Home Sweet Home

Home


I have moved and it is wonderful. My new house is made of cement and has recently acquired running water. It's really quite the palace. In addition, it is home to 1 very lovely actual toilet, a stove with 4 burners, and 4 other inhabitants above the back door: 2 doves and 2 newly hatched baby doves. This is mom dove sitting on her eggs and eyeing me suspiciously. Now that they have hatched they're much more active and have taken to sitting on the electrical wire in the bathroom leaving their droppings on my cement bathroom floor. Admittedly, this behavior is less endearing than when it was a mom dove sitting on her eggs, but I appreciate the company.




Momma Dove



Home improvement is the name of my game lately. Since moving in on May 30 I have installed a bathroom sink, and a few windows. Most of the windows have wooden boards instead of glass so the light and general aesthetic leaves something to be desired and I'm working on changing it. I also bought paint because it sure needs a paint job and I'm looking to hire someone to help me. It is rice harvest time in Rinconada Llicuar and everyone is working 12 hour days cutting rice by hand, beating it to shake out the individual rice grains, drying it, and then carting it all to the mill. They're not looking for odd jobs right at the moment but, in about a month it will be nice to remove the "I love China" grafiti from the front wall. China is apparently the nickname of the lady who lived there prior to me.



In other news I have managed to take a group of 11 people including: the city council member in charge of health/lieutenant mayor, a technician from the Ministry of Health, teachers from the 3 local schools, and 6 students on a trip to see a solid waste project in a small town in the mountains called Santo Domingo. They had a blast and are all very excited about starting a trash project in Rinconada Llicuar. This is thrilling in large part because the mayor of Rinconada Llicuar is really into it. I think he might support funding a sanitary landfill with this years budget! Would be amazing. Here's us on a rock at the river in Santo Domingo. The girl in yellow is Pilar, then Professora Mercedes, Katy, Ana, Eduardo, next to me is Ruth and behind me is Felix. Aren't we cute?



Sto. Domingo Crew


Finally, I think that being a freaky gringa in Peru is damaging my already delicate social skills. I have managed a row with my former boyfriend. I know: How many miles and how many months apart? Surely I did not achieve this development alone, but I do have to take at least half the responsibility. He's still very angry that I left to join the Peace Corps and didn't include him in my decision making process. He can be mean when he's angry. I can be needy when I'm lonely. It's a rough combination. On a positive relationships note, the kind-of-scary police chief who was consistently lewdly flirting with me in front of large numbers of people and followed me on a couple of morning runs stopped these unfortunate behaviors. I was complaining about him to a teacher who I work with. She immediately called over a co-teacher who is also the offending officer's cousin. Suprise. The cousin/teacher was embarrassed, apologized profusely and promised to talk to their fathers. I never heard another word about it and haven't wanted to bring it up but, no more inappropriate behavior from sketchy cop guy. Gotta love small town fixes.