December in a Flash

STATUS AS A TENANT -  As I had mentioned in a previous post, I had been lucky to have found an apartment on the same building as the MEDA office. Yet, my luck ran out. I was asked to moved out, since the landlord's wife wanted to have the apartment to herself for the month of December and January. Thanks to Jessica (my manager), I was able to negotiate with the landlord to receive my deposit, December's rent and compensation for the breach of contract. However, I was left without a place to live...

Giannina and me at La Punta, Lima

Luckily, out of the sweetness of her heart, Giannina (MEDA accountant) invited me to stay with her family, while I sorted things out. Given that I had less than 2 months left on my contract and the holidays coming up, Giannina offered me to stay with her for the duration of my internship. I FOUND AN ANGEL! I cannot express how thankful I am to her and to her lovely family. 

THE HOLIDAYS - I had planned to take advantage of the days off work and travel from Lima to Machu Picchu by land with a couple of friends. However, due to last minute changes my friends could not come down to Peru and thus I was left without plans for the holidays. Without a place of my own and without X-mas plans, my boyfriend (Patrice) convinced me to head back home for the holidays. Due to the circumstances, Jessica understood and allowed me to leave a few days earlier to make most of my time in Canada ... 8 days later... I was back to Montreal and it had never felt so good to be home!

To celebrate my homecoming, my boyfriend's mom bought us the famous Charlie Brown Christmas Tree. It was officially our 1st X-Mas tree and one that will never be forgotten. In the picture, you can see our adorable Sakic, who I have also missed very much. 

SMALL REFLECTION AFTER 5 MONTHS OF WORK -18 days in Canada with family and friends has made admit it more difficult to be back in Lima, I must admit. Yet, knowing that I only have 1 more month left working with the Techno-Links project has also made me nostalgic. I have been very fortunate to have had the opportunity to work with my field manager, Jessica Villanueva. She has constantly trusted me with new tasks, encouraged and supported me along the way. I have learned a great deal by her side, not only about the project itself but also regarding the development field and career options in general. Working with Jessica has made this internship experience all worth it!

Coming up.... general reflections about my 6 month internship working with the Techno-Links project.