Hi everyone! Heather here. Ayacucho has indeed been fun...The choclo festival, museum and artisan mall we all visited yesterday, the friendly folks, and rich history have made it a wonderful place to visit. The internet connection is also extremely fast and everything is cheap! So while Katie and Hallye boarded a bus early this morning, I´ve decided to stay here for a couple more days in order to initiate conversations with some English language schools in Cuzco.
This means I have the chance to get some work done, as well as check out more of the culture this city is steeped in. Namely, Chochango, a corn soup sweeted with mint and spiced with hot peppers, and Puca Picante, a dish of meat and potatoes seasoned with spicy peanut sauce. I heard rumor of this delicious sounding sauce all the way back in Quito and have been on the prowl for it ever since. They also sell jars of all natural peanut butter! I think I got the last one in the store, and paid a hefty price (15 soles, in comparison to the 4.50 I usually spend on a huge afternoon meal). I have so missed my daily ration of peanut butter though, as it is not very common in SA, and I´m glad to know Ayacucho is on top of things.
As far as the WWOOFing situation goes, I´ve heard back from three organic farms on Colombia, all open to dates and lengths of stay, but none in Peru or Ecuador. This means, as I said above, I will focus on finding a teaching position in Cuzco, and reserve working on the farm for a little later in the trip, once I´ve migrated back north. Hopefully I will have company on the farm as a friend from Lexington, Nik, will be arriving in mid May. He will have recently graduated from UK with a forestry degree so there is a good chance he´ll be willing to shack up on the farm for a while. An average day reguires 4-8 hrs. of work, but at least 2 days a week are free, allowing for short trips to explore the area. Much to look forward to!
Today I am going for a hike up to the ´mirador´, a lookout at the top of a hill overlooking the city of Ayacucho inside this giant valley I´m slouched in at the moment. It will be nice to get out of the hustling city for a few hours and hopefully take some photos that capture the whole city. The cultural center is hosting a free film fest so I´ll check out Penelope Cruz´s latest film, ¨La Nina de tus Ojos¨which translates to ´the daughter of your eyes´. I really enjoy going to the theatre in SA. While in Lima we all went to ´La Teta Asustada´, a beautifully made film, like a moving photograph, each still worth framing and hanging on your living room wall. It followed a young woman´s transition to independence after her mother dies and she is forced to take a job as a maid to raise money for a casket. She is afflicted with what the locals call La Teta Asustada which causes her to fear evil in the form of ghosts and men. It is not something many people beleive in, especially not doctors, but is very real for her. It was passed on to her from her mother who was violated by soldiers during the years of terrorism in Peru. Many women were forced to protect themselves the only way they could think of, which was to block the entrance through which a man might try to violate her. She did this with a potato. It was something women did in the past, only, during times of extreme danger. Yet the tradition carries on through our main character, suffer as she may. Like the potato inside of her, her resolve won´t budge, and she endures physical sickness and much lonliness because of it it. It is a harsh reality to face, but the movie depicts what we see around us every day, and incites many questions about what is invisible to tourists like us. I highly recommend seeing it, even if you don´t speak spanish. The story will not be lost.
To continue on about how little of this Peruvian life we can grasp, the ´Museo de la Memoria´we visited made for a heavy hearted afternoon. The violence Hallye cited was a mere 20 years ago. The majority of it took place during the year I was born, 1983. That means that most people I see walking down the street have some memory, certainly terrible ones, of the horrific violence that took place. I suppose they would rather not recount it, and I wonder how selfish I am willing to be by asking for their thoughts or stories. So far, I´ve gotten little reaction. Simple responses: there was a lot of violence, unnecessary, and worthless. I can´t imagine I would want to talk about it much either. I pray for peace all over the world, and am so very thankful for the peace that reigns here now, allowing us to visit with the mere worries of petty theft. I salute those who survived and extend sincere condolences the families who lost loved ones and the ´desaparecidos´ themselves. If you would like to learn more about a Peruvian foundation of mothers who lost their sons, called ANFASEP, visit <<http://qillqakuna.iespana.es/ANFASEP,%20madres.htm>>

Paz y amor a todos, Heather