The final 10 days for our guys at the project in Lima, and they certainly made the most of it!

Day 17
Flower Power was the theme of today. We got ready for our Hippy style fair in the morning only to have a change of plans, if Peru has taught us it´s to be flexible…and patient! So instead of having the fair in the morning we installed the door and filmed at the second house in our hippie costumes and face paint. Then we distributed flyers for the fair due to start an hour later. But it was worth it for the best turn out we´ve had for a Saturday fair so far, although it did get a bit hectic. At the end there was a rush to get prizes and Pato was swamped with tiny people.

Day 18
A wonderful day for food, thanks to Alex, Hannah and Holly! Pancakes for breakfast with Dulce Deleche (caramel spread) and bananas and kiwis. Pizza bread for lunch. We had an amusing time attempting to make hats for the Country dance but they turned out well in the end. Edgar´s teenage hip hop dancers put us all to shame at the show that night with perfect timing and back flips.

Day 19
An efficient day for construction with four walls completed. We had a movie night, we used the classroom projector so it almost felt like the cinema with sleeping bags! We watched The Departed.

Day 20
A sunny day today! More construction as we did the last two walls, two windows shutters, got it ready to install and painted it (which is always fun). Then we had dance practise. A pretty average day here really.

Day 21
We constucted and painted two doors in the morning. In the afternoon we awaited transport from the municipality which arrived three hours late. By the time we set off it was 5:00pm. Conditions at this house were apalling even by our lowered standards, there were literally thick black bin bags for walls on one side. The worst part was that it was harder to tear down as the barely passing for wood walls which crumbled like pastries in your hand. One wall had wrapping paper and a towel for part of the wall. When we took the roof off half a bucket full of water poured down. Dance practise the second we walked through the door. It was late by the time we finished and so we got a take away as a reward, salad, chips and half a chicken.

Day 22
An emotionally draining day today. While viewing potential houses for replacement we met a woman whose story had both her and us in tears. She had Lupis disease so subsequently had two false hips and cooking is very difficult for her. The false hips meant that walking up what passes as stairs that we struggled up is a nightmare and she is unable to run a market stall like she used to as the hips will wear out too quickly (and on a personal note my grandma has a false hip and it makes me well up just thinking about her scaling those stairs). So she has no steady income which leads to her having a bad diet and problems such as anmeia and Gasturistus. She has to pay for her transport to and from the doctors, her medication and the appointment. Her husband left her for someone else and none of her children live nearby or help her. The only positives were that the husbands health insurance reduces the cost of the doctors and medication and the nieghbors sometimes help. A room doesnt seem like enough but its a start in the right direction at least. We distributed flyers and stuck up posters for our last fair.
We also had some lovely rice pudding in the evening

Day 23
It was two of our dance partners birthday,Alex and Jaime, so under the leadership of Nikita a chocolate cake was made for the party! It had a Dulce Deleche toping and was lovely.

Day 24
Our last Saturday fair, this time we were countries! Ireland, Scotland, England, Brazil, Sweden, Switzerland, France, Germany and Peru flags painted on peoples faces we caught the bus to our location. The space was very green it was that high up. It was also very well attended but less chaotic than the last fair. Then surprise last minute rehearsals for the show at the theatre of youth and last practise for dance.

Day 25
Two shows, one world cup…do da. We did our show in the theatre of youth playing parts such as daisy duck, sleeping beauty, magicians and clowns. True to the last minute nature of the rehearsals there were minor hiccups but we put on a good show! Then back for lunch and getting ready for the final of the dance competition. Some incredible hip hop dancers went before us, their movements were smooth and perfectly in time. Then some Korean pop dancers and Edgar´s teenage group again. Everybody performed well but in the end there could only be one winner of the football world cup plastic replica (such a dancy trophy). Hannah, Holly,Catcho and Darien won and were more excited then any of the rest of us would have been. Even if they insist they are bad dancers they have a trophy that says otherwise.

Day 26
Our long awaited trip to Lima happened today. But to our disappintment a lot of the museums we planned on visiting, and the modern art one we tried to visit were closed. Mondays are not a good day for museums. After a wonderful lunch at a sandwitch cafe (it was more tasty then it sounds) we did some souvenir shopping. Lucho displayed his skill in the kitchen, we polished it all off!

Day 27
Last day of construction. 2 walls, a door and windows completed painted and ready to go. We also filmed for our I will survive video. Lucho made another mouth watering dish for us.

Day 28
Last day in Villa Maria. Early start to install the first house. No waiting for transport this time we walked a couple of blocks with the heaviest walls along the roads to get to the bottom of the hill where the house was. The smaller walls could fit on the pickup truck so were brought to us. Then began deconstructing the old house and heaving the walls up the steep and rubbly stairs. It was definiately the most physically challenging house yet. We finished at 4pm. Packing and a party with the dance partners still to come. We had a Chinese take away for dinner, it was good and filling. Next stop home or mini expedition.

By Eleanor and Iza