The Beginning of March

I find it difficult to grasp that I´ve been in Peru for 5 and a half months...almost half a year already! I´m happy that I successfully concluded teaching English during Summer School. It perhaps could have been better, but it definitely wasn´t bad in my opinion! I hope to start playing classes now that the real school year is starting, perhaps once every other week I´ll give a class in both schools. I´m also hoping to set up a movie night featuring films that make you appreciate nature and/or animals. Not necessarily limiting myself to Environmental documentaries, I´m thinking things like Rango, and Avatar. Movies that people actually will be interested in seeing, but will still show an environmental mind-set. I.e. I´m hoping to start the brainwashing process hehe. Other than that, I´m trying to wrap up work on my Community Diagnostic before the end of this month.

At the end of the month, we have a week long training event in the desert of Lambayque. There, I´m supposed to present a Spanish document of my investigation into the situation of Vicco. Of course, I´m presenting in Spanish too. Thank heaven, Briana, the previous Volunteer, already had in her document most of the background info all typed up. A little judicious cutting and pasting, giving credit of course, helped me get about half of it all done. But the second half is the meat of the document, where I present the techniques I used (such as interviews) to glean information about the status of Env. Education, Management of Natural resources, and Solid waste in Vicco (those being my 3 goals/work areas). I have finally got about 10 interview/surveys done which for me is very exciting. They aren´t exactly randomly selected, but I figure the information will still be useful. Today, I´m really really hoping Alex, Reilly and I can convince the Recycling guy here in Cerro de Pasco to come to our sites and buy our recycling from us. It would be another major victory in my opinion.

As for the rest of this month, I´ve managed to wiggle my way into playing Volleyball for Woman´s Day on the 8th, a meeting with the Committee for the Lake on the 15th, a meeting with the Park Service, SERNANP, about Dry Latrines (ecologically much better than normal ones) on the 22nd, and then my Compra is on the 23rd. On the 24th, a Peruvian co-worker (yet to be picked by the Mayor) will be travelling with me to my training event. Busy month!! I also need to find time to finish that document, and start the paper trail to working in the schools during the year. Exciting no? I´m really happy when I have work to do here, makes me feel much more satisfied with my time here.

A last side note: I´m welcoming suggestions on what to do for vacation time after the training event. Its Holy Week, so we get some free vacation days. Lots of the other volunteers are going to a very popular (ie more touristy expensive) beach. I was contemplating setting off on my own to Lake Titicaca; I have the whole week´s trip set up in my mind. I just would rather do it with a friend or a couple friends. Perhaps I should save that trip for a later date? What do you guys think??