My busy month of November

Hello everyone,

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 last blogpost to find out why). But once the first weekend passed, the rhythm of things picked up quite a bit.

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).

November is a month for changes

Hello everyone,

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.

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!

Trip to Trujillo

Hello again, and happy Friday! I hope you are all having a wonderful week.

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!

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.

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.

My best day in Perú so far

Hello everyone, and happy Friday!

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.

The first (of many) pools of lentils that the waste water gets cycled through

First weekend getaway: Churín

Hello again!

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!).

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.

Our hotel in Churín: Las Amazonas

Somos 100% Peruanas

How I became initiated to Peruvian culture this weekend:

1) I ate the national dish - cuy (aka guinea pig) - for the first time.

Cuy dish

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.

A day in the field: Trip to Sayán and Végueta

Friday, 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.

From everything that I have learned so far in Huacho, this is how their water system works:
1) Pump water from the ground.
2) Inject water with chlorine gas to help clean it.
3) Pump water up to a water tower on a hill/elevated area, to insure water pressure throughout the town.
4) Water drains down into subscriber's homes/businesses using the flow of gravity (only Sayán has continuous service 24 hours/day).
5) Waste water drains by means of gravity to a central location.
6) Untreated waste water gets dumped into river (in the case of Sayán) or ocean (in the case of Végueta and Huacho).

Waste water from Sayán going straight into the River Huaura

MISTURA: The Power of Food

So 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 Peter: MISTURA

Enjoy!

First official day of work in Huacho (and everything that's happened up until now)

Well hello again!

I hope you are all having a great first (or second) week of classes for those of you who are in school, and that everyone in the northern hemisphere is enjoying the arrival of fall. I for one cannot wait for spring to come - only 6 more days! - because that will mean sun and the arrival of warmth here in Huacho! I can't complain though, it is around 15-20 degrees every day, but it gets chilly at night, and as it is humid and there is no heating, there is no escaping the cold! Let me fill you in on what has happened since the last time that I wrote to you! (It feels like an eternity has passed, even though it's only been 3 days!)

Alright well Tuesday was a day full of ups and downs - I think that until now I had told myself to be strong and to carry on and not to worry too much, but Tuesday morning I woke up feeling a bit lonely and isolated. As you may have read, Monday was such a busy day and I met so many people, but I was starting to feel that I could not let my personality shine through fully and that I was much quieter than my normal self.

My first day in Huacho

*Note: I wrote this last night but did not have access to internet, hence why I am posting it now.

My first day in Huacho – oh my goodness, I am so tired, all I want to do it to go to bed. But so much has happened today that I want to try to document as much as I can to share it with you all. As soon as I am done, I am calling it a night (and I will post this in my blog tomorrow or the day after that when I have internet access).

Well, let’s start with this morning. I was in Lima. Feels so far away now. I had originally been told I was going to be picked up sometime after 8am to go to the bus station to come to Huacho. So I set my alarm for 7am, thinking that would be enough time for breakfast and such (I packed the night before). Well, at 6:35am there is a BANG BANG BANG on my door. The owner of the hotel wakes me up and tells me that someone from WUSC called, and that I will be picked up at 7:30am instead. I should get up quickly! Well, I decide to lie in bed for another 10 minutes (obviously unable to fall asleep after such a brutal awakening) and then get up. Get ready, eat breakfast (same as usual: fruit smoothie, bread, jam, and tea), brush my teeth, take one last look around the room to make sure that I haven’t forgotten anything, and then I’m out the door. 7:35am. 7:45. 8:00. 8:10. Finally around 8:15, Isabel (a WUSC employee) shows up. Good morning Sheila! How are you? Good – but I have been awake and sitting in the hotel reception area for a while! She doesn’t understand who called the hotel or why , it was not her nor the driver (Julio). Must have been Michel (the WUSC director). Oh well. Early start.

First impressions....

• Public transit is confusing! Best to be very assertive.
• Everything is pretty clean (but there is quite a lot of pollution, mostly due to cars).
• Ads on TV look like ads on Canadian TV, with different people and language, but you always know what they're selling.
• Food is good and FRESH. Not too different and not too pricey.
• Spanish is easy enough to understand, but I need to work on mine (mostly verb conjugation and vocabulary).
• All WUSC Peru staff are super helpful and friendly (I can even speak to some of them in French!).

WUSC Lima staff with INDEV volunteers at lunch on September 9th, 2011. From left to right: Julio, Peter, Juany, Sheila, Justina, Michel's wife, Deua, Michel, Andrea, Michel's wife's co-worker (partially hidden), and Isabel.

Day 1 in Peru

Hello everyone!

Well, here I am, safely arrived in Peru. After a 30 minute plane delay in Ottawa, and then a 1.5 hour plane delay in Toronto (we were waiting for a part that our plane had to take to a plane in Peru - in the meanwhile our A/C failed and the entertainment system wasn't working, but at least they gave us each a glass of water), we arrived safely in Lima, Peru. I actually lucked out on the flight - there was barely anyone on it, so I took up a row of three benches in the middle of the plane and managed to get a solid 4 hours of sleep last night. Solid.

We finally pulled into Lima around 2:30 am local time (aka 3:30 am in Ottawa/Waterloo) and we were greeted by Julio (the driver from WUSC), Isabella (a WUSC staff member) and another driver from the hotel where I am staying these first few nights. Checked-in at our hotel around 3:15 am and finally got to bed at 4.

My room in Lima (the middle bed is mine). I also have a private bathroom.

woo hooooo! Free internet in Toronto :)

A quick hello from Toronto Pearson International Airport! Arrived here safely (although my flight in from Ottawa was 15 minutes late and we had turbulence almost the entire trip). Started watching Pirates of the Caribbean 4 in the plane (I'll finish the rest of the movie on my way to Lima in a bit).

So FINALLY when we arrived at the airport in Ottawa I started to get really excited for my trip! FINALLY. Took long enough, eh? But it was nice, didn't have to wait too too long before boarding the flight either. Said goodbye to family and friends, and for once didn't cry. It's such a nice feeling, leaving with a big smile on my face, knowing that I'll see them all again before I know it, and leaving full of hope for a wonderful stay in Peru.

Thanks to everyone who has been so supportive throughout this entire process. I love you all and I will see you all again soon. I'm coming home with my bachelor's degree!

Have a wonderful 8 months while I'm gone!
Sheila

My bags are packed, I'm ready to go...

Well, here we are! The night before my departure. Quite honestly... it hasn't hit me yet that I'm leaving. I've had such a busy summer (mostly living out of a suitcase) that it just feels like I'm packing to go on another trip, or to go back to Waterloo. Not that I'm travelling to South America for my first time. Here's a quick run-down of the busy summer I've had:

-From May until July 25th I was in Waterloo, Ontario, completing my last semester of courses before leaving for my field placement.
-From July 25th until August 9th I was at home in Ottawa (this included trips to the cottage and a week-long visit from family who lives in Switzerland).
-From August 9th until September 4th I was away: first in Montreal, then in Europe for 3.5 weeks, then in eastern Quebec for a family reunion.
-From September 4th (at night) until September 7th (midday): at home, in Ottawa.

And then... I will be in Peru. Luckily I got most of my packing done before leaving for Europe so I just had to come home, empty my backpack, fill it back up with stuff for Peru, and get a few last-minute details sorted out (like print the email explaining who is picking us up at the airport in Lima).

Fact #81: 20 days until the start of my field placement

Fact #81: Machu Picchu was built at the behest of Pachacuti ("He Who Shakes the Earth"), the ruler of the Incan Empire, between two peaks -- Machu Picchu and Huayna Picchu.

Fact #80: 21 days until the start of my field placement

Fact #80: Hiram Bingham's missionary grandparents, the Rev. Hiram and Sybil Bingham, were among the first group of missionaries to arrive in Hawaii in 1820. Rev. Bingham was a member of the committee that founded Punahou School, which was founded in 1841 and opened in 1842. They were not there to see it: Sybil Bingham's health declined, so they returned to the States the year before the school opened.

Fact #79: 22 days until the start of my field placement

Fact #79: What do Hiram Bingham, President Obama and actors Buster Crabbe and Joan Blondell have in common? They are alumni of Punahou School on Oahu, a private, co-educational prep school in Honolulu.

Fact #78: 23 days until the start of my field placement

Fact #78: Hiram Bingham's father and grandfather were missionaries.

Fact #77: 24 days until the start of my field placement

Fact #77: Hiram Bingham's love of adventure may have been preordained. He was born in Honolulu in 1875, more than 20 years before Hawaii became a territory.

Fact #76: 25 days until the start of my field placement

Fact #76: Some say Hiram Bingham was the model for Indiana Jones, the swashbuckling adventurer of movie fame. (Yes, but did Bingham hate snakes?)