Well, I realize it is nearing 5 months since my last post - my apologies to you, my avid readers. I'm not going to try and squeeze in the last 5 months in a detailed update. Let's be honest, you wouldn't want to read all that. So, here is brief update on what has been going on and what is up next.
My 27 months are coming to an end. I plan to leave my site/community/home for the last two years on the 12 of November. From there I need to spend a few days in Lima finishing up some "office stuff" - reports, banking, etc. Then its south. Fear not the northbound flight will follow shortly. However, being so close to the action a few of us are planning to head south to Chile and into Patagonia, a quick loop through Argentina and then the flight home. It looks to be a promising and exciting adventure.
So that's that. Two years come and gone. It's hard to imagine.
Here is a quick list of the projects and other shenanigans that have filled up my final stretch of service:
• An epic adventure into the Peruvian rainforest to celebrate the 4th of July.
• The completion of another round of "Healthy Homes" with the help of many of you back home.
• Dancing huayno one last time in the town festival.
• The recycling project.
• A birthday with bullfights and camping.
• One last conference in Lima.
• A few more hikes and treks.
It's not a complete list, but it sums up most of the activities. It has been a successful final leg of the adventure and the community is excited to receive a replacement volunteer to continue the work. I will be home through the holidays and into the spring before starting the Appalachian Trail, and would love to catch up over a coffee, beer or other. I leave you with a few pictures. Hope all is well back home.
Cheers,
Pete
10/31/2011
5/19/2011
treks, radio, and plastics
7:30 on a Wednesday morning in mid May and I have realized my last blog update came way to long ago. Often times, I will be talking to someone on Skype or what not and they will remind me that I haven’t posted in a while. Apparently reading my dribble is more exciting than actually talking to me in person! Hmm, anywho, I have plenty of updates for you all and hopefully a few photos. Enjoy your break from Facebook…
First up, another go at high altitude trekking in the Andes. The whole country of Peru shuts down for parties and vacations during Semana Santa or Holy Week. This means that we as volunteers also get a few days off for vacation and can aprovechar (take advantage of the opportunity) to see some more parts of this incredibly beautiful and diverse country. I joined a contingent heading out to the Cordillera Huayhuash. I won’t even attempt a lengthy description, for my words will surely fall short of the true majesty of the area. Huayhuash is a smaller mountain range that extends to the south of the main Cordillera Blanca (my area) which is home to the second highest peak in Peru (Yerupajá, 6,634 m/21,765 ft), a countless number of other jagged snow caps, gorgeously colored glacial lakes, high pampa or plateau land, rivers, and a sense of isolation that allows you to appreciate all the natural beauties without many modern distractions. We, our group of 5 including myself and Alex, headed out to the city of Chiquián, about 3 hours south of Huaraz, to catch the trail head and met up with our guide/cook. Yeah, we had a cook. He was incredible. I am confident enough to cook for myself while camping, but carrying a food supply for 8 days weighs a lot. We decided that having to hike over mountain passes between 4,700 – 5,000m every day we would hire a cook and some donkeys to carry some of the crew gear (i.e. food, cook tent, etc.). We had amazing weather thankfully, after our failed attempt at trekking a few months back. We still saw some snow at the top of the passes but the days were filled with sunshine and breezes that kept things cool and enjoyable for hiking. 8 days took us all over the mountain range: camping next to lakes and eating freshly caught trout, passing through small “villages” of 2 – 3 stone/grass houses used to watch after livestock, wild vizcacha (chinchilla type animal) scampering across the trails, Andean condors, and an overall amazing time outdoors, above 4,000m at the heart of Pachamama (Mother Earth). [Check out the Huayhuash wikipedia or google page to learn more about the area.]
After vacation on the trail, I have been fairly busy up here at site. The radio show continues to awe and inspire listeners every Thursday at 5 am. That’s what I think at least. Although, there has been some positive feedback for the AM “shout outs” we give to all the neighbors and community members. This week we have a great interview with the head of environmental education at the national park office recorded and ready for air. It’s been a fun activity and a good way to reach a lot of listeners, even if they only pick up on bits and pieces of the informative sections. All you need to start building are bits and pieces…
We just had our first recycling buy last week as well. After a few months of coordination we got our start up capital from the municipal government down the hill and put out some announcements on the radio regarding times and prices. For the first go around we (the newly formed environmental committee) bought 190 kg of recyclables (plastic bottles, scrap metal, cans, notebooks, etc.) for 75 soles. It was a great turn out. For that amount of money we were able to get nearly 200 kg of what would otherwise be garbage off of the streets and out of the fields. The kids and moms have finally seen the connection between recycling and economic gain. This is often a “make or break” type of realization for projects here. I can preach and preach about conserving the environment and applying proper waste management practices, but earning even just 1 or 2 soles can often times be the catalyst needed in forming a new habit.
I am starting to enter back into the schools as well. We have some plans to install a green house and vermiculture (worm composting) with a few sections and hopefully re-start the youth group from last year’s HIV/AIDS project. I have also been teaching English and a little computers in our newly formed “technical institute”. My counterpart Daniel has been doing an incredible job making connections and has brought 6 used desktop computers as well as internet to our small, dusty community center. The internet is part of a government project focusing on rural communications and the computers are being rented from an institute in on of the cities down the mountain. We have a few students that come every week and learn computer use, starting from the basics, and after a while can even move on to more intermediate programs like Photoshop and Dreamweaver. We just hired a professor from our town that has been studying IT for the last few years down the mountain and is now ready to put it in practice. It is only in the initial phase, but still interesting and inspiring to see technology attempt to weave itself into a culture and place that has never before known internet, email, Microsoft Office, etc. I feel that often times we (even down to our littlest kindergartners) take for granted such things that in the last 10-15 years have become a “normal” part of our lives. Email has becomes as instant as texting with all our new smart phones. If we need to google search something, we only wait a few seconds or grow impatient. So, it is has been fascinating to see these themes of “globalization” slowly move into our small, rural Andean community as well.
We are also planning to start up another Healthy Homes project including the improved cook stoves, tree plantings, organic gardens, and talks on nutrition, hygiene, and environmental conservation. I have a grant in progress right now and can hopefully be able to start up the project in the middle or end of June.
Everything else is going swimmingly. We have been planning a pretty amazing trip to the Amazon rainforest in July to finish up our vacation days. Then, a few short months after, I have my Close of Service Conference, which is the final Peace Corps “wrap up”. Only 6 more months and this 27-month experience will come to an end. It has been filled with so many wonderful opportunities, stories, experiences, and the like. I am sure the last stretch will prove to be just as rewarding, eye opening, and adventurous as the previous.
Hope all is going well back home and that you are enjoying the beginnings of a new summer. Keep me updated on your own adventures, wherever they may take you!
Peter
First up, another go at high altitude trekking in the Andes. The whole country of Peru shuts down for parties and vacations during Semana Santa or Holy Week. This means that we as volunteers also get a few days off for vacation and can aprovechar (take advantage of the opportunity) to see some more parts of this incredibly beautiful and diverse country. I joined a contingent heading out to the Cordillera Huayhuash. I won’t even attempt a lengthy description, for my words will surely fall short of the true majesty of the area. Huayhuash is a smaller mountain range that extends to the south of the main Cordillera Blanca (my area) which is home to the second highest peak in Peru (Yerupajá, 6,634 m/21,765 ft), a countless number of other jagged snow caps, gorgeously colored glacial lakes, high pampa or plateau land, rivers, and a sense of isolation that allows you to appreciate all the natural beauties without many modern distractions. We, our group of 5 including myself and Alex, headed out to the city of Chiquián, about 3 hours south of Huaraz, to catch the trail head and met up with our guide/cook. Yeah, we had a cook. He was incredible. I am confident enough to cook for myself while camping, but carrying a food supply for 8 days weighs a lot. We decided that having to hike over mountain passes between 4,700 – 5,000m every day we would hire a cook and some donkeys to carry some of the crew gear (i.e. food, cook tent, etc.). We had amazing weather thankfully, after our failed attempt at trekking a few months back. We still saw some snow at the top of the passes but the days were filled with sunshine and breezes that kept things cool and enjoyable for hiking. 8 days took us all over the mountain range: camping next to lakes and eating freshly caught trout, passing through small “villages” of 2 – 3 stone/grass houses used to watch after livestock, wild vizcacha (chinchilla type animal) scampering across the trails, Andean condors, and an overall amazing time outdoors, above 4,000m at the heart of Pachamama (Mother Earth). [Check out the Huayhuash wikipedia or google page to learn more about the area.]
After vacation on the trail, I have been fairly busy up here at site. The radio show continues to awe and inspire listeners every Thursday at 5 am. That’s what I think at least. Although, there has been some positive feedback for the AM “shout outs” we give to all the neighbors and community members. This week we have a great interview with the head of environmental education at the national park office recorded and ready for air. It’s been a fun activity and a good way to reach a lot of listeners, even if they only pick up on bits and pieces of the informative sections. All you need to start building are bits and pieces…
We just had our first recycling buy last week as well. After a few months of coordination we got our start up capital from the municipal government down the hill and put out some announcements on the radio regarding times and prices. For the first go around we (the newly formed environmental committee) bought 190 kg of recyclables (plastic bottles, scrap metal, cans, notebooks, etc.) for 75 soles. It was a great turn out. For that amount of money we were able to get nearly 200 kg of what would otherwise be garbage off of the streets and out of the fields. The kids and moms have finally seen the connection between recycling and economic gain. This is often a “make or break” type of realization for projects here. I can preach and preach about conserving the environment and applying proper waste management practices, but earning even just 1 or 2 soles can often times be the catalyst needed in forming a new habit.
I am starting to enter back into the schools as well. We have some plans to install a green house and vermiculture (worm composting) with a few sections and hopefully re-start the youth group from last year’s HIV/AIDS project. I have also been teaching English and a little computers in our newly formed “technical institute”. My counterpart Daniel has been doing an incredible job making connections and has brought 6 used desktop computers as well as internet to our small, dusty community center. The internet is part of a government project focusing on rural communications and the computers are being rented from an institute in on of the cities down the mountain. We have a few students that come every week and learn computer use, starting from the basics, and after a while can even move on to more intermediate programs like Photoshop and Dreamweaver. We just hired a professor from our town that has been studying IT for the last few years down the mountain and is now ready to put it in practice. It is only in the initial phase, but still interesting and inspiring to see technology attempt to weave itself into a culture and place that has never before known internet, email, Microsoft Office, etc. I feel that often times we (even down to our littlest kindergartners) take for granted such things that in the last 10-15 years have become a “normal” part of our lives. Email has becomes as instant as texting with all our new smart phones. If we need to google search something, we only wait a few seconds or grow impatient. So, it is has been fascinating to see these themes of “globalization” slowly move into our small, rural Andean community as well.
We are also planning to start up another Healthy Homes project including the improved cook stoves, tree plantings, organic gardens, and talks on nutrition, hygiene, and environmental conservation. I have a grant in progress right now and can hopefully be able to start up the project in the middle or end of June.
Everything else is going swimmingly. We have been planning a pretty amazing trip to the Amazon rainforest in July to finish up our vacation days. Then, a few short months after, I have my Close of Service Conference, which is the final Peace Corps “wrap up”. Only 6 more months and this 27-month experience will come to an end. It has been filled with so many wonderful opportunities, stories, experiences, and the like. I am sure the last stretch will prove to be just as rewarding, eye opening, and adventurous as the previous.
Hope all is going well back home and that you are enjoying the beginnings of a new summer. Keep me updated on your own adventures, wherever they may take you!
Peter
4/08/2011
un día
A rainy afternoon with a cup of coffee: the perfect time to write a blog entry.
Today started quite early for the pre-Peru Peter. A 4 am wake up call followed by much needed coffee has led us through a busy day to yet another cup of much needed coffee 13 hours later.
First on today’s agenda: Desayuno Ambiental, our weekly radio show hosted by yours truly and my buddy and counterpart in crime Daniel. After only starting 3 weeks ago, the program has really begun to pick up steam. Yesterday, a former resident of the community who now lives in our capital city of Huaraz and operates the radio programs for one of the largest mining companies in the department, came up to his childhood home and gave us a small workshop in radio production. When I say small I mean small. It was just me and Daniel for the better part of the day. Only later on into the evening did a few curious community members wander into our local and get suckered into recording a radio spot. It was great though. A very helpful and thought provoking workshop from a young professional of the area. He ended up spending the night and went on the air with us this morning for the program. Instead of the usual 5-6 am time slot we stayed on practicing, interviewing, and joking around until nearly 8. It was great to see that a successful, working professional who grew up and went to school in the community returned for free to help us out promoting not only his profession, but also giving a positive influence for all the youth thinking about continuing their studies down the mountain. You could see the passion for both the job and the community all in one devoted man. I doubt that our frequency carries all the way to the states, but if by chance you stumble upon an amateur Spanish/Quechua talk show at 5:30 am one Thursday morning discussing environmentally themed issues I would love some feedback. So, the radio show seems to be taking off quite well and we are now equipped with sound editing software and some great ideas. It should prove to be both a fun and promising project.
Continuing with the day, I rushed home from the “studio” and put away a fair helping of potatoes for breakfast before running off to the community meeting at 8 am. I had coordinated with the authorities the other day to acquire a time slot at the general assembly to make an announcement regarding our newly proposed recycling project and the formation of an environmental committee to oversee the progress. [We were just approved to receive a small municipal fund from down the mountain to start buying recycling and in turn selling it to a center a few hours away. It only amounts to about 50 USD but it should be plenty of capital to start up the buy/sell program.] I waited around in the foggy morning weather outside of our community center or local with the other comuneros as the secretary called roll and the president gave a few preliminary announcements. They called on me about an hour into the meeting and I gave my spiel, discussing how the recycling program will work (fingers crossed), what it means to recycle, what can be recycled, and opening up an invitation to all interested parties to join my committee. Surprisingly, it went over quite well. Two of my friends and fellow comuneros (Daniel being one) stood up and gave some eloquent words in Quechua about the importance of the theme and encouraging the community to support me in my efforts. As the crowd of rural farmers listened to their peers I began to notice that affirmative nodding – that universal sign of “oh yeah, that sounds like a good idea, let’s do that” – and realized I had the support of at least a few of them. The combination of cleaning up the “streets” and environment while simultaneously making a little bit of money seems to be a winning one at that. Elated from the positive reception on the recycling gig I ran home to change and then headed off to help cook chickens for a fundraiser.
The only “fundraiser” around my neck of the woods is called a pollada, essentially a chicken dinner. A bunch of women form the concerned party get together and prepare anywhere between 100-400 plates of chicken (1/4 chicken per plate) with sides of stewed corn, a shredded carrot/cabbage salad, and soup. The men cook the chicken in various adobe bread ovens scattered throughout the town. It’s quite a process and an exciting site to see. Cauldrons of soup and corn that could cook an 8 year old are balanced precariously on a few rocks, open fire lapping all around while women sit in circles talking and cutting up vegetables for the salad. When all is said and done you sell each plate for a marked up price (normally around 6 soles) and boom! you’ve turned a small profit with an incredible amount of labor. Pretty similar to selling Girl Scout cookies door-to door. So I spent the better part of the morning and afternoon next to a bread oven cooking chicken with the neighbors. It was fun, messy and in the end I got a free plate of food. The only downside was my free plate came with the feet and innards of our chicken friends and not the nice quartered pieces we were preparing. Sorry, you’ve got to buy those!
After lunch I got into a semi-heated argument with my 16 year old host brother about the upcoming presidential elections this Sunday (April 10). Okay, semi-heated is a bit harsh. Maybe I just got excited about talking Latin American politics to someone who hasn’t closed off their mind entirely. It was more of an educational discussion on the pros and cons of nationalist governments. My brother got bored pretty quick when I started going off on the differences of free trade and the country’s rich/poor disparity and changed the subject to music…. Anywho, if you want to check up on things the Economist published some articles about Peru’s elections…you can read them online right after you finish this to complete what I am sure will be your most exciting hour of internet time today!
Well, that just about does it for the day’s events and my update. I hope you enjoyed the “day-to-day” approach of the blog. If not, don’t worry…it’s all over now.
Like always, I hope you are doing well and enjoying the spring weather. Feel free to send me an update of your own when you have a chance. The time is flying by and in a short 8 months I will be completing my service. That means only 8 months left to send a package! Have a good one!
Peter
Today started quite early for the pre-Peru Peter. A 4 am wake up call followed by much needed coffee has led us through a busy day to yet another cup of much needed coffee 13 hours later.
First on today’s agenda: Desayuno Ambiental, our weekly radio show hosted by yours truly and my buddy and counterpart in crime Daniel. After only starting 3 weeks ago, the program has really begun to pick up steam. Yesterday, a former resident of the community who now lives in our capital city of Huaraz and operates the radio programs for one of the largest mining companies in the department, came up to his childhood home and gave us a small workshop in radio production. When I say small I mean small. It was just me and Daniel for the better part of the day. Only later on into the evening did a few curious community members wander into our local and get suckered into recording a radio spot. It was great though. A very helpful and thought provoking workshop from a young professional of the area. He ended up spending the night and went on the air with us this morning for the program. Instead of the usual 5-6 am time slot we stayed on practicing, interviewing, and joking around until nearly 8. It was great to see that a successful, working professional who grew up and went to school in the community returned for free to help us out promoting not only his profession, but also giving a positive influence for all the youth thinking about continuing their studies down the mountain. You could see the passion for both the job and the community all in one devoted man. I doubt that our frequency carries all the way to the states, but if by chance you stumble upon an amateur Spanish/Quechua talk show at 5:30 am one Thursday morning discussing environmentally themed issues I would love some feedback. So, the radio show seems to be taking off quite well and we are now equipped with sound editing software and some great ideas. It should prove to be both a fun and promising project.
Continuing with the day, I rushed home from the “studio” and put away a fair helping of potatoes for breakfast before running off to the community meeting at 8 am. I had coordinated with the authorities the other day to acquire a time slot at the general assembly to make an announcement regarding our newly proposed recycling project and the formation of an environmental committee to oversee the progress. [We were just approved to receive a small municipal fund from down the mountain to start buying recycling and in turn selling it to a center a few hours away. It only amounts to about 50 USD but it should be plenty of capital to start up the buy/sell program.] I waited around in the foggy morning weather outside of our community center or local with the other comuneros as the secretary called roll and the president gave a few preliminary announcements. They called on me about an hour into the meeting and I gave my spiel, discussing how the recycling program will work (fingers crossed), what it means to recycle, what can be recycled, and opening up an invitation to all interested parties to join my committee. Surprisingly, it went over quite well. Two of my friends and fellow comuneros (Daniel being one) stood up and gave some eloquent words in Quechua about the importance of the theme and encouraging the community to support me in my efforts. As the crowd of rural farmers listened to their peers I began to notice that affirmative nodding – that universal sign of “oh yeah, that sounds like a good idea, let’s do that” – and realized I had the support of at least a few of them. The combination of cleaning up the “streets” and environment while simultaneously making a little bit of money seems to be a winning one at that. Elated from the positive reception on the recycling gig I ran home to change and then headed off to help cook chickens for a fundraiser.
The only “fundraiser” around my neck of the woods is called a pollada, essentially a chicken dinner. A bunch of women form the concerned party get together and prepare anywhere between 100-400 plates of chicken (1/4 chicken per plate) with sides of stewed corn, a shredded carrot/cabbage salad, and soup. The men cook the chicken in various adobe bread ovens scattered throughout the town. It’s quite a process and an exciting site to see. Cauldrons of soup and corn that could cook an 8 year old are balanced precariously on a few rocks, open fire lapping all around while women sit in circles talking and cutting up vegetables for the salad. When all is said and done you sell each plate for a marked up price (normally around 6 soles) and boom! you’ve turned a small profit with an incredible amount of labor. Pretty similar to selling Girl Scout cookies door-to door. So I spent the better part of the morning and afternoon next to a bread oven cooking chicken with the neighbors. It was fun, messy and in the end I got a free plate of food. The only downside was my free plate came with the feet and innards of our chicken friends and not the nice quartered pieces we were preparing. Sorry, you’ve got to buy those!
After lunch I got into a semi-heated argument with my 16 year old host brother about the upcoming presidential elections this Sunday (April 10). Okay, semi-heated is a bit harsh. Maybe I just got excited about talking Latin American politics to someone who hasn’t closed off their mind entirely. It was more of an educational discussion on the pros and cons of nationalist governments. My brother got bored pretty quick when I started going off on the differences of free trade and the country’s rich/poor disparity and changed the subject to music…. Anywho, if you want to check up on things the Economist published some articles about Peru’s elections…you can read them online right after you finish this to complete what I am sure will be your most exciting hour of internet time today!
Well, that just about does it for the day’s events and my update. I hope you enjoyed the “day-to-day” approach of the blog. If not, don’t worry…it’s all over now.
Like always, I hope you are doing well and enjoying the spring weather. Feel free to send me an update of your own when you have a chance. The time is flying by and in a short 8 months I will be completing my service. That means only 8 months left to send a package! Have a good one!
Peter
3/25/2011
paint and stoves.
Well, it’s about that time again when I realize I haven’t posted a blog in a long while. I figured the last epic story would either keep all of you entertained for at least a month or make you not want to read again. So, after a small absence I will attempt to fill you in on my life here over the last few weeks. It’s been full of fun, cultural experiences, cook tops, schools, and other awesome adventures. You’ll just have to read till the end to find out all about it….
Carnaval is an extremely important festival in Latin American culture. You hear stories about the crazy samba lines in Rio and elaborate parties all over the place. Here in Peru is no different. Carnaval is the celebration of Mardi Gras, Fat Tuesday, etc. Here in Peru it lasts a month, with a few days closer to the actual Tuesday becoming a little more “intense”. The northern mountain city of Cajamarca is renowned throughout Peru as having the most exciting, extraordinary, wild Carnaval festivities. Now, if you advertise things that are “exciting, extraordinary, wild” to a bunch of volunteers, the odds are you will get a fair turnout. So with this enticing claim to the best Carnaval festivities I traveled to Cajamarca for a few days to see what all the fuss was about. We went for the main days of the party and were not let down. The entire city on Saturday shuts down and turns into a battlefield. You arm yourself with water, paint, and any other random substance like shoe polish and motor oil. Water balloons, super soakers, buckets. All full of water-based paint and water. Your mission: soak and paint anyone in the entire city who isn’t you…or the police. I mean I didn’t know what to expect. I grew up having some pretty legendary water fights in the old neighborhood. Sometimes up to 15 kids would get into with hoses and all. Yeah, now imagine close to 200,000 kids (from ages 4 – 70) marching to a constant drum and brass beat throughout a beautiful mountain colonial town throwing water balloons, spraying paint out of hoses, pouring buckets of water on strangers, having the biggest paint/water fight you have ever seen. It was awesome. Everything was fair game. Taxis were covered with paint and constantly checking their windows. Little kids of 8 would run up to us and spray us with paint and water balloons. Middle aged women were spraying hoses at us out of their second story apartment buildings. It was game on everywhere. Locals were inviting us to home brewed corn beer while simultaneously drowning us with paint water. We were dancing through the streets amongst random crowds of Peruvians laughing and accepting the crazy gringo entourage. It was amazing. When they sun went down the party shifted to the main city square with the same music beat but without the soaking wet clothes. Instead the city substituted paint and water for various libations and kept the party going all night and into the next night. The following day we saw an awesome, colorful and eccentric parade that was the day’s main event. It was incredible. Something you need to experience to fully get. A fun vacation to say the least.
On another note, the cook top/healthy homes project came to a completion with the implementation of 23 cast iron stove tops that will eliminate smoke and related problems/illnesses as well as allowing for a faster cooking time and lesser consumption of firewood. The implementation was similar to the above-mentioned paint throwing, corn beer drinking festivities…. Well maybe not, but all the participants seemed very excited to receive this final part of the project and are now cooking on the new and improved stoves. It felt like a party to me to finish the project, and I am proud of the participants for seeing it out till the end and working to change habits that have been with them their entire lives: burning garbage, hand washing, nutrition awareness, etc. If you guys are reading, thanks for participating! Apart from the completion of the healthy homes project and heading north for festivals, school started back up. This means a great deal of things. Mainly, my Monday thru Friday will be a bit busier. Not saying that I will be teaching 6 hours a day but I will at least be wandering in and out of the different schools attempting to implement various projects. This year we are looking to focus on more environmental education (science, ecology, etc.), a recycling program, and perhaps a youth group of sorts. It’s still quite early on and all the students and teachers (myself included) have a lot of ganas to start up really cool projects. We’ll have to keep this motivation up for the whole year, not just the first month, and hopefully work to create some cool projects that will be enjoyed by all. I have also started up a radio talk show with my counterpart and amigo Daniel. We have the awesome prime time slot of 5-6 am every Thursday. You would be surprised to know how many of my friends and community members are up and about at 5 in the morning. It’s called Desayuno Ambiental, which can be translated as Environmental Breakfast. We hang out with the not-so-legal radio station operator (a guy who may or may not sneak a signal without a license out of his house) and discuss various themes about the environment interspersed by the wonderful local huayno music. It has been fun so far and will hopefully continue to be so. After the radio, school and stoves, we are also looking into a community wide recycling program as well as a few more tree nurseries. So, as I look to my last year here, it seems as though there will be plenty of promising things to keep me busy and help my fellow comuneros (community members). Time to get to work…
So, the last few weeks have been a good mix of fun and hard work. That seems to be a theme down here. A great fun time and experience with some truly rewarding and sometimes taxing work. Maybe not the 9-5 type of taxing, but certainly not a breeze!
Well, that’s the update for the time being. The invitation to come visit still applies to all of you (unless you just stumbled upon this blog via the inter-web and I don’t know who you are…). Time is escaping…only 8 months left so book those tickets quick! I hope all is well and that springtime is cheering everyone up from what sounded like a pretty harsh winter. Enjoy the nice weather and don’t be afraid to send me an email update of your own! Until next time.
Cheers,
Peter
2/26/2011
an adventure with the mountains.
feb. 16, 2011
This one might get long winded, but hey, you’re probably looking for a good distraction on the Internet. After all, one can only read so much about Egypt and spend so much time on Facebook before getting bored enough to check in on the “adventures of pedro”…
Some months back, a few of us volunteers began to discuss the possibility of a trek through the mountains in order to visit a large tree forestation center (supposedly the country’s largest), implement a new monitoring system for flora and fauna within the national park, and mainly just to go on what could only be an amazing 5 day trek throughout the Andes Mountains. We began to plan and settle on some dates and other necessary items. The dates we finally selected were February 9-16 – give or take a few extra nights here and there. Sounds great right? Oh, February is during the height of the rainy season in the mountains? Psh, no problem. We’re Peace Corps volunteers…we can do just about anything. A little rain can’t hurt, bring it on nature!
Every thing was ready. Last week we started off with 6 of us volunteers and two members of the national park. Our goal was to implement a new monitoring system for the wild flora and fauna that our friend and fellow volunteer Jess has created while trekking through the park and then visit the forestation center on the other side of the mountains upon reaching the city of Pomabamba. We all met in the city of Caraz where we would hire a car to the trailhead about an hour up into the mountains.
Tents. Check. Rain coats. Check. Stove, fuel and plenty of Ramon, crackers, GORP, and tuna fish….check, check, check. Knives, cameras, socks, monitoring plan, matches, good spirits….check, check, check, check. Oh yeah, we were ready. Nothing could stop us now, and so we began our journey up into the high Andes. Our first day was only accompanied by a few small kinks. A few people had planned on using donkeys to help carry some of the heavier gear throughout the trek. At the trailhead we soon realized that no one was there with their donkeys. Furthermore, no one in the whole village was willing to drop their work in the field and accompany our ragged group to the other side of the mountains with their beasts of burden. Hmm, an oddity. That would have been a weeks worth of work guiding their donkey for an equivalent pay of a small potato harvest (7 months work). Normally a campesino would jump on an opportunity like that. Something that perhaps should have been noted, but ah, hindsight is 20/20 or so I hear.
So we decided as a group to split up. Two of us would wait back in the trailhead village and see if another arriero (donkey driver) would show up in the next few hours. The rest were to head to the first night campsite about a 5 hour hike straight up hill. So our esteemed 3rd year volunteer Rabbit and myself stayed behind to wait on the arriero. We waited for about 1.5 hours and realized that no one was coming and we needed to get moving or nighttime darkness would catch up with us. While waiting for the arriero a thick fog had rolled in and visibility was low to say the least. It looked as though the rains were going to hold off though. We got a bit lost as the darkness of night tumbled together with the existing fog. We ended up taking a “scenic” route through highland tall grasses and mountainsides during the rain and night to reunite with our friends who were already at camp. We were led by their blinking headlamps and random yells for we had “decided” to leave to trail a few hours back, opting for the previously mentioned scenic route. So the first day wasn’t too bad. Just some kinks.
Day two came with a continuation of the heavy fog allowing us to see a generous 20 to 30 feet ahead. The air was dense with precipitation and we began our hike into what seemed like a cloud. We spent a long day hiking that included going up two mountain passes both of which were around 4,800 meters (~15,500 ft). We finally arrived in a small…I mean small…“village” of 5 houses, although we only saw one due to the fog and approaching dusk. We found the owner of the house and he led us to a small field to camp in. Phew, long day but a good day. And most importantly the rain held off, just the cloud like fog that took away most of the breathtaking views of hiking over two mountain passes.
Day three. Things get interesting. We woke up fairly wet due to a moderate rain falling all around us. Good news was that the fog broke. We could see the majority of the lush green valley with the raging river cutting through it, framed by the enormous peaks. Peaks we had passed over and those we still needed to climb. It was quite the site. By now, everything was wet. Our tents, our boots, our clothes, everything. The owner of the house came over to our camp and began to warn us of the day’s hike and current weather conditions. He told us rather bluntly and with the knowledge of a man who has lived amongst these mountain peaks and passes his whole life, that the rain down where we were meant that the day’s pass would be covered with snow. Perhaps lots. Mixed with the snow, ice, and low visibility the already narrow and dangerous mountain pass (4900m) renowned for knocking down donkeys with gusts of wind was going to be something we perhaps were not prepared for. Our mountain friend told us that he wouldn’t go near the pass himself and recommended with did the same. Damn. What now? We had trekked for 2 days into the mountains and needed to go 2 more in order to come out on the other side. We were right in the middle. Ahead of was a seemingly impassable mountain trail covered with snow and ice and behind us the two passes we had already climbed leading down to the small village where we had started. We were in a tough spot. We discussed the options and agreed that attempting to climb the pass after being advised not to by a local was not our best option. Even if we managed to get to the top, it would still be a three-hour hike down in mud and snow to the campsite. Our tents were wet, the temperature was dropping and the sun was nowhere in site. Just more rain and clouds. So, stifling our pride we decided the best option would be to turn back and try to get out the following day. This still didn’t solve the snow, rain, and wetness. The trail we needed to go back on would surely be mud and snow even if it was supposedly an easier climb than the one ahead of us. But climb we did. We climbed right back up the near 16000 ft passes that we trekked over the day before. And snow it did. We were walking through snow and sleet the entire time and trudging through muddy and snow covered trails to get back. Get back to where we started to think? Back to the first night’s campsite? Pop up our wet tents and sleeping bags and climb in? It didn’t sound like a vey inviting option. The wind whistled past us and made every break a frigid and numbing experience. If you stopped for more than a few minutes your hands would start to go numb and the cold, dried sweat and snow would quickly push you to continue moving up and up and up.
We finally found our campsite…at least where we were going to camp. We had passed it the day before but couldn’t really see due to the intense fog. It was a small, stone cabin and guardhouse for Duke Energy. We met the extremely friendly and jolly guard who was monitoring the surrounding glacial lakes’ water levels that fell down to a huge generator in the valley and were turned into hydroelectric power. The place was heaven. The small stone building was like a 5 star hotel for our tired, soaked bodies and crushed spirits after another long, arduous climbing trek. Our savior and new friend, Victor, didn’t think twice about opening up his doors and putting on pot after pot of hot water for tea and coffee. He cleared out his kitchen area and guest room for us to roll out our sleeping bags and hang up sopping wet clothes. It was incredible. We used his stove to prepare our feast of pasta and tuna and invited our jolly friend to dinner. We were able to spend a dry night in his cabin regaining the motivation to keep going the next day, making terms with the “failed” trip, and getting to know another amazingly friendly Peruvian. Without our little hotel suite we would have been forced to sleep in wet tents and bags in the rain and fight off hypothermia and crushed morale. Victor, you are the man.
We awoke the next morning to the first sunshine we had seen since we started out 3 days earlier. We breakfasted and said goodbye and thanks to Victor and started out on the easy downhill hike to our trailhead town. It was a leisurely and pleasant 4-hour descent compared to the arduous climbs and rain of the last few days. We finally arrived at the trailhead in mid day sun and found a car that was willing to fit all 8 of us plus gear in and take us down to the city. We wrapped up the trip with a plate of lunch in the market and relaxed. We had made it. Perhaps not to our destination, but we had made it.
It was a great adventure and we quickly realized that no matter how young, wilderness-ready, and stubborn a group of Peace Corps volunteers could be, Mother Nature can still put us in our place. Trekking in the rainy season is never really encouraged and we found out why. As I sit here, back in site with a cup of coffee and dry clothes, I realize just how nice my room in the campo really is. As much as we liked being wet and close to miserable, we all decided that June - the height of the dry season - would be a much better time to go than at the height of the rainy season. So, we will take a “rain check” (literally) and reschedule our excursion for a dryer few days. But, an adventure nonetheless filled with snow, stories, and the raw power of nature was had by all…that’s what matters.
Well, to those that have made it to the end of my long and slightly disconnected adventure story: thanks for reading! I hope all is well back home and that you are staying dry and enjoying your Ramon noodles in relative comfort. Keep in touch!
Cheers,
Peter
This one might get long winded, but hey, you’re probably looking for a good distraction on the Internet. After all, one can only read so much about Egypt and spend so much time on Facebook before getting bored enough to check in on the “adventures of pedro”…
Some months back, a few of us volunteers began to discuss the possibility of a trek through the mountains in order to visit a large tree forestation center (supposedly the country’s largest), implement a new monitoring system for flora and fauna within the national park, and mainly just to go on what could only be an amazing 5 day trek throughout the Andes Mountains. We began to plan and settle on some dates and other necessary items. The dates we finally selected were February 9-16 – give or take a few extra nights here and there. Sounds great right? Oh, February is during the height of the rainy season in the mountains? Psh, no problem. We’re Peace Corps volunteers…we can do just about anything. A little rain can’t hurt, bring it on nature!
Every thing was ready. Last week we started off with 6 of us volunteers and two members of the national park. Our goal was to implement a new monitoring system for the wild flora and fauna that our friend and fellow volunteer Jess has created while trekking through the park and then visit the forestation center on the other side of the mountains upon reaching the city of Pomabamba. We all met in the city of Caraz where we would hire a car to the trailhead about an hour up into the mountains.
Tents. Check. Rain coats. Check. Stove, fuel and plenty of Ramon, crackers, GORP, and tuna fish….check, check, check. Knives, cameras, socks, monitoring plan, matches, good spirits….check, check, check, check. Oh yeah, we were ready. Nothing could stop us now, and so we began our journey up into the high Andes. Our first day was only accompanied by a few small kinks. A few people had planned on using donkeys to help carry some of the heavier gear throughout the trek. At the trailhead we soon realized that no one was there with their donkeys. Furthermore, no one in the whole village was willing to drop their work in the field and accompany our ragged group to the other side of the mountains with their beasts of burden. Hmm, an oddity. That would have been a weeks worth of work guiding their donkey for an equivalent pay of a small potato harvest (7 months work). Normally a campesino would jump on an opportunity like that. Something that perhaps should have been noted, but ah, hindsight is 20/20 or so I hear.
So we decided as a group to split up. Two of us would wait back in the trailhead village and see if another arriero (donkey driver) would show up in the next few hours. The rest were to head to the first night campsite about a 5 hour hike straight up hill. So our esteemed 3rd year volunteer Rabbit and myself stayed behind to wait on the arriero. We waited for about 1.5 hours and realized that no one was coming and we needed to get moving or nighttime darkness would catch up with us. While waiting for the arriero a thick fog had rolled in and visibility was low to say the least. It looked as though the rains were going to hold off though. We got a bit lost as the darkness of night tumbled together with the existing fog. We ended up taking a “scenic” route through highland tall grasses and mountainsides during the rain and night to reunite with our friends who were already at camp. We were led by their blinking headlamps and random yells for we had “decided” to leave to trail a few hours back, opting for the previously mentioned scenic route. So the first day wasn’t too bad. Just some kinks.
Day two came with a continuation of the heavy fog allowing us to see a generous 20 to 30 feet ahead. The air was dense with precipitation and we began our hike into what seemed like a cloud. We spent a long day hiking that included going up two mountain passes both of which were around 4,800 meters (~15,500 ft). We finally arrived in a small…I mean small…“village” of 5 houses, although we only saw one due to the fog and approaching dusk. We found the owner of the house and he led us to a small field to camp in. Phew, long day but a good day. And most importantly the rain held off, just the cloud like fog that took away most of the breathtaking views of hiking over two mountain passes.
Day three. Things get interesting. We woke up fairly wet due to a moderate rain falling all around us. Good news was that the fog broke. We could see the majority of the lush green valley with the raging river cutting through it, framed by the enormous peaks. Peaks we had passed over and those we still needed to climb. It was quite the site. By now, everything was wet. Our tents, our boots, our clothes, everything. The owner of the house came over to our camp and began to warn us of the day’s hike and current weather conditions. He told us rather bluntly and with the knowledge of a man who has lived amongst these mountain peaks and passes his whole life, that the rain down where we were meant that the day’s pass would be covered with snow. Perhaps lots. Mixed with the snow, ice, and low visibility the already narrow and dangerous mountain pass (4900m) renowned for knocking down donkeys with gusts of wind was going to be something we perhaps were not prepared for. Our mountain friend told us that he wouldn’t go near the pass himself and recommended with did the same. Damn. What now? We had trekked for 2 days into the mountains and needed to go 2 more in order to come out on the other side. We were right in the middle. Ahead of was a seemingly impassable mountain trail covered with snow and ice and behind us the two passes we had already climbed leading down to the small village where we had started. We were in a tough spot. We discussed the options and agreed that attempting to climb the pass after being advised not to by a local was not our best option. Even if we managed to get to the top, it would still be a three-hour hike down in mud and snow to the campsite. Our tents were wet, the temperature was dropping and the sun was nowhere in site. Just more rain and clouds. So, stifling our pride we decided the best option would be to turn back and try to get out the following day. This still didn’t solve the snow, rain, and wetness. The trail we needed to go back on would surely be mud and snow even if it was supposedly an easier climb than the one ahead of us. But climb we did. We climbed right back up the near 16000 ft passes that we trekked over the day before. And snow it did. We were walking through snow and sleet the entire time and trudging through muddy and snow covered trails to get back. Get back to where we started to think? Back to the first night’s campsite? Pop up our wet tents and sleeping bags and climb in? It didn’t sound like a vey inviting option. The wind whistled past us and made every break a frigid and numbing experience. If you stopped for more than a few minutes your hands would start to go numb and the cold, dried sweat and snow would quickly push you to continue moving up and up and up.
We finally found our campsite…at least where we were going to camp. We had passed it the day before but couldn’t really see due to the intense fog. It was a small, stone cabin and guardhouse for Duke Energy. We met the extremely friendly and jolly guard who was monitoring the surrounding glacial lakes’ water levels that fell down to a huge generator in the valley and were turned into hydroelectric power. The place was heaven. The small stone building was like a 5 star hotel for our tired, soaked bodies and crushed spirits after another long, arduous climbing trek. Our savior and new friend, Victor, didn’t think twice about opening up his doors and putting on pot after pot of hot water for tea and coffee. He cleared out his kitchen area and guest room for us to roll out our sleeping bags and hang up sopping wet clothes. It was incredible. We used his stove to prepare our feast of pasta and tuna and invited our jolly friend to dinner. We were able to spend a dry night in his cabin regaining the motivation to keep going the next day, making terms with the “failed” trip, and getting to know another amazingly friendly Peruvian. Without our little hotel suite we would have been forced to sleep in wet tents and bags in the rain and fight off hypothermia and crushed morale. Victor, you are the man.
We awoke the next morning to the first sunshine we had seen since we started out 3 days earlier. We breakfasted and said goodbye and thanks to Victor and started out on the easy downhill hike to our trailhead town. It was a leisurely and pleasant 4-hour descent compared to the arduous climbs and rain of the last few days. We finally arrived at the trailhead in mid day sun and found a car that was willing to fit all 8 of us plus gear in and take us down to the city. We wrapped up the trip with a plate of lunch in the market and relaxed. We had made it. Perhaps not to our destination, but we had made it.
It was a great adventure and we quickly realized that no matter how young, wilderness-ready, and stubborn a group of Peace Corps volunteers could be, Mother Nature can still put us in our place. Trekking in the rainy season is never really encouraged and we found out why. As I sit here, back in site with a cup of coffee and dry clothes, I realize just how nice my room in the campo really is. As much as we liked being wet and close to miserable, we all decided that June - the height of the dry season - would be a much better time to go than at the height of the rainy season. So, we will take a “rain check” (literally) and reschedule our excursion for a dryer few days. But, an adventure nonetheless filled with snow, stories, and the raw power of nature was had by all…that’s what matters.
Well, to those that have made it to the end of my long and slightly disconnected adventure story: thanks for reading! I hope all is well back home and that you are staying dry and enjoying your Ramon noodles in relative comfort. Keep in touch!
Cheers,
Peter
1/21/2011
yes, i'm still here.
January 20, 2011 – 10 am
Well, it’s been quite some time since I’ve had the ganas to update this. But, I will take advantage of this foggy morning to attempt to fill all of you, my faithful readers, in on the past few months.
I went home for the holidays. I assume that I spoke to or saw the majority of the people reading this so I will just saw a few words about the trip. I was home for about ten days for Christmas. It was great. I got to spend a lot of time with the family and eat amazing food and raid my parents freshly stocked beer/wine/booze collection. Hot showers became a daily part of my life again…I didn’t mind in the least. I saw snow and made fires for the sake of making fires and not simply for boiling potatoes. I drove a car and wore clean clothes. Cereal and pancakes were the norm for breakfast, not soup. Sandwiches replaced boiled potatoes for lunch. I will never underestimate the simplicity of a sandwich again. They are fantastic. I got to see a lot of my friends from both the Toledo area and elsewhere. We had some good times catching up to say the least. They were nice enough to fill me in on all the joys of American culture I had missed in the last year. So yeah, home was great. It was home and I was glad to see not too much had changed besides a new couch and an interesting type of malt liquor. Thanks to all who made the trip worthwhile. After all, it’s the people who I miss, not the trivial amenities like hot showers and good drink.
So that was my trip to the states. Before I left I spent a few days in Lima for our mid-service medical exams and a few technical training days. I won’t bore you with the details. The short of it is that I am healthy enough to continue my service and received some riveting new technical knowledge while spending 4 days with all of my fellow volunteers and friends in the capital city.
Now I’m back in Peru and my site. I came back to a new year, a new season (the rainy one), and a new routine. The school year here in Peru ends in mid December and the students have vacation until March. The normal “vacation” however just consists of working more hours in the fields with your parents. I was extremely lucky to be able to run around the neighborhood barefoot having water fights and eating ice cream during my summer vacations as a kid. So the routine has changed a bit with no school in session for me or for my host brother and sister. I spend my days going with them to the fields and helping to harvest, plough, plant and all the fun steps in between. We just harvested a small field of native potatoes yesterday and the day before. Now I know I have a cynical attitude towards potatoes in most of my blog entries and emails/calls back home but this time was different. First of all Peru has over 3000 types of potatoes. Yep, lets repeat that for emphasis: 3000 types of potatoes. I can think of maybe 5 back home and that’s if I include Lay’s potato chips. We spent the day high in the Andes pulling out 4 different types of native papa. The first few kilos we harvested went right into the pot on the small wood fire my mom and sister started in the same field. If that’s not fresh I don’t know what is. For lunch we had our papa with a spicy salad made from green onions, lemon, and rocoto the hot pepper of Peru. The papas were all sorts of colors ranging from a deep purple to yellow to red to white. Each one had a distinct taste and texture to accompany its color. We finished by loading up the burros with the full sacks of potatoes and hiking back down to the house. The afternoon rains rolled in and I spent the rest of the day sipping on coffee and reading (I’m attempting War and Peace with the rainy season down time I now enjoy…). That is a glimpse at the new schedule for the vacation months.
I am still in the midst of my healthy homes project so some parts of the day are spent coordinating with the health post or going on house visits. Once a week or so we have a charla, or session, on the various topics of the project like nutrition and organic fertilizers. The stovetop element of the project, which is the pinnacle, should be finished by the beginning of March. So when I’m not enjoying the papa harvesting and grazing the cows I am working on that project. The group seems to be enjoying the topics and my oddly eccentric way of demonstrating why nutrition is important and how to compost. Seem to would be the important phrase in that thought. I’m glad it is working out and the grant money just came back from D.C., so thanks to all of you for paying your taxes!
We (Alex and myself) just visited an informal recycling “center” (really just a plot of land with mounds of crushed plastic bottles) an hour or so away that is willing to buy our recycling and will even come up the mountain and get it. Hopefully we will be able to organize our communities and the schools when they come back in session to start a recycling project that will keep things clean and generate a small income for the participants. Thoughts for the future…
Other than that, things have been going well. I am still truly enjoying this awesome experience and can’t believe that I only have 10 months left. So, after completing well over half of my service, I have come to learn and love the culture of Peru, specifically the indigenous highlands I have made my home for the last 17 months. This life seems so normal for me now, despite the lack of showers, food diversity, constant connection to the internet (iPhones haven’t caught on quite yet) and putting English on the back burner. I couldn’t imagine it any other way. Thanks to all those who continue to keep in touch, it’s always nice to receive an email/message/letter/other form of communication from all of you back home. I will try to keep the blog frequently updated during my last year of service…just don’t hold your breath in between posts - unless you’re really good at holding your breath. I’ll end my rambling here for today. Hope all is well with each and every one of you back home.
Candy is still encouraged….
Cheers,
Peter
Well, it’s been quite some time since I’ve had the ganas to update this. But, I will take advantage of this foggy morning to attempt to fill all of you, my faithful readers, in on the past few months.
I went home for the holidays. I assume that I spoke to or saw the majority of the people reading this so I will just saw a few words about the trip. I was home for about ten days for Christmas. It was great. I got to spend a lot of time with the family and eat amazing food and raid my parents freshly stocked beer/wine/booze collection. Hot showers became a daily part of my life again…I didn’t mind in the least. I saw snow and made fires for the sake of making fires and not simply for boiling potatoes. I drove a car and wore clean clothes. Cereal and pancakes were the norm for breakfast, not soup. Sandwiches replaced boiled potatoes for lunch. I will never underestimate the simplicity of a sandwich again. They are fantastic. I got to see a lot of my friends from both the Toledo area and elsewhere. We had some good times catching up to say the least. They were nice enough to fill me in on all the joys of American culture I had missed in the last year. So yeah, home was great. It was home and I was glad to see not too much had changed besides a new couch and an interesting type of malt liquor. Thanks to all who made the trip worthwhile. After all, it’s the people who I miss, not the trivial amenities like hot showers and good drink.
So that was my trip to the states. Before I left I spent a few days in Lima for our mid-service medical exams and a few technical training days. I won’t bore you with the details. The short of it is that I am healthy enough to continue my service and received some riveting new technical knowledge while spending 4 days with all of my fellow volunteers and friends in the capital city.
Now I’m back in Peru and my site. I came back to a new year, a new season (the rainy one), and a new routine. The school year here in Peru ends in mid December and the students have vacation until March. The normal “vacation” however just consists of working more hours in the fields with your parents. I was extremely lucky to be able to run around the neighborhood barefoot having water fights and eating ice cream during my summer vacations as a kid. So the routine has changed a bit with no school in session for me or for my host brother and sister. I spend my days going with them to the fields and helping to harvest, plough, plant and all the fun steps in between. We just harvested a small field of native potatoes yesterday and the day before. Now I know I have a cynical attitude towards potatoes in most of my blog entries and emails/calls back home but this time was different. First of all Peru has over 3000 types of potatoes. Yep, lets repeat that for emphasis: 3000 types of potatoes. I can think of maybe 5 back home and that’s if I include Lay’s potato chips. We spent the day high in the Andes pulling out 4 different types of native papa. The first few kilos we harvested went right into the pot on the small wood fire my mom and sister started in the same field. If that’s not fresh I don’t know what is. For lunch we had our papa with a spicy salad made from green onions, lemon, and rocoto the hot pepper of Peru. The papas were all sorts of colors ranging from a deep purple to yellow to red to white. Each one had a distinct taste and texture to accompany its color. We finished by loading up the burros with the full sacks of potatoes and hiking back down to the house. The afternoon rains rolled in and I spent the rest of the day sipping on coffee and reading (I’m attempting War and Peace with the rainy season down time I now enjoy…). That is a glimpse at the new schedule for the vacation months.
I am still in the midst of my healthy homes project so some parts of the day are spent coordinating with the health post or going on house visits. Once a week or so we have a charla, or session, on the various topics of the project like nutrition and organic fertilizers. The stovetop element of the project, which is the pinnacle, should be finished by the beginning of March. So when I’m not enjoying the papa harvesting and grazing the cows I am working on that project. The group seems to be enjoying the topics and my oddly eccentric way of demonstrating why nutrition is important and how to compost. Seem to would be the important phrase in that thought. I’m glad it is working out and the grant money just came back from D.C., so thanks to all of you for paying your taxes!
We (Alex and myself) just visited an informal recycling “center” (really just a plot of land with mounds of crushed plastic bottles) an hour or so away that is willing to buy our recycling and will even come up the mountain and get it. Hopefully we will be able to organize our communities and the schools when they come back in session to start a recycling project that will keep things clean and generate a small income for the participants. Thoughts for the future…
Other than that, things have been going well. I am still truly enjoying this awesome experience and can’t believe that I only have 10 months left. So, after completing well over half of my service, I have come to learn and love the culture of Peru, specifically the indigenous highlands I have made my home for the last 17 months. This life seems so normal for me now, despite the lack of showers, food diversity, constant connection to the internet (iPhones haven’t caught on quite yet) and putting English on the back burner. I couldn’t imagine it any other way. Thanks to all those who continue to keep in touch, it’s always nice to receive an email/message/letter/other form of communication from all of you back home. I will try to keep the blog frequently updated during my last year of service…just don’t hold your breath in between posts - unless you’re really good at holding your breath. I’ll end my rambling here for today. Hope all is well with each and every one of you back home.
Candy is still encouraged….
Cheers,
Peter
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