Catching Up

I apologize for allowing so much time to lapse in between posts recently. Between my schedule and computers that do not work, posting has been a challenge of late. I thought I would write a quick post just to let everyone know that I am still doing well and enjoying my time in Peru. This coming weekend is a big weekend of celebrations: tomorrow is Halloween as well as a Celebration of Peruvian Music, Saturday is The Day of the Dead and Sunday is The Day of the Living (as I understand it). I expect to have stories and photos to post following the weekend festivities!

Fiesta

We had a party last night to inaugurate the opening of the new room at Club Corason. We have been cramped for space, so we are all very excited to have a room big enough for all of the children. The party started with a clothing distribution, then the children sang the songs they´d learned in English (and did an excellent job). The performance was followed by dinner and music by a band. All of the children from the neighborhood and their parents were invited, and we had a great time!

Club C.o.r.a.s.o.n

For the past two weeks I have been working at a community center on the outskirts of Cusco. The center was started by a local pastor and his wife and is an incredible community resource. They have plans for many different programs, but right now their main program is an afterschool enrichment program called Club Corason. The Club provides children ages 3-11 years with help on homework, structured art programs, sports activities and basic English classes.

I had originally planned to spend time volunteering in an orphanage (as most of you know), but then my language school informed me that this project was in great need of volunteers. Without volunteers to work with the children, they cannot keep their doors open. It has been good for me to see the needs faced by local communities here and how much effort it takes to help children rise above poverty and difficult life circumstances. The photos are of the neighborhood around the community center, the center and a couple of the children.

Ruinas

I thought it would be nice to post a few more pictures from this past weekend. There are many Incan ruins around the city of Cusco, and I spent Saturday hiking through several ruins located in the nearby town of Tipan. There are many great pictures that I´d like to post, but I chose these because I think they really show the landscape in this area. Pictures taken within the city don´t show how arid the sierra section of Peru really is.

Sunday Market

Sunday is usually the biggest market day here. Yesterday I traveled to the city of Pisac, which is about a 40 minute bus ride from Cusco, to check out their big market day. I really don´t know of anything in the U.S. that is comparable to an open air market here. You can buy anything: clothing,jewelry, blankets, fresh fruit and vegetables, meat or anything else you can think of. The first photo is of some handmade flutes which are very common here. The next is of some ladies selling friuts. The third is a photo of a colorful wall tapestry and the last is of some cheese.

Recommended Reading

I thought that perhaps I had managed to escape the dreaded stomach bug that all travels seem to get here,but it finally caught up to me this past week. Being sick has definitely not been fun,but it has given me a chance to do some good reading (and to watch Jurassic Park III in Spanish). I just finished reading A Thousand Splendid Suns and highly recommend it. It tells the story of two Afghanistani women and follows their lives from the 1980´s through recent years. It is one of the most moving stories I´ve read. I also recently read When Invisible Children Sing. This book is a non- fiction account of an North American doctor who spent time working with street children in LaPaz, Bolivia. While this book is not cheerful, it is inspiring. It brings attention to the plight of hundreds of thousands of children in Bolivia,and other countries in South America, that spend their entire lives on the city streets with little hope of a better future. I encourage you to take a look at these great books!

Political Humor

I imagine that the current Presidential Campaign in the US is getting lots of press. If you´d like a good laugh over the state of politics check out this website: http://www.jibjab.com/originals. It´s great (and equally pokes fun at all candidates)!

Llamas, Alpacas and Vicunas... Oh My!

A friend was scrolling through the pictures on my digital camera the other day and commented on the disproportionate amount of photos I have taken of Llamas and Alpacas; I admit that I am fascinated by them. These animals serve many purposes including:farm animal or pack mule, their fur is woven into warm, soft yarn for clothing and they also can be served for dinner. Prior to visiting Peru, I was unaware of the existence of the Vicuna. This animal is a close relative to the Llama and Alpaca and is said to produce the finest wool. However, the Vicuna has come under the protect of Peruvian law and is now only allowed to be shaved every third year in order to help protect and maintain their herds. I hope you enjoy these fun photos as much as I do!