Vernal Equinox, Cousin Carson, and Juegos Florales

     Winter is officially over in the southern hemisphere; and it couldn't have come at a better time. Well, it's not really what I normally consider winter, but that's what it's called down here. To me, it's more like early autumn or late spring in North Carolina, except you only get a day or two a week with sunshine.
     One of the aspects I really like about the winter in Trujillo is that I don't sweat while I am riding the bus to work in the morning and I don't sweat while I teach. Also, there is not a lot of tourism in Huanchaco during the winter time. This place is so crowded throughout the summer months it's really nice to have a beach with so few people on it. One of the aspects I'm not so fond of is the fact that there is not a lot of sunshine. A day or two, tops, of blue sky and sun every week is pretty normal. During the weekends I really try to take advantage of where I live, so I surf a few times, go on walks in the city, see an archeological site, and hangout on the beach; but it is always more fun when there is some good sunshine. Since spring is now here all of that is about to change.




     Tomorrow, my cousin, Carson, arrives in Trujillo for four months. Four months! I'm not sure who is more excited, him or me. He has been planning to come down here since March or April and I am so happy that it is finally happening. Although I spend most of time during the week at school, I have a week off at the beginning of October, so we are planning a surf trip up the northern coast to see what kinds of waves they have to offer. I haven't been much further north than Puerto Chicama, so it will be nice for us, both, to see these places together for the first time.
     When I am busy working at school, Carson will  be surfing and, hopefully, getting a part-time gig cooking and learning Peruvian cuisine. I'm not sure how it happens, but I seem to always live with people who can cook really well. This is awesome for me because I am a horrible cook and I never mind doing the dishes.




     The past week at Fleming, we have been celebrating Juegos Florales. It is put on by the Spanish department and this year the focus was multiculturalism. The students made various presentations, studied classic literature, and decorated their classrooms to show what they had been learning about other cultures. Luckily for me, ten of my sixth graders participated in a cultural exchange with a school in Mexico, so we always had a lot to talk about. 

My homeroom preparing the class for Juegos Florales

Part of the finished product.
I'm still not sure how the Angry Birds hanging from the ceiling fits into multiculturalism theme.

The whole school gathered for the end of the Juegos Florales celebration.

 One of my students, Bruno, taking center stage to recite a poem for the school. He did a great job.

     On Wednesday, the 19th, we celebrated International Talk Like A Pirate Day. This meant I was able to tell all of my corny pirate jokes I have learned over the years. Like usual, my students didn't really get my jokes. They're a tough crowd.

Captain is coming!
Taking a break from sitting in a classroom to play an awesome pirate game.
It's amazing how much educational value this game had. My students had to practice their English listening skills  by following directions and working together.

One Act Play in Lima

     After a four day stay-cation in Huanchaco I used Monday ad Tuesday to prepare for my trip to Lima. On Tuesday night I took the overnight bus from Trujillo to Lima oversee four secondary students as the performed in a one act play at Hiram Bingham College. All eight (I think) of the British Schools of Peru got together this past Wednesday and Thursday night at Hiram Bingham College in Lima for a small one act play festival. The Fleming group got to Lima on Wednesday and went to Hiram Bingham for play practice for and hour or so. The theatre at Hiram Bingham was very impressive with its state of the art sound booth and wonderful acoustics which allowed all the actors to speak without microphones. It was very different from Fleming's outdoor makeshift theatre that sits right on a very busy city street.

     Wednesday afternoon and Thursday afternoon was spent practicing our performance with our act appearing Thursday night. The Fleming students did a great job and I was very pleased with their flawless performance. One of our actors got sick the day before we left for Lima, so another girl was brought in at the last minute to fill the spot. She learned all her lines in a matter of days and was a great addition to the cast. I'm sorry to say that I completely forgot about taking pictures, so I don't have anything good to post other than a few photos I took at night after the performance.

Hiram Bingham College
This building houses the cafeteria, theatre, and indoor swimming pool.

Soccer fields at Hiram Bingham

   
     On Thursday night I took the overnight bus back to Trujillo just in time to get to school and begin my Friday classes. I don't sleep well on the bus not to mention the fact that I lost my voice just before getting to Lima. Getting around Lima can be difficult sometimes even when I do have a voice, but it was really hard when I couldn't speak. Every time I took a taxi I had to haggle with the driver for a better price. I know they thought I was really weird. To add insult to injury, I lost my cellphone in one of the cabs. Bummer, huh?

Friday afternoon in Huanchaco I enjoyed an afternoon beverage with my friends Jochen and Amy after a long week .

     This afternoon while I was in the staff room, I caught eight of my students receiving Green Cards for doing great things in another class. Green Cards are part of primary's extrinsic motivational system where, after acquiring a certain amount of points in the classroom for good behavior, students make a visit to the principal's office to receive a note of good conduct. These students were being rewarded for outstanding work in Personal Social with Ms. Elena. Students, also, come to see the principal to get Yellow and Red Cards for poor behavior, but I don't take photos of them.

 Regardless of the constant talking and general shenanigans that occur in my class everyday, I really enjoy my students.  I was so happy to see them I thought I should document it. They are a great bunch of kids and I am happy to have them.

      

Santa Rosa de Lima

     There is no separation between church and state in Peru. Catholicism is intertwined so deeply in the local and national governments that you can the Virgin Mary in every police station, post office, and public office. While I want no religion in my own government, I really like the combination of church and state in Peru for the sole reason that I get eight paid holidays during the school year. Yep, I get off work eight times a school year for a religion that I have no part in other than touring really old cathedrals when I go traveling.

     

     This past Thursday the school was closed for the Catholic holiday of remembering Santa Rosa de Lima. The saint was born in Lima in the late 1500's and was canonized in the late 1600's. I'm not too sure what she did to become a saint, but I read somewhere (Wikipedia) that she, one time, cured a leper.  I did not witness any events marking her day on Thursday, but on Sunday my friend Amy and I saw a procession for her in the beach town of Salaverry in Trujillo. Sixteen men and women carried a shrine dedicated to Santa Rosa de Lima on their shoulders through the streets followed by a brass band and around fifty onlookers. To be honest, I am not 100% positive it was Santa Rosa de Lima they were carrying, but from all the roses on the shrine I am pretty sure that is who it was. I have seen this kind of march before, but it always intrigues me and the locals always get a kick out of having a couple of gringos there taking photos. 

    My Thursday was spent relaxing in Huanchaco. I wanted to surf, but the surf was so big it was closing out on the point. I spent a few hours helping a friend of mine move into her new place and I went for a walk, but that was about it. Friday was another holiday called Teacher's Day. I am, still, not too sure what this day meant. I thought we had Teacher's Day back in July, but I guess it wasn't finished. That is fine by me. I took care of my lesson planning before the holiday started, so I did my best not to think about school stuff.

Thursday and Santa Rosa de Lima.
Cool temps and overcast skies are the norm for winter in this part of Peru.
You can't really see it, but the surf is BIG.

Procession of Santa Rosa de Lima in Salaverry.

     

     Salaverry is a small beach community in the city of Trujillo with the largest shipping port in the north of Peru. There are, also, many local fishermen making their living from the sea.

A group of fishermen bringing in their nets.

Boats on blocks.

Our lunch spot right off the beach.
The owners loved having a couple of gringos in their restaurant so much they turned off the salsa music and put on Lou Rawls and Barry White. It was very entertaining.

Half eaten plate of fried octopus and yuca with salad and a cold, tasty beverage.
It took so long to get our plates we figured the owner went to the ocean to get our lunch. It was well worth the wait.

     

     Before we headed to Salaverry we visited the ruins of La Huaca de Arcoiris. Or, the temple of the rainbow. There seems to be an endless supply of ruins in this area that predate the Incan conquest. These ruins were from the Chimu civilization and some of the smallest. It only took us 30mins to see the temple and it would have taken less, but we had to wait for our guide to stop laughing at my Spanish to English translations. 

The lines around the top represent the arcoiris, or rainbow

Ramp leading to the top of La Huaca, or temple

Western side of the temple and the wall that surrounds it.


The photos are the greatest, but you get the idea. Really old adobe temple in the desert.

     In English class my sixth graders are studying human rights this bimester. We have some really interesting conversations in class since human rights violations are very evident (especially violations to children's rights) in Trujillo. During an assembly last Wednesday, my homeroom class performed two skits about human rights and children's rights. I guided them, but I was very pleased with what they created. One group acted out a scene from the UN's General Assembly where the countries present had to decide what countries needed the most aid after an earthquake. The other group preformed a skit about the horrible working conditions some of the street children face here in Trujillo.

The United Nations General Assembly of class P6C with all of the primary grades in attendance.

Child labor in Trujillo.

     

Super Tourist with the procession of Santa Rosa de Lima