Photos are just easier!

So here's one of the projects we've been working on finishing and finally completed last week! We slowly obtained enough 50 gal. drums to sand down and paint to use for trash cans in our town. We made three of "organics", three of "inorganics", and three more of "recyclables." Even though it took about two months to get everything together, the REALLY long part will be starting the presentations with my town teaching them what the differences are between the three catagories, and, hopefully, getting them into the habit of using them. The first photo is my very first presentation I gave; one down, who knows how many more to go!

Let’s slow it down a notch.

So I’m not going to lie, its gotten slow here in Miraflores. Mostly because after the rapid fire succession of being in-site for a week then out-of-site for a week for almost two months time seems to turn into molasses when I’m not looking to leave site for almost two or three weeks at a time. Granted we have “La Feria” (Fair) coming up next week where I should be able to see exhibitions of local food, customs, and dancing, and we also have Fiestas Patrias coming up at the end of the month, which should give me something to count down to. And honestly each day brings a new experience still so I shouldn’t really complain about time moving to slow, but there are days when your only plan is to sit and read a magazine in the sun because everyone is at their farms. I’m sure these slow days will be something I look back on when I’m surrounded by floresent lighting and irate bosses and wish I was back in Peru, so I’m taking them all in, enjoying them as they come, and reminding myself that this is just as much a part of Peace Corps as the days when you can barely get a meal in because it seems the few 300 people in my town all seem to realize they need you for something!

My town is in the dry season right now, and we’ve finished harvesting all the crops, so in general we’re in kind of a down season. But its okay because its also the time for one of the biggest fiestas which should be coming up in August. My school is also planning on building a fuel-efficient, smokeless stove called a “cocina mejorada” literally meaning “better stove” and I’m hoping other people in my town will show an interest and I can help them build their own. The problem I run into though since we have a big NGO working here in the region is that when you propose a project the families aren’t really keen on supplying the materials themselves since they are so used to the NGO just supplying things for them. It’s a hard habit to break, and I’m afraid unless I put up some of the materials nothing will really take off the ground, so its an obstacle I’ll just have to overcome.

Overall I’m still happy and healthy, staying warm and still eating way to many potatoes. Frieda and I are still happy as ever. We are “Peace Corps Dating” which means we see each other every few weeks and hopefully can send the occasional email or have a phone call hoping there’s electricity or a good signal. Her and I are planning on hitting the US Circuit Tour this Christmas and taking vacation together to visit each other’s homes, so I’m looking forward to introducing her to all you guys back home! Other than that all I have to say is no matter how slow time seems to be passing its hard to believe I’ll have been in Peru for one year in about two months!

I hope all is well back home, send me some emails some time, I love you all.