Hit the Ground Running

Photo: The amazing Ceviche at Restaurante Caplina

Photo: Our new friend Carolina at Nexos Voluntarios

Photo: The entire Bueno-Rojas family at a special HBI dinner; prepared by HBI's one lawyer

The past two days have just sailed by. Ken and I flew into Lima from Arequipa on Thursday morning for a couple of days of meetings and planning for a team Outreach Trip to Ancash in October.

From the constant running around to the strain of thinking in English and struggling to speak in Spanish (someday, soon I hope, I will be able to think in Spanish - as it currently stands my thoughts are always four to five paragraphs ahead of my translations; needless-to-say, I am not a very effective communicator in Spanish) - I am exhausted.

We had a great meeting this morning with an NGO based out of Lima called Nexos Voluntarios. They are doing amazing work and have a very dynamic model of direct care/advocacy and helping volunteers find meaningful opportunities for getting involved. Click on the hyperlink above or HERE, and learn more about the wonderful programs and projects they are involved with.

Later this afternoon we met with Vida Peru (an NGO partly sponsored by the Interbank consortium; and a group we have partnered with for a number of years) to further discuss the possibility of a Summer 2010 collaborative conference. We are talking about taking the "Arequipa Connect" conference model and reproducing the focus and intention in Lima. Vida Peru is very established and well respected/connected throughout Peru - their involvement may make such an effort possible. This is a lot of work and right now, we are only in the "pre-contemplation" phase.

Once we finished our afternoon meeting we went to lunch. A very special lunch indeed. For a number of years I have had the privilege of taking care of a Peruvian patient at my clinic in Portland. My patient has been talking to me about the restaurant his brother owns in Lima and really encouraging me to visit. Well, today - we did it. It was fantastico! I do not like fish - really any kind of seafood. But their Ceviche was fantastic. It was so flavorful - that I almost forgot I was eating fish (raw fish at that). We got the first class service - with a tour of the kitchen and amazing table side attention. It was great.

Now, some 40 hours after we came back to Lima, I find myself in a very familiar spot . . . waiting in the Lima airport to return to the U.S. What makes this trip different than the many, many others I have made over the years - well, I get to go home to my lovely pregnant wife. I am so excited.

HBI will be posting updates about our October Outreach Trip to Ancash in the coming weeks. Please stay in touch with us through our website, BlogSpot and Facebook page. Thank you for your continued support of HBI and the work we are doing around Latin America.