Archive for the “From Yantalo” Category

Hola amigos.

After too many months in both the States and Lima, I’ve finally made it back to Yantaló. Back to the wonderful weather, the breathtaking landscapes and all the smiling faces that I fell in love with the first time. It is certainly nice to be here. …And this time I’m here to stay.

I made it just in time to get to work. Upon my arrival, the rainy season was drawing to a close and we were preparing for our first cement pour at the clinic site. The cistern forms had been completed and we were ready to go. The weather cooperated and, despite a couple minor malfunctions with a cement truck, we finished in one day, without much difficulty. (Not surprising, considering the incredible work ethic of the Yantalinos.)

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Hola mis amigos.

February was a very busy month here in Yantalo.  There’s been a lot of activity lately, and we’ve still got a number of projects going on at the moment.    Because this area of Peru has the highest infant mortality rate in the country, the Foundation, in conjunction with Not Another Minute, conducted an extensive interview of all the recently pregnant women here.   Thanks to a group of student nurses and caring Yantalinas, 239 women were questioned regarding their child-bearing experiences and resulting health issues.  Great job Gerly!  Thank you and your helpers for the hard work. Read the rest of this entry »

Hola!  Greetings from the southern hemisphere.

I hope the holidays treated you all very well.  Can´t say I really missed the madness that seems to consume everyone this time of  year.  But it certainly would have ben nice to have friends and family down here for a visit.

It´s been pretty busy around here since my last report. Yantalo celebrated its 64th anniversary, so the entire town was busy cleaning up and making preparations for that.  The whole production was quite impressive.  It is obvious they have a lot of pride in their community.  They also really take the selection of their queen seriously.  The five candidates had to dance together as a group, individually walk the runway a few times in various outfits (from bathing suits to native Peruvian wear), then finally answer questions regarding current political and social issues effecting Yantalo.  After the Queen and two runners-up were selected, they presided over every event for the remaining 4 days. Read the rest of this entry »

Hola.

All is well here in Yantaló.  The town has been very busy lately, preparing for it’s 64th Anniversary. The five day fiesta will include many attractions, including games, sports, poetry and of course, music.  The people here have been working very hard to make their little district more presentable for the many guests they are expecting from neighboring communities.  Roads are being graded, fences repaired, trees trimmed and yards cleaned.  It is very evident that they have a lot of pride in their “distrital”.  When necessary, they can surely pull together and get things done.  I have to wonder why they don’t maintain this sentiment all year long.  If they can do the work to impress others, it can be done to improve their own daily lives as well.  Regardless, it shows me the potential that the people of Yantaló have.

As for myself, I’ve been busy too.  In addition to the English classes, I’ve been trying to calculate, research and price the needed supplies and equipment for the remodeling of the bathrooms at the school.  These take priority over the kitchens, for they are 1) unhealthy, and 2) can only be fixed while the students are on their summer vacation.  Hopefully the kitchens can be started on soon after, but they are going to be rather large projects, so we’ll have to wait and see what our funding allows at the time.  As a side note:  I quickly realized while doing the initial measurements that the metric system is so much easier and far more efficient than the random increments we cling to in the US.  Hopefully some day we’ll wise up to this and change our ways. Read the rest of this entry »