Just one story from Huanchaco

Where to begin. I have just returned from an incredibly inspiring trip to this little Peruvian surf town called Huanchaco. I was there for two weeks studying spanish and researching volunteer humanitarian programs....what wonderful people I came across. Maria and Jessica are the two women I stayed with. They have this beautiful one story brick house, with open stairs that lead to what could be called either a roof or one day second story. They have 13 chickens on this roof. On this roof Maria showed me how to wash clothes, making sure to ring out that last drip of soapy water before rinsing a first, second, third time. On this roof, along with the roasters her son keeps to fight in front of a crowd of angry men, Maria showed me how to first tie the chicken up in a plastic gunny sack and then with a smooth, laceration slit it's throat. The river of blood, a sacrifice to our hunger. Within a matter of minutes the bird was plucked clean of it's feathers and organs. I left Maria's house, Maria's community, after two weeks and now find myself alone in this excessively large apartment wondering when I became accustomed to showering with hot water, wondering about all the people in this country, in this world who work for so little to allow so few of us a life of frivilous luxery..I come home inspired, embarrassed, humble, lonely.

"Mama la gringa tomo' una photo de mi!"

Front Yard in Paracus = Sand Box

Isla de Ballestas: Bahia Paracus

Each year men from the mountains are hired to remove the bird droppings covering these islands 3 meters deep. Men from the coast have been dubbed to lazy for such strenuous work. The Guano is used as fertilizer. Perhaps you saw this in the news Guano used to conceal cocaine shipments. Check it out below

Peru traffickers hide cocaine in smelly bird dung
December 17, 2008, 4:10 am
LIMA (Reuters) - Traffickers hid 2.8 tonnes of cocaine in thousands of pounds of smelly bird droppings, Peruvian police said on Monday after uncovering the latest ruse to conceal drug shipments.

Cocaine exporters in Peru, the world's No. 2 producer after neighboring Colombia, counted on the stench of the dung, which is sold as a high-end organic fertilizer, tricking dogs trained to find drugs at ports of entry.

Guano, as the dung is known in Spanish, is rich in nitrates and phosphorous and has a strong ammonia smell. The cocaine was hidden in 400 bags of guano that together weighed 20 tonnes and was bound for Europe.

"The organic products camouflaged the cocaine by neutralizing it to avoid detection," police said after a five-month investigation that led to the seizure at a warehouse in Lima about 10 days ago.

Five people were arrested, including a Colombian man, police said.

Guano accumulates as white mounds on the desert islands where birds such as pelicans live along the coasts of Peru and Chile.

It was once one of the world's most valuable commodities, and Bolivia, Peru and Chile fought over its control in the 1879-1883 War of the Pacific.

(Reporting by Diego Ore; writing by Terry Wade; editing by Mohammad Zargham)

Mom Came to Visit

We Gathered Sea Shells and Played in the Ocean

Mom Came to Visit

View from my apartment

New Year's Resolution: A Posting A Day

Ok here it goes to all you supporters out there giving me a hard time about inadequate postings I'm turning over a new leaf. Yes you read it right in the title, A Posting A Week...hehehe

This week's posting is simply a series of photos from my stay in MN and CO. I am missing a few beautiful scenes if you are out there send me the pics, Molly, Julie, Lisa and Tobechi.

Eat, Surf, Live

Went to pay my Telphonica bill this week and unexpectedly found myself living in the Peruvian present. In this cash based society I was shocked, well more like pissed off, put out, aggresivo if you will, to find that after getting myself to the main telephone company center, nowhere near my house and with a taxi driver just as confused as I (have you ever tried to tell someone in another language how to go somewhere when you don't even know where you are going) only to find that they do not take plastic, not even my Peruvian debit card. So I stood there and kept asking the same question over and over as though my incessant questioning is going to change the mere fact that this company only accepts cash...are you kidding me. Deep breath, plan B. I get directions to the bank, walk 15 mins. take out dollars. Then I haggle with the money changers on the street for a better exchange. I mean why accept that . 03 difference that the bank is trying to get from me, yes better to gamble on the street especially with blond hair and crap Spanish, however this time the tactic of waiting, questioning, waiting, worked I did get my 2.93 verse 2.90 that was offered at the bank. I am unable to express that amount of joy I feel when changing money on the street, the unknown, the gamble, the haggle, the adrenaline rush the first time you try to spend the bills wondering whether the are counterfeit. Back to Telephonica, the doors are locked NNOOOO was what the two old Peruvian ladies heard as they turned to see a blond women grasping onto the handles of large glass doors, again trying to persuade corporate as two security guards, close enough to touch only 1/2 an inch of glass separating them, point to the store hours. After a strangely rewarding conversation, apparently frustration is an effective tool for releasing inhibitions and letting language flow, I was walking four blocks to find a liquor store across from a casino where guess what, I was able to pay, with plastic, my Telephonica bill.

flowers and surf

I'm not gonna lie this photo of my surf instructors is RIDICULOUS!

Today I graduated to a slightly smaller board and larger waves, a bit intimidating I got beat up a little. I need to practice a quicker jump up. I catch the wave freak a little due to the speed and then spend too much time calculating my balance when all I should be doing is popping up. Mostly though I was just thinking, my brother would love this! After surf and ceviche I went to the plant market and loaded the cab full, my apartment is starting to feel a bit more like home.

I've also included a photo of the Urban Cafe, it's in this round about very near my apartment. I walk there in the evenings to study spanish. I spend much of the time looking at and listening to peruvians and imagining myself one day communicating easily with them, for know I feel proud when the waiter brings me what I thought I ordered. For those Northfield readers, you'll realize little has changed since el tequila =)

Saturday flowers and surf

Miss you, Love you

Jana

For those of you with babies, keep telling them about me, I can't bare the thought of them not knowing auntie upon my return.

Liquid Shredder

I took my first surf lesson, it was awesome. The water is warmer than I expected and I got up on most of the waves I tried. Today I only surfed the smaller waves in the last rows,but felt strong and signed up for next saturday morning as well. I'm sore, my lesson was for an hour and a half, about an hour of that was spent paddling. Next week I'll take photos.

My goal is to work my way up to the waves at this beach down south called Ser Azul. Apparently you go out surfing at 6:00am and are joined by dolphins.

Me encanta correr tabla!