Finally...Cookies!

So for any of you who really know me, you know that I LOVE to bake cookies! Well, when I found out that my new apartment had an oven, I was delighted to think that possibly I could do one of the things I love to do the most. This weekend I made my first batch of peanut butter cookies and they came out great! But let me tell you about the round about way that I had to take to arrive at my final destination.

First, I had to find a cookie sheet to buy--not easy. The one I found cost me almost $10.00--but what are you going to do? Then mixing bowls, measuring cups and measuring spoons, all of which added up to quite a bit of money for something so simple. Next, as I've told you before, finding ingredients to prepare anything familiar to me is often a challenge in the stores here. Another challenge has been the fact that everything is in metric so I'm dealing with grams, liters, etc. I was able to go on-line and find recipes that will convert from Imperial to Metric so that that was a start. Anyway, to make cookies you need flour, sugar, butter, salt and then baking soda or baking powder, minimally to start. Well interestingly, I found baking powder (although I didn't know it at the time) but I couldn't find baking soda in the market. Turns out you have to go the pharmacy for this sort of thing. What they offer is the tiniest box of baking soda (maybe 1/4 cup) and it cost 2 soles (about 60 cents). Doesn't sound like much but think about what a big box of Arm & Hammer baking soda costs--maybe 79 cents!? And think about how much baking soda we all go through for one thing and another? I had been worried the butter and other ingredients were going to be very expensive but it turns out to be something so basic to us as baking soda! Anyway, finally I got all the parts to make my first masterpiece. It was only this week that I figured out how to light my stove (with a match) and because there’s no temperature control, I had to wing it there. I think on maximum, the temperature is about 375 degrees which is just about right for cookies (when I come back to the States, I will need to buy an oven thermometer to be a little more accurate). My stove is a LP gas with the tank is under the sink. It's great and very hot but it often runs out at the most inopportund time. I was concerned that my gas would run out in the middle of baking as it usually takes a day or two to get another tank from the landlord. But the stars were in my favor and I completed my baking with no trouble. Instead, the power went out for awhile as I was baking but with gas, no worries--I only lost my radio. I completed 5 dozen peanut butter cookies and they were a work of art! I did have to quickly bag them, though, because as they were cooling, the ants were marching right in!

I took them to the office the next day and, needless to say, they were devoured. Good quality baked goods, especially cookies, are rare here due to the humidity so it was really a treat. This weekend I am shooting for oatmeal-raisin cookies or Snickerdoodles. Unfortunately, I can't buy chocolate chips here but when I go back to the States in the fall, I will buy some and bring them back. If anyone is ever heading this way, a bag or two of Tollhouse chocolate chips would be great! One thing that is curious here, and I think thought-provoking, is the fact that everything in the grocery stores come in plastic bags or boxes, even things like milk and mayonnaise. The only things you find in cans or glass jars are imported items from the States or Europe. The point being that things in bags and boxes pack much tighter and weigh less, thereby using less space and energy to pack and ship. However, I can't speak to how much energy it takes to create all this plastic??

Let’s see…what else is new? Well, you may remember me lamenting about my IPOD that got stuck on pause and that I was having withdraw pains for over a month? Well, long story short, I was able to reset it and now I'm back in business. I finally bought my "mesedora" or Peruvian rocking chair. It's difficult to describe but tacky comes to mind. However, it's cool and comfortable and perfect for this part of the world. Now, how to get it in my suitcase when I come home?? For those of you who are on Facebook, you can check out my photos of the rocking chair and me sitting in it listening to my working IPOD, too!

Not much is happening at work these days. I think it's the calm before the storm as Adopt-A-School will be heating up soon and then there will be no time to think! Next month a group of high school students are coming from Michigan (Sacred Heart in Bloomfield Hills). They will be helping me pack a couple hundred large rice bags filled with school supplies, so that begins the start of the action. We will have a larger number of volunteers here this year for AAS, as one week will be for deliveries and one week for service projects. Conapac and Explorama won an award this past week ($1000) from the Board of Responsible Tourism for its work in the area of environmental sustainable and all they are doing in the rainforest. I have submitted another grant proposal for three new mini-water treatment plants to provide clean drinking water to the remote villages we work with, plus some educational workshops to go along with the new water plants. Keep your fingers crossed for me and the program!!

As you know, I have been trying to find a Spanish class or tutor to work with here but with no luck. And although there are opportunities to speak with any number of people, it's not the same as having a regular date to practice and discuss questions. One of the guides at Explorama has a daughter who is studying English. Her name is Wendy, she's about 23 years old, a college student, and wants to practice English with someone. So we've met and agreed to meet once a week for practice in both languages. I have also found a very nice cultural center that has a reading program each evening for street children. I plan to go once a week to listen to the stories and to take the opportunity to read more books in Spanish. Little by little, I WILL conquer this new language :)

People often ask me what I miss while living here? Besides the obvious of family and good friends, I can't say there's much. But right now, I'd love to have a weekly news magazine (Time, Newsweek or US News & World Report) delivered each week; I definitely miss chips and salsa; and since we're so close to the Equator, there are no intense, lingering sunsets--I'd like to linger over one very soon! Thanks, again, for all of who are following my blog. And if you're not on Facebook, consider giving it a try! I'd love to have more friends!