Big news.

Big news. The big news for me lately is that Michael and I have decided to get married. My parents are less than overwhelmingly supportive of the idea and because I'm of the opinion that ideally, marriage is about the whole family and I'm close to my family, this is disappointing and difficult. But, they care and this is genuinely what they think so I appreciate their honesty. Hopefully we will resolve everyone's concerns in the near future. I think their biggest concern is just, "who is this guy?"

Also, we rode my neighbor's horse, I voted for Obama, I finished 2 big murals of the world map in two different elementary schools, we sat on the porch and hung out, and I finished the improvements on the water system at Llicuar Elementary with the 500 soles or so that were left over from the water system project in Rinconada Elementary.

At Llicuar Elementary have doubled the size of their cistern, replaced a faulty water pump with a higher quality model, and installed a metal box with a lock around the pump so that no one walks away with it. At the same time we've been working together to get their accreditation from the Peruvian Ministry of Health as a "Healthy School." Accreditation includes training for teachers and students in public health issues, like hand washing, and institutional improvements like getting a working water system and a plan for trash management. I am pleased to report that they now separate organic, inoroganic and recyclable garbage. We're still working on appropriate disposal, but you know, little by little. I think we've completed all the requirements so they should be ready to get their certificate early next year.

I have written almost nothing about the work at Llicuar Elementary. Apologies, but photos to come. I've been busy falling in love. In Peace Corps it seems impossible to untangle your personal life from your professional life, and I even struggle with this issue in the US.

Peacing out in 25 days

Moonrise in Rinconada.

The Devils Dance at the Fiesta de San Lazaro.

Goodbye party with my favorite Piurano and Tumbesino gringos!!

Finished the world map mural!!

Michael, me and friends at a town fiesta for the patron saint, San Lazaro.

I cannot believe it has been so long since I posted. The final days of Peace Corps are just flying by. 25 days to go! Apologies for not posting more often.

I'm content with the way that things are wrapping up. I have these flashes of complete disdain for my work when I think of the projects that almost happened or my pipe dreams that never came to be, but then I get to talking to my neighbors and friends or playing with my kids and remember that we have made some great progress. I'm writing arm loads of reports, going to Lima to get poked and prodded, checking for things like tuberculosis and parasites, and trying to come up with some good going away gifts for my friends in town. So far so good.

My new boyfriend, Michael has been in Rinconada for nearly a month now. He is a city boy from Lima, a city about the same size of New York. He's from Callao, the part of Lima near the airport. We recently decided that if Lima were NYC, Callao would be the South Bronx. If you live there you really like it and if you're not from there it sounds fairly intimidating. He is constantly saying things like "That chicken has feathers on it's feet!" and "Why do they start the loud speakers so early in the morning?!" Yes, my thoughts exactly. I just forgot that those things were novel and Peruvian countryside specific. It's an interesting moment for me to have an outside perspective because I'm reassessing my time here, my work, my relationships with people and so it has been wonderfully supportive to be able to show it all to someone else, another outsider trying to make a life here.

In other news. I'm working on the water system at one more elementary school, making their cistern bigger and installing a new water pump so that they will have running water 24 hours a day. We had a big going away pool party and BBQ this weekend for the volunteers living in Piura and Tumbes (states in northern Peru). Michael and I finished a world map mural at an elementary school with a group of kids that I work with and we're finishing one more in another school before I head out.