One of the greatest joys of my Peace Corps service has been
the opportunity to live in a small town, especially this place called San Luis
de Canete. I’ve lived in a lot of different circumstances and none have ever
suited me, or satisfied me, quite like this one. I imagine that there are still
some places in the US,
but I’ve yet to live in one. A small town is a beautiful thing.
Greater metropolitan downtown San Luis is a compact village
of about 6,000 people. All of the shops, restaurants and businesses are in the front of the
owners’ homes. This means that a visit to the town hall or Plaza requires a 1
block walk. Getting fresh bread from the bakery is a block beyond and milk for
my coffee and fresh vegetables for my noon salad are right across the street. A
$1 haircut or a visit to the high school is a 4 block hike. And all along the
walk, I’m greeted by smiles and nods and Buenos Dias from neighbors and
friends. Children walk the streets alone and safe. Goods are transported in
re-usable shopping bags.
The down-side of this arrangement is that the houses and
shops are built right up against each other. The thin brick or adobe walls let
noise flow freely, so I often suffer the fighting couple next door, the
roosters that live 3 doors down, loud parties next door (that start at 10pm and
end at 4am) and, of course, the ubiquitous exploding rockets that punctuate the
night air. Outside, the street vendors, hawking fruit, bread, ceviche and
boiled eggs, shout their wares, some with loud-speakers.
There are virtually no private cars and none are needed. If
I have to move materials beyond the capacity of my back or bike, I can hail an
ever-present moto-taxi. If I need to go to the larger metropolis of Canete for
banking or mail, a small, packed van will take me there. A trip to Lima requires a 2 block
walk to the Pan American Highway,
where a small hand-wave will stop a speeding interstate bus in its tracks and
allow me to board – a truly empowering feat.
Ironically, the closest living arrangement to this that I’ve
experienced is at my sister’s apartment in Manhattan. But, sadly, the huge city comes
with a sky-blocking crush of tall buildings, honking horns, crime and a lack of
connection to the thousands of anonymous faces passing by. Not to mention a
cost of living higher than the sky-scrapers themselves.
As I begin to contemplate the end of my time here, I realize
more just how very happy I am, living where I live. Not just the physical
and mental comfort and living a very simple life, but the joy of helping people on a daily
basis and learning something every day.
As my service winds down, I’ve been spending more time
consulting with the newer volunteers. After only 2 years, I’ve become the
ranking authority on biodigesters, solar projects, improved cook stoves, bottle
bulbs and playgrounds. My other effort is to codify this knowledge and make it
available to future PCVs on the newly created website - http://peru.peacecorps.gov/ .
Unfortunately, most of the content I’m contributing is in a “member’s only”
section.
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| A complete "Turk seat" for pit latrine |
My last remaining projects are the Cerro de Oro development,
urban tree planting, eco-bano rehabs and latrine “Turk seats”. The PACO
archeology team has been on site for 2 weeks now. They have excavated several
residential structures, revealing beautiful plastered (and sometimes painted)
walls, cooking areas, trash piles and interior walls and storage spaces. The
most exciting news is that they have discovered what appears to be two burial
sacks – intact MUMMIES !! So, far they have only excavated down to the head and
shoulders, before taking a break for the holiday. A guard has been placed at
the site and everything is shrouded in blue plastic, to protect the site. I
have no idea how they can keep from excavating with this exciting find, but
such is the archeological mind.
The tree planting is still waiting for the street paving to
finish. Latrine seats and eco-bano rehabs are going slow but steady. I trained
one of the Muni workers in how to do the work, to ensure continuation after I
leave. Speaking of leaving, I’ve been given an official departure date of
November 1st.
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