Three hours of sleep and five films later (Harry Potter, Marley and Me, Black Swan, The King's Speech and Love and Other Drugs - I fell asleep halfway through The King's Speech, and the plane turned off the media a quarter of the way into Love and Other Drugs), we landed in Madrid. I got my rucksack, and got off the plane as soon as I could. I was fairly surprised that I wasn't sore or stiff, but I walked through security (I got frisked, joyous) and got to the gate just as the line was forming. There was enough time to buy some water and phone Mum (the price of water seemed extortionate - in Peru a bottle of water cost about 23p, here it cost about £1), before boarding the plane. I didn't mind not getting a window seat - I just read for the 2 and a half hour flight.
At 4.10pm local time, we landed in Gatwick. 20 minutes ahead of schedule! I got my rucksack, went through border control, then changed into clothes more appropriate for the rainy weather (typical! My travelling clothes tend to be an oversize penguin t-shirt and loose trousers, for the record). Soon I was waiting for my luggage to appear - and waiting. Soon it was clear that my cases weren't there, but I honestly didn't mind. I knew that they'd appear sooner or later, so I filled in a form (all 5 people who'd come from Lima were in the same situation, we assumed that since we'd arrived late in Madrid, the suitcases hadn't made the connection), then went through customs and into the arrivals area. And there was Mum - it was so wonderful to see her again after my month away. We hugged, then made our way to the car, where I'd tell her about my trip as we'd make our way back home, to where Dad and Christopher were waiting for me.
Saturday, 23 April 2011
Friday, 22 April 2011
Day 34: Lima and goodbye
I felt quite sad that this would be my last day in Lima. I'd gotten used to being back in the house, to hearing the baker on his bike beeping his horn to sell his wares, to breathing in the humid air that fills me with childhood memories, to looking out of the window at the statue of the Virgin in the park, to watching TV with my grandparents. I got dressed quickly and joined them for breakfast. Then Tia Silvia told me the plan: she and Annabelle would be going with Tio Mañuco to a market (not much like the market in Huancayo, this reminded me more of the Sunday market we have at home) for their last-minute shopping, then he'd drop them off at the artesans' market. Then we'd have lunch, and take a taxi to the airport. Would I like to join them in the morning?
So we went - it was great to be able to see Tio Mañuco and Maria Gracia before we went home. And it was quite nice walking around the artesans' market, I spent most of the time mentally comparing prices (50 soles in Lima for a jumper, 35 soles in Huancayo for the same thing etc). One of the vendors mentioned that Annabelle and I were foreign, Tia said that we'd be heading back to Texas that afternoon. She later said that she comes up with a different story each time, I tend to stick with the same story (Martha the student from Miami. On a related note, sometimes people say that Mum and Tia Silvia don't seem like they're from Lima - Mum now says she's from Arequipa, and Tia that she's from Cajamarca. I guess the longer you spend living away from a place, the less you're seen as a person from that place by strangers).
We got a taxi back to the house, then Tia went with Tio Alejandro and Yessica to buy pollo a la brasa (I felt slightly guilty to be eating meat on Good Friday, since I'm supposed to be fasting) while Annabelle and I set the table (since there're so many of us in the house, it's not fair on Veronica to do everything for us, so we help out). Abuelo was feeling ill so he stayed in bed, but the rest of us shared the pollo a la brasa meal together. That was lovely.
The afternoon was a mad rush of packing - I'd nearly finished packing, but there were still a few last-minute items that needed to be squeezed in, and the suitcases needed weighing. Thankfully there were no issues there, and everything was packed. Then we discussed how we'd get a taxi: after many suggestions and a few disagreements, Yessica went out with Tia Silvia and Tio Alejandro to the main road to hail two taxis. The first one would take me and Tio, since my flight left first (40 mins before Tia and Annabelle - I thought this a little odd) - this arrived not long after, so Tio helped me put my cases in the car.
Then it was time to say goodbye to Mamamama and Abuelo. That was hard - who knows when I'll next see them? There's a quotation I often think of, that I saw in a Pokemon game: "'Goodbye' is the beginning of 'Hello'". That gets me through when I have to say goodbye to somebody.
Tio and I got to the airport with no hassle (he spent the trip talking politics with the taxi driver, I watched out of the window at Lima), then we got in the queue for my airline, and soon I bade godspeed to my suitcases as they disappeared out of sight. Tio and I saw Annabelle and Tia in their queue (I was with AirEuropa, they were with Iberia, hence different flights), then we went with Yessica to McDonalds. Tia and Annabelle joined us there, we chatted until my flight was called. Tia, Annabelle and I went through together - we said our goodbyes to Tio Alejandro and Yessica, then went through to customs. Usually I pay airport tax (about $35 or $40) at this point, but Tia explained to the guard that her ticket included airport tax, so he waved her through. Annabelle went with her - and I admit, so did I. I wasn't called back, so we carried on straight to security.
Ten minutes later, there we were in the lounge. I said bye to Tia and Annabelle, then went to my gate - the board announced the 7.40pm flight. 7.40pm? My flight was at 7.05pm... had I somehow missed it? I panicked a bit then - my watch said 6.30, so I should be okay... I asked at the desk, they assured me that it was the same flight, but it was a bit late. So why they didn't just put a sign saying 'Delayed' is beyond me. I wandered around a bit and found Tia and Annabelle in a cafe - we chatted a bit, then I checked the gate again. Nothing, so I went back and chatted some more. Then I went back - this time they were doing the last call, and people were in the line. So I sprinted back to Tia and Annabelle (not the easiest thing when you've a large rucksack on your back and are trying to not knock over other travellers), said goodbye to them, then ran back. Some minutes later, I was on the plane, and not long after that we took off. I had nobody next to me, so I stretched out a bit with my book and flicked through the films. Tia had given me earphones, so I spent the rest of the night watching film after film after film.
During my last trip, I thought a lot about my experience, and what had happened. This time, I thought a lot about my experience and what could happen in the future. Strange thoughts have been coming to me since I spoke with Sonia about the kids she worked with, thoughts about what I wanted to do. The best way I can describe my thoughts is that it was similar to falling in love for the first time - an awful lot of denial, a lot of what-ifs, a lot of doubts and uncertainty and reluctance to do anything, just in case feelings turned out to be something else. This felt completely different to falling in love, but my thoughts went down pretty much the same lines. Having talked to Mum and Tia Silvia a bit about this, I'm now considering working with projects like these - not just in the holidays, but as a career. I felt more 'real' there than I've ever done - I felt the same in 2009, but didn't think much on that then. There're still a lot of confusing thoughts in my head about this - what about my psychology degree, what about the life I'd imagined for myself in the UK? While I was in bed with fever a few weeks ago, I wrote a few things down in a notebook - most of them are doodles of cats in honeypots or story-characters dancing (my mind does strange things when I'm ill), but one page has written on it "At home it's about what the country can do for me. Over here, it's what I can do for the country." I don't want to forget that. I want to do more to help, whether it's with Makikita or with another organisation. A few friends laughed when I described the children as 'my kids' - but they are, I feel that they are in a way that I can't explain. I still need to think and talk a lot more about this, but this is where my thoughts are now. And where my thoughts were as I failed to fall asleep on the flight back home.
So we went - it was great to be able to see Tio Mañuco and Maria Gracia before we went home. And it was quite nice walking around the artesans' market, I spent most of the time mentally comparing prices (50 soles in Lima for a jumper, 35 soles in Huancayo for the same thing etc). One of the vendors mentioned that Annabelle and I were foreign, Tia said that we'd be heading back to Texas that afternoon. She later said that she comes up with a different story each time, I tend to stick with the same story (Martha the student from Miami. On a related note, sometimes people say that Mum and Tia Silvia don't seem like they're from Lima - Mum now says she's from Arequipa, and Tia that she's from Cajamarca. I guess the longer you spend living away from a place, the less you're seen as a person from that place by strangers).
We got a taxi back to the house, then Tia went with Tio Alejandro and Yessica to buy pollo a la brasa (I felt slightly guilty to be eating meat on Good Friday, since I'm supposed to be fasting) while Annabelle and I set the table (since there're so many of us in the house, it's not fair on Veronica to do everything for us, so we help out). Abuelo was feeling ill so he stayed in bed, but the rest of us shared the pollo a la brasa meal together. That was lovely.
The afternoon was a mad rush of packing - I'd nearly finished packing, but there were still a few last-minute items that needed to be squeezed in, and the suitcases needed weighing. Thankfully there were no issues there, and everything was packed. Then we discussed how we'd get a taxi: after many suggestions and a few disagreements, Yessica went out with Tia Silvia and Tio Alejandro to the main road to hail two taxis. The first one would take me and Tio, since my flight left first (40 mins before Tia and Annabelle - I thought this a little odd) - this arrived not long after, so Tio helped me put my cases in the car.
Then it was time to say goodbye to Mamamama and Abuelo. That was hard - who knows when I'll next see them? There's a quotation I often think of, that I saw in a Pokemon game: "'Goodbye' is the beginning of 'Hello'". That gets me through when I have to say goodbye to somebody.
Tio and I got to the airport with no hassle (he spent the trip talking politics with the taxi driver, I watched out of the window at Lima), then we got in the queue for my airline, and soon I bade godspeed to my suitcases as they disappeared out of sight. Tio and I saw Annabelle and Tia in their queue (I was with AirEuropa, they were with Iberia, hence different flights), then we went with Yessica to McDonalds. Tia and Annabelle joined us there, we chatted until my flight was called. Tia, Annabelle and I went through together - we said our goodbyes to Tio Alejandro and Yessica, then went through to customs. Usually I pay airport tax (about $35 or $40) at this point, but Tia explained to the guard that her ticket included airport tax, so he waved her through. Annabelle went with her - and I admit, so did I. I wasn't called back, so we carried on straight to security.
Ten minutes later, there we were in the lounge. I said bye to Tia and Annabelle, then went to my gate - the board announced the 7.40pm flight. 7.40pm? My flight was at 7.05pm... had I somehow missed it? I panicked a bit then - my watch said 6.30, so I should be okay... I asked at the desk, they assured me that it was the same flight, but it was a bit late. So why they didn't just put a sign saying 'Delayed' is beyond me. I wandered around a bit and found Tia and Annabelle in a cafe - we chatted a bit, then I checked the gate again. Nothing, so I went back and chatted some more. Then I went back - this time they were doing the last call, and people were in the line. So I sprinted back to Tia and Annabelle (not the easiest thing when you've a large rucksack on your back and are trying to not knock over other travellers), said goodbye to them, then ran back. Some minutes later, I was on the plane, and not long after that we took off. I had nobody next to me, so I stretched out a bit with my book and flicked through the films. Tia had given me earphones, so I spent the rest of the night watching film after film after film.
During my last trip, I thought a lot about my experience, and what had happened. This time, I thought a lot about my experience and what could happen in the future. Strange thoughts have been coming to me since I spoke with Sonia about the kids she worked with, thoughts about what I wanted to do. The best way I can describe my thoughts is that it was similar to falling in love for the first time - an awful lot of denial, a lot of what-ifs, a lot of doubts and uncertainty and reluctance to do anything, just in case feelings turned out to be something else. This felt completely different to falling in love, but my thoughts went down pretty much the same lines. Having talked to Mum and Tia Silvia a bit about this, I'm now considering working with projects like these - not just in the holidays, but as a career. I felt more 'real' there than I've ever done - I felt the same in 2009, but didn't think much on that then. There're still a lot of confusing thoughts in my head about this - what about my psychology degree, what about the life I'd imagined for myself in the UK? While I was in bed with fever a few weeks ago, I wrote a few things down in a notebook - most of them are doodles of cats in honeypots or story-characters dancing (my mind does strange things when I'm ill), but one page has written on it "At home it's about what the country can do for me. Over here, it's what I can do for the country." I don't want to forget that. I want to do more to help, whether it's with Makikita or with another organisation. A few friends laughed when I described the children as 'my kids' - but they are, I feel that they are in a way that I can't explain. I still need to think and talk a lot more about this, but this is where my thoughts are now. And where my thoughts were as I failed to fall asleep on the flight back home.
Thursday, 21 April 2011
Day 33: Lima and the creative trio
The morning was a lazy one - we watched TV, did SuDoku, and went out to the park. I went out with Veronica briefly to the supermarket - there I bought the last-minute things I wanted to bring home, and a few things that I hadn't expected to buy but were too good to resist (e.g. 100% bee's honey - we saw it in a health shop, I couldn't help myself).
Then in the afternoon, Tia Gloria's friends Jessie and Carmen took me out for lonche - we chatted, reminisced about Tia, and laughed. That was good fun. Carmen gave me a notebook she'd designed herself, it's amazing - she's very creative. All three friends were creative - Jessie's a great cook, Carmen's a great artist, and Tia Gloria designed jewellery - they told me about their weekly trips to buy supplies followed by a pastry, that was lovely to hear about.
When I got back to the house, Abuelo and Mamamama were in bed, and Veronica was locking up. Silvia and Annabelle weren't around - they came in a bit later, saying that we'd been invited to dinner by Zari. First, though, we went to Church for the Maunday Thursday - unfortunately the Chruch was very crowded, and we ended up in a side-room watching the priest on a projector. The sound was terrible - Tia Silvia said she had huge trouble understanding what was being said, Annabelle and I didn't understand a word, so we left early and went straight to Zari's. She took us out for lomo saltado, it's a beef dish with rice and soy sauce. Even though I'm not a huge soy sauce fan, it tasted brilliant - I had a great evening.
When we got back to the house, I was still relatively awake, so I started my packing. Soon I was almost done, so I decided to finish the rest tomorrow.
Then in the afternoon, Tia Gloria's friends Jessie and Carmen took me out for lonche - we chatted, reminisced about Tia, and laughed. That was good fun. Carmen gave me a notebook she'd designed herself, it's amazing - she's very creative. All three friends were creative - Jessie's a great cook, Carmen's a great artist, and Tia Gloria designed jewellery - they told me about their weekly trips to buy supplies followed by a pastry, that was lovely to hear about.
When I got back to the house, Abuelo and Mamamama were in bed, and Veronica was locking up. Silvia and Annabelle weren't around - they came in a bit later, saying that we'd been invited to dinner by Zari. First, though, we went to Church for the Maunday Thursday - unfortunately the Chruch was very crowded, and we ended up in a side-room watching the priest on a projector. The sound was terrible - Tia Silvia said she had huge trouble understanding what was being said, Annabelle and I didn't understand a word, so we left early and went straight to Zari's. She took us out for lomo saltado, it's a beef dish with rice and soy sauce. Even though I'm not a huge soy sauce fan, it tasted brilliant - I had a great evening.
When we got back to the house, I was still relatively awake, so I started my packing. Soon I was almost done, so I decided to finish the rest tomorrow.
Wednesday, 20 April 2011
Day 32: Lima and visiting
I was woken this morning by Tia Silvia saying that there was a phone call for me - I ran downstairs and chatted on the phone to Pilar, a good friend of my mum's. She came to pick me up at 10am and we went to a cafe in the Jesus Maria district - we laughed over juice and cake, thus passed a fun morning with her.
I got back to the house for lunch, then we watched more TV and did more SuDokus. At 4pm my aunts Rossi and Ruth were due to come over, so we went to the living room to wait. By 4.45 we wondered where they were, so Tia Silvia phoned - there was some misunderstanding in that they didn't think that they were to come over then, but Tia Ruth came over anyway. So we chatted, then watched the slideshow that Annabelle had made for Tia Gloria's Mass (the projector was broken in the church, so she couldn't show it in the end), then Ruth went home.
I went over to visit my mum's friend Rosanna, with whom I'd did work experience back in Year 9 (she teaches in a British school in Lima - many lessons are in English), and spent a while with her and her little children. Angelina and Gustavo are now 6 and 5, they're so sweet! We chatted, then played a game with the children while they ate - each person around the table had to sing a song, so they were treated to my rendition of 'Mary Mary Quite Contrary'. Lucky them?
When I got back to Mamamama's house (it's only a 3 minute walk to Rosanna's, she lives on the other side of the next-door park), I waited for my friend Fiorella to come over. She got a bit lost when she arrived in Pueblo Libre, but eventually she arrived with her aunt Norita - the three of us had gone to the rainforest two years ago with Nora's late sister Maye, and a Swedish volunteer called Emma. So we spent the rest of the evening reminiscing, laughing, chatting, and generally having a great time. Ah, it was lovely seeing Fiorella again - she's the daughter of the host family I stayed with in Huancayo two years ago, she's now studying in Lima and lives in Jesus Maria with her cousin. They had to leave eventually because Nora's mum was waiting for her back in Comas, which is about an hour's drive away, so we said our goodbyes, then I went up to bed.
I got back to the house for lunch, then we watched more TV and did more SuDokus. At 4pm my aunts Rossi and Ruth were due to come over, so we went to the living room to wait. By 4.45 we wondered where they were, so Tia Silvia phoned - there was some misunderstanding in that they didn't think that they were to come over then, but Tia Ruth came over anyway. So we chatted, then watched the slideshow that Annabelle had made for Tia Gloria's Mass (the projector was broken in the church, so she couldn't show it in the end), then Ruth went home.
I went over to visit my mum's friend Rosanna, with whom I'd did work experience back in Year 9 (she teaches in a British school in Lima - many lessons are in English), and spent a while with her and her little children. Angelina and Gustavo are now 6 and 5, they're so sweet! We chatted, then played a game with the children while they ate - each person around the table had to sing a song, so they were treated to my rendition of 'Mary Mary Quite Contrary'. Lucky them?
When I got back to Mamamama's house (it's only a 3 minute walk to Rosanna's, she lives on the other side of the next-door park), I waited for my friend Fiorella to come over. She got a bit lost when she arrived in Pueblo Libre, but eventually she arrived with her aunt Norita - the three of us had gone to the rainforest two years ago with Nora's late sister Maye, and a Swedish volunteer called Emma. So we spent the rest of the evening reminiscing, laughing, chatting, and generally having a great time. Ah, it was lovely seeing Fiorella again - she's the daughter of the host family I stayed with in Huancayo two years ago, she's now studying in Lima and lives in Jesus Maria with her cousin. They had to leave eventually because Nora's mum was waiting for her back in Comas, which is about an hour's drive away, so we said our goodbyes, then I went up to bed.
Tuesday, 19 April 2011
Day 31: Lima and Mass
When I woke up this morning, it felt as though I'd never left Lima, and I sleepily wondered if the last three weeks had been a dream. Then I got up and started my day.
The day was largely a calm one - we all had breakfast, then watched TV, then had lunch, then moved to the living room where I did some SuDoku. I admit it was hard to get used to this, having spent my time in Huancayo moving about and not being sat in one place for too long.
In the evening was the Mass held for my Tia Gloria, who'd died exactly one year ago. Tio Mañuco picked us up and took us to the church (Tia Silvia had given me a beautiful dress to wear, so I wore that with a jumper of hers and my 'ceilidh-dancing' shoes), then the Mass began. I did the first reading - I hadn't realised quite how long it was, and after what seemed like an age of trying to not trip over words, I reached the end. My cousin Maria Gracia read the psalm, then Tia Silvia read the petitions before Maria Gracia and I did the collection. It all went really well. At the end of Mass the priest blessed me and Maria Gracia when we went to take the collection to him, then we stood in the entrance of the church while family and friends lined up to speak to us. I admit that I recognised some faces but not others, and by the 40th "Thank you, Tia" I was getting a little tired. Still, it was lovely that my mum's friends came to pay their respects.
Tia Silvia, Annabelle and I got a lift back with Tia's friends, then a neighbour Srta. Christina came over to talk. An hour later she went home, so we said our goodnights and went to bed.
The day was largely a calm one - we all had breakfast, then watched TV, then had lunch, then moved to the living room where I did some SuDoku. I admit it was hard to get used to this, having spent my time in Huancayo moving about and not being sat in one place for too long.
In the evening was the Mass held for my Tia Gloria, who'd died exactly one year ago. Tio Mañuco picked us up and took us to the church (Tia Silvia had given me a beautiful dress to wear, so I wore that with a jumper of hers and my 'ceilidh-dancing' shoes), then the Mass began. I did the first reading - I hadn't realised quite how long it was, and after what seemed like an age of trying to not trip over words, I reached the end. My cousin Maria Gracia read the psalm, then Tia Silvia read the petitions before Maria Gracia and I did the collection. It all went really well. At the end of Mass the priest blessed me and Maria Gracia when we went to take the collection to him, then we stood in the entrance of the church while family and friends lined up to speak to us. I admit that I recognised some faces but not others, and by the 40th "Thank you, Tia" I was getting a little tired. Still, it was lovely that my mum's friends came to pay their respects.
Tia Silvia, Annabelle and I got a lift back with Tia's friends, then a neighbour Srta. Christina came over to talk. An hour later she went home, so we said our goodnights and went to bed.
Monday, 18 April 2011
Day 30: Huancayo/Lima and family
I slept fairly badly, so I was quite glad when my alarm finally went off. I threw my last few things in my suitcase, then took my stuff downstairs and waited for Juliana. She arrived at 7am - it was hard saying bye to Hilda and Yesy, who's been like family for the last 3 and a half weeks. Then Juliana and I got in a taxi, and arrived ten minutes later at the street corner where the cars to Lima were. There was one leaving in two minutes' time, so we put my stuff in, then I said bye to Juliana - she'd been a mix of friend and aunt to me, so that was hard too. Then the car was full (two men, two women - I sat between the other woman and the door), and we set off.
This journey was slightly more eventful - as we drove through the mountains, when we reached 3800m above sea level, I got hit by altitude sickness. So... on the plus side, the view at that height was wonderful. On the minus side, we had to stop for a few minutes so my stomach could leave its mark on the roadside. One of the other passengers got me some herbs to smell, that helped a bit, and the driver cleaned me up with an alcoholic rag (I briefly wondered if the line of 'appropriate contact' was blurred here, but by this point I was past caring), then he gave me a bag to throw up in and we carried on.
Five hours and three more throw-ups after leaving Huancayo, we pulled up in Lima. Tio Alejandro was there to meet me - one of Tio Mañuco's workers drove us back to the house. It was lovely seeing the family again, and seeing Tia Silvia and Annabelle, who'd come over from London. After a wonderful shower (Hilda's 'hot water' was very temperamental, and more often than not was cold - Mamamama's shower was amazingly warm), we ate lunch - Tio Alejandro and Yessica had brought over pollo a la brasa for me. Then I stayed with Mamamama for the rest of the afternoon.
In the evening, Tia Silvia took me and Annabelle out to Lima - we took the city bus tour, that was a wonderful three hours seeing the sights of Lima by night. We stopped off for a snack in the Hotel Sheraton, I felt rather posh! Then we carried on our tour, which included walking over a bridge without breathing so that your wish would come true, driving past the Palace of Justice, and seeing the sea. I had a wonderful time. Then we went back - Abuelo was waiting for us, and invited us for panetonne. I was quite hungry so I had a little, then went straight to bed.
This journey was slightly more eventful - as we drove through the mountains, when we reached 3800m above sea level, I got hit by altitude sickness. So... on the plus side, the view at that height was wonderful. On the minus side, we had to stop for a few minutes so my stomach could leave its mark on the roadside. One of the other passengers got me some herbs to smell, that helped a bit, and the driver cleaned me up with an alcoholic rag (I briefly wondered if the line of 'appropriate contact' was blurred here, but by this point I was past caring), then he gave me a bag to throw up in and we carried on.
Five hours and three more throw-ups after leaving Huancayo, we pulled up in Lima. Tio Alejandro was there to meet me - one of Tio Mañuco's workers drove us back to the house. It was lovely seeing the family again, and seeing Tia Silvia and Annabelle, who'd come over from London. After a wonderful shower (Hilda's 'hot water' was very temperamental, and more often than not was cold - Mamamama's shower was amazingly warm), we ate lunch - Tio Alejandro and Yessica had brought over pollo a la brasa for me. Then I stayed with Mamamama for the rest of the afternoon.
In the evening, Tia Silvia took me and Annabelle out to Lima - we took the city bus tour, that was a wonderful three hours seeing the sights of Lima by night. We stopped off for a snack in the Hotel Sheraton, I felt rather posh! Then we carried on our tour, which included walking over a bridge without breathing so that your wish would come true, driving past the Palace of Justice, and seeing the sea. I had a wonderful time. Then we went back - Abuelo was waiting for us, and invited us for panetonne. I was quite hungry so I had a little, then went straight to bed.
Sunday, 17 April 2011
Day 29: Huancayo/Ingenio and packing
I got to Juliana's house just before 10, and once all of the other volunteers but John had turned up (he was staying in this morning), we and Juliana got a taxi to Ingenio. It's about 10 minutes further than Concepcion, so it was quite nice seeing the familiar scenery. We stopped off briefly at Concepcion for ice cream - there's a dairy farm there where they make ice cream with just the cream from the milk, so that was an interesting but nice taste.
When we arrived at Ingenio, we walked around a trout farm. I'd seen one before in La Merced two years ago, but this one was a lot larger, and the size of trout ranged from the eggs and babies to ones as long as my arm. I fed them some pieces of my ice cream cone, they jumped up crazily trying to eat them. Then we found a stall selling pure honey, so we got some free tasters. I bought a honey chocoteja there to see what that was like - a prune covered in honey with nuts floating it, coated in chocolate. Heaven - later on I realised that eating chocolate was probably a very foolish idea, but hopefully walking and drinking lots of water would stop there being any bad effects. We then walked around a restaurant which offered views of some natural springs - unfortunately the path was closed for wet season, but the little that we could see was spectacular. Then we went to the restaurant next door to eat trout. It was great laughing with the other volunteers - Jesse joked that we should form a band, our first hits being "Straight from the Cow" (re. the ice cream from earlier) and "Canchis Canchis", a quechua term which Juliana told us translates as 'Hanky Panky' (I can add that to my quechua vocab, which currently has about 5 words in it). Afterwards we got a taxi back to Huancayo.
John, Danny and I went to the market in the afternoon - the Huancavelica market is about 1km long, this time we walked to the very end. We saw artesanal goods, and nearer the end there were animals (1 guinea pig for 20 soles) and computer games - I had a look, and bought a few gifts before we turned back. Then I wandered to the internet cafe while John and Danny went back to their house, then walked about town for a little.
At about 6-ish I went back to Juliana's - she wasn't in at first, so I waited about in her kitchen until she got back. I watched some TV until Jesse and Jenny came over, then John and Danny, then we all went out for pollo a la brasa to ccelebrate my last night in Huancayo. Juliana paid for me - she said that it was a gift from her mum, who was too ill to come tonight. Nelly came along too, with her brother Mario and her nephew Miguel. Hilda and Yesy joined us there (Juan Jose was with his dad for the evening), I had a really lovely evening seeing everyone together. We took photos, and exchanged gifts - Juliana got me a typically-patterned bag, her mum had gotten me a typically-patterned purse, and Hilda gave me a wall-hanging with an image of Huancayo on it. That was really lovely, I wasn't expecting that! I gave Juliana a 'Royal Wedding' mug and some earrings for her mum; for Hilda and Yesy, Mum had packed chocolates. Those went down really well.
Soon it was 9pm, and it was time to say goodbye. Bye to Nelly and her family, who'd been my family last time. Bye to Jenny, Jesse, Danny and John, the new friends who I'd have to leave so soon. Juliana said that she'd come over tomorrow to take me to where the cars leave for Lima, so I took a taxi back with Hilda and Yesy.
The next hour was spent frantically trying to pack everything - I hadn't even begun packing beforehand, but I'm generally a fast packer. Soon my suitcase and rucksack were bursting, but the room was empty apart from my pyjamas, clothes for the next day, and the doll I'd named Jaiyo was sitting on the bed where he'd been that first day. I said goodbye to Juan Jose in case he wasn't up in the morning - I'd be leaving just before 7am - then went to bed myself, praying that the journey tomorrow would be a safe one.
When we arrived at Ingenio, we walked around a trout farm. I'd seen one before in La Merced two years ago, but this one was a lot larger, and the size of trout ranged from the eggs and babies to ones as long as my arm. I fed them some pieces of my ice cream cone, they jumped up crazily trying to eat them. Then we found a stall selling pure honey, so we got some free tasters. I bought a honey chocoteja there to see what that was like - a prune covered in honey with nuts floating it, coated in chocolate. Heaven - later on I realised that eating chocolate was probably a very foolish idea, but hopefully walking and drinking lots of water would stop there being any bad effects. We then walked around a restaurant which offered views of some natural springs - unfortunately the path was closed for wet season, but the little that we could see was spectacular. Then we went to the restaurant next door to eat trout. It was great laughing with the other volunteers - Jesse joked that we should form a band, our first hits being "Straight from the Cow" (re. the ice cream from earlier) and "Canchis Canchis", a quechua term which Juliana told us translates as 'Hanky Panky' (I can add that to my quechua vocab, which currently has about 5 words in it). Afterwards we got a taxi back to Huancayo.
John, Danny and I went to the market in the afternoon - the Huancavelica market is about 1km long, this time we walked to the very end. We saw artesanal goods, and nearer the end there were animals (1 guinea pig for 20 soles) and computer games - I had a look, and bought a few gifts before we turned back. Then I wandered to the internet cafe while John and Danny went back to their house, then walked about town for a little.
At about 6-ish I went back to Juliana's - she wasn't in at first, so I waited about in her kitchen until she got back. I watched some TV until Jesse and Jenny came over, then John and Danny, then we all went out for pollo a la brasa to ccelebrate my last night in Huancayo. Juliana paid for me - she said that it was a gift from her mum, who was too ill to come tonight. Nelly came along too, with her brother Mario and her nephew Miguel. Hilda and Yesy joined us there (Juan Jose was with his dad for the evening), I had a really lovely evening seeing everyone together. We took photos, and exchanged gifts - Juliana got me a typically-patterned bag, her mum had gotten me a typically-patterned purse, and Hilda gave me a wall-hanging with an image of Huancayo on it. That was really lovely, I wasn't expecting that! I gave Juliana a 'Royal Wedding' mug and some earrings for her mum; for Hilda and Yesy, Mum had packed chocolates. Those went down really well.
Soon it was 9pm, and it was time to say goodbye. Bye to Nelly and her family, who'd been my family last time. Bye to Jenny, Jesse, Danny and John, the new friends who I'd have to leave so soon. Juliana said that she'd come over tomorrow to take me to where the cars leave for Lima, so I took a taxi back with Hilda and Yesy.
The next hour was spent frantically trying to pack everything - I hadn't even begun packing beforehand, but I'm generally a fast packer. Soon my suitcase and rucksack were bursting, but the room was empty apart from my pyjamas, clothes for the next day, and the doll I'd named Jaiyo was sitting on the bed where he'd been that first day. I said goodbye to Juan Jose in case he wasn't up in the morning - I'd be leaving just before 7am - then went to bed myself, praying that the journey tomorrow would be a safe one.
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