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!