The place I call home

Although I was initially supposed to move in with a Dutch girl in a three-room flat, my plans changed upon arriving here in Cajamarca. I decided not to stay with Sara and moved to Manthoc, home to several volunteers, including my colleague Silvia. The problem with the first flat was by no means Sara, my ex future flat mate, she is very nice and we’re good friends. I simply didn’t feel at home in the house: it was in urgent need of repair and next to no sunlight entered into the rooms. Besides, Sara has three jobs and works from early morning till late at night, so I would have been alone at home a lot. At Manthoc I'm never alone; there is always someone to talk to.

Manthoc is actually an NGO that works for the rights of child labourers; the residence is just a way to finance the social projects. I don’t feel I contribute very much, though: the monthly rent is around 60 €, including water, gas, electricity, cleaning, Internet, and even towels and sheets. Like all houses in Cajamarca, ours lacks heating, but I don’t suffer from cold at all It’s just a question of dressing appropriately and sleeping under several blankets.



At the moment we are only five: Daniela (Peruvian), Silvia (Italian), Andrea (Italian), Stéphan (French), and I. Towards the end of July we are expecting two new girls from Germany and a boy from the U.S. I get really well along with my flatmates and spend most of my free time with them. I’m getting more and more convinced about that sharing a flat is a lot more fun than living alone! We have a pet, too: her name is Danielita, and she is the hugest rat I have ever seen. Thankfully I have only met her once and that in the kitchen, not in my room.





Most of the volunteers in the Finnish Volunteer Programme headed to Africa, and I'm convinced that I have it a million times easier than they do. I can take a warm shower as many times a day as I like, I have Internet at home (expect for frequent service cuts), our kitchen is well equipped; all in all, my home is very comfortable. No dirt floors, cold water, cockroaches, leaking roofs, or anything of the like. I don’t feel I live in a third world country, in fact!