June 22, Peru Blog
Happy Solstice, Amigos!
It has been almost three months since we arrived in Peru, and it’s been at least a couple of weeks since I’ve updated this blog. We’re still in Pisac. Our friends and Steve’s colleagues, Rachel and Paul and family left yesterday. We have a wonderful time sharing the Peru Experience with them, and we look forward to more adventures with them in the future. We plan to stay around here in Pisac until July 18, with some side trips with my parents, who will arrive in early July. After this, we plan to travel to Arequipa, Colca Canyon and the southern coast of Peru.
School continues to be fabulous for River and Sage. About a week ago, the classes made a huatia: an earthen oven for baking potatoes, the same type of feast we had for Steve’s 40th birthday last month. This is the typical time of the year for huatia, and it was fun: potatoes, cheese, aji (chile) sauce, and salad. Kids, parents and teachers enjoying the beautiful mountain air and eating! River and Sage’s Spanish is improving all the time. It is fun to see Sage muttering words in Spanish when he wakes up in the morning. River has awesome pronunciation and can easily converse and get around town. He particularly loves to go shopping all by himself. Pisac is the sort of small town that is totally safe and River is enjoying becoming more independent and going on errands for the family.
The longer we spend in this area, the more connections we make with interesting people. We have gotten to know Lourdes, the founding teacher and director of the Kusi Kawsay School, and her husband Martin. They are fascinating people with interesting life histories and passions. We really enjoy all of the teachers and volunteers, and are socializing more and more with them. The founding parents of the school are great. There was a group of musician brothers and a couple of other families who got together five years ago, looking for an alternative to the state schools. They wished for a school for their children that would support their values as well as the Andean cosmo-vision. This is how Kusi Kawsay began. They were fortunate to find Lourdes from Lima, a trained Waldorf teacher who was willing to move here and train local teachers in the Waldorf methodology. The result has been fabulous. The current school site is very new. In fact, this is the first year at this new location above Pisac. The buildings and infrastructure is still being constructed. Currently, there are three primary classrooms and a Kindergarten. Construction will soon begin on two more classrooms. We feel very fortunate to be able to contribute to the growth of this new school that offers a wonderful alternative for the families in this area. We are scheming how to come back and spend more time in this area.
Speaking of families in this area, I have to write a little bit about the Taray floods that took place in late February before we arrived in Peru. Taray is the community just outside Pisac. In late February, more than half of the town was swept away by the floods, precipitated by the unusually high rainfall. Several families associated with the school lost their homes and everything they owned in the flood. Now, that I have met these people, I am struck by this tragedy and how they are moving on with their lives. Two of the founding families’ homes were totally destroyed by the flood. The government has yet to promise to help restore the community, and these families are left with the uncertainty of not knowing if they should go back to their properties and re-build, or invest elsewhere. These are the lucky families who have the resources to actually have choices. Some families lost everything they had and have been living in a tent camp just down stream from town. One of the boys in River’s class lost absolutely everything. His family is basically renting a room on the other side of the river. Even more tragic is the little boy in Sage’s class who lost his mother in the flood. She and some other women has gone to clean out the drainage canal, and were swept away by the rising water and drowned!
I am struck by how life can be so beautiful and so violent, not just here but everywhere. We live in a world where bliss and suffering co-exist, and where wisdom alternates with ignorance. Perhaps it is more evident on the surface here than in our corner of the world. I am struck by the strength and fortitude of the people of this area. I feel fortunate here to see another way of living, another way of relating to the planet. Life is much more uncertain here, but that doesn’t stop people from creating beautiful lives. It is possible to enjoy life just as it is.
I want to tell you about one of my favorite people in town: Eduosia, the senora who sells chicken soup on the plaza three days a week. We eat her soup at least twice a week. The soup itself is wonderful: huge chunks of potato, chuno, yucca, carrot and cauliflower, not to mention the chicken (or hen) with fresh herbs and lime. But even more wonderful is Eduosia. She is the rare person who blesses everyone within whom she comes in contact. For each person, she has kind word, a loving look, and the gift of her presence. She is an example of someone who truly embodies compassion and love. She sells her soup to everyone: campesinos, market vendors, tourists, locals - all sorts. I asked her last week how her business is going. Does she sell out? She tells me that she sells out everyday. Her secret is that she sells to everyone. It is the same soup, but at different prices – sliding scale, supposedly according to how big of a piece of chicken is in the soup. You can get her soup for 3,5,7 or 8 soles. But, actually, every bowl of soup is enormous, and everyone gets a second helping (or sometimes even a third!)
We recently took a side trip to the mountain town of Lares 4 days. Lares lies in a mountain valley town about 3 hours from Pisac. To get there, you head down river from Pisac a half hour to the town of Calca. From Calca, we caught a bus to Lares. The one lane dirt road to Lares goes up and up and up the canyon from Calca to a pass of 15,000 feet with incredible views of nevados (snow capped mountain peaks). The land up there high is windswept and lonely, yet there are small stone homesteads the homes of people who have been living there for centuries. I am continually impressed by the hearty folk that can live at such altitudes, with their stone and thatched roofed homes, potato fields and animals. We saw lots of llamas, alpacas, mules and sheep up in that high country. After the pass, the road plunges downward to the deep valley of Lares. Lares itself is a sleepy town. There are a number of wonderful hiking/trekking options from Lares back down to various other towns in the Sacred Valley that we hope to check out one day. Lares is most well known for its aguas termomedicinales (thermal hot springs). There is a well laid out and maintained hot spring complex about a 20 minute walk from town, up the river. Needless to say, we spent much of our time in Lares at the hot springs. There are 5 good size pools of differing temperatures and a warm swimming pool. The steep canyon walls and the rushing stream below make it an incredible spot. There is camping available at the hot springs, so maybe next time, we’ll camp!
Yesterday was the Winter Solstice. It was also the anniversary of the town of Pisac. There were much festivities in the plaza, including a parade with all of the people from the local communities decked out in their beautiful costumes. Today there was a wonderful Solstice Celebration at the school. Friends of the parent association, fellow musicians and dancers from the region of Lake Titicaca, from La Paz, Bolivia and from the Peruvian jungle (Shapibo) came and shared dances and music with the school community. It was so beautiful and heart-warming that I thought my heart was going to burst! Pisac is a very special place! On Thursady, this region celebrates the most famous celebration in Cuzco, Inti Raymi, the Sun Festival which commemorates the ancient Sun ritual of the Incas, held at Winter Solstice. It is supposed to be spectacular, and also very crowded, but we plan to go and partake in the festivities!
Hasta luego!
Annie
Tuesday, June 22, 2010
Friday, June 4, 2010
Pisac School Parade for River and Sage, June 4, 2010
Hola Amigos,
Today River and Sage's school, Kusi Kawsay, participated in the Parade for the Day of the Environment, something like Earth Day, El Dia del Medio- Ambiente. Very sweet parade! River's class dressed up like trees, and Sage's class made fish to swim in stream and wore decorated flower costumes. I will post pictures! It was our version of the Procession of the Species that we missed in Oly, I guess! Other classes were dressed as flowers, as plants, as suns, etc. Very fun!
This school continues to be fabulous for the kids. I honestly wish we could stay for the rest of their school year. They are making great friends, and learning tons of Spanish. Our house has become the hot spot for playdates. Every day I drop the kids off, several kids ask if they can come play at our house in the afternoon.
What I love about the play down here is that it mostly doesn't require toys! For about the first two weeks of our trip, River and Sage couldn't stop talking about their lego sets, which we didn't bring along! After two weeks, they just stopped talking about all their toys at home. Instead, they began collecting empty plastic water bottles and turned them into swords, light sabers and bowling pins. They also make pretend stores now in the garden, using broken pottery shards for dishes and weeds for food. We have acquired some balls, and they play soccer or basketball at the sports park, which is nearby. They do art work. It is all so simple and doesn't require all of the toys that we are used to at home. The kids here have very few toys, and they are all very happy!
All is well for us down here. Life is pretty settled with the kids' school day, market days, domestic chores, etc. I have taken to washing our clothes by hand. Hey, I have the time! I'm not very good, nor do I like it, however... I am using the time that kids are in school to do my yoga asana and engage in my yoga studies, as well as shop, chat and such. It is pretty relaxed.
Last weekend was the Day of the Potato, El Dia de la Papa. We all went up to the highland community of Chawatire, one of the potato park communities where there was a big celebration. It was also the anniversary of the Potato Park. Many folks from the surrounding communities participated. There was dance with local costumes, music, poetry readings (mostly all in Quechua) and a fabulous feast. Steve and Rachel were considered dignitaries, so they had to sit in front and politely listen to the many speeches, while the rest of us snacked and ran around!
The quarter is now ending for Steve and Rachel. Their students will be presenting their learning in a symposium in Cuzco this weekend. Then, evaluations, and then.... Steve will be done! I think it has been a highly successful experience for the students, and we hope to be able to come down again as Steve hopes to repeat this course or do something similar. He has made so many contacts with the Potato Park project as well as the other bio-diversity and agricultural projects and regions. He recently spent two days in Quillabamba in the high jungle, where he toured the coffee plant and learned of other tropical agricultural projects in the area. We hope to return as a family to this region, which is below Machu Picchu later this month.
We have another full month here in Pisac in which the kids will attend school and we will make some side trips to other areas here in the Sacred Valley, do more hiking, etc. In early July, my parents are coming down for two weeks. We will do some touring and traveling with them in this region, and then leave the Sacred Valley to visit other regions of Peru before returning home in August. We still have over two months though... and I plan to enjoy every minute!
I promise that I will go through our pictures, select a few and post them very soon. You all have to understand that posting pictures is tedious and long with this slow internet connection. But, I wlil do it!
Today River and Sage's school, Kusi Kawsay, participated in the Parade for the Day of the Environment, something like Earth Day, El Dia del Medio- Ambiente. Very sweet parade! River's class dressed up like trees, and Sage's class made fish to swim in stream and wore decorated flower costumes. I will post pictures! It was our version of the Procession of the Species that we missed in Oly, I guess! Other classes were dressed as flowers, as plants, as suns, etc. Very fun!
This school continues to be fabulous for the kids. I honestly wish we could stay for the rest of their school year. They are making great friends, and learning tons of Spanish. Our house has become the hot spot for playdates. Every day I drop the kids off, several kids ask if they can come play at our house in the afternoon.
What I love about the play down here is that it mostly doesn't require toys! For about the first two weeks of our trip, River and Sage couldn't stop talking about their lego sets, which we didn't bring along! After two weeks, they just stopped talking about all their toys at home. Instead, they began collecting empty plastic water bottles and turned them into swords, light sabers and bowling pins. They also make pretend stores now in the garden, using broken pottery shards for dishes and weeds for food. We have acquired some balls, and they play soccer or basketball at the sports park, which is nearby. They do art work. It is all so simple and doesn't require all of the toys that we are used to at home. The kids here have very few toys, and they are all very happy!
All is well for us down here. Life is pretty settled with the kids' school day, market days, domestic chores, etc. I have taken to washing our clothes by hand. Hey, I have the time! I'm not very good, nor do I like it, however... I am using the time that kids are in school to do my yoga asana and engage in my yoga studies, as well as shop, chat and such. It is pretty relaxed.
Last weekend was the Day of the Potato, El Dia de la Papa. We all went up to the highland community of Chawatire, one of the potato park communities where there was a big celebration. It was also the anniversary of the Potato Park. Many folks from the surrounding communities participated. There was dance with local costumes, music, poetry readings (mostly all in Quechua) and a fabulous feast. Steve and Rachel were considered dignitaries, so they had to sit in front and politely listen to the many speeches, while the rest of us snacked and ran around!
The quarter is now ending for Steve and Rachel. Their students will be presenting their learning in a symposium in Cuzco this weekend. Then, evaluations, and then.... Steve will be done! I think it has been a highly successful experience for the students, and we hope to be able to come down again as Steve hopes to repeat this course or do something similar. He has made so many contacts with the Potato Park project as well as the other bio-diversity and agricultural projects and regions. He recently spent two days in Quillabamba in the high jungle, where he toured the coffee plant and learned of other tropical agricultural projects in the area. We hope to return as a family to this region, which is below Machu Picchu later this month.
We have another full month here in Pisac in which the kids will attend school and we will make some side trips to other areas here in the Sacred Valley, do more hiking, etc. In early July, my parents are coming down for two weeks. We will do some touring and traveling with them in this region, and then leave the Sacred Valley to visit other regions of Peru before returning home in August. We still have over two months though... and I plan to enjoy every minute!
I promise that I will go through our pictures, select a few and post them very soon. You all have to understand that posting pictures is tedious and long with this slow internet connection. But, I wlil do it!
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