FairServices Spanish School

We have spent the last two weeks studying at the FairServices Spanish School in Cusco.  We spent three weeks at the start of our trip and the Simon Bolivar School in Cuenca, Ecuador, and this has been an interesting contrast.  In all, I think the school here in Cusco has been better and that we have learned more through their somewhat more structured approach.  (Perhaps I´m in the worst position to judge, however, given that I´ve only been in class two hours a day, vs four for everyone else, which actually suits me fine; even so, I´ve made a lot of progress in actually conjugating verbs correctly).

FairServices is, in addition to a fine Spanish School that I´d recommend to anyone, an impressive non-profit institution that is successfully raising single mothers out of poverty by helping them become qualified Spanish teachers.  All of the teachers here are (or were) single mothers, who have gone through a rigorous 10-month training program to qualify as teachers.  They learn Spanish curriculum, teaching skills, as well as some English.

FairServices recruits teacher candidates from high schools in the area.  Candidates must be single mothers and high school graduates.  Most have no real job possibilities and have never before considered that they might one day become middle class teachers, members of a respected profession.  They go through an interview process to be accepted into the training, and training itself is quite rigorous - only about 10% of the 150 or so candidates that apply for each training program earn their qualification as teachers.  In our experience, the teachers are well-qualified, both in their skills and personalities.  Candidates are not paid for the training, although they receive free meals, transportation and child care during the program.  Upon graduating, teachers earn around 1400 soles per month (around $500, or twice the minimum wage in Peru), which puts them into the lower middle class.  As we got to know our teachers, we heard many dramatic stories of lives turned around and families brought together as our teachers, previously on the margins of society, became professional teachers.  (This has been a contrast to Ecuador, where our teachers were university graduates from more established backgrounds.)  FairServices also helps the teachers manage their transition into the middle class and balance their work and family lives by providing flexible hours and fostering a community for the teachers.

In addition the Spanish school, FairServices also runs an after school program for disadvantaged kids, and a salsa school for foreigners.  I know less about these, but I believe the after school program is financed by the Spanish school.  Students pay about $10 per hour for Spanish lessons (the same rate as for profit schools), with half going directly to the teachers, and half to the school, which uses the money to support the school and the other programs.

FairServices is run on a shoestring by a Belgian-Peruvian couple, who founded it eight years ago.  John, the Belgian, is the head of the non-profit, while Fanny, his wife, is the head teacher and the director of the training programs.  They are mostly self-funded with some donors in Europe who contribute about 15,000 Euros a year.  It struck us that they are doing good, impressive work here, creating lasting difference in the lives of families that really need the help.  And they are doing so below the radar screen of any major international funders, yet in what appears to be a very organized and professional fashion.  Given Yo´s extensive background and network in women´s rights, she is going to try and connect them with some larger funders in the US when we return.

Recharging in Cusco

The Plaza de Armas at dusk

We´ve been in Cusco for almost two weeks and it´s been a great experience.

For one, it´s a really beautiful city with a lot of interesting history and architecture.  It´s very touristy, with lots of foreigners and businesses that cater to them.  There are so many hotels and tour agencies (ranging from high-end to backpacker) that there must be thousands of tourists here at any given time.  That said, it´s not so touristy that it doesn´t feel very Peruvian.  We´re staying in a house just five minutes from the Plaza de Armas, right near the largest market in town, and it doesn´t feel touristy at all.  And yes, like a lot of Peru, you can see a lot of signs of poverty - beggars, packs of semi-wild dogs, piles of garbage on the streets, half constructed buildings everywhere, and the like.  I even saw a guy drop his pants to take a dump on the median of one of the town´s biggest streets yesterday during rush hour.

The whole thing is a great contrast from the only other time I was here, in 1995.  Back then, the country was coming through the end of the Shining Path era, and there weren´t that many tourists in Peru at all.  Sure there were some, but Cusco looked much different, and much less upscale.  It also felt more dangerous back then, which is something I don´t miss.

Being in Cusco for two weeks has been a great break for us at this point on our trip.  Having a big house, and being able to fully unpack, cook, etc., have created an opportunity for us to recharge a bit.  I wish we were staying here a bit longer for that reason, but Argentina, and Yo´s violin training, await.

Sightseeing around Cusco

Not only is Cusco a lovely, picturesque colonial city, but it's surrounded by archaelogical sights and interesting villages.  We have tried to take full advantage of our two weeks here to make afternoon excursions and to travel further into the Valle Sagrado (Sacred Valley) on the weekends.

Fortunately, it's extremely easy to get around.  In town, taxis cost 4-5 soles (1-2 dollars).  With minimal haggling, we can get a decent price to reach places just out of town.  And to get to more distant places, we have taken local buses or vans.  Our Spanish teachers have told us where to go for each destination.  Various street corners in Cusco are devoted to getting folks to and from neighboring towns.  It costs 10-15 soles (3-5 dollars) per person and they basically load up vans and the occasional SUV as passengers show up.  The roads in the Sacred Valley are very good, and compared to Ecuador where personal car ownership has skyrocketed, there is virtually no traffic.

One afternoon, we visited the Incan ruins closest to Cusco.  Two of them, Tambomachay and Pukupukara, are clustered near each other furthest from town.  We took a taxi there and spent a good hour exploring.  We had the place mostly to ourselves, and even though the weather threatened rain, we lucked out and got some sun.

It was pretty exhausting walking at about 12,000 feet!

We then took a local bus down the hill to Q'enqo and the big site everyone knows, Saksayhuaman.  English speakers delight in making jokes about visiting "sexy woman," but Saksayhuaman actually is Quechua for "place full of eagles," an illusion to the time it was littered with dead bodies and birds of prey.  We hired a local guide to show us around both sites.  In Q'enqo, he showed us the cave where Incan leaders were mummified and explained that the priests used to sacrifice a llama every year and watch its blood run between the stones.  The direction the blood flowed would forecast whether it'd be a good or bad harvest.  

Oscar in a tight spot at Q'enqo

In Saksayhuaman, our guide first took us through a tunnel (used by the Incans to escape), so that emerging into the big temple area was a delightful surprise.  We marveled at the enormous stones set so precisely to form a wall.  The Incans covered the stones with gold and they used to celebrate the summer solstice there with all of the important mummies in attendance.  Inti Raymi is still held here every year, on June 24th.  We ended our visit with a walk downhill to Cusco's San Blas neighborhood, and then home.

Neil at Saksayhuaman

Last Saturday, we went further afield into the Sacred Valley to visit the ruins at Pisac.  First, we checked out the weekday version of the artisanal market.  Oscar got an alpaca sweater, helpful for the chilly mornings and nights here.  After a quick lunch of empanadas next to a Barbie townhouse-type lodging for cuyes (guinea pigs), we started our hike uphill.

Not a bad way to live until you become lunch

The main complex at Pisac

Yo and Ruby

Pisac is a large Incan site spread out across a mountain top.  We were short on water and the sun was beating down, but we persevered and made it straight up to the closest fortress in about 2 hours. Luckily, an old lady was descending and she sold us some bottles of water.  We also learned that the main part of the ruin was only 20 minutes above us so we clambered up there and enjoyed the view. Even though it was a Saturday, we again had the place to ourselves, so we took our time looking around.

Looking down on the family resting in the ruins

The walk down took about an hour, and with trembling legs we stopped for a well-deserved dessert break at a gringo cafe.  Pisac itself is small, clean, and filled with gringos interested in holistic practices. Apparently, it fills up a lot on Sundays for its famed market.

On Sunday, we started the day with a bus trip to Chinchero, an authentic Andean town about an hour away that hosts a large weekly market.  We were told the market is less touristy than Pisac's and it certainly seemed that way to us.  As soon as we got off the bus, we ran into a parade.  People were dressed in traditional clothing adorned with a mix of Christian and Andean iconography.  There was music, dancing, praying, and all around chaos.

A religious parade in Chinchero

Parade spectators

The market contained a middle section for fruits and vegetables, and perimeter of textiles, ceramics, blankets, sweaters, scarves and other touristy items.  One side of it had cobblers and stalls selling sandals made out of tires.  Oscar bought an antique silver Peruvian coin from 1871, and we checked out some pretty cool Incan weapons sold by an old guy who spoke Quechua and no Spanish.  We hope to return to Chinchero this Sunday on our way to Machu Picchu.  The rugs look so tempting, but we need to find a way to get them home!  Also, we want to look around the town a bit more.

A controversial plan is afoot to build an international airport in Chinchero.  Our taxi driver told us the town is evenly split on the issue.  Folks we've talked to in Cusco scoff at the idea of the airport ever becoming a reality.  It would certainly transform the Sacred Valley and would draw business away from Cusco and even Lima, as Chinchero's airport would be called Machu Picchu airport.

Chinchero Sunday market

Local ladies selling local snacks

In Chinchero, we hired a taxi to take us to the other sites nearby -- Moray, a ruin containing four large terraced rings supposedly used by the Incans for agricultural experiments, and Salineras, a salt flat dating from Incan times that is still in use.  We had wanted to hike between sites that day but just walking around them in the sun was exhausting.  It was hard to get up Monday morning!

Road to Moray from Chinchero

Some people say the Incans built Moray to test crops, others say this is drainage for underground caverns

Neil and Ruby at the salt flat

Snapshots from Cusco

Not the healthiest snack . . .

Street scene on our way to school

A "classroom" at La Escuela Fair Services -- outdoor tented pavilions, where we are drilled four hours everyday in Spanish grammar and conversation.

6 week old kittens help us relax at break

Cooking class at school -- estamos cocinando causa rellena con pollo (mashed potatoes layered with chicken salad)

Walking home near the Plaza de Armas

Oscar contemplating an Incan door with two corners - only for the elite

A cave where elites were mummified.  Mummies were stored in niches and paraded around for special festivals.

Late afternoon view of Cusco from the Incan site Saksayhuaman.

Plaza de Armas on a weekday evening

Half-way mark

Exactly four months ago, we left Brooklyn in the pre-dawn for Quito, Ecuador.  Hard to believe, we'll be reinserting ourselves back into regular life in just about another four months.

What better way to celebrate the midpoint of our sabbatical than with a home-cooked meal and chocolate cake?

What's happened to us in the past four months?  Our Spanish has improved a lot.  We've developed more patience for one another and gotten closer as a family.  Because we're together all the time, experiencing the same things, we've developed a world of inside jokes that will forever make sense only to us.

We've also developed a way of getting in and out of taxis that enables us to sit in the same spots every time.  It'd be unthinkable to change.

We've gotten a feel for different cultures -- what are Ecuadorians like?  What's a Chilean world view?  What do Chileans and Peruvians think of each other? (Not much).  What do they think of us North Americans?

We have become expert packers.  And we've definitely gotten used to making do with fewer clothes.

We've gotten pretty skilled at playing cards and word games.  We've forgotten what it's like to wake up to a daily alarm.

Some of us have gotten used to not flushing toilet paper and brushing our teeth with bottled water.  

Oh, and some of us have grown a few inches.

Back Up High

Spending today getting used to Cuzco's altitude at 3400m.  That's a lot higher than Quito's 2850m.  We spent a few nights as high as 3800m in Ecuador, so this isn't totally unfamiliar, but we've also been at sea level for quite a while.  Drinking a lot of coca tea.

Puffed up bag of peanuts I brought from sea level - I never get tired of this!

New digs in Cusco

We spent four blissful days in Lima -- a metropolis the same size as NYC (population 8.5 million), and to our eyes, a good mix of Ecuador and Chile.  As one of the kids said, Peru feels like the second world.  

Arriving in Cusco this morning, we feel sated from the best food we've had so far in South America (ceviche, real Chinese food, anticuchos, artisanal ice cream, pollo y papas fritas from Brasa Chicken, and decent coffee!).  That's the first world part.  We also arrived in various states of abdominal distress - yes, the third world part.  While a semi-regular part of life in Ecuador, stomach woes were but a distant memory while we were in Chile.

Between the altitude and our diminished physical state, it was a somewhat dicey morning.  Fortunately, the house we are renting is super comfortable -- three bedrooms, two floors, fully stocked kitchen, fireplace, fast wifi, and washing machine (cue triumphant fanfare).  It's a renovated colonial house in the centro historico, just a few minutes from the Plaza de las Armas, a super mercado, and the Mercado San Pedro.  Can't tell you how glad I am to have two weeks to slow down and relax here.  

         The view from our balcony

                   Main living room

 Ready to cook chicken soup and rice 

       Ruby in the upstairs living room

After naps and coca tea, we went out for sandwiches and beverages of choice (coffee or Gatorade).  I consider it a good omen that not only were we not pick pocketed or mugged as everyone warns us to be careful about, but I actually found my jacket again after leaving it in the cafe for an hour.  

Alicia, we await your arrival next week!!