Wednesday, November 26, 2008
Friends and Family are the most important thing in the world!
Ah! I haven´t updated in sooo long! I am sorry. Just short on time. Will post again soon though. For now just wanted to stop by and tell you guys thank you so much for the comments! You guys are the best, really. I totally agree... the best things in the world are the people you love. Tomorrow is Thanksgiving, and I will be thankful for each and everyone on of you. Because you love me, I can love others. I really couldn´t live without you all! My family, my bigger family, my girls, Ty, Char, everybody... I just can´t tell you all how grateful I am that I have you guys in my life! Thank you over and over again! I love you! margs
Monday, November 17, 2008
Oddities :)
In Peru, you cannot throw your toilet paper in the toilet. You put it in the trash can. And you have to bring your own toilet paper to many of the public bathrooms (there are few by the way, so use it before you go!)
You can buy liquor most anywhere and they don´t ever card any one. They don´t chill their white wine.
You can buy beer by the meter. It´s a three foot tall tube with a spigot at the bottom.
It is considered sexy to wear super tight jeans and let your belly hang out... and the liturature says American girls dress too "loose".
They eat jam and hard boiled eggs and cheese all at once on their bread for breakfast. But over easy eggs are lunch fare.
There´s white rice as often as in Hawaii
They drink warm Inca Kola, which tastes like bubble gum flavored flouride
There are more samples at PlazaVea (their Walmart) than at Costco
Drivers honk, all the time
Taxis are flat rate, quoted before you leave
All waiters have to be good looking ;) (kinda like Le Bistro, right Tyler)
I´ll add more as I think of them...
You can buy liquor most anywhere and they don´t ever card any one. They don´t chill their white wine.
You can buy beer by the meter. It´s a three foot tall tube with a spigot at the bottom.
It is considered sexy to wear super tight jeans and let your belly hang out... and the liturature says American girls dress too "loose".
They eat jam and hard boiled eggs and cheese all at once on their bread for breakfast. But over easy eggs are lunch fare.
There´s white rice as often as in Hawaii
They drink warm Inca Kola, which tastes like bubble gum flavored flouride
There are more samples at PlazaVea (their Walmart) than at Costco
Drivers honk, all the time
Taxis are flat rate, quoted before you leave
All waiters have to be good looking ;) (kinda like Le Bistro, right Tyler)
I´ll add more as I think of them...
Crossing Cultural Borders: Long Side Trips and lots of Potholes
One of the teachers at my school is taking an English class. He assignment this week is to give a report on an American holiday. She was assigned Thanksgiving. She has to present a Q&A session with herself infront of her class so she asked me to translate some specific questions and then to help her answer them. No problem, I thought...
Keep in mind I was trying this whole conversation in Spanish :\
1. Q. What date do you celebrate? (Uh, Oh, don´t really know... not off to a good start.)
A. The last Thursday in November.
Q. Why?
A. Um... so we can have a long weekend off from work. (We sound lazy. Avoided the parade, and football etc.)
2. Q. How do you celebrate Thanksgiving.
A. By eating a large meal with family and friends. (Yay, we sound so family oriented!)
3. Q. What do you eat?
A. Turkey -
Q. What´s that?
A. Kinda like a large chicken.
Stuffing-
Q. What´s that?
Um... potatoes, bread, vegetables, and spices. (she gave me quizical look) You cut it up really small and mix it together (more understanding, I think).
Q. Like Soup?
A. No, it´s cooked in the Turkey. (quizzical look)
Q. How?
A. Well... (how do explain this in Spanish?!) You cut the bird open take out what is inside and put the stuffing inside. (Ok, doing ok, saved the potentially pornographic description)
A. Pumpkin Pie
Q. Do you always celebrate holidays with pumpkin pie? like your birthday?
A. No, no. (I kinda laughed, she didn´t)
After each thing I listed, I had to explain what it was... try cornbread...
3. Q. Why do you celebrate Thanksgiving?
A. Because the Pilgrims came from England and landed in North America. They were cold and starving because thy landed in the winter. The Native Americans helped them and fed them native foods. Those are the things we eat at Thanksgiving. (sounded consice and complete to me! yay, good work, my 4th grade teacher would be proud - )
Q. Who are the Pilgrims and why did they leave England?
A. Um? (do I know this?!) They were a religious group that was persecuted by their government/king.
Q. Why?
A. Because they were different religions.
Q. There are different religions in England?
A. Yes many. (quizzical look...pause)
Q. What is "starving"?
A. Dying of hunger. (more serious look, note taking in spanish, pause)
Q. They didn´t know how to plant things?
A. No it was much more cold than they expected?
Q. How cold? (Lady! I wasn´t there!)
A. 0ยบ C
Wow!
A. So we celebrate how the kindness of the Native Americans and how thankful we are for all that we have. (ok, that should do it)
Pause, note taking
Q. Are you a Native American?
A. No.
Q. Are you pilgirim?
A. No.
Q. Do you celebrate with the Native Americans?
A. Um, no.
Q. Do they celebrate?
A. I don´t know?
Q. What was the boat like?
A. The Mayflower. (I poorly drew a large sailboat)
Q. What are those?
A. Sails
Q. No motor?
A. No. This was in the (think, think) 1600´s (guess)
(suprise!)
Q. The boats were like the boats of the Spanish Conquistadors (bad move margs - bothered face from her) But the pilgrims did not want gold and silver and were nice to the Native Americans. (less bothered look)
4. Q. What costumes do you wear?
A. (Oh, god, what if we dressed up like pilgrims and indians?!) We where nice clothes, sometimes kids dress up as pilgrims and indians
Q. What do Pilgrims and Native americans wear? (She corrected my use of "indians")
A. (I drew a stereotypical duo pilgrim and indian - buckles and feathers - I felt bad for the obliteration of any sort of fact in my rendition) The pilgrims only had cloth clothes and the Native Americans had leather and animal skins to stay warm
Q. What kind of animal? Llama?
A. No. Buffalo-
Q. What is Buffalo?
A. Um, it´s like three Llamas put together and it´s black. And the head is (this!) big!
Q. Wow! Do you still wear buffalo in the winter.
A. No. There are not many more Buffalo...
There was a long pause. It all didn´t seem to add up for her... or me. There where holes in the story I didn´t know how to fill. Questions I didn´t want to answer. Questions I didn´t want to ask myself: Why had the pilgrims left England? Why had they come to America? Why did they think they could just move? Why had the Native Americans been so helpful? Why are there no Native Americans left to celebrate Thanksgiving with us? Who exactly is "us" anyway? What happened in the interim 300 years? What´s the deal with this wierd, huge buffalo creature? Why did I not want to tell her about the parades, football etc? It´s hard to examine your own culture.
Keep in mind I was trying this whole conversation in Spanish :\
1. Q. What date do you celebrate? (Uh, Oh, don´t really know... not off to a good start.)
A. The last Thursday in November.
Q. Why?
A. Um... so we can have a long weekend off from work. (We sound lazy. Avoided the parade, and football etc.)
2. Q. How do you celebrate Thanksgiving.
A. By eating a large meal with family and friends. (Yay, we sound so family oriented!)
3. Q. What do you eat?
A. Turkey -
Q. What´s that?
A. Kinda like a large chicken.
Stuffing-
Q. What´s that?
Um... potatoes, bread, vegetables, and spices. (she gave me quizical look) You cut it up really small and mix it together (more understanding, I think).
Q. Like Soup?
A. No, it´s cooked in the Turkey. (quizzical look)
Q. How?
A. Well... (how do explain this in Spanish?!) You cut the bird open take out what is inside and put the stuffing inside. (Ok, doing ok, saved the potentially pornographic description)
A. Pumpkin Pie
Q. Do you always celebrate holidays with pumpkin pie? like your birthday?
A. No, no. (I kinda laughed, she didn´t)
After each thing I listed, I had to explain what it was... try cornbread...
3. Q. Why do you celebrate Thanksgiving?
A. Because the Pilgrims came from England and landed in North America. They were cold and starving because thy landed in the winter. The Native Americans helped them and fed them native foods. Those are the things we eat at Thanksgiving. (sounded consice and complete to me! yay, good work, my 4th grade teacher would be proud - )
Q. Who are the Pilgrims and why did they leave England?
A. Um? (do I know this?!) They were a religious group that was persecuted by their government/king.
Q. Why?
A. Because they were different religions.
Q. There are different religions in England?
A. Yes many. (quizzical look...pause)
Q. What is "starving"?
A. Dying of hunger. (more serious look, note taking in spanish, pause)
Q. They didn´t know how to plant things?
A. No it was much more cold than they expected?
Q. How cold? (Lady! I wasn´t there!)
A. 0ยบ C
Wow!
A. So we celebrate how the kindness of the Native Americans and how thankful we are for all that we have. (ok, that should do it)
Pause, note taking
Q. Are you a Native American?
A. No.
Q. Are you pilgirim?
A. No.
Q. Do you celebrate with the Native Americans?
A. Um, no.
Q. Do they celebrate?
A. I don´t know?
Q. What was the boat like?
A. The Mayflower. (I poorly drew a large sailboat)
Q. What are those?
A. Sails
Q. No motor?
A. No. This was in the (think, think) 1600´s (guess)
(suprise!)
Q. The boats were like the boats of the Spanish Conquistadors (bad move margs - bothered face from her) But the pilgrims did not want gold and silver and were nice to the Native Americans. (less bothered look)
4. Q. What costumes do you wear?
A. (Oh, god, what if we dressed up like pilgrims and indians?!) We where nice clothes, sometimes kids dress up as pilgrims and indians
Q. What do Pilgrims and Native americans wear? (She corrected my use of "indians")
A. (I drew a stereotypical duo pilgrim and indian - buckles and feathers - I felt bad for the obliteration of any sort of fact in my rendition) The pilgrims only had cloth clothes and the Native Americans had leather and animal skins to stay warm
Q. What kind of animal? Llama?
A. No. Buffalo-
Q. What is Buffalo?
A. Um, it´s like three Llamas put together and it´s black. And the head is (this!) big!
Q. Wow! Do you still wear buffalo in the winter.
A. No. There are not many more Buffalo...
There was a long pause. It all didn´t seem to add up for her... or me. There where holes in the story I didn´t know how to fill. Questions I didn´t want to answer. Questions I didn´t want to ask myself: Why had the pilgrims left England? Why had they come to America? Why did they think they could just move? Why had the Native Americans been so helpful? Why are there no Native Americans left to celebrate Thanksgiving with us? Who exactly is "us" anyway? What happened in the interim 300 years? What´s the deal with this wierd, huge buffalo creature? Why did I not want to tell her about the parades, football etc? It´s hard to examine your own culture.
Liberation theology...
I´ve come across an interesting thought line. I have been reading the Peru Reader which is an historical anthology of Peruvian writing. I came across as essay by Gustavo Gutierez Even if a bit radically Christian which I am usually a bit weary of it has a basic logic to it that I found both afronting and comforting.... thought you guys might like to chew on it for a bit also... Liberation theology:
The idea´s basic premise is that caring for the poor is part of the Christian duty. Sounds plainly familiar, but the "hum? moment" is in the why.
I was raised to believe in compassion and kindness, generosity and hospitality. These are fundamental Christian values right? Well, why?
Liberation Theology says that the poor are God´s chosen people. (Remember the beatitudes? for my none church friends check here: http://members.tripod.com/~robertwells/Beatitudes.html) Right. It goes on to say that those with more are recquired to serve those with less out of a love and fear of God and a desire to be with those that are the chosen. Though compassion is nice in people, this theology made it seem so much a duty or chore to be traded for salvation.
The us vs. them language was intense and I was so supprised to even feel a bit of a grudge toward the "meek and poor". It was startling how the theology seemed to promote generosity with a somewhat Socialistic harmony line but out of a feeling of Christian duty and desire. ie. the poor shall inheret the earth and heaven so go on and make yourself one of the poor. What happened to giving without expecting return. Agape. I guess it helps to give people a proverbial "carrot" when asking them to give away their earthly carrots. Interesting no?
Go look it up... it´s not long, but interesting:
Here´s some of the original essay:
http://www.liberationtheology.org/john_yu_document_collection.htm#gg
Here´s more info if any of you really feel like you have some time to kill :)
http://mb-soft.com/believe/txn/liberati.htm
The idea´s basic premise is that caring for the poor is part of the Christian duty. Sounds plainly familiar, but the "hum? moment" is in the why.
I was raised to believe in compassion and kindness, generosity and hospitality. These are fundamental Christian values right? Well, why?
Liberation Theology says that the poor are God´s chosen people. (Remember the beatitudes? for my none church friends check here: http://members.tripod.com/~robertwells/Beatitudes.html) Right. It goes on to say that those with more are recquired to serve those with less out of a love and fear of God and a desire to be with those that are the chosen. Though compassion is nice in people, this theology made it seem so much a duty or chore to be traded for salvation.
The us vs. them language was intense and I was so supprised to even feel a bit of a grudge toward the "meek and poor". It was startling how the theology seemed to promote generosity with a somewhat Socialistic harmony line but out of a feeling of Christian duty and desire. ie. the poor shall inheret the earth and heaven so go on and make yourself one of the poor. What happened to giving without expecting return. Agape. I guess it helps to give people a proverbial "carrot" when asking them to give away their earthly carrots. Interesting no?
Go look it up... it´s not long, but interesting:
Here´s some of the original essay:
http://www.liberationtheology.org/john_yu_document_collection.htm#gg
Here´s more info if any of you really feel like you have some time to kill :)
http://mb-soft.com/believe/txn/liberati.htm
Wednesday, November 12, 2008
Juxtoposition
Hola!
Today was an interesting day. A true juxtaposition (the best word for this country! thx Ashby).
Instead of going to INABIF where I usually am, I went to Mother Teresa´s. Mother Teresa is a home for "the destitute and dying" men and children. The residents are disabled either mentally, physically or both. We asked why there were no women, but never got a clear answer.
Today was THE DAY of the year for them. One day every year they get to go on a field-trip. Remember field trips when you where in school, the sack lunches, the big buses, the long drive, the songs on the bus... it was all there... but this was no fun day at school.
Mother Teresa is in La Victoria, Peru. (I originally was going to tell you to google it, but I tried... no good info or pics. I guess they really have been forgotten by the world.) We got there at 8:30 and the smog was heavy... and you could feel the violence hanging in the air. Unlike the openness and airyness of Villa El Salvador (Villa). La Victoria is much more a city slum. There are high rise buildings pukeing peoples´ laundry. Everything you see is as if through dirty sunglasses. But you can´t take them off.
There is a huge outdoor produce market laid out on what is supposed to be sidewalk next to the street. There is no bustle. There is lurking and shuffling and leaving. No one seems to be coming or going, just moving, leaving. We rode through in our old van, 9 women, today more white than we were born. I realized that I was ultimately defenseless save the adrenaline stiffened steel wool that covered the back of my neck and my arms. Juan Carlos, our friendly driver who always seems so smooth and ready to chat and joke seemed tense, doing what he could to not let the van stop moving on the crowded street. There where so many people, but my memories are silent. Just faces. Dirty faces with huge dark eyes. When we pulled up to Mother Teresa´s we were quickly rushed in behind an ominous gate. We stepped over and around those the gate was built to keep out. Once inside the scene was very different. The hairs on my neck softed.
It was once a convent, and the stubborn happiness, and strappy hope remain. The building is nun clean and the air is crisp with purpose. The nuns are like white and blue angels. Cliche, but it´s the only good word. They come from all over the world to run this home that houses those who can not help themselves. By a random draw these people were born without the faculties on which the rest of rely to survive, and so society left them to die.
And here we were, an awkward group of women, stunned still and wide eyed. Welt marks stood out on our cheeks where we were smacked by ignorance. And they started pointing... Him, There, Pie (foot), Arriba (up). Esto (that), There.... they started handing us old men, crippled, barely able to walk, and pointing at the stairs to the bus. "No see, explain only" Juan was in my arms, shuffling toward the line of grey sweat suits climbing slowly onto the bus. The man ahead of me and Juan arrived at the the stairway in his wheelchair, "Carlos" I read on the back. before I could wonder how this was going to work, down came a man, up went Carlos´bum, over the shoulder, up into the bus. My turn. Un pie, la izquierda pie, Senor, Up! One step by one step, hand over hand he climbed and I lifted and finally I landed him in a seat... Then... "Pichi Senorita"... I learned that one from my keiki...
More to come... gotta go!
Today was an interesting day. A true juxtaposition (the best word for this country! thx Ashby).
Instead of going to INABIF where I usually am, I went to Mother Teresa´s. Mother Teresa is a home for "the destitute and dying" men and children. The residents are disabled either mentally, physically or both. We asked why there were no women, but never got a clear answer.
Today was THE DAY of the year for them. One day every year they get to go on a field-trip. Remember field trips when you where in school, the sack lunches, the big buses, the long drive, the songs on the bus... it was all there... but this was no fun day at school.
Mother Teresa is in La Victoria, Peru. (I originally was going to tell you to google it, but I tried... no good info or pics. I guess they really have been forgotten by the world.) We got there at 8:30 and the smog was heavy... and you could feel the violence hanging in the air. Unlike the openness and airyness of Villa El Salvador (Villa). La Victoria is much more a city slum. There are high rise buildings pukeing peoples´ laundry. Everything you see is as if through dirty sunglasses. But you can´t take them off.
There is a huge outdoor produce market laid out on what is supposed to be sidewalk next to the street. There is no bustle. There is lurking and shuffling and leaving. No one seems to be coming or going, just moving, leaving. We rode through in our old van, 9 women, today more white than we were born. I realized that I was ultimately defenseless save the adrenaline stiffened steel wool that covered the back of my neck and my arms. Juan Carlos, our friendly driver who always seems so smooth and ready to chat and joke seemed tense, doing what he could to not let the van stop moving on the crowded street. There where so many people, but my memories are silent. Just faces. Dirty faces with huge dark eyes. When we pulled up to Mother Teresa´s we were quickly rushed in behind an ominous gate. We stepped over and around those the gate was built to keep out. Once inside the scene was very different. The hairs on my neck softed.
It was once a convent, and the stubborn happiness, and strappy hope remain. The building is nun clean and the air is crisp with purpose. The nuns are like white and blue angels. Cliche, but it´s the only good word. They come from all over the world to run this home that houses those who can not help themselves. By a random draw these people were born without the faculties on which the rest of rely to survive, and so society left them to die.
And here we were, an awkward group of women, stunned still and wide eyed. Welt marks stood out on our cheeks where we were smacked by ignorance. And they started pointing... Him, There, Pie (foot), Arriba (up). Esto (that), There.... they started handing us old men, crippled, barely able to walk, and pointing at the stairs to the bus. "No see, explain only" Juan was in my arms, shuffling toward the line of grey sweat suits climbing slowly onto the bus. The man ahead of me and Juan arrived at the the stairway in his wheelchair, "Carlos" I read on the back. before I could wonder how this was going to work, down came a man, up went Carlos´bum, over the shoulder, up into the bus. My turn. Un pie, la izquierda pie, Senor, Up! One step by one step, hand over hand he climbed and I lifted and finally I landed him in a seat... Then... "Pichi Senorita"... I learned that one from my keiki...
More to come... gotta go!
Thursday, November 6, 2008
Bests: My spanish is improving rapidly! It is so much easier to talk with my kids. They too are learning to use their language and they are extra forgiving of my blundding blubbering attempts at communication.
My keiki: All the kids in Peru are beautiful! They are just perfect little dolls. They have huge clear black eyes and warm brown skin and easy smiles. Their energy is magnetic and spongelike. I am in love! and they are just such a lesson in hope and apprectition.
Downtown Lima - the governement buildings and architecture. The buildings that are taken care of are really beautiful. I felt like I was in Europe.
The food - We went out last night to Tanta. A very western style restaurant. I had my first Pisco sour... ¡muy delisioso! and a cholopolitan (the best cosmo ever! made with pisco rather than vodka and fresh grapefruit juice. I ate aji de gallina: pulled chicken over potatoes with veggies all in a creamy cheese sauce with a side of white rice. And the dessert! we went across the street to a dessert restaurant which are very popular here late into the night (the can all serve alcohol too). It was lots of fun to be "out-on-the-town" with the girls.
Worst: Frustration over the communication barrier. I feel like I cannot tell my teacher how much a respect how well she does with the kids. She really is amazing. 27 3 year olds will work with scissors and glue for 20 minutes for her... that is amazing! More on language and daily life later...
One of my little girls asked me three questions:
1. What is your name?
2. Where do you live?
3. Where does your dad live?
I had to wonder about her father and her future... the future for a single mother and her child in this place is grim. And to have to face such situation like hers at three years old. I can´t even imagine.
The HUGE economic gap: riding through Villa everyday to work in a classroom that is so under supported then coming home to a huge, delicious lunch with fresh veggies and fruit. Then going out into a city with any opulent luxury the most posh of New York could desire. The gap is an emotional marathon really. You start and stop at basically the same place, but in between is miles of space.
More thoughts: In the US I feel like a confident, capable woman. I feel like I can be independant, take care of myself etc. Here I realize how delicate that confidence is. Here I cannot go most places alone. If it is early in the morning or late at night I have to have at least one other person with me. This means that if I want to pick up something from the store, I have to find someone that will walk there with me, and I can only go between 10am and 8pm. If I want to use the internet, send an email, update this blog, google something, find an address, all the quick and easy things I use the internet at home to do, I have to find someone else to go with me. And I have to wait for an ok time. And the easiest things at home... going to the mall, the grocery store, out to dinner, the beach etc. it's do-able but it's an extreme production. I have to find the place I want to go by asking my fellow volunteers for recommendations or reading the super generic guide books, then find the address, then make sure I have the right coins for what I think the taxi ride might cost, then rehearse how how to tell the driver the directions in Spanish, and rehearse how to give the taxi directions back to my house, then find someone to go with me, then I can actually leave. Once I get in the taxi (which are tiny, rickety, racecars that stop for nothing and nobody and the only part of them that looks new is the blinker because they don't use them) it's all just trust, that we won't wreck, that he is going in the right direction... I will have no idea until my watch tells me we should me getting close or I luckily recognize something familiar, or until he stops in front of what I am supposed to recoginize as my destination. It is daunting, intimidating, and nervewracking... but I am learning. Four weeks more to figure it all out, hopefully by then I´ll be an expert (mama - don´t be too scared :) I´ll hopeully be a pro by the time you get here).
Oddities for me:
There are stray dogs everywhere but no cats.
The public trash cans (in the city) look like just like Eve from Wall-E.
The martinis are double size
ps. the dude sitting at the computer next to me is super creepy. He is about my age and sounds like he is doing a voice over for a vampire porno. He has go jitters like a methy and enough lude english words to inform the whole place that he´s looking at Google Earth. I think his head might be attached by a screw into his nck because he keeps trying to squeeze it around a little tighter. And clowns must be popping up in the middle of his screen cause he randomly busts into laughter and then communicated with the clown in some ET sign language. I seem to be the only one that is even noticing, thank goodness on my left is a father and son researching the planets!
Anyway, today is Sunday, and we get to go to a new place to do new work. It's called casa de pancietas or the house for home workers. Here is a place where housekeepers, service people etc. can come to get free English lessons. After lunch we are going. For the couple hours that we are there, I will be teaching eng. one-on-one. This is my first visit there but from what I've heard its a great experience because the people are so eager to learn. I guess if you travel miles/hours for some on your only day off, that's dedication. I am excited.
More later... again as always, if you are reading this, thank you for your love and support.
Muchas Besitas!
margs
My keiki: All the kids in Peru are beautiful! They are just perfect little dolls. They have huge clear black eyes and warm brown skin and easy smiles. Their energy is magnetic and spongelike. I am in love! and they are just such a lesson in hope and apprectition.
Downtown Lima - the governement buildings and architecture. The buildings that are taken care of are really beautiful. I felt like I was in Europe.
The food - We went out last night to Tanta. A very western style restaurant. I had my first Pisco sour... ¡muy delisioso! and a cholopolitan (the best cosmo ever! made with pisco rather than vodka and fresh grapefruit juice. I ate aji de gallina: pulled chicken over potatoes with veggies all in a creamy cheese sauce with a side of white rice. And the dessert! we went across the street to a dessert restaurant which are very popular here late into the night (the can all serve alcohol too). It was lots of fun to be "out-on-the-town" with the girls.
Worst: Frustration over the communication barrier. I feel like I cannot tell my teacher how much a respect how well she does with the kids. She really is amazing. 27 3 year olds will work with scissors and glue for 20 minutes for her... that is amazing! More on language and daily life later...
One of my little girls asked me three questions:
1. What is your name?
2. Where do you live?
3. Where does your dad live?
I had to wonder about her father and her future... the future for a single mother and her child in this place is grim. And to have to face such situation like hers at three years old. I can´t even imagine.
The HUGE economic gap: riding through Villa everyday to work in a classroom that is so under supported then coming home to a huge, delicious lunch with fresh veggies and fruit. Then going out into a city with any opulent luxury the most posh of New York could desire. The gap is an emotional marathon really. You start and stop at basically the same place, but in between is miles of space.
More thoughts: In the US I feel like a confident, capable woman. I feel like I can be independant, take care of myself etc. Here I realize how delicate that confidence is. Here I cannot go most places alone. If it is early in the morning or late at night I have to have at least one other person with me. This means that if I want to pick up something from the store, I have to find someone that will walk there with me, and I can only go between 10am and 8pm. If I want to use the internet, send an email, update this blog, google something, find an address, all the quick and easy things I use the internet at home to do, I have to find someone else to go with me. And I have to wait for an ok time. And the easiest things at home... going to the mall, the grocery store, out to dinner, the beach etc. it's do-able but it's an extreme production. I have to find the place I want to go by asking my fellow volunteers for recommendations or reading the super generic guide books, then find the address, then make sure I have the right coins for what I think the taxi ride might cost, then rehearse how how to tell the driver the directions in Spanish, and rehearse how to give the taxi directions back to my house, then find someone to go with me, then I can actually leave. Once I get in the taxi (which are tiny, rickety, racecars that stop for nothing and nobody and the only part of them that looks new is the blinker because they don't use them) it's all just trust, that we won't wreck, that he is going in the right direction... I will have no idea until my watch tells me we should me getting close or I luckily recognize something familiar, or until he stops in front of what I am supposed to recoginize as my destination. It is daunting, intimidating, and nervewracking... but I am learning. Four weeks more to figure it all out, hopefully by then I´ll be an expert (mama - don´t be too scared :) I´ll hopeully be a pro by the time you get here).
Oddities for me:
There are stray dogs everywhere but no cats.
The public trash cans (in the city) look like just like Eve from Wall-E.
The martinis are double size
ps. the dude sitting at the computer next to me is super creepy. He is about my age and sounds like he is doing a voice over for a vampire porno. He has go jitters like a methy and enough lude english words to inform the whole place that he´s looking at Google Earth. I think his head might be attached by a screw into his nck because he keeps trying to squeeze it around a little tighter. And clowns must be popping up in the middle of his screen cause he randomly busts into laughter and then communicated with the clown in some ET sign language. I seem to be the only one that is even noticing, thank goodness on my left is a father and son researching the planets!
Anyway, today is Sunday, and we get to go to a new place to do new work. It's called casa de pancietas or the house for home workers. Here is a place where housekeepers, service people etc. can come to get free English lessons. After lunch we are going. For the couple hours that we are there, I will be teaching eng. one-on-one. This is my first visit there but from what I've heard its a great experience because the people are so eager to learn. I guess if you travel miles/hours for some on your only day off, that's dedication. I am excited.
More later... again as always, if you are reading this, thank you for your love and support.
Muchas Besitas!
margs
Monday, November 3, 2008
El primera dia
Today is my first day in Lima. I left Honolulu on Saturday night, lost a day but no luggage, spent two hours in the airport with my driver who only speaks Spanish, rode a roller coster called the "CCS van" 45 min to my new home, and woke up this morning in another life.
After getting up at 6:30, a found a bathroom, one of 7 in the house and washed up. Breakfast was served at 7am and then we were shuttled back into the "van". We got to see one of the other places that volunteers in the house are working: Martincitos. It´s a community center for senior citizens. The seniors were so stoked to see us! They gave us kisses and hugs and even a special hello dance. The positive energy poured over the sparce but clean concrete yard. It was like swimming in sunshine. Then myself and two others rode to INABIF where I will be working for the next month. INABIF (like Martincitos) is in Villa El Salvadore, a large, sprawling, extremely poor suburb of Lima built in the desertous (dry but not hot... it´s actually quite cool and crisp) hills to the Southeast. The city seems like it has been bombed over and over. Brick buildings stand story on story ending in rebar supports pointing skyward rather than a roof. Ignorant as I am it looks like the roofs have been tore off, but I actually think that the bars point toward roofs to come, a sign that the people are building as they can. When you get a vantage point above a valley in the city you look down into a pile of brick colored dominoes, if dominoes had window shaped square dots, stacked tight against one another into an approximated honeycomb.
INABIF is a school for kids who´s family is below the poverty line - many of which are considered the extreme poor (poverty = income < $2 US per day per 4 people. Extreme poverty = <$1 US per day per four people). I can´t even understand what that means in terms of daily lifestyle. I spend $1 per day per just me on cable TV! What about $0.25 per day, I probably lose that much each day just because I misplaced it! Uf! I can´t understand, but I am humbled. Recession: not so scared anymore. After a brief tour, I was put into a classroom of 3-4 year old kids. They speak no english, niether does their teacher. I just kinda jumped in. They were learning colors. Verde y amarillo. We colored "pinta" circles by that "sigue la secuencion". Verde, amarillo, verde, amarillo, verde, amarillo etc. Then we watched Baby Einstien "animals" in English. The kids are so much more interactive than western students. Each time a new animal came on, they all repeatedly tried out thier vocab: el tigre! ¡el mono! ¡totuga, tortuga en el mar! ¡mira! ¡mira! un loro, las pezes, pajaros y pajaritos... the excitement was infectious, I found myself chanting right along with them... two little girls cuddled in my lap. I am addicted. I love them already... even the one who spit on me an accident.
The school is understaffed and underfunded. They have few supplies and one television that all the classrooms pass around to watch DVD´s. I am humbled and amazed at the positivity and productivity considering. And the kids are shockingly hearty. They fall and whack each other all the time and rarely cry. They aren´t shy. They work hard. They help each other and share. I wonder how these people with reletively nothing create such capable, loving kids.
Surco, where I live in Lima, is like souped-up, run down Chinatown minus the China. It´s full and busy and gray with colors slashed everywhere. Looking at the city looks like looking into a rubbish can after you throw out the junk mail. I have an odd attraction to it, as ugly as it is. I miss the ocean, the clean air, the sunshine, but in it´s differentness is a new type of beauty. I feel like I am in an underground version of the world as we know it. Something that I´ve been missing out on. Floating around above ground ignorant of all that this other world suffers and enjoys.
Best of the day: schoolings in positivity.
Worst of the day: embarrasingly inadequate ability to communicate.
As always, if you read this, your heart is here with mine in Lima. Thank you for your support.
¡Hasta luego!
margs
After getting up at 6:30, a found a bathroom, one of 7 in the house and washed up. Breakfast was served at 7am and then we were shuttled back into the "van". We got to see one of the other places that volunteers in the house are working: Martincitos. It´s a community center for senior citizens. The seniors were so stoked to see us! They gave us kisses and hugs and even a special hello dance. The positive energy poured over the sparce but clean concrete yard. It was like swimming in sunshine. Then myself and two others rode to INABIF where I will be working for the next month. INABIF (like Martincitos) is in Villa El Salvadore, a large, sprawling, extremely poor suburb of Lima built in the desertous (dry but not hot... it´s actually quite cool and crisp) hills to the Southeast. The city seems like it has been bombed over and over. Brick buildings stand story on story ending in rebar supports pointing skyward rather than a roof. Ignorant as I am it looks like the roofs have been tore off, but I actually think that the bars point toward roofs to come, a sign that the people are building as they can. When you get a vantage point above a valley in the city you look down into a pile of brick colored dominoes, if dominoes had window shaped square dots, stacked tight against one another into an approximated honeycomb.
INABIF is a school for kids who´s family is below the poverty line - many of which are considered the extreme poor (poverty = income < $2 US per day per 4 people. Extreme poverty = <$1 US per day per four people). I can´t even understand what that means in terms of daily lifestyle. I spend $1 per day per just me on cable TV! What about $0.25 per day, I probably lose that much each day just because I misplaced it! Uf! I can´t understand, but I am humbled. Recession: not so scared anymore. After a brief tour, I was put into a classroom of 3-4 year old kids. They speak no english, niether does their teacher. I just kinda jumped in. They were learning colors. Verde y amarillo. We colored "pinta" circles by that "sigue la secuencion". Verde, amarillo, verde, amarillo, verde, amarillo etc. Then we watched Baby Einstien "animals" in English. The kids are so much more interactive than western students. Each time a new animal came on, they all repeatedly tried out thier vocab: el tigre! ¡el mono! ¡totuga, tortuga en el mar! ¡mira! ¡mira! un loro, las pezes, pajaros y pajaritos... the excitement was infectious, I found myself chanting right along with them... two little girls cuddled in my lap. I am addicted. I love them already... even the one who spit on me an accident.
The school is understaffed and underfunded. They have few supplies and one television that all the classrooms pass around to watch DVD´s. I am humbled and amazed at the positivity and productivity considering. And the kids are shockingly hearty. They fall and whack each other all the time and rarely cry. They aren´t shy. They work hard. They help each other and share. I wonder how these people with reletively nothing create such capable, loving kids.
Surco, where I live in Lima, is like souped-up, run down Chinatown minus the China. It´s full and busy and gray with colors slashed everywhere. Looking at the city looks like looking into a rubbish can after you throw out the junk mail. I have an odd attraction to it, as ugly as it is. I miss the ocean, the clean air, the sunshine, but in it´s differentness is a new type of beauty. I feel like I am in an underground version of the world as we know it. Something that I´ve been missing out on. Floating around above ground ignorant of all that this other world suffers and enjoys.
Best of the day: schoolings in positivity.
Worst of the day: embarrasingly inadequate ability to communicate.
As always, if you read this, your heart is here with mine in Lima. Thank you for your support.
¡Hasta luego!
margs
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