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| New Rooftop Apartment in Lima - love the light & air |
Forgive
me, Father, for I have sinned. It's been 7 weeks since my last blog.
After a refreshing month-long vacation in the US, I've finally
settled in to my new apartment and office in Lima. The apartment,
while not much by US standards, is a HUGE upgrade in housing from my
digs in San Luis. Upgrades include a private bath with VERY hot
instant water and a marvelous low-volume toilet, huge windows that
open over a large deck to the Lima skyline, a refrigerator (that
makes ICE), washing machine, a comfortable large bed and broad-band
internet at my desk. No more dust from the fields and roof mean a
sqeaky clean floor. Dawn brings the sound of song-birds and traffic ,
instead of roosters dogs and donkeys. In fact, dogs – roof or
street varieties – are completely absent here. After working my
handy-man magic, it is very comfortable for a 12' x 14' living space.
More photos at :
https://plus.google.com/photos/114324927553623472875/albums/5957661352551934881?partnerid=ogpy0
The
weather in Lima this time of year is nothing less than superb and
very similar to Canete – sunny skies, with highs in the mid 70s and
low's in the mid 60s, always a light cooling breeze. It is said that
the only reason the Spaniards made Lima the capital was that they
landed in December. Come April, the 8 months of overcast will return.
The
neighborhood is upscale, but not uber-wealthy, with plenty of markets
and shops a few blocks away. The office is a 10 minute combi ride
away (30 cent fare). I've walked the 3 km a few times so far and hope
to make it a routine. Restaurants are abundant and diverse –
everything from KFC, Papa John's and Burger King, to Mexican,
Italian, Chinese, Japonese, German, sandwich shops and small “menu”
- the classic Peruvian lunch.
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| Security badge |
The
Peace Corps office is located next to Jockey Plaza, the premier
upscale mall in all of Peru. I already knew most of the staff, so it
has been a marvelous and comfortable home-coming. I share a small
office with my friend Pat. The only complaint is my ancient computer
and slow servers (due to security issues), though these are to be
upgraded next month.
I
hit the ground running, with the Water & Sanitation 20 group in
town for mid-service reviews. As a group, they far exceed my 18ers -
a no nonsense crew, who have already accomplished a lot in their
communities. I'll be serving them as an adviser this year, since they
will have no senior volunteer for the program.
Then
a trip with PC Staff in the swank new Peace Corps SUV to scout
locations for the International ECPA conference next April. It was my
first glimpse into the “other” side of Peace Corps. The
Volunteers operate on a shoe-string and with great frugality, while
the Staff enjoys 4-star resorts. They fly to events, rather than
riding the (very comfortable) buses.
After
a day of getting credentialed and authorized on the office network, I
hit the road again – by bus and combi, of course – to visit the
Yachaywasi renewable energy center, 6 hours south of Lima. Chris
Clark and I noticed the facility on vacation earlier this year and it
seemed an extraordinary place. I also had an idea that it might be a
good spot for one of the ECPA conferences I will organize this year.
Yachaywasi
did not disappoint. Every renewable energy possible, except hydro, is
represented there. It is a working farm, with cows, goats, corn ,
alfalfa and a vast variety of fruits and vegetables, all grown with
biol , compost and worm castings. In addition to the biodigester,
solar PV panels, wind turbines, parabolic solar cooker, improved cook
stoves, tree nurseries and fish aquaculture , there are neat, rustic
bungalows and meeting room with WiFi and excellent food, mostly grown
on-site. A complete set of photos can be found at :
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| Peace Corps Peru staff and 3rd year volunteers at the US Embassy |
