tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31767642883771539462024-03-20T03:12:25.542-04:00My internship in PeruChronicles of the preparation and planning of my trip to Peru as well as of my 227 day field placement.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04075983153680173357noreply@blogger.comBlogger135125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3176764288377153946.post-27557306757916177432012-04-17T18:00:00.113-04:002012-04-17T19:09:32.586-04:00Visiting a Sponsor Child - Part TwoHello again!<br />
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Sorry it has taken me so long to update my blog. If you remember a few weeks ago, I mentioned that I was going to visit my dad's cousin's sponsor child in <a href="http://sheilainperu.blogspot.com/2012/03/visiting-sponsor-child-part-one.html" target="_blank">Visiting a Sponsor Child - Part One</a>. Here is part 2 of that story, detailing how my day went visiting Jackeline.<br />
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I met Soledad, the <a href="http://www.compassion.com/" target="_blank">Compassion</a> trips coordinator at my house at 9:30 am sharp (I love it when things start on time!). We took two taxis (for a little over an hour total) to San Juan de Lurigancho, a district in Lima, where Jackeline lives. We had a great trip: she answered all of the questions that I had, gave me information about the family I was about to visit, and chatted about different things in Lima. A great start to the day.<br />
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Our first stop was at the local Compassion office. Here we met the Director, Marisol, and the Manager, Ilda, and they explained how the office works and what they do. Here are a few pictures to describe the location.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-3n32eylwl2S6MnAdeJVQEPAzYgPD1gCuS04AqvlEVJzlMWVpbKbAEsWcp7s7i-MFWAQl594v4Yt6dgmS4iybrqX_YU-8IyOp81U2igOfCirm9fAenSTKqK1b12_j_xfCRtkeEK9yg21G/s1600/IMG_0009.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-3n32eylwl2S6MnAdeJVQEPAzYgPD1gCuS04AqvlEVJzlMWVpbKbAEsWcp7s7i-MFWAQl594v4Yt6dgmS4iybrqX_YU-8IyOp81U2igOfCirm9fAenSTKqK1b12_j_xfCRtkeEK9yg21G/s400/IMG_0009.JPG" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Kids learn about life skills: physical (to determine when they are sick with diseases such as Tuberculosis or Diarrhea), socio - emocional (to talk things through instead of to fight), spiritual (not to have fear, God is with you), cognitive (I am smart, I can do it). The examples in each category change each day, and they have a discussion with the Compassion staff about it to gain awareness and self-esteem.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg81ydRPlG_tgt8zcKZzQNYozHfXK5Vj9GA_pkGvb14xv90C_NCSqbafnHvcKsedyTFu-EDu7k2owrqkAqopyWC0ITeMzf8csQ0eSyE0cXZxokgulCO_lvvdc5i3YkY-3_9qeVdtUniPZ1E/s1600/IMG_0010.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg81ydRPlG_tgt8zcKZzQNYozHfXK5Vj9GA_pkGvb14xv90C_NCSqbafnHvcKsedyTFu-EDu7k2owrqkAqopyWC0ITeMzf8csQ0eSyE0cXZxokgulCO_lvvdc5i3YkY-3_9qeVdtUniPZ1E/s400/IMG_0010.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This helps children learn about the different diseases and symptoms that they may experience, allowing them to recognize the signs early and ask for help before the situation gets worse.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuDH_tQFzTJBN6LZj6plvFXdxU9La2GS9f1sBNuxWXG_7Vis7nKvaBDijj7uE32ufSlLENJLPg8ayQzke0udP4Ib01RZCcil9sqePCMx94wBYpVnouhvFWgzGKstZY95bArp-xmpilpEdr/s1600/IMG_0011.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuDH_tQFzTJBN6LZj6plvFXdxU9La2GS9f1sBNuxWXG_7Vis7nKvaBDijj7uE32ufSlLENJLPg8ayQzke0udP4Ib01RZCcil9sqePCMx94wBYpVnouhvFWgzGKstZY95bArp-xmpilpEdr/s400/IMG_0011.JPG" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This is a kids' size toilet at the Compassion project.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgX9yPlIAWNKa_vI86iR_qZV51LvOCqy-ieICNGhWXmJ1nhRgoF_XCN_DUUIY_UXVC0d6kr_oXCUy86H56iqRkyb4zDjrUZUdLkaS5HvFQb0gh5DxVaFdfRNIU-gniL_kdrcO6tNz3mL8fh/s1600/IMG_0016.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgX9yPlIAWNKa_vI86iR_qZV51LvOCqy-ieICNGhWXmJ1nhRgoF_XCN_DUUIY_UXVC0d6kr_oXCUy86H56iqRkyb4zDjrUZUdLkaS5HvFQb0gh5DxVaFdfRNIU-gniL_kdrcO6tNz3mL8fh/s400/IMG_0016.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The children receive lunch at the Compassion project when they go: a healthy meal that is cooked on-site and includes an appetizer (such as a salad), main course (protein and carbs), a fruit and drink. The meals are served in metal dishes for two purposes: so that if they fall they won't break, but more importantly so that they can be boiled to sterilize them if a child is sick. </td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdc1iuVzk_bHD9hlib8OwggOfnlbF9xSb5PAK6VDLpfN_F6dxpKxMTnqEWqQFgt5gkNxxg0i_1IVgThZq6LCkwDOHw0_8Y6ngwupzh9sqDh4L-XGHpsKYtOuO-nECoaVI5AfBiPAf5KiZ2/s1600/IMG_0012.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdc1iuVzk_bHD9hlib8OwggOfnlbF9xSb5PAK6VDLpfN_F6dxpKxMTnqEWqQFgt5gkNxxg0i_1IVgThZq6LCkwDOHw0_8Y6ngwupzh9sqDh4L-XGHpsKYtOuO-nECoaVI5AfBiPAf5KiZ2/s400/IMG_0012.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A view of San Juan de Lurigancho from the roof of the Compassion project (down the street on the left side there is a big field that is part of a school - Jackeline and her family live right behind that school).</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZo-ACIik_DJBrSbAZLCPLFfhx-J1hxtcLlNNtapksmqemlX-aT4Of5tXAZVv7vbzSap900bIrWdQViR2ADCq6p1cHdyodfkKrSsPOcEBG8_ZykAz1vdupfDFL34ZCKRbe4k53GTR7TK9Z/s1600/IMG_0013.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZo-ACIik_DJBrSbAZLCPLFfhx-J1hxtcLlNNtapksmqemlX-aT4Of5tXAZVv7vbzSap900bIrWdQViR2ADCq6p1cHdyodfkKrSsPOcEBG8_ZykAz1vdupfDFL34ZCKRbe4k53GTR7TK9Z/s400/IMG_0013.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A view of San Juan de Lurigancho from the roof of the Compassion project, looking straight out.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipfhWftwia19xZhxF0jDzNR0d8aCkk7x5_yu_kNmnYnVayA01rPcbaIeALteIe9VZb9w2ffvv-uzoMTle_fwnTG6XLkaUgJs-vc0JupDElcvwoA5QmYz51Rh2cOJxov8tM28fpNvTVqjD4/s1600/IMG_0017.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipfhWftwia19xZhxF0jDzNR0d8aCkk7x5_yu_kNmnYnVayA01rPcbaIeALteIe9VZb9w2ffvv-uzoMTle_fwnTG6XLkaUgJs-vc0JupDElcvwoA5QmYz51Rh2cOJxov8tM28fpNvTVqjD4/s400/IMG_0017.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Soledad, Marisol and Ilda with the gift basket they put together to give to Jackeline and her family. The gift basket was kindly providad by my cousin.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>The ladies explained to me that the children usually visit the project three times per week after school. They have lunch, participate in group activities (like the ones described in the pictures above) and then get help with their homework. One day per week, however, the Compassion workers (or tutors) go with the children to their homes to do their homework. This way, Compassion staff can get a feel for the situation at home in case the child is shy or afraid to talk about the situation. They have seen improved results by visiting the child's home periodically, allowing them to have more interactions with the family and provide more support to the children.<br />
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Once I was done visiting the project site, we all headed over to meet Jackeline. Here are my first pictures with her and her family (of many, of course!).<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg28795T0idZHDitdfP7qUIKuDDCWtN-9qLhs7_kjiFxgn8VFEsXv23200P_JzRnKk4obPcaUg2l1G3LqqRmTYsOS02v4TkJHHbCMB1Oyzl5Elc5lHAMLe7MtzC34-m3gusvcMGRLjRTvhR/s1600/IMG_0018.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg28795T0idZHDitdfP7qUIKuDDCWtN-9qLhs7_kjiFxgn8VFEsXv23200P_JzRnKk4obPcaUg2l1G3LqqRmTYsOS02v4TkJHHbCMB1Oyzl5Elc5lHAMLe7MtzC34-m3gusvcMGRLjRTvhR/s400/IMG_0018.JPG" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Jackeline and her doll.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEk4uKRkQt74kOEAeZf0hqEifE7uVrlNGVxmtGdhutpKBZ0aXQL46UDaCOANcgvmJJl4zSufExGbAxIeRyMZye7BIXgyQv0zlDyD6-PdxDYUB6qlVkol_Q4n_UmNKxsPBjzlvADnKOevOd/s1600/IMG_0019.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEk4uKRkQt74kOEAeZf0hqEifE7uVrlNGVxmtGdhutpKBZ0aXQL46UDaCOANcgvmJJl4zSufExGbAxIeRyMZye7BIXgyQv0zlDyD6-PdxDYUB6qlVkol_Q4n_UmNKxsPBjzlvADnKOevOd/s400/IMG_0019.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Jackeline's family: her brother (19), mother, Jackeline, me, and half-sister (21). Her father was away when we visited.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>While everyone was a bit shy at first, we soon got to talking about various things. I learned a lot about Jackeline, like how art is her favourite class, purple is her favourite colour, monkeys are her favourite animal, and volleyball is her favourite sport; I shared pictures of my dad's cousin with the family (for them to keep); and I talked to them about Canada, and snow, and what differences exist between Canada and Peru. I am <u>so</u> thankful that I am fluent in Spanish so that I could speak directly to the family as opposed to through a translator, allowing us to connect much more. I had also brought a deck of cards (with Canadian mounties on them) for Jackeline, and Soledad and I taught her to play go fish (which soon became her favourite game).<br />
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For lunch, I took everyone out to Norky's, a nearby rotisserie chicken restaurant. We especially picked one that had a games park, similar to the ones we have in Canada. I think it was Jackeline's first time trying one out. She was all smiles, and absolutely loved it.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPeF16wo7Lfg4voVMovnePg8yfPFbc4LG2E4Iu4cfvPy96NmApAwXKXRVhPKtwpYqMjiOhiJJqQojIANrxLWFFAohUcXl-kmUWiRMJNrt32LnRiuVhAFQz8eXqoAMhW5sA1q2_mqnpe2Ni/s1600/IMG_0030.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPeF16wo7Lfg4voVMovnePg8yfPFbc4LG2E4Iu4cfvPy96NmApAwXKXRVhPKtwpYqMjiOhiJJqQojIANrxLWFFAohUcXl-kmUWiRMJNrt32LnRiuVhAFQz8eXqoAMhW5sA1q2_mqnpe2Ni/s400/IMG_0030.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Having fun playing in the balls. I think this was her favourite part.</td></tr>
</tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgg4DHKZE7vc3ghIY9jtgb_Elu3hr7l_SLqiQ9UwxQ-IaU7G8GsAJWUNDdPAmQqKFsUGb4DoRGPf2uIEkchkhrbX_jT_zlfCKcdEsJrrCHQhtI_tLJmf-9R5JCnnplkJXlYChsCLmKgwT60/s1600/IMG_0041.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgg4DHKZE7vc3ghIY9jtgb_Elu3hr7l_SLqiQ9UwxQ-IaU7G8GsAJWUNDdPAmQqKFsUGb4DoRGPf2uIEkchkhrbX_jT_zlfCKcdEsJrrCHQhtI_tLJmf-9R5JCnnplkJXlYChsCLmKgwT60/s400/IMG_0041.JPG" width="400" /></a> </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQoMEkq3y9tZm8nhRv_Bm7k3uELvGpkOcxV48Y71pNVynCZ3A_bOjMEa59U9vwB09gTgOW_p39QFL3378O5y5zWjA0q9csiebYXANDGdMAoSUIKme5Bdn3BYVdnnaWd4wMUf91u_21dj37/s1600/IMG_0042.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQoMEkq3y9tZm8nhRv_Bm7k3uELvGpkOcxV48Y71pNVynCZ3A_bOjMEa59U9vwB09gTgOW_p39QFL3378O5y5zWjA0q9csiebYXANDGdMAoSUIKme5Bdn3BYVdnnaWd4wMUf91u_21dj37/s400/IMG_0042.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">All smiles :)</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiL2bMnUTK_NuSY_M_Co-qglDE9IcBfy79uUtXXA8fi2Ez5rLNW4YJD9O_q2ZUvjcM-6Y0gqpBJ-I6mCIz9Sfso-R64_jT5-JFBc27LkMoU9BenwUztK9MnH3ggrUp4Q-yL4xfj7FB3OrfD/s1600/IMG_0031.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiL2bMnUTK_NuSY_M_Co-qglDE9IcBfy79uUtXXA8fi2Ez5rLNW4YJD9O_q2ZUvjcM-6Y0gqpBJ-I6mCIz9Sfso-R64_jT5-JFBc27LkMoU9BenwUztK9MnH3ggrUp4Q-yL4xfj7FB3OrfD/s400/IMG_0031.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The group eating lunch (from left to right): Soledad, me, Jackeline, Marisol, Ilda, Mery (Jackeline's mom), Jackeline's sister and brother.</td></tr>
</tbody></table> Throughout the entire meal, we kept telling Jackeline to eat and eat and eat, and she did, quite well. She ate almost a 1/4 chicken, 2 hot dogs, some beef, and tried the pork chops and other meats that we ordered. Accompanied, of course, by a side of fries and a salad (lettuce is her favourite food). It was so nice to see her eat to her content, since she is suffering from malnutrition and anemia.<br />
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After lunch, we walked over to the nearby McDonald's and everyone got soft serve ice cream. We said goodbye to the two ladies from the local Compassion site, and then took a taxi back to Jackeline's house. Now it was time for her to open the gift basket full of goodies that the Compassion ladies kindly put together for us. Jackeline was so excited to pull everything out (and wanted a picture with every item), but here are my favourites.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1p68HN6-ayyTGEun-pdJeXsQ59cLDKuAW3OOKu7IA9E6Jqvz4VEGmndn7xddDiVfX_jCdH3x7B2NV-h5SFQ1bZN_oHyKJAJ7Bou3CC8Ct8LlkTUaCX-xGo0p61WEEUgD7_qtbfR88a2y0/s1600/IMG_0045.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1p68HN6-ayyTGEun-pdJeXsQ59cLDKuAW3OOKu7IA9E6Jqvz4VEGmndn7xddDiVfX_jCdH3x7B2NV-h5SFQ1bZN_oHyKJAJ7Bou3CC8Ct8LlkTUaCX-xGo0p61WEEUgD7_qtbfR88a2y0/s400/IMG_0045.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Jackeline unwrapping the gift basket.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigKbottdWA3b1DqR6_-X3apmVBSuCwKsnXJ4Q41t7RpqeusORkk85ZxDb2dcf-T3zJy4A44fvkQcMtYujiyFGcyWG4IHDq4qicJ0s0B25v-chADGBZ2rwbPRBbSBcbQzlnVt39r7j1mzju/s1600/IMG_0047.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigKbottdWA3b1DqR6_-X3apmVBSuCwKsnXJ4Q41t7RpqeusORkk85ZxDb2dcf-T3zJy4A44fvkQcMtYujiyFGcyWG4IHDq4qicJ0s0B25v-chADGBZ2rwbPRBbSBcbQzlnVt39r7j1mzju/s400/IMG_0047.JPG" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Never have I seen a child so excited to receive oil and toilet paper. She was absolutely adorable!</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSMzOkwxZnPR9KjgtCrPcikfvRs81DCoO_W0AfhyU6snBC6Usf8nQs4PQN83vwFNvd2QFJkYs9I97z2zge-SK710iv3iilrI89HcS2GdEAW9w3OoXzqCns1Kn8_hIzNjyCRkNePTXhffV8/s1600/IMG_0050.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSMzOkwxZnPR9KjgtCrPcikfvRs81DCoO_W0AfhyU6snBC6Usf8nQs4PQN83vwFNvd2QFJkYs9I97z2zge-SK710iv3iilrI89HcS2GdEAW9w3OoXzqCns1Kn8_hIzNjyCRkNePTXhffV8/s400/IMG_0050.JPG" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This is my favourite picture of her, holding up a 3L bottle of Fanta and a 1L bottle of drinkable yogurt.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaoWUxKzNG4lEl1OXUlWmWSBO-UOxvynF_m5w88kNxMxcxLaq6XdasBMg3qB9fcFXk-Aw8yHcGYsAs5NpPSvAOeOfOZrbh2hfsBmsGP6A-aQbNKa2F5g6vJEYa5Onf8iWkZH1G2m29rCMI/s1600/IMG_0052.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaoWUxKzNG4lEl1OXUlWmWSBO-UOxvynF_m5w88kNxMxcxLaq6XdasBMg3qB9fcFXk-Aw8yHcGYsAs5NpPSvAOeOfOZrbh2hfsBmsGP6A-aQbNKa2F5g6vJEYa5Onf8iWkZH1G2m29rCMI/s400/IMG_0052.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Jackeline and me with the gift basket.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpRg4FYMOeO0RbMZR2XpSKchvKM8gdiYmS2Sf-lym31YtDrqB6uzt2YT4LzN01vxCUFuzpeCQUIu5LJf_twwp8gSURKri9dQ6NDxbhDdC_hITD2hUw6xX8FSOZKb6IJlURGwsb2q1yMtSS/s1600/IMG_0053.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpRg4FYMOeO0RbMZR2XpSKchvKM8gdiYmS2Sf-lym31YtDrqB6uzt2YT4LzN01vxCUFuzpeCQUIu5LJf_twwp8gSURKri9dQ6NDxbhDdC_hITD2hUw6xX8FSOZKb6IJlURGwsb2q1yMtSS/s400/IMG_0053.JPG" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Holding up the cards that I brought her - she kept asking to play Go Fish!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>Unfortunately, after all the day's excitement, it was time to say goodbye to Jackeline and her family (but not without taking a few more pictures together).<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBAt6T0v0EbDwnZnocG4XcVgBZUnFgOe98lXcG2qLtrNCHJHgYCshMK-7sSO4keeYiEr5d2tWFpv_wuRTrFMW44IEHgfM7SCVtsWIGY0jE_Mi63EbBT9iyFnxUJloTeVvKdNmgsc4eiD-p/s1600/IMG_0056.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBAt6T0v0EbDwnZnocG4XcVgBZUnFgOe98lXcG2qLtrNCHJHgYCshMK-7sSO4keeYiEr5d2tWFpv_wuRTrFMW44IEHgfM7SCVtsWIGY0jE_Mi63EbBT9iyFnxUJloTeVvKdNmgsc4eiD-p/s400/IMG_0056.JPG" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Jackeline with the Christmas presents that she received from Compassion. Each child gets to go pick out what they would like with their parent(s) and a member of the Compassion staff. She picked out a doll and a scooter with helmet.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimvSDgtmH7Zd8yMTpXrtwPDwLQJFjFTzKM1TyMf8C5RU3hsPwGF8j8-8-UWxH_i_68Ll6uJrPDMY8Fl1OIiTivNpF1ZLjWKiNd_e7Qx5d0hMs6znJl4AWbBw2A6tfiByyvTmd_BvFydMEO/s1600/IMG_0058.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimvSDgtmH7Zd8yMTpXrtwPDwLQJFjFTzKM1TyMf8C5RU3hsPwGF8j8-8-UWxH_i_68Ll6uJrPDMY8Fl1OIiTivNpF1ZLjWKiNd_e7Qx5d0hMs6znJl4AWbBw2A6tfiByyvTmd_BvFydMEO/s400/IMG_0058.JPG" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Our last picture together, all smiles.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEje7nCoc-FcLYAmYDEjFWwaU9zoSovhzhiTrJUkJxFL6t2UwahfkQwXToJBXyWiI2alrutVb_DwWB5Sok5N0FMuStOYARnYNonQYDo0qJo-b7iEAqAdVqrCUTYEgloEvtnM25CVr0IihkHp/s1600/IMG_0060.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEje7nCoc-FcLYAmYDEjFWwaU9zoSovhzhiTrJUkJxFL6t2UwahfkQwXToJBXyWiI2alrutVb_DwWB5Sok5N0FMuStOYARnYNonQYDo0qJo-b7iEAqAdVqrCUTYEgloEvtnM25CVr0IihkHp/s400/IMG_0060.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Jackeline and her family outside the family home.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>After a wonderfully touching day, it was time for me to head back to San Isidro, the district where I live. Before saying goodbye to Soledad, we went to a grocery store so that I could get some pictures printed and send them to Jackeline with her.<br />
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So now you may be wondering ... what are my lasting impressions of the work that Compassion does and the impact that it is having on Jackeline's life? I was thoroughly impressed. Everyone I met was very friendly and helpful, and the Compassion project seemed to be very well-managed: clean, with all of the necessary services for children (toilets, sinks, soap, dining and learning facilities), and with very caring staff. The well-being of the children seems to be put first, to ensure that they are raised in a safe environment, that their medical needs are attended to, and that they build self-esteem and other life skills. Is sponsoring a child the most effective way to do development? Of that, I am not sure. But I would not hesitate to sponsor a child through Compassion if I decide that that is something I want to do in the future.<br />
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Thank you for reading my blog, I hope you have enjoyed this two-part series on my experience visiting Jackeline!<br />
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SheilaAnonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04075983153680173357noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3176764288377153946.post-31618601238555452202012-03-22T11:30:00.029-04:002012-03-23T10:05:37.395-04:00Visiting a Sponsor Child - Part OneGood morning!<br />
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Several weeks ago, my Dad's cousin went for dinner at our house in Ottawa, and they ended up talking about the fact that I am in Peru, about the type of work that I am doing, etc. My Dad's cousin (Rod) told my Dad that he was actually sponsoring a child through <a href="http://www.compassion.ca/" target="_blank">Compassion Canada</a>, and that she lives on the outskirts of Lima. In the days following that supper meeting, emails were exchanged, and the topic of visiting the sponsor child came up. I offered to go meet her (much to Rod's delight), thus starting a 2-month process to get everything organized and put into place.<br />
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At the beginning of March, I had a business trip to Cajamarca with one of my colleagues as a part of the pilot project and implementation of the National Pollutant Release Inventory in Peru. On our flight to Cajamarca, the topic of sponsor children came up - without me even mentioning the fact that I might be visiting one too, that our family used to sponsor a child in Bolivia, and that I know of many others who also send money abroad on a monthly basis. He brought up the case of a few organizations that work in Peru, go into certain communities, snap pictures of children, and then post them on the web for all to see in the hopes of receiving more donations. But then, where does most of the money go? Printing costs, administration, visits, phone calls, mailing documents, etc..... and perhaps very little of it actually reaches the child and the family that the funds are directed to. Some organizations are better than others he said (and some flat out don't deliver what they promise), but it is still not a very effective way to reach out to others in his opinion.<br />
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The <a href="http://www.worldvision.org/m/tt1" target="_blank">World Vision</a> website says that 5% of their operation expenses go towards management and 'general', 9% to fundraising, and that the remaining 86% goes toward programs (from the 2011 financial review). I wonder how much of this 'programs' funding gets spent on field staff and offices, and to what extent the money that gets sent on a monthly basis actually affects the lives of children all over the world. My family used to sponsor a child through World Vision, until we received a letter a few years ago saying that they had lost contact with our sponsored child and didn't know where she was or what had happened (and would we like to sponsor another child instead?). We decided not to renew our donation, and I remember being personally put off by the whole idea of sponsoring a child, if she can 'go missing' so easily.<br />
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Where do I stand in the whole scheme of things? I'm not quite sure. In recent years I have preferred to give my money to micro-financing institutions, but this isn't necessarily a better solution. Every organization has overhead costs; the way that they are managed, however, differs widely from one place to the next. I will finally get to meet Rod's sponsored child this Saturday, March 24th, and I am really looking forward to actually meeting her family, seeing what conditions she lives in, and talking with her and her parents to see what direct impact the sponsorship is having on their lives. After we started the coordination for the visit, I was informed that the little girl suffers from malnutrition and anemia, and that her father is an alcoholic and spends all of his money on drinking. She and her mother sell candies at bus stops to earn a minimal income for the family (and she also has a brother, I am not sure of his role in the family). Does she go to school? What does she like doing? Will she be shy? The plan for the day is to go visit a project that is funded by Compassion, then go visit the house where they live, and take them out for lunch (or another activity).<br />
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After this visit, I hope to have a better understanding of the impacts of sponsoring children, and I wonder how this will change my view on things. I will be sure to write back next week to let you know how things have gone. Until then, I hope you are all doing well. Stay tuned for more updates!!<br />
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SheilaAnonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04075983153680173357noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3176764288377153946.post-36314670293782513542012-03-19T20:30:00.041-04:002012-03-20T19:01:14.250-04:00A hectic Monday morning8:30 AM on Monday morning, March 19th: I walked into work this morning after being absent for a few days due to sickness and crossed my area's director on my way in: "Check your email Sheila, we'd like you to attend a conference this week, international ministers are coming in, and you could help us with translation." OK, sure. She had to run, so I just walked into the office (and to a warm welcome back from my colleagues), and set off figuring out what I had missed.<br />
<div><br />
</div><div>Not 15 minutes later, but Jaime, the director of international cooperation (and the person who accepted me to come work for the Minister of Environment) came to find me to let me know that he wanted to talk to me. Right away. I followed him into a meeting with another woman and got more information - essentially, the <i>Organización del Tratado de Cooperación Amazónica</i> (<a href="http://www.otca.info/portal/index.php?p=index" target="_blank">Amazon Cooperation Treaty Organization</a>) is having a meeting this week in Lima. The Ministers of Environment from Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, Guyana, Peru, Suriname and Venezuela are coming together for meetings for the next two days (March 20th and 21st). And I've been recruited to help out with some of the translation - mostly helping to liaise with the representatives from Guyana and Suriname, who don't speak Spanish - and help out with some of the logistics. Bonus: I get to attend the entire conference/meeting. WOW! Another wonderful experience has landed on my lap.</div><div><br />
<a name='more'></a></div><div>So the rest of the day was so, so busy: I reviewed a document for tomorrow's meeting, was running around getting information about what I'll be doing (I am meeting all of the ministers at their hotel tomorrow and accompanying them to the venue, among other things), and also finishing up other projects that need to be completed (mostly related to the National Pollutant Release Inventory implementation). I didn't leave work until 6:30 pm (I usually finish at 5:45) - yay, 9 hour day on my first day back. Sometimes, I wish I could get overtime for the extra hours that I put in, and then... well, I remember that I'm a volunteer. Maybe next job...</div><div><br />
</div><div>A plus! When I got home, the floors had been cleaned. <i>FINALLY</i>. (You can read a bit about my living circumstances <a href="http://sheilainperu.blogspot.com/2012/03/my-first-month-working-at-ministry-of.html" target="_blank">here</a>.)</div><div><br />
</div><div>I'm off to bed for now, but I'll be sure to update you soon - the next two days are bound to be action-packed! On top of that, tomorrow night the Canadian International Development Agency is having a Canadian volunteer appreciation night at the Canadian Embassy, so after my 12-hour workday I will be taking a taxi straight to the embassy to catch the end of that. So much for joining the gym this week!</div><div><br />
</div><div>I hope you're all doing well! If you'd like more information about things going on or any of the projects that I've been involved in feel free to write me a message! I'd be more than happy to share more information if you're interested!</div><div><br />
</div><div>Sheila</div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04075983153680173357noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3176764288377153946.post-43583515641973997332012-03-05T11:30:00.005-05:002012-03-05T11:44:20.932-05:00Promoting Sustainable Housing and Buildings for Climate Change Mitigation in Peru<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">Hello,</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">On February 16-17, 2012, I attended the Canada-Peru Workshop on Sustainable Housing/Buildings for Climate Change Mitigation, as part of my internship. This joint initiative between the Canadian and Peruvian Ministries of Environment brought together specialists from Canada, the United States, Mexico, Peru, Chile, and Germany. The first day of the conference consisted of a workshop for 60 participants in the building, governmental and financial sectors in Peru to discuss case studies in Canada and Mexico, technological advances in sustainable building technologies, and financing for such projects, among other things. Day 2 brought together a small nucleus of scientists and specialists to formulate the platform for the Nationally Appropriate Mitigation Action Strategy (NAMA). As an intern at the Ministry of Environment, I led break-out groups in the afternoon on the first day, and participated in discussions on the second day.</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;"><a name='more'></a><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"></span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">Gaining information and insights from previous projects that have been implemented in various parts of the world was fascinating. For example, the Director of Innovation of </span><a href="http://www.minto.com/" target="_blank"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">the Minto Group</span></a><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">, a Canadian company, presented the net zero carbon emissions house that Minto recently built, and explained how all of their constructions received a minimum of LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) Gold standard. Representatives of the NAMA, the Industrial Association of Mexico and the </span><a href="http://www.ahorroenergia.org.mx/" target="_blank"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">Association of Companies for Energy Savings and Buildings</span></a><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"> (AEAEE) from Mexico presented the implementation of their sustainable housing strategy, the social barriers that they had to overcome (for example, some people didn’t want huge shades covering their windows, so they had to install thicker, darker windows with a special coating to reduce light penetration and thus keep buildings cooler), and the financial credits that they established. Green building mortgages had to be created in order to finance the new construction projects.</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"></span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">By the end of the two days, everyone was tired, but satisfied – we had determined the mission and vision of the Peruvian NAMA, and identified five key sectors that would have to be evaluated, along with strengths and weaknesses of each area. The idea was to give Peruvian industry leaders and decision makers the tools to establish their own NAMA, specifically tailored to the country’s climatic, social, and economical needs, so that it can be implemented at a nation-wide level. Considering the fact that globally, the residential and commercial building sector represents approximately 30% of CO<sub>2</sub> emissions and 40% of primary energy use, reducing the impact of the building sector is technically achievable and represents a low-cost CO<sub>2</sub> mitigation solution.</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">On Friday, March 2<sup>nd</sup>, </span><a href="http://www.elperuano.pe/Edicion/noticia-creditos-para-viviendas-ecotecnologia-38387.aspx" target="_blank"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">El Peruano</span></a><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">, a prominent Lima</span><a href="http://www.blogger.com/" name="_GoBack"></a><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"> newspaper, announced that the Peruvian Green Building Council has created the Green Mortgage Program to promote the installation of eco-technologies in buildings in Peru and make them accessible to all socioeconomic classes. It appears to be a first step in the right direction, and I hope that the momentum will continue on this promising project. Canada’s Environment Canada will continue to facilitate the development of the Peruvian NAMA for the rest of 2012, and we’ll see where things go from there!</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">Sheila</span></span></div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04075983153680173357noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3176764288377153946.post-25833080451225731852012-03-01T15:30:00.004-05:002012-03-02T10:46:22.892-05:00My first month working at the Ministry of EnvironmentHello again!<br />
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Well, as promised, here is part 2 of the long overdue on what I've been up since the New Year. <a href="http://sheilainperu.blogspot.com/2012/02/update-on-life-about-time.html#more" target="_blank">Yesterday</a> I wrote about my Christmas holidays, surprises upon returning to Huacho, and the move to Lima. Now I'll describe a little bit more about apartment hunting, the job, and my day to day life in Lima.<br />
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So I left you off at the end of my first day of work: thoroughly enjoying the colleagues that I am work, quite a few assignments to do, and by 9pm a place to stay for the night at a friend of a friend's place. Busy day, to say the least. A little bit about where I was staying - I had my own room (with ensuite bathroom, lucky me!) in Paola's apartment (she's a friend of Juan's, my old boss/counterpart from EMAPA Huacho). Paola lives with her husband, their 8-year old son, and a girl who helps them around the house. It was a really nice apartment, lots of windows, my room was spacious enough... but no internet (or not yet, at least - they said they would be getting a connection within the next 2 weeks). I was about a 20-30 bus ride away from work, which for Lima standards is really close. And finally happy to have a place to put my things done for more than one night - living out of a suitcase is not the most enjoyable. So since they were letting me stay rent-free at their apartment for two weeks out of the goodness of their hearts, I tried to be quiet and not disturb their daily activities too much by being there. I was at work all day every day anyways.<br />
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The rest of the week was eventful (and tiring): waking up early, busing to work, searching for apartments, and visiting places in the evenings and during lunch time. By Wednesday night I thought I had found a place to stay, but wanted to go check it over with Andrea (who had come with me to check things over the first place I thought I was going to live) just to make sure that everything was A-OK. Things looked good: I would have my own room in a big, 100-year old house; it was furnished, which was a must; shared bathroom with another American volunteer who was about to arrive; $140/month, everything included (including internet!), and the best part about it: only 9 blocks (or 900 metres) away from work! Perfect. The next day I went to pay my deposit and pick up my keys. I moved my things in partially on Friday after work, and the rest the following Monday after work. (In between there, I took an overnight bus with friends to Trujillo, about 9 hours north of Lima, to check out the national marinera festival - and a 9-hour overnight bus back to get to work bright and early on Monday morning.)<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-dD4Tgx677ek/TzSEamZEFaI/AAAAAAAAEgQ/sTg5lL4WgkA/s1600/DSC_0172.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="267" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-dD4Tgx677ek/TzSEamZEFaI/AAAAAAAAEgQ/sTg5lL4WgkA/s400/DSC_0172.JPG" uda="true" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A marinera dancer parades through the streets on the Saturday afternoon parade.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-GgneWVvpVpE/TzSEhrPLxYI/AAAAAAAAEgw/pPA4bO_3zls/s1600/DSC_0176.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="267" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-GgneWVvpVpE/TzSEhrPLxYI/AAAAAAAAEgw/pPA4bO_3zls/s400/DSC_0176.JPG" uda="true" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">One of the tiniest marinera dancers at the parade (and the marinera dog).</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ckxFQHS0tpw/TzSHU5GSloI/AAAAAAAAEjg/AEGM7A927AE/s1600/DSC_0198.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="267" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ckxFQHS0tpw/TzSHU5GSloI/AAAAAAAAEjg/AEGM7A927AE/s400/DSC_0198.JPG" uda="true" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Justina and I at the parade.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ZyNof_qgPtg/TzSHZCSrqZI/AAAAAAAAEjw/ZOO1xsrQpgA/s1600/DSC_0200.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="267" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ZyNof_qgPtg/TzSHZCSrqZI/AAAAAAAAEjw/ZOO1xsrQpgA/s400/DSC_0200.JPG" uda="true" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The marinera is a couple's dance - and by far my favourite Peruvian dance to watch.</td></tr>
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</div>A note on where I am living: it has its ups and downs. Lots of frustrations, but a few reasons why I don't want to leave. Let me explain (I'll go from best to worst).<br />
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1) The best part about where I live is my housemate, Kaley. She is the sweetest girl ever from Mississippi, volunteering at a fair trade cooperative. She will spend 1 year in total in Lima (she is half-way through, but opted to live on her own instead of with a family for the second half). We have long discussions, checked out gyms and yoga places in the area and went to some trial classes together, bring our laundry to the same laundromat (if you have at least 4 kilos of clothes it's less expensive, so we both win!), and just have lots of fun. Plus, that way there's almost always someone else there in case you need anything, want to chat, need a hug, etc.<br />
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2) The location is also pretty unbeatable (well, it's both a blessing and a curse). I am less than 1km from work so I can wake up less than an hour before work and get a nice morning and afternoon stroll in every day. No need to sit in traffic, pay for the bus/taxi, etc. So wonderful. The downfall about this though is that I am living on one of the busiest (in terms of car volume) streets in the city - and for anyone who has experienced Lima traffic, you'll know that there is nearly always a cacophony of honking noises being produced by people anxious to get moving (which clearly won't happen, you're in Lima: you're bound to get stuck in traffic). I mean, walking into the house is a huge relief from the sounds that you hear walking down the street, but there is still noise around the close. Unavoidably. At least it's a continuous drone, so I can sleep through it... most of the time...<br />
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3) OK now come some of the frustrations. Well, I think the biggest one is that both Kaley and I were told that we would be the only two sharing our bathroom, which isn't the case. I have on occasion been quite late for work waiting to brush my teeth or get ready while someone takes a 30-minute shower (and then leaves the tub clogged and the floor soaked). Which leads to another issue, the bathroom garbage: in Peru, you throw all of your toilet paper into garbages that are placed next to the toilet instead of into the toilet itself. Well, Kaley and I are the only ones who change it (yet somehow it fills up in a day, and it's a pretty big garbage). If we leave it for a few days... well it just gets overstuffed, and then someone either packs it all down, or things start falling on the ground. Gross. I think if we were the only two using it we could have a schedule and share the work, but since we're not, it's a bit frustrating (same thing goes for the kitchen garbage, but we are practically the only two who fill that one so it's not as bad). We were told someone would do house cleaning (a maid?) and that everyone would clean up after themselves, but that's not the case.<br />
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4) And the last thing about where I live... well, we don't actually know how many people live there. It's a HUGE old historical house, and we think our landlord's family owns it... well anyways, he lives there, and sometimes has friends over. Then there are two other rooms upstairs - sometimes we see people come in and out of one room (but they are always different people), and the other room, I don't know... I've been told that someone lives there, but never seen him/her (I actually think a couple is living there, but I don't know who they are). Then there's some sort of office in the front of the house (and they're not supposed to use the other parts of the house, but almost every morning while I eat breakfast people come in chatting or use the bathroom ... awkward!). There's a paper printing/photocopying thing that's run out of the garage (that's on the side of the house) and then a few other families I think that live in apartments above the shop... so we share the same courtyard (well, front yard, since there is a fence all around it) but all of the doors are locked to that part of the house (or extension to the house?), so we have never been there. Except that sometimes people come through locked doors to use the bathroom and then go back to where they came from. Sorry for such a confusion description but... we really are quite confused. Which goes back to point #1. Thank goodness for Kaley. If she wasn't there, it would feel like a ghost house.<br />
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But, enough about my house. It's only for 3 months total (more like 2 months now), and so I can't complain. Although there is about every type of bug living in the house (notably spiders in my room, termites almost everywhere, and ants in the kitchen), it really isn't that bad. I have a strong internet connection, a big bed, hot water in the shower (almost always), and I don't get stuck in traffic going to work. Not really a hard life.<br />
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Now to talk a little bit about my work! I am working for the General Directorate of Environmental Research and Information, mostly helping out with these three projects:<br />
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- I am facilitating the establishment of the National Pollutant Release Inventory (NPRI) by helping to run a pilot project and to design the national implementation plan. Tools have been developed for companies to be able to calculate and report their emissions, but now we need to test them out. We have met with a few companies in the region here, and next week I will travel to Cajamarca to meet with Nestle Peru and Gloria (a national milk and milk product provider). The project will end in April, which is when I leave, so it's perfect timing - but lots to do before then!<br />
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- I am coordinating with and developing activities for the Committee on Science and Technology to Combat Desertification and Drought (as set out by the United Nations' decade plan: 2010-2020 is the decade to combat desertification and drought). Right now I am coordinating with the heads of the committee to put together a forum so that they can write the country's position on the issue, and then discuss it with other Latin American countries before the next UN meeting.<br />
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- I am developing and publishing media releases and monthly newsletters for the Peruvian Environmental Research Network. If you'd like to sign up for our monthly newsletters, you can click <a href="http://redpeia.minam.gob.pe/14_boletin-listado.html" target="_blank">here</a>. You can also sign up and have them delivered to your inbox at the end of every month!<br />
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The general theme of my area is to make scientific information accessible and available to decision-makers, because regional and national decisions are not currently made based on environmental issues. The Ministry of Environment has only formally been in existence since 2008, so there a ways to go, but hopefully my involvement in these projects will help make a difference!<br />
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When I arrived at the Ministry, I was also asked if I would participate in the Canada-Peru Workshop on Sustainable Housing/Buildings for Climate Change Mitigation happening February 16th and 17th, 2012. Funded by Environment Canada, the conference brought together specialists from Canada, the United States, Mexico, Peru, Chile, and Germany to talk about sustainable and net zero carbon emission housing and how to go about implementing a program in Peru. Leading up to the conference I helped translate a few documents between the Canadian and Peruvian teams. I then facilitated roundtable discussions all afternoon on the first day, prompting participants and helping to bridge the gap between the Canadian and Peruvian participants. It was probably one of the greatest experiences yet - I learned so much, got to meet people working towards sustainable housing from various parts of the world, and also talk to them about how to get into the industry and what they do. Amazing.<br />
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So... I think that's about it. I've updated you on work, life... other than that, I've done a bit more travelling (I had a 4-day weekend so went to visit friends in the Andes in Huancayo, and then just got back from a week-long vacation with my boyfriend mountain biking and hiking in the Colca Canyon and visiting Arequipa and Tacna). New week I will travel to Cajamarca for work, and hopefully Piura and Tumbes the week after that (and take advantage of the weekend to stay up north and go to the beach - Tumbes shares a border with Ecuador, so it's much warmer up there!). And today I finalized my plans for Easter! I'll be travelling to Pucallpa in the Amazonian basin to spend 4 days appreciating the biodiversity of the area, hiking, taking river boat trips, swimming with dolphins (hopefully); life is exciting. My last weekend in Peru I am going to go sandboarding and dune buggying with my best friend and her boyfrined who will be visiting, and before I know it, I'll be home!<br />
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I'll try to update my blog more regularly from now on, but as you can see, the past month really has been busy. But I'm loving it. Sometimes wanting to take a breather, but when things slow down I'm wishing they were busier again.<br />
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Thanks for reading, and I hope you have a great start to March!<br />
<br />
SheilaAnonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04075983153680173357noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3176764288377153946.post-45743789641115478772012-02-29T15:30:00.002-05:002012-03-01T15:46:44.493-05:00An update on life - about time!Hello, hello!<br />
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I guess it's about time I update everyone with what has been going on recently in my life - first of all, sincere apologies for the delay (I've been busy). I kind of had a feeling this might happen (I definitely let my blog slide by the end of my time in France when I lived there 2 years ago), but not really by choice... anyways, since today is February 29th, I'm gaining an extra day, right? (Just kidding.) But seriously, things are finally calm enough for me to take the time to sit down and write a little update about my life, so here goes! (I've also update my <a href="http://sheilainperu.blogspot.com/p/itinerary.html" target="_blank">itinerary</a> page in case you are interested in following my travels over the past few months.)<br />
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Last time I really wrote to you was in December - how long ago 2011 now seems. We had a wonderful last week of work before the holidays, not accomplishing very much 'work' work but instead decorating the office, throwing a Christmas party for all of the employees' children, and having a Secret Santa party between a group of 20 colleagues. I finally got into the Christmas spirit even though it was well over 25 degrees each day, and had a wonderful time - I remember leaving for my vacation thinking that I never wanted to leave Peru, and was looking forward to returning to work on January 5th.<br />
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From December 23rd until January 4th, my parents and sister visited me (you can check out our itinerary <a href="http://go.gapadventures.com/ChristmasinPeru2011v2a" target="_blank">here</a>). It was so nice to see my family again, to show them around Peru, be their personal translator, enjoy delicious Peruvian cooking, and explore the wonders that the country has to offer. Highlights from the trip include visiting the ancient Incan city of Machu Picchu, a homestay with a family on Amantaní Island in Lake Titicaca, and a boat tour of the Ballestas Islands (or poor man's Galapagos).<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJBqjYKJHIxZHxFrjCw4IrjiwPVAQVqo4ZMgnsiQ2RvZyvxbL7BFXz9p0EgX5GzjYvxDFNe4R5Ob7KdpSoXUEbZTp1BzUQb84e6O_qcJVwZVlnANK7UbUY6sYyL2okY5cKjGvXmmrfMZQz/s1600/DSC_0297.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="267" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJBqjYKJHIxZHxFrjCw4IrjiwPVAQVqo4ZMgnsiQ2RvZyvxbL7BFXz9p0EgX5GzjYvxDFNe4R5Ob7KdpSoXUEbZTp1BzUQb84e6O_qcJVwZVlnANK7UbUY6sYyL2okY5cKjGvXmmrfMZQz/s400/DSC_0297.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Family photo overlooking Machu Picchu, with Huayna Picchu in the background.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQeIoQhHo_KjXuPwnARS9PCeTMJAx7-1-p-KjCtQ45FsG_la2_CLeXncnW5AAqFyvfjeJ2PLjKNzTPLGlO5mqzkSTgwXnaa1hZletJFA7sVoLSZmPU1UkJv9fh4FMGIDRBF5dDfS-igtUU/s1600/DSC_0403.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="267" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQeIoQhHo_KjXuPwnARS9PCeTMJAx7-1-p-KjCtQ45FsG_la2_CLeXncnW5AAqFyvfjeJ2PLjKNzTPLGlO5mqzkSTgwXnaa1hZletJFA7sVoLSZmPU1UkJv9fh4FMGIDRBF5dDfS-igtUU/s400/DSC_0403.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">After a rather unsuccessful photo shoot with this llama, it finally got away - we all had a good laugh though! </td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgoPMML0HM-fRSTHuQKrnad0XUf4EmIfmGrp7Y8RI_2qqy76XVTAOT_9NNdWKZym_YhgYajqix2AEYFgzispANQVYNo2u8Jkf6PWOvBIBIiCnn0tsrOMmMxPJ6VjtTsveeP0ew6gKoKsWKE/s1600/DSC_0570.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="267" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgoPMML0HM-fRSTHuQKrnad0XUf4EmIfmGrp7Y8RI_2qqy76XVTAOT_9NNdWKZym_YhgYajqix2AEYFgzispANQVYNo2u8Jkf6PWOvBIBIiCnn0tsrOMmMxPJ6VjtTsveeP0ew6gKoKsWKE/s400/DSC_0570.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">In traditional clothing with our hosts, Florentino and Victoria, on Amantaní Island, Lake Titicaca.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpvgaJU7Jl3yFKf4ChJPpWvKhcMM2xERAwTNvibTvBWKvx0yOMwkPkK_0lmcZH_ZWO1JuENadqpGRjWjJi_cTqB0q6xWyPvOBW_ORii0Pm7RvX31E5IC_xLPMmr9A2-STWSPSUFWGggKHF/s1600/DSC_0619.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="267" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpvgaJU7Jl3yFKf4ChJPpWvKhcMM2xERAwTNvibTvBWKvx0yOMwkPkK_0lmcZH_ZWO1JuENadqpGRjWjJi_cTqB0q6xWyPvOBW_ORii0Pm7RvX31E5IC_xLPMmr9A2-STWSPSUFWGggKHF/s400/DSC_0619.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The view from Taquile Island over Lake Titicaca.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUeQap4nLivft4jXqVWeo2pmhv1xnR-R7qX1jS5YGsZIoF7laNaosHOeev9Y3PFMKJpzRL4GS43ty8rXrNOUj1S-a5-lr2GPMPXWwvIYn6UO5oQ-gyw8lLr_PW3vAFEFO__MTgYklDkk71/s1600/DSC_0870.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="267" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUeQap4nLivft4jXqVWeo2pmhv1xnR-R7qX1jS5YGsZIoF7laNaosHOeev9Y3PFMKJpzRL4GS43ty8rXrNOUj1S-a5-lr2GPMPXWwvIYn6UO5oQ-gyw8lLr_PW3vAFEFO__MTgYklDkk71/s400/DSC_0870.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Pelicans at the Ballestas Islands. They are the second largest bird in Peru (after the condor), with a wingspan ranging up to 2.2 metres!</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRK8DLc9-gaSQVDDWXp4ijCkpjjDfEx6cVO0ZW1VbK_gUMsAOSL5OKOzdPB6SWnDE3Hoo5pluNf_7mTBDB0MsNzOK-Yga1CAYiJB-bV2ZuMFFj2cjOi9UC3MsQavvxCMiy9fDxNyIW2KB3/s1600/DSC_0929.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="267" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRK8DLc9-gaSQVDDWXp4ijCkpjjDfEx6cVO0ZW1VbK_gUMsAOSL5OKOzdPB6SWnDE3Hoo5pluNf_7mTBDB0MsNzOK-Yga1CAYiJB-bV2ZuMFFj2cjOi9UC3MsQavvxCMiy9fDxNyIW2KB3/s400/DSC_0929.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Nice place for a nap - a sea lion at the Ballestas Islands.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>If you want to find out more about my trip (or would like any travel recommendations!) your best bet is just to ask me, either by commenting at the end of this post, in person, via email, etc..... there are so many stories to share and breathtaking views to be seen, it would be very difficult to sum it all up here!<br />
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After a wonderful 12 days with my family, it was time to say goodbye, or rather, see you in 4 months! It was a bittersweet farewell though, because the same day they were leaving, my boyfriend was coming to visit me (for another 12 days), so as sad as I was to say goodbye to Mom, Dad, and Rosalie, I was also quite excited to see Rémi again. The only thing was that during his visit I would have to work since I didn't have more time off to take, but oh well - I booked us into a hotel with a pool and wifi in Huacho, so at least he would have things to do while I was busy working!<br />
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After a promising first semester in Huacho and a wonderful Christmas holiday though, I returned to a much different situation. My first day back at work, my counterpart and friend, Juan Candia, told me that he had a connection at the Ministry of Environment and was going to Lima for an interview with them that afternoon, so that his days working in Huacho were numbered. What a shock. He was so busy at work trying to finish things up and prepping for his interview that he didn't have much time to assign me tasks or fill me in on nearly two weeks' worth of work that I had missed. That might not have been so bad had I been able to talk to someone else, but over the holiday period most of our staff had changed (or rather gone, should I say), too! What was an office filled with 15 people was now only 7 or 8 - on January 1st many contracts didn't get renewed (as most people work at EMAPA with 2- or 3-month contracts), and a few other colleagues decided to pursue careers in other areas. My core group of workmates was gone, I was left without a boss (since he had to go to Lima), and without much direction ... quite a difficult time.<br />
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I continued to go to work, although very distraught - it wasn't enjoyable asking 'what can I do?' and being told 'I don't know' or being sent elsewhere, <em>especially</em> since I knew that only a few minutes' taxi ride away my boyfriend was hanging around alone... he had come all the way to Peru to visit me, and if I had been busy, things might have been a bit better, but I was just miserable. By the next Wednesday, I decided to email WUSC a rather frantic email describing the situation and what had happened since I had returned from holiday. It was also confirmed that Juan would be moving to Lima, starting the following Monday (essentially, he was left with 2 days at EMAPA). Wow. Big changes, really quickly. Luckily, I received a very supportive, prompt reply saying that they could look into other possibilities for me as my work was drying up. Fiouf, what a relief.<br />
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In the meanwhile, Juan had to write up the end of 2011 report and plan for 2012, so I helped him prepare his final presentation, knowing that I too might be leaving shortly. By the end of the week, only 5 people were left in the office: our secretary, a new person who had started the day before, two other interns, and me (more people had left in between, finding better opportunities with other companies). In the project planning area, I had already been the one with the most seniority since the beginning of November, but now to go through a third wave of staff members! Learning the realities of job instability and the difficulties that is causes at work was difficult.<br />
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That weekend, Rémi and I travelled to Lima together to enjoy the big city, go to the beach, and catch up with friends. It was nice to get away just the two of us, although I was still unsure about what was to come. I said goodbye to him on the Sunday night, so relieved that he had at least been there during my most unstable week so far. I was to stay in Lima a few more days though to have meetings with WUSC and potential field placement employers, so I headed back to the hotel alone.<br />
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The following week was a blur:<br />
- Monday, a rest day. In the evening though, met up with Grainne (our field placement coordinator from the University of Waterloo), some WUSC personnel and the other INDEV students who are working in Lima for drinks. So nice to catch up with familiar faces again.<br />
- Tuesday, early morning meeting with the Ministry of Environment about a possible field placement with them. I had to wait out in the car though, in case they wanted to meet me, but not to push things on them too quickly. After that, travel to Huacho with Grainne to show her around EMAPA and the town. Met with Juan to discuss the work that I had done, and told the General Manager of EMAPA that I would be leaving the company.<br />
- Wednesday, slept in a bit (finally!). But not for long. Travelled back to Lima with Grainne in the afternoon and enjoyed a leasurely dinner.<br />
- Thursday, early morning meeting again at the Ministry of Environment and at another NGO in Lima. Visited a potential homestay placement. Spent the afternoon writing up a summary of my work in Huacho, my official departure documents, and looking up apartments for rent in Lima. Went to visit one of the apartments before heading back to Huacho.<br />
- Friday, went into work for my last time. Presented my going away documents, finished up some things, passed on information to the few colleagues I had remaining (somehow, everyone was out in the field that day - I was utterly alone for over 2 hours), and said goodbye to my colleagues and friends. That night, packed up my room and my life from the past 5 months before going out for a farewell dinner with a few friends.<br />
- Saturday, hopped on the bus at 8am to head back to Lima and say hello to my new life. Spent the day checking out apartments with fellow volunteers Justina and Emma. Not much luck.<br />
- Sunday, right before going to the beach, get a call from one of the landlords whose apartment that I wanted to visit and run off to go meet with him - what an amazing deal! Two blocks from work, my own bathroom, shared apartment just with him, the complex has a pool and gym, and all of this for $300/month. A bit steep (but I <em>am</em> living in the financial district of Lima), but so convenient - I'll take it! Arrange to drop my things off that evening, and finish moving in the next day. While returning from the beach though, he texts me a lot more conditions: I have to pay 50% of the purchase of the bed + sheets, pay an extra $40 per month for housecleaning, pay $15 for the key...... I go over that night with Andrea (who works with WUSC) and sort everything out. Looks like things will work out after all, without having to pay for those extra things. Arrange to move everything in the following day, after my first day of work.<br />
<br />
My first day in Lima wasn't much calmer; if anything, it was even more hectic:<br />
- Monday, woke up early, went to work - met with the team, learned about the different programs that I would be working in, and got straight to work. So exciting! And impressive, too! I had things to do right away! My happiness was short-lived, however; at noon, I received a text message from my 'future' landlord saying 'sorry, but my sister's friend just got in from out of town and I forgot she was coming, and I'm renting her the room for 8 months, hope that's okay'. OF COURSE IT'S NOT. I had checked out of the hotel, and had nowhere to stay that night! I called WUSC in a frenzy and we got straight to work calling other places and looking up things online (and of course, I found a newly posted add for the exact apartment I had just been rejected from, so it was a complete lie). To top things all off, my phone battery was getting incredibly low and died right before lunch. What a way to finish off my first morning. I went for lunch with Juan (my counterpart from Huacho - he's also a the Ministry of Environment, but working in a builing about 2 blocks from my work). By this point in time I was kind of freaking out, not knowing what I would do without a phone and without a place to stay. He told me he would call a friend to see if she knew of anything nearby, and to come meet him after work to tough base. OK. When we met up, he told me that his friend had offered to have us over for a coffee to talk about things. We went, and she offered me a place to stay! Just like that. Seems as though they're such good friends that she said that a friend of Juan's is a friend of hers, and that I could stay with her and her family for free for 2 weeks while I continued to look for an apartment. I could move in tonight. Right away. Wow. Okay. So we went to the hotel to pick up my stuff and I settled in - for a little while, at least. Peace at last.<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">. . .</div><div align="left" style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;">I have to run off to go meet some friends now, so I'll leave you with this for now, and promise to write more soon (hopefully tomorrow). I hope you are all doing well and enjoying February 29th!!</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;">Ciao!<br />
Sheila</div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04075983153680173357noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3176764288377153946.post-28981359938150598572012-02-20T15:30:00.001-05:002012-03-02T10:40:20.466-05:00What exactly is international development?<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><span lang="EN-US" style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">Four weeks ago I began a new field placement with the Ministry of Environment of Peru in Lima. Transitioning from work at the water utility in small-town Huacho to living in the financial district of Lima has been quite a drastic change, and has led me to wonder: what exactly<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"> is </i>international development, and am I still doing it?</span> </span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">Discussing this topic with other international volunteers has led to quite a few interesting responses. Some people definitely think that doing ‘field work’ involves not working in an office, but the reality is that you spend most of your time in front of a computer or at meetings, just as you would back home. An American volunteer that I recently met told me that she had left her office day job in Ohio in the hopes of finding an alternative abroad (and also strengthen her Spanish), only to find herself working 40 hours a week at a desk in Lima (yet still enjoying herself).</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">Meanwhile, most of the international volunteers and interns that I have spoken with are experiencing the life of working for an NGO: funding difficulties, changes in mandates, employees leaving unexpectedly, shortage of supplies, and questionable governance. They are mostly working directly with the community and really contributing to development activities from the ground up.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><a name='more'></a><br />
</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">Yet my experience so far has been quite different: I spent my first five months working at a water utility, and now I am working for the Ministry of Environment. Not exactly the grassroots NGO approach I would have expected. While I have experienced many frustrations on account of a seemingly endless turnover in personnel, the never-ending necessity to search for funding and an occasional lack of scientific or technical specialists, I feel my experience overall has been quite different so far. Especially with my most recent position working at the Ministry.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">I am currently working on advancing a pilot project and designing the national implementation plan to implement the National Pollutant Release Inventory (NPRI) as well as developing activities for the Committee on Science and Technology to Combat Desertification to integrate and strengthen actions related to environmental research in order to supply technical and scientific information to decision makers. While my involvement in these activities will have an overall impact on environmental management at a national level, I feel like it is comparable to working for a government agency in Canada or any other country, and not necessarily <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">development</i> work.</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;">Does helping to design national implementation policies and working with scientific focus groups contribute to international development? Am I still having the same type of impact that I wanted to before I arrived in Peru? Working in an air conditioned office in a beautiful colonial house leaves me feeling quite disconnected with ‘authentic’ Peruvian life as I had come to know it in Huacho. This is not to say that I am unhappy in my job; on the contrary, I am loving every minute of it. In particular, my recent participation in the Canada-Peru International Workshop on Sustainable Housing and Buildings to Reduce Carbon Emissions was a tremendous learning opportunity and experience to share best practices with specialists from Canada, the United States, Mexico, Peru, Chile, and Germany. My understanding of smaller town life in Peru, Canadian business practice, and my fluency in English and Spanish were definite assets to the workshop, and I hope to continue to contribute in future meetings between the Canadian and Peruvian delegations. I guess that is where my international development internship experience is taking me: helping in international relations and coordination between various parties involved, mostly thanks to my fluency in English, French, and Spanish. I guess you have to go where life takes you, right?</span></div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04075983153680173357noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3176764288377153946.post-30007479942087528802011-12-21T15:30:00.002-05:002012-03-02T10:43:00.468-05:00Reflections on Christmas and Development<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">On Saturday, December 16th, 2011, I was invited to attend a <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">chocoletada</i> – an event where you drink a warm milk chocolate drink and eat <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">panetón</i>, a take-off of the Italian fruit bread <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">panettone</i> that is very popular in Peru for Christmas. But this <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">chocoletada</i> was not like any other – it was a way to earn votes. The next municipal elections are not until 2014, but one of my ex-colleagues at EMAPA Huacho is already trying to win as many votes as he can in order to become the next mayor of Santa María, a district next to Huacho. And one of the ways he wanted to achieve this was by organizing a free <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">chocoletada</i> in one of the poorest neighbourhoods in town.</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">His friends were asked to come along and help make the event run smoothly. There was music and a kid’s show, followed by the distribution of hot chocolate and <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">panetón</i>. While everyone was busy enjoying their treat, the candidate mayor made speeches and brought up people from the community to talk. But instead of talking about the holiday season, the talk was about how the community still has no water or waste water and thus uses communal latrines, and how if he is elected, he will change this. There were testimonies from elders in the community talking about difficulties and struggles that they face. It just goes to show that no matter what event you are attending, politics always seems to be brought into the mix here.</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;"><a name='more'></a><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"></span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">Finally came the main attraction of the night: free Christmas presents for all of the children present (or at least those whose parents had come earlier in the day to get a coupon that they could trade in for a gift). One line for boys, another line for girls, and lots of anxious little faces. And I almost feel like the Grinch for saying this, but as I watched the kids grabbing for free toys, all I could think about was poor development practices that I have been studying for the past four years at university. What are these children learning? That once a year someone will come and give them food and toys for free to try to win over their parents’ votes? That around Christmastime everyone <u>needs</u> to receive presents? I also saw some Caucasians distributing free gifts in the main square in Cuzco on Christmas Day, and I could not help but think that these actions are not beneficial: sure, you might light up a child’s face for a few moments, but what is the lasting effect?</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;"><br />
</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0cm 0cm 0pt; text-align: justify; text-justify: inter-ideograph;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"></span><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: "Times New Roman", "serif"; mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">I brought up my concerns and discomfort at the whole event with my supervisor at EMAPA, Juan, who was also present at the <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">chocoletada</i>. I have been able to talk to him about many subjects, and he always listens and gives me valuable feedback. He agreed that it was not the best thing to do: why not instead work on small business development and help the people in the community make their own gifts, or have them contribute something of theirs to this Christmas event? But then it would come back to this: without this generosity, these children might not receive anything for Christmas. Isn’t the message that we try to spread th</span><a href="http://www.blogger.com/" name="_GoBack"></a><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">at it is better to give than to receive?</span></span></div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04075983153680173357noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3176764288377153946.post-39781644347895844402011-12-19T15:45:00.001-05:002011-12-19T15:52:38.645-05:00RIP my USBHello everyone,<br />
<br />
I am writing to you today with a frustrating story. My USB is dead. Essentially... when I went to Tarapoto last month someone passed me some documents, and I guess their computer was infected because it acted weirdly on my computer. I thought I had lost all of my files... but turns out that they just became invisible, and a few weeks later we were able to locate them (after I had replaced the few that were missing). Now last week I tried opening a document that I had on my USB, but it said that it was corrupted, so I went home, uploaded a newer version, and it worked fine.<br />
<br />
Today when I got to work I couldn't open a single file, I couldn't delete a single file, and a coworker tried his best to save the files but nothing could be done. We tried for hours to format the USB but it wouldn't work, I don't know why. Then I went home for lunch and plugged it in, and I was able to recuperate some of the files on my laptop, and then all of a sudden my computer couldn't see the USB anymore. Like it disappeared. The red light won't turn on, and now it won't work on my computer or on another computer at work, either. So it is dead. I would have liked to format it but... if my computer can't see it then that is pretty impossible.<br />
<a name='more'></a><br />
So I am asking my parents to bring me a new USB when they come for Christmas, but I want them to bring me one that is lying around at home, not a brand new one, because I don't know if it will get infected or no too... it's too bad, because at school they were constantly giving them out for free but I had 3 so I figured I didn't need more, but now it would be super helpful and useful. Lesson learned.<br />
<br />
I am still going to back up the files from my computer onto a USB to give to my parents at Christmas. And now I am paranoid that my computer will become infected, too. I am also paranoid of my computer just not working anymore though! I don't want to lose all of my pictures! At least I submitted my schoolwork for this term, so that is a relief.<br />
<br />
The moral of the story: it is scary how quickly you can lose all of your information, and how valuable it is to you, and how lost you can feel without it. Quite sad, but... when hours of work can disappear in moments, it is not motivating to continue.<br />
<br />
With this being said, does anyone out there have other suggestions to help me save my USB? It would be greatly appreciated.<br />
<br />
Thanks so much! :)<br />
<br />
SheilaAnonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04075983153680173357noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3176764288377153946.post-67122141547224213852011-12-06T19:30:00.033-05:002012-03-02T10:49:05.750-05:00Another busy day at work - hectic but oh so fun :)Hello everyone! :)<br />
<br />
I hope December is off to a good start for all of you! As I mentioned in <a href="http://sheilainperu.blogspot.com/2011/12/making-powerful-decisions.html" target="_blank">last blogpost</a> things at work have picked up quite a bit - and by that, I mean A LOT. So here it is: another 'day in the life of Sheila' as an intern at EMAPA Huacho.<br />
<br />
Juan and I have known for a few weeks now that we would have a meeting this morning at 11am at the municipality (like city hall) with citizens groups to discuss bringing water and sewer systems to their area (slums in the southern part of town). Last week we were busy getting all of the required calculations done and documents completed to determine where to build a new well, how deep it would need to be, the minimum flow required, how big of a reservoir we would need to build, and how many homes we could provide service too (also included are a project hospital, school and market). Yesterday afternoon I met with the head of the slum to go over the current and projected population numbers and so that he could give me a better idea as to where each slum is located exactly and what its boundaries are. From there I had to go back into the documents we created last week and update the figures - only to realize that we had significantly underestimated the number of inhabitants, upping the budget from 6.8 million soles to 8.9 million soles (or roughly $2.6 CAD to $3.4 CAD). Woops. At least it's a good thing we doubled checked before presenting it to the municipality.<br />
<br />
<a name='more'></a>This morning we were scrambling to get things together (notably a powerpoint presentation) and print out the updated figures so that we could rush off to the municipality for 11am... only to wait until the representative from the municipality was free at 12:30pm (there was another event, something about a day to recognize the police forces going on, so he was tied up with that). Well, even though we felt slightly rushed and perhaps a little unprepared, our presentation went well (and by ours, I mean Juan presented, and I controlled the powerpoint). At the end of the presentation there were many groups (the hardest were by citizens whose houses are not included in our project, how to tell them they live too far away or not in a good location to receive connections to the water and sewage systems?), and then the head of the municipality spoke and pledged 200,000 soles (almost $77,000 CAD) to finance the required studies for the project to get underway (hydrogeological, soil, etc.). Our projected cost for this part of the project is 155,000 soles for studies and then another 100,000 soles to complete the project description (<i>expediente técnico</i>), so it's a good start - just need to make sure we follow up quickly so that it actually happens.<br />
<br />
Alright, so one big meeting out of the way. Fiouf. Well, by this time it's 1:30pm (I usually go for lunch at 12:30), so Juan and I start walking back in the direction of my house (where I have lunch) and the office. On the way he offers to go for a drink or snack or something, so we stop into a little restaurant and share a fruit salad, and he orders an iced fruit juice (kind of like a slushly, but natural). I don't get home until 2:30pm (I usually have to be at work at 3), so I tell him I will be a bit late. That's fine.<br />
<br />
I was contemplating spending more time at home to relax a bit and perhaps check my email, but decided against it and showed up at work again before 3:30; as soon as I walked in the door, Juan told me we had to go back to the municipality! This time to talk to landowners (farmers) about potentially buying their properties to build our waste water treatment plants (a topic we have not really worked on in over a month). Okay, so we pile back into the EMAPA truck. Partway there I ask the driver where we are going, and turns out we are not headed for the municipality in Huacho, but the one in Végueta! Végueta is a city about a 20 minute drive north of Huacho (also on the coast), and EMAPA is in charge of water and sewage there, too. Okay. So we spent a good hour outside (in the wind and the dust - I came home and my black pants were no longer black) talking to two of the farmers who are the head of the association, the mayor, one of the engineers who is on EMAPA's board of directors, and a few other important city officials about what land EMAPA wants, how much it would cost, next steps, and when to hold our next meeting. I did mostly listening this time, but it was really interesting to get to see a different step of the planning process. The farmers aren't really willing to sell their land, but they said that if they get a sufficient amount of money to buy a different parcel of land, or that EMAPA just trades them their land for a comparable parcel elsewhere (nearby, of course), that then things might be possible. I felt, from the way that the mayor of Végueta was speaking, that he was being a bit forceful... I mean, it's true, we would be stripping the farmers of their livelihood if we buy their land from them, but then again, the wastewater treatment plant would provide a service for almost 20,000 people. Tricky situation. I just hope that they don't get pressured into accepting something that isn't fair. I guess time will tell.<br />
<br />
We arrived back at the office at 5pm and had to put together all of our documents from the morning's meeting (about building the well, reservoir, and 2,500 new connections) so send it to the general manager of EMAPA so he could follow up with the municipality. By this point in time I was getting quite tired... I finished my day of work, and tonight instead of going to the gym I have opted to relax: I took a warm shower first, and now I drinking hot tea and updating my blog. Hopefully I'll get to bed early so that I can be rested for tomorrow, because in the afternoon I am off to Lima again! This time to meet up with all of the WUSC volunteers and go to a touristy dinner and show. I am quite excited :) Thursday is a national holiday so we will just hang around there and quietly make our way back to Huacho.<br />
<br />
I hope you're having a great week. That's all for now, thanks for reading! :)<br />
SheilaAnonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04075983153680173357noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3176764288377153946.post-25977863402459260312011-12-02T10:00:00.004-05:002012-03-01T15:47:40.644-05:00Making powerful decisionsHello everyone,<br />
<br />
I'd like to share with you what I've been doing at work for the past few days, because it's been quite eventful. And soon I promise to update you on my trip to Tarapoto (just need to find the time).<br />
<br />
<div>Two weeks ago (before I went to Tarapoto) we had a meeting at the municipality with a citizen's group from the south (where the urban expansion is) because they want water and waste water connections. We decided that we would visit them this week (on Tuesday) and have a follow-up meeting at the municipality next Tuesday (Dec. 6th). Our visit went well on Tuesday, and we told them that we would put together a preliminary budget so that when we are at the municipality we can talk about financing and who will cover what costs. So we started working on that (Juan and I). Well, Wednesday at 11am we got a call from the general manager of EMAPA saying that he wanted the information by 8am on Thursday so that he could look it over and start looking for financing from his end. Less than 24 hours! Ouf, so we kicked things into high gear. But then on Wednesday afternoon there was an emergency in the construction side: they are digging trenches to put in the plumbing for water and waste water somewhere in Huacho, and one of the electrical poles was not properly installed so it fell over and was leaning against a house. Luckily no one was injured and the electrical wires didn't break, but it could have been much more serious. So Juan spent most of Wednesday afternoon there (and I needed to talk to him to move on with my work) and he only got back at 5pm.</div><div><a name='more'></a></div><div><br />
Well, from that point on we had to pull out all of the maps that we have of the southern region (and of course, they each have different information, so we were working with three physical and one digital maps), we had to estimate the number of land parcels, the number that are inhabited, estimate where each neighbourhood starts and ends, and then calculate how much water each household would consume (they are also projecting to build a market, a hospital and a government building in the area, so we had to include their water consumption). Then we had to look up other projects to see what the water availability is like in the region to estimate how much a well could provide (how much water in L/s). And then I felt like we were playing the role of a god: deciding which neighbourhoods to bring water to and which ones not to, based on their population, location, and if they are uphill or downhill of the site where we are projecting to build a new reservoir. In a very short amount of time we had to decide how many people we would connect to the water network, and which ones would be left behind. It was slightly uncomfortable to be making such big decisions (because we were discussing everything and debating back and forth, and I ultimately had quite a large part to play in the making of this decision). I didn't like having to decide who to give water to and who to leave out, and luckily we ended up working it out so that only one of the nearby communities won't be connected with this project, but we had to play with the numbers quite a bit before coming to this conclusion.</div><div></div><div><br />
At 9 pm (we had now been working since 5 non-stop) the power went out (AGAIN - we had power outages on Sunday night for 1 hour and on Monday for 45 min during the work day). Juan decided to go home to pick up his car so that he could drive me home. Well, when he got back to the office the power was back on (it only went out for 20 minutes), so we worked through until 9:45, and then decided to go for dinner (he finished up some work at home later that night).</div><div></div><div><br />
Thursday morning we had to put together the budget. So again, I went through former studies and project descriptions and we put together the budget which includes all of the studies that will need to be done for the project (hydrological, topographical, archaeological, environmental impact, etc.), buying the land required, the cost of the well and reservoir (after we calculated how big of a reservoir we would need), and then the cost of connecting over 2,000 households to the new network. Total cost: over 6.5 million nuevos soles (over 2.4 million Canadian dollars). So in 24 hours... Juan and I did all of these calculations, created new maps showing where we would provide water and waste water to, put together the entire budget, and I wrote up a summary of our proposal. And now I am splitting the project up into different stages, because we will look into building just the well, reservoir, and some of the household connections right now, and then connecting the other households at a later date.</div><div></div><div><br />
Lots of work (I also worked through most of lunch on Thursday to get this done). But lots of learning, because it is very interesting. And lots of impact that we will have if the project goes through. Juan said that he is really enjoying planning out the major lines of big projects, and I am too. It is great to be working together because we can bounce ideas off each other and debate and negotiate and come to a consensus together. At least now that the bulk of the work is done I can work a bit more relaxed (and not crazy overtime) to get ready for next Tuesday's meeting.</div><div></div><div><br />
I hope you're all having a great week, and happy December!</div><div></div><div><br />
Sheila</div><div></div><div><br />
PS. You know how they have commercials in Canada around Christmastime to donate things or make sure that everyone has a great Christmas? Well in Huacho the radio commercials started on December 1st and there are many people talking, but it starts "we don't have water or electricity, and we hope that this Christmas season you don't forget us" and there is a little girl's voice who says "I hope that with your help I can smile this Christmas, so it can be the best Christmas ever". It is quite a bit more difficult to listen to than commercials in Canada... and it plays at every commercial break, too.</div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04075983153680173357noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3176764288377153946.post-73094635658907253542011-11-30T14:30:00.054-05:002012-03-02T10:49:34.607-05:00My busy month of NovemberHello everyone,<br />
<br />
I'll take a few minutes to update you on my life - a bit behind schedule, but that's okay (better late than never, right?). The beginning of November was pretty quiet in my life (although quite hectic everywhere around me - see my <a href="http://sheilainperu.blogspot.com/2011/11/november-is-month-for-changes.html" target="_blank">last blogpost</a> to find out why). But once the first weekend passed, the rhythm of things picked up quite a bit.<br />
<br />
On Tuesday, November 8th, I successfully completed my first solo trip in Peru: nothing big, but I went to Lima alone. I was let out of work a bit earlier in the afternoon so that I could catch my bus and get to Lima before the sun went down. The trip went very smoothly: I arrived in Lima shortly after 6pm and then took the bus straight away to Miraflores (the safest, cleanest, nicest part of Lima). When I got off the coach bus I was excited to be travelling alone again; I had forgotten the rush of how it feels. I mean, I carefully researched exactly where to go so I wouldn't look lost and would be efficient with my time, but it was nice to be independent and self sufficient. SUCH A GREAT FEELING. And I felt much safer this time in Lima. Probably because I know from where to where I was going and now I am familiar with the area, so it is not as scary. Also, my Spanish is much better than when I first got here (I kept thinking back at how much time had passed since the first time I did the trip from Lima to Huacho).<br />
<br />
<a name='more'></a>So I got to Miraflores and set off looking for a grocery store. I asked for some directions and found it no problem. Food in Lima is so expensive (at least compared to Huacho)! I felt like I was getting robbed at the grocery store, but I didn't have much of a choice. I took a taxi to the bed and breakfast (more than 2 times the price of a taxi in Huacho), but it was a safe taxi (taxi seguro) which has proper accreditation and some sort of fixed rate system. I got to the B&B safely so I can't complain.<br />
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The reason for this trip to Lima was actually to write three public service entrance exams with the Government of Canada. In September I applied for a few of the post-secondary recruitment positions, passed the first online multiple choice exam, and was now called to Lima to write three exams at the Canadian Embassy. Quite a jam packed day! I was not too stressed going into it and just hoping to do my best, and a few days ago I found out that I passed them all and am well above the cut-off mark. I think I have to wait a few more weeks to see if I move on to the next stage of the hiring process (an interview perhaps? I'm not quite sure what comes next), but at least things are on the move.<br />
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My solo trip back home to Huacho was comparable to my trip to Lima, except that I was so happy to get home and away from the big city. In Lima (or at least in Miraflores where I was staying) there were so many touristy restaurants and shops, people from all walks of life, busy-ness and noise. I have never been a big city person and I did not feel like I was in Peru (as I have come to know it). I enjoy the quiet little streets of Huacho, with typical criolla restaurants, and mototaxis zooming everywhere. So when Carlos and Itxel picked me up at the bus station I was overjoyed to see them and to know that I was home.<br />
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I barely had the time to get used to life in Huacho again before we set off on another trip to Lima (I got home on the Wednesday night and on the Friday morning at 6am we left again). This time Itxel, Carlos and I travelled together. Itxel and Carlos had a meeting with WUSC in Lima, and we were all going to spend the weekend doing some sightseeing together, so I tagged along for the ride and had some travel buddies this time.<br />
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Friday at the WUSC office was pretty relaxed. I sat in on the first part of the meetings and learned more about the UNITERRA program (another volunteer program run by WUSC and CECI), and then in the afternoon I spent time talking to Isabel (one of the WUSC employees who is super nice) about my upcoming trip to Tarapoto. For dinner, Itxel, Fernando and I found a pizza restaurant with an offer for free sangria, so we treated ourselves a little bit. Yummy!<br />
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The next day, Itxel, Fernando (another volunteer), and Juan (a WUSC coordinator) set off bright and early at 7am to go hiking. After taking two taxis and a bus, we were at the base of the mountain. We followed an agricultural route up through small villages and farmers' fields for about 4 hours to get to a beautiful waterfall.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-uJGtd7LPmJo/TsK2ijXP_NI/AAAAAAAAD_w/9vNWrsPyd9s/s1600/DSC_0783.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="267" oda="true" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-uJGtd7LPmJo/TsK2ijXP_NI/AAAAAAAAD_w/9vNWrsPyd9s/s400/DSC_0783.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Fernando, Juan, Itxel and I on our way up the mountain (in front of a field of cacti)</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-UGMeKe8YheM/TsK2dwkOXKI/AAAAAAAAD_o/WNZz3dJY724/s1600/DSC_0781.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="267" oda="true" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-UGMeKe8YheM/TsK2dwkOXKI/AAAAAAAAD_o/WNZz3dJY724/s400/DSC_0781.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A lovely cactus flower</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-ANbIqtdsgzo/TsK3GyRFZEI/AAAAAAAAEAg/Za0WTiNeUVg/s1600/DSC_0795.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" oda="true" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-ANbIqtdsgzo/TsK3GyRFZEI/AAAAAAAAEAg/Za0WTiNeUVg/s400/DSC_0795.JPG" width="267" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Palacala waterfall</td></tr>
</tbody></table>We had lunch while taking in the views, and then started our descend back to Surco (the town that we started from). Now this is where the unfortunate part comes in... so it was mid-November, and from November until about March is the rainy season in the mountains, yet coming from the dry, arid coast, I had forgotten this. Well, it didn't take long before it started raining (it rained a bit on our way up too), but not just raining - downpouring. And I was without rainjacket, and without rain protector for my backpack. Great. I think that for 2.5 hours of the 3 hour walk back down it was raining hard. At least I had a nice fleecy sweater so I didn't get too cold, but it was miserable. We took a bus back to Chosica (where Lima ends and the mountains really start) to grab a sandwich and some fresh fruit juice before heading back to Lima.<br />
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That night was nice and relaxing: after a warm shower, we went to a Persian restaurant that was recommended in my guidebook. Not only was it delicioussss, but also very nice to eat something a bit different from what we typically eat here (not that I am complaining about the food; Peruvian food is DELICIOUS). Afterwards, we met up with my friends Deua and Justina (also in INDEV from Waterloo) and we went out for drinks and then dancing. We were all pretty tired from a long day though and called it a night around 2 am... okay not bad, but not a crazy wild party, either.<br />
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On the Sunday morning Itxel and I took it easy, and while we were walking through Parque Kennedy (one of the main parks in Miraflores, a district in Lima) we stopped to check out paintings on display. I found one that I loved - for a price that I could not resist - and after bartering a bit, decided to buy the painting. My first piece of art for my future apartment :) It will be a nice reminder of my time here in Peru. We met up with Justina, Deua and her roommate for a delicious lunch at this cute little seafood restaurant, and then headed back to Huacho mid-afternoon. All in all, a successful trip (and we accomplished a lot! meetings, hiking, seeing friends, buying a painting!). I promise to takes pictures of my painting when I am back in Canada, but for now it is all wrapped up and protected so unfortunately you won't get to see it for a little bit.<br />
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So just when you think I've already had a busy month you would think it would quiet down a bit, no? Wrong! The next weekend I was off again, this time to Tarapoto. So now to explain. Sometime in October I found out that Juan Candia (my counterpart at EMAPA) would be travelling to Colombia for the last week of November for part of his master's (they were doing an exchange and taking classes in Bógota for a week). I jumped on the opportunity and asked Juan Escate (he works for WUSC) if I could use this time to go visit one of the other EMAPAs to learn about how things work there and see the differences between our EMAPA and another EMAPA. When I first arrived in Peru I was told that I would have the option to work for 4 months in Huacho and then 4 months either in Tacna (also on the coast, right next to Chile, so way in the south) or Tarapoto (north east of here, in the rainforest), but quickly decided that by the time I got installed and accustomed to things that if I moved, I wouldn't end up learning as much or contributing to the same extent. So I decided to stay in Huacho. But since Juan Candia was going to be away for a week and that I would not have much to do without him, I asked if I could go learn about EMAPA San Martín (located in Tarapoto), and it was approved! I had only 3 weeks to plan my trip, but luckily the WUSC staff suggested a few places to stay and booked my hotel for me, so it was manageable.<br />
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And with that, I will let you go. I'll dedicate an entire post to my 9-day stay in Tarapoto. I hope you've enjoyed reading, and that you'll come back to see what I did in Tarapoto, too!<br />
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SheilaAnonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04075983153680173357noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3176764288377153946.post-89598423928549616442011-11-19T16:00:00.031-05:002012-03-01T15:48:09.636-05:00November is a month for changesHello everyone,<br />
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Sorry I haven't written in a while - I mean, really updated you on things. Friends have asked me for updates and guess that it has just been 'life as usual' here, so not much to update on. Or at least, nothing really concrete. But all month many things have been changing, so as I am sitting in the Lima Airport waiting for my flight to Tarapoto, I guess I'll update you on some things.<br />
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The first thing is a work. Most employees at EMAPA Huacho don't have very long or permanent contracts - they are often 1 or 3 months in duration (sometimes longer), but this means that at certain times of the year there is a high turnover or a loss in productivity while new contracts get drawn up and signed. So, at the beginning of the month, this is what happened. The 31st of October was a Monday, and then the 1st of November was a national holiday, so the beginning of the week was pretty slow (and relaxing too, we went to the movies on our day off!). But then the rest of the week was chaotic as people moved offices, or departments, or came back to EMAPA to try to negotiate their contracts, or ask for an extension.... Juan Candia, who I am working with, received quite a nice promotion: he moved from being the head of the project planning section to the manager of the entire engineering department responsible for project planning, execution, and follow-up (and the person who used to be in that role took his old role). With this new position came a new office for him, so we are no longer working side by side in the office. And rumours spread pretty quickly around the company, so by lunch I had been approached by quite a few people saying that I would no longer be working with him and that I would now be working with the new head of my section - WRONG. They all jumped to this conclusion without even knowing that Juan and I had already talked about it, and that I would continue to support him and work with all of the different departments: still completing environmental assessments for the project planning team (as well as a few other documents that they require), but now I am also focusing on the project management for the entire department, quite a big task!<br />
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So work has changed quite a bit for me - I am enjoying it because I am getting to sharpen more skills and work on different aspects of the company (learning more about the management of things), but Juan is now so busy that oftentimes we don't get to chat for a few hours or an entire day or two, so when I have questions as to if I am on the right track or if he would like me to change things, he is not always available. But I keep myself busy. The main thing that I am working on is our 5-year plan. Every 5 years EMAPA Huacho writes up a new 5-year plan with goals and objectives for the years to come, and our current plan is up in February 2012, so we are currently working on identifying all of the new construction projects we plan to complete in the next five years and which parts of the network will need to be updated. Only problem is, no one seems to have a copy of the last 5-year plan, so it is kind of hard for me to do all of this alone - but when I do get a chance to talk to Juan, we can work things through and bounce ideas off each other, and since he is new to this role it is nice to be learning together and to be able to share ideas and talk about things. New challenges, but new opportunities for personal growth.<br />
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Another major change that has come is at home. When I arrived in Peru Liliana, the lady with whom I am living, had recently been separated. Her and Victor have a 10-year old son, Alvarro, who lives with us. But now it looks as though Victor might be coming back to live with us (or at least he has been spending a lot more time at the house), and the family is even talking about moving to Arequipa (which is quite a ways south of here) - Liliana said it wouldn't be for at least one year, but still - lots of changes at home. A bit of uncertainty, but I still have an amazing relationship with her, even though I don't see her as much. But that's okay. I've been busy with work, applying for jobs/grad school, going to the gym, seeing friends, etc.... So right now, everything is okay.<br />
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Oh yes - I almost forgot to mention that they are redoing the two streets on either side of our house. The work has been going on for about a month, and they have finished redoing the sidewalks and leveling the ground to put in asphalt, so hopefully that will be done soon, because there has been SO MUCH DUST! I live in a desert, so when the roads is not paved it's a combination of dust/sand. I've gotten used to it for the most part, but the excess amount that the construction has created has been crazy. So it will be nice when that is over.<br />
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This just goes to show that when you think you are settled in and finally accustomed to the rhythm of things... everything changes! Change is good though :)<br />
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I have to run to catch my flight to Tarapoto, but I promise to write again soon because I have been moving around quite a bit this month (to Lima twice and now to Tarapoto, to go visit the jungle/rainforest part of Peru for a week).<br />
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Hope you're all having a great weekend!<br />
SheilaAnonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04075983153680173357noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3176764288377153946.post-35658008347779778532011-11-10T21:30:00.001-05:002012-03-01T15:48:22.223-05:00Happy 137th birthday Huacho!Hello everyone!<br />
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So today, November 10th, it is the 137th anniversary of the city of Huacho. For the past week there have been parades, music and dancing shows, a huge bingo in the central square (that lasted 8 hours - we did not last that long though), culinary festivals, and even bull fighting! And to highlight the week's festivities today there was a 'desfile', where many companies and organizations paraded down the central street (28 de Julio) and in front of the mayor and other important people from the city.<br />
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Here are a few clips from the event:<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.youtube.com/embed/0xxEHeQqz6E?feature=player_embedded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">If you pay close attention you'll notice me holding the front of the banner (and slightly struggling because it was quite windy that day).</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">All in all, it was a fabulous day: we got out of work in the morning to go attend the desfile with many other people from the company, and then we all went for lunch together (there must have been at least 40 of us present). In the afternoon, a bunch of us went to play soccer (we usually do every Wednesday after work, but this Thursday was a special exception!). To top it all off it was warm and sunny, so you couldn't ask for a better day.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Sheila</div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04075983153680173357noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3176764288377153946.post-43456587610456590342011-10-27T15:30:00.115-04:002012-03-01T15:48:34.609-05:00A day in the field: Trip to Santa RosaHello everyone!<br />
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I hope this post finds you all well as October is winding down to an end! I'd like to share with you what I learned, saw, experienced, and felt yesterday when I travelled to Santa Rosa with the EMAPA crew. It was a really eye-opening trip, and definitely one of the highlights of my time here so far in Peru. You know when you just have a day that really stands out and makes you think? That's how I felt yesterday. It was a great way to celebrate the 7-week mark of my time here (as of today, I have been here for 50 days already! Times flies!).<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-nBRHjatJmI8/TqjLdx5OWUI/AAAAAAAAD4w/ep-3HF71Dcc/s1600/DSC_0667.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="267" ida="true" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-nBRHjatJmI8/TqjLdx5OWUI/AAAAAAAAD4w/ep-3HF71Dcc/s400/DSC_0667.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This is someone's house.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-9wppAUEYA-c/TqjLiPXoIQI/AAAAAAAAD44/JlcLQV5rWgA/s1600/DSC_0669.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="267" ida="true" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-9wppAUEYA-c/TqjLiPXoIQI/AAAAAAAAD44/JlcLQV5rWgA/s400/DSC_0669.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">And this is someone else's house (with nice cactus plants outside and the Peruvian flag on the roof).</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-SH2prbxb5BM/TqjKumhWbWI/AAAAAAAAD3k/K2ukihpJg68/s1600/DSC_0648+%25282%2529.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="267" ida="true" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-SH2prbxb5BM/TqjKumhWbWI/AAAAAAAAD3k/K2ukihpJg68/s400/DSC_0648+%25282%2529.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This is someone's bathroom - actually, it is more likely to be a communal bathroom for a group of houses.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-hZ_73uYYXs4/TqjLQjNV2iI/AAAAAAAAD4c/iosvl4O7UCg/s1600/DSC_0662.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="267" ida="true" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-hZ_73uYYXs4/TqjLQjNV2iI/AAAAAAAAD4c/iosvl4O7UCg/s400/DSC_0662.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Here you can see a group of communal latrines and shower stalls (the wooden structure is a pig pen). These installations are located only a few metres away from a group of houses.</td></tr>
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Alright, so I didn't say international development was always pretty. But these pictures represent the reality for many people living in the village of Santa Rosa.<br />
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A bit of background info before I start explaining my day... Santa Rosa is a village of roughly 1,600 inhabitants, located south-east of Huacho. It is a bit inland, and there is no paved road going to it, so you have to down a sand road for about an hour to get there. Quite an adventure. Santa Rosa is in the district of Sayán (and if you've been reading faithfully, you'll remember that the municipality of Sayán is serviced by EMAPA Huacho), but EMAPA does not provide the water or waste water treatment here. Citizens in Santa Rosa came together a few years ago to ask the region to build them a water facility, and so in 2008 a well was dug and a large water storage tank was built, along with a water network all throughout the town in order to bring running water to people's homes and small businesses (there are currently 415 connections to the network). The only problem here is that the work was very poorly executed and not properly supervised (unfortunately, this isn't an unusual occurance).<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-c6jK6QcrTIw/TqjKb0o5F4I/AAAAAAAAD3I/Z8_GMYP-iDU/s1600/DSC_0641+%25282%2529.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="267" ida="true" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-c6jK6QcrTIw/TqjKb0o5F4I/AAAAAAAAD3I/Z8_GMYP-iDU/s400/DSC_0641+%25282%2529.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The water tank in Santa Rosa (you'll notice that the name of the mayor or <em>alcalde</em> who was in office at the time is painted in bright, bold colours). Note that the water being pumped up from the well in travelling through the tube on the left of the tank and then into the tank (it has not been properly designed). Also note the orange bucket on top of the water tank: it contains liquid chlorine, which is added by hand to the water to 'purify' it before being distributed to the houses.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-PyuGZfzrOOY/TqjKpQ_kqwI/AAAAAAAAD3c/oNDbxQPBQOI/s1600/DSC_0646+%25282%2529.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="267" ida="true" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-PyuGZfzrOOY/TqjKpQ_kqwI/AAAAAAAAD3c/oNDbxQPBQOI/s400/DSC_0646+%25282%2529.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The line in the middle of the picture represents where the water line goes directly upon leaving the water tank. Notice all the dark spots on the sand: this is where the pipes have holes or the connections between pipes were poorly done, because you can clearly see that there is a lot of water escaping from the piping.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>So for the past three years the citizens of Santa Rosa have had running water in their homes for 1-2 hours per day, yet there are staggering losses of water before it can even reach their taps. We were asked to go visit Santa Rosa because for the past 3 days (4 now, we were there yesterday) they have not been able to distribute water adequately because of a problem with the system (but where along the system, no one knows: the well, pump, water tank, or water network, who knows!). So we spent the day visiting the many installations and running some tests to try to help them identify the problem.<br />
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In the afternoon, we walked around most of the village to get an idea of their current situation. The pictures above give you a bit of an idea of the types of houses and facilities that they have (there are also some brick houses in the area, but they are not the majority). Although they now have running water (albeit for only a few hours per day), there is no waste water treatment, so everyone uses latrines, communal latrines, or open defecation. Showers are taken either in the local irrigation canals or with buckets of water. I must admit, it was quite shocking to see this reality, and I think it is the longest stretch of time that I have ever spent in such a poor area (I'm sure I have driven through villages with similar difficulties in other parts of Peru, Central America, China, and Morocco as well - the 'bathroom' I had on my build site in El Salvador quite ressembled the ones pictured above).<br />
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What made me think even more though, wasn't just about the lack of infrastructure in Santa Rosa, but about the fact that it is not one of the poorest parts of Peru - not even close. Nearly everyone in the village works in the nearby fields, as it is an international exportation zone. Bananas, avocadoes, mandarins, clementines, and other citrus fruits are grown here and then sold in bulk to a nearby town, which exports them to North American and European markets. So there is a considerable source of income, but a lack of access to services and facilities. And as more people come to the region to participate in its economic activities, the city is forced to grow, mostly uphill, and in some unfavourable locations, such as this one.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-hxsM01pNvR4/TqjLa44DGGI/AAAAAAAAD4s/xhsXZpFa9f0/s1600/DSC_0666.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="267" ida="true" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-hxsM01pNvR4/TqjLa44DGGI/AAAAAAAAD4s/xhsXZpFa9f0/s400/DSC_0666.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A house in Santa Rosa.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>Considering the fact that we are in a highly seismic zone, that during the years of El Niño there are very strong winds and rains, and that the soil is highly prone to erosion and landslides, I cannot imagine that building your house in this location is anywhere near optimal. Yet it is the reality of many people here.<br />
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The difficulty here is not a lack of willingness to improve their infrastructure, but a lack of access to resources (financial, capital, and intellectual). This is in large part due to the fact that Santa Rosa is but a small village and the majority of things are centralized in Lima, so getting things done is slow. Very time consuming and costly. And as things are heavily influenced by politics, plans often change from one mayor to the next, so projects may be dropped without notice if the political policy and focus changes.<br />
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I guess that yesterday was such an incredible day because it reminded me of everything that I have to be grateful for. I truly admire people who are resilient and can live in such situations. While I think that I might be able to handle it for a little bit, I am glad to know that I can come home to running water, a working sewage system, electricity, and a few other basic necessities. Yesterday I was reminded that I really won the lottery of life: to be born and raised in a safe environment, full of opportunities, with a loving family that supports me in everything that I do. It was a day for me to reflect and truly appreciate every living moment that I have here.<br />
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The wonderful thing about visiting Santa Rosa was the warm, cheerful atmosphere of being in a small town. Everyone we passed on the street greeted us with a smile and 'hola, ¿como estás?'. While we were waiting for some of the tests to be done in the morning, one of the guys we were with went to the neighbouring fields to pick avocadoes, and so I came home with 4 freshly picked, ripe avocadoes. On our way home, our taxi driver asked us if we liked mandarines, and proceeded to take us to his house and give us a bag full of different varieties mandarines to enjoy on the ride back and at home. A small town, but with such a big heart.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Lv53MqjtfN4/TqjK_RBCHQI/AAAAAAAAD4A/HgYCL-_SJrA/s1600/DSC_0655.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="267" ida="true" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Lv53MqjtfN4/TqjK_RBCHQI/AAAAAAAAD4A/HgYCL-_SJrA/s400/DSC_0655.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">View of Santa Rosa from atop the water tower.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>I hope you can all take the time to appreciate the little things in life, or the things you may sometimes take for granted. For me, I love taking the time to smell flowers as I walk by them. I know that sometimes I may be having a bad day, but I always try to think of everything good that I have going for me. Hopefully you can, too.<br />
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That pretty much sums up my day yesterday - I hope you enjoyed reading my blog. Leave me a comment about what picks you up on a down day if you'd like, or what you're thankful for.<br />
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I hope you have a great afternoon and a wonderful weekend!<br />
SheilaAnonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04075983153680173357noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3176764288377153946.post-75853331337702093072011-10-21T11:30:00.107-04:002011-10-27T16:30:23.879-04:00Trip to TrujilloHello again, and happy Friday! I hope you are all having a wonderful week.<br />
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Last weekend I went on a wonderful trip to Trujillo with Itxel and Carlos, and I have promised to write about it to tell you all about my time up north, so here goes!<br />
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All week Itxel and I knew that we wanted to go away for the weekend somewhere. Lima perhaps? Huaraz, to go hiking in the Andes? Well, the opportunity to go to Trujillo with Carlos (one of the people that we work with at EMAPA Huacho) was presented, and we decided to jump on the opportunity. Carlos is originally from Trujillo (he has only been living in Huacho since February 2011) and he often goes home on weekends, so he invited us to go with him. His family offered to let us stay at their house so that we would feel safer, too. What a nice offer.<br />
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So on Friday after work Itxel and I went home to finish packing up our things and have a bite to eat before leaving. Carlos came to meet us around 7:45pm and we took a taxi to Huaura, a neighbouring city. From here, essentially you take a seat on a bench near the side of the road, and wait for a bus to pass by. The only road from Lima going up north is the Pan Americana Norte (Pan American highway), and it passes through both Huacho and Huaura. Busses travelling on the road will stop in Huaura if they have extra seats though. So each time a bus would pass by, we would ask the driver where they were going... and then, if they had seats for the three of us... and then, we negotiated a price (you also have the option to buy your tickets ahead of time with some travel agents). Carlos had explained to us that sometimes you find a bus right away, and sometimes it takes hours... or you might have 4 busses pass you by before one with available seats stops. What a gamble.<br />
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So we waited, and waited. Unfortunately for us, most of the busses weren't going to Trujillo. It was still early they said. Because usually people will do the trip by night (Trujillo is 6 hours north of Huacho). And the busses originate in Lima. It takes 2.5-3 hours to get to Huacho from Lima, and if most busses wait until people are done their working day to leave, that means that the <u>earliest</u> ones show up around 9:30 pm... but most people prefer to leave later and arrive in Trujillo as the sun is coming up.<br />
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Around 9:45, a bus finally stopped and picked us up. It was a double decker bus, and we got to sit on the second floor :) It was pretty comfortable too, and the seats recline much more than the seats in Canada (you also have a mini tray table!). Unfortunately I was sitting right in front of the TV so the light was shining straight into my eyes, but I put my jacket over my face and managed to get some sleep (the tv also shut off around midnight, which meant much more quiet, too).<br />
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We got to Trujillo pretty much 6 hours after getting on the bus, took a taxi to Carlos' house, and went straight to bed. How nice to finally be in a horizontal position! The next morning, Carlos' mom (who is incredibly warm and welcoming) brought us juice, and we all ate breakfast together. Then we took off to see the sights in Trujillo.<br />
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Our first stop: La Plaza de Armas. Each city in Perú has their Plaza de Armas (like a central square with vegetation and many, many benches to sit and people watch). Well, Trujillo's is magnificent. It is the largest Plaza de Armas in Perú, and definitely the nicest one I have seen so far. As we were walking around, we bumped into the president of the region of La Libertad (of which Trujillo is the capital), and Carlos asked him if he would take a picture with Itxel and I. Sure, why not?<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-0t3UbVVp8Ik/TpyBjkwkUkI/AAAAAAAADW0/miy9LodM3XU/s1600/DSC_0507.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="267" rda="true" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-0t3UbVVp8Ik/TpyBjkwkUkI/AAAAAAAADW0/miy9LodM3XU/s400/DSC_0507.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Itxel, Ing. José Murgia Zannier and I at the Plaza de Armas in Trujillo</td></tr>
</tbody></table>As Carlos was setting up to take the picture, the president asked us where we were from and how we like Trujillo (in English!). Pretty neat.<br />
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We walked around the centre of the city a bit more (it is full of colonial architecture, and so it is absolutely gorgeous), and then we took a mini bus to Chan Chan. Chan Chan is the largest pre-columbian archaeological site in the Americas, and was the capital of the Chimú empire, which reigned the Peruvian coast from the XII to the XV century. They were conquered by the Incas shortly before the Spaniards arrived, and then joined the Spanish army to help them conquer the Incas (they were not the only civilization to do this; in their hatred for the Incas, many other groups decided to join forces with the conquistadores). We spent a few hours discovering the site, which is impeccably preserved (and some of it has been restored). The capital city extended on over 24 km2, but we only saw a fraction of what once was the most powerful civilization along the coast. Fascinating.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-hfDyL51wxX0/TpyC-lJW-_I/AAAAAAAADXU/q_kXFAj0m2k/s1600/DSC_0516.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="267" rda="true" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-hfDyL51wxX0/TpyC-lJW-_I/AAAAAAAADXU/q_kXFAj0m2k/s400/DSC_0516.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Me and Itxel next to the outer wall of the main gathering place in Chan Chan. The pattern on the wall represents the tide (as Chan Chan is located only 2 km away from the Pacific Ocean), which drawings of fish, serpents, and birds represented as well.</td></tr>
</tbody></table> After we finished our visit we took a mini bus again to Huanchaco. Huanchaco is a small city located right on the beach, a surfer's paradise. We saw a few brave people braving the cold water and enjoying the surf, and enjoyed walking along the boardwalk. Huanchaco is a popular tourist area, so it is very well kept, and all along the ocean road there are little shops, restaurants, and hotels. We stopped in at the restaurant owned by some of Carlos' friends and shared <em>chicharrón de langostinos</em> (a shrimp dish). What a lovely view! Once we were done we took the mini bus back to Trujillo and went for lunch at Carlos' house.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-HN50HhocxUc/TqTZSMqaEwI/AAAAAAAADyM/9cnrV5yJuMA/s1600/DSC_0570.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="267" ida="true" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-HN50HhocxUc/TqTZSMqaEwI/AAAAAAAADyM/9cnrV5yJuMA/s400/DSC_0570.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Itxel and Carlos patiently waiting for our shrimp dish to arrive.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>In the evening, we decided to go back to the city centre to see the city by night. We stopped in at a shoe and leather market on the way because Trujillo is well-known for all of its leather products. What a nice place to shop! I got most of my Christmas shopping out of the way and had a great time browsing the stores and bargaining for deals. When we finally got to the Plaza de Armas, we were incredibly lucky to stumble upon a free concert and show taking place there! The University of Trujillo was celebrating its 180th anniversary, and so there was a full concert band playing Peruvian music for all to enjoy. Then came the dancing. Peru is known for its many traditional dances (which vary from one part of the country to another). All along the coast the marinera is well known, but Trujillo is the capital of this beautiful dance. How spectacular to see the couple dance! The band changed, and a dancing troup from the university put on a 2-hour show featuring traditional dances from all regions of Peru. The music, the costumes, and the dancing were absolutely wonderful. It was such a great way to spend a Saturday night. When everything was done, we took a taxi back to Carlos', had a quick snack, and then called it a night. <br />
On the Sunday we decided to go visit another important archaeological site, the Huacas del Sol y de la Luna (temple of the sun and of the moon). This site was the capital of the Moche empire, which reigned from AD 200-750 (roughly). The Huaca del Sol has just begun to be excavated (so you cannot visit it), but we got to see the Huaca de la Luna. It served as a temple for religious and sacrificial rituals. There were 5 dynasties in total during the Moche empire, and with each new dynasty came a new temple (but not a new one next to the old one; they would build on top of the old temple!). The guided tour takes you inside so you can see parts of the 3rd, 4th, and 5th level of temple. It is impressive to see that the majority of the original paintings have survived, and they help tell the story of what the temple was used for and what the beliefs of the people were at that time.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-rJ1HKIkI8MI/TqTbJXTGTCI/AAAAAAAADzY/KxwbD9blJAk/s1600/DSC_0590.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="267" ida="true" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-rJ1HKIkI8MI/TqTbJXTGTCI/AAAAAAAADzY/KxwbD9blJAk/s400/DSC_0590.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The outside of the Huaca de la Luna, with its original paintings still intact. These paintings were used to describe the ceremonial procedures that took place inside the huaca, but that the public were not allowed to attend.</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-PqT0dKhTt88/TqTZ5v7wE5I/AAAAAAAADyk/-R7q2aqDdn8/s1600/DSC_0576.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="267" ida="true" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-PqT0dKhTt88/TqTZ5v7wE5I/AAAAAAAADyk/-R7q2aqDdn8/s400/DSC_0576.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Paintings of the god of the mountain from the 3rd dynasty (it is the same god for all dynasties).</td></tr>
</tbody></table>In the afternoon, we had another delicious lunch at Carlos' house (his mom actually runs a restaurant, so she is an amazing cook!) and then headed off to take the bus. This time, we bought our tickets ahead of time, so we knew we were catching the 6:30 pm bus (which didn't actually hit the road until sometime after 7 pm because it had a lot of people to pick up at various points in Trujillo, but hey, it's an adventure!). We rolled into Huaura at 1:30 am, grabbed a taxi, washed up and went to bed. It was a short night, but that's okay. We had an absolutely wonderful weekend visiting Trujillo and meeting Carlos' family, and we have already been invited back to go. Itxel and I are definitely planning on going back to enjoy the beach during the summer and further discover all of the riches that Trujillo has to offer. There is also another WUSC volunteer who is working there for 1 year, so we will hopefully get to meet up with her (she arrived on the Saturday night when we were in Trujillo and we unfortunately missed meeting up with her). <br />
My final note: If you come to Peru, I highly recommend taking a trip up the coast to visit Trujillo, you will not be disappointed!<br />
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Tomorrow, Itxel and I are headed to Picoy, a town in the mountains about 2 hours away from here to participate in the 1st annual trout festival! Our tour includes a guided tour of the city, a delicious trout lunch, and entrance to the thermal baths of Huancahuasi (the warmest ones around). Sunday, we are partaking in a press conference that is celebrating the month of water (October) that EMAPA Huacho is organizing along with other local organizations. So, another busy weekend planned, but I cannot wait. Hopefully I'll find some time next week to write to you about it! Until then, have a wonderful weekend!<br />
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SheilaAnonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04075983153680173357noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3176764288377153946.post-58422837264335920452011-10-17T15:30:00.091-04:002012-03-01T15:48:50.073-05:00My work at EMAPA HuachoSo, what am I <u>actually</u> doing for my field placement? As most of you may know, I am currently completing an 8-month field placement in Huacho, Peru. But what else?<br />
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I am working for a local water utility, EPS EMAPA Huacho S.A., focusing on user education and on environmental assessments (EA). I am studying the feasibility of the construction of three new water purification plants, which includes writing the terms of reference, compiling baseline data and completing studies of the physical, biological, social, cultural, and economic impacts of the project. I am working directly with the head sanitation engineer to complete the three EAs required (since EMAPA is going to build three waste water treatment plants in different areas of the region), while bringing a different perspective to the analysis of the situation. As we are in a low-lying coastal area that is prone to earthquakes (there was a magnitude 4.1 earthquake here my first week, but I didn't feel it), the potential waste water treatment plants need to be able to resist to certain natural disasters. We are also analyzing the risk of toxic matter leeching into aquifers in the case of a failure with the structure. The proximity of the waste water treatment plants to human dwellings is also of concern (legislation states that it must be at least 500 m away from the closest houses, but in one city the plant may be built as near as 100-150 m away from the closest properties for lack of other land). Planting a ring of trees around the facilities has been planned to help reduce the unpleasant odours that will be released during the water treatment process. Furthermore, we are planning preventative measures to reduce the risk of mosquitoes and other insects from breeding near the treatment plants. Throughout our analysis, we must keep into consideration cost, local knowledge (for when maintenance issues arise) and general needs of the population.<br />
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<a name='more'></a>On top of this major project, we also have a lot of minor projects on the side. EMAPA Huacho provides clean water and sanitation services for 5 districts (population total in the city of Huacho, for example, is roughly 80,000, with 22,000 households connected to the service). There are constantly renovations and extensions to be made to the network as old pipes deteriorate and as the city expands. The major urban expansion is hppenin to the south of the city (into what are called <em>asentamientos humanos</em>, or slums). This region does not yet have running water or sewage systmes. EMAPA Huacho is in the process of completing feasibility studies to connect these houses to the water network (sewage treatment for them is not available at this time). I am also completing the EA for this project, and for the numerous little other projects that are taking place around the city.<br />
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As with any EA process, wheter in Canada or here in Perú, public participation is a large part of it. Last week I put together our entire citizen participation plan, including a timeline, and the content for open house information sessions, workshops, interviews, and other consultation evenings for us to disseminate information about the proposed plans and also allow citizens to raise concerns and have their questions answered directly. Last week, I travelled to Sayán (one of the cities that EMAPA Huacho works in) to make a presentation to the Board of Directors of EMAPA Huacho and to the mayor of the district of Sayán about the proposed citizen participation plan. What an experience! My first 20-minute presentation in Spanish to a group of about 20 people (all high-ranking officials and engineers) about something that I had been working on for days. Success! My presentation was well-received (although presenting in Peru is very different from at home: no one turns their cell phones off, people chat during the presentation, and snacks were served while I was speaking so everyone turned their attention to their soft drinks and cookies instead of listening to me). I managed to answer a few questions, too. I was quite happy with myself, and the engineer I am working with came up and gave me a big hug afterwards, and said that I did a great job. Fiouf!<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKQvrzfntydfB6HnVLbwLterobhyphenhyphenuCioJX7mEz1It0ihgpAmd7LLAqmCyY2jYbNO-_hQCpZkB4H83eZMGShsV0GmnurzxKZQ0LVA0i64n3GfEssJMTAH1s3j3jOiRzt2DcHSZrGkLs60kk/s1600/DSCN4203.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" rda="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKQvrzfntydfB6HnVLbwLterobhyphenhyphenuCioJX7mEz1It0ihgpAmd7LLAqmCyY2jYbNO-_hQCpZkB4H83eZMGShsV0GmnurzxKZQ0LVA0i64n3GfEssJMTAH1s3j3jOiRzt2DcHSZrGkLs60kk/s400/DSCN4203.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Answering questions at the end of my presentation</td></tr>
</tbody></table>This experience is allowing me to critically analyze the realities of a water utility in a development context and the factors that must be taken into consideration give our location in a highly seismic zone. I am also gaining field experience. I am adapting well to life in a different language and culture, strengthening my oral, verbal and written skills in Spanish in order to communicate effectively with the environmental assessment team.<br />
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Hopefully that helps clear things up. If you have any questions or would like to know more about what I am doing, leave me a message! I would love to share more information with you!<br />
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Have a great week!<br />
SheilaAnonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04075983153680173357noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3176764288377153946.post-51909222435335769212011-10-07T13:00:00.068-04:002012-03-02T10:50:56.650-05:00My best day in Perú so farHello everyone, and happy Friday!<br />
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This week I would like to share with you what I did on Monday and Tuesday. On Monday afternoon I got to visit Barranca (about 40km north of here). They have just finished building a brand new waste water purification plant, and the EMAPA Huacho staff (mostly engineers and important people within the company) were invited to go for a private tour of the facility. To my surprise, this construction isn't like your typical water purification plant: it is actually a pilot project in Peru, filtering the sewage by growing lentils.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-NA89RjCWCv8/TouffTkBoyI/AAAAAAAADUM/RX5-LaiS-HE/s1600/DSC_0469.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-NA89RjCWCv8/TouffTkBoyI/AAAAAAAADUM/RX5-LaiS-HE/s400/DSC_0469.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The first (of many) pools of lentils that the waste water gets cycled through</td></tr>
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<a name='more'></a>The water comes in, lentils grow, the water gets cycled through a second time, and then comes out clear!<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-5Xzln6h0G7o/Touhs4CxTpI/AAAAAAAADU0/qziOfaSO-YI/s1600/DSC_0479.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-5Xzln6h0G7o/Touhs4CxTpI/AAAAAAAADU0/qziOfaSO-YI/s400/DSC_0479.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Treated water</td></tr>
</tbody></table>They then put the water through a reverse-osmosis process to cleanse it further.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-lbDU14RuoQs/Touh_NIawBI/AAAAAAAADU8/V9Qlk_zgzk8/s1600/DSC_0481.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-lbDU14RuoQs/Touh_NIawBI/AAAAAAAADU8/V9Qlk_zgzk8/s400/DSC_0481.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Micro-organisms filtering the water some more</td></tr>
</tbody></table>They plan to use the treated water for irrigation once the system is complete. The plan is also for this project to being financially self-sustaining. The project is the result of a private donation ($500,000 USD from a US-based waste water solutions company, <a href="http://www.rfwastewater.com/index.html">RF WasteWater</a>), but they have built a solar-powered heater that will dry the lentils so that they can then be ground up, turned into pellets, and sold as fish and animal feed. Talk about making use of all of the products of the station!<br />
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Not only will this new facility help improve the surrounding environment, but the site itself has been designed to be an eco-park for the community to use. There is no smell whatsoever from the lagunas full of lentils, and various trees and flowers have already been planted to make it a calm, relaxing place to enjoy a nice ocean view.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-7cu-28Zo2L4/ToujZD43NBI/AAAAAAAADVg/Q_yQKt1vZ2U/s1600/DSC_0491.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="267" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-7cu-28Zo2L4/ToujZD43NBI/AAAAAAAADVg/Q_yQKt1vZ2U/s400/DSC_0491.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This area of the park has been designed to resemble the terraces at Machu Picchu</td></tr>
</tbody></table>Quite a revolutionary project! On Tuesday, we went back to Barranca for the inauguration of their waste water treatment plant. You can read about it in the local paper <a href="http://www.diariolaprimeraperu.com/online/limaprovincias/noticia.php?IDnoticia=971" target="_blank">here</a>. There were speeches, traditional dancing, more tours of the facilities, and then a wonderful seafood buffet lunch (at 4pm) for special guests. I got to meet two Americans who working there - they are super nice and we have exchanged contact information, so hopefully we will be able to meet up sometime. I also met the head of the company that is funding the project and one of the main donors, a man working for USAID, and Paul Skillicorn, the man behind the design. Paul spent a long time talking to the staff from EMAPA Huacho about the environmental, social and economic benefits of his model, and EMAPA was very interested in pursuing this idea (not as the only waste water treatment option, but as a way to recover costs). I am now the liaison officer between Paul and the EMAPA team, and we hope to have Paul and his team come visit us here in Huacho to make a presentation to our board of directors! All in all, a wonderful opportunity to learn more about new technology and to network with other people living nearby, working in a similar field, but using other solutions for their problems. I can't wait to learn more from them.<br />
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Happy Thanksgiving to everyone in Canada, I hope you make the most out of your long weekend! (Tomorrow, October 8th, is also a national holiday in Peru, but unfortunately their national holidays don't automatically get moved to the Friday/Monday of that weekend, so it will just be like any other weekend for me!)<br />
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SheilaAnonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04075983153680173357noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3176764288377153946.post-86656876627638031602011-09-26T17:30:00.000-04:002011-09-26T22:57:42.711-04:00First weekend getaway: ChurínHello again!<br />
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I hope you all had a great weekend, enjoying the last of September 2011! Ever since I met Itxel, we have been talking about travelling and experiencing the different sights that Peru has to offer during out time here in Huacho. Our first stop: a weekend trip to the mountain town of Churín, roughly 2.5 hours away by bus (only 61km past Sayán, but this part of the journey takes 1.5 hours as it is on an unpaved road = A LOT of dust to inhale!).<br />
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Churín is a quaint little town of 2,000 inhabitants, with an elevation of 2,080 metres. We lucked out because we happened to travel there during the same weekend as their biggest festival, celebrating their patron saint. Itxel and I arrived in the early afternoon to a bright blue sunny sky and warm springtime temperatures. There was a parade going on with marching bands, and tons of people in the streets. A nice couple that we met on the bus (the bus was actually a minivan) helped us find the hotel that my guide book recommended - turns out it was a new hotel, and the best one in the city! We checked in (for only $12 USD/night each) and then set off to explore the town.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-76LxTgFYEAk/Tn_I8sYEgXI/AAAAAAAADQU/612ErILZWdY/s1600/DSC_0633.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-76LxTgFYEAk/Tn_I8sYEgXI/AAAAAAAADQU/612ErILZWdY/s400/DSC_0633.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Our hotel in Churín: Las Amazonas<br />
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</tbody></table><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-FmMrRdfdkOE/Tn_EAWPPFLI/AAAAAAAADO8/0_lqFSi-eQI/s1600/DSC_0609.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-FmMrRdfdkOE/Tn_EAWPPFLI/AAAAAAAADO8/0_lqFSi-eQI/s400/DSC_0609.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The view from our hotel room</td></tr>
</tbody></table>Churín is a very popular tourist destination (mostly for people from Lima) because it has some of the best reputed thermal baths in Peru! The main street was also lined with little shops selling various handmade items such as sweaters, purses, etc. A great vibe for a great weekend to come!<br />
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After a little bit of browsing we ran into the couple that showed us to the hotel. They offered to show us around the city more. They are currently living in Lima, but Angel (the husband) is originally from Churín, so they came to visit for the weekend (and enjoy the hot baths!). They kindly showed us around the thermal baths of el Novio and la Juventud, and we were able to learn more about the city. Angel said that when he was young, the River Huaura which flows through the city was clear, full of fish, and you could walk along the riverbank. Unfortunately, due to intensive mining upstream in Oyón, the river has turned murky brown, there are much less fish, and there has been a lot of erosion so you can no longer walk along the river. What a shame. That is the same river that flows through Sayán and then to Huacho before dumping into the ocean - quite unfortunate for it to be so polluted when so many people depend on it.<br />
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After saying goodbye to our new friends, we went to the hotel to change into our swimsuits and headed to one of the thermal baths in the city. We stayed there for about 2 hours, and made two new friends, sisters from Lima who has come for a few days to enjoy the baths and the festival. Ixtel and I took advantage of the spa services offered there - I got a reflexology foot massage (30 min. for only $4 CAD!) and she got a back massage. It felt AMAZING. On our way out we met out friends Angel and Carmen again, and walked back into town with them. Unfortunately, my sandals broke on the way, but that's okay... I'll replace them sometime!<br />
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Itxel and I spent the evening walking around, did a little bit of shopping, and watched some of the processions take place. We felt kind of like ignorant outsiders though, watching the singing and dancing without understanding their purpose. The traditional outfits were absolutely gorgeous as well.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-cZHSeU6o3Kg/Tn_F2o1ZViI/AAAAAAAADPg/ePOhIoZ2iHI/s1600/DSC_0618.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-cZHSeU6o3Kg/Tn_F2o1ZViI/AAAAAAAADPg/ePOhIoZ2iHI/s400/DSC_0618.JPG" width="266" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Traditional outfit of the Peruvian sierra (mountains)</td></tr>
</tbody></table>After grabbing a bite to eat, we were both pretty tired so we headed up to bed. Itxel passed out quite comfortably, but the music, processions, and fireworks continued until 6am right near out hotel window, and so I had a very disturbed sleep. Still a great day nonetheless.<br />
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Sunday after a lazy start we went back to the thermal baths called 'Velo de Novia' (Bridal Veil - called this way because of the lovely waterfall there).<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-xyHUtJUMu9U/Tn-6EEBWSSI/AAAAAAAADNc/lzTrJjVH2no/s1600/DSC_0413.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-xyHUtJUMu9U/Tn-6EEBWSSI/AAAAAAAADNc/lzTrJjVH2no/s400/DSC_0413.JPG" width="266" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Velo de Novia</td></tr>
</tbody></table>We spent hours just relaxing in the pools, and ran into the two women that we had met the previous night at the other baths. We chatted for quite some time, took some more pictures, and then decided that it was time for lunch. After a delicious meal, we headed up the main street to find a bus back to Huacho. 2.5 hours (and a <u>very</u> dusty ride later) we were back in Huacho, far from the warmth and vistas of the Peruvian sierra (mountains). Too bad... one thing is for sure though, we will definitely be heading back to Churín before going back to Canada!<br />
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SheilaAnonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04075983153680173357noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3176764288377153946.post-38022126228023240692011-09-23T15:30:00.002-04:002012-03-01T15:49:20.907-05:00Friday update!Until today I did not feel like I had accomplished much since I have mostly been sitting around and waiting for paperwork to get processed, but since yesterday I am now officially a member of the 'proyectos y obras' (projects and works) department and today is my first day with them. I was FINALLY given work (yay for working with an organized engineer! - Juan Candia).<br />
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This morning first thing we went to a slum, essentially it's a place just south of the city where there is currently urban expansion, it has no running water/sewage, and it is built pretty much on a big sand dune (but tough enough to be mountain-like). Good thing there isn't a lot of rain, because I think that it would all erode. Not sure how long these houses will last. Anyways, the engineers needed to analyse the site because they're putting in water and sanitation services. Unfortunately I didn't know before going that we were going there so I was in my business shoes, but that's okay. There were TONS of mosquitoes (but they don't look like the ones at home) - they would fly in the wind and then cling to your clothes. We had to de-mosquito ourselves before leaving because it was ridiculous. Kind of happy I didn't have to stay there too long (or at least next time I go I will dress differently). But I had a great morning. After coming back to the office, I read through the federal standards for all water sanitation procedures. I also read through an environmental assessment for a project and was providing feedback (I read the entire 24-page document and submitted quite a bit of feedback/things to improve this morning). This afternoon I will keep going over my environmental assessment recommendations with the engineer. We'll see how much I actually accomplish and what gets put into practice, but I am learning. And reading and speaking lots of Spanish :) I barely have to think anymore (even though I still make word/verb errors). But it's getting much more fluid I think (biased opinion perhaps?).<br />
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I'll try to post more later, but until then, I'm wishing you a wonderful Friday afternoon and a great weekend!<br />
SheilaAnonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04075983153680173357noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3176764288377153946.post-76499578950382356392011-09-22T21:30:00.066-04:002012-03-01T15:49:37.017-05:00A day in the field: Trip to various locations around HuachoTuesday, September 20th, 2011, Itxel and I got the privilege to go on another field trip with the sanitation engineer Juan Candia Cuno. This time, we got to visit different regions of Huacho (the city where we are living) - but not the touristy version.<br />
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Our first stop was the port. This is a pretty busy area (and not very safe), as there are many commercial and local fishers. Since we were there in the afternoon, we got to see some of the local fisherman pulling their boats out of the water.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-lzVwGVQ8okU/TnlV36PGehI/AAAAAAAADKM/SHPKrVa1pqM/s1600/DSC_0361.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-lzVwGVQ8okU/TnlV36PGehI/AAAAAAAADKM/SHPKrVa1pqM/s400/DSC_0361.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Typical afternoon at the port in Huacho</td></tr>
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<a name='more'></a>We walked out to the point (and through the unofficial city dump) to the point where the majority of waste water is dumped directly into the ocean.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-DbEj-vYx9f4/TnlWeRGFc2I/AAAAAAAADKU/CJZIewZg4gU/s1600/DSC_0363.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-DbEj-vYx9f4/TnlWeRGFc2I/AAAAAAAADKU/CJZIewZg4gU/s400/DSC_0363.JPG" width="267" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">An EMAPA manhole and garbage along the coast</td></tr>
</tbody></table><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-iuDU0PI0h_c/TnlayHcvVrI/AAAAAAAADLI/UcSU-7F4kO4/s1600/DSC_0377.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-iuDU0PI0h_c/TnlayHcvVrI/AAAAAAAADLI/UcSU-7F4kO4/s400/DSC_0377.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Contaminated water spewing into the Pacific Ocean</td></tr>
</tbody></table>One of the possible 'improvements' to the current situation includes extending this pipe almost 1km under water so that the waste water can be injected deeper into the ocean and hopefully reduce contamination to the fish and seafood living near shore. There are many factors to consider with this option, however, including the corrosion that would occur both inside the pipe (with the used water) and outside the pipe (upon contact with salt water). So it is an option that EMAPA is looking into, but the preferable solution is to build a waste water treatment plant. Unlike in Sayán, the water being discarded into the ocean in Huacho is composed not only of household waste but also of commercial and industrial waste water (which are much more polluting). Looks like I won't be swimming off the beach in Huacho anytime soon.<br />
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Our next stop was another part of Huacho (called Carquín), just north of the city. This part is much poorer. There is a second pipe here that dumps waster water straight into the ocean. Unfortunately, there are also households, livestock, and even a school close to the spot where the pipe dumps the untreated water.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-WFrgKIo4-rU/TnlcZs3nxHI/AAAAAAAADLc/JczCvPpWde8/s1600/DSC_0382.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="267" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-WFrgKIo4-rU/TnlcZs3nxHI/AAAAAAAADLc/JczCvPpWde8/s400/DSC_0382.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The area where the waste water dumps into the Pacific Ocean in Carquín</td></tr>
</tbody></table>After being introduced to the reality that is waste water management in Huacho, we continued a bit further to the site of the future waste water treatment plant (if all of the plans go through, that is). The site is a 127 hectare ecological reserve located just north of Huacho, right next to the River Huaura. Juan and I hiked through tall bushes to get onto a dyke and get a better look of the area. The plans to build the plant are still in their preliminary phases, but over the next 8 months I will be helping them complete the Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) that is required for the project.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-0EuJ6bDAyrg/Tnldn4rkK-I/AAAAAAAADLs/3ptmlLFE9YE/s1600/DSC_0386.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-0EuJ6bDAyrg/Tnldn4rkK-I/AAAAAAAADLs/3ptmlLFE9YE/s400/DSC_0386.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The area for the proposed waste water treatment plant</td></tr>
</tbody></table>There are already quite a few risks associated with the project: we are in a zone with high seismic activity, and the plant would be located at (or near) sea level, only a few hundred metres (or perhaps one or two kilometres) away from the Pacific Ocean. Juan is aware of the risks, but there are factors such as the sight and smell of the proposed plant, the cost of the land, its location with respect to the current waste water infrastructure (everything relies on gravity, so it needs to be located downhill from the majority of the current pipes), etc. They will try to build a facility to take into consideration some of these risks to prevent contaminating groundwater and the surrounding area in the event of a natural disaster, but nothing is for sure. All in all, a very educational and eye-opening afternoon. I'm not sure how much help I will be able to bring during my eight months here, but I am sure that I will learn a lot and gain a new appreciation for what I have back at home in Ottawa.<br />
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Until next time, have a great week!<br />
SheilaAnonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04075983153680173357noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3176764288377153946.post-24771222200611631662011-09-21T21:30:00.000-04:002011-09-26T17:56:40.869-04:00Somos 100% PeruanasHow I became initiated to Peruvian culture this weekend:<br />
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1) I ate the national dish - cuy (aka guinea pig) - for the first time.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Z-DIix6SmHw/TnlTH4o8SsI/AAAAAAAADL4/laYMbwzlqFs/s1600/DSC_0348.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Z-DIix6SmHw/TnlTH4o8SsI/AAAAAAAADL4/laYMbwzlqFs/s400/DSC_0348.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Cuy dish</td></tr>
</tbody></table>To tell you the truth, it wasn't bad (I had actually been mentally preparing myself for this for quite a few months). The meat was okay, but kind of chewy and rubbery. Peruvians eat the skin of the guinea pig, but I found it much too elasticy (it was impossible to chew through!). So I can proudly say I survived my first time of eating this national dish. Will I eat it again? Most probably, since I will be living here for 8 months. Every day? Most definitely not.<br />
<a name='more'></a>2) I have something that says PERU on it. My housemate Itxel and I were at the shopping centre on Saturday and we ended up meeting up with two other people who work for EMAPA Huacho, Juan and Javier. Juan <u>absolutely</u> wanted to buy us a welcome gift on behalf of EMAPA Huacho. There was no getting out of it, so a little while later Itxel and I emerged from a shop sporting lovely sweaters with the PERU logo on them. We didn't feel too great about accepting gifts paid for with company money, but we were not able to say no, either. Here is a picture of us together, 100% peruanas (as the locals said it).<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitjIQ2aN9lG431s66T1OulkuY1Uflo2pYltYLnIBmqwvBsHi9Xyrl-1Rxst4hgNB6-FccIHAzhsGcB1iDvXqbQOabJDGKRLyaLECNy7ahyRQvgnP54tG9injpJA0wdHtJinoCjCgaLymdf/s1600/DSCN3231.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitjIQ2aN9lG431s66T1OulkuY1Uflo2pYltYLnIBmqwvBsHi9Xyrl-1Rxst4hgNB6-FccIHAzhsGcB1iDvXqbQOabJDGKRLyaLECNy7ahyRQvgnP54tG9injpJA0wdHtJinoCjCgaLymdf/s400/DSCN3231.JPG" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">100% peruanas</td></tr>
</tbody></table>3) On Sunday, participated in a 'pasacalle', or street parade. For my entire first week in Huacho, everyone kept talking about what was going to happen on Sunday. Turns out there was a huge parade through the streets of the city, featuring 26 of the biggest companies that work in Huacho. We were picked up at 8am by Carlos, and did not really know what (or when) to expect things. After a long, slow morning, we finally started the parade at 11am (we were getting kind of tired of just standing in the streets, waiting to leave). The parade was a lot of fun though, with loud music playing, people dancing, cheering, balloons, etc. It was quite interesting: each company had their own beauty queens that they were showing off (in very short dresses), a float (company car/truck decorated), and a banner. Itxel and I were given the responsibility of holding the front of the banner.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhY85pJnM2n8oV64m01-eAxK0XtrkKC1svbWOkRmaq4N8A0qiFeS4THgn4124A7kBfUgh3_bnpyciT_SB-JtXLt94SHzA1uJRM4pFdEGM95Nn2BEq4w56ySXYWPOhn2sifRzRsbUxbg-yMf/s1600/IMG_0362.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhY85pJnM2n8oV64m01-eAxK0XtrkKC1svbWOkRmaq4N8A0qiFeS4THgn4124A7kBfUgh3_bnpyciT_SB-JtXLt94SHzA1uJRM4pFdEGM95Nn2BEq4w56ySXYWPOhn2sifRzRsbUxbg-yMf/s400/IMG_0362.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">EMAPA Huacho starting the pasacalle</td></tr>
</tbody></table>There were about 40 people from the company there too, and we were all given company shirts. It was a great way to meet people in a non-work setting, to chat and to enjoy ourselves.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhDYRqpl5xVkfmLX_-PsvhSM4UGpYOYZbarPoGPX6lhgjToPQ20akr5UCYY8QGbuj-lEwxBzWez6rUJYDwJLhtXXYZdkDGt8BA1XkR06C4tkIlas48VfjYzaaSZ5JE-_wNpByGN011gkBt/s1600/IMG_0390.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhDYRqpl5xVkfmLX_-PsvhSM4UGpYOYZbarPoGPX6lhgjToPQ20akr5UCYY8QGbuj-lEwxBzWez6rUJYDwJLhtXXYZdkDGt8BA1XkR06C4tkIlas48VfjYzaaSZ5JE-_wNpByGN011gkBt/s400/IMG_0390.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 13px; text-align: center;">The entire EMAPA team - the cute little girl with the sign, the beauty queens, the banner, the truck, and then the employees.</td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
It was also the launch of the first annual inter-company soccer tournament (so needless to say, it was a big deal). The tournament is a way of building company spirit and making it known to the community at large, but also a way for them to show off I think. There were speeches, live musicians and traditional dancers. What an afternoon! The sun was blaring down on us and after a few hours (and a mishap with fireworks) we decided to head home.<br />
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All in all, a very diverse and interesting weekend! Full of cultural events and new encounters. Can't wait to see what future weekends hold!<br />
SheilaAnonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04075983153680173357noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3176764288377153946.post-8069286611716294202011-09-20T23:30:00.028-04:002012-03-01T15:49:47.061-05:00A day in the field: Trip to Sayán and VéguetaFriday, September 16th, 2011, Itxel and I headed to visit two other districts in the Huaura province, Sáyan and Végueta. They both receive water treatment services from EMAPA Huacho. Sayán is roughly a 45-minute drive inland and into the mountains, while Végueta is right on the coast, about 20 minutes north of Huacho. We spent the day visiting the two sites with an engineer from EMAPA Huacho, Juan Candia. He wanted to show us the potential locations for new waste water treatment plants in both of these locations.<br />
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From everything that I have learned so far in Huacho, this is how their water system works:<br />
1) Pump water from the ground.<br />
2) Inject water with chlorine gas to help clean it.<br />
3) Pump water up to a water tower on a hill/elevated area, to insure water pressure throughout the town.<br />
4) Water drains down into subscriber's homes/businesses using the flow of gravity (only Sayán has continuous service 24 hours/day).<br />
5) Waste water drains by means of gravity to a central location.<br />
6) Untreated waste water gets dumped into river (in the case of Sayán) or ocean (in the case of Végueta and Huacho).<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-OfDThVn0Wvc/TnPcDHmEokI/AAAAAAAADHs/pieM4qIwAgE/s1600/DSC_0323.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-OfDThVn0Wvc/TnPcDHmEokI/AAAAAAAADHs/pieM4qIwAgE/s400/DSC_0323.JPG" width="266" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Waste water from Sayán going straight into the River Huaura</td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
<a name='more'></a>This day was incredibly informative because it allowed us to see different water utility strategies based on different geographic locations (one in the mountains, the other along the coast). We also thoroughly enjoyed spending time with Juan Candia because he is very punctual and highly educated, so he goes into great depth when explaining things and is always open to answer our questions. A great educational experience and a great introduction to my field placement here in Huacho.<br />
<br />
Hopefully over the next 8 months I will be working more in depth with Juan. They are currently in the process of going through various assessments (environmental, ecological, economical, social, financial, etc.) to determine the feasibility of the construction of 3 waste water treatment facilities. Preliminary studies have been done, but they have roughly 150 studies left to complete (and unfortunately a great lack of manpower and resources to complete them). He is quite open to the idea of giving me projects to complete on my own, so I hope I can be of some help.<br />
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Tuesday we will travel to the sites in Huacho where the waste water is directly dumped into the ocean and where they are planning to build their water treatment plant.<br />
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Looking forward to another adventure in the field soon!<br />
SheilaAnonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04075983153680173357noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3176764288377153946.post-78869116625720342272011-09-16T22:30:00.009-04:002012-03-02T10:53:43.111-05:00MISTURA: The Power of FoodSo I realize I didn't blog much about what I did last weekend in Lima, but this video pretty much sums up my afternoon with Justina and <a href="http://peterinperu.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">Peter</a>: MISTURA<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.youtube.com/embed/ZZj0lNzmlkE?feature=player_embedded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Enjoy!</div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04075983153680173357noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3176764288377153946.post-34841374515385613962011-09-15T23:30:00.000-04:002011-09-15T23:38:23.164-04:00My address in Huacho!In case you would like to send me any mail (I would only recommend letters and postcards though, since I don't think they have a mailbox so I think everything just sits outside the front door until we come home to get it):<br />
<br />
Sheila Ball<br />
Urbanización Las Flores<br />
Manzana C - Lote 1<br />
Huacho<br />
PERU<br />
<br />
cell phone: 51 993 824 378 (you also need to dial 011 before it to call internationally - and 51 is the country code for Peru)<br />
<br />
I can receive calls and texts for free so I would love to hear from you!<br />
<br />
SheilaAnonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04075983153680173357noreply@blogger.com0