Friday, January 3, 2020
A New Blog
It has been exactly 579 days since I last posted on this blog. The first post was over 10 years ago. Wow! Having returned to the United States in July of 2017 it didn't seem appropriate to post anything regarding my present location on a blog titled My Slice of Peru, and without actually being there I didn't feel tuned in enough to write about anything current in Chiclayo or the rest of Peru. So I just stopped writing. Anywhere.
I'm getting older now, just turned 79 last month, and I'm finding that while my sphere of interest has gotten smaller in terms of world events, politics and politicians, celebrity activities, the entertainment world and business, my interest in people and why we act as we do has increased. So to has my interest in cosmology and philosophy.
Sometimes when I'm relaxing in the back yard my mind is a million miles away, thinking about anything from the origin of the universe to why the chipmunks go to the neighbor's property to bury acorns instead of doing it where they find them. And sometimes I get the urge to write about these things. So I'm going to do it.
As of yesterday I started a new blog. I titled it Twilight in Northwest Georgia. It's not going to be about anything specific. It will be about whatever has crossed my mind and interested me enough to sit down at this computer and bang away at the keys. Anyone who would like to check it out is welcome. I'm going to let this Peru blog stand, until it dissipates into the ether. Because to this day I still get inquires about something I have written on it. I hope to see you at my new site.
Tom
Tuesday, January 16, 2018
Is this Really Georgia??
I did the research. I looked at all the factors you would
normally look at when contemplating a move to a different region of the country
(in our case, a different country). I looked at taxes, cost-of-living, population,
entertainment opportunities, geography, crime rate, ease of access to hospitals,
airports and other major cities, and climate. All of the information we gathered
kept pointing to the Chattanooga area. Climate was a biggie for us. Having
lived in the heat of Northern Peru for the last ten years, we did not want to
return to Wisconsin or any other cold weather state.
Using Google Map I ‘walked’ the streets in December. People
were walking downtown in light jackets. Others were in shorts and t-shirts.
Weather averages for January in Chattanooga are 49 high and 24 low. I’m
thinking that’s perfect…we’ve got it made.
Do you know what the temperature is forecasted to be
tonight? Nine. That’s right…nine. All day the radio has been announcing school
and business closings for tomorrow. That’s not what we signed up for. Granted,
in Wisconsin, Minnesota, etc. where we don’t start paying attention until it
gets to -20 or so, nine would be nothing. But we didn’t anticipate having to
buy snow parkas, wool hats and gloves. Georgia doesn’t show that in their
tourist promotional advertising. They show southern belles in peach colored
dresses strolling on a promenade.
City planners…in fact the entire metro area was not
designed with temperatures of nine in mind. Earlier this month we had another
cold front move through. A water main froze and broke in downtown Chattanooga.
Television broadcasters kept advising people to let their faucets run slightly
to prevent freezing. I didn’t pay attention to that, regarding it as being
overly cautious. As I recall it was only going to get down to 16. The plumber
bill was $95.00. Houses are not insulated to deal with a temperature of nine. And
based on my experience neither are many of the small businesses. Oh well, I’ll
probably be complaining when it’s in the upper 90s as I did last July.
And speaking of complaining, as long as I’m on a rant, let
me comment about driving. The salesman who sold us our car said, “Let me
caution you. Tennesseans are terrible drivers”. Those were his words, not mine.
Was he ever right! In 60 years of driving my rule of thumb has been speed limit
+5, unless I’m in a school or construction zone. It has been my observation
that the standard practice here is speed limit minus 5 to 15. And there seems
to be an obligation to constantly vary the speed. I have seen bumper stickers here that say, “The closer you get the slower I drive”. It is difficult for me to
imagine how one could drive slower without stopping.
I am not talking about an
occasional driver. I am flat-out saying that it is the majority. I saw this same
thing in New England in states like New Hampshire and Vermont. Maybe the cause
is all the hills in those states and here in Tennessee and Georgia. Whatever it
is, it sure is annoying. I would love to see some of these folks drive through
Chicago during rush hour. They would probably get so rattled they would never drive
again.
Okay…no more ranting. Despite the unplanned for cold and
puzzling driving, we’re very happy with our choice. The greater Chattanooga
area has a lot going for it and is a good place to live.
Promesa Peru 2017 Financial Report
During the year 2017 Promesa Peru took part in nine activities. They were:
Month Activity Expense
April Los Bances pronoei $507.87
May Carrizo Bajo pronoei 538.14
May Huaca Quemada pronoei 532.48
May El Carrizo pronoei 61.12
June La Carpa Casinelli pronoei 393.29
June Magali training 38.17
June Huaca de Toro pronoei 490.00
July Paredones San Juan 920.00
November El Cerezo pronoei 788.65
December Caspe pronoei* 29.26
Total expenses $4,369.73
* - The Caspe pronoei is in the Monsefu District. There are 60 families living in Caspe, and only 9 students in the pronoei. The money donated by Promesa Peru contributed to the village's chocolatada, and also served to close our books in preparation for discontinuing our activities.
Donations
Source Amount
Public donations $4005.70
Other donations 00.00
Beginning balance 364.03
Total funds available $4,369.73
Total expenses 4,369.73
Ending balance $00.00
##############
It is with a twinge of sadness that we publish this final financial report. Both Maribel and me miss our Promesa Peru activity much more than we anticipated. We wish we could have found a way to keep it operating. Our thanks to everyone who contributed over the years to the success of Promesa Peru.
Thursday, January 11, 2018
Mystical Medicines
Sometime around July of this year, shortly after we moved
to Rossville from Chiclayo, Peru I damaged my right knee. I can’t associate it
with any specific event. It just, one day started hurting. I ignored it for
several weeks, until the pain became more frequent and severe. When it became
obvious it wasn’t going to improve, I did one of my least favorite things to do;
made a doctor appointment. The diagnosis is a partially torn meniscus. The
course of treatment is leg exercises, ibuprofen and to stay off of it as much
as possible.
During that doctor visit I wondered out loud what the
diagnosis and treatment would have been in Chiclayo. I’m positive that one of
the medicines would have been a salve or ointment of some sort, either a
commercial product or a homemade concoction. Chiclayonos are big on ointments
for whatever ails you. I mentioned several other examples of Peruvian health
care practices that the doctor had probably not come across in medical school.
For chronic pain that is not responding to usual remedies, one might contract
with a bruja (male witch) to make a house call. Often as part of the treatment
the bruja will place a live cuy (guinea pig) on the affected location, and let
it run in the area, which somehow transfers the cause of the pain to the cuy.
The bruja usually eats the cuy in imitation of his Incan ancestors, who ate
tons of the little buggers. All such treatments are taken seriously by the
population. If a treatment doesn’t work it is because something else is
interfering.
When the doctor laughed I surprisingly found myself feeling
defensive. That’s when I told him about what I call the yellow rock. It’s
actually a hard cylinder of sulphur. It is sold as a pain reliever in
pharmacies and many corner grocery stores. My first experience with it was
during my initial visit to Chiclayo, when I developed a severe headache. I
suggested to Maribel that we walk to a pharmacy for aspirin when instead she produced
the yellow rock from a kitchen drawer. When she began rubbing the rock on my
temple I immediately heard a crackling sound, like paper being crushed. Within
minutes the headache was gone.
I am a skeptic. My mantra is, “Show me proof”. My
conclusion about the rock and headache was that it was simply coincidence. The
second time that exact scenario happened several week later, I again said
coincidence, but this time not so loud.
I mentioned earlier that Chiclayonos have a penchant for
ointments as a medical treatment. As I think about it, that is no different
than the dozens of ointments sold in the ‘health stores’ all over the USA. And to my knowledge
99% of all of their products carry the mandatory disclaimer that essentially
says…’this product has not been government evaluated and has not been proven to
cure anything or have any healthful affects at all’. So basically they are no
more legitimate than the sulphur cylinder of the guinea-pig-on-the-back
treatments.
Whenever I get involved in a discussion about health supplements,
the ‘believers’ usually end up saying, “Well, there may be no scientific proof,
but I know my body and these
supplements work”. Given that line of thinking, isn’t it just as valid for a
Chiclayono to say that they know their bodies and the guinea pig treatment
works? Or for me to say that the sulphur cylinder works?
Wednesday, December 27, 2017
A Good Night for Gumbo
It’s cold in Rossville, Georgia. Well, I mean not Wisconsin
cold, but 24 night and 42 day feels cold. Maybe those 10 years I spent in
Chiclayo Peru has lowered my tolerance for cold.
And speaking of Peru, that’s where Maribel is now. She
wanted to spend the holidays and her father’s birthday with her family. I wasn’t
ready to return to Peru. Not enough time has elapsed. If I went back now it
would feel as if I had never left. I wouldn’t appreciate it. It’s kind of an -
absence makes the heart grow fonder, if that makes sense. So Maribel is in Peru
with family and I’m alone. That’s not all bad.
I am in a situation where I can completely ignore
Christmas. If Maribel were here I would have to deal with a tree, lights,
decorations, cards and that interminable Christmas music. It is a
scientifically proven fact that having to listen to ‘Have a Holly Jolly
Christmas’ more than 30 times per day is the leading cause of tonsiloptis of
the blow hole. And of course everyone knows that listening to Johnny Cash’s or
Neil Diamond’s versions of ‘Little Drummer Boy’ results in instant insanity.
Another advantage is that I didn’t have to wait until
midnight to eat Christmas dinner. That has been the tradition in Peru for
years. Probably no one knows why anymore. Turkey is the traditional main
course. The turkey is covered with a marinate that has also come down through
the years. I am confounded as to why. To me that marinate ruins a perfectly
good gobbler.
I didn’t have turkey for Christmas. I went to a local
grocery store and cruised the aisles hoping that something would jump out at
me. In the checkout line my basket contained a 4 ½ lb fresh chicken, a package
of instant mashed potatoes and a can of cranberries. The woman in front of me
had much more. She dropped some of it on the floor. As I was helping her pick
it up she remarked that her family had insisted that she make her famous gumbo
tonight to “take off the chill”. Now, I don’t know gumbo from shoe polish but
to make conversation I remarked that it was indeed a good night for gumbo, and
then as an afterthought jokingly asked, “Where did you say you live”?
That woman reacted to my comment as if it was the funniest
thing she had ever heard. Then she used it as a segue to talk about her gumbo,
in a volume intended to be heard by everyone in line. I was on my way out of
the store when I heard a loud voice behind me say, “Now don’t you let me see
you following me to my car, ha ha”! I replied without turning, “Then don’t look.”
There was much laughter.
Happy Holidays to all!
Monday, November 13, 2017
A Disastrous Loss in Peru
The temple of Ventarron has been in existence for over 4,500 years. It was discovered about 15 years ago and has been actively excavated since that day. Two days ago the site was completely destroyed by fire including what is thought to be the oldest mural in the Americas.
The fire was caused by employees of a sugar cane company who had set fire to nearby fields to burn sugar cane stubble. The fire quickly spread, engulfing the entire archaeological site. Everything was lost including records of the excavation which were kept on site.
Authorities in Lima have dispatched investigators to Ventarron to determine if the sugar company is responsible. The outcome of that investigation won't change anything. The remains of one of the oldest and grandest temples in the Americas is lost. What a shame.
Tuesday, October 31, 2017
Promesa Peru to Cease Activities
After seven years of supporting education through classroom
furnishings and school supplies in Peru’s Lambayeque Region, the board members
of Promesa Peru have decided to close the doors. Factors leading to this
decision were excessive demands for Magali’s time, who is Maribel’s sister and the
Promesa Peru representative in the region, and the difficulty of administering school projects remotely from the USA.
One example of administrative difficulty is that we have
just now gotten the final cost numbers for the village of El Cerezo, a project
completed October 10. The delay was no one’s fault...simply a result of a more
complex system. The cost figures for that project were:
1 whiteboard - $52.45
Markers and erasers - $7.71
3 tables - $83.31
15 chairs - $231.41
2 storage shelves - $52.45
17 books and puzzles - $68.19
17 pairs of shoes - $166.62
Magali’s time - $61.71
Transport - $64.79
Total - $788.65
As of this writing Promesa Peru has $29.26 in its bank
account. The money will be turned over to Magali to be used for a chocolatada
(Christmas party) at a Chiclayo school of her choice. We will be publishing a
complete financial report for the year 2017 when all the numbers have been
crunched.
There have been many donors during these past seven years.
We cannot possibly thank them all but do want to recognize in particular Chris Raupe, Clif Brown, Denny Wallette,
and especially The Alice Cool Foundation who never failed to bail us out when
money was tight.
This is a sad day for us, but we do have the satisfaction
of knowing that we have helped dozens of schools and hundreds of students, and
that there are people like those mentioned above who care about the future of a
little boy or girl in a poor desert village in Peru.
Wednesday, October 11, 2017
El Cerezo has got their stuff!
As always the kids got a kick out of the new furniture, and
books and puzzles. The teacher, Anhela Diaz was expecting only pencils and
paper in addition to the furnishings and was thrilled to receive those teaching aids.
As much as the classroom furnishings were appreciated, it
was the seventeen pair of brand new shiny shoes that stole the show. The
parents knew only that Anhela had asked for the kids shoe sizes but did not
know why. One pair of new shoes is one thing less to worry about for the
parents in these villages.
Yovana was one of the students without shoes noticed by
Magali’s during her first visit to El Cerezo. While her face in this photo didn’t
seem delighted, Magali saw that she would not put down the shoes. We think that
Yovana, her mother and everyone else at the pronoei Huellitas de Christo in the
village of El Cerezo yesterday morning will remember that day.
These folks know who made this day possible for them. They
and we thank you for your continued support.
***
Barring an emergency situation at a school, El Cerzo will
be Promesa Peru’s last school furnishing project for this year. If possible we would like to sponsor a chocolatada (Christmas party) in December, or at least
be able to contribute to one. Chocolatadas cost anywhere from $300 to $600. Usually
at this time of the year we have a good portion of chocolatada money put aside.
Not this year. After El Cerezo we have about $42 remaining. We’ve got 6 weeks
to raise money for a Christmas party for an as yet unknown school. If you’d
like to help us make Christmas special for about 20 kids, please visit the Promesa
Peru website. Thankyou.
Saturday, October 7, 2017
Been to Murphy Lately?
For no particular reason Murphy was our choice to celebrate Maribel’s birthday
yesterday. We wanted to drive into the Appalachian
Mountains so called up Google maps and threw a figurative dart that landed on
Murphy, North Carolina population about 1600 people. The map showed a museum, riverwalk, a couple of antique stores and what looked to be a nice restaurant -
Murphy Chophouse. We thought that would be enough to occupy us for the day and
the scenery would probably be worth the drive, which turned out to be two hours
including the time spent asking people, “Where are we?” and “How do we get on
HY 74?”. Let me expound on that last sentence.
It is my assumption that the departments of transportation
in Tennessee, Georgia and North Carolina have severe budget restrictions that
precludes putting up informational traffic signs. Nearly every time we drive to
a destination we’re not familiar with we get lost, including our trip to
Murphy. And it should be so simple…interstate 75 to HY 74 to Murphy. And yet we
got lost in the city of Cleveland twice, coming and going. Highways 74 and 64
are the same road for a long stretch. After some time of driving through
Cleveland Maribel commented that there had been no signs for quite a while. I
had noticed the same thing…nothing that indicated we were still on the highway
or that the highway had turned or simply stopped. Sometimes there are signs,
but of a size and location I wouldn’t expect. And often there are signs saying
for example, Murphy with an arrow pointing in the direction of the destination,
but nothing indicating the distance. Would it cost that much more to add the
distance? We’re at a point where we build in travel time to stop to ask for
directions. Okay…back to Murphy.
Our next stops were at several antique shops. Just like in
the Rossville area, some shops looked and felt like junk stores, while others
had an exclusive look and their merchandise and prices reflected it. There are
a couple of art galleries that we didn’t get to nor did we see the Riverwalk,
mostly because we spent too much time chatting with store owners and the museum
curator. Murphy residents like to talk about their town.
We did want to include dinner in Murphy as part of Maribel’s
birthday celebration and as I wrote earlier had intended to eat at Murphy
Chophouse, but several people expressed a preference for ShoeBooties restaurant
so we ate there. Service was good. Everything else; environment, quantity and quality of food was…okay. We wish we would
have stayed with our original plan.
What do I do with this blog?
I don’t know what to do with this blog. Over the years there
have been readers from 140+ countries. Many were one-time visitors, some were
occasional and others constant. I assume all had/have at least a passing
interest in Peru. Some have sent emails to me with questions about Peru
regarding just about every topic you could think of. I’m proud to say
that I was able to answer the majority of their questions. Several Americans
have told me that they retired to communities in Peru based in part on information I
had given them. All of the information and opinions I offered to those who
wrote to me and in this blog came from first-hand exposure. I saw, felt and
experienced nearly everything I wrote about. Name a major city in Peru and I’ve
been there, with Tumbes being the single exception. Name a tiny remote desert
village in the Lambayeque Region and chances are I can name the school teacher
and president of the parent’s association. Now I no longer live in Peru.
The question is, what do I do with a blog titled ‘My Slice
of Peru’ when I am no longer in Peru? I could continue it…I have friends and
family in Peru, and I do read several Peruvian on-line newspapers so I am informed
and could write about happenings in Peru, but second-hand information is not
the same. If I can’t see, smell and feel something first-hand I can’t bring
life to the words I write. I’ve discovered this with Maribel’s sister Magali
sending reports to me about villages she’s visited as our Promesa Peru
representative. Taking her words and trying to describe a village, school or
person I haven’t seen feels to me like I’m writing blind.
We don’t really live in the city of Rossville. As far as I
can tell we live in the township of Rossville. We have city water but because
we don’t live in the city we have to pay a private contractor to remove trash.
That’s okay with me. Our house is in a semi country setting. The only noise we
hear is lawn mowers on weekends, an occasional dog barking and if the wind is
right the distant sound of traffic on US 2, otherwise known as Battlefield
Parkway. The quiet is one major difference from Chiclayo, and is much
appreciated.
Speaking of battlefield, the Chickamauga Battlefield Park is
an eight-minute drive from our house. It is a huge parcel of land comprised of
fields and forests. There is a visitor center with knowledgeable park rangers.
There are free maps of auto tour routes and hiking trails. Everywhere in the
park, even in the thickest parts of the forest are monuments to various
military units, indicating which unit, what action they were involved in and
the date and time. There are other monuments erected by the various states
honoring soldiers and units from their states. Walking one of the trails during
the early morning or late afternoon and sharing paths with deer that are
unafraid of humans is an uplifting experience. We do this two or three times
each week.
Working in our backyard, getting it to be what we want is
another enjoyable activity. I cut a lot of brush and scrub trees during the
first month here, which resulted in a huge brush pile. Burning regulations in
Georgia are strict, so we’re burning the pile a little at a time in the outdoor
grill we built. We both like to sit outside at sunset, watching the smoke from
the dying fire twirl slowly into the air and enjoying the aroma of a wood fire.
A couple times each week we drive into the city (sounds
like a country bumpkin, doesn’t it?). The city is downtown Chattanooga, only 15
minutes from our house. There really isn’t much to downtown Chattanooga but
what there is is worth seeing. The area at the north end of Broad Street is
centered around the aquarium; probably the top attraction in Chattanooga. There
are nice views of the Tennessee River to be had from many vantage points. Broad
and Market streets offer many restaurants, some jewelry stores and a few
novelty shops, but there is a disappointing lack of boutiques and other
businesses that would attract tourists and local shoppers to the area. Or maybe
we just haven’t found them yet.
Serious shoppers go to the Hamilton Place commercial
district. The center piece is the enclosed two-level mall featuring the usual
selection of mall shops and a food court. Surrounding the mall are many large
chain stores…Kohls, Target, Walmart, Pier1 and a host of others. Restaurants
include Red Lobster, Outback Steak House and others. To walk through every store
in the district would probably take from
two to three days.
There are many antique shops in the area, some small,
others the size of a mall. We like to walk through these shops, not looking for
anything in particular though we did buy a vintage telephone table and hall
mirror to use as a sort of memorial to Maribel’s mother. We were surprised at
how rapidly items in the stores disappear, to be replaced by other things. The
old adage, ‘one person’s junk is another person’s treasure’ certainly applies
here.
There are several changes we want to make to the house.
Neither of us will be fully comfortable calling it “home” until those changes
are made, though we have no regrets about buying it. And we have no regrets
about returning to the USA. That said, we are talking more lately about
planning a visit to our home in Chiclayo, but that’s a way off yet. In the
meantime, what do I do with this blog?
Friday, October 6, 2017
We have the shoe money for El Cerezo
Our thanks to Denny Wallette who answered our call for help to provide shoes to the kids in the village of El Cerezo. Magali will need time to get the kid's shoe sizes and purchase them so we don't yet know when the shoes and other items will be delivered. We will post the status of this project as it progresses.
Thursday, October 5, 2017
An update on El Cerezo
We have the money to provide the items needed to the
pronoei Huellitas de Christo in the village of El Cerezo. Since informing Anhela
Diaz, the teacher at the pronoei of our decision to help the school Magali has
received several phone calls from village residents expressing their thanks and
eagerness to see the new tables and chairs. Those calls from villagers are a
first…we don’t remember that ever happening before.
Something the villagers don’t know is that we received a donation
for the purpose of buying shoes, not only for the two girls pictured and
mentioned in our previous post about the village, but for all 17 kids. In
checking on shoe prices in Chiclayo, Magali reports that the least expensive
shoes that are not ‘junk’ cost $9.26 per pair. We are $60 short of the total amount
needed for the shoes. If there is anyone who would like to help us to provide
shoes to the students please visit the Promesa Peru webpage.
Sunday, September 24, 2017
About standing for a National Anthem
Shortly after arriving in Chiclayo, Peru I was walking on
Balta Ave and came upon some sort of ceremony. Street ceremonies are common in
Peru. There was a stage with officious looking people on it, and a military
band was playing officious sounding music. There was room on the opposite
sidewalk to walk past so not knowing what was happening I continued on. A
policeman stopped me; pointed to the stage and the crowd of people standing and
singing with their hands over their hearts and indicated that I should do the
same. I complied, and when the music stopped continued on my way. I was a little
miffed about that policeman ‘forcing’ me to take part in something I didn’t
understand, though if I had known the music was the national anthem I would
have stopped out of respect.
The Peruvian national anthem is ubiquitous. It will be
heard at the opening of a new park, street, store, school and school
activities, sporting events and just about anything else you can think of. And
what is interesting is to watch the faces of people during the playing of the
anthem. They are not just going through the motions. They are very animated and
their faces reflect a fierce pride as they sing. Sure, there are some whose
attention is elsewhere but they're a tiny minority. Peruvians, like citizens
across the world complain about their governments. Political protests, sometimes
violent are part of the culture but there is no doubt about their allegiance to
their country. I admire that feeling and demonstration of pride and loyalty.
The headlines today in the United States are all about President
Trump’s comments respecting the national anthem, and various people’s/group’s
reaction to those comments. There are 14 National Football League games scheduled
today. There will be a significant number of players and others who plan to
protest the anthem by sitting or other means. The media will have a feast detailing
who did what. I’ll be watching as many games as I can today, but not the
pre-game ceremonies.
Wednesday, September 20, 2017
A Desert Village Named ‘The Cherry’??
Anhela Diaz on the left in the photo has been teaching at
the pronoei Huellitas de Christo for three years. Patricia, who is the District
Coordinator for pronoeis in the Mochumi District is the other woman. The school
was built as a joint project 10 years ago by the community, who donated the
lot, and the Mochumi District who erected the building and a separate restroom
and sink.
The two girls in sandals in the photo are sisters. Their
mother apologized to Magali for the sandals, adding that they do have shoes at
home that are in good condition but are kept in a box for special occasions.
The building is in good condition inside and out and is
reasonably well equipped except for the plastic chairs that were donated 5
years ago by the city and are starting to break. The whiteboard behind Anhela
is cracked right down the middle and held together with tape. Anhela has 17
students who seem to be happy and have a good relationship with her.
Also present to greet Magali was Manuel, who is president
of the parent’s association. His aunt, Guillermina Solano Aquino is 87,
unmarried, and lives with her brother who is Manuel’s father. Guillermina is
proud of her nephew and his commitment toward the pronoei where he has two kids
attending.
The villagers have asked for a replacement for the
whiteboard, teaching aids, two storage shelves, three tables and 15 chairs.
Those items, together with transport cost and Magali’s time would total $621.06.
3 tables - $83.18
15 chairs – 231.05
1 whiteboard with markers and erasers – 60.07
2 storage shelves – 52.37
17 books and puzzles – 68.08
Transport – 64.70
Magali’s time – 61.61
Total – $621.06
We think this is a good project. The teacher and parent’s
association show the kind of spirit we like to see. We have $286 toward this
project. We need $335 to finish it.
Friday, September 8, 2017
The village of Tepo project is cancelled
During a visit to several villages in the Mochumi District
last Wednesday, Magali stopped at Tepo, the subject of our last post on
September 3 to determine what items would be suitable to donate to the primary
school. During that visit the director of the primary school informed Magali
that she would be resigning at the end of the school term in December. Magali
then had a discussion with members of the parent’s association and was told
that parents would no longer be boycotting the primary school and would be
enrolling their kids from the pronoei in that school for the next term.
We had said in our post about Tepo that we felt that the
pronoei was not needy but decided to donate to it and the primary school as an
inducement to increase enrollment at the primary school if donations were
received. With the director’s decision to resign there is no need for an
inducement, and given that the pronoei is reasonably furnished we are canceling
the project.
One interesting aside…as Magali was preparing to leave Tepo
a woman asked if she could ride with her to a clinic in Mochumi. During the
ride the woman, Rosa Santisteban Cajusol told Magali she had seen many changes
in Tepo during her lifetime. We don’t doubt that. Last week on August 30 she
celebrated her 104th birthday.
Sunday, September 3, 2017
The villagers of Tepo need to forget
In the past in the village of Tepo the primary school I.E.P.N 11238 was a normal school with twenty-some
students between the ages of six to eleven, two teachers and the director. The
death of a nine-year old girl six years ago at the school altered that
situation to the present day. Neither the director nor the parents would talk
about the details of the circumstances, though Magali did learn that an
investigation resulted in clearing the staff of any negligence. Blameless or
not, the community held the school and staff accountable for the incident.
Parents stopped sending their kids to the school. When enrolment dropped to
only a handful, Mochumi authorities removed the two teachers, but retained
(probably a mistake) the director as the only teacher. Though the death
occurred six years ago the stigma remains. At present the primary has nine
students, though there are many more students in Tepo eligible to attend. The
school looks and feels to be in a state of limbo; it’s continued existence to
on a day-to-day basis.
The parent’s association is not supporting the primary
school and the appearance of the classroom shows it. The government is
providing only minimal support, citing declining enrolment as the reason.
Promised repairs for the recent flood damaged walls are probably in the distant
future if at all.
The pronoei Mi Mundo Magico (My Magic World) is inside the
primary school, using a classroom no longer needed. Curiously parents seem to
have no reservations about having their kids attend class at the site of that
girl’s death six years ago, which seems to indicate it is the director/teacher
they are avoiding.
In contrast to the primary classroom, the pronoei is well
maintained. Malena Seclen has been there since 2013 and appears to have a good
repour with the parent’s association. She has an enrolment of twenty kids ages
three to five. She would like to replace the plastic tables, some of which are
broken, with five wood tables. She has chairs from the primary school. She has
also asked for a whiteboard and storage shelf.
The pronoei in Tepo would normally not meet our criteria for
donation, however here we feel is a condition that needs to be addressed and
possibly Promesa Peru could help. We’d like to donate the items asked for to
the pronoei, and provide teaching aids to the primary school. It is our hope
that by demonstrating our interest in the primary school, the parents may
soften their view and send their kids to I.E.P.N 11238 when they finish at the
pronoei.
It’s not a good situation to have classrooms empty when
they can be cleaned up for little cost, nor to have an experienced
director/teacher being limited to a token number of students. There would be so
many advantages to the kids and community to have I.E.P.N 11238 up and running again but for that to happen the villagers need to
forget what happened…or what they think
happened six years ago.
The cost for pronoei items would be:
Five tables - $139
One whiteboard – 53
Whiteboard erasers and markers – 8
Storage shelf – 27
Transportation – 47
Total - $274.00
Saturday, August 26, 2017
A Southern Version of 'Up North'
In my last post I mentioned that we were enjoying the trees
on our land, but afterwards it occurred to me that I hadn’t really taken the time to look at them. It was sort of like a reverse of that old chestnut, ‘couldn’t see
the forest for the trees.’ I did a mini survey and discovered that we have seven
varieties I think I’ve identified and several others that I have yet to put a
name to.
At the very top of the photo, to the right of the coffee cup is a
chestnut seed. There are lots of seeds still on the tree and on the ground. When
I have the time I’d like to learn how to roast them to make them eatable. Moving clockwise from the chestnut is a leaf and seed pod from a catalpa tree.
There were lots of them in my Milwaukee neighborhood when I was a kid. We
called them Indian cigar trees, though I don’t know how that name came about.
At the bottom of the photo is a tree I had never seen or
heard of. My neighbors tell me it is a water oak. If it didn’t have acorns I
wouldn’t believe it was an oak at all, though Wikipedia seems to confirm what
they told me. To the left of the oak is, I believe, a species of Cyprus. It is
the only one on the property. Above the Cyprus is a species of spruce. The tree
is surrounded by vines and undergrowth – a situation I want to deal with soon because a vine known as English ivy can kill a tree. Between
the spruce and coffee cup is a pecan. As with the chestnut, I’d like to learn
how to make the nut eatable.
The oak to the left and pine in the background are
especially impressive. Some rough measurements and calculations put both trees
at somewhere between 65 to 70 feet tall. Using a tape measure at a height of 48" on both trees, the pine measured 75’’ in circumference with a diameter of 23.9”.
The oak has an incredible 183” circumference and 53.28” diameter.
In my early teens acorns and pine cones brought back from family summer vacations were like religious objects to me...emissaries from 'up north'. I'd line them up on my dresser and think about where I got them from, and wish time would go quickly so we could go back soon. Oh sure...there were oaks and pines in some of Milwaukee's parks but that was not the same. They were in controlled city environments, like animals on display in a zoo. The real up north was Wisconsin forests that were wild and un-managed. Our backyard in Rossville, Georgia isn't up north, but the smell of the earth; the sound of the acorns and pine cones falling to the ground plus the raucous calls of blue jays and crows are pretty darn close.The chestnuts and pecans are a bonus. I'll take it.
In my early teens acorns and pine cones brought back from family summer vacations were like religious objects to me...emissaries from 'up north'. I'd line them up on my dresser and think about where I got them from, and wish time would go quickly so we could go back soon. Oh sure...there were oaks and pines in some of Milwaukee's parks but that was not the same. They were in controlled city environments, like animals on display in a zoo. The real up north was Wisconsin forests that were wild and un-managed. Our backyard in Rossville, Georgia isn't up north, but the smell of the earth; the sound of the acorns and pine cones falling to the ground plus the raucous calls of blue jays and crows are pretty darn close.The chestnuts and pecans are a bonus. I'll take it.
Thursday, August 24, 2017
Life is Good
A recent teacher’s strike in Peru has disrupted the early
portion of the school term for the second consecutive year. The protests
involve President Kuczynski’s election promise to increase teacher’s salaries.
As I understand it there was a small increase granted some months ago, and a
promise for a larger increase later this year but many teachers don’t regard these
actions as keeping his promise. To my knowledge pronoei teachers have not taken
part in the demonstrations but during unsettled times parents tend to keep
their kids at home and we’re told that at the moment school attendance is down.
If I can offer a brief opinion here, in my view Kuczynski offers Peru the best
opportunity they’ve had in many years to see solid progress away from their third-world
status…if the population and opposing politicians would cooperate with him.
Despite the turmoil Promesa Peru has completed five
projects in the Mochumi District this year. The villages are identified on the map.
Magali has had two more villages request that she visit; El Tepo and Salitral
(also on the map), both much closer to the city of Mochumi than the other
villages we’ve donated to. Magali has no information for us at this time about
the villages but hopes to visit both of them next week. Should a project result
for one or both of them transportation costs should be reduced.
As for Maribel and I, we’re both feeling more comfortable
with our new home and community. We pretty much have the interior of the house
the way we want it, though we’re still looking for unusual pieces to fill some
empty spots. With that thought in mind, we’ve taken to visiting antique and second-hand
stores…something I’ve never done before and am really enjoying. Negotiating
prices is the norm in these shops but I think these people have never been
exposed to a Peruvian negotiator like Maribel. After a particularly lengthy
session of offer and counter offer, one man commented to me that if it had
lasted much longer he would have ended up paying Maribel to take the item.
Thursday, August 3, 2017
Better Late Than Never…
On July 8 we wrote about the village of Paredones
San Juan; their pronoei and the prospect of furnishing the classroom. We
had estimated a cost of $910 to cover the project. For several weeks we had no
response to our request for donations and it was beginning to look like we would
not be able to contribute anything to the village. Fortunately the Alice Cool
Foundation, our long-time friend and supporter contacted us, offering to
underwrite the entire project.
Magali was swarmed upon arrival yesterday morning. Several
mothers had told her that they were not sure she would come, or at least not
with the promised items. Villagers have often been disappointed when promises
made by local governmental authorities are not realized because of lack of
funds. Promesa Peru is proud to say that we have never reneged once a promise
has been made.
The Alice Cool Foundation’s generosity allowed us to
deliver 6 tables, 24 chairs, 4 storage shelves, 1 whiteboard with erasers and
markers plus puzzles and story books for each of the 24 students. Magali said
there is a completely different environment and attitude among the kids and
their mothers. We’ve seen this before…the new furnishings creating a
seriousness and formality to the learning process. Teachers have told us that attendance
almost always increases after we’ve furnished the classrooms.
The project cost was $943…$23 over estimate, again due to
transportation of the furniture from the carpenter to the far distant village.
An interesting side note is that two of Magali’s former
classmates who are in the business of manufacturing classroom furniture
contacted Magali seeking our business. Both of them quoted prices that were in
excess of 20% more than our carpenter in Tucume has been charging us. That’s
good information.
Again, our thanks to the Alice Cool Foundation for
contributing to the education of these
kids.
Wednesday, July 19, 2017
Adapting to Change
A few years ago two Canadian couples visited Chiclayo, Peru
and asked Maribel and I to guide them to non-touristy places. On the first day
we took them to Collud, one of the more primitive villages in the Lambayeque
Region. Stepping out of the car their faces took on a stunned expression. One
of the women muttered, “My God…it’s like walking into a National Geographic
article.” As is so often the case, being told in advance what to expect doesn’t
do it…you need to see and feel it yourself.
Now, I am not saying that the town of Rossville, Georgia
where we now live is anything like those Peruvian villages I grew to love, but
in the past six weeks we have often had the feeling that we’ve stepped into the
1940s. Take this morning for instance.
We’ve got nearly all of the furniture we want but haven’t
found a TV stand we like. We live in rural Rossville. It’s more like country
than city. About a quarter mile from our house on a side road is a collection
of old buildings…a few houses, a gas station and a used furniture store. We
were on our way to downtown Chattanooga; about a 20-minute drive when we
decided to check out the store. If you’re familiar with Norman Rockwell
paintings you’ll have some idea of what the ‘town’ looks like as well as the
store front and interior. The building served some other purpose years ago. Now
it is crammed full of used furniture, mostly wooden items. Prices range from
$50 to $150. There weren’t any TV stands but there were a few tables that could
serve as a stand. In a corner was a table and matching chair with some of the
most beautifully grained wood I have ever seen, with a $150 tag on it. I looked
long and hard at that item but decided we didn’t need it.
While we were inside looking around the proprietor was out
back unloading some chairs from an old pickup truck. He looked to be about 80,
wearing faded jeans and plaid long-sleeve shirt, a baseball cap and worn
leather boots. When he had finished his work and came into the store his
southern drawl was so deep and so slow that neither Maribel or I could understand
him (the southern drawl has been a problem for us more than once. When I
commented to a woman that I couldn’t understand her accent, she said, “I’m from
Tennessee and this is the way we talk! You’re
the one with the accent!).
When we left the store I shook hands with the man and
thanked him for letting us look around. That led to another five minutes of near
unintelligible conversation. The whole experience…the town, the store, the man was
indeed reminiscent of the 1940s. And that’s not an isolated case. There are what
I call pockets of the past all over this area, including downtown Chattanooga. In
time we’ll get used to these pockets of the past but at the moment there’s a
feeling of being off balance when we find ourselves in these situations.
I had my army basic training at Fort Leonard Wood, Missouri
in the early 1960s. When I returned home after six months my mother asked, “Why
are you talking like that?” It was then I realized I had picked up a southern
twang. A few days ago, after only six weeks here, Maribel asked why I was
talking like that. I think I’m adapting to change.
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