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| Kelly McCormick shot 100's of photos of my site |
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| Video Master Lee Gillenwater shot 5 hours of video |
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| A "candid" shot of Avelino & me |
It’s been just a year since our group of new Peace Corps
Volunteers touched down in Peru.
We were Trainees at that point, totally unaware of the challenges at rich
rewards that lay ahead of us. I was thinking the other night about how lucky I
am to have such a great site, with wonderful service opportunities. I’m not
sure about the “luck” thing – I think we make our own. When I first saw the
Canete area during training, I instantly felt “I’m home”. The next day I asked
Frieda for this site and eventually got it. I’ve learned to trust my feelings
and intuitions over the years – not question them. I think we all have some
inner wisdom that takes us just where we need to be. If we just get out of the
way and listen.
I picked up 2 “Pico” solar panel systems at Soyuz bus
terminal today. They are sort of an “add-on” to my solar pump project. It’s a
very affordable (US$35) system that includes a 2.5W panel, a light with 3 LED
settings and a port for charging cell phones or other USB devices. I think these
little units could be a boon to folks in the annexes without power, as well as
a good demonstration of solar technology – which makes perfect sense, with all
the solar hours here in Peru.
I’ll be showing the units around and looking for someone to distribute them. We
need a local distributor – else folks will have no source other than Lima. It’s a good solution
for certain families, given the enormous amount of sun we get here. I know,
having a cell phone, but no electricity seems odd, but happens all the time
here. They bring the phone or battery to town for charging. And mostly, the
phones are used for receiving calls. Folks never seem to have “saldo” (credit)
on their phones – always want to borrow mine.
I’ve been reading more in "1491" from my cousin Peter.
Fascinating part on the Wari or Huari - the folks who lived up on the Cerro de
Oro near here. They were traders, but a unique kind. The cities traded with
each other, and then folks came to a central warehouse for supplies. There were
no markets in the traditional sense. The trading network went all the way up to
Trujillo. For
500 years they lived in peace - without a war. Can you imagine? I like
these guys. And then, the Inca came. After 500 years, the Wari had no trained soldiers
or arms. The "thugs" from the mountains walked all over them. I now
have even more distain for Machu Pichu. Sad that most Peruvian histories focus
only on the bizarre Inca – who married their sisters and killed their brothers
for fear of coop – and their conquest by Pizarro and Co. There is so much more
to be learned from the highly advanced cultures that preceded the Incans.
Fernando woke me up at 12:30 last night. “problema” he said.
So, I hurriedly put some clothes on – ready for some disaster. Turns out, the
only problem was – he was drunk as a skunk and wanted 5 soles ($1.66) for
another beer. I was not happy at the time. He apologized profusely the next
morning, as he nursed his hang-over. Said he was “very drunk” and would never
do it again. Ya Think ??
The Peace Corps Communications film crew from Washington showed up
right on time today. They got me mic-ed up and filmed at the house, in my room,
on my bike and did a long interview at the ruins of the old sugar mill in Santa
Barbara, before moving on to the goat farm. There, we filmed the biodigester in
action, a bottle bulb demonstration, yogurt and cheese production, the solar
pump, cocina and some footage of Mercedes in her new wheelchair. The Duenas
family treated us to an amazing lunch, cooked on bio-gas and cocina. We sampled
goat yogurt and cheese and a special batch of chincha – a fermented corn drink
– which had a bit of a kick. Then we went up to Cerro de Oro to film at the
burial grounds. I was honored to have my service documented and will advise
when the 4+ hours of video are edited into a short documentary on the PC
YouTube channel.
We built the seasonal sun tracker for the solar panel in
record time and minimal cost – all scrap wood lying around the beach area – and
$3 worth of hinges and screws. This will allow the panel to be tilted to more
directly face the sun angle through the year. It should yield an extra 15-20%
power overall. Once again, Avelino and Godo were right there with anything I
needed, including some high quality lithium grease to protect the hinges.
Dan & Carrie, the PCV couple from nearby Imperial and I
were dinner guests of Helen, an ex-pat living in Canete. Most US ex-pats live in Lima
– possibly the worst weather in all Peru and a city to boot. Not many
live in “rural” areas. Anyway, one of her kids has allergies and this seems to
be a place that suits him. Always a delight to be around other English
speakers. Dinner was VERY American – pizza and carrot cake, both excellent. She
wants us back for meatloaf and mashed potatoes. I’m in. I like Peruvian food
just fine, but/and some US
comfort food is just a nice treat.
Hard to believe Dan, Carie and others of Peru 16 group
will be leaving in 2 months – just got to know them. Because of the constant
rotation in Peace Corps , Good Byes are frequent. I’m OK with that. I always
celebrate the time that I DID have with someone, rather than bemoan the time I
don’t get. I learned that lesson well at Esalen, in Big Sur. Behind every
Good-Bye – is another Hello, just waiting to happen. And, with the connectivity
provided by email and Facebook, Good-Byes are not so final.
The school that my kids attend has had enough of the
teachers strike and has decided to resume classes. To “celebrate”, they held a
“recycled” fashion / costume show. Clearly a lot of efforts went into the
outfits, though many children seemed less than enthusiastic about the whole
affair. Amir most certainly did NOT like his bear hat. One of Avelino’s kids
could not see out of his rabbit costume. And Camila just didn’t seem excited, although
she did enjoy getting her make-up done by her favorite aunt.
The school needed new soap dispensers for their handwashing
stations, so I came up with a quick design, using 2 empty soda bottles and a
closet bolt. Works like a charm, so will make 2 more next week. Photos at :
I love this kind of “McGuyver” problem solving. You can get
a lot done , with very little money, if you think outside the box (or bottle).
The construction hits just keep on coming. A bad water leak,
brought out the backhoe, which hit and broke the new sewer line, which was a NASTY
fix. No sooner was it all repaired, than they started tearing up the street
AGAIN, for the new water line. I’m told the reason the two projects could not
ne simultaneous was that there is simply not enough space on the street for two
ditches. And they did not want to run water and septic in the same ditch. Other
large piles of stone, sand and construction debris continue to block streets.
Why so many new building projects have started in the midst of street
construction still eludes me.
Lots of PCVs are coming into town for the La Quebrada Cat
Fest this weekend. We’ll likely be making some trips up to the Cerro de Oro
burial grounds. Have to wait until next week for the Festival report. Or is
that being to catty of me ??
MEE YOW !!!!
