Manuel's house & Carapulcrada...Solo un poquito mas

Hola Amigos! Hoy les resumo rapidamente lo que ha pasado en estos ultimos dias. El Domingo 26 de Octubre organizamos los voluntarios/amigos, los ninos y yo, una gran carapulcrada, que mas alla de resultar o no rentable, fue muy divertida, reunio a mis ninos, a mis vecinos, a las senoras expertas carapulcreras; y le dio una oportunidad a mi comunidad a vivir y crear algo juntos.....esto fue lo verdaderamente significativo sobre nuestra carapulcrada! Como es tradicion aca cocinamos a lenha, en cocinas de adobes fuera de mi casa....en esta actividad todas las manos contaban, y mi vecina Sofia y mis ninos fueron los primeros en llegar a ayudar con la cocinada...gracias muchachos!!!! Andy, Roger, Michelle y Rosae tambien se levantaron muy temprano y apesar del cansancio se pusieron a moler especies, alimentar el fuego, mover aderezos, cuidar las ollas para q no se queme la comida.....fue un dia lleno de detalles pequenhos e importantes........este dia por ejemplo escuche a mis vecinas darme sus versiones de como se hace la carapulcra, aprendi algun secretillo para q no se quemen las cebollas y aumente el fideo, y tuvimos todo un debate sobre si poner o no, cuanto, y cuando , el caldo de pollo...yack!!!....fue un dia lleno de aroma, sabor, color, movimiento, pero sobre todo, fue un dia lleno de esfuerzo colectivo, de ganas de que muchos hagan algo juntos y bien por el bien de otros, fue un dia lleno de comunidad...gracias a todos mis vecinos, a mis amados ninos, y a mis queridos amigos/voluntarios por estar ahi para ayudarme y no dejarme sola con esos 5 pollos que me atormentaron tanto....mi amor les agradece a todos por crear este maravilloso y sabroso dia juntos......!!!

Michelle stirring and stirring and stirring

Michelle moviendo el aderezo par q no se queme

los ninos y yo pelando las 80,000 papas que hervimos...ok no eran tantas

Kids and i peeling way too many potatoes we boiled...man they were a lot!

Olla lista para el ajo...

Pot ready for garlic ...

Andy making sure food didn't burn...he was definitely thinking about the chiken broth or the onions which should have gone in first...jaja

Andy asegurandose que la comida no se queme...preocupado por las cebollas o el caldo seguramente...

Michelle grinding hot peppers and peanuts
Michelle moliendo ajies y mani

Carapulcra Chinchana para el Mundo!!!

Carapulcra will take over the world one day!

Roger grinding Peanuts...ummmm

Roger moliendo mani

Mi Erickson pelando papas...

Erickson peeling potatos

Junior, Giampi, Joel, y Angelo Chiquito lavando los pollos...guacatela!!!

Kids washing the chickens up...yuck! I am soooo glad my kids did this!

Rosae, Gera, Mirtha, Junior, Melcho and Angelo working on the potatos...go potato team!!

Cocinando la Carapulcra el domingo pasado

Andy and I cooking Carapulcra to sell and raise funds

Let's finish this house! & nuevo/new look!

Hello World! Today I just wanted to update you on where we are with the house, and talk to you a bit more personally about the position I find myself in presently, the decisions I am making, and the need I have these days to believe in that which says "Ask and you shall receive".....so, here it goes.... I have been working in Chincha for a year and two months now and while I am quite proud of all the wonderful things La Casa De Mayten has accomplished to date as an independent, ethical, committed, creative social project; I must admit that every day here has been a struggle to find resources and meet the endless needs of people. I have never worked harder in my life, and feel like I have lived and worked 10 years worth this past year alone. I came back to the South of America in late April of 2007, to establish a cultural/educational community project in Cusco. All my savings, professional experience, and energy were reserved to develop this project I had been dreaming about in the states for some time. I never expected the turn my life would take so quickly and drastically...of all places, an earthquake had to hit the town I grew up in, and had to happen just when I had returned to Peru after 16 years of being away.Granted, I came back to Peru to work with poor communities and felt I was prepared for the many challenges ahead; but nothing could have prepared me, for the tsunami of needs I was bombarded with, upon arriving in Chincha 6 days after the earthquake hit.

Tory getting that little concrete wall thing off!

Roger, our booggie and the pit!

Andy making the kitchen brick wall for the sink

It was crazy here! So, needless to say, my life and priorities changed ALOT over night. However, despite the needs I found and find here still, my little humble grass roots effort to be and bring balance, opportunity, possibility, and alternative to the people of Chincha continues to grow, and with help from many wonderful volunteer/friends, it continues to meet its many goals and surpass every expectation I have in terms of the tangible impact La Casa De Mayten can have on people and communities. I can't tell you adequately how particularly challenging and rewarding these past few months have been, but I can tell you that resource wise, meeting every goal I've set for La Casa De Mayten big or small from the beginning has been a constant bitter-sweet experience. I have exhausted all of my personal resources, and my last energy reservoir is quickly diminishing.I kicked off the building of Manuel and Rosaura's home just 5 days after my big 1 year earthquake anniversary ceremony, and only 10 days after my kids and I returned from our trip to Cusco. The trip was a dream but raising the funds, organizing the agenda of activities, exchange programs, food, hotel, tickets, etc etc and just taking care of 20 human beings 24/7 as they climbed exciting deadly mountains, dealt with altitute sickness and more, took everything out of me...my battery was on low then...

Michelle and I digging and removing adobes

Abel and Rosae laying adobes and making the new back walls

Tory & Abe making quincha wall

But Manuel and Rosaura's home had to be rebuilt and no one other than I was willing to do it, so, I kicked off the Manuel and Rosaura construction project. We had entered our second adobe making week when I was told my beloved Martin, my brother-like cousin, was quite ill..learning this shook up my world for different reasons and forced me to deal with a difficult situation in the midst of making adobes and building a house...I left to the states for 10 days and 40 minutes after my arrival in New York's Presbyterian Hospital, and after withstanding unhuman amounts of pain, my beautiful Tin died.....I felt something in me go with him....on this day, I got to hold my boy like I used to when he was little and I started thinking about important decisions I needed to make....

Andy and Roger making quincha walls

Abe and Roger working the quincha

So, here I am today, Friday, October 24th, fighting against time, exhaustion, an a serious lack of resources to finish this construction project, which is only a few details away from being completely done, and I need to again do something I actually don't enjoy which is ask for help....I need HELP...HELP! HELP! HELP!...I am asking with all my faith in life, nature, energy and human beings! I NEED TO RAISE FUNDS URGENTLY! I NEED MONETARY DONATIONS TO COMPLETE THE ELECTRIC CONNECTIONS, RENDERING, PLUMBING, SEPTIC PIT AND WATER TANK CONNECTIONS, PAINTING, AND FLOORING of Manuel and Rosaura's house. I would also like to raise funds to buy 4 internal doors which I can not buy now and will need to cover with curtains.....the guys and I are making and selling chocotejas (Chincha's signature sweets) to raise some funds, and I will have a Carapulcrada (Traditional Chinchana food sale) this Sunday, Oct. 26 also to raise some funds. I have accrued a debt with a volunteer's parents who gave me a loan to buy construction materials and I must pay them back soon.....

As you can see, somewhere in between cooking, emailing, organizing fund raising activities, breaking adobe walls, and finding new donors, I chopped off most of my hair...I had been dying to cut it and a couple of days ago, I decided it was time and did it myself :)...I liked what I did with it, but Rosae added his energy and gave my hair a bit more life...thanks Rosae! I love not feeling all that hair AND saving on shampoo and conditioner! SO, how do you like it???.....

we recently calculated costs for what remains to be done, and we do not have enough, even with the loan I received....I need help.....life seems to want me to make some shifts and turns, and it is pushing me to make important decisions about what I am doing presently....help me make responsible decisions with your support....If you would like to donate, you can make a deposit to my Chincha, US Dollars, Banco De Credito Del Peru account..

Friends who have donated in the past, thank you for your trust and support.. it means a great deal to me! If you are able to, please consider donating again no matter how small the amount....those of you who have not donated yet, please consider doing so...I am sure past volunteers would not mind speaking to you about the experience of working here and the need people have especially children for La Casa De Mayten to continue....workshops with my kids continue as we build Manuel's house, and my work with them continues to be the corner stone of my project...my kids, their progress and our growing relationship are essential to me and the injection that fuels me to do what I do.....extraordinary things continue to be created constantly at La Casa de Mayten by my kids and every cell of my body could not feel more proud of all we (my kids, volunteers, parents, donors and I) have done in the year and two months in Chincha. Thank you.....Gracias! Mayten

Fundraising, Chocotejas, El Carmen and more, y mas mucho mas..

My English workshop Sunday oct 18
Mi Taller de ingles Oct 18

Practicing their A..B...C..'s
Practicando el abecedario....en Ingles

Haciendo chocotejas para vender y recaudar fondos...compren chocotejas!
Making chocotejas to raise funds!!

Yo limpiando cana brava con Rosae, y Michelle
Cleaning bamboo sticks for the roof with Michelle and Rosae

Curing my Paloma
Curando a mi amada Paloma

R & R at work!...OOOOO SEXY!!!!
Roger y Rosae trabajando en pelotas!..jajaj..Sho soy sexy...sexy...sexy..sexy!

Tory putting a layer of mud on the roof
Tory poniendo barro en el techo

the guys pealing pecans for our chocotejas fundraising
Los muchachos pelando pecanas para preparar chocotejas

Michelle y Abe cubriendo el techo de Barro
Michelle and Abel covering the roof with a layer of mud

Andy making the roof
Andy construyendo el techo

Lorenzo, Rosae, Roger, Michelle and I at El Carmen
los muchachos y yo en El Carmen en una fiesta de Lorenzo

Durmiendo en Roger
Michelle and I sleeping on Roger

Just chilling on Roger
Relajandonos encima de Roger

Chocotejas anyone? they're for a good cause!!!! don't they look GRRRRREAT?
las chocotejas que hicimos para recaudar fondos!

Making chocotejas...haciendo chocotejas



Tory and Huesitos showing each other some love!
Huesitos y Tory...q lindos se ven dandose carinho..

Roger enjoying his bike ride
Roger disfrutando su paseo

Rosae haciendo musica con los ninos
Rosae making music with our kids