[vc_row][vc_column width="1/6"][/vc_column][vc_column width="2/3"][vc_column_text]So has month 2 been much different from month 1?
Well yes it has a bit.
We have both settled into our projects now but every volunteer has a different contract so as time is up for some, new ones arrive to take their place and new friends are made. Bryan had to say goodbye to Fiona and hello to Chloé. Both girls were lovely but they are different so the dynamic changed. Both girls were bonkers though so there must be an attraction for nutty people and swimming!
Jody's projects changed a bit too. The English lessons gave way to Baking classes which she loved doing. Not just with the mums as planned but with the teenagers too as they took an interest.
There were lots of activities in this last 4/5 weeks too. February is carnival season in Peru with lots of events being organised by the town. Some of which we were lucky enough to be inviited to.
carnival queen
Notably was the main Carnival. Otra Cosa had a group entry and the chosen theme was Gods. Not a brilliant theme for a pair of atheists but we found a god and a goddess we could justify - Bryan went as God of the Sea - Neptune, and Jody as a Goddess of Nature - Physis. No we had never heard about her either but this is what we found out about her
Physis PersonalityConsidered Mother Nature Physis is a strict and bossy personification. (not like Jody at all then!) She despise it when people question her work or mess with nature. (definitely not like Jody - ha ha!) But she also has a softer and comprehensive side and admitted that she overreacted. (that's more like it!) Physis or Nature is without doubt the most powerful god on earth.
And to remind us of Neptune
Neptune had the reputation for having a violent temper. (the complete opposite of Bryan) Tempests and earthquakes were a reflection of his furious rage. He was depicted as a bearded men holding a trident and seated in a seashell drawn by sea-horses. (doesn't say if he could swim).
We had great fun making our costumes and headed to Mayorista (the big market in Trujillo). Just an hour in there and we had satin robes, flower garlands, face paint, a crown (yes crowns aisles 5 please) and Bryan even managed to get a trident made from scratch out of polystyrene. You can get ANYTHING at this market - we love it!
Neptune & Physis
We dashed home and got our costumes on and perfected our makeup. Well we tried to but Bryan ended up looking more like Papa Smurf than Neptune. What does the internet say about Papa Smurf?
Papa Smurf is 542 years old and is one of the oldest smurfs in the village. Papa Smurf is their leader due to his diplomatic skills he can easily resolve situations when they come across other creatures or humans.he is also the only smurf who can speak without using the word smurf.
Now that sounds much more like Bryan. Papa Smurf is officially a God!
We had great fun at the carnival and Bryan was extremely popular amongst the local women, they all seemed to want their photo taken with him. Papa Smurf is very popular here in Huanchaco for sure! Later we donated all that beautiful silky material and our props, to the el Comedore sewing club.
We are sure the ladies will make something wonderful from it.
Our Spanish lessons really took off this month too. Jody had lessons with Sam & Bryan with Manuel. We had varying degrees of success and we have learnt some useful words and phrases between us. The best thing about it though, was the lovely walk to the other end of the beach each time. Quality time to just admire where we live, breathe in the sea ... and take more photographs of course!
beautiful sea today
The sea changes every day. Changes with the tides, the light, the wind. Some days we could just sit and stare at it all day. The waves here are just beautiful. Huanchaco is South America's surfing capital and a recognised 'surfing reserve' according to the sign. Who knew eh?
We are lucky that we haven't really suffered with any health issues whilst we have been away but one of the worst problems that has occurred anywhere on our trip, happened to Jody.
She has a tooth which flares up angrily on occasionally. Twice before it has decided to flare up just days before we have been leaving England. When she has tried to get it seen to she has been told they cannot do anything about it as there isn't enough time as she needs a root canal filling. So it has been impossible to get it sorted out properly.
So when an absyss flared up this time, we still had 3 weeks left in Huanchaco. Could this be the time she actually gets it seen to? Well first we had to get through the weekend. It flared up on a Friday night and by Sunday she was banging her head on the wall trying to get rid of the pain - she was in agony Rum mouthwash, painkillers, she would try anything to stop the pain.
at Oral Fresh
Knowing it was an expensive treatment too, she consulted her travel insurance and yes, as an emergency treatment she is covered. We will have to pay the first £50 excess but that's a cheap price to pay to get it fixed.
First thing monday morning we caught the bus to Trujillo and made our way to a dentist which had been recommended. We hadn't been able to contact them by phone but we were willing to turn up and wait it out!
Diana the Dentist
Our luck was in and the lovely Diana was just finishing off her last customer of the morning and saw Jody straight away. Yes she could do it and write out an invoice for the insurance too. And the cost of this treatment - including 3 visits, anesthetic, temporary fillings and 5 xrays? a grand total of £41. Yes just £41.
Jody couldn't even claim it on her insurance as it was cheaper than the excess. She felt cheated!
Well as the price was so cheap here we thought we would both get some more dental work done and we are very happy with the results too. We had to extend our stay in Huanchaco by 4 days in the end to see the treatment through properly but it was worth it to know it was done!
doggy prison
Something that had bothered Jody since we arrived in our new apartment, was the dog on the roof of the building opposite. It was locked in this tiny open air room (with food and water) but just rags for a bed and an old door to hide under to escape the fierce sun. No company all day and night except when they put food in. We always called to the dog as we climbed the stairs but one day we noticed it was very very sad. Head down, no eye contact, just standing there and depressed. Very depressed. Recent rain had soaked his rags he slept on and it really upset us.
To the point Jody decided to write to the owners. She chose to write as to speak in Spanish would just take forever as she would have to look up almost every word, but a letter could be put together and translated via google first. There was no answer the day she finished it so she slipped it under the door. She had wanted to give it in person but this was the next best option.
The funny thing was, as she returned from doing it, the dog looked over and barked at her like he was saying thank you. 2 days he had been motionless and depressed, then he barks that once and wags his tail. We are convinced he knew we were trying to help him.
prison door open at last
So apologising to the dog in case it didn't work or made his life worse, we waited. And two days later, his door opened. And stayed opened! Ok he still didn't have any company other than us, but at least he was free to wander the roof and find a bit more stimulation, choose his own resting place and not have to walk in circles for exercise. It was a great start. We learnt later that it was the home of an elderly couple and the man was very ill. His wife spent all her time nursing him and had no time for the dog. Well at least we gave them something to think about and I hope they leave that door open for him when we are gone. It stayed open all the rest of our time so it feels like a good result. Not a perfect result, but a good result.
cooking with the lady who loves Jesus
Jody was offered the opportunity to work in a cooking capacity with another group, this time with the mums of disabled children. So along with Jenny, she went off to see what it was all about. It took us about 30 minutes to find it as they hadn't given the correct address and when we did find it, we were the only ones there. So the lady in whose kitchen it was being run, plonked us at her table and told us she was going to cook us breakfast.
Well we got her life story in the process and learned that she had had a rough upbringing and been a street child getting into mischief and running wild. She met her husband (whom must be 30 years older than her at least), found Jesus, Jesus told her to cook and here she was - a chef in a restaurant! Wow!
Well this project wasn't really a project for Otra Cosa and didn't develop into anything but we had a very interesting morning.
tecqunos yum yum
Some of our favourite food here has been tequeños. Cheese wrapped in wanton pastry, deep fried and served with guacamole. Yum yum. And our favourite drink has been Chicha Morada. Chicha is very common in Peru and there are several types - mostly the fermented, slightly alcoholic but very disgusting type. But chicha morada is something else. Made from black corn and boiled with cinnamon & sugar and pineapple skin. It is gorgeous. So as we had our own kitchen, giving this drink a go was a must. And it turned out exactly as it should. So easy to make but probably impossible in England as we have never seen the black corn on the cob for sale there.
One of the final events we attended before leaving, was the International Women's Day event held at Huanchaco. Marketa had organised it all and we just helped. Bryan took the kids off to the beach with Quique so the mamas didn't have to worry about them and the mums got to play some silly games and just relax for a bit. Marketa had arranged a session where they got to sit and discuss some Peruvian women either because they had achieved something extraordinary or because they had become powerful players in a very male dominated society. It was good to see them thinking about what women could achieve when they put their minds to it, rather than just accepting they life they are handed. Especially as some of these women rose up from situations just like theirs!
Huanchaco,Huanchaco, Huanchaco
And women on the whole are respect here in subtle ways. It is most apparent on the buses where men still give up their seats for women (they have long stopped doing that in England). The buses have men on them fulfilling the role of our old bus conductors. But they help people. If they see you with bags or children, they get off and help you on, they help the elderly on and off. If they see you waiting for the bus they stop. And this is remarkable to us - you don't even have to be at a bus stop. They may have stopped just 20 yards up the road but it doesn't matter - they will stop again without getting tetchy about it. You could be trying to cross the road to run for the bus but they will wait - you don't even have to run for the bus they stop where you are or they wait for you. Amazing! The small local buses here maybe beaten up and rickety, but the people on them are great. We love travelling by bus here.
There is a great sense of tolerance here. Whether it's borne out of something else or not we don't know. But what we do know, is that we shall miss this place.
Miss it a lot.
Hasta Luego.
Esperamos verte otra vez un día Huanchaco xx[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][vc_column width="1/6"][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]View this photo album on Flickr[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row]
Notably was the main Carnival. Otra Cosa had a group entry and the chosen theme was Gods. Not a brilliant theme for a pair of atheists but we found a god and a goddess we could justify - Bryan went as God of the Sea - Neptune, and Jody as a Goddess of Nature - Physis. No we had never heard about her either but this is what we found out about her
Physis PersonalityConsidered Mother Nature Physis is a strict and bossy personification. (not like Jody at all then!) She despise it when people question her work or mess with nature. (definitely not like Jody - ha ha!) But she also has a softer and comprehensive side and admitted that she overreacted. (that's more like it!) Physis or Nature is without doubt the most powerful god on earth.
And to remind us of Neptune
Neptune had the reputation for having a violent temper. (the complete opposite of Bryan) Tempests and earthquakes were a reflection of his furious rage. He was depicted as a bearded men holding a trident and seated in a seashell drawn by sea-horses. (doesn't say if he could swim).
We had great fun making our costumes and headed to Mayorista (the big market in Trujillo). Just an hour in there and we had satin robes, flower garlands, face paint, a crown (yes crowns aisles 5 please) and Bryan even managed to get a trident made from scratch out of polystyrene. You can get ANYTHING at this market - we love it!
We dashed home and got our costumes on and perfected our makeup. Well we tried to but Bryan ended up looking more like Papa Smurf than Neptune. What does the internet say about Papa Smurf?
Papa Smurf is 542 years old and is one of the oldest smurfs in the village. Papa Smurf is their leader due to his diplomatic skills he can easily resolve situations when they come across other creatures or humans.he is also the only smurf who can speak without using the word smurf.
Now that sounds much more like Bryan. Papa Smurf is officially a God!
We had great fun at the carnival and Bryan was extremely popular amongst the local women, they all seemed to want their photo taken with him. Papa Smurf is very popular here in Huanchaco for sure! Later we donated all that beautiful silky material and our props, to the el Comedore sewing club.
We are sure the ladies will make something wonderful from it.
Our Spanish lessons really took off this month too. Jody had lessons with Sam & Bryan with Manuel. We had varying degrees of success and we have learnt some useful words and phrases between us. The best thing about it though, was the lovely walk to the other end of the beach each time. Quality time to just admire where we live, breathe in the sea ... and take more photographs of course!
The sea changes every day. Changes with the tides, the light, the wind. Some days we could just sit and stare at it all day. The waves here are just beautiful. Huanchaco is South America's surfing capital and a recognised 'surfing reserve' according to the sign. Who knew eh?
We are lucky that we haven't really suffered with any health issues whilst we have been away but one of the worst problems that has occurred anywhere on our trip, happened to Jody.
She has a tooth which flares up angrily on occasionally. Twice before it has decided to flare up just days before we have been leaving England. When she has tried to get it seen to she has been told they cannot do anything about it as there isn't enough time as she needs a root canal filling. So it has been impossible to get it sorted out properly.
So when an absyss flared up this time, we still had 3 weeks left in Huanchaco. Could this be the time she actually gets it seen to? Well first we had to get through the weekend. It flared up on a Friday night and by Sunday she was banging her head on the wall trying to get rid of the pain - she was in agony Rum mouthwash, painkillers, she would try anything to stop the pain.
Knowing it was an expensive treatment too, she consulted her travel insurance and yes, as an emergency treatment she is covered. We will have to pay the first £50 excess but that's a cheap price to pay to get it fixed.
First thing monday morning we caught the bus to Trujillo and made our way to a dentist which had been recommended. We hadn't been able to contact them by phone but we were willing to turn up and wait it out!
Our luck was in and the lovely Diana was just finishing off her last customer of the morning and saw Jody straight away. Yes she could do it and write out an invoice for the insurance too. And the cost of this treatment - including 3 visits, anesthetic, temporary fillings and 5 xrays? a grand total of £41. Yes just £41.
Jody couldn't even claim it on her insurance as it was cheaper than the excess. She felt cheated!
Well as the price was so cheap here we thought we would both get some more dental work done and we are very happy with the results too. We had to extend our stay in Huanchaco by 4 days in the end to see the treatment through properly but it was worth it to know it was done!
Something that had bothered Jody since we arrived in our new apartment, was the dog on the roof of the building opposite. It was locked in this tiny open air room (with food and water) but just rags for a bed and an old door to hide under to escape the fierce sun. No company all day and night except when they put food in. We always called to the dog as we climbed the stairs but one day we noticed it was very very sad. Head down, no eye contact, just standing there and depressed. Very depressed. Recent rain had soaked his rags he slept on and it really upset us.
To the point Jody decided to write to the owners. She chose to write as to speak in Spanish would just take forever as she would have to look up almost every word, but a letter could be put together and translated via google first. There was no answer the day she finished it so she slipped it under the door. She had wanted to give it in person but this was the next best option.
The funny thing was, as she returned from doing it, the dog looked over and barked at her like he was saying thank you. 2 days he had been motionless and depressed, then he barks that once and wags his tail. We are convinced he knew we were trying to help him.
So apologising to the dog in case it didn't work or made his life worse, we waited. And two days later, his door opened. And stayed opened! Ok he still didn't have any company other than us, but at least he was free to wander the roof and find a bit more stimulation, choose his own resting place and not have to walk in circles for exercise. It was a great start. We learnt later that it was the home of an elderly couple and the man was very ill. His wife spent all her time nursing him and had no time for the dog. Well at least we gave them something to think about and I hope they leave that door open for him when we are gone. It stayed open all the rest of our time so it feels like a good result. Not a perfect result, but a good result.
Jody was offered the opportunity to work in a cooking capacity with another group, this time with the mums of disabled children. So along with Jenny, she went off to see what it was all about. It took us about 30 minutes to find it as they hadn't given the correct address and when we did find it, we were the only ones there. So the lady in whose kitchen it was being run, plonked us at her table and told us she was going to cook us breakfast.
Well we got her life story in the process and learned that she had had a rough upbringing and been a street child getting into mischief and running wild. She met her husband (whom must be 30 years older than her at least), found Jesus, Jesus told her to cook and here she was - a chef in a restaurant! Wow!
Well this project wasn't really a project for Otra Cosa and didn't develop into anything but we had a very interesting morning.
Some of our favourite food here has been tequeños. Cheese wrapped in wanton pastry, deep fried and served with guacamole. Yum yum. And our favourite drink has been Chicha Morada. Chicha is very common in Peru and there are several types - mostly the fermented, slightly alcoholic but very disgusting type. But chicha morada is something else. Made from black corn and boiled with cinnamon & sugar and pineapple skin. It is gorgeous. So as we had our own kitchen, giving this drink a go was a must. And it turned out exactly as it should. So easy to make but probably impossible in England as we have never seen the black corn on the cob for sale there.
One of the final events we attended before leaving, was the International Women's Day event held at Huanchaco. Marketa had organised it all and we just helped. Bryan took the kids off to the beach with Quique so the mamas didn't have to worry about them and the mums got to play some silly games and just relax for a bit. Marketa had arranged a session where they got to sit and discuss some Peruvian women either because they had achieved something extraordinary or because they had become powerful players in a very male dominated society. It was good to see them thinking about what women could achieve when they put their minds to it, rather than just accepting they life they are handed. Especially as some of these women rose up from situations just like theirs!
And women on the whole are respect here in subtle ways. It is most apparent on the buses where men still give up their seats for women (they have long stopped doing that in England). The buses have men on them fulfilling the role of our old bus conductors. But they help people. If they see you with bags or children, they get off and help you on, they help the elderly on and off. If they see you waiting for the bus they stop. And this is remarkable to us - you don't even have to be at a bus stop. They may have stopped just 20 yards up the road but it doesn't matter - they will stop again without getting tetchy about it. You could be trying to cross the road to run for the bus but they will wait - you don't even have to run for the bus they stop where you are or they wait for you. Amazing! The small local buses here maybe beaten up and rickety, but the people on them are great. We love travelling by bus here.
There is a great sense of tolerance here. Whether it's borne out of something else or not we don't know. But what we do know, is that we shall miss this place.
Miss it a lot.
Hasta Luego.
Esperamos verte otra vez un día Huanchaco xx[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][vc_column width="1/6"][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]
