Adios Winnipeg!

WOW time has flown by!  We're less than 3 days away from our flight to Peru and I think (maybe) we're ready (nearly).  Chaos reigns supreme here, with little piles of stuff everywhere:  to take, store away or to make a final decision on.  The new tenants are nearly in, and our suitcases stand ready for packing.  And if the washer holds out, a final load of laundry awaits.

We had a wonderful evening last weekend doing a car rally fundraiser.  It was great to visit and talk about our upcoming adventure, and the rally itself was fun too, once we managed to find our way out of the driveway.  Of the four in our car, two had never done a rally and the other two hadn't done one for at least 25 years.  There were two navigators, one grumpy one in the back seat who couldn't figure out ANY of the clues, and one in the front who was cheerful and clever but whose Spanish accent got thicker the more excited she became.  We very nearly needed a translator, and had to "phone home" for clarification three times in the first 1/2 block.  Eventually we did get into it though, and managed to do reasonably well.  A significant bonus to skipping one-third of the clue list was that we arrived back early and were the first to taste the great food.  The best part of the whole event though, was being surrounded by friends who care about what we're doing and wish us all the best.  Thanks guys!  We are so grateful for you all.

This last week has been a series of little challenges.  Doesn't that always happen when you're getting ready to do something important, or you are pressed for time? 
~My brain decides that it is not going to absorb even one more word of Spanish.  No sir-ee. 
~The credit card gets hacked and has to be cancelled, less than a week from departure and right before the long weekend. 
~There's suddenly an unpleasant and unidentifiable odor in the basement and the source cannot be found or eliminated. 
~I lean on the stove as I'm talking to my son and scorch my hand on an element I didn't know was on.  (I'm typing this with pinky and thumb on one hand as the rest is now medium-rare). 
~The washing machine begins to do the rumba across the floor and the elderly dryer develops a ear-splitting squeal as we're starting the umpty-seventh load of laundry.  Then the one light in the laundry room decides to quit altogether and laundry has to be done in the dark.  It's like being in a scene from Poltergeist in there.  
And through it all it continues to pour rain.  Pour.  On the chair cushions I forgot to bring inside. 
Hmmm.  These are small but penetrating annoyances. 

But we are not defeated.  If these things are enough to discourage us, then my friends, we'd shouldn't otta be going to Peru.  Instead, I see them as signs that we MUST go.  We have important things to do.  And go we shall.  We have been so encouraged by the phone calls, texts and emails from friends as well as the boatload of generous donations to our fundraising goal.  We're now at just over 70% of our goal thanks to YOU.  You have blessed us and supported the work of CUSO.  We thank you from the bottom of our hearts! 
Also on the bright side:  we've managed to deal with all but the light and the squeal in the laundry room and those are supposed to be fixed tomorrow.  (Maybe.)

So... hasta luego mis amigos!  I hope to pen my next message to you from la gran ciudad de Lima, Peru.  Stay cool and stay tuned.

Tarapoto Bound

 

 

 

This is what most people think of when they hear the name "Peru".  Incomparable beauty and mysterious history.  It is this, yes, but so much more than this...
As we experience and share our time in Peru with you, I hope that you will get a sense of what life is like there, beyond the well-known areas.  This is one of the most exciting things for Murray and I to anticipate.

One of the reasons why Murray and I wanted to volunteer for CUSO is also one of the main reasons for CUSO's success in developing countries: they send people, not money to areas that are in need.  Sharing knowledge educates and empowers people on both sides of the equation, and makes for a deeper understanding between different cultures.  So much of what makes life work and makes development initiatives successful are the relationships that develop when people come together to share their experiences.  The implications of that reach far beyond the project itself and last long after the volunteer returns home.

 

I (Lynette) am going as an "accompanying partner", that is, I am not an official volunteer.  However, I have been told that there will be someplace I can plug in and serve also, whether that be through CUSO or through another volunteer-based organization in Tarapoto.  I am eager to share any skills and experience I have that might be useful there.  I will keep you posted as to what I get involved in as well as what Murray is doing.

 

Here is where we are headed:  Tarapoto, Peru.  Tarapoto, "City of Palms" is located in the northern half of Peru, about an hour flight time from the capital city of Lima.  Including outlying communities its population is about 120,000.  It's considered to be in the high jungle plateau (also called the cloud forest), 356 metres above sea level.  It is often used as a starting point for tourists visiting the Amazon Rainforest.

 

 

 

 

For more detailed maps of Peru, particularly the Tarapoto-San Martin area, have a look here .

 

 

 Temperatures in Tarapoto through the year average about 27 degrees Celcius.  It's often hotter than that though, in the 30-35 degree range.  We will arrive in September, one of the hotter months of the year.  With an average morning humidity of 96% I fully expect to be in a constant state of overheating, with frizzy hair a permanent fashion accessory. 

 

At this point we have no idea where we will be living, and we are trying to have no preconceptions about what lies ahead.  We do know we'll be living in the city, but that's about it.  We are hoping for a "real" toilet, but that's about all that's really critical.  (Well ok, a shower of sorts would be nice too.) Part of this whole experience is to learn what we can live without.  I'm betting we can do quite nicely with a lot less than we've thought possible before now. 

 

These last couple of months has been a whirlwind of activity:  Doctor's appointments, vaccines, medical clearances, paperwork and more paperwork.  Oh yes, and training sessions online and in Ottawa, packing up what no one else will need while we're away, and arranging all the things that do need to be in place for our family.  We're also trying to find time to stuff as much Spanish into our noggins as we can, and to visit with friends and family before we leave.  Throw in work, a family wedding, and moving a relative to a new home and you have a recipe for busyness.  But it's all good.  And necessary. 

 

I have a friend from Columbia who has (very kindly and patiently) been tutoring Murray and I in Spanish.  She never laughs at us, only with us.  She listens to us butchering her beautiful and musical language, and tells us how well we're coming along.  She encourages us to be brave.  It has occurred to me, just recently I'm afraid, that she has done what we're doing, only in reverse.  She has struggled with learning English, making friends, and surviving our -30 something winters.  Her move to Canada has been a struggle and a sacrifice, but one she deems a worthy one.  Surely we can do the same.

 

So this week is about Spanish lessons, continuing to prepare the house and family for our time away, and last minute visits.  The family wedding will occupy our thoughts and time this weekend, then we'll be into the final flurry of activity in preparation for leaving.  So far, so good.

 

Have a good week, and check back in next time to see if we've completely lost our minds yet or not.  :)  If you would like to support us in our fundraising goal, please click on the link at the bottom of the page.  Any and all donations are MOST appreciated.

 

Hasta luego! 

The Ripple Effect

 

 

 

Well, here we are, two middle-aged, almost-empty-nesters.  And we've decided to move to Peru.  Granted it's not forever, and granted we haven't thrown all caution to the winds, but for us this is a big step. 

There are a lot of good reasons for it, some of them easier to define than others.  We've been feeling unsettled for a while now.  Our kids don't really need us anymore.  They need our cars, and someone to buy cheese from time to time, but they don't really need US anymore.  Murray was between jobs and looking for a new challenge.  I'm starting to feel a tad old and useless.  More importantly though, we have been tapped heavily on the shoulder about what we could and should be doing to make the world a better place. 

About 7 years ago we started sponsoring a child in Ecuador through an organization called Compassion International, and really, that was the beginning of a big change for us.  Ecuador was just another country until someone we cared about lived there.  Hearing about life from this boy we sponsored, and then travelling to meet him and his family, left us different people.  We had travelled and enjoyed some beautiful places on our vacations and still had a long list of places we wanted to go.  But we were no longer content to consider a destination as pretty scenery and interesting food.  We had been awakened to the fact that most of the world is a place of struggle and hardship.  In our own little corner of the world we are insulated against the daily difficulties that the majority of the people on this planet face. 

When we visited Ecuador, I was acutely aware of our size.  We stuck out like sore thumbs wherever we went.  We were too much of everything--too tall, too fat, had too much money, too many gadgets, too-heavy clothing. I felt gigantic and obtrusive everywhere I went.  And vaguely guilty despite being welcomed with open arms by everyone we visited.  I wanted to be small and insignificant, to observe instead of being stared at.  Despite this uncomfortable experience of having and being "too much", we also came away with the knowledge that sharing even a small portion of our resources had the potential to change someone's life.

Now, lest I sound a little too pious and self-sacrificing, I will tell some truth here.  We have not sold all our possessions and given our money to the poor.  We have not sacrificed everything to make this happen.  We've made sacrifices, to be sure, and will continue to make them for this.  We will go into debt big-time to finance this venture.  We have given up business opportunities that could have led to bigger and better things, financially speaking.  Our kids will be living without us for an indefinite period of time, and our senior mothers will continue to age while we're away.  It will be difficult to learn a new language, to make new friends and to experience a completely different culture.  It will be hot, humid, and we still don't have a clue where we'll be living or how long we'll be staying there.  We're a little scared of the implications of all that.  

So what's in it for us that a couple weeks someplace hot couldn't accomplish?   This is the hard part to explain.  There are certainly some perks: 

~We'll get to travel somewhere interesting.
~We'll get to learn another language. 
~We'll get to escape the Canadian winter. 

Whoot!  All good things. But there is something else that trumps all of those benefits:
We feel that this is a chance to give back.  It's an opportunity for us to use the education, experience and resources we have been blessed with to further something other than our own agendas.  We have been given things most people cannot begin to dream of, and this is our chance to share some of that.  We believe that when you share your material wealth you help people, certainly, for a time.  Then the money runs out.  But when you share your knowledge and experience as well, you show people that they are worth investing in, and leave them with a well that never runs dry. 

Murray will be a volunteer with Cuso International, working with a Peruvian organization that is developing markets for medicinal plants.  These plants have the potential to provide an alternative income to growing coca (the plant from which cocaine is derived).  They survive and thrive in the shelter of jungle trees, a sensitive ecosystem which is currently the subject of intense interest from logging companies.  If there are ways to promote preservation of the Amazon jungle and to provide a better livelihood for subsistence farmers through marketing their traditional medicinal plants, then this has the best of all possible outcomes for the people of Peru.  And we want to be part of that. 

We are, admittedly, idealists.  There will be things that we do or say that accomplish nothing.  There will be frustrations and defeats.  But hopefully there will also be new friendships, encouragement and empowerment, on both sides of the equation.  And change.  We want to be changed, because changed people change the world, wherever they stand.

So we stand on the cusp of this small big thing.  We don't know what life will look like for us there.  We know we have such a short time in Peru to accomplish something that matters.  But we also know that we, like other volunteers with CUSO and similar organizations around the world, can effect positive change.  Not alone, but together, we all make change happen.  Like a stone dropped in water, the ripples spread. 

We leave for Peru on September 2nd and a flurry of preparation still lies ahead of us. The letters I write in this blog in the days and months ahead will be a way for us to share our experiences and to stay in touch with our friends and family.  It's also an opportunity to raise awareness of the needs in Peru and how CUSO and other volunteers like us are working to meet those needs.   I hope you'll join us in this adventure and that perhaps you too will be changed, a little at a time. 

Hasta pronto!

“We can't be afraid of change. You may feel very secure in the pond that you are in, but if you never venture out of it, you will never know that there is such a thing as an ocean, a sea. Holding onto something that is good for you now, may be the very reason why you don't have something better.” ~ C. Joybell C.