My life flashes before my eyes

Lima traffic is unreal. I've never seen anything like it. Imagine a road with 4 lanes, but 7-8 car lines across. We take our lives in our hands each time we get into a car. The street music is a melange of car horns, mixed with our coughs caused by the heavy pollution.

Laurie and I caught a taxi back from the plaza this evening. What should have been a 5 minute drive turned into a white-knuckled 30 minute ride of death. When a car turns left, 3 turn into a one lane road...at the same time. We were stopped at a intersection turning left. There were cars turning from every which way, all facing each other, with no space in between. How they could actually move through without hitting any car, I have no clue.

Traffic is crazy, and I cannot wait to get back to car drivers that just run red lights in single file.

Villa El Salvador

Today is Independence Day in Lima. All of the schools and stores were closed in celebration. I went to the local clinica in Villa El Salvador with 3 other volunteers. We helped clean up a church at the top of the hill along the beach. Now, beachfront property, it was certainly not. Riding home after the project, we were all talking about how we could ever start our blog entries about what we saw.

Words cannot totally describe what we see every day. One of the guys took a picture from the top of the hill overlooking all of Villa, which I hope to publish soon. Supposedly, 40,000 people live there. The roads up the hill are dirt. The houses are unfinished. Doors are broken. Walls are made of cardboard, plywood, or the thin molded metal/tin roof pieces. Dogs roam everywhere. Trash and grafiti are common place. The residents near the church live in constant fear of tsunamis. Lima is in the desert and receives very little rain. Traveling the dirt roads, all I could think was one heavy rainfall and the place would be a mudslide.

But this is where people live. The 4 of us moved large rocks down a hill, bagged sand, and painted a fence. I felt so useful today. We completed a lot of work. It was hilarious when they began blaring Frank Sinatra on the bullhorn so we could sing as we worked. What I loved most about the day was how the community slowly came out. By the time we left, there were 20 community members there. The kids were doing the most work. In such an "ugly" place, it is so beautiful. These people live in homes that would be considered squalor-conditions at home. But they are so happy. The love each other, they are proud of their homes and families, they want their children to have better than they do, and they LOVE to step up and help their community.

Just a memory...

I recharged myself and went into school yesterday with a pep in my step! I found a Memory game at the house with pictures of fruit and Spanish/English words. I walked in with a smile. The teacher, Luz, took one look at me and told the class to clean up and listen to "Senorita Elizabeth" as she walked out the door. I was thrust into the spotlight.

So started a game of Memory. The students were more interested in sucking on the cards and smacking each other in the head. The cards are destroyed. The teacher finally returned and I pleaded for help. Nothing. I kept saying "terminado", meaning I'm done. It was like student teaching all over again when the very first lesson ever is a bust and you question your entire decision to spend your life teaching. Ha.

Tomorrow, I'm going back to school without any tools. I do not want to be the teacher. I want to learn from them and be the assistant. Tomorrow is a new day...

Vegetarian...out the window!

Okay, so most of you know that I prefer to eat vegetarian. I really do not like the texture of meat. But Peruvian food is amazing, and well, I have come to the conclusion that I have to try some meat. It is all part of the hospitality and being nice...

So, on Friday night, I tried...

Dunh.
Dunh.
DUNH.

Alpaca.

Yes, I tried alpaca, smothered in gourmet cheese cream sauce and vegetables (because cheese makes everything better). Verdict? Alpaca is actually good. I cleaned my plate. It reminds me of pork or veal. I had to try it. Research. And I didn't want to offend the Peruvian culture. Scout's honor.

I touched the sky...

I climbed to the highest point in Machu Picchu yesterday, 8,000 feet. I do not know where the will or drive came from, but I made it to the top. It was an undescribable feeling to stand on top, in the clouds, and look down upon the Inca ruins of Machu Picchu. The hike was long and I had a lot of time to reflect.

I am excited to return to school tomorrow, and have asked my program manager for some assistance. As a teacher, it is sometimes difficult directing a volunteer or assistant in the classroom because we already have our routines established. I want to be an assistant to the teacher, but I do not want to overstep my bounds by suggesting activities, or modeling appropriate behavior for the children when the teacher is in the middle of a lesson. My manager, Aida, who also used to teach, said that the routine I see is pretty normal, but also suggested that any curricular ideas I have would be very helpful as the "chaos" needs to be tamed. The children do not pay attention as the teacher teaches, and she does not correct any behavior. I wanted to make sure my observations fit with the culture of the school, and were not mere criticisms and ethnocentricities from my American education background. Aida made me feel better and helped me form some sentences to start a conversation, in Spanish, with the teacher. I hope to develop a few centers to keep kids working in small groups at their table. My first idea is to make a memory game with pictures of fruit and vegetables, and when the children find a match, they have to say the word in Spanish and try in English. Aida thinks it might work, so if the teacher gives me the go-ahead, I am going to start making the game tomorrow. (I wish I could help implement PRIDE cards, but I think that would definitely be overstepping my bounds...ha!)

PS-I am typing this entry on a computer from France, so if a word is misspelled and the computer did not pick it up, I apologize. (Very difficult statement to make from an English major!)

Tea

I found tea today! It was a "do or die"decision. I found Starbucks in Miraflores! I popped in and talked the barista into selling me a box of green tea. He wanted to charge me 30 soles, which is just over $10. I thought it was expensive, but I need my tea. Leah, one of my roommates, supports that idea. While I was there, I nipped into the bathroom. It was free, clean, and had toilet paper! More to come!

Greetings from South America!

I have internet access for a bit, so just a quick update!

This trip has been an interesting experience so far and my eyes are opened every day. I have a love/hate relationship with my placement, but I am coming to realize that I was placed there to help the teachers see how much they CAN do with their students. The school is open air on the side of the mountain. It is surrounded by square homes that are made of wood, brick, cardboard, etc. I can stand in the courtyard and see the childrens' homes. The classroom is the size of my living room with 37 kids in the 4 year old room, and 20 in the 3 year old room. The 4s are utterly crazy, loud, and rambunctious. The teacher "teaches"over them without quieting them down, so I wonder how much they actually get. They pop out of their seats, run around the room, and climb across the table. Often, she just walks out and they entertain themselves. It's unlike anything I've ever seen. The school is a good candidate for our PRIDE behavior cards!

The 4 year olds draw very detailed faces on their bodies...I don't see that in the American schools. My friend Laurie is a special ed teacher from Kansas City, and is also at the school with me. She sees the same things, and noted that psychologists have found that children who draw faces tend to be very happy. These children are definitely happy!

I have taught in the 3 year old room. The teacher, Luz, is so happy to see me, and she just gives me the floor. A few volunteers and I sat around the table the other night drawing flashcards with fruits and vegetables, and labeling them with English and Spanish words. So I am teaching the English words to the children...they love trying to say the words! It is really cute. I also played some songs and sang and danced with them yesterday.

Lima has such different sections of the city. Villa El Salvador, where we volunteer is on the side of the mountain, with small dirty streets, run-down homes, and dogs roaming EVERYWHERE. We are living in San Borja, which is 20 minutes away, and kind of middle class. All of the homes are gated with electric wires and barbed wire around the compound. Yesterday we toured downtown Lima, which reminded me very much of a European city, historic, brightly colored, and upper class. We walked through a monastery, and through the catacombs below. It is AMAZING how different this city is.

Today, I went to Miraflores, a suburb by the sea. We toured an old pyramid from 400AD, which served as a celebration area and also sacrificial area. It is in the middle of Miraflores and is still being excavated. Miraflores is known for its cliffs over the beach, so needless to say we had a hike. But it was totally worth it and breathtaking. The beach is covered in smooth colorful stones. I definitely want to return there before going home.

Tomorrow I head for Cuzco and Machu Picchu!

D-Day

I'm all packed and as ready as I can be. I think. I am trying to pack light, and be sensible about how much I am taking with me. I pulled out my favorite sweatshirt today...it's pretty thick, and sadly I started to put it away thinking it might be too bulky for my suitcase. My friend stopped me and said, "If it's your security blanket, and you're going far away, take it." She's right. I would not be complete without my scarlet and gray. And it kind of smells like my mom...kind of (I mean, it has been washed numerous times).


So, it will be my "blanket" on the plane. I cannot go anywhere without my alma mater. Now I'm ready.

What if?

learnnc.org

If you have known me more than a day, you know I don't like milk. Never have. Cheese is a different story--love the stuff! But milk? I will drink pretty much anything else before milk. It was torture growing up because the full mug of milk always sat dutifully next to the dinner plate, and we had to drink the milk before we were excused. What made the scenario even harder was the fact that my mother, the one who served the milk and excused us, did not like milk herself! I have never seen my mother, or my father for that matter, drink a glass of milk. Once I became an adult, I stopped drinking it. I keep milk on hand for cooking or cereal, but not drinking.

So, then, why in the past week, have I craved milk? Craved it in such a way that I have finished 2 quarts. I had to run up to Fresh Market 5 minutes before they closed last night just so I could get a new bottle of milk. Heaven forbid I went without milk until this morning! I cannot get enough of the cold white stuff. AND I just discovered the yummy goodness of organic Jersey cow milk. Not like the watery skim I have always had from the grocery store. This Jersey milk is fresh, and creamy, and I am hooked.

Why am I writing about milk in a blog about Peru? It hit me last night. What if they do not have milk in Peru? I know they will have milk (tres leches cake anyone?), but what if it's not my milk? What if it is made from a goat or llama? What if it does not taste right (to my liking)? What am I going to do for 3 weeks? What am I really going to be able to drink there?

This inner conversation continued this morning, as I brewed my green tea. What if they do not have tea? May I take my own tea bags with me? Or will the airport security search my bags in a false belief that the tea bags might carry something else? What if I cannot have green tea? I have been assured there is a Starbucks (they are every where...go figure) 10 minutes from the house. Will it have the same tea options as American Starbucks?

Who knew such simple things could turn us around. There. Now I'm off to enjoy a glass of milk. (My mom must be falling out of her computer chair right about now.)

4 days...

How is it the middle of June? I leave in 4 days! I have been preparing for 6 months, and now it seems too soon.

Carmen helped me go on a wild goose chase today. The only place that had Peruvian currency (long story) was a bank at the airport. Who really jumps in the car and thinks, "Hey, let's switch it up, and I'll do my banking at the airport today!?" I understand an airport is a very reasonable place to go to exchange money. But going to an airport to get money and not to actually travel takes some logistical planning. One cannot just park and hike in. September 11th prevents one from parking out front. The toll booth hound loves parking fees. So, Carmen and I tag-teamed the expedition. We fought traffic to get in the departures lane. I jumped out of the driver's seat and she jumped in, all while trying to signal to the valet that we were not actually valet-ing. She started the airport loop and cell-phone lot queue with her book while I ducked in to the ticketing counters to exchange money. I came back out and waited for her, as she fought the wrong-way driver who entered the exit of the one way cell phone lot, and then followed on the heels of the fire trucks and smoke (never a good sign at the airport). She finally reached departure gate C, and threw the door open while still coasting, so as not to be chased by valets again. The things we do for foreign currency. We got out with all limbs intact. Thank goodness.

On the packing front, my piles are growing. I had a conference call with the other volunteers yesterday. Although it is winter (Winter Solstice will be next week), it will be humid and in the upper 60s. To long sleeve or short sleeve? That is the question. Our call went over packing and travel plans. Most of the volunteers are arriving Saturday night or early Sunday morning. I get in late Sunday night...I hope I still get a decent bunk! (I feel like I'm back in college, hoping to get there first to get the best bunk on freshman move in day!)

My placement arrived on Monday. Chills went down my spine when I opened the email...it is all becoming real! I will be teaching 3-6 year olds. There are 90 children at the school and 4 teachers. We will be assisting teachers with songs, lunch, playing outside, and art activities. Our pre-K teacher, Miss April, was so awesome to share some music with me. She is sending me with our Pre-K students' favorite cd, and the companion cd in Spanish. I'm really looking forward to this experience.

Painting

It has been a long time since I have posted. The end of the school year and preparing for Peru have kept me fairly busy. We hosted my last fundraiser this past weekend.

On Saturday, 37 people painted the "Sunset Lighthouse" at Cajun Canvas. Every one received the same instruction, yet every painting turned out different. One artist painted a water spout coming out of his cloud. Another artist replaced the lighthouse with a windmill from Greece. What inspiring paintings! The class took 4 hours, a little longer than the instructor/owner, Karen, planned, but it kept us inside during the raging storm!

I had so many wonderful friends, helpers, and artists. Annye, Kristee, Carmen, Katie, Bridget, and their friends painted. Kelly and Kristi were amazing hosts and photographers. Karen was a gracious host. There was wonderful food and drinks. It was an inspiring night.

Now, a word about our sponsors...
Genaro's Peruvian Rotisserie and Grill provided mashed potato balls called causa, and gift certificates to raffle. See their menu and locations at: http://www.genaros-rotisserie.com/. Seriously, go support them and have a meal. Duillio will not disappoint you!

Cajun Canvas hosted a wonderful night. The proceeds from Cajun Canvas took me past my fundraising mark! If you are looking for a fun night out, visit Cajun Canvas: http://www.cajuncanvas.com.


We began by painting the horizon...

Added the sky and clouds...

Then the water and sand...

We finished with a lighthouse, cottage, greens and flowers.

Karen Preston, owner of Cajun Canvas, and me