It's now Wednesday and I fly back tomorrow. I will be very sad to leave here but I guess I must go back sometime, and before my money runs out.
I've had a great time here in Lima. I've stayed in two differnt flats which were both exceptional. And I managed to get a special price because the company mixed up my booking.
I've met lots of people here. My pal Ervin is a chef and comes round to cook for me sometimes. He makes excellent chicha morada.
I have to go now. I will put some more pics on of my time in Lima once I get home.
Chau from Peru.
Wednesday, October 29, 2008
Tuesday, October 28, 2008
El beso de la mujer arana.
Those of you who speak Spanish, and there are a few, will know thats the Spanish for Kiss of the Spider Woman. I saw the movie and read the book years ago. Both memorable.
We went to see a theatre production in Spanish, here in Lima. Because I knew the book and film it was not dificult for me to understand. I probably followed 80% of it. A brilliant production. The theatre is a bit like the Traverse, except better. We were very near the front. Third row in fact.
Both actors turned in fine performances, and the guy who played Molina, the William Hurt character, was exceptional. Better than Hurt I thought.
Another memorable night in Lima.
Must go now, meeting someone shortly. The Peruvians are always late, but I mustn't follow their example.
We went to see a theatre production in Spanish, here in Lima. Because I knew the book and film it was not dificult for me to understand. I probably followed 80% of it. A brilliant production. The theatre is a bit like the Traverse, except better. We were very near the front. Third row in fact.
Both actors turned in fine performances, and the guy who played Molina, the William Hurt character, was exceptional. Better than Hurt I thought.
Another memorable night in Lima.
Must go now, meeting someone shortly. The Peruvians are always late, but I mustn't follow their example.
Mamma Mia
This posting is specially for you Chris. Hope you are still reading my blog. Not many entries recently as I've not had much chance to and don't have daily access to internet as I have in Cusco.
I went to see Mamma Mia in Lima last week end and enjoyed every minute of it. The Limenos know all the songs. We had a great night.
So you will be glad to hear Chris that you won't have to accompany me to see it in Edinburgh. No Tarantinoesque blood and gore, of course.
For a nights entertainment its definitely worth it. Great music and some laughs.
I went to see Mamma Mia in Lima last week end and enjoyed every minute of it. The Limenos know all the songs. We had a great night.
So you will be glad to hear Chris that you won't have to accompany me to see it in Edinburgh. No Tarantinoesque blood and gore, of course.
For a nights entertainment its definitely worth it. Great music and some laughs.
Friday, October 17, 2008
The last day
Wednesday was my last day at Elim. I was very sad to be leaving there, but the boys made it a memorable day for me. One of those special days that come along every now and then.
The prevous day Heber had been showing me his newly discovered musical abilities, which then lead to a few boys joining in in an impromtu session. How do you spell such a big word? I've seen lots of music sessions in my days, some of you may even have been with me, but none could touch this one. I managed to video it and brought along a DVD copy the next day. It lasts about an hour, and they were thrilled with it.
I was so pleased to see Heber being allowed to develop his talents. I never knew he had such musical gifts and I'm sure he didn't either. So all thanks to Elim for that, and especially Hilario who teaches them all to play.
And so to my last day. The boys must have realised I was impressed with their musical talents, so they decided to put on a special wee concert for me. Only this time Hilario was with them to keep things together. They were all dressed up in their traditional costumes.
Heber started it all off by making a wee speech to thank me for being with them. I had to fight back the tears, I can tell you. Then they played for about 20 minutes and two of the boys sang a couple of songs. I will never forget them. Its on video for those of you who want to see it. They are very talented boys.
Heber finished it off by presenting me with a model ship in a bottle which he had built for me. The boys build these to raise funds for the orphanage. I've told him it will have pride of place on my new fireplace. He's made me promise to send him a photo once I get home.
Heber will start at MN in January all being well. He's looking forward to that. I hope he keeps to his promise and stays at Elim. He needs a teacher meantime and I've given Jeremy a couple of suggestions, as to who might help.
So that was my last day with the boys at Elim. I've probably forgotten lots of things I meant to say. I've promised to come back. Lets hope I'm up to it.
The prevous day Heber had been showing me his newly discovered musical abilities, which then lead to a few boys joining in in an impromtu session. How do you spell such a big word? I've seen lots of music sessions in my days, some of you may even have been with me, but none could touch this one. I managed to video it and brought along a DVD copy the next day. It lasts about an hour, and they were thrilled with it.
I was so pleased to see Heber being allowed to develop his talents. I never knew he had such musical gifts and I'm sure he didn't either. So all thanks to Elim for that, and especially Hilario who teaches them all to play.
And so to my last day. The boys must have realised I was impressed with their musical talents, so they decided to put on a special wee concert for me. Only this time Hilario was with them to keep things together. They were all dressed up in their traditional costumes.
Heber started it all off by making a wee speech to thank me for being with them. I had to fight back the tears, I can tell you. Then they played for about 20 minutes and two of the boys sang a couple of songs. I will never forget them. Its on video for those of you who want to see it. They are very talented boys.
Heber finished it off by presenting me with a model ship in a bottle which he had built for me. The boys build these to raise funds for the orphanage. I've told him it will have pride of place on my new fireplace. He's made me promise to send him a photo once I get home.
Heber will start at MN in January all being well. He's looking forward to that. I hope he keeps to his promise and stays at Elim. He needs a teacher meantime and I've given Jeremy a couple of suggestions, as to who might help.
So that was my last day with the boys at Elim. I've probably forgotten lots of things I meant to say. I've promised to come back. Lets hope I'm up to it.
Dany moves on
Dany came to meet me on Sunday. He's agreed to move into Elim and he will come with me on Wednesday which will also be my last day there as I'm leaving Cusco on Thursday. Its all too much for my lungs up here in the sky. My doctor has suggested I give myself a break down at sea level, and who am I to argue.
I had a good time with Dany on Sunday. He met me at MN and he was able to use the internet to download some fotos I had of him and his pal Antony. All the kids here, or lots of them that I know use a site called Hi5, which is a Facebook type thingee.
He was able to meet my new pal Kathy, who is a nice young Canadian lady of my acquaintance. Thanks Kathy, and of course you are a young thing. Kathy took us to an ice cream shop. Which he loved.
Him and I then went to the market where I treated him to some clothes and shoes. We met my pal Miller and had some chicken, at a place near the stadium. After which I got him back to his night shelter. I really hope he settles in at Elim. With any luck Kathy might visit him.
I had a good time with Dany on Sunday. He met me at MN and he was able to use the internet to download some fotos I had of him and his pal Antony. All the kids here, or lots of them that I know use a site called Hi5, which is a Facebook type thingee.
He was able to meet my new pal Kathy, who is a nice young Canadian lady of my acquaintance. Thanks Kathy, and of course you are a young thing. Kathy took us to an ice cream shop. Which he loved.
Him and I then went to the market where I treated him to some clothes and shoes. We met my pal Miller and had some chicken, at a place near the stadium. After which I got him back to his night shelter. I really hope he settles in at Elim. With any luck Kathy might visit him.
Wednesday, October 15, 2008
Avenida Liverdad
Elim orphanage is at the top of this street. Its a bit like Milking Hill used to be in my young days, for those of you who remember it, which won't be many. Taxis do take me up, otherwise I doubt if my lungs would cope with the stress.
Thursday, October 09, 2008
National Strike Day
Tuesday was a national strike day against the president Alan Garcia, who is not too popular in these parts. There were lots of demonstrations and a rally in the Plaza de Armas.
A whole wall was covered with these posters in English, as well as lots of cartoons. Maybe Garcia doesn't speak Spanish. The language is a bit rich, but there were worse, which I won't show on here.
Monday, October 06, 2008
Heber and Robin
I've stopped working in La Policia as there are now so many volunteers working there from another organisation they really don't need me too. I'm now working a few hours a day at Elim.
Heber is still at Elim but Robin has run away yet again. Hopefully he will come back. I worry about him as he seems to have fallen in with a bad crowd. He needs lots of support but often rejects it. His story is not a happy one but its not for here.
Heber seems to have settled dowm reasonably well here but I think his brother's disappearances are bad for him, as it's destabilising. He only gets to school one day a week which is not going to allow him to catch up on all his lost education. Jeremy, who helps his mother Nilda run the orphanage says that Heber has good command of Spanish, better than Robin who uses lots of slang.
Heber tells me he wants to be a tourist guide, a dream for lots of kids here, so I've offered to pay for English lessons for him at Maximo Nivel, starting in January. Nilda has agreed to this as long as he settles down here and does not run away. Maximo have also agreed and will look at giving him a bursary if he does well in the first six months, by attending regularly and passing his tests etc. He will go for an hour every day and will have use of all their facilities. I will introduce him to some of the staff as he may need a little support from time to time.
I hope he can take up this chance. It gives him an incentive to settle down here over the next few months and do well.
Heber is still at Elim but Robin has run away yet again. Hopefully he will come back. I worry about him as he seems to have fallen in with a bad crowd. He needs lots of support but often rejects it. His story is not a happy one but its not for here.
Heber seems to have settled dowm reasonably well here but I think his brother's disappearances are bad for him, as it's destabilising. He only gets to school one day a week which is not going to allow him to catch up on all his lost education. Jeremy, who helps his mother Nilda run the orphanage says that Heber has good command of Spanish, better than Robin who uses lots of slang.
Heber tells me he wants to be a tourist guide, a dream for lots of kids here, so I've offered to pay for English lessons for him at Maximo Nivel, starting in January. Nilda has agreed to this as long as he settles down here and does not run away. Maximo have also agreed and will look at giving him a bursary if he does well in the first six months, by attending regularly and passing his tests etc. He will go for an hour every day and will have use of all their facilities. I will introduce him to some of the staff as he may need a little support from time to time.
I hope he can take up this chance. It gives him an incentive to settle down here over the next few months and do well.
Jose
What with one thing and another I've not had much time to add to my blog recently. I've bought myself a few llamas and been busy with them. I go to the llama fanks for the dipping etc. Keeps me out of trouble.
Jose phoned me at Maximo Nivel last week, having just returned to Cusco from his job in a gold mine. I met Jose at La Policia last year when he was 15. There's a photo of him there in my blog from last year. He looks a lot older now.
He came to see me at MN and I've taken him out for lunch a couple of times. Like many of the kids I've met here his life is hard, and maybe harder than most.
He has spent all this year working in a gold mine, which is two days travel from Cusco. It involves a bus journey, them 12 hours on the river in an open boat,like a motorised canoe, then another journey by bus and then walking the last bit. The mine is somewhere in the jungle between Peru and Brazil.
He goes with his father and older brother. They work all day and only get paid for the gold they manage to find, which often is none at all. They share a hut with another 8 or 9 men. They have no toilet facilities but just go into the jungle. They have to wash in the river as there are no washing facilities. He says it is ok as the water is always warm if not hot.
Needless to say he does not like it there. He says its very dangerous because of the wild animals all around and even worse the angry men with guns. He saw one of the bosses being shot dead because of an argument over being paid. He reckons a lot of the men have guns. I didn't like to ask if his father does too.
He came back to Cusco on his own and left his father and brother working in the mine. He had not found any gold for weeks so had no money to bring home. He says he's come back to help his mother look after his two younger brothers, his parents are separated. He lives with his mother and two brothers in a house on the outskirts of Cusco with no electricity or hot water.
He says he will have to go back to work in the mine in January if nothing else turns up. This seems unlikely. We talk about what he can do, but as he has no qualifications, and poor education his options are limited. Education costs money and time and so do qualifications. He's such a happy kid, I wish you could see his smile when I say lets go for lunch.
It makes the credit crunch, Bush and Brown and all the rest seem like an irrevelence. Until of course I read that gold is now where the rich bastards put their ill gotten gains to keep them safe, and its all too relevant of course. Boys like Jose make them rich, and give their wives their gold to wear. And when they visit Cusco as rich tourists they despise him and his pals.
I will see him again before I leave here and buy him some shoes. Wish I could do more. I could teach him the Internationale I suppose, you never know where it might lead.
The spelling checker doesn't work on these pcs, so any mistakes are entirely intentional.
Jose phoned me at Maximo Nivel last week, having just returned to Cusco from his job in a gold mine. I met Jose at La Policia last year when he was 15. There's a photo of him there in my blog from last year. He looks a lot older now.
He came to see me at MN and I've taken him out for lunch a couple of times. Like many of the kids I've met here his life is hard, and maybe harder than most.
He has spent all this year working in a gold mine, which is two days travel from Cusco. It involves a bus journey, them 12 hours on the river in an open boat,like a motorised canoe, then another journey by bus and then walking the last bit. The mine is somewhere in the jungle between Peru and Brazil.
He goes with his father and older brother. They work all day and only get paid for the gold they manage to find, which often is none at all. They share a hut with another 8 or 9 men. They have no toilet facilities but just go into the jungle. They have to wash in the river as there are no washing facilities. He says it is ok as the water is always warm if not hot.
Needless to say he does not like it there. He says its very dangerous because of the wild animals all around and even worse the angry men with guns. He saw one of the bosses being shot dead because of an argument over being paid. He reckons a lot of the men have guns. I didn't like to ask if his father does too.
He came back to Cusco on his own and left his father and brother working in the mine. He had not found any gold for weeks so had no money to bring home. He says he's come back to help his mother look after his two younger brothers, his parents are separated. He lives with his mother and two brothers in a house on the outskirts of Cusco with no electricity or hot water.
He says he will have to go back to work in the mine in January if nothing else turns up. This seems unlikely. We talk about what he can do, but as he has no qualifications, and poor education his options are limited. Education costs money and time and so do qualifications. He's such a happy kid, I wish you could see his smile when I say lets go for lunch.
It makes the credit crunch, Bush and Brown and all the rest seem like an irrevelence. Until of course I read that gold is now where the rich bastards put their ill gotten gains to keep them safe, and its all too relevant of course. Boys like Jose make them rich, and give their wives their gold to wear. And when they visit Cusco as rich tourists they despise him and his pals.
I will see him again before I leave here and buy him some shoes. Wish I could do more. I could teach him the Internationale I suppose, you never know where it might lead.
The spelling checker doesn't work on these pcs, so any mistakes are entirely intentional.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
