Some work!

Most of my work at the moment is Spanish study and cultural orientation. There's not much to show you or to describe about Spanish, unless you want to hear about the different uses of the subjunctive mood, and the different tangles I get into.  It's been an up-and-down process, as I veer between increasing confidence (and complacency), and desperation that I will never understand.  I am doing more study than I originally intended, as in order to register my degree with the university here, I need to take a general Spanish exam.

But I have also been doing some other work - visiting existing projects here in Lima, and setting up contacts for water projects.

This is a small water treatment system that's been installed at the local Bible Seminary.  They were very excited about it and keen to show me - and it was useful to see some small-scale technologies that are used here.  It's a new system and will need regular maintenance, so I will be aiming to come back on my next Lima visit to see how that has been going.

I've also set up contacts with a few other charities that do water projects in Peru, and hope to meet some of their representatives or visit their projects over the next year.

In 2003, when I was a student, I came to Peru for 2 months and worked on water projects in Moyobamba, in the jungle area in the north.  I met Liliana and Josue - Peruvian civil engineers, who taught me a lot, both about engineering and about spanish, and peruvian life.

They came to Lima a couple of weeks ago.  It was great to catch up with them but also to talk about how the engineering system works here in Peru. Josue works with government funding systems and putting together project proposals, which is the kind of thing I'm likely to want to do in the future.

(They also introduced me to their friend Gabriela, who I will be going to church with for the next few weeks while I'm in Lima for longer than originally planned.)

Some of the SIM missionaries here in Lima have started up a patchwork project.  It employs and trains women from the shanty towns, giving them work which they can do mostly at home whilst caring for their children, but also earn a fair wage. The ultimate aim is for them to learn business skills as well as quilt-making, so that they can become independent and set up their own mini-businesses.

It was useful for me to talk to the organisers about this - they haven't yet reached this stage of small independent businesses, but I will want to look at similar issues if I want my water projects to eventually be financially sustainable in-country.