Goodbye Latin America!

Paraliding off the coast of Peru in Pisco!

Well the time has come to fly away from Latin America and start a new phase in my life. I have really enjoyed my time and adventures here and parting is bittersweet. I fly from Lima to New York City tonight to hang out with Randi for four days in The Big Apple!
My last week in Peru has been a whirlwind of fun with the Burner Without Borders (BWB)gang in Pisco. I have been volunteering with this crazy group of compassionate volunteers who are trying to rebuild Pisco. Pisco was devastated by an earthquake on August 15th, 2007. Over 500 people died and over 50 000 made homeless and yet this disaster only received a new lines of print in the world news. BWB, a San Fransisco based group, has helped many towns, in the US and worldwide, after disasters have struck leaving them helpless.

It´s hard work being a volunteer here, since everything has to be down by hand. There isn´t any really great technology here and people are so poor that everything has to be made from scratch. We poured cement, carried water over large distances, and moved rocks and rubble with our own hands. Its back breaking work but worth it to see a school or house constructed for those less fortunate.

Over 200 volunteers from more that 15 countries have made their way to Pisco, Peru to help out. They pay less than $5 a day to live in cramped conditions, eat local food and many end up with stomach problems because of the poor sanitation and water conditions. Most end up staying longer than they expect, creating their own projects and raising money from back home to help the people of Pisco. You too can help! If you are able to donate a small sum the Burners Without Borders can continue there amazing wok in Pisco. They are looking for donations now to build Sanitation Modules so that families can have safe water conditions, a sanitary bathroom and kitchen unit. Donantions can be mailed to: Burners Without Borders, 1900 3rd St, SF CA, 94158 or log onto www.burnerswithoutborders.org to donate with paypal.

They also know how to have fun and relieve the stresses of the day! This picture was taken on Tu-Tu Tuesday, a theme day created to generate energy and positive moral. They hand-made these little numbers and wore them all day at the construction sites! A memorable moment indeed!
Now I am off to the USA to visit friends and travel my way through Arizona, Colorado, Utah, Nevada and California with a great program called wwoofusa.org. I will be volunteering on farms across the country in return for room and board. Sounds like a great deal to me!
Adios Latina America, hasta el proximo vez...!