Little Joys--Part II

• Not having to set the alarm—only exception: Catching a plane
• Bonnie’s cards
• Getting personal email
• A fast Internet connection
• Waking or falling asleep to heavy rain
• Nights with no disco music
• My long distance love affair
• High water season
• Mornings which always start with a glass of passion fruit juice
• The arrival of M & M’s and Girl Scout cookies
• When things actually go as planned—the first time
• Frasier re-runs on twice a day—7 AM and 8:30 PM
• My new couch
• Dead mosquitoes
• A good Skype video and audio connection—all at the same time
• Finding breakfast cereal for anyone over 10 years old
• Friendly, happy, helpful customer service—Anywhere!
• My boss, Pamela
• Completing a grammatically correct sentence (or two) in Spanish

Ah! Another year—the 18th—of Adopt-A-School has come and gone. Two great groups of volunteers came this April to help with deliveries and a pilot project building and installing new clean water treatment systems. So many old friends and new passed through the jungle during April. And, once again, they were generous with their time, their gifts and their praise of CONAPAC’s programs. So many people make CONAPAC what it is that it’s hard to single any one person but in particular I’d like to thank Nancy Kopf—AKA Pachita—for her tireless funding raising efforts and her endless enthusiasm for the program. Plus her laugh—which we all want to bottle and sell! Also Dave and Dottie Bonnet who never tire of the Amazon and always want to find a way to help in any project we seem to have cooking. Claire Lannoye, my buddy at the Detroit Zoo who recruits all these wonderful volunteers for our programs. Then there’s Ron Rossi who teaches at Sacred Heart HS in Bloomfield Hills, Michigan. He has come twice a year for 12 years in a roll with groups of students and teachers to share with them the joy of the rainforest. And so it goes--won’t you be next??

You’ve all either read about or know my wonderful boss and owner of Explorama Lodges, Pamela Bucur. If you knew her very well, you would also know she has eyes in the back of her head and ears that can hear through walls. In other words, NOTHING gets by this woman. Well, in 1986 Pam was a middle school science teacher who came to the Amazon with a group of friends and a couple of students. What happened next is history. She gave up her teaching position to come live and work fulltime in Peru at Explorama, invited by owner, Peter Jensen. Now, 25 years later, Pam is married to a Peruvian and she has two children and four step children. She is also now owner and general manager of Explorama after Peter’s passing last June. It seemed the perfect time to host a surprise anniversary party for Pam—but how to pull it off when she sees and knows all? Well, with a few lucky breaks and perhaps too many distractions on her part the week before the party, we actually made the surprise happen. Pam was completely taken aback by the big cake coming into the dining room, with everyone starting to sing as she looked around to see whose birthday it was and why didn’t she know about it? After warm speeches and fond sentiments, the party really got started with “la hora loca”, which cannot be explained only experienced—enough said, so one day come and see for yourself! A hardbound book of memories was presented holding photos and testimonials in both Spanish and English. I told her I wouldn’t surprise her again for another 25 years. She told me, no, the next surprise party will be for your 25th anniversary. Let’s see, that would be 2030 which makes me 74 years old—hmmm, I doubt it, but never say never!

For those of you who know me well, you know I love to bake cookies. I’ve talked for years about one day having a “cookie ministry”—whatever that meant? I figured I’d know it when it happened. Well, I think it did. Last week, I met the most delightful gals--two young women, Saskia and Claire, from London, England. They are here in Iquitos volunteering at a government orphanage, Santa Monica. They’ve been here about six months and although enjoying the experience, they are extremely tired of their regular diet of chicken, beans and rice. I figured who better to enjoy some comfort food than these two? Several friends have recently brought bags of M & M’s—milk and dark chocolate—as gifts. I decided this was the perfect combo so I made chocolate chip cookies with dark chocolate M & M’s. When I went to the orphanage with a surprise delivery, the girls weren’t there. It seemed earlier in the day they had all their money and debit cards stolen. At the time of my attempted delivery, they were trying to report it to the police but no luck. When they came back and heard about the cookies, they told me it restored their faith in humanity—we’ll not really but you get the idea. :) We rendezvoused yesterday and they said they were the best cookies they’d ever had—well at least in the last eight months, I'm sure!

Peruvian Magic

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

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

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

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

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

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

Westerners are so caught up in numbers and calculating time, costs, etc. Not that this is all bad as it certainly has created unheard of levels in our standard of living. Numbers and charts gauge accountability and performance—also important. But at what point is the focus so much on the bottom line that one can’t see up let alone forward and beyond? I had a nice conversation with Samantha the other night. She is working at a horse farm and reproduction facility in Ocala, Florida for a six-month internship. For those of you who know Sam, she has been in love with horses since she was a child and to say this is her passion is an understatement. But off to college she went after high school in a completely different career direction, which her father and I could never figure out. But now at the ripe old age of 27, she is back doing what she loves and working toward a second BA but this time in equine science. She commented to me how happy she was just being with the horses again full time but that it was a little late to finally come to it. I reminded her that it has taken me more than 30 years to finally find and follow my passion. And her sister, Erin, who is in beauty school at 33, is finally doing the thing she loves best, too. In other words, it’s never too late to find and follow your passion. However, all three of these passions will not bear much fruit in the area of money. By any Western standard, these three choices might look unwise for long-term financial reasons—and maybe they are? But thus far, I’ve not seen a gauge, chart, or graph for measuring happiness, contentment and love of life. Some things you just can’t measure nor should you even try. They will bear their own fruit in unseen and uncountable ways yet, none the less, they will make their owners some of the richest people on earth.

I just got back from Coya, Perú where I again volunteered my time with a VOSH team from Michigan. Lead by Dr. Mark Cook, our team of 20 volunteers examined 944 patients for eye care, most of whom received new glasses. The Kausay Wasi Clinic is run by two retired Americans, Guido and Sandy Del Prado. Their commitment is awe-inspiring! Check it out online at: www.kausaywasi.org. I believe this is the 6th time I’ve been to the clinic with this group—which continuously evolves with new faces coming and going but always some core friends. And over the years, the ex-pats in Coya who live and work there have become old friends, too. For me it’s like a homecoming in Perú. How lucky to have two—one here and back home in Michigan. Ah, abundant blessings—Que rico!

So in my neck of the woods (Iquitos) I live among a variety of social-economic levels—but frankly, all poor and mostly living in huts on the river or in the street. They all have chickens roaming free-range plus a sprinkling of roosters. Generally, I’ve gotten used to the roosters which start crowing around 4-4:30 each morning. It’s like a snooze alarm. When I hear them, I know I have a couple more hours to sleep. But next door to me there has been a “rogue rooster” which thinks 3:30 in the morning is not unreasonable to begin his day. Monday morning he woke me out of a sound sleep--grrrrrr! So later in the day when I saw the owner, I mentioned how much “I’d like to kill that chicken”. However, I failed to use the right words –ah, the joys of a second language—and actually said, “I’d like to die that chicken”. But apparently I got my message across as she laughed and showed me the correct body language of wringing one’s neck which I heartily agreed. The next morning?--nothing!! Not a peep from my old friend. Once again the neighborhood is at peace and the smell of chicken soup waifs through the air!

FOR RENT: Many of you know I’m heading back to Michigan for 3 months this year. I’ll be there September-November. I want to keep my fabulous apartment here in Iquitos but would love to sub-let it while I’m away. Some of you have expressed a desire to experience living somewhere like Iquitos for a few months. Let me know if there’s interest out there or pass on the word to your adventuresome friends. The cost is very low by Western standards and everything is included except your food and, of course, the beer! Give it some thought—you’ll never regret the experience.

2011~Ring It In...Bring It On!

Another year working for CONAPAC and living in Perú has come and gone. In February it will be three years since I first arrived and thought I might volunteer for a few months. Now it's my life and so it seems, my life's work. Keeping Adopt-A-School on track and building more clean water systems seems to have taken on a life its own. Much was accomplished last year and our donors continue to generously respond. As I see what's on the horizon of 2011, I'm already tired--but a day at a time, right? :) December was a great month. The first part of it I spent in the jungle doing student and teacher evaluations. As expected it's a mixed bag of results—some schools are just awesome and some barely function. But there's always hope and our team continues to search for new ideas and refinements of what works. The water plants are doing well and we continue to encourage communities to make the care and maintenance of the systems a top priority. This year we plan to build eight more—little by little, our goal of providing access to clean water for all our AAS communities will be a reality.

The end of December brought my daughter, Samantha, here for an eight day visit! She had been here in June of 2009 so this was a nice follow up visit. We had no particular plans but quickly filled the time with conversation, Christmas activities, excursions and a short visit to the jungle. Lots of tears were shed when she left town as she was not yet ready to leave her “mumzie” however, some good news awaited her. Out of Lima, her plane was late leaving the country by two hours thus she missed her connection in Newark back to Denver. This was when the great Christmas snow storm was just sorting itself out. She could not get a flight out until the next day plus she needed to get to La Guardia where her connection would be made. She knows no one in the area and had never been to New York City. Using her SmartPhone and Facebook, she put out the word and found someone who offered her an apartment in Manhattan for the night. Then she learned that her best friend and college roommate, Christina, (who lives in Cleveland) was going to be in the city for the night on business! They connected later in the day and hung out, caught up on news and generally enjoyed the unexpected visit together. To top all this off, when she got to the airport the next day, she found that the airline had bumped her up to first class! What a treat and an unexpected bonus—although I told her not to get used to it! She couldn't have written a better script for a nice way to end her vacation. She was able to make it home in time to get to work—she tends bar in downtown Denver and certainly New Year's Eve is the best night of the year for tips so it all turned out great. Thanks to social networking and a PMA, she rang in the New Year in a most delightful way! :)

While Samantha was here we checked out a really interesting NGO working in Iquitos. It's called AmazonCares. They pick up street dogs and bring them back to health. Stray street dogs with mange, injuries and severe illnesses run rampant here. Sterilization is almost unheard of and puppies are regularly turned out to fend for themselves. Internationally recognized AmazonCares, brings in vet volunteers to help with the process of neutering dogs and accessing care. Sam and I visited the remote shelter site where about 35-40 dogs are cared for and brought back to health while looking for a new home. Interestingly, here in the Iquitos, the stray dogs are as laid back as the people. They run in packs and sometimes fight among themselves but I've never felt threatened or uncomfortable around any of them. Many of the dogs at the shelter—all which are mutts of some kind—were so nice! I'm not much of a dog person but I could see they were just starving for a little love and attention now that they're regularly fed and cared for. Sam and I went in the common area with about 15 dogs at once. They were all over us but surprisingly well-behaved for street dogs. There are many needs here in Iquitos, human and animal. CONAPAC is looking for ways to assist AmazonCares in what its trying to accomplish. For more info check out: www.amazoncares.org

Thanks to everyone out there who continue to follow my blog posts. It's fun to do but sometimes I think I'm only doing it for myself--but when someone leaves a comment, I know I'm connecting somewhere! As I posted on Facebook, if 2011 is even the slightest bit better than 2010, my cup will not only run over but it will threaten to flood the floor! Thank you, life, for all the blessings you have bestowed upon me and know that I do not take any of them for granted—each day is a gift that I wake up to with joy, enthusiasm and acceptance. I wish nothing less for each and every one of my readers. Embrace 2011 for what it is—another year in your glorious life!

Post TG Review

How could my Thanksgiving dinner have been any better? Despite the lack of a pumpkin pie, I still wouldn’t change a thing! The day was perfect. All week it had been insufferably hot and sunny but on Thursday, I woke up to clouds, cool temps and a nice breeze. This held all day and into the night never getting over 78 degrees--which is quite unheard of this time of year. I had to have the turkey in the oven all day and was dreading the added heat but it turned out to be a non-issue. Everything on the menu came out as planned and timed just right. I had to use three different ovens in other apartments to cook everything at once but that all worked great. My guests arrived, the wine flowed and everyone has second portions on the food—which is always the best thing that can happen to any cook! So for all my friends and fellow travelers who made this happen, thank you so much! Know that I was thinking and thanking those, who through their extra effort, brought all the necessary parts which allowed me to create a truly American Thanksgiving dinner in Iquitos, Perú! Notice my photo—as I was opening the turkey to rinse and find the gizzards, I pulled out the neck and as you can see the head as still attached, followed by the two feet. Man, they don’t waste anything here, do they? Well, I kept the gizzards for my gravy but decided my Peruvian neighbors would know better than me what to do with the head and feet. I’m sure a good turkey soup was enjoyed by the whole family thus Thanksgiving was spread a little further around the neighborhood.

I mentioned in my last blog that I had an Aussie here as a guest and that I would tell you more about him later. Back in August I was out at one of the lodges working on some CONAPAC projects. It was evening and I was alone reading a book. A large group of Australians came in and one of the men came over to ask me if I would like to join them for happy hour. I declined but did join them for dinner and chatted with this gentleman that night and the next day he was here. Well to make a very long story short, he returned from Perth for a two week visit in order that we might get better acquainted. I will tell you that we had a great time together, and I expect to be seeing him again very soon as he's planned a return trip in February. And who knows, a visit to the Land of Oz (once again) might be in my future. Stay tuned! :)

As a final note to my Thanksgiving dinner, my boss Pamela was there and absolutely delighted with the results. As my fellow American, who has now lived here for 25 years and does not cook, she has never made a traditional TG or Christmas dinner. After my successful dinner Thursday she has asked me to do it again for her and her family for Christmas this year. Of course, I readily agreed but was reminded of my good friend, Tony Sincic’s advice—if you are competent people ask you do things—and often too many things. If you’re not, no one ever bothers to ask you to do anything--so be careful what you want to reveal about yourself. I guess despite trying to unwind my commitments and live a bit more in the moment by choosing the jungle as my home, I still find myself committed. But no worries, Samantha will be here and my new friend, Megan from Freemont, Michigan, as well. Pam will almost have her house outnumbered with Americans to Peruvians for the first time! And the best thing of all is Samantha will bring me my pumpkin and we’ll have two big pies to make up for the lack of one at Thanksgiving. Once again, things work out and I continue to receive abundant and overwhelming blessings in all areas of my life. :)

Life Is Good--Part II

Many of you are my friends on Facebook so you might hear me repeat my stories--sorry for any redundancy. October was a busy month here despite the heat of summer and what should be the “off season” for both Explorama and CONAPAC. We hosted several large groups flying in to the Amazon as their first stop for an around the world tour. I’m not sure if this is the place to start or end a big trip but we’re glad to be included in their itinerary of exotic places. Many of you may know “The Lonely Planet”? It’s an organization that reviews and ranks hotels, restaurants and travel attractions around the world. Check out this link and see which top 10 cities for 2011 were included in their list, particularly number six! http://www.lonelyplanet.com/peru/amazon-basin/iquitos/travel-tips-and-articles/76165

As Thanksgiving inches closer, I am eager for my guests to arrive. I now have 8 committed with a possible 9th, depending on boat schedules. My cans of Libby pumpkin, which my friends were bringing from Colorado, were confiscated by the TSA! My friends were not doing checked luggage so the cans had to bring it as carry on. How insane does this get? I know there’s a shortage of Libby pumpkin and, in fact, some people are buying and hoarding it then selling it on-line for inflated prices. Maybe the TSA guy needed to take some home to the wife? Hey, where does all that stuff go that gets confiscated? There must be a mountain of it things from all over the world which has been left behind—might make for a fun news story?! Well, I guess it will be apple and pecan pie this year.

I know elections just ended in the States. My CNN cable connection has been out since last week so I was able to avoid the hoop-la. Whoever won, what goes up must come down and so forth! Last month they had country-wide elections here although for everything except the presidency. The time leading up to the election was just as nutty as in the States (and annoying) but I doubt anywhere near as much money was spent. It’s interesting to me how Americans are always complaining about the economy, jobs, etc. but somehow millions of dollars still got raised for these elections. Well, I suppose some folks had jobs in the process. Anyway, two interesting things about elections here: One, you HAVE to vote as it’s mandatory. If you don’t, you get fined and if you can’t (because you have to work and can’t get to the city) your employer has to pay the fine; and two, voting is held on Sunday from 8 AM- 4 PM. From Friday at noon until Monday morning there are no alcohol sales, even bars and restaurants. I didn’t know this until I was trying to buy some beer on Saturday afternoon. Really, they should have exceptions for gringos who can’t vote anyway! Iquitos was a very different place that weekend—so serious, quiet, and dry—including me! The lines to the voting booths on Sunday were quite long but it was an event with people outside selling food, beverages and entertainment for the kids. It had been a very, very hot month but that particular day it was cloudy so as folks waited in line, it wasn’t quite so unbearable. So what do you think? Mandatory voting for the USA—it’s mandatory in Australia—Just a thought! (A photo of a future Peruvian voter, Charles)

I got to Lima last month for a few days with friends. Lima’s not my favorite place but it was a change of scenery. We went to a couple of nice attractions around the city and enjoyed some good food. We got to a mall which normally wouldn’t do much for me but it was refreshing to be in a place more like what I’d be familiar with in the US. The stores may be Peruvian but the idea is virtually the same—even the “Sodimac” store we shopped at which is like Home Depot! There’s nothing like this in Iquitos. The best was the grocery store where I found several more varieties of cereal including Honey Bunches of Oats and Banana Nut Crunch. I brought home four boxes on my carry-on. What a treat but it was quickly gone and I’m back to my one choice in Iqutios, when I can get it. Not only has the low river slowed down beer deliveries it’s also impacted cereal which all comes from Lima. Well, if I just liked rice more I’d never have a problem finding food as there’s always plenty of that!!

I was thinking about why I love my job so much? It’s not the work, per se, but the variety. One day I’m doing mindless paperwork or packing school supplies, then another day meeting interesting people and learning new things. Last month had me helping with the private jet tour, meeting great people from all over the US; restocking and buying new things for the gift shops; writing reports and requesting money for our budget funding; helping with a baby turtle release on the Sucarsi river and watching baby turtles hatch at Las Malvinas school; meeting with grad students from the US who are doing a study on NGO’s around the world; planning for visits by more volunteers in December with their unique requests; meeting Jack Hannah and assisting with his film crew at Monkey Island; assisting an injured 71 year old passenger who broke her arm in at the Ceiba Tops and needed help for two days at the local hospital until she could return home; and much more which somehow quickly fills the days. Who has time for CNN?! How I got here and how long I’ll stay remain mysteries but I’m full of peace and joy that these opportunities have come my way and I never take them for granted!

Final best news of all--Samantha, my younger daughter is coming here for Christmas this year! I have spent the last two here alone and although my Peruvian friends have kindly attempted to fill the void, there’s nothing like family to be at your side. Each day is a gift and I open it with eager anticipation and appreciation.

Low, Dry, Hot & Humid!

Wow! September is almost over and I’ve yet to write a blog post. Some of you have commented on this so here goes! It’s been a particularly hot and dry September in Iquitos--Day after day of sun, a few clouds, and virtually no rain. They say there are no real seasons here, only high water and low water season, but I beg to differ. The river is at historic lows creating problems for everyone as cargo is nearly impossible to get into port and when it does, everything takes that much longer to unload and be staged for delivery. Nearly everything that comes into Iquitos is still carried off the boats on the backs of young, and not so young, men. Sand bars are everywhere making boat navigation trickier than usual with big and small boats, houses, swimmers and debris concentrated and competing for space in ever narrowing strips of shallow water. I was on the Itaya River last night heading to a restaurant by boat. It was a particularly hot and close evening which made the smell of concentrated open sewage less than pleasing. I do feel for so many who live in floating houses on this reduced flow of water. There is no sewage treatment in Iquitos and everything runs directly into the rivers but normally there is so much water flow and such a high dilution factor, that it’s a tolerable situation. Those of us who live high uphill don’t have to wallow in this toxic stew. The poor continue to suffer the most and I walk by it each day. But like anything else, one seems to get “used” to it—isn’t that sad? I don’t like to think I’ve become immune to it all but sadly, I’m afraid I have.

The last month has been full of a variety of little projects requiring my help mainly for Explorama. I’ve been helping with the gift shops and working with passenger guests. I find that so many of my past life experiences have been called into action while working here, whether it’s for CONAPAC or Explorama Tours. It’s nice sometimes to pull out my old waitressing skills—really my most favorite job of all time! The season of funding requests has begun for next year so much of my time is focused on finding money to “keeps the plates spinning” as Pamela would say. We’re looking to build seven new water plants for 2011; seriously increase monitoring, training and oversight; plus start the process of installing smaller, individual household systems for some communities where large, centrally-based water towers do not make the best sense. I have set a personal goal of providing access to clean water to all the Adopt-A-School communities within which we serve before my time here ends. This will represent improving the lives of about 13,000 people. We’ve come a good distance in just two years but we’re only about quarter of the way there. Lot’s more to do! Yes, I’m coming home next year but I will be returning to Iquitos to finish the job! :)

I have a new neighbor—can you believe it?—another American woman! This is so rare and I’m delighted. She’s from Iowa, about 40-something, decided one day to quit her assembly line job and start living. She gave up her job, her boyfriend, her house and all her stuff. Decided to move to Iquitos for awhile, volunteer her time in an orphanage and then move on elsewhere to explore the world then someday return home. She’s an incredibility upbeat gal and I like her very much. I’ve invited her to my Thanksgiving dinner so my contingent of Americans is growing. I have a very special guest who will be joining us for TG dinner—I’ll tell you more about him later! Pam asked me to host a dinner party at my house for nine people last week. It gave me a good dry run for the holidays by pushing the limits of my small kitchen with its mini stove and fridge. But I do have my two neighbors’ stoves and fridges to use as they’re invited to dinner so we’ll have food spread around the complex. I’m now just waiting for the last installment of “TG parts” from home—cans of Libby pumpkin for pies!

Enjoy the season…whatever it may be, wherever you may live :)