Hi everyone!
How are you doing? I really hope you are doing great, from some of you I know, some I don?t. Anyway, I am back in Huaraz, Peru again. Back in the place where I have done my placement in 2003, my thesis last February and March, and now, since a week, I am working as the Volunteers Coordinator at the Mountain Institute, Huaraz. Totally happy, of course!
Until now, my new job hasn?t killed me yet, I am not very busy yet, which is nice, because I am still acclimatizing a little bit because of the altitude (3.200 meters above sea level!). The task Volunteer Coordinator has been given to me more or less to enable me to come to Peru in September, I receive a small financial compensation which allows me to survive here (and a bit more!), and so I can attend the meetings about a project we will start in January: The Adam Kolff School. That?s where I?m really here for. So now I am coordinating everything dealing with foreign and Peruvian students who want to do their placement here, write their thesis, or any person who wants to do voluntary work for us. It?s very interesting, nice to do, communicating with the whole world and seeing whether some colleague is in need of a volunteer, what kind of area they have studied, what they want to learn and what they can contribute to us.
But the Adam Kolff Project is much more interesting! We want to enable professionals and students to come and learn with and in the mountains, from mountain cultures, etc. For example, a group of students wanting to study the Social Responsibility of businesses in Peru, they will come to this region to study our projects with the mining companies, and investigate for themselves. I will arrange everything for them. Also, professionals, even if it?s only one or two persons, they can come and have a look at a project which interests them, even do some voluntary work if they wish to (there is quite some demand for this kind of tourism, and we should take advantage of that to fund our projects). It?s going to be very challenging I think, and interesting! I am looking forward a lo to the preparation phase (nothing?s sure yet, we have to start from zero!) and then to arranging stays for all different kinds of people with all different kinds of interests and all different kinds of programs. I?m quite sure I?m going to like it.
Well, for the rest I'm just taking up with my nice life here in Huaraz, Peru, going out with friends, etc. And my house (which is the same as before) is getting really beautiful, especially my room (Jenny: Im in your ex-room! It?s all furnished now and a nice carpet on the ground and a bit of wall decoration, reaaally nice Ill scan the picture and send it to you.)
Anyway people, I hope you're all doing great as well, I hope to hear from you all! I will respond personally.
Lots of greetings from a sunny Huaraz,
Guido.