This & That...

I’ve had a rash of “issues” lately with anything electronic and it’s making me crazy! I suppose the humidity is the problem? It doesn’t matter if it’s my $300 IPOD or my $3 Chinese-made travel alarm clock, they’re not happy and I’m not happy! I keep toying with the idea of buying a new laptop so I can Skpye and do other things which seem impossible with my current mini, first generation ASUS notebook (with a total of 2GB!) but then I think, “what am I thinking?” I know it won’t be long before some other electronic glitch occurs to rock my peaceful boat. None the less, I do think about staying better connected with the outside world and hope to find a way soon. On the other hand, no news is good news and I know if bad news happens, it will find a way to track me down.

When I first moved into my apartment I thought I’d died and gone to heaven! It was (is) so nice and peaceful with a surrounding garden filled with tropical plants and trees. Located right in the downtown area, it’s a great location to get anywhere I need to go plus walk to work in less than 15 minutes. During the night, the area got as quiet as any jungle lodge so what was there not to like!? Well, now a year and a half later, the party is over—well, actually, it’s just begun as in the surrounding block, three new discos have opened. These places are completely open to the outside with the music louder than loud plus it goes until at least 5 AM. The ordinances which should control this problem are simply not enforced. And amazingly, it’s not just Friday and Saturday night but most nights! Since I don’t use my air conditioning, which might drown things out a bit, my latest strategies are to wear ear plugs and I bought a new fan which is actually rather noisy. (Normally not a good feature but in this case a bonus!) Usually this does it but over this past weekend it was not enough. That deep level boom-boom, cut right through the house and into my bed and pillow. My last resort was to close all the doors and windows, which thankfully they have glass. This did make a difference but it was toasty inside. So my little piece of jungle in the middle of Iquitos has been breached; however, I still wouldn’t move anywhere else so bring on the music!

We had winter last week in Iquitos. For 4 days the temperature got to about 76 for a high and much cooler at night. I was in long pants, shoes, socks, long shelves and a jacket. It was a nice change of pace and good for sleeping but I was glad when it ended. I’ve started a new Spanish class from a regular teacher-tutor who speaks in English too. I have to say I hate the class and it’s taking all my willpower to stay. It’s not because it’s a bad class it’s just that no matter how prepared I am or how much I think I know, it’s never, ever enough and leave the class angry and frustrated. Learning another language, at least for me, will be one of the most difficult things I will ever do. I have finally settled down to watch on TV consecutive “telenovelas” where I’m slowly figuring out the plots. I may not understand it all but the Mexican actors are very easy on the eyes!

Question? There are a very large number of Brits living in Iquitos for one reason or another. I’ve met very few Americans. If all these Brits are here, where are the Yanks? What do they know that we don’t? And is a “gringo” only an American or anyone from the Western world—Yanks, Brits, Canucks, Aussies, etc.? Just wondering? :/

Well, I’m off to the jungle for most of the month of June to help with service projects and water workshops. It should be fun as several old friends/acquaintances will be coming with groups of new volunteers. Our water students will be back this week to do a little on the ground research about usage rates and other obstacles to using clean drinking water. Part of the fun of having these groups come in is they are bringing me, piece by piece, all the “fixin’s” for a Thanksgiving supper this year in Iquitos. Wasn’t there a song by Johnny Cash about taking car parts home from work one piece at a time? Well, that’s how I feel about this project. Coming this week is gravy, stuffing and Ranch dressing: Next up, cranberry relish and the makings for a pumpkin pie. I’ll keep you posted on the progress and ultimately the results.

I'm Back into the Light of Day...

Once again in April, the Adopt-A-School show went on the road! In April, we welcomed two volunteer groups—one group to help with school supply deliveries and one group to build a mini-water treatment plant in the village of Ramon Castilla.--An incredibility good time was had by all! The Detroit Zoo handles all recruiting and coordinating of the volunteers for our AAS expeditions. They do a great job and once again found enthusiastic volunteers always willing to go the extra mile. The communities we visited were ready and waiting for us and this year we saw a larger number of teachers posted in the jungle than ever before. We all hope that bodes well for the students by way of more commitment by educators and smaller teacher/student ratios in the classroom. A shout out to all the volunteers for 2010 plus those added extras who made the trip to help even before deliveries started: Bonnie, Mary, Bev, Ray, Erich, Linda, Kristine, Cheyanne, Earl, Susan, Martha, Camille, Megan, Pachita, Claire, Marcy, Nancy, Krisitian, Amy, Michelle, Mike, Missy, Sally and Carla. See you again next year?

Just before we departed for the deliveries, a passenger who was coming to Explorama emailed Pam and asked if there was anything she and her family could bring for the AAS program. Since we already had all the school supplies purchased, I suggested some art supplies. These are terribly expensive in the States for a whole classroom let alone here in Iquitos. We just don’t have the funds for that sort of thing. Well, our donor/passenger came through in a big way. She brought a whole suitcase crammed full of water paint, finger paint, markers, glue, pipe cleaners, scissors, etc. It truly was like Christmas to receive all these goodies. We put this to good use with our volunteers by making rainforest animal mobiles and a large fabric banner called the “Friendship Tree”, where we painted trees then all the kids and other participants placed their painted handprints for leaves with their name below. What a wonderful gift this woman gave us, but the most interesting thing was her constant apologies for not bringing more goodies! I think she will be back in one form or another as she was one of those folks who really falls in love with the rainforest. Thanks, Lorna of Texas, for your great help!

March 31st was my 54th birthday (and thankfully I feel closer to 16 :) Last year I had a great day with lots of new friends helping me celebrate. I really didn’t think I could top it this year but I think I did. Along with hugs, kisses, cakes and gifts I was able to take my first plane ride over the Amazon River in a small float plane. What fun!! The plane itself was just about as old as I was—built in 1962, it felt a bit like I was flying in a Volkswagen, but it did the job! We were up only about 2,000 feet which gave me a completely different perspective of something I’ve only seen from a boat. It was very interesting but too short of a ride. I hope to get up again and go a little further down river. I want to see the Napo River and its point of entry to the Amazon but for now, another thing off my “bucket list”!

Sad news personally during April as my former father-in-law, Fred Snyder, died. He was 90 years old and a WWII vet, truly one of the “Greatest Generation”. He came of age during the depression and then served his country well until the end of the war, then home to Detroit, MI where he married, raised a family and worked for Chrysler for 42 years—they just don’t make ‘em like this anymore. Always a gentlemen but ready and willing to give warm hugs and kisses, he will be missed by all his family and friends. We should all be blessed to live lives so long and so well!

I attended my first Peruvian wedding over the weekend. Once again, things are done differently here. The event was at the “tennis club” so I had no idea what to expect. The bride and groom are friends whom I’ve known since I first arrived in 2008. Carmen is our resident mani/pedi person who is more of an artist than anything else with her ability to create works of art on your toes and fingers. Well, their wedding turned out to be a mass wedding made up of 115 couples! There were at least 600 people there and at times it seemed all taking pictures in front of the same wedding cake! There were two live bands, crazy, sexy girl dancers, photographers, food, beer and gifts for each of the couples. It started at 10 AM but that really was only a suggestion. The actual formalities got going about 12:15 PM--Ah, Peruvian time!! Anyway, the bottom line to all this, which I couldn’t quite figure out before hand due to my pitiful Spanish skills, was the whole event was put on by the local mayor who, guess what?, happens to be running for office this year. The brides and grooms were volunteers or in some other way connected with his campaign. I suppose it’s a creative way to support the idea of legal marriage (which is rare here) and gain some hardcore, loyal voters, too. Ah, never a dull “momentito”, as they say here in Iquitos. :)

Just When You Thought You Were Safe From My Posts…

For those of you who have been asking, I apologize for the long break between blog posts. For whatever reason, I just haven’t felt there was much to say or much happening. It nice to know so many of you seem to follow along! For most of February, I was sick with giardia, which is a parasite found in contaminated water. Where it came from—the jungle, Iquitos or my recent visit to the mountains around Cusco—is anyone’s guess. I can say I hope not to get it again! It took over 6 weeks to pass using two different drug scripts. Along the way I also got a nasty upper respiratory infection so the fun was never ending!

A few highlights of the last few months have been my new love relationship with “Skype”! I’ve never used it before but I’m signed up now and it’s been great. To be able to reach my friends and family, for free, anytime I want has been great. Even here in the jungle, the connections have been better than over the regular phone lines. Email me if you have Skype, too, and we can exchange addresses. Speaking of emails—where is everyone?? I know I’m out of the country and not around much but I’m not dead yet! My email traffic has dried up. I’m always happy to hear what’s going on with everyone and never want to lose touch with you all. Thankfully, there’s Facebook but a brief email from anyone, anytime would be great!

I had a couple of our biggest donors here last month and I took them around—you know, “wined and dined” them on clean water from our water treatment plants and the usual bill of fare at Explorama Lodges for our meals! It’s always great to have donors come and see the work first-hand. Often people give to CONAPAC without ever having been here. This is a great show of faith on their part but it certainly seals the deal when I can meet them personally and show them around, answer their questions and see the difference they are making.

After receiving one of those nostalgic emails about car tailfins and Captain Kangaroo from my brother, Tim, we started emailing back and forth some of our shared memories. Some were general things that everyone of our generation remembers but most were memories only we as siblings would know anything about--or at least find the most humor in it! Well, this went back and forth for days—what fun! I found myself unable to really sleep well for several nights as I kept waking up to jot down notes. After a week or so of this, I realized what a wealth of information we had gleaned from our aging brains so I stared to copy and paste the text into a Word document. We are up to over 20 pages of single space, 10 pt. font for this document! I can’t wait to get home one day, sit down with my brother over drinks and re-read what we wrote. I’m sure more will be dredged up and hysterics will ensue! For those of you with siblings, try this exercise out. There are family stories that everyone remembers and talks about, but if you dig a little deeper, you’d be amazed at different angles each person brings to the same event. How you have forgotten some things but remembered others and each new memory will trigger another—do try it! :)

I finally got a hammock! My neighbors from Colorado moved out about a month ago and left it behind as a parting gift. However, my landlord, who is a great guy, is quite picky about things so I had to wait until he was satisfied with how it was going to be hung. Well, like most things here, one must wait so my patience was exercised and finally the big day arrived. Now really, how can one live in the tropics (or anywhere else in the world) without a hammock? Life is very good!

I am currently in the midst of the big and final push to get the Adopt-A-School program off the ground for 2010. It seems we work on it all year long but really do the bulk of it all the last four weeks prior to deliveries. This will be my 3rd year to help organize it and my 5th time to participate in the process. I have to say, the first year I helped organize, I was clueless. The second year, when I had majority responsibility I was scared to death. But this year, although I know there will be bumps, I’m more organized than ever but still making enough mistakes to keep me learning and keep me humble! I’m looking forward to seeing many old friends and meeting new ones. It’s always fun to watch people “fall in love” with the jungle. You can see it on their faces as they are walking around in a daze by mid-week. They’re the ones I know will be back and really committed to the program. I wonder who it will be this year?!

Rounding A Mountain

Getting back to the mountains of Perú after three years was a great lesson in contrasts. I had forgotten how incredibility peaceful and quiet the mountain communities are and how much I remembered liking them. I was once again taken with the makeup of Perú and although a relatively small country, it is full of contrasts. The jungle is so utterly different than the mountains yet here they both are in the same country, just a short plane ride away. After now having lived in Iquitos (with all its noise and hustle) plus spending a large amount of time in the jungle, I was doing a lot of comparing. As I said, the mountains are sooooooooo quiet that it’s a bit eerie. One would think of the jungle as being a quiet, peaceful place but really it’s not! There is always movement and sound from the birds and mammals above, to the breeze flapping and moving leaves, to branches and large palm leaves that randomly fall, and then down to the smallest ants and termites which are in perpetual motion. It almost seems one can see, feel and hear the foliage as it grows so quickly in this climate along with the constant cycle of rot and decay, renewal and rebirth. Perpetual energy I would say which really does not lend itself to a peaceful environment on the most basic level. The local people in the mountains (the Quechuas) were as colorful as ever in their daily, traditional dress but I think they live a much more difficult life than the residents of the rainforest. Their environment is cold and harsh, windy and dry with little ability to grow crops, hunt or fish. In contrast, rainforest residents have daily portions of protein in the form of fish and eggs plus a variety of fruits to augment their overall starchy diet of rice, plantains and yucca. The Quechuas eat a disproportionate amount of potatoes which leads to a different kind of malnutrition than one commonly thinks of. This creates stunted growth and delayed intellectual development. Although both groups are living extremely basic lifestyles (hand to mouth, if you will) one does not see rampant malnutrition here. In both places, there is a push for clean drinking water so it was great opportunity to see the differences between the centralized systems CONAPAC is using and the individual bio-sand filters being used in the mountains. In the conclusion of contrasts, I most definitely thought the food we ate, its variety and creativity, was far superior in the mountains than to anything in Iquitos, but I think the music here is much better and the people are far happier and more fun-loving. So, my visit was enjoyable and I had a great time with my volunteer-friends from the States (some of whom generously brought me “reinforcements). But I was glad to return home, get warm again and ease back into my life in Iquitos. Next I hope to explore the most southern parts of Perú in Arequipa and Puno and maybe even a quick trip over the border to Bolivia! :)

Before I left town I had the dubious opportunity to part-take in an “ayahauska” ceremony. Ayahauska is a jungle root that has hallucinogenic properties. It’s been used by shamans for centuries to cleanse one of bad “spirits” and make room for good ones. There is quite an industry for it around here and people come from all over the world to participate in these rites and rituals. Some folks will repeat the experience many times over and some have even stayed long-term to be more accessible to the experience or train to become shamans themselves. Since I’ve been here, I’ve been quite curious but never went out of my way to seek it out. As I mentioned in my last blog, my upstairs neighbor was here run retreats and is on her way to becoming fully trained in shamanic practices. She asked me if I’d be interested to try it before she departed and I thought, why not? Since I knew her I figured it was the right time to give it a try. We went to a lodge about an hour from Iquitos and another hour’s walk into the jungle. There were a variety of people there, young and old, and by about 8 PM we got started. The shaman began and continued with a lot of chanting and other rites which I know virtually nothing about. An hour into the ceremony, a helper passed around a cup with the ayahuaska drink for each person to take their portion. Prior to this each person was given his or her own “puke” bucket—sound like fun? Well, after drinking the most disgusting thing you will even try, we waited. And what were we waiting for? Well, to puke, of course!! Yep, that’s the good part. This stuff makes you vomit and for some, even immediate diarrhea. And you don’t vomit just once—oh no!--But at least three times and for some, more. Each round of vomiting is supposed to be a purging of your “bad” stuff and an “opening” for new things in your life. During this vomit phase, most people started to see visions and these can take on endless forms and significances. Each person was then brought to the shaman for further spiritual cleansing and insights. The shaman “sees” things in and about the person and shares his revelations. Well, for me I neither saw any visions nor felt any purging other than to be thoroughly disgusted. The ceremony went on for over four hours and all I could think about was my bed. To top it off, the shaman’s vision for me was to see “toads” in my body. Now I have no idea what that means but it sure doesn’t conjure up the same feelings I suppose butterflies or flowers might have done. So along with my invasive rats at home, I now have toads to add to my current life in the rainforest. My companions, Mags (the neighbor) and her American friend, Dan, have been involved in hundreds of these ceremonies. Dan, who’s in his early 60’s, moved here full time to pursue the ayahauska experience on a deeper, and I assume, more regular basis. As I’ve said before, except for me, every other ex-pat that lives in Iquiots is quite mad! :) So to sum it up, I’m glad I tried it but clearly I don’t have an addictive personally because no one could ever pay me enough to try it again. Perhaps I’m too much of a cynic, especially a religious one, to take any of it seriously? I think for now, if I want an “other world” experience, I’ll stick to my ice, cold Pilsen beer, fresh-brewed in Lima and delivered to my doorstep in cases! I know some of you think I’m a bit complex but really, my needs are very simple :)

Final fun notes. Last week my brother and I shared one of those emails about obsolete words and items that you remember from your youth. You know the kind that your kids look at you sideways when you bring these words up? Well, that got us started on some memories from our childhood. Some were uniquely from our shared, family experiences and some were more general. That first day, we went back and forth with about 15 emails, each of us coming up with long lists of memories. It carried on for several days and I found myself waking up in the middle of the night and making notes! Even this week I’ve come up with a few more and we’re still in the 60’s! Anyway, it was a great diversion and I highly recommend anyone who can, to take a shared walk down memory lane with their siblings. I finally found someone I really like to cut my hair. It’s been so difficult in the almost two years I’ve been here to be satisfied but I think I finally hit pay dirt. Not only is the guy just two blocks from my house but he charges S/.5—with a tip and the current rate of exchange this is $2.12. Now I can continue to afford my ridiculously expensive hair products which I can only get in the States and continue having my friends bring with them on their visits to Perú.

You all may have heard about the floods and landslides in Perú last week? Well, the area where all this happened was exactly the area I was in with my volunteer friends to set up the eye clinic. There were 17 of us and we served over 600 area residents with eye examinations and glasses. Several of our group had gone to Manchu Picchu on the train that was later washed away. The last weekend we were there, the heavy rains started and we experienced them during our stay in Cusco. We departed on Sunday afternoon and it was the next day that all hell broke loose. Our timing could not have been more perfect and everyone made it home safely! It was a wonderful team of friends who helped at the KausiWasi Medical Clinic in Qoya, Perú. I can’t leave without a “shout out” to them all: Heidi, Norm, Lorna, Mark, Becky, Ray, Nancy, Dennis, Carol, Katie, Dick, Jeff, Chad, Colleen, John and my special buddy, Ed! Hope to see you all again in 2011.

Round II, Living In Peru!

Well, 2010 starts my second full year living in Iquitos, Perú. As most of you know, my "old life" is very different from my current circumstances. Many people ask me if I am happy with the decisions I've made to move to South American? I have to say, I'm still waiting for the day I wake up and say to myself, "what was I thinking?"! But so far it hasn't happened and if one is lucky enough to live two lives in a lifetime, then I think I'm one of them! It's never too late to follow your heart--just do it!

Life is nothing if not ironic. I've faced this reality often in my life and always have to chuckle. My latest observation is the magnificent mango tree in the garden area where I live. In fact this tree is so big that the owner designed the apartment building around the trunk and upper branches. I am lucky enough to live somewhere where fresh fruits and vegetables are available every day. I love veggies but by and large fresh fruit is not my most favorite thing. I do like a few things like pineapple and berries but not too much else. However, mangoes are another story. I used to love them so much and they were always such an exotic treat. But about 3 years ago, while here in the jungle, I had a terrible allergic reaction to eating mangoes. It seems the skin of mangoes is related to poison ivy and I suppose here in the rainforest the skin is even more potent. My face swelled so badly that I had to go to the clinic for a quick steroid shot before the swelling reached my throat. Since then I have not eaten a mango but many times I have been sorely tempted. Well, I guess it was mango season here right after Christmas. The tree outside my door ripened and for over 3 weeks, mangoes rained down like bombs all day and night. Some of you who live in Michigan know the feeling of dodging acorns in the fall? Well, imagine dodging mangoes! And in the night, when they would fall on the metal roof outside my door, I thought a gun went off! The irony of all this is that here I am, living in paradise where not only are fresh mangoes as common as potatoes in the market, for a few weeks each year they are literally falling on my head only to be collected and given away! As I said, life can be ironic! Now why couldn't it have been a canoloupe tree, which I happen to dislike with a passion?

As I was doing a little Christmas shopping, I found my favorite new store--a Radio Shack! Can you believe it? There is not a single chain store in all of Iquitos except this Radio Shack. It only opened about 6 months ago and I sure hope they can get enough business to stay open. It is so fun to go into a store that feels like something in the States. Clean, bright, cool, with the items hanging on pegs so you can touch them and look at the details on the packaging. Most stores here have all the merchandise behind glass counters and you have to find someone to take it out for you to examine one at a time. Radio Shack has all kinds of fun electronic gadgets which up till now were not available in Iquitos. I've bought a new travel alarm and a radio with an IPod dock. I love 'em both! I find it interesting that Radio Shack has been around in the States, it seems, forever and well before computers were common. As other giant electronic stores have come and gone, RS has changed with the times and carried on but never gotten so big with their "bricks and mortar" stores that they went out of business. Anybody got stock in Radio Shack? If so, I suggest you keep it!

While doing some Christmas shopping this year, I was in a store one evening and there was a blackout. Although common, it is a particularly scary thing as they do not have emergency lights (only candles) and when the power goes out they quickly shut all the doors to keep down thefts. The stores and the street lights are not on separate circuits so everything goes black, inside and out! You've heard my stories about the horrible sidewalks in Iquitos with holes, cracks, uneven payment from store to store, steps up and down, manhole and electrical covers missing, etc. Trying to avoid these hazards when there is light is tough enough but in a blackout it's something else! Then you have to worry about personal thefts although I never carry a purse so I feel very secure. You will rarely see woman wearing necklaces of any kind as they regularly get ripped off with a quick yank. Unfortunate, but the trade-off here is that the only real crime is petty theft. Violent crime is virtually unheard of and rarely, if ever, do you see road rage--although it is well-deserved. I can live with this level of security to be safe in a city with almost 500,000 people.

I went to my first Chinese restaurant here for dinner one night. When one first comes to Iquitos it's striking how many Chinese restaurants there are--called "chifas"--which I understand to mean Chinese food. Apparently, there is quite a Chinese presence all over Peru and much of the cuisine has been influenced by that culture. Well, things are not very clean here and even in the States I'm not all that keen about eating out--especially after having worked in plenty of restaurants in the past. And,of course, in the States, Chinese restaurants have an even worse rap but for good reason, I'm sure. So I'd been hearing about this one restaurant in Iquitos that had the best Chinese food and supposedly the cleanest reputation. A friend talked me into going one night and it really was very good! The wantons in particular where lovely. So as we were eating I told him that I rarely eat in Chinese restaurants and that this was my first time in Iquitos. He asked why and I told him about the bad reputation they have for cleanliness in the States. He laughed and said that he thought that was only true in Perú as everyone here feels the same way!! So there you go---watch where you eat no matter what country you're in.

The War On Rats & Ants: Well, in reality the "battle" with these two facts of my life since I will never win the war. The rats have returned and last week they completely upended my kitchen! I thought I heard some strange happenings in the night. When I got up, my kitchen was tossed--bottles and cans tipped onto the counter tops, a glass off a shelf broken with glass on the floor and general mayhem. I did not have any fruit out on the counters that night like usual (which they like to nibble on) so they must have been upset and ransacked the place looking for something to eat. Then I could hear them inside my stove. Apparently they like to curl up in the insulation to sleep! So the next day, it was back to the landlord to get him to button up more holes in the screens and put chicken wire on the back and bottom of my stove. As for the ants, they are relentless and when I cook or bake, no food can stay out for long. I have a very small, under counter refrigerator so I have to be careful how much food I can have around the house at one time. I've tried sprays and I keep things meticulously clean but alas, it's a losing war as they will never go away. I've decided to accept them in a small area of my kitchen. They stay in one corner and seem to come and go only in this place if I leave them a small offering of sugar. As with the rats, it's not a matter of getting rid of them completely--it's simply not possible. I can only "manage" their presence in some way that is acceptable to me. I wonder if we all shouldn't take some lessons from the "pests" of the world? Just like our dubious "war on poverty", "war on drugs" or "war on terrorism" we really have to accept that some things will never go away. We might be better served by managing them within boundaries which we can reasonably live with. Some of life's lessons come in the smallest forms!

I'm off to the mountains next week. It will be a lovely change of scenery and climate plus the joy of seeing old friends. I'll be in touch with my next adventures very soon--xo to all!

Year End News Tidbits!

"Meetings On The Edge" by Mags MacKean--A High-Level Escape from the Office Routine. This is a book I've just read and thoroughly enjoyed. And all the more reason because the author currently lives in the apartment above me--I just get to meet the most interesting people here! I met this gal about 6 months ago when she moved in but because of my crazy schedule and hers, it was only 2 weeks ago that we connected over dinner. She has the most proper British accent which I was so curious about against my Midwestern twang. Turns out she was a BBC radio and TV correspondent for about 10 years before giving it up to climb mountains all over the world. Her stories about the people she met along the way, the personal challenges of hiking alone for weeks on end, and climbing difficult mountains in organized groups was a most intriguing read. I had the opportunity this week to spend an evening with her and, of course, I had a number of questions. So often I've read a book and wished I could inquire more about the author's thinking. This was a rare treat to have the opportunity to dig deeper. She's been here to study "Shamanism" from learned shamans in the rainforest. Before she departs, she's going to give me an "energy session". I have no idea what this will be but it can't hurt! :) Unfortunately, she will be leaving Iquitos in January and returning to the UK, but I'm delighted to have known her if only for a brief time.

My other neighbors, Christie and David from the University of Colorado have left town for a month and I will miss them over Christmas. However, we did share Thanksgiving dinner at a restaurant which floats in the middle of the river in front of my house. It's a very cool ride out to the place which is in a palm covered boat with a "peque-peque" motor on the back. It was a sultry night with this crazy lighting show in the distance--this added to the drama. As for Christmas, I'm continuing my "cookie ministry" by making cookies, candy and dessert bars which I started last week and have been freezing. I plan to make Christmas gift bags and give them to various people I know either at the office, my neighbors and some of the people I see each day along the street on my walk to work. For Christmas dinner, who knows? I have discovered a new pizza place right around the corner from my house which is actually pretty good. They have a pizza oven that is heated with wood so the crust is great and the toppings decent. I can't say much for their red sauce but it's the best I can seem to get here. They do give you a wonderful "crema" which is a white garlic sauce so I add that to the top :) Each Friday night has now become "pizza night" just like back it the States so maybe this year it will be Christmas dinner too?

More animal stories: I've had some more rat problems, big and small. I have two sizes of metal rat traps but so far I can't seem to catch the little devils...not that I really want to deal with the consequences! I was trying to set the large one the other day--and I mean huge!--when it let go fully on my right thumb. It was so dumb and so shocking that I absolutely started laughing and laughing and just couldn't stop until my stomach hurt. My thumb immediately swelled and turned a greeny-purple color. I didn't break it but it was my right thumb and typing was no fun! Then recently, I was in the jungle for a couple of weeks. One day while at the lodge on the Napo River, I walked out to the sundeck and was immediately attacked by a wild parrot in the chest. I've been around these birds many times over the years and they've never been the least bit aggressive. Why this time I have no idea? I then got up to move to another chair and he/she/it attacked me again, this time in the arm and drawing blood. What is it with animals biting me lately when I'm just minding my own business?

I'm looking forward to my January trip to Cusco, which is in the mountains of Perú. A bunch of friends from Michigan (and you know who you are!) will be coming to set up an free eye clinic. I'm looking forward to spending time with old friends and getting together to volunteer once again. This is the same group of folks whom I went with on my very first international volunteer trip to Honduras in 2003. That trip was the first step to set me on the course which ultimately took me here and all these friends have been greatly supportive along the way. It should be a great time and I'll let you know how it all goes. After that, it will be nothing but Adopt-A-School until the end of May--but then that will bring into Iquitos a whole another set of old friends for visiting, volunteering with generally a good time to be had by all!

Hot off the press--I just got word that one of my grant applications for 2010-for $25,000--was approved in full! I am just thrilled to be able to receive this money for the construction of four new water treatment plants, water workshops and support for gasoline and logistics. Our donor partner, the SAGA Foundation, is from the UK. They were quite generous for the first time this year in providing funding so it's just a delight to see they're committment continue. I guess I still have a position here and we're in business for another year!

Have a great couple of weeks and I'll catch you all in the New Year...seems like yesterday we were freakin' about Y2K. Glad to be still around ten years later. Take care one and all!

ox

It's Official!

I am now a permanent resident of Perú. I have my "green card" with permission to live and work in the country for more five years. Now I don't know as I'll stay that long but it will certainly make the time, trouble and money worth the effort. It's been a long and winding road to get here and, as expected, it was capped off with a truly Peruvian experience to receive the card. As you may recall, I spent time in Lima at the beginning of October, running around town with a lawyer to this place and that, having copies made of documents, my photo and fingerprints taken, even my teeth were checked and counted (I supposed to identify the body :). That part was for InterPol so I guess I cleared all the international checks! Once back in Iquitos the attorney here drafted a work contract which he had to submit to the local government for approval. The point of this was to convince the local authorities that no Peruvian could do my job—I guess it worked. Once we had the local approval, it was sent off to Lima for the regional government to approve. This surprisingly went quickly and before I knew it, Pam told me I had to return to Lima for the day to appear in person, once again, at immigrations. Neither of us had a clue as to the outcome but we knew it was one more step that had to be taken.

Pam booked me a morning flight to Lima with a return flight later that same evening. I got to the airport early and right away something didn't seem right. Well, it turns out she booked my flight backwards-Lima/Iquitos/Lima! So after many phones calls, the flight was changed but because it was later in the day, I was going to have to spend the night in Lima. The attorney said there would be no way we could get things done in one day. With me I had my money, a book, gum and some lip gloss--nothing else. I figured I’d just buy a toothbrush and anything else when I got there! So I arrived in Lima at 11:30, the driver was waiting and whisked me off to immigrations where I found the attorney. We went inside and lots of action and chaos ensued with me understanding very little. I was called into an office, asked some questions, they look a very bad picture of me, and I signed my name and waited. Less than an hour later, my name was called and they handed me my ID card and returned my passport--it was a done deal! Even the lawyer was surprised and said he didn't expect this to happen so fast. I looked at my watch and it was only 1 PM. So I called Pam and said, hey, we're done. Is there any reason to stay the night? Ten minutes later she called me back and said you're booked on the 4 PM flight to Iquitos. I was back in a taxi to quickly return to the airport. I had a fast lunch, ran into a friend for some ice cream, completely forgot to buy the Dunkin' Donuts I promised another friend in Iquitos, raced through the exit taxes and screening and made it to the gate just in time. There waiting to catch the same flight was Ari, Pam's husband and Jimmy, my landlord. I chatted with them both and it was fun to see people I know in a strange airport--althought I swear I know the Lima airport better that Detroit-Metro! Jimmy had been in England for two months and was just returning. So we chatted in line, sat next to each other on the plane and really caught up on all the news. Once home, we shared a moto-kar since I had no luggage and we were home by 6 PM. I truly think it was the quickest trip anyone has ever take to Lima and I have to say I was a little disappointed I didn't have more time there. I was really hoping for a minute or two to go shopping...you know? at least for some cereal! :)

As for other news here, I've been in and out of the jungle several times this last month for various reasons. I've met some great tourist guests and one night found myself chatting together with a couple from China, a couple from Germany, and the Spanish guide. Of course we were all speaking in English. I was thinking what a small world it is and how great it is to have such a universal language as English so we could all communicate! There have been quite a few violent storms and lots of rain. My tropical plants are lovin' it and it makes me feel like I actually have a green thumb, which we all know is not true. I have had several frog encounters, one of which become by "wine charm" for the evening. He was this little tiny thing, about the size of my thumb nail, but he had big, padded feet and wonderful color. He crouched on the base of my glass and didn't budge for about an hour while I continued to drink my wine. I've done some entertaining, having a few friends over for dinner. I've made some interesting desserts from the recipes I brought from the States, which get quickly eaten by the gang at Explorama. I've hired a housekeeper--I know, I know--what kind of "roughing it" is this you're doing in the jungle? But it's a neighbor whose husband died quite suddenly of a heart attack at 45 so now she is without resources. I have her come and wash my floors and windows. It just doesn't seem like I have time for it all anymore so I'm glad to give her the work. I've picked up another student who's US sponsor would like me to manage the tuition money. As my little side businesses grow, I find myself keeping more records than I ever did for my personal accounts in the States but it's all fun and gives me extra pin money.

Well, I hope you all have a great day tomorrow with whatever food you choose to eat on Thanksgiving. I have no special plans and will work the day but perhaps I'll treat myself to a pizza and a bottle of wine as my way of giving eternal thanks for all my gifts, all my health, all my family and friends, all my safe passages and all that I hope to bring to the table while I spend a few years here in the rainforest of Peru and enjoy the spectacle of the Amazon River!