Interesting moments:
Thursday:
- Story time in Inca class, my professor told us his story of going to the Ayacucho area in the 80s to study a colonial-era religious movement, but getting arrested by the army because it was right at the beginning of the terrorist years and they thought he was in the Italian mafia and helping the communist Sendero Luminoso.
Friday
So apparently, I know how to draw. At least according to the kids at Deporte y Vida. “La profesora sabe dibujar.” I find this amusing because if you asked me, I’d say I can’t draw. I can copy a picture somewhat proficiently, but drawing something out of my head, not going to happen. Nonetheless, yesterday I drew (mostly copied) a penguin, a turkey, a manatee, various dancers, some food and 2 ceremonies. (What are they supposed to learn by copying a picture and a sentence? I don’t know, but that’s another soap box I won’t get on)
And then they brought over the posterboard, (not intimidating at all) and asked for a scene of “Educacion inicial.” And when the mom of another girl saw me with that one, she brought over her daughter’s as well. Which is how I ended up drawing 2 posters and a smaller one of teachers and children and their toys and cake. (I really wish I had had my camera to take a picture) I’m pretty sure the mom could have drawn equally well or better. I have no idea why they wanted me to do it but I didn’t feel like arguing anymore and I don’t think I inhibited any learning by doing it for them. (I just wish I could see the profesora’s face when three kids walk in with drawings that have remarkably similar disproportionate people)
And, since I am apparently now the resident “profesora que sabe dibujar,” I figured I’d better practice. Thus I present to you this masterpiece of drawing-by-squares. (Just don’t look at their poor misshapen hands)
Mmm rico. 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 The first houses were made of straw mats which have since been replaced by wooden and even multi-floor concrete buildings.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.
As part of my curiosity-driven self-education about Peru I wanted to know who exactly the namesakes of the streets I frequent were. Thus, I present to you Famous Peruvian People, (assisted by Wikipedia).
Simón Bolivar – known as El Libertador, a key leader in the wars for independence of most of South America as well as the establishment of democracy. (Thus he gets multiple streets named after him, potentially leading to confusion if you take a micro to the wrong one. I walk past one in Miraflores and my micro takes one as well)
Jose de San Martin – another important liberator of various South American countries
Antonio Raimondi – a Italian-born early archaeologist who got a park rather than a road named after him (He was even in my Incas book)
Alfredo Benavides – a Peruvian diplomat and founder of the Peruvian Olympic Committee. Not the president Oscar Benavides.
José Larco – possibly a mayor of Miraflores. There’s apparently a song about the street though.
Jos̩ Pardo Рa twice president of Per̼ in the early 1900s, also the son of a president. He worked on education reform (bonus points for that) But he got ousted in a coup.
Javier Prado – a prime minister of Perú in 1910. There is also a Costa Rican soccer player and a Mexican luchador by the same name but I’m going with the Peruvian.
Admiral Miguel Grau – a Peruvian hero of the naval Battle of Angamos and the War of the Pacific, known as the Gentleman of the Seas for his chivalry, rescuing the crew of the enemy ship he sunk or warning them to abandon ship before opening fire. He was mourned by both Peruvians and Chileans when killed in battle.
There’s also lots of streets named after places, international and domestic, from Brasil, Panama and Cuba to Arequipa and Tacna.
Hasta la proxima
Today I visited Parque de la Leyendas, a combination zoo, family park and archaeological site. I must say, it was a little awkward because we were definitely the whitest people around and by appearances the only ones without small children in tow. Oh well, we had fun anyway.
The park is separated into la sierra (mountain region), la selva (jungle), la costa (coast) and internacionales. (The monkeys in the selva were my favorite) We also went into a museum that explained the huacas of the park and one randomly about petroleum, sponsored by PetroPeru. (A nice happy view of gas exploration, an interesting comparison to the video we watched in class about all the awful things such companies are doing to indigenous peoples who have little political voice and their lands) It wasn’t the best zoo I’ve ever been to but we certainly got our exercise for the day, the place is huge!
Moche mask
Indigenous painting
A short video so you can hear their playing:
Now I agree that plagarism is bad, but isn't this usually a topic covered in class, not on a placemat? Did it really require a superhero to "save the world from a lack of ethics" and a rat with a "horde of plagarism thugs"?
The more useful side of the placemat:
We spent lunch questioning a Peruvian friend about a variety of things, math vocabulary in particular. You'd think math would be the easiest thing to help with homework at Deporte y Vida because it's objective, but no. It's actually among the harder things because we don't know the vocabulary or the slightly different symbols they use. But now I will be able to discuss types of triangles and their parts as well as the various mathematical operations and the Pythagorean theorem. Bring it on, strange math worksheets.
We reciprocated by explaining some English as well, words that sound alike...church and charge; live, live, and life, etc...
Hasta la proxima!
Mother's day is big in Peru, by the way. (Even Domino's gets in on it. And the various casinos whose doorways are now decorated in red and pink balloons and hearts) Family in general is important but Mama is up top. Children often remain in their parents' house into their twenties and thirties, often until they get married. 
We left from the port of Callao and traveled past several islands
On the way we saw some neat birds including the Inca tern which has a "mustache" An island with many lobos marinos and their calls (lobos marinos literally means marine wolves in Spanish)
Then we jumped off the boat into the (very, very) cold water and swam off toward the sea lions. We got really close! (As in, one popped up about a foot from my face. Surprise!)
There was lots of smiling and laughing and a little shrieking in surprise
I think the sea lions were equally curious about us..
And then there were penguins. :)
Hasta la proxima
Here from atop the pyramid you can see part of the rest of the site and the surrounding city
The walls are built with the "librero" technique; librero as in libro as in book because the blocks look like books all lined up. This style gives the wall the flexibility necessary to withstand earthquakes for the hundreds of years it has.
The pyramid we got to go on top of. 
What I wish I was doing...
