Peruvian Food- A treasure to be discovered

Read an eye opening article at http://perufood.blogspot.com/2007/06/washington-post-if-you-havent-tried.html. I can hardly wait!!!!!!!!

Macchu Picchu from Goggle

The last time I was in this beautiful place, I was 7 years old. It will be amazing to see it again as an adult.

Cuzco pictures from Goggle

My sister and I went to elementary school in Cuzco while my father was stationed there as the National Supervisor for the Peruvian Ministry of Agriculture. I think we went to two schools: Colegio Maria Auxiliadora and the other was a school by the Dominican nuns. As I write this, I begin to wonder if Maria Auxiliadora was only in Puno and the school of the Dominican nuns was in Cuzco. The two people whose minds could could help me are gone. My mother has senile dementia and lives in a special care facility in Dallas. My father passed away a few years ago after a two year battle with Parkinsons. It will be nice to connect to the few family and friends we still have in Peru to find pieces of my life. I love to do this in order to share Peruvian heritage and roots with my son Brian,his future wife Julia, and my niece Su Lan who was a gift to our family via China. We have family from my mother's side in Lima (Hernan, Beto,Charito,Cecilia, tio Victor,Olguita,and Eloy) and in a beutiful city called Arequipa (Carmelita, Mamina, my cousin Lucho lives in Los Angeles). From my father's side, my relatives live in a city called Huancayo where I lived when I was very young (Tio Edi and Tia Numida are the only ones left, Mamai-my favorite aunt- and tia Nelly are now gone. My other uncle, Guillermo lives in New Hampshire.) I have wonderful memories of my grandparents haciendas: Rupac. Molinos and Bellavista. I will love to see what the house my grandfather built dreaming to have all his family members and their families together in Batanyaco, Huancayo looks like now. The house where I spent great times with my Mamai is a Tourist Hotel now. My Papaito and Mamamama were a couple of great vision. I am afraid I am not going to have time for that this year because my sister Florchi has to work from her Lima office. I have kept in touch with a few high school friends (Teresa, Patti, and Paquita). My sister. Florchi, has a group of high school friends she keeps in touch and an amazing group of college friends (Maria Fe, Roxana, Coqui). Florchi graduated from the Catholic University of Peru.http://www.pucp.edu.pe/content/index.php. I attended Lima University http://www.ulima.edu.pe/ but left Peru as a married woman of 20 years old to attend and graduate from OU http://www.ou.edu/.

Lima Pictures from Goggle

We will stay in the area of Lima called San Isidro at a home of a friend of my sister Florchi. We lived in Lima since I was in the third grade. We attended Colegio de Jesus by the Dominican nuns. We lived in an area called Pueblo Libre. Two years ago, Florchi and I returned to Lima after 20+ years of absence and my house was a building where three families lived. Before Lima, my father's job as an engineer for the Ministry of Agriculture took us to Huanuco, Puno, and Cuzco. We lived about two years in each place. I had the fortune to begin my elementary school in Huanuco, then we went to Puno and Cuzco until finally we reached my city of birth, Lima where I lived until I graduated from high school. Then I went to Arequipa to the Catholic University, but stopped my studies to become the 1974 AFS student from Peru to Casady School www.casady.org in Oklahoma City

Plans to Peru

I am looking forward to sharing my family trip to introduce my son Brian and his fiancee Julia to their Peruvian Family. I will also share my research for a possible Global Education project for my students at Casady School: Entrepreneurial Arts Empowered Service-Learning in the region of Ollantaytambo Peru. Casady Challenge 20/20 students have worked with a school in the area. The school had a Walk the World Ollantaytambo'2005. The school received in 2006 a YAC copy of the book High Noon, 20 Global Problems and 20 Years to solve them. We sent a PP of our understanding of the book but they did not send their understanding. It will be nice to meet the director of the program and see the possibilities for an exploratory trip next June 2008.

The goal of this "fact finding site visit" is to research the possibilities of service work that will teach the Cyclones about arts in the Ollantaytambo area of Peru and work with a partner school there. I hope Cyclones will help promote the native arts and provide sustainable change in the area where we will be working.

I do not know what to expect, but I am going with very good critics: Mark, Brian,Julia, Florchi, Joe, and Sulan.

Itinerary:

Lima Sightseeing with Relatives
1st day: Charito-airport-San Isidro:Calle Uno, 421 Dpto. 3A. Corpac San Isidro, 226-1073
2nd day: Hernan-lunch, Brisas del Titicaca-Dinner
3rd day: Beach day at Charito's house

Cuzco, Ollantaytambo, Macchu Picchu
4th day: Trip to Cuzco-Ollantaytambo stay at www.elalbergue.com
5th day: Ollantaytambo stay-visit quechua textile villages, and Oscar Olazabal-School in Peru partner facilitator
6th day: Macchu Picchu by day. Evening in Cuzco via train: www.amaruhostal.com (San Blas Artistic District)
Lima
7thth day: Cuzco by day, Return to Lima in the afternoon- Evening Reception at Roxana's
8th day: Caballos de Paso Riding with Coqui and Family,Punta Negra on the way, Dinner at Cecilia's
9th day: Lima sightseeing-part of the family returns to USA. Lunch at Chelita's, Dinner at Roxana's, Marinera classes
10th day: Lima Research-part of the family returns to USA, Day with Roxana. Marinera classes
11th day: Lima sightseeing with family and friends
12th day: Lima Schools? Lima sightseeing
13th day: Return to the USA