I think a common stereotype at home is that “Latin people are great dancers.” The video may provide some insight into why there may be some truth to the stereotype. It’s also interesting to note that the boys seem to enjoy dancing at least as much as the girls… if not more. Watch the teacher spend some time helping one girl: in a very short time, she was keeping up with him.

Video: Fifth-Grade Dance Class (click on photo)

Fifth Grade Dance Class

My Final English Classes at the Primary Schools
All week I was keenly aware that each class was my final one with these particular kids. I had decided not to tell any of the kids I would be leaving but made an exception for Samita, the little girl who has referred to me as “grandpa.” It didn’t seem to phase her. Elizabeth, who has a lot of experience with these kinds of things, told me that it may be beyond the kids’ comprehension to imagine someone going away to another country and not returning. People here cannot really afford to travel so the kids may think that if someone is here now, they will always be here.

On Thursday, my final class day, we taught pre-school, grade 5 and grade 3. Pre-school was fun because the kids are getting more comfortable with us and seem to look forward to our arrival. I led the kids in singing a very simple song: “Hello, hello, how are you?” sung to the tune of “London Bridge.” They seemed to like it even though the English is too hard for them. What was funny was that, every time I asked if they wanted to sing it again (“Otra vez?”) most kids cried out “Siiiiiii!!!” but one little boy drowned out all the others with “Nooooo!!!!” We sang it several times: each time I asked if they wanted to sing again his “Nooooo!!!!” was the loudest cry. It was my first exposure to a 4-year-old heckler. At break-time some of the pre-schoolers found me sitting in the shade and piled on. I pretended they were hurting me which got joyful laughter: nothing better for the soul than a belly laugh from someone under 4

Later, the same “Hello” song was well-received by the third-graders as I finished my final class. The third-grade teacher keeps the curtains drawn, stopping any air-flow and making it extremely hot in her room. My thinking that morning was “this is the last time I have to teach in this oven!” This particular teacher is also one of the most supportive to volunteers: staying in the classroom most of the time and handling discipline issues. When class ended and the children were placing their chairs on their desks, I mentioned to her that today was my last day and I thanked her for all her help. She immediately told the kids to put their chairs back on the floor and sit down. Then, she asked for volunteers to say a few words of goodbye to me. About 4 or 5 students made little speeches: I couldn’t hear much in the noisy room with their soft voices but I did recognize the “thank you for teaching us.” Tolu said she recognized “from the heart.” Despite my inability to capture the full meaning, I was touched by their efforts and sincerity. I also enjoyed many goodbye hugs, in the classroom, and as I was leaving the school

Goodbye to My Adult English Students
I’ve been teaching a basic English conversation class Mon, Wed, and Thursday evenings for the last 4 or 5 weeks . Although I enjoy it because it’s similar to my volunteer job at the Connection in Summit, there hasn’t been any continuity in student attendance: many students take advantage of the “first week free” offer but then stop coming when they must start paying the 30 soles ($12) per month. The last few weeks, my young roommate, Vinny has joined me and I think we’ve been very effective as a teaching team. Three young ladies have been regular students and our sessions have been both instructive and fun. Two of the young ladies, Merly and Maria Elena, are enrolled in a local English school and they see our class as an opportunity to practice conversation with native English speakers. They hope to get jobs on one of the cruise ships that stop at Lima. English competency is an important prerequisite for getting hired, even for people working as housemaids.

On Thursday, Maria Elena gave me a nice Peru key-chain as a going-awy gift. And, she and Merly asked us if we would like to have dinner with some friends. It took me a few minutes to understand that what she meant was they had brought cheese, bread, and juice and would like to provide our dinner. So, after class, we enjoyed a delicious, light meal together. They both expressed their appreciation for my efforts to help them with their English and I was touched to hear it. The evening before, we had taken the photos you see below. It was really nice to finish my adult classes on such a high note.

Lupe, Vinnie, Maria Elena, John and Merly

John, Tolu, Marcas, Elizabeth & Vinnie at Panotti's Restaurant

Tia Ana, Elizabeth and John

Marcas, John and Vinnie

Noe, John and Lourdes

Tolu and John

Neglect, looting and the occasional heavy rains brought by “El Nino” have turned what was must have been an extremely impressive city into piles of sand, with occasional glimpses of the original adobe bricks. The area is protected in that the land cannot be developed but most of it continues to slowly recede into the earth. One area, however, known as the Tschudi Complex has been unearthed and rebuilt to show what the city once looked like.

Highlights of what is known about the Chimu include that they worshipped the moon, they believed the sea was the origin of life and the gateway to the next life, and they, apparently, sacrified young women in attempts to stave off the devastating effects of El Nino, which could bring great hardship to the people. Some of the carvings on the elaborate walls you’ll see in the video below are of pelicans and a kind of conch (shellfish.) It is believed the local shamans used the appearance of this conch to  predict the arrival of the El Nino storms.  Indeed, scientific evidence has shown that the conch do move south (from the waters off Ecuador, their normal habitat) to escape the rising water temperatures. Unfortunately, the Chimu shamans used this rational warning signal in an irrational way: by sacrificing young women to appease the gods threatening the devastating storms.

In the video below, you’ll see a man dressed in the attire of a Chimu noble (or warrior?) posing for photos. He was quite impressive looking but he also spoke English very well, as in…. “Hey, I accept tips!  I’m working very hard for you here!”  I gave him a tip – he had a point… it was really hot in the sun.

The tour we took visited three different sites, a temple in Trujillo very near the Simon Bolivar School where I taught, the Chan Chan Museum (Museo de Sito Chan), and the Tschudi Complex. Since we took the English speaking tour, the three of us (Marcas, Vinny and I) were joined by several other people. Two of them were a nice young couple from San Francisco, named Cedric and Mai.  I asked them how they ended up in Trujillo since it’s not really a major tourist destination. They told me they were “driving through.” Yes, that’s right, they were driving through on their way south to Machu Picchu (and, possibly points further south.)  Along with their two dogs, they left San Francisco about 9 months earlier and have slowly worked their way through Mexico, Central America and into South America.  I asked them how they negotiated the “gap” in the Pan American Highway caused by the Panamanian rainforest and they said they had shipped their car around it while they flew over it.  They are presently in Lima, trying to figure out how to drive to Cuzco and Machu Picchu (most people fly because the bus trip is quite long.)  Amazing, isn’t it?  You meet such interesting people when you take the less-traveled route!

Video: Chan Chan: Chimu Civilization Archaeological Site

Elaborately carved walls of interior Chan Chan