OK I am not really in the mood to write a big long entry now but... yesturday we went on an adventure, me, El Coronel, Maria, Erasmo, and Wilfredo. We drove north 2.5 hours to Huacho for lunch. The drive was amazing to say the least. In a matter of seconds you would go from sandy desert to green carpeted hills and beaches, to areas that looked tropical (despite the cold). It was crazy. What was more crazy was the composition of the pueblos. They were compromised of scraps, reeds, garbage and broken dreams and aspirations. In a matter or moments you could see extreme changes in climate and ecology and still running along the side of the highway were traces of cities, traces of livlihoods.

It was eye opening for me because I had never seen something like that in real life, it was something that was evident in your introductory IDS texts but nothing I had beheld with my own eyes. It was always something that was detached from me, from my being, from what mattered. An overly thin goat, or cow, or mule, or dog, or family, things that pull at your heart stings, but what can you do to change it? I talked with my supervisor about it today, about whether she felt optimistic about progress and so-called development after being in the business for five years now.

I think this experience for me should prove that. It should provide that sort of answer, make me ask deeper questions, make me see more, make more.

When we were in Huacho we went to a resturaunt for lunch, as I said they are crazy about Peruvian food here and eating, the resturaunt is well known for their Pato Ceviche, I had eaten duck in the past and not enjoyed it but I figured it was worth trying. So, we had a glass of the house wine that was actually made there, they are crazy about sweet red wines here, I don't want to be rude and tell them that I prefer dry red and room tempeture please! Not cold! But don't know how to do so without being rude. It's funny because I sit here typing this while I drink the better part of a bottel of semi-dry cool red wine. Anyway, the appetizer came to the tabel, Chucharon de conejo, well I didn't know what this meant, so I decided I would try it, I noticed that it had hair on it still, this is a faux paus in North America. So I was hesitant from the beginning about eating it. I put the smallest piece on my fork after trying some friend yucca, still questiong about the ahir or fur on the meat. They told me it was fibers from the yucca, I called them on that and they irged me to try it.

I said it tasted pretty good but wanted to know what it was.... rabbit.... rabbit! When I was little I tried a little piece of rabbit and out of principle and loyalty to pets couldn't eat any more, in fact I started to cry at the table. I was so upset that I had eaten one without knowning, to think I could eat a pet! For me it felt the same as eating a cat ro dog. I didn't mean to offend the people at the tabel but I was upset, I asked afterwards whether I offended anyone, my supervisor said no, that they felt bad for me.

Anyway, I ate my Pato Ceviche, and you knwo what? It was good, but the meat it dark and a bit dense. The sauce was good and I really like the yucca. I thought the yucca would be more like jicima and I HATE jimica but it's like squash and sweet potato put together, I liked it mroe then the typical huge moutains of rice which I never eat and always accompany my meals.

Afterward we drove back to Lima, on the way we saw some goat farmers walking there goats and a couple sheep on the side of the road, we stopped because I love goats and ran along side of them and petted them, they were too cute! There were also two sheep and a little baby black sheep, Negrita!

All in all a day where I learned a lot and was able to take an entire Tuesday off! I had planned on hitting up el Barrio Chino but we got home too late for that. We reschedueled for today because I am dying to try Chifa (PeruanoChino comida) but of course soething else had to come up. And it did! There was a 7.7 earthquake in Lima! It lasted over one minute! Nothing happened at the house/office but elsewhere people weren't so lucky. At Larcomar, the mall overlooking the sea in Miraflores, roof collapsed and some communities are self evacuating because there is a tsunami warning. I guess the quake also shook Columbia, Ecuador, Chile and Japan! It reminds me of the good ol days living on the San Andreas fault line, and El Granada Elementry, I remember getting out of school and eating gross amounts of Easter <candy at Ginas hosue, hahaha.

Anyway, incase anyone hears about an earthquake in Peru, I am fine and being even finer after my bottel of wine.

Hope everyone is in good health and what not, I would love to hear how you all are, don't be strangers!