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Day 5 by Tammy Flores
Day
five started again at 4:30 in the morning, we left the hotel in Cuzco in
Machupicchu. It was a two stage trip starting by bus through the Andean Mountains. The travel was full
of information and incredible sites. The further we moved from Cuzco the more the
homesteads changed. The change was due to the Incan influence.
The use of adobe was seen and in observation it was amazing just how much
of an art the use of adobe building is and how it had set standards for
many others forms of building. On the bus we were able to see some
snow capped mountains as well as the clouds sitting on the mountain tops (a
site we do not see often back home) We have began to develop many new
bonds within the group. A few of the group had traveled to India
as well and were a little anxious about the trip by train. They were
however very excited about the one bag to carry on. We stopped in one
of the small village towns and enjoyed coffee, hot chocolate and the sites
of the community square. It is amazing how the communities change
throughout each day. We are beginning to see more and more Incan
influence. We learned also that the prickly pear became a
commodity for the towns. There are small bugs that eat on the
pear, they are noticed looking as if they are a white mildew.
When taken off the plant and rubbed they become a red dye. This
is the dye that is used for many items of the culture
including lipsticks. We boarded the train for another two
hour trip and found the travel again very informative. We were able
to see the hiking trail many take to Machupicchu. Travelers are able
to take the trip over a course of approximately 4 to 5 days. We were
all excited we were on the train, but were slightly envious of those
hiking. We have seen so much growth individually and bonding as a
group already that we could only imagine what might be on a hike. We
arrived in Machupicchu at around noon and were able to eat and check in
before the afternoon excursion to the "last Incan temple untouched by
Spaniards." The temple was again an overwhelming experience
leaving us all in awe of its history. While at the temple we visited
the sun temple, saw the beds of the high priest, the room for the solar
calendar, a water mural that allowed the Incans to observe the
constellations. One of the most drawing points of the day was the
rock carved in the shape of the mountain. It is of course triangular
shaped and this is a representation of the mother earth. The rock was
called pachamama. The temple had been covered by foliage for many
many years before being discovered. We can only imagine what it must
of looked like since we are seeing if after being cleared and restoration,
but the site leaves many of us realizing the many many things in history
and within cultures that we take for granted.
Day 6 by Tammy Floyd
We did not have to wake up at
4:30a.m.!!!! My roommate and I awoke around 8:30. This in it´s self was one
of the best gifts our tour guide could have given us. It was great to
revive and get ready to start again. For breakfast, we went to the hotel
restaurant. It was all about the same, but there was on thing that was a
little different. They had this thick, pink and white liquid in pitchers.
When we asked what it was, they said it was yogurt that you put on your
cereal. They use the yogurt like we do milk. It looked very good, but I
actually didn't´t try it. I noticed it to late.
We then went to the train station. The train we rode on
was nice. It was actually way nicer than any airplane. They are so roomy!
It was a first class train so there was only one car. Nothing was connected
to it. This was a fun experience for me because I have never ridden in a
train before. The views were amazing from the window and the glass ceiling.
We saw eleven types of orchids and trees as far as the eye could see. The
only way I can think to describe the Andes is the Rocky
Mountains super sized. Truly an amazing sight. Another cool
experience was the rock tunnels.
They were just a hole in the mountain so that the train
could go through. It looked like the tunnels on the Loony Tune cartoons. We
had a box lunch that had ham and cheese that is like a sandwich that we
have at home, then we had another sandwich that had some sort of spread
that tasted like a cheese ball dip, and for dessert we had an apple pecan
pastry. It was interesting because here, they don´t eat a side like chips
or vegetables. They eat two sandwiches. This has been the case each time we
have received box lunches.
As we sat enjoying the views, this music came on and a
man dressed in a sock mask, with a rectangular hat with the rainbow colors
of the Peruvian flag came dancing down the aisles. He carried an Alpaca stuffed
animal and a weaved rope. He did the dance of the Coya. Every July 15th,
they would present these dances to the Virgin Carmen. It was so awesome to
see this dance. At first it started out melancholy but ended festively with
everyone clapping. After that they gave us a fashion show. They used the
walk way as a runway and showed us all different types of Alpaca clothing.
How they walked so gracefully with the jiggling of the
train, one will never know. After the wonderful train ride, we were
connected with our ProPeru guide, Jason.
We went to our motel and it was so beautiful. There is
the most extraordinary garden with an avocado tree, poinsettias and
"ballerina" flowers. All the rooms are themed by names instead of
numbers. For example, my room´s name is San Pedro. After we went to the
motel, we went to a restaurant in Uru Bamba. It had some great authentic
food and the best guacamole you´ve ever eaten. After lunch we went to the
ProPeru office.
We learned how to make the stoves. We got to get really
muddy and practice our stoves. Tammy and I had a few challenges but at the
end our stove rocked! When we finished that, we went to a pizza place and
got to ride this tricycle looking motorcycle taxi home for the night. Today
was so great! I am super excited to get started on the stoves.
July 26 by Rosa Mares
Day 9 in Peru
The day started out with a great
breakfast at the hotel. We had pineapple juice, any type of tea we
would want, bread, scrambled eggs, different types of fruit. We
were to be picked up at 8:00 A.M. Peruvian time to be taken to
the central site to start building our stoves. Jose one of the staff
members, came and took us by van. When we got to the site, there
were already some people picking up their materials for the
stoves. As soon as they asked for four volunteers, Dennis
and I took off with them. We were determined to build three stoves
today. We followed our person to his house where he
had just finished building the platform where the stove was to be
built. He had just mixed the clay for us and as soon as we arrived we
started our stove. Dennis and I have worked together very
well. We finished our first stove before ten and went outside to
look for the Pro Peru staff member to tell us where to go next.
We had not walked more than a minute or two when we saw someone who
directed us to the next house. The people at the second house
was ready for us to come in and build her stove. She also
had her platform ready. This new chimney went pretty fast,
since she already had an exsiting chimmney. We finished our
second stove and started to walk to the central site when
a Peruvian lady stopped us and told us that she was waiting on us
so that we could build her stove. She walked us to her house which
was only a few blocks away from where we built the second stove. This
house was very dark and had some smoke. I think she had just
finished cooking breakfast before we came in. This lady had
her platform ready also, which helped us get started on the
stove. We had a harder time with this chimney
because the roof was higher. Most of the houses used nine
or less chimmney pieces, this one was going to need at least two
more pieces. We used all the nine pieces that we had. I told
them that they would need to get two more pieces of chimmney.
When we finished our stoves we
went back to the hotel to clean up and then go to the Plaza de Armas to eat
lunch. Several of us went and ate and then walked around for a
while. We then headed back to the hotel because Dr. Henderson had
bought some watermelon for all of us to enjoy in the
afternoon.
After eating watermelon, some of us went to the ceramics shop.
They have the most beautiful ceramics, but as you can imagine they
were also expensive.
This evening we (WT students and staff) have been invited to get together
with the Pro Peru people for a farewell get together.
The experience with the stove
project has been wonderful. I would do it again in an
instant. It has been hard work, but we don´t seem to mind
because the people that we have installed the stoves for have been so
appreciative. Some of the women have asked if they can use the stoves
right away. Of course they have to wait a couple of days for the clay
to dry before they can cook on them.
This is the end of this great Saturday in Urubamba, Peru.
July 26 by Aaron Spaulding
Dear
Friends and Family,
One interesting and important component of
our experience in Peru
has been the opportunity to engage in research while working on the ProPeru
stove project. For my travel journal
entry, I wanted to share with you this academic component of our Peruvian
adventure.
ProWorld is an organization whose purpose is
“to promote social and economic development, empower communities, and
cultivate educated compassionate global citizens” (ProWorld, 2008). ProPeru is the arm of ProWorld that
operates in the country of Peru. One of the initiatives that ProPeru is
currently engaged in involves placing clean burning stoves in the rural
village homes in Urubamba,
Peru (this
is the project we are participating within). This project is being pursued using four
areas of focus identified by ProPeru on their web site at: http://www.pciaonline.org/site/apps/kb/cs/contactdisplay.asp?c=krLWJ7PIKqG&b=3497661&sid=mwK2JfP5LmJSKgN7IyH.
The
four areas are:
1) Social/Cultural barriers to using traditional fuels and
stoves:
In the rural area of Peru
there exists few initiatives or opportunities to use clean burning stoves.
The main reason is that people don't know how dangerous the smoke is for
their health. ProPeru’s interest is to adopt and adapt improved cooking technologies
and to educate the population to the risk associated with smoke inhalation
and the benefits of the alternative clean burning stoves.
2) Market development for improved cooking technologies:
In Peru, currently, there doesn't
exist a market for clean burning stoves. As a result it is necessary to
develop this market for improved cooking technologies. ProPeru has had to
develop and innovate its own model for the stoves and to work with local
artisans to produce them. There is a need however to consider more
alternatives, for example working with alternative types of biomass.
3) Technology standardization for cooking, heating and
ventilation:
ProPeru’s strategy
is to adapt and adopt improved cooking technologies, using local materials,
in consideration of the culture and the customs of the families.
4) Indoor air pollution exposure and health monitoring:
To evaluate the impact of the stoves ProPeru installs, they conduct
pulmonary capacity tests. They conduct the test at the time of installation
and after 3 months or more. To date ProPeru does not have a system for
evaluating the contamination within the home prior to installation other
than physical observation (amount of smoke, amount of soot on the walls and
ceiling and the prevalence of lung ailments). The homes in which ProPeru
installs stoves generally are without chimneys or any other means for smoke
to escape.
While this project seems to be in the best interest of the
Peruvian people, ProPeru has encountered families whom are either unwilling
to have the stoves placed in their homes, or after having the stoves placed
in their home, are unwilling or unable to use them. As a group, we are studying the barriers
to the success of the clean-burning stove project. We have utilized qualitative data collection
procedures of open-ended interviews and participant observation. In doing
so, we have had both individual and group conversations with the leaders
and volunteers at ProPeru. In
addition, we have had the opportunity to communicate with the families that
live in the homes where we are installing stoves. And, most importantly, we have had the
opportunity to learn first-hand through our own participation in the stove
project. The data that we have collected has been included in our daily
fieldnotes/journals. As we get back
home and analyze our findings, we hope to use this information to
understand how to lead successful service learning initiatives in our own
communities.
It
has been a privilege to travel and learn with such a diverse and exceptional
group of individuals. Everywhere we
go, people are amazed that WTAMU provides their students such unique
opportunities to travel and learn. I
am appreciative of the Go-Global Program and all who support it. It is impacting lives in a positive, life-changing
way.
Sincerely,
Aaron
Spaulding
July 27 by Dennis
Sarine
Dennis
Sarine
You might have been to Peru if……
The Bananas come in
three sizes
Your tour guide
danced with an anteater
The Pro Peru
orientation is not court ordered
Guinea pigs are no
longer pets
You were told to
follow the “Simon”
The pedometer is not
the new cell phone
You Consumed Trout
Soup and spent the next day in bed
You are attempting to
take a machete into the United
States
You have been chased
by a chicken
You forget to brush
you teeth with bottled water
You have found mud in
places you didn’t know you had
You realized the
train was not the place to Tiger Growl at the at the train attendant
Arrived in the Amazon
Jungle thinking that there was hot water
You suddenly feel the
urge to touch your passport
You feel the need
clean you fingernails with a machete
If you are scared of
being arrested for flushing the toilet paper
Anti-itch cream has
become your best friend
You discovered that bed-bugs
are real
Made life better for
the people of Yucay
6/27/08
Over the past week many of the members
in the group have shared what this trip has meant to them. What I find most compelling is that all members
have been pushed outside their comfort zone having done things that they
felt unobtainable in the beginning.
We started this trip as nineteen individuals and now I can honestly
say that we have jelled into a compassionate team. The stove project has allowed us to walk
away from individuals homes with a new comprehension of what primitive life
is like. I would like to say thank you to all participants that made this
trip possible.
July 29 by Erin
Prickett
Today was an amazing day. We woke up in a beautiful hotel called
Libertador which is located on an island right off the city of Puno. We then left the hotel at 7:30am and
headed out onto Lake Titicaca. Yes, it is pronounced just like it is
spelled. Lake Titicaca is an
enormous lake and it covers parts of Peru and Bolivia.
We took a short 15 minute boat ride and
landed on the Isla de los Uros, which is a floating island. The people on this island speak Aymara
which is different from the typical indigenous Quechau people. We were told that Puno was the dividing
line for the Quechua and Aymara people.
The indigenous people of this island
put on a small show and demonstrated how they build their islands. The islands are built of reeds and they
are floating. They start with reed
roots that are tied together. It
looks like big blocks of dirt with reeds sticking out. They tie those together and then cut
reeds and alternate the way they lay them on the foundation. They have to replace the reeds twice a
month because they rot and the island would begin to sink. When you walk on the island it feels like
you are walking on a bed. The ladies
of the island dressed us up in their traditional clothing. It was so much fun. I don’t think most of us have played
dress up for a while. We were then
able to take a traditional reed boat to another island in Uros. They had shopping and snacks.
Then we were off to Taquile island. It was a 3 hour boat ride. Many slept, some sat on top of the boat,
and others just watched the scenery.
Once we got to Taquile island, we had to walk up half the mountain
to eat lunch with a family that had prepared our meal. As we sat and ate lunch the national
border for Bolivia was not very far away.
The family had traditional weavings that were on display and they
also showed us what talented weavers they were by weaving with their eyes
covered. After lunch, some chose to
walk up the rest of the mountain to do some more shopping, and look at a
church; while others just meandered down the mountain and played with the
local children.
After a few minutes at the type of the
mountain we had to come down. We had
to get on the boat and make it into port by dark. We had a 2.5 hour boat ride back to the
hotel. Some then chose to go eat in
the city of Puno and some chose to stay at the hotel. Doug,
our tour guide leader took those of us that wanted to eat to an
amazing restaurant in Puno. We also did some more shopping; however,
I am not sure how we are going to get all of our treasures back to the
US. We have bought a ton of stuff. Tomorrow morning we head
back to Lima.
Day 10
by Joe Mendez:
Today started out as
usual. We woke in the early hours of
the morning to start our route from Urubamba to Cuzco.
We had our day planned out to visit the temple fortress of Pisac and
visit the handicrafts of a market.
To our surprise we added a stop to a sweater factory.
Pisac is made up of several
different areas. Our guide mentioned
that Qanchisracay was the area dedicated to the military garrison. In Upper Pisac
is the most important and impressive section of ruins. Most ceremonial and religious structures
in the complex are located there.
From the top of the
buildings, the Inca astronomers could track the movements of the sun, moon,
and stars.
Pisac is a pretty village and
has plenty of small handicraft shops.
The village is best known for its Sunday market, which draws
hundreds of tourists each week. You
can purchase a variety of handicrafts.
We spent a couple of hours there and most of us purchased 90% of our
souvenirs there.
We had the opportunity to
marvel at the Sacsaywaman stones as we entered Cusco
once again. The surprise of the day
was a trip to a sweaterfactory. The
entire group had a wonderful time.
JOE MENDEZ
Day 11
by Keith Penn:
How much of a journal entry
can be created from a day spent on a bus?
More than I thought on the morning of day 11. There were several stops along the way
from Cusco to Puno.
During stop number 1, on climbing the
steps of the cathedral at Andahuaylillas, I thought "If I didn't have
to do today's journal, I'd still be sleeping on the bus." The cathedral is remarkable in that it
didn't have the standard vaulted ceiling and there was not the required
flock of beggars at the door.
Despite its being out-classed by many others in this hemisphere, two
different pamphlets called this church the "SIXtine chapel" of
the Americas. Our guide repeatedly used 'mixture' as a
euphemism for 'contradictions' when discussing the collision of native and
Catholic religions.
Livestock cover the scenes on the road to
the ruins Raqchi, but there isn't the expected barbed wire barriers to keep
them close to home and off the highway.
On arrival, José paid S/1 restroom fee with a S/50 bill and our
guide explained the difference between "haku" and
"hakuchu", which is plural third person. Both mean "Let's go." He then said the unthinkable. Muna (mint) tea is BETTER than coca
tea! Heresy. Incan architecture is legendary for its
use of stones in construction, so it may be off-putting to see the land of
the potters, Raqchi, is the one place where they built heavily with
wood.
Lunch was hosted at a tourist trap in
which the guide worked behind the counter and helped serve, raising suspicions
of an especially close relationship between him and the restaurant he had
brought us to. Once the buffet was
ready, a worker saw it fit to tell those outside, but not inside, creating
a traffic jam. The line was longer
and slower than necessary, if the tables had been pulled away from the
wall, two lines would have halved the wait time. Once our table had sat down, the music
that had been playing suddenly stopped, a sign the band had paused to ask
for tips and sell CD's.
The next stop was for a tiny museum. The beggars we had not seen earlier in
the day were waiting for us here, especially disturbing was a teenager with
what most diagnosed as Leprosy.
Anyone on the steps may have heard from Dr. Henderson that "If
you're looking for something to do, there's the church, it's dark and
spooky." Inside, it was the
plainest church I have ever seen. No
baroque gold leave carvings that cost more than the town. The best part of the day was seeing Dr.
Henderson interact with the kids. He
redirected what was a sales pitch into a Q&A. Kids dropped the role of beggar when he
asked their names and seemed happier to get a piece of candy than they
would have been if there had been a sale.
The bus didn't stop in the town of Juliaca, and for good
reason. It's a hole. My primary thought while passing through
was "How bad is country life that this is the better
alternative?" We had seen
shepards along the route and they looked poor and bored, but not so much
that life in a place like Juliaca would seem appealing.
Of all the hours in all the days of the
year, our bus had come to this one intersection in Puno at this one time. A
parade blocked the street. An
otherwise welcome diversion, this one was just a mile from our final
destination and the collective talent of the musicians involved was
questionable. After an hour, half
the group decided to walk ahead instead of waiting for the traffic to
clear. The half that stayed assumed
that walking would mean missing the parade, not realizing that walkers would
see the same parade in less time by moving in the opposing direction. Uphill, in the snow, and against the
wind, we walked all the way to the hotel.
Two
Pictures Posted by Caitlin Spaulding:
Travel Journal by Shona Rose
We ended where we began. A city tour of Lima
focused our last impressions of Peru. Regal march music rang
through the side streets even before we reached the Plaza de Armas where
the Peruvian Changing of the Guard Ceremony was already under way in front
of the Presidential Palace and the Palace of the Arch Bishop. A quick
tour of the blue and gold arched ceilings of the cathedral and the elegant
mosaic nave holding the coffin of Pizarro sharply contrasted with our next
site - the Catacombs of San Francisco. Serving as a public cemetery from
the Spanish Colonial period until 1808, over 25,000 human remains lay in
huge repositories waiting for the resurrection.
True to Michelle's first observations, spending our last night in Peru didn't
take long. On the bus by 3:00, we gathered ourselves, our memories, and all
the souvenirs to come home. After connections in Miami
and Dallas our last flight to Amarillo
was canceled. Who had the better deal? Those who took a flight to Lubbock and enjoyed each other's company on the drive
to Amarillo?
Or was it those of us who stayed behind and returned home fresh and rested?
Now we're all preparing our journals and responding to the required
elements of "So What?" and "Now What?" trying to decide
how Peru
will impact our lives and the others we will touch. In a way, we begin
where we ended.
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