12 hours north

12 hours north of Lima, in the department of Lambayeque, lies the town of Reque - the site of my first non-Lima Peruvian adventure. Fellow trainees Justin and Heidi and I spent this past weekend shadowing a current volunteer there to learn, más o menos, what to expect during day-to-day life once we get to our sites. We saw and experienced a LOT, thanks to our wonderful host Hallie and her community socios, so I'm just going to hit the highlights:

• Attending a community bank meeting and getting to see microfinance in action. Super excited to (hopefully) start one or two of these in my site.
• Eating delicious home-made ceviche with Hallie's host family (and not getting sick!) - Reque is 15 minutes from the beach so the fish was fresh-as-can-be. Also trying espesado for the first time - a thick veggie and meat stew that gets its distinctive green color from lots of cilantro, and is a traditional dish in the north.
• Visiting the Eco-Centro NGO out in the campo near Reque - an inspiring Peruvian, organic, community-centered farming project that of course reminded me of Liam :)
• Helping a local panadería improve its basic accounting practices.
• Putting my feet in the Pacific ocean again, and relaxing on the beach watching the huge waves crash in.
• Touring the municipality's offices and learning the ins and outs of each and every department.
• Playing "Kitty from Seattle's" favorite bingo as part of the standard entertainment on the overnight bus trip.
• Seeing youth entrepreneurship in action, in both classroom and carpentry workshop settings.
• Helping Hallie teach English to a bunch of adorable kindergartners - they win the cuteness award hands down, even though they don't get much past colors, fruits, and "good morning."
• Spending a few hours walking around the regional capital of Chiclayo with its bustling market district.
• Meeting the ladies who run a local Comedor Popular, a government sponsored program that subsidizes daily lunch for poorer communities.

Here's a (very windblown) pic of this weekend's three amigos enjoying the beach: