QuillArt

The place that has been me casa for the past month. A place that is always filled with music, people and creative noise, being a centre for art related activities such as ballet, piano and guitar lessons, painting and crafting, and cooking lessons. The classes are mostly for children, but include some adults too. Anyone and everyone is welcome. I have written about the inspirational work done by Darsy and Jennifer, but would like to add some pictures here.

The dress in the last picture was made for friend’s little girl, Andrea, for a festival event. It is entirely made of magazine pages that Jennifer and her friend patiently folded night after night.

The volunteers join the family for lunch every day, and Darsy is an excellent chef. Quillabamba celebrated its 101th year of existence on the 29th November and the whole weekend was filled with celebratory events such as parades marches, bands playing and many food and artisan stalls. We had a special lunch as well, pollo el horno (fried chicken cooked in a wood stove). Somebody once asked Darsy for the recipe, and he said that the secret was playing Peruvian music to the chicken for 2hrs before cooking it. It works!

The month passed in the blink of an eye, and I am left with incredible memories of sharing, laughing, exploring, working, enjoying and so much more. I even had therapy sessions with two boys and did two constellations, deriving much satisfaction from being able to contribute in a different way. Quillabamba, a town previously completely unknown to me, has come alive and become part of my life experience thanks to Darsy, Jennifer and their three children Derjath, Jesse and Jareth. Derjath taught us to samba, and when I go back to Lima, I will be more knowledgeable when I join the dancers in Miraflores!