Treasure in Bertha’s Kitchen
Our Peruvian adventure begins
Part 3 in a series following: https://medium.com/heart-of-the-andes/c38bca5c7485
September 22 — En route to Urubamba
As we make our way through Cusco, I see Bertha whisper to Penelope and then giggle with delight. She and our driver Braulia have arranged some surprises for us. Penelope turns from the passenger seat and announces to the rest of us crowded in the seats behind her that we will first stop at an animal rescue for indiginous wildlife, then at the sacred Inca sanctuary of Pisac. Following Pisac, we will make our way to the small town of Urubamba in the Sacred Valley of the Incas. This is Bertha’s home and her husband Vito, son Alvero, age 12, and Majaida, age 5, will be waiting to serve us lunch.
At our first stop in Peru we visit a rescue for indigenous animals. We receive a loud squaky welcome from this parrot, who was injured and brought from the jungle to recover.
From the Peruvian animal rescue we wind our way through the Sacred Valley to Pisac. This ancient Inca city once was a major agricultural center, one of several in this region. Like the others, Pisac engineers of old worked with the terrain of the Andes Mountains in creating hillside terraces for farming. We learn of their sophisticated irrigation and calendar systems as we hike the ruins and wonder at the stonework so carefully designed and configured.
From across a narrow valley stream below, I notice hundreds of round, shallow holes that look like tiny caves in the hillside. The more I look, the more I see. And they seem to be staring back at me. I climb down from Temple of the Sun and learn that these are ancient tombs of the nobility of Pisac. The tombs have been exposed by robbers searching for treasure and gold, and though they are uniformly large enough to hold only a carefully wrapped body and a few royal treasures, they have been left empty and defiled.
Leaving the ruins we pass the chapel of El Senor de Huanca — a famous Pisac church that survived a massive earthquake in this region many years ago. It is famous to the people of the region, and many make annual pilgrimages to the chapel to honor its patron saint.
I had wondered why so many sight-seeing visits had been packed into this first day. But as we make our way toward Bertha’s home in Urubamba, we discuss the inherent spirituality of the Andean Mountain Range and the ancient Inca Empire that we have already begun to experience. And though our traveling bellies are hungry for a hearty meal, I believe we are all feeling grateful to Bertha for the stops we have made. We are beginning to understand the significance of the indigenous people, their heritage and work we are about to do. Bertha needs us to know this.
Bertha and her husband, Vito, treat us to a wonderful meal and conversation at their home in Urabamba.This is our first meal in Peru and cooked with a knife, spoon, a stone and lots of love.
Arriving at her home, we are greeted by Bertha’s husband Vito Comacho Suyo and their two children Alvaro, age 11, and Majaida, age 5. They seem delighted to meet us and greet us as they run to our van and wrap their arms and smiles around us as we step out. They are also happy to see their mama. Vito kisses his wife and shakes hands with each of us. This is a happy and heartfelt welcome, much like the one we received from Bertha at the airport.
As we make our way inside, Vito and Bertha rush to the kitchen and begin preparing lunch. The room is small, and she uses a stone to pound the chicken filets for breading and cooking. Vito at her side, the two prepare heaping plates of chicken, sausage, rice and cooked bananas for each of us.
The children eat in the kitchen while their delightful parents join us at the table. They are all smiles, and appear genuinely honored to have us in their home. As we eat, we enjoy hearing about Vito’s new job. He will soon leave his work as an advocate and teacher for better farming practices for dairy cows to work for the civil defense. Vito is highly educated. He spent 12 years studying agriculture and education at Universidad de San Antonio Abac at Cusco. For the civil defense, he will be working on natural disaster programs relating to fires and earthquakes. He begins his new job Oct. 2, they day we will return to America.
As Penelope continues to translate the conversation, she begins to laugh explaining that Vito says he is a man with two full-time jobs: his own, and helping Bertha with hers.
Bertha Victoria Ramirez Rozas is a strong, educated woman, a mother, and a proud Peruvian who loves her people. And like her husband, Bertha is educated. She spent eight years studying education at Instituto Educativo La Salle at Cusco and is passionate about helping her people. Through Penelope’s translation, Bertha explains that she comes from a long line of poor people and is devoted to helping the poor in every way she can. She says it is an honor to cook for us. “The only thing I can really do to help my people is open my heart,” she explains. “I do not have money, but I can help you and that is my way of helping them.”
Bertha began working with Heart Walk Foundation in 2007 when she was hired as a school teacher at the Micaela Bastilde School at Hueccouno. Construction of the school was funded entirely by Heart Walk Foundation and it opened in 2006 to serve children of the region and those from the high mountain Q’ero villages whose families have moved to Hueccono. Named after a heroine of the poor people of Peru, Bertha says the school has put Hueccouno on the map and it is now being recognized by the government. Soon, government funding will begin helping with teacher salaries. Penelope is delighted by this progress as it will free some of Heart Walk’s dedicated salary funding to begin laying the groundwork for Heart Walk’s next project: a much needed medical clinic.
Proving her worth early in her career with Heart Walk, Bertha has been promoted to serve as the Foundation’s first female field coordinator and school director. She is passionate as she negotiates for the Q’ero people and seeks opportunities for Heart Walk to make improvements to their living conditions. She and Vito hike regularly to the remote Q’ero villages to check on the schools, greenhouses and trout farms Heart Walk has helped the people build. She also advises the people, instructs them, hears their concerns and assesses their needs.
“When I was a child, my family was very poor,” she tells us. “I want to pass on to the poor Q’ero people what they need. They are hungry. They are thirsty.” She bows her head for a silent moment and we connect with her worry and deep concern for them.
Continue the series with part 4: https://medium.com/heart-of-the-andes/30a4fab1eb61
In case you missed:
Part 1 can be found at: https://medium.com/heart-of-the-andes/6a005fbeaf
Part 2 at: https://medium.com/heart-of-the-andes/c38bca5c7485
