Safe and sound back in Germany, we’ll need a bit of time to digest everything that we’ve experienced.

We’d like to thank hessnatur with all our hearts for sending us, and through us all of you, to Peru for such a comprehensive look into their textile chain!

It was not at all easy, sometimes, to put into words what we had seen and experienced, but we surely gave it our best effort to convey all we could onto the blog. Thank you so much, blog readers, for your encouragement and suggestions, which we took to heart and thus were drawn even deeper into the experience.

We think it’s great that hessnatur has put forth the effort with this project to further improve transparency for their customers, and would like to therefore thank Noel Klein-Reesink, who’s idea it was in the first place, and who planned everything so perfectly.

Our time in Peru was beautiful and unforgettable. We were able to learn so much, and feel even stronger now about the importance of sustainable practices in business. Again, we thank hessnatur, and, of course, our voters!

The day of our return home came at last. Just to be sure, we were up at the wee hours and were off to the airport by 7:00am.

Our first flight brought us to Lima, where we spent the afternoon with Matthias Hess. After lunch, we went back to the knitting mill where we joined in on the production on our first day in Peru. Much to our delight, we were presented with the scarves that we started that day.

And then it was off for a weave through the evening rush hour, back into the airport, and onto a plane for Germany…

Unbelievable, how fast the time has gone. We’ve experienced so much, and it will take weeks to digest it all.

Our last day had a full agenda in Cusco, which we were forced to rearrange due to strikes announced in the area. The people were marching in protest of further privatization of public properties and interests. Because of the strikes, streets and businesses were blocked, and many places of interest remained closed.

We were lucky, though, and managed to see the temple of the sun, Coricancha. There’s not much left. Upon arriving in South America, the Spanish reduced the temple to little more than foundations, and then built a Catholic cathedral over the ruins. Fashioned after the sun itself, many parts of the temple were made of pure gold, which the Spanish plundered away to Europe. It is said that enough gold was plundered from the Incas to build a bridge of pure gold that could reach Europe from South America. We found it especially barbarous that the indigenous peoples were forced to raze their own temples and replace them with Christian churches.

We explored the artists’ quarter of San Blas on foot, and were delighted with its narrow, charming alleyways and pocket sized shops.

The rest of the day was devoted to gathering up a last few souvenirs, packing our bags, and enjoying our final evening with a Pisco Sour.

Kusi Kawsay, meaning “happy life”, is a school which came into being out of personal experiences, relationships, and desires to support the cultural traditions of the native peoples of Peru.

Attracted by the concept of a Waldorf school, a Peruvian/American couple searching for suitable education for their children ended up founding a school together with a Peruvian Waldorf teacher in Pisac. While confident in the Waldorf concept, it was nevertheless important to preserve and to teach the native Peruvian culture as well. The children at Kusi Kawsay, therefore, are taught local traditions, language, and craft alongside contemporary curriculum.

We had a chance to see the school in action, and even at first glance there was a clear difference between this school and others in the Andes. We had the impression that the school had a well structured educational program, with different teachers instructing in various subjects. Regular class hours were adhered to, and the children even enjoyed field trips.

The idea is not to promote the education of wealthier families, either. On the contrary, the majority of the children come from modest backgrounds. They are sponsored through donations, paying only a symbolic tuition themselves. Donations also provide funds for books and materials.

Kusi Kawsay’s founders went to school in Peru themselves, and improving the nation’s concept of schooling is important to them, as well as strengthening the confidence of the rural population and empowering a pride which could preserve their cultural heritage. We really liked the course the school was taking, and hope that more children have the opportunity to attend in the future.

Pictures from our visit to the kniting mill, the blanket production for hessnatur, our trip to the museum “A Mano”, and some more snapshots of our arrival are all on-line!

We’ll keep posting …!

With love from Peru,

Samira & Kathi