Chaskawasi is a boarding school in the Manu jungle, where I was from 31th of July, Sunday evening (after 7h crazy bus drive) until 16th of August. Chaskawasi means House of Stars in Quechu and 18 children (between 10 and 18 years) are located here for the whole year except of the big holiday from Christmas till mid of March, when they’re with their families in their villages in the deep jungle, around 2 days to 2 weeks traveling with bus and boat.
The area of Chaskawasi has many small buildings - everything with a roof but no sealing - it is most of the time warm enough. You can listen to the jungle noises all day and night. There is a kitchen with a canteen next to it. One house for the boys and a bigger one for the girls with the classrooms in the lower level. I lived as well in this one on the 1st floor in a small room for myself. The kids have shared rooms. There are men and women washing areas, a building to play in (Casa de Hojas) and a lot of garden/farming. Banana palms, lemon trees, coconut palms and many other tropical plants. In our toilet on 1st floor we don’t have water all the time (in general there is only cold water in the village), but you get used to it. If you have health problems, no problem, some of the kids know super-plants for/against everything, like one boy who prepared me a juice of a plant (Cana), which was a bit sour in taste, but I think it helped against my insured stomach on the 3rd day! :-) Of course you get used to the strange animals and insects as well…
Apart from the kids, here are as well some other organization people (most are originally from Spain) and Juanita - the chef, an old woman, she never talks to you and seems to be angry all the time and a few pets - 3 lovely dogs (except they are barking half of the night), one small and one tall cat and some guinea pigs (maybe to eat when they are tall enough?!?).
Every day of the first week I taught some kids (that week were holidays in the school, which is in the village and we had 1,5h lessons in Chaskawasi, each in the morning and afternoon) in Communication, Maths and English. The levels are very basic, some kids are more motivated, others don’t listen at all and have no plans of their future. Interesting experience… I’m sad about this but in the same time happy and thankful, that I received such a great education in Germany by my parents and teachers. *thanks*
The second week started as a „normal“ school week. From Monday onwards I had to study with the kids 40min before breakfast (reading a book etc.). After breakfast they went to school and I had some free time. From 3 to 5pm it is time to learn - I had to support them in homework and/or studying where they have problems and playing with them in their leisure time - was a lot of fun!
Every afternoon at 5pm the organization people go together to the village, grocery for the next day, consuming some Anticuchos (grilled meat on a stick topped with a potato) or drinks. I joined as well breakfast shopping in the small handcraft bakery (only small pieces of one dough, felt like in the baking house at home with my grandma), I bought one piece for 0,20/s (6 Ct), still warm and very delicious!
Foodies listen - food is a interesting topic here - you eat what is available. Might be there are no bananas for some days or no meat. But of course you can always find something and don’t have to starve. :-) There is not one big supermarket, there are many small stores and sometimes you need 3 shops just to get your grocery for the next day. I couldn’t live like that for longer… ^^ As well the hygiene… Let’s say, it doesn’t exist***
Sometimes I went with some of the kids to the river (Madre de Dios), so swim/bath in a „pozo“ (like a pool of the river). Refreshing - the weather there was mostly humid and hot! They had so much fun - me as well but I was very tired afterwards… If many kids are doing their exercises in the water on your body, it can be very exhausting ^^
One day Javi (other volunteer) went with me to the nature reservation area Machu Wasi (Quechua for antique house). This was a wonderful morning! It was a rainy day (one of the three ones, where it was very cold and I was freezing), but the advantage was, we didn’t sweat too much on the way and walking around there. We enjoyed the beautiful nature (lots of different birds, walking trees, high trees, termites, spiders, water and a part of the river Madre de Dios, but unfortunately no monkeys) and the silence - only broken by noises of the nature (singing birds etc.).
I slept a lot but was anyhow tired in the days (probably the climate). I had a lot of time for myself, read some books, wrote this article, sorted out my pics, thought about my life, came closer to myself and in the nights I was dreaming intense and a lot of people from all my life. Great feeling, but after two weeks I was really missing LIFE :-)
My last two days I spent in the other NGO Taxi project for animal and natural care. Cesar, the organiser of this project picked me up with the motorbike and we had to drive one hour together with my big backpack over gravel roads and through the stony river - of course without helmets. This was absolutely exhausting, but I enjoyed the nature around and looked forward to meet the three other volunteers from NGO, to talk with some closer people.
We were preparing the ground for planting some new plants and enjoyed some time with the animals - they are nice! Monkeys, turtles, tapir, parrots, caiman, hedgehogs, sloth, which is really hanging on a tree sleeping the whole day. My favorite one is Rosita, the monkey :-)
To sum up: great experience, but very different to everything I’ve seen before… Mixed feelings… Happy about what I had and have, sad to see how it can be, happy because the kids seem to be happy and they like me…and thankful again for my family and friends, for my life in Europe, for tap water 24/7, for everything!! :-) And for coming closer and deeper to myself…
Happy to be back to Cusco and have nice people and a life around me!
*** Unfortunately the hygienic aspect brought me a nice present - I have Typhus and have to take antibiotics and avoid some food and drinks for a while. But I’m fine and will start my next project at the school here tomorrow, teaching the kids in English and Nutrition (and hygiene!!)! :-)