We’ve been in Peru 3 months now.  It’s been a challenging, peaceful… 3 months.

We still haven’t found paid work but have decided to stop looking, excpet maybe for some English tutoring with local uni students.  There just isn’t a lot of work in Peru and as you read in “job hunting in Peru” the work there is tends to go to “people who have godfathers” as a good friend put it.  There have also been some complications with my residency which means it will be two more moths and a lot more money before I can get it so I cannot work.  We were putting a lot of time and energy into looking for work, getting residency etc that we would rather put into unpaid work.  Most importantly continuing to spend time together as a family with Nina and cherish this time together.  The first few years are so crucial to a child’s development and that we have both been able to be around full time for the last 3 months is such a gift.

However, things are also looking good for our own little projects.  I have had some meetings at the hospital and they are willing to give me access if I wish to support birthing women as well as be involved in some antenatal classes.  I am just waiting to get that cleared which I am sure will take time as things tend to here,  but I am hoping to start looking for some clients as soon as that is done.  At this stage the women will still have to give birth on a bed with legs up in stirrups according to the doctor but I have had started some conversations about what they refer to here as “vertical birth” with some obstetricians and there is a bit of interest.  I have done a fair bit of research and vertical birth seems to be having success in other areas of Peru so there is some openess here in Chulucanas to the idea.

Martin is hoping to get started on a project making compost.  He is hoping to collect organic waste from the market as well as a number of families around Chulucanas to create compost to sell to local famers.  He is working with an association of “recyclers” who currently collect plastic bottles from the streets to sell.  They would earn only a couple of soles per day if they were lucky so the income they generate from this will be invaluable for them.  It will also mean less waste in Chulu and less cost to farmers who are currently paying a lot for compost that is not necessarily ethically produced.  He has met with all the parties involved, the recyclers, the market, the farmers etc so is hoping to get going once we work out some financial issues.

Without paid work it will mean that we will no longer be able to stay as long as we had first hoped.  While we are still open to other possibilities, current projections have us home late this year (I am been a bit vague as we really don’t yet).  In some ways I am really sad about the possibility of coming home a bit earlier and in others I am really excited.  Although, again nothing is definite yet we continue to try to wait patiently on God.