Thanksgiving Dinner with the boys in Peru- Oct 12

To my dearest everybody,

it is after four and i have just returned from a wonderful afternoon with the boys.. best thing i could ever have done today for sure..

en route there is a supermarket and thankfully it was open. i enter... only the bakery people have ever really been friendly but today was different.. today when i walked in i was immediately asked to leave my backpack at the counter and was given a number to pick it up later.. this is normal here.. it happens when you shop in clothing stores too... with parcels and purses...
so empty handed i walk to the back of the store to look at the fruit... deciding on watermelon i try to lift one from the bin which proves impossible. first i try to communicate with a chica behind a weigh station but she won´t leave her seat.. so i give up on her and as a senor and he manages to lift it out for me.. i get it weighed and put it in a basket with wheels and head over to the butter section... not once have i seen real butter here... at the breakfast table there is a version of deep yellow margine which looks just wrong... anyway i take a decent sized container from the shelf and head to my favorite department ( only because they are friendly) , that is the bakery. counting on 40 boys and a few staff i order 60 whole wheat panini rolls.. and the chica finally figures out that i really do mean 60... and changes the size of the bag twice to hold the numbers... i ask for one more thing ...

would it be possible for one of you to walk with me to the orphanage and help me carry the groceries?

they all look at me like i am crazee , laugh,, consider it and i thank them and head over to get my packsack.. at the cash i ask the same thing and a very nice manager appears out of nowhere... i introduce my self in spanish , tell him where i work and ask him if it is possible to have someone help me carry the groceries.. he says of course and calls a chico to help me... i put the big watermelon into my backpack and smiling hand it to the chico..he smiles and i grab the other bags..no says the manager.. he can carry it all. no i say, i am ok with the rest...

we chat away up the road.. not too far and we stop at the entrance to the orphanage... ring the bell , i get a picture and we say our goodbyes... nice kid...

inside the mama is eager to try whatever is in my bag and i pass her a bun... a few boys are in the court and they greet me happily.. always eager to carry things and help i hand over the huge bags of buns and we go toward the kitchen... and since the door to the dining room is open i peek in to see if they are eating or have eaten yet.... there they are , all gathered around a 20´¨ tv watching ´Spiderman¨' in spanish... they haven´t eaten.... as soon as they see the bags of buns they immediately form a proper line and i tell them, we are celebrating Canadian Thanksgiving today and we will have the buns at 2:00 with lunch.. everybody is happy with this and settle back to their movie....

i go into the kitchen followed by a little gathering of fans and i show them the watermelon... the boys are happy.. me too.
then, from another door come some chicas... i knew they were there but it is the first time that i have met them personally.. thank goodness i bought more buns than we needed.. they are dishing up bowls of soup onto trays so i offer buns to them and they are glad... one woman gets me two baskets and i butter 17 rolls for the girls... they are all a little older... maybe 18 or so..

the senor at the stove dishing the soup assures me that we have 40 boys with one away.. so 39.. i begin to get the buns ready for the boys, cutting them in half and buttering them.... and before i am finished they start lining up for soup.. i fill a large strainer with the buttered buns and go into the dining room to give them away...the chairs are as haphazard as everyother day... arms wrap around bowls... i hand out the buns and each boy sizes up which one he wants.. it doesn´t take long .. i leave the butter on the table to pass around.. i have found two butter knives...

soup is devoured and buns and then the maincourse.. some rice mixture.. today i didn´t eat with them but was offered to enjoy... we play a game of elbows off and the boys that have had close attention on friday have it down fast... the others , well, the crowd is just too big. i let this go and everybody just eats..

back to the kitchen i attempt to cut open the watermelon with one existing large knife too dull to be effective. i pass the honours to a senor and he gets in into quarters.. i continue the carving session and line up good size pieces on two cutting boards.. eddie takes a few pictures for me and i zoom back into the dining room to see how fast the second course is going down... a little slower today.. eddie tells me the chicken is bad...but most finish their bowls...

i invite them into the kitchen for dessert and they gather around the big work table to choose the piece they want... i wish this was on video but the battery died.... so big eyes, eager hands.. but taking the time they need, each boy chooses the piece he wants..

after lunch we do a little clean up... seems jean-paul and eddie are helpers here.. i clean up the crumbs and watermelon rinds while the senor eats his lunch at the table.. behind me i am serenaded by three of the bigger boys.. playing with their imaginations on the guitar.. and eddie requests that i do the chacha with him.. no problem... so behind the cook, serenaded by the group eddie and i cha cha on the kitchen floor.

hmmmmm.. how nice is this! everybody is happy.. especially me.


after lunch we head into the courtyard .. the guitar is out.... and kids are everywhere... there is no shortage of play today.. the promise of the deck of cards to one guy is fulfilled and another looking a little sad boy got a deck too... settling down on the cement i drop my camera which immediately becomes a huge deal to the boys since many of them have had lots of time using it over the last month... the one corner gets bent and the small door cover won´t close.... hmmmmm.. i believe it isn´t broken inside and after minutes of careful examination the boys give it to me to put away..

then guitar lessons begin with alex (who i have been calling eric) and another boy, who has never given me one moment... these guys are both bigger... 14, 15 maybe and their hands can handle the neck of the guitar... or almost....i am told to speak in spanish.. and so i get out my dictionary to give it a try.. between us we figure out about fingers and frets and chords and finally i write out the formations of the chords on paper and this helps enormously.. they are keen... and patient.. and so am i..with all the time in the world and a field of happy kids around me i settle onto the grass in front of them ..soon with one kid on my knee.. it is a rare to have such a captive audience and they give me this gift...

time passes and eddie and i do a little more cha cha behind the guitar players and another small soul asks to learn... he is just past my elbows but he is probably much older than i think and he gets the steps quickly.... hmm . this too makes me smile.


so the day has been a good one.. blessings never cease... again, all my love.. enjoy yourselves and eat up.. i miss your wonderful faces.. love mom, me....

Amazing Moments with the Niños y Chicos-Oct 12

dearest kids, Mom & wonderful gang, and superb friends,

These pics belong with the manners story.. that great day when Alex stopped saying ¨deborah, you ugly!¨

that little dog you see was in the courtyard the day we returned from buying the hinges.. the day the carpentor deserted two little guys and me in the real ¨peruvian¨market.. i just pretended to know where i was going. when we arrived home this starving puppy appeared out of nowhere... oh , my goodness!.. anyway i scooped him up and kevin, the strong determined to get a hug niño, took the plate from under a flower pot and we got him some water.. no amount of my pleading with the cook could get him to understand that we needed scraps to feed him ... but finally the directora saw the puppy and a bowl of soup came to what i thought was the rescue..

he wouldn´t even open his mouth.. i rubbed some goopy liquid on his gums not sure what to do ... i had to leave...couldn`t give him to you cath.. anyway by the time i left i had the assurance that the carpenter would take him home..

the next day i heard he had been killed..

i have no idea what happened.

sorry this is a sad story.. there are a few to be told but i have been dodging them for now.

i love you and am happy to have great moments to share.. and some truth.

all my love , mom, me....

Amazing Moments with the Boys in Peru- Oct 12

dearest kids, Mom & wonderful gang, and superb friends,

These pics belong with the manners story.. that great day when Alex stopped saying ¨deborah, you ugly!¨

that little dog you see was in the courtyard the day we returned from buying the hinges.. the day the carpentor deserted two little guys and me in the real ¨peruvian¨market.. i just pretended to know where i was going. when we arrived home this starving puppy appeared out of nowhere... oh , my goodness!.. anyway i scooped him up and kevin, the strong determined to get a hug niño, took the plate from under a flower pot and we got him some water.. no amount of my pleading with the cook could get him to understand that we needed scraps to feed him ... but finally the directora saw the puppy and a bowl of soup came to what i thought was the rescue..

he wouldn´t even open his mouth.. i rubbed some goopy liquid on his gums not sure what to do ... i had to leave...couldn`t give him to you cath.. anyway by the time i left i had the assurance that the carpenter would take him home..

the next day i heard he had been killed..

i have no idea what happened.

sorry this is a sad story.. there are a few to be told but i have been dodging them for now.

i love you and am happy to have great moments to share.. and some truth.

all my love , mom, me....

Happy Thanksgiving and the Blessings of Good Company & easy Joy

dearest kids, Mom & family, special friends and Inquisitive followers,

Funny to not be with you tonight with the fire on and new pots of coffee brewing... no not funny.. i would love to be there.. i will not miss another thanksgiving! ever! happy though that there will at least be 17 around that big old table and you all get to rub elbows.. our little plan for thanksgiving dinner has gone down the drain with the oven on the fritz and no intention to have it repaired... that's ok.. jacqueline and i will feast on avocados and salad at a little place i discovered just blocks from here.

On Thursday it was a holiday here for the boys and i went a little late to see them.. so arriving around lunch time and for the first time in a month was invited to join them. you have seen this room in the pictures with the guitar players.. it is very long with tremendously high ceilings.. 20feet??? windows line each side with orange gingham curtains that flutter and blow in the wind... today almost all the boys are here with the exception of aldear, who remains away with his Mother and Guido, both of whom I have not seen in a week.. ... 37 boys.. all lined up , chairs at haphazard angles to the table, tablecoths folded in heaps.. they are devouring soup..little elbows and arms wrap around metal bowls and mouths catch scoops of creamy liquid with appetite.. there is no order.. even here they fend for themselves.. my eyes take in the moments.. the directora comes into the room and asks me if i would like some soup... i smile and accept.. she leaves and shortly one of the boys brings me a ceramic bowl full of soup.. it is delicious.. it is creamy white with chunks of potato and tiny pieces of some grain that looks like a tiny version of tapioca... as the boys finish their soup one by one they get up and go back to the kitchen to return with a main course of rice, boiled chicken with yellow skin, and potatoes.. now an older senor comes in and sits at a table in the one corner. .. a table in line with the two tables that are placed beside the window with the old sony boom box that belts out music from some local station...

occasionally the group from this table glances over to see what i am up to and eric yells out "deborah,,you ugly", to which i yell back with a big smile... "eric, you are handsome".. and he is...


i too get the main course, and i am both surprised and delighted that it is delicious... there are no forks or knives here, just one gigantic spoon to eat with.. so fingers do the trick alot of the time...... as the boys finish they take their bowls and put them into a huge farm house type sink with a tap that comees out of the wall. one by one as they finish, each boy returns back to the table with a tin cup full of sweet tea.. there is no mothering here... there are no manners and there is nothing pretty in the setup... music blares and food begins to fly...


at the end of the table with me are two boys....we are intent on each other and they are both watching my every move.. thank goodness the soup is good... so, aware of the little eyes that are with me, i carefully place my big spoon into the soup and deliberately scoop it up toward the top of the bowl.... then i lift it straight up... let the anything fall off and put the spoon into my mouth... i repeat this...like a miracle one little boy does the same... i smile and nod.... i repeat this until my soup is gone and so does he..... the beginning of table manners...

one by one, and in groups the boys leave the dining room... the music remains. blarring..
the sink is piled with bowls, some rinsed, some with bones of chicken......

kevin, the boy who served me... questions me with his eyes making sure that i am full and i am, and so are they.. and i am so grateful that the old cook is a good one and that there is lots to go around...

i have a new mission ... it is called manners.

friday comes... and most of the boys are in school. but i am delighted with my usual morning crowd and we are all getting along royally...it is time to pick up the guitar case, so i get permission from the ¨mama¨to take two boys for the walk...those boys are eric, and elvis..
eric , the one who says repeatedly ¨debra.. you ugly¨... well this isn´t phasing me.. he is a great boy.. handsome, bright and not tough despite maybe wanting to look it.. so away we go... you will remember that the guitar that we bought was in that true peruvian neighbourhood quite unlike the downtown cusco , or route to the orphanage , that has become so familiar now.... the streets and sidewalks are bare until we turn into the street that leads us to our shop.... yes, a few vendors sit on sidewalk corners, goods spread on blankets in claim of their territory.. and men stand in groups contemplating road construction before jackhammer sounds fill the air... i cover my ears... before we know it we are at the guitar shop and the owner remembers us... i give him 20 sols and he sends his chica to get change... we have the guitar case and elvis examines it to see that it is truly fine...

we get our 10 sols change and leave examining the tiny brown quarters that house fine workmanship .. the smell of varnish is in the air... an amazing harp stands on the sidewalk inviting fingers... as we walk we talk... guys, we need a smaller guitar for the little boys... elvis questions me with his eyes and asks me ..now? yes now.. i say.. we need to find one. where? he points to the same place and back we go... we decribe between us the size that we want and begin to negotiate prices.... 100sols... i shake my head...no.. 80 sols.. and we have to see it first... no.. 90 sols... 100sol with the case.. perfect.. it will be ready one week from monday..........we still need a few flutes , tamborines and morrocas.. but i am not sure that these would not disappear....

as we walk we examine inside the stores... it is hot... ice cream is advertised on a board and i ask them if they would like one.... ok.. pick one... no you... no you... anyone you like... i go inside to buy the cones ,... those awesome ones with the wafer and chocolate and nuts on the top.. mmmmmmmmmmmmm....we get three...we walk back a new route into a street where roofers are throwing tin sheets into the street... men shout something at me and call me an americana.... we keep walking . i am happy to be with the boys.

we settle on against a wall near the orphanage to finish our cones.. the boys take a long time eating... it is glorious time...

inside we find the guitar and settle it into its´ case.. perfect fit. the pick gets hidden in the zipper compartment..

then i tell them, we have a new thing to learn in the dining room.. we need utensils.. i go to the cook but he has none.. soon jean-paul returns with a tupperware container full of large spoons... in the large wooden cupboard bowls and mugs settle into their quarters.. names on masking tape proclaim the owners...

all of a sudden the boys begin to get their bowls and zoom into the kitchen... i am asked for lunch...again! i am given a special bowl.. ceramic... there are only about 10 for lunch, the same little wonerful crowd and everyone begins to settle at the tables, with table cloth, beside the music box.. on goes the music... wow that is loud... i look at gabriel (the wild one playing the guitar that is strong as an ox) and tell him, no gabriel, today we are learning manners... of course this is in english and means nothing to him or to anyone else... so let´s play..

eric, my beloved, sits down... wait i say motioning him to get out of his chair ... he does.. and walks to the end of the table .. i great him as if i am the hostess in a restaurant and motion him gracefully to his chair which i have pulled out from the table..... i motion for him to sit down and he does... at this point he has his soup placed on the table and spoon in hand... everyone is watching.. some laughing... the music is off..... i carefully pick up his soup dish and walk away with it to the end of the table... then i turn around and face him, with his soup dish held high in the air as if i am some fancy waiter bringing his meal... i am laughing inside at the whole event and all are visibly delighted... i give him his soup and the game with the others begins...
i sit down beside eric and begin to eat my soup.. same as before scooping it to the top of my bowl, sitting up, and carefully putting it in my mouth... everybody watches as i mimic what i am seeing... i lower my head to my bowl, put my bottom lip under the edge of the bowl.. then arms wrapped around my bowl i scoop a huge spoonful directly into my mouth.... everyone laughs... i sit up and shake me head saying ´not like this´.. . like this.. and all of a sudden most of the table starts trying... i whack eric with my elbow...he looks at me .. then i tuck my elbow close to my side so he gets the picture... eddie, my cha cha guy, has it down... it is magical... ooppss..... well the magic at least is beginning... i get up from my chair and cruise around the table tapping elbows and arms , all quickly withdrawn...

it becomes a game ... and by now the phycologist and garcon in charge of baths..dressing.. timing.. have joined us, arms wrapped around their bowls, heads down and soup being devoured...



a marvelous lunch in marvelous company. thank you for the blessings of the boys and me together friday, at lunch celebrating our lives in that special moment.



Thank you my kids, Mom & gang and my dearest friends for all the blessings you have given me in knowing you and loving you... and also for your constant love for me despite myself !!!
Today i am going to see the boys... maybe bring some brown buns and butter and some choices of fruit for dessert.. i will see what i can find... they will all be there today and i have never had a sunday with them but it feels like the best thing i could do .. so here goes..

all my blessings and love to you.. wish i was home with you. to celebrate our life... i will call you tonight after supper..so 8ish.. have the coffee on. it may be a long talk.

love Mom, me.....

ps will send some pics later of the gang at the table.

with love from peru- the guitar & joy! Oct 8

dearest kids , Mom & special gang and wonderful friends,

just when i thought i was losing my boys and the lipstick wasn't working along came monday.

spanish class presented a new teacher.. vivacious and spanish completely .. and it races along at a much too fast pace for one such as myself.. with new intentions with the boys i have tossed back and forth the idea of taking them shopping for a guitar and will talk to Janet, the directora for permission.. the day is beautiful with the cold captured higher in the mountains and the sun beating down on the streets of Cusco like a long awaited blessing.. off come the layers and i walk the familiar path dodging one person or another on their morning missions. the vendors with their carts of fruit and packaged treats have moved over the bridge at Santiago and policeman stand on corners.. more recently i have noticed their presence everywhere.. yellow boxes, like phone booths, settle on some corners as resting stations for them and to my comfort, most street corners in the neighbourhood where i live are guarded at night.. so it really does feel safe..

at the orphanage, jean-paul has the key to let me in... a great responsibility and much more pleasant than the stiff guard who does not smile in his dark suit and light shirt..hands raise hello with the exception of the getting tougher fourteen year old who i have yet to win over... he and i practice manners... hello, how are you today? looking in his eyes and shaking hands... nice to see you! .. he is not interested in paying me any attention but i choose to give him the time of day despite it all.... i talk to elvis.. the person that Janet has requested that someone sponsor... and i forget that he is elvis ... the one who wants to learn the piano... i ask him if he would like to come shopping to buy a guitar and he agrees.. not excited or particularly delighted or anything... but sort of like.. yes that would be fine .... janet is in her office and says certainly he can go, as can Americo, and Jean-Paul and eddie , the 5 foot next to nothing wonderful soft guy who only appears like a member of a gang.. eddie is learning the salsa, the rumba , the waltz and the cha-cha on the side with me when others aren´t looking... So , i have my great group of boys together and tell Elvis what i have found..elvis is handsome, about 15 with a shy grin that shows wonderful white teeth. his nose is pointed and hair short like all the other boys and by lunch time he puts on a clean cerulean blue tracksuit, which it his uniform for school... he understands a little english, the key to success here, and i ask him where we should go for the guitar.... he knows exactly...and away we go up the street in the direction of the ´real´´ peruvian markets which somewhat frighten me.. there we are .. the touristy white woman with four teenagers walking sketchy streets gabbing away in some version of english-spanish sentences..

it seems the city is divided into places to shop, and only a peruvian would know that the streets we were about to enter were full of music shops. they appear like all the other streets.. just coloured doors that open into shops full of instruments... some with beautiful instruments and some not.. i am hoping that elvis will negotiate and find something perfect and the best deal for our money but i learn very quickly that he is just 15..so this won't happen.. not knowing if the boys have ever been in a music shop or not, they have free reign to strum and pluck and touch any guitar they want and the shopkeepers do not put up any fight..and are hence encouraged to make a choice. we go from one shop to another and then another... this one is full of everything.. one side holds beautiful guitars inside glass cases... violins, drums, and a wall of moderately priced guitars in all different woods and strung with nylon or steel strings..like the floors and walls, they are not perfect.. most have very wide necks and are thick to wrap your hand around but elvis finds one with nylon strings and passes it to the shop keeper to tune.. he works away with it and hands it back to elvis who settles onto an old couch with modern electric looking worn fabric...i ask him for a song and he plays away, modestly ending the song short and handing the guitar on to Jean-Paul.... then Jean-Paul plunks away and then i try it out...... it´s ok.. so we try to make a deal .. which is not taken... 170sols including the case.. a free pick and it´s a deal... i open up my packsack and pull out some money... 40 sols..... in the dictionary 100sols... in change...let´s see 9 sols... not leaving enough for a cab home .. that´s ok.... even without the extra money they wil not budge... tourist.. are you happy guys? everybody?? is it good enough elvis? yes... they all want an electric...

we head home with guitar in box and it transported from kid to kid en route to what is home for them and now very familiar to me... at the orphanage we are greeted with the little guys, and the new boys , who were lovingly called ´rangatangs´´ who are beginning to settle and are starting to understand that being mean or rough isn't ok around me or to pounce on me from behind....already the tape is being torn off the box while a key is being hunted down.. then...into the dining room we go, key in Jean-Paul´s hand and onward to the piano layered in covers.. whooooshh.. off go the covers and the final tape gets torn away.. immediately the piano bench is taken over with boys waiting turns to play... dirty yellow plastic lawn chairs are stacked in the corner so quickly i grab a few and set them around the piano. the chairs for the dining room are wooden school house type chairs and these are perfect for guitar playing so i take one of them into the circle...

here guys... one at a time each boy gets a try at the guitar... i teach them that frets belong with certain fingers and each boy, big and small learns exactly the same thing... glory moments...

glory moments...

too big for most bodies, the guitar sits like a giant onto little knees.. small arms stretch to reach the end of the neck and tiny fingers struggle to find the single note needed for G7chord and c and g... i invent some song and sing it for each kid, physically moving their fingers to find the chords.. it is joy in action.. their faces beam as they delight in the discovery of self made sound. i am surprised by the magnificient ryhthm most of them already have and to my delight no one cares that they have no idea what they are doing.. ... da,da,daaaaaaa,,dadada, aaaaadad ada dadadad daaaaaaaaaaaa.aaaaaa
each little guy gets long time on the guitar and their patience is astounding! wow!!
in the background ¨frere jacques´is the song of choice on the piano. heaven knows where that came from.


the joy i want to share with you is in the video that is attached to this letter. check the fingers! this little guy has a mom who is too poor to support him, and a brother as well who lives here. he is absolutely a dream boy, as is his brother.. polite with sparkly eyes.. take a listen and you will get why this has been a perfect day.

(i have just tried ot download the video and it has failed, so instead here are some pictures of the day.. elvis the guitar man, jean-paul beside him, the gang ,americo in deep concentration, gabriel (strong little rangatang with great musical natural rhythm) and the dream guitar player with the chubby hands. i may be able to get the video on the blog..will try.. it is pure joy!)




le falto todo muchos y mi corazón se calienta cuando consigo letras de usted. ¡gracias, Patricia y norman para el cuidado cariñoso usted está dando tugs… increíbles! y kate y tony para el amor para arriba de los gatitos. ¡usted toda la roca! huuggggggggggs y kkiissssssesss. los grandes… mamá del amor, yo…

with love from peru- travels and being a tourist – Oct 5

dearest logan, meg, kate, mom, the rest of my special gang, wonderful friends and inquisitive followers,


it has been almost a month here in cusco and my heart has gone through an evolution... the city is becoming as familiar as the streets that you all walk everyday and the same people take up their places on corners and doorways with growing babies in bundles and the same goods they sell everyday.. and it still captures me.. My life has been too full to not feel priviledged and i do, and am, and i owe many thanks to so many of you who keep on writing, made sure everything fell into place, and make me feel part of your lives... it is good to hear the fires are starting to burn and the leaves turning and that the fall has been so beautiful at home... I have stretched all my boundaries and have just spent the four days two weekends ago on the jungle trip to Macchu Pichu and have treked miles by bike and foot in an adventure of endurance, stamina and mind games to get to the finish and see this unbelievable wonder.. sunday morning i arrived back from lake titikaka and this has been the most amazing yet for i was with a family, cooking, eating and laughing with a little one on my knee for some of the time there...i have some stories to tell you and for those of you who may not make this adventure, i have some movies to take you there.




anyway, this is a quick update.. my cold is better.. my spanish is coming along..i am used to walking and talking to taxi drivers... i now know that one week of clothes is not enough when you work with little kids crawling all over you.... i know i don´t like a diet of potatoes, rice or flat white bread, or inca cola...and that i can count on dinner being some version of all of the above..i have learned that i am tolerant of most things, people and children except when they are mean... and this i still have trouble dealing with even when the boys are just seven...i still believe that the universe is unfolding exactly as it should but wonder constantly if i can affect it and am puzzled at the mystery of it all... my nails are short and the creases around them are often filled with traces of tempera paint ..and my heart is the same.....and the news of today is that i have found a guitar...

it has been quite exciting to be in a brand new city and a bit scary on my own with no resources like a telephone or a friend to be the bit of backbone when i need it .. the maze of streets that flow up off of the main street avenito el sol still lead to places unknown and i am just beginning to explore them on my own.. i am backtracking now to the first weekend of travels..when the city was new and i still felt like a tourist..

In Cusco there is a tourist ticket that you can buy for 130. sols that will get you into 16 special places within a 10 day timeframe..the ticket has pictures of the places that you will be visiting which are punched upon entry... to get this you must show your passport and it is all very official.. this was the adventure that began with the thin, old, elvis tour operator that i met in Place des Armes.. who swept me in with his good english and fast hand on white paper... within a short time and the faith of the island nature, i arranged trips that covered the city and surrounding sites as well as a plan for the trip to Macchu Pichu.... fyi..if you are a student you pay 70 sols with a valid student card which is checked at every checkpoint. since i am not a very good tourist for long and cannot go from church to church to church... my sightseeing covered all the trips by bus with one church in town... with guides fairly fluent in english... i´m sure the condensed version of everything.. i got a good background of the incas and the details and meanings behind the symbols that are beginning to appear everywhere... the snake(the world below and past life),,,the puma(this world),,, the condor(the afterlife)...and the wonder of it all is the feeling here which truly is spiritual..and respectful of the sun, the mountains, the seasons... and their blessings...and the people truly show it..




the first day we visited an old temple which is just acrooss the street from the office of maximo nivel. we are four of us packed into the high backseat of a typical touring bus with the best view in the house on all sides.. the windows are open and the constant hummm of the engine keeps our aniticipation at a peak... we are on the verge of discovery and we have no idea of what... vendors raise hats and offers of water through the windows and we politely pass.
within the church perfectly formed walls, windows and doorframes of interlocking cut stones leaves no space for error ... the space between the rocks are virtually non existant and we are walked through temples of the rainbow, and sun and learn about the sacredness of the sun.. and the stars and the seasons that follow. the measurement of time lines up with windows and light and it is all carved into stones that tell the storyat one part of the year or the other. in the midst of all of this a woman trips over a large stone placed in the middle of the pathway and falls directly onto of a small child and the whole crowd shudders as he cries and the security walk them away from us..i am sick for this little one as the thud of his head hit the floor... his father's arms wrap around him like the paintings of history around this hallway to take away some hurt.....despite the beauty and symbolism in wall hangings, paintings, stonework and colour i am more worried about the child and captured by the people and their faces, than by the sacred place that i am in.

we leave the church for the bus .. on the steps vendors gather trying to catch my attention and lure me in .. i have a hard time politely saying no.. but i do... a mother on the walkway captures my heart ...she has necklaces to sell but i am not wanting them... she agrees to a picture and i enjoy her baby snuggled high and tightly on her back...our eyes are joyful in exchange and she tells me her baby has a cough ...i see the concern in her eyes and feel her worry..

from here we travel up the hill to a place called sacxywauman... it is a huge place of ruins with perfectly places rocks that pile into each other with precision and incredible thought...there again is the puma, a guinea pig.... and a gigantic stone that i stand in front of with outstretched hands to feel some special energy and warmth and i hope it works...there is time to wander and take the long walk to the top to view the city and Corpus Cristi , a gigantic scupture with outstretched hands who awaits a few hills away.. i begin to learn about stone walkways and how high the steps of stone are and the amount of breath one needs at 11,000 feet above sea level.. it is one week here and a little and going up hill is an effort.. at the top my eyes scan the beautifull city that will be my home for a little while.. the mountains in the distance have words cut into the landsacpe and the patchwork terraces continue on all sides...

we pile into the bus to move onto some other ancient sites in the mountains above cusco. we visit a market and for the first time try some gigantic corn straight from a pot. the old lady wraps it in the husk and hands it to me. the kernels are the size of my fingernails easily.... 3 sols.. today i am a tourist so i expect this... it is absolutely delicious... having had no vegetables for a week and the fact that it was heavily layered with salt, which i never eat, didn´t bother me one bit!

pictures will tell you more than words at this point... that patchwork quilt of brown that we saw in the first pictures of the city are here.. in the country... the bus storms through the tiny roads that wrap around the mountain, in sharp hairpin turns and roaring with effort to bring breathtaking views on every side... in places the road has disappeared into the land below and it appears to have no effect on the driver or the speed of this bus.. but it makes me inhale and hold my breath, as it does others.

at every stop vendors line the edges that fall deeply into mountain sides displaying their wares and coloured rugs and sweaters.. there is little difference between here and anywhere.. except maybe these people are poorer.. in one open air market that a family displayed their wares as well as their children in a corral with llamas , all bright and coloured like the blankets around them.. a sol here or there for a picture.. it seems a common way to make a living in peruvian costume.. the niños are happy to smile for the cameras.. we all take pictures.

the end of the day brought darkness and i walked long with my housemates to get to a place away into the mountain that revealed a sacred water spring which was professed to be the fountain of youth... we all drank the water and bustled back to the bus..it is cold as the sun is down and the night upon us. lunch has long passed and we are all hungry for dinner.. one more market and an amazing church with vermillion painted ceilings and paintings of saints... the cross above the market was worth the entire day..

the next day, sunday brings us a full shift of the Sacred Valley and Temple of the Sun.. the gift to the people.. year round green fields and bountiful harvests.. although Catholic, the people continue the age long traditions of offerings to bring forth bounty and goodness. At the Sacred Valley we walked high up the mountainside to the site of ancient ruins.. our guide told us that if we could do this we will be able to do Macchu Pichu.. good..
the walk is long and winding with sections of tiny stairs that take your breath away and make me hold the cliff beside.. astounding plateaus show the ledges that were beautifully crafted to hold the bounty of the lands and become a picture as well.. at the top i am free to wander alone and an old lone flutist plays the enchanting peruvian notes that beckon me to him.. he is worn and beautiful... wrinkled and full of stories i wish i knew.. he offers me a special stone for 50 sols which is supposed to bring good energy and i am tempted.. i rub it on my arms and say no gracias.. around me i can see the fertility of the lands everywhere... mountains and patchwork prosperity and hard work.. it is everywhere..
i walk back with the gia and make small talk .. i am from Canada... here for 3 months... it is all i know at this point..
back on the bus we go somewhere for lunch happily collecting bottle caps for Aldear.. i have not forgotten him ... the sun is hot on me and it is a mystery how to dress.. i understand that this is the end of the dry season and the wet season is coming which is hot with a two hour time frame of rain in midday..
we travel to the last place which is the temple of the sun and again wander up layers of terraces which sit on dark grey stone walls just like the stone that i have in my garden walls.. it reminds me of home and the work that made them.. they are tighter and old but the same thought and work has created the beauty that has passed through the ages there...
at the top the temple of the sun is depicted in large stones that line into each other.. i forget the whole story of this.. but below is a bull fighting ring which made a place in my memory.. round circular and still in use.. ...

the day is ending and it is getting dark. it is time to stop being a tourist .. the ride home takes me past all those patchwork quilt fields and sometimes there are people in their real lives tending sheep or working the fields with little ones taking up the rear... almost barefoot in sandals made of rubber tires..



have a wonderful night.missing you and sending all my love.. mom, me...










anyway this little special boy is my star helper and our job is to remove all the nails from the posts that surround the worn stone floor and partly finished brick wall that stands about a foot tall.. the sun is hot.. it beats on us.. our faces are brown and our hands are dirty. one by one , usually with Aldear perched on my knee he pulls the nails , bent flat against the post to hold non existant chicken wire.. determined, eager, with purpose he grabs the nails. ancient black plyers brace against the post,, twist, pull, tug .. his hands twist to figure it out... i show him over and over .. put it up and down, against the post, pull down... sometimes he gets it and after we have the whole side all done... just a few more posts Aldear.. no.. no .. no .. he is done.. so i go to my backpack and pull out some bottlecaps... coca cola, inca cola, beer caps... and

he is with us..

Good Morning- from peru with love Oct 5

dearest kids, Mom & special gang& awesome friends;

Just settling into a new week where i am alone with my little boys.. they seem to be out of sorts with two new little rangatangs that have joined the flock.. they have been here almost two weeks now and along with some other curves that government run orphanages throw at them, it is no wonder they have mood swings..

i am bent on making this a good week despite the loss of some fun people in the house who have returned to their respective countries and the big silence that is there since the remaining two.. jacqueline and chris are off rafting for three days . everybody squeezes in trip upon trip just before they leave and chris is off thursday to new york.. jacqueline is working in the community centre project and i think i may try to go there for awhile.. in it the whole family is taken under some wings and taught about hygiene and fed, and clothed and played with.

today though, i am still with my boys and a guitar is on the agenda.. i think i will go and get Guido and one other boy to take and shop with me if they are allowed... Guido knows all the songs that are played over lunch hour and sings them while he paints or when i sit down on the cement to share my fruit and roll at lunch.. he is about 14.. a little moody at times and loving at others..he is soft and while some of the other boys dream of being pickpockets... and smile when they tell about it.. Guido, well he could be a musician... so the guitar is happening.. i will figure out if it is safe to leave there or not.. usually not.. is the right answer.

i´m trying to keep happy so i went out and bought some new lipstick and it seems to be doing the trick most of the time.

i miss you all. wish i was coming home for thanksgiving to celebrate EVERYTHING!! i have had wonderful letters from so many of you and thank you so much. they have certainly cheered me in every way. october will give me time to catch up on my´book´as kate calls it, as i have done all my travelling while the gang was here with them.. always more fun with people you like.. it has been an adventure for sure!!
jacqueline and i are planning a thanksgiving dinner here but when i talked to ¨Mama¨ last night she said the stove is too slow and not hot enough to make a chicken..so we will have to order one.. the making was going to be the fun part.. and i guess the apple pie idea can´t happen til the stove gets fixed.. hhhmmmmmmm..

anyway, everyday there are spectacular moments and for these i wish you were all here.. your heart doesn´t always get sad here, it just gets bigger..

take care of yourselves and everyone that you love.. we are part of a wonderful picture. i love you and miss you.. and for those of you who are especially dear to me thank you for giving me wings. all my love, mom, me...

love from peru in pictures-Oct 1

good morning kids, Mom & special gang, and good friends,

Hope you guys are all in good spirits and have the home fires burning. i have adjusted to the temperature and the evenings and mornings in the house are cool..i don't think the fireplace in the corner, which appears to be woodburning, has ever been lit..

here are some pictures of the boys the first week.. trimming toenails, and playing with the blocks. ..hoping they will download.. if anybody knows a faster way or how to reduce the pics so that more can be sent at a time i would appreciate the knowledge..

i have adjusted now and life is a fairly even routine.. yesterday i found a guitar but my negotiation skills were not good enough to get a deal on it... i will pick it up monday. today we are reading and looking at the pictures from macchu pichu...

just wanted to get these off to you before i head off to spanish.. will be in touch. i miss you all and the ordinary..
all my love , mom, me....

love from peru. continued inspirations from Dad and a little guy they call ¨loco¨ Sept 30

dearest kids, mom, cool family and friends,

it is a warm thursday morning here in Cusco and life is clicking along.. determined to catch you up on life in the orphanage i am going to jump right into the first week for it is monumental to build from having experienced yesterday!

the first thursday with the little boys.

i am greeted joyfully by a few little boys.. waving across the courtyard and life becomes light. with painting completed to a point and no remaining paint gavin has spent the morning clipping rose bushes .. not like yours aunt jo, or mom... but spiny little sticks of bushes that have survived the beating sun that pours down into the open courtyard. these bushes surround each quarter section of the place and are dotted along its borders.. so without a real plan for the day i ask for a shovel so that i can edge around the bushes and give the roses some breathing room... a wonderful wrinkled old custodian gets me a tool.. this is an exception thing... a pick on one end and a flat axe like blade that can act like a hoe.. ok.. so i begin edging the 30 some roses per section in the beating sunshine. it is eleven in the morning and i begin to edge the circles.. a small little soul joins me to dig... these little guys know stuff.. so i show him the pattern of the circle and together we whittle out about fifteen roses and the center corridor begins to look defined and ready for the rainy season.. which is their growing season and summer.. this begins in november so we are at the end of dry season now .. which is the brown patchwork quilt that you saw in the first pictues that i sent..

so yardwork is underway, painting is complete, little kids are entertained..but there is a key ingredient missing here... TOYS. there are no toys!!!!

there is a wonderful workshop that i have mentioned in other letters.. like Dad's but without the tools spread randomly across the work table.. there are the machines... the lathe, the table saw and the planer... and the amazing old carpenter that i have wrapped around my fingerwho is kind and helpful to the boys.. and to me...
my eyes surf the room and see areas of treasured wood piled neatly against one wall. there are four tables to work on .. two empty and one with partly finished and finished birdhouses that are being made... beside the big saw wide stools sit awaiting finishing touches..... beneathe the low table against the wall i see a stack of boards all various sizes and shapes.... .. hmmm. i pick out a few boards and show the carpenter. i speak no spanish.... i ask him in english, with perfect board in hand, motioning cuts that i would like... then i take out my paper and draw the different shapes that i would like him to cut. his eyes light up and i know he understands..

he takes the board from my hand and walks over the the lathe... carefully those old wrinkled hands turn that rough disguarded board and it becomes finished on four sides.. then he asks me with his hands how big and gets me a small square and dull pencil.. i mark the pieces.. wow! my heart sings... in the meantime a small gathering of boys are spattered about the centre statue and i gather the finished pieces together and go to the warm yellow bench... i have with me sand paper and little pieces of wood... mission thursday.. blocks...
i take the little block in my hand and begin to sand the edges.. shiny black heads of hair form a circle around mine and instantly the job is understood... sandpaper under fingers fly into motion and there is a buzzing eagerness about all of us.. how many do we need? well we have about fifteen younger boys... ten or so that are involved in everything.. so as long as i can keep that old carpenter happy, i believe i can have blocks. the boys are busy and i find more wood.. the carpeter keeps cutting and the boys keep sanding. before long we have a wonderful pile of sanded blocks of many sizes. . enough to make houses or towers or whatever they want... with eight or so finished the boys are already building. happy moments for me and happy moments for gavin, the other volunteer on the job.

then gavin decides he would like the carpenter to cut small pieces of wood for a game called Yenga?? i think it is yenga.. so the blessed guy does that for us too. now we are not settling for mediocre here.. these little guys are determined and each block has to pass quality control and the passing of inspection means the block goes in the bucket... a truly wonderful afternoon...

i leave about 3 with new volunteers in charge of putting things away and a wicked game of demolition going on on the walkway... three different teams of kids have built forts with centre holes from which are being launched long sanded missiles.. they are engrossed in the game and i am glad for kindergarten and Dad´s red blocks.

a simple gift.. a skill and a toy. perfect!

i may have mentioned that behind an iron door that squeezes open and pulls shut there is a hallway leading to a small room for the guinea pigs and an unfinished chicken coup.. the chicken coup is our next project. in the morning gavin asked Janet, the director is we could finish the coup and get the kids a rooster and some chickens to raise and lay eggs .. she said yes. at the moment it is a dumping ground , the chicken wire is torn from the walls and the cages are broken and apart. so we are excited to be starting a building project that will include some boys and get us away from the maintenance of the grounds which is really not our work.. but that we have taken on because we can teach a boy or two a skill while we do it..

i work later than gavin and before i leave for the day janet asks me into her office and with the custodian says to be... ¨lets be a team¨ and tells me that there is an important person ,not sure who, coming to the orphanage and although she likes the chicken coop idea, she really needs curtains for the dining room, and paint for the walls and lockers... i can see how much paint is needed in the courtyard so i agree .. yes i can buy some paint.. so i tell her that i will give the maintenance man the money to get the paint... in a second two gallons has grown to 4 gallons and 1 gallon of thinner ... and i get a bad feeling in my stomach .. and all of a sudden the whole thing isn´t sitting right...

i go home to rice, potatoes in sauce and a version of pudding. i am tired and my nose has dripped all day..


the next morning at work gavin and i decide to work on the chicken coop and with language barriers being what they are i play the waiting game on the paint... when the paint happens, i will go with the maintenance senor, and then, starting with a couple gallons, we will get what needs to be done.

in the meantime on with the chicken coup project.. tucked behind the black metal bifold that opens only with brute strength having become unattached at the top from the plaster wall... a small sienna hallway leads to a second open air space with a tiny smelly room with four small pens for guinea pigs and a second partly roofed area.... about 12 by 30 which has the makings of a chicken coop.

with permission granted for our project.. to make a coop for some chickens so that the eggs can be eated and the chickens nurtured as pets... we begin the clean up... there is a little boy there they call Loco.. about to my waist this little one plays alone away from the crowd with bottle caps flattened with a smooth stone.. he has five or six in his pocket.. i love him and he has become mi amigo... his hair is like yours was mark... a perfect crystal ball .. and he has wonderful brown skin and little black eyes that sparkle.. he doesn´t speak but grunts and squeals and lives in watch of other bigger boys that bully him... he is with us and he is a worker. in the beginning he was the loner. he was the one that when i took his hand it hung limply inside mine. he yelled alot.. well, not anymore.. his real name is Aldear and he has a mother who visits.. initially the story i was told that he was abused because he couldn´t speak, but he is the only one who has a mother that visits.. she is old and wide with long braids tied together down her back.. her legs are covered in tan wool socks and sandals protect her feet. when i realized who she was i showed her wonderful pictures of her little one and told her that i loved him and he is good.. in english and motions.. she smiled looking at the pictures...

the first job is to sweep... carry garbage and clean the space out... i sing away..and it is a happy game.. he just follows along doing everything with me like the faithful little friend that he is. so much better... boards and garbage goe into separate `piles and before we know it a new idea blossoms.... airplanes... by now there is a wonderful gathering of helpers ..about five.. two smaller ones and americo, jean paul and one other little guy i still don´t know his name.. base, wings.. tail ...propeller... in no time the first plane is built... enough of the chicken coup til monday we have better things on the go.. and imaginations that have settled become alive...tiny fingers take plyers and hammer alike and place tiny nails that bend way too easily into place.... put one here, another here... yes, that will work.. you want that here, okay... just a minute.. we need another piece...this one,.. yes that will do..

we all work away ... four .. five wonderful planes and the boys are on their own..

back in the carpenters office there is a beam of delight in an old man.. simple joy. happy boys.. toys.. i find a leg of a table and give it to the senor... yes , he can make wheels. so he cuts the pieces of wood and the little ones play the waiting game. by now, a few of the planes are elaborate.. pop caps have been hammered on for decoration, tiny chunks of wood have been hammered to wings... propellers spin.. we have real works of art. but the wheels, well the wood is so hard i cannot sink a nail, let alone attach it to the side of a plane.. so the senor comes to my rescue... digging away in an old box he reveals a small bit for an old drill, not as good as the one i inherited from you john, and gets the bit into drill after a few moments .. little bullet of wood in hand he places the bit in the center and squeezes the trigger... the smell of burning wood enters our nostrils as we all stare at the process.. snap.. the bit breaks... hmmmmmmmm... back to the box where he finds a pointed bit, a little wider, so hopefully a little stronger... it does the trick , right into the table...

from this point on i drill the holes and over the course of time the carpenter and i have attached some wheels to some very fabuloso avions.

as other niños and chicos arrive from school in mid afternoon it is clear that monday will be as full as today between the chicken coop and more planes.

the week ends a perfect week with the boys... already i have two attached at my hip.. my heart is light working there and i have not cried since tuesday.. they are used to being here.. their days are structured with school, and lunches with incredible spanish music blarring into the courtyard. the little ones have us to entertain them and there is a system of care that i am discovering.. this week there has been no interaction that i have noticed with the staff.. they have disappeared each day behind office doors... we are doing the loving care and they are doing the basic needs.. exactly how and what i still don´t know..

so far the boys are happy with me and i with them and it is a perfect arrangement..so this is how the week ends with only a little turn in my stomach about the paint.

on to some fun.. certainly this is part of the joy of living in cusco.. saturday morning comes and i zoom down to the main square to see if there are any tours to take in with the gang of people that i am living with at the house. within no time i am approached by a peruvian man who is an older version of a thin elvis. i listen as he speaks english quite well and there is something about him that i like ... with all the warnings of getting taken by tour groups i am aware and polite.. he tells me about the tourist pass that gets you into 16 popular tourist sites for 130.00 sols and for a little extra you can pay for the bus and english/spanish speaking guide. sounds fun.. so i meet up with the gang and our trip gets booked for 2pm til 6ish tonight and a full day tomorrow.

i am tired so i am going to stop writing here tonight. happy dreams everyone. thank you for your time and letters. if you have any questions just ask......fyi mark, at night i usually sleep. but we have had two great nights of cards, three nights of trivia with lots of other teams..three movie nights and lots of early to bed nights.. i like getting up with the sky so it is easy to hit the hay early..
good night, thank you and all blessings,
love mom aka me , deb....



this is the beginning of monday's story - our little boy they call loco

this little special boy is my star helper and our job is to remove all the nails from the posts that surround the worn stone floor and partly finished brick wall that stands about a foot tall.. the sun is hot.. it beats on us.. our faces are brown and our hands are dirty. one by one , usually with Aldear perched on my knee he pulls the nails , bent flat against the post to hold non existant chicken wire.. determined, eager, with purpose he grabs the nails. ancient black plyers brace against the post,, twist, pull, tug .. his hands twist to figure it out... i show him over and over .. put it up and down, against the post, pull down... sometimes he gets it and after we have the whole side all done... just a few more posts Aldear.. no.. no .. no .. he is done.. so i go to my backpack and pull out some bottlecaps... coca cola, inca cola, beer caps... and


he is with us.. to be continued