And then there were 2...
Hola todos! I'm just going to type up my diary entry for yesterday to give you an idea of things here. We have internet but it's limited so shall try to get on once a week or fortnight. Last night was COLD and the cockerels below woke us up but otherwise all fine. LOVEEEExxx
6.30am
We left the hostel at 4 to catch domestic flights to individual parts of the country. Our Cusco flight is the last one of the PT lot, at 8am. Er're going to security at 7 and the gates open at 20past. I am soooooo excited about going, seeing and meeting everything and everyone that we're living with for the net year. This is slightly curbed by the fact that I have well and truly lost something now (I've had a few scares, one involving my passport). I left my PT folder with info and sheets somewhere in Lima which is really annoying but it also had my airticket in. I managed to blag my way onto the plane (such is Peruvian security) but will really miss the information. While not crucial I had Quechua words and all sorts in there. Sooooo, so far I have learnt:
Only take out with you EXACTLY what you really need.
Watch everything and stocktake, especially before leaving a place.
I think I'm a bit lucky when with Tanya, we had a master plan for the ticket blaggin, helped by Saskia and Claire. Tanya gave hers in first and then we handed the passports in together.
8.05am
On the aeroplane just taking off and leaving the garua behind - YEAHHHH. The plane is quite old and has ashtrays in the arms of the seats.
8.20pm
Finally we are here! This is looking like it's going to be a great year! First of all then, my initial impressions of the place - we were picked up by kind Alcides and squished into a tiny white rickety landrover with our rucksacks. The 4x4 part is definitly necessary for the roads near Cusco and in the city itself. There is a striking difference to Lima, this feels like the proper Peru. There is clear poverty though, as women walk round and sit outside their homes in shawls with babies. The houses are crumbling, but there is no graffiti, only painted words that could be advertisements. We turned off onto a concrete/mud road and stopped at a house surrounded by well-kept, fluffy dogs and Alcides disappeared inside for about 15 minutes. After another half an hours drive we reached Oropesa. It is kind of a town but also a village in that it is small but has a plaza. We saw a school group and people were out and about, walking and talking and working. At 9.45am we arrived at Azul Wasi, greeted at the big (blue!) gates by the dogs and Neptali. He is 15 but doesn't go to school as he failed the exams to get into secondary school and is gutted. He does work round the project now. The kids are harder to understand than Alcides, and they struggle more to understand me but I'm working on it! Azul Wasi has 3 dogs (all placid and friendly), 2 bulls, a kitten, some seriously MASSIVE chickens and budgies! Jasmine is a 20 year odl volunteer here at the moment who is lovely and studying pyschology in Wales. She is showing us the ropes, the daily routines, introductions etc, and leaves in a week having been here for 4 so far.
In our room is 3 beds, a table and some shelves (like pideon holes). I'm glad to be away from the more rule-less Lima and into a better routine with responsibilities and timings. They clearly care alot for the children here. We had a coca tea - the altitude has been fine, just get out of breathe pretty quickly if lifting things or need to run to the loo or something. The altitude pills gave us weird pins and needles in our feet and fingers. There is a bunk house, outside classroom, kitchen house, Anastasia's room (When her husband died Alcides took her and her 3 children into AW, where she now cooks and cleans. She absolutely loves it, and would otherwise be living on the streets). There are some outside sinks, loos and 2 showers. The boys are lovely, call you 'amiga' and are really friendly. The younger ones are sooo cute. Valeareo was crying as he'd hit is head or something (didn't see) and his room mate Dani (both are seven and tiny, they look about 4 or 5) found some loo roll and started dabbing his face and put his arm round him.
Tanya and I have some big plans for our year here already. First we want to get our space sorted by sanding the walls, painting them (yellow maybe? at the moment they're so scruffy), washing and scrubbing the floor as at the moment it leaves a LOT of dust all over you feet and things. I've already got used to the fact that my feet will just be dirty no matter how many layers are over them or how hard you try to avoid the mud, they're always gross at the end of the day! We're hoping to get blankets and a basket for shoes, maybe a rug as well. Tomorrow we get £60 from PT, the exchange rate is 4.6 soles to a pound. In a week or so we will get started with the guinea pigs and rabbits. They're trying to breed them to seel as a means to make a more sustainable existence for the project (at the moment it is very reliable on charitable money) but they aren't that well looked after and they keep escaping. We also want to get the kids a bit involved in the gardening as there is real potential, they have lots of land and plenty of seed packets just sitting in the store room. As our time here increase we will see more and find more to do. The new outdoor classroom needs a lot of work as it isn't waterproof at the moments. The boys say they love football and art, plus these weird Spanish manga programmes.
Tonight the boys are saying it is predicted to be -7 degrees, it is the coldest time of the year. We have literally have some concrete and plastic for walls, windows are a pane of glass and corrugated iron for the roof with erratically placed polyester sheets. The wind sweeps right through. The wooden slats have holes revealing the chicken coop below, as the bunkhouse is raised on stilts (not yet sure why). The room, like everything else about Peru, is very colourful but plain. For food, Jasmine said they have one main meal a day after the boys return from school at 1 which consists of sopa (soup) with pasta, veg, potatoes and ginger in a salty, watery sauce (it's really filling!), followed by a bowl of rice, some fish or meat and tomatoes. Breakfast is early at 7 - we get up at 6 - and dinner is at 7, both are some bread and coffee. After dinner the boys play Uno or watch a film. Tomorrow we are going into Oropea to get water, blankets, paint and sandpaper et with Jasmine, who needs paint. It is a fifteen minute walk, Oropesa is used to gringas as Azul Wasi has lots of volunteers. At the moment we have the Peruvian radio on - it is fast spanish and Peruvian pop is hilarious - very corney and synthesised. I'm beginning to recognise certain recurring songs.
- Rach
6.30am
We left the hostel at 4 to catch domestic flights to individual parts of the country. Our Cusco flight is the last one of the PT lot, at 8am. Er're going to security at 7 and the gates open at 20past. I am soooooo excited about going, seeing and meeting everything and everyone that we're living with for the net year. This is slightly curbed by the fact that I have well and truly lost something now (I've had a few scares, one involving my passport). I left my PT folder with info and sheets somewhere in Lima which is really annoying but it also had my airticket in. I managed to blag my way onto the plane (such is Peruvian security) but will really miss the information. While not crucial I had Quechua words and all sorts in there. Sooooo, so far I have learnt:
Only take out with you EXACTLY what you really need.
Watch everything and stocktake, especially before leaving a place.
I think I'm a bit lucky when with Tanya, we had a master plan for the ticket blaggin, helped by Saskia and Claire. Tanya gave hers in first and then we handed the passports in together.
8.05am
On the aeroplane just taking off and leaving the garua behind - YEAHHHH. The plane is quite old and has ashtrays in the arms of the seats.
8.20pm
Finally we are here! This is looking like it's going to be a great year! First of all then, my initial impressions of the place - we were picked up by kind Alcides and squished into a tiny white rickety landrover with our rucksacks. The 4x4 part is definitly necessary for the roads near Cusco and in the city itself. There is a striking difference to Lima, this feels like the proper Peru. There is clear poverty though, as women walk round and sit outside their homes in shawls with babies. The houses are crumbling, but there is no graffiti, only painted words that could be advertisements. We turned off onto a concrete/mud road and stopped at a house surrounded by well-kept, fluffy dogs and Alcides disappeared inside for about 15 minutes. After another half an hours drive we reached Oropesa. It is kind of a town but also a village in that it is small but has a plaza. We saw a school group and people were out and about, walking and talking and working. At 9.45am we arrived at Azul Wasi, greeted at the big (blue!) gates by the dogs and Neptali. He is 15 but doesn't go to school as he failed the exams to get into secondary school and is gutted. He does work round the project now. The kids are harder to understand than Alcides, and they struggle more to understand me but I'm working on it! Azul Wasi has 3 dogs (all placid and friendly), 2 bulls, a kitten, some seriously MASSIVE chickens and budgies! Jasmine is a 20 year odl volunteer here at the moment who is lovely and studying pyschology in Wales. She is showing us the ropes, the daily routines, introductions etc, and leaves in a week having been here for 4 so far.
In our room is 3 beds, a table and some shelves (like pideon holes). I'm glad to be away from the more rule-less Lima and into a better routine with responsibilities and timings. They clearly care alot for the children here. We had a coca tea - the altitude has been fine, just get out of breathe pretty quickly if lifting things or need to run to the loo or something. The altitude pills gave us weird pins and needles in our feet and fingers. There is a bunk house, outside classroom, kitchen house, Anastasia's room (When her husband died Alcides took her and her 3 children into AW, where she now cooks and cleans. She absolutely loves it, and would otherwise be living on the streets). There are some outside sinks, loos and 2 showers. The boys are lovely, call you 'amiga' and are really friendly. The younger ones are sooo cute. Valeareo was crying as he'd hit is head or something (didn't see) and his room mate Dani (both are seven and tiny, they look about 4 or 5) found some loo roll and started dabbing his face and put his arm round him.
Tanya and I have some big plans for our year here already. First we want to get our space sorted by sanding the walls, painting them (yellow maybe? at the moment they're so scruffy), washing and scrubbing the floor as at the moment it leaves a LOT of dust all over you feet and things. I've already got used to the fact that my feet will just be dirty no matter how many layers are over them or how hard you try to avoid the mud, they're always gross at the end of the day! We're hoping to get blankets and a basket for shoes, maybe a rug as well. Tomorrow we get £60 from PT, the exchange rate is 4.6 soles to a pound. In a week or so we will get started with the guinea pigs and rabbits. They're trying to breed them to seel as a means to make a more sustainable existence for the project (at the moment it is very reliable on charitable money) but they aren't that well looked after and they keep escaping. We also want to get the kids a bit involved in the gardening as there is real potential, they have lots of land and plenty of seed packets just sitting in the store room. As our time here increase we will see more and find more to do. The new outdoor classroom needs a lot of work as it isn't waterproof at the moments. The boys say they love football and art, plus these weird Spanish manga programmes.
Tonight the boys are saying it is predicted to be -7 degrees, it is the coldest time of the year. We have literally have some concrete and plastic for walls, windows are a pane of glass and corrugated iron for the roof with erratically placed polyester sheets. The wind sweeps right through. The wooden slats have holes revealing the chicken coop below, as the bunkhouse is raised on stilts (not yet sure why). The room, like everything else about Peru, is very colourful but plain. For food, Jasmine said they have one main meal a day after the boys return from school at 1 which consists of sopa (soup) with pasta, veg, potatoes and ginger in a salty, watery sauce (it's really filling!), followed by a bowl of rice, some fish or meat and tomatoes. Breakfast is early at 7 - we get up at 6 - and dinner is at 7, both are some bread and coffee. After dinner the boys play Uno or watch a film. Tomorrow we are going into Oropea to get water, blankets, paint and sandpaper et with Jasmine, who needs paint. It is a fifteen minute walk, Oropesa is used to gringas as Azul Wasi has lots of volunteers. At the moment we have the Peruvian radio on - it is fast spanish and Peruvian pop is hilarious - very corney and synthesised. I'm beginning to recognise certain recurring songs.
- Rach
posted by Rachel at
09:04
1 Comments:
Good to see the two of you are finally getting a chance to leave your mark on the place! A year is plenty of time to make a difference!
Love you millions.. Kate XXXXXX ps. your letter is in writing!
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