Long weekend

I'm really enjoying my work at the nursing homes--the first couple of days, I was a bit daunted by how many new names to remember, but I'm quickly learning not only the names of the residents, but also their behavior and abilities. In San Borja, there are about a dozen male Vida Digna participants on the top floor of one nursing home, and a short walk away, there are six female participants in another nursing home, although they are spread out among the three floors of the building.

Other than drawing and coloring, the men also have Tai Chi classes, which Elizabeth and I sat in on last week. To add some more variety to the activities, I'm making tangrams for the men, as quite a few of them can still take on more mentally challenging tasks. I also will be using spare cardboard and paper to make colorful shapes that the women can use to make collages.

Besides my volunteer work, I'm also enjoying seeing Lima. The first week, I went to the Plaza de Armas and Barrio Chino (Chinatown), as they're close to Vida Digna's office, but unfortunately I didn't have my camera on me--I hope to go back soon and really savor the area. During this long weekend (Tuesday is the Battle of Angamos), I got to see quite a few sights! On Sunday, we went to the Parque de la Amistad (Friendship Park), which is really cute and also has some good restaurants inside. I stupidly forgot my camera's memory card though, so I just have one decent cellphone photo of the arch, a replica of a gift from Spain.

Later that evening, I realized that over the long weekend, the Ministry of Culture was making all of its museums free. Kicked myself for not going out and exploring more on Saturday and Sunday, especially since the sun was finally out! Luckily, I was still able to make the most of the opportunity by going to Huaca Pucllana on Monday (practically the only place on the Ministry's list of attractions open on Monday), an archaeological site right in Miraflores. When we got off the bus and started looking for the place, I have to admit that I felt rather skeptical--we were in the middle of a rather residential looking area. But sure enough, we soon found the beige adobe structure and made our way in. It wasn't all that pretty, but the building technique is really admirable. Our tour guide noted that they had restored some areas of the structure. After an earthquake, the restored parts were destroyed, but the originals were still standing!

On Tuesday, I went to the Museo de Arte Italiano (another free site) and the Museo de Arte de Lima (not free, but just s/4 for students--they offered me the discount without asking for an ID!--and s/1 on Sundays!). They weren't all that big, but were in gorgeous buildings and had some nice pieces. Both are in the Parque de la Exposicion, a really nice area to walk around, and I'd love to go back to spend some more time.