As I was bouncing around the back seat of a combi on the way up to Los Alamos for class today, I saw a kid outside wind up and fire a round, yellow thing. Before I even had time to duck, it sailed through the open window and hit me. My back was instantly soaking. It was a water balloon.

Thankfully I had been warned a few days ago about the “carnival” during February. Throughout the whole month, kids have the freedom to splash, soak, drench, and spray anybody who happens to be innocently passing by. They use water balloons, water …Read More

Transportation in Huaycan is unlike anything I’ve ever experienced. There appear to be no rules on the road, and lane lines are certainly meaningless. I have never been at all nervous walking around Huaycan, even in the poorest areas, yet I fear for my life every time I step into a vehicle.

Aside from taxis, which most people can’t afford, there are two means of transportation in Huaycan: mototaxis and combies. “Mototaxis are like Roman chariots without the horses,” my dad said when he was here. That seems like a generous description to me. Mototaxis have three wheels, and the driver …Read More

Earlier today I wrote about the lack of privacy in Huaycan, but this afternoon I discovered a way to snag some alone time. I did my laundry. It was fantastic.

In the past I’ve hand washed a few articles of clothing here and there, but I’ve never washed all of my clothes by hand. Until today. Yep, I soaked my clothes in sudsy water, lathered a coarse bristle brush with a bar of detergent soap, then scrubbed my clothes on a flat piece of wood. Next I rinsed my clothes in suds-free water, rang them out by hand, and hauled them …Read More

I never realized how concerned we are in the States about personal and private space. I’ve been in Huaycan for over a week now, and I’ve discovered that the lack of personal space is exhausting. It never occurred to me until now that I’m used to having an awful lot of time to myself: getting dressed, taking showers, eating breakfast, commuting to and from work, watching tv alone or reading a book, spending any kind of time at all in my bedroom, sleeping, going to the bathroom….

It seems a little ridiculous to consider some of those examples as personal time, …Read More

Lara and I picked up my dad from the airport yesterday, then the three of us met all the other LLI volunteers at a French restaurant in Lima run by nuns. I had probably the best green beans I’ve ever eaten, and Papa and I split an amazing dessert of fresh strawberries and cream. The highlight, though, was when the nuns serenaded us with “Ave Maria,” which they sang in French. It was beautiful.

Yesterday I visited Zone Z for the first time, which is where I am teaching an English class every Tuesday and Thursday. It is the most remote …Read More