Newsletter number 2

Time again for all of you to catch up on Mariannes news!

Some exciting things have happened since you last heard from me.

School has now started and has been quite an eventful first few weeks. On my first day I was a little nervous - I know, me nervous, can’t imagine it can you?- I was very glad I wasn’t alone to face this whole new environment Ruth Bailey the head masters wife is also working in San Andres.  Both of us shared this new experience but it was still more slightly daunting for me, as Ruth lived in Lima 30 years ago. The primary kids poured into the school grounds with their suitcases on wheels and it looked like, as if they were heading off on a long haul air flight! We were both introduced to the whole of primary and a very loud “Guuuuud morning mizzzz Marrrrrrrrriannne” was screamed back by roughly 300 excited primary kids!

As part of the national curriculum, all schools have to sing the Peruvian National anthem. So every Monday morning we have to do it. HELP! I don’t even know all the words to the British National Anthem lat alone the Peruvian. All the pupils knew it word for word including the new students who are only 5 years old. So I stood there with my right hand on my chest looking a little dazed. I now have picked up most of it and sometimes cheat and have the words printed out, I’m not alone though both Ruth and Clive don’t know it word for word either.

Currently I am helping with secondary as well as primary and have a great bunch of students, I haven’t had a single naughty student yet.

 This term the schools social work project is to help to provide materials for school children in an area outside of Lima called Pachacutec. This is a very large shanty town located in the outskirts of the city. Its home to 300,000 people, sadly, all live well below the poverty line. It is a huge area along the coastline of Lima, so it is pretty much desert, nothing grows there. I went with my uncle who is a teacher at San Andres and the four head prefects.

 

Pachacutec is a very large shanty town. Its home to 300,000 Peruvians, of which all live well below the poverty line. It is a huge area along the coastline of Peru, however it is pretty much desert, nothing grows there. I went with my uncle who is a teacher at San Andres and the 4 head prefects.

Its residents live in an immense poverty. I had never witnessed this level of poor quality life before. Most dwellings or rather plots had been constructed using old card board boxes the ones that have our TV’s in except they haven’t got the boxes because they bought a TV set. Apparently, they have been scrounged from the outskirts of Lima, not only from peoples rubbish outside their houses but from rubbish dumps.  

Old palm leaves -scavenged from residential neighbourhoods in Lima- and rocks, makes a roof. Or dried straw is often used. However there are a fortunate few who have perhaps one wall built of wood but hardly any that have all four walls. During my time in Pachacutec I was told that 65% of Peru’s population live in similar conditions.

 

There are a few fortunate who have perhaps one wall built of wood but hardly any hut that has all four walls. During my time in Pachacutec I was told that 65% of Peru’s population live in similar conditions.

We arrived early morning however, the sun was cooking! I made the mistake of wearing sandals, not a wise decision as the sand was roasting, so I was jumping around all day like a demented monkey.

Our first encounter had the purpose to make the children of Pachacutec aware of San Andres School and its plans regarding them. So we returned on 31st of March with a lot of materials that had been collected from all the pupils at San Andres. There were so many boxes full of stationary that had been donated. The generosity was outstanding. We loaded the bus with all the goodies and after a long journey we finally arrived to be welcomed by a roar of kids cheering! They were so happy to see us again, as we unloaded the bus their applauding continued. Names were called out and the kids came up one by one to receive books, pencils, pens and balloons. As their names were called out their faces lit up. It was an extremely satisfying feeling giving to those less fortunate and I am sure we made many kids happy just by doing a small thing such as giving and sharing.

After a long journey we finally arrived to be welcomed by a roar of kids cheering! They were so happy to see us, as we unloaded the bus their applauding continued. Names were called out and the kids came up one by one to receive books, pencils, pens and balloons. As their names were called out their faces lit up. It was an extremely satisfying feeling giving to those less fortunate and I am sure we made many kids happy just by giving such simple inexpensive things.

During my first week at school I witness a rioting. There have been roads works happening outside school since February now one day there was a disagreement between the gangs of road workers, who wanted to do the same work.  I heard what I thought it was chanting from our competition, the school next door however when I looked it was quite different event.

During my first week at school I witness a rioting. There have been roads works happening outside school since February now one day there was a disagreement between the gangs of road workers, who wanted to do the same work.  I heard what I thought it was chanting from our competition, the school next door however when I looked it was quite different event.

At first all I saw were men sprinting down the street, and then I realized they were being chased by road workers then followed by police who were beating anyone who fell in the tarmac with their truncheons! The two sides of men were brutally smashing rocks into each others heads and throwing rocks form the pavement into the air smashing car windows and landing on other rioters. Others picked up planks from the work site and were spinning it around hitting people who were in their way. It was a terrible mess! There was only a handful police and if this wasn’t already a shocking new experience it was about to become even more frightening, the police started shooting into the crowds instead of in the air. They must have had bad aims though as I didn’t see anyone fall. I think I must have had the best seat in the house to witness this chaos the riot police finally arrived but had missed the worst I believed. They surround the whole school as we were stuck right in the middle of it.

Recently we had a day out to have the Gymkhana. I had never heard of a gymkhana let alone attended one. It was a day jam packed with games, much like sports day but more… silly. The games might be very comical but there is nothing funny about how serious these kids take it! For example, they played sack race, see if you can throw your trainers into the bin from a great distance, People tunnels, were they had to crawl through the legs of others from their house team etc.  There are four houses in San Andres. Mackay which is the best one, as it’s been the Silva house since my father’s day! Macgregor, Stuart, and Douglas. Kids as young as 5 years old were screaming to cheer on their house and they were very disappointed if their team didn’t win an event. I was asked more times than I can remember what house I belonged, and some were very disappointed when I answered. Huge banners were made with slogans on them, T-shirts were painted, faces painted in house colours! It was a day that had been looked forward to by so many and it certainly didn’t disappoint. Another inter-house competition that has taken place is swimming. I was there to take pictures of the action and to keep things in order… not to end up in the pool with a rubber Dalmatian around my waist! We all had a great day splashing around in one of the last really hot days! Tomorrow is more inter-house swimming but this time it’s secondary so I’m sure I’ll be better behaved and just be taking photos.

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