Qoya and Sihaur

Friday Sept 26
Had a lovely breakfast at the Qoya Guest house...typical Peruvian fare..Maté de cocca tea, pan and avocado. As I walked across the plaza to the clinic I heard someone calling my name...an odd thing to happen... Lourdes a Peruvian Sister of the Holy Names is here doing parish work.  She will join our team on Monday with Brigid Bauman.  I had the honor of joining her last year at some of her projects in Lima.  She is trying to offer some early childhood development classes and parenting classes.

Then I met Guido and two friends of this to drive up into the mountains to a very remot and poor village.  They have raised money to buy a 15 passenger van to transport the kids of highschool age to a regional HS.  The village has a primary school but the older kids cannot afforda taxi everyday so they have been dropping out of school.
When we arrived we were greeted and escorted up to the soccer pitch where the village had assembled.  The kids were lined up to dance and sing. The elders and school official gathered.  This was to honor Guido and Carlos for helping the village...I wanted to go sit on the side lines away from the lime light...but no i also became an honored guest. Guido introduced me as a nurse from the United States. The women of the village processed up and sprinkled confetti over our heads which is a ritual of welcome.  Then the kids sang the national anthem.  There were 4 or 5 different performances then some speeches. Then Guido in a reciprocal act played the accordion ...which prompted the older kids to come over and ask us to dance...Lordy Lordy ....and not even with the benifit of alcohol ....but there was no declining to be had...
Then they presented us with theses beautiful handmade scarves.  I thought we were done but no....we were accompanied up to the library where we were to be fed...."organic" "farm to table meal" 1/2 a  cui, a whole trout, 3 potatoes, and coke a cola....oh did I mention there were no utensils...or that cui is guinea pig.
This feast was then followed by a wild ride down the mountain...the taxi driver was taking a short cut...the road...think over grown cow path....and the cows did not want to share the road...in fact when the driver honked the horn one turned around and squared off and stared at us. Also imagine "S" curve turns....many where you can not see where the road is going...looks like you will fly off the road into the air.  Closed my eyes and held on...and prayed that I would not lose my life on a road in the Andes...phew I get another day.
I was then met by Meri Paz and Appo and their new baby Eduardo ...oh stinkin cute.
!!!