Chaos rules the roads

Traffic chaos in central Lima (not my photo)

The traffic here is really something else! I guess in a city of 9.5 million people there is bound to be a lot of traffic but Lima has all kinds of public transport, some of which is legal and most of which is not. I've been going to school in the mornings by taxi with Diana and her son Daniel. This might sound like an unnecessary luxury especially since there are any number of buses we could choose from but it is the easiest, fastest and probably the safest way of getting there. Add to that the fact that its nowhere near as expensive as in Scotland and I'm happy to travel in style! Our 10 minute taxi ride costs us only £2.00!

There's also the little mototaxis which are faster and cheaper in some areas of the city. Its like a motorbike with seats on the back. Its a bit of a bumpy ride but its exciting too, you see more of the city and they don't go too fast!

There's a bit of a knack to hailing a taxi in Lima. There are hundreds of them to choose from but not all drivers are trustworthy, many are not registered, to avoid paying taxes, and hardly any of them are regulated so you're putting your life into the hands of a potential driving maniac when getting into a taxi here. 

The other option is the bus. Well, that takes some describing! They are all brightly coloured and have the main stops painted on the sides. Easy no? They are also in various states ranging from brand new with comfy seats, to literally falling apart where you have to avoid falling into the hole in the floor and sit on a wooden bench squashed between  ten other people. There are probably thousands of buses in Lima from the little minibus style (called combis), the small buses (micros) and the big bus types (bus). The price you pay depends on where you're going but at its most expensive its only 2 soles (70p) to go from one side of the city to another. Travel is very cheap here but certainly comes with its adventures!

Combi in Lima (again not my photo)

Often bus drivers will race each other at break neck speeds along highways. First to the corner/bus stop, changing lanes and dodging pedestrians seems to be a great game for the driver and a real test of his skills at dodging other traffic. Its another story for anyone not used to it. If you're unlucky enough to be standing then its bus surfing for you as you try to keep your balance and avoid standing on anyone's toes while the bus driver shows off how fast he can drive and then do an emergency stop. 

If you survive this without falling on top of the unfortunate soul standing beside you then you'll probably need to use your gymnastics skills to battle your way off the bus because the conductors (combradores) like to play their own games: how many people can you squeeze into the bus at any one time.  Phew, travelling by bus is always an eventful experience and although I was terrified at first, it is growing on me (slowly)!

There's also the little mototaxis which are faster and cheaper in some areas of the city. Its like a motorbike with seats on the back. Its a bit of a bumpy ride but its exciting too, you see more of the city and they don't go too fast!

You can change the world for someone

On the 5th of April this year very heavy and unseasonal rain fell on the desert coast of Peru.  It's quite rare for it to rain here in Lima and the surrounding area at all so when it rained heavily it was very strange.  It didn't rain in the city at all but just 20km inland from Lima it rained for days. For some this rain would have been a welcome relief from the choking dust and arid climate of the coastal desert but for the people of the town of Chosica it was a disaster. The rain caused an avalanche of several thousand tons of rock and mud to pour down the hillsides above the town onto a poor area of Chosica, destroying everything in its path: houses, schools and shops. That day many people lost not only their homes but also their livelihoods.

When the children of San Andres heard about what happened they wanted to help in any way they could those who had lost everything. So they collected clothes, blankets and money and with the help of a contact in a christian school in Chosica, a small group of secondary pupils made the journey up the steep, rocky hillsides to the town and gave their gifts to these families.  They also arranged to buy and install 4 wooden houses which will provide replacement accommodation for families who have lost their homes.


Although I wasn't there, I know how much this small act of kindness and love will mean to these people because, sadly, during my stay here in Lima I have seen so many living in equal poverty. Sometimes I think it's impossible to change the world, enable children to go to school to learn, help those who are starving because of lack of food or dying because of dirty water or lack of health care and the idea that the work is impossible for me to do is a convenient excuse for doing nothing or a reason for being depressed about the state our world is in.  But the other day I read somewhere that "one person cannot change the world, but you can change the world for one person". Small acts of kindness and mercy like those of the San Andres pupils shows that this is so true. Too often I am tempted to think that to be a blessing and a help to those in great need I have to give money I don't have but giving shoes to a child who has none, a Bible to someone who can't afford to buy one, a blanket to a mother of newborn or your time to listen to the heartbreak of those who have no one to talk is enough to change the world for that person because they know that someone cares about them and sometimes that is just what they need to know. Poverty is only bound to this earth and we are reminded in the Bible that it is only a passing thing but our attitudes to it show whether we too are bound to this earth or whether we take our example from the one who said:

“Blessed are you who are poor,

    for yours is the kingdom of God. 

²¹ 

Blessed are you who hunger now,

    for you will be satisfied. 

Blessed are you who weep now,

    for you will laugh."

San Andres News

Father's Day - Día del Papa

Some cute little things in Kindergarten

I thought I should keep up to date with all the things that have been going on in San Andres in the last wee while especially since I have only a little time left here in Peru.  


On Friday we had a special breakfast in school for the fathers of all the primary and kindergarten children to celebrate Father's day! Peruvians really do celebrations in a big way whether that's a birthday, Christmas, Father's day or Mother's day or just a national holiday! So although the Father's celebrations were a lot less extravagant than the Mother's day ones, it was still quite a fuss for someone like me who isn't really used to having a party every few weeks! On saying that, there is a lot we could learn from the Peruvians about learning to appreciate our loved ones and making the most of what we have since the majority of us have so much more than many, many others.  On Friday the chaplain led a special service for all the "papas" reminding them of the role they play in the lives of their children and of the responsibilities they have as a father.  He also reminded us all that we should take our example from our Heavenly Father who is the perfect father and who cares for his children however old they are and however much they think they don't need Him.  

Feliz día papito - Happy Father's Day, Dad

Interhouse sports day

4th Grade races

On Thursday I spent the day at the race track in the Bohemian heart of Lima: Barranco.  The children had an Interhouse athletics competition which involved lots of very over excited children, quite chilly Lima winter weather and constant megaphone announcements about the next race on the track.  All the teachers were given jobs to do and myself and Rosa found we were in charge of the "lanzamiento pelota" or shot putt.  How difficult could that be I thought to myself as I prepared to mark the spot the ball landed in for our first competitor.  2 hours and many re-throws later as well as dodging the odd stray ball and getting a good workout getting them back, I was pretty exhausted! Luckily we did get a lunch break and the afternoon did go past a little faster than the morning since we were on race track duty! By the end of the day I don't know who was more tired the pupils or their poor teachers but I was sure glad I'm not a PE teacher!


My Assembly
Last Tuesday I faced my biggest fear (making a fool of myself in front of a Spanish speaking audience) by taking the primary assembly in school.  San Andres is a Christian school and so every morning we have a 20 minutes assembly where the children sing a few worship songs and one of the teachers leads us all in a Bible study to suit the children.  Well, I had been asked a few times by Clive (the headmaster) to take the assembly.  "It'll be a good experience for you" he said, "It'll be such a benefit for your Spanish" he said.  Very reluctantly I agreed simply because himself and his wife Ruth have been so good to me since I arrived here and I felt if I was going to make a fool of myself for anyone, it should be them!  Well, I am glad I did and it really wasn't as bad as I thought it would be although standing in front of a room of 400 native Spanish speakers and giving a talk in a language you're just learning was quite a nerve-racking experience but I felt a peace while I spoke which could only have come from God and I know that this was His will.  It also gave me a good idea of how I've improved in my Spanish as I could never have done that when I arrived 6 months ago.


Megan's Visit

Myself and Megan with our Anne of Green Gables style hats!

On Thursday Megan , another Scottish volunteer who worked at San Andres before Christmas and in Moyobamba at the Annie Soper school since, arrived in Lima on her way home to the states. Megan is a good friend of mine and I was happy to see her and share stories of how our time in Peru has unfolded. We went to the opera together on her last night here, visited the Ambassador for the Queen's jubilee celebrations and had a few Starbucks together (a kind of tradition for us) We spent a few days together and she left on Wednesday night bringing her 9 months in Peru to an end. I met Megan here in Lima in January just after I arrived and we've kept in touch since.  I spent a great week with her in Moyobamba in May and we plan to stay in touch when we're both back in Scotland in September. So it wasn't so much "Goodbye" but more "See you soon".
Her departure reminded me that I have just 4 weeks left here and the goodbyes I say then may really be goodbye.  How quickly time flies! (or maybe I'm just getting old). 


My Birthday
Speaking of getting old, I was 21 of the 3rd of June! I remember years ago, when I was still in school, chatting with friends about how we'd spent our 21st birthdays. I never dreamed I'd be spending in in Peru! I had a lovely day although I wished my family and friends at home could have shared it too. We went for a nice meal in a fancy restaurant in Miraflores called Vivaldinos.  Another year gone already and my time in Peru quickly coming to an end.  Sometimes it would be nice to have a pause button.  I wonder where I'll be 21 years from now, the future is unknown but God has been so good to me in the past year as He has always been and I can face the future knowing He will always walk by by side wherever I go.

Myself and some of the 3rd year girls

Happy Birthday San Andres!

Feliz Cumpleaños Colegio San Andres!

Some of the men who were celebrating 50 years
since graduating from San Andres

Today, the 13th of June 2012, is the 95th anniversary of San Andres and this is very exciting. The school has a long history and has been through many challenges as well as many good times over the years. Today we celebrate all that has made San Andres the great school it is.


On the 13th June 1917 the Anglo-Peruano was founded by a Scottish missionary called John Alexander Mackay, under the guidance of the Free Church of Scotland, to provide an education for the elite of Lima.  Many of the first students were sons of generals and politicians.  The Anglo-Peruano was founded upon Biblical teaching and continues to teach its student based on the Bible.  The school's motto became "El principio de la sabiduria es el temor a Jehova" or "The beginning of wisdom is the fear of the Lord". The school began as a boys primary school but grew steadily over the years.  In 1919 the school grew to include a secondary department with a total of 70 staff and 270 pupils.


In 1930 the school moved to its current location in the heart of the city of Lima (Avenida Petits Tours) although at that time the school was on the outskirts of the town  It was recognised by the president of Peru as one of the best academic institutions in Lima and the school continued to grow.  


In 1942, the Anglo-Peruano changed its name to what it is now known as: Colegio San Andres.  This was an order from the government because at that time, Europe was in the middle of the Second World War and although Peru was neutral and took nothing to do with it, there were fears that businesses with strong links to Britian could encourage problems.  San Andres has kept its name ever since.  This is very apt since the school has very strong links to Scotland and San Andres or Saint Andrew is the patron saint of Scotland.


In 1994 the school underwent more big changes with the introductions of mixed education. The school grew quickly as a result and new buildings were added to cope with the increase in pupils. A kindergarten section was added to the school meaning that San Andres now takes pupils from the age of 2 years to 16 years.


95 years after it all began and having faced financial problems that threatened to close the school, survived a World War, years of military dictatorship and many different headmasters, San Andres now has over 100 staff and 750 pupils from all areas of the city of Lima and from all backgrounds.  It still holds firmly to its Christian founding principles and is a steady shining light in a city with much poverty and corruption.  Today we celebrated all the blessings God has bestowed on this school and gave thanks for the blessing it has been to generations of young Peruvians.


Today the children had a day off school although the teachers still came in.  This morning we had a formal celebration ceremony with those who graduated 50 years ago and 25 years ago to the day from San Andres.  The school's history was recounted and we all looked at photos together of the school as it has changed over the years. I couldn't help but think as we looked at the old photos of what John Mackay, the school's founder, would have thought if he'd be there. I'm sure he'd be very happy to see how the school has grown and how much of a blessing it has been to the community it serves but most importantly that it has stuck by its principles when sometimes that has not been easy.

3 cakes!!!

This afternoon was great! We all headed to a fancy restaurant in Miraflores for a lovely lunch Peruvian style! By the end of it all we could hardly move but unfortunately Megan had a plane to catch so off we went to the airport.  I waved Megan off tonight and couldn't help thinking how fast time has gone by since I arrived in Peru in January. I only have 1 month left before I too will be making my own jounrey to the airport for the last time and saying goodbye to all the wonderful friends I've made here.  Better make the most of it!

A beautiful boquet sent by a nearby school

Diamond Jubilee celebration in Lima

The Queen's diamond jubilee has been a big deal in the UK from what I'm hearing but we've had our own celebrations here in Peru too! A few weeks ago I logged into my emails to find an email from the British Consulate in Lima.  Oh oh I thought, what if something has gone wrong with my visa or something else along these lines.  I opened the e-mail to find it was an invitation to a diamond jubilee celebration at the British Ambassador's residence here in Lima!  

Cake competition entries

I was 12 years old and in primary school when the queen visited Stornoway on her Golden Jubilee tour of the Hebrides.  I remember all the excitment and special security in place on that day and how lovely the queen looked in her pink suit and hat.  We stood at the town hall and waved little Union Jacks while the queen collected lots of floral tributes and thanked us for coming. I would never have guessed then that 11 years on I would be celebrating her diamond jubilee in Peru!


Yesterday was the big day! Myself, Charmian and her husband Dennis and Megan (who arrived back from Moyobamba on Thursday night) went to the British Ambassador's residence for a buffet lunch to commemorate the Queen's diamond jubilee.  It was a bit of a jounrney there since we stay in the opposite side of the city and Saturday afternoon traffic in Lima is terrible.  We ended up getting lost looking for the car drop off point and had to be given directions by a friendly looking "vigilante".  By the time we made it to the point where we were supposed to meet the private car that was to take us to the Ambassador's house, we were pretty late but thankfully we weren't the only ones to have fallen victim to the Lima traffic!

Beautiful flower table decorations

We were escorted to the residence where we had identity checks and then welcomed to the party with a little paper cone of fish and chips! It was fantastic and better was to come.  We arrived just as the choir of the United British Schools of Lima were in the middle of their performance.  They sung really well and we had a chance to meet the other Brits in Lima.  After a quick speech by the Ambassdor we were all invited to sit and enjoy the buffet.


I was happy to see there food was mostly British (made a nice change) and there was more than enough for everyone.  We sat outside in the lawns of the Ambassador's house with the sandy peaks of the smallest foothills of the Andes in the background and Union Jack banners waving in the breeze to reminds of where we came from, There was a cake competition and a quiz of Great Britian which our team did very poorly in (perhaps we should have listened better in history class!) We had a lovely time meeting new people and catching up with others we hadn't seen in a while.  The time passed fast and all too soon it was over and we were back battling the Lima rushhour traffic but it was a lovely way to spend the Queen's Diamond Jubilee.  We felt part of the celebrations even though 6000 miles and an ocean separate us from where we call home!

In celebration of the Union Jack

Breakfast with the Ambassador

Yesterday the British Ambassador to Peru, James Dauris, visited the school to take the secondary school assembly and answer the questions of the some of the 4th and 5th year students.  He spoke of the economic problems facing the United Kingdom at the moment and ongoing trouble with Argentina over ownership of "Las Malvinas" or the Falkland Islands as well as the celebrations for the Queen's diamond jubilee and the Olympic games 2012 due to start soon in UK.  The students had some good and very mature questions and the visit seemed to have gone very well.  It was the Ambassador's first visit to Colegio San Andres and a great honour for the school as it prepares to celebrate its 95th anniversary on the 13th June 2012.  The school has long established links to the UK and especially to Scotland.  On the 13th June 1917 the Anglo-Peruano was founded by Scottish missionaries to provide accommodation for the elite in Lima.  95 years on and having faced financial problems that threatened to close the school and having survived a world war and many different headmasters, the Anglo-Peruano is now called Colegio San Andres (Saint Andrew's School) after the patron saint of Scotland and has grown in size to 750 pupils from all areas of the city of Lima and from all backgrounds.  It still holds firmly to its christian founding principles and is a steady shining light in a city with much poverty and unrest.  Next week we celebrate the anniversary of the school with celebratory parties and meals as well as speeches from former pupils and a photo display of the school through the ages.  Hopefully San Andres will still be here 95 years from now still providing a christian education for the children of Lima.

After the Ambassador's assembly I, being one of the few British staff members of the school, was invited to have breakfast with the director of the school and the ambassador as well as a lovely Scottish lady who has been a teacher in the school for many many years and the school chaplain!  We shared a lovely breakfast and chatted about British foreign policy (don't mention the Falklands said Clive, the headmaster!) and the Queen's diamond jubilee as well as British influence in Peru and Latin America in general.  It was quite a privilege to have breakfast with an ambassador and although I hadn't really a clue what to say and tried hard not to show my ignorance I really enjoyed the experience.  It's not everyday you get to have breakfast with the British Ambassador!

Afternoon tea in prison

"Remember those in prison as if you were there yourself"

Yesterday I had the privilege of visiting a woman's prison here in Lima.  Santa Monica prison is in the area of Lima known as Chorillos and is a maximum security prison holding, amongst others, suspected terrorists.  I had never visited a prison before let alone a maximum security facility and so I really didn't know what to expect when I got there.  We had lunch in a restaurant opposite the prison doors and bought some bread, cheese and ham to give to the women in the prison then at 2pm when the visiting hour starts, we had to line up outside a huge cast iron door and wait to be ushered inside.  I was with my friend Miriam and another girl visiting from England but I was pretty nervous about the visit.  After 15 or so minutes the door opened and we were called into a small, dark room where we had to show our passports and leave our belongings.  We weren't allowed any cameras, mobile phones or watches or jewellery inside the building and we had to wear skirts in case we had to be strip searched! 


Our passport numbers were logged onto the prison system and we were given three ID tattoos and a number.  We then went into a room and were searched for anything illegal including mobile phones and after passing this test we were allowed into the prison.  As we stepped inside the prison confines and the door to the outside world closed behind us, I felt a bit nervous and slightly claustrophobic.  I didn't know how safe the place was or who we'd find there.  

Our security tattoos

Miriam goes to Santa Monica every week and so knew immediately what to do and where to go.  We followed her past row upon row of tiny dark cells till in the last cell of the block we stopped and Miriam called someone's name.  Out of the darkness of the cell emerged two women and at first I thought they might be guards.  I had no idea they were inmates and was surprised by their friendliness and warm welcome.  They seemed so pleased to see us that I was quite touched!  They invited us into their "room" and showed us what had become home for them.  There were two bunk beds and a tiny area curtained off with a toilet.  All their worldly possessions lay on their bunks or on two small shelves on the wall.  Except for the beds and the toilet there was no other furniture.  The doors were padlocked from the outside every night at 9pm and opened at 6am.  If there was an earthquake nobody could escape.  The cell was tiny and dark and very claustrophobic so we sat outside in the patio.


Fanny and Cecilia, as the women were called, made us coffee out of their meagre rations and we chatted about all sorts of things as more and more women took an interest in the "foreigners" and came to see what was going on.  All the ladies we spoke to were very open with us and shared their life stories.  I was surprised by how warm they were.  Cecilia and Fanny were long term members in the prison.  Fanny had already been there 16 years and Cecilia 14 and had sentences of 25 years each.  Fanny became a christian in prison because of missionary volunteers who run a Bible study and her peace and the love she has for others was evident.  She said she believed that in God's time she would have her freedom and that He had forgiven her.  Cecilia was a quiet lady but opened her heart to us and told us so much of what life was like in prison.  She wasn't a christian and was often very depressed and spoke with such hopelessness that it was emotionally difficult to hear her story.


The ladies explained that hardly anyone ever leaves Santa Monica because most women have very long sentences but every week more and more are arriving and there's no room.  In some cells there are two bunks and a third person sleeps on the concrete floor with a blanket.  The penal system in Peru is very corrupt and most of the women have already been in prison years before their case in heard in court.  As political prisoners accused of terrorism, their convictions are not often based on evidence but on the intuition of the judge.  Sentence lengths often do not reflect the crime committed.  Sentences are very rarely shortened and even good behaviour and effort in studies doesn't count for anything.  


There are not only women in Santa Monica but children too.  Children born to women in prison stay with their mothers till their 3rd birthday and are then sent out to life with family/friends or in orphanages if they have no one.  I can't imagine how awful the pain must be for the women who have to give up their children and how terrifying the experience must be for the little children who don't understand why their mums can't come with them.  When it was time to leave, Fanny produced a present for each of us that the ladies had made in their workshops in prison.  


Both myself and Verity felt very emotional when we said our goodbyes and the door closed behind us locking them in and letting us walk out to the freedom of life outside the confines of the prison wall.  It was an experience I will never forget and although it was at times emotionally draining, I am glad I went.


It would be easy to think that a place like Santa Monica is a lifeless, souless and hopeless place but amazingly that is not always the case.  God is working among the prison community of Santa Monica in a powerful way and many of the ladies go to the weekly Bible study. This made our trip a great experience. God is working miracles in the lives of those who nothing and His limitless mercy forgiveness is clearer to see here than probably anywhere else in this city.

Lines of family waiting to visit the ladies
 in Santa Monica prison (not my photo)