Rainy season stopped...then started again.

So, I haven’t really been doing too much lately. I’ve still been working with the library in the secondary school. We have all the books organized by category but no materials (stickers, notebooks, preferably a computer) to mark and catalog the books.

I also still work in the community library. I don’t know if I wrote this last time, but I began lending the books to the kids to take to their house. This actually ended up being a lot more work than I had though and I’m still creating a good system for it. The main problem is that I am not in Pambarumbe everyday that there should be library hours. And when I’m not here, usually it remains closed……I also recently talked to someone who said she can connect me with someone from the Municipality of Piura to help locate books and other resources.

Me being idealistic about the library: Find new space which is larger, have 4-5 computers and eventually have Internet installed in the library. This would serve several purposes. It would bring more income to the library which would allow for a salary for a librarian or two and it would also bring the Internet which could be used as a resource tool since it currently is not available in my town, this would be a good long term project and it’s kind of my goal….I’ve begun researching sources of funding and have been in talks with people in my town about relocating to a larger space….we’ll see.

I recently talked to the obstetric nurse in my town and we discussed starting an Escuela de Padres (Parent school?). I’m not entirely sure what all this encompasses, since I’ve only just become interested in it. I think we would teach families about nutrition and other healthy lifestyle practices. I’ve only talked with the nurse once about this. My goal for May is to have a more concrete work plan and hopefully start with the project by the end of the month.

The nurse and I also talked about doing healthy lifestyle workshops with the kids in the secondary school…Again…a goal for May.

I’m also going to teach Chess in the secondary school. We painted Chess/Checker boards on one of the tables and we made checkers so the kids play those during recess. Making Chess pieces is a little bit more complicated…so I’m hoping to buy them while I’m in Piura these next few days.

I don’t know what else. Spanish is coming along. Depending on how articulate the person is, I understand almost everything. But then one of the guys in my town who I hang out with a lot talks too fast and uses almost exclusively slang and I still barely understand him.

Yeah, Macchu Picchu with Mary and Kristin in just over two weeks! I’m excited.