Friday, May 20, 2011

Aqui estoy ... con buen viernes

Today I had a most excellent morning of cookie-making and guitar-playing with Zoe. I brought a cookie mix with me to Lima and saved it until I really wanted some. Which was today. We brought them to share with the group because this afternoon we went on a tour of Villa El Salvador. Villa is a poorer district of Lima where Deporte y Vida is, the afterschool program I volunteer at. Villa began as a land invasion by migrants Lima who needed a place to live. Many of the outer districts of Lima began this way. The first houses were made of straw mats which have since been replaced by wooden and even multi-floor concrete buildings. The community was incredibly well planned, building a district in the middle of the desert with groups of lots called manzanas grouped into neighborhoods, each with a plaza and field in the middle and a school and market every certain number of groups. Gradually they fought to have running water and sewage service and electricity, some are still fighting. One section just got water this month after fighting for 15 years. This week the district celebrated its 40th anniversary.



Below are the first houses, just little straw tunnels. They've come a long way.
My Deporte y Vida friend

Hasta la proxima!

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