Qishuarani: The first field work June 30-July 1

The first trip to a community to do our field research. Pretty badly organized, full of challenges beyond our control, but ultimately a beautiful success. You can tell by the pictures! Since then we´ve traveled to three other communities, each voyage smoother than the last. Now we´ve got a lot of interviews to transcribe and information to process- video footage, photos, a magazine to design, a report to fill out... but here´s a few images to share the experience. I still haven´t gotten my photos loaded onto the computer, so these are from the cameras of my coworkers.

My ever-thoughtful friend Franck, taking a picture of me as I pace, trying to throw up and stop feeling so carsick on the viciously twisty road to Qishuarani...

It was the anniversary of the community, so everyone was gathered to watch soccer games and dance to wayno music.

The chicas, keeping an eye on everything that went down

Me and Valeria, jumping into the festivities despite our post-car ride nausia...it was so cold, even in the sun! Wayyyy up high in the mountains

The red team, and their proud teacher

After the kids game was the señoras' turn to show their ball handling skills

At work, recording a private performance by the musicians, with the dancers ranged around

There really were no stores or restaurants in Qishuarani...luckily we found Alicia, who took us in to her tiny adobe house and prepared our meals for us. Franck and I are on either side, Cristian and Valeria taking pictures

The kids! Beatriz and Javier (or Javicha, which is 'little Javier'). Cristian and I will become Beatriz' godparents when we go back to give her her first hair cut and bring presents to support her upbringing

Javier finalmente acabó sus pilas (ran outta batteries) and fell asleep next to his father, who´s playing the requinta, a small guitar with lots o strings

the next morning, after a cold night´s sleep, we climbed the mountain, past the waterfall, up to the high lake where the wallatas roost

With our trusty guide

Until we found one of the most beautiful landscapes in the Andes

The wallatas are geese that mate for life, and if one dies, the other will be alone the rest of their life. In the dance presented by Qishuarani at the festival, the men imitated wallatas and wore long white wings

So, they day after we returned, July 2, was my birthday. I had the only bad diarreah since arriving in Peru, and I had to come into work to fix the financial problems we had on the trip... Always a different birthday experience!! Luckily I also received about 3 birthday cakes and at least 20 solid birthday hugs from my coworkers and friends.