Learning from Powerful Questions

Hello Everyone:
We  trust this note finds you all well. We wanted to share a note about some of what we are learning from our experiences in Peru. It is posted on our website at:

http://www.bemindful.org/question.htm

We hope you will check it out.
_We’re wishing you a peaceful holiday season.
With love,
Jordan Dye and John Shealy

Still Settling into Peru

November 11, 2008

Hola, friends. John and my settling into Peru continues. As I write, John is in the jungle somewhere is Peru, about a four-hour boat ride from the city of Pucallpa. He left on Oct. 27 with a British guide and another tourist to spend two weeks with a shaman in his small village. John has called twice from a pay phone to report that the experience has been rich and supportive.

Before John left, we purchased our first appliance. For 6 soles, about $2 US dollars, we now have a washing machine. It’s a man-powered contraption. Some people would call it a large bucket. I put in water, a little detergent and clothes and then get to rubbing, soaking, rinsing and wringing. The woman from whom we made the purchase told us the bucket also doubles as a seat. She gave us a small cardboard wedge to use to keep the lid from becoming stuck when using it as a seat. As shown in this woman, we are finding the people here to be open and helpful. Here I am showing off our new appliance.

Here John is on the porch testing out the chair option. He reported that the seat’s lacking a back had limitations, but the wall sufficed just fine.

I must sound weird, but I enjoy washing clothes by hand, rubbing out spots, wringing and hanging the garments on the clotheslines John rigged upstairs. (John adds a squishing grapes cycle in which he puts clothes in the bottom of the shower and treads on them while showering.) I also like being aware of the water I use and finding ways to reuse it, for example, by washing a new load in rinse water or using soapy water to mop floors. In two days the clothes are dry and I believe, accurately or not, cleaner than when I used an electric machine. More than anything, I’m enjoying the slower pace in Taray that allows the time and patience to wash clothes by hand.

We’ve also noticed a few other conveniences. At our apartment complex in Tampa guests checked in at a security post. Here Oro acts as our security system. He is a black and gold dog with an intimidating bark but a good disposition. I like that he doesn’t leave his property or even approach the dirt road that runs past the property. Yet he is fierce in protecting the houses. John made friends with Oro our first afternoon in the old-fashioned way by sharing food with him. After a day in town we returned home at nighttime. With our headlamps piercing the blackness of nightfall, we approached the property to Oro’s persistent bark. I watched fear rise in my chest and wondered if I could relax before Oro reached us. Surely he would sense my fear. Near the houses, he did approach us. Recognizing John’s voice, he stopped his barking, lowered his head and wagged his tail. We were in. We still feed Oro bread or peanuts when we arrive after dark to say  thanks for his good work.

We also now have Peruvian cell phones. While we can no longer surf the net, Google maps, check email or have 6 GB of music and video at our fingertips, we can call or text anywhere in Peru and have a reasonable expectation of reaching the person. This for $30 and no monthly charge, only a 15 cents per minute fee. The phones also have a terrific flashlight.

Another convenience we have is not having to set an alarm clock. If the light from skylight doesn’t wake us by 6:00 a.m., the rooster who lives on the adjacent property certainly does. He goes off around 4:30 a.m. with the first hint of daybreak. By crowing about every 20 minutes he also saves us the effort of hitting the snooze button. By 6 a.m. his cockle doodling has penetrated our REM sleep sufficiently enough that we surrender any notions of further rest.

This morning during a bout of insomnia, I assuaged my mental alertness (and coped with the darkness and chilly temperatures) by journaling with candlelight and warm tea. Finally at 4:15 a.m., I noticed daybreak as the sky above the high mountains emitted its soft light. And in twenty minutes morning was here; the rooster crowed and birds whistled. It occurred to me then that the rooster was on to something. What a rich of part of the day I’d been missing!

This morning is special in another way. John is to return from his two-week trip in the jungle. I anticipate that we’ll have stories to share with each other and you about the inner journeys we experienced during our time separated in Peru.
Wishing you peace and love,
Jordan

Arrived at Winapaq

Friday, Oct. 10, 2008

Friends, we have arrived at the ecological village, Winaypag (see at http://winaypaq.org/), and are adjusting to the altitude, about 9,000 feet, and cooler weather. We’re also likely decompressing from city life and the long trip to Taray (Tampa to Lima to Cusco and, a day later, to Taray). We’re getting plenty of rest and happily settling into the slower, rural pace.

We’e renting a two-bedroom abode, straw-roofed house in Taray at an ecological village on the edge of the small town. Here’s a view as you approach the eco-village from a short dirt road and a view of the house through the  eucalyptus trees.

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The trees are non-native from Australia and are used in the valleys for framing the abode structures. Our home has running water, a flush toilet, a hot shower, and a two-burner gas stove. Here are photos of the kitchen

and our bedroom

with the skylight above the bed that allows us to star gaze. The bedroom also holds ourmeditation space.

Large windows make up the north side of the living room

and offer a garden and mountain view. Not bad, huh?

We’re without refrigeration and heat-a/c. It is early spring. The weather has been a bit rainy and mornings and nights are fairly chilly. Though we lack some modern conveniences, we’ve had a soft landing in Peru.

At outdoor markets we buy fresh bread, fruits and vegetables, grains, and dried legumes.

Here’s a photo of the large market at Calca,

about a half hour’s bus ride away. And this photo shows some of the typical veggies that madeup a vegetarian meal we had in Cusco.

Corn, quinoa and various kinds of potatoes are main staples. Coca tea helps the body adjust to the elevation, and bags of fresh coca leaves are sold at the market.

In addition to taking time to physically adjust to the new environment, we’ve had time to read (John on Africa and Jordan on youth development), meditate, cook, study Spanish and ¬– in general – chill. We feel we’re in the right place.

We also wanted to mention that in mid-September we were medically cleared for work in the Peace Corps. We began the PC application process in January. Having completed the medical phase feels like clearing the final hurdle in this lengthy process. We are slated to go to Africa in April 2009, where John will support local NGOs while Jordan will work in youth development. In the meantime, we take one day at a time, knowing that nothing is etched in stone and remembering the importance of flexibility.

Know that we pray for the ell-being of friends, family and all beings in our daily meditations.

Here are some short videos from some of our other trips:

Brazil in 2008 with John of God.

done

Colonial Mexico in 2007.

done

Santa Fe, NM in 2006.

done

Costa Rica in 2006.

done

Backpacking in Alaska in 2003.

done

Notes as we head off to the Peace Corps.

Hello everyone. Thanks for your interest in our journey into the next phase of our lives. This is a work in progress and as we are quite busy with packing up, clearing out and giving stuff away, we don’t have time to blog just now. We expect to find time as we move into the process of volunteering first at an EcoVilliage in Peru for 5 or 6 months (info at http://winaypaq.org/) and then a month or so with Global Volunteer Network in Ecuador. Of course our big adventure is the 27 months in the Peace Corps which is slated to begin in April ‘09 in Africa (we don’t know the country yet as we are still awaiting clearance).

So, stay in touch! We’ll add some photos soon and let you know how our adventure unfolds.

Stay well, Juan Esteban (aka Steve) and Jordan

Here are a few videos from earlier travels:

Brazil 2008

http://twogoingforth.files.wordpress.com/2009/04/brazil08.mov

Mexico 2007

http://twogoingforth.files.wordpress.com/2009/04/mexico07.mov

Santa Fe 2005

http://twogoingforth.files.wordpress.com/2009/04/santafe05.mov

Costa Rica 2005

http://twogoingforth.files.wordpress.com/2009/04/cosarica05.mov

Alaska 2003

http://twogoingforth.files.wordpress.com/2009/04/alaska03.mov