Well, for those of you who have faithfully followed my blog, it has been just over a year (October 27, 2008) since I entered my first posting! What started out as a last minute whim, as I left the States, has turned into a regular habit and a thoroughly rewarding experience. How quickly this year has passed and how different my life is today. Thank you all, whoever you might be, for reading my stories. I often wonder if I'm writing them only for myself, then I hear about someone who is regularly reading my thoughts and it keeps me inspired to carry on. Thank you for your continued interest and enthusiasm!
Hmmmmm...What’s new? After the last two blog postings, I'm afraid I can't top those adventures so I'll just bring you up to date and then a few more ramblings! My arm is slowly healing but I've finally given up using a sling. I still wrap it each day more for padding against an unexpected bump than any other reason. It's been a particularly hot week so having the added wrapping was no fun. My monkey bite is gone but, at the moment, I do have a scar so it reminds me of how insulted I was by the bite (I really don't like that monkey!). The garden around my apartment has been cleaned up and there are green sprouts shooting up here and there. One interesting plant is the banana tree. This huge tree was completely destroyed yet already the leaves are unfolding again, I swear, right before my eyes. It is now at least 1/3 of the way back to its former size! When the landlord returns from England, I hope he finds the hole in the wall as ugly as I do and decides to bite the bullet by rebuilding the wall at least halfway up.
I spent a week in the jungle with a large group of students from the American school in Lima. They came to do service projects in the villages and learn about the rainforest in general. I don't know exactly who these kids were but the Explorama boats which brought them to and from the Lodges were accompanied by a full Peruvian navy escort! In addition, a large cruiser was parked outside the Lodge on the Amazon for the whole week the students were here--very interesting! CONAPAC now has another water plant up and running--our 6th this year with one more to yet to build in 2009. Of course, we have about 75-80 villages with which we work so we have much more yet to accomplish :) Check out the bottom of my blog as I posted a new photo taken while at one of the water workshops--sling and all!
I've picked up another English student who is coming two days a week for conversation and other clarifications about the proper use of English. Of course, I'm always up against the fact that in Perú they teach "proper" British English which bumps up against American English in usage and pronunciation. I don't know which team will win this battle but you know the one I'm cheering on! I continue with my own Spanish classes which have a hit and miss quality to them. Some days it all just flows. Then other days every word sticks in my head and refuses to cross my lips...oh! This is so painful learning a new language :( I have been doing a lot of cooking and baking from recipes I brought here from the States. Now that I know what ingredients I can find here and what I can't, it makes it a lot easier to find the appropriate recipe. Each weekend I haunt the stores for the rare food item. When I do, I buy as much as possible since I know I'll never see it in the store again. My most recent hunt is for any kind of nut besides peanuts and any kind of cheese besides the soft processed type--in other words, something hard enough to grate on a cheese grater. Interestingly, two common things you can find here are marshmallows and cream cheese--go figure?! It feels like 1956.
Two successful finds I've had in the last week were my patio table and chairs, which I never thought I could possibly locate. But after looking and waiting and then going back to the stores over and over again, finally I found exactly what I wanted. And the miracle of miracles was that the salesman was actually helpful and promised he'd have it delivered that evening (it was already 4 PM on a Saturday). But sure enough in less than an hour he was at my door. I told him I'd never received such quick and efficient customer service in Iquitos. He then proceeded to tell me that was because he is from Lima!! Well, I hope more folks from Lima set up shop here in Iquitos soon and use their great customer service skills :) My other incredible find was WD40! Can you believe it? After my rant and rave at the TSA, I actually found it here. It’s a little pricey but well worth it. The trick here is never to be actually looking for something specifically--but you always want to be prepared with enough money if you do find something unexpected. If you don't buy it then, you'll never see it again. I'm still looking for some kind of interesting cereal other than the only ONE they have here for grown-ups. If you're coming to visit me in Perú, a box of Wheat Chex would be great!!
It has been the low water season and truly I've never seen the water so low. But I think just like those of you in the Midwest, telling me about the leaves changing and the November winds and rain moving in, the tide here has turned, as well. After this last week of oppressive heat, yesterday it finally broke. It rained so hard and for so long that I know the rivers and streams will be on their way to the start of the high water season. Last night there was an incredible thunder and lightening show, with crazy amounts of wind, too. There's not too much in the way of "extreme" weather here so it was really something. When I got home from work last night, I stepped out of the motorkar into a foot of water and it never stopped all night. This morning it was 78 degrees inside my apartment. The first time in several weeks that it dipped below 82 inside...a nice change of pace and clean streets, too!! :)
Final thoughts...thank you all for various notes and letters I've received lately. Also for some old friends I've found recently on Facebook. I feel so connected with everyone while I'm here, I think even more than when I lived in Michigan. Keep the notes coming as time allows and know I think of you all quite often. Take care and enjoy the upcoming "turkey day" festivities! OH, PS...Remember that rat problem which we "took care of" back in May? Well, theeeey're back! Not sure if we have a small rat problem or a large mouse problem but either way, our vacation from rodents is over! :(
Monday, November 2, 2009
Friday, October 16, 2009
Back In The Groove...
Whew! Some weeks are full of more adventures than others and I’ve certainly had my fill, especially after last week! Last Sunday I was sitting inside my apartment since it had just started to rain quite hard. Suddenly there was this big roaring sound, I turned around to see the 20ft. plus high, brick wall that forms the enclosure to my apartment building, completely collapse. It flattened all the trees and other plants in the garden, took down the telephone and cable lines and generally created a huge mess! The good news was none of the resident children were in the yard at the time which just prior to the rain they had been there playing. The landlord, who lives on site, had just left for 6 weeks in England so it was up to the resident guard to handle the clean up along with his older children. I have to say, they made quick work of it and by Wednesday it was as clean as possible. The wall was actually the side of the house next door in which no one currently lives. The owners had recently removed all the cross support rooms and vegetation had grown heavily on it as the roots undermined the mortar. The owners, who live in Brazil, were asked not to gut the place and leave it as they did for the very reason that the wall might collapse. Apparently, they did not care nor has anyone seen them since the incident. Needless to say, the clean-up consisted of tossing all the brick and debris onto their side of the remaining wall. Surprise, surprise when they one day return! All the animals and insects that lived in this mini-ecosystem of vegetation were quite clueless as to what happened and they were all looking for new homes—especially some rather large, black ants. I had to work hard to keep them out of my house. I think I will most miss the 3 foot iguana that lived on the wall but maybe he’ll return some day when things have re-grown. Since this is the rainforest where things grow very quickly, I expect most of the scars to be gone within a very short time.
This week, I was asked to judge a cooking contest for the students of Las Malvinas School. This is the school in Iquitos where CONAPAC is doing the large environmental garden project which I told you about in my last blog posting. The various grades (1-11) made different types of food from different parts of Perú--the coast, the sierra and the jungle. The food was displayed creatively and with nice table presentations. Along with grading the visual and oral presentations, we had to sample the food for taste and texture. So picture this--A small, hot room with food which was probably prepared some hours earlier, sitting in 80 degree plus heat, with maybe 100 or so kids roaming around looking at, breathing on, perhaps coughing on and generally hanging over the merchandise. Then the judges, about 10-12 of us were all using the same fork or spoon to sample the food. Get the picture? Needless to say, I paid for it the next today! :) But no worries--sometimes it's good for the body to start fresh! I have some photos of the food and will post them on my FB page soon!
As I’m struggling to learn Spanish (and I have to say this is getting much better) I realize I’m not just going back and forth between two languages. Besides the mix of Spanish and jungle words which are so integrated into the locals’ speaking patterns (I call this Spungle), I am also learning to convert the metric and imperial system for weights and measures at work and at home. Plus, my mind has to daily convert dollars to soles and vice-versa with the accounting process at CONAPAC and purchases I make. There are times my head swims and aches with the challenges but I comfort myself with the confidence that I’m warding off Alzheimer’s disease—at least for now. My brain is too busy making new connections in this old “bod” than to be shriveling up for lack of use. I’d highly encourage you all to start learning something completely new, especially if you’re on the back side of 50!!
People ask me all the time if it’s safe to live here. As it goes, I think Iquitos is a relatively safe and calm city considering the large number of people living here in a very small space. However, there is one consistent problem which is theft. Lots of motorcycles and other household items are regularly lifted from the street and homes which are not properly secured (barbed wire and steel grating plus locks). So far, my circumstances have been very safe but I, too, have suffered from thievery! Of what, you ask? Well, let me tell you about the thieves in the laundramat where I regularly take my clothes. Due to thiefs in the past of my socks and underwear, I now handwash them at home. I have lost shorts and tops but I don’t care to hand wash these larger items, so now I have the staff count my clothes when I drop them off. But the latest items which I realize have not been returned are dishtowels and rags!!! In less than a year, I have lost over a dozen new dishtowels, some of which were turned into rags, too. Who would have thought a rag would be such a premium product--or perhaps I have really nice ones? Either way, I have now decided not to take my dishtowels or rags to the laundry and I will start to hand wash them at home, too. It’s a crazy world out there! :)
Last comment—I know many of you are on Facebook so you may have seen this; but for those of you who are not, there are a variety of silly little quizzes which you can take to test completely unimportant and useless, but fun, information about yourself. Well, an old friend (might be a connection there) took the “What Is Your Old Lady Name?” quiz and suggested I try it, too. I was quite curious so went ahead. Well! Based on my answers, apparently my old lady name would be “Winifred” and the description--Welcome to Senile-ville! You're that crazy old lady that no one wants to be around but secretly everyone wants to be—is probably closer to the truth than I care to admit! My friend, on the other hand, was the type that would always be available to baby-sit and be prepared with cookies and other goodies in the house at all times. I guess we are who we are, from start to finish!! For my 50-something girlfreinds out there--and you know who you are--I hope you'll take the quiz, too, and share the results.
I’m off to the jungle for a week of workshops and service projects. I’ll report in later with the latest happenings at the Lodge and the villages we are visiting—Palmeras II and San Pedro de Manati. Hasta más tarde!
This week, I was asked to judge a cooking contest for the students of Las Malvinas School. This is the school in Iquitos where CONAPAC is doing the large environmental garden project which I told you about in my last blog posting. The various grades (1-11) made different types of food from different parts of Perú--the coast, the sierra and the jungle. The food was displayed creatively and with nice table presentations. Along with grading the visual and oral presentations, we had to sample the food for taste and texture. So picture this--A small, hot room with food which was probably prepared some hours earlier, sitting in 80 degree plus heat, with maybe 100 or so kids roaming around looking at, breathing on, perhaps coughing on and generally hanging over the merchandise. Then the judges, about 10-12 of us were all using the same fork or spoon to sample the food. Get the picture? Needless to say, I paid for it the next today! :) But no worries--sometimes it's good for the body to start fresh! I have some photos of the food and will post them on my FB page soon!
As I’m struggling to learn Spanish (and I have to say this is getting much better) I realize I’m not just going back and forth between two languages. Besides the mix of Spanish and jungle words which are so integrated into the locals’ speaking patterns (I call this Spungle), I am also learning to convert the metric and imperial system for weights and measures at work and at home. Plus, my mind has to daily convert dollars to soles and vice-versa with the accounting process at CONAPAC and purchases I make. There are times my head swims and aches with the challenges but I comfort myself with the confidence that I’m warding off Alzheimer’s disease—at least for now. My brain is too busy making new connections in this old “bod” than to be shriveling up for lack of use. I’d highly encourage you all to start learning something completely new, especially if you’re on the back side of 50!!
People ask me all the time if it’s safe to live here. As it goes, I think Iquitos is a relatively safe and calm city considering the large number of people living here in a very small space. However, there is one consistent problem which is theft. Lots of motorcycles and other household items are regularly lifted from the street and homes which are not properly secured (barbed wire and steel grating plus locks). So far, my circumstances have been very safe but I, too, have suffered from thievery! Of what, you ask? Well, let me tell you about the thieves in the laundramat where I regularly take my clothes. Due to thiefs in the past of my socks and underwear, I now handwash them at home. I have lost shorts and tops but I don’t care to hand wash these larger items, so now I have the staff count my clothes when I drop them off. But the latest items which I realize have not been returned are dishtowels and rags!!! In less than a year, I have lost over a dozen new dishtowels, some of which were turned into rags, too. Who would have thought a rag would be such a premium product--or perhaps I have really nice ones? Either way, I have now decided not to take my dishtowels or rags to the laundry and I will start to hand wash them at home, too. It’s a crazy world out there! :)
Last comment—I know many of you are on Facebook so you may have seen this; but for those of you who are not, there are a variety of silly little quizzes which you can take to test completely unimportant and useless, but fun, information about yourself. Well, an old friend (might be a connection there) took the “What Is Your Old Lady Name?” quiz and suggested I try it, too. I was quite curious so went ahead. Well! Based on my answers, apparently my old lady name would be “Winifred” and the description--Welcome to Senile-ville! You're that crazy old lady that no one wants to be around but secretly everyone wants to be—is probably closer to the truth than I care to admit! My friend, on the other hand, was the type that would always be available to baby-sit and be prepared with cookies and other goodies in the house at all times. I guess we are who we are, from start to finish!! For my 50-something girlfreinds out there--and you know who you are--I hope you'll take the quiz, too, and share the results.
I’m off to the jungle for a week of workshops and service projects. I’ll report in later with the latest happenings at the Lodge and the villages we are visiting—Palmeras II and San Pedro de Manati. Hasta más tarde!
Saturday, October 10, 2009
A Tentative Landing Home...
Greetings, once again, from the rainforest of Peru! I'm finally home after two months in the States in which I had a particularly good time visiting family and friends and meeting many new friends, as well. Thank you all again for treating me so well, taking me in with your hospitality and generally wining and dining me. FYI, as I expected, I put on 10 lbs. while in the States--ah, the good life! :)
But all good things come to and end and it was time to get back to “mi vida” here in Iquitos. It's been quite an eventful and trying first week back. As I've described to myself and others I just don't have my “mojo” back yet and I want it--now!! I returned to Peru but first spent three days in the city of Lima in an attempt to start the process of getting my “green card” or whatever it is they call it here? I'm not sure what or when anything will happen but things are in motion. Upon my first full day here in Iquitos, as I was getting myself unpacked, a nice storm kicked up. I ran out to close the windows and promptly slipped on the wet cement, fell hard on my left bum and elbow. I thought that was the worst of it but then I saw blood on my elbow with a big gash. One of the hazards of living alone are it's difficult to reach certain places in which to place a band aid but I patched myself up as best I could. The next morning, I could barely move my arm so off to the clinic and X-Rays which showed a nice fracture. Painkillers and a sling were in order so that has been a hassle for the week and it will continue for another six weeks or so. Work has been nutty after two months away with lots of fires to put out and pressing information to pass on to others. However, by the end of the week it was coming together so maybe next week will turn around my luck! On the way home from work one night, I had a near miss with a motorcycle who swerved to avoid hitting a motokar but then headed for me—so "my sling and I" we quickly jumped to safety :) Then the icing on my week was spent entertaining one of the biggest donor partners for Conapac on Thursday, International Expeditions. We went to Butterfly Island, a rustic wild animal reserve for a tour. While listening to the guide, one of the monkeys (who I've encountered before) was not happy when I bent over to pick up something she had dropped. She promptly attached me in the head then took a big bite out of my hand, drawing blood and now a big, very sore bruise. This really added insult to injury on my first week back but as I say, “welcome to the jungle”. I expect everyday to be an adventure here but sometimes having nothing happen other than a simple day at work and home can be quite comforting! Let's just say I'm very glad this week is behind me!
Some good news coming from CONAPAC! Many of you have read my stories about the environmental garden we are organizing in one of the local public schools in Iquitos called Las Malvinas. This is a departure from the majority of work we do which is in the rainforest in very rural and remote communities. Las Malvinas is a school of about 1200 kids (all from poor families and neighborhoods)with grades first through high school, running in two shifts. We have developed a lovely garden which grows examples of tropical trees, flowers, medicinal and ornamental plants as well as a vegetable garden. There is also a working fish farm and turtle pond. The kids are learning all kinds of practical applications using skills in math, science, art, farming, and the language arts as some of them will serve as tour guides to visiting tourists. So far the garden has yielded two harvests of veggies for sale . The kids have been reinvesting in the continuing needs of the the next crop plus they have a little money saved, too—all good life lessons. Our donor partner, International Expeditions, has funded it for the first year and we have had some great success. They have just agreed to fund it for another full year (about $11,000) so we are delighted. They have also agreed to fund the addition of a new, full time person to work for CONAPAC. We have such a small staff and such a large area to cover that it's difficult for all our communities to get the attention they need and deserve. This new person will start at the first of the year and spend Monday through Friday on a boat visiting different places each day, doing evaluations, checking on progress of various projects, encouraging teachers and children and generally handling the many follow up details that often take so long to accomplish. So, good things happening at CONAPAC and the start of 2010 is looking very promising.
OK, no more animal stories for this posting but I can't leave without my follow up rant about the TSA (Transportation Safety Authority). As you know, on my way back to Michigan in July, I encountered the most rude, unhelpful employees of this government organization in Miami which did not bode well for my impression of returning to the States. Upon my departure from Detroit last week, they once again rose to the occasion by treating me like a complete imbecile and created such a negative first impression that it took me some time to shake it off as I continued my travels. But, I could live with all that until I got home and unpacked. Now as you know I went shopping for a variety of things that I either can't get here or they are ridiculously expensive. As I was going through everything, sure enough, there was the TSA calling card where they leave a note that they've been searching through your “panties”. I've had this happen before but they wrote on the card what they took. This time they didn't, so I just thought it was a note saying they had opened my luggage for a peek. Then I went to look for THE most important thing I had wanted to bring back—a can of WD40! Well, it was gone and I cannot tell you how incredibility angry I am over this! :( This product is not available here and the fans and other things with moving parts are always gumming up and burning out motors. I really cannot believe that a can of WD40 is going to be a big security/terrorist threat--do you?! They didn't take any other flammable sprays I had such as hairspray, bug spray, nail polish remover, perfume and other personal items. I'm convinced that whoever opened my suitcase just needed some WD40 at home and took it...it's really quite expensive for a large can. So that has, once again, left me with a really bad opinion of these folks. Give someone a little power and....well, you know the rest! So, if you're heading my way and want to give it a shot, I'd still love to have a can of WD40—a girl really needs and wants so little :)
OK, next posting I'll tell you about my continuing saga to buy a patio table and four chairs. Maybe by then there will be some resolution--but then again, maybe not!! Have a great October!!
But all good things come to and end and it was time to get back to “mi vida” here in Iquitos. It's been quite an eventful and trying first week back. As I've described to myself and others I just don't have my “mojo” back yet and I want it--now!! I returned to Peru but first spent three days in the city of Lima in an attempt to start the process of getting my “green card” or whatever it is they call it here? I'm not sure what or when anything will happen but things are in motion. Upon my first full day here in Iquitos, as I was getting myself unpacked, a nice storm kicked up. I ran out to close the windows and promptly slipped on the wet cement, fell hard on my left bum and elbow. I thought that was the worst of it but then I saw blood on my elbow with a big gash. One of the hazards of living alone are it's difficult to reach certain places in which to place a band aid but I patched myself up as best I could. The next morning, I could barely move my arm so off to the clinic and X-Rays which showed a nice fracture. Painkillers and a sling were in order so that has been a hassle for the week and it will continue for another six weeks or so. Work has been nutty after two months away with lots of fires to put out and pressing information to pass on to others. However, by the end of the week it was coming together so maybe next week will turn around my luck! On the way home from work one night, I had a near miss with a motorcycle who swerved to avoid hitting a motokar but then headed for me—so "my sling and I" we quickly jumped to safety :) Then the icing on my week was spent entertaining one of the biggest donor partners for Conapac on Thursday, International Expeditions. We went to Butterfly Island, a rustic wild animal reserve for a tour. While listening to the guide, one of the monkeys (who I've encountered before) was not happy when I bent over to pick up something she had dropped. She promptly attached me in the head then took a big bite out of my hand, drawing blood and now a big, very sore bruise. This really added insult to injury on my first week back but as I say, “welcome to the jungle”. I expect everyday to be an adventure here but sometimes having nothing happen other than a simple day at work and home can be quite comforting! Let's just say I'm very glad this week is behind me!
Some good news coming from CONAPAC! Many of you have read my stories about the environmental garden we are organizing in one of the local public schools in Iquitos called Las Malvinas. This is a departure from the majority of work we do which is in the rainforest in very rural and remote communities. Las Malvinas is a school of about 1200 kids (all from poor families and neighborhoods)with grades first through high school, running in two shifts. We have developed a lovely garden which grows examples of tropical trees, flowers, medicinal and ornamental plants as well as a vegetable garden. There is also a working fish farm and turtle pond. The kids are learning all kinds of practical applications using skills in math, science, art, farming, and the language arts as some of them will serve as tour guides to visiting tourists. So far the garden has yielded two harvests of veggies for sale . The kids have been reinvesting in the continuing needs of the the next crop plus they have a little money saved, too—all good life lessons. Our donor partner, International Expeditions, has funded it for the first year and we have had some great success. They have just agreed to fund it for another full year (about $11,000) so we are delighted. They have also agreed to fund the addition of a new, full time person to work for CONAPAC. We have such a small staff and such a large area to cover that it's difficult for all our communities to get the attention they need and deserve. This new person will start at the first of the year and spend Monday through Friday on a boat visiting different places each day, doing evaluations, checking on progress of various projects, encouraging teachers and children and generally handling the many follow up details that often take so long to accomplish. So, good things happening at CONAPAC and the start of 2010 is looking very promising.
OK, no more animal stories for this posting but I can't leave without my follow up rant about the TSA (Transportation Safety Authority). As you know, on my way back to Michigan in July, I encountered the most rude, unhelpful employees of this government organization in Miami which did not bode well for my impression of returning to the States. Upon my departure from Detroit last week, they once again rose to the occasion by treating me like a complete imbecile and created such a negative first impression that it took me some time to shake it off as I continued my travels. But, I could live with all that until I got home and unpacked. Now as you know I went shopping for a variety of things that I either can't get here or they are ridiculously expensive. As I was going through everything, sure enough, there was the TSA calling card where they leave a note that they've been searching through your “panties”. I've had this happen before but they wrote on the card what they took. This time they didn't, so I just thought it was a note saying they had opened my luggage for a peek. Then I went to look for THE most important thing I had wanted to bring back—a can of WD40! Well, it was gone and I cannot tell you how incredibility angry I am over this! :( This product is not available here and the fans and other things with moving parts are always gumming up and burning out motors. I really cannot believe that a can of WD40 is going to be a big security/terrorist threat--do you?! They didn't take any other flammable sprays I had such as hairspray, bug spray, nail polish remover, perfume and other personal items. I'm convinced that whoever opened my suitcase just needed some WD40 at home and took it...it's really quite expensive for a large can. So that has, once again, left me with a really bad opinion of these folks. Give someone a little power and....well, you know the rest! So, if you're heading my way and want to give it a shot, I'd still love to have a can of WD40—a girl really needs and wants so little :)
OK, next posting I'll tell you about my continuing saga to buy a patio table and four chairs. Maybe by then there will be some resolution--but then again, maybe not!! Have a great October!!
Tuesday, September 8, 2009
Missin' Perú...
Yes, indeed, I am missing home. Folks have asked me, "When do you have to leave?" and I correct them by saying, "You mean when do I get to leave?" As you might imagine, I am ready to pass the Equator and avoid the first frost!
I have done a bit of shopping here, buying odds and ends which I can't find there. Some examples: A pointed can opener (for canned milk), a seam ripper, decent (and cute!) underwear, WD40, an oven thermometer, maple syrup, Good & Plenty, and so forth. I'd like to take some books back with me too, but man, they weigh a lot and I'd rather take more M & M's (I have my priorities!) As I've done my shopping I am further reminded of the differences between here and Iquitos. One thing is the how to pay for the items. Of course, here you can give the cashier just about any size denomination (except for maybe gas stations) and they happily take your money then kindly make change. In Iquitos, each Friday I take $100 (or about 300 soles) out of the bank upon which to live for the week. The money machine always gives me 2-100's and 2-50's. This is a problem. I have to find someplace to buy something that will take the 100's so I can break it down--this is not easy. The 50's are really no easier and I have to constantly look for ways to make change. The markets where I buy most of my food require very small coin. Often if they don't have enough change on hand, they send a runner somewhere to make change. Just when you think they will never return, they do but it's a hassle. Well, hurry up and wait is the motto! Therefore, plan out my buying for the week by getting the more expensive items first then working my way down the list. Another striking difference is the customer service. Here I am quite shocked when I receive unfriendly, unhelpful service. In Iquitos, it's the opposite. I'm bowled over when I get friendly, fast, helpful service and it quite literally makes my day! Another challenge is the timing--one must get to the market very early to buy fish, chicken or meat. No need to explain why but let's just say it has to do with potential intestinal problems! You know, we live a life of such ease and comfort here and frankly one that lacks "adventure" on a daily basis. I wonder if that's why people often have nothing else to talk about than the weather or how long it took them to travel from point A to B or what kind of gas mileage they got along the way? Or my perennial favorite,the price of gasoline? Well, for some folks that is adventure enough!!
I continue to stay in contact with Pam and the goings-on at CONAPAC. I have tried to do what I can from here but I know much will be waiting on my desk. I truly prefer going to work each day, doing what needs to be done and then heading home. Working from a distance is not my cup of tea. I feel quite out of sight, out of mind here and it's difficult to remember who's on first! However, Claire (from the Detroit Zoo) and I have gotten our September newsletter written for the Adopt-A-School program; the grad students (David and Christie) return at the end of September to continue with their work on our water systems; two more water workshops have been presented in my absence (Irlanda and Timicuro Grande); I have received word from a donor family that they will be funding a water treatment plant for us in Canal Pinto; and we've received further donor funding support to help get our new bakery, in the village of Irlanda, off the ground. We continue to be strongly supported in a variety of ways by the Detroit Zoological Society, as well as, the commitment of many returning previous volunteers for the AAS deliveries in April 2010. It's so much fun to look forward to seeing old friends and follow volunteers when they come through for their annual visit--and they usually bring me and Pam goodies, too! :) So work continues and progress made on the many programs and opportunities CONAPAC offers those who live in the rain forest. If any of you are interested in receiving the AAS quarterly newsletter, please let me know either by email or through the comment section. The newsletter is send via email.
Enjoy what's left of the season...perhaps September will surprise us by making up for the "lost summer of '09"...hope springs eternal!
I have done a bit of shopping here, buying odds and ends which I can't find there. Some examples: A pointed can opener (for canned milk), a seam ripper, decent (and cute!) underwear, WD40, an oven thermometer, maple syrup, Good & Plenty, and so forth. I'd like to take some books back with me too, but man, they weigh a lot and I'd rather take more M & M's (I have my priorities!) As I've done my shopping I am further reminded of the differences between here and Iquitos. One thing is the how to pay for the items. Of course, here you can give the cashier just about any size denomination (except for maybe gas stations) and they happily take your money then kindly make change. In Iquitos, each Friday I take $100 (or about 300 soles) out of the bank upon which to live for the week. The money machine always gives me 2-100's and 2-50's. This is a problem. I have to find someplace to buy something that will take the 100's so I can break it down--this is not easy. The 50's are really no easier and I have to constantly look for ways to make change. The markets where I buy most of my food require very small coin. Often if they don't have enough change on hand, they send a runner somewhere to make change. Just when you think they will never return, they do but it's a hassle. Well, hurry up and wait is the motto! Therefore, plan out my buying for the week by getting the more expensive items first then working my way down the list. Another striking difference is the customer service. Here I am quite shocked when I receive unfriendly, unhelpful service. In Iquitos, it's the opposite. I'm bowled over when I get friendly, fast, helpful service and it quite literally makes my day! Another challenge is the timing--one must get to the market very early to buy fish, chicken or meat. No need to explain why but let's just say it has to do with potential intestinal problems! You know, we live a life of such ease and comfort here and frankly one that lacks "adventure" on a daily basis. I wonder if that's why people often have nothing else to talk about than the weather or how long it took them to travel from point A to B or what kind of gas mileage they got along the way? Or my perennial favorite,the price of gasoline? Well, for some folks that is adventure enough!!
I continue to stay in contact with Pam and the goings-on at CONAPAC. I have tried to do what I can from here but I know much will be waiting on my desk. I truly prefer going to work each day, doing what needs to be done and then heading home. Working from a distance is not my cup of tea. I feel quite out of sight, out of mind here and it's difficult to remember who's on first! However, Claire (from the Detroit Zoo) and I have gotten our September newsletter written for the Adopt-A-School program; the grad students (David and Christie) return at the end of September to continue with their work on our water systems; two more water workshops have been presented in my absence (Irlanda and Timicuro Grande); I have received word from a donor family that they will be funding a water treatment plant for us in Canal Pinto; and we've received further donor funding support to help get our new bakery, in the village of Irlanda, off the ground. We continue to be strongly supported in a variety of ways by the Detroit Zoological Society, as well as, the commitment of many returning previous volunteers for the AAS deliveries in April 2010. It's so much fun to look forward to seeing old friends and follow volunteers when they come through for their annual visit--and they usually bring me and Pam goodies, too! :) So work continues and progress made on the many programs and opportunities CONAPAC offers those who live in the rain forest. If any of you are interested in receiving the AAS quarterly newsletter, please let me know either by email or through the comment section. The newsletter is send via email.
Enjoy what's left of the season...perhaps September will surprise us by making up for the "lost summer of '09"...hope springs eternal!
Friday, August 7, 2009
I'm Home...Or Am I Visiting?
At the moment this is the burning question in my mind. My friends ask me if they should say “welcome home” or “welcome back”. I’m not sure how to respond, for of course, Michigan Iquitos
Coming back to the States is always a shocking difference from where I’ve been but this time, it seems more so than ever before. Despite all the economic despair and reduced circumstances of many in the country and particularly in
I’ve had a couple of engagements to be the speaker at local Rotary clubs and a few more lined up while I’m here. It’s a great opportunity to talk about my current life situation and about the programs CONAPAC has to offer. I have enjoyed visiting friends and family, eating my favorite “gringo” foods, and spending time with my grandson, Jack. He’s quite the young man now and such an interesting little person. Although he doesn’t really know me well or remember much about me, he has quickly warmed up and we are planning some activities together over the next few weeks. Earlier this week I had an opportunity to join my friend Joanie in visiting a friend of hers who is from
Well, folks, I’ll check out now and catch up in a few weeks when I have some news from the jungle. Pam and I are continuing to work on CONAPAC business via the Internet so I can stay in the loop while I’m here in
Friday, July 24, 2009
Leavin' Paradise
As I now come into the home stretch of leaving town, I can’t believe how quickly the last 9 months have passed. On the other hand, it feels like I’ve lived in Iquitos and Peru for a lifetime. As many of you know, I have to return to the States to get my passport updated and take care of other personal items which were left hanging at the end of 2008. Although I look forward to returning to see family and friends, I’m already missing the action here. I also worry about losing the Spanish skills I’ve acquired so far. Well, maybe this will be a good opportunity to stay in touch with my friends here but only by writing to them in Spanish! And maybe I can stop having my friendships dependent on Facebook as I'll have the chance to have some real "face time" with family and friends!
I just returned from three days in the jungle assisting with our first water workshop and although it went very well, I was thrilled to get home to my little home in the garden and back to my own bed. For this workshop, there were about 10 of us assisting and we stayed in the village for two nights. We were provided with mattresses, sheets and mosquito nets from Explorama and the village provided us with the floor of the school building. As you can imagine, it was quite grubby and as basic as it gets. I’ve mentioned before, the first question I ask when I come into a new village is how bad are the “baños”? Well, this one was pretty bad. The only good thing about it was that it was close to the school and it had a door. However, I still chose to “hold it” all night and I can tell you it was a painful experience! For breakfast we had salted fish, boiled manioc and plantains, bread and a cup of lemon grass tea. Our hosts provided us with the best they had and we were quite grateful for their hospitality.
The water workshop itself went very well. There were two days of information presented to all age levels, games and songs, opportunity to see the difference between clean water and dirty water at the microscopic level. At the end, a new, clean 20-liter bucket was presented to each family who attended. All the children got their own new blue, plastic cup with the message to only drink clean water printed on the side. Joining us for this workshop was Christie Chatterly and Dave Sparkman. They are both from the University of Denver working on their PhD’s in clean water systems for developing countries. They have been a great asset, helping CONAPAC by evaluating our systems--plus they were just plain fun to have along! Also, this past month, there have been a number of medical students working in the area who are also from the University of Colorado. I met with them about possible collaboration in the future and they also joined us for the water workshop. What fun it’s been for me to have so many English speaking people working together in the rainforest. They all spoke Spanish, too, so the kids enjoyed their ability to communicate and I appreciated the interpreting they did for me!
Now for some animal stories: Lizards, rats and bats, & chiggers. What do these have in common? Well, perhaps many things but mainly they are interested in spending time in my life! A little over a week ago, I noticed a small, baby lizard in my living room (interesting color, almost an albino). Anyway, he was there for a few days but I kept expecting him to exit at some point because this would not be his natural environment for long. I’ve had lizards in the house before but they come and go quickly. Well, when I got back from my last trip to the jungle, I was relaxing in my “mesadora” and what do I see but my lizard--but now he's almost twice as big! (I know it’s the same one because of the odd color). And what do I see him do? He is busy eating dinner, running up and down my living room wall grabbing bugs. No wonder he’s getting bigger and maybe he thinks he can live there forever? I don’t know but as long as he stays out of my bedroom, I am considering him my pet. Any names suggestions? Now, I wonder where he poops??
As I mentioned before, I was staying in the village school, sleeping on the floor along with 10 other people. Both nights, after everyone was settled down with no more snoring or other “noises” (besides bats flying overhead), what do I hear?--Crunch, crunch, crunch…a family of rats had moved in to eat from the food stash we brought with us to share in the village. I’m not sure what they were the most interested in—dried beans or spaghetti—but I wasn’t going to stop them. The good news is I was at the opposite end of the room from the food and I had my IPOD. Needless to say, I plugged that baby in and cranked up the volume. Sometimes what you don’t know (or hear) won’t hurt you! And my last souvenir from Santa Teresa is my third case of izangos (or chiggers). As my previous readers know, this is not my favorite thing but I am optimistic this time they won’t drive me quite so crazy. Despite almost bathing in DEET, they do know how to find the most hidden corners of your body. Well, mosquitoes and black flies await me in Michigan so I will be well-prepared.
OK folks, I’m heading back to the States. Can’t say I’ll have much to say about the rainforest while I’m there but perhaps some reflections on the culture shock I’m sure to receive…stay tuned!
I just returned from three days in the jungle assisting with our first water workshop and although it went very well, I was thrilled to get home to my little home in the garden and back to my own bed. For this workshop, there were about 10 of us assisting and we stayed in the village for two nights. We were provided with mattresses, sheets and mosquito nets from Explorama and the village provided us with the floor of the school building. As you can imagine, it was quite grubby and as basic as it gets. I’ve mentioned before, the first question I ask when I come into a new village is how bad are the “baños”? Well, this one was pretty bad. The only good thing about it was that it was close to the school and it had a door. However, I still chose to “hold it” all night and I can tell you it was a painful experience! For breakfast we had salted fish, boiled manioc and plantains, bread and a cup of lemon grass tea. Our hosts provided us with the best they had and we were quite grateful for their hospitality.
The water workshop itself went very well. There were two days of information presented to all age levels, games and songs, opportunity to see the difference between clean water and dirty water at the microscopic level. At the end, a new, clean 20-liter bucket was presented to each family who attended. All the children got their own new blue, plastic cup with the message to only drink clean water printed on the side. Joining us for this workshop was Christie Chatterly and Dave Sparkman. They are both from the University of Denver working on their PhD’s in clean water systems for developing countries. They have been a great asset, helping CONAPAC by evaluating our systems--plus they were just plain fun to have along! Also, this past month, there have been a number of medical students working in the area who are also from the University of Colorado. I met with them about possible collaboration in the future and they also joined us for the water workshop. What fun it’s been for me to have so many English speaking people working together in the rainforest. They all spoke Spanish, too, so the kids enjoyed their ability to communicate and I appreciated the interpreting they did for me!
Now for some animal stories: Lizards, rats and bats, & chiggers. What do these have in common? Well, perhaps many things but mainly they are interested in spending time in my life! A little over a week ago, I noticed a small, baby lizard in my living room (interesting color, almost an albino). Anyway, he was there for a few days but I kept expecting him to exit at some point because this would not be his natural environment for long. I’ve had lizards in the house before but they come and go quickly. Well, when I got back from my last trip to the jungle, I was relaxing in my “mesadora” and what do I see but my lizard--but now he's almost twice as big! (I know it’s the same one because of the odd color). And what do I see him do? He is busy eating dinner, running up and down my living room wall grabbing bugs. No wonder he’s getting bigger and maybe he thinks he can live there forever? I don’t know but as long as he stays out of my bedroom, I am considering him my pet. Any names suggestions? Now, I wonder where he poops??
As I mentioned before, I was staying in the village school, sleeping on the floor along with 10 other people. Both nights, after everyone was settled down with no more snoring or other “noises” (besides bats flying overhead), what do I hear?--Crunch, crunch, crunch…a family of rats had moved in to eat from the food stash we brought with us to share in the village. I’m not sure what they were the most interested in—dried beans or spaghetti—but I wasn’t going to stop them. The good news is I was at the opposite end of the room from the food and I had my IPOD. Needless to say, I plugged that baby in and cranked up the volume. Sometimes what you don’t know (or hear) won’t hurt you! And my last souvenir from Santa Teresa is my third case of izangos (or chiggers). As my previous readers know, this is not my favorite thing but I am optimistic this time they won’t drive me quite so crazy. Despite almost bathing in DEET, they do know how to find the most hidden corners of your body. Well, mosquitoes and black flies await me in Michigan so I will be well-prepared.
OK folks, I’m heading back to the States. Can’t say I’ll have much to say about the rainforest while I’m there but perhaps some reflections on the culture shock I’m sure to receive…stay tuned!
Saturday, July 4, 2009
Peruvian 4th of July..It's Not The Same
Well, as I sit here in the office on the 4th of July, thinking of all the wonderful parties back home, I have to say my thoughts are with you! The only things red, white and blue here are the flowers, the sky and the rice! All things considered, not so bad. Although I won't see fireworks today, I did see some killer rainbows this week. (For those of you on Facebook, I posted a couple of photos.) I do hope that for each of you the weather cooperates, especially if you live in Michigan, and that you enjoy the freedom to eat, drink and be merry!
Last week was the visit from my daughter, Samantha. We had a great time and she arrived here with no trouble. One concern I had was that she was bringing into the country a contraption called a “Sun Oven”. They’re made in Illinois and sold all over the world, especially to developing countries. Unfortunately, they are difficult to get pass customs without added cost and hassle. Having Sam bring it as a piece of her checked luggage worked out great. These ovens have no power source other than capturing the sun’s rays with a set of foldout reflectors. I am going to experiment with it next week to make a stew or soup and maybe a cake. We are hoping this might be something viable to use in the jungle where every meal has to be cooked over an open fire thus burning more wood from the rainforest (not to mention the task of gathering wood, and the smoke, heat and mess it creates). I don’t know how readily the women of the villages will take to it but if it’s all it claims to be in simplicity and ease of use, I don’t see why not? I will post a photo of it once I try it out and let you know the results.
As for my time with Sam, it was great. We headed to the jungle where we hooked up with Dave and Dottie Bonnet, their daughter Shayla and her two sons, David and Dylan. The Bonnets are one of CONAPAC’S most loyal supporters for the Adopt-A-School program and other projects in the rainforest. They come back each year for a visit/vacation and their timing was exactly the same as Sam’s visit. We all had a great time together and Samantha was able to visit a couple of villages in order to see the projects we’ve been working on recently. We played “tourist” all week then headed back to Iquitos. Over the weekend she met more of my friends, we went dancing, swimming, dining, shopping, cooking and generally just enjoyed each other’s company. It was a special treat for me, beyond belief, to have her here. I don’t think she fell in love with the rainforest in quite the same way I have, but then again, the girl lives in Colorado and that’s a tough act to follow! All in all, it was an experience we shared together which neither of us will soon forget. Now I need to get my other daughter here next….Erin are you listening??
Finally, this last week was the wonderful completion of the new CONAPAC website. Most of you who follow my blog have already checked it out but if not, go to www.CONAPAC.org to take a look. The old site was dated and no fun to poke around in. This new site was a collaborative effort between me, Pam here at Explorama and her friend, Nancy back in the States. It took about 8 months for this baby to be born but it was worth the wait. I hope you’ll agree! More marketing projects are taking shape for the program—a quarterly e-newsletter, post cards and posters for sale both here and in the States. I’m looking forward to my return next month as I have several Rotary Club meetings lined up where I am the speaker of the day…hmmmmmm, I wonder what I can talk about?
Have a great weekend and enjoy the beach, the beers and the BBQ's :)
Last week was the visit from my daughter, Samantha. We had a great time and she arrived here with no trouble. One concern I had was that she was bringing into the country a contraption called a “Sun Oven”. They’re made in Illinois and sold all over the world, especially to developing countries. Unfortunately, they are difficult to get pass customs without added cost and hassle. Having Sam bring it as a piece of her checked luggage worked out great. These ovens have no power source other than capturing the sun’s rays with a set of foldout reflectors. I am going to experiment with it next week to make a stew or soup and maybe a cake. We are hoping this might be something viable to use in the jungle where every meal has to be cooked over an open fire thus burning more wood from the rainforest (not to mention the task of gathering wood, and the smoke, heat and mess it creates). I don’t know how readily the women of the villages will take to it but if it’s all it claims to be in simplicity and ease of use, I don’t see why not? I will post a photo of it once I try it out and let you know the results.
As for my time with Sam, it was great. We headed to the jungle where we hooked up with Dave and Dottie Bonnet, their daughter Shayla and her two sons, David and Dylan. The Bonnets are one of CONAPAC’S most loyal supporters for the Adopt-A-School program and other projects in the rainforest. They come back each year for a visit/vacation and their timing was exactly the same as Sam’s visit. We all had a great time together and Samantha was able to visit a couple of villages in order to see the projects we’ve been working on recently. We played “tourist” all week then headed back to Iquitos. Over the weekend she met more of my friends, we went dancing, swimming, dining, shopping, cooking and generally just enjoyed each other’s company. It was a special treat for me, beyond belief, to have her here. I don’t think she fell in love with the rainforest in quite the same way I have, but then again, the girl lives in Colorado and that’s a tough act to follow! All in all, it was an experience we shared together which neither of us will soon forget. Now I need to get my other daughter here next….Erin are you listening??
Finally, this last week was the wonderful completion of the new CONAPAC website. Most of you who follow my blog have already checked it out but if not, go to www.CONAPAC.org to take a look. The old site was dated and no fun to poke around in. This new site was a collaborative effort between me, Pam here at Explorama and her friend, Nancy back in the States. It took about 8 months for this baby to be born but it was worth the wait. I hope you’ll agree! More marketing projects are taking shape for the program—a quarterly e-newsletter, post cards and posters for sale both here and in the States. I’m looking forward to my return next month as I have several Rotary Club meetings lined up where I am the speaker of the day…hmmmmmm, I wonder what I can talk about?
Have a great weekend and enjoy the beach, the beers and the BBQ's :)
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