Hey everyone!
Should’ve written this blog half a month ago, but hey — life happens. I got working on a grant proposal for a handwashing project in late July and early August, went to my brother’s wedding just two weeks ago (woot!), then came back and had to get insanely busy again on this grant. I really wanted to relax and settle in again some at site, especially since goodbyes back in the States are so difficult, but there were deadlines for the project. It’s probably been my hardest experience in Peru so far.
The last two weeks of my life in a nutshell — deadlines and working on the project.
I thought of making a writeup either before or after leaving for the wedding; I would’ve called it “Regrouping.” Essentially about trying to make this project go through, and being immensely stressed and frustrated with the stops and starts, stress, and uncertainty of it all. But maybe it’s better I didn’t — the project’s fallen through, been delayed, and found another deadline to cling to at least three times now. Don’t think it’d be as effective to have multiple Regroupings posted on the blog….
We’ve now been able to submit a first-version grant proposal for a combined hand washing in schools/ hygiene and sanitation in families project. That was last week, by Thursday. And we have until Friday to submit the second, final proposal, to a nonprofit called World Connect (www.worldconnect-us.org). I say we — there’s also an incredibly busy nurse at the Health Center who’s said she wants to help co-coordinate the effort. Unfortunately, that means we often do things at the last minute, and I lose sleep with translating it to English. But only until this Friday! (I hope.) Then, if we get the finances approved, we’ll be working on this for the next 13 months.
And guess where I’m writing this blog from? But of course — The waiting room in a hospital in Chachapoyas! Most of us came into town today for a nice, relaxed regional meeting, and now one of our Volunteers has appendicitis. Not the best place to get that…. We’ve been running around to different health boutiques trying to find surgery materials they asked for or don’t have here. We’re talking about who gets to stay the night; I leave on a bus for Leyme at 5AM; and we’ll hopefully be looking at that grant by tomorrow afternoon. Oh, this life.
This experience has somehow worked its ways on me, though — the magic’s stripped away; I’m living in Leyme and ready to work; and somehow, I truly feel like a Peace Corps Volunteer.
Keep up the great work. Hang in there and take things one day at a time and enjoy each moment, as hectic as they may be (much easier said than done, I know). I hope the volunteer with appendicitis is doing better. We love you, think of you, and pray for you daily.
She´s doing much better. Thanks for that, Lu.