Friday, February 24, 2006
Soaking up time in Villa El Salvador
All I really need to know, I learned in school this week...
-When making paper, stuffed fish with children and using a stapler to fasten things together, always bring more than one stapler and try really hard to keep the staples away from all hands.
-When watching Finding Nemo (again, at a computer without quotation marks) in a Peruvian school, do not try to translate yourself with piddly Spanish (which comes out as, where is Nemo? I need to find Nemo!...over and over and over, as I am lacking vocabulary to expand on what is really being said), try to find the function to switch the language right there on the main menu.
-When the children go to the pool on a Thursday, no one will attend school on Friday and the four people who do show up really just want to sing to, laugh with, and tickle you until you cannot breathe...a good time for all.
-When wearing a t-shirt that says, Michigan State Basketball, to work, assume that the teachers will assume that you want to teach all of the students in school how to play basketball...in Spanish (has not happened yet, but there are plans out there...stay tuned).
-When bored with a dull moment and oodles of kids hanging on your arms, ask them to tell you how many freckles you have on one arm. When they say, a million, tell them to try again. But, when their next guess is a million and two, make sure to congratulate them on guessing correctly. And then, when you ask how many freckles are on the other arm, and they answer a million, just say, OF COURSE.
-When completing a puzzle with kids, let them do whatever they think makes sense...and do not try to explain the importance of edges and corners in Spanish...because you end up saying things that are actually obscenities.
An educational week, as most in Peru are. Anyway, just wanted to bring you up to speed. Things are going well, and this week in particular was full of a ton of laughter. Angela is a reading whiz, Christopher has started to pick his nose regularly and then nearly explode (nervously) everytime something comes out on his fingers, Yoahhna has stopped opening her mouth much when she speaks which makes it difficult to understand her, Flor jumped rope with stilts on (which made me really nervous, but she did with grace), Wendy and Karina have made it a priority to get a little Plate, Plate, Dove in each day, and Jefferson got a new eraser this week (obviously, the biggest news).
However, I am saddened to learn that since the summer is ending here (and so is Carnaval and the stupid waterballons...thank goodness), my school is closing at the end of next week for three weeks. This means that my last week in Lima will not be spent at Deporte y Vida. I am not sure what I will do with that time...likely sample other placements, but after Thursday, it looks like I will not be going back to my class and my kids. It is sad, but I am already plotting ways to make the most out of the remaining days. My teacher and I have come up with a plan to do big art projects as part of the lessons next week. I am thinking English, books, and art, thanks to Aunt Penny.
As for today specifically, it is almost 3:30 pm on Friday and instead of playing soccer, I have literally just returned from Villa El Salvador. I went to work, finished around noon or 12:15, and when my group took our typical 35 minute drive home, I got out in the bustling Municipal square of Villa El Salvador. Here, a couple hundred elderly residents of Villa El Salvador (including many members of Los Martincitos) sat in rows of plastic chairs, underneath a covered tent-like rectangle. Standing at the front of the group, with a mic in hand, was Tony, the man who helps run Los Martincitos. And, before Tony, at the head of the tent, hung a thin trunked willow tree, with a random assortment of gifts and toys tied to the majority of branches.
This is the Peruvian tradition called, Yunza, and it is a festival that comes mostly from the Highlands (remember Ayacucho?). It usually takes place in the end of February, leading into the actual Carnaval, which does not even happen in Lima. The event consists of groups of people dancing around the tree in traditional dress, with streamers on their bodies and flour smeared on their faces. In mid-dance, they take swigs of liquor and silmuntaneously, chop the tree down.
When I got there, the flour had been smeared, streamers distributed, and people were in costume. Tony MC-ed the entire event, although a handful of groups of Villa El Salvador elderly (other than Martincitos) were present. I sat in back with a few other volunteers and observed, giving hugs and kisses to all of our friends from Martincitos hobbled by. The dresses, hats, embroidered cloaks and skirts, feathered hats, and ruffled shirts amazed me, and I soaked up the parade of ornaments as the costumed people danced by and circled the tree. Every group of elderly had their chance to dance in front, with a different song (which all sounded a lot like wind instruments and high pitched voices).
I stayed for about two hours, and did not see much drinking or tree chopping. Jackie, the nun from Brooklyn who runs Martincitos with Tony, assured us that such things would be happening. Being a little tired, hungry, and hot, once we felt like we had absorbed a good taste of the Peruvian tradition, we were off.
And now, what? Well, I am glad to have gotten through this week, since I finally went to the US Embassy and the Peruvian Immigracion offices and took care of the rediculous passport shananigans (yup...officially a female now...it is good to be back, among the ladies). This weekend...gladly staying local to catch up on sleep, spend time with new volunteers, continue my newly implemented plan to train for the Inca Trail, and prepare for a busy week of art projects and goodbyes with the second grade.
-When making paper, stuffed fish with children and using a stapler to fasten things together, always bring more than one stapler and try really hard to keep the staples away from all hands.
-When watching Finding Nemo (again, at a computer without quotation marks) in a Peruvian school, do not try to translate yourself with piddly Spanish (which comes out as, where is Nemo? I need to find Nemo!...over and over and over, as I am lacking vocabulary to expand on what is really being said), try to find the function to switch the language right there on the main menu.
-When the children go to the pool on a Thursday, no one will attend school on Friday and the four people who do show up really just want to sing to, laugh with, and tickle you until you cannot breathe...a good time for all.
-When wearing a t-shirt that says, Michigan State Basketball, to work, assume that the teachers will assume that you want to teach all of the students in school how to play basketball...in Spanish (has not happened yet, but there are plans out there...stay tuned).
-When bored with a dull moment and oodles of kids hanging on your arms, ask them to tell you how many freckles you have on one arm. When they say, a million, tell them to try again. But, when their next guess is a million and two, make sure to congratulate them on guessing correctly. And then, when you ask how many freckles are on the other arm, and they answer a million, just say, OF COURSE.
-When completing a puzzle with kids, let them do whatever they think makes sense...and do not try to explain the importance of edges and corners in Spanish...because you end up saying things that are actually obscenities.
An educational week, as most in Peru are. Anyway, just wanted to bring you up to speed. Things are going well, and this week in particular was full of a ton of laughter. Angela is a reading whiz, Christopher has started to pick his nose regularly and then nearly explode (nervously) everytime something comes out on his fingers, Yoahhna has stopped opening her mouth much when she speaks which makes it difficult to understand her, Flor jumped rope with stilts on (which made me really nervous, but she did with grace), Wendy and Karina have made it a priority to get a little Plate, Plate, Dove in each day, and Jefferson got a new eraser this week (obviously, the biggest news).
However, I am saddened to learn that since the summer is ending here (and so is Carnaval and the stupid waterballons...thank goodness), my school is closing at the end of next week for three weeks. This means that my last week in Lima will not be spent at Deporte y Vida. I am not sure what I will do with that time...likely sample other placements, but after Thursday, it looks like I will not be going back to my class and my kids. It is sad, but I am already plotting ways to make the most out of the remaining days. My teacher and I have come up with a plan to do big art projects as part of the lessons next week. I am thinking English, books, and art, thanks to Aunt Penny.
As for today specifically, it is almost 3:30 pm on Friday and instead of playing soccer, I have literally just returned from Villa El Salvador. I went to work, finished around noon or 12:15, and when my group took our typical 35 minute drive home, I got out in the bustling Municipal square of Villa El Salvador. Here, a couple hundred elderly residents of Villa El Salvador (including many members of Los Martincitos) sat in rows of plastic chairs, underneath a covered tent-like rectangle. Standing at the front of the group, with a mic in hand, was Tony, the man who helps run Los Martincitos. And, before Tony, at the head of the tent, hung a thin trunked willow tree, with a random assortment of gifts and toys tied to the majority of branches.
This is the Peruvian tradition called, Yunza, and it is a festival that comes mostly from the Highlands (remember Ayacucho?). It usually takes place in the end of February, leading into the actual Carnaval, which does not even happen in Lima. The event consists of groups of people dancing around the tree in traditional dress, with streamers on their bodies and flour smeared on their faces. In mid-dance, they take swigs of liquor and silmuntaneously, chop the tree down.
When I got there, the flour had been smeared, streamers distributed, and people were in costume. Tony MC-ed the entire event, although a handful of groups of Villa El Salvador elderly (other than Martincitos) were present. I sat in back with a few other volunteers and observed, giving hugs and kisses to all of our friends from Martincitos hobbled by. The dresses, hats, embroidered cloaks and skirts, feathered hats, and ruffled shirts amazed me, and I soaked up the parade of ornaments as the costumed people danced by and circled the tree. Every group of elderly had their chance to dance in front, with a different song (which all sounded a lot like wind instruments and high pitched voices).
I stayed for about two hours, and did not see much drinking or tree chopping. Jackie, the nun from Brooklyn who runs Martincitos with Tony, assured us that such things would be happening. Being a little tired, hungry, and hot, once we felt like we had absorbed a good taste of the Peruvian tradition, we were off.
And now, what? Well, I am glad to have gotten through this week, since I finally went to the US Embassy and the Peruvian Immigracion offices and took care of the rediculous passport shananigans (yup...officially a female now...it is good to be back, among the ladies). This weekend...gladly staying local to catch up on sleep, spend time with new volunteers, continue my newly implemented plan to train for the Inca Trail, and prepare for a busy week of art projects and goodbyes with the second grade.
# posted by Marci Soifer @ 12:22 PM 
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Mom,
You are, of course, along for the ride. I can hardly believe that I have been living in Peru almost three months also. This is an adventure that I am grateful to share.
As for the children in Villa, they have taught me more than they can possibly understand. I know that I will not return next year, and so do they...but, I hope that someone is there to teach them English, and sing, and do art projects, and pose as the human jungle gym...because they are very special kids and deserve a lot more than I could even give in 6 weeks.
I love you too-Marci
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You are, of course, along for the ride. I can hardly believe that I have been living in Peru almost three months also. This is an adventure that I am grateful to share.
As for the children in Villa, they have taught me more than they can possibly understand. I know that I will not return next year, and so do they...but, I hope that someone is there to teach them English, and sing, and do art projects, and pose as the human jungle gym...because they are very special kids and deserve a lot more than I could even give in 6 weeks.
I love you too-Marci
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