The Gwinners

Sunday, July 8, 2012

Rain and Sun in Paris

Valerie and Britt recently flew to Kenya, to look for housing in Nairobi.
The flight went through Paris, where Valerie also had a one-day work meeting.
Though the trip was just a quick pass through, it did provide an opportunity for some great walks, quick visits with relatives, and dinner in a classic Left Bank eatery.
It was June, and the weather was predictably mixed.

There was rain

There were delicious pastries

and surprises

including these people, dressed in period costume

The Pont des Arts is now totally covered with love lockets/locks

and edges of the Seine covered with loving couples

and then, the sun came out

which inspired local painters

and early morning runners

The fire brigade stopped to pose

and Eiffel Tower vendors did their best

as did this dancing lady

Dinner at Le Polidor

with long days and late sunsets

Sunday, June 10, 2012

Potato Harvest Celebration

In the Andean highlands, the potato harvest generally takes place in late May-early June. In Peru, May 30 is marked as National Potato Day.
This year, Valerie got to celebrate up in Huancayo, where her office has a highland research station. Though we had been through the city on visits to the Junin region and Mantero Valley, it was her first time seeing the research work first hand, and meeting the local staff. To celebrate the harvest, the station staff prepared a big "pachamanca". This is a traditional feast, composed of potatoes (sometimes with other Andean root/tuber crops), beans, meat, and humitas (similar to a tamale). All of these foods are cooked in a pit that is dug into the ground and filled with hot rocks. The foods are layered on top of each other, interspersed with the hot rocks and herbs. They cook for an hour or more. The result is delicious.
For the Huancayo celebration, the staff prepared five pachamanca pits, enough to serve dozens of people. They invited family members, some local dancers, and several staff from the Lima office.
This is the beginning of the winter in Peru, which is also the dry season in the mountains (compared to Lima and the coast where winter signals the arrival of the wet season). The nights are very chilly, generally below freezing. But the days are sunny, and temperatures warm up considerably.
The day of the harvest celebration was no exception.

Filling the pachamanca pit was a group activity

The beans, potatoes, meat, and humitas were placed in layers

Here is the finished product: big pieces of chicken and pork, Lima beans, humitas, and buried in the bottom, native potatoes. It was really too much for one person. But it was delicious!

The celebration included dancers, some of the from the staff and others invited from local dance groups

For fun, those of us visiting from Lima were asked to dress up in traditional outfits. They included multiple petticoats and layers of clothes. Enough to keep you warm on cold days.

Saturday, June 9, 2012

Transition #2

The second transition of this season was Addison's high school graduation.
The international nature of his school was very visible and well celebrated. The students represented a large mix of countries and cultures. There were two national anthems and numerous flags. The talks were in English and Spanish, with a big screen showing the words in translation.
It was an interesting contrast with Jeremy's college graduation, which took place during a sunny afternoon and outdoors. The college ceremony attire was less formal - under the traditional caps and gowns, students wore beat-up shorts and flip-flops. They also added personal frills to their attire, with goofy decorations on their mortar boards, flowers around their necks, and more.
The high school ceremony followed a strict dress code. The male graduates had to wear blue or red ties. Nearly all the girls were in very fancy and high-heeled shoes, which they were told to wear through all 6 hours of graduation rehearsals to make sure no ankles were broken or egos bruised.

The was one important similarly across both ceremonies. The students, and their parents, were very proud.

Sunday, May 20, 2012

Transitions

With May has come the first of a number of big transitions for the Gwinners in Peru.
And this one wasn't even in Peru.
May 15 was the date of Jeremy's college graduation ceremony up in Tacoma, Washington.
Britt, Valerie, and Addison flew up from Lima. Addison was in the midst of IB exams, but luckily had a gap between them that gave him just enough time to fit in the trip to Seattle/Tacoma. It's a long way from Lima, and took us a total of 6 flights, 3 hotels, and 1 car rental. But it was worth it. The weather was glorious. Valerie's mother joined the fun from DC, and we caught up with family in the Tacoma area. We also enjoyed dinners with J's girlfriend and her family.
J. is hunting for an apartment and job in the Tacoma/Seattle area - with promising leads/interviews for jobs through the Americorps program. His goal is to do good. The prospects look promising, even if the salaries are low. Wish him luck. It should be a great ride.

The happy grad, marching in with his class. The tassles are for the major in international political economy and the colorful scarf is for the focus on Latin American studies

Jeanne and Jeremy, post ceremony

The march across the stage as Jeremy's name is called

and he gets a handshake from the president

It was a beautiful day, and sun-deprived coeds lounged in the grass, while the families of the grads took seats in the bleachers and on the lawn to watch the graduation ceremony