Hola todos!
Janek here. Sorry for the sporadic posts. Things have been pretty busy on this end, I'll give you a brief summary of what's been happening.
Firstly, we've moved house! We have a really nice little place that is a 2 minute walk from where we work. We rustled up a quick video for your viewing pleasure - not as glamorous at MTV cribs, but almost... Check it out here:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vRlomKP62SkAnother thing that was keeping me very busy was a video of the project. It took a long time to film, then edit and as an extra bonus it was my job to do the subtitles as well. We're going to 'launch' it in the next few days (partially as a Christmas present to the ex-volunteers of the project) so you can see what we've been up to.
Lucy has been busy on the marketing front, and being a technological whizz that she usually isn't, she's managed to put a donate button on our blog. If you guys would like to support the project or want to send anything our way for Christmas, please do just click on the Paypal logo on the right hand side of the page. Equally, if you want any more information about finances or general stuff about the project, let us know and we'll happily fill you in. Also, she did a couple of weeks of intensive Spanish classes so now she is taking Cusco by storm. Well, the project, anyway...
This week is our last week at school before we close for the holidays. On Wednesday we have a huge Christmas party for the kids, which is going to be amazing. We start by dressing up - none of the half-measure stuff people usually do. Full costumes with face paint and accessories to make Christmas more Christmassy. Then we welcome the kids and sit them down for a prize-giving. Some of you will be glad to know that there won't be prizes for the kids who come top in classes... Instead, there'll be prizes for the child who gives most kisses, who is most peaceful, most helpful, the best dancer, who has shown most improvement, who comes to Yanapay most regularly, and so on. Then we give out hot chocolate and pannetone while we have a show for the kids. Afterwards it's present time, our closing ceremony and fireworks. When the kids are on their way out of the school they pass through a clothes 'boutique' where they choose clothes for themselves, their mum and dad and any baby siblings. And then, sadly, it's all over until next year.
On Friday, Aldea Yanapay is taking part in the yearly Christmas Eve tradition of
Santurantikuy. Think of a huge Christmas market full of various stalls and shops. At 6am we set up our stall in the Plaza de Armas and work starts at 9am. We'll be selling a variety of things: Christmas cards that the kids have been making these past weeks; necklaces, bracelets and other handmade crafts; Christmas muffins; and Yanapay t-shirts and jackets. Yuri (big boss), Lucy, Raquel, Karina (2 brilliant people who are here a year, like us) and myself will be in the stall while groups of volunteers are out trying to sell the product (think of the corner boys in the Wire, but Christmassy and not drug peddlers). We hustle until 6pm when it's time to dismantle and go home for some rest...
At 10pm on Christmas eve, all the volunteers are invited to Yuri mother's house for Christmas dinner. We eat, drink and celebrate and at midnight we exchange our Secret Santa gifts. I know that the best place to be for Christmas is at home with your family. That said, last night we had the Secret Santa for the employees of Yanapay, and it was a wonderful experience. Yanapay is a huge family and is the only other place I could spend Christmas without my own family. The gifts are simple and sometimes token, but the love in the room is palpable as people make teary speeches to thank Yuri and everyone that works at Yanapay for the work they do. Last night Roxanna, a single mother who was abused by her husband and found refuge in Yanapay, broke her customary silence to thank Yuri and his mum for changing her and her daughter's lives and for the support that everyone in Yanapay gives them. It was quite draining, emotionally, but definitely injected a huge dose of Christmas spirit that surpassed the missing snow and Christmas songs back home.
So, we have five busy days ahead of us until Christmas. We'll try and post some footage of the school Christmas party and miscellaneous photos (when gaps in work permit). Being away from home and the family has made us appreciate what a brilliant time Christmas can be. So, if you're just spending Christmas at home with the folks in front of the tv, enjoy it vicariously for us (mince pies, brandy butter, snoozing after lunch - the full works). With lots of love and wishing you a very Merry Christmas
xxx
