Last night we went to see Arthur Christmas to try and find some Christmas spirit but it actually depressed César. The movie said that all children in the world receive a gift from santa, but since he never did and millions of poor children around the world and especially here won´t the film didn´t go down too well. Speaking of that, yesterday we spent a few hours visiting César´s mother and sister. It was heartbreaking, becauase the father of César´s sister´s baby denies it is his, even though they were living together for a long time. He has gone off to Trujillo and sends her insulting messages. She doesn´t want his money but she does want him to accept the baby is his so that the baby can have 2 last names. In the traditional Peruvian culture a baby without his father´s last name is sort of ¨cursed¨ or at least seen basically as a bastard in the real sense of the word and suffers socially. Well she was in tears and César wants to go and talk to the man and see what they can do. If not they will put both of César´s sisters last names. Here a baby has to receive their identification card within a month or a long and difficult process begins. We saw the scans yesterday and she tried to show me the baby but it looked like a peanut in the picture. Then she showed me a more recent one and it was cool, I could see the spine and everything. She is due in February. César and I are trying to think of what we can do to help her. Right now she works selling 3 cent candies which isn´t exactly a lucrative business although apparently she manages to make between 5 and 10 soles a day. Which is still terrible and we can understand her worries of how she is going to bring up her baby. She is 19, but she is really young and she has no idea about her baby, yesterday se was talking about how her baby liked to stand up and mess around in her stomach. Since she doesn´t even have her primary school education, César and I were thinking that we would help her with her baby since she will be our niece on the condition that she takes night classes or weekend classes until she finishes her education. It seems like the best we can do, because without her education she won´t be able to find a better job. She lives in the room César rents his mother which is awful by the way, they had a better room before but his mother complains about everything and always moves, every 2-3 months without consulting us and then has problems. The last room she had was bigger and had windows and a wood floor and was clean. This room is dreadful, with no windows, it is mouldy and I can barely breathe when I go there PLUS she has to pay more for it...I mean César has to pay more for it. So now she is going to move again because I told them that a pregnant woman should not be in a space like that and no wonder César´s sister feels sick. Plus they have problems with the water there, lots of people share one tap. Maybe you think we should buy them things to help them out right? When César gives them nice things they a) ruin them or b) sell them for a low price. César´s mother sold their house in Huambos when César was a child for 1000 soles, that is like $300 but seemed like a lot to her. Does that make you appreciate your education?
It is a really difficult situation. Yesterday we found César´s mother in tears. One of her neighbours had called her a statue. She didn´t know what a statue was. César tried to explain that it was probably a joke because she sits around a lot but she started screaming about how she never does anything to hurt anyone etc and it was really sad. Until César asked her what she did with the backpack he bought her and she pretended she had no backpack. He asked her how much she sold it for and she kept saying she hadn´t sold it but half smiling. Really all we can give them is food and when the baby is born baby clothes. We´ll see, but the first thing is to get them into a room that has ventilation. I told César he needs to help them find a room because they don´t seem to be able to understand that if you move it should be to a better place for you. Anyway, enough about that. They are coming over for Christmas and I have to try and cook my first turkey. Oh dear wish me luck!! César´s mother doesn´t know how to cook much either so she won´t be much help! I have to try and remember Mum´s instructions.
Saturday was our work lunch and secret santa. I got a nice pair of leaf earrings :) I found out I am the youngest employee at ICPNA but 4 years!
The picture is of me dancing in the talent night.
On Friday I had my last final exam. I finished the semester with 16, 16, 17, 18 and 19. The system here is based on 20 points. So that was good :)
César and I are moving this week. We found a cheaper place which includes internet, is in a better area and although it is a bit smaller it has a much cosier feeling to it. We are sick of looking at our empty space! Now to take apart our gigantic wardrobe...
Pictures to follow. The new place has brick walls and the brick is not wallpapered or painted over, so it looks nice I think! :) We will miss our pretty stained glass roof except that when it is sunny you die of heatstroke and when it rains you get wet! haha
I have classes in ICPNA until Friday the 23rd, but now I have my daytime free. On Saturday we went out to celebrate the end of university and a girl called me over on the street. She said she saw me dance in the the talent night and was wondering if I would be interested in teaching ballet classes in her academy! Coooolll! She said she would call me this week so I hope she does!! :)
I wrote a blog the other day, but the whole thing disappeared and I was so annoyed that I didn´t write it all again. It was super long! Basically it was to inform you that the state of emergency placed on Cajamarca has been lifted. The army and helicopters have gone which is much more peaceful and all seems to be back to normal :)
I saw Happy Feet 2 and Puss in Boots in the cinema, I think I am a child again and only watch animated films.
CÉSAR AND I TRAVEL TO ECUADOR NEXT MONDAY!!!!!!!!!! I am super excited :D There will be LOTS of pictures provided I don´t lose my camera! We have to get dollars to use there.
Our friend Adriana, the new mother, has to have surgery. The stitches they gave her after they cut her open a bit to get her baby´s large head out fell out and she is in a lot of pain. Sounds awful to me. Ahhhhhh. But she didn´t want to have a C-section so that was her choice I suppose.
Well, I should probably get some cleaning down to sort out before the move!
Take care dears! :)
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