Last weekend I traveled six hours northwest by bus to the city of Cajamarca with 2 other SKIP volunteers. Cajamarca is in the mountains and was a welcome change of scenery. Since I've been in Peru, my bargaining skills have increased since you bargain for just about everything here. After visiting about 5 different hostals around the plaza in the center of the city we were able to bargain down the price at one hostal to about $8 a night per person. The room was nothing more than a cement cell with three beds and a window. However, the private bathroom and hot water were the real selling point. It was truly all we needed in a room. What struck me about this place, called Hostal Peru, was the Jewish star next to the name. As I approached the desk I saw a makeshift sign in Hebrew on the wall. The only word I could make out was "Israelis." This really caught me by suprise as I was under the impression that there were essentially no Jews in Peru. Except for me at this point. When I asked the guy behind the counter if the owners were Jewish, he gave me a bit of a puzzled look and told me that the daughter of the owner married a Jewish guy. Not sure why that would prompt them to market their entire hostal with a Jewish star, but I accepted it. The next day the owner herself was there so I asked her about it. From what I could understand, her family have some Jewish blood from generations back and her oldest daughters have moved to Israel and converted to Judaism. I guess she was inspired? Either way, I found it amusing I found a "Jewish" hostal.
I could feel the difference in altitude as we gradually ascended winding curves along the mountains. Upon reaching Cajamarca and journeying from hostal to hostal, up and down flights of stairs, I could feel the pressure in my lungs just a bit more than I normally would. Our last day in Cajamarca we ascended even further to a place called Cumbemayo. Cumbemayo is the name given to natural rock formations in the mountain side. They are pretty amazing and our guide pointed out that several of them looked like animals or other figures. It was wonderful to do a bit of hiking and climbing around/on/under these formations. The story goes that at one point these mountains were completely covered in ice and when it began to melt the water created these unique stone structures. The Incans, however, did not use science for explanations, but rather magic and spirituality, and thus believed these stone structures were some sort of magical creations. The mountains were beautiful and littered with Peruvian women and children in typical dress, most begging for money, sadly enough. Many with sheep or dogs by their side. The children follow you and when you stop begin singing a song for you in hopes that you with give them some centimos. While I lament the fact that I only have sneakers rather than hiking boots, these children are running around barefoot as if the soles of their feet are made of rubber. They know the intricacies of these mountains like the back of their hand. The lives of Peruvians here are so completely different from the life I know in the US, but in many ways the common threads of humanity between us are transparent. Aside from understanding the presence of basic needs such as food, shelter and safety, one can see the comraderie of friends, the comfort of family and the joy of play.
I've settled back in Trujillo and this week was full of teaching and learning. I am planning a workshop with the psychologist this weekend for parents of children in the Guarderia. I feel so grateful to be working on things that are professionally relevent for me. I hope to write more about what I am doing at SKIP in the next post. Life here is busy, not too busy, but just about right.
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