I was in the paper

September 14th thru September 21st 2006 Encantada/ Piura, Peru

I´ve already been in the paper

On Monday I went to Piura to meet some of the government officials in the department’s capital of Piura. This town doesn´t have a restaurant but could really use one since there are tons of tourists who come through here each day to buy ceramics. Therefore, the government has been working on a project where they are planning to build a restaurant run by the community where all profits are used for future community development projects. I will be heading this operation once it gets up and running. I met with Consuelo, one of the directors of tourism for the regional government for a little while.

On Saturday, Jose (president of artisan association and my host father) and I went to the Universidad Alas Peruanas to meet with some of the university students there. A girl named Lucia is organizing a raffle of 6 ceramic pieces where all the funds will go to support sending a member of our group to a fair in Colombia. And then Consuelo, Jose and I visited several classrooms where Consuelo surprised me by asking me to give a little speech to the class. It could have gone worse, but I survived. Actually, in one class it went quite well. I made it known to the students that there was a lot to be done in the community and I could use their support. The professor asked me to write my name on the board so they could see it, and Consuelo asked them if they would like my email to which many of the ladies replied “Yes, please.” It was nice to feel like a superstar all day on campus.

Afterwards, Consuelo, Jose, Lucia and I went to lunch at this pretty nice place in Piura. The atmosphere was real chill and the food great. Consuelo introduced me to a bunch of the big wigs one of who was a journalist. He asked me to do an article. So on Sunday morning I had an interview with El Tiempo, a fairly prestigious paper in the region, and then had a half page spread on the 12th page. That was kind of fun, but I think I was supposed to get clearance from the Peace Corps office beforehand.

Other Happenings

Friday the 15th, was Rachel´s birthday so we all met in Piura. It was nice to see friends again after 2 weeks of solitude. We ate at some fun restaurants, including this place where I found some decent fajitas. That night we played cards and then hit up the discotech for some salsa dancing and what not. Saturday night, the volunteer who I am replacing here, Thomas, was the godfather for a child being baptized. So we went to the baptism and then there was a huge party here. They really know how to party here.

A funeral

A couple of Sundays ago, I attended a funeral. A large group of people walks through the town while a band plays sorrowful music and another group carries the casket. Everyone comes out of their homes as it passes and joins the crowd. We proceeded to the cemetery where the service continued. Leaving the service was quite different though, because in typical Peruvian style there were vendors selling everything from ice cream to chips right outside the cemetery gates. They seem to treat death quite differently here. Perhaps, it is because they are used to it.