Alas, Photos from Peru!!!

Here are the best of the best! Enjoy mis amigos!

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My Final Days.

Like my first few days in Peru, my final days were also a blur. On Wednesday we volunteers threw a party for the abuelos to show our appreciation and to say thank you for for letting us into their hearts and homes. The fiesta was a HUGE success!!! After breakfast, we handed out brightly colored masks donned with sequins and feathers. That was a big hit. They all wanted photos with their masks on. It was hilarious! Just picture about 85 native Andean abuelos sitting around with these flashy masks on. Too funny! Then we had a rip roarin' game of BINGO where we handed out prizes of socks, wash clothes and tupperware. They may not seem like "fabulous" prizes to us, but to the abuelos these prizes are considered gold. In the end, everyone received a prize as we made sure that there was enough to go around for all. After Bingo, it was time for cake and dancing! Let me tell you... Some of those folks may be 95 years old, but they can cut a rug! We even had a Conga train going! At lunch, our special entertainment showed up. Jorge Pardo, a singer who is well known in Peru, came and sang about 5 songs while the abuelos were eating their lunch. I mean really, how often do the abuelos get to dine to live music. I'm so glad that everyone had a great time. Ahhhh success!!!

Thursday we did more house visits to those abuelos who haven't been showing up to the program. Sister Jacci was planning a big party on Friday in honor of Father's Day and she wanted to make sure that everyone could be there. For some of the abuelos the Los Martincitos is too far to walk so they have to take a Taxi Moto. Unfortunately, some don't show up simply because they can't afford that taxi fare which is about 1 sole (35 cents) round trip. Marni and I had some money leftover from the party fund, so we made sure that everyone had taxi fare. No excuses!

Friday was the Father's Day Party and to my delight all the folks who we gave Taxi fare to were present and accounted for. Hooray! The men all got a spiffy shave and haircut if they needed it. They were also given wonderful Father's Day goody bags filled with a t-shirts, underwear and a blazer thanks to a recent donation from a men's store in Spain. I have to say that, for me, the day was bitter sweet. Not only was it their Father's Day celebration, but it was also my last day with these incredibly special people. When our van pulled up, Sister Jacci pulled Marni and I in front of the 100 seated abuelos to do the formal good bye. The abuelos thanked us and then sang us a song to wish us well. I thanked them as well and let them know that they have given me much more than I have given them. And then all the abuelos rushed up to us to give us our final hugs and kisses good bye... That's when the tears came rushing. Then, just when I thought it was over, there was Sister Jacci waiting to say good bye. That was tough... Really tough. I traveled to Peru to help out for a month, but she has been doing this every single day for the past 8 years... We need more Sister Jacci's in this world. Cheers Jacci!

We could learn a lot from the abuelos. They are a strong breed! They have had hard lives working the fields when they lived in the country, keeping and building their houses, raising their kids and living in poverty. Now they are in their 70's, 80's and 90's in which they live in impoverished conditions and supporting themselves on less than a dollar a day. And yet, they are the most loving and appreciative folks I've ever met. They enjoy a good party, they look out for each other and they love to laugh. In my 4 weeks at Los Martincitos, there was not an ounce of victimhood or complaints and that was really refreshing. They are all champions in my book!

Adios Los Martincitos! Mi corazon es contigo!

The Rich and The Poor...

So the other day my roommate, Marni, and were thinking of ways we could help out the abuelos at Los Martincitos. Us volunteers are housed in a nice neighborhood called Surco and we thought maybe the local businesses may want to help out. I mean, who wouldn't want to help out these wonderful souls?... Well, it turns out that a lot of people don't want to help them out. We approached our program manager about asking the Gold's Gym down the street to take part in a shoe donation... That's when we found out the truth about upper class Peruvians. As it turns out, the upper class has a lot of hostility towards the lower class population of Villa el Salvador because they think that the "brown" people of Villa el Salvador have ruined their city. In fact, they would love it if the lower class packed their things and headed for the hills... literally, the Andean hills. So instead of helping out the poverty stricken, they are ignored and hated. The guide books weren't kidding when they said there was an upper class, a lower class and nothing in the middle.

Well, I'm off to help make tissue paper flowers for the party that the volunteers are throwing for the abuelos. It's the least that we can do... The gift of appreciation that they have given us is much greater.

Friday...

Friday I joined the abuelas in the arts and crafts room to help make earrings, which many of you will be getting as gifts, when I suddenly had a really sad thought. Even if I do make it back to Los Martincitos in the next 5 years, many of the abuelos who I have grown to adore will no longer be around. As my eyes welled up I looked out into the courtyard to see a group of abuelos doing some simple yoga and Leone snuck up behind me and gave me probably the best hug ever. As you can tell, I'm not looking forward to saying good bye next week. These are some special people who have given me an experience that I'll never forget.

On another sad note, my driver, Mario, found out on Friday that his father passed away. Mario has the personality of a joyous kid and would literally do anything to help out us volunteers with anything we need. He doesn't speak a lot of English, but he is highly entertaining and I consider myself lucky to spend the transportaion time in the morning and the afternoon in his van. I guess his father was very sick and slipped into a coma earlier in the week. He took Friday off and he'll return to work on Monday. Our program dirctor said that Mario is relieved by his death because he had been sick for such a long time. Time to send some love to Mario.

Friday evening, my roommate, Marni, and I went out to a town called Barranco to watch some flamenco dancing. Wow! They were amazing! There was a singer, percussionist, guitarist and 4 dancers. I was mesmerized! While we were at the performance, we met a singer from Peru named Jorge Pardo. It turns out that he was up for a Latin Grammy. We got to telling him that we were volunteers from the US working in Villa el Salvador. To our surprise he said that he doesn't get the opportunity that often to help out programs like Los Martincitos and offered his singing services. We immediately took him up on it because we are planning a party for our abuelos next Wednesday... I hope it all works out!

Peace and love to Mario and the abuelos at Los Martincitos! Hugs!

Inca Kola!

I know... You're thinking, what the heck is Inca Kola? Well, basically it's the national drink. Inca Kola is yellow in color and tastes like a combination of cream soda and bubble gum. It also has a TON of caffiene in it. Ay, yay, yay! Arriba, arriba! I've had a few and it's pretty refreshing to say the least.

I've also had my fill of Peruvian food. Since there are over 2000 types of potatoes that are grown in Peru, you can probably guess that EVERY dish has some kind over potato in it. There must be a 1000 different ways to serve up chicken, rice and potatoes... And if there are, I've eaten about 500 off them. Seriously, I'm dying for a cheeseburger! There is also a type of food in Peru called Chifa which is a fusion of Chinese and Peruvian cooking. I must say that it is really good! Yummmmm!

Things are still kickin' at Los Martincitos! Yesterday we had a roaring game of Bingo! Those abuelos sure do take their Bingo seriously. If they won, they got a carton of chocolate milk and that is nothing to laugh about. This is serious business folks! I also gave my 90+ year old men shoulder rubs (Cirilo, Lorenzo and Demetrio), which I think they enjoyed. At least, I didn't hear any complaints and if I did, I don't know that I would necesarily understand them. I also spent some time with my abuela amiga, Leone. I think she would hug me all day if she could. Such a sweetie! Today we did the house visits and Sister Jackie took us through one of the big markets in Villa el Salvador. Walking through the market, I felt like I was in an Indiana Jones movie. Whole, gutted pigs on a hook, chickens, Amazonian fish... You name it and it could be found at this market.

Adios, mis amigos!

Muchos Voluntarios!!!

Wow!!! We just had a HUGE group of new volunteers invade the house this weekend. The new group has a total of 31 people! Add that to the 9 "vets" in the house and that is a total of 40 people under one roof. They're a great bunch and a lot of fun to hang out with, but I've also been taking advantage of getting out of the house... a lot! It's funny because I feel like the old pro in the house. At meal times all the new volunteers come loaded with questions... Where is the internet cafe?... Where is there a laundry service?... Is there a gym nearby?... Is there a store nearby?... As you can imagine, it's all the questions that I had when I first arrived.

After two weeks of living in Peru, I feel like I'm finally settled here and that I now have the time to really soak in the Peruvian experience. It's great just going out for a walk and observing Peruvian life. There certainly are a lot of lovers walking around. The latinos definitely don't keep their amor to themselves. Every park I walk through there are couples smooching on every park bench... Very romantic!

That's all for now folks. More in a couple of days! Adios!

It's Time to Party Down Con Mis Abuelos!

Those abuelos may have hard lives, but they sure know how to whoop it up on the dance floor! On Friday there were a plethora of events going on at Los Martincitos. First, we held a fundraiser for a woman who needed money to buy the the land in which her house is built on. I know... It sounds a bit backwards, but such is Peru. At any rate, for the fundraiser we sold antiguchos to the public. What are antiguchos? Glad you asked. They are barbequed chicken hearts on a stick. Yummmmm.... I have to say, I did not have the stomach to try them, but I did buy a few plates and gave them to the abuelos that couldn't afford it. The antiguchos must be good because they wolfed it down... But the party didn't stop there! At the end of every month they celebrate all the birthdays of that particular month. So break out the cake and candles because it's birthday time!!! After the candles are blown out and the cake is eaten, it's time for the abuelos to cut a rug! They flipped on that authentic Peruvian music and away they went. They women started to do this traditional dancing that had a lot of stomping and shuffling in it. I tried to pick it up, but no dice. Their feet were doing things way beyond my pay grade. Then Cirilo, a 96 year old Peruvian man, grabbed my hand and started twirling me on the dance floor... I think I'm in love!... Then I noticed my friend Lorenzo. Unfortunately he is confined to a wheelchair. I looked over and saw his extremely expressive face crying. I went over to him and he told me that he was crying because he loves to dance, but he can't now because he is unable to walk. Could anything break my heart more than hearing that? Just by looking at him, you can tell that Lorenzo was quite the charmer in his younger days. So I sat with him and gave him a little shoulder massage. I'm not sure if that made him feel any better, but I guess it's better than not doing anything at all... All in all, it was a good time and the party brought many smiles to the beautiful faces of the abuelos. Viva Los Martincitos!

It's hard to believe that 2 weeks have passed. It has flown by! I feel like I'm just getting started. 13 of the volunteers who arrived when I did are leaving this weekend and about 25 newbies are arriving... New blood! It should be a good time had by all!

Hugs to all! Adios mis amigos!

Pay to Pee...

Okay... Now I've seen it all. Yesterday we went to the Indian Market and we had to use el bano (the bathroom.) Well, if you gotta take a whizz, it'll cost ya. 50 centinos to be exact. I've got the receipt to prove it. You even get a small supply of toilet paper when you pay the nice, little Peruvian man. How convenient!

The Indian market was fun. There are probably over 100 shops all selling the same Peruvian goods. What makes it fun is trying to get the best deal. I bought a beautiful hand embroidered purse for 30 soles, which is about 10 US dollars. I also bought an Inka Cola t-shirt for about 3 US dollars. Inka Cola is the local soda in Peru. It's yellow in color and tastes like cream soda. Not bad.

My volunteer group at Los Martincitos visited a man named Demetrio who is 95 years old. Let me tell you that his living condition are not fit for man nor beast. He house doesn't have a full roof and he's has a dirt floor. There isn't any electricity or running water and his bed is infested with fleas. Demetrio is a short, malnourished man. He wore pants that were too big for him, several sweaters, a hat with a Donald Duck patch sewn on it and his shoes were on the wrong feet. Despite all of this, he is a determined man with a stubborn spirit. I suppose you have to be to live in these conditions. Much love to Demetrio.

Another volunteer in my group is working at Mother Theresa's Center for the Dying and Destitute. She has been working with the elderly at the center for the past week and a half. When she went to work today she found out that one of the men that she had been working with passed away in the night. She went to the funeral today, but she's a bit down. I'm sure it's hard to lose a new friend.

That's all for now. Adios y gracias!

Ups and Downs

So Sunday I went to help out at a women's shelter. These are women who work domestic jobs and the center supports them in helping them get better jobs. I guess the domestic jobs that these women currently have are not very good situations. They are paid little to no money and quite often they are beaten. The shelter also caters to children who are either already working domestic jobs or are in danger of being put to work. I arrived and was put to work teaching English. Now, I've never taught an English class before, but these women wanted to learn and I was willing to do my best. There were 4 women, one 13 year old and one 8 year old. The class worked out fantastically. Not only was I helping to teach them English, which they were all fervent about learning, but they also helped to teach me some Spanish and I think they really enjoyed that. Our van came to pick us up and they didn't want us to leave, but we promised we would be back next week and that made them smile. Ahhhhh.... good deeds.

That night, the cough I have been developing throughout the week due to the horrible polution here in Lima turned into a full blown respiratory infection. I had all the symptoms... The non-stop coughing, runny nose, stuffed up sinuses... I didn't sleep a wink. So, unfortunately, I was sick in bed all day on Monday. The doctor, who is like a Peruvian Nurse Wratchett times ten, gave me some antibiotics and I'm feeling much better today. I'm about 85% back to feeling like a person again. Hooray!

Other than that, everything is fabulous! I got lucky and have a great roommate :-) Plus, our entire volunteer group is a lot of fun. It's crazy to think that about half the volunteer group is leaving on Saturday. However, it won't be lonely in the house for long because there is another 30 volunteers arriving on June 1st. Crazy times!!!

Hugs to everyone! Adios!

Alas... The Weekend!

After a whirlwind of a week, finally the weekend is here. On, Friday night three of us ventured out to the city of Miraflores to find a jazz bar called Jazz Zone and to try the Peruvian specialty, a Pisco Sour. Boy, did we hit the jackpot! We arrived at Jazz Zone to find that instead of jazz, they were featuring a Salsa band. We're in! They were amazing and the Pisco Sours weren't bad either. There were some fantastic Salsa dancers out on the dance floor. The entire evening was a well earned night out on the town.

Saturday, my roommate, Marni, and I took a taxi to downtown Lima. Again, we got lucky. The taxi driver dropped us off at Plaza Mayor only to find that the changing of the guard was just beginning at the palace. After watching the marching and formations we went to the San Francisco Monastary. As we were taking the tour, I could visualize all the monks walking among the gardens and the church. The architecture was really amazing!

It's now Sunday and we are going to volunteer at a women's empowerment program after lunch. I'm looking forward to another inspiring week with the abuelos at Los Martincitos! More updates to come!

A Few Things About Peru...

...that I thought you all might like to know. First off, DO NOT ATTEMPT TO DRIVE. Let's just say that the rule to driving in Peru is that here aren't any rules. I don't know how they do it, but I'm amazed that there aren't more accidents. Also, cross the street at your own risk. Pretty scary. Second, the air pollution is pretty horrible. I ent for a run out side and I thought I was going to cough up a lung. Hence, I joined a gym so I can run on the treadmill. And finally, in Peru, you are not to throw your toilet paper in the toilet. You must throw it in the garbage basket next to the toilet. Oh... you must also bring your own toilet paper. Ahhhh... Peruvian customs.

Today at Los Martincitos was a good day. There is an aboelo named Lorenzo who we have been trying to get to attend the program rather than sitting home all day alone in his wheel chair. Well... Today I'm happy to say that he participated in the program. As soon as he arrived we rolled him over for a shave which is one of the perks of being part of the program. All the abuelos get 2 hot meals, manicures, pedicures and the men get a shave. Hooray Lorenzo!!! We also made earrings which we are going to sell for 2 soles (50 cents) to help raise money for Los Marticitos. FYI... Los Martincitos doesn't get any funding from the government. It is all on a donation basis. Most of the government funding goes to schools and support for young people.

It looks like I won't be going to Huarez this weekend. I've decided to stay in Lima and see the sights... More on that later. I hope everyone is well.

Gracias y adios mis amigos!

Love Those Abuelos!!!

Monday we had our day of orientation which started at 8am. We went to Los Martincitos where we were introduced to all the abuelos (elderly folks). It would be an understatement to say that they gave us a warm welcome. After the introductions we were then given a history lesson on Vill El Salvador. This is the section of Peru where we are volunteering. I'll just say that you haven't seen poverty until you've seen Villa El Salvador. Most of the abuelos live on less than 2 dollars a day. Although they are severely poverty stricken, they are rich is spirit!

Tuesday we had our first day of work. Sister Jackie, who is my new hero, loaded us into the van to go out and do house visits to the abuelos who did not show up to the program which takes place on Monday, Wednesday and Friday. We visited several homes, and heard stories about drunk sons who abuse the elderly, poverty, crime and illness. The abuelos live in tiny concrete houses. They are cold, dirty and smell musty. However, when we enter their homes you can see their faces light up. They want to hug and kiss each and every one of us and they are just so grateful that we have taken the time to pay a visit and listen to their stories for a few minutes. Sister Jackie is so wonderful with them and makes them smile when they need a little cheering up. She's a tough one and I'm glad that she is looking out for them.

Wednesday was our first day working at the Los Martincitos center. I painted the ladies nails and, WOW, did they love that. We brought out the manicure supplies and the abuelas swarmed to the table. Who knew so much joy could be given through giving a few manicures? The abuelos are pretty terrific. After our work in the morning, we took a little field trip out to the ruins of Pachacamac and then we got a little more history on Peru.

I haven't even been here a week and already I'm wondering why Villa El Salvador and their programs haven't gotten more attention internationally. When I see the work that Sister Jackie has done with Los Martincitos, it inspires me to do a documentary on them. They deserve the recognition.

As for this weekend, it looks like a few of us may venture out to Huarez where there are Andean glaciers that won't be around in 20 years... Thank you global warming... So I'm of to the countryside!

Hast luego y adios!

Viva Peru!!!

Hello, my friends! I don´t have much time, but I just wanted to check in with everyone. In a nutshell, Perú is terrific! I have not stopped since I arrived. The other volunteers are all amazing people ranging from college students to a woman from England who is a grandmother of 10. Today I spent my first day with Los Martincitos (the program that works with the elderly.) We went out to visit some of the abuelos in their homes and that was an extremely eye opening experience... More about that later since I´m crunched for time. I just wanted to log an entry and let everyone know that I arrived safe and sound. I´m loving it!!!! Adios mis amigos!

Welcome!!!

Hi everyone and welcome to my blog about my Peruvian adventures! For those of you who don't know, I'm going to Lima, Peru to participate as an International Volunteer with the organization, Cross-Cultural Solutions. If you'd like to know more about the program, you can go to www.crossculturalsolution.org. I will be working approximately 4-5 hours a day, Monday through Friday, assisting poor, elderly Peruvians. This special program is called "Los Martincitos" in a section of Lima called Villa El Salvador. I'll be helping out with meals, organizing daily activities like arts and crafts projects or stretching classes and giving the lovely ladies manicures. The program also includes daily cultural activities such as visiting the Incan ruins, trips to the museums, trips to the local markets, Spanish classes and Salsa classes! I'll definitely be heatin' up that dance floor! Arriba! Our weekends are free for day trips, relaxation or writing blogs! Hooray! Oh, and don't think I'll be lonely. I've got 20 other volunteers from across the country to keep me company. We will all be living in a house with 11 bedrooms and 7 bathrooms. Can you say bunk beds? Yes, my dream of always wanting to sleep on the top bunk is finally coming true.

Well folks, I leave for Lima on Sunday, May 18th for a 4 week excursion. If anything interesting happens between now and Sunday, I'll write about it. If not, I'll see ya in Peru! Gracias y adios!