Today is another day of work on the computers.  I´m working on my third of a document Blanca wanted us to translate.  It´s basically a summary of the achievements of La Casa de Panchita in the last year - a report they have to turn in every year.  It will be up on the AGTR site in English as soon as we finish it.  For now, anyone who wants to look at the website (which includes pictures and a blog) should go to www.gruporedes.org.  I´m starting to brainstorm about a fundraiser to do for La Casa de Panchita during this next semester.  I´d like to keep in contact with them and perhaps come and spend more time with them in the future if they´ll have me.  

Last night we went out for Emily´s birthday.  We first went to a really nice dinner at Blanca´s house.  Her friend, also named Blanca Rosa, did most of the cooking I think and it was delicious.  We even had a few things whose origin is in the rainforest of Peru.  Afterwards we went to a bar where a jazz band was playing.  It was enjoyable, but we had to head back early because we had work today.  I mention this night out because I had my first encounter with a Peruvian transvestite.  We were in Barranco, a neighborhood near the edge of the cliff that is Lima and we had walked down to the edge of the cliff to look out over the water.  He (I will refer to him as a male since the English language lacks a way to refer to people of neither or both genders) had used balloons to give himself breasts and a larger backside and had a dirty, blond and almost unrecognizable wig on his head.  He was selling candy and offered it to us but we all looked away uncomfortably.  It was unclear as to whether this wo/man was sane or not.  He walked away from us but in the direction that we then had to go and as he heard us following him he looked back.  I looked at his face and saw him looking at us, afraid.  That facial expression really affected me.  Why was he afraid?Thinking about it, it seems obvious has he has suffered violence for his lifestyle.  It makes me really sad to think of someone like him - uncomfortable or unhappy with the body he is born into and punished by society for attempting to align his body with this soul.
This, of course, is not something unique to Peru, but there are places in the United States where people know they can go to find other´s like them, to find at least minimal acceptence.  I´m not sure there´s anything like that in Peru.

That´s it for today - back to translating.
Adios