Monday 10th May (Lunes diez de Mayo)
Today I had construction. Emily and I worked on hammering more bamboo into where one of the windows will be. We had porridge for dinner which was nice.
Tuesday 11th May (Martes once de Mayo)
Today we did a bit more bambooing and then Emily and I had English and Art. We taught the niños colours in Spanish and English. It took ages and we didn´t end up doing a lot of our lesson plan but it was good. I gave out stickers but they went crazy, following me around the classroom and hiding their stickers to get another. In Spanish class, we learned verb conjugations. I studied more Spanish when I got home. For dinner, we had rice with beans, homemade chips and egg then dates and tea.
Wednesday 12th May (Miercoles doce de Mayo)
Today there was a strike at school (which is not uncommon here). Some of the kids and teachers were still there but we had no classes so we did construction. We finished the bambooing for the five windows and two doors. After school, Maddy, Emily, Ayla and I went to Pacha Papa for lunch in the city. I had a vegetable pizza and a chocolate dessert, which were both great. We sat on the steps at the Plaza for a while as the sun was starting to go down, it was lovely. We went to Millie and Shaya´s house across the road with some of the other girls and watched Ínvictus´ which was a great movie. (They got a copy from the black market).
Thursday 13th May (Jueves trece de Mayo)
Today we had construction again. We digged out a lot of dirt from inside the building as the ground was very uneven - it was really hard work! In Spanish class, we learned more verbs. That night, we went to Coviduc where four of the other girls live and had a girl´s night. We made pasta, nachos, garlic bread and had ice cream and watched ´Return to Blue Lagoon´ (another movie from the molino (black market)).
Friday 14th May (Viernes cuattorce de Mayo)
Today we had computing, but two computers weren´t working. We did more work on colours. Did some digging after class for construction. For lunch we had a chili stuffed with mince and vegetables and with cheese on it which was so yummy! Today I noticed a little boy on the bus home who was singing by himself which was adorable, and another when we got home who was playing his recorder out the window. I made a worksheet and lesson plans for school next week. For dinner we had rice with milk (like rice pudding), popcorn and bread with cheese. Spoke to mi Madre on the phone!
Saturday 15th May (Sabado quince de Mayo)
Today we went to Urubamba to cycle in the Sacred Valley which turned out to be more like mountain biking! The first part was so hard as we were at even higher altitude and I couldn´t take a deep breath at all. We were right up near the mountains, some with snow on them. We went to the Moray ruins which are circular terraces. We continued cycling for about 2 hours. It was so steep and rocky and we all had a few stacks or almost-stacks. We were cycling on cliffs going straight down and had to walk a little bit as it was so difficult! We went to the salt mines from Inca times which still supplies Cusco with all their salt. That night lots of us went out into the Plaza. We did free salsa lessons at Mythology. It was really fun, and we came home early in the morning. (But even our host parents go out to fiestas and return in the early morning! There are lots of parties in Cusco.)
Sunday 16th May (Domingo dies y seis de Mayo)
Today Julio´s sister and friend were here from Arequipa. We tried to wash Toby (our Uncle´s dog who is here often) but he ended up running away for a while which was pretty funny. We watched Julio play soccer. Then we had ´Friday Soup´ for lunch (on Sunday), fish, potatoes with cheese and vegetables. We had lemon meringue pie ice cream which was delicious. We had a little bit of anis najar (?) a spirit (tasted like licorice), as we often have alcohol on special occassions. For dinner we had pancakes and a sweet, thick, yellow, jelly-like food which was nice. I finally started reading my book Éat Pray Love´ by Elizabeth Gilbert.
Tuesday, May 25, 2010
Wednesday, May 19, 2010
Week Three (Semana Tres)
Monday 3rd May (Lunes tres de Mayo)
Today I had constuction at school. There´s an area behind the building enclosed by a mud-brick wall which will be the kicthen. It was very overgrown with weeds, stinging nettles, rocks, tiles and a large mound of dirt. There were mainly three of us for the whole time and we cleared all the weeds, etc and began moving the dirt - it was hard work! That evening, I went to Los Perros for afternoon tea with Laura and Steph. It is a restaurant at the Plaza which was opened by an Australian man. We had iced mochas.
Tuesday 4th May (Martes cuatro de Mayo)
Today Emily and I had English and Art. We made name tags (paper folded into three and sticky-taped together so they sit on the desk) which the niños (children) wrote their names on and decorated. We went through the alphabet and Emily read them a book about the alphabet she brought from home. We also made Mother´s Day cards (Feliz Dia Mama´). At the end of the lesson when our lesson plan ran out, they went quite crazy again. Did a little construction after class, then had our Spanish lesson at 3 to 5pm.
Wednesday 5th May (Miercoles cinco de Mayo)
Today we had sport. We split the boys and girls up as they are difficult to control as a group, and usually don´t want to do the same thing (eg. the boys love soccer, but the girls do not). Emily taught the girls while I mainly taught the boys. We played tunnelball and captain ball which both went really well - they enjoyed them and stayed focused. We shot basketball hoops where they bounce the bakk three times, reciting óne, two three´in Spanish and English or ÁBC´ in either language also. I got the boys to shoot soccer goals from different positions which they enjoyed. Some of the niños found a big hole in the ground which they jumped in towards the end of the lesson, so we attempted to pull them out. After school, Maddy, Emily and I went to the Plaza for lunch. We went to a Lonely Planet recommendation called ´The Muse´, where they use purified water and ice. I had a chocolate and banana smoothie which was great. However, our food wasn´t very good. Both mine and Maddys´ lasagnas were cold and partly frozen, and Emily´s steak sandwich was very burnt. I told them ´mas caliente, por favor´ (more hot, please), so they heated it up but with no apology. It was a nicely decorated place though. That night, Maddy and I went to a 4 year olds birthday party with Melanie (our host sister). It was princess-themed. There were lots of balloons and food. There were many adults sitting around the room with about 5 kids in the middle, dancing. It was cute.
Thursday 6th May (Jueves seis de Mayo)
Today for constuction, Adrian and I hammered bamboo into the top of the doorway with nails and wire. This is so that the plaster has something to stick to. It was tiring but we finished it. We had a meeting with Lauren, Selby and Jane (from Peru´s Challenge). They told us we had raised $9000 total, one of the highest amounts (highest was about $10 000), but that we had actually raised the most per person. We had Spanish that afternoon. Maddy was sick tonight, so she went to the clinic at 11.30pm.
Friday 7th May (Viernes siete de Mayo)
Today we had no classes as the niños performed a Mother´s Day presentation. It was similar to our welcoming presentation on the first day. We sat on chairs on the court as did many Mothers while the kids sang and danced in traditional clothes. I walked to the clinic and visited Maddy (10 to 20 minutes away) who had salmonella but was a lot better already. That night, I talked to mi familia on the telephone which was great. I was going to go to Millie and Shaya´s to watch movies with them, but went to a party across the road with my host Mum (this internet cafe is attached to the house). There were about 15 of us for one of the men´s birthday party. We sat in the living room and ate chicken and a chili stuffed with mince and carrots which had cheese on top which was delicious. We also drank Cusqueña beer and danced together which was fun. I went to bed at about 2am.
Saturday 8th May (Sabado ocho de Mayo)
Today I went to the Plaza with Emily. There was a parade in the main square with lots of people in costumes. I bought some paper and glue for Mother´s Day cards for my two Mothers (Australian and Peruvian). I also bought an exercise book for lesson plans. After lunch, Paola (host Mum) and I visited Maddy in the clinic. We had dinner later then Emily came around to do some lesson plans for the next week.
Sunday 9th May (Domingo nueve de Mayo)
Today was Mother´s Day. Mariella made breakfast - chocolate cake and a special white bean drink which is made on special occassions. Their cousin was there also. We walked up the street to another house/shop to visit one of our Aunties and other cousins. Then the cousin and Julio (host Dad) went on the cousin´s motorbike as Julio was cooking for his Mother. Emily and I went to the supermarket where she bought a cake for her host Mum (there were only three left in the whole shop!) and I bought coconut, rolled oats, fresh milk and honey (instead of golden syrup). I bought the other ingredients from our shop. Mother´s Day is huge in Cusco and there are many signs and decorations everywhere. Our family hit the volleyball outside which was fun. Once it rolled down our street which is a long hill, so I ran after it, and when I returned they had a drink ready for me. It was funny. For dinner, we made Anzac biscuits and pancakes. We put a heart on Paola´s pancake with strawberry jam. We also had lemon juice and sugar with the pancakes. After dinner, we had some red dessert wine and danced in our living room.
Today I had constuction at school. There´s an area behind the building enclosed by a mud-brick wall which will be the kicthen. It was very overgrown with weeds, stinging nettles, rocks, tiles and a large mound of dirt. There were mainly three of us for the whole time and we cleared all the weeds, etc and began moving the dirt - it was hard work! That evening, I went to Los Perros for afternoon tea with Laura and Steph. It is a restaurant at the Plaza which was opened by an Australian man. We had iced mochas.
Tuesday 4th May (Martes cuatro de Mayo)
Today Emily and I had English and Art. We made name tags (paper folded into three and sticky-taped together so they sit on the desk) which the niños (children) wrote their names on and decorated. We went through the alphabet and Emily read them a book about the alphabet she brought from home. We also made Mother´s Day cards (Feliz Dia Mama´). At the end of the lesson when our lesson plan ran out, they went quite crazy again. Did a little construction after class, then had our Spanish lesson at 3 to 5pm.
Wednesday 5th May (Miercoles cinco de Mayo)
Today we had sport. We split the boys and girls up as they are difficult to control as a group, and usually don´t want to do the same thing (eg. the boys love soccer, but the girls do not). Emily taught the girls while I mainly taught the boys. We played tunnelball and captain ball which both went really well - they enjoyed them and stayed focused. We shot basketball hoops where they bounce the bakk three times, reciting óne, two three´in Spanish and English or ÁBC´ in either language also. I got the boys to shoot soccer goals from different positions which they enjoyed. Some of the niños found a big hole in the ground which they jumped in towards the end of the lesson, so we attempted to pull them out. After school, Maddy, Emily and I went to the Plaza for lunch. We went to a Lonely Planet recommendation called ´The Muse´, where they use purified water and ice. I had a chocolate and banana smoothie which was great. However, our food wasn´t very good. Both mine and Maddys´ lasagnas were cold and partly frozen, and Emily´s steak sandwich was very burnt. I told them ´mas caliente, por favor´ (more hot, please), so they heated it up but with no apology. It was a nicely decorated place though. That night, Maddy and I went to a 4 year olds birthday party with Melanie (our host sister). It was princess-themed. There were lots of balloons and food. There were many adults sitting around the room with about 5 kids in the middle, dancing. It was cute.
Thursday 6th May (Jueves seis de Mayo)
Today for constuction, Adrian and I hammered bamboo into the top of the doorway with nails and wire. This is so that the plaster has something to stick to. It was tiring but we finished it. We had a meeting with Lauren, Selby and Jane (from Peru´s Challenge). They told us we had raised $9000 total, one of the highest amounts (highest was about $10 000), but that we had actually raised the most per person. We had Spanish that afternoon. Maddy was sick tonight, so she went to the clinic at 11.30pm.
Friday 7th May (Viernes siete de Mayo)
Today we had no classes as the niños performed a Mother´s Day presentation. It was similar to our welcoming presentation on the first day. We sat on chairs on the court as did many Mothers while the kids sang and danced in traditional clothes. I walked to the clinic and visited Maddy (10 to 20 minutes away) who had salmonella but was a lot better already. That night, I talked to mi familia on the telephone which was great. I was going to go to Millie and Shaya´s to watch movies with them, but went to a party across the road with my host Mum (this internet cafe is attached to the house). There were about 15 of us for one of the men´s birthday party. We sat in the living room and ate chicken and a chili stuffed with mince and carrots which had cheese on top which was delicious. We also drank Cusqueña beer and danced together which was fun. I went to bed at about 2am.
Saturday 8th May (Sabado ocho de Mayo)
Today I went to the Plaza with Emily. There was a parade in the main square with lots of people in costumes. I bought some paper and glue for Mother´s Day cards for my two Mothers (Australian and Peruvian). I also bought an exercise book for lesson plans. After lunch, Paola (host Mum) and I visited Maddy in the clinic. We had dinner later then Emily came around to do some lesson plans for the next week.
Sunday 9th May (Domingo nueve de Mayo)
Today was Mother´s Day. Mariella made breakfast - chocolate cake and a special white bean drink which is made on special occassions. Their cousin was there also. We walked up the street to another house/shop to visit one of our Aunties and other cousins. Then the cousin and Julio (host Dad) went on the cousin´s motorbike as Julio was cooking for his Mother. Emily and I went to the supermarket where she bought a cake for her host Mum (there were only three left in the whole shop!) and I bought coconut, rolled oats, fresh milk and honey (instead of golden syrup). I bought the other ingredients from our shop. Mother´s Day is huge in Cusco and there are many signs and decorations everywhere. Our family hit the volleyball outside which was fun. Once it rolled down our street which is a long hill, so I ran after it, and when I returned they had a drink ready for me. It was funny. For dinner, we made Anzac biscuits and pancakes. We put a heart on Paola´s pancake with strawberry jam. We also had lemon juice and sugar with the pancakes. After dinner, we had some red dessert wine and danced in our living room.
Monday, May 17, 2010
Week Two (Semana Dos)
Monday 26th April (Lunes viente y seis de Abril)
Today we had our first day at Ccorao School. We caught a bus for 20-30 minutes to Plaza Wanchaq, and then a larger bus for about 30 minutes to Ccorao. The kids were all lined up on the basketball court, with seats in front for us. The teachers all came past and greeted us. Some of the kids were dressed in traditional clothes. They sang, danced and spoke for us and were very cute! (Although I didn´t understand very much as they were speaking Spanish!). Some of the girls sang and also sang along to songs, and then got some of the boys in our group to dance with them. Then, all of the kids passed us in a line and each hugged us or gave us a kiss on the cheek which was lovely. They gave us lots of flowers and threw heaps of confetti over our heads (which I´m still finding in my room 3 weeks later!). We then went to the comedor (eating area that another Antips group built) and ate cake and had a sweet red wine I think (I didn´t drink it due to antibiotics). Then Arlich introduced us to each class in their classrooms and we looked around the school. We had a look at the trout farm and the building we are working on. The last Antips group worked on it - it is built with mudbricks and has a tiled roof. The school is Year 1 to Year 6. I am teaching Year 2 with Emily. We later caught the buses home again, had lunch, went on the internet, had dinner and went to bed!
Tuesday 27th April (Martes viente y siete de Abril)
Today we went to the school and all did construction on the building. There was a large dirt pile near the building which we broke up with pick axes, shovelled into wheelbarrows and moved - it was hard work, especially at altitude! Our group has a small room where we put our bags and have snacks, which has a table with tablecloth and a vase of flowers. We named the wheelbarrows Basil and Pete (forgot the third name). We went home, had lunch and then Maddy, Shaya, Millie and I had our Spanish class. It´s at two of the boys´ house and our teacher is called Michael. We had Spanish for two hours. Maddy and I had dinner, danced a bit in our room to the music on our ipods, then went to bed.
Wednesday 28th April (Miercoles viente y ocho de Abril)
I had written a lesson plan for school last night, but did not know what I was doing at school as we only got our timetables today. I found out I had sport - and Emily was still in the clinic. Charlotte and Mich helped me out. We tried to keep them occupied outside but it was tricky as we weren´t prepared. We played football, shot basketball hoops, played duck duck goose (gato gato perro here - cat cat dog) and ran around. Some of them ran off and wet their heads in the tap. It was a little crazy, but went pretty well. The we did a bit of construction, finishing off the dirt pile. That afternoon, Millie, Shaya, Emily, Ayla, Maddy and I went to the black market (Molino), which had lots of copied dvds, clothes, etc. Maddy bought some chocolate but it tasted awful - it had no sugar. It´s used to make a chocolate drink which our host Mum made for us later in the week - it was delcious.
Thursday 29th April (Jueves viente y nueve de Abril)
Today I had construction. We cleared a one metre area around the building as we will be making a path there. We also did some weeding around the building. We had Spanish that afternoon which was fun.
Friday 30th May (Viernes trenta de Abril)
Today, I had computing. Emily was still sick so Maddy helped me as she had construction. We typed the alphabet and found colours on Paint. It went quite well. After class, I did some more weeding. That night, most of us went to Clarissa and Laura´s house in Coviduc. They have a roof level so we sat up there, talked and ate lots.
Saturday 1st May (Sabado uno de Mayo)
Today, Maddy, Emily, Ayla and I went to Plaza de Armas. Maddy and I went to the Sacsayhuaman ruins as we were in the clinic when the rest of the group went. The ruins are on a mountain right behind the Plaza. We walked through the ruins and up to Cristo Blanco (White Christ), a statue which lights up at night that you can see from the city. There was a man there in traditional dress playing a pan flute, so we gave him one sole and had photos with him with the city as the background. It started to rain. We walked back through the other side of the ruins. We went into a completely dark, small cave, taking photos every few steps so we could see where we were going with the flash. There were about 40 tourists walking the other way which was a bit tricky. We then found the slides (big rocks formed like slides) and went down them. It was funny as it was very wet and slippery. We walked down the side of the hill, not sure where to go. It was very steep and we slipped a bit. We then realised we´d walked down the fenced area and the staired area was right next to us. We went back to the Plaza and had lunch with the girls plus Clarissa, Laura, Wil, Jack, Charlotte and Michelle. I had spaghetti with pesto. A few of us went to some markets where I bought some alpaca socks, gloves and a colourful bag.
Sunday 2nd May (Domingo dos de Mayo)
Today, Maddy, Emily and I went to the supermarket. The ATM gives us notes of 50 and 100 soles, but shops don´t take them, sometimes not even 20 sole notes. So we went on a bit of a shopping spree to break our large notes. I spent 30 soles on food (AU$10). That night, Emily came with us and our host Mum and sisters to the city where there was a parade. There are festivals on the first days of May. There were men in large, cylindrical costumes and people in monkey suits. We continued on to a backyard where there was a party (fiesta). Some of our host family´s Uncles and other family members were there. There were lots of people sitting on chairs, drinking Cusqueña (the local beer). We ate bread, a grey potato-like vegetable and pork. I had some Cusqueña which was quite nice. When you drink you have to say ´Salud!´(which means health, like saying cheers). We danced together and there was a large religious display. There were lights strung up and fireworks were let off in the backyard. (We heard a lot of ´bangs´ in Cusco during that week). We met a girl called Anastacia who was from France, who was also teaching in Cusco. Mariella (host sister) took us for a walk to see a water fountain and a handicraft market. We went back to the party to say goodbye and pick up our host Mum and went home.
Today we had our first day at Ccorao School. We caught a bus for 20-30 minutes to Plaza Wanchaq, and then a larger bus for about 30 minutes to Ccorao. The kids were all lined up on the basketball court, with seats in front for us. The teachers all came past and greeted us. Some of the kids were dressed in traditional clothes. They sang, danced and spoke for us and were very cute! (Although I didn´t understand very much as they were speaking Spanish!). Some of the girls sang and also sang along to songs, and then got some of the boys in our group to dance with them. Then, all of the kids passed us in a line and each hugged us or gave us a kiss on the cheek which was lovely. They gave us lots of flowers and threw heaps of confetti over our heads (which I´m still finding in my room 3 weeks later!). We then went to the comedor (eating area that another Antips group built) and ate cake and had a sweet red wine I think (I didn´t drink it due to antibiotics). Then Arlich introduced us to each class in their classrooms and we looked around the school. We had a look at the trout farm and the building we are working on. The last Antips group worked on it - it is built with mudbricks and has a tiled roof. The school is Year 1 to Year 6. I am teaching Year 2 with Emily. We later caught the buses home again, had lunch, went on the internet, had dinner and went to bed!
Tuesday 27th April (Martes viente y siete de Abril)
Today we went to the school and all did construction on the building. There was a large dirt pile near the building which we broke up with pick axes, shovelled into wheelbarrows and moved - it was hard work, especially at altitude! Our group has a small room where we put our bags and have snacks, which has a table with tablecloth and a vase of flowers. We named the wheelbarrows Basil and Pete (forgot the third name). We went home, had lunch and then Maddy, Shaya, Millie and I had our Spanish class. It´s at two of the boys´ house and our teacher is called Michael. We had Spanish for two hours. Maddy and I had dinner, danced a bit in our room to the music on our ipods, then went to bed.
Wednesday 28th April (Miercoles viente y ocho de Abril)
I had written a lesson plan for school last night, but did not know what I was doing at school as we only got our timetables today. I found out I had sport - and Emily was still in the clinic. Charlotte and Mich helped me out. We tried to keep them occupied outside but it was tricky as we weren´t prepared. We played football, shot basketball hoops, played duck duck goose (gato gato perro here - cat cat dog) and ran around. Some of them ran off and wet their heads in the tap. It was a little crazy, but went pretty well. The we did a bit of construction, finishing off the dirt pile. That afternoon, Millie, Shaya, Emily, Ayla, Maddy and I went to the black market (Molino), which had lots of copied dvds, clothes, etc. Maddy bought some chocolate but it tasted awful - it had no sugar. It´s used to make a chocolate drink which our host Mum made for us later in the week - it was delcious.
Thursday 29th April (Jueves viente y nueve de Abril)
Today I had construction. We cleared a one metre area around the building as we will be making a path there. We also did some weeding around the building. We had Spanish that afternoon which was fun.
Friday 30th May (Viernes trenta de Abril)
Today, I had computing. Emily was still sick so Maddy helped me as she had construction. We typed the alphabet and found colours on Paint. It went quite well. After class, I did some more weeding. That night, most of us went to Clarissa and Laura´s house in Coviduc. They have a roof level so we sat up there, talked and ate lots.
Saturday 1st May (Sabado uno de Mayo)
Today, Maddy, Emily, Ayla and I went to Plaza de Armas. Maddy and I went to the Sacsayhuaman ruins as we were in the clinic when the rest of the group went. The ruins are on a mountain right behind the Plaza. We walked through the ruins and up to Cristo Blanco (White Christ), a statue which lights up at night that you can see from the city. There was a man there in traditional dress playing a pan flute, so we gave him one sole and had photos with him with the city as the background. It started to rain. We walked back through the other side of the ruins. We went into a completely dark, small cave, taking photos every few steps so we could see where we were going with the flash. There were about 40 tourists walking the other way which was a bit tricky. We then found the slides (big rocks formed like slides) and went down them. It was funny as it was very wet and slippery. We walked down the side of the hill, not sure where to go. It was very steep and we slipped a bit. We then realised we´d walked down the fenced area and the staired area was right next to us. We went back to the Plaza and had lunch with the girls plus Clarissa, Laura, Wil, Jack, Charlotte and Michelle. I had spaghetti with pesto. A few of us went to some markets where I bought some alpaca socks, gloves and a colourful bag.
Sunday 2nd May (Domingo dos de Mayo)
Today, Maddy, Emily and I went to the supermarket. The ATM gives us notes of 50 and 100 soles, but shops don´t take them, sometimes not even 20 sole notes. So we went on a bit of a shopping spree to break our large notes. I spent 30 soles on food (AU$10). That night, Emily came with us and our host Mum and sisters to the city where there was a parade. There are festivals on the first days of May. There were men in large, cylindrical costumes and people in monkey suits. We continued on to a backyard where there was a party (fiesta). Some of our host family´s Uncles and other family members were there. There were lots of people sitting on chairs, drinking Cusqueña (the local beer). We ate bread, a grey potato-like vegetable and pork. I had some Cusqueña which was quite nice. When you drink you have to say ´Salud!´(which means health, like saying cheers). We danced together and there was a large religious display. There were lights strung up and fireworks were let off in the backyard. (We heard a lot of ´bangs´ in Cusco during that week). We met a girl called Anastacia who was from France, who was also teaching in Cusco. Mariella (host sister) took us for a walk to see a water fountain and a handicraft market. We went back to the party to say goodbye and pick up our host Mum and went home.
Thursday, May 13, 2010
Week One - Arriving in Cusco, the hostel, the clinic and meeting our host families.
Saturday 17th April
Today we left for the airport at 6.30am. I had my last ´Australian´ breakfast of sushi and hot chocolate. I said goodbye to the fam and went through imigration and customs with tears in my eyes haha. I sat next to Maddy on the plane, who I will be living with for the placement. We were on the plane for a few hours when we arrived at Auckland for a stopover of a few hours. We were off again for another 12 hours or so - it was pretty fun. I watched ´The Blind Side´and chatted with Maddy and tried to sleep a bit. We arrived at Santiago, Chile at midday local time (2am Australian time), where I was a bit sick. We had an 8 hour stopover, where we talked and tried to sleep. On the next plane to Lima, Peru, I sat next to a lady from Connecticut, whose mother and daughter were sitting in front of us. They were very noisy and fought a lot. The lady spoke to me, but had never heard of Cusco (or ´Cous cous´as she called it). We arrived at Lima and had a 7 hour stopover, where we again talked and attempted to sleep. Finally we got on our last flight.
Sunday 18th April
The last flight was only a few hours. We were served snacks and ate, the rubbish was taken away, and we were there! The view was spectacular with mountains all around us. We arrived and walked onto the tarmac - I was expecting to notice the altitude straight away, but I didn´t, only that the air seemed a little thicker. (I had taken altitude sickness tablets which helped). It was 6.30am in Cusco, and was bright and sunny. The mountains around us were huge and there were hundreds of houses everywhere. We arrived at Plaza de Armas which is beautiful - it´s a main square surrounded by huge old churches, restaurants and shops, and the centre is covered with grass, flowers, benches and a fountain. We got off the bus as the streets were too narrow, and walked up the cobble-stoned roads to our hostel. Hatun Wasi Hostal is in San Blas and is a cute little hostel. The beds have beautiful bed covers and there are wooden floors and little paintings on the walls. We had coca tea which is good for altitude sickness. Arlich (our in-country agent) and Lauren (from Peru´s Challenge, an organisation we are working with) gave us a briefing. Then seven of us went to a cafe where we had a breakfast buffet for 15 soles (about $5). We had hot chocolate, pancakes with chocolate sauce, bread and jam, toast, juice, cheese and cereal with fruit and yoghurt - although I was careful what I ate as it is easy to get sick here. Maddy and I went back to have a nap at about 1pm, but woke up at 8pm! We went onto the balcony at the top of the hostal and looked at all of the lights around Cusco and Cristo Blanco (a statue that is lit up) that was on a mountain behind us.
Monday 19th April
Today we woke up at about 6.30am as it was noisy. We had breakfast at the hostel - bread and jam with coca tea and juice. Maddy, Emily and I went to the Plaza. There are lots of churches, people trying to sell us things, police and dogs on the street. Laura went to the clinic as she wasn´t well. We explored around for a few hours.We saw a big protest where lots of people were walking along the streets - it was something to do with the president not keeping his promises and wanting a new hospital. We went into a court house and a university to look around. Then we met Lauren and Arlich at 11.30am and went to lunch at Pacha Papa for a briefing. I had pineapple juice and a calzone (folded-over pizza) with mozzarella, basil and sundried tomato. At 2pm we had our first Spanish class with Neto (who is one of the boys, Adrian´s, host brother). Spanish was fun. Some of us then had dinner at Jack´s Cafe, a touristy place.
Tuesday 20th April
Today we had breakfast at the hostel, then met Arlich at about 10am. We walked to where the Temple of the Sun was and he told us about how the Inca´s used stones to build with. We then spent an hour in a phone shop, all getting local sim cards. Maddy felt sick and went to Dr Viktor´s (a travel Doctor Antipodeans in Peru works with) office. We went to Los Perros at lunch wher I had a pineapple juice in a huge painted ceramic-like glass and a baguette. We walked to home, but Maddy needed another test so I went to the Doctor´s office with here. We got to Spanish at 3pm. I had a huge stomach cramp during Spanish and a bit later that night. We had a different teacher, Gustavo, who was really good. We had dinner at Jack´s Cafe, I had a hot chocolate and a toasted sandwich. At about 10pm I called Doctor Viktor and he said suggested I buy some medicine from a 24 hour pharmacy, so four of us (me in my pajamas) walked down the big hill to get them.
Wednesday 21st April
Today we had breakfast at the hostel again. I felt a little bit nauseous, so Maddy and I went to the office. I had some tests done, and they told us we both had amoebus. The others had gone with Arlich to some markets and Sacsayhuaman (ruins). The two of us went back to Pacha Papa for lunch (margarita pizza and pineapple juice). Then we packed up our bags to leave in our hostel room and got picked up by a taxi which took us to the clinic in Larapa, about 20-30 minutes away. Maddy and I stayed in the same room, which had bright coloured walls, nice warm bedspeads, a tv and our own bathroom. I got a drip straight away, but Maddy´s took an hour to put in as they couldn´t find her veins. We watched MTV and I used a laptop later that night. I kept getting scared about the bubbles in the IV and would point to them and say to the nurses ´Bubbles, bubbles´ who would say ´No problem´.We had rice and chicken with coca tea for dinner. Lauren came to visit us. I felt really nauseous at about 2am but pressed the buttons and the nurses put medicine for it in my drip.
Thursday 22nd April
Today was much of the same. We had bread, jam and tea for breakfast. We watched more tv and filmed little videos of us dancing in our beds with our drips in our arms to the songs on mtv. We went downstairs with our drips to see Shaya, who was also sick. We changed rooms to a lower level. We had fried rice and jelly for lunch, and chicken and rice for dinner.
Friday 23rd April
Today we had the same breakfast. This morning Adrian, Ayla and Millie visited us, as well as Lauren again. Dr Viktor visited us a few times to let us know how we were going. We got our drips out at about 3pm.We left in a taxi and had nice showers (we couldn´t for the past few days due to our drips). We had a nice dinner at the main square which was a buffet, with Arlich, Lauren and the rest of the group. Maddy and I had antibiotics twice a day for the next five days. There were men playing instruments at the restaurant and dancers. The others went out that night, but we didn´t as we were very tired.
Saturday 24th April
Today we packed up our things and had breakfast. We travelled to the Peru´s Challenge office in Larapa (near the clinic). We all decided to take Spanish lessons, twice a week for the rest of the placement. We met our families - Paola (Mum) and Melanie (Younger sister) were there to greet us. Then seven of us went in a car a few streets away to our houses. Our house has a dining room, family room, bathroom and kitchen downstairs. Our Mum works at a shop, which is attached to our house. Upstairs are the bedrooms and another bathroom. There are concrete stairs also which are open to the outside, where there is the roof and chickens. Our room has two beds, a table, bed side tables and a wardrobe, and is nicely decorated. I chose the yellow bed. Our host Father (Julio), brother (Jean) and older sister (Mariella) came up and introduced themselves. Jean, Mariella and Melanie speak some English which is helpful. We went down for lunch and had rice, broccoli, chicken, potato, soup and coca tea. In Peru, families don´t always eat meals together, but ours do - whoever is there eats together, or sometimes others eat earlier or later. We went to some of the other houses to see where they were living. We live in San Jeronimo, as do Emily and Ayla, Laura W and Steph, Millie and Shaya, and Adrian and Jack F. Wil and Jack S live in Larapa, near the Peru´s Challenge office. Mich and Charlotte, and Laura M and Clarissa live in Coviduc, which is a bit further across. We went to the basketball court, where people were playing volleyball. Our host Mum and Melanie joined in. Later, we had dinner and went to bed.
Sunday 25th April
This morning we had bread and jam for breakfast. We caught a bus with Paola to the Peru´s Challenge office. We got on a big bus and drove up to the Sacred Valley and through to Pisac. We got to some ruins in the mountains. We walked up and saw terraces the Inca´s had built. Arlich is also a tour guide, so told us all about them. We walked along the side of a mountain, looking down through the valleys and at the ruins. We then drove to Urubamba, where we had another buffet lunch, which was great. Out the back of the restaurant was green grass, flowers and a river. We then went to Ollantaytambo, which was a huge ruin and stairs going all the way up. We then drove to Chinchero where there were markets (it was now about 6.30pm). We drove home, had dinner and went to bed.
Sorry for the delay... photos will be up soon!
Today we left for the airport at 6.30am. I had my last ´Australian´ breakfast of sushi and hot chocolate. I said goodbye to the fam and went through imigration and customs with tears in my eyes haha. I sat next to Maddy on the plane, who I will be living with for the placement. We were on the plane for a few hours when we arrived at Auckland for a stopover of a few hours. We were off again for another 12 hours or so - it was pretty fun. I watched ´The Blind Side´and chatted with Maddy and tried to sleep a bit. We arrived at Santiago, Chile at midday local time (2am Australian time), where I was a bit sick. We had an 8 hour stopover, where we talked and tried to sleep. On the next plane to Lima, Peru, I sat next to a lady from Connecticut, whose mother and daughter were sitting in front of us. They were very noisy and fought a lot. The lady spoke to me, but had never heard of Cusco (or ´Cous cous´as she called it). We arrived at Lima and had a 7 hour stopover, where we again talked and attempted to sleep. Finally we got on our last flight.
Sunday 18th April
The last flight was only a few hours. We were served snacks and ate, the rubbish was taken away, and we were there! The view was spectacular with mountains all around us. We arrived and walked onto the tarmac - I was expecting to notice the altitude straight away, but I didn´t, only that the air seemed a little thicker. (I had taken altitude sickness tablets which helped). It was 6.30am in Cusco, and was bright and sunny. The mountains around us were huge and there were hundreds of houses everywhere. We arrived at Plaza de Armas which is beautiful - it´s a main square surrounded by huge old churches, restaurants and shops, and the centre is covered with grass, flowers, benches and a fountain. We got off the bus as the streets were too narrow, and walked up the cobble-stoned roads to our hostel. Hatun Wasi Hostal is in San Blas and is a cute little hostel. The beds have beautiful bed covers and there are wooden floors and little paintings on the walls. We had coca tea which is good for altitude sickness. Arlich (our in-country agent) and Lauren (from Peru´s Challenge, an organisation we are working with) gave us a briefing. Then seven of us went to a cafe where we had a breakfast buffet for 15 soles (about $5). We had hot chocolate, pancakes with chocolate sauce, bread and jam, toast, juice, cheese and cereal with fruit and yoghurt - although I was careful what I ate as it is easy to get sick here. Maddy and I went back to have a nap at about 1pm, but woke up at 8pm! We went onto the balcony at the top of the hostal and looked at all of the lights around Cusco and Cristo Blanco (a statue that is lit up) that was on a mountain behind us.
Monday 19th April
Today we woke up at about 6.30am as it was noisy. We had breakfast at the hostel - bread and jam with coca tea and juice. Maddy, Emily and I went to the Plaza. There are lots of churches, people trying to sell us things, police and dogs on the street. Laura went to the clinic as she wasn´t well. We explored around for a few hours.We saw a big protest where lots of people were walking along the streets - it was something to do with the president not keeping his promises and wanting a new hospital. We went into a court house and a university to look around. Then we met Lauren and Arlich at 11.30am and went to lunch at Pacha Papa for a briefing. I had pineapple juice and a calzone (folded-over pizza) with mozzarella, basil and sundried tomato. At 2pm we had our first Spanish class with Neto (who is one of the boys, Adrian´s, host brother). Spanish was fun. Some of us then had dinner at Jack´s Cafe, a touristy place.
Tuesday 20th April
Today we had breakfast at the hostel, then met Arlich at about 10am. We walked to where the Temple of the Sun was and he told us about how the Inca´s used stones to build with. We then spent an hour in a phone shop, all getting local sim cards. Maddy felt sick and went to Dr Viktor´s (a travel Doctor Antipodeans in Peru works with) office. We went to Los Perros at lunch wher I had a pineapple juice in a huge painted ceramic-like glass and a baguette. We walked to home, but Maddy needed another test so I went to the Doctor´s office with here. We got to Spanish at 3pm. I had a huge stomach cramp during Spanish and a bit later that night. We had a different teacher, Gustavo, who was really good. We had dinner at Jack´s Cafe, I had a hot chocolate and a toasted sandwich. At about 10pm I called Doctor Viktor and he said suggested I buy some medicine from a 24 hour pharmacy, so four of us (me in my pajamas) walked down the big hill to get them.
Wednesday 21st April
Today we had breakfast at the hostel again. I felt a little bit nauseous, so Maddy and I went to the office. I had some tests done, and they told us we both had amoebus. The others had gone with Arlich to some markets and Sacsayhuaman (ruins). The two of us went back to Pacha Papa for lunch (margarita pizza and pineapple juice). Then we packed up our bags to leave in our hostel room and got picked up by a taxi which took us to the clinic in Larapa, about 20-30 minutes away. Maddy and I stayed in the same room, which had bright coloured walls, nice warm bedspeads, a tv and our own bathroom. I got a drip straight away, but Maddy´s took an hour to put in as they couldn´t find her veins. We watched MTV and I used a laptop later that night. I kept getting scared about the bubbles in the IV and would point to them and say to the nurses ´Bubbles, bubbles´ who would say ´No problem´.We had rice and chicken with coca tea for dinner. Lauren came to visit us. I felt really nauseous at about 2am but pressed the buttons and the nurses put medicine for it in my drip.
Thursday 22nd April
Today was much of the same. We had bread, jam and tea for breakfast. We watched more tv and filmed little videos of us dancing in our beds with our drips in our arms to the songs on mtv. We went downstairs with our drips to see Shaya, who was also sick. We changed rooms to a lower level. We had fried rice and jelly for lunch, and chicken and rice for dinner.
Friday 23rd April
Today we had the same breakfast. This morning Adrian, Ayla and Millie visited us, as well as Lauren again. Dr Viktor visited us a few times to let us know how we were going. We got our drips out at about 3pm.We left in a taxi and had nice showers (we couldn´t for the past few days due to our drips). We had a nice dinner at the main square which was a buffet, with Arlich, Lauren and the rest of the group. Maddy and I had antibiotics twice a day for the next five days. There were men playing instruments at the restaurant and dancers. The others went out that night, but we didn´t as we were very tired.
Saturday 24th April
Today we packed up our things and had breakfast. We travelled to the Peru´s Challenge office in Larapa (near the clinic). We all decided to take Spanish lessons, twice a week for the rest of the placement. We met our families - Paola (Mum) and Melanie (Younger sister) were there to greet us. Then seven of us went in a car a few streets away to our houses. Our house has a dining room, family room, bathroom and kitchen downstairs. Our Mum works at a shop, which is attached to our house. Upstairs are the bedrooms and another bathroom. There are concrete stairs also which are open to the outside, where there is the roof and chickens. Our room has two beds, a table, bed side tables and a wardrobe, and is nicely decorated. I chose the yellow bed. Our host Father (Julio), brother (Jean) and older sister (Mariella) came up and introduced themselves. Jean, Mariella and Melanie speak some English which is helpful. We went down for lunch and had rice, broccoli, chicken, potato, soup and coca tea. In Peru, families don´t always eat meals together, but ours do - whoever is there eats together, or sometimes others eat earlier or later. We went to some of the other houses to see where they were living. We live in San Jeronimo, as do Emily and Ayla, Laura W and Steph, Millie and Shaya, and Adrian and Jack F. Wil and Jack S live in Larapa, near the Peru´s Challenge office. Mich and Charlotte, and Laura M and Clarissa live in Coviduc, which is a bit further across. We went to the basketball court, where people were playing volleyball. Our host Mum and Melanie joined in. Later, we had dinner and went to bed.
Sunday 25th April
This morning we had bread and jam for breakfast. We caught a bus with Paola to the Peru´s Challenge office. We got on a big bus and drove up to the Sacred Valley and through to Pisac. We got to some ruins in the mountains. We walked up and saw terraces the Inca´s had built. Arlich is also a tour guide, so told us all about them. We walked along the side of a mountain, looking down through the valleys and at the ruins. We then drove to Urubamba, where we had another buffet lunch, which was great. Out the back of the restaurant was green grass, flowers and a river. We then went to Ollantaytambo, which was a huge ruin and stairs going all the way up. We then drove to Chinchero where there were markets (it was now about 6.30pm). We drove home, had dinner and went to bed.
Sorry for the delay... photos will be up soon!
Friday, April 30, 2010
Plans for the funds
The total amount we fundraised was $1000!! Thank you all very very much!
The fundraising money goes to Ccorao School which we are working at for these three months. They do not get much support from the government and the families pay only S/ 5. a year (about $1.50) which shows how the school and the families are not very well off. The last group that was here in December started a building which will be a shop/cafe where they will sell trout (from the trout farm that has been built at the school) so that the school can make money for itself and can improve. The funds will also go towards other things, for example, the large wall surrounding the school was partly ruined due to the floods earlier this year, so we will be fixing it as the school is next to a main road. I will put up photos of the building soon and let you know of our progress.
The fundraising money goes to Ccorao School which we are working at for these three months. They do not get much support from the government and the families pay only S/ 5. a year (about $1.50) which shows how the school and the families are not very well off. The last group that was here in December started a building which will be a shop/cafe where they will sell trout (from the trout farm that has been built at the school) so that the school can make money for itself and can improve. The funds will also go towards other things, for example, the large wall surrounding the school was partly ruined due to the floods earlier this year, so we will be fixing it as the school is next to a main road. I will put up photos of the building soon and let you know of our progress.
Sunday, April 11, 2010
"Perambulate for Peru" Fundraiser
Yesterday, we perambulated for Peru around Lake Ginninderra. Nine of us walked together, whilst others joined in separately or dropped in. After the walk, we had a barbeque where we sold sausages, soft drinks and homemade cards. Thank you so much to everyone who contributed, I am very grateful. The day was a great success and we fundraised a lot more than I was expecting! I will let you all know of the total soon, as some people are still donating. Thank you for being so generous and supportive.
Only six days until I leave...
Only six days until I leave...
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