Hello to everyone!
Just a short update from Puquio:
Since our last communique, we’ve been through so many changes in climate, scenery, and culture. It’s been a little strange, actually. Jess wrote last from Huacachina, a small desert oasis/resort town, where we met so many friendly fellow travellers – and even a few (shall I say) stupid ones. Jess was right when she described it as the Gringo Trail because one must look hard to find anything culturally Peruvian about the place, besides the scenery. However, the weather cooperated on a daily basis, so it was a very cool place to relax in the sun in the daytime and sit by a campfire at night – while smoking Narghile and drinking vino, of course.
From Huacachina, we travelled two hours south along the Panamericana to Nazca, a town famous for its mysterious Nazca lines (kilometer-long geoglyphs that some believe to be ancient runways for aliens!). Avoiding the very expensive tours, we taxied with an Israeli couple to a pre-Inca cemetary and visited a family gold-extraction operation. Gold extraction accounts for 60% of jobs in Nazca, though gold deposits are not profitable enough for even the most greedy multinational corporation, so Nazqueños are allowed to mine freely – free in that, if they find gold, they eat; if not, they starve.
We returned to Lima to again meet with the NGO we’ll be working with for a while (Manos Libres) and organize some projects. Lima has a Tony Roma’s, and we saw Farenheit 911 again, too. But I digress. Coincidentally, Manos Libres are currently working on a project partly funded by the Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA) and also receive funds from an Edmonton organization that some of you reading this may be aware of (or have even worked with), Change for Children. The world gets even smaller: there is a lovely Canadian girl currently working with Manos Libres named Julia. Yes, Julia is fromCanada. Alberta, actually. St. Albert, actually. Grandin, actually. In fact, Jess and Julia live about ten minutes walk from eachother. What a coincidence to meet in Peru!
So, with Julia, we have travelled to the small, impoverished town in which we will be working for the next month (possibly until November), Puquio. We will be working primarily with children in the promotion of children’s human rights. We will be visiting no less than 11 schools and coordinating activities, festivals, and eventually a bulletin focussing on the rights of the child. Another interesting aspect of our work here is the development of DESNAs, basically human rights observation posts in schools recommended by UNICEF. A very necessary thing in a place where rights are violated daily even in the home.
The community is relatively isolated, situated high in the frigid cold part of the Andes between Nazca and Cuzco. We are the only non-Peruvians in the town, and not many foreigners are usually seen here. But so far we’ve received a warm reception, in spite of the weather. I will also have a very rare chance to work on learning Quechua, or at least a few words – for the locals appreciate any effort you make at it.
In the two days we’ve been here, we’ve visited 6 schools and met all their principals. The reaction in the school yard is funny: it’s either friendly hellos or jeers of “gringos!” We’re getting slowly getting used to that. Afterall, It’s not entirely a race thing: small Andean communitites like Puquio are known for being in conflict even with people from other villages, who are even considered foreigners. It’s all a part of travelling here and getting a glimpse of what it’s like to live here.
Today was especially fascinating for me. We were supposed to visit a school in the surrounding area, but Julia was called to a meeting of the educational authority. We tagged along and watched as a group of men read laws to each other, debated a little, and basically resolved to do nothing other than plan another meeting, no date specified. Funny and sad because this is exemplary of the government here, totally impotent and basically useless.
After that, we met with a German priest who has been working in Peru since 1969. We organized a place to stay in a church hall, complete with kitchen, as he poured the beer. (We’d been looking around for a place and the cheapest we heard of was 20-25 soles per month – that’s like $7-8.50 – but we wanted a kitchen, so we went to the church.) Then, to our surprise, we were served a trout lunch. Awesome! We will be working with him as well as Manos Libres in exchange for free rent: he has an organic farm and a school where he works with special needs kids, surely more fun than work!
Well, this post has taken a while, so I’ll be off. But not before I say: Viva el presidente Chavez!!!!
Until next time...
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