Last night Luz took Serena, Eleanor, and me to a nearby town called Chosica. When we got off the bus, we were standing in front of a carnival. Luz forgot to mention that Chosica hosts a permanent carnival, so I was pretty surprised to see all the flashing lights. Our first stop was the “Dodge ‘Ems,” at Eleanor’s request. It turns out that Dodge ‘Ems are what British folk call Bumper Cars. Apparently in the States we stress the “bump,” whereas in England they stress the “dodge.” Interesting.

Amy had mentioned a delicious food similar to churros or elephant ears, so …Read More

This morning I attended my first ever roof party. I’m not sure if it’s just a Huaycan thing or if it’s Peruvian thing, but when people earn enough money to complete the final stage of building a new home, they throw a big party. Everyone is invited: family members, friends, neighbors, random gringas that teach English…

The celebration isn’t just fun and games though. The men who come to the party are actually the ones to build the roof. They spend the day making cement and building a roof out of it, while the kids and old folks watch from the …Read More

Yesterday I gave my English class in Los Alamos their first test. I’m pretty sure I was more nervous than they were.

As a student, I never realized how desperately my teachers wanted my classmates and me to do well. But as I graded the tests, I found myself rooting for each student, silently cheering when they aced a section and feeling a sense of failure on my own part when it was clear they hadn’t mastered the material.

Out of seven tests (two students failed to show up), the average final was 78%. Two of my students ended up with scores …Read More

Yesterday Luz told me a tragic story about a family in Zone V. I’ve never been to that zone, but apparently it’s as poor as Zone Z.

The mother of the family died two years ago, and Luz is not sure what happened to the father. He either died earlier, or he disappeared years ago. The four kids now live on their own; their ages are approximately 15, 13, 8, and 6.

A year ago the 13-year-old wasn’t feeling well, so she went to a doctor. He told her she has cancer. In Huaycan, basic healthcare is free, and anybody can get …Read More

As I mentioned in a previous post, Peruvians celebrate “carnival” during the entire month of February. I’ve been doused a few times with water by random kids, but up until now I didn’t realize that some Peruvians like to take carnival to the next level.

Susan, Andres, and I went with Luz and her family to a Valentine’s Day celebration at a restaurant in a neighboring town. I use the word “restaurant” for lack of a better word, but in reality it was a huge piece of outdoor property surrounded by a fence. Within the confines of …Read More