Back to Work!

I must say I've been surprisingly productive in my time back in site after a really nice vacation.  My parents came to see me for a few weeks and treat me to my new version of luxury: hot showers.  It was really awesome to be able to spend time with them and travel around a bit.  We started out in my town so they could say hello to my host family, then we headed off to Cusco.  We spent a few days in the city, then seeing the incan ruins in the sacred valley before heading off on the Inca Trail.  From were we started it was a trek of about 55 kilometers, crossing over Dead Woman's Pass at 4,215 meters.  It was pretty cool to arrive at Machu Picchu by foot, even though the view through the fog from Intipunku was not ideal.  After finishing seeing the cusco sights, we flew to Puerto Maldonado, in the Madre de Dios jungle, to spend my birthday just over the border in Bolivia, at the Heath River Lodge.  The jungle was humid, and we were hours and hours from any form of telephone, cell phone signal, or internet access.  Our cabins were even lit by candlelight, which would have been much more romantic if I hadn't been staying in a cabin by myself!  In the mornings we took a boat down the river to the Macaw Clay Lick, and saw quite an array of birds come to eat the clay, which they do to balance out their diets of unripe fruit.  All in all it was a fantastic vacation, and maybe it's nerdy but I really like spending time with my parents.

Since getting back, I've been super busy.  There is a new nurse and a new doctor in the EsSalud health post, and they have been really excited to work with me and get started visiting schools and getting to know the community.  I've been teaching classes to adolescents and young adults, and getting a close-by community ready to receive the next peace corps volunteer in december.  Now I just need to find time to go for a run!