Surprise Ending

All good adventures eventually end. As with good-byes and death, it is not a time to mourn, but to celebrate the rich experiences and relationships gained. Behind every good-bye is a Hello, just waiting to happen. After every end there is a new and exciting beginning.

My two years as a Peace Corps volunteer in Peru have been more than I imagined, full of adventure, learning, teaching, helping and growing. I’m proud of what I accomplished and grateful for the wonderful people and places here. And as this adventure ends, the next begins. My “plan” was to return to the US and work for the Corps, recruiting older volunteers. But, as with most of my life, I’ve been thrown an irresistible last-minute revision. Once again, I follow that path marked “unexplored”.

I’m pleased to announce that I’ve been asked to serve in Peru for another year with the Peace Corps as volunteer coordinator (PCVC) for the Renewable Energy program. I’ll be promoting renewable energy in all forms, encouraging and monitoring PCV RE project grants, assisting with training of new volunteers, and organizing RE workshops for PCVs and their Peruvian community partners, like the one I hosted at the Goat Farm last May. I’ll also be working with the Ministry of Energy and Mines as liaison for their new initiative to provide solar PV and micro-hydro power to 30,000 off-grid rural families per year over the next 6 years. This all starts Dec 1^st, after a one month vacation to the US.

This work will be very different from my service in my beloved San Luis. No longer will I have the pleasure of serving folks directly – I’ll be serving the people who get to serve them. I’ll be working out of the Lima office, though I will be travelling extensively to provide technical support. I’ve never lived in a big city. I went to law school in DC, but lived out in suburban Maryland, where I spent most of my time selling real estate. Working in an office environment is another first. And I’ll miss my bike – Lima is one of the most bike un-friendly cities I’ve ever seen. Trading the early morning sounds of roosters, dogs and donkeys for honking horns should be interesting. I will especially miss the smiles and greetings as I walk down the street.

Still, having hot water, a washer, fridge, broadband internet and stove will be welcome treats. Having a 9-5/5 day workweek, with all US and Peruvian holidays and an extra week of vacation are also benefits. I won’t have the need (and joy) of MacGuyver engineering, with US style hardware and malls at hand. Exploring the vast metropolis of Lima is a worthy challenge – I’ve not spent any of my spare time there. It is also an opportunity to delve deeper into renewable energy, especially PV solar, which has long been a passion of mine, since living on a 2 panel system in Mexico in the early 90’s. Plus, I’ll have another year to explore more fascinating facets of this diverse and unique country and culture.

Ideas for this new venture have been flooding my mind – better approaches to RE promotion, new materials and even a demonstration project at the PC center itself. Don Goyo is not done with Peru – not just yet.

I still “plan” to do the Peace Corps recruiting gig. It will just have to wait a year. As someone pointed out – this is not an ‘either/or’, it’s a ‘both’ !!