First Week

I've just finished my first week of in Arequipa and am still alive, so yay! Most of the work has been focused around translating various things into English, a report on malnutrition, some aricles from the local newspaper and some of the pages from CIESCU's website.

It's hard work, especially when you've been doing it for five hours already, but I'm happy with it. I didn't come here for a holliday and so I expected it to be tough at times. I'm glad that I can contribute in some way.

I know that sooner or later we'll go out and visit some of the pueblos and projects and that that will be more or an adventure, but to be honest I'm a little worried that I'll be just along for the ride which isn't the reason I came here. So for now I am glad that I can help out by translating.

I've actually surprised myself with how well I've taken to it and I seem to be getting the hang of it (or at least better at finding websites that do most of the work for you). It's also helping me get a greater understanding of some of the issues facing people here (I know know that low levels of albumin are a clear sign of malnutrition) and its also very good for the language.

My Spanish is coming along slowly I think, although the idea of being fluent or or understanding clearly what people say seems like a very forign idea still. I can still barely get my head around the idea of ever being fluent, but ask me again in six months time and then we'll see...