Strike - Huelga - Paro

Buenos dias! Annie here.

Today there is a transportation strike- NO busses.
Aaaand it's too dangerous for Diana and I to go to Huaycan to teach our English classes. We stayed up late getting all the lessons ready; we even woke up earlier than usual to make a poster of the alphabet... So we're going to have to go an extra day next week. But that is better than getting Erasmo's car stoned. Our awesome neighbor friend called to tell us that there was a whole highway shut down from people rioting and breaking cars with hard things.
This is the second strike that has prevented us from teaching in Huaycan; the first was a construction worker's strike- there is still debris in the roads from that one, rocks and gravel.
I hope they get paid better.
I hope they stop striking every two weeks, throwing stuff at cars.

So today instead of teaching, Diana and I will stay in the office, find numbers, make phone calls, you know, write blogs.

Making Progress in Lima

Work here in ASCEND Peru's Lima office is as busy as the action packed streets of the city. With our upcoming gala, the commencement of ABT classes in Via Maria, the ongoing English lessons in Huaycan, and other miscellaneous projects such as medical campaigns, we have become a multifaceted task force, utilizing a variety of different skills to perform this wide range of tasks. In the short period of one month, we have transformed from collegiate interns to practitioners of multiple professions such as; graphic designers (for the advertisment of the gala), sales representatives promoting ticket sales for the gala, Spanish- English translators, business teachers, English teachers, manual laborers and even home cooks to alleviate the burden of eating out on our still college status budget. You could say that we are a combination of different businesses in one.

Not only have we already seen the immediate fruits of our multifaceted work, but we can also foresee the long term impact that our efforts will have, something which most importantly we are striving to achieve. In the sales aspect of our work, for example, even if we fail to sell tickets for our gala at the meetings we have with different businesses, the face to face contact that we are making with them is planting the seed for a future network of viable contributors.

Another incident which demonstrates the postitive effects of our labor is the progress made on the building of the recreation area in the terrain adjacent to Huaycan's Hospital (mentioned in an earlier blogg.) The iniciative that we took to fix the terrain for the use of hospital patients, sparked the collaboration of community members and local institutions to continue the execution of the project.

We are very enthused about the work and progress we are making here in Lima. Not only are we acheiving our goals, but we are encouraging other people to join us along the way and in future paths to come.

The Diversity of Lima

Recently we've been running around Lima meeting with businesses and individuals to invite them to work with us and participate in the upcoming Gala. As a result of these visits I've been able to travel through many different parts of Lima. From the coastal swamps of Chorrillos to the dusty hills of Huaycan; from the historic El Augustino to the trendy streets of Miraflores, it's amazing how much diversity exists within one city.

Reflecting on the differences that there are between different parts of the city I began to think of the communities where we are working. While there may not be much that separates these people geographically, there exists an enormous gap economically. The work we are doing is helping to minimize that gap and give needy people a chance of a better life. My recent experiences have given me much to think about. There's a lot of work to do and a lot of people to help, but we can make a difference.

Moving Forward

We have quickly learned that the business process here in Peru is much different than the United States. The first difference we had to adjust to was the fact that every business asks for a letter explaining who you are and what you want before they will consider making an appointment with you. This slows down the appointment making process quite a bit because there is a lot of waiting time inbetween when the letter is sent and when, or if, the company decides to respond. But, we have started to see the fruits our countless phone calls and many letters which has been encouraging. We have had some great appointments with some of the major businesses in Peru including Bayer, Techonofil, OPP Film, PetroTech, BDO Consultants, and we are filling the weeks to come with appointments as well. We felt great about the fact that we sold 32 tickets to the gala through these appointments and the generous donations from a few individuals and businesses in Utah. That doubled the amount of tickets we had sold prior to this week.

The Start of English Classes

This week was the first week of English classes being taught in Huaycan. Two interns, Diana and Annie, will be going to this certain school every Tuesday and Thursday to teach ages 3 to 12 years. Yep, that's pre-school through 6th grade!

The road to the school is dirt, like the majority of roads in Huaycan, and Diana and Annie arrive there together with an employee, Erasmo in his thirty-year-old Volkswagen bug.

The rural are of Huaycan may be considered "slums" of outer Lima. The conditions are less than unsanitary. There are many a dirt-floor, and so many diseased animals hanging out in the same places where the children play; this creates large amounts of disease which lead to learning disabilities and stunting of growth.

Another unfortunate aspect of the climate, which is very much a desert (The Lima area gets less than 3 inches of rainfall per year) is that farming is difficult, and healthy food more expensive- resulting in poor nutrition for the citizens here.
There are so many in need in this area, and it is unfortunately not "pretty" enough for many expeditioners to want to come here and help. But after visiting the schools and day-care facilities that ASCEND has helped to build, one can feel the spirit of these people, realize the need, and have a new willingness and desire to give aid here.

***

The students are enthralled by the Ascend interns, and constantly ask them how to say their names, and other nouns in English. Recess on the first day was a crowd of students around the interns. Don't forget to wash your hands!

The younger ages 3 years, up to second grade, are harder to control and get to pay attention- they also have a harder time memorizing the English words, but they're super CUTE!

Grades 3 to 6 have a much easier time learning and repeating English words. Sixth grade is even learning conversation dialogue, and doing a great job!

Diana and Annie will be teaching English at the school for two months, as a replacement for the other English teachers who have quit or found other jobs. With luck, another replacement English teacher will be found for the school after the interns have returned to the United States.