jewellery. I loved it. I've also been one to he attracted by pointless things in don't really need. This market was unique, however, as it offered a wide range of taxidermy. There were rows of creepy dead things with other creepy dead things in their mouths. Needless to say I didn't feel inclined to buy any of that.
Catacaos market...
It was here we had our first attempt at bartering when Cass wanted to buy a bracelet. I was of little help to her as I panicked and just pretended to be looking at another stall while she tried to knock a sol of the price. Maybe next time I won't be so spineless/pathetic.
We had a nice time there though and we actually felt confident enough to order ourselves some lunch in catacaos. This confidence was short lived though as Cassie accidentally ordered a fried swimming pool when she said piscina (swimming pool) instead of pescado (fish). We were met with very confused looks from the waiter so we quickly ordered chicken which was the only thing we knew. Not quite as adventurous perhaps but maybe next time we'll say the right word.
We were also invited to Tia Angelica's house for her husband Luis' birthday party. This was an interesting night as we actually got more attention from the guests than Luis did which was odd because it wasn't our party. It was a bit daunting having a whole room of strangers staring at us and saying things we didn't understand. The language barrier became less of an issue later on in the evening because in Peru people dance at parties. It was really nice actually because I'm pretty sure that doesn't happen in England, but over here it's a common occurrence.
Well learned some salsa from Luis' uncles which was hilarious because when I say we learned them what I really mean is we embarrassed ourselves spectacularly in front of a room of strangers. I was naff but we had fun.
Cass and I at Tia Angelica´s...
We also figured that since we are in a significantly warmer country than england for a whole year than we take a trip to the beach. So we went to the nearest beach town called Colan. This was an interesting trip as when we arrived there was literally no one around. The place was deserted and there was loads of dodgy looking shacks . It looked like the start of an episode of CSI and I half expected to find a dead body hidden somewhere. Still, we were not deterred and set off along the beach looking for signs of life. Eventually we did find people but they were walking along the beach in what I would describe as winter clothes (granted it is winter here but it was still infinitely warmer than what I'm used to). Eventually we also found a nice lodge place and had dinner and they let us sit at the pool they had there. Looking back on it that sounds silly as we were at the beach and chose to sit around the pool. But still, it was relaxing and lovely and very warm.
We did have a minor fright when thought we had missed the last bus home but it turned out fine and we didn't get stranded in a deserted town.
Us at the beach...
This is what the creepy deserted shacks looked like...
With that in mind I shall just press on.
In some ways it feels as though I have been here much longer than 8 weeks because I can't imagine not being here but at the same time I feel like 8 weeks has flown by. If time keeps going like this I'll be home before I can blink.
It's been a bit difficult of late because we can't really talk to people. Before I came here I had been saying to anyone who would listen that I was going to work in an orphanage in Peru for a year and when they would ask if I could speak Spanish I would say 'oh not yet' dismissively as if it wouldn´t be an issue. As it turns out not speaking Spanish is a pain in the neck as it means we can't really do as much as we wanted to yet or talk to many people. There's also a very laid back culture here known as the 'mañana mañana' culture (literally meaning 'tomorrow, tomorrow') so combined with the language barrier this has made it somewhat of a challenge trying to get a timetable up and running. In fact the mañana, mañana thing is so prominent that we have taken to just assuming that people will be late and so far we haven't been disappointed. 8am classes nearly always start at 9am or just whenever the teacher arrives. No one seems to mind though so who are we to judge? We've gotten so used to this that we often say things like 'Well they said they'd be here at 9 so they'll probably be here about half past'.
That being said we are trying very hard to learn spanish so we can do more to help. So far I can say things like, 'put that down', 'be careful' and 'Pedro pablo is not a toy!'. Pedro Pablo being the 7 month old baby who the other children like to fight over. They don't quite seem to understand the idea that you can't just pull on a baby's hair to get his attention.
Unfortunately this is not good enough Spanish to understand what's going on in the aldea and we often just stumble upon events and end up standing there awkwardly, unsure as to what on earth is going on. Still, it's all very exciting and we've met lots of new people and seen lots of things. In truth it's possible that we have been told what's occuring but that we've just misunderstood. Sometimes people will tell us something and we nod wisely as if we understand and then wander off whilst frantically trying to look up words we remembered in the dictionary. It's all quite amusing really. We're optimistic, however, that one day we'll know in advance what is going on and be able to understand what's being said. Here's hoping. We're also hopeful that one day we will be able to understand enough to watch the kids programmes in the mornings because so far I don't get any of that either. I'm particularly looking forward to Sesame Street and Kim Possible.
We can decipher some things though. For example there was mass breakout from the aldea a couple of weeks ago! Well when I say mass breakout I mean 4 boys escaped and ran away. It was in the paper and everything. Very exciting! As it happens it was only mentioned to us in passing a couple of days after it happened and 3 of the boys are safely back so it appeared to be approached with the same laid back attitude as I mentioned earlier. Also considering there are 24 security guards I'm not 100% sure how they failed to notice 4 teenage boys climb the wall of the aldea and scarper off... but never mind.
We've done quite a lot already actually and we've tried to explore a bit of the local area.
We've been to Catacaos, the local arts town with a daily market. You know the sort - tables of useless tat and rubbish jewellery. I loved it. I've also been one to he attracted by pointless things in don't really need. This market was unique, however, as it offered a wide range of taxidermy. There were rows of creepy dead things with other creepy dead things in their mouths. Needless to say I didn't feel inclined to buy any of that.
Catacaos market...
It was here we had our first attempt at bartering when Cass wanted to buy a bracelet. I was of little help to her as I panicked and just pretended to be looking at another stall while she tried to knock a sol of the price. Maybe next time I won't be so spineless/pathetic.
We had a nice time there though and we actually felt confident enough to order ourselves some lunch in catacaos. This confidence was short lived though as Cassie accidentally ordered a fried swimming pool when she said piscina (swimming pool) instead of pescado (fish). We were met with very confused looks from the waiter so we quickly ordered chicken which was the only thing we knew. Not quite as adventurous perhaps but maybe next time we'll say the right word.
We were also invited to Tia Angelica's house for her husband Luis' birthday party. This was an interesting night as we actually got more attention from the guests than Luis did which was odd because it wasn't our party. It was a bit daunting having a whole room of strangers staring at us and saying things we didn't understand. The language barrier became less of an issue later on in the evening because in Peru people dance at parties. It was really nice actually because I'm pretty sure that doesn't happen in England, but over here it's a common occurrence.
Well learned some salsa from Luis' uncles which was hilarious because when I say we learned them what I really mean is we embarrassed ourselves spectacularly in front of a room of strangers. I was naff but we had fun.
Cass and I at Tia Angelica´s...
We also figured that since we are in a significantly warmer country than england for a whole year than we take a trip to the beach. So we went to the nearest beach town called Colan. This was an interesting trip as when we arrived there was literally no one around. The place was deserted and there was loads of dodgy looking shacks . It looked like the start of an episode of CSI and I half expected to find a dead body hidden somewhere. Still, we were not deterred and set off along the beach looking for signs of life. Eventually we did find people but they were walking along the beach in what I would describe as winter clothes (granted it is winter here but it was still infinitely warmer than what I'm used to). Eventually we also found a nice lodge place and had dinner and they let us sit at the pool they had there. Looking back on it that sounds silly as we were at the beach and chose to sit around the pool. But still, it was relaxing and lovely and very warm.
We did have a minor fright when thought we had missed the last bus home but it turned out fine and we didn't get stranded in a deserted town.
Us at the beach...
This is what the creepy deserted shacks looked like...
Monday 9 September 2013
Sorry it took so long...
Well it certainly has been a week to remember!
Before I even set out from the airport I had a 5 hour drive down to Gatwick airport from Manchester and I had the difficult task of saying goodbye to my parents and my boyfriend which was very sad but I was still so excited that my year away was finally starting.
It was great to see everyone again because I hadn´t seen them since training. The flight to Madrid was pretty normal but then the flight to Lima was a bit more... tricky.
As it was nearing 1am and after my long day the day before I fancied a bit of a nap on the way but plane seats being the way they are made that a bit difficult so sadly no nap for me.
So I tried watching a bit of the in flight tv which at the time happened to be Two and a Half Men. Again, I faced difficulty. Knowing only enough to pick up very few words such as girl, bathroom and shoes I realised to my amusement that this was not enough of an insight to have any idea what was going on. Essentially I was quite tired when I got to Lima, but I didn´t mind because I was still so excited about finally being on my way!
In Lima we were met (after a minor scare with my luggage in which mine was the last to come out and I thought it was lost) by Jorge and Charlotte who to took us to our hostel (in the hostel a cat weed of on Rae´s bag which was pretty funny).
Here´s me and Cass in our Lima hostel...
We met our reps and had dinner at a gorgeous restaurant in Lima and we learnt that we had early morning flights to our project the next day. A 3am start, another early rise but what was one more?
I learnt a few more things while in Lima, for example...
1) Peruvians love to put sneaky bits of avocado in stuff.
2) I love Inka Kola
3) The traffic is a nightmare. You put your life on the line just crossing the roads. Even when the green man is on!
4) Also men who work in the parks ride about on segways. I was so jealous.
Eventually Cassie and I were off to our project. Scared? Yes. Excited? Of course!
We were picked up from the airport by the Director of the aldea and a member of security who were lovely. When we arrived at the aldea we were instantly met with curious looks from the children and with calls of Hola Gringos!
It was all very strange and of course quite difficult as we weren´t sure what anyone was saying.
We went to our accommodation and then went to meet the Tias in the baby house. Tia Paquita and Tia Angelica.
Our accommodation/house...
Of course before we met the tias we were greeted by the children in the house. First by Angie who ran up to us with her arms out waiting for a cuddle and screaming ´Hiya´over and over. Instantly my heart melted a little bit and I loved all the children straight away. We met the babies of the house, Miguel (9 months) and Pedro Pablo (6 months).
Angie...
Me and little Miguel...
We were so tired but it was only early in the morning still so we spent the day with the children in Casa 5 (the baby house) and met with the Director and his daughter who are both so lovely!
So far it seem like we have done so much in such a small space of time but we feel as though we have been here for so much longer. I already feel accepted by everyone and I feel like part of the Aldea.
We love everyone here and can´t wait to be able to speak more Spanish so I can get to know everyone better! We´ve been learning new words each day and we think this is getting easier but I still struggle and it´s sometimes very hard but being able to laugh with the Tias and the older girls about it makes it seem better.
Me, Graciela and Gloria (I´m crouching so they look a bit taller!)...
I feel very independent here and I´m doing things I have never had to do at home such as hand washing!! We had to fashion makeshift washing lines in our house as we had nowhere to hang our clothes. Very inventive!
Me and Cassie doing our washing and hanging it all up on our makeshift washing lines...
We want to do so much with the kids but until we can speak with them a bit better we just made them some finger puppets to play with. Of course giving them to very little children was a mistake because they got broken instantly but oh well, it was fun for the 5 seconds they lasted!!
Our finger puppets. R.I.P...
The children here are all adrorable and so loving! It just makes me sad that they have no real families but then I see the Tias with the kid and I see how much they love them and it makes me realise that they do have a family, it´s just a bit different.
Here are some pictures of the kids so you can see for yourselves just why it is that I instantly fell in love; both with children, the tias, all the staff in the aldea and with life here in Peru.
David, Carlos Emillio and Carlitos...
A very sleepy Miguel...
Gloria with Angie and Leylie...
Before I even set out from the airport I had a 5 hour drive down to Gatwick airport from Manchester and I had the difficult task of saying goodbye to my parents and my boyfriend which was very sad but I was still so excited that my year away was finally starting.
It was great to see everyone again because I hadn´t seen them since training. The flight to Madrid was pretty normal but then the flight to Lima was a bit more... tricky.
As it was nearing 1am and after my long day the day before I fancied a bit of a nap on the way but plane seats being the way they are made that a bit difficult so sadly no nap for me.
So I tried watching a bit of the in flight tv which at the time happened to be Two and a Half Men. Again, I faced difficulty. Knowing only enough to pick up very few words such as girl, bathroom and shoes I realised to my amusement that this was not enough of an insight to have any idea what was going on. Essentially I was quite tired when I got to Lima, but I didn´t mind because I was still so excited about finally being on my way!
In Lima we were met (after a minor scare with my luggage in which mine was the last to come out and I thought it was lost) by Jorge and Charlotte who to took us to our hostel (in the hostel a cat weed of on Rae´s bag which was pretty funny).
Here´s me and Cass in our Lima hostel...
We met our reps and had dinner at a gorgeous restaurant in Lima and we learnt that we had early morning flights to our project the next day. A 3am start, another early rise but what was one more?
I learnt a few more things while in Lima, for example...
1) Peruvians love to put sneaky bits of avocado in stuff.
2) I love Inka Kola
3) The traffic is a nightmare. You put your life on the line just crossing the roads. Even when the green man is on!
4) Also men who work in the parks ride about on segways. I was so jealous.
Eventually Cassie and I were off to our project. Scared? Yes. Excited? Of course!
We were picked up from the airport by the Director of the aldea and a member of security who were lovely. When we arrived at the aldea we were instantly met with curious looks from the children and with calls of Hola Gringos!
It was all very strange and of course quite difficult as we weren´t sure what anyone was saying.
We went to our accommodation and then went to meet the Tias in the baby house. Tia Paquita and Tia Angelica.
Of course before we met the tias we were greeted by the children in the house. First by Angie who ran up to us with her arms out waiting for a cuddle and screaming ´Hiya´over and over. Instantly my heart melted a little bit and I loved all the children straight away. We met the babies of the house, Miguel (9 months) and Pedro Pablo (6 months).
Angie...
We were so tired but it was only early in the morning still so we spent the day with the children in Casa 5 (the baby house) and met with the Director and his daughter who are both so lovely!
So far it seem like we have done so much in such a small space of time but we feel as though we have been here for so much longer. I already feel accepted by everyone and I feel like part of the Aldea.
We love everyone here and can´t wait to be able to speak more Spanish so I can get to know everyone better! We´ve been learning new words each day and we think this is getting easier but I still struggle and it´s sometimes very hard but being able to laugh with the Tias and the older girls about it makes it seem better.
Me, Graciela and Gloria (I´m crouching so they look a bit taller!)...
I feel very independent here and I´m doing things I have never had to do at home such as hand washing!! We had to fashion makeshift washing lines in our house as we had nowhere to hang our clothes. Very inventive!
Me and Cassie doing our washing and hanging it all up on our makeshift washing lines...
We want to do so much with the kids but until we can speak with them a bit better we just made them some finger puppets to play with. Of course giving them to very little children was a mistake because they got broken instantly but oh well, it was fun for the 5 seconds they lasted!!
Our finger puppets. R.I.P...
The children here are all adrorable and so loving! It just makes me sad that they have no real families but then I see the Tias with the kid and I see how much they love them and it makes me realise that they do have a family, it´s just a bit different.
Here are some pictures of the kids so you can see for yourselves just why it is that I instantly fell in love; both with children, the tias, all the staff in the aldea and with life here in Peru.
David, Carlos Emillio and Carlitos...
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)