After a grueling 12 hours of travel (nothing compared with my colleagues from London or Chennai!!), I arrived at home to the smiling faces of my kids and wonderful husband! We were lucky enough to experience no earthquakes in Peru! The week before we arrived, there had been three...
It was an experience I can't really describe. I truly thank my company for giving us this experience, my friend and colleague for nominating me, my husband who made it possible for me to go, and my kids for understanding why I wasn't with them for a week. I can only hope these memories help guide my decisions every day, my children understand we are citizens of the world and it is our responsibility to pay it forward, and that I can bring my husband and kids on my next "mission" trip!!!!
I'll end with a quote from St. Therese:
"Our Lord needs from us neither great deeds nor profound thoughts...He cherishes simplicity. Jesus, help me to simplify my life by learning what you want me to be--and becoming that person."
Sunday, November 11, 2012
Lima in a day and a half
After a few hours of sleep, we flew LAN from Cajamarca back to Lima. There is something special about boarding a plane by walking outside and up a flight of steps. A quick flight--we were back in Lima within an hour and a half. We had lunch in a lovely restaurant outside. Warm and some sun. It never rains in Lima. We were told there are only 2 months of days with mist and sprinkles because of a natural phenomenon. I'll have to ask Todd to explain.
Then we were off on a city tour. We first visited the beach. We had a gorgeous view from a park along the coast. There were mosaic tile benches, statues (former mayor of Lima wanted to show romance; hence the large sculpture of lovers embracing--him and his wife). We soaked in some sun and headed off to the artists district. The tour guide stopped at a beautiful store that sells goods from many different local artists--paintings, pottery, flowers, alpaca clothing, much more. She told us we had 10 minutes and it was torture. Could have spent 2 hours just in there.
Then we were off to the city center. The Plaza de Armas (main square) showed Spanish, Peruvian, and French architecture. This is where the city was born, founded by Spanish conquistador Francisco Pizarro and where Jose San Martin announced Peru’s independence from Spain in 1821.
For the last stop on the tour, we visited the Cathedral of Lima. It is breathtaking with elaborate statues and carvings, gilded in gold everywhere (and hidden gold under brown paint to save it from Spaniards). The many depictions of Mary showed her wearing large dresses in the shape of a triangle. The Spanish converted the "Indians" living in the area to Christianity, who had worshiped natural gods, such as mountains. Mary's clothing was shown in the shape of of a mountain and allowed them to "sneak" in their worship of the natural god.
Next door was the San Francisco Church with underground catacombs--burial sites of those wealthy enough to pay to be buried in a casket there (others were thrown outside of the city walls and went to hell, of course!) We descended into the dark stone rooms and within a minute saw piles of bones. Archaeologists dug portions of the caskets in order to count the number of bodies buried and do research. It is estimated that 75,000 bodies are buried there. By this point my camera was full unfortunately! I am not sure I could have even composed myself to take any however. I read in the brochure that "catacomb tour is not for the squeamish or the claustrophobic." Understatement.
The tour left us at the Larco Museum of ancient Peruvian treasures. The gardens were extraordinary with more bougainvillea than I've even seen. We were honored to have the curator of the museum give us a tour. Although it was extremely interesting and we learned a lot, at the end, in the erotic art exhibit we had hit our wall. We quickly visited the gift shop--never too tired to shop!
We all enjoyed a last meal near our hotel and then a few of us left to fly home. It was quite difficult to say goodbye to this group of special women. I know we'll stay in touch. Luckily I was traveling with one woman through to Atalanta. Even more lucky was that she was in business class and was able to bring a guest into the lounge. We enjoyed a glass of wine, and then I treated her to a mini massage for her birthday, which we had celebrated the night before with ice cream treats!
Then we were off on a city tour. We first visited the beach. We had a gorgeous view from a park along the coast. There were mosaic tile benches, statues (former mayor of Lima wanted to show romance; hence the large sculpture of lovers embracing--him and his wife). We soaked in some sun and headed off to the artists district. The tour guide stopped at a beautiful store that sells goods from many different local artists--paintings, pottery, flowers, alpaca clothing, much more. She told us we had 10 minutes and it was torture. Could have spent 2 hours just in there.
Then we were off to the city center. The Plaza de Armas (main square) showed Spanish, Peruvian, and French architecture. This is where the city was born, founded by Spanish conquistador Francisco Pizarro and where Jose San Martin announced Peru’s independence from Spain in 1821.
For the last stop on the tour, we visited the Cathedral of Lima. It is breathtaking with elaborate statues and carvings, gilded in gold everywhere (and hidden gold under brown paint to save it from Spaniards). The many depictions of Mary showed her wearing large dresses in the shape of a triangle. The Spanish converted the "Indians" living in the area to Christianity, who had worshiped natural gods, such as mountains. Mary's clothing was shown in the shape of of a mountain and allowed them to "sneak" in their worship of the natural god.
Next door was the San Francisco Church with underground catacombs--burial sites of those wealthy enough to pay to be buried in a casket there (others were thrown outside of the city walls and went to hell, of course!) We descended into the dark stone rooms and within a minute saw piles of bones. Archaeologists dug portions of the caskets in order to count the number of bodies buried and do research. It is estimated that 75,000 bodies are buried there. By this point my camera was full unfortunately! I am not sure I could have even composed myself to take any however. I read in the brochure that "catacomb tour is not for the squeamish or the claustrophobic." Understatement.
The tour left us at the Larco Museum of ancient Peruvian treasures. The gardens were extraordinary with more bougainvillea than I've even seen. We were honored to have the curator of the museum give us a tour. Although it was extremely interesting and we learned a lot, at the end, in the erotic art exhibit we had hit our wall. We quickly visited the gift shop--never too tired to shop!
We all enjoyed a last meal near our hotel and then a few of us left to fly home. It was quite difficult to say goodbye to this group of special women. I know we'll stay in touch. Luckily I was traveling with one woman through to Atalanta. Even more lucky was that she was in business class and was able to bring a guest into the lounge. We enjoyed a glass of wine, and then I treated her to a mini massage for her birthday, which we had celebrated the night before with ice cream treats!
Friday, November 9, 2012
In Reverse
We've moved into being truly tourists now. On Thursday, we checked out and left San Marcos, on a pretty tightly packed van, and headed back to Cajamarca.
The Costa del Sol was truly a welcome sight! We had a quick lunch at the hotel restaurant, which is excellent, and quickly off on a tour. Another van-this one much nicer and another climb up a mountain. Cajamarca has experienced a tremendous influx of residents in the past 20 years and construction is everywhere! We had a great view of the city from the mountain. It's the second largest city in Peru (which is the world's 20th largest country). Once we got to the top, we arrived at Cumbemayo. We were at an altitude of 11,300 miles above sea level. Seconds after getting out of te van, the sky opened up--hail.
We walked down some slippery rock steps to view archaeological pre-Inca remains. I stood in a cave made 1,000 years before Christ (yes, that's 3,000 years old) and saw petroglyphs (rock carvings). I wonder what they were telling us! We then hiked down a bit to see the aqueduct (also 1,000 BC), that is still in use. The extreme right angles proved their vast knowledge of mathematics. When we stood on the continental divide, the water from one side went to the Atlantic Ocean, the other side to the Pacific. After a climb back up what I'd call an uphill creek bed, we saw the warm, dry van! Back at the hotel, my hot shower was truly enjoyable.
Thankfully, I'm with a group that wants to see and do as much as we can squeeze in. We decided to do some shopping and visit the San Francisco Church. The Church was beautiful--we could only enter the smaller chapel. Quite elaborate statues and carvings, etc.
We scored some wonderful finds on our shopping excursion. One of my favorite parts of the day was the tea break. Cocoa tea to help our adjustment back to lower altitude, and lovely to sit and relax with this amazing group.
Tomorrow we have a very early flight back to Lima for our last day in Peru.
The Costa del Sol was truly a welcome sight! We had a quick lunch at the hotel restaurant, which is excellent, and quickly off on a tour. Another van-this one much nicer and another climb up a mountain. Cajamarca has experienced a tremendous influx of residents in the past 20 years and construction is everywhere! We had a great view of the city from the mountain. It's the second largest city in Peru (which is the world's 20th largest country). Once we got to the top, we arrived at Cumbemayo. We were at an altitude of 11,300 miles above sea level. Seconds after getting out of te van, the sky opened up--hail.
We walked down some slippery rock steps to view archaeological pre-Inca remains. I stood in a cave made 1,000 years before Christ (yes, that's 3,000 years old) and saw petroglyphs (rock carvings). I wonder what they were telling us! We then hiked down a bit to see the aqueduct (also 1,000 BC), that is still in use. The extreme right angles proved their vast knowledge of mathematics. When we stood on the continental divide, the water from one side went to the Atlantic Ocean, the other side to the Pacific. After a climb back up what I'd call an uphill creek bed, we saw the warm, dry van! Back at the hotel, my hot shower was truly enjoyable.
Thankfully, I'm with a group that wants to see and do as much as we can squeeze in. We decided to do some shopping and visit the San Francisco Church. The Church was beautiful--we could only enter the smaller chapel. Quite elaborate statues and carvings, etc.
We scored some wonderful finds on our shopping excursion. One of my favorite parts of the day was the tea break. Cocoa tea to help our adjustment back to lower altitude, and lovely to sit and relax with this amazing group.
Tomorrow we have a very early flight back to Lima for our last day in Peru.
Thursday, November 8, 2012
La Grama
Although I am completely exhausted, I want to share everything we experienced today. First, the group I am traveling with is wonderful, and I hope we are building lasting friendships. We woke up early, had breakfast at 7, same restaurant (there is really only one in San Marcos). It was very light--those bars I packed are coming in handy. We took the van about 1 1/2 hours through the mountains to La Grama. The ride was amazing. We were in the clouds at one point. It was cold and rainy; the roads muddy. Rainy season just started jn November. Good for us as landslides are not yet a problem. I saw oxen, cattle, sheep, donkeys, bulls, chickens, dogs, pigs and roosters. The towns were mostly agricultural. La Grama is one of the two most poor regions in Peru. You can't understand until you experience it--even being here and working with these people I am sure I have no idea what their lives are really like.
We visited a primary school--kids Nina's age! They were funny and smart and sung two songs to us when we left. Mostly girls in the class and I saw several Disney characters.
We then went to the secondary school. The children are starting a program to prevent adolescent girls leaving school (the other site Reed sponsors) (15-18 years old). They split into groups of girls and boys and talked about gender differences in their region. The girls had a LOT to say. The boys said males had more freedom, and ran the household, worked in farms and took care of the animals. The girls talked about the boys not speaking well to them, not communicating, not admitting when they are wrong, and that they cook, clean, take care of children. The facilitator asked about changing attitudes. The girls suggested ways the boys could change. The boys didn't seem convinced, but we could tell it was making them think. The program will last two years and involves parents and teachers too.
The most striking part was when our Reed executive asked who their role models are. Most had no answer. The silence was quite loud.
We then visited a newly build primary school. This was a much smaller school and the classes were combined into 3rd and 4th. We didn't have much time in this location. After lunch, we visited a family's home and their guinea pig farm (which is why I ate the Guinea pig LAST night). The woman told us the money from the farm (through a co-op sponsored by Plan), has allowed them to send their son to private school.
Their home had several walls missing-was 2 /3 rooms total, not a complete roof. No electricity. The woman's smile lit up the entire place.
Last, we visited an early development center where mothers learn how to better interact with their young children. Women work in the home all day un Peru and often don't pay much attention to their babies, worn on their back. The babies were delightful, and the toddlers very sweet. I told the 3 year old boy next to me he was a very good boy and that my 3 year old son at home never sat quietly for so long. Difficult to leave that center...
The ride home was shorter than it felt on the way there, and much quieter than our group has been during the rest of the trip so far. Our wonderful guide from Plan Peru left with our Reed executive, and hopefully they made all of their flights on time!
Dinner tonight--where shall we go???!!! Then up in the morning and back to Cajamarca--the nicest hotel we've stayed in in Peru so I am sure we will all be glad to get back. However, we have made memories today that will probably never be forgotten.
We visited a primary school--kids Nina's age! They were funny and smart and sung two songs to us when we left. Mostly girls in the class and I saw several Disney characters.
We then went to the secondary school. The children are starting a program to prevent adolescent girls leaving school (the other site Reed sponsors) (15-18 years old). They split into groups of girls and boys and talked about gender differences in their region. The girls had a LOT to say. The boys said males had more freedom, and ran the household, worked in farms and took care of the animals. The girls talked about the boys not speaking well to them, not communicating, not admitting when they are wrong, and that they cook, clean, take care of children. The facilitator asked about changing attitudes. The girls suggested ways the boys could change. The boys didn't seem convinced, but we could tell it was making them think. The program will last two years and involves parents and teachers too.
The most striking part was when our Reed executive asked who their role models are. Most had no answer. The silence was quite loud.
We then visited a newly build primary school. This was a much smaller school and the classes were combined into 3rd and 4th. We didn't have much time in this location. After lunch, we visited a family's home and their guinea pig farm (which is why I ate the Guinea pig LAST night). The woman told us the money from the farm (through a co-op sponsored by Plan), has allowed them to send their son to private school.
Their home had several walls missing-was 2 /3 rooms total, not a complete roof. No electricity. The woman's smile lit up the entire place.
Last, we visited an early development center where mothers learn how to better interact with their young children. Women work in the home all day un Peru and often don't pay much attention to their babies, worn on their back. The babies were delightful, and the toddlers very sweet. I told the 3 year old boy next to me he was a very good boy and that my 3 year old son at home never sat quietly for so long. Difficult to leave that center...
The ride home was shorter than it felt on the way there, and much quieter than our group has been during the rest of the trip so far. Our wonderful guide from Plan Peru left with our Reed executive, and hopefully they made all of their flights on time!
Dinner tonight--where shall we go???!!! Then up in the morning and back to Cajamarca--the nicest hotel we've stayed in in Peru so I am sure we will all be glad to get back. However, we have made memories today that will probably never be forgotten.
Wednesday, November 7, 2012
San Marcos
Three hotels in three days-I keep forgetting which city I am in. We took an hour and a half van trip to San Marcos today. It is one of the most poor areas of Peru. Reed Elsevier sponsors a program in two schools here to help adolescent girls complete their education rather than dropping out of school. The biggest issues are home violence (due to alcoholism in many cases), teen pregnancy, lack of encouragement from parents to pursue and education, and potential sexual violence/ abuse while girls travel the two hours to and from school. We met with teachers before lunch, then the health ministry next to San Marcos school. Took some pics for my healthcare practitioner family members. In a town of 51,000 people, there is one ambulance.
After lunch we met with school children. One of Plan's main strategies is to give children a voice and have them help develop and implement the programs in their own communities. They were from 12-17 years old and gave very mature answers. The education system is certainly lacking. The children discussed violence in their homes, lack of opportunity, reasons for teen pregnancy and it was certainly eye-opening. They asked many questions of us. Who do we admire, what the economy is like in the US, who we vote for, how old we are! We asked them what they wanted to be when they grow up, who they look up to (singers like Hanna Montana and Jesus), what they do for fun. Even though I can't speak any Spanish, I bonded with two sweet 13-year old girls (thinking of Emmy!). Have some pics of the kids, but I can't post them here.
Going to dinner soon--traditional Peruvian roasted Guinea Pig!
PS-the pictures load in reverse order for some reason. And, there are dogs everywhere. Apparently, they all "belong to someone."
)
After lunch we met with school children. One of Plan's main strategies is to give children a voice and have them help develop and implement the programs in their own communities. They were from 12-17 years old and gave very mature answers. The education system is certainly lacking. The children discussed violence in their homes, lack of opportunity, reasons for teen pregnancy and it was certainly eye-opening. They asked many questions of us. Who do we admire, what the economy is like in the US, who we vote for, how old we are! We asked them what they wanted to be when they grow up, who they look up to (singers like Hanna Montana and Jesus), what they do for fun. Even though I can't speak any Spanish, I bonded with two sweet 13-year old girls (thinking of Emmy!). Have some pics of the kids, but I can't post them here.
Going to dinner soon--traditional Peruvian roasted Guinea Pig!
PS-the pictures load in reverse order for some reason. And, there are dogs everywhere. Apparently, they all "belong to someone."
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