Pisaq Post 3/25/2015

Saludos, Amigos! 

We are back in Pisaq, Peru.  Steve has been down here since Feb. 11 and the kids and I have been back down here since March 11.   It has been two weeks and I am finally sitting down to update this blog.  We are down here until July 13^th this year.  

Here is an update on what is going on:

On the home front: Our Ccata Chacra house and property are looking great!  Our place was well looked after by our good compadres Angelica and Rodrigo who were the care takers of the property while we were away.  We left at the end of last June having completed construction on the smaller caretaker house below our house. While we were away, Rodrigo fortified one of the outer walls of the property and completed the adobe work on the smaller house.  Since Steve has arrived, new garden beds have been cleared and prepared for planting, and new retainer walls and pathways have been constructed.  This year's main projects include fortifying the back wall of the property, constructing a guest room (won’t you consider visiting!) and getting a large water tank to help improve the overall water flow on the property.  

The weather is lovely.  It is the end of the rainy season, so there are still occasional showers.  Everything is green and lush. There are lots of blooming wildflowers.  Here in the sacred valley, the cornfields are starting to mature and fresh corn is available at the markets along with tarwi, the native lupine bean, as well as loads of fresh veggies.  From the lower lands, we are getting delicious mango, passion fruit, papaya, bananas and more.  Plus, we have loads and loads of ripe peaches on the property!

We have already enjoyed two fire pit evenings with friends since the kids and I arrived. The fire pit that Steve designed last year is beautiful.  When the sky is clear, the stars are incredible.

We have a lot of great photos, but they take a while to load onto this site with our not fast internet connection.  Here is a link to our Peru 2014 photo album thus far: 
https://www.facebook.com/annie.barrett.18/media_set?set=a.10203265358811934.1073741828.1148358209&type=3 


On the family front: 

Steve is busy with his TESC Andean Roots Program. He and his colleague Rachel Hastings have 25 TESC students down here this year.  Thus far, the students have had language studies, home stays in Cuzco, trips to the Quechua communities above Pisaq, a jungle trip to Manu and they will travel to Lake Titicaca at the end of this week, visit the  archaeological sites in the area, and then begin their 6 week independent projects.  Steve and Rachel’s students are down here until June 5.   So, Steve is super busy coordinating all of his program’s events as well as the building projects on our property. 
We are so happy to have Rachel and Paul’s family down here with us again. (We were all down here together in 2010).  Their kids, Rebecca and Arlo are great playmates for River and Sage.  

Sage started school at Kusi Kawsay last week. He is in the 4^th grade class with Profesora Rosaura, who we love.  He is with the kids that were in his class last year, so it is a familiar environment and besides getting up early, he is enjoying school, particularly recreo, recess.  Last week was Sage’s 10^th birthday!  We celebrated with a fresh peach crisp which he shared with his classmates and a lunch out to his favorite restaurant.

River is not attending Kusi Kawsay this year, but he is happy doing his home school work and working on his music and dropping in on the Andean Roots program events.  Today he is off learning Quechua with Steve and his students.  Last night, River and Sage played music at a local café.  They had a great time and their music was well received, so they will likely make this a weekly event.  

Annie (me): I am so happy to be down here!  The first morning after our arrival, I woke up in our lovely bedroom with stunning mountain views.  I looked out the window in front of me at Apu Nusta, the mountain peak across the valley and then out of the opposite window at Apu Linli, the mountain peak that towers above our house.  According to local legend, Apu Nusta is the Inca princess and she is in love with Apu Linli.  In Andean Cosmology, the entire landscape is considered animate and sacred, and the apus (mountain deities) have a strong presence on life here.   They are considered protectors and nurturers and also demand recognition and respect.  The feeling that I had when I woke up the first morning of our arrival, and every morning since, is that I am held in their embrace and protection, and that I am in the right place.  

My support roles down here are to help Steve, to keep the property projects moving along, and to help the kids get the most out of their time here.  As well, I will be beginning my yoga podcasts this week.  I will likely be teaching some yoga classes locally and I have more time down here for my own studies and practice.  And, of course, I am organizing our Peru Yoga Adventure which will take place at the end of June.  

We are excited that Steve’s cousin Erica and husband Tino will be visiting us at the end of April and that Olympia friends Mary, Peter and Mateo will visit in early June.  As well, we have lots of friends down here and love hiking, adventures and excursions of all types, so stay tuned for more posts. 

On the community front:

Steve and I have been asked by Rodrigo and Angelica to be one of the sets of padrinos, or godparents, of their matrimonio, their marriage.  We are already bonded to their family since we are the godparents of their child Ana.  As is Andean custom, many couples such as Rodrigo and Angelica pair up early on and are considered married by common law.  But, at a certain point once their family is established, they have a formal ceremony which involves formal recognition by the law, the church and the community.  It is considered a great honor to be asked to be padrinos for a wedding, as it demonstrates a lot of trust and respect.  We have accepted the offer, and as such, we are obliged to support them as a couple and family and to contribute to the wedding party.  The wedding will be on June 28^th and it should be a fun affair, Quechua style. 
That is the scoop for now!  

Abrazos y besos, hugs and kisses to family and friends!  May you all be well!