About one week into our program we were given a day off. There were so many options for things to do! Some people were just going to relax at the hotel. Others were going to walk through Lima to do some shopping. There were some that went to a art museum. So what did a few of us decide to do? To go for a boat tour of the Palomino Islands.
Joints in these layers of sedimentary rocks.
That sounds completely harmless but on this tour we would be jumping into the ice cold Pacific Ocean (61°F)! During their Winter! To swim with sea lions!
The Humboldt (Peru) current brings up cold water from the Antarctic. We would be jumping into this.
Off we went on our day off. The seas were very rough, the air was foggy, but spirits were high. On our way to Palomino Island we passed other islands where we saw things like Peru’s version of Alcatraz (no longer in operation), pelicans, cormorants, Humboldt penguins, other birds, and of course sea lions! It is estimated that there are between 5,000 and 8,000 sea lions on this island. As you approach the island, all you can hear and smell are sea lions. Unfortunately due to rough seas and poor visibility my pictures did not come out too well. I will try to upload some when I can pull some off of my camera after I get home.
As we approached the island it was time to put on our partial wet suits and jump into the water. I stood on the side of the boat with my 360 camera in hand and without hesitating jumped right into the frigid water. At times it was hard to focus on the sea lions as most of my energy was spent fighting the waves crashing over my head and the currents. The 15 minutes in the water felt like an eternity. When it was time to get back on the boat I tried to use my frozen arms to pull myself up onto a boat that was moving quite significantly into the waves. I did make it back on the boat (spoiler) and once we returned to the hotel it took the rest of the day to warm back up. It was worth it though.
This video was taken with my 360 camera and it works best when viewed on a cell phone or tablet as you can pan the video. When I get home I’m going to try to upload it again to see if I can get it to be less grainy.
These images came from manipulation of my 360 video.
To better appreciate the Peruvian culture, we were exposed to Peru in both the present as well as the past. Since school was not in session on a Saturday we took a trip to Pachacamac, an important sacred site just outside the city limits of present day Lima.
Only a few images will be added here for brevity. To see more images from Pachacamac, look on my Peru trip page sometime late July or early August.
One of many pyramids with ramps at this complex. This one has been excavated more than most.
Throughout the centuries there were four different groups that lived here: the Lima, the Wari, the Ychma, and the Incas. This complex covers approximately 1,100 acres and consists of buildings made of mud bricks. As each subsequent culture conquered the previous, they built upon this area and by looking at the types of bricks used archeologists can determine which culture built what.
Notice the different style bricks that make up the different layers.
My history of this area is incomplete but I will share what notes I have. The Lima culture worshipped sea animals as well as the Moon. Then sometime ~ 600 CE the Wari conquered the Lima. Sometime around 1100 CE the Wari culture was conquered by the Ychma. Around 1450 CE the Incas conquered the Ychma and not too long after (1533) the Spanish arrived and thus ended the rein of the Incas.
The city of Lima goes right up to the borders of the Pachacamac grounds. Who knows what was lost when the land around this complex was developed?
Pachacamac was the god thought to have created the Earth. This god most likely has had different names throughout history but this is what the Incas called him. The Spanish were thought to have destroyed an 8-foot wood-carved Pachacamac idol but one was found in 1938 that looks exactly as it was described by the Spanish. It was found in a room protected by a door covered in shells.
The door that protected the idol. My picture of the idol isn’t very clear so I am uploading this instead.
The Incas performed human sacrifices atop one of the pyramids found here. This site was called the Sun Temple and was situated at the top of the hill, overlooking the ocean. Young women were raised in a nearby building thats purpose was pretty much only to house the women to prepare them for either sacrifice or servitude. The most attractive young women were selected for sacrifice which was a big honor.
This is where the Incas conducted their sacrifices at Pachacamac.
This complex was also used a burial ground for anyone that died. Bodies were wrapped in textiles based on social class. They were put in the ground in the fetal position with a burial mask. Estimates are that 80,000 people were buried here. Thirty-thousand people were buried in front of the Painted Temple (Wari). A few were taken to study and the rest were returned to the ground. This is just one of many reasons why cremation or composting is my preferred burial method!
Some of the burial masks found at PachacamacNot sure the significance but I thought it was cute!
For lunch we went to this placed called Dpaso which was right down the road. The lunch was buffet style (I had to try almost everything) with live folk dancing that would take place every 15 minutes or so. This was similar to the other dances we had seen (other than this dance called the Alcatraz). Following that, we did go outside for something new. Horse dancing!
Horse dancing!For dinner I had lomo saltado de alpaca over a quinoa risotto.
Access to Wi-Fi is becoming increasingly scarce so posts are going to be even fewer and farther between. I’ll be completely off the grid for the next 72 hours.
We were originally scheduled to have our third school visit on this morning but it turns out it was a holiday, Día del Campesino, and public sector employees were off so school was not in session. This holiday was originally meant to celebrate the indigenous population and the farmers of Peru. Most people would not consider this much of a holiday from work as they would have to work extra to make up this missed time (for example, working an extra hour a day). With our morning plans cancelled, we learned more about the city of Lima itself.
Huaca Pucllana
Huaca Pucllana is a solid pyramid made of adobe in the district of Miraflores. The location of this pyramid really catches you off guard. You are driving through apartment buildings, stores, hotels, and restaurants and then right in the middle of that is a pyramid! The Lima culture likely built the first pyramid here with the Wari and Ychsma cultures expanding on it. From what we were told, the top is flat which was most likely acted as some sort of trading post. The adobe bricks are stacked vertically (bookshelf technique) which is not as effected by seismic activity. There are over 300 Huacas (holy sites) in Lima but none are this preserved. We just drove by it on our way through the city.
It was hard to get good pictures in Lima because there air is so hazy. This was also through the window of a bus.
Additional Landmarks in Lima
The Plaza San Martín was built in 1921 to celebrate the 100th anniversary of Peru’s independence.
Statue at the Center of Plaza San Martín
Plaza Mayor is where in 1535 Francisco Pizarro laid foundation for the city of Lima. Pizarro and his men did a lot of really bad things to the Inca people prior to this happening. This spot was chosen because of its proximity to three rivers, the fact that it does not see extreme temperatures, and it is close to the ocean. The fountain in the center is from 1651 but most buildings are from the 20th century due to damage from earthquakes. Around this plaza you can find the presidential palace, city hall, and the former Archbishop’s palace which is now a museum. Fransisco Pizarro’s body can be found within this cathedral. For some reason I don’t have any pictures from this plaza so here is a picture of another church (Iglesia y Convento La Merced). This is the oldest church in Lima although it has required frequent renovations due to earthquakes.
Built in the baroque style
Our final morning stop was to the Catacombs of the Basilica of San Francisco. This is a Franciscan monastary which was founded in 1546 and like so many other buildings has faced earthquake damage over the centuries. The tiles on the wall were from the early 1600’s and came over from Seville, Spain. The wood used in its woodwork comes from cedar trees cut down in Central America. In the catacombs beneath the monastary are the remains of 25,000 people. It was a public cemetary and all demographics were buried here. Use of these catacombs ended in 1821 when Peru became an independent nation. Within the library there are over 25,000 books in different languages and different topics dating back to as far back as the 15th century. Due to humidity and sunlight many of these books are damaged beyond repair and cannot be removed from their shelves. The monastery does not allow photography within its walls so I have no pictures to share.
Festival of Folk Dances at Las Brisas del Titicaca
After yet another fulfilling meal, we were off for a cultural activity. We would get to see some traditional folk dances. The Brisas del Titicaca Cultural Association is a non-profit organization with 60 years dedicated to preserving, promoting and disseminating the various cultural expressions of Puno and Peru. Due to a morning that took longer than expected and a long lunch we missed half of the show.
This is just a sample of the folk dances we saw
Overall it was a pretty relaxing day. It was nice to see some of the historical parts of Lima.
This is the second of two parts on our third day in Peru. Eventually I will get caught up! I promise that the rest of the blog posts won’t be this long. There is just so much to say! It was an incredible experience.
One of three courses for our lunch. This dish had seafood prepared three different ways.
From our first school visit we immediately went to lunch and I definitely ate too much. This is a recurring theme and it is a result of large serving sizes, multiple courses, and all the food being so good. Once lunch was finished we were back on the bus and headed to a different part of the city. This school was located in the Comas district which is one of the poorest districts in Lima. Although significant progress has been made in building infrastructure it still has a long way to go to ensure that all residents have equal access to necessities. As we grew closer to the school the homes became much more dilapidated and the roads were no longer paved. I’ve wavered back and forth about sharing a picture of the neighborhoods surrounding the school but I decided against it. Instead here are pictures of the program for our school visit.
This part of Lima has a large population of people that moved to the city from the Andes and therefore many of the students speak Quechua in addition to Spanish. In some households, the parents/guardians only speak Quechua. When we walked through the main gate we found lines of students along both sides of the walkway. Many of the students were dressed in native attire. As each of us walked in a student took us by the arm and escorted us to the main courtyard. Once we entered the courtyard another student escorted us to a line of chairs at the far side. The rest of the students, and many family members, sat on the bleacher-style seating that surrounded the courtyard.
Students escorted our group as well as the distinguished guests into the courtyard.I’d like to think that the llama is the hero of this story.
Once we were all settled there were several speeches and introductions made. After all those were completed students from the school performed some of their native dances in front of everyone in attendance. There was some sort of ceremony with these four groups coming in from four different corners and I would find out several days later that these four groups represent the four quarters (Suyu) of the Incan empire: Chinchay Suyu (NW), Anti Suyu (NE), Conti Suyu (SW) and Colla Suyu (SE). I don’t have any clear pictures of any of the groups but I do have some videos of some of the other dances. Enjoy!
As soon as the dances were over everyone just got up and left. I figured that this was the end of our visit to this school. Walking through the courtyard was a gauntlet of excited students. Just like the previous school, many students wanted selfies with me. At one point I looked up and I could not see anybody from my group. Where did they go?
Was I Left Behind?
No, no I wasn’t. Apparently the school visit was far from over. As I walked around the wall I found another courtyard and this is where everyone went. Around this courtyard were tables set up for different disciplines and students stood around each one to present what they have been working on in school. It was hard to really hear what was going on because of all the excitement and the neverending stream of students looking for autographs/selfies. There was a table for la interculturidad (interculturality) which to be honest I wasn’t quite sure how it fit this theme. It was a collection of objects students had created.
At the conclusion of their presentation students walked to the table, picked up the objects, walked to a teacher, and presented it as a gift. I got a nice basket made out of recycled newspaper. They must have known that I have recently discovered my ability to construct baskets. Another teacher got a large garbage can made out of recycled paper while this other teacher got this elaborate box made for fathers day which consisted of family photos.
My newest basket! This looks like something we could do with our environmental club students.
The next table I visited was the science table. At this table students were talking about the Peruvian biodiversity. I was able to admire the incredible posters that students created and I was able to taste a delicious tea made out of a plant called muña. The science teacher at this table was so excited to meet me she kept inviting me over to the table for more pictures. We may look to see how we could create a partnership between our classes in the future.
A student drew these incredible pictures. So much talent!
The third table I will discuss was for mathematics. Once again, students demonstrated some impressive work. I was only able to catch a small part of it but students tried to model how to use a quipo, a system of knotted strings used to record numbers. After the presentation I spoke with the student that is holding the microphone in the picture below. He is 15 and has an interest in physics. When he found out that I teach physics he was very excited! At the age of 15 he has already started taking physics classes and has already taken calculus. We briefly spoke about the joys of integration.
Math!
Not too long after this the crowds of students started to disperse. There were a few more selfies/autographs and I spoke to the science teacher one last time. Our visit to the school was finally coming to an end, an hour or so after we were scheduled to leave.
The Visit Was Not Over
We were now brought into one of the classrooms for a dinner prepared by the teachers. The dinner would consist of traditional Andean foods as well as chicha, a traditional corn beverage. They claimed that it was not fermented but we could tell what fermentation smelled/tasted like. Over dinner we introduced ourselves to several of the teachers from the school and they introduced themselves to us.
Peru has always 3000 varieties of potato!
Next came the gift giving. This school was so generous with the gifts that we were provided and just like with the morning school I felt bad that they spent some of their limited resources on us. I was grateful for the hospitality and their generosity.
The last thing on our agenda was that two of our teachers gave brief presentations to the faculty that had attended dinner with us. Once those were completed we were able to say our goodbyes, take a few more group photos, and return to the bus. We were scheduled to leave around 5:00 p.m. but left closer t0 9:00 p.m. I’m glad we had the opportunity to visit this school. Its amazing just how much pride these students have for their school and just how late they would stay to meet us. It was definitely worth the late night and I do hope that I can build a partnership with this school in some capacity.
This is part one of two for my summary of our third day in Peru. We received permission from the administration of both schools to take pictures of the students.
It took me a while to get started on this post because I really did not know what to say. Our day was an emotional roller coaster and there really is no way to convey this information in a way that I feel comfortable with. Our day would begin at a school in one part of the city and we would end with a visit to a school in another part of the city.
For the first few days in Lima we did not leave the more affluent, tourist portion of the city. This would be our first look at how other portions of the population live. About 1/3 of Peru’s population (~11 million people) live in Lima. The majority of these people moved here within the past several decades. Many came with little to no money and could not afford housing so they built structures on the hills surrounding the city. Over time more permanent structures were built but they do not have the infrastructure we see in Miraflores. At this part of the city we didn’t see apartment high rises and vegetation in the medians.
The school we visited is in the center at the bottom of this image
When we pulled up outside of the school, we were asked to wait outside and we would enter one at a time, as they called our name. As each of us walked into the school we would be welcomed by lines of students along the walkway. As we walked through the lines of cheering students we were given the first of our two gifts from the school. This was not the reception I anticipated and it felt undeserving. That being said, it was great to see how excited these students were that we were visiting their school.
View from the courtyard
Once we entered the main courtyard they had us stand on a walkway while a group of students were organized in front of us. There were some introductions, a greeting, the singing of the Peruvian National Anthem, and the playing of our National Anthem.
You can see the classrooms surrounding the courtyard
There were a few students that were holding up signs welcoming us to their school. Several students had created signs for specific teachers welcoming them to their school. Only a few teachers had posters created for them and I was honored to be one of them.
This poster was so well done! I was very impressed!
Once the introductions were over many of the students returned to class. Some students were in class while all this was going on. I’m not sure how it was determined who would be in class and who attended the introductions but I did feel bad for those in class. This campus is very open. It is right in the city and you can hear all the traffic and car horns outside the school walls. In addition, all the doors and windows are open so you can hear everything else going on at the school. As we toured a few classrooms it was very loud and it must be so hard for the students to focus and hear everything going on within the classroom. During our tour we visited their school library, an English-language class where the students sang us a song, and a 1st grade classroom. Those first graders had some of the neatest handwriting I had ever seen!
The school library. A lot of what is on those shelves are workbooks.The students often learn songs in their English-language class to help them learn the language. They sang for us.
The Lesson
The day before this visit I was informed that I would be teaching a lesson at this school and that it was a traditional classroom without any technology. The lesson I had planned revolved around the differences in climate between Lima and my area in New York State. I had prepared for the possibility that there would be no way to digitally present the material so I had a hard copy of my resources ready to go. The facilitators of our program made additional copies so that I would have enough to give every student a copy. The materials that I would share are: climographs for Lima and New York, maps of New York State (in both English and Spanish), a snowfall map of NYS, and maps of the global ocean currents (in both English and Spanish). I shared pages 2, 3, and 4 of the NYS Earth Science References Tables with a star to indicate where I lived. All data was converted to metric as that is the system of units that is best and the students would actually understand them.
What differences do you notice regarding the differences between the climates of Lima and New York?
As we left the meeting room to be split up to go to the classrooms we would be presenting in, we were swarmed by excited students. It was such a strange feeling and the attention was undeserved. We were treated like someone famous. Students were asking to take selfies with us and outstretched arms were handing us their school notebooks for our autograph. For the next twenty minutes this is all we did. I thought that this delay would prevent me from giving my presentation.
Eventually the crowd was dispersed and I was escorted to the computer lab by two students. As I entered the lab there was a semi-circle of chairs with about twenty students waiting for me. This computer lab had a few computers lining the wall but none of them worked. The whole school had one functioning computer. That would not interfere with our lesson though.
Comparing the climates of New York and Lima, Peru. I could not have asked for a friendlier, more receptive group of students!
I started off the lesson with a brief introduction to who I am and where I am from. Students were able to identify Roxbury in both New York State and the world by looking at the provided maps. To go along with my introduction I showed the students some gifts that I had for the school. One of the gifts was a picture book of New York State to see how diverse a state it is. The other gift was a jar of locally-sourced maple syrup. These two gifts would be given to the principal before I left. I wanted to give the students a gift from New York as well so I brought some maple candy in. They were a little hesitant to try it at first but as soon as the first student ate their piece and talked about how good it was, the rest followed. They were eager to have a second piece.
I wish I could have spent a lot more time with this group!
As we talked about the climate we talked about how Lima is a desert but New York is very wet. All measurements were converted to the metric system so they would be able to understand it easily. They were shocked to hear temperatures could range from about +40°C to -40°C (the extremes are not typical but more associated with our record highs/lows) and that we get about 1.250 meters of precipitation a year. I mentioned that we could see between 7-12cm of rain a day (or sometimes an hour) in extreme events. They were amazed to hear about a snowstorm that dropped 76cm of snow in about 10 years a few years ago. There were gasps as I went around the room showing pictures from this snowstorm on my phone. We ended this portion of the presentation by talking about the reasons that lead to some of the climate differences. Seasons are reversed in the different hemispheres. While it is Winter here, it is Summer in New York. The climate in the coastal regions of Peru is heavily influenced by the Humboldt ocean current which brings cold, dry air to the region. In New York State we are affected by the Gulf Stream which brings warmer, humid air. Lima’s latitude is also much lower leading to more intense solar radiation. The students talked about their experiences with the weather. They discussed how it is cold this time of year and that the sky is always grey. I mentioned how even though it is our Summer, the nighttime temperatures are similar.
The Humboldt Current brings cool, dry air from the Antarctic.The Gulf Stream brings warmer, moist air from the tropics.
The rest of our time was spent with students asking me questions. Some questions were related to the presentation while others were about me and the United States. The questions included:
What is your favorite season? Fall because of the changing of the leaves. I talked to my students about how the leaves change from green to red, yellow, and orange. To show them what this looked like, I pointed to a picture in the book of New York State.
Do teachers make enough money in the U.S. to live? I mentioned that it depends on where you live. Where I live it is enough to live on but there are places where teachers have to work a second job.
How old I was. This is a question that is more culturally acceptable in Peru than in the U.S. Since I am in their culture I told them.
What I thought about their school. The reception was so warm and people were so friendly. I was impressed with how proud everyone was with their school. Students were curious, respectful, and polite. I tried to explain this the best way I could and I don’t remember my exact words.
If Spanish was easy for me to learn.
My favorite type of music.
My favorite Peruvian food. All of it. It is all so delicious!
What was the first thing to excite me after waking up that morning. I told the students that the first thing to excite me was this moment. For over two years I had been looking forward to meeting and working with students in Peru and it had finally been a reality. Due to Covid I didn’t think it would ever happen. This answer was completely honest and I saw the joy on the faces of my students.
The students were in awe at this picture of my car buried in snow
Unfortunately our time together was short and by this time I was pulled from the room as it was time to get going. On our way out they provided us with two more gifts: a book written by the principal and a key ring. They also provided us with juice, water, and a snack for our bus ride to lunch.
I really wish I could have spent much more time learning from and working with these students. The reception was so warm, the students were so eager, and it was such an incredible experience.
