I have begun asking people about the significance of what they are wearing. I was hesitant to start this process because I thought that, with the saturation of canvassers around Portland, I would be faced with immediate rejection. So instead of going onto the streets I began asking while working at my job at Clackamas Town Center. My job (www.gliffik.com) involves a process of exploration on computers in order for people to create their own personalized product. In the past week, traffic through the store and even the mall during my shifts has been minimal, so people who frequent the mall have come to know the store as a place where they can come in to check their email while been chatted up with a sales pitch.
I didn't even expect to start the process but then two teenagers came in. One of them, Ellie (I don't know how she spells her name) was gregarious and obviously passionate about interacting with people. She asked me many questions and told me about herself. I welcomed her positive spirit. It dawned on me after she and her friend had been in the store for about 10 minutes that they were in no hurry and that I had to ask them if I could include them in my project. They happily agreed! I was immediately nervous at having to put myself and my voice on tape (performance anxiety) and I was even able to discuss my fear with Ellie. She was encouraging and sweet. I may see her again as I gave her the information on drawing class.
The next person to enter the store was a man wearing what most people would stereotype as cowboy wear. He had been in before and had come in to check his email. I made the false assumption after a quick sales pitch that since he wasn't interested in the store, he wouldn't necessarily be interested in interacting. I was proved wrong when he began asking me questions. I have no problem with offering up personal information when asked for it so we soon entered into an exchange about who we are and I was eventually able to request his participation in my video. I also told him about my interest in focusing on community development through art and we ended up exchanging information with the possibility of future collaboration.
I am liking how this is going. Although I don't expect nor can commitment to future involvement with everyone I meet, I suspect that I am not alone in my longing for genuine interaction and that I'm happy to see were these interactions will take me.
Thursday, January 14, 2010
Tuesday, January 12, 2010
Art Class
All of this introspection and recent interpersonal communication between myself and people I do not know (in preparation for my MFA application) has lead me to an all-new conclusion: The older I get, the more shy I become. While it may not appear this way to people who are close to me, there is a marked difference between the way I am able to relate to people now and the way I did even 5 years ago. While performance anxiety has always been a factor, it has crept into my daily interpersonal interactions and this is deeply disturbing for me.
It was brought to my attention about a month ago by a co-worker who noticed my discomfort in role-playing a routine customer interaction. Upon hearing this I began to reflect. While I am confident in my ability to relate and in my knowledge-base in an honest and genuine fashion, I become practically paralyzed when faced with providing information in an organized and coherent way, i.e. giving a sales pitch or leading a group.
I am determined to conquer this, which is why I have signed up to teach a drawing class at People's Co-op on 21st and Tibbetts on these dates: Feb 1, 8, 15, Mar 1, 8, 15 and Apr 12, 19 and 26. It starts at 5pm and goes for an hour.
Meanwhile, I am gratefully hurled into the task of getting video of complete strangers explaining to me the significance of what they are wearing. This is one of the three videos I will be taping to submit for my MFA application. Stay tuned for Youtube URLs of these videos.
It was brought to my attention about a month ago by a co-worker who noticed my discomfort in role-playing a routine customer interaction. Upon hearing this I began to reflect. While I am confident in my ability to relate and in my knowledge-base in an honest and genuine fashion, I become practically paralyzed when faced with providing information in an organized and coherent way, i.e. giving a sales pitch or leading a group.
I am determined to conquer this, which is why I have signed up to teach a drawing class at People's Co-op on 21st and Tibbetts on these dates: Feb 1, 8, 15, Mar 1, 8, 15 and Apr 12, 19 and 26. It starts at 5pm and goes for an hour.
Meanwhile, I am gratefully hurled into the task of getting video of complete strangers explaining to me the significance of what they are wearing. This is one of the three videos I will be taping to submit for my MFA application. Stay tuned for Youtube URLs of these videos.
Sunday, January 10, 2010
MFA thoughts
I've been writing my MFA application for the Social Practice program at PSU and would love feedback if anyone has any. The following are my initial thoughts.
As a Social Practice artist, my goal is to create an art community that incorporates service. This could mean forming a group of some sort or newly defining an existing community. In defining community I would like to play sociologist by interviewing people to make a basic analysis about how people view themselves within their existing community and what they feel works and/or fails.
I am interested in how people feel connected to, rejected by or unaffected by their community for 2 reasons. First, because I have an unexamined belief that as an artist I am destined to be separate from “my community” and worse, be unable to provide service through art. Because of this I have not previously pursued art as a career. Second, I have a basic belief that when people feel a sense of community they are more likely to take responsibility for their role within it and are more likely to contribute in a positive way.
To my pre-project eye, many people appear to fall into community unexpectedly and participate in it as an individual who has been caught in the midst of it, e.i. as a student or employee. They are part of a community but don’t necessarily feel a sense of community. In my experience, a sense of community is elusive unless sought after and when found is volatile.
Additionally, I have found “service” to be elusive as well. What’s actually involved in providing a service is sometimes far less time-consuming or responsibility-laden than what the term implies. For instance, the very act of interviewing people and beginning a dialog that prompts critical thinking can be considered a service. In gaining my MFA, I would like to define service in a way that is more easily accessible to the public and find ways for my art community to communicate this through art.
I've also been thinking about how I can make the concept of community-building an art form in itself so the general public can get involved because Art with a capital "A" can be intimidating to many people...
As a Social Practice artist, my goal is to create an art community that incorporates service. This could mean forming a group of some sort or newly defining an existing community. In defining community I would like to play sociologist by interviewing people to make a basic analysis about how people view themselves within their existing community and what they feel works and/or fails.
I am interested in how people feel connected to, rejected by or unaffected by their community for 2 reasons. First, because I have an unexamined belief that as an artist I am destined to be separate from “my community” and worse, be unable to provide service through art. Because of this I have not previously pursued art as a career. Second, I have a basic belief that when people feel a sense of community they are more likely to take responsibility for their role within it and are more likely to contribute in a positive way.
To my pre-project eye, many people appear to fall into community unexpectedly and participate in it as an individual who has been caught in the midst of it, e.i. as a student or employee. They are part of a community but don’t necessarily feel a sense of community. In my experience, a sense of community is elusive unless sought after and when found is volatile.
Additionally, I have found “service” to be elusive as well. What’s actually involved in providing a service is sometimes far less time-consuming or responsibility-laden than what the term implies. For instance, the very act of interviewing people and beginning a dialog that prompts critical thinking can be considered a service. In gaining my MFA, I would like to define service in a way that is more easily accessible to the public and find ways for my art community to communicate this through art.
I've also been thinking about how I can make the concept of community-building an art form in itself so the general public can get involved because Art with a capital "A" can be intimidating to many people...
Sunday, November 29, 2009
Back Home
I was going to write a detailed description of our adventure into the jungle and our 4-day trip home, but suddenly an entire month has passed. The details have all but slipped away. The entire trip has turned into a feeling more than a memory so I'll start with how I felt during my 3-day jungle stint.
The first feeling associated with it was excitement. I had been turned down for the coordinator job and getting away was a welcome reprieve for two reasons. I was ready for a get-away after being in Cusco for a month a half and I discovered that I was utterly homesick and the jungle trip was for the express reason to see a coffee farm. I missed "real" coffee terribly after all the Nescafe and syrupy coffee substitutes and I felt that seeing where coffee comes from would bring me home a touch sooner - a stretch, but still an incentive.
The second feeling was total disappointment as getting on the bus I realized I had left my camera at the room. I swallowed my tears and decided it was okay. Going without a camera was still better than not going.
The third feeling was nausea - the windy road was long and uncomfortable - then terrifying. The second leg of our trip was on a tiny road on the face of a cliff where cars flew by leaving visibility around 20% with how much dust was kicked up. The climate had changed from cold in the morning and pleasantly temperate during the day to muggy all the time and swarming with mosquitoes. Our car broke down half way to our destination and we had the choice between walking the rest of the way at the risk of being run over or squeezed into a subaru wagon with 7 other people. We chose to be squeezed.
We felt warmly welcomed by Norma's family as soon as we reached the small town and after a nap we were escorted to her uncle Siro's coffee farm. We found out soon that Siro grew most of his vegetables and all of his fruits on the farm as well and had a few chickens running around. He gave us a little tour of the farm and showed me the process he went through harvesting, shelling and drying the coffee. I picked up a little disposable camera and got a lovely photo of him with a freshly roasted batch of coffee that I will post as soon as a can. On the whole it was a wonderful experience save for the mosquitoes eating Colin alive.
On the way back down the dusty, death road there was more barfing in the seat ahead of me. I cannot escape it...
It was a mad dash home after our excursion even though it took many legs. I cried like a baby saying goodbye to Daisy and said my goodbyes to the wonderful people I saw on a regular basis. The trip back to Lima took 24 hours this time but we stopped 3 times during all of which we were allowed to exit the bus. We spent the night in Lima and from there flew to Columbia where we had an 8 hour layover. From there we flew to Vancouver BC. We stayed the night in BC and had a tasty Chinese food dinner then hopped on the train down to Lacey where Colin's mom lives. The next morning my friend Marianne drove up with her fiance to drive us the rest of the way home to Portland.
After so much travel, the following two weeks left me with an overall sense of stress surround the whole trip. Now that we're back, have moved into our own little apartment together and acquired jobs, looking back is a more pleasant experience. I'm surprisingly happy to be back despite the trip's abrupt end. I'm filled with gratitude for little things like toilet seats and salads as well as the not-so-little things like infrastructure and heat. I'm also surprised at how much a appreciate coffee shops, especially Stumptown Coffee and the Ugly Mug. Wow their lattes are amazing.
I hope to complete the remaining Peru series by the end of this year and begin sending my work off to various shows. Like my trip to Haiti, I have returned with renewed inspiration to go back to school, however unlike my last return, I have already begun writing my entrance essays. I hope you will all stay tuned for upcoming posts on my new project idea. I'll have an outline by the end of this week!
The first feeling associated with it was excitement. I had been turned down for the coordinator job and getting away was a welcome reprieve for two reasons. I was ready for a get-away after being in Cusco for a month a half and I discovered that I was utterly homesick and the jungle trip was for the express reason to see a coffee farm. I missed "real" coffee terribly after all the Nescafe and syrupy coffee substitutes and I felt that seeing where coffee comes from would bring me home a touch sooner - a stretch, but still an incentive.
The second feeling was total disappointment as getting on the bus I realized I had left my camera at the room. I swallowed my tears and decided it was okay. Going without a camera was still better than not going.
The third feeling was nausea - the windy road was long and uncomfortable - then terrifying. The second leg of our trip was on a tiny road on the face of a cliff where cars flew by leaving visibility around 20% with how much dust was kicked up. The climate had changed from cold in the morning and pleasantly temperate during the day to muggy all the time and swarming with mosquitoes. Our car broke down half way to our destination and we had the choice between walking the rest of the way at the risk of being run over or squeezed into a subaru wagon with 7 other people. We chose to be squeezed.
We felt warmly welcomed by Norma's family as soon as we reached the small town and after a nap we were escorted to her uncle Siro's coffee farm. We found out soon that Siro grew most of his vegetables and all of his fruits on the farm as well and had a few chickens running around. He gave us a little tour of the farm and showed me the process he went through harvesting, shelling and drying the coffee. I picked up a little disposable camera and got a lovely photo of him with a freshly roasted batch of coffee that I will post as soon as a can. On the whole it was a wonderful experience save for the mosquitoes eating Colin alive.
On the way back down the dusty, death road there was more barfing in the seat ahead of me. I cannot escape it...
It was a mad dash home after our excursion even though it took many legs. I cried like a baby saying goodbye to Daisy and said my goodbyes to the wonderful people I saw on a regular basis. The trip back to Lima took 24 hours this time but we stopped 3 times during all of which we were allowed to exit the bus. We spent the night in Lima and from there flew to Columbia where we had an 8 hour layover. From there we flew to Vancouver BC. We stayed the night in BC and had a tasty Chinese food dinner then hopped on the train down to Lacey where Colin's mom lives. The next morning my friend Marianne drove up with her fiance to drive us the rest of the way home to Portland.
After so much travel, the following two weeks left me with an overall sense of stress surround the whole trip. Now that we're back, have moved into our own little apartment together and acquired jobs, looking back is a more pleasant experience. I'm surprisingly happy to be back despite the trip's abrupt end. I'm filled with gratitude for little things like toilet seats and salads as well as the not-so-little things like infrastructure and heat. I'm also surprised at how much a appreciate coffee shops, especially Stumptown Coffee and the Ugly Mug. Wow their lattes are amazing.
I hope to complete the remaining Peru series by the end of this year and begin sending my work off to various shows. Like my trip to Haiti, I have returned with renewed inspiration to go back to school, however unlike my last return, I have already begun writing my entrance essays. I hope you will all stay tuned for upcoming posts on my new project idea. I'll have an outline by the end of this week!
Sunday, October 4, 2009
Saturday, October 3, 2009
To Stay Or Not To Stay
I must begin with apologies for taking so long in between blogs (sorry Aunt Jean). I have been preoccupied with making yet another difficult decision. A couple weeks ago, my teacher took me to an art museum that shows art done by Andina children. It belongs to a non-profit organization that goes deep into the Andes where there are extremely poor towns. There they teach the children a few basic art techniques and organize many different types of projects. These projects teach the children about art, but also about different subjects. Most importantly it serves as an esteem booster. I fell in love with the program and its mission and realized that this is ultimately the type of organization I would like to work for (you can find out more on their website: www.aylluyupaychay.org). At about the same time I happened upon a job opportunity at Maximo Nivel, Cusco's largest language school. The school also has an international program that certifies teachers in TEFL and places visitors in volunteer projects. The job I found is a field manager position for the international program. In short, I would be providing information about the program via email inquiries, giving orientations to incoming volunteers/teachers and doing site visits to all the volunteer projects. Sounds like an easy choice, right? It's the perfect job for me. The hard part is in the fact that it requires an 18 month commitment. I have applied, had 3 interviews and have been told that I am one of the strongest candidates. After a good amount of soul-searching, I feel like the experience the job would provide is priceless and that I would sincerely enjoy the work. What sealed the deal though, is the fact that by living here for a year and a half and receiving free daily Spanish lessons I will become fluent. That, coupled with the coordination and time-management experience, I will no doubt find a job in the non-profit sector when I return home. It is the perfect time for me to fulfill my life-long dream of residing in a country outside the US for an extended period of time. Add to this that I've made some wonderful friends and I have an incredibly supportive and understanding boyfriend; I'm sure I want to stay. I will know by the beginning of next week whether or not I have the job.
So what have I been doing besides pondering? Quite a lot. I have become really close to a delightful young woman named Daysi. She turned 27 on Thursday and, being me, I forgot. To make it up to her I gifted her with the flower triptych and took her out dancing last night. Daysi is beautiful, intelligent and always smiling. She is studying English at Maximo Nivel and works in the customer relations sector of the Peruvian government. Our communication is mostly in Spanish, which is encouraging for me. She is interested in finding an apartment with Colin and I so she can keep me company when Colin is gone. Colin is still planning on working in Alaska for 3 months at a time, his commute will just be a little longer than before.
I have another friend whom I met through my Spanish teacher. Her name is Ruth and we get together at least 3 times a week for a language exchange. She's studying to work in the tourist industry and knows a lot of English, she just needs some practice.
Meanwhile, my teacher Norma and I have become close as well. Last week she invited us to her house to cook. Colin jumped at the opportunity to use a real kitchen and made a delicious feast of pork, squash and mixed vegetables.
Due to my full social calendar, I haven't been walking with Colin as much as I'd like, but I've gotten a few walks in and saw many more gorgeous sights.
The cacti are now in bloom in the mountains. Wow.
I have done 3 drawings in the past two weeks. Not as much as I would like, but I plan on drawing Daysi tomorrow. The following drawing is of a lovely young lady whom I met with a group of her friends. I was sitting on a park bench, drawing, when their interest was sparked. They were giggly and complimentary of my work, exclaiming how my drawing looked like a real person. They all wanted me to draw them so I let them choose who got the honors. Bereshith (pronounced Bear-eh-sheet) was it. She later explained to me that her name means Genesis in Hebrew. She sat very still and look at me intently while I drew her. There was much chatter going on in the background.
Bereshith is second from the right in the pink sweatshirt:
After some group photos they wanted me to take a photo of Anali alone because she was wearing their school uniform. They are proud of their school and made sure I knew the name of it. It's called Virgin de Fatima San Sebastian.
No matter what I'm doing, whether I'm alone or I'm deep in conversation, people come talk to me, usually to sell me something. Tourism is down by a lot right now and the vendors get pretty aggressive, maddeningly so sometimes. I welcome the company when I'm alone though because it gives me an opportunity to practice my Spanish. On one such occasion, I met a boy named Espencer. I bought a card from him and he agreed to meet me the following day so I could draw him. Unfortunately we didn't meet again, but I managed to take his photo.
I've been attempting to draw from my head. With practice I will improve.
Why did I choose green and blue?! The black and white version is decent I suppose...
There was a little dance festival in the plaza closest to my house where I saw 3 traditional dances.
That night the sunset was incredible.
I also found a small job painting ceramics. The final products are gorgeous and the artists working there are all very talented. One of them is a professor at Cusco's art college, Bellas Artes and the owner is in his first year of art classes there. He's a kind man with a great sense of humor and he values the individual styles of his employees. I have only worked there twice. The last time I was there, there was a mini-twister strong enough that it blew the entire tin roof off the studio. The roof was not small either. We were all pretty shaken. I finished a vase and started another. I plan to return on Monday to complete my work but will only continue going back if I don't get the job with Maximo Nivel.
Long story short, I want to stay.
So what have I been doing besides pondering? Quite a lot. I have become really close to a delightful young woman named Daysi. She turned 27 on Thursday and, being me, I forgot. To make it up to her I gifted her with the flower triptych and took her out dancing last night. Daysi is beautiful, intelligent and always smiling. She is studying English at Maximo Nivel and works in the customer relations sector of the Peruvian government. Our communication is mostly in Spanish, which is encouraging for me. She is interested in finding an apartment with Colin and I so she can keep me company when Colin is gone. Colin is still planning on working in Alaska for 3 months at a time, his commute will just be a little longer than before.
I have another friend whom I met through my Spanish teacher. Her name is Ruth and we get together at least 3 times a week for a language exchange. She's studying to work in the tourist industry and knows a lot of English, she just needs some practice.
Meanwhile, my teacher Norma and I have become close as well. Last week she invited us to her house to cook. Colin jumped at the opportunity to use a real kitchen and made a delicious feast of pork, squash and mixed vegetables.
Due to my full social calendar, I haven't been walking with Colin as much as I'd like, but I've gotten a few walks in and saw many more gorgeous sights.
The cacti are now in bloom in the mountains. Wow.
I have done 3 drawings in the past two weeks. Not as much as I would like, but I plan on drawing Daysi tomorrow. The following drawing is of a lovely young lady whom I met with a group of her friends. I was sitting on a park bench, drawing, when their interest was sparked. They were giggly and complimentary of my work, exclaiming how my drawing looked like a real person. They all wanted me to draw them so I let them choose who got the honors. Bereshith (pronounced Bear-eh-sheet) was it. She later explained to me that her name means Genesis in Hebrew. She sat very still and look at me intently while I drew her. There was much chatter going on in the background.
Bereshith is second from the right in the pink sweatshirt:
After some group photos they wanted me to take a photo of Anali alone because she was wearing their school uniform. They are proud of their school and made sure I knew the name of it. It's called Virgin de Fatima San Sebastian.
No matter what I'm doing, whether I'm alone or I'm deep in conversation, people come talk to me, usually to sell me something. Tourism is down by a lot right now and the vendors get pretty aggressive, maddeningly so sometimes. I welcome the company when I'm alone though because it gives me an opportunity to practice my Spanish. On one such occasion, I met a boy named Espencer. I bought a card from him and he agreed to meet me the following day so I could draw him. Unfortunately we didn't meet again, but I managed to take his photo.
I've been attempting to draw from my head. With practice I will improve.
Why did I choose green and blue?! The black and white version is decent I suppose...
There was a little dance festival in the plaza closest to my house where I saw 3 traditional dances.
That night the sunset was incredible.
I also found a small job painting ceramics. The final products are gorgeous and the artists working there are all very talented. One of them is a professor at Cusco's art college, Bellas Artes and the owner is in his first year of art classes there. He's a kind man with a great sense of humor and he values the individual styles of his employees. I have only worked there twice. The last time I was there, there was a mini-twister strong enough that it blew the entire tin roof off the studio. The roof was not small either. We were all pretty shaken. I finished a vase and started another. I plan to return on Monday to complete my work but will only continue going back if I don't get the job with Maximo Nivel.
Long story short, I want to stay.
Wednesday, September 16, 2009
Lessons
I met Luis on Saturday and we drew each other again. I like this drawing better than the rest and I am going to attempt all of my future drawings in the same style.
Luis gifted me with the oil painting he completed of me.
While I was nearing completion of Luis' portrait, a woman came by and asked if I could draw her son and how much it would cost. I had no idea what to charge, especially since I'd never drawn a squirmy one-year-old from life before. Luis said 20 soles (about US $6.50) would be reasonable and she said she had only brought 10. Truth be told, I was just happy to have a willing model – getting paid was a bonus. I agreed to the price and got started. The boy's mother's name was Rosaria, but I can't remember the young man's name for the life of me. Rosaria danced around behind me for the 20 minutes it took me to get close to a resemblance and her son seemed thoroughly amused. As soon as 20 minutes was up, however, he was ready to go.
A funny thing happened. Rosaria asked me if I could baptize her son, thereby becoming his Godmother. I thought it strange that she would ask such an important role of a stranger, but I was flattered and caught off guard so I agreed. Later, (and luckily) my Spanish teacher told me that this is a common occurrence. Peruvians will ask tourists if they will be Godparents to their children then politely reminding them on the day of of their obligation: to buy a nice outfit and an expensive gift. Often times, afterwards, the said tourists would then receive numerous emails of phone calls throughout the years requesting money for their Godchild. Clever, no?
I can't say for sure if this was Rosaria's intention, however the odds are not in her favor. She was polite and ind and gushed over her new drawing, with which she paid a $50 bill, 40 more than she had said she brought with her. I gave her $40 in change and agreed to go to church with her the following Sunday. I will politely decline her offer when she contacts me through Luis.
That day we went for another gorgeous walk and we encountered a graveyard. It was heartrending for me to find out that they decorated the gavemarker’s with plastic bags.
On Sunday, while I knew I should go for a walk, I had promised myself to get more drawing in. So Colin begrudgingly set out on a solo hike and I stayed in the room and completed 2 of 3 pieces (the 3rd I finished later that night). I had picked a bouquet of dried flowers on our walk the day before. I am happy with the individual pieces by I love the way they look as a triptych.
Monday Colin took me to where he had gone by himself and on the way back I met Brigit, a chatty, beautiful, nine-year-old. She asked for candy but settled for a few centimos and happily agreed to a photo with me. Today I completed a portrait from the photo.
She accompanied us for a bit of our hike asking me questions about myself and Colin. I'm getting to the point in my Spanish where I can understand about 75% of what is said at any given time and I can respond with about 75% coherency. This simply means that I grasp the theories and many of the tenses, but in practice I have troubles. What I do use however, seems to come out pretty clear and I usually receive positive feedback.
Meanwhile, since we don’t have use of the family’s kitchen, we’ve built one of our own and have found that it works quite nicely. Lucky for me, Colin enjoys the challenge of producing good food with very little equipment. Often times it’s cheaper to by dinner than to buy the ingredients to make it, but breakfast is cheaper to make.
I have more to write, but this a getting a bit long-winded. I'll leave you with some mini-lessons we have learned the hard way:
1. Refuse any offers for God-parenthood.
2. Watch for poop, it's everywhere.
3. Bring toilet paper where ever you go, there will be none unless you´re in someone's house.
4. Patita is not a type of vegetable or fruit, it is cow's feet (yes, I ate cow's feet for lunch one day, it was prepared with peanut butter and it was delicious).
5. Don't listen to the cab drivers, they'll over-charge and misinform.
6. Don't touch the top of an electric shower head.
7. “Artists” selling their work downtown probably aren´t selling their own work unless you can verify it by seeing them working.
8. Be wary of the dogs.
9. Wash anything and everything you put in your mouth.
10. “No, gracias” are magic words when you are met with offers for expensive massages every 5 feet.
Luis gifted me with the oil painting he completed of me.
While I was nearing completion of Luis' portrait, a woman came by and asked if I could draw her son and how much it would cost. I had no idea what to charge, especially since I'd never drawn a squirmy one-year-old from life before. Luis said 20 soles (about US $6.50) would be reasonable and she said she had only brought 10. Truth be told, I was just happy to have a willing model – getting paid was a bonus. I agreed to the price and got started. The boy's mother's name was Rosaria, but I can't remember the young man's name for the life of me. Rosaria danced around behind me for the 20 minutes it took me to get close to a resemblance and her son seemed thoroughly amused. As soon as 20 minutes was up, however, he was ready to go.
A funny thing happened. Rosaria asked me if I could baptize her son, thereby becoming his Godmother. I thought it strange that she would ask such an important role of a stranger, but I was flattered and caught off guard so I agreed. Later, (and luckily) my Spanish teacher told me that this is a common occurrence. Peruvians will ask tourists if they will be Godparents to their children then politely reminding them on the day of of their obligation: to buy a nice outfit and an expensive gift. Often times, afterwards, the said tourists would then receive numerous emails of phone calls throughout the years requesting money for their Godchild. Clever, no?
I can't say for sure if this was Rosaria's intention, however the odds are not in her favor. She was polite and ind and gushed over her new drawing, with which she paid a $50 bill, 40 more than she had said she brought with her. I gave her $40 in change and agreed to go to church with her the following Sunday. I will politely decline her offer when she contacts me through Luis.
That day we went for another gorgeous walk and we encountered a graveyard. It was heartrending for me to find out that they decorated the gavemarker’s with plastic bags.
On Sunday, while I knew I should go for a walk, I had promised myself to get more drawing in. So Colin begrudgingly set out on a solo hike and I stayed in the room and completed 2 of 3 pieces (the 3rd I finished later that night). I had picked a bouquet of dried flowers on our walk the day before. I am happy with the individual pieces by I love the way they look as a triptych.
Monday Colin took me to where he had gone by himself and on the way back I met Brigit, a chatty, beautiful, nine-year-old. She asked for candy but settled for a few centimos and happily agreed to a photo with me. Today I completed a portrait from the photo.
She accompanied us for a bit of our hike asking me questions about myself and Colin. I'm getting to the point in my Spanish where I can understand about 75% of what is said at any given time and I can respond with about 75% coherency. This simply means that I grasp the theories and many of the tenses, but in practice I have troubles. What I do use however, seems to come out pretty clear and I usually receive positive feedback.
Meanwhile, since we don’t have use of the family’s kitchen, we’ve built one of our own and have found that it works quite nicely. Lucky for me, Colin enjoys the challenge of producing good food with very little equipment. Often times it’s cheaper to by dinner than to buy the ingredients to make it, but breakfast is cheaper to make.
I have more to write, but this a getting a bit long-winded. I'll leave you with some mini-lessons we have learned the hard way:
1. Refuse any offers for God-parenthood.
2. Watch for poop, it's everywhere.
3. Bring toilet paper where ever you go, there will be none unless you´re in someone's house.
4. Patita is not a type of vegetable or fruit, it is cow's feet (yes, I ate cow's feet for lunch one day, it was prepared with peanut butter and it was delicious).
5. Don't listen to the cab drivers, they'll over-charge and misinform.
6. Don't touch the top of an electric shower head.
7. “Artists” selling their work downtown probably aren´t selling their own work unless you can verify it by seeing them working.
8. Be wary of the dogs.
9. Wash anything and everything you put in your mouth.
10. “No, gracias” are magic words when you are met with offers for expensive massages every 5 feet.
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