Desk Jockey

It was a long week, mostly spent in front of the computer - writing, doing spreadsheets and pie charts and compiling my required Community Diagnostic report. No big surprises, although in the ironic box, is the data that while only 45% of those households surveyed had potable water, 37% had refrigeration, 25% cook over an open fire and none had sewer connection, fully 72% had TV. Yes, I got work to do.

I did get out a couple of times. I always enjoy the bike ride (have I mentioned how I LOVE my bike?) to La Quebrada. The road is new and smooth and there is very little traffic. And the all-volunteer water committee (JASS) there is a great bunch to work with. It was a long meeting. After much discussion, they settled on the Neptune brand chlorine pump, one of three I presented. Discussion included which pump had the best color. Sadly, they decided to put off purchase until after the new water supply lines are installed this summer. Disappointed they hesitated so close to the finish line, but I understand the thinking. At present, the lines are full of small leaks and people are wasting huge amounts of water, since there is a flat rate (about US$1.50/mo) for water use. The new supply lines and usage meters should drastically reduce water use and not waste the (expensive to them) chlorine. I tried to set a new personal speed record on the way home, but missed it by 20 seconds. The old record of 5km in 6:56 (27mph) still stands. Musta been a headwind.

Speaking with Oswaldo, the white-haired, Afro soccer coach in the Plaza, I heard about a soccer clinic for kids, so asked to take the two little boys who live here to the clinic on the huge and beautifully grassy Municipal soccer field on the Pan American Hwy. First time they’d been out in a while and they were ecstatic. It was technically for 6-8 year olds and Amir is only 4, but he held his own. In fact, he played with as much speed and energy as the older kids. Reminded me a lot of my son Dawson as a young athlete. Santiago (6) seemed more interested in pushing other kids and eating his snowcone, than in playing. A good time was had by all, but now I’m “stuck” with Wednesday soccer clinic for the next 6 weeks. Amir carried his soccer ball around the house the rest of the day. The angel/princess Camila (8), said she enjoyed the quiet time at home without her brothers. A win all around.

The stadium grounds would make a marvelous place for a Kids Playground, except for being across the Pan Am Hwy. Big buses and trucks come roaring up and down, along with combis and moto-taxis cruising the shoulders. I’m still convinced these kids and the others in town need a place to play outside and am determined to find someplace. Thinking of my firefighter son Alden and my time on the Big Sur Fire Brigade, it occurred to me that using used fire hose on the swings to hold used tires, set on a bamboo frame, might be a way to go on the swingsets. Need to check with the bomberos in town. Firehouse is several miles away, but fortunately the all concrete/brick construction keeps the fire risk down, despite the haphazard (hazard being the operative root) wiring and love of candles during frequent power outages. But, as is often the case, I digress. Another play innovation is the bike inner-tube jumper I made for the kids in the “back yard”, a dirt courtyard where laundry is done. I just looped my old inner-tube over support for the clothes-line and they jump up and down in it. Probably not viable long term in a playground, but a big hit around here.

Strikes are very common here in Peru. The usual MO is to block some major highway, stopping all commerce and transport until demands are met. This week, I encountered one in front of the Regional Courthouse in Canete – not sure what it was about – but no big deal as traffic could just detour around it. There is also a strike today in Chincha, about 40 miles south of here, which has the Pan Am blocked by cotton farmers wanting a “fair” price and another in Ancash, to the north of Lima over bad mining/pollution practices. I still don’t get the idea of inconveniencing EVERYONE, instead of just targeting the appropriate decision makers, but the tactic seems to work.

Thanks to my dear friend, Princeton roomie and Tech Guru, PG Randall, I’m really enjoying the higher WiFi connection speed. PG advised a simple metal reflector to amplify the signal to the antenna in my laptop. So, I went out and bought a 1m x 3m roofing panel (not that there are many metal roofs around here), found just the right angle in the corner of my room and quadrupled the connection speed to a blazing 48Mbps (Warp Speed to non-techies). 24/7 service for about US$13/mo can’t be beat. Much more connectivity (my cell phone has NEVER dropped or not had signal) than I had anticipated or even dreamed of. I rely on Sr. Google (pronounced goog-lay) for so much information. Never would have been able to track down 3 Peruvian distributors of chlorine pumps without him.