Especially sweet
On St. Rosa of Lima eve
Flowed the cabernet
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Tag Archives: peru
Sounds in Silence
The house I moved into in Lima, Peru
Is not rather old nor is hardly that new.
The floors are of concrete, the walls made of brick,
New wall-to-wall windows that close with a click.
Yet still I hear sounds like an old wooden floor
When I rise from my bed and I head toward the door
of the bathroom to assure me that nothing is leaking.
I realize then ’tis my knees that are creaking.
Almost
I almost had a new student last week. Almost.
Here in Lima I am beginning my own business as a teacher of English. I would like it to expand to reading and writing instruction as well but what Peruvians want most is to be able to hold conversations in English and pass standardized tests such as the TOEFL. OK, I can help with that.
With business cards printed I began to advertise in local shops by pinning my card to bulletin boards and talking to some of the shop owners. I don’t want to advertise too far away because traffic here is a bear!
Later that afternoon the phone rang. An unknown number on my new cell phone! It must be a new student; wow, that was quick! I just put the cards up.
“Where are you? I am here in Calle 10. Can I come over now?” the voice on the other end asked rather urgently.
Because I am on 10th street too I answered, “Sure, let’s meet by the flag poles out front in the park.”
A few minutes later we were sitting on the park bench out front discussing English. “Tell me a bit about yourself,” I began.
“I am originally from the Dominican Republic and I am here in Peru with a construction company. The bosses at the company want me to learn English; it is the only way I can rise to the next level. Right now I know hardly any English so I want to start as soon as possible.”
We discussed how best to get started and decided on one hour a day every day Monday through Friday. Then he pulled out his wallet. He wanted to pay me in advance for next week’s classes. I felt uncomfortable with that. When I lived in Chile and began my English teaching business there I found that there were students with whom I could not work so I wanted to have at least one class before any money exchanged hands. As I listened, I also wondered if he were really a Dominican. I lived with a Dominican for three years and this voice sounded different.
The Dominican was rather insistent. He opened his wallet showing two hundred dollar bills saying, “If I pay now I will be more committed to the work of learning English.”
“Sir, I won’t take any money today and I don’t have change.” I was more insistent. “Let’s meet on Monday and see how things go.”
“OK.” We shook hands and he continued on his way.
On Monday evening I showed up at the appointed time and place. No one was there. I called the number he had given me. Wrong number. I almost had a new student. Almost.
What happened, you ask? After many conversations with family and friends here in Lima we came to the conclusion that the Dominican wanted to pay me with counterfeit bills and receive the change in real Peruvian money. I was on the wrong end of a scam. Almost.
Lima Sky: Panza de Burro
Speaking with someone here in Lima, Peru I asked about the weather. You see, my experience of Lima has generally been in the winter months (June, July, August). During that time the sky is usually gray and the sun is rarely seen. Now it is spring and the sky is still mostly gray.
When I asked about the summer months and the presence or absence of the sun I was told, “No, el cielo panza de burro se cambia en el verano. En el verano hay sol y hace calor.” That means, ‘No, the sky that looks like the belly of a burro changes in the summer. In the summer there is sun and it is hot.”
I was so glad to hear that I will see more sun and I loved the description of the sky: panza de burro/ belly of a burro (also known as a donkey).
Travel Article 2
Part 1: Introduction
What is the goal of the introduction? http://goo.gl/QJmVUU
How do I start?
- In the middle of it all 1 * In the middle of it all 2
- You know/ You don’t know 1 * You know/ You don’t know 2 * You know/ You don’t know 3
- A wondering, a question 1 * A wondering, a question 2 * A wondering, a question 3
1 more way to begin…
Let’s Get Started
1. Name of the place you will be writing about (e.g. Minnesota)
2. 1st introduction: You know/ You don’t know
Minnesota, located in the United States along its northern border with Canada, is known for cold, bone chilling cold and -40ºF wind chills. As a matter of fact, International Falls, Minnesota is called The Nation’s Icebox! Did you know, though, that Minnesota is also the land of 10,000 lakes for fishing, swimming and water skiing? (And water skiing was actually invented in Minnesota!) Here are some beautiful summer places to explore Minnesota.
3. 2nd introduction: In the middle of it all
As I ride my bike around Lake Harriet in the heart of Minneapolis I hear the sounds of Jazz coming from the bandshell and the ropes clanging against the sailboat masts. A group of runners pass me going in the opposite direction making way for the older couple out for an evening stroll. This is summer in Minneapolis and I have only begun to taste what summer in Minnesota has to offer.
Now in Peru!
Last Thursday night we arrived in Lima, Peru! This will be home for the foreseeable future.
We have been enjoying the company of family and friends; we have been searching out places to live; we have been learning from and working with some amazing people; we have been looking for and creating work, ways to share what we know while continuing to grow in knowledge.
There are amazing possibilities in this city of 10 million! If you are looking for a literacy/ language teacher and coach please let me know; I would love to talk to you about the possibilities.
Empanada Recipe
Ingredients
2 pounds ground beef
2 or 3 chopped onions
3 or 4 chopped garlic cloves
2 T oil
½ c raisins
¼ t paprika
½ t cumin
½ t oregano
1 t salt
½ t pepper
1 can of black olives
4 hard-boiled eggs
1 beaten egg
(All of the spice quantities can change according to your taste.)
For the filling…
Soak the raisins in hot water for about an hour. In a large frying pan fry the ground beef in the oil until browned. Add the chopped onions and minced garlic and cook until the onions are mostly transparent. Add cumin, oregano, salt, pepper and paprika (optional) and cook for three minutes. Let the filling cool (overnight in fridge or just a few hours until cool). Slice the eggs.
Dough for the crust
3 c flour
1 t salt
1 t baking powder
¼ c melted shortening
¼ c melted butter
¾ c warm milk + ¼ c warm water (or 1 c warm milk)
Mix the flour with the salt and baking powder. Add the shortening, butter, milk and water. Mix well, kneading until soft and flexible but not sticky. Let rest for ½ hour and divide into 16 portions, ready for rolling out. (This number is flexible depending on the size of your empanadas)
To fill the crust…
Pre-heat the oven to 400º F.
With a rolling pin stretch each piece of dough and cut into a circle. Begin filling the empanadas by putting the meat mixture in the middle of the dough; then add one slice of egg, a few raisins and 2 olive halves. Wet the edges of the dough and close the dough, flipping over one half onto the other half and pinch the now moistened edges. Lightly brush each empanada with raw egg (beaten). Poke each empanada with a fork a few times, this reduces the inside pressure when cooking and helps prevent bursting at the seams.
Place on cookie sheet and bake for 20 minutes (until golden brown). Let cool a bit before eating.
Yum!
Mollendo, Peru
Waking up in Mollendo, Peru.
Cusco
Better than Bilingual
In the New York Times I found…
“But if being bilingual is good, what about being trilingual, as so many people in India are? Or even quadrilingual?
“That’s hardly unusual in India, where someone may, speak, say, Punjabi and Hindi with their father’s family, Bengali with their mother’s and Hindi and English with their spouse and children. India’s 2001 census lists 122 languages, and bi- or trilingualism is so assumed that the census questionnaires ask respondents for their first, second and third languages.
“Almost 20 percent of India’s population, some 240 million people, is multilingual, and millions are trilingual. (Sri Lanka, meanwhile, has proclaimed 2012 the “Year for a Trilingual Sri Lanka.”)”
So, what about that! Can you imagine that happening in the United States where we have a candidate telling the people of Puerto Rico that they need to learn English? I long for the day when bilingual is so common that to be special you need to be trilingual.
Me? I am only bilingual. Me parece un buen principio. Después tendré que aprender Quechua o Aymara.
S. T. Fleming 