this is our last night here! we are uploading photos and about to eat at one of our favorite places, los Perros and then meet chicho and vanessa at the kamikaze, a discoteca. we're going dancing!! most bars here including kamikaze have live shows and then disco music, lights, the works. tourists and locals alike. it's fun. and we're gonna celebrate!
so what a last day it's been! it began with meeting pedro, juana and laurita at the puputi bus station at 8 AM. they arrived for laurita's baptism. this is a family i've written about before. three or so years ago i met her as a result of her being pregnant for the 12th time at the clinic i was volunteering in. long story, but the short of it is that she had been repeatedly abused by one man, usually drunk. he lived with another woman and had other children and did not support hers. eight of her children have died before the age of one as a result of malnutrition. she was ill when i met her and unsure of her due date and had received absolutely no prenatal care. we (adela and i) brought her situation to the attention of the president. a village wide meeting was held and the asshole of a father was publically embarrassed and made to pay for her trip to the centro de salud. (not much but what are you gonna say) i will not go into it but it was quite the scene. she delivered in her home with her eldest son, pedro's help. she wasn't well after and pedro had to leave to work. and the baby was a skinny little thing. we helped with food and with medicines. from that point on i received potatoes and was asked to be a madrina. finally today was the baptism.
pedro and juanita walked with laurita on her back and two other heavy bundles from sipascancha to pisaq, getting up at 3 AM! then a bus here from pisaq. amazingly they were very close to on time. the service was performed by padre pumba, a friend of padre rene's. (for explanation's sake, i was raised catholic and am not in the least a practicing catholic today. however i view the ceremony as something more thought of as protective for this child, and perhaps equally important is that legally it will be helpful for her in the future. ) happily, ours was 'an under the table baptism!' while padre pumba ( a round younger man who spoke in Quechua!) performed the service, it was as a favor for padre rene. who will be registering the data at his church in yucay! as a nonpracticing catholic but spiritual person who can relate to its significance here, i am so happy everyone made it happen in the way it did!
we went for pollo la brasa, a favorite here. me, the little white girl, with the campesino family, rarely seen in a polleria in cusco. we got some stares. and out of the blue a child in a neighboring table choked on food and required a heimlich! that didn't help as far as more attention! oh well. i was just relieved to hear the child cry!
so, as sleeve mentions, he suffered a pretty big allergic thing last night post ceviche. fortunately he made it for the baptism, all decked out in his suit! you woulda´ had to been there. sleeve in peru, in a suit, and at a baptism, not to mention still a bit puffy. it was cool. maybe he'll post pictures!
so it was a day of visits and gifts being exchanged and beers and food being shared. lots of hugs and bst wishes. (yesterday too, with pave!) all touching. all what i love most about peru. the people and their thoughtfulness. and great news! is that only FOUR stoves are left to be completed. that means 96 stoves are installed where they weren't before, air is cleaner, and people like using them! (pedro will go one last time to the slackers and if they aren't built, they will be brought to other families.)
so, yeah about the best of these last two days is being with pave. we have a connection. and it's not just the stoves. also her energy, her neverending ability for work like this, her sense of knowing we always learn more and do it better the next time, her sense of humor, and her incredibly good heart. we're going to submit an application for money from germany! my part will be writing up our project,and, she will propose a recycling project, and tree farm....more on this later. she's all excited about it and its infectious! so we thought about different models, different materials and different villages. we want to go where the people are hardest to reach and likely the most forgotten. and this time do it in a way where we all work together and hopefully not set a precedent where all the answers lie in the hands of foreigners.
so tomorrow it'll be to the airport and in that space where you're in between worlds and everyone around you in transit headed somewhere. thanks amy for being in portland to pick us up! and congratulations to tina and ed on the birth of beautiful LOUIS EDWARD COLE. i saw the photos, he is gorgeous, as is his mom. and to shelley and perc and claudia, brigido be seeing you all real soon. just got to get the old volvo on the road and head her northwest. and to everyone else can't wait to see you all!!