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Published: August 17th 2005
Plaza de Armes
Plaza de ArmesHola amigos! I just wrote a very long entry, and when I tried to add photos to the travelblog, everything froze and I lost it all! So here it goes again. I am still having a great time in Ayacucho! I went to my job placement yesterday at the wawa wasi. It was not what I imagined, but not in a bad way. There are several of these daycares located outside of town in a very poor area. They are run by the woman who lives in the house. Everyday women in the community will drop their children off before they work. My wawa wasi is run by a woman named Julia. She doesn’t speak any English, so when I was dropped off, we spent several minutes staring at each other. Finally I took out my dictionary and gave it a shot. It was amazing how much we were able to talk about. She was very patient with me and made gestures and even drew pictures to try to explain what she was saying. We talked about our families, the United States, Ayacucho and even gas prices. Needless to say, my Spanish is improving, out of necessity!
I showed her
Boys Orphanage
They loved to have their pictures taken! pictures of my friends and family. ¨Muy Bonita¨she kept saying. I felt guilty for having so many nice things that we all take for granted in the states. I’m sure she thought I was rich, which I guess I am compared to her. She only makes 100 soles a month for the wawa wasi. That’s about $30 for watching 8 children, by herself, 5 days a week. She can only afford to feed her family meat one meal out of the week. It’s heart breaking, but I am inspired!
She was in awe of my gringo family and friends. She thought Cora was Chinese and pointed at Megan´s hair waiting for an explanation. A gringo is foreign enough, but a gringa with bright orange hair is downright weird! Dad, she said you were hueve, which means egg, so I think I misunderstood her. She said Abe was tall and Ian was very handsome.
The children at the wawa wasi are great. They are a little afraid of my bleached skin and funny language. But, just like children everywhere, it doesn’t take them long to warm up to you. They all have runny noses and dirty faces. I’m pretty sure at least two have chicken pox. Julie, they LOVE your books! They have no books of their own. I continue to be taken back with their lack of resources. I thought about drawing and coloring with them but realized they don’t have crayons or even paper. I also thought about putting pictures on the wall, but there is no tape. The handful of toys they have are broken and old. From what I have heard, I am at a good house because Julia has a toilet and a radio.
The weather is great. 80´s during the day and 50´s at night. My only complaint is that it gets dark at 6pm so the temperature drops fast. The food is even better than the weather! The cooks in the house cook us three meals a day. Break fast is bread, cheese, cereal and homemade strawberry juice. Lunch and dinner are both big meals and usually consist of rice, chicken or beef, fresh vegetables and fresh fruit with every meal.
I think of all of you and want to share every little detail, but to be honest, I haven’t had much time to miss home yet. I love Ayacucho and feel really good about what I am doing here. I only hope I can make a small difference. I have met some wonderful people who have given me much more faith in the human spirit.
I hope this finds everyone well. Marg, did you have a good time at your brother’s wedding? Much Love!
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Joyce
non-member comment
Way to go Girl!
Stacy, You are the greatest!! We are so proud of you!