An Update from Danielle Lafond from Mancora, Peru

At the end of July I saw a brief feature on localnicer than most people here, so they like us and
TV about a Canadian couple who had mortgagedprotect us, which is great. When I'm on the phone
their home to create an international non-profitdownstairs or walking outside at night, they each
development organization in Peru, starting withdo a good job guarding me, so I feel pretty safe.
shipping a container full of donated medical suppliesThe dogs here are very territorial, and I've seen
to a small town on the Peruvian coast. I didn'tthem show their teeth to strange men, but never
catch the person's name, but I did catch theto any of us. They're both big - one is a black lab
website: Once on the site I sent an email, andand one is a golden colored mix. We've also
Josh, the co-founder of this organization, got backendeared ourselves to many of
to me in an email from Peru to arrange anthe kids in the neighbourhood. We have different
interview with his wife, Danielle, who had came uprunning jokes with different kids, and they're lots
with the idea for this project.I had a chance to doof fun.Last night we were watching a movie on
an interview with Danielle who told me about howour projector, which is like 6' by 7' on the wall,
she and her husband Josh remortgaged theirand three kids and a dog, and our Peruvian friend
home to raise $30,000 to start a non-profitChristian all stopped by. The kids were facinated
community development organization in a townby the huge tv thing, touching the wall as if they
called Mancora, a small fishing town of 15,000thought it was hot.Josh and Sean visited the
people, located in northern Peru on the Pacificcentre for special needs kids yesterday, and the
coast, just south of the Ecuadorian border. Theykids there were literally hanging off them, jumping
already shipped a container full of medical suppliesinto their arms and hugging them. Very cute. The
to Peru, at their own cost.In August Daniellecentre also hosts a number of volunteers, mostly
moved to Peru to join her husband Josh, to helpfrom the UK, so it's been nice to meet other
this Peruvian community of Mancora. Danielle willvolunteer travelers and talk about our
be sharing with us regularly how she and herexperiences. Sean and I and another friend also
husband are doing in this little town in Peru andwent to see one of our students play volleyball at
she'll tell us stories (sometimes humorous ones)the local stadium Tuesday night. It was a full
about cultural adjustment as well as give ushouse, and the kids were really good,
progress reports of her non-profit communitydespite having no kneepads and playing on a hard
assistance organiation.Here is her first updatecement surface.So, I'll end this update with a
from Peru, sentfunny story....there are many, but this one is
--------------------Hi everyone,This is a group email,choice. I still laugh when I think about it. The other
but it's not that I don't love you each enough today, Maria, who works with Frank and Cecilia,
send you individual updates. It's just that we don'tcomes to the door with a friend and asks if we'd
have internet at our place yet, and I've beenlike to buy some Pina (pinapple) shampoo. In a
really busy, so for now, this is the best way toglass. Hmmm. So we said that that wasn't really
let you all know what's been going on.So getting aideal, because it was just going to fill with water in
phone has been a challenge. There are twothe shower. They started laughing, because they
potential problems in getting a phone set up inknew what we were thinking, but I guess with
Mancora. One is that there might not be enoughthe language barrier, they couldn't explain. So they
phone lines on your block, the other is that therecame back a few minutes later with two glasses
may be too many phone lines. We are in the 'tooof thick, chunky pinnaplely looking stuff, and we
much phone zone'. So we're still trying to figure ittook it. We figured 'when in Rome....', so Sean
out....I've been busy working with 3 teen girls,decided to try it out in the shower. He was
talking, watching movies, teaching English, learninglaughing and yelling from the shower because it
Spanish, and laughing a lot. Two of them arewas getting stuck in his chest hair, and he needed
young women I worked with last year, and theyregular shampoo to wash it out. As it turned out,
are each unique with different struggles. Theit was a dessert served here, similar to a pudding,
tough thing here is that besides us, there is nobut it is in fact called 'shampoo'. We learned the
one to call for help, no services or infrastructure.hard way again to always expect the unexpected
Cecilia and I are working on getting information onhere, and never to assume things are as they
what women's legal rights are here, and we will goappear! : )So that's all for now. In general, we're all
to the provincial centre next week to speak withfeeling very at home and very much part of a
the police there. What we've learned is they don'tcommunity. Our house is more often than not full
have many rights, but we are working hard toof visitors passing through (kids from the
make friends with the police here so that they willneighbourhood, friends, dogs....with no phones,
enforce the laws that do exist.A couple weekspeople can't call ahead), and we're all getting along
ago, one of the women we know was kicked bywell and working out the cooking and cleaning
her ex-boyfriend in the street and Josh, Frank,chores together.I hope you're all well, I miss you
Sean and Cecilia were there, backing her up, butall, and will write again soon,
it's hard to do much more. At least for now, themuch love,danielle : )Susanne Pacher is the
bad guys know that there is now a posse in townpublisher of a website called Travel and
willing to help women.Our house is great. I feelTransitions ( Travel and Transitions deals with
really comfortable and at home here. The guysunconventional travel and is chock full of advice,
did a ton of work in the few days before Itips, real life travel experiences, interviews with
arrived, installing shelves, locks on all the individualtravellers and travel experts, insights and
doors, and we have a well-stocked kitchen, lotsreflections, cross-cultural issues, contests and
of space, and nice furniture. We each have ourmany other features. You will also find stories
own room, and the spare room has been busy asabout life and the transitions that we face as we
well. Chris, another PaM director from Toronto, isgo through our own personal life-long
here now, and a friend of Miguel's fromjourneys.Submit your own travel stories in our
university was here last week. Our first twofirst travel story contest ( and have a chance to
paramedic volunteers arrive Sept.11th, with 3 or 4win an amazing adventure cruise on the Amazon
more coming in October.Our neighbours on eachRiver.
side have dogs, and I think we treat them much