Arica- ciudad fantasma

The last weekend I spent in Arica, Chile. It is a smaller than Tacna, harbor-town, on the other side of the peruvian south border with Chile. Arriving at 7:15 am at the train station Arica. The train we traveled with, was from 1855! Wild West experience! I hoped to see the promessed beautiful sun set in the desert, but actually it was nothing spectacular.
Arica - a ghost-city, surprisingly with many foreign tourists, as it is announced as the "Chilean tropics". Hahahaha, that's a big exaggeration!
Rocio, Roberto and me went there to participate in the Laboratorium Experimental de Teatro (Experimental Theatre Laboratory). I was asked to give one class of dance improvisation...

Workshop. Some good warming up for the body.

Dance Improvisation at site-specific place. Dynamic constellations to warm up the space.

Roberto giving a warm expressionistic workshop how to construct a character in a play.

But the Chilean food doesn't belong to the most sophisticated...
We ask la Señorita for a sandwich "sin cremas", means without mayonesa, mustard, kechup etc. She says of course, sin cremas. In a momnet, pam! on the table lands a sandwich with pouring out avocado mixed with extreme quantity of mayonesa. Pero Señorita! we have asked without sauce! Right, but "mayo" is always included, "cremas" is only ketchup and mustard...

I think, I'm really lucky...lucky to be sent to Tacna for this placement...I would come back with the first plane, if it would be 6 months in ciudad-fantasma, Arica.
Tacna, tak Tacna, what a wonderful world...

Bottom in a plastic bag

I opened my shopping plastic bag. I got a kitchen towel in a black plastic bag. I got 2 plastic food-box in a black plastic bag. I got a portable radio (in a case of electricity cut during an earthquake) in a small black plastic bag. The radio itself- the item inside the mini carton box, was in a transparent platsick bag too.

And I got one red bottom in a white plastic bag. I never took it out...

Teatro Orfeon y Proyecto TAKORA

This is Teatro Orfeon. It is dated 1850, really old and full of fantasmas. Charged. Magic.
Here, the theatre group Deciertopicante has their base.
Our project is called "Takora", as one of the volcano's pick in the horizon, and is focused on new dance development and site-specific performance. "Takora" embraces several activities: basic and advanced workshop for members of Deciertopicante, dance improvisations evry month, 2 productions, basic workshop of video as well personal research inlands.
We have rehearsals evry day from 19:00-22:00, three times per week with the advanced group and twice with the basic. During the daytime, the members of DCP are busy with their other jobs, academies or internships (mainly as teachers of fine arts in primary schools). The theatre education does not exist.

It is a challenge for both sides, to sink with trust into new artistic language. To discover- is to search with new eyes.

Temblor!

My first earthquake in my life took place in the night of 16/17 April 2008, around 2:30 am. Pretty short, 10-15 seconds. I woke up when everything was already shaking. And a very strange noise...from somewhere inside. The dogs barked like mad for next half hour. I couldn't sleep anymore. Good that somebody was telling me, that it is completely normal and some people even don't get out of their beds. Next day they told me , that it was just a little little shake, nothing of an earthquake! Well, thank you...
It is a strange feeling to face the nature, some helplessness, zero control, vulnerability, lack of any security and an instinctive only one will to survive.

El Señor del jugo de naranjas

On my way home, I usually stop by the Man with fresh orange juice (1,50 Nuevos Soles). He is from Piura, the other Norther end of Peru. He has been in Tacna since 1967 and the last time he visited his land was in 1980. Twenty-eight years without seeing his family because the ticket is too expensive. The re-tour ticket by bus with a transfer in Lima costs 400 Nuevos Soles (100€). In total it is 3 days of traveling one way.

Anybody willing to support the travel for the old Señor del jugo de naranjas?

New home

This is the view from my window...
Desert hill...but on the other side I see the picks of volcanoes...marvelous!

My address: General Pons Muzo 450-D, Tacna, Peru
Send postcards!

Sistema de Informacion al cliente

One of the stories to get crazy or, from now on, I know how important it is to make the question more precise.
- Senor, I need a sim card to be able send sms to Europe.
- yes, please, with this one you can send sms to Spain.
- but I would like to send sms to Holland and Poland.
- is it in Europe? so, yes it must work.
I got one. I put in my phone. NO, it doesn't sedn sms to Europe. I come back to the store.
- It doesn't work, because you have to put first the credit to the card
- but there is credit! promocion de 30 Soles!
- yes, but it is valid only for the national phone calls.
I put credit. No, it doesn't send sms to Europe. I can call, but no smsing. Yes, klopt, it does send to Spain, but not to other countries in Europe. I had the choice to go back to the guy and say straightforward what I think about all the Peruvian service, but I realized, that he just simply doesn't know and it was not his intention to cheat me.
Annoyed enough, I go to other company of mobile phones (there are only 2 in Peru)
- Senor, I need a sim card to be able send sms to Europe. I would like to make a test first before I buy the sim card.
The guy makes couple of phone calls to his supervisors. It is long waiting. What is the code for the country? 0031 And what is the code for the city? No, we don't use code for the city when using mobile phone number. Aha. Passing the information to the Senorita. Yes, but what is the code for the city, is it Amsterdam ,or? NO, I will repeat, we don't use code for the city when using the mobile phone number...
We make the test. The test is successful. I buy second sim card. Yes, I can send sms. But this company is not so popular and my fellows in theatre use the other one, the one I bought first. And it is double or even triple expensive to call from one company to the other company number. Nobody will call me, they warn me.
So I have 2 sim cards, one for communication in Tacna, one for communication with Europe. I change the cards in the phone too many times, so I decide to buy the cheapest mobile phone.
I come back to the store (second company) and ask. Great, I can buy a phone, far enough to use.
I buy. I pay. The same guy from before calls to register my phone. Register a phone??! why? And to my astonishment and disgust, the guy gives me ONE MORE sim card, and a new number of course, because he cannot sell me just the phone....

Gringa en un mareo y el Caos Latino.

Food poisoned- mareo- green face- headache- weakness- mareo...

Total mixed emotion. I want to go back. What am I doing here. Who's idea was this. Why I say yes. Imbecil.

Paul Fussel on the dangers of modern travel:

"In the speed of arrival made possible by modern technology, the mind often got left behind. leaving the traveler dislocated and vunerable. It was not just a luggage that could get lost in transit."

Next. Familiarity mixed with frozen astonishment. I know it or do I not? How far can I assimilate with its culture? How far is necessary? How far is it interesting? How good can I camouflage? They observe me too... I can't help - I'm Gringa...

The Latin Chaos: it is lots of things going on at the same time in many directions at once, without any plan or anticipation and with equal importance and passion.

Radio on Sunday

Ivan Ilona-Chambi-Paredes Mamani-Cipani Mamani-Hicuacuanca-Capacutez-Mamani Lopez- Mamani Flores-Acho Caniari-Puma Lobom-Hurriaga Concha-Vargas Tejada-Oscar Luna Abalos-Mamani Cori-Huacha Patinio- Marufo Carido- Churra Churra- Gimenez Guiterrez...

On Sunday, the 6th of April, the radio announced who was accepted to the Univeristy. In that case Ingenieria Mecanica, Ing. Civil and Ing. de Minas. Family members were gathered in front of the radio listening with hold breaths the announcement...

Rearranged body

6 am
la tele
el perro
la alarma
el agua fria
el agua hirviendo para el baño
el panadero tirando el pan sobre el muro del patio

The body rearranged. The senses rearranged. What it used to be a guide to recognize the reality- doesn't count anymore. Confusion. The body is taken out of any habits. And there is no coffee. Only mate de coca and the baker throwing the bread over the wall of the patio each morning at 6:30 am.

Map. Location. Point of reference. All right. Go.

Arriving

Lima. Arrival 16:10 (23:10 Amsterdam time). A long line to migrations. Dry and thirsty. It is still the same day than 13 hours ago. Latin chaos on the airport. Kids everywhere. Mamacita! Papacito! 26C. Non of the preparation courses, trainings, talks, guides, assumptions is relevant to the dirt and stickiness of the journey, to the smell and feeling of the place here. In spite of tiredness and exhaustion I feel very curious. My eyes shine and want to see all at once. What is there, in front of me? Because, what is behind, I do know...

Some previous thoughts before departure: desert and a sacred landscape; first rehearsals with DCP and El Niño that comes back every 4 years- means now.

Tacna landing: 23:15 local time. I see nothing.

Tacna, South Peru

When - 4th April 2008
Where to - Tacna, Peru
For how long- 6 months
For who - Theatre Group Deciertopicante
Why - because I like it
Who is sending me there - Theatre Embassy, Hivos, PSO (The Netherlands)
Supported by - Instytut Adama Mickiewicza (Poland)