Sally is from Gordon, near Ballarat; she is a past student of Loreto College in Ballarat and is just completing her three month stay in Lima with the Loreto Sisters. She is a trained Occupational Therapist and has been working here as such, she was also teaching some English three evenings a week. She came here Thursday morning, visited Valle Sagrado, attended class with us in evening and then we all went back into Lima next day. Marion did her trick again, this time it was a great shepherds pie!Saturday morning we were off early to the Motupe parish centre to meet with Maria for an empanada bake. The parish centre had just purchased an industrial gas oven and the intention is that in time Maria will give cooking lessons to young, single mothers with the aim that they may be able to bake goodies for sale. On arrival we discovered that Maria and her daughter, Teresa, were also preparing a pachamanca and that we were invited.
A pachamanca in the middle of the day can be dangerous, heaps of various roasted meats, at least two or three huge potatoes, broad beans and salad. Thank heavens this one only served one massive part of a chicken, I suggested to Marion it may even be emu judging by its size!
However, back to the empanadas, they are similar to small pasties and are filled with either chicken or beef together with chopped onions, hard boiled egg and dark olives. Great snack food.
Maria decide that we also may like to sample her broccoli pie – made with the same pastry as the empanadas and filled with broccoli, a pinch of finely grated nutmeg, chopped spring onions, fresh eggs as well as sliced hard boiled eggs, more olives and chopped chicken! Beat that!While this was going on Maria also managed to make up a number of batches of coconut biscuits. Marion and I loved the baking trays she used; cut open and flattened olive oil tins!
When Mick suggested to her that he had found some really good, cheap baking trays Maria assured him that hers were cheaper and just as good!Eventually the pachamonca was ready to be served just as a few more unexpected guests arrived, I can assure you there was plenty for everyone, and even the empanadas were passed around as an entree! There was so much food that Mick, Marion and I decided to leave them to the feast; as we collected our broccoli pie and two of the remaining empanadas we realised that not only did we buy the ingredients beforehand but we were also expected to pay for them at the end of the day to cover the cost of the gas! The learning curve continues.
You may have remembered our visit to Los Clavelles and the ‘fold out’ chapel we went to in February. Well yesterday Mick and I saw the workers pour the roof on their brand new community centre and he hopes that the official opening will be in September.
If you take a close look you may notice a second use for empty olive oil tins. The old wooden chapel was being used as a kitchen to prepare the food and drink for the workers at the end of the day.Sunday was the culmination with a mission in Bolognesi, another valley in the Jicamarca area. All we knew about the day was that it was to be a form of house visiting in this area. Up and running at 8.15 a.m. to meet with all the other visitors before the actual visitations begin.
As expected we experienced a few delays on the way waiting for other to join us. In the distant background of the second photo you may notice impressive gates and buildings on the sides of the hills all enclosed by a vast wall similar to the Great Wall of China. This is a classic speculators delight - a massive area of land stretching for kilometres, the future site of a private university! There are even some buildings already built, and empty!
As expected we experienced a few delays on the way waiting for other to join us. In the distant background of the second photo you may notice impressive gates and buildings on the sides of the hills all enclosed by a vast wall similar to the Great Wall of China. This is a classic speculators delight - a massive area of land stretching for kilometres, the future site of a private university! There are even some buildings already built, and empty!
Possibly, and understandably, the longest delay was waiting for the jovens, the young people, to get organised and arrive. When they did they were most colourful – their own band, portable PA system, balloons and faces painted.
The parish organisers had also hired a brass band, which in the initial stages seemed to be in competition with the jovens and a trifle redundant.When the number reached sixty plus we split into smaller groups and headed into the hills to door knock. Unlike Australia we were made extremely welcome, however, you must remember that the greater majority of these people are Catholic. The main idea was for Mick to be able to identify and establish five or six really good contacts within this area and then develop these people as a nucleus for a type of parish council.
The hills got to me so I left the evangelising to Estela, Martin and Marion as they faced the steep valley.
I chose the easier path and headed back to where the jovens had gathered a large group of small children from the area and were entertaining them with singing, dancing and mime. The brass band even joined in the fun.The final act was the procession back to the parish centre of San Trinadad, escorted by the band, for Mass followed by something to eat. The only problem was the journey back was about three kilometres and the last part straight up hill!
