A Turn of events...

Well, what a difference a week can make! As you all know, I applied and was nominated for a Peace Corps posting about a year ago. Since then, I've been in the process of reorganizing my life to fulfill this 27 month commitment. Then waiting, waiting, waiting for the date to leave and find out what country in which I was to be deployed. You have all been so supportive and curious and I've really enjoyed all the discussions we've had along the way. I particularly want to mention my thanks to the three sponsors of my application, Tony Sincic, Mark Cook and Jill Gilmore. I know their kind and generous words helped me to get through the first set of hoops that got this ball started!

Well, last Monday when I got the office here in Perú, Pam came to me and said she had been placed on a new committee by the owner of Explorama, Peter Jensen--it’s called "the committee to keep me in Perú!" He told her, "To do whatever it takes to keep her here for at least two more years". Well! I was utterly taken aback and overwhelmed with many thoughts and emotions as well as being humbled by his words. Sooooooooo, after a long week of thinking, not sleeping, conferring with my Peace Corps placement officer, consulting with my immediate family via internet and telephone, writing out several pages of the pros and cons for both opportunities, doing a lot of soul searching about what my goals were a year ago and what they are now, then finally putting together a written proposal, I am happy and proud to say that for the next two and half years, I will be living and working in Iquitos, Perú for CONAPAC! I am extremely excited about all the possibilities here to make a difference on many levels. And although I consider becoming a Peace Corps volunteer an honor and a "once in a lifetime" opportunity, I believe this opportunity to be just as profound. Who knows? Maybe the reason for the whole Peace Corps process was about getting me ready for Perú and nowhere else! Things do happen for a reason and they work how they are meant to...at least in my world, that's what I believe and how I think. My commitment here will be until July 2011; however, I do anticipate returning to the States either in January, briefly, or in the summer for a couple of months to take care of some personal loose ends. I will try to see as many of you as possible before I depart once again. And, keep in mind that coming to Peru is not the Herculean task going to Africa would have been. In fact, Peru is the most delightful country and you really must try it!! Go onto http://www.explorama.com/ and start planning your next incredible trip and visit me while you are here!

Now you will now hear more about the work I am doing and the challenges I will face. I am particularly excited about the real possibility of becoming fluent in Spanish while I'm here. Since most everyone operates in Spanish, I am at a disadvantage but it's a challenge that makes it all that much more interesting. Just this week I was working on translating a year-end report in both languages. Between help from the bi-lingual owners of Explorama, and Google Translate, the report should be posted on the web very soon. So, before I move on to another subject, I want to thank my Spanish teacher, Joanie Sincic for her contribution of getting me started on my way to learning another language. We've had many fun classes over the last couple of years and I wish she were here with me today! She’s a great teacher and truly it is a calling for her to teach whether it be English or Spanish.

As you can imagine last week was filled with mental distractions, day and night. But I did get out and purchase a few household items. I will be starting the search for an apartment or small house in which to live. Not sure what I’ll find or where, but I’ll keep you posted. I have to buy a few things on my own, i.e. bed, mattress, a bit of furniture, microwave so shopping for these things, I’m confident, will be an adventure in and of itself! I was recently at a store which for lack of a better description was a dollar/department store type place. They have a little of everything. Well, I needed three things: body cream, a bucket and an "IN" box for the office. This entailed 3 different items, from 3 different departments, carried by 3 different clerks to the check out, who hand-wrote 3 different bills of sale, to one person who took my money, to another person who stamped the bills "Paid" to finally a 3rd person to put it all in a bag! Needless to say, there is no shortage of labor here (and no hurry, I might add). Now I can only imagine what the process will be like when I go to buy a stove or refrigerator? :)

Some days seem to have a theme to them. Saturday morning I headed to Belén market, the most incredible open-air experience you will ever have. There you'll find chickens and ALL their parts, (some still breathing) fish, meat, clothes, soap, spices, vegetables and fruits...all crammed into the tightest spaces with no refrigeration, but everything so fresh and cheap! I got a bag full of fresh fruits and veggies and other odds and ends for about 15 soles(or $5). So after encountering lots of animals in the morning I headed to work. On the way, what I thought was a bird, swooped my head a couple of times. Then I thought, no it's it a bat...but it was mid-day. So finally it rested on a wall and I saw that it was the most gigantic moth I'd ever seen--bigger than both my hands spread out. It had beautiful coloring and in the rainforest, resting on a tree, you'd never notice it. But laying against a concrete block building, painted some wild green color and ghetto bars on the windows, you couldn’t miss it! I do think he was quite lost. At the office, Pam and I stayed a little late to work and it was very quiet. A rat ran across the room so Pam then mentioned, after I had agreed to stay 2 1/2 years, that if you work late and it's quiet, the rats do tend to come out so she suggested that I should work with my feet up in the air! And lastly, as I was sitting in the internet cafe minding my own business, some sort of strange inset (I think) dropped in my lap...not once but twice. Not sure what it was and there was no one there I could communicate with to tell me--but I’m sure I'll see it again!

I will close now but I cannot go without thanking my wonderful, loving, kind and encouraging family for all their support and comments this week as I was making my decision. Many thanks then to my daughters, Erin and Samantha; my brother Tim and his wife, Deb; the father of my children, Rick; my dad, Jerry, and my step mom, Margo; my step dad, Harry and finally, of course, my two dear friends (who are really family in my mind) Tony and Joanie Sincic. I love you all with all my heart....Sintia