Paul and Rach Elliston

Applications Begin

Apr 172011

So, it all starts once again…. Given my love(?!) of filling in application forms, I guess I chose the wrong profession, seeing as development jobs are usually relatively short contracts. Nevermind, at least, I’ll end up with a job I love at the end of it, just hope that it doesn’t take too many applications to find the right one!

Today the form filling has begun, with an application to work with a major children-focussed international charity (INGO) and be involved in a junior project management capacity for a new programme they are developing. It would require travel, but be based back in the UK; in London to be precise. It definitely sounds interesting and great experience for me…

Got a couple more opportunities in the pipeline, so will just have to see what comes up. Watch this space as they say!!

Deadlines

Business Start-Up, Future Plans, Home Gardens & Nutrition, PAUL, PCT, Smokeless Stoves, Toilets, Training Centre No Responses »

Apr 142011

The problem with deciding that you’re going to leave somewhere is that all the work you had stretched before you over the next few months gets compressed into much less time. The start of the next module at the Training Centre is mid-May, by which time I need to have written 2 new business courses from scratch, both teachers’ books and textbooks. That’s going to be a tall order in itself, but add to that the need to get the toilet project and the home-gardening project with the families finished and a new smokeless stoves project started before June, then it’s going to be a very, very busy few weeks ahead!

Homework and Home Gardens

Business Start-Up, Families, Home Gardens & Nutrition, PAUL, PCT, Training Centre No Responses »

Apr 132011

Being a teacher brings with it the inevitable marking. Well, in theory, at least. I’d spent last week teaching most of my students about how to design questionnaires and set them the homework of doing market research questionnaires for the products they are going to launch. From one of my classes, I only picked up one piece of coursework today (and not a very good piece at that), so I guess I won’t be spending quite so long marking as I thought.

With some time of my hands, I went out to see the Vegetable Garden I started with some families in one of the villages. I’ve been told that the families keep talking about it and are very proud of what they’ve been able to do (showing that it’s not just about improving diet, but self-esteem too). It was a bit of a surprise, therefore, to see that there were stinging nettles everywhere; it hadn’t been fenced in while I was away as promised and that something has been eating the cabbages. I’ll have to organise a workshop with the families to address some of these issues…

And We’re Back (Almost!)

PAUL, Website Maintenance No Responses »

Apr 122011

Problems with our hosting arrangements have meant a few weeks off-line, so apologies to our regular readers. Normal service has now been resumed, except that our photos are still not working properly. Our technical team is on the case and we hope to be fully functioning again soon. Please do not adjust your set…

Back To Work Today

Chincha, Future Plans, PAUL, RACH, Studying Nutrition, Teaching English, Weather No Responses »

Apr 112011

Had my first class today since having time off. Kind of nice to be back, but felt quite unmotivated. I don’t like teaching people who are obligated to take classes in order to get their bachelors degree. They have to do 12 months of language in order to get their bachelors so they are hardly language lovers.

Paul very busy with about 100 projects to get done by mid-July, just in case he gets a job and we leave.

Rainy season making an obvious effort to cease, so had a few nice sunny moments – which are incredibly hot moments when it happens.

I’ve been madly studying trying to catch up on all the time i missed while on holiday and in Chincha.

Incidently, our friends in Chincha appear to be doing much better! We have only heard positive things really. I had a conversation with the wife today over the phone and she said that they are improving each day…. this is quite a miracle seeing as when I first went down to do a rescue attempt, it looked all but hopeless.

We celebrated our 3 yr anniversary of living in Peru last Saturday. What an achievement considering all the circumstances we have faced!!

An Intake Of Breath

PAUL, PCT, Training Centre No Responses »

Apr 112011

You know that strange sucking sound that all workmen make when you ask them for a quote, well we’ve all just made one here. It seems that to get the health and safety clearance which with help the Training Centre become a nationally recognised Technical Institute and registered with the Ministry of Education that we can expect a bill of around £2,200… Ouch!

It’s a lot of cash, but essential if we’re to grow student numbers (which is a key part of the plan towards becoming fully self-sustaining), since it allows us to offer nationally recognised certificates and greatly increases the perceived worth of their training. We’ll just have to bite the bullet I guess…

We’re Going Up! We’re Going Up!

PAUL, Southampton FC No Responses »

Apr 092011

A 2-0 win away at Leyton Orient has today seen the mighty Saints (Southampton Football Team) move into second place in League 1 and on the brink of being promoted to the Championship. Not much of the season left, so I hope we can hang on to our position…

Teaching Again

Business Start-Up, PAUL, PCT, Training Centre No Responses »

Apr 082011

First day back in front of class and I had 3 of them (that’s 6 hours in total) today, which makes for a very long day. The first was great. The second was a little insipid and the last, our night school group, were positively disinterested, but that is understandable to some extent since they unfortunately get the pure theory course (since they’ll leave soon and there was no time to teach them in any other way) – even I’d be bored if I had to do that.

One Of The Incredible View Of Iguazu

PAUL, RACH No Responses »

Apr 062011

We have soooooo many pictures of all the various viewpoints at Iguazu, of which there are numerous. Feast your eyes on this beauty!

Future Plans

Future Plans, PAUL, PCT No Responses »

Apr 062011

Finished my chatting things over with Manuel. He has agreed to my suggested timetable for leaving the work here and is, I think, sad at that prospect, but he agrees with me that they haven’t made the best use of me while I’ve been here and he can understand why I might want to move on to something else.

The plan is that I’ll hang around until mid-July at least, to cover for the period that he’ll be out of the country. After that, if I don’t yet have a job to go to, then I’ll continue on a more part-time basis while I job search or until we decide to leave for the UK.

The fact that my leaving has now been agreed, allowed me to announce it at the staff meeting in the afternoon. We’re going to be having a vision and strategy planning meeting in May and my decision to leave means that I can now facilitate that from a more neutral standpoint. Not much was said verbally when I made my announcement, but there were a few glum faces around.

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