A selfish list:

If you feel like sending me a package, here are some things that are currently on my wish-list:

Pictures of you!!
Orbit gum (any kind of mint, bubblemint, and cinnamint)
Glide comfort plus mint dental floss
Gummi candy (especially the fizzy kind)
Ginger chews
Reef flip-flops (size 9 women’s)
Chocolate
The New York Times (or at least the interesting parts)
Newsweek
The Economist
Interesting academic articles
Dried fruit/nuts
Cute tank tops! (you’ll have to guess at my size, every brand is different)
Knee length skirts or capris (size 8 or M)
A travel yoga mat
Tea- good black tea, peppermint tea, jasmine tea

I’ll try to keep this list updated on the side of my blog. A big shout out to Blair and Jeff who have set me up with tampons and peanut butter at least for awhile. THANK YOU SO MUCH!!

My address:

Sarah Walker
Casilla Postal #5
Serpost Tumbes
Peru

I also love mail!

SODIS

SODIS (Simply Outstanding Demonstration of (I)nvironmental Savvy)
SODIS (Sarah Ousts Damaging Infections from System)
SODIS (Sick Of Diarrhea In Stomach)
SODIS (Some Outsider’s DoIng Something strange (again))

Translated into Spanish:

WTGDOMR (What’s That Gringo Doing On My Roof?)
Or

INDT (I’m Not Drinking That)

What does SODIS mean really? I don’t remember (sorry Peace Corps!). However, that doesn’t matter. SODIS can still save the world. You do the math:

One of the most common causes of death in children under five is diarrhea.
+
Diarrhea comes from parasitic, bacterial, and viral infections.
+
Most of these infections come from drinking unclean water.
+
Much of the world does not have access to clean drinking water.
-
You can purify water by boiling it.
+
Boiling water is expensive and bad for the environment.
-
You can purify water by adding iodine or chlorine.
+
Iodine and chlorine are expensive, and often cities say they add it when they don’t.
=
BIG CLEAN WATER PROBLEM = SODIS.

SODIS is an easy, effective, and cheap way to purify water that uses nothing more than the sun to get rid of the harmful critters that cause diarrhea.

Steps for SODIS:

Take a 2- 3 litre clear, plastic bottle.
Fill it ALL THE WAY up with water (leave no room for air).
Screw on the top.
Put it on your (preferably metal) roof.
If it’s sunny, leave it out for a day.
If it’s cloudy, leave it out for 2-3 days.
Take it off the roof and enjoy water without diarrhea!

The other great thing about SODIS is that it works best in hot climates with plenty of sunlight. Much of the world’s poor lives in such a climate. I’ve been drinking SODIS water for three days now, and so far so good. I’ll keep you posted.

What's in a name?

My name, in the United States, is about as common as they come: Sarah Anne Walker. I’ve never been anywhere where I’m the only Sarah. I’m one of four here in Peru 12. There are over 500 Sarah Walkers on facebook. Whose middle name isn’t Anne? And yet, here in Peru, my name seems to be a source of endless confusion.

First of all, there’s my first name. Sarah. Spanish doesn’t do silent letters. There is only one way to spell Sarah and that is Sara. It doesn’t bother me too much here, although in the States it really bothers me when people misspell my name. I don’t feel like a Sara, I feel like a Sarah. But here, when you add the whole Spanish thing, I guess it doesn’t really matter.

Then there’s my last name: Walker. Yes, there’s only one. Everyone here has two last names. Your dad’s last name goes first, and then your mom’s (I think, I always get it mixed up). Your kids will inherit your dad’s last name and your spouse’s dad’s last name. So, my name would be Sarah Walker Baker. My kids’ names would be Baby Walker Weiner (kidding Andrew :P), but you get the idea. No one here can believe that I only have one last name. I even had someone tell me that it was disrespectful to my mother not to carry her name. Interesting observation, although I feel like maybe the pot is calling the kettle black on that one.

The really confusing thing though, is my middle name. The problem is not Anne, but its placement. My passport says Sarah Anne Walker. Thus, it looks like my first name is Sarah and my last name is Anne Walker. So, people would either call me Sarah Anne Walker, or Sarah Anne. Never Sarah Walker. As you’ll remember, I tried to explain this to the policeman writing my denuncia to no avail, and now in the Peruvian justice system I am Sarah AMN Walker. Sigh.

This naming confusion came to a head this morning at the bank. I had to get more money to pay for my hotel. My bank card is cancelled and in the hands of criminals. So, I had the brilliant idea to change travelers’ checks. Fine, except that when I got to the bank they refused to change them. Why? Because my checks say Sarah Walker, and my passport says Sarah Anne Walker. No amount of my pleading or explaining of the cultural differences between Peru and the USA would convince them that these two were really the same person. Only after it emerged that I was robbed and after a couple of tears slid down my cheeks did they decide it would be okay for me to take money out of my account, but I never did change those travelers’ checks.

Peru is Beautiful

Yesterday at sunset I found myself speeding down the Pan-American highway, 3 degrees south of the equator, riding shotgun in the Peace Corps mobile with our country director at the wheel. To my right I watched the large orange sun sink into the breaking waves of Peru's best surfing beaches. To my left I looked out over miles of healthy green rice fields dotted with palm trees and waterfowl. Ahead I saw a group of panicking goats trying frantically to jump over the guard rails before our vehicle barreled into their midst. In the distance was a series of desert hills and canyons that called to mind the American Southwest.

I've grown to appreciate moments such as these because a) I'm in Peru and should appreciate every moment and b) my life this past week has been so crazy that all I can do is focus on the moments themselves.

Here are some moments from my past week:

Thursday, Thanksgiving: My first bite of anticucho (beef heart). My host family took me out to dinner in Lima for our last night together. They ordered an amazing spread of food and drink, and were very excited for me to try this Peruvian delicacy. It's delicious. Their kindness and reflecting on all they've done for me since I came to Peru made this one of my best Thanksgiving's ever.

Friday: Standing in front of the American, Peruvian, and Peace Corps flags under a canopy of red, white, and blue, swearing to defend the constitution in times of peace and war. A strange oath for the Peace Corps indeed. I would have been much more unsettled had we not just elected a leader I trust to never make me uphold that promise unjustly.

Later on Friday: Looking out the bus window through a veil of tears, watching our host families chase after us as we pulled out of Chaclacayo for the last time.

Saturday: On the bus-cama, feeling horrible. Packing was rushed and messy, our night in the hostal in Lima was hectic, and the time to say goodbye to our new friends and support came all too soon. I felt sick, drained, and exhausted. Suddenly I looked out the window. We were driving along some of the most striking sand-dune cliffs falling into the ocean. I'd never seen anything quite like it. All five of us on the bus looked out the window in awe.

Sunday: What I remember most is my gaze fixed on my wallet. My wallet was in my hand, but my arm was in the hand of a thief, who was in a mototaxi that accelerated faster and faster as I ran along side it. I don't remember letting go, and I don't remember falling.

Monday: I hung up my mosquito net with dental floss because I didn't think to bring rope. I sort-of unpacked my things. I crawled into bed and felt cozy within my white mesh canopy. Finally, after 6 months of being largely transient, I was home again.

Tuesday: I was watching a new soap opera, "Bellezas Indominables" with my new host sister. During a commercial break, she asks if I have children. I'm used to this conversation. "No," I say. "Are you going to get married?" she asks. "I don't know," I say, "Are you?" "I don't know," she says, "Only if I find the right guy." What?? Only if I find the right guy? That's never the answer in this conservative country. I think I'm really going to like this girl.

Wednesday: I go on a walk around Malval and see a bunch of guys working in a field. I walk over to them. They are packaging freshly harvested organic bananas on their way to the USA. Cool!!

Thursday: At a meeting launching our Tumbes-wide HIV/AIDS education initiative sponsored by PEPFAR. A mayor stands up and says, "You know, I think it's really all about the youth. I mean, young people don't go to their parents, their teachers, or their health posts to talk about sex. They go to their peers. So, we need to reach out to their peers." Yes!! Yes!! Yes!!

This morning: Woke up with a start. I had a terrible nightmare that Huascaran was destroyed by a volcanic eruption and almost everyone was killed. I was so happy to wake up and find it wasn't true. I rolled over and switched on the TV, CNN in English. Where am I? Not Malval, that's for sure. I'm in Piura. I have a doctor's appointment today to get my leg checked out. Just want to make sure that there'll be no lasting damage before I start this Peace Corps thing for real.