...And we're back.

It rained all of yesterday. It was my first taste of the true rainy season, and let me tell you it was kind of miserable. I usually love the rain. What is that Garbage song, "I'm only happy when it rains." In this case, it was tough. It didn't help that I had another tough discussion with my counterpart. It seems like we're all still frustrated with the slow progress in the CAID. I feel like I'm taking on a giant share of the responsibility, and I feel like that is unfair. One of the cultural problems in Peru is that everyone is afraid to accept responsibility until something goes well. Apparently there's a long history of the person responsible getting fired or in trouble when their project isn't successful. Needless to say, no one is assuming responsibility for the future of the CAID, and I believe that hinders the success.

One of the reasons I joined the Peace Corps, rather than another organization is that I knew I was going to a) be taken care of b) receive proper training c) work within the context of the local community and costums. I can't take part in "c" without the help of someone working along side of me. In fact, I hate the idea of working alone in a foreign country with only moderately decent foreign language skills. That's not development work, that's imperialism...and I have no interest in being a colonialist or imperialist. But of course, I'm faced with that inevitable questions: Am I helping or hindering the progress of the CAID by being here? I don't have an answer, but my APCD will be visiting on Thursday and I hope we have nice long talk where she can give me clarity on the matter.

Until then, I have to live with the ambiguity of it all. And now that internet is back up in the colegio, I hope that I can blog a little more frequently with my answers to the above and any other questions that come up along the way.