November, December and the expulsion

New experiences and the peaceful yet eventful life on the farm were overshadowed by the arrival of the two 60-year-old owners and the immediate expulsion of the worker Roosvelth and me. But more on that later.

In addition to the usual farm work in the past few weeks, which included clearing and digging up a lot of thorny bushes and planting the garden, we also had to witness the death of a cow. Since Roosvelth thought she had cancer, he tinkered with her a bit, and she died the next day. We had to drag her uphill and then 'slide' her into the 6-foot-deep swimming pool. It made a tremendous crash! She was then skinned and dissected, and I ate cabbage soup with beef on the side. Mmmmh...! To prevent the other cows from going crazy from the smell of their friend's carcass, Roosvelth buried it the next day. Another enriching experience for me was fleas in my bed. The bites on my hips had been puzzling me for days.

On weekends, I visited the nearby hot springs, which are completely empty on Sunday mornings. Otherwise, the locals use them more as a laundry and skin washing station. I also went to a nature reserve with picturesque landscapes, where there are hundreds of the world's largest bromeliads (pineapple plants). At an altitude of 5,000 meters, a Christmas atmosphere set in for the first time because it hailed and snowed, and you could admire the white wall of glaciers, which have greatly receded in the last few decades. These glaciers play a significant role in the water supply and reflect a large part of the sunlight. On a photo, you can clearly see the difference it makes when the white snow cover suddenly disappears, leaving behind an almost black rubble field.

Due to a muscular inflammation in my leg, I had to go to a clinic and really learned to appreciate our German hospitals there. The waiting times and the not-knowing-what-the-other-hand-is-doing really took a toll on my initially good mood. After entering, you draw a number, similar to the citizen's office in Germany, and wait until you are called to the reception. This is where you pay for the first time to be able to speak with a doctor (in my case a general practitioner). After explaining to the doctor that I have been experiencing more or less pain for 3 months after heavy exertion (hitchhiking from Portugal to Germany with a lot of luggage) and I think it is an inflammation or bacterial infection, he sends me for a tomography. That means drawing another ticket, waiting, and paying money (around 50 euros). All this just so that the doctor can tell me a few days later after 4 hours of waiting: 'There is no fracture!' ... Well, I figured that out too! Ahhh!!! So, I am sent to the next doctor. Unfortunately, he is only available on Wednesdays and needs the result. The result costs money again... and at least I got the beautiful images of my lower body in return and ultimately underwent a 6-session electrical therapy, which took effect after a week and now I am almost symptom-free. I have also adjusted my diet and now eat more alkaline and anti-inflammatory foods. I haven't even mentioned the language problems yet. No one really spoke English, and 'Google translate' doesn't always make sense.

On the last Wednesday, December 13th, the two foreign owners, Senora Patricia and Pocha, who are approximately 60 years old, arrived. In advance, Roosvelth and his wife did extra work to make everything presentable for their arrival. But instead of expressing any joy, the worker was accused of being responsible for the cow's death, of being lazy, of not watering the garden, of being a liar, and insulted in other ways. He even worked with significant back pain in the past few weeks to meet the payment he now won't receive. A monthly salary of 700 Soles for work done is just not paid. After Pocha even raised her hand against him, he quickly left the farm. The same thing happened to me the next day after my usual morning activities, despite my illness. Out of nowhere, I was told to empty my room: 'Put everything on this table here!' When I asked why, I was told: 'You have one hour to leave the farm!' Completely bewildered, I wanted to know the reason for this, and the voices got louder, and the same things were accused of me as Roosvelth. I asked if we could talk about it, and I was yelled at, insulted, and threatened to have all my things thrown out in front of the gate, and I was even told to defecate outside. So, completely distraught, I packed my things, with the aim of not forgetting anything in the rush and with the faint hope that it would all just be a bad joke. After I finished, I calmly tried to start a conversation and at least asked for signatures for my proof of stay for the Bafög office and the university and for a confirmation that I had worked there for 10 weeks. I also wanted to explain that I had followed my foreman's instructions the whole time and asked how I could have done things better if no one said anything. The reaction was insults and the pulling out of my luggage from my room, which I immediately stopped. Outside the gate, something came to my mind, so I rang the bell and asked if I could at least get the money back that I had invested in refined wine, seedlings, and chicken feed. That's when Senora Pocha took a roof tile and threw it at me from close range. It hit my hand and left a small abrasion, but it could have hit my head or other body parts. So, I had no choice but to say that they were behaving like little children and to leave, even though I was considering burning down the whole hut. But what can the poor woodworms do!?

Fortunately, Roosvelth offered me to stay in his semi-finished house in 'Hualcan', a small mountain village, for a few days. Here, I also learned that our expulsion was not an isolated incident. Workers have often not been paid and driven away. One of them was said to have stolen their cows, and he paid for it with his life. Pocha is said to have hired someone to shoot him. Unfortunately, you can't go to the corrupt police there either. Money is everything! Well...

In any case, I could only bear one sleepless night in this wonderful area. A mouse fled from the bed just before I wanted to get in, then I was itching everywhere, and all night long, about 20 guinea pigs next door made their typical noises. So, the next day, it was me who fled and went to Huaraz to a civilized hostel. From here, I am currently planning my further journey. Vacation is now the order of the day! Until Christmas, I will go to a small fishing village near Trujillo and then visit the rainforest to the east.

In the meantime, hopefully, a new opportunity will arise so that I can complete my remaining 11 weeks of internship and the semester won't be in vain.

;)