I realize I have not written in this blog in a long time. There has been a lot of things going on, as you can imagine. Here are a few things I have been up to: I started an environmental youth group of about 20 high school students in Nasca. We meet every week to do a variety of environmental activities such as bike rides, river cleaning, making/flying kites, game nights, air quality lesson, interviews on the news, etc. It’s a fun environment and it gives the youth something to do. This is part of my “Ecoeficient Schools” Project in 6 different schools. We work with students and teachers to increase the environmental consciousness and education with them and start recycling projects in the schools.

I am doing a healthy cook stove project in the rural pueblos of Nasca, Ica, Peru. Most people in these pueblos cook over an open fire which often causes a lot of health problems on the people. These new cook stoves are made from adobe and have a chimney so the smoke directly leads outside, the food cooks quicker, and they save on firewood. I really like this project because I get to be outdoors, doing manual work on a project that directly benefits the community members.

I’ve had a trip to the jungles of Madre de Dios with some friends and to Machu Picchu with my parents. I do weekend trips to visit friends in their sites. The closest Peace Corps Volunteers to me are about an hour away. It’s nice to speak English, share a beer, and talk about all the crap that we go through daily.

I got a site mate here in Nasca. His name is Mike Kowalick. He is actually from North Carolina as well, which has provided entertainment for us as we point out “Southern” habits that we each do. He is going to be taking up on my Environmental Action project in the schools since he is a Youth Development Volunteer. I had my Close of Service Conference two weeks ago. It was nice to see all the volunteers again. It’s super interesting to talk with them and see the personal development loop we have all made. We all entered this endeavor so naïve. It is sad having to say goodbye to everyone, but it seems that’s what life is: a long string of hello’s and goodbye’s.

I write this blog entry with the intention of filling you in on my experience here over the last few months. I have just mentioned a few adventures that I have physically done; however, some of the more interesting adventures I have been on are more of the personal sort. Sometimes I feel like I am being put through a washing machine with all the bumps, turns and whirls, except I often feel like I come out even more tainted and stained. If nothing, this experience here has kicked my innocence to the world and has hardened me… one may translate that as good or bad, but it is what it is. I still write in a journal. Here’s a quote from one of my entries last week: “I think that life will always be hard, love will always be confusing, and there will always be surprises.” Maybe my thoughts and feelings will eventually change, but this is where I’m currently at.