Peruvian Magic

Yes, there's dengue fever in the air. Well, there was but the city of Iquitos and surrounding municipalities have done an outstanding job of raising awareness, fumigating each and every house and business (no matter how humble) and increasing education about the risks of this mosquito-borne disease. It seems to have run its course and although several folks have died, I remind family, friends and visiting tourists that this is a city problem not a jungle threat. There have been some funny stories of people wanting to be whisked through the city from the airport to the boats hoping to avoid bites. Of course, if you are familiar with the traffic and lack of road rules in Iquitos, anyone with some common sense might surmise there's a bigger risk in a traffic accident than a mosquito. But, none the less, folks can find fear where they want. The upside to all this has been the intensive fumigation which not only killed mosquitoes of all types but, it seems to me, reduced the number of spiders and ants around the house. It's been a bonus and frankly the last few weeks have been practically mosquito-free! It's a wonderful feeling to sit out after dark, eat dinner, and have a conversation without the fuss of bug spray. I don't think anyone in Michigan in the summer could sit out after dark without being driven completely mad by the little buggers! So don't let any news from outside stop you from coming to the most beautiful and tranquil place on earth~it certainly tops blizzards, earthquakes, floods and tsunamis!

Things are going well at Conapac. Adopt A School is right around the corner with deliveries starting on Monday, April 4th. A little early this year due to a late Easter but all should be ready by the appropriate day. This year we have the largest number of volunteers ever, who (through great recruiting by the Detroit Zoo) will help for two weeks handing delivery of books and school supplies then work in a river community installing clean water systems. We have a generous donor from Denver who is funding a pilot project in which we will place individual mini-water treatment plants for personal use. The community will actually have three different types of systems with families broken into zones. We will study the usage rates, ease of use, and general feedback by the population for one year. In our goal to provide access to clean water for our AAS participating communities, not every village is a candidate for a centralized system as they are small and don't warrant the investment. We hope the use of individual systems will augment the larger ones where appropriate. Our volunteers will assist in this project and become emotionally invested partners in this important work.

Probably the most exciting thing happening at Conapac right now is the addition of a new volunteer. Megan Thomas, who hales from Fremont, Michigan, had come on board for an undetermined amount of time. She first came to Peru at 17, traveling with a student group. She fall in love with the rainforest and always hoped to find her way back to Iquitos. But first she earned her degree in natural science at the University of Michigan then she fulfilled a 2 ½ year stint for the Peace Corps in Honduras. She is fluent in Spanish and brings tremendous gifts to the table of Conapac. She has been working with the students in the garden at Las Malvinas School; facilitating student service projects; and handling data collection for our donors. Shortly, she will help manage the jungle library which Conapac will soon take over; she will cover my job responsibilities when I'm in the States this fall; and in general, she has become a very good and fun friend to have around! She seems intent on making a long-term commitment to Conapac by living and working here for the next few years. We will work toward getting here a “green card” later this year. With the addition of her talents and enthusiasm, Conapac can only grow and improve thus providing the services, support and environmental education Conapac strives to bring to the residents of the Peruvian rainforest. Here in Peru, the right person always seems to come along at the right time--Welcome Megan!

Have you ever been stalked by a cat? Well, I have not until recently and at times it was almost spooky but here's the story. As I've mentioned before, dogs and cats are quite the “throw away” items here. People rarely care appropriately for these animals. Sterilization is rare and abandonment common. About four months ago a white cat would periodically mosey through my house and often cry to be fed. Since my doors are always open this is not unusual as cats, dogs, frogs, rats, etc. sometimes pass through. This cat kept coming back and the only course I had to be rid of it was to use a spray bottle of water and squirt it out the door. I did this for weeks but she kept coming back and would not take no for an answer. Then about 3 weeks ago my friend, James, arrived for a visit and he and she (the cat) took to each other right away. She was in his lap and purring and he enjoyed and encouraged this. Ugh! I was thinking, now I'll never be rid of this cat! She was very skinny and underfed but you know what happens when you start to feed a cat---I resisted but found it difficult. The tide turned when I found her under my bed in a box starting to have a litter of kittens. To add insult to injury, this poor, abandoned, malnourished cat was now knocked up and having to deal with babies. Ah, what to do? We made her comfortable in a new box and let her do her thing by leaving the box just outside my door. In the morning? No cat, no kittens, no afterbirth, nothing! I can only surmise that she ate the babies and such since she was near starving. Those of you who know me are aware that I can be a bit hardhearted when it comes to animals. I simply can't be bothered but this time I just decided it was enough and something had to be done. I bought some cat food and made a decision, with Megan's great help, to start feeding this cat, have it spayed and find it a new home. We got her healthy, AmazonCares (which I wrote about last month) handled the surgery at a reduced price, got rid of her parasites, worms and other pests then we asked around for a new owner. We found a lovely woman who works at Explorama to take the cat. So now to get her there?! Have you ever tried to take a cat in a box in a motokar in the streets of Iquitos? And to top it off, on our way there, a HUGH thunder storm kicked up so that by the time we arrived, we were soaking wet and freezing cold as the wind raised and the temperature dropped. But that sweet little cat—so trusting of me for so long—was removed from the box and easily at home in her new environment. Lesson: Persistence pays whether human or animal. I've learned something from this little cat—not to take no for an answer. But do make sure your target (victim?) is ultimately as much of a softy as I am given enough time to break down my walls :)

So, speaking of “walls”, my final comments are about my personal life. I don't often write about this in my blog but I think it's time. My life here in Iquitos has been completely different than what I call my “previous life”. I was married for 32 years, raised two children, ran a small business and generally lead a nice if somewhat boring life. Although those years were important and pleasing, at 50-something it was time for me to rock the boat and upend my life. You all know the rest of the story. Since coming to Peru to live and work, I've enjoyed a completely fun and fulfilling life on my own. I have not been looking, expecting or even wanting a love-interest let alone a “relationship”. For me it seemed to be too much work, responsibility and obligation—something I had wanted to avoid by keeping up the “walls”. But, it seems, sometimes these things find you anyway. Out of nowhere, I met James last August. He was an Australian tourist passing through the jungle for two nights. I've met many such tourists over the years, which is a great opportunity to meet folks from around the world and have some pleasant conversation in English. However, I do not ever expect to see them again. But this man, not unlike my stalking cat, would not take no for an answer. From the start, he has pursued me in the most romantic way yet kept an appropriate space for me to decide if this was want I wanted, too. Since August we've had wonderful and regular email correspondence, which is a great way to get to know someone. He has returned to Iquitos from Perth for two extended visits since. We've enjoyed each others company very much and he seems taken with me, the jungle and the possibilities that Peru affords. I will be traveling to Australia in August to meet his family and friends then he will join me in Michigan in October to meet mine.

So in the most unexpected and unforeseen way, I have fallen in love. Once more, my cup is filled beyond overflowing and I rejoice! What a wonderful life. My dear family and friends, please welcome James into my life!