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!
Sunday, November 29, 2009
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.
Friday, September 11, 2009
Adventures
I could sense the intruders approaching but I can't take all the credit. Sra. Betsy gave the first warning call and it was moments later that I saw the crowns of their strangely colored heads. There were 2 of them. I tried to stay calm but Sra. Betsy was terrified and her fear was too contagious to resist. The senora shouted over and over through her white hair, “Get out!” I think it was all she could muster
The intruders continued their approach. Slowly they took step after step up toward my precious haven, my family's house. I decided it was time to make my voice heard.
“You should leave,” I said gruffly, “you're not wanted here.”
The intruders averted their eyes and kept walking. One of them said, “it's okay,” and like a stupid, mindless robot the other one chimed in, “it's okay, okay.”
“If you don't leave something back will happen!” I was yelling now and the intruders, recklessly bold, continued their ascent. They were passing me now and I was becoming livid. I couldn't even speak. I was in disbelief. I was, however, glad to see the shorter one step away from my dwelling. She told me they were just passing. If that's the case, I thought, then what is that strange smell emanating from you? I didn't recognize their emotion and once again I was frightened. I knew I couldn't trust them.
I began yelling again, directly behind them, “Just get out of here! You're not welcome! Hurry up and leave!” I didn't want to hurt them but I knew I could if I had to.
They jumped but then they just ignored me. They didn't look my way and kept climbing the stairs at the same pace, passed my dwelling.
Meanwhile, Sra. Betsy, too frightened to do anything, had slinked off to her abode, cowardly as always. I could have used the back-up, but I have always been able to take care of myself.
As the intruders climbed, slowly and insultingly, away from my house, I could feel my heart rate returning to normal. The burn of such blatant disrespect continued, however and I couldn't help myself.
“You ugly monsters! Why don't you just leave us alone? If you ever come back you'll regret it!”
I followed them to the top, muttering profanities and warning them of what would happen if they did come back. They walked quickly to the left and didn't look back. I was satisfied with my work. They would not return.
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
I knew after we had passed the enormous Black Lab with the deep threatening bark and his white, small-but-viciuos companion doggy, that we should have taken a different route up the stairs, but by then it was too late and turning back was probably more dangerous than continuing on. After so much stress, the walk up to the ruin, Rumiwasi on the windy dirt road was unnerving. I felt unwelcome, like a trespasser. We passed three groups of students in a surveying class and instead of making eye contact and saying “hi” like usual, I kept my eyes on the ground. Colin, who'd been equally nervous, tried to make me feel more comfortable by chattering a little, but I was still a grump. I just wanted to be somewhere I knew we belonged and when we reached Rumiwasi I knew we were there. The sky had been threatening rain during our much-too-expensive taxi ride across town as well as on our ascent up to the ruins, but when we arrived the sun peeked through the clouds, shooting rays across the sky. It was too beautiful for words.
The stress of the walk was worth it and we returned to our room feeling as though we had conquered Cerebus.
Yesterday was a different and much shorter adventure. I met with my new friend, Luis. We had met once before and I learned that he is from Lima and he left his family there to travel Peru so he could paint and draw. He is 26, has been studying art for 4 years and is learning English in conjunction with his art classes. He is a kind soul, eager to learn and to share his work. He is very talented. He draws with pencil, charcoal and pastel and paints with watercolor and oil. His subjects are people and landscapes.
On our first meeting, despite having brought my supplies, I was more interested in the language exchange (okay, and too lazy to draw). We exchanged questions and learned some new rules in our second languages.
Yesterday, however, we buckled down and drew each other at the same time. I am happy with the result.
Luis said he wanted to give me the drawing he did of me, but I was late for class when we finished and he said he'd keep it for me until we meet again tomorrow. We'll be doing more drawing and chatting.
The intruders continued their approach. Slowly they took step after step up toward my precious haven, my family's house. I decided it was time to make my voice heard.
“You should leave,” I said gruffly, “you're not wanted here.”
The intruders averted their eyes and kept walking. One of them said, “it's okay,” and like a stupid, mindless robot the other one chimed in, “it's okay, okay.”
“If you don't leave something back will happen!” I was yelling now and the intruders, recklessly bold, continued their ascent. They were passing me now and I was becoming livid. I couldn't even speak. I was in disbelief. I was, however, glad to see the shorter one step away from my dwelling. She told me they were just passing. If that's the case, I thought, then what is that strange smell emanating from you? I didn't recognize their emotion and once again I was frightened. I knew I couldn't trust them.
I began yelling again, directly behind them, “Just get out of here! You're not welcome! Hurry up and leave!” I didn't want to hurt them but I knew I could if I had to.
They jumped but then they just ignored me. They didn't look my way and kept climbing the stairs at the same pace, passed my dwelling.
Meanwhile, Sra. Betsy, too frightened to do anything, had slinked off to her abode, cowardly as always. I could have used the back-up, but I have always been able to take care of myself.
As the intruders climbed, slowly and insultingly, away from my house, I could feel my heart rate returning to normal. The burn of such blatant disrespect continued, however and I couldn't help myself.
“You ugly monsters! Why don't you just leave us alone? If you ever come back you'll regret it!”
I followed them to the top, muttering profanities and warning them of what would happen if they did come back. They walked quickly to the left and didn't look back. I was satisfied with my work. They would not return.
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
I knew after we had passed the enormous Black Lab with the deep threatening bark and his white, small-but-viciuos companion doggy, that we should have taken a different route up the stairs, but by then it was too late and turning back was probably more dangerous than continuing on. After so much stress, the walk up to the ruin, Rumiwasi on the windy dirt road was unnerving. I felt unwelcome, like a trespasser. We passed three groups of students in a surveying class and instead of making eye contact and saying “hi” like usual, I kept my eyes on the ground. Colin, who'd been equally nervous, tried to make me feel more comfortable by chattering a little, but I was still a grump. I just wanted to be somewhere I knew we belonged and when we reached Rumiwasi I knew we were there. The sky had been threatening rain during our much-too-expensive taxi ride across town as well as on our ascent up to the ruins, but when we arrived the sun peeked through the clouds, shooting rays across the sky. It was too beautiful for words.
The stress of the walk was worth it and we returned to our room feeling as though we had conquered Cerebus.
Yesterday was a different and much shorter adventure. I met with my new friend, Luis. We had met once before and I learned that he is from Lima and he left his family there to travel Peru so he could paint and draw. He is 26, has been studying art for 4 years and is learning English in conjunction with his art classes. He is a kind soul, eager to learn and to share his work. He is very talented. He draws with pencil, charcoal and pastel and paints with watercolor and oil. His subjects are people and landscapes.
On our first meeting, despite having brought my supplies, I was more interested in the language exchange (okay, and too lazy to draw). We exchanged questions and learned some new rules in our second languages.
Yesterday, however, we buckled down and drew each other at the same time. I am happy with the result.
Luis said he wanted to give me the drawing he did of me, but I was late for class when we finished and he said he'd keep it for me until we meet again tomorrow. We'll be doing more drawing and chatting.
Monday, September 7, 2009
Art...Finally
Yesterday was very productive. I woke up cold and after studying a few irregular past tense verbs under the covers, I decided it was time to go to the park and get some drawing done. I needed to finish the second cemetery piece that I was previously unable to finish because I had misplaced my fine-tipped eraser (it had been hiding in the underside of the plastic of my charcoal container), and spray all my completed pieces.
The day before yesterday we had gone downtown and found a willing subject that sat for 30 minutes for 15 soles (US $5). She spoke Chichwa with her comrades and daughter so I couldn't understand how she felt about her drawing. I've found that it is quite convenient to sit directly in front of the subject so they stay entertained by watching me draw.
So I sat down at the park touching up my cemetery piece and a boy came along pushing his sister on a mini-car and plopped down in front of me to watching me draw. I was finished with the old piece and promptly asked him if I could draw his face. He excitedly agreed and picked the color he wanted to be drawn in. Once again it came in handy that he was able to watch. His name was Julio and he was 10. I could hardly believe the patience of those two children! His 1-year-old sister sat contentedly on her mini-car, looking around and giving me a sweet smile every now and then. Julio sat still and watched me draw. After about 15 minutes I could tell he was getting a bit antsy so I asked him questions in my broken Spanish to pass the remaining 5 minutes. I learned that his favorite subject in school is math and that he would be helping cook a birthday dinner for his aunt.
After drawing Julio I took out a photo I had printed and began drawing a new piece. A family came and asked me questions and told me how talented I am – I'm beginning to have a big ego.
As I was drawing my last piece of the day, a young man approached me as well. His name is Luis and he is a student of art and English. He asked if I was interested in being his conversation partner and I happily agreed. I asked if I could draw his portrait as well and he asked if he could draw mine. We are meeting in the park today to chat in our respective languages and to do some drawing. I made a friend!
Yesterday afternoon Colin and I went on a hike to a part of the city we’d never seen before. We followed some train tracks to a dead end and saw yet another stunning view of Cusco.
Irresponsibly, I got a nasty sunburn as well but it could be worse. We went to bed at 8pm last night. We’ve been in bed and asleep by 9:30 or earlier every night and we get up around 6:30. I can’t remember the last time I got this much sleep – or for that matter was even able to sleep this much. I will not question it.
Let me add here that we don´t have internet at the house so I can only use the internet at school, which has a limited number of computers. It has been quite an experience having such limited use of the internet and having no cell phone. I can´t say that I like it yet, but I´m getting there.
The day before yesterday we had gone downtown and found a willing subject that sat for 30 minutes for 15 soles (US $5). She spoke Chichwa with her comrades and daughter so I couldn't understand how she felt about her drawing. I've found that it is quite convenient to sit directly in front of the subject so they stay entertained by watching me draw.
So I sat down at the park touching up my cemetery piece and a boy came along pushing his sister on a mini-car and plopped down in front of me to watching me draw. I was finished with the old piece and promptly asked him if I could draw his face. He excitedly agreed and picked the color he wanted to be drawn in. Once again it came in handy that he was able to watch. His name was Julio and he was 10. I could hardly believe the patience of those two children! His 1-year-old sister sat contentedly on her mini-car, looking around and giving me a sweet smile every now and then. Julio sat still and watched me draw. After about 15 minutes I could tell he was getting a bit antsy so I asked him questions in my broken Spanish to pass the remaining 5 minutes. I learned that his favorite subject in school is math and that he would be helping cook a birthday dinner for his aunt.
After drawing Julio I took out a photo I had printed and began drawing a new piece. A family came and asked me questions and told me how talented I am – I'm beginning to have a big ego.
As I was drawing my last piece of the day, a young man approached me as well. His name is Luis and he is a student of art and English. He asked if I was interested in being his conversation partner and I happily agreed. I asked if I could draw his portrait as well and he asked if he could draw mine. We are meeting in the park today to chat in our respective languages and to do some drawing. I made a friend!
Yesterday afternoon Colin and I went on a hike to a part of the city we’d never seen before. We followed some train tracks to a dead end and saw yet another stunning view of Cusco.
Irresponsibly, I got a nasty sunburn as well but it could be worse. We went to bed at 8pm last night. We’ve been in bed and asleep by 9:30 or earlier every night and we get up around 6:30. I can’t remember the last time I got this much sleep – or for that matter was even able to sleep this much. I will not question it.
Let me add here that we don´t have internet at the house so I can only use the internet at school, which has a limited number of computers. It has been quite an experience having such limited use of the internet and having no cell phone. I can´t say that I like it yet, but I´m getting there.
Friday
On our second day in Cusco, we decided we liked it so much we wanted to stay for a month. The town is beautiful, the people are exceedingly friendly, the weather is nice, and the selection of outdoor activities just outside town is practically endless. So we walked, breathlessly from the altitude, around town looking for a safe hostel with reasonable monthly rates. We found one, paid a refundable reservation deposit to William, the clerk and returned to our room feeling like we somehow made a mistake. The room we had found was big enough and had its own bathroom, hot water and all, but the hostel itself seemed run-down and we had been rushed into giving a deposit. We made a quick internet search and confirmed our gut feeling. The first ad I found offered the same amenities for half the price, but was located a little farther from downtown. We called on it and were pleasantly surprised to be able to see it that evening. We met a very nice couple, Janet and Carlos, 4 blocks from our hostel and accompanied them 4 blocks further to their house with a huge room with a private bath for $100 a month. We slept on it, but knew we'd be staying with the family. The following morning we checked out of our hostel and moved into our new room.
On the way to the room I saw one of the many signs advertising Spanish lessons and decided to check it out. It's a small school run by a couple, Norma is the teacher and her husband, Rik (from Holland) runs the administrative side of the business. Norma has 12 years of Spanish teaching experience and takes her job very seriously. The said I could return that evening for a free sample lesson. Before the sample lesson, I wanted to check another school out to compare and ended up being completely ignored by the school just down the road. I signed up with Norma immediately after the sample and having been thorough impressed and pleased with the 4 classes I've taken. The attractive price of $6 per private lesson is just an added bonus.
Since we decided to stay somewhere aside from the hostel, we made our way back downtown to retrieve our deposit. To make a long story short, William kept telling us to come back on different days at different times. He even told us to come back twice in one day and wasn't even there when we returned in the evening. We returned 5 times before he actually paid us and he only paid us because Janet came with us and threatened to tell the ministry of tourism. The amount was relatively small, but it came down to the principal of it and we wanted to prevent it from happening to anyone else.
With the exception of yesterday, we've been going on a daily hike (or constitutional, as Colin calls it) up to the mountains. From basically any point in the city you can find a set of steep stairs that will eventually take you into the wilderness. The city is surrounded by mountains.
About 15 minutes away by a route we discovered a couple days ago, there's an Incan ruin that overlooks the city. The views from the mountains are incredible.
We walked passed the ruins into the mountains and it was as if we had totally escaped civilization. The faint sound of the road can be heard from time to time, but during the majority of the hike we were serenaded by birds and insects. We couldn't identify the smell in the air, but it was sweet and rich, a far cry from the city streets, which constantly stink of llama and dog poop.
There are dogs everywhere, stray and domestic. The are often seen engaged in high-anxiety turf wars – it seems that each stoop has its own self-appointed guard dog. You'll find mixes of all varieties also, my favorite being the normal sized body guys with short, stumpy legs.
Food is delicious and cheap outside the tourist center. If you go to a market where the locals shop and eat or venture outside city center as few as 3 blocks you can find hole-in-the-wall restaurants serving large meals for as little as US .66. We've become huge fans of the Peruvian empanada, a meat or sweet-filled pastry with either pie-like or flaky dough.
So what happened to the art? Between getting situated, hiking, studying and wasting time trying to retrieve funds, it has somehow gotten pushed aside. I have, however, managed to sneak one drawing in. On our third day here we ventured into town to find a subject. I had no idea how to go about asking someone if I could draw them, but them I met Chanty. He was a musician from Arequipa, sitting in the plaza with flutes and music for sale. He was extremely friendly and personable and he eventually made the offer to allow me to draw him if I bought a CD. (Sadly, I haven't been able to listen to his CD yet as I have no access to a CD player). I jumped at the opportunity and told him to make himself comfortable and to not worry about holding still. That's exactly what he did and it was just the challenge I was looking for. Numerous people came up to talk to him and a few crowds formed to watch me draw during the 30-45 minutes in too me to create a resemblance. I was happy with my product and thanked my subject, who also seemed satisfied with the result.
Unfortunately, as I was walking back to the room, I smudged the piece before I sprayed it. I'm not nearly as satisfied with the final product but I touched up as best I could and it's all I have...
I'm sure that most, if not all of my subjects will expect payment, which I'm perfectly happy to give, but the task of seeking more subjects and putting a price on their graciousness and patience is extremely daunting. I don't feel right about drawing the without their knowledge – I'd feel like a kid trying to steal candy from the neighborhood store. After a morning of studying and blogging, I am about to set out to tackle another drawing.
On the way to the room I saw one of the many signs advertising Spanish lessons and decided to check it out. It's a small school run by a couple, Norma is the teacher and her husband, Rik (from Holland) runs the administrative side of the business. Norma has 12 years of Spanish teaching experience and takes her job very seriously. The said I could return that evening for a free sample lesson. Before the sample lesson, I wanted to check another school out to compare and ended up being completely ignored by the school just down the road. I signed up with Norma immediately after the sample and having been thorough impressed and pleased with the 4 classes I've taken. The attractive price of $6 per private lesson is just an added bonus.
Since we decided to stay somewhere aside from the hostel, we made our way back downtown to retrieve our deposit. To make a long story short, William kept telling us to come back on different days at different times. He even told us to come back twice in one day and wasn't even there when we returned in the evening. We returned 5 times before he actually paid us and he only paid us because Janet came with us and threatened to tell the ministry of tourism. The amount was relatively small, but it came down to the principal of it and we wanted to prevent it from happening to anyone else.
With the exception of yesterday, we've been going on a daily hike (or constitutional, as Colin calls it) up to the mountains. From basically any point in the city you can find a set of steep stairs that will eventually take you into the wilderness. The city is surrounded by mountains.
About 15 minutes away by a route we discovered a couple days ago, there's an Incan ruin that overlooks the city. The views from the mountains are incredible.
We walked passed the ruins into the mountains and it was as if we had totally escaped civilization. The faint sound of the road can be heard from time to time, but during the majority of the hike we were serenaded by birds and insects. We couldn't identify the smell in the air, but it was sweet and rich, a far cry from the city streets, which constantly stink of llama and dog poop.
There are dogs everywhere, stray and domestic. The are often seen engaged in high-anxiety turf wars – it seems that each stoop has its own self-appointed guard dog. You'll find mixes of all varieties also, my favorite being the normal sized body guys with short, stumpy legs.
Food is delicious and cheap outside the tourist center. If you go to a market where the locals shop and eat or venture outside city center as few as 3 blocks you can find hole-in-the-wall restaurants serving large meals for as little as US .66. We've become huge fans of the Peruvian empanada, a meat or sweet-filled pastry with either pie-like or flaky dough.
So what happened to the art? Between getting situated, hiking, studying and wasting time trying to retrieve funds, it has somehow gotten pushed aside. I have, however, managed to sneak one drawing in. On our third day here we ventured into town to find a subject. I had no idea how to go about asking someone if I could draw them, but them I met Chanty. He was a musician from Arequipa, sitting in the plaza with flutes and music for sale. He was extremely friendly and personable and he eventually made the offer to allow me to draw him if I bought a CD. (Sadly, I haven't been able to listen to his CD yet as I have no access to a CD player). I jumped at the opportunity and told him to make himself comfortable and to not worry about holding still. That's exactly what he did and it was just the challenge I was looking for. Numerous people came up to talk to him and a few crowds formed to watch me draw during the 30-45 minutes in too me to create a resemblance. I was happy with my product and thanked my subject, who also seemed satisfied with the result.
Unfortunately, as I was walking back to the room, I smudged the piece before I sprayed it. I'm not nearly as satisfied with the final product but I touched up as best I could and it's all I have...
I'm sure that most, if not all of my subjects will expect payment, which I'm perfectly happy to give, but the task of seeking more subjects and putting a price on their graciousness and patience is extremely daunting. I don't feel right about drawing the without their knowledge – I'd feel like a kid trying to steal candy from the neighborhood store. After a morning of studying and blogging, I am about to set out to tackle another drawing.
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