micah

My Brother's in the House

My brother Les arrived yesterday and had dinner with my group last night before everyone left. I was glad that he was able to meet the people I've been working with for the past 2 weeks.

Today we woke up and went for a walk alone the waterfront here in Lima. There are several parks along the path, one of which is called "Love Park." There is a big statue of 2 people kissing and the benches are colorfully decorated with love sayings and quotes in Spanish. The park overlooks the ocean and is quite beautiful.
We then walked to a huge, modern outdoor mall that also overlooks the water. The mall (and a lot of Lima) is very Americanized. They have some upscale shops, a Starbucks (of course I had to have a latte) and a Hooters! .For lunch, we had ceviche (a really good Peruvian dish of raw fish cooked by the citrus of lime juice) in a restaurant overlooking the water.

Early Monday morning we are flying to Cuzco to start the next part of our adventure. We will be spending 8 days traveling around the central and southern parts of Peru.

Last Day Volunteering

Today was our last day at the PPA, and tonight we will have our final dinner together as a volunteer team. I am sad to see the time end, yet I have to admit, I am pretty much exhausted.
It has been a tremendous experience getting to know the children here, yet like all children, they require a lot of work and energy. I have become to realize that although the children here are extremely well taken care of by the the kind people of the PPA, all of the children are in desperate need of individual care and attention. Like all children, they long for someone to pick them up when they are crying, give them a hug, and sing to them. They all need someone to notice them when they play, laugh, cry, and exclaim with pride when they take their first steps. Although the incredible people at the PPA do a better job than anyone could ever expect at fulfilling all of these needs, there are just too many children for them to be able to do it perfectly. I feel honored to have been able to gain a glimpse at how they attempt to do it at all.


I am especially thankful for our spirited and energetic team leader, Mili, who we were fortunate to have with us during our entire stay here in Peru. Mili was beyond great- she made sure that we gained a real sense of what Peru is all about. She took us to a different restaurant every night for dinner- working long hours just to do so. She made the time here very special.

My Wonderful Group

Well, I have no posts for the past 2 days because I've been sick. I think I must have eaten something that didn't agree with me, but who knows. Could have been a random stomach flu. Anyway, the wonderful people in my group took great care of me. Any Jewish Grandma would be proud. My volunteer group is full of amazing people, each bringing their own remarkable view of the world and interesting personality into the mix. I feel privleged and honored to have met them all and am grateful that I had the opportunity to share the past few weeks with them.

Aquaducts and Pottery

We spent most of the day in Nasca. We toured the ancient aquaducts, which were pretty amazing.
The ancient people of Nasca were able to construct huge underground tunnels to successfully clean their water. They are still in use today.

We then went to a pottery studio, where we watched an artist make a piece by hand.
We saw the kiln that has been used for generations, as well as the handmade paint that is created by crushing different minerals and adding water.
The local artists don't use a potter's wheel, but rather a mold and then they form the smooth sides by hand using only a smooth cloth. It was very interesting to see him work step by step through the process.


On the drive back to Lima, we passed thousands of "shacks" that are people's homes in the desert. The homes are literally made out of nothing but mats sewn together. It was very sad and disturbing to again see the huge amount of poverty that exists throughout Peru. It was hard to imagine that people actually live this way, and makes me appreciate all the more what I have.

Nasca Lines

We arrived in Nasca in the late afternoon. We checked into our hotel and then went to a small airport to take a plane over the Nasca Lines. The Nasca Lines are huge lines in the sand that are believed to have been created by ancient people. The lines were not discovered until someone flew over them with a plane and saw them for the first time. It is impossible to see the figures, except from the air, so no one is sure how the ancient people created these huge figures in the sand.
The lines are in the shapes of such things as a monkey, dog, man, fertility symbol,and many others (there are about 20 I think). My pictures don't show the lines very well, as it was difficult to photograph them from our plane. If you click on the picture, it will enlarge and you may be able to see the man in the side of the mountain.

Yes, I was terrified to fly in such a small plane and the pilot kept turning the plane on it's side so we could get a better view of the Lines. I was really ready to get out of the plane after the 45 minute flight!!

Off to Nasca

We had a free weekend, so my new friend Diane and I decided to take a guided trip to Nasca. We left early Saturday morning (4am) and stopped in a city called Paracas on the way. From there, we went on a boat to the Balletas islands.

The boat trip was wonderful, and along the way we were joined by a group of dolphins who swam alongside our boat.
The islands are not inhabited by people, but are a wildlife sanctuary to many types of animals.
We saw thousands of sea lions, birds and, tiny penguins. The rock formations of the islands are amazing.
If you look closely in this picture, you can see the outline of an old woman's profile.