Yesterday we bade farewell to our family in Ollanta and had a beautiful drive through the Sacred Valley back to Cusco. We are taking care of a few things here and heading to Lima on Tuesday morning where we will be visiting relatives and taking care of some paperwork for the land that Mariana´s family has in Lima. Since the weather is horrendous in Lima this time of year, actually most of the year, it will be fine sitting around and talking to people. I am also looking forward to going to some good museums there.
It´s nice to be back in Cusco and have the amenities we appreciate in developed countries, like hot water and indoor bathrooms. Our Ollanta family consists of three poeople - Petronila (72), Rene (47) and little Rafeala (11). Petronila is a bundle of energy, always in constant motion, running rather than walking. She cooks for the family, does the laundry and other household chores and has a little stand at the Plazaleta crafts market around the corner from the house which she seems to enjoy for the social interaction as she rarely makes more than a few dollars. Rene says she sells things to cheaply and the other vendors còmplain about her all the time but since she is hard of hearing, she isn´t aware of the gossip. Rene is a primary school teacher and also a drama coach for a local drama group. She takes care of the family financially, on a limited salary. Rafaela is in the 6th grade and was a promising student of Rene´s a few years ago. Apparently her family couldn´t afford to keep her in school so Rene is sponsoring her education. She also keeps Petronila company and helps with household chores...a lot. Mariana and I sprung her from work duty a lot while we were there and she loved walking around town with us, going with me to meetings and appointments, and sitting in the plaza cafes drinking Inca colas. We both really enjoyed getting to know this family, and even the dogs ran down the street to welcome us home.
More later
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