Education Generation Fellowship in Peru

Tying up Loose Ends (posted by Kie)

2011-08-31T18:06:00.000-07:00

The Graduation and Induction Ceremony

At approximately 10:30 a.m. on Saturday, about 10-12 volunteers and I started working on cleaning and putting up decorations in the Salon Comunal of Ollantaytambo for the graduation and induction ceremony of Mosqoy generations 2 and 4.

For the decorations, I decided to go for a purple, light blue and royal blue theme which I think ended up looking really nice. We put up 50 balloons, a big Mosqoy banner, made ribbons, put up toilet paper as streamers, and cut out the words “Educar”, “Conectar” and “Preservar” (educate, connect and preserve), three words that fittingly describe Mosqoy’s goals.

At around 2 p.m., we all ducked out for a quick lunch and after eating, I went to get the Mosqoy netbook with Rolando from my hostel as he had the idea of connecting via Skype with Ashli, the founder and director of Mosqoy, as well as Reanna, the communications liaison between Canada and Peru, during the ceremony. With both Ashli and Reanna on the line and netbook in hand, Rolando and I started walking the cobblestone streets back to the Salon Comunal while I talked to Ashli and typed messages to Reanna.

Arriving back at the Salon Comunal, we finished up with the decorations and each took turns talking to Ashli. It was really fun as some of the incoming students were there and I think it was their first time using Skype! At around 3:30-4 p.m., people started trickling in with food and while the graduation ceremony was scheduled for 4 p.m., “hora Peruana” prevailed and the ceremony didn’t end up starting until 6 p.m.

Meanwhile, Lindsay took pictures with some students outside the Salon while I communicated with Ashli and tried to organize a few final things in the Salon Comunal. The leaders and I decided that we would start the ceremony at 6 p.m. sharp, regardless of whether or not everyone would be present.

As 6 o’clock rolled around, the leaders and I asked everyone to take their seats and Adrian welcomed everyone to the ceremony. After Adrian’s introduction, Elvira introduced the Mosqoy program and articulated the objectives of the program. Following Elvira, Rolando spoke about the successes of the Mosqoy program (there are 43 alumni in total) and his experience of being able to travel to Victoria, Canada last year with the help of Mosqoy.

After Rolando spoke, the leaders invited the representative of the municipality of Ollantaytambo, Paull Palma Herrera, to give a speech and I think that he did a fantastic job! He encouraged all of the students and alumni to treasure and make the most of the opportunity they’ve been given. He also stressed the importance of education and how the students and alumni need to use their education to become role models and leaders of their communities since without them stepping up to the plate, the economic and social situation of their communities and Peru cannot improve.

Following Paull, Lindsay gave the Education Generation speech that we wrote together last Monday (it’s amazing to think that we can now write speeches in Spanish after only two months in South America!) and I gave a speech about my experience with the Mosqoy program and living in the house with the students and the leaders. Afterwards I found out from the two friends I invited to the ceremony that they were really impressed with both the contents of the speech and the way that I presented it. I didn’t think I did a bad job with the speech, but I was surprised by just how good they thought it was!

After I presented my speech, we passed the microphone over to Ashli who was watching the whole ceremony via Skype. Originally Ashli had written a speech for one of us to present on behalf of her, but via Skype, she was able to give the speech personally, which was really great since the students and alumni could hear it directly from her and the words probably meant a lot more coming from her.

Following Ashli’s speech, the leaders and I welcomed every graduating student to the front to say a few words and accept their certificate, a photo of their class and an agenda. Many of the Mosqoy 2 students accepting their graduation certificates became very emotional on stage and cried as their feelings of gratefulness overwhelmed them. I was not expecting tears and it was very moving to listen to their words of thanks to the Mosqoy program and those individuals who supported them.

After the Mosqoy 2 students all accepted their certificates and graduation gifts, Rolando introduced the Mosqoy 3 students and each of them said a few words. Finally, Adrian introduced the incoming Mosqoy 4 students and invited them to come up to the stage, accept their induction certificates and a small gift, as well as give a few words.

Following the formal part of the ceremony was of course, the food! There was plenty of tasty food and drink prepared by the students and their parents which was great. Everyone was served with a portion of “cuy” or guinea pig which I finally resolved to try since it was put on my plate and I thought it would be ungracious not to try it. While it didn’t taste terrible, I couldn’t really get the image of guinea pigs as pets out of my head and therefore was thankful that I didn’t get too much meat on my piece of cuy.

After we all ate, we opened up the dance floor and got everyone dancing. Elmer, one of the Mosqoy 3 students, is a really enthusiastic dancer and he provided entertainment by dancing with little old ladies and tiring them out within a couple of minutes (I will admit that I too found dancing with Elmer a little exhausting, though also a lot of fun!).

All in all, I was really happy with the way that the graduation and induction ceremony went since everyone seemed to enjoy the ceremony and party and it was great to be able to pass the time with all of the students, leaders and their parents.

Goodbyes

On Monday night we had a party at Casa Mosqoy to celebrate my departure and the birthdays of Rolando and Elizabeth. For the party, I purchased a strawberry and chocolate birthday cake for Rolando and Elizabeth, and some of the students prepared a huge amount of popcorn and hot chocolate which was really nice.

After everyone had gathered around the table in the living room, Adrian asked for everyone’s attention and started explaining that we were all gathered around since it was my last night in the house as well as in Cuzco, and thanked me for the leadership sessions I conducted as well as all of the work I put into Mosqoy.

Following Adrian’s speech, Elvira, Dina, Mariela, Yolanda, Nohemi and Rolando also thanked me for my work, my presence and positive energy. I was honestly so touched (and not expecting thank you speeches!) that I started tearing up. Dina, Mariela and Yolanda gave me parting gifts as well and Elizabeth and Lisbeth came up afterwards to give me hugs and tell me, “Cuidate mucho. Te voy a extrano mucho. Vuelves pronto.” (Take care. I will miss you a lot. Come back soon.).

Following the speeches, we sang “Happy Birthday” to Rolando and Elizabeth, ate some cake, and then commenced dancing. We danced “waino” for most of the night, which is a traditional type of Andean dancing combined with Andean music (with Quechuan lyrics). “Waino” is really fun to dance both in groups and in pairs, and we danced the night away.

While I was tired after all of the dancing, I wanted to finish up decorating the leaders’ office so I headed into the office and worked on outlining and cutting out the leaders’ names on construction paper to place on the wall of the office (earlier in the day I had put up photos of the leaders) and called it a night at 1:30 a.m.

Reflections

It’s incredible how quickly time can pass by. Though two and a half (almost three) months can sound like a long time, in the grand scheme of things, it really isn’t. Starting my journey in Bolivia on June 12th, I didn’t really know what the next few months would bring... It brought a whole range of emotions including excitement, nervousness, sadness, frustration and happiness. I felt excited to meet the Mosqoy students and leaders, nervous to conduct leadership training in Spanish, sad when I heard stories of hardships from the students and leaders, frustrated when things didn’t go as planned and moments of happiness when I felt like I was really making a difference in the students’ and leaders’ lives.

Things aren’t easy in Peru. Some students at Casa Mosqoy only get 20 soles ($7) a week which has to cover their food, transportation not only within the city but back to their homes for the weekend (for example, to commute one way to Ollantaytambo it is about 5 soles), school supplies/costs and the electricity and gas in the house. The standard of living is cheaper here than in Vancouver but 20 soles is definitely not enough for one week. Some students opt to walk to their institute or university just so they can save 60 céntimos (60 Peruvian cents), the cost of a combi ride.

It’s common for there to be alcoholism and domestic abuse in the students’ homes and for a person to have 5 siblings or more, or parents who had children while they were very young because there is a lack of education in Peru when it comes to family planning. Though the Mosqoy program is assisting the students with paying for their education and housing, it’s hard on many families since the students often are not earning anything to support themselves or their families (most can only work on their “chakras” or farms one or two days a week during the weekend).

In Cuzco, tourism thrives but many who work in tourism are suffocating as the level of competition is so high. The big tour companies suck up most of the money while the smaller agencies have to resort to dropping their prices and the quality of their tours due to the intense rivalry. Then there are companies like Peru Rail, the major train company that has over 20 trains going back and forth to Machu Picchu a day, and often doesn’t pay or treat their employees fairly.

I am writing about these hardships because I think it is important for everyone to know that organizations like Mosqoy and Education Generation are making a difference in people’s lives here and I can confidently say that I have witnessed how much the support means to the students and leaders who are receiving help from Mosqoy and Education Generation. I can´t say for sure whether Mosqoy or Education Generation’s support of youth in the Sacred Valley is creating instantaneous change or change on a grand scale, but in the very least I believe that the two organizations are generating change - just in a more subtle and incremental way. One cannot always see it but occasionally it bubbles and comes to the surface – for example, with the four Peru leaders that graduated at the end of 2009 and who are now spearheading the program down here, I can see that the program has empowered them and that they truly appreciate the help that they’ve received since they have decided to continue their involvement in the program, to live in Casa Mosqoy with the students, and to put in several hours a week of volunteer work without pay for over a year. I can only hope that the ripple effect will continue.

Final Words

With this blog post, I’d like to express my sincere thanks to everyone who supported my decision to come down to Peru and volunteer (especially to those at my workplace who accommodated my leaving for two and a half months), to everyone who donates to Mosqoy and/or Education Generation, all of the Mosqoy and Education Generation volunteers, and finally to everyone who has been following my blog posts and who has been here with me in spirit.

Un fuerte abrazo a todos,
Kie

Lindsay, Elvira and I with Cynthia, a Mosqoy 2 alumnus

The leaders and I with Paull, the municipality representative of Ollantaytambo

At the Ollantaytambo community-wide event

At the Ollantaytambo community-wide event

The leaders and I on Avenida del Sol

The Casa Mosqoy Party!

Adrian, Ebhert, Rolando A. and I

Rolando H. and I

Adrian and Elvira dancing

Notes that the students left me on the communal whiteboard

Hospitals and Holidays (posted by Lindsay)

2011-08-28T12:14:00.000-07:00

Q’enqo

Against all better judgment, I made the trip out to Q’enqo – a remote weaving community on the outskirts of Ccorao. I met Adrian at 6:00am at the white bridge (our usual meeting spot). I warned him that this would be a rather short trip, as I had been ill since Tuesday. “Also,” I added, “do not, I repeat, do not let me eat any form of community offering.” He laughed, recalling my experience with the potatoes in Q’enqo and agreed to supervise my intake for the day. We hopped into a combi heading along the Pisac route. The combi climbed the steep hill out of Cuzco at a snail pace. This enraged passengers who were expected at work by daybreak. “My grandmother can walk faster!” said one passenger. “Let’s go back to the terminal and board another combi” commented another. As the combi driver fought back, Adrian and I sat back in our chairs chuckling.

Adrian and I met Bacelio (the President of the weaving community) at the bridge on the side of the road and the three of us negotiated a taxi to Q’enqo. As we passed over a steep section of the mountain ridge, I felt my stomach in knots. I gazed out the window trying to disturb my train of thought. “Just a few months ago, a tour bus went over the cliff here,” Bacelio said. “Sorry?” I said. “A tour bus went over the cliff here – several tourists died,” he said nodding. “Oh,” I said, and turned my head back towards the window. My stomach now churning, I grumbled “not an opportune moment, Bacelio” under my breath.

We arrived in Q’enqo just after 9:00am and immediately I set to work. I walked up the road to Sonia’s house (a Mosqoy 3 student) and was given a tour of her home. I then proceeded to the Q’enqo school complex to examine the site where a new library was being planned. Mid-morning, Adrian and I joined Bacelio on a small patch of grass and inquired about logistics of the Kallpa K’oj projects requested the previous month. Reminding myself that this needed to be a short visit, I stood up, thanked Bacelio and signalled to Adrian that I was ready to leave. As we walked to the road, we were immediately struck by the lack of taxis – after all, it was Sunday, and taxis are few and far on Sundays. Adrian and I walked back to Bacelio’s home, wondering how we would find our way back to Cuzco. (Not having been well, hiking was certainly out of the question). Bacelio appeared from the kitchen and announced that a truck would be passing through shortly and suggested that we hitch a ride. “Why not!” I said aloud, and we made our way up the road to where the truck was loading.

We were introduced to the truck driver. He cleared the seats and suggested we occupy the seats up front. I examined the inside of the truck and decided that I would not survive the rocky/unmaintained road with my stomach in this condition. “Thank you, but I think I will ride in the open wagon” I said. The driver reacted with a blank stare. “I have been feeling very sick,” I explained, “if I need to throw up, it will be much easier for me to do so from the wagon.” He laughed and signalled for me to enter through the rear. I joined several locals in the wagon, who had already secured a seat on a large pile of straw-woven bags. “What is in the bags?” I asked. Adrian said something, but the word did not register in my vocabulary. I thought little of it and assumed it to be nothing more than rice or corn. “What is in the bags again?” I asked. “Excrement,” Adrian said. “Excrement?” I asked. “Sheep excrement,” Adrian confirmed. “Oh,” I said, “interesting.” I took a seat on a nearby bag of sheep excrement as the engine started.

As we drove down the narrow road, we had nail-biting encounters with cars trying to pass. One in particular had everyone on edge: a rather large van pulled up beside our truck wanting to pass. There was clearly not enough room for both vehicles on the road, and neither vehicle was willing to take the outside lane which overlooked a steep rock-face cliff. “You pass,” said the driver of the van. “No you pass,” said the truck driver. I was immediately reminded of the story Bacelio had told me just hours earlier and wondered if a similar situation had unfolded. “If I die,” I assured myself, “at least I will die doing something unique like riding in the wagon of a manure truck.” It took over 20 minutes of hair-splitting and measuring before the van passed and we were free to continue on.

Mid-point between Q’enqo and Ccorao, the other passengers signalled to the truck driver that this was their stop. I looked around, noting to myself that we were in the middle of nowhere. I wished them well on their way and we continued down the road to Ccorao. The truck let us off on the main road in Ccorao where we hopped the next passing combi into Cuzco. I was confronted with penetrating stares on the combi. At least a few minutes passed before I was able to piece together that the leers were in response to the strong odours of manure. I shrugged and took a seat near the rear of the combi. “Many visit Peru,” I thought to myself, “but few have the opportunity to experience Peru from the rear of a manure truck.” I smiled to myself knowing that these moments are the moments that stay with you.

Cuzco

I awoke to the sound of my alarm at 5:00am on Monday morning. Tears flooded my eyes as I knocked on the family’s bedroom door. The door opened and Tula appeared in the hallway. “Lindsay, it’s 5:00am, what’s wrong?” “Please, I need to use your phone” I said, “I need to call Elivra (one of the Peru leaders) and tell her that I am not able to travel to Amaru today.” “Of course, of course” she replied, “is everything okay?” “I have been throwing up all night,” I said, shaking my head, “I really don’t feel well at all.” “Take my phone,” Tula said, handing it to me. “Make your phone call and then I insist that you go to the clinic at first light.” “Okay,” I said, realizing that, after 6 days, I had finally reached my breaking point. I dialed Elvira’s number. No answer. I lost track of how many times I dialed her number, before finding the sense to call the cellphone of another Peru leader in the house. Adrian answered. “Lindsay?” “Yes, Adrian, it’s me” I said, “please tell Elvira that I cannot travel to Amaru today – I am really ill and need to go to the clinic.” “Okay, Lindsay, no problem” he said, “it is more important that you go to the clinic.”

And at first light, I did – I hopped into a taxi and asked the driver to leave me at Clinica San Jose. I waited only a few minutes before being seen by a doctor. He conducted a thorough physical exam, as I listed my symptoms. “Since Tuesday?” he asked. “Yes,” I said. “Almost a week,” he said, shaking his head. “Yes,” I said. The words did not cross his lips, but I knew he was thinking something along the lines of “You stubborn old goat!” “Wait here,” he said. He left and returned to the room in a matter of minutes. “Come with me,” he said. I followed him into the emergency holding room. “I am admitting you into the hospital for 3 to 4 days,” he said. Thoughts raced through my head, but I found myself too exhausted to ask why. I rested on the nearby bed. I watched as a mother tended to her young sick child in the adjacent bed; her eyes were weak and filled with sorrow. The nurse left and returned with a needle and IV line. She lifted my left hand, tapping it with her fingers to find a suitable vein. As she inserted the needle, tears came streaming down my cheeks. “It won’t go in, I’m sorry,” she said as she took my right hand. The pierce of the needle sent more tears streaming down my cheeks, though I was unclear as to whether my tears were out of fear or pain. “Don’t cry,” she said to me in a calm voice, “let’s take you to your room.” She guided me into a wheelchair and brought me to the sixth floor. “You’re burning up,” she said, as she put her hand to my forehead and helped me into my bed.

I awoke an hour or two later to a group of doctors standing at my bedside. “Lindsay,” he said, “we are very concerned about your symptoms and even more concerned that you let an entire week pass before being admitted to the hospital.” Not knowing what to say, I said nothing. The doctors made notes on their clipboards, as if I were a rat in a maze being judged for performance. I nodded and turned back onto my side as they left the room. I awoke again at 3:30pm, and rang the button beside my bed. A nurse entered the room. “When can I go home?” I demanded, “I want to go home.” She left the room, with promises to return with an answer. She returned half-an-hour later with another nurse, changed the IV line and proceeded to exit the room. I sat up in my bed and, out of frustration, I pulled the IV line out of my right hand. I walked out into the hall and confronted 3 nurses sitting at the desk. “Can I go home now?” I asked irritated, “I want to go home.” The nurses whispered amongst themselves and one left to retrieve the doctor. “When can I go home?” I asked the doctor.

He stood up from his seat. “You have salmonella,” he said in a firm, but calm voice, “you are not permitted to leave this hospital.” “Sal-Salmonella?” I stammered, “how?” “Yes, salmonella” he repeated, “you are not permitted to leave this hospital.” I shuffled backwards trying to absorb what I had just been told. “Okay…” I said, feeling beat, “…can I at least return home to gather some of my belongings?” I asked. “You have one hour,” he said irritated, “and give me your passport – I am going to hold on to it until you return.” Before I could ask why, he explained, “so you come back, Lindsay…so you come back.” “Okay,” I said and begrudgingly handed it over. I returned home, gathered a few of my belongings and hailed a taxi to the nearest internet café. I frantically emailed anyone I thought may be able to help me sort through my emergency health insurance in the one hour that I had been granted. I felt relief having been able to connect with a work colleague who kindly offered her assistance.

I returned to the hospital at 5:00pm. The doctor handed me my passport and ushered me into my room. I changed into sweatpants, effectively resigning myself to my hospital bed. A nurse entered a few minutes later. “Why did you remove your IV line?” “And why did you leave the hospital?” she asked angrily. “I am sorry,” I said, “I am sorry…I just…I just wanted some of my things.” She looked at both of my hands and shook her head furiously, knowing that she could not insert another needle into my swollen hands. She rolled up the sleeve of my left arm, patting my arm for a vein to appear. She inserted the IV line and left the room without saying a word. That evening, a nurse returned what felt like every 3 to 4 hours to change the fluids and increase the antibiotics.

I was woken at 6:00am by a nurse tinkering with my IV line. “Good morning,” she said cheerfully. “Good morning,” I replied. I spent the better half of the morning watching television and asking passing nurses when they thought I could be discharged. “Lindsay!” I heard from the doorway – “why didn’t you tell me you were in the hospital?” demanded Tula (my Peruvian mother). “I did,” I said, “I told your husband.” He must have misunderstood, we both realized. An hour later, I was surprised to see Kie and Elvira walk into the room. Kie recounted her week’s events at Casa Mosqoy. The morning turned into afternoon and my questions about when I could be discharged became more frequent. “When can I go home?” I asked one nurse. “Not anytime soon, my dear” she replied, “you are required to have 4 more IV lines before we release you.” I slumped back into my bed and spent the afternoon watching television.

I wasn’t released from the hospital until nearly 9:00pm. As I waited for my release papers, I struck a conversation with a small group of Italian tourists. I learned that their friend had fallen from the peak of Wayna Picchu earlier that day, breaking her arm clean. I wished her a speedy recovery and left the hospital. Eager to leave, I had forgotten to remind the nurses to remove the IV tube from my arm. I thanked my lucky stars that Eloy (my Peruvian father) is a jack of all trades and was able to safely remove the tube when I returned home. As I crawled into bed, I sighed with relief, “home at last” I assured myself.

I spent the majority of the week recovering in bed. I was eager to continue on with 5 days of rehydration and antibiotic treatments, though I had lost all remaining desire to eat. It took far too many words to explain to the family that nothing kills your appetite faster than a good bout of salmonella. Thursday came around and I found myself restless, eager to continue on with my work. Against my doctor’s orders, I decided to make the trip out to Huaran and Calca to meet with the community weavers. Although my visit was short, I was happy just to have left my bed for the day. By Sunday night, I was feeling much better than I had been over the past two or so weeks. That night, the family came over for dinner, allowing me the chance to say my goodbyes to everyone. I felt compelled to gift a picture of myself (together with my sisters) and chocolates as a small token of my appreciation for the hospitality they have shown me over the past two months.

Ollantaytambo

On Monday morning, I set off for Ollantaytambo. I secured my spot in the combi beside a charming woman from the United States. As we got to talking, we realized that she knew and, in fact, was friends with my homestay family in Ollantaytambo. “Small world!” she said. “No,” I said laughing, “small Ollantaytambo.” I arrived in Ollantaytambo just after 4:00pm and settled into my homestay family. The family had ordered pizza for dinner, but, Nelson, the little rascal that he is, decided that pizza wasn’t enough, and so he ate an entire bag (sandwich-sized) of mayonnaise!

The next morning, I woke up with a strong desire to tackle the ruins that tower over Ollantaytambo. It was a 20-minute scramble to the top, and well worth it (the view was absolutely breathtaking). I sat at the base of the ruins for a while, reflecting on my experiences in Peru. I found myself smiling, reminded of the incredible journey I have had and of the importance this will hold later in life. I returned home later in the afternoon and stumbled upon Nelson in the plaza. He was eating ice cream – though, by the looks of it, he had gotten more on his face than he had in his mouth. I spoke with my homestay family and learned that Nelson had been ill all night. I reminded her that just last night he consumed an entire bag of mayonnaise. “You are right!” she exclaimed, having completely forgotten. I laughed and asked her if she wanted more children. She looked at Nelson and then back at me and shook her head. “No,” she said, “I think 3 is plenty…” I chuckled, knowing she probably could not handle another Nelson. I remain certain that he would be perfect for the role if a Peruvian version of Dennis the Menace was ever to be released. That evening, I sorted through some graduation packages in an effort to get everything in order for the Mosqoy graduation and induction ceremony on Saturday.

On Wednesday morning, I took to the streets of Ollantaytambo. I spent the day exploring the cobblestone streets of Ollantaytambo and the artisanal markets. In the afternoon, I went searching for Victoria, the President of the Cancha Cancha weaving association, in hopes that we could reschedule the meeting that I had missed the week prior. Unfortunately, I had no luck finding her or anyone who knew of her in Ollantaytambo. I laughed at the irony of it all. I returned home late afternoon for a bowl of white rice – the only thing I feel confident I can eat at this point - and Nelson and I played a game of soccer in the streets. I spent the evening closing out project tasks before turning in for the night.

The Journey Continues…

They say you haven’t traveled until you have taken on South America. I hope that my time here shows this to be nothing short of true. In reflecting on my experiences in Peru, I feel grateful to have been awarded such a unique opportunity and am proud to have contributed to something both tangible and sustainable. I have been humbled by my interactions with the weaving communities and remain hopeful that I have, in some way, impacted the lives of those living in rural Peru.

Though, I admit, I am sad to be leaving Peru, I find myself eager to continue on with my journey. I part now to Bolivia, Ecuador, Chile, Argentina, Paraguay, Uruguay, Brazil, Venezuela and, time permitting, Guyana. I anticipate and am sharp to take on more challenges. And I am ambitious to absorb new experiences ahead, because, for me, experience is the journey.

Signing off,

Lindsay Zibrik
Education Generation Peru Fellow 2011

Counting down the days in Peru (posted by Kie)

2011-08-24T11:30:00.000-07:00

From attending a wedding on Friday evening, buying office furniture for Casa Mosqoy, purchasing decorations for Saturday’s graduation and induction ceremony, and possibly spraining my big toe during a soccer game yesterday, the past few days in Cuzco have definitely not been boring.

On Wednesday night of last week, Adrian, one of the Peru leaders invited me to attend a local wedding on Friday in Cuzco. I accepted his invitation to attend as I thought it would be an interesting cultural experience and I haven’t been to a wedding for a very long time (I think I attended one when I was about 4 or 5 years old, but I don’t remember much of it since I was so young). The wedding was of a classmate of three of the Peru leaders, Adrian, Rolando and Ebhert. The wedding was supposed to start at 5 p.m. but we didn’t end up leaving the house until just after 6 p.m. I thought that we were going to be late but the wedding ceremony didn’t end up starting until 7:30 p.m. so it all worked out in the end.

The hall where the wedding ceremony was held was quite spacious and the ceremony was very nice. Originally, I was a bit worried about my attire since I didn’t bring any formal clothes to Peru but there were quite a few people who were casually dressed (in jeans and/or track jackets) so thankfully I wasn’t underdressed in the end. Though Elvira and I didn’t know the bride or groom, we were invited to the stage to take photos with the bride and groom which was pretty funny.

Afterwards we headed to the reception hall (at the School of Journalism) which was decorated really nicely in purple and white. The party started off with some dancing followed by the throwing of the bouquet and some speeches by the bride, groom and a few of their family members. At around 11 o’clock, dinner consisting of lechon (roasted pork) with beet salad, a type of potato and a corn dish was served, accompanied by pisco sours and chicha morada (a purple corn drink). Dinner was followed by more dancing and cake at around 12:30 a.m.

The next day, Elvira and I were supposed to wake up at 7 a.m. in order to go and buy furniture for the leaders’ office in Casa Mosqoy but considering the late night, we didn’t end up waking up until 9 a.m. First, we headed to the internet café to check our e-mail and I saw that I had received an e-mail from Reanna about an Indigenous Peoples Assistance Facility (IFAD) grant that Mosqoy is applying for and for which the Peru leaders would have to write a letter regarding how Mosqoy assists and empowers indigenous people and communities in Peru. After checking our e-mails, we headed to El Mercado Molino to scope out the furniture. Thinking that maybe there might be cheaper furniture at El Baratillo in Santiago, a market held on Saturdays infamous for the sale of stolen goods, we decided to head there (but not to buy stolen goods). After looking at many tables and chairs, we settled on purchasing a big table and four chairs from a shop that was somewhat arbitrarily chosen (it was pretty hard deciding where to buy from since all of the wood furniture at all of the stores seemed pretty similar).

The next half an hour was spent trying to chase down a taxi that would be willing to drive us back to Casa Mosqoy with all of the furniture. Elvira walked up the street a little bit in the hopes of that it would be a bit easier to catch a taxi while I guarded the furniture. 5-10 minutes later Elvira was in the passenger seat of a taxi and had negotiated with the taxi driver that he would drive us to Casa Mosqoy for 9 soles.

The next morning at 8:30 a.m. the leaders and I started our work on the IFAD letter on the rooftop patio of Casa Mosqoy. It was interesting to see how the leaders articulated their ideas and worked together. We ended up working until approximately noon when we decided to go to the Lima vs. Cuzco futbol game at the main stadium in Cuzco. We took a cab to the stadium and bought our tickets for the game. I was really excited to watch the game since I had been wanting to watch a futbol game in Cuzco before leaving the city. It was a great game since there is a high amount of rivalry between Lima and Cuzco and the Cuzco fans in the front had some red gas that they released (which I hope and believe was harmless!) as well as threw toilet paper on the field while jumping around and cheering.

After the futbol game, the leaders and I had a late lunch and later that night, after I went to visit my homestay family, we worked on the IFAD letter a bit more but as it became quite late and everybody was tired, we agreed to finish the letter the following night.

On Monday morning, I gave Elvira and Ebhert their official letters regarding their acceptance to come to Canada, study English at the University of Victoria, and give workshops/speeches about Peruvian indigenous culture. When I gave Elvira her letter, she smiled and said “Que chevere!” (How great!). I am really excited for Elvira and Ebhert to come to Canada as I think it will be such a great opportunity for them both and I am hoping to give them a tour of Vancouver when they come in January!

After giving Elvira and Ebhert their acceptance letters, I met up with Lindsay to write an Education Generation speech in Spanish after which I did some computer work.
That night, the leaders and I finished writing the IFAD letter and sent it to Reanna, Mosqoy’s Canada-Peru liaison. We all felt pretty good about the end result since everybody worked together as a team and were able to express what they wanted to say in the letter.

Tuesday involved purchasing decorations for the Graduation and Induction Ceremony that is coming up this Saturday and teaching a semi-private English class to Elvira, Ebhert and Adrian. After the students cleaned the house and their rooms and bathrooms, 10 of us went to play soccer. Mariela, one of the students, ended up kicking the ball too hard and it went over the fence into the city streets below. Alex and Elmer ran to get another ball from the house and we continued playing though about 15-20 minutes later, I kicked one of Adrian’s shins too hard and hurt my big toe on my right foot quite badly (I think it may actually be sprained) so I had to sit out the rest of the game.

After the game and dinner, the leaders and I made a few short thank-you videos for my law firm, Koffman Kalef LLP, who donated a great deal of funds to Mosqoy and Education Generation and were incredibly supportive of me coming over here to volunteer. Making the videos was pretty funny as the Peru leaders struggled with pronouncing “Koffman Kalef”. I told them that some people back home also have problems with pronouncing the name of the firm.

Following the making of the videos, we went over the Graduation and Induction Ceremony agenda for Saturday and assigned speaking roles for everyone.

As you can see, it’s been a very busy week for me and the next few days will also be packed!

Tonight I am holding a trivia night for the students at the house; tomorrow is the final Mosqoy 4 meeting during which we will make the final preparations for the Graduation and Induction Ceremony and the soccer and volleyball tournament; Saturday is the Graduation and Induction Ceremony; Sunday is the community-wide soccer and volleyball tournament; and finally Monday is my last night in Casa Mosqoy so we’ll probably have a party of sorts!

It’s really incredible how quickly the fellowship has passed by and I’ll be sad to leave!

The Reception

Our table with the bride

The boys, Rolando, Adrian and Ebhert with the bride and maid of honour

Sunday morning meeting to write the letter to the Indigenous Peoples Assistance Facility

We needed some entertainment (Rolando and Ebhert dancing; Rolando has a shirt on his head to display that he is playing the woman in this dance)

When we lost our soccer ball...

Group photo at the basketball court which we use to play soccer

Moving into Casa Mosqoy (posted by Kie)

2011-08-20T20:33:00.000-07:00

On Monday I arrived at Casa Mosqoy at around 1 p.m. with my bags only to find that I could not open the door with the key that Elvira, one of the Peru leaders, had lent me. I knocked on the door to see if anyone was home and could open the door from the inside. Dina, one of the students, came running downstairs and I asked her whether she could open the door from her side. She said that extra security had been put in the door (which I may have put in by accident by turning the key in the lock so many times) and therefore she could not open the door.

After trying to open the door multiple times from my side, I asked whether anyone would be coming home from lunch and could possibly open the door. Dina responded that ‘yes, there should be other students coming home soon’ and ran up to the second floor where her room was in order to keep a look out for any students that might be arriving. Approximately 5 minutes later, she saw Sandra get off a combi and called to her to come to the house and help open the door. However, Sandra did not hear Dina and started walking down a street away from the house. I asked Dina for Sandra’s phone number so that I could call her and when Sandra picked up, I asked her if she could come to the house since I could not get in.

Sandra showed up a couple of minutes later and she tried opening the door for about 10 minutes but could not. I decided to call Adrian, the Peru leader in charge of house supervision, and he mentioned that he had another set of keys in his room that might work. However, they did not work either. After another twenty minutes of attempting to open the front door from both sides, we finally managed to open it which was a great relief. In other news, living at Casa Mosqoy has been fun though a bit noisy (people really like to blast their music here!) and there is no aguas calientes (ie. hot water).

Coming from a developed country, I have been spoiled with always being able to access hot water so it is definitely difficult to shower in ice-cold water. Just the thought of it makes me shiver! At times there is also no running water: though you can turn the tap upstairs to get the water running, the leaders and students turn it off at certain times during the day so that they don’t use it all up. The house definitely needs a lot more amenities including a fridge, shelves/cupboards to put food and kitchen supplies in, an oven, perhaps a microwave and more furniture in general. I am thinking about doing a fundraiser or two when I get back home specifically for these amenities.

After I moved in, Elvira, Mariela and Yolanda helped me set up my bed and at 8 p.m. we had a Casa Mosqoy meeting to discuss the cleaning of the house, the new Mosqoy rules and the invitations for the Graduation and Induction Ceremony next Saturday. The students agreed to buy the invitations the following day and to go to Ollantaytambo on Wednesday afternoon in order to distribute the invitations.

The next morning, Elvira and I went to visit Lindsay in La Clinica San Jose as she had contracted salmonella. I was happy to see the Lindsay looked and felt a lot better. A few of us had been urging her to visit the clinic for awhile but alas, due to her stubbornness, she did not go as soon as she probably should have. After visiting Lindsay at the clinic, Elvira and I went to Western Union to withdraw the funds to pay the institutions for the students. We had to wait there for awhile and after we received the cheques to withdraw the funds from Scotiabank, we decided to grab some lunch before heading to meet Mariela and Yolanda to choose and design the invitations.

Following lunch, Elvira and I went to Scotiabank to withdraw the funds for the institutes. I was happy to have a secure “secret” flap in my backpack to hold all of the 17,487 soles! We headed to Antonia Lorena and Khipu to pay them. At Khipu, we were told to come back at 5 p.m. because in the past, Mosqoy had obtained a discount for all of the students since they are affiliated with an NGO, but the person receiving payments could not authorize the discount and so we had to wait for Senora Violetta who approves any and all discounts (I will admit this was just a teensy bit frustrating since it was probably my fourth or fifth time at Khipu in the past week).

That night, the leaders and I held an impromptu meeting with some of the students in order to determine who should be invited to the Graduation and Induction Ceremony. We wanted to make sure to invite some important members of the Sacred Valley such as the mayors of Ollantaytambo and Urubamba. The previous mayor of Ollantaytambo attended the Graduation Ceremony last year so we are hoping that David Canal, the current mayor of Ollantaytambo, will be able to attend the Graduation and Induction Ceremony this year.

On Thursday evening, I held a leadership session with the Peru leaders where three of the leaders gave 5-10 minute speeches on a topic of their choice. Adrian spoke about technology and different communication methods; Rolando spoke about the problem of tourism in Cuzco; and Elvira spoke about the maltreatment/abuse of children. It was interesting listening to their opinions and seeing how they communicated differently. Each of us also filled out evaluations about each speech so that all of them can see what their strengths and weaknesses are.

Following the speeches, we discussed constructive criticism and I asked the leaders to think of different situations and how constructive criticism could be applied to those situations. Rolando asked how constructive criticism could be used in a situation where people disagreed on the number of guinea pigs to bring to a Graduation Ceremony (for example, if some people thought that one guinea pig should be provided by every person and if some people thought that one guinea pig should be provided for every two people). Elvira said that in this situation she would ask whether everyone wanted to eat and if so, they would have to each bring a guinea pig. Then the leaders asked me what I would do, to which I responded that I would probably ask everyone to vote and the majority would decide the outcome.

At the end of the leadership meeting, I asked the leaders to each write their name on the bottom of a piece of blank paper and pass the piece of paper to the left, after which each person had to write a couple of phrases expressing what they valued about the person whose name was written on the bottom of the paper. For example, a couple of things that the leaders wrote on my piece of paper include: “I like your behaviour with us [the leaders], the students and the way that you use to express yourself” and “I like that you are happy, very interesting, tolerant and a person who collaborates a great deal with others”. It was a really positive way to end the leadership session and I think that in general, people don’t compliment each other enough which is why I really enjoyed doing this exercise.

The next couple of days will be filled with buying furniture for the Casa Mosqoy office, my final leadership session with the leaders and holding a trivia night for the students.

I’d like to end this blog post on a happy note – more than half the money has been raised to bring two of the Peru leaders, Elvira and Ebhert, to Victoria and Vancouver next January! They will be in Victoria to study English and also give workshops and speeches about traditional Peruvian Andean culture.

Just another fiesta (in Ollantaytambo, August 15)

Monday morning in Ollantaytambo (August 15)

A box of suggestions, compliments and comments for Casa Mosqoy that I made on Tuesday morning

The invitations for the Graduation and Induction Ceremony (quite happy with how these turned out)

Inside the invitations

Charades on Tuesday night at Casa Mosqoy

Me, Dina, Mariela and Yolanda during charades on Tuesday night

Adrian, Ebhert, Alex and Rolando H. during charades on Tuesday night

One Potato at a Time (posted by Kie)

2011-08-14T14:55:00.000-07:00

One potato at a time (or one step at a time) – I made up this motto this week as the past week has not only been a test of my potato eating skills (I still haven’t gotten used to the amount of potatoes people eat here), but a test of my patience. While I am generally a very patient person, my tolerance has been tested this week with people being late or not even showing up for various meetings (and for some reason not contacting me in order to notify me that they are running late or not going to be able to make it). However, I have decided to take all of this in stride and simply explain to those tardy individuals that one should contact me when they are running late or not able to attend a meeting or reunion.

Today some of the Mosqoy 4 students and I went on a teambuilding daytrip to Pumamarka as one of my objectives during my time here is to integrate the Mosqoy 4 students and make sure that they are all comfortable with each other before they make the move to Cuzco. All of the Mosqoy 4 students and I were supposed to meet in the Plaza of Ollantaytambo at 6:30 a.m. sharp (I reiterated this point to them yesterday although we had set up this meeting a long time ago) but only one student was in the Plaza at 6:30 a.m. After we waited for about half an hour in the cold, I decided to call one of the other students only to find out that she was in the middle of work. She told me that her and another student would arrive in approximately 15 minutes (which turned out to be more like 30 minutes) but I was glad that they came as it would have been rather pointless to go on a Mosqoy 4 Excursion with only one student since the point of the daytrip was to have the Mosqoy 4 students bond with each other (I also would not have known the way to Pumamarka). While two more students were supposed to come, we decided to leave for Pumamarka since we did not know where they were and they did not answer their cellphones.

The hike to Pumamarka was very picturesque as you get great views of the mountains and pass beautiful streams along the way. The three girls and I chatted about their work, families and communities as we hiked, and we also tried a few plants and berries along the way. As two of the girls currently work for PeruRail (a train company that runs trains from Ollantaytambo and Cuzco to Machu Picchu), I asked them what their work schedules were like and was quite taken aback when Karina told me that she works from 5 a.m. to 11 a.m. and then 5 p.m. to 11 p.m. (12 hours) and Rosmery works from 5 a.m. to 5 p.m. (12 hours) every day but only get paid 465 soles a month (approximately $170 U.S./month). I thought that it was quite unfair that they get paid so little when the cheapest PeruRail tickets from Ollantaytambo to Machu Picchu cost $35 U.S. (for an hour and half ride) and there are at least ten trains going every day. It was also interesting to find out that the company is actually Chilean-owned and therefore is not subject to the minimum-wage law that the new president of Peru just instituted as the law only applies to public companies (the law deems that minimum wage should be at least 675 soles a month for Peruvian public companies).

After hiking for approximately two and a half hours, we ran into Edison, one of the Mosqoy 4 students who we were supposed to meet in the Plaza at 6:30 a.m. in Pumamarka. Apparently he and another student, Marco, showed up at the Plaza at 7 a.m. but somehow we managed to miss each other. We hiked a little higher to find a place to rest and then brought out our snacks to share. While resting, we talked about travel, country life and how I was the only one in the group who had never owned any “cuys” (guinea pigs) or worked on a farm. After resting for a little while, we got up to walk around the ruins and take some photos and then decided to hike back towards Ollantaytambo.

Tomorrow I return to Cuzco and move into Casa Mosqoy to see how the students live on a daily basis. While the amenities will be very basic (I expect cold showers, no running water during certain times of the day and no heating), I look forward to my new experience and to delve even deeper into my volunteer work!

Pumamarka ruins

The Mosqoy 4 students

Rolando's family (taken during my house visit yesterday) - The point of the house visits is to see and document how the students and their families live for Mosqoy and the students' sponsors. Rolando is only 18 but his oldest brother is 45. In this photo, you can also see his adopted sister who is 6 years old.

Nohemi with her family (taken during my house visit on Friday)

Beat, But Not Beaten (posted by Lindsay)

2011-08-13T09:54:00.000-07:00

For me, travel has always been the true test of adaptability. Travel brings many challenges – both mental and physical – testing your ability to absorb the unanticipated and to rebound from the negative. This week has brought for me a test of resilience and endurance.

On Wednesday evening (August 6), I found myself at Casa Mosqoy conducting interviews with the Peru Leaders. Half-way through the first interview, my head began to feel heavy. Minutes passed, and the heaviness turned to dizziness. My eyesight began to blur and I could feel the room spinning. I backed slowly against the wall, knowing that I would fall faint to the floor without support. I crouched on the floor, trying to regain control, wobbling the camera as I attempted to continue filming.

As we walked back from Casa Mosqoy, I could feel my stomach turning. I sat down at the table, and ate dinner – a decision I would later regret. The upset in my stomach was worsening. “I feel horrible – I don’t know why, but I feel horrible,” I muttered to Kie, looking for some sort of explanation. Of course, I knew, she could not elucidate the situation and knew, from past experience, finding the cause of upset would be near impossible. I turned in for the night, hoping that I would wake the next day feeling better, particularly since I was set to leave for a five-day hiking trip into the remote weaving communities of Parobamba, Bombón, and Pitukiska.

I woke the next morning at 9:00am, exhausted from a long night of coughing. “How do you feel?” Kie asked. “Not good,” I groaned, “not good at all.” “I can’t make the trip out to Parobamba, Bombón and Pitukiska,” I muttered as my head dropped back to my pillow. I woke again at 5:00pm and wandered downstairs. I was greeted by Tula (my Peruvian mother). “You don’t look very good…I want you to go to the clinic,” she said in a concerning voice. I shook my head to communicate that I would not be going to the clinic. “You were up all night coughing,” she said, putting her hand to my forehead, “you really need to go to the clinic.” Tears came streaming down my face. “I will be fine,” I choked, not really even believing my own words. And, for the first time in two months, I found myself homesick. “Weak in body, weak in mind,” I reminded myself and crawled back into bed.

I awoke the next morning feeling as horrible as the day before. I sunk my head back into my pillow and declared another bed day. It was not until Saturday that I felt well enough to leave the house. I laced my running shoes and convinced myself to leave the house, even if just for a few minutes. Not knowing where else to go, I walked to the nearest internet café. Almost immediately, I felt faint and short of breath under the penetrating rays of sunshine.

Urcos

Sunday I awoke with strength and determination to leave my bed. I set off for Urcos, a small town an hour outside of Cuzco. I didn’t know much of anything about Urcos, only that I had seen the town featured on a postcard in Cuzco once. Though, I was not bothered, as my only objective for the day was to leave the house. I took a seat beside an older gentleman on the combi. “Where are you from?” he asked politely. “Canada,” I said, smiling. We struck up a conversation that lasted until we reached the perimeter of Urcos. “Welcome to Urcos” he said to me as we passed by a big blue lagoon. “It’s lovely here,” I said, wondering how I would spend my day.

Captivated by the deep shades of blue in the lagoon, I decided that the lagoon would be my first stop. I spent a good couple of hours walking the perimeter of the lake, stopping to take in the sights of wild pigs, sheep and children playing by the lagoon-front. I was greeted by many locals from Urcos, who were also spending a leisurely Sunday by the lagoon.

I followed the road back into the town centre, where I would join hundreds of locals shopping for a bargain in the traditional Sunday markets. I was taken by the sheer breadth of the markets – dozens of vendors set-up shop, selling everything from fruits and vegetables to undergarments and chickens. I spent the afternoon examining the offerings of each vendor, before settling on purchasing 4 mandarin oranges and a small package of laundry detergent for 1 sol. The vendor looked at my once-white runners and my pants which have been covered in thick film of dust since June, and handed me another package. I laughed, assuring the vendor that one would be enough.

I hopped on a combi in the direction of Cuzco, stopping briefly in two small towns on the outskirts of Urcos – Huaro and Andahuaylillas. I also passed through Oropesa, a town that is known to locals for its giant rounds of bread.

Cuzco

On Monday morning, Kie and I left the house in search of a birthday cake for Elvira (one of the Peru Leaders) who had celebrated her 22nd birthday on Sunday. We walked from shop to shop, struggling to decide on a flavour, size or price. After some time, we stumbled across a small bakery and found a cake that was to both of our liking. We returned to the house and in the afternoon, Kie and I met Ebhert (another Peru Leader) and set off for central Cuzco to purchase some well-needed items for Casa Mosqoy. After much deliberation, we settled on buying a stainless steel kettle, a large 2-litre thermos and a whiteboard for the house. I was content with our purchases, feeling confident that the students of Casa Mosqoy would put these items to good use. In the evening, Kie and I attended an English class taught by a new Mosqoy volunteer (Lisa), who became interested in the organization when she was on tour with the travel company that one of the Peru Leaders works for. She taught basic vocabulary and phrases to the students, but made a few crucial spelling errors which made the students burst out into laughter. I joked to Lisa that I would be holding an English class the next evening if she were interested in attending.

As 7:00pm rolled around, we gathered in the common area of Casa Mosqoy and I signalled for Ebhert to retrieve Elvira so that we could get her surprise birthday party underway. We waited in the dark for what seemed like ten minutes, before Elvira and Ebhert walked through the door. “Surprise!” we yelled, breaking out into song. For the remainder of the evening, we talked, listed to music and danced. Just before 8:30pm, we called it a night and headed back to our homestay, a mere 15 minute walk from Casa Mosqoy.

As quickly as I began to feel better, I became ill again. On Tuesday night (August 10), I developed symptoms classic of an ingested bacteria and/or parasite. Feeling much worse than I had the week prior, I have been confined to my bed for the entirety of the week. “Beat, but not beaten...” I grumbled to myself, wondering what else was in store for my vulnerable immune system.

It is my hope that I mend fast and am able to enjoy the remainder of what little time I have left in Peru. I am eager to rejoin the weaving communities and complete all outstanding activities, particularly since this week (August 9) marks the United Nations' International Day of the World’s Indigenous People, a day that highlights the need for preservation and revitalization of indigenous cultures, including indigenous arts, crafts and intellectual property.

Note: Because I have little to document in the way of photos this week, I am attaching several photos from a Cuzco festival attended back in July, as well as photos from Urcos.

Lindsay

Photos from the Past Few Days (posted by Kie)

2011-08-04T10:23:00.000-07:00

Luzmila and Eurelesis during the teambuilding session I hosted for Mosqoy 4 on Monday

Nelson & Ruben, kids of my host family in Ollantaytambo

Nelson

Rolando, Elvira & Ebhert during our leadership session on Monday night

Mosqoy 4

Family Visits, Leadership Training and a Kiss on the Cheek (posted by Kie)

2011-08-03T09:44:00.000-07:00

The Family Visits

On Saturday, Rolando, his nephew Rollie, and I went to visit the families of Sandra, Robinson, Nohemi, Elizabeth and Mariela in the Ollantaytambo area. It was interesting being able to see where the students live and also to converse with the students’ families. Some observations of the visits include: a) Many of them share one room for the whole family; b) they all have animals/pets including dogs, cats, bulls (Sandra’s father named one of his bulls “El Doctor” (The Doctor) and the other “El Inginiero” (The Engineer) which I found quite amusing), ducks, guinea pigs (there were 20-30 guinea pigs in some of the kitchens), hens and chickens; and c) most of the family members work in agriculture.

I also indulged in two lunches and a half (by accident). The mother of one of the students offered me a meat and potato skewer on the street when we were on our way to visit Elizabeth at the restaurant where she works and then when Rolando, Rollie and I dropped by the restaurant where Elizabeth works, she served us “pollo a la milaneza”(fried chicken patty on a bed of rice with some freshly sliced tomatoes). After eating pollo a la milaneza, we went to visit Mariela at her house (about a 15-minute combi ride outside of Ollantaytambo) and she served us with huge plates of trucha (trout), beets and potatoes with cheese. I was delighted to discover that Mariela (who studies gastronomy) cooked the meal for us and the trout was delicious, but it was a struggle to finish the second half of the plate (ie. the 4 potatoes) since only half an hour had passed since the first lunch. Mariela’s family was really welcoming and Rolando, Rollie and I enjoyed conversing with them. After our meal, Mariela gave us a tour of her house and her and her family gave thanks to Mosqoy and Mariela’s sponsors via video.

Teambuilding & Leadership

Sunday and Monday involved teambuilding sessions with the potential incoming students. At the beginning of Sunday’s session, I asked the students to give brief introductions of themselves and in their introductions to include which country they would most like to visit (I received a whole range of answers to this question including Italy, France, the U.S., Mexico and Canada). After the introductions we played “2 Truths and a Lie”, “Who am I?”, a game involving emotions of the face, and trivia. The aim of the ice breakers was to get the students to loosen up and work in teams. We also discussed the community event (a soccer and volleyball tournament) they are supposed to organize (to exercise event planning) and the Mosqoy 4 daytrip (a hike to Choquebamba). These teambuilding sessions are really important since the students will be relying a lot on each other when they move to Cuzco, away from their families, communities and small-town life.

On Monday night I rushed backed to Cuzco to hold a leadership session with the Mosqoy leaders, Rolando, Ebhert, Adrian and Elvira. The meeting started off with two short impromptu speeches per leader to practice public speaking, after which the leaders completed evaluations of each other and discussed why it is important to be able to speak publicly with confidence. The leaders expressed that being able to speak publicly with confidence is an important skill to have in order to be able to lead others, explain things clearly and inspire interest. Furthermore, as a project, I asked them to prepare a 5-minute speech on a topic of their choice. While the leaders are all naturally quite gifted public speakers, I think it will help them to receive constructive criticism on what they can improve because there is always something you can work on.

After the speeches, I asked the leaders to discuss a person that they admire for their leadership qualities. It turned out to be an interesting discussion as one of the leaders decided to choose ex-president Alan Garcia who not all of the leaders agreed is a good leader. At the same time, I think the leaders realized that those considered “leaders” are human too and therefore not necessarily perfect. The leaders also discussed and debated the phrasing of the question they had to answer since I had asked “Who do you admire for their leadership qualities?”, not “Who do you think is a good leader?” (ie. a leader does not have to be a president, religious figure or someone famous). Rolando ended up choosing to talk about Gregorio, the president of the Amaru weaving community, because he is very welcoming, a good speaker and always tries to look out for others.

After this discussion, we moved onto brainstorming and writing down good leadership qualities on a poster. I thought that this would take 15 minutes at most but the leaders were quite careful about choosing what to write down and almost every point was discussed for at least two-three minutes before the leaders decided whether or not to write it down.

Lastly, I got the leaders to discuss their best and worst leadership qualities which led to a discussion about the group in general and the dynamics within the group. Not everything voiced was positive but I think that conflicts can be a good thing because it forces people to challenge one another and work through their problems. If people within a team are too similar, it might make for an easy work environment but I don’t think that the members of the group would learn much. Conflict often incites compelling discussion. As long as all of the members of the team are willing to try to work through them and respect each other, I think that having different personalities and opinions within a team can be a good thing.

The leadership session on Monday night ended up taking 3 hours, but I think it was a very fruitful discussion and I hope that the leaders got something out of it!

Idiom of the week that Sandra’s father taught me: “Tiene que ser como una mosca” (You have to be [fast] like a fly)

Cultural Realization of the week: I think I have finally got used to the Latin American custom of getting kissed on the cheek when greeting someone.

Signing out,
Kie

At Sandra's house

Three Mosqoy 4 girls

These Boots Were Made For Walking (posted by Lindsay)

2011-08-01T08:54:00.000-07:00

I have spent these last few days hiking in and out of weaving communities in the Sacred Valley region of Peru. Communities visited include, Amaru, Huaran, Calca and Cancha Cancha.

Amaru

Amaru is a picturesque community nestled in the mountain ranges above Pisac. The community boasts charming landscape, a communal garden and a small, but welcoming population. On arrival, we were served bread and mate de coca (coca tea), and sat down with Gregorio (the President of the weaving association) and several weavers to discuss possible volunteer-service projects. As afternoon dawned on us, we began to descend the mountain, first visiting the residence of a local carpenter. With profit earned through the sale of textiles in Canada, the community of Amaru was awarded funds to put towards a community project of their choosing. The President, together with the weavers, chose to have a carpenter handcraft a kitchen cabinet and, and also purchased several sets of dishes for all members of the community to use. After settling an advance payment with the carpenter, we continued our descent to Pisac. We parted ways in Pisac, as I hopped on a combi for yet another community.

Huaran and Calca

I arrived in Huaran mid-afternoon. I had heard not great things about the town of Huaran – namely, that it was small, boring and existed more mosquitos than you could swat at. If you judge Huaran by the roadside, this is certainly nothing short of true; however, if you venture deeper into the heart of the community, Huaran has much to offer to the curious tourist. I walked 20 minutes up the road to the overgrown residence of my homestay family. I called out. No-one answered. I called out again. Still, no answer. I took a seat on the concrete steps and wondered about the possibility of sleeping outside should nobody show. Just then, 5 dogs with wagging tails came running at me full-force. “Somebody has to return to feed the dogs,” I thought to myself. As I was waiting for someone to return to the home anyway, I decided to explore Huaran on foot. I set back down the trail until I stumbled upon a small roadside shack selling water, laundry detergent, and tomatoes (among other things). I examined the vegetables carefully, looking for defects and possible triggers for an upset stomach. I was so meticulous in my examination that I had failed to notice a small crowd of children gathering in the doorway, watching curiously my every move. I looked up and said hello. They all giggled and said hello back. I smiled to myself, knowing that Huaran does not see foreigners often, if at all.

I returned to the home and was greeted by Magdalena, a friend of the family, who lives at the residence. She showed me around the house and told me to make as I would at home. We sat down for afternoon tea with Luzmila, a potential Mosqoy 4 student, and who also lives at the residence. Knowing that I would be working with the weaving communities, the two were eager to teach me a few useful phrases/words in Quechua. Having survived a two -hour intensive lesson, I was rewarded with my own Quechua name: “Munaycha.”

The next day, I headed back down the trail towards the road, where I was to meet with Sonia, the President of the Huaran weaving association and several weavers. I was greeted by Sonia in front of her home. We sat in the sun and waited for the other weavers to arrive. Half an hour passed, and only few filtered in. Sonia reminded me that it was the Day of Independence in Peru (and the same day that the new President of Peru would take the reins), so many of the weavers were in Calca or Cuzco celebrating. I nodded in understanding and we proceeded with the textile exchange. As I gathered my belongings, I assured Sonia that I would return in August to further discuss the volunteer-service projects. With the afternoon now free, I took my time walking around Huaran. I stopped in a roadside store to exchange pleasantries and asked about the prospect of internet in Huaran. The shop-owner looked at me as if I had spoken of the devil. “Internet?” she asked. “Not here, not in Huaran,” she responded shaking her head. Disgruntled, I returned to the house late afternoon and sat down with Luzmila and Magdalena over hot tea and bread – now, our nightly ritual. I absorbed more Quechua teachings before calling it an early night.

The next morning I woke up feeling adventurous. Early morning, I left the house with the intentions of scrambling up the mountain overlooking Huaran. Just as I thought I was going alone, the 5 dogs (one not even two-months old) came running up behind, eager to join me on the trail. I laughed to myself thinking this was a scene out of “Little House on the Prairie.” The bigger dogs forged ahead, leaving the young puppy behind. I walked alongside the puppy (“Negra”) and helped her up some of the steeper slopes of the mountain. As we neared the peak, the dogs ran off, leaving me tranquil. I found a rock to sit on and took in the spectacular views of Huaran and nearby valleys. As I began to descend, I realized that I had lost both the dogs and my trail back. I examined the mountainside, wondering which cliff I had ascended earlier. I whistled several times for the dogs to return, waiting only a few minutes before descending on my own (eventually I found my way and the dogs).

I made my way back to the house and entered the kitchen. I was greeted by even more members of the family – Naywa, her father and her brother. We sat down over morning tea and bread and exchanged introductions. Naywa’s father (an archeologist) and her brother (an electrical engineer) were bickering over the correct method to carry out conservation projects. I laughed to myself thinking that engineers are of the same breed, no matter the country (sorry, dad). They asked what my plans were for the day, and I told them that I was expected to meet with the Calca Warmi – a weaving association in Calca. “It’s an easy combi ride,” they explained. “No, I think I will walk,” I said. And so I did – just before noon, I set off in the direction of Calca. It was a long 2.5 hour walk along the roadside and the sun was in full force. In fact, it was so hot that sweat began forming from my hands.

I met Antonieta, the President of the Calca weaving association, at the Calca bus terminal. “You must be tired from the walk,” she said, as we walked to her home. “A little bit,” I said. She sat me down in the living room and ran into the kitchen. She returned with a tall glass of purple liquid. “Drink this,” she said handing me the glass, “it’s maiz.” I gulped and tried to think of something I hated more than beverages made of purple corn (common in Peru). I graciously accepted, wondering how I would consume her offering without making a face. “Delicious,” I said, taking my first sip. As the weavers filtered in, Antonieta brought out the textiles for me to examine. “They are beautiful,” I said, running my fingers over the tight knit weave. I asked her about project needs in Calca as she labelled each textile piece. Antonieta and the weavers suggested cooking classes, painting/sewing classes and expressed interest in daytrips/excursions to nearby ruins and points of interest. I made quick note in my agenda and began to gather my belongings. “Finish your maiz,” she said, “you will feel better.” And in one big swig it was gone. As our meeting concluded, Antonieta held up two pairs of wrist-warmers. “Which pair do you like best?” she asked. “Both,” I said, not wanting to offend. “They are yours,” she said, “a gift to remember me by.” I thanked her and she walked me to the bus terminal where I would pick up a combi in the direction of Huaran. As we waited, I let out a shiver from the cold. Antonieta pulled the sleeves of my sweater over my arms (almost mother like) and demanded that I dress more warmly the next time I come. I assured her I would as I boarded the combi for Huaran.

Cancha Cancha

I was not quite sure what to expect of Cancha Cancha when my alarm sounded at 5:00am on Friday morning; in fact, I was one of many who could not place Cancha Cancha on a map. “The trail is easy,” insisted the Peru leaders.

After a hearty breakfast of yogurt and bread, Naywa, Magdalena, Luzmila (both natives of Cancha Cancha) and I left the house at 7:00am (an hour later than agreed upon). We ascended. We ascended more. We ascended for a total of 4 hours – a trail I would hesitate to call “easy.” I am learning not to trust what the Peru leaders say about the hiking conditions. The trail to Cancha Cancha is best described as a straight uphill climb, rocky and unmaintained. Notably, sections of the trail were flooded by water running down the mountainside. However, the trail was worth every step uphill. As snow-capped mountains appeared in the distance, I could tell that I would be taken with Cancha Cancha. I stood in amazement as I passed by llamas and alpacas grazing by the river banks. “This is the real Peru,” I thought to myself, “rugged and unmaintained.”

We arrived in Cancha Cancha just after 11:00am and were welcomed into the home of Luzmila’s sister. Her children shyly poked their heads around the corner and said hello. Luzmila’s sister, also a weaver, served us pasta and potatoes. Given my recent experience with potatoes, I kindly refused and explained how the potatoes in Q’enqo left me feeling all but well. She nodded her head in a sympathetic manner and served me pasta with canned tuna and a hot cup of mate de coca. As we ate and drank, I heard strange noises coming from the dark corners of the home. Before questions formed in my head, between 20 and 30 guinea pigs ran out from under the bed. “Only in Peru,” I thought to myself, “only in Peru…”

After eating, I excused myself to visit the washroom. I walked across the hill to the elementary school, where only basic facilities existed. I took my time walking back to the house, stopping to take photos of the mountainside community. I was struck by the natural beauty of Cancha Cancha – a small village populated by no more than 20 mud huts. Amenities in Cancha Cancha are non-existent – the closest store could be reached by a 7-hour return hike to Huaran (although, most, I am told, go to Calca). I met a young boy playing in the grass with his soccer ball. He was fascinated with the camera I had hanging around my neck and asked me to take photos of him throwing his ball into the air. I had never before seen a child so excited to examine his own image on the screen of my camera.

I made my way back to the house, and as the other weavers joined, our meeting began. I reminded the weavers of the projects decided on at a previous meeting held in April – rebuilding houses devastated by the 2008 floods and trail maintenance – and asked if there were further projects to add. The weavers nodded their heads, but seemed more interested in attempting to pronounce my name. “Lindsay,” I said. “What is your last name?” they asked in unison. “Zibrik,” I said. I chuckled knowing that the ensuing pronunciation would be nothing short of a disaster. As expected, not one weaver came close, but they, nevertheless, complimented me on my name. “It’s a beautiful name,” they said, each nodding their head in agreement. “Thank you,” I muttered, not knowing what else to say.

As our meeting came to a close, I broached the topic of setting our next meeting. We spent no less than 30 minutes agreeing on the time of our next meeting. Number after number was thrown around as a potential meeting time. Just as my thoughts started to trail, I heard “2 soles.” “Sorry?” I asked. “If we are not there by 9:00am, we will each pay you 2 soles,” they explained. I laughed, warning that I would hold them to their words.

Naywa and I began our descent from Cancha Cancha just after 2:00pm. [Luzmila and Magdalena stayed behind, choosing to spend the evening with their families]. Descending the mountain took almost as long as ascending – roughly 3 hours. Mid-way, we were stopped along the trail by several Cancha Cancha locals. They asked for money to continue their work along the trail. I respectfully declined (explaining that I was a volunteer in Peru) and urged Naywa to push on, as every minute at rest on the trail meant 5 more mosquito bites on my (vulnerable) legs.

We arrived back at the house at 5:00pm. We both slumped back in our chairs at the kitchen table and let out long-overdue sighs of exhaustion, resulting from a long day of hiking. I could feel the sore throat that I had woken up to worsening. I pushed my chair in and said my goodnights, knowing that a full night’s rest would recharge me for more difficult days to come.

Lindsay

The Past Few Days (posted by Kie)

2011-07-29T17:00:00.000-07:00

The past few days have been filled with Casa Mosqoy meetings, more video interviews with the prospective Mosqoy 4 students, and me working on leadership and teambuilding documents for the Mosqoy leaders as well as the potential incoming students. Writing and translating into Spanish when you’ve only been studying the language intensively for a month is not easy, but it’s good as it forces me to expand my vocabulary and improve my grammar.

In addition to the above, on Tuesday, Lindsay and I went to the weaving community of Amaru (about a 30-minute drive out of the popular market town, Pisac) with Ebhert, one of the Mosqoy leaders, to buy textiles and converse with the weavers and their President, Gregorio, about what kind of support they would like from the Mosqoy students. As Lindsay mentioned in her last blog post, one of Mosqoy’s goals is to implement a volunteer service program wherein the Mosqoy students give back to weaving communities in the Sacred Valley Region. I think that this initiative is quite important since the students receive scholarships from all around the world due to people’s generosity and this is a way for the students to give back. While the students may not have money to give to the weaving communities, they certainly acquire skills during their post-secondary education that could be really helpful to the communities.

Gregorio conversed with the weavers in Quechua and the weavers articulated that they would appreciate English classes, cooking classes, interior design support, help in the communal garden, and support with creating a brochure about Amaru(including a route on how to get there) so that the community can become more tourist-friendly.

It was interesting to see the differences between Amaru and Q’enqo. Amaru seemed quite a bit more developed: for example, they had a nice common area, a weaving centre and a beautiful communal garden. I don’t know if it’s because of its proximity to Pisac where perhaps the weavers can sell their goods more easily than the weavers of Q’enqo. Furthermore, the community of Amaru has taken some concrete steps to improve their situation: Gregorio has been working on setting up a small hostel and showed Lindsay and I a nice dorm-room which is almost ready for tourists.

I’m off to Ollantaytambo tomorrow to visit some students’ families and to conduct a couple of teambuilding/leadership sessions with the potential next generation of Mosqoy students. Today marks one more month of volunteer-work which is quite scary to think about as I feel like I still have so much left to do!

An offering of tea and bread in Amaru.

Grenadilla-type fruit.

Corn/mais.

Gregorio showing Lindsay and I the room he set up for tourists.

The weavers.

Weavings.

Lindsay & I with the Amaru weavers.

Adrian, Elvira and I had a couple of visitors at our Wednesday night meeting.

The Road Less Traveled (posted by Lindsay)

2011-07-25T11:43:00.000-07:00

I would not hesitate to characterize Peru as a tourist haven, so I have been particularly eager to venture off the beaten path and explore parts of Peru untouched by tourists. Yesterday, I accomplished just that.

At 5:00am, Kie and I struggled out of bed ready to start our day. At the breakfast table, we heard screams coming from outside: “por favor, por favor, por favor!” As we went to investigate, we saw a man on the street kneeling in a prayer-like position (we think he was heavily intoxicated). Our homestay family awoke and called the police. They arrived 10 minutes later and gave resolution to the situation.

As we got ready to leave the house, our homestay family in Cuzco (we jokingly refer to them as our Peruvian parents) expressed worry, as a parent would, about leaving the house before dawn. We assured Tula (our Peruvian mother) that we would be fine and she should not worry. We walked up the street to the bridge – our meeting point with the Peru Leaders (individuals tasked with supervising the Mosqoy students in Casa Mosqoy). 5:30am came and went (our agreed meeting time). We waited. And waited. And waited some more. Just as we were about to hop on a combi and attempt to find our own way to Q’enqo (an off-map community), the Peru Leaders arrived at 5:55am. I pointed to my watch as if it would mean something to them, but I am thoroughly confident that my point was not received.

The four of us (Kie, myself, and two Peru Leaders – Adrian and Elvira) jumped into a taxi headed for the bus/combi terminal (read: open-space with 3-4 idling buses). We boarded a combi along the Pisac route, and disembarked in a small town called Ccorao. We walked along the dirt road in the direction of our meeting point with the President of the weaving community. There was a thick layer of frost on the ground and the temperature was bone-chilling cold. I immediately regretted my decision to bring to South America only one pair of yoga pants and wondered how I would survive the cold nights in the weaving villages.

We stumbled upon a small road-side store and used a public telephone to call Bacelio, the President of the Q’enqo weaving community. He answered from Cuzco. “Cuzco?” I asked. Yes, Bacelio was in Cuzco. It became apparent that somewhere the lines were crossed between Bacelio and the Peru leaders. We asked Bacelio to return to Ccorao and meet us on the dirt road leading into town, as agreed upon (according to the Peru Leaders). The four of us turned around and walked back towards the main road. Half an hour later, Bacelio appeared, and we jumped into a taxi leaving for Q’enqo – a small weaving community nestled in the Andean mountain range. The drive was at least an hour, along a rocky/unmarked trail (I felt sorry for Bacelio, who had to ride in the hatch). I wondered to myself if taxi drivers incur as much in damage to their vehicles as they receive in payment.

We arrived in Q’enqo just before 9:00am, and were welcomed into Bacelio’s home. He served tea, coffee and bread and we discussed the itinerary for the day. The Peru Leaders raised to Bacelio issues the leaders have been experiencing, as of late, with Mosqoy students. On Bacelio’s recommendation, we paid a visit to one of the student’s families. Just as we were about to leave, I was reminded of why I should not have had coffee to drink – a natural diuretic. I pushed open the door to the restroom and was confronted with an African-style toilet (essentially, a hole in the ground with two footsteps). I sat pondering for a few minutes, wondering if I could manage the day if I were to pass on the opportunity. Although I had lived in Africa and encountered nothing but this style of toilet, I have somehow never managed to master the ability.

We were welcomed by the student’s family. The family spoke only Quechua (a dialect unique to Andean communities), so Kie and I sat on a wooden log as the Peru Leaders spoke with the student’s parents. I contributed a nod of the head every few minutes or so, to communicate to the family that I was engaged and in the loop of what was going on. Although I could not understand what was being said, I could see disappointment in the mother’s eyes. I studied her facial expressions closely throughout the meeting to see if I could make out what the Peru Leaders were saying.

We spent about an hour at the student’s home and then walked down the dirt road to Bacelio’s home where we would meet with the weavers. We sat in the sun and were served potato soup. Not too long after, we were joined by the weavers and our meeting began. With the help of Adrian and Elvira, I explained to the community our aim of establishing a volunteer service program, wherein Mosqoy students would give back to the weaving communities in the Sacred Valley region, and asked about needs in the community of Q’enqo. Bacelio explained the need for Spanish and cooking classes as well as the desire for administrative/tourism support from Mosqoy students. Another weaver raised the need for family planning workshops and increased education around opportunities for youth. I filled pages of my notebook with notes and promised to return to the community in mid-August to further discuss these project ideas.

I thanked Bacelio and the weavers and inquired about the textile order I was to pick-up and pay for on behalf of the Q’ente Textile Revitalization Society. Within a matter of minutes, the weavers left and returned with the textile pieces they were responsible for making. The pieces were laid out on a blanket for me to inspect and we began the long, arduous process of labeling and recording each piece. I settled payment with Bacelio and we were invited, once again, to eat – this time, cheese and bread that I had purchased on behalf of Q’ente and gave as an offering to the community, fresh tomatoes and cucumbers and an enormous pile of fire-roasted potatoes.

Bacelio explained that our taxi would not return for 2 or so hours, so the four of us agreed to attempt the 3-hour hike back to Ccorao. Although the trail was challenging and largely unmaintained (I struggled to catch my breath climbing up at least one mountain), we were rewarded with spectacular views of rolling mountains, a tranquil lake (Lago Q’oricocha) and herds of animals in their natural habitat - wild pigs, sheep, alpacas, and donkeys. I smiled to myself, knowing that, often, the road less traveled, is the road most rewarding.

We found ourselves back in Ccorao just before 4:00pm. We sat waiting on the paved road for a combi heading in the direction of Cuzco. Four combis passed us by. The combis were so full that people were pressed up against the front, side and back windows. I could feel my stomach turning, not sure what this would hold for the 30 minute bus ride back to Cuzco. A few minutes later, a combi stopped and we were quick to jump on and secure a place to stand. The combi was stale and I had little room to breathe, sandwiched in between locals. The churning in my stomach was worsening and I began to feel a combination of dizziness and faintness. It was in this moment that I really began to worry that I would not make it back to Cuzco without seeing the contents of my stomach somewhere in the combi. I rested my head on the seat in front and tried not to think about the moments impending. As we approached Cuzco, the bus became half-empty and I welcomed the opportunity to sit and encourage my stomach to calm. Thoughts of the day ran through my head, and I tried to rationalize which meal had caused me upset. “Las papas” (potatoes), Elvira said. “Did you eat the potatoes?” “Yes,” I said groaning and holding my stomach. “They were not clean,” she explained. I gave myself a hard mental kick, because just the night before we had discussed how, with my weak stomach, I should refuse any and all community offerings. Although my stomach eventually did calm, the potatoes served as a crude reminder of why I should not accept offerings in the remote weaving villages. Lesson learned, at least for now…

Tomorrow morning, I leave for the weaving communities of Amaru, Huaran, Calca and Cancha Cancha, and so will be out of reach for several days. I look forward to reporting back on my adventures when I return.

Thanks for tuning in,

Lindsay

Video Interviews in Ollantaytambo (posted by Kie)

2011-07-22T16:43:00.000-07:00

Lindsay and I have spent the past few days in Ollantaytambo conducting meetings and interviews with the current and incoming Mosqoy students. Ollantaytambo is a quaint little town and during my time off I have been spending my days here cooking (to be honest, my contribution has mostly been peeling potatoes), walking around and playing Frisbee with one of the children of the family that Lindsay and I have been staying with. On Wednesday I went for a walk a little-ways out of town and on my way back, I managed to come across some unmaintained ruins. After hiking for about 30-40 minutes with no tourists around, I realized that the unmaintained ruins were connected to the “official ruins” which was quite cool and it was interesting to see the contrast between the unmaintained ruins and the official ruins.

In terms of the potential incoming student video-interviews, Lindsay and I have completed three so far (it has been really fun to interview them in Spanish while of course stumbling over the pronunciation of a few words!). In the past two days, we have interviewed Rosmery, Eurelesis and Karina, all young women from the Ollantaytambo area who have recently graduated from high school. The young women are all very mature for their age as they have had much responsibility placed on them at such a young age. For example, while Karina was attending high school, she also had to work and do household chores such as cook and clean since her mother has not lived at home for years and consequently, she has had to support her father and two younger brothers. She noted that even when she moves to Cusco for post-secondary studies, in addition to studying, she plans to work part-time so that she can continue supporting her father and two younger brothers.

Lindsay and I found that all three applicants were very well-spoken and put thought into their answers. They also all seem to genuinely want to help others and their communities and are confident in what they want to study (two of them want to study nursing and one wants to study hotel administration). It was nice to see that they all want to come back to the Ollantaytambo area after they complete their studies in order to give back to their communities. Eurelesis mentioned that she was interested in starting a health program in Ollantaytambo and Karina would like to open up a pharmacy.

Initially I wasn’ t really sure what to expect during the video interviews, but I was pleasantly surprised to find that all of the interviewees so far have been candid and open during their interviews as well as eager to engage with Lindsay and I.

Tomorrow Lindsay, Rolando and I will be hosting a Mosqoy 2, 3 and 4 general meeting (with the students and their parents) to discuss the graduation ceremony, sponsor letters and questionnaires (to monitor the students’ progress). The meeting was announced on the local radio today which was quite exciting!

~Kie

Karina

Eurelesis

Rosmery

The market in Ollantaytambo

Me in the kitchen before preparing locro de zapallo

Me in the Ollantaytambo ruins!

Yo Soy Voluntario (posted by Lindsay)

2011-07-20T14:07:00.000-07:00

This week has been filled with as much adventure as it has frustration. Born from a culture that revolves around time and timeliness, it is frustrating to not only join, but to work in a culture where the same appreciation for time is not shared. Coordination meetings have been late to start, or, in some cases, expected attendees fail to show altogether. However, more and more, I am able to laugh my frustrations away. And, I suppose the bright side of recently failed and/or deferred meetings is that I found myself with a weekend free to explore the surroundings of Cuzco: Tipón, Piquillacta and Pisac.

Tipón, Piquillacta and Pisac

On Saturday, I hopped a combi to Tipón, a small town on the outskirts of Cuzco. The town is known to tourists for its ruins, but is known only to locals for “cuy” (guinea pig). Together with two of my housemates, I negotiated a taxi to drive us up the steep mountain to the base of the Tipón ruins. Not keen to pay the high entrance fee to the ruins (I take after my father), I spent the afternoon descending the mountain on foot, stopping every now and then for a photo and the opportunity to interact with passing locals. I waited 30 minutes at the base of the mountain to re-join my housemates, and then we set off for the ruins of Piquillacta, only 10 minutes by taxi. Late afternoon, we made our way back to Tipón, stopping off at a local restaurant (read: open grill on the side of the road) to indulge in a local delicacy: “cuy” (guinea pig). Though, I quite enjoyed guinea pig, I admit that the meat was far too rich for my liking.

I spent much of Sunday wondering about the Pisac markets and exchanging pleasantries with locals. The streets of Pisac were filled with festivities – traditional music and dance, colourful/extravagant costumes, and a sea of empty Inka Kola/Cusqueña beer bottles! I was really taken with the expression of culture in Pisac, and because words cannot do it justice, I am attaching a few photos below.

Ollantaytambo

Kie and I arrived in Ollantaytambo yesterday afternoon and settled into our family’s home. The family is pleasant and the children, for the most part, are keen to interact with us. Nelson (3 years old), however, did not warm to us immediately. Nelson greeted us wielding a broomstick and made several attempts to counteract (verbally and physically) the flame we had burning for hot water. After a few swings with the broom, I turned to Nelson and said with a firm voice, “es malo!” (in English, “that is bad!”) and he took off crying in the corner. I am semi-confident that he learned his lesson, because he had only hugs and niceties to offer in the evening.

My first impressions of Ollantaytambo are encouraging. Although Ollantaytambo is much smaller than Cuzco, I much prefer the tranquility of Ollantaytambo. The streets of Ollantaytambo are narrow and constructed of cobblestone as they are in Cuzco, however, the streets of Ollantaytambo are guarded by large stone walls (similar to a fortress!) reminiscent of Inca civilization.

As my work begins here in Peru, I find myself excited, yet at the same time anxious. My Spanish is manageable, but by no means perfect…

Leaving Peru, my goal is that I am able to contribute to something both tangible and sustainable and leave with good faith that I have in some way made an impact, however small.

Lindsay

And the volunteering starts! (posted by Kie)

2011-07-19T08:09:00.000-07:00

On Sunday night Lindsay and I met with all of the Mosqoy leaders at Casa Mosqoy where they and all of the students live. It was exciting to go there and finally meet all of the leaders (Ebhert, Elvira, Adrian and Rolando) together to kick-start the volunteer work that Lindsay and I will be doing in Cusco, Ollantaytambo and a few of the weaving communities.

For those who don’t know, the Mosqoy leaders are alumni who graduated from their post-secondary institutions last year and have been hand-picked to act as leaders of the students who are currently studying. Each leader has a main responsibility which is specific to him/herself although they often collaborate and assist one another. For example, Ebhert is the activities coordinator, Adrian is the house supervisor, Elvira is in charge of issues related to the student volunteer program and education, and Rolando works as a communications liaison between Peru and Canada.

At the house, we went over Lindsay’s and my itinerary, discussed when certain tasks should take place and worked on figuring out logistics. It was an important meeting where we got to organize and plan the next week. Through interacting with each of the leaders, I observed that each of them took their roles quite seriously and really tried to hammer out the details of the itinerary which was helpful.

In other news, yesterday morning Lindsay and I met with Bacelio (a member of a weaving community in the Sacred Valley called Q’enqo) to buy yarn at a local shop near San Pedro Market. Next week we will be going to Q’enqoand Amaruto purchase some textiles for Mosqoy’s partner organization, Q’ente, which focuses on revitalizing and supporting the weaving communities in the Sacred Valley region. I think that they will be very interesting cultural experiences so I am very much looking forward to visiting the communities.

All About Food/Todo Sobre la Comida (posted by Kie)

2011-07-14T16:33:00.000-07:00

I believe that one of the richest ways to experience a different culture is to try their food. Southern Peruvian food consists of a lot of potatoes; lentils, beans and/or rice; and meat (chicken and beef being the most common, followed by pork and on special occasions duck, turkey or “cuy” ie. guinea pig). Alpaca steak is also a delicacy although I think it’s more commonly served in tourist restaurants than at home. While ceviche (raw fish marinated with citrus juices, spiced with chilli peppers and often served with chopped onions and avocado) is probably Peru’s most famous dish, it’s not too commonly consumed in Cuzco since the city does not lie on the coast.

In my experience of food here so far, it is rare to be served a meal without potatoes. It makes sense once you find out just how many varieties of potato are grown in Peru – over 2000! Apparently there are more kinds of potato grown in Peru than in any other country in the world. Furthermore, the diversity when it comes to corn is also quite incredible – there are approximately 35 different kinds of corn cultivated here. The locals not only use corn to prepare various dishes, but they use it to make a drink called “chicha” (one can have this drink cold, warm, non-alcoholic or alcoholic). So far throughout my stay in Cuzco, I have been served warm “chich morada” made with purple corn several times for breakfast. Though it’s not something that I might crave or order at a café or restaurant, with every mug I’m getting more accustomed to the taste.

Additionally, in order to explore the culture of Peruvian food, I’ve been attending cooking classes at FairPlay (my Spanish school), which take place every Tuesday. They’re a lot of fun not only because you get to help prepare the ingredients, but because you get to see the whole process of how a dish is made and socialize with some of the Spanish teachers and students. The first week we made lomo saltado which is a dish that consists of sauteed slices of beef, onions, tomatoes and fries served on rice. The second week we made causa rellena which is a mashed potato cake with chicken, avocado and mayonnaise inside (and topped with sliced tomatoes and onions as well as black olives). Finally, at the last cooking class we made tallarin verde con ocopa which is a green pesto-like pasta served with a boiled potato, hard-boiled eggs and aji (chilli sauce). All of them were really good, but I think my favourite was lomo saltado because of the variety of ingredients involved and the “papas fritas” (thick French fries) which were fried to perfection.

Other observations: Products that are definitely not consumed here as much as in Vancouver are milk (the amount of milk consumed in Peru is approximately 55 litres per capita whereas the amount of milk consumed in Canada is approximately 94 litres per capita), drip or espresso coffee (most people drink instant powdered coffee) and whole or multigrain bread. Ice cream is very popular and cheap here which is great since I am a pretty big proponent of ice cream. Inca Kola tastes like yellow cream soda and is owned by Coca Cola but I think it is rarely sold outside of Peru (and perhaps Bolivia).

Cheers everyone!

Kie

Machu Picchu: To 100 Years and 100 Years More (posted by Lindsay)

2011-07-14T11:00:00.000-07:00

My alarm clock sounded at 2:00am on Sunday morning and I awoke to join hundreds of sleepy-eyed tourists waiting to be taken by one of the most remarkable archaeological sites on the continent – Machu Picchu. I had taken the train from Poroy (a small town on the outskirts of Cuzco) to Aguas Calientes (often referred to as Machu Picchu Pueblo) the day before. Aguas Calientes is as small as it is monotonous. By my count, there are as many massage parlours as there are restaurants. I jokingly refer to Aguas Calientes and Cuzco as the massage capitals of the world.

Minutes before 6:00am, I joined the already well-formed line leading to the entrance of Machu Picchu and secured my place hopeful for the opportunity to obtain one of 400 daily climbing permits to Wayna Picchu (offered on a first-come, first-serve basis). Because Machu Picchu sees thousands of visitors daily, (understandably) the queue for climbing permits to Wayna Picchu is hostile and unsparing. Tourists are eager to police the line both verbally and physically and by no means hesitate to out others for unfair play. Callous it might be, I happily walked away with my climbing permit to Wayna Picchu (choosing to climb with the second group at 10:00am).

I pushed through the entrance gates to Machu Picchu just before sunrise. I stood tranquil, for a while, watching the first rays of sunlight blanket Machu Picchu. I felt restored and inspired to piece together the thoughts in my head. Traveling, particularly on my own, encourages me to reflect on what it is I want in life. And what I want is a life rich in and rounded by experience. It is my hope to someday flip through the pages of my life and feel confident that I have opened myself up to every experience possible: the good, the bad and the ugly.

I spent a good couple of hours exploring the ruins of Machu Picchu before heading to the entrance gates of Wayna Picchu. The Wayna Picchu climb was as difficult as it was steep. The altitude alone is enough to take your breath away. However, those that make it to the peak are rewarded with spectacular views of the ruins and surrounding mountains (not to mention bragging rights).

I descended Machu Picchu mid-afternoon, my legs still aching from the steep uphill battle with Wayna Picchu. I boarded a late afternoon train for Poroy (4 hours), and sat back in my chair watching towering mountain ranges disappear into the horizon. It was about mid-way through the journey when I became acutely aware of the black fly bites on my ankles (foresight was somewhere lost in my excitement). [Though, I suppose this will toughen me for the infamous puri puri awaiting foreign flesh, when I make my way overland to the Gran Sabana region of Venezuela in November]. I arrived at the train station at 8:30pm and was surprised (but, at the same time, not) to find that buses were no longer running to Cuzco. Annoyed at the idea of paying for a taxi, I bartered with three tourists from mainland China for an impromptu “ride-hitch” into Cuzco. I could not have asked for a more interesting or better way to round out a fantastic weekend spent at Machu Picchu…

Cheers, Machu Picchu, to 100 years and 100 years more!

Lindsay

Cultural Observations (posted by Kie)

2011-07-06T09:30:00.001-07:00

1. Fiestas & Parades Galore

What I have noticed in Cuzco (and which I similarly noticed in Bolivia) is that they really enjoy their fiestas and parades. It seems as though there is a parade or fiesta of some sort almost every day. There were fireworks on the night of my arrival in Cuzco (which I got a great view of from my homestay family’s house) and it was quite humorous as nobody even knew what the occasion was for setting them off.

Additionally, El Dia de San Pedro (The Day of the Saint San Pedro) was last Wednesday and the procession of the saints throughout the city proceeded to take another 5-6 days. The procession not only involved the saints, but many people dressed up in various traditional costumes dancing on the streets as well as their accompanying bands.

This weekend I will probably witness even more celebrations since I am planning to visit Machu Picchu and the 100th Anniversary of Machu Picchu is on Monday, July 11th.

2. Being Asian in Peru

Another interesting cultural phenomenon which I have experienced in Cuzco is being called “China” or “Chinita” on the street by the locals. I am not sure why but people seem to like pointing out that I am Asian. It’s not done in a harmful way but I do feel a bit odd having the spotlight randomly put on me when I am making my way around the city. There was also an instance when a local joked that I was “Keiko” (Fujimori), one of the candidates who recently ran in the presidential elections of Peru.

It seems as though many people here tend to think that most Asian cultures are interchangeable and in various conversations I have had to explain the differences between Chinese and Japanese culture. For example, many people think that the Chinese and Japanese languages are the same (not realizing that even within Chinese culture itself there are two main languages and many dialects). Explaining that I’m from Vancouver or Canada has been met with mixed results (most people seem to want me to say that I am from somewhere in Asia and probe until I say where my parents are from).

One thing that’s for sure is that Peruvians definitely like their Chinese food (their version is called "chifa"). There are a ton of Chinese restaurants in Cuzco. I’ll have to try one out to compare the Chinese food here to that which is served back home.

3. A Visit to Almudena Cemetery

On Monday I visited one of the largest cemeteries in Cuzco where the graves are very unique. The tombs are stacked up on top of each other and each tomb has its own window behind which people can place flowers, photographs as well as little mementos which relate to the person. Many windows had plastic miniature bottles of beer and Coca Cola which was pretty interesting. Some even had miniature crates of beer and a special Peruvian dish purchased from one of the local vendors just outside the cemetery (the special dish consisting of cheese, cuy (guinea pig), chicken and a few other sides).

Moreover, I learned that the bigger tombs have the actual corpses behind the windows and the smaller tombs are for individuals who were cremated. There were also mausoleums for families and important individuals from Cuzco. And of course when I was exiting the cemetery, a parade was just entering!

The following is a picture that I took at Almudena Cemetery (I will try to attach more pictures later as the internet connection I have now is not the best):

-Kie

Ramblings of a Backpacker (posted by Lindsay)

2011-07-04T05:48:00.000-07:00

If you have ever been to Cuzco, you know just how unforgiving the climate can be. The skies have been filled with menacing clouds and heavy rains these past few days (uncommon this time of year) and the temperature has been dipping below zero at night (normal this time of year). Because the water system is solar-powered in many Cuzco homes, a sunless sky has meant running water cold enough to freeze. For me, this has meant seeking solace in my bed and four consecutive days without a shower. Though, I enjoy the challenge and embrace the opportunity to devise creative solutions; for instance, shower by “wetnap.” Besides, what would travel be if not for the trials and tribulations? I believe them to be a necessary part of travel and I am confident that you learn equally from the negative as you do the positive.

Having traveled to parts of Africa, Asia and islands in the Caribbean and South Pacific, I recognize that fair features invite curious/leering eyes. Though, I am surprised that this has been nothing short of true in Cuzco, a town well-visited by tourists and foreigners alike. I find myself all too often the subject of probing eyes and obnoxious honking on the streets of Cuzco. Though, if my time in Brazil has taught me anything, Brazil taught me how to play an aggressive game of eye hockey. Exploring the precarious streets of Rio de Janeiro (a city that sees the devil’s share of violent crime), I learned the necessity of locking eyes with locals, projecting confidence and resilience. This has been a similarly useful technique in Peru, helping to defuse a sometimes uncomfortable stare.

Aside from curious advances, I feel rather secure walking the streets of Cuzco. Peruvians are, for the most part, gregarious and sympathetic. I sure wish I could say the same for cars…My heels have been nearly pinched a few times by aggressive and egocentric drivers. I have quickly learned that four wheels rule the road (and sidewalk) in Cuzco.

My Spanish is improving by the day. I am more confident in my interactions with locals and find myself eager to introduce new words into my vocabulary. Though, I remain humble in my abilities, and welcome corrections and new learnings from children as young as three. Learning a new language, I find, can be exhausting at times. And so, next weekend I have planned a well-deserved break from Spanish lessons – a visit to Machu Picchu!

Note: I am attaching photos taken at a local festival in Cuzco, "El Dia de San Pedro" (The Day of the Saint San Pedro).

Lindsay

Cusco – A Different Perspective (posted by Kie)

2011-06-30T14:51:00.000-07:00

One can experience the same city in many different ways. Though I travelled to Cusco four years ago, my experience this time stands in stark contrast to when I was last here. This time around I am living with a host family a little bit away from the city centre and have been making a conscious effort to come “home” for most meals so that I can converse with the host family. Secondly, living away from the city centre and my Spanish school means that I have experimented with various modes of getting myself around the city such as walking, taking the combis (overcrowded mini-vans which are mostly meant for locals rather than tourists) and taxis. The combis are definitely an interesting experience as you get to interact with the locals a bit (even if it is just sitting really squished next to them) and sitting by the door can give you a bit of an adrenaline rush since the combis often start driving before the door is even closed (bear in mind the fact that the drivers in Cusco don’t really follow any rules and pedestrians never have right-of-way).

After my arrival in Cusco early Monday morning, I dived into my Spanish classes at FairPlay right away. I have been taking 2 hours of grammar and 2 hours of practical Spanish every day. The grammar and practical Spanish classes complement each other as the grammar lessons gives you the basic tools to construct sentences and the practical classes allow you to practice what you’ve learned. The practical classes are also a great way to experience the city. For example, my practical Spanish teacher has taken me to El Mercado San Pedro where we looked at and discussed the many fruits and vegetables and she has also taken me to her daughter’s school recital where I was able to watch various traditional dances performed by children ranging from the ages of 3 to 11. FairPlay, the school where I am taking my Spanish classes, is quite unique as all of the teachers are single mothers who were struggling economically and socially but after enduring eight months of rigorous training, completing 30 exams and monthly evaluations, they are now excellent teachers. Moreover, FairPlay is not only a Spanish school but they organize for volunteer work and run cooking and Spanish classes (I participated in their cooking class on Tuesday night where we made a traditional Peruvian dish called lomo saltado which consists of beef, fried potatoes, red peppers and rice).

For those who have yet to visit Cusco, it’s a very beautiful city full of cobblestone streets and one can definitely feel the mixture of the Spanish and Incan influences – the Spanish built the city on top of Incan ruins. Because of the high influx of tourists, there are now many travel agencies, restaurants, cafes and bars geared towards tourists. However, the local Andean culture is still very visible and poverty is still a pressing problem. Nevertheless, I have noticed that people here really look out for each other (even the children).

Signing off, I leave you with some pictures of Cusco:

Mi Casa, Cuzco (posted by Lindsay)

2011-06-29T10:51:00.000-07:00

Having just spent two weeks taking in the warm-weathered beaches of Brazil, I was immediately struck by the cold and unsympathetic weather in Cuzco, Peru. My first breath in Cuzco was a difficult one; at an altitude of 3300 metres, I feel my lungs working twice as hard on inhalation. Though, I am happy to report that I have not succumbed to altitude sickness – I credit steady consumption of mate de coca (coca tea).

Countless travel guides (mine included) paint Cuzco as the gem of the Peruvian Andes – is it ever! I often find myself lost in the culture and landscape that, together, make Cuzco such a beautiful and unique city. The surrounding mountains are decorated with ruins, beckoning tourists to venture off trail…

Over the next three weeks, I will be taking Spanish classes at an organization called FairPlay in Cuzco. FairPlay took root in 2006 and has since trained 32 single mothers in Cuzco to become Spanish teachers. I spend a welcomed four hours a day in Spanish class, my time divided equally into grammar and practical lessons. Walking to and from classes at FairPlay has become a new pastime of mine. Although I could easily and affordably take a taxi or ‘colectivo’ (read: overcrowded mini-bus) to FairPlay, the 45-minute walk (each way) allows me time to absorb and reflect on my new environment.

Learning a new language is equally rewarding as it is trying...I do appreciate the small steps of learning, however, it is highly frustrating when your contributions at the dinner table are limited to the day, month and season (I concede that even my Brazilian Portuguese is better than my Spanish). At times, I struggle with pronunciation – my Spanish teacher sure gets a laugh when I confuse “Hombre” (man) and “Hambre” (the verb for hunger). She explained that confusing the two words could land me in a rather awkward predicament. I recognize that my learning curve is steep; however, I am confident that, in time, my Spanish will improve.

Despite only having been in Cuzco for three days, I feel welcomed and settled in my family’s home. I am grateful for their generosity and hospitality and for their continued patience while I transition into a new language and culture. The perception that Peruvian families showcase hospitality on a plate has never been more true – I have been indulging in many traditional/homemade Peruvian dishes. (It is not an overstatement to say that I have eaten better in Cuzco in one day than I have two weeks in Brazil).

I am happy to be able to call Peru home, at least for a little while…

Lindsay

Gone South (posted by Lindsay)

2011-06-18T15:06:00.000-07:00

Travel has taught me some of life’s most important lessons. Travel has taught me independence, humility, spontaneity and adaptability. I have learned to seize the good, absorb the unexpected and stand resilient to the challenges. In many ways, travel has shaped my character and will indefinitely drive the person I want to become.

Knowing this, it is no surprise that I jumped at the opportunity to participate in the Education Generation Fellowship in the Scared Valley region of Peru. The annual Fellowship program sends volunteer fellows overseas to enhance relationships with, and support education partners on the ground.

This summer, I will be partnering with Education Generation’s partner Mosqoy: Sacred Valley Youth Fund in Peru. Mosqoy is dedicated to providing education opportunities for youth and helping communities in the Sacred Valley region of Peru to achieve sustainable development. The objectives are realized by providing young leaders with scholarships enabling them to continue their studies and help their families break the cycle of poverty.

Mosqoy is further committed to the preservation of traditional Quechua values, and works in collaboration with the Q’ente Textile Revitalization Society to maintain and foster cultural and historical integrity through the Quechua weaving tradition. Q’ente works directly with weavers from the Sacred Valley region to provide them a fair trade outlet to sell textiles in North America.

During the Fellowship experience, I will work on the Base Program as well as a Focus Project (Kallpa K’oj Program).

Base Program

As part of the Base Program, I will be working directly with students to provide a communication liaison and document the work of the Peruvian students by completing progress updates for donors. In addition, I will assist with the transition of students, including organizing the graduation ceremony for existing Mosqoy students, and integrating new students into the program. Other activities will include, student mentorship, program evaluation, visits with the families of the students, English language training; and participation in student selection and other initiatives, such as income generation projects.

Focus Project – Kallpa K’oj Program

Kallpa K’oj is Quechua for “giving back energy” and is a Mosqoy student volunteer service program designed to support traditional weaving communities in the Sacred Valley region. As a condition of their scholarships, Mosqoy students are required to give back 30 hours of community service for every academic year.

The Program are goals are to: 1) maintain cultural ties with weaving communities; 2) support Q’ente weaving communities; 3) give back to the Q’ente Textile Revitalization Society; 4) instill leadership qualities in Mosqoy students; and 5) teach students the value of giving and reciprocity. The Program entails four phases:

Phase 1: Foster community awareness and buy-in of the Program

Phase 2: Initiate community needs assessment and co-development of volunteer service projects with each weaving community

Phase 3: Finalize the Program, including volunteer service projects, timeline and implementation strategy

Phase 4: Implement volunteer projects, including student selection and training

Phase 1 of the Kallpa K’oj Program is complete. I will focus on Phases 2 and 3 which will involve traveling on foot or by cattle truck/bus to a number of traditional weaving communities in the Sacred Valley region of Peru (Q’enqo, Pisac, Huaran, Calca, Cancha Cancha, Bombon, Parobamba, Pitukiska, Amparaes, Amaru, Pachar). I will meet with weavers and leaders in the communities and co-develop volunteer service projects which may include, literacy training, cooking classes, and Spanish language training. The Kallpa K’oj Program is based on reciprocity and knowledge exchange, and with that in mind, I will also work with each weaving community to establish reciprocity initiatives, such that the community craftspeople will teach Mosqoy students traditional weaving and dying methods.

Between Fellowship activities, I will backpack through Peru, Bolivia, Ecuador, Chile, Argentina, Uruguay, Brazil, and, time permitting, Venezuela.

Regular blog updates will begin the week of June 27th.

Hasta Luego!

Lindsay

New Beginnings (posted by Kie)

2011-06-09T00:18:00.000-07:00

Welcome everyone to my first entry on Education Generation's blog!

My name is Kie and I will be traveling to Peru this summer to embark on a unique experience: that of volunteering with youth in the Sacred Valley. I will be working with Education Generation and their partner Mosqoy in Peru, both of which are organizations that provide merit-based scholarships to students who want the opportunity to attend post-secondary education but do not have the financial means to do so.

I have outlined a few of my fellowship goals below:

1) Monitor, document and evaluate the progress and development of the Mosqoy students and alumni.

2) Assist in planning a graduation ceremony, student daytrip and community-wide event in Ollantaytambo.

3) Facilitate teambuilding and leadership sessions for the Mosqoy leaders (four alumni who have been handpicked to lead other students based on their skills and achievements).

Another exciting project that I will get to be a part of is creating a library in Q’enqo, a weaving community in the Sacred Valley, for which a grade three class in Calgary fundraised over $400. This is a project I am really thrilled about because the kids in Calgary as well as their teachers are so excited that their funds raised will actually make a concrete difference. It’s also a great example of youth helping youth.

Though I’ve been to Peru before, I know that this experience will be like no other and will open my eyes in ways that I can’t even yet imagine. I know there will be times when I will feel amazed and inspired, and other times when I might feel like pulling my hair out. Either way, both types of experiences are necessary to learning. I hope to come out of Peru knowing not only that I have made a tangible difference, but that the projects that I have worked on will be sustainable for local Peruvians to eventually take over the reins.

Life is too short to wait around for something to happen. In order to grow, and live life fully, one has to face challenges and try new things.

Here’s to Peru,

Kie

P.S. I will be updating on here regularly starting the week of June 27th.

Here's a map showing some of the places I'll be:
Cusco (first 3 weeks); Ollantaytambo (most of the subsequent 6 weeks); Q'enqo (1-2 days); various weaving villages not on this map - Parobamba, Bombom and Pitukiska (4 days)

And it’s over….Closing thoughts

2010-08-09T12:35:00.000-07:00

Before I had set out on this adventure, I was afraid. Until a few weeks before the trip, it did not really hit me that I would be living for 2.5 months in a completely foreign environment, a completely foreign culture, and speaking a completely different language. Not only that, I had to actually WORK in this very same country, culture and language. I got very nervous…but, nonetheless, decided to challenge myself, suck up the fears, and get the most out of the experience.

Back in April, sitting in my cozy room in Vancouver, I could not even begin to imagine what my experience would be like in Peru. I knew a little bit about the country, and I knew quite a lot about the programs I would be working with- but what I would experience on a daily basis, and how I would feel in those foreign environments…was completely unknown to me. That was probably the very thing that scared me. But, I told myself, that there is no point to mull things over you cannot change or do anything about- and so I sat on that plane- open, willing to learn, embrace, and help. And very, very nervous. More like- extremely nervous.

In retrospective, I am glad that I didn’t let the fear or nervousness take hold of me because the time in that beautiful country, with such exceptional students as my friends, was one of the most memorable experiences of my life.

The more I try to fit my fellowship into a few descriptive words, the more I realize that the experience was indescribable. It was…to sound cliché, amazing. There really are no other words to describe it, honestly! The experience was beautiful, challenging, fun, difficult, sad, inspiring, stunning, tiring, incredible…if I try to find more words! Waking up in the Andean mountains, having breakfast with a Peruvian family, and then working during the day, meeting students and families, learning about the way people live, hearing their stories, their wants, needs, wishes…it was an experience that I will never forget. It was a true immersion into a culture that is so rich and so inviting.

The experience would also be nothing without the immediate friendships that I had made with the Mosqoy students. They are mature, enthusiastic, and friendly students who are eager to take on the world and the new opportunities being presented to them. I felt so fortunate to be working with organizations that are truly making a difference in the Peruvian communities and helping all these wonderful people I had met.

Thinking about the experience, here are a few thoughts that I’ve been having.

Making a difference – One student wrote to me after the trip:

“Thank you for giving me strength to keep going and never give up.”

It really moved me and made me think. My work in Peru did not change the world. What I realized and saw firsthand, however, is how we can all make a difference. There is no impact too small. One, two, or four hundred kind acts…they all help and in turn create a ripple effect. The work that Mosqoy and Education Generation do, helps out, not only the student, but their families, and their communities as well. Act by act; empowering people to make a difference themselves - that’s how you change the world. I saw for the first time, however, to what extent this actually works. Lives are being changed. Families are being changed. Communities are being changed. All because everybody is doing their part in helping. It was incredibly inspiring and moving.

I will always remember how eager the students were when they talked about the program. How incredibly excited and hopeful their parents and families were when they would think of all the opportunities their child’s education would bring to their families. They would always ask if this program would go on for longer because it is so important to them. I will never forget that.

Challenge and growth- One of the remarkable things about the fellowship is that, as I’ve mentioned before, it’s a challenge. It’s a different life- sometimes without showers or comfortable beds. Sometimes with different food or different customs. Sometimes you love it and other times you’re frustrated with it. But I would not trade my fellowship experience for the world. It was incredibly fun, but at the same time I really had to push myself to adapt to the life.

It was really powerful waking up in small villages and not thinking about what I was going to wear or stressing about what people will think if my jeans are a little dirty. Seeing that some families do not have proper kitchens, electricity, or even running water, really shifts one’s priorities. It makes me feel ashamed that I am stressing about getting the new iPhone while my Mosqoy friends live completely simple and basic lives. The thing that got to me the most was, that they were all incredibly happy- while I, who has a ‘higher standard of living’, could list many more problems in my life. I saw that you don’t need much to be happy and sometimes even felt ashamed at how spoiled I was. In Vancouver, I get bogged down by superficial and material things (which ultimately cannot be real sources of happiness), and as such automatically set myself up for failure and unhappiness. It was refreshing to live life with different priorities.

I’m starting to ramble now, but those are a few thoughts I’ve been having.

Overall, it was an incredible experience, in an incredible country, with even more incredible people. I hope that you enjoyed reading this blog and finding out more about the trip. I also hope that it inspired you just a little more to make your small difference that will ripple, and go a long way in communities all around the world.

The Last Few Days

2010-08-09T10:21:00.000-07:00

First off, I cannot continue writing without apologizing for the delay in blogging. A fortunate and unfortunate turn of events kept me off the computer for way too long- and I didn’t get a chance to finish blogging about my last little bit of the trip.

At the end of June, I had gotten pretty bad food poisoning that kept me off the internet for a while, but quickly recovered when my sister, Mila (an Education Generation volunteer as well) came to visit Mosqoy and me in Peru for the last part of the trip!

It was so fantastic to have Mila there to see both my work, but also to meet the students and see the program she’s been working with for years. We got to hang out with students, help out, and also hold our big community event. And of course, in between Mosqoy activities we also did some great tourist sightseeing and visited Machu Picchu and Lake Titicaca. Stunning!
The big community event that I organized with Mosqoy 3 students was a soccer and volleyball championship. It was a completely different experience organizing an event in Peru as the cultural differences really come to shine during times like that. In the small town of Ollantaytambo, communication and organization methods are much more different and it was a fun (and sometimes very frustrating while learning) challenge adapting to those differences and still making sure everything runs smoothly. Luckily as the event unfolded, all worries quickly disappeared. The students really impressed me with their initiative and leadership keenness. Even things that we never discussed were taken care of, and the Mosqoy 3 students kept on running up and down making sure everything was under control. The strength of the program really came to light during the event, as both Mosqoy 1 and Mosqoy 2 students showed up to help out and compete at the event.

During Mila’s stay in Peru, we also participated and helped out during the recruitment and selection of Mosqoy 4 students. Not only is Mosqoy 3 just starting their studies, but also it is time to think ahead and start the selection process for Mosqoy 4. We were part of Mosqoy 4 meetings with students and their families, as well as the introduction of the Mosqoy program to a new high school in a nearby village, where we hope to recruit students from. It was very interesting to watch the student’s faces as they learn about the program- a mixture of confusion, awe, and disbelief that something like this is happening and is real. I am sure we will be hearing much more about Mosqoy 4 students in the next year.

In between these Mosqoy activities, we also went to Machu Picchu and Lake Titicaca. There are really no words to describe this beautiful country. We are so incredibly lucky to have seen the many sides of Peru.
Check out some of the photos below:
High School seniors at Colegio Ollantay listening to a presentation about Mosqoy 4.

Mila and I in Machu Picchu!

Students competing in the Soccer and Volleyball Community Championship organized by Mosqoy students.

Teaming competing during the community event. This is the Colegio Ollantay- the high school where a lot of the Mosqoy students went to school.

Mila with Mosqoy 1 leaders

With Mosqoy 3 students at the community event.

Mosqoy 3 Day Trip!

2010-06-26T17:08:00.000-07:00

Part of my work with Mosqoy 3 is to integrate the new generation of students into the Mosqoy program. In addition, I am working towards creating a cohesive bond between the students and facilitating teambuilding events and exercises.

Today, I went with the students on a day trip to nearby ruins by the name of Pumamarka. We met in Ollantaytambo at 6:30 AM (and then waited until 8:30 for all the students to arrive. This is what they call ‘hora peruana’ or in other words the great tendency for things to be late). We then bought all of our daily supplies, and set out on the hike.

Just like anywhere in Peru, the scenery is stunning. We walked along the rolling mountains, passed small villages, and laughed along the way. Once we have finally arrived to the ruins (they always have to be on top of the mountains! We were exhausted by the time we got there), we immediately opened the food. Sitting in what used to be the room of a general Inca, we ate papaya and got to know each other better. We then played many games (I managed to explain the game ‘I have never’ to them in Spanish), listened to music, and had a meeting regarding our sports championship event on July 3rd.

The students are bright young adults and it’s a pleasure to hang out with them. Regardless of culture, teenagers are still teenagers, and we joked about love, were self-conscious of dancing in front of others, and were quick to tease each other.

Enjoy the photos from the trip below (note: blogger is acting up again and the formating is a bit strange. I apologize):

On the hike up!

Near the top.

Mosqoy 3!

Visiting a student in Kishuara!

2010-06-24T16:58:00.000-07:00

Most of the Mosqoy students live in the communities around Ollantaytambo, but there are a few that have families in villages much farther. Johnny is one of the Mosqoy 3 students who lives and went to school in Ollantaytambo, however, his family still lives in village more than 12 hours away.

I have visited all of the students in their homes, and have decided to not skip out on visiting Johnny’s family as well. I felt like I had spent that whole week on a bus because between the Nazca trip and the many buses to get to Johnny’s house, my other permanent home was the cramped seat of Peruvian bus companies.

We arrived to Johnny’s village at 4AM and then had to hike for an hour in the dark to get to his house. After some sleep we went sightseeing in the beautiful mountains (on horses!!! I rode a horse!) and drank fresh milk. Part of the trip consisted of getting to know his family and his surroundings, and so we visited his many uncles and aunts and were well fed in every house.

It is both heartbreaking and beautiful to see the houses of all the people. The people live completely different lives- in dirt houses, with no electricity or water...they go to bed with the sun and they rise with the roosters. It is a simpler life, but also a much more difficult life. In just the few days that I was there, I cannot say I was living in luxury and comfort. If I had to spend my life there, with my Western customs, I would have a list of complaints and difficulties in my life. But when you ask the students if they perceive to have any difficulties in their lives- they never say they do. They work in the fields in the mornings before school, don’t have the ability to pay for their education or any form of luxury in their lives, they often have many struggles with their parents, illnesses or other problems...but even after all of that, I haven’t had a single student complain a lot when asked about difficulties in their lives.

The second day of the trip we went to the nearby ruins to enjoy the festivities that were going on that week. The ceremony occurred with a beautiful backdrop of impressive mountains and beautiful ruins. To get there we had to take a truck which loaded all the people in the back. It was by far the scariest moment of my life and I had never so seriously thought I would die. The bus drove along a tiny, bumpy, and unfinished road. At one point it got to a really muddy hill through which it could not pass very easily. To the left of us was a massive cliff and the truck swayed left and right as it passed the hill. We were all convinced we would flip over. As the bus swayed left and right, dangerously close to the edge of the cliff, the people were screaming and crying out for God. The whole truck was falling on each other and holding on to each other’s tshirt as people around me screamed out “I have not done anything wrong. WHY GOD??” I was petrified. Thankfully, we passed the muddy part and safely arrived to our destination.

The rest of the trip went without a glitch and we had returned safely back to Ollantaytambo.

Enjoy the photos below!

Picking corn for lunch.

Johnny´s sister and mother..

Johnny

Little Vacation!

2010-06-24T16:46:00.000-07:00

After a lot of hard work, I decided to take a little vacation this past weekend! It has been a lot of work in the past few weeks, and I decided to relax and treat myself to a short vacation to visit Nazca and Ica. I went with four awesome friends I had met in Spanish school and we had a great time!

Nazca is most known for the Nazca lines which are a pure miracle etched into earth. To view these earth carvings, we had to take a plane and fly over the figures of monkeys, eagles, aliens, and other things. It is still unsure as to how and why these ancient carvings exist, but they are really spectacular to see. Although the plane ride in the tiny plane made me slightly nauseous, it was very worth it!

The rest of the trip we spent in a place called Huacachina, which is the home of the spectacular lagoon situated amidst endless sand dunes. It is an absolutely beautiful sight, and there is nothing more that I enjoy than some sand water! The coolest part about the trip was the sand dunning that we did in the desert! A buggy car drove us through the desert (which was really a roller-coaster ride and attraction in itself) and would stop at steep hills for us to slide down on. It was amazing...and I was full of sand afterwards.

After a few days of great laughs, creepy hostel owners, toilet explosions, and most things that could go wrong (or really weird)- going wrong or really weird...I had great memories and some relaxing times to recharge my batteries for the last few weeks in Peru.

Enjoy some of the photos below!

The Alien in the Nazca Lines!
Jumping in the sand!!

Some sand snow boarders!

Getting ready to go downhill!
Heaven.

Trust

2010-06-19T09:47:00.000-07:00

The notion of trust comes up a lot when I travel. Finding the fine balance between trust and cautious scepticism is very difficult.

Trusting the driver that he really put your bag in the trunk; trusting the stranger that the bushy and muddy path really IS a shortcut; trusting the store clerk that that really is the right price; trusting the taxi driver that the main road is closed and we need to take dark side streets; trusting the driver who is fastly turning sharp corners on the edge of a cliff; trusting the deaf woman who is asking for money; trusting the group of students who are taking you to a restaurant; trusting the old man trying to help you; trusting the old man who is rubbing his stomach and saying he is hungry; trusting that the bathroom really is down the dark alley; trusting the new people around you; trusting in their good nature.

It’s a very fine balance, and one that I still have troubles with. In China, after being scammed a few times, I was very sceptical and distrusting. But after a lot of good experiences both there and here in Peru, I’ve realized that sometimes you just have to blindly trust. You WILL get burned, but that’s life. You have to be smart and truly trust and listen to your instincts, you have to be sceptical and VERY aware...but never lose trust in people.

My name Llacta

2010-06-17T09:37:00.000-07:00

I have come to Peru and I live in a Peruvian town. I (try to) speak Spanish to the people around me. I eat Peruvian food and make Peruvian friends. Since my arrival, my name is Llacta. It sounds like Jevta. It´s pretty simple. It means ‘pueblo’ or village. It is my name in Quechuea- my Peruvian name.

Mosqoy 3 News!

2010-06-15T16:24:00.000-07:00

I have been spending a lot of time working with Mosqoy 3 students. It has been great getting to know them, their stories, and their families. Sometimes, during the interviews, I hear about heartbreaking stories about alcoholism in the family, difficulty with money, or about the great responsibilities they take on early on in their lives. Other times, I hear about their dreams, their hopes, and funny stories in their lives. It is very scary that a few of them still do not have donors for August. It breaks my heart to think that they might not begin their studies with the other students, after they have been excitedly waiting for that for over a year. Make sure to visit educationgeneration.org and mosqoy.org and see how your small contributions can make a significant difference in the lives of these great young adults.

Every time I’d visit a home, I would be greeted with generous hospitality and delicious food. The other day, we had to sleep over at a student’s house as their village was quite far away and we could not return in time. They made sure we had delicious meals, comfortable beds...and together we played cards into the night.

Together we will also organizing a large community event. On July 3rd, we will be hosting an Ollantaytambo Mosqoy championship in volleyball and soccer. It is great seeing the students step up, take on leadership roles, and bond with each other!

Enjoy some of the photos below!

With Yolanda and her mother in their home. They were so incredibly welcoming. I visited their home at 9 in the morning and after our interview they showed me their crops, their animals, and taught me more about Peruvian food. Yolanda is actually the third student from this family to be in Mosqoy. Ebhert is her in Mosqoy 1, Dina is in Mosqoy 2, and Yolanda is now in Mosqoy 3. They are a great family! Yolanda with her mom in their kitchen.

Elizabeth with her mother and 5 of her 10 siblings (and one cousin)!

With the family of Fiorela and Emy Luz. We visited them for two days. To get to Soqma, their village, we needed to hike for around two hours into the mountain. It was a beautiful hike and some exercise finally!

Fiorela and Emy Luz are incredibly energetic and positive girls. They were giggling the whole time and we had a great time in Soqma!

They also took us to beautiful waterfalls near their village. It was around an hour to hike to them, but the water was stunning. Water always relaxes me.

On the hike back from the waterfalls.

The Graduation Ceremony

2010-06-13T11:44:00.000-07:00

I feel really happy. I feel so honoured to have witnessed this. It was the graduation ceremony of the first generation of Mosqoy students- Mosqoy 1. A few words that come to mind when I think of the ceremony are: beautiful, inspiring and proud.

Mosqoy, which means dream in Quechua, has achieved its dream and has fully funded the first generation of students. Nineteen dedicated students have completed the Mosqoy program; have completed three years of studies in Cusco; and have achieved their dreams. Yesterday’s ceremony was a celebration of their hard work and all of the hard work and support of their families and friends.

The event was very unique as it was mostly organized by the students and the families themselves. When we had arrived to Ollantaytambo, we had found out that the families have already been divided into groups, with each group assigned a certain food to make. The decorations of the room were done by Mosqoy 3, while the invitations were made by Mosqoy 2. Everybody from families and friends, to the mayor, professors, and community doctors were invited. We didn’t know what to expect, or how many people will show up, but we were armed with good spirits, positive attitude, and excited expectations.

The graduation event officially started at 3PM, but as with most things here, taking into account the Peruvian time, most of the people (and sound system) showed up around 4PM. The room slowly started filling up with people and quickly the delicious food had filled three large tables. Most of the students (from all of the generations had showed up) and with them were their families. In the end, over a hundred people were at the event, and it was so great to see all of the proud faces- whether it was the ecstatic students or the equally thrilled parents.

The official proceedings began with speeches from Raul (the cofounder), Ashley (director and cofounder) and Jasmine (assistant director). There were beautiful words, some tears shed, and much applause. The whole room was beaming with excitement and pride. I cannot describe how I felt. It was a mixture of joy, inspiration...and...I was just very moved. Each student was called up to the stage and presented with a certificate, a grad package, and a graduating class photo. The unique thing was that not only the students were invited, but the families as well. Together they crossed the stage; they posed for photos; and together they shared the joy. It was a family event. It was a family accomplishment. It was beautiful to see. A few parents took the microphone and thanked Mosqoy, thanked all the volunteers, and thanked all the donors.

I couldn’t help, but hold back a few tears. It was an event in which students and parents from Peru; volunteers in Canada, US, and Peru; and donors from all over the world have came together to celebrate the hard work and the realization of dreams that seemed far away four years ago. It was a remarkable experience and an experience that I will never forget.

Welcome to the Graduation!The students gathering around the thank you letters!
Parents and the really really delicious food.
Elvira, the Mosqoy 1 Student, Casa Mosqoy Leader, and overall awesome person, waves at us!Ashley, Ruben, Jasmine, and Raul await the ceremony!

Posing with Elvira, her mom, and the mayor of Ollantaytambo. The mayor was incredibly supportive of the organization during the ceremony and has even promised some help to Mosqoy from the town!

The students showing off their certificates!!

The presentation of Mosqoy 3 students that start in August. (the other half is on the other side of the stage)
Ashley presenting a present to the Mayor.

The parents (and the food) watch.
The graduating class!!!

Parobamba- A village in the sky

2010-06-08T09:56:00.000-07:00

It’s around 5:30 PM. It is already quite dark outside. I am sitting on Alpaca wool which is covering a wooden bench. I am in the family kitchen- a building separate from the house. In the right corner, there is a fire spewing, cooking our dinner for the night. There is very little electricity in the town, and the fire is illuminating the room. In front of it is the mother of the family- wearing a gray skirt, an orange cardigan, and her hair in braids covered by a traditional hat. Over her shoulder, skilfully wrapped in colourful weaving, is her granddaughter. I am talking to the father of the family, and the mayor of the village, about life in Canada and the cultural differences between Canada and Peru. Although with some difficulty on my part, we are having a serious conversation in Spanish. Three young daughters, of their nine children, are running around the kitchen, chasing the many guinea pigs and chickens which are running free. With a quick look outside, I can see the clouds settling below us and around us. I am in Parobamba. A village high in the Andean mountains. A village with stunning surrounding views. A village which regularly touches the clouds. A Peruvian village in the sky.

I cannot believe I am here.

I spent the last four days in Parobamba, teaching English to the kids in the community and learning more about the Quechua culture- the indigenous culture of Peru. It was an unbelievable interesting experience. To get to the village, I set out on a journey at 5 AM from Cusco and arrived around noon to Parobamba. It included many bus transfers and ended with a hike to the village. My way back was exhausting as there were no cars or busses from Parobamba (or anywhere near it), and as a result I had to hike for four hours to the nearest town to take the bus. The first hour of the hike requires the hiker to hike up the mountain and out of the village...which was excruciatingly tiring. The son of the family, who accompanied me, was perfectly fine, while I could not breathe how tired I was. I am going to scapegoat and blame the altitude. And not the fact that I’m also probably out of shape.

During my stay, I taught four classes of English. The first day, walking into the school was incredibly awkward. As I stepped into the school yard, all the kids stopped playing and looked up. Some ran up and surrounded me, while others looked and pointed from afar. As I sat in the classroom, waiting to speak to the teacher, the children crowded around windows, trying to peek in. The initially awkward experience was offset by the eager children who were very excited to learn English. We chanted ‘What is your name?’ together, and laughed at the pronunciation of ‘potato’ together. I explained the concepts of articles and the verb ‘to be’ in Spanish. It was definitely a very memorable experience.

The village was incredibly kind. The father of one of the students invited me for both dinner and breakfast during the weekend, while my host family was incredibly friendly, inviting and made sure I was comfortable during my stay. I saw the beautiful weavings of the village, learned a little Quechua, and played with the children. After one of the classes, I played a game of soccer with the kids- all while stunned that I am on top of a Peruvian mountain, with clouds below me, playing a friendly match of soccer with the kids.

For a few short days, living in a Peruvian village....it was an unforgettable experience. Going to bed at 7:30 PM and waking up at 5:30 AM, the warm hellos, the curious stares, the kind families, the rich culture, the beautiful environment, and the deathly tiring hikes....it was my experience in the village in the sky.

On the hike to the village- the llamas walking off into the clouds.

More llamas!!

You could not hear a single thing here. It was complete silence. I haven´t experiencedthat for years.

The clouds above the mountains.

After one of the English classes.

The chicken overlooks the village.

The last morning. The clouds settle over the valley which Parobamba looks over.

In Cusco for a Week!

2010-06-08T09:06:00.000-07:00

I’m a little late with this blog...but here it is! Ashley, Jasmine, and I went to Cusco last week with an agenda to finish a lot of administrative stuff and make over the new Casa Mosqoy. The week ended up being full of meetings, planning, and, of course, some Extreme Makover: Home Edition Casa Mosqoy decorating (Extreme Makeover people, if you are reading...we wouldn’t mind a new, decked out Casa Mosqoy! Gracias!

I love Cusco and it was great being back in the city. I had the chance to visit Fairplay again, hang out with Cusco friends, and enjoy the city. Living in the house with Mosqoy 1 and Mosqoy 2 students finally gave me the chance to hang out and get to know them more. They’re all around my age, mature, and friendly. One of the nights, we took them out to a Cinema Cafe and watched “Stranger Than Fiction”!

One of the main missions of the week in Cusco was to fix up and decorate the new Casa Mosqoy. Casa Mosqoy is a house in which the Mosqoy students live in during their studies in Cusco. As most of them are from Ollantaytambo and the surroundings villages, they do not have a place or the money to live in Cusco. Casa Mosqoy is part of the Mosqoy program and scholarship, where all the generations of Mosqoy live together in Cusco. They had just moved to a new and bigger house, and there are still plenty of things to fix up and, of course, decorate! Unfortunately, this also includes tedious landlord negotiations about water, rooms, etc (which isn’t too easy in Peru)...but also includes the more fun aspect- like all the supplies and decorations shopping.

We dedicated one day to getting all the kitchen, house, and cleaning supplies, along with posters, poster paper, and many other things. We began decorating the common room when I had left for Parobamba, and the rest was up to Jasmine, Ashley, and the students! I’m excited to see the final product.

Enjoy some photos below! (Note: They are very distorted and it is driving me crazy! But blogger and this net cafe are not being very cooperative!)

Morning meeting with the beautiful catherdral as our window backdrop.

We found a great cafe in Cusco with free wireless internet. Ashley is working away, while the coca tea is my trusty companion.

The streets are closed for the many fiestas happening in Cusco in June. Perfect time for a tourist shot!

Shopping with the students for house supplies.

Ebhert showing of our newly decorated ´English Wall´in the common room. We had a class afterwards!

Interviews, Plans, Meetings in PERU

2010-05-31T13:32:00.000-07:00

Work is well underway currently and we have been busy planning, organizing, and meeting with students!

I have finally begun my interviews with the students and it is definitely a remarkable experience. The interviews are also completely in Spanish, and it is a complete thrill to conduct a full 30 minute interview in a foreign language!! The interviews are done with the intention to get to know the students more, hear their stories, their fears and hopes, challenges and triumphs...This material is very valuable because we get to know the students, we are able to let their sponsors get to know them better, but we are also able to convey their stories to the world at large. In the developed world it is so easy to get caught up in our lives, in our comfort (and hot water... which I dearly miss) and to not even realize what is going on in other parts of the world. These interviews, and these student stories, will hopefully paint the pictures of their lives, the images which many of us are unfamiliar with... and inspire us to help. The interview material will be used for projects after the fellowship, but to keep all of you in the know, I will be posting shortened and rough transcripts of each interview on the blog! It’s a little hectic right now, but I will catch up on the interview posting next week!

I had two wonderful interviews in the past week that left me smiling for hours afterwards. I can’t wait to share their stories with everybody!

Meanwhile, enjoy some of the photos below:

Lisbeth, a student I interviewed, and her brother in front of their home.

Running after buses trying to catch one to Cusco.

Hiking around the Inca ruins in Ollantaytambo.

On Sunday, we held a large Mosqoy meeting. All of the Mosqoy generations (1 through 3) were invited, as well as their parents. It was actually quite great as the meeting itself was organized by Mosqoy 1 students, Elvira and Ebhert. The intent of the Mosqoy program is to educate and create leaders in the community, so it’s always fantastic to see that the students are being proactive. We talked about the upcoming Mosqoy 1 graduation ceremony, administrative things, and addressing any questions and concerns that the parents had. It’s interesting to see to what degree the whole family is involved. This program not only gives hope to the student, but to the family as well. Everybody is involved and hopes that the promised education occurs.

Our fearless leader Ashley leading the way in a quiet afternoon hike through Ollantaytambo.

Overlooking Ollantaytambo and the Inca ruins in the back.

The Inspiring Students

2010-05-26T19:23:00.000-07:00

Today we held the first meeting for Mosqoy 3. Mosqoy 3 is the third generation of Mosqoy students, one that will hopefully begin their studies in Cusco in August. It is not yet guaranteed that they will begin in August, as not all sponsors have been found.

Today´s meeting made all our work more real. It also made me realize the emotional roller coaster that this experience will be. I can hear thousands of blurbs about the students, read thousands of reports about why it would be beneficial to sponsor students...but nothing compares to seeing their faces, learning about them, and hearing the worry and hope in their voices as they talk about their future.

The meeting was short and informal. We had wanted to let them know of a few things and make sure that they are all aware that we have a big meeting on Sunday (with all the Mosqoy generations). It is very funny how these meetings are organized here- something like this would never work in Canada. It is all by word of mouth as not all students have emails and phone numbers. We had let the word spread that we had arrived to Ollantaytambo and would like to meet, and incredibly most of the students showed up on Wednesday morning.

In order for all the donors and world at large to hear the words of the students, I will be conducting interviews with all of their Mosqoy 3 students and documenting their stories. Today, we had booked the interviews and I begin my interviews (in Spanish!!! Slightly nervous about this) tomorrow morning. I am looking forward to this as these students have very interesting stories to share. Just in the short meeting today, I was so inspired both to help them and be better in my own life...as their anticipation, worry, and clear hope to help their communities and improve their lives through their own education and personal development was so raw and real. Sometimes, that rawness gets lost in our own lives.

Another very significant moment occured today while I was practicing English with one of the Mosqoy 3 students. We were playing around on Google Earth and he was wondering what my house had looked like. I had located my home and he looked at it a little bit. Finally, he started pointing to the different areas of my house and longingly said how one day he hopes his home has roofs like mine, and how he hopes his home has windows like mine as well. I don´t know how exactly to describe what I felt after that- I guess ´sad´kind of works. I was confused. I felt unfairly privileged. I felt like I needed to help. I felt like I CAN help. I felt like I could be more thankful, more aware, more ...

Mosqoy 3 meeting

The Fiesta That Never Ends

2010-05-26T18:55:00.000-07:00

I am experiencing, feeling, seeing, and doing things that I have never done before in my life. This trip to Peru and this fellowship have both been incredible experiences...ones that I could not have prepared for before.

Fiesta Choquekillka has finally wrapped up which means that my earplugs can be put to rest. I no longer have to listen to the music every night until 5 AM. But this also means that the grand fiesta is now over. I can best describe the feelings of the town as something similar to the Vancouver 2010 Olympic Games. To those that were not there, I am referring to the spirit that encompassed the whole town. But this description does not do the Ollantaytambo festival justice. As I mentioned before, the WHOLE town shuts down. Stores are closed, hostels have their doors locked, and there is not a restaurant open in town.

Perhaps the most amazing part of the festival was the accepting and friendly nature of all the locals. We would watch and say hello to our students who were keen to take us into their dances and introduce us to their friends. We would often times join the group by the name of Qhapaq Negro to which Raul, the co-founder and co-director of Mosqoy, belonged to. Offers of food and beer could never be refused, and the dancers always made sure we were welcome, dancing, and were well fed. The last night of the festival, there is always a huge procession from the church to the center (where an all night rock concert occurs after). Each group dances along the way showing off, for the last time, their proud steps. Ashley, Jasmine, and I were quickly swept up in the dances, given their heavy hats (which included jewels, sequins, and ... lots more) and we danced the procession away. It was incredible. Along the way, we managed to scoop up a TV reporter, dress her up in the costumes, and dance along the cobblestone streets with our very own marching band behind us.

The whole time I was laughing...in disbelief at the beauty of life, and realizing that it is the relationships in one´s life that make a person happy.

Ebhert, Mosqoy 1 student, and star of the festival!

Dina and Yolanda, sisters and Mosqoy 2 and Mosqoy 3 students.

Ashley, Jasmine, and I with Mosqoy students and festival dancers. I love this photo. The students are incredibly friendly, welcoming, and nice.

Ashley joined in on the dances. Jasmine and I did as well, but unfortunately there is no photographic evidence of this. Needless to say, I looked very tall.

The many props we had tried out.

Welcome Home!

2010-05-23T17:12:00.000-07:00

Welcome to my new home! I will be spending the next month and a half in a quiet, little Inca town by the name of Ollantaytambo. I named the last blog ¨Among the Incas¨, but that title is much more appropriate for this entry!

The 1.5 hour drive to the new home was stunning. Around us were beautiful mountains, crisp blue skies, and the occasional llama of course! The Peruvian landscape is stunning. I have met up with Ashley and Jasmine, the director and assistant director of Mosqoy, and together we made the trip out to Ollantaytambo. The three of us have been arranging and planning the next little while in Peru and the work that needs to be completed.

Ollantaytambo is a beautiful Inca town, with a population of around 2000 people, situated admist Peruvian mountains. The official website of the town definies it simply: ¨There's only town in the Earth of the Incas, where the time took a rest.¨ The Inca water system still runs through the narrow, cobblestone streets, while the Inca ruins remind us of the greatness of the people that walked these very same streets as us, and lived in the very same homes as us. This is my new home. I will be visiting many of the students in the surrounding villages.

I was and still am slightly nervous about spending an extended period of time in such a small place (it could not be a bigger difference from hustle and bustle of living in Hong Kong), but I am looking forward to this challenge. I think it will be a really unique chance to focus on my work, on the Peruvian culture, and on building strong relationships.

We came to Ollantaytambo to a perfect welcome as we made it right in time for a four day festival and celebration in honour of the town Saint- Sr. de Choquekillka. This means that Ollantaytambo is on pause, and a grand fiesta takes over. Almost the whole town is split into 17 groups (dances) and every day we enjoy beautiful costumes, scary masks, delicious Peruvian food, and dances in the square and around the town. Today, we even watched bull fighting..matadors and all! It is absolutely unbelievable ...I still cannot believe I am in Peru. It is really great as four Mosqoy and Education Generation are dancing in the dances and we have had a great time watching them!

In between the attempts at Spanish conversations, festival watching, planning, and Peruvian culture...I snapped some photos. Enjoy:

Our student Ebhert dancing with his group in the square. He is in the middle with the big-nosed mask. This was before he had eggs, water, and a slew of other things thrown at him as part of the dance.

The many masks of the festival.

The residents tirelessly twirl and dance for four days straight. Last night, or well morning, the festival went until 7 AM. As the town is small, we could hear the music and fireworks the whole night. It was the first time I slept with earplugs!

The procession from the Church to the center.

I am contemplating bringing back home a really cool Peruvian mask.
The devils of the festival dance on the roofs.

Bullfighting was part of the festival and we watched in horror, interest, and curiousity as the matadores teased the bulls.

Fighting the sniffles with delicious coca tea while watching the festival.

My new room!

Among the Incas

2010-05-20T18:33:00.000-07:00

It is already my third week in Peru! How unbelievable! Life in Peru has been great so far. I did not even think that I would be travelling so soon yet again, let alone spending my summer living in South America, but that is life…!

My third week in Cusco has been fantastic- aside from the sore throat and the sniffles, things are great. I have been drinking lots of coca tea, though, which is supposed to help! I also have a bag of coca leaves to chew, but they don’t taste that great…and so I am not too keen on doing it.

As I have not begun my official Education Generation and Mosqoy duties, my week has mostly consisted of learning more Spanish and enjoying the sights of Cusco. Learning a language can get frustrating at times and not being able to completely be myself in Spanish (as one of my housemates put it) is rather challenging. But at the same time, it is SO thrilling to have a conversation in Spanish.

The week consisted of sightseeing, partaking in the seriousness that is winning a volleyball tournament, pisco sour tasting (a popular Peruvian drink that mixes eggs and alcohol), some salsa watching, more mini-bus hardships, and meeting new friends.
I have also made a visit to Casa Mosqoy and met four other students. Casa Mosqoy is a house where the students can live in Cusco free of charge while they study. They have recently moved to a bigger house at the beginning of May and I met up with Rolando who introduced me the other students. Currently, there are about 5 other students living in the house as most of them are either doing their practicum or are back at home in the Sacred Valley as school is not in session right now. We hung out for a little bit- speaking in Spanish and English. They explained to me what they were currently doing, the joys and the problems that they have encountered while moving, and we also had laughs and about romantic relationships!

Ashley and Jasmine from Mosqoy are coming tomorrow, and I need to get healthier, so I am off to sleep. Enjoy the photos below of some great touristy times in Peru.

On Sunday, we had decided to venture off to a nearby town called Pisac. It is popular for its large Sunday market and also the Inca Ruins on these mountains. We had decided to opt out of the easy way of taking the bus or taxi to the ruins on the very top, and decided to instead hike the mountain you see in the photo. It was exhausting because of the altitude, but very worth it!

The colors of Peru

The unbelievable Inca remains

Along the hike we enjoyed stunning Peruvian scenery.

Traditional Peruvian wear amidst Inca ruins.

On my way home one day, I stumbled upon some sort of political gathering. “Willy-We are with you today, tomorrow, and forever.”

The beautiful streets of Cusco

Mosqoy 1- Rolando

2010-05-11T19:18:00.000-07:00

Mosqoy 1 is the first generation of students from the Sacred Valley of Peru which Mosqoy and Education Generation have funded. Through the generosity and kindness of many donors, this group of students has finished their studies and are now completing their programs by doing their mandatory practicums.

This week I got a chance to visit one of Mosqoy 1 students and see him in his practicum action! Rolando is 20 years old and is from Ollantaytambo- a town nearby Cusco. He spent the last four months studying English at the University of Victoria as well, so we would switch between Spanish and English- both wanting to practice the other's language. Having studied tourism, Ronaldo is doing his practicum at a travel agency in the heart of Cusco- Plaza de Armas.

We first met on Saturday and spent the afternoon talking about Mosqoy, his experiences in Canada, and his plans for the future. He invited me for lunch with his friends and I had a typical local meal...and also tried to understand what his friends were talking about in Spanish!

After completing his practicum, Rolando hopes to continue work in tourism. He also practices English every day and currently we are planning practice english practice sessions. Also, we are setting up times when I will visit Casa Mosqoy and hold English conversational classes with him and the other Mosqoy students!

I stopped by the travel agency today as well and took a few photos! Enjoy:

Rolando with his coworker

Myself, Rolando, and his coworker

Los Turistas

2010-05-09T07:08:00.000-07:00

My first week in Cusco is coming to a close and it's certainly been an unforgettable experience. Most of my days are spent studying Spanish as during the day I have lessons, and at night I work on my homework. I actually quite like this routine. I take in the sights, sounds, and smells of the everyday life in Peru.

My days start off with breakfast with my Peruvian family. It's incredible how much we take language for granted..I've quickly learned how frustrating it can be to not be able to express myself and precisely describe what I mean. But within this challenge lies fun as well... as at every meal my Peruvian family and I sit together and try to converse and find common grounds in foreign thoughts and languages. We come from different parts of the world, see the world through different lenses, yet manage to to laugh together every morning about some minute details. This is why travelling is so great. And why life is really very simple.

One of the highlights of my day is getting to school. Although taxis have a flat rate of around $1CAD and I could go to school by taxi every day, I instead take public transit each morning. At a cost of around $.20CAD, the public transit in Peru is something else...The main component of public transit consists of mini-buses which are basically slightly larger vans. In Peru, however, these vans fit ... simply put, incredible amounts of people. Or not even incredible amounts- uncomprehensible amounts is the better description. So here I am each morning, taller than everybody, sitting (sometimes standing bent over) with 20 other locals in a small van. It's incredible.

Cusco is a very interesting town. I try to take in everything for what it is and not pass judgement. The city is beautiful in its core center, but is also surrounded by obvious poverty, unfinished homes, and struggles. The struggle of the locals can often times be seen on their faces, but so can the passion for their friendships, children, or their love for sports and dance!

Below, enjoy some of the things that my eyes have been feasting on during my time off from school....

Plaza de Armas

Beautiful cafes in the center

There was a festival in Plaza de Armas

Traditional Peruvian wear

My teacher took me to a cemetry in Cusco. They are very different than those in Canada.

View of Cusco from above

Llamas!!!

Cristo Blanco overlooking Peru

Welcome to Cusco!

2010-05-04T18:24:00.000-07:00

Es mi dia primero en Cusco y me encanta esta ciudad. Okay, okay...the blog isn't going to be in Spanish nor do I know enough to fully write it in Spanish, but hopefully by the end of the trip I will! (I dearly hope that sentence was grammatically correct though)

After a 24 hour epic journey to the country of Peru, I've finally arrived to Cusco yesterday (Monday, May 3rd) morning. I'm very happy that I have not experienced any altitude sickness and my host family tells me it's probably because of all the coca tea they have been giving me. I can now say that I have tried this treat as well! It's very delicious! I believe, though, that legal matters (unfortunately) prevent me from bringing it into Canada.

It has always been my dream to fluently learn Spanish, and this fellowship is a perfect match as I actually NEED to learn it in order to carry out my job better. As such, the next three weeks I will spend learning Spanish at FairPlay Peru. In total, I attend six hours of classes each day- 3 hours of grammar and 3 hours of conversational Spanish. It's been very great as I'm fully immersed into the Spanish environment. Today, I have not spoken English with a single person. That being said, it does get a little lonely as I am not fully able to express my thoughts and feelings. But, that's the only way to really learn. Following my goal of challenging myself, I am ready and excited to tackle this challenge as well.

So far, I'm really enjoying Cusco. Stepping into the city, one is immediately aware of its South American charm. Established in the midst of mountains, it's a place in which tradition still carries on. Most evident to a tourist are the woven, colorful garments typical of Peruvian culture. Toques, skirts, baby carriages- they can be seen everywhere! The city itself has a beautiful center with stunning temples, old churches, and narrow cobblestone streets filled with Peruvian art. Today after classes, I walked around those narrow streets, enjoying the history while dodging cars and the many people advertising massages to tourists!

I am situated out of the center, living with a kind family in their home. I enjoy delicious meals three times a day and get to practice Spanish with them. I have never before lived like this, so it's a very interesting experience. Overall, this trip will (and already has) present me with many new situations that will only help me grow and develop myself.

Anyways, I have to go do homework!! In the next few days I will be learning Spanish and connecting with Mosqoy volunteers that are currently in Peru. I can't wait to meet all the students I will be working with. I look forward to sharing stories regarding my volunteer experience! I'm also excited as my friend will actually be arriving to Peru soon to hike Machu Picchu! Great coincidence.

Enjoy some of the photos below!

Until next time, I'm sending love en espanol!

Jevta

currently listening: World Citizen - I Won't Be Disappointed from the BABEL Soundtrack. A great sentimental and contemplative song. Puts me in a thoughtful mood each time. It's what I ponder to at night (as ridiculously cheesy that sounds). :))))

A school near my home

Outside of my home

Outside of my home in Cusco
My room

Cusco Bus Station

Plaza de Armas in the center of Cusco

Beautiful narrow streets of Cusco

Welcome once again!

2010-05-01T03:00:00.000-07:00

Hi everybody! My name is Jevta and I will be traveling to Peru this summer through the Education Generation Fellowship program.

First of all, I am incredibly excited for this tip – and I hope to use this blog to share my experiences, thoughts, and learning over the course of the next couple months. It will be a completely new, meaningful, and challenging ride, and I hope that through this blog you can join in on it!

I will be leaving for Peru tomorrow and staying there until mid-July. I will be working with the incredible organization called Mosqoy (www.mosqoy.org), one of Education Generation’s first partners. Mosqoy has worked hard to provide education opportunities to Peruvian youth, as well as sustain and preserve local customs and traditions.

Through the fellowship, my role be varied, but I have summarized it in the following goals:

Act as a communication liaison- I will understand, document, and communicate the lives and progress of Mosqoy students.
Student Mentor- I will take part in leadership training, community and team building exercises, organizing community events, and holding English conversational classes.
Promote cultural exchange- I will strive to understand and connect North American and Peruvian cultures and promote cultural exchanges.

While those are the specifics of my role, my main underlying goal is to do my part in helping to better our world! We all have the opportunity to make a change, no matter how small or large it is, and I have decided to dedicate my summer to volunteer work and making an impact on other people’s lives.

In addition, I have set a few personal goals that I hope will guide me through this experience

To open my eyes, feel the fear, and challenge myself- This is a new and definitely scary experience. I hope to feel and breathe Peruvian culture, engage in the communities and with people in them, and strive to always challenge myself
Learn Spanish Fluently- Ambitious….but doable.
Have fun- Life shouldn’t be too serious, and I hope to have a great time learning, meeting new friends, and enjoying the beautiful sights and sounds of Peru.

I hope you guys enjoy the blog in the coming months. I will try to update it as much as I can, but there will be at least 2-3 updates per week.

Jevta

Week 4, my final week and return to Canada

2009-10-03T23:25:00.000-07:00

The fourth and the final week was spent finishing the student interviews and other administrative tasks, such as finalizing the fellowship details. Ashley and I have discussed and agreed on almost all aspects regarding the fellowship program, and set ourselves a deadline to complete everything so that we can start advertising the position soon. If anyone is interested in participating in a similar (but longer) adventure as Education Generation’s next fellow in Peru, check out our Education Generation website in December.

During my last few days in Peru Ashley and I decided to make a little trip and visited the coast of Peru, the Nazca lines, the sand dunes of the Huacachina oasis, checked out the wild animals and numerous birds in Paracas and Islas Ballistas. It was a well-deserved break for Ashley, and a chance for me to see other parts of the country. The places that we saw and visited were absolutely incredible!

I have since returned to Canada, and things are now busier than ever. I am currently working on translating the videos to turn them into student updates, which will be posted on Education Generation's website. We are also working on editing the footage and creating a video which will include the student interviews. Keep visiting our website regularly for the video and student updates.

I have been in touch with the students and Raul; Ivanhoe and Rolando sent me some emails sending their thanks to all the donors and supporters. Here’s what Ivanhoe wrote in his email: “hola zaya primeramemte grasias por ayudarnos a todos nosotros y a todos ellos que nos apoyan y espero que estes bien de salud…y tambien a todos los que me poyan los quiero cuidense” (“hi zaya, first of all wanted to thank you for helping us and thank everyone who has been supporting us. I hope you are in good health … would like everyone who has been supporting me to take good care of themselves”). The students are doing really well, continuing with their studies and work, and I’m hoping to continue to stay in touch with them over email and facebook.

It’s good to be back, but I definitely miss Peru and all the people, the students, the relationships that have been formed. Hopefully I will get to go back soon for a visit or just relive the experience vicariously through our next fellow!

Some pictures from the last week:

Ashley and I during our travels on the coast of Peru

Jonathan Guevarra

Ivanhoe

Dina Alvarez and I

Jonathan Medina

Week 3

2009-09-13T11:17:00.000-07:00

This week I´ve completed interviewing almost all of the Mosqoy students. On Thursday we went back to Ollantaytambo to conduct the selection process of the next batch of students.

Our day started by going to the Ollantay collegio (high school), where Ashley, Raul and several of the Mosqoy 1 students distributed the applications. The students had about 30-45 mins to complete the applications. We received about 70 applications that day. The team then went to a coffee shop in Ollantaytambo to review the applications. The reviewers consisted of Ashley, Raul, and five Mosqoy 1 students (Ebhert, Erlinda, Elvira, Rolando and Adrian). Gerry and I participated as the observers.

They had a four-star system going on, where each reviewer would rate each application from one star being the worst to four stars being the best application. In total each application was reviewed seven times. The ratings were based on the students´ responses, with the focus on whether they had any specific plans for when they graduate, whether those plans included ways to help their respective communities, and whether they´ve included any examples of how they´ve demonstrated their leadership abilities in the past. Generally, a person would get shut down if they put that they want to leave the country once they graduate or if they had incomplete one-sentence responses. I read a few of the applications and was startled to see how many times under the ¨family situation¨ question the students would talk about their fathers being drunks, or that they didn´t have parents at all.

It took almost an entire day to review all of the applications. In the end almost 40 applications were eliminated based on the preliminary application review and ratings. About 25 applications received 3- to 4 star ratings, which were placed in the pre-selected batch. Another 6-7 were placed in the ¨maybe¨ batch pending reviews of their grades and discussions with their teachers.
The next morning we went back to the high school to review the selected students ´grades. About 4 students from the ¨maybe¨ batch were eliminated due to low grades.

Three more students from Mosqoy 2, Dina Alvarez, Gisela Vilches, and Maberic (who are also all featured on the Education Generation website) joined us the second day.

In the end there were about 30 students that were pre-selected. Ashley and Raul then announced their names and held a meeting with the pre-selected students. During the meeting Raul invited a doctor and a dentist from Ollantaytambo to talk about different careers that exist in medicine. Mosqoy is now trying to promote other disciplines of study as almost 85% of students choose to study tourism or hotel management since it is the only thing that the students are exposed to in Cuzco and in their communities. Dina Alvarez, who is studying nursing, talked about opportunities that exist in the nursing career and why she likes studying nursing. Maberic talked about why she chose to study Gastronomy and Gisela talked about her chosen career of tourism and hotel management.

After the short presentation there was some time for Q&As. We then took pictures of every pre-selected student. The next step of the selection process is to meet with the students and their parents and/or their legal guardians to ensure that they are supportive of their kids participating in Mosqoy. This meeting is scheduled for Sept 26, after I leave Peru. Ashley, Raul and the Mosqoy 1 students are also planning to visit each of the pre-selected students’ houses to ensure that there is indeed financial need. One of the Mosqoy´s criteria is to support only those deserving students that don´t have other means of paying for their education. So for example if their family is well-off enough (relatively) to support their kid at an institute, they will be eliminated at this stage.

The next step will also involve discussing the pre-selected students with the teachers and other people from the community focusing on their past behaviors and their family situations to again ensure that there is indeed financial need and to ensure that there are no red flags about the pre-selected students. After these final steps, Mosqoy will make a final selection of 12-14 students, which will all be featured on the Education Generation´s website.

Friday afternoon we went back to Cuzco, just in time to visit a cooking class of the three of the Mosqoy 2 students (who are all also Education Generation´s students): Guillermina Duran, Fiorela Zegarra, and Maberic Vazquez.

The class was two hours long, and our students made a wonton soup, part of their Cocina Internacional course. At the end of the class we all got to taste their creations.

Later on that day we went to Raul´s house for some dinner and drinks.

Maberic Vazquez, one of Education Generation´s students, during her cooking class

Maberic and Fiorela cooking

Fiorela Zegarra, one of Education Generation´s students, during her cooking class

Guillermina Duran, another one of Education Generation´s students

From left to right: Fiorela, I, Guillermina and Maberic

Maberic talking during the selection process

Dina Alvarez, another one of Education Generation´s students, talking about a career in nursing during the selection process

Gisela Vilches, Education Generation´s student, talking about her career in tourism during the selection process.

From left to right: Gisela Vilches, Maberic Vazquez, and Dina Alvarez

Reviewing the applications

Students completing the applications at the high school

Week 2

2009-09-04T17:42:00.001-07:00

My second week: this week I’m taking Spanish classes and living at a homestay organized by the school. Everyone in my homestay family is very nice and I get to eat home cooked meals, which is good especially when travelling. Spanish is quite necessary here as almost no one speaks English even in Cuzco and the students’ English is very beginners’. Most have expressed their desire to improve their English though, and a lot of them want to also learn Japanese and French. There is a funny story during one of the interviews a student told me that he wants to study Japanese, and when I asked him why, he said because most of the technology comes from China these days and that he wants to be up to date with the technology. When I told him that Japanese and Chinese are not the same he seemed very surprised, and we had a good laugh about it.
The rest of the time Ashley and I were conducting and videotaping individual student interviews. I don’t have many pictures from this week as I was just videotaping the interviews. I can’t upload the interviews here as the internet is painfully slow in Peru and takes hours to upload just the pictures. However I hope that I will be able to upload them once I’m back in Canada.

So this week has been really busy, with Spanish classes all morning and interviews with the students all afternoons.

The interviews went really well, some of the stories were really heartbreaking though.
The students were very comfortable in front of the camera and were willing to discuss a lot of things. For example, one student named Adrian told us a story of his family, where his mother had to escape to the jungle for 5 years because his dad was an alcoholic and was beating her badly. Adrian and his two younger brothers were left alone with their dad, who continued to beat them. Adrian was saying that he was very grateful to escape the violence by participating in Mosqoy, but was worried about his two younger siblings who are still in Ollantaytambo with his dad. Another student, Marleni, started crying during the interview (and I had to stop videotaping) because her mother was very sick and she was very concerned about her mother. Another student told us that she’s been living alone since she was 10 years old as both of her parents died and she’s been living with random foster parents since then and working as a maid in their houses. She too was very grateful for the opportunity to study and become a professional. Another students´ parents abandoned him when he was very little and he was raised by his grandparents, and does not have any contact with his parents.

The students shared their dreams and hopes, likes and dislikes, and I’m hoping to translate the interviews and upload them once I get to Canada with subtitles as all of the stories are absolutely amazing. The students were so sincere and open, each one with a unique story. So far I have 14 interviews completed, some of which are the Education Generation students, and I think I should be able to complete most of them before I go back.

There were some funny interviews as well. Jonathan Guerrera, when asked whether he had a girlfriend, said that he thought that girls can be annoying sometimes, constantly asking, ¨where are you, what are you doing, why didn’t you call me (this is a direct translation of what he said) and he added that he didn’t want to deal with it now. There’s a student named Alex who, in addition to studying computer science, reads philosophy books of Plato and Aristotle and currently his favourite book is ¨Rich Dad Poor Dad¨. A few of the male students, when asked what they didn’t like about living in a house with everyone, told us how the girls in the second group don’t always get along with each other and fight from time to time, which was really funny, because they were describing these typical cat fights among girls.

Some of the students had pretty impressive plans for the future. For example, Jonathan Medina and Ivanhoe (both Education Generation students) want to start up an eco-tourism company and had a detailed description on how they wanted to go about it. Dora too wants to work for a couple of years and save up some money to open up her own travel agency.

On Tuesday this week we went to visit the Americano Institute, where most of the Mosqoy students are studying at. We attended a class on administration and sat for the first 2 hours of it. The Institute is pretty small, with small class sizes of about 20 students and small classrooms like in a high school. There’s a library and a computer room, but the computer room can only be used during a computer class. The students have exams next week and some this week. I ran into one student Elvira who seemed very upset and when I asked her why she told me that she had an English exam that evening and was worried about it.

This weekend I’m going to check out Lake Titicaca and the floating islands, so more updates to come next week!

The students' schedule

The computer room

One of Mosqoy's students in a classroom

The Big Sunday reunion

2009-08-30T12:27:00.000-07:00

Our Sunday began by Gerry (who is an ESL teacher from UVIC volunteering here with Mosqoy) and I taking a local bus to Pisac for some shopping in the popular Pisac artisans´ market. Spent about 3 hours haggling and bargaining and left with 6 pairs of gloves made out of alpaca wool for souvenirs, a tuc and a new bag and all for $20!

We then took the same bus back to Cuzco and I moved my stuff to the family where I’ll be staying at this week.

Sunday night we had a big reunion with all of the students at the Mosqoy house, and Raul ordered pizza for everyone. It was a big meeting which lasted for over 4 hours, with lots of stuff discussed with the students. I video taped most of the meeting, but because of the size of the video files and the slow speed of the Peruvian internet, I unfortunately can’t upload any of the videos to this blog. I’m hoping to post a whole bunch once I return to Canada.

The meeting started off by everyone introducing themselves, which I have videotaped as well. On Sept 13 the group is planning to go on a day trip with everyone, so the students were voting on where they wanted to go. After some discussion everyone agreed to go to Lares for a day trip.

Ashley and Raul introduced the two new positions with Mosqoy which I wrote about earlier: the Resident Advisor position and the Volunteer coordinator position. The students seemed pretty interested at first, but there were concerns regarding what if someone is chosen as an RA and is not liked by others. I think the students thought of this as having someone who’s going to boss them around and “tell on them” to Raul and Ashley, and didn’t really understand the concept of an “advisor”. Some students were coming up to Ashley after the meeting expressing their concerns as well. I think once we explained to them the reason for having an advisor and their role of a liaison between Mosqoy and the students, everyone seemed to be on board.

Ashley and Raul talked more about how the selection process will go this year, changes to the contract for the new students that will be selected this year (the requirements will basically become stricter, i.e. they are implementing three warnings system where if you don’t follow the rules of the program/the house you will be issued a warning and after three warning the student will get kicked out of the program; another change involved including the requirement to complete minimum volunteer hours in the community for all new students going forward). One student, Dina Alvarez (she’s also featured on Education Generation website and is studying nursing had some good ideas for volunteering: she really wanted to get students together to clean up the river in Ollantaytambo, where there’s a lot of plastic and garbage in the river.

I then introduced Education Generation to the whole group, explained the reason for my visit, talked to them about setting up interviews for the following week and about visiting some of their classes at the Institute. Most of the students are currently studying at the Institute called Americana, and like 85% of them are studying tourism or hotel management.

After my introduction Gerry, who is an ESL teacher from UVic and who will be holding English classes for Mosqoy students, introduced himself and talked about setting up classes for the following weeks.

After having spent almost one week with the students I notice how close the students are with each other, especially the ones that live at the Mosqoy house. They are constantly picking on each other, making jokes, nudging, touching and hugging each other, which is so cute to see. The students were shy at first, I think it took them a couple of days to warm up to me (I guess the language barrier doesn’t help either), but now they seem to be pretty comfortable with me. They are all very warm and kind, and every single one of them has a very special and unique story which I’m looking forward to finding out next week.

The meeting was held at the Mosqoy house. This is the front room that can be used by everone, i.e. by the other tenants of the house as well. Mosqoy occupies part of the first floor and shares it with a security company. Mosqoy has four bedrooms, three of which have two bunkbeds with 4 students sharing each room. One of the rooms has only two beds, and 6 students share the two beds, whcih i haven´t quite figured out how it works. There are two bathrooms in the house, and a kitchen without a refrigerator (which is apparently common in Peru). Two students who are studying computer science have computers in their rooms. Gerry also brought a laptop which was donated by UVic to the students. The house is located in the neighborhood called Kennedy A, close to the airport and a 10 min cab ride to the center, and is on a street which has 24 hour security, so it´s pretty safe for the students. The students are responsible for paying for their own utilities, they have internet at the house and rent is paid for by Mosqoy. In the upstairs part there is a hostel where Ashley and I will be staying most of the time and where we spent our first few days in Cuzco.

Me trying on my new tuc at Pisac

Students signing up for the Education Generation interviews.

Corn and wool dyes at the Pisac market

Visit to the weaving village in Amaru

2009-08-29T11:25:00.000-07:00

On Saturday we went to visit a weaving community called Amaru where Ashley has a weaving program called Q´ente Textile Revitalization Society. Until recently Q´ente used to be a part of Mosqoy and was formerly known as the Kolibri project. Q’ente is now a fully independent non for profit organization registered in Canada. The project works directly with the weavers and creates an outlet to sell textiles in North America. This project aims to sustain the tradition of textiles in the Sacred Valley of Peru, establishing a stronger economy, tradition, and link to history. The majority of the Mosqoy students come from families whose primary means of income is through the making and selling of textiles. The Q'ente project operates such that ¼ of the profits from selling the textiles in Canada goes back to the weavers, ¼ goes to supporting one of the projects that the weaving communities choose to support, ¼ goes to the educational fund of Mosqoy, supporting the educational costs of the Mosqoy program, and ¼ goes towards purchasing the next batch of weavings for sale.

The community of Amaru is located approximately 30 km north of Pisac - the town famous for its Sunday artisan market, and Amaru's closest urban center/neighbour. Amaru is a sustainable farming community whose motto is to reciprocate back to Mother Earth who gave them life. They have a medicinal garden, bee-houses to produce organic honey, greenhouses to grow artichokes, tomatoes and other nutritional foods that cannot otherwise be grown in the high altitude, and propagation gardens to plant new plants to replace each one that they use for dyeing their wool. With their textile profits, they are curing cataracts in the elders and implementing nutrition programs with the youth, as well as working to improve sanitation for all community members.

Our trip began by travelling from Ollantaytambo to Pisac, where we had to wait for the only taxi driver named Maximillian who normally drives to Amaru to take us there, a drive up one of the mountains for about 30 mins. After waiting for an hour and with Maximillian nowhere in sight Ashley hackled with another taxi driver who agreed to take us to Amaru and wait for us there for two or three hours. The trip cost us 50 soles, or about $18 USD for the three of us. We arrived in the village 40 mins later, but already about 2 hours late from our agreed upon time. We arrived at the house of the leader of the weavers group, and were greeted by other weavers, all of whom were women. The women normally work at the leader´s house and bring their children to keep an eye on them. When we arrived there were about 12 women and 6 or 7 children. The women proceeded to cook us a really big and delicious meal which consisted of barley soup, quinoa with vegetables, some sort of squash dish, and corn pancakes.

After the meal the villagers held a really humbling thank you ceremony, where everyone gathered in a circle, and each weaver one by one threw rose petals over our heads and said their thank yous to us. The ceremony was partly in Spanish and partly in Quechua, and some women were crying during the ceremony. The people were so sincere and thankful and the whole ceremony was pretty incredible. The funny part was that our taxi driver participated in the whole thing: he joined us to eat, and participated in the thank you ceremony even though he’s never heard of the project or been there before. He got the gist of it by the end I think and was really impressed and interested by what Q’ente was doing.

After the thank you ceremony, everyone sat around in a circle and Ashley made her next order of the weavings. The leader then presented a project for which they wanted to use the ¼ of the profits from the weavings. The project involved building kitchens with proper ventilation and bathrooms in every house of the village. The people in the village currently cook without any ventilation and inhale smoke every day. There are no proper bathrooms in the village, I saw an outhouse that was used as a toilet but didn’t see access to running water anywhere. Water for drinking/cooking purposes is obtained from some sort of a creek nearby.

We finished our visit by doing some ¨shopping¨ of their weavings and Ashley picking out her order. Then our taxi driver, after having waited for 3 hours, drove us all the way back to Cuzco.

Me trying on a headband made by the weavers

the thank you ceremony

The weavers

Ashley´s order of the next weavings

The children of the community

The thank you ceremony

One of the weavers saying her thank-yous

Women cooking

Ashley and I waiting for the only Amaru taxi driver Maximillian