Hola amigos!

Long time no write. We miss you! Since its been a while, we have added two new photo albums too. Please specifically check out the one entitled "Requesting help for miracles in Mancora" which has some pictures of the school we are trying to help out with our fundraising campaign.

Hope all is well in the frozen north! It is HOT HOT HOT here. We finally have hot water in our new house, but who needs it with this weather! We take several cold showers a day now to wash away all the sweat and dust that subsequently gets plastered to us.

It's been six weeks since we moved out of the volunteer house and we LOVE having our own space and are feeling quite a lot more like our normal selves (no comments about the normal part, ok?!) We have a great outdoor patio and a fabulous view of the beach and an even more fabulous breeze that keeps our place cool day and night. It's great to be away from the noise and dust of the pueblo too and to be spending so much more time outside...on our patio and at the beach. We have a family of about 8 lizards that live nearby and hang out in our lawn to entertain us throughout the day and several little geckos that hang out on our walls in the house in the evening to help catch bugs. The most surprising change that I've encountered here is that somehow I've developed a fondness for birds! Those of you who know me well know that I DO NOT like birds, but here there is quite a variety of brightly colored birds that I've really enjoyed watching. We even have one solo bright red cardinal that visits us every day. We've named her Joycie after my birth mom who passed away last December. She was always enamored with cardinals and who knows, maybe now she gets to fly where she wants. I'd choose this location too if I were her. ;)

It's great that we get to share our house with our friends here in Mancora too. Our friends Rita and Benjamin and their 3 kids (and one on the way) came out for a 4 day holiday in December and are coming again on the weekend for another vacation. It's a great way to treat them to something and spend some more time getting to know them all. Our friend Elizabeth comes every Tuesday to visit, and we host all of the other volunteers one night a week so that we can keep in touch with them now that we aren't in the house. We've had a couple of parties already and have really enjoyed sitting outside and singing with Benjamin playing the guitar and our friend Armando on the cajon.

I can't believe we are more than half way through our trip already. It's definitely been a challenging and growing experience. I've learned a lot about myself... that I really don't like being told what to do, that I love having the freedom to set my own hours, that I don't have to be a part of everyone's good experience here, that learning to speak Spanish fluently is much harder than I thought it would be, that I like working behind the scenes and don't always need to be in charge of everything, that I am much less disciplined a person than I'd like to be, and that I really enjoy leading groups more than I realized.

One of the best things that's happened in the last little while is that we took a trip to the big city this past week to buy some supplies and gifts for the schools here. These gifts to the school came out of money that some of you sent during our Miracles in Mancora campaign to help support the projects here. It will be so great to be able to present these tools for learning to them. Today we spent the day prepping and cleaning the school, and tomorrow we start painting. We are quite excited to give the place a new fresh look!

It's been a busy six weeks with our English classes and summer camp as well, but we are lucky to be getting away again to see a bit more of the continent. We are meeting my parents in Quito on March 1 and spending three weeks travelling with them through Ecuador, Mancora and Macchu Picchu area. I am really looking forward to spending some time with them and creating some great memories.

I'll say toodle- ooooo for now. We miss you and wish you were here!

Love,

Stacy


Buenos

As I look on the calendar I realize that yesterday was our 6 month mark of being here in Mancora and South America. The experience has definitely changed me, and it continues to alter the person that I am becoming. I often struggle with the role that I should have, and if I really am making any difference at all by my presence here. I guess we all struggle with that no matter where in the world we are.

I have also had some great times living here and feel like in some ways I have come home. I love the slower pace and learning to not get upset about little things. I love the fact that I have been able to spend time with Stacy and get know her more and grow with her. We have had many laughs and amazing experiences that will have us still talking about them 20 years from now.

It has certainly been with its challenges these last 6 months. There were many parts that were horrible and extremely stressful. There were times that I wondered if I would be able to remain, and if I remained how my relationship with my wife would survive. Doing something like this as a couple I think adds an extra layer of complexity. We have learned a lot about each other over the past 6 months, living and traveling together. We are learning so many lessons, like we hoped we would. The most important one,that we love each other and want to share our lives with each other, and work out any problems. That is something that takes constant communication and learning to find you in the context of your relationship. Giving each other the freedom to be yourselves and not doing all things together. Also learning to give ourselves permission to have time and things just for us. As in all the things of love and life, we continue to learn and grow and struggle to become the people we truly want to be.

I have deeply loved getting to know so many fantastic people here. They have become our friends, who open up their hearts and homes to us. Peruvian people are happy despite their circumstances. It is a great feeling to say hello to friends on the street and to laugh about experiences you have shared together. To have a conversation with people. We are known as the "gringas with moto". The routine of living here has become second nature to us now. Who to buy the best tomatoes from, where to find the cheapest Diet Cola, that the little ants that are everywhere really don't like bleach, that little black blobs on the walls are gecko poop and can easily be removed, who can always make change for big bills, that it is possible to carry 9 large bottles of beer in a strong bag on our moto, that Tuesaday brings the freshest vegetables to the market, that not all hamburgers are made with beef (perhaps dogs), where all the speed bumps are on the side roads, that it is okay to pass other motos on a two way street if they are just going too slow, that you can survive your house flooding several times, that you can share your house with geckos and lizards and begin to like seeing them everyday, that it is easy to finish off a 750ml bottle of beer all on your own, that you can do your own laundry just as well on your own with the right amount of elbow grease, that cooking with just one frying pan is possible, that thoroughly cleaning your house 3 times a week to get rid of all the dust isn't as bad as it sounds, that driving the motorbike down the bumpiest road in all of Peru 2 or 3 times a day can be a form of entertainment.


Although we have settled into some routines, sometimes the longer that I am here the less I feel I know about what it means to live in Peru. I can never really experience it the way that a Peruvian can because of the bias and knowledge that I bring. The standard of living that I have in Canada, determines to some extent the way that I live here. The knowledge, the confidence and resources that I have to pull from to solve a problem will always be greater than most of the people I live here with. Not that we are not living on a budget and going into debt to be here, but we have our needs met fairly reasonably. So many others that I walk by everyday do not. It is almost a daily struggle for me to understand the injustice of the world, and more specifically the fact that poverty exists so much. The biggest resource that is lacking is the education. We all know that "knowledge is power", we have been taught that for so long and we live it in the values that we have for our children, education and progress. This is what holds people down here, the lack of a good education to help improve their conditions, and the proper knowledge to actually do something about it.

I came here thinking that I could bring something good for the country and Mancora. I have begun to see and understand the complexity of the roles people have here, and their lack of knowledge, confidence and power to change these roles. So many things are out of their control and they are so often affected by others lack of action. For example, since we have been here, the water situation in Mancora has been an ongoing problem. For several days at a time most of the people in Mancora have no water. No water to cook, bath, or do laundry. They have just come to accept this, as a part of living here. But along with this lack of proper water come so many other problems that they should not have to accept. Like the diseases and sicknesses. If we had this same problem in Canada, we would be outraged and demand for the water situation to be fixed. Our education and confidence and human rights would demand this and a solution would be found. This does not happen here because of a lack of education.
The conditions of the streets and roads littered with garbage is also a constant problem. People live with garbage all around them and there is no proper land fill other than the local hills just outside of town. This garbage is full of disease and insects that go onto create further problems. People living with dirt floors and no roofs, a major problem in February when the heavy rains come and flood them.

It may seem like such a simple solution to us living in developed country, but it is so complex because so much of what we have experienced and been exposed to our whole lives, they have never seen or had. Living in a Third World country is extremely different than living back home. They do not have the ability to often come up with better solutions. They do most work with non-powered hand tools. Creating buildings and streets and homes all by hand. Jobs that would take an afternoon back home (pouring a sidewalk for a city block) take days and days here, because it all is done by hand, all the mixing and gathering water and carrying cement! They simply do not have what we have, or even what they need in so many circumstances.

One of the best things about working here has been the time spent with the children of Mancora. Like all children they are innocent and full of potential. Yet they lack the necessary tools to develop that potential. That is why we ran a fundraiser just before Christmas called Miracles in Mancora. In it we expressed the needs of the schools in Mancora and asked for anything that you could do in the way of making a donation. Although we raised some money to buy some school supplies, the response was a little disappointing. Maybe the timing was wrong, with Christmas and all.

So with classes beginning here soon, we are asking you to reconsider giving to this cause. The need here is great and you can make a difference with even a small donation. Your money can go a long way here to helping improve the lives of so many children and provide them with tools to further their potential.

Thanks for taking the time to read our blogs and keep in contact with us.
Wishing you warm thoughts for your cold winter nights and hope you have and early spring.
Love and miss you
Shelly
p.s. here is the letter and info we sent out in December for the Miracles in Mancora fundraiser. Please take the time to look it over.

¡Milagros en Máncora • Miracles in Máncora!

25 November 2007


Hola Friends!

As the Christmas season approaches here in Máncora, the setting is very different from the commercialism of North America. At the risk of sounding dramatic, while kids in North America are adding i phones and laptops to their lists, kids here are selling food and cigarettes on the beach in order to help provide some money for their families. This is the reality in Peru. The longer we are here, the more clearly we see the need and how much of a difference a little generosity and money can make. In this spirit, we've met with two of the local schools that we work in and have collected a "wish list" of some of their most basic needs. We are writing to invite you to consider sending a gift of money to help make these wishes a reality for the schools here.

Many of you have already asked how you can help the community here, so we have set up a fund through the organization we are working with (Para el Mundo) entitled ¡Milagros en Máncora • Miracles in Máncora! With your help, hopefully we can make something of nothing here for the new school year beginning in March. All the money donated through this campaign will go directly to meeting the needs of the local elementary and secondary schools here in Mancora. We have attached a list of some of the items needed in the schools.

In the schools in Máncora, the situation is bleak. In particular, schools here suffer from a lack of basic, basic resources—paper, pencils, dictionaries, and books. Bigger items are also lacking, including desks, white boards and projectors. One school desperately needs a pump to provide clean water for their sinks and toilets; right now they are carrying water into the school in buckets. Again this is the daily reality in Máncora!.

When we told the schools that we had friends back home wanting to send money to help, the directors (with whom we work very closely) were overcome with gratitude. Even in our half -cracked Spanish, we could understand how deeply they felt our generosity and compassion. We truly hope that you will feel this same sense of generosity and compassion. If everyone on our list sent even $100, we could meet every need on the list. Your money can make a difference. At this time of year we find money for the things and people we value. That is great. We just ask that you will also value this campaign. It can change lives and empower people. Please, also consider passing this request on to your friends and family and consider donating to Miracles in Máncora as a Christmas gift for friends or family.

If you wish to give and be a part of making a difference here, please print out the attached wish list and mark the category to which you are designating your gift (or just attach a note to your cheque). We will purchase these items on your behalf and we will ensure that every cent is directed to the schools and used to purchase the items on this list. Cheques can be sent directly to the Para el Mundo office in Toronto (address below). If you prefer, you can make a credit card donation via the PaM website (www.paraelmundo.org). In this case, please email a separate note to direct your funds. Donations of $25 or more are eligible for a tax receipt. We hope to provide the schools with their new equipment and supplies before classes start again in mid-March, and so we'll be going on a buying trip to Piura, the closest "big" city to Máncora, in early January. Please send in your donation as soon as possible so that we can properly designate funds.

Some of you may wish to send actual supplies; however, Para el Mundo is not able to accept donations of items because of strict customs regulations in Peru. Purchasing the items here in Peru is also a great way to support the local economy.

Thank you for considering the kids of Máncora in your Christmas gift giving this year. We wish you all the very best joys of the season and the abundance of spirit it can bring.

Con mucho cariño,

Shelly and Stacy Norrbom


To see our photos and blogs of Máncora, visit:
www.offexploring.com/chicassuertes

To read more about Para el Mundo, visit:
www.paraelmundo.org

Para el Mundo Canada
217 St. George St. #44
Toronto, Ontario, CANADA, M5R 3S7



MIRACLES IN MÁNCORA! l ¡MILAGROS EN MÁNCORA!

Para el Mundo and the schools of Máncora
Christmas Wish List Campaign

School supplies for kids

Suggested gift price: $25 - $50
Pens, pencils, coloured pencils, notebooks, backpacks, English-Spanish dictionaries, Spanish dictionaries, paints, paint brushes

Teacher supplies
Suggested gift price: $50 -$75
Staplers & staples, hole punches, white board brushes & markers, paper cutters, scissors, posters, pens and pencils

Library needs
Suggested gift price: $100 - $150
Peruvian novels and short stories, collection of anthologies (Spanish, Peruvian, Hispanoamerican and World literature), dictionaries, music CDs for children, educational games, tables, chairs, bookshelves

Teaching aids
Suggested gift price: $200 - $300
Multimedia projectors, projection screen, tvs, computers, computer desks, video camera, sound equipment, microphone, cd readers and burners, whiteboards

Building needs
Suggested gift price: $100 - $200
Electric water pump, drinking water, student desks & chairs, teacher desks & chairs, science lab tables

Sports equipment
Suggested gift price: $50 - $75
Soccer balls, basketballs, volleyballs, volleyball net, gym mats, uniforms, miscellaneous physical education equipment

Special Projects
Give what you wish

Musical Instruments
Trumpets, saxophones, bass, drums, piano, guitars, cajones, flutes

Handicraft Workshop for Students and Community Artisans
Workshop tables and chairs, machines for polishing shells for jewelry and craft-making, toolboxes, extension cords

Paint for Deteriorating Classrooms
Many of the classrooms and main areas need paint and refinishing

Undesignated Gift

Total donation: $ _______________

Make cheque payable to Para el Mundo
and mail to:

Para el Mundo
217 St. George St. #44
Toronto, Ontario, CANADA
M5R 3S7

or donate via credit card online at:
www.paraelmundo.org

PaM is a registered Canadian charity
#83706-1548-RR0001

Every cent of your gift will be used to purchase much-needed items for the schools of Máncora. Thank you for your generosity, and best wishes of the season.

Please send your cheque today! We hope to have all donations in hand before the end of December, 2007.