After an uneventful flight out of Ottawa to Toronto, we arrived in the big TO safe and sound, yet with one of us lacking a passport. Not a good idea when you are flying abroad... Luckily someone turned it in and after a wee stressful moment, we were all on our way to Lima.
Amazingly, all of us (and our luggage!) arrived in one piece and we have now settled in to our hostel that is home until Monday. From there on out, we will be working on our community projects for the next 5 weeks.
Spanish is a bit of a challenge at the moment but it should pick up any time now (I hope!).
As it turns out, I will not be enduring a 20hr bus ride to my community but a fantastic flight into "La Selva" and then a short bus ride to our spot; with some sightseeing on the way!
That's it for now, hasta pronto!
So part 1 of 2 for pre-departure training ended today at head office.
The two days since the start of training has been a flurry of of activity; meeting and getting to know the other participants, training, getting small details for the trip all wrapped up, a gala event this evening with fair-trade shea butter from Burkina Faso; the list goes on...
I have also had the opportunity to catch up with a couple of friends from high school who have since moved out here to pursue higher education as well as careers. Then just last night I randomly ran into a friend whom I haven't seen in 2 or 3 years, always a great surprise!
This being the first time that I am in the capital, I have been playing tourist during my free time and taking advantage of my new baby, the Nikon D60.
Today I was fortunate enough to check out Parliament with someone who actually works on the Hill as one of the other participants ran into him while we were on our way downtown. It was fantastic to experience it from the other perspective.
The next couple of days are going to be filled with part 2 of training with a focus on the intercultural exchange during this seminar.
Perhaps my next entry will be from beautiful Peru. Stay tuned...
After a long period of contemplating, comparing and price-checking, I had finally decided on purchasing the Nikon D60. However, when I went in to my local camera shop earlier this week, I ended up having an anxiety attack. Is this strange for someone who has recently gotten teeth work done without the anaesthetic, has walked on hot coals, had her nose pierced 5 times, moved to a place that she knew nothing about? Yes, I think so.
So I had to sit and think why this is the case and yes, I think that I have found the answer. I get nervous about making large purchases. It happens every time I go to pay my tuition; my hands get sweaty, I start to stumble over my words, I can't see straight. Weird!
Tomorrow I am going to stand up tall and strong and hit the "ok" on the pinpad and claim that camera as mine! (I guess this makes it official...).
Buenos noches a todos y a todas!
Wowza! This week has gone by in a flash. Family visiting, great friends getting married, and here we are at a week before I will be in Ottawa for pre-Peru training. This coming week will be filled with packing that has yet to commence and tying up last minute to-do's here. Although I did not receive the sponsorship from Nikon, I am hoping to still go ahead and purchase a nice SLR for the trip so that I can share what is looking to be an amazing experience with all of you back here at home.
Until next time...
