Living with Llamas up in the Sky

  Cusco, Peru
Friday, October 19, 2007

Living with Llamas up in the Sky - an account of working life in an Andean city
 
So why Peru?  They kept asking.
Well I guess it started with the Andes - those inspiring, sepia photos in dusty, old geography books.   Then I discovered the music, the football and the revolutionary vibes of the strong, leftist political traditions.
I wanted a taste of this.
And so, armed with TEFL certificate, I booked my flights and the adventure was set in motion.
Geographically, Peru's got-the-lot, being divided west-east into three distinct bands: La Costa (the coast), La Sierra (the mountains) and La Selva (the jungle).  And they speak Spanish - a language I could actually get my head around.
I decided to go to the city of Cusco, home of Machu Picchu - the breathtaking citadel built in the clouds by the mysterious Incas.
After arriving, things happened very quickly.  First there was the theft of my camera - taken from my bag on a night bus.  To the amusement of my girlfriend, I was robbed on three occasions during my stay; she travelled without loss despite remaining in the continent for twice as long.
There was no time for mourning this loss of snap-shot memories because I soon moved in with Beatriz - my host mum.  In those first few days, I remember feeling intensely happy but totally overwhelmed by the language barrier and Beatriz clearly loved to talk.  In our first meeting alone she covered everything from Peruvian politics, to her Incan ancestry, to her favourite Mexican soaps.   
Didn't she realise I couldn't speak Spanish?        
This sensation of being thrown in at the deep end continued to my first day at school.  I met the English teacher and tried to explain the aim of my trip.  She just smiled and told me to tell it to the kids - yep you guessed it - in Spanish!
My role at first was to assist by marking homework and using my voice to replace the annoying American cassette.  
 

Choco community group nature walk

One ongoing difficulty was the English teacher's almost complete lack of English.  I watched her conduct English lessons entirely in Spanish. 
I think she appreciated my help but never truly got the concept of volunteer teaching.  I realised this because halfway through each morning she would ask me if I wanted to take the rest of the day off for sight-seeing.  At first, I couldn't understand her attitude but after a few weeks of witnessing the strife and turbulence of working life in Peru I realised how she might find it strange for someone to voluntarily enter into this.
The political situation in Peru is complex.  The president Alan Garcia narrowly won the election in 2006 despite resigning, disgraced from his first presidency in 1990 following record hyperinflation, wide-spread corruption and a Maoist insurgency.  His latest election campaign was based on the slogan 'I've learned from my mistakes' but it's clear, these mistakes are still fresh in the minds of Peruvians and he was re-elected as 'the lesser of two evils'.
Earlier this year he proposed regulatory competency exams for all teachers where three fails could result in a teacher being sacked.  Incensed unions claim this will undermine their political power enabling the government to 'fire at will'. 
There was a series of strikes lined up with the prospect of a huelga indefinido - an indefinite strike.
And it wasn't just education workers who were unhappy, there were strikes planned in the health and transport sectors, and in July, Cusco would experience a Parot - a one day general strike across all employment sectors.
Beatriz explained that many Cusquenans hold a general distrust of Lima - the capital and seat of government, seen to represent the chaotic, soulless culture imposed by the cut-throat Spanish colonists.   
 
Despite the political unrest, Cusco is a beautiful place with a welcoming culture.  The things I loved most were the insanely bright traditional costumes, the breath-taking Andean scenery and the Cusquenan desire to party at any opportunity. 
It was also the little things.  Like guinea pig being the national dish, like the obsession with coca leaves and like the Cusco bars with their free entry - free drinks policy. 
And my home stay was great.  Beatriz and her boyfriend Alfonso truly immersed me in Cusquenan culture - bombarding me with Spanish, treating me to various culinary delights (including guinea pig) and taking me to loads of colourful festivals.  Importantly, my Spanish was improving and I was having much more impact in school.  The kids were starting to accept my strange blond hair and funny accent and I was taking classes by myself.  

Beatriz and Alfonso dancing

But the strikes were occurring more frequently now - almost weekly.  One day I turned up to class and the teacher was a no-show.  She was part of an extreme union sub-group who'd called the strike - she'd just 'forgotten to tell me'.  Without any lesson plan, I entertained the kids with a quiz before sending them home early.
In the build up to July's Parot, the city seemed a little edgy and I was expecting grave faces and heated protests, but when the day arrived, it was very surprising.  People seemed relaxed and poured into parks to play football.  Apparently, football tournaments are something of a tradition during Parot days.
For me, this response seemed to encapsulate something about the acceptance of Cusquenans stretching right back to the conquest days.  In the 16th Century when Pizarro and his men invaded, it was the first time village folk had seen large horses backed by armoured men.  The Spanish were cruel and brutal but these 'blond giants' were seen by some as gods come to show them a better life.
The invaders also spread their religion through Jesuit missionaries.  To make Christianity more accessible the Jesuits incorporated Incan symbology resulting in things like snake-draped crucifixes and paintings of a guinea pig last supper.
When change is enforced in the Andes there is a natural resistance but people make the most of the situation.  Andeans hold very strong traditions and a have a strong sense of their position in the 'Pachamama' or Mother Earth.
I believe Andeans are adaptable.  They will adapt to the modern world but only at their pace and without sacrifice of their core values.  Surely this is something to commend.

Playing football during the Parot

Following the Parot, talks between unions and the government broke down entirely and my work came to an abrupt end as the teachers entered into the indefinite strike. 
In one respect, my project in Peru ended in shambles, but in no sense do I feel short-changed by the experience.  I wanted a genuine taste of South American culture and this is exactly what I got.