Well, I’m back from my week in the jungle, as I tagged along with the CONAPAC team. There were about 15 people doing year-end school and community evaluations for those villages in the Adopt-A-School program (AAS). I had an opportunity to visit several communities which have had special projects completed or service project groups working in their village sometime this past year. Many communities appear to be thriving and pushing forward to improve their lives, while others are clearly struggling. But I think the opportunity to meet with educators from Iquitos and members of CONAPAC to discuss their concerns and hopes for the future is always a good thing. People like it when someone listens! I took several photos while I was visiting and have a number of donors to contact this next week, telling them about the projects they've funded this year and bringing them up-to-date on the villagers' lives. Some of the regular donors have actually visited these communities in the past, so the connection is even stronger and more meaningful when fresh news and photographs are sent their way. Check below on the blog as I posted a new picture of myself with students from the community of Nuevo San Juan de Amazona. This school is sponsored each year by the Brighton Rotary Club and I've visited there in the past. Recently my step-father, Harry Wheaton, supported them with enough money to build two new "baños", of which I took advantage while I was there. :) There’s nothing in the world like a clean toilet in the middle of the jungle...thanks, Harry!!
Besides returning from the jungle with photos and news of the villages, I also brought back another souvenir....chiggers!! Now I've heard the stories about how bad chiggers can be both here and in the States. But I have to believe, like everything else here, they grow 'em bigger and badder in "la selva"!! Locally they're called "izangos" and when I told anyone what I had, they gave me very grave and sympathetic smiles. One of the team members on the trip, Judy, offered to do the job of digging out the little buggers from their cozy beds under my skin. She came to my room one night and, by gas light, went over my body from head to toe prying them out. And for any of you who have had chiggers, you know they don't just settle in and around your ankles...NO! They crawl up into that warm, moist cozy place that is your underwear area, front and back. Soooooooooo, Judy was a Godsend as she went over my body and found all the little critters, digging them out one at a time. It's been a little over a week now. I still have scabs and they still itch but it’s manageable. One of my friends here, Nancy, tells me "the first time is the worse"...Does there have to be a second time? But I suppose I know the answer.
I've been learning a bit more jungle slang in the past week. In fact, I feel that I have to learn two new languages, not just Spanish. When I speak in my more formal Spanish, people here can understand me. But when they speak, it's full of all kinds of local words that I have no idea their meanings. But one way or the other, I will learn these things although it's going to take some time. Actually, the sounds of these words are fun and not too difficult to say. In fact, I think easier than many Spanish words that turn my tongue in knots. A sampling: "chamba" is your job; "chacra" is a small farm or piece of land; "choche" is a close friend, as is "pata"; "chibolo" or "chibola" are small children; "cocha" is a small lake; "leba" is sugar cane rum (but I think more like moonshine than Bacardi) and, of course, "baracho" means drunk. I learned a few other words, too, but nothing I would care to post on line :)
Next weekend I head back to the jungle to participate in my first service project. I'm not too sure where or what we'll be doing. It's with a large family group of 14 people who are visiting the jungle over the holidays and wanted to do something a little different. We will probably paint schools or replant some trees, maybe build a fence or two. Hopefully, no more chiggers but I have no DEET with me so it might just happen again...Yikes! I continue to enjoy each and every day here, no matter what it brings. I'm neither bored nor lonely and find each day to be pure joy. I pray your lives can be as satisfactory and fulfilling. I do notice however, that every person who writes me from the States, whether family, friends, or my donor network from around the country, they seem to want to send me a weather report! But when I think back, I know whenever I wrote to Pam or any other friend here in Peru when I was back in Michigan, I did the same. Weather is a big part of our lives in the States, I suppose as it's constantly changing. No one here ever comments about it as every day some part of the day will be hot, sunny, cloudy and rainy. Now and then there's a breeze. I know some of you would be bored with this constancy but as I've said before, thus far it hasn't happened to me. So don't hurt yourself shoveling snow...it's not worth it!!
As I close, a quick "shout out" to all my family and friends to have a very Merry Christmas and, hopefully, a more positive and prosperous New Year. I won't name you all individually for fear of missing someone but I can't leave without especially sending greetings to Erin and Samantha, the two most wonderful, beautiful, kind and loving daughters any mother could want or have!
Peace be with you all!
Sunday, December 21, 2008
Sunday, December 7, 2008
More new beginnings...
As of my last posting, I was looking for a new place to live. Not that I don´t love the La Casona and all the folks who work there--but living in a hotel full time feels a little too "communal" for me. I think the thing I want most again in my life is my own kitchen. No matter how small, having a cooking space of my own will be a delight. Frankly, I'd rather share a bathroom than a kitchen! Well, after a couple of false starts with either unacceptable or unavailable apartments, I have found the apartment of my dreams! It´s right in the downtown area, two blocks from where I live right now but a world away. It´s tucked where you can´t find it unless you know it´s there and it´s surrounded by a beautiful, tropical garden. I won´t have to go to the jungle as much to get my "fix" as it will be something I can enjoy each day. I actually haven´t seen the inside yet (only peeked through the windows) but I saw enough to know I want to live there for as long as possible. The owner is a Brit who lives on site, which is great and, of course, speaks English so I was able to fully get all my many questions answered. I will take possession the 1st of January and will start moving in my things. At the moment, I don't have much "stuff" so it should be one, short moto-kar drive away. I was doing a little shopping this weekend for pots and pans, dishes, glasses etc. The apartment does come with a stove, fridge and bed so I won't need to purchase a lot. All in all, I´m eager to really get settled here and start hosting some friends....and I hope that includes friends and family from the States,too!!
This week we experienced a number of power outages each day. One day, it was city-wide and lasted anywhere from 3-8 hours depending on the area. In Iquitos, there are no emergency lights, exit signs, separate city light systems, etc. to rely on. It was quite dark in the streets going home from work that night but somehow, as with most power outages, a bit of an adventure. That day happened to the one that the "rat patrol" was put into action at Explorama. In the morning, four of the critters were apprehended and disposed of. We expect more soon but for now, everyone in the office is a little relieved. I did see a big one, however, running along the streets of Iquitos Friday night, right in the town square. (You know, even though I grew up in Detroit and lived on Academy Drive for many years, I've never actually seen a rat in person!) Anyway, the rat was going quite crazy running all around with cars, moto-kars and motorcycles trying to avoid getting killed. But as luck would have it, at least for the rat, he was able to miss all this traffic safely and find his way home to the gutter. I don´t think there were any tourists around to see this so I am reporting it for their amusement and benefit--Keep your eyes open for the unexpected action you might find in the streets of Iquitos!
I spent a bit more time this week with Arianna, Pam´s 11 year old daughter. In fact, Monday was her birthday and I was invited to her class birthday party, as well as dinner back home with the family. An absolutely beautiful cake was provided by Mom at school and then another back home after dinner. Arianna is a hoot and it´s been fun once again to spend time with a pre-teen niña...it´s been a long time since Erin and Sam were at that stage and I had forgotten how charming and silly they could be. Friday, Arianna and I went to the cinema and we saw Madagascar 2, in Spanish, of course. After which, we did pizza and Ari spent the night in my room. In the morning we did a bit of shopping and roaming the streets after we had watched Saturday morning cartoons and played UNO on my IPOD. I think she enjoyed the adult time away from her younger sister and several young cousins who are in the house a great deal. She was, and is, a delight and I´m glad to have the opportunity to spend time wiht her.
Another first this week was I finally got my hair cut in a salon! All the time I´ve been here, I´ve always cut my own hair as it´s such a strange cut. I just wasn´t ready to try and deal with someone new plus the language barrier. But my wonderful friend Luis told me about "Juan" (pronounced as it´s written in English with a hard J sound). Juan, it turns out, happens to be Pam´s guy, too, so I was reassured. Luis and his brother, Christian, took me to the salon which was about the size of a small bedroom. It´s on sort of a residential street, with no door or window, just an opening to enter. No running water only big water-filled buckets for washing and rinsing. Outside was the usual suspects--kids hanging around, dogs loping by, three or four guys sitting on the sidewalk playing cars, moto-kars turned sideways to be repaired, old ladies rocking and fanning themselves in the heat, in otherwords, daily life on the steet. The salon was packed with clients along with three other guys who work there, all of whom have a certain flair!! Luis, and his brother patiently sat with me as Luis talked Juan throught the process and explained what I wanted. I took my own hair product and scissors and when all was said an done, I got a great hair cut. I guess when you´re a professional and know what you are doing, the language difference doesn´t matter. He could see what I was after and carried it off with great results. And did I say how much this great hair cut cost? Ten soles which is about $3.50--I will be back again!
I´m off now to the jungle for a little over a week so I won´t be doing a posting for awhile. I´ll let you know the lastest news from the communities and how things are going. The CONAPAC staff, along with other education representatives, will be visiting all the schools which are in the AAS program for year-end evaluations. I am going along to take photos of as many special projects that have been completed this year as possible. I´ll be sending these photos to the donors and some of the participates when I return on December 17th. It´s starting to look a bit like Christmas here with decorations and music but it certainly doesn´t feel like it. As much as I dislike snow and cold weather, you can´t beat it as a backdrop to the holiday season. Have a good couple of weeks as you prepare and enjoy this time of year....
This week we experienced a number of power outages each day. One day, it was city-wide and lasted anywhere from 3-8 hours depending on the area. In Iquitos, there are no emergency lights, exit signs, separate city light systems, etc. to rely on. It was quite dark in the streets going home from work that night but somehow, as with most power outages, a bit of an adventure. That day happened to the one that the "rat patrol" was put into action at Explorama. In the morning, four of the critters were apprehended and disposed of. We expect more soon but for now, everyone in the office is a little relieved. I did see a big one, however, running along the streets of Iquitos Friday night, right in the town square. (You know, even though I grew up in Detroit and lived on Academy Drive for many years, I've never actually seen a rat in person!) Anyway, the rat was going quite crazy running all around with cars, moto-kars and motorcycles trying to avoid getting killed. But as luck would have it, at least for the rat, he was able to miss all this traffic safely and find his way home to the gutter. I don´t think there were any tourists around to see this so I am reporting it for their amusement and benefit--Keep your eyes open for the unexpected action you might find in the streets of Iquitos!
I spent a bit more time this week with Arianna, Pam´s 11 year old daughter. In fact, Monday was her birthday and I was invited to her class birthday party, as well as dinner back home with the family. An absolutely beautiful cake was provided by Mom at school and then another back home after dinner. Arianna is a hoot and it´s been fun once again to spend time with a pre-teen niña...it´s been a long time since Erin and Sam were at that stage and I had forgotten how charming and silly they could be. Friday, Arianna and I went to the cinema and we saw Madagascar 2, in Spanish, of course. After which, we did pizza and Ari spent the night in my room. In the morning we did a bit of shopping and roaming the streets after we had watched Saturday morning cartoons and played UNO on my IPOD. I think she enjoyed the adult time away from her younger sister and several young cousins who are in the house a great deal. She was, and is, a delight and I´m glad to have the opportunity to spend time wiht her.
Another first this week was I finally got my hair cut in a salon! All the time I´ve been here, I´ve always cut my own hair as it´s such a strange cut. I just wasn´t ready to try and deal with someone new plus the language barrier. But my wonderful friend Luis told me about "Juan" (pronounced as it´s written in English with a hard J sound). Juan, it turns out, happens to be Pam´s guy, too, so I was reassured. Luis and his brother, Christian, took me to the salon which was about the size of a small bedroom. It´s on sort of a residential street, with no door or window, just an opening to enter. No running water only big water-filled buckets for washing and rinsing. Outside was the usual suspects--kids hanging around, dogs loping by, three or four guys sitting on the sidewalk playing cars, moto-kars turned sideways to be repaired, old ladies rocking and fanning themselves in the heat, in otherwords, daily life on the steet. The salon was packed with clients along with three other guys who work there, all of whom have a certain flair!! Luis, and his brother patiently sat with me as Luis talked Juan throught the process and explained what I wanted. I took my own hair product and scissors and when all was said an done, I got a great hair cut. I guess when you´re a professional and know what you are doing, the language difference doesn´t matter. He could see what I was after and carried it off with great results. And did I say how much this great hair cut cost? Ten soles which is about $3.50--I will be back again!
I´m off now to the jungle for a little over a week so I won´t be doing a posting for awhile. I´ll let you know the lastest news from the communities and how things are going. The CONAPAC staff, along with other education representatives, will be visiting all the schools which are in the AAS program for year-end evaluations. I am going along to take photos of as many special projects that have been completed this year as possible. I´ll be sending these photos to the donors and some of the participates when I return on December 17th. It´s starting to look a bit like Christmas here with decorations and music but it certainly doesn´t feel like it. As much as I dislike snow and cold weather, you can´t beat it as a backdrop to the holiday season. Have a good couple of weeks as you prepare and enjoy this time of year....
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