The other side of Lima

Lima is home to 10 million people, one third of Peru's population. Its unemployment rate is the lowest it's been in years at 20 percent, insulated from global financial troubles with its resource based economy. 

Lima is a beautiful city, but not one that has been without troubles. Even in the heart of the city centre, beautiful colonial buildings sit empty and dilapidated. Military governments, Marxist guerrillas and corruption crushed the economy and stability of Peru. 

For every person that lives in Lima, there are 3 or 4 people who live in the poorer areas and the slums. 

Today we went to Pamplona, a distinctly poorer area of Lima, but not the worst area. We traveled by bus south to Pamplona and watched the gradual change. Like I said, this wasn't the poorest areas of Lima and had a surprise vibe to it. The streets were dusty and pothole ridden, but clean and generally rubbish free. Construction was going on everywhere and people were bustling in and out of shops. There was a distinct vibe of a place that was halfway through being developed, got stopped and was starting to crank up again. 

We arrived at the school. For the life of me I cannot spell its name or even say it! But it is a public school that covers primary and secondary. The principal is an incredibly dedicated and intelligent woman who has fostered overseas relationships to help fund and build the school. 

All up there are about 600 kids which are divided into morning and evening sessions. These kids only get half a day's school to accommodate the kids who have to work and because they don't have enough room to accommodate all of them at once. 

We got a tour of the school by the principal and a couple of the kids from the Representative council. One of them was named Felix and he got one ofthe guitars  and started rocking Nirvana. 

We then had a de brief as to what we were doing which was giving a catechesis to the classes (the public school has no funding for religious instruction) and then take them through a dental hygiene program. We split into two groups and went to our first classroom. There were about 30 in the class and they were year 1. The catechesis started with songs as ice breakers and then we acted out the parable of the talents as Jimena (the regular volunteer) read out the story. We then taught them the Hail Mary in English and did some colouring in with them. I made a new friend! 

Her name was Bianca, she's a Hannah Montana fan, her favourite colour is pink and she has a twin sister. 

We then bought them up to the Art Room for the dental hygiene program. 

We showed them how to brush their teeth, gave them a tooth brush and then we put fluoride on the teeth that didn't have cavities and sent them to learn how to wash their hands properly and get a tube of toothpaste. 

We did three classes each. The second was a kindergarten class with several bouncing kids. One of the girls drew me a picture! 

We then had a late lunch and a break whilst the afternoon session kids came in. Little Bianca came and sat with me and Jamie for a while and learned to use the camera.

The evening class were 4th Graders and quite articulate! I made friends with Ana Maria and Rosmarie

We were then thanked by the teachers and the principal. Apparently groups don't stay for the evening session and we were the first. I didn't want to leave! They were such beautiful children despite how rough many of them had it. A large proportion of them were orphaned or abandoned and most would not get breakfast if the school didn't provide it.

This school was doing wonderful work, the teachers were passionate and loved the children as if they were their own and the kids took great pride in their school and education achievements. They were confident, respectful, quite articulate and very bright.

I felt at home and energised by these kids. I couldn't give them much, just some fluoride and some broken Spanish/Italian mish mash. If someone offered me a job there I would have taken it in a second. So now we have to leave for Iguazu Falls. Well be staying on the Argentinian side so more forms! I am so going back to Peru. After I go to Mexico. 

The Extraordinary City of Lima

So our first full day here in Peru. We spent the day sight seeing around the main part downtown Lima. I was blown away. Everyone assumes Peru = poverty but that is not all there is too it. It has an incredible history and vibe to it. And we saw it on a quiet Sunday!

This is a typical example of the architecture that effectively has made the whole city a world heritage site. 

Fun fact: did you know Lima gets about 10mm or rain annually? Instead of rain there is a constant cloud and light drizzle almost all day. It keeps everything green and comfortably moist.

Peru was founded to be the capital of Francisco Pizarro's new colony of Peru. It a neatly planned and sprawling city much like that of any spanish City. It grew to be incredibly wealthy and powerful quite quickly. It was the most elegant and cosmopolitan city in its colonial and republic heyday in South America. To this day, it's economy is in 50% minerals, particularly silver and copper with the rest being spread across agriculture, textiles and tourism. 

It has an incredible spiritual history as well with 5 major Peruvian saints coming from the colonial era. St Rose of Lima and St Martin de Porres, contemporaries, and good friends despite their different social status. St Francisco Saldano, a major figure in Missonary outreach, St Turibio de Morojeveo, the second bishop of Lima and a good, holy shepherd to every Peruvian. The last one I can't remember off the top of my head but I will correct this later.

We spent the day visiting the major churches and places that St Rose and St Martin lived in. First stop however, was to the Franciscan monastery and San Antonio church. 

It's colours were incredible and the side altars were astounding. That was just the beginning. 

This side altar is one of the more simple ones. It is typical colonial Spanish, hand carved from jungle hardwoods like mahogany in this case which is imported from Central America. 

We then spent some solid time in San Domingo monastery and Church where St Martin De Porres lived and worked.

This little cupboard under the stairs was where St Martin spent a lot of time in prayer and arguing with the devil. Casually. He was an incredibly humble and gifted healer. Her was the illegitimate child of an African slave and Spanish Father. He spent his life in prayer and serving the Dominican order as a cleaner, cook and infirmary attendant. They eventually accepted him as a brother. Lots of great stories that I don't have time to go into at the moment. 

These Dominicans founded the oldest university in the Americas, San Marco and I am moving in. 

Look at their library!!!!

This room was the meeting room of the order where they founded the university. From that pulpit, a PhD candidate would present their thesis to a panel of three jurors. You can't quite see it, but there was a little bench under the pulpit where the examiner would sit and ask questions. I'm defending my Thesis here. No arguments. 

St Roses' body is also in the crypt here. Her skull is over at the Church built next to her house which is now a convent. But before we got there, we went to this insanely  beautiful Baroque Jesuit church of San Pedro. 

Impressive no? Wait for it...

This is a side altar dedicated to St Ignatius, it is solid mahogany and festooned with Peruvian gold leaf. When the Jesuits were suppressed in the 18th Century, the church was closed for about  a century. By some miracle people forgot just how much gold was in here and did not loot the place. But my favourite was this side altar...

It's a Marian altar and it a bit younger than the rest of the church, making Rococo which is Baroque but on steroids.

So we then headed over to St Rose's Church. She came from a wealthy family and wanted to join the Dominicans but her family wouldn't hear of it. She practiced increasingly harsher penitence and self-mortification. She built herself a tiny anchorite cell...

And spent her days when she was not praying working in the infirmary. She fasted severely and physically pushed herself beyond any human tolerance dying at age 31 from turburculosis.

This is her skull in the Church:

We then had lunch which was awesome and then made our way to the cathedral for our last stop. The cathedral has been flattened by earthquakes and rebuilt about 3 times since Pizarro first built it at the insistence of the king. 

The cathedral has a museum displaying about 200 artefacts from people's homes donated to the Church, things like...

This nativity set.

Then we headed back to the retreat house absolutely dead, had mass and fought hard to stay awake and then dinner and bed. 

Tomorrow we see Lima's other side.