Who said teaching is not fun?

Last night was the end of the first twelve weeks, it is amazing how the time has flown by. We decided to put as much of the work we have covered all around the room to show all the group just how much they have been faced with over the twelve lessons. They are a fantastic group of people who are giving their utmost to learn basic English. They have a wonderful sense of humour and really enjoy a laugh. Some come straight from work to classes while others travel an hour each way to be there.









Marion proved a hit by using 'making scones' as her shared reading for the night and it proved a huge hit, especially at supper time when the real thing was produced - including jam and cream!







The scones, jam and cream are served for the class and they prove to be a huge hit. All the ladies want the recipe. They had never heard of such fare before.
The happy group from the left and facing the camera are Elsa, Jeni, Joao, Milagros, Antonio, Gladys, Pilar and Rubi.

Joys of coming and going!

First of all you have to turn the key three times, undo the safety catch, unhook the chain and then slip three savage bolts - and you are out of the front gate!

Turn around, shut the gate and do all of the above in reverse, no wonder Marion is looking so excited about leaving for a short trip!

Martin Varela acquisition

We recently purchased another painting by the local artist, Martin Varela. Martin is presently being sponsored by Leo, through the selling of his works, to study Art at the Lima Catholic University. Marion and I already have two of his painting in Mildura.
This new one is based on Psalm 23 - Salmo 23. It shows the master protecting the young llama and surrounded by all the typical products of the land - broad beans, habas - roasted beans, papas - potatoes, the four different types of maize - corn and ears of wheat or barley. All of this is encompassed by the waters from the Sierra - the Andes.
These photos really do not show the true and vibrant colours that Martin uses, they are truly brilliant and typical of the Peruvian culture.
It now hangs proudly in our house and will return with us in 2009.

Our house for 2008

The 'communications area' - what would you do without skype, email and the internet? We have been calling our siblings on skype all round he world for about three Australian cents per minute! You really do not miss a thing when you have as many newspapers on line that you want - we even have the Mildura weekly parish newsletter on line.

The main room is very spacious, lounge area at
the front and dining area adjacent to the kitchen

You may come in after I have taken the safety lock off the lock, turned the key three times and then undone three heavy bolts - twice. Once for the front door and the other for the gate. Great fun in the dark after our lessons. At least you tend to feel safe once inside.













If you are interested in visiting our address is -
MX.O Lot 12 SAR.4834,
San Juan De Luringancho,
Montenegro.
Phone: Lima 3566540

Don't bother writing because we have seen the postman since we have arrived. The electricity bill arrived on time, and delivered by hand. This was immediately followed by the Telefonica account, I wonder if there is a deducation due to waiting for a connection!

Our house for 2008

The kitchen is fantastic, plenty of space, fridge, stove, microwave and small griller - all electric except for the stove. We have already learnt that you keep an eye on the gas bottle level. One drawback is that there is no hot water in the kitchen, only the bathroom. No problem, just boil the jug.



These are the two spare bedrooms - willing and waiting for guests! You get a real cell like experience when sleeping in the one below - bars everywhere.



















The main bedroom with the now famous bed base, the one that actually took over two weeks to make and we still do not know why although we did hear the term 'manana' quite a few times - tomorrow!





The back yard is slowly taking shape, the pots seem to be catching although one herb pot has failed dismally and I have yet to find out the culprit. We are soon returning to the Acho plant market to purchse some grass, it comes in one meter squares and there are plenty of taxi drivers ready and willing to cart it back to our place.




We have converted a small space into our clothes line, it seems to work at this time of the year. We will wait and see what happens when the weather gets cooler - if ever! Most houses have their clothes line on their roof tops, the owner of our place has offered to put one up for us, we will wait and see - and definitely not hjold our breath waiting!



Our bathroom is fine and has abundant hot water for good showers, what else could you ask for? Well Marion would kill for a bath tub!


Marion is preparing some of the local corn, as you can see it comes very well wrapped in its own leaves and is quite white in colour compared to the Australian version - still very nice with heaps of butter!

After two weeks of classes

After the first two and a half weeks of classes everything seems to be travelling very smoothly. We have averaged fourteen to fifteen people per night and the age range would be about twenties to fourties. We even have two young girls who come with their mothers.

They work wonderfully hard at their learning and really get involved. You must remember that most have come from a days work to attend - this means being on a collectivo before seven to travel big distances One lady was so tired the other night that she fell asleep at her table! Another had carted buckets of water all day up the side of her valley. The week before Gladys and her friend Rubi carried an empty gas bottle on the bus, had it filled and then carted it home after the lesson. You must remember that he gas bottles are substantially bigger than our Aussie Bar-B-Q gas bottles.













We share the class by taking one hour each. We have had great success in getting everyone to be on time, we refer to starting at seven o'clock 'gringo time'! They think that it is great because their starting times could be anywhere between seven and a quarter to eight!!

Finally, the other night Pilar announced to Marion and I that she thought that our lessons were 'dynamic' - that has to be a first for us both, a student telling the teacher that the lesson was dymamic. Another big reason why we love our time with these people.

Our first R & R.

On Thursday 14th February we took our first break and headed for Leo’s house at Punta Negra. After traveling in two collectivos and a mini taxi we arrived at Punta Negra. I must add that this journey was not as simple as it sounds because it incorporated constant swerving, dodging, weaving, non stop horn blowing, rapid acceleration and sudden deceleration all of which resulted in the incoherent mumbling of prayers of thanksgiving on alighting – as well as a few moments of stretching to get the limbs working. I am positive that very little in the whole of Peru is built to cater for people six foot and over!

The beachside weekend was fantastic as also was the weather. Every morning the locals set up the sand with tables, chairs and beach umbrellas to be hired out for the day by the visitors. Then every evening they are packed away. The crowds flock to the beach; however, they do very little swimming. One only has to observe the strong Pacific Ocean shore break and resultant undertow to see why! The younger generation set up tents and camp the night, however, possibly the best way to enjoy the scene is to sit, sip and watch the sunset.

On Sunday 18th we celebrated Leo’s birthday firstly by joining him for Mass in his small chapel and then by sharing lunch with his friends from Lima.

Coming home again.

The return journey was just as taxing as we sped along the Pan American Highway back to ‘our place’ in Montenegro, Canto Grande. It was also no surprise to find out that Teofila, who sells fruit on the corner, knew exactly how many nights we had been away!

Nevertheless, as arduous the journey south may be we will do it a few more times this year. It is most relaxing once you are there!

February 2008.

The little chapels up in the valleys get more interesting and fascinating with each visit. Last Sunday we attended Mass in a ‘fold out’ chapel. The wooden building sat in the middle of a rocky piece of land and the two garage type doors opened out to cater for the crowd. While Mick said Mass breakfast was being served from huge pots for those who were attending a later meeting later in the morning. Mick told us the story relating to the actual blessing of this chapel – on the morning of the blessing the locals were seen scurrying down from the surrounding hills with the iron for the roof, needless to say Mick did not wait for the roof to happen but rather blessed the building roofless!

Even a superb sunset can alter the appearance of Canto Grande, however, it never lessens the traffic noise.

Our 'backyard' garden begins after another trip to Acho. Our load of plants, pots and eight bags of soil even took its toll on the taxi - it virtually blew up two kilometers from home. After thirty minutes of dodgy electrical wiring we finally made it to our door.

Yesterday we caught up with Sister Anne Carbon, a Columban Sister working out of Ayacucho in the mountains. We met in the Plaza de Armas of central Lima for lunch and then watched this unbelievable parade of the local people dancing in the various regional costumes, the music and colour had to be seen to be believed.

You may have also noticed that nobody, and I mean nobody, crosses the road to get a closer look or photo of the Changing of the Palace Guard. There were even tanks parked nearby!
The first week of lessons is now completed and all seems to be working rather well. The class numbers fluctuate from night to night, however, we do have a core group of six or seven who will be regular attendees and their English skills are not too bad. The two hours fly by as we hit them with activity after activity. We smiled to each other during one of our preparation lessons when we realized how lucky we are, three two hour lessons a week and hours of free time to prepare charts, diagrams and activities, they love bingo and have real fun when playing a game.
Well the second week of lessons is now complete and we are averaging fifteen per night with a core group of eight every night. The have made great progress and seem to be enjoying themselves, they love playing bingo based on the key words we are learning at the time and last night Marion even taught them the Hokey Pokey!

January 2008.

We arrived at the Lima International Airport on time – twenty minutes past twelve Tuesday morning 15th January. Took another length of time to negotiate Customs and pick up the baggage before we exited the arrival depot to be met by the usual thousands of Peruvians trying to organise a taxi for you and your luggage. Thank heavens Leo and Michael stood head and shoulders above the crowd to welcome us. Many hugs and handshakes followed.
Michael took our heavy luggage to our new home in Motupe Montenegro and Leo took us to Punta Negra for a few days recovery. This recovery process was very much desired for two reasons – Marion needed to slow down after the end of school activities, Christmas and packing for the trip. I needed to settle the aching joints; the flights had certainly caused an amount of havoc within our bodies. I think that general excitement also plays a significant part.
Leo brought us to Michael’s on Friday 18th to settle into the new home for the year. Our new address sounding something like Motope/Montenegro, Canto Grande. What could Marion and I say, it is perfect in every respect and both Leo and Michael had thought of everything possible – furniture, fittings, food you name it and it was both supplied and in place, they are just an amazing pair of men. The house security measures are equally incredible!
We spent our first few days just taking in the house and the surroundings, so vastly different sights and sounds. Eventually we took a bus ride to the giant Metro store about nine kilometers down the road, another experience of automobile action and close shaves! The large supermarkets in Lima are massive and cater for just about anything from electrical goods, to furniture to basic food to tooth picks. On this venture we had to come home by taxi due to purchases such as bucket and mop, glasses, bottled water, food and other odds and ends for the house.
The weekend saw us at three Masses within the Motupe Montenegro parish, seven p.m. Saturday, eight a.m. Sunday morning up the valley and finally seven p.m. at the main church in Motupe. The main churches of Motupe and Montenegro are really well designed buildings while those up the sides of the valley are basically small chapels with very basic furnishings. Mick estimates over one hundred thousand people live within his parish or barrio boundaries!
Some random thoughts, imagine buying fresh bread rolls from a lady wandering the unmade roads with a child’s hooter to attract attention or paying one sol to a man on a bicycle with a home made rack on the back to take away your rubbish or even buying mangoes from a lady on the corner who sits there all day long waving away the flies. Buying beer from the corner shop proves difficult, they want an empty for every full one sold so I need to some how work on building my supply of empties!

We had a good day yesterday, Marion went with Clare, a New Zealand Josephite Sister, for a few hours teaching some small children, our double bed arrived as did the carpenter to measure and make the actual frame and Mick and I went shopping for a book case, which by the way traveled home on the top of his trusty little VW through the chaotic traffic! The locals laugh their heads off when they see me trying to get into the front passenger seat. The only bad news was that Telefonica Peru still have not appeared to connect the phone and internet. We keep being told manana oh pasado manana – tomorrow or the next day! Some things take a long time in Peru.
Five of us celebrated Australia Day one day early due to Mick’s usual commitments on the actual day – Masses, Baptisms and even Weddings. The group consisted of Sister Margaret Malady, a Josephite Sister from Gippsland, Padre Napa, a Columban from Tonga, Michael, Marion and myself.
Still no sign of the base for our bed or Telefonica Peru to connect our phone and internet, you guessed the same response, manana o pasado manana! Wrong, Telefonica Peru arrived on Australia Day, five minutes after we arrived home with a brand new printer/photocopier. However, the internet is still another dream for a few days. I really need to work on my levels of patience. When they eventually arrived it was during a power blackout and could no nothing until the power was returned, thank heavens that occurred two hours later and the connection was achieved.
An evangelical church is literally next door and all day Saturdays are fun, monotonous music and singing interspersed with lengthy sermons beginning at six in the morning and goes non stop till late in the evening. The congregation shows fantastic devotion and perseverance.
Our second Saturday evening Mass at Motupe was interesting, there was a wedding in the middle of the Mass – once it began! The bride arrived about twenty minutes late, however, apparently this is usual. After that all went well until Marion ‘mislaid’ her best sun glasses in the church, one would think that items are safe in church. She has decided to pray to her favourite patron of lost things – Saint Anthony. Personally I do not think Saint Anthony operates too well in Peru, I would think that you would have more chance of finding them by hunting the little second hand stalls in the markets! Time will tell of whose faith is stronger.
Imagine in Australia a wedding party celebration going on in the suburbs till about four thirty in the morning and the public address system cranked up to its highest levels. Well it happened almost next door last night! It seems as though sleep will be easier during the week rather than on weekends.
Mick keeps telling us that our popularity grows as shown by the ever increasing number of people interested in enrolling in the classes to learn English. Our first information meeting next Monday evening should tell the truth.
The meeting was a great success, although as half expected, the full complement did not attend. One giant plus was that we started on time and those who attended were most enthusiastic and possessed a varying degree of English. They departed most excited about the prospect of the first class next Monday evening; we only hope that we can fulfill their dreams and expectations. Time will tell.
The final few days of January provided the both of us with two more fascinating experiences. Firstly, Mick offered to drive us to Acho, the huge plant and flower market for Lima. You would not believe that such an array of falling down, grubby sheds could house such an amazing range of fresh flowers, plants, pots, fertilizers and bagged soil. We had great fun shopping for herbs, pots and soil, the actual beginnings of our little garden. We will go back very soon for more plants and slabs of lawn so that we can create the finished product. The owners of our house are very impressed with our endeavours.
The second experience happened yesterday when we took a small bus, collectivo, from Montenegro to the centre of Lima. Fifty minutes of sardine like travel while we dodged, weaved, braked and accelerated into the city. I can assure that recommended number of passengers does not apply in Lima. After fifteen minutes of stretching I managed to get into a taxi to take us to Miraflores to meet Leo, achieve some shopping and have lunch together in a fine restaurant on the cliff face overlooking the Pacific Ocean. To use the phrase ‘chalk and cheese’ would not even be a valid way to try and describe the difference between Motupe Montenegro and Miraflores, two vastly different areas of Lima and only about thirty kilometers apart.

As you may notice security is a problem, even to the extent of caging in our 'back yard'!
All of a sudden it is February and we wonder what experiences it will bring.