There's Such a lot of World to See

"Moon River," Andy Williams

Peru: Day 1 and 2

Yesterday I got back from Peru. The trip was just incredible; so full of activities and ruins and history and memories. There's no way I can accurately and fully describe it in words or pictures, but I'll do my best...
Marisa, Natalie, and I took a group of 6 kids. They spent the travel-filled ten days wide-eyed and appreciative; willing and adventurous. I am so, so proud of them:

Instant friends: Our kids flying to Lima from Houston

We arrived in Lima (Peru's capital) late at night, which worked out well because we were all exhausted. Our tour guide, Jaime, picked us up at the airport, and it was there we met the six other travelers (from New York) who would be accompanying our group of nine throughout the next nine days. The hotel we stayed at was nicer than expected, in the "upscale" Miraflores District, and we woke up early the next day to explore the city. Hola Lima!

 Lima's famous Plaza de Armas, which has been the center of Lima since 1535, when the city was founded by Spanish conquistador Francisco Pizarro. Since then, it has been used as a theatre, a bull ring, and a killing field for people sentenced to death by the Spanish Inquisition.

Due to riots and protests occurring during our visit, armed policemen lined the streets.

 

The traffic in Lima is horrendous and dangerous. Drivers do not adhere to street signs or signals, and as a result many accidents occur daily.

Convento de San Francisco

While in Lima, we were able to tour the archeological museum as well as the famous Church of San Francisco. Understandably, we were not allowed to take pictures inside the churches we toured. The sights inside were absolutely magnificent, and Jaime's wealth of knowledge and information was so helpful. We were able to view Diego de la Puente's rendition of The Last Supper, which varies considerably from Da Vinci's. Instead of being seated at a banquet-style table, Jesus and his Disciples are gathered around a round table, and children appear all over providing food and drinks. There's a small devil-looking creature whispering in Judas's ear. In addition, a guinea pig (one of Peru's delicacies) rests as the main dish in the center of the table.

As a surprise to all of us, we were able to explore the underground catacombs, or ossuary, beneath the Monastery of San Francisco. Skeletal remains line the walls, and burial pits run along the walls, holding bones divided by body part. Below is a picture of the main well, 10 meters deep and containing old citizens and parishioners of Lima. It was just as I imagine the setting of Poe's The Cask of Amontillado, complete with the eerie smells, dark lighting, and silence...

Meeting local Peruvian teens in front of the cathedral.

For dinner after our first full day, we went to a chain-type Peruvian restaurant called Norky's. It was here we were able to try Perus' famous soda, Inca Cola, for the first time. It's actually pretty disgusting; entirely too sweet (even for me!) and tastes like bubble gum:

The next morning we flew to Cusco, Peru's former Incan capital, and had to wake up at 2:00 AM for our flight. We needed to leave early in order to avoid the large amount of turbulence that exists on this particular flight, and we were definitely tired as we boarded the plane. The sunrise, however, at the end of the flight was magnificent:

 

In Cusco we stayed at the Mabey Hotel, which was even nicer than our hotel in Lima. Once we arrived, we were instructed to drink the Coca leaf tea and go directly to bed in order to acclimate to Cusco's 11,150 foot elevation. Many travelers get altitude sickness, and our group was no exception: most members of our group suffered from headaches, stomachaches, diarrhea, and/or vomiting at one point or another during the trip. The Coca plant is native to the Andes Mountains, and is the main ingredient in cocaine. While I was under the impression Colombia is the world's largest cocaine distibutor, it is in fact Peru.

 Coca Plant Tea

After a few hours of acclimation, we walked to lunch at an Indian/Peruvian fusion restaurant, then set out to explore the beautiful city of Cusco. We spent about a half an hour in the Plaza de Armas, which was one of the most gorgeous town squares I've ever seen, flanked on all sides by historic churches or the daunting Andes Mountains.

After touring the town square, we went to the Coricancha Temple, the most important temple in the Incan Empire, which was dedicated to the Sun God. Here we were able to see hundreds of pieces of Incan art, jewerly, and other various artifacts. The gardens around the temple were just beautiful:

 

After the temple, we took the bus up the mountains to our first Incan ruin site, Saqsaywaman. While the Incans lived in and expanded on this site, it was actually built by an even earlier civilization, the Killke culture.

The walls used to be much higher, but the Spanish used large pieces of the walls to build Cusco churches hundreds of years ago. The massive walls are made of huge rocks fitted so closely together that a piece of paper cannot be slipped through the cracks, therefore the precision is incredible.

 

Our guide, Jaime, telling us about the Incan rituals and beliefs surrounding Saqsaywaman.

 

 

 A full view of Cusco from the top of Saqsaywaman.

 Two of my three students..."S" for Siciliano... (their idea) :)

For dinner on our second night, we walked to a traditional restaurant where a local Peruvian flute band serenaded us while we ate (yes Paul, I bought a Peruvian flute for you!)

Peru music is awesome. Flute bands, live bands, festival dance music; it's all catchy and vibrant and fun. Plus, it's clear the Peruvians enjoy it and are proud of it, which makes it that much better. A traditional pan flute song we heard multiple times:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wp9aQwP-j8M

The Boy with the Broken Halo

"Sinister Kid," The Black Keys

I signed up to teach summer school for the money. 3 weeks, 12 days. 4 days a week, 5 hours a day, to make enough money to cover a 10-day trip to Peru? Totally worth it. Perhaps not surprisingly, my expectations were relatively low. A class full of kids who had failed? Behavior problems? Lack of reading and writing skills? No parental involvement? Defiance? Apathy? I prepared for the worst, arming myself with what I deemed "appropriate" retorts and threats and punishments before the first day, first bell. A short speech about what I wouldn't tolerate. A business attitude and a hefty agenda. A "get in, get out" attitude.

The "bad kids" of Carlsbad High School didn't meet my expectations. Or rather, they did meet them-- but then proceeded to exceed them-- obliterate them. These kids were funny. And hard-working. Bright. Positive. Willing.

Case in point:

Jamie: After Simon's death?" [flips back to mentioned scene] "You know how we talked about how he's the Christ-figure? Do you think the little phosphorescent creatures '"busying themselves around his head" are supposed to represent a halo?

Fabian: I can't find the right word to describe Samneric. I want to say that they aren't really leaders, but "followers" doesn't seem right. I'm trying to find a word that means they aren't very good at standing up for themselves. They're not assertive. What's that word?

Micah: My old English teacher said that the reason there aren't girls on the island is because it would take a lot longer for the girls to show their savage side. So, the book would just drag on. But I don't think that's right. Girls can be catty and mean and vicious just as fast as guys can. Right? Maybe he didn't put girls on the island just because he didn't want to deal with any of that "she-likes-him-and-he-likes-her" drama. You know, to prove his point. I mean, really, his main goal is just to prove that all men have demons and beasts inside them, and sometimes gnarly situations bring them out.

Ricky: Maybe the Lord of the Flies represents more than just the evil inside all men. Maybe it's like the anti-Christ, because Simon has a conversation with it, and I'm pretty sure that's Biblical. I mean, it's supposed to be more than just "bad," right? Isn't it supposed to be Satanic? Pure evil? It's the exact opposite of Simon, which is why he has to be the character that faces it.

Savanah: Well, Simon has to die. Because William Golding didn't believe in pure goodness. No living person is 100% honest and 100% pure. Simon is, though, and by killing him Golding proves a person like that just can't exist in our society. It's pretty sad, actually.

Before I sing their praises too whole-heartedly from the rooftops, most of these kids made mistakes last year. They ditched class, or they didn't write the essays, or they chose not to come in for help when they were confused- time and time again. Some of them came from homes where attendance was stressed, but not education, and so therefore a passing grade was not expected. Some of them came from homes where parents were virtually never there, and when they were, they had bigger worries than their teenager's grades. The true purpose of summer school (in my eyes, at least) is to help the kids who don't have the necessary skill set build one. In reality, two of my 32 kids fit into that category, and both of those students (in my 12-day observation opinion) were simply re-classification errors: Put simply, they needed another year (or at least semester) in an ELD class. (Exhibit A; sample student-generated vocabulary sentence: "Obama is the precedent of the United States").

I don't mean to downplay the fact these kids needed to pay for their mistakes. They heard my frustrated "you don't belong here" speech at least twice a week, and I had one-on-one conversations with almost every one of them regarding how to ensure avoidance of the same situation next summer. But, that doesn't change the fact I was happily impressed every day. Guiltily, I quickly learned to suppress my completely unfair and judgmental stereotypes and instead focus on the fact that quite a few students wanted to discuss the novel, beamed after positive reinforcement, and "needed another independent book, because I've already finished the first two you gave me."

These kids showed up and they didn't complain. They worked hard. They re-wrote paragraphs and really practiced embedding quotes. They read along, asked questions, and participated. They made me laugh and confessed to their self-inflicted mistakes regarding why they were enrolled in summer school in the first place.  They wrote about their dreams of veterinary school, world travel, and culinary arts.

I'm ashamed at how easy it was for me to "classify" this assorted group of kids into one singular category. But, at the same time, I'm proud of them for helping me understand just how large of a misconception that was. Laziness, absence, or language-barrier fueled, those "F" students proved themselves anything but these last three weeks. I just hope the realization wasn't only mine...

I Bet You Look Good on the Dancefloor

Arctic Monkeys

How embarrassing to be human.

-Kurt Vonnegut

Talk Don't Change a Thing

"Fader," The Temper Trap

"If you’re going to try, go all the way. Otherwise, don’t even start. This could mean losing girlfriends, wives, relatives and maybe even your mind. It could mean not eating for three or four days. It could mean freezing on a park bench. It could mean jail. It could mean derision. It could mean mockery—isolation. Isolation is the gift. All the others are a test of your endurance, of how much you really want to do it. And, you’ll do it, despite rejection and the worst odds. And it will be better than anything else you can imagine. If you’re going to try, go all the way. There is no other feeling like that. You will be alone with the gods, and the nights will flame with fire. You will ride life straight to perfect laughter. It’s the only good fight there is."

-Charles Bukowski, Factotum

'Round the World We'll Go

"On Melancholy Hill," Gorillaz

I am certain you make your own luck. People must set out to find their own servings of happiness; etch their own places in the universe; create their own perfect moments. Win or lose, the score of our own lives is entirely up to the choices and figurative "plays" we make day to day. As Ray Bradbury said so poignantly: "All you umpires, back to the bleachers. Referees, hit the showers. It's my game. I pitch, I hit, I catch. I run the bases. At sunset I've won or lost. At sunrise, I'm going out again, giving it the old try."

I believe happiness and fortune and peace can be found in such a variety of different avenues and adventures. For me, falling asleep with sand in my sheets does the trick. So does reading a good book outside, or playing a board game on a rainy afternoon. Live music in the park on a warm summer day. Eggs over-easy. Watching a mother gray whale lazily make her way up the coast in early April. Some of my most perfect days end with 7-11 hot chocolate and a walk on the beach. However, I also know that travel is important to my life. Near or far, exploring the various corners of the world satisfies an unnamed curiosity in me. Together, Tim and I have been lucky enough to travel to some of our favorite spots:

 Avalon Bay, Catalina Island

 Library at Ephesus, Turkey

Heron Island, Great Barrier Reef, Australia

Mykonos, Greece

St. Lucia, Carribean

But we're not done. A few places we'd like to visit before the next life: 

Alaska

Madagascar/Seychelles, Indian Ocean

Trevi Fountain, Rome, Italy

 Galapagos Islands

 Guadalupe Island

 Milford Sound, South Island, New Zealand

Appalachian Trail (to Springer Mountain, Georgia)

Mount Kilimanjaro, Tanzania, Africa 

Whistler Blackcomb, British Columbia, Canada

This might take awhile.

"Travel is fatal to prejudice, bigotry, and narrow-mindedness..."

-Mark Twain

Wounds Always Speak Too Loud

"Citizen," Broken Bells

Today I had a bad day. I was having just a mediocre day until my fifth period class managed to throw every possible wrench and negative comment into what should have otherwise been an enjoyable and funny creative writing exercise. While I love them, my fifth period class is comprised of five girls and (yes, I promise this is true) 27 boys. Of which, approximately 25 are stereotypical "skater boys." Who are sweet. And kind. But also immature. And apathetic. And inappropriate. And stoned distracted and detached after lunch.

Sample conversations from today's class:

Isabelle [after reading the daily schedule]: We have a test today?!
Me: No, don't worry. It's not for points. I'll explain later. But please don't freak out.
Cody: You didn't tell us we had a test today! That's totally unfair.
Me: I know I didn't tell you. Did you hear me just tell Isa-
Eddie: Wait, we have a test today!?
Me: No...you guys, just listen. I promise I'll explain when we get there. It's nothing to worry about, it's meant to help you study for the final. You have my word, it can't hurt your grade. But right now it's time for the creative writing journal. So you need to take out a piece of-
Ty: What are we doing today? [Looks to daily schedule] Wait! We have a test today? It wasn't on schoolloop.
Me: I don't understand. Am I not being clear? You are going to take a test on-
Zach: THERE'S A TEST TODAY?!?!

*          *          *          *

Me [extremely irritated]: It saddens me that this class seems to be having trouble understanding how having fun with creative writing and being mature can go together. It looks like you can't handle the freedom that comes along with this unit, and I guess we need to end the year with some in-class essays. That is, unless whoever anonymously wrote "A 52-year-old rapist, who is a member of the Taliban" as a potential fictional character for one of the group stories can admit it to me after class.

(five minutes later)

Student: Yeah...I'll take the blame.
Me: Well that's pretty unclear. Are you saying you wrote it, or that you'll just take the blame for it?
Student: Uh, I wrote it.
Me: Why? I mean, what about this seemed appropriate to you?
Student: Uh, I don't know.
Me: Really? Do you really not know?
Student: No, yeah, uh, you're right.
Me: Look, I know you think this is funny, and your buddies got a laugh out of it. I don't care. It's still completely inappropriate, disrespectful, and in poor taste. And also, so immature.
Student: ...

(Sidenote: In retrospect, this is probably where I should have stopped with the reprimanding).

Me: So, basically, I guess I'm just pretty nervous that you're about to be a senior. I mean...I'm shocked that a seventeen-year-old would write something as childish as this. A "52-year-old rapist? In the Taliban?" Really?
Student: Yeah...I know...
Me: You're a smart kid. I mean, this is stupid. But you're a smart kid. I expected more. And you're going to be a senior. Come on.
Student: Yeah...it was stupid...
Me: So what do you have to say?
Student: I'm sorry?
Me: Is that a question?
Student: No. I'm sorry.
Me: And it's not going to happen again?
Student: Right.
Me: Goodbye.

According to the Broken Bells, "the high road is hard to find." That's for damn sure. I like to think I take it most of the time. But today, while giving my fifth period kids a guilt trip about their inability to focus, and then audibly informing my co-teacher they were the only class who couldn't handle the assignment, I'm pretty sure I was slumming my way down the low road. Perhaps with extra grenades of bitterness, contempt, and exhaustion.

The remedy? Fish tacos and Bud Light Lime. Pleasure reading before bed. And, of course, some of Emerson's wisdom to shake me into a better tomorrow:

Finish each day and be done with it.  

You have done what you could; 

some blunders and absurdities have crept in; 

forget them as soon as you can.  

Tomorrow is a new day; 

you shall begin it serenely, and with too high a spirit 

to be encumbered with your old nonsense.