fotos from the vault

While Gabby and I were working at Fundacion Mariposas Amarillas on the Colombian coast, I made a half-hearted attempt to document the images of our lives with my overly simplistic point-and-shoot camera. I had planned to upload all of these photos nearly two months ago but was convinced that they had disappeared at the hands of the guys who robbed my camera within our first hours across the border of Ecuador. Alas, upon rummaging through my extra SD cards, I was surprised and excited to see that they were on a different card that weathered the storm of hands that assaulted my bag months ago. After a couple Sundays spending hours slowly uploading them through our over-saturated internet connection here at Pisco Sin Fronteras, now two countries and months away from their taking, the photos come to you from the southern Peruvian coast. Now that I've finally got this out of the way, I'll start writing about my experiences again and maybe try to recap what's come to pass over the last few weeks in my absence from the blogosphere. Enjoy.

Barrio El Oasis as seen from the hill behind our house. We lived and worked in this
small community for a month. It's perimeter is defined by the mountain on the right
and the highway that separates it from the fields in the distance.
Only a few hundred people call it home.

The school run by Fundacion Mariposas Amarillas. We added the unpainted patio
during our time there, as well as worked in the school teaching both children
and adults throughout the week.


My classroom that filled with adult students every night, Monday to Friday, who
huddled around the two fans to escape remaining drenched in sweat for the entire hour.


The adult students who stayed with me until the end of my classes. We had over twenty
more, but many only came for a few nights.

The community billiard hall and favorite drinking spot among the men and
boys of Barrio Oasis, as seen empty at night upon our return from the center
of Santa Marta. The streets were almost always deserted when we got back
from visiting our friends in town.

One of the main streets in the barrio. This photo was taken from our front porch looking
toward the main intersection and corner store.

Our house, complete with the children who rarely left our front porch.

Our living room/dining area

The yard on the side of our house with the outhouse in the background.

The beaches of Taganga, a ten-minute combi ride away and a favorite weekend spot
among the other volunteers.

Toward the end of our time in El Oasis, Gabby and I met a couple other volunteers
at Tayrona National Park, an hour west of Santa Marta. Popular among Colombians
and foreigners as a vacation spot, the park boasts beautiful coastline spattered with
enormous boulders that can only be seen by hiking (or riding horseback) through
the dense jungle. We spent the weekend there and then hiked a 5-hour loop back
through indigenous communities in the rocky hills.

Our dear friend Magalys' granddaughter and Princesa (the pup).

Magalys and family

Front porch hooligans

Carmen, our favorite neighborhood chef. We ate lunch at that table
outside her home every day of the week.

Our last night out with other volunteers before hitting the road

Minca was our first stop after leaving the Santa Marta area behind. Upon arriving
in the small, isolated village after two hours in a bumpy taxi ride, we threw our bags
on and climbed the steep slope to our hostel, which looked out over the entire valley, the
coastline of Santa Marta visible in the distance.

Casa Loma (Hill House), the small, recently built hostel that we stayed
in for a few nights. Paradise.

Colombia was good to us. We miss it dearly.