Inauguración

Soon I'll get some pictures up from today's inauguration celebration at La Libertad. Let's say it included a ribbon cutting as well as a champagne bottle. Fortunately the champagne was contained away from the computers. The mayor was there, along with a good number of parents, teachers, and people from the town. The excitement was evident, as everyone milled about the computers and peeked through windows to catch a glimpse of the action. You get a sense of wonder from all of it. I really hope to take this energy and build on it with our activity program.

It was a full day: Seeing Katie as she soaks in the new country, trying to remember names as I meet everyone in the city within the space of an hour, crazy combi rides and it's all new but it has a familiar feeling to it. I've done this before, just in a different context and a couple years ago. It's been great meeting up with old friends from Villa Martha and there are stil others to track down.

It's very difficult to think in long phrases. I think switching between English and Spanish is harder than just sticking to Spanish. At least I know what to expect then...

Hasta pronto.
Matt

In a few days...

The last month has been a whirlwind, but everything seems so far away now. I'm making the final preparations for the trip. Over the past week, I have been visiting alot of family and meeting up with old friends and they have all asked me how I am feeling about the project. For the first time, it was very hard for me to put how I'm feeling into words. It is a strange combination of being extremely excited about the entire project, about seeing Peru which I've heard so much about, experience the culture and speak spanish for 3 months; at the same time, I'm feeling nervous about the challenge of the project, knowing that its success rests on our shoulders and that there is no manual or template of how to make the project run smoothly. I'm also nervous because unlike school where you can easily predict and know what to expect, with this project, I have no idea how it will go and I can't foresee the next 3 months. I'm leaving my "cellphone" my macbook, the deadlines and english behind for the next 3 months, it's such an awesome, liberating feeling. My Spanish is coming back... thanks to Harry Potter y Las Reliquias de la Muerte and mexican gossip shows....

There are a few things I'm not leaving behind... Books about the Midde East and English Breakfast Tea. My next post will be using the computers in the lab in Cieneguilla!

Hasta Luego
Katie

A photo bonanza

These first photos (edit: which unfortunately appear in reverse order, so the last photos) are from Villa Maria (Matsu Utsumi school, blue) from my visit there on Friday. They have a little room that has recently started functioning as a ceramics workshop, which I think could find a way to integrate itself with the Conectados project.

There was a meeting in Cieneguilla (La Libertad school, yellow) today so I went along with Isaac to check things out. These are a bunch of photos from there. The area is much smaller than the photos make it seem--I was a bit surprised by that. Right now the connection is a bit unstable because the modem is connected directly at the computer, but the plan is to get an extension cable so that it can go up to the roof or outside and get a better signal. They're getting speeds of about 500kbps when it should be around 1300. Of course when the lab isn't open they'll keep it inside, locked behind two padlocks and a deadbolted iron-barred door. Without tempting fate, I challenge someone to break through that.

The teachers (appearing the Cieneguilla photos) are exceptionally motivated by this project becoming reality. There was a lot of uncontrollable smiling in the meeting, and they're already coming up with ideas of how it can expand into other aspects of the community and school. Word is getting out, they say, and kids from outside as well as adults have been asking if they'll get to use it. Happily the answer is yes! We just need to work out a system of when and how to teach them and a schedule, etc. The teachers joked that next year their enrollment will double because of the internet connection's appeal. Although there are still issues to resolve in regards to who takes responsibility when things go wrong, the energy is very positive and everyone wants this to work now that it's actually there and not just hot air.

Yes, it's real.

We stopped by Villa Martha (the orphanage where I worked before) today and since the first school is close by, we stopped by too. Fortunately the people who live here had the door open so we snuck in I suppose and I'm writing this on one of the computers that we bought. They've even got a few webcams that the computer place gave them so be prepared for some sort of videoconference in the future...

Anyway, we'll miss the last bus out of here if we don't go soon. Once Katie is here we begin! No aguanto la espera...

Matt

Let me tell you why I adore Peru.

Today I spent the afternoon in the market, sitting at a table that had been "varnished" with packing tape. A little boy and I spent at least an hour playing with two paper towel tubes, an empty bottle, and two bottle caps. First it's a telescope, then it's a tower. We played Jenga--see who can push it furthest before it fall over. We built houses and found ways to hide the bottle caps inside. We played 3-card monty with one tube and two caps: guess which is where. Then we started to flick them across the table at each other until he discovered a sort of foam tennis ball and now we're really talking.

I'm pretty sure the total cost of that was zero. Oh, the things North America could learn from this boy…

Touchdown!

I've arrived in Lima and all is well. Surreal is the best word, but slowly things feel second nature again, like the dogs and cats in the street, fruit vendors over bullhorns, and cutting electricity to our whole floor by trying to take a hot shower. Sweet, sweet Peru.

The computers are up and running, and everyone is fascinated. I will be going with Isaac to see the area on Fri/Sat, but we won't be formally introduced or start the actual activities until Katie arrives in a few days. It's all very exciting but ever so slightly overwhelming, too. My Spanish is catching up, but it will take a few days. The strangest thing is remembering that everyone will expect me to speak Spanish, compared to hopefully eavesdropping on Edmonton buses only to catch a couple sentences in my adopted language.

It will also take at least a day to recover from the 30 hours of travel, including sleeping overnight in the Edmonton airport to catch my very very early flight and then sporadic naps on the four planes that it took to get me here.

But it's real! I'm in Peru! How can't I love this feeling?

Matt

Computers to be installed this week!

I spoke with Isaac, our phenomenal Peruvian project partner (four p's in a row...), and it looks like everything is clear for computers to be bought this week Wednesday or Thursday, with full installation on Sunday. Now we see the smallest details come into play--how do we transport ten computers from Lima to La Libertad? They'll be filling up a taxi and driving them out. Total cost is about $40, or $4 shipping per computer. I'll take it.

Also in the past week: A full parents' meeting with the director at Villa Maria, our second location. It sounds like they are fully committed to the project and in fact already have a room we can use, so we'll save a significant amount on renovation costs. That said, so far we have been well under budget in La Libertad and we should come in on time also, so that the lab will be functional by the time Katie and I are together May 15.

Personally, today marks the two week point for my departure and Peru is constantly on my mind. Being back will bring a whole new set of experiences and I can't wait to see what's in store. I expect some bumps along the way, but I'm confident that problems have solutions and we will have a great result to look back on in August.