Peru – Home Visits & Spanish

The Short Bit

Day: 10 March

Activities: Home visits Via El Salvador. Spanish Lesson.

Highlight: Spanish lessons

Panpipe song of the day: My Friend – Groove Armada

Mood: Feeling very privileged to be here, content.

Learning: It’s not lifes blows that keep you down but how you react to them.

Hashtag: #therearestillsomeangels #yoamormiamigosyfamilia.

 

The Long Bit

Today we visited 4 homes in Via El Salvador (VES), including 21-year old Pedro who has been bed-bound for 5 years after being paralysed in an accident on a construction site. His family of 5 live at the top of a very steep dusty hill (Via El Salavador was built on desert) and have incredibly limited resources. Pedro cannot leave the house. He has no wheelchair and even if he did, the incline and soft sandy ground would not allow it. So he stays in his bed. And his family wait to see if a house becomes available at a lower part of the hill. Much to the pride and hope of Pedro’s family, his oldest sister is studying psychology at one of Lima’s free public universities, which is a huge deal given that for every 1000 places, there are 6000 applicants. Without Tonny (the manager of Los Martincitos), Pedro would not get his much needed medication and his sister would not get the valued resources she needs for her course. Tonny is truly one of lifes angels, so if you ever need your faith in mankind restored, add Tonny to your speed dial!

This afternoon, Spanish lesson nombre 2. I’m pleased to say I’m slightly improving and have now increased from 14 to 27 phrases and some random words. If any of you can make a useful sentence out of tired (cansada), dog (perro), pretty (bonita) and milkman (lechora), I’ll buy you an ice cream! The Spanish teacher is really good and loves anyone who shows interest so I managed to be a total nerd and get a private lesson, where she taught me how to conjugate ‘to be’, ‘to do’ and ‘to have’ – I say ‘taught’ but given I can’t actually remember any of it, one hour on I have some serious practising to do!!

We will see what tomorrow brings. I am sure it will be surprising (every day here has been so far) and I am also sure it will continue to amaze, confuse, upset and uplift me.

Till Tomorrow x

Historical mural of Via El Slavador

Home visits

Via El Sal

Via El Sal

Via El Sal

Via El Sal