Service Summary

This will be my last blog as a Peace Corps Volunteer. In a few days, I leave my beloved service site of San Luis Obispo de Tulosa de Canete and head to Lima to process my paperwork and fly to the US for a month of R&R, returning in December as the PCVC (coordinator) for renewable energy projects.

So, I take this opportunity to THANK all of you who have contributed to the playground project, sent me wonderful ideas – like the bottle bulbs, and supported me and encouraged me with your kind words. A very special shout-out to Mike Healey and the Tooth-Fairies, who got my mouth in shape for service and my sister Darcy and others, who sent wonderful care-packages. Truly, you ALL were a huge part of this service.

And what a service it was. I was blessed with a wonderful site, near perfect weather, outstanding community partners – Angel, Gloria and the Duenas family, excellent infra-structure, helpful site-mates and “El Suerte de Goyo”. By the official numbers it looked like this:

1500 residents of Laura Caller enjoy a cleaner water system

2500 residents of La Quebrada have 24/7 chlorinated water

400 residents of Vista Alegre have restored water service

4 families have cooking gas and biol fertilizer from biodigesters

Over 60 families no longer breathe smoke and use less fire-wood, thanks to improved cook stoves

6 masons learned to build the “Cocina Mejorada” stoves and will build more

Hundreds of kids learned the importance and practice of hand-washing

42 students and 16 parents learned about HIV/STD and teen pregnancy prevention – they will teach others. And the Health Post has new tools and materials to continue the effort.

4 families enjoy improved quality water, delivered from their wells to the house via solar powered water pumps (they also get some lighting)

5 families, living without electricity, have “pico” PV solar systems for light and cell-phone charging.

Over 100 of the Bottle Bulbs give families more interior light (even some night light from the moon)

40 kids at an elementary school have soap dispensers

50 kids at another school have repaired water faucets

18 families are using improved composting toilets and got training

Many hundreds of kids get more exercise and smiles on the 2 playgrounds built with gifts from the US and 2 more built by the Municipality

The Cerro de Oro ruins / burial ground is better protected and has been investigated by archeologists

San Luis residents will enjoy the beauty and shade from 50 newly planted trees

7 residents of the San Luis area have wheelchairs

2  teachers at the local HS received training in English teaching methods

6 families in San Pablo have improved and cleaner latrines

25 students at the local HS have had contact with other HS students in the US

Future PCV will hopefully be aided by the manuals I’ve written for cocinas, biodigesters, pumps, solar and playgrounds – and the scale model cocina teaching tool.

Hundreds of folks in the US have a better understanding of what life is like for ordinary Peruvians and, hopefully, many Peruvians have a better impression of what Americans are really like.

For this service, I was honored with the coveted “Volunteer Excellence Award” – one of only 2 given to Peru 18. Mere numbers cannot fully describe my two years here. Judging a beauty pageant or promoting the local dance/drum troupe or helping kids build a “flying saucer” float didn’t count as official projects, but gave lots of joy. My real reward was the joy and satisfaction of the many smiles I saw and Thank You’s and gifts I received. And the many wonderful friends I gained among other PCVs and my community. And the pleasure I had travelling this marvelous and diverse country and exploring the lesser-known facets of the gem that is Peru.

Some Closing Thoughts :

On the Peace Corps – There is no better platform for foreign service. It is a superbly organized and managed machine. For a governmental entity, there is surprisingly little bureaucratic nonsense, allowing the Volunteers the freedom to focus on truly helping people. Living with and among the folks we serve for two years, while at times inconvenient, gives an unparalleled access to affecting real change, not only in those we serve, but in the Volunteers. Having just read the Shriver biography, I think the founders would be pleased that the ideals, spirit and vision of the Corps continue to this day. I only wish there was such an astute platform for service in the US.

On being an “older” Volunteer – Most of the time, I was oblivious to being some 40 years the senior of most PCVs. Though, a lifetime of experience and contacts gave me huge advantages. I thoroughly enjoyed being around the energy and dedication of the Millennium generation, though they rarely got any of my movie or song lyric references. And, their reflexive use of iPods and Kindles and copious alcohol consumption was vexing. Overall, they gave me a renewed confidence in the future of America. I remain committed to promoting the service of older Volunteers.

On Peru – I love this country, especially the unique Afro-Peruvian town where I lived. While many are incredibly poor and lacking basic services, they still manage a level of joy and celebration of life that some in the US lack. With its huge store of natural resources, immense diversity and lack of reliance on oil, Peru’s financial future looks bright. My hope is that this wealth will be more evenly distributed in the future. The remnants of machismo are slowly fading, though the trash pollution remains an unresolved problem. The small town model of integrated shops and homes, the near-universal use of public transportation and lack of additives and in the food supply, are all superior to the US paradigm.

In sum, Peace Corps service has been a grand adventure – one of the many in my life. So far.

End of Service

My new home in Lima

 My last few weeks in my dear pueblo of San Luis have been a sweet time of Good-Byes, reflection and final activities. I spent a productive week in Lima, house-sitting at the palatial home of one of the PC staff. It was a real treat having hot water, a US style fridge, which dispensed crushed ice at my command, washer/dryer and a US style supermarket around the corner. I met with other volunteers, the Ministry of Energy and Mines, the Yachaywasi renewable energy group and found a new apartment for the coming year.

My friend Julio transported the crew in his nice bus

The WASH 22 crew showing their "gang sign" of 2/2/W

On return to San Luis, my site-mate Will Jensen and I put on a day of training for the newest group of Peace Corps trainees. WASH 22 is a young group, but eager, bright and good-hearted – so full of that spirit of service that makes the Corps what it is. The minute we were done, I caught a bus to the Ica desert for a presentation the next morning, while Will led the group on a romp in Canete.

Relaxing by the pool in El Ingenio

The “despedida” or Farewell Party for the Peru 18 PCVs in the region was held at an extraordinary hotel/conference center in the remote town of El Ingenio, which included fantastic tile work, a swimming pool, laser disco lights and huge refrigerators. We were feted with songs, tributes, special key-chains, sashes, roast/toasts and fireworks. My song (to the tune of The Edmond Fitzgerald) went like this:

The legend lives on from Peru 18 down

Of the Volunteer they call El Goyo

He’s old and he’s smart

With a young caring heart

And he does everything with much joy-o

He made biodigesters and cocinas galore

Built playgrounds , latrines and some banos

Taught handwashing, AIDS

Bottle bulbs in spades

Did wheelchairs, solar panels and more-o

He set the bar high and that is why

His town and his friends all adore-o

He’ll leave a big hole

In his tiny pueblo

But, in Lima he’ll serve even more-o

I doubt it will make the top 10, but it certainly touched my heart. The party was a raucous event, with costumes, fireworks and beer consumption, like I’ve not witnessed since college, ending well into the next day. I eschewed the alcohol and left early the next morning, leaving “GOOD-BYE” spelled out in peanuts at the bar. Sadly, no one caught my MASH reference.

Does no one remember the last -tear-jerker - episode of TV's MASH ?

Back in site, I dove back into work, helping my site-mate and fellow “older” PCV with construction of her tree nursery shade house at a local school. Like most of my efforts here, it was hard work, but some of the kids cut class to come help. We sang songs and answered a bazillion questions as we set the poles for the frame in hand-mixed concrete. Another day will be required to cover the frame with shade cloth and construct an access door.

The rest of the week will be packing, more Farewells, presentation of my final report to the Muni and enjoying the perfect spring weather, before heading to Lima for Close of Service paper-work and the Halloween haunted house at the Embassy.

Me & My Shadow(s)

Everywhere I went, my Shadows were right there.

Glenn demonstrates hand-washing

The WASH 22 team at the health fair booth

Skulls on the Cerro de Oro

Jacob tries his hand(s) on the cajon at an Afro-dance practice

We joined Kate and her MAC Shadows for a pisco sour toast

The last few weeks have brought a flurry of activity. In addition to doing all the paperwork and reports to close my PCV service in San Luis, and arranging travel for my month of “special leave” in Florida, I’ve started working on the new adventure in Lima. Writing vision plans, arranging a house sitting gig in Lima, including meetings with RE suppliers and the Ministry of Energy & Mines and searching the Lima classified ads for housing. In many ways, the job has already begun – fielding questions and advising other Volunteers on renewable energy projects like biodigesters, eco-banos, Cocinas, solar projects and even some playground plans.

It is also a time to pass on what I’ve learned to the newest group (Peru 22) of water & sanitation trainees (not volunteers until they swear-in in November). The first group of four came to “Shadow” me for 3 days, seeing how I live and interact and getting a taste of what is in store for them. It’s a great new program – quite personal and practical. Will and I will also have the whole WASH group back for a training visit later in October.

My shadows, Glen, Jacob, Rebecca and Frank landed in Canete where we joined the environment crew for lunch, followed by a tour of my house and PowerPoint “class” time and dinner at Marriana’s roasted chicken and pisco sours. We had breakfast “on the street”, toured the Goat Farm facility, health post, Muni, playground and a cocina mejorada, lunched at a typical “menu” place and tried the smoked chicken at Pollo Cilindro. They were brilliant as they  demonstrated hand-washing at a health fair in the plaza, including balloon dogs and swords, crafted by Jacob.  We viewed the bone yard at Cerro de Oro and collected some skulls for the PC Halloween haunted house and finished with chicharrones, a cajon and dance performance by the San Luis troupe and pisco sours with some of the visiting MAC trainees. In between was wonderful time to answer many questions and share the accumulated tips from my 2 years of field experience. I think they got a good feel for the realities of Peace Corps service in Peru. They are a young group, full of energy, curiosity and good hearts. I know they’ll all do well as Volunteers, when they get to their service sites in November.

It’s also been a time to begin my Farewells to the wonderful folks of Mi Pueblo. I’ve been taking and printing photos with them, along with a personal note, as reminders of our time together over the last 2 years. Most folks don’t have any or many photos of themselves and the two I’ve given so far have been well received.

Valley of the Biodigesters

Will Jensen with inflated digester bag - gas line installed

Some the the adorable cuys that will provide poop power to the system

Will Jensen, my surfing Peace Corps site-mate, installed a biodigester at Don Leo’s cuy (guinea pig) farm last week. This is the fourth digester built by PC in the Canete Valley. Add to that the Concrete digester in Roma and all the small barrel units in the area and we figure The Valley of the Biodigesters is fitting.

Ingrid and I went to help install and fill the beast. Will and Leo had done a fine job of building the ditch to spec and lining it with plastic and insulation. One of the things I adore about the PC is how we help each other – a team were everyone else has your back. Leo is a brick mason, welder and cuy farmer, so he is quite a capable guy. Instead of the wind method of filling the big bag with air, so it settles properly in the ditch, we used an air compressor. Not as much fun, but highly effective.

While the bag was filling, we ran the gas line to Leo’s nearby kitchen, where he also has a cocina mejorada (improved cook stove) in progress. He may even try a hybrid gas/wood cocina. The rebar was bent and covered with hose and installed to form the greenhouse cover supports. All done before lunch, which was (surprise) cuy – a first time for Ingrid. They are sweet and tasty, but not much meat on the bone.

After lunch, we took a tour of the cuy farm. The little critters are perfectly adorable and make a bird-like chirp, while scurrying around. I never had one as a pet, but understand the attraction. Their favorite food is the leaves of the corn stalk, supplemented with citrus rind and some vitamin enriched chow. He has 500 now and plans to expand. A fully fattened cuy sells for up to 20 soles ($8) each.

Ingrid - up to her elbows in Cuy manure

We added some cuy intestines to innoculate the digester with bacteria

We then got down to the business of filling the bag with cuy manure, blended with water to form a delightful Cuy Poop slurry. Leo pulverized the dry manure and Ingrid and Will broke up any remaining big chunks by hand, while I handled the mix process. My MacGuyver style mixer, attached to a power drill proved too much for the fragile mixing tank. Leo produced some cuy intestines, which provided the inoculation and blessing of the mix with gut bacteria. In all, we added about 1600 liters of mix, which Leo will supplement over the next 2 months. Roldan, the little village where he lives, only has water for a few hours each week, so this is a limiting factor. No limitation on the cuy manure – they make about 15 sacks a week and he’ll only need 2-3.

A good hand-wash and a cold drink eased the dusty ride back to town – job Well Done !!

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’ !!

Last PCV Vacation

By happy coincidence, the bus that carried Peru 18 from our COS conference to Lima just happened to be going to the airport, after dropping the rest of my group in Miraflores - just where I wanted to go. I stopped questioning these coincidences? a long time ago – they happen so often that I just smile and say Thank You. In fact, the bus went within a block of the hotel I was going to – even better.

From there, I taxied up to the terminal to collect a very special lady-friend (at my age, girlfriend seems inappropriate) at the International Arrivals building. Chris and I met online, via our mutual friend Wilp. I was immediately struck by her beautiful and heart-full writing and her beaming smile. We struck up a lovely friendship, which later blossomed to romance. After a very brief visit in Florida, this was to be our first time together – 24/7 for 9 days.

Our stroll around the La Colonia neighborhood was a delightful discovery of street fair, open air markets and the many tiny gardens that exist in the narrow band between street and sidewalk. Chris is also a gardener, so was taken by the flowery treats, as well as the bakery goods. We were also treated to a top spinning demonstration by the boys in a nearby park. I was moved by her insatiable curiosity and willingness to engage the locals.

After what seemed like hours of paperwork, I secured a car and headed off into the circus that is Lima Traffic. South of the city, we stopped at “El Abeulo”, a noted little stand on the side of the Pan American Hwy for some world-class fig ice cream and even more heavenly pie. We passed countless chicken farms and trash dumps and sand deserts, before arriving in Canete. The open-air market of Canete is vast and filled with all manner of clothing, hardware, tailor and shoe shops, and, of course, FOOD.

The next day, we explored my little world of San Luis, meeting and greeting and tasting the yogurt and cheese finery at the famous Goat Farm. A visit to Unanue Castle revealed new directional signs, as well as a large increase in admission. The co-op is making an effort to do more maintenance on the decaying structure and grounds, which is welcome. Chris was introduced to all the local cuisine and to a very moving Pisco Sour.

My passing technique on the highly trafficked , two-lane Pan Am, left her a little white-knuckled, but intact, as we stopped at a local winery that specializes in 6 liter bottles and one gallon jugs. We found lodging at El Mirador, a hacienda style hotel on the hill above Paracas, where a German tour group arrived in a self-contained travel vehicle – Mercedes, of course.

Chris got her first taste of the desert at the Paracas National Reserve, where we went off-road, visited the little fishing village and built our first cairn – a small rock stack. The only disappointment was that the anticipated flamingos were down a trail marked “off-limits”, so had to be seen as small pink dots on the water’s edge.

The boat trip to the Ballestras Islands was as pleasant and smooth as could be imagined on a perfect day. The Humbolt penguins, cormorants, terns, gulls and other birds were in full nesting season and covered the sky and rocks. The sea-lions showed off, as the skipper piloted the boat through narrow passages and arches in the rock.

 

On the trip, we met Marta, a Mexican psychologist, who became our travel companion on the side trip to Huacachina, an oasis lake in the middle of the desert dunes near Ica. We also ran into the same German group we met at the hotel. After snagging some of the luscious Ica ice cream at my favorite place on the Ica Plaza, we dropped Marta at the bus to Nazca and returned to the gracious hacienda.

Fishing boats at the little village of Lagunas in Paracas Reserve

Then, it was up into the alpine mountains of Huancavalica. First stop was Tamo Colorado – ruins of a once great Wari/Inca celebration complex. The ruins are quite well preserved, despite the fact that, until 2008, the main highway went right through the middle of the complex and kids played soccer on the huge ancient plaza. On the way, I stopped to ask directions of a young man, who turned out to be the Tambo caretaker, so we gave him a ride to work. (another coincidence?) The museum – and our guide Marcos - was excellent and informative. Most notable was the indoor plumbing system, which delivered water into nice bathrooms in the palace area. The walls were well plastered and painted in a red (thus the Colorado name) and yellow motif, still quite visible. Oh, how we wished for the Way-Back machine to glimpse what the complex was like in its day…..

Chris in the Inacn "shower"

  

Then, came the fast and winding climb to 9000 ft and the alpine village of Huaytara. We sampled more local yogurt and studied the impeccable stone work of the Incan ruins – once a hot mineral bath and since repurposed as the foundation of the church. While Chris was more taken with the plethora of religious icons than the stone work (finer than Machu Pichu), we both were satiated and a bit winded by the altitude. We also happened upon 2 Peace Corps folks in the Plaza. That night, we feasted on a buffet of fresh bread, avocado, cream cheese, yogurt and soft cheese, which sadly gave my dear travel companion a case of the Incan Revenge.

Chris remained a brave trooper as we gingerly made our way down the mountain and back to a beautiful spot at the base of Cerro De Oro in Canete, where we celebrated her birthday. We saw a remarkable Renewable Energy compound outside of San Clemente, which I hope to work with in my job next year. After a delightful day exploring the standard tourist sites in downtown Lima ( including a very special look inside the City Hall) and a fruitful trip to the sprawling artisan markets, I said Good-Bye at the airport. It was a wonderful, special and memorable trip, with a lovely and loving woman. I smile and feel affection whenever I think of her.

COS

The Peace Corps lexicon is chock full of acronyms – PCT, PCV, APCD FBT, IST. But, none hold as much meaning as COS – Close of Service. So, it was a time of excitement, sadness, relief and a bit of nostalgia when the 50 remaining members of Peru 18 gathered near our old training center for one last time. We were 63 when we arrived two years ago, full of hope and not-knowing – an average rate of atrophy for Peace Corps service.

So many of the tribe, I’d not seen in the whole time of service. Others were more familiar – though a sense of family bound us the whole time and Facebook had provided glimpses of what the others were up to. It was a time for official de-briefing and making suggestions for future group, one of which – Peru 22 – would be landing at the Lima airport in just a few days.

Medical and dental exams came first, including blood, bodily fluid and solid. One last check to ensure that the Corps was sending us home no worse for the wear. We learned about job searching, health care, re-integrating into US society, fiscal and transportation considerations. And we talked and shared tales of our time apart – tales of triumph, stories of disaster, fables of frustration and failure. Some had flourished over the two years and done wonderful projects. Some of the younger ones didn’t seem so young anymore – an air of accomplishment and maturity enveloped them. Others had done little more than survive or consumed huge quantities of movies and seasons of Breaking Bad.

The facility was a lovely resort on the Rimac River. The food and service were outstanding and the hot water VERY hot. There was even a swimming pool, where some of the braver PCVs swam laps. Each program presented a video homage to the 2 years – a clever mix of humor and poignancy. The Water & Sanitation crew shared our final reports and made suggestions for future groups. And all too quickly, it was over. The bus returned Peru 18 to Lima, for 10 more weeks of clean-up / follow-up in our sites.

There was a huge party in Miraflores that night, which I did not attend. I had another, far more delightful, mission to attend.