Landing in Cusco (VIDEO)

Well, I'm now in Cuzco.  Its feel so new and different from the last time I feel completely excited to be here.  And yet, there is something so comfortable about this place.  I'm having no trouble with the altitude at all (thought I've taken my own advice and stayed well hydrated) and indulged in a yin yoga session to help me adjust.  The best part is that I am in a completely different part of the city.  While I enjoyed being near the plaza last time, its quite full of tourists and sometimes felt a bit dangerous as far as pick-pocketing and such goes.

But enough talk - just watch this landing!

Preparation

Beginning a new journey brings many feelings.  Preparation for whats ahead, grasping at the past, letting go and allowing the time before I leave to just slip away until ...  until its time to go. Luckily for a busy-body like myself, its easy to keep oneself busy so you don't have to worry much about the fact that you are actually leaving.

My preparations have included studying Spanish with some intensity, and I've discovered some pretty great resources for home practice. I would highly recommend Notes in Spanish podcasts.  They are free to download (you can find them in bulk on iTunes as well), and are available in Beginner, Intermediate, or Advanced.  It was great to hike around the woods near my house, let Nahele run wild, and listen to these reasonably interesting conversations.  I was able to recognize progress over time as I caught more and more of what was being said.

Duolingo is a fun, free, interactive tool that helps to fine-tune your grammar.  Although its a bit tedious to get through the beginner stuff, there are few other learning opportunities that allow you to focus as directly on spelling and accents.  Also the mix of reading, speaking, writing makes for an interesting learning session. Finally, I got into some online professors.  Two of my favorites are Señor Jordan (so cute and helpful when you finally need to get something straight like indirect objects) and Professor Jason (great teacher who can run over the technical details with ease and precision).

Although at this point its hard to imagine anything more important than my language skills, I have also been actively building my professional network in this arena.  Before leaving Washington, I leveraged every relationship I developed this last year to start a fresh conversation on REDD+, ecosystem services, international conservation policy and funding, and Latin American activities.  I can't begin to thank all of the individuals that contributed to this effort, but I am very grateful to colleagues at C2ES, friends and contacts at WWF, Conservation International, The World Bank, George Washington University, University of Michigan, USAID, TetraTech, IRG, EDF, VCS, Forest Trends, and I am sure I am missing more.

I felt that it was important to begin conversations with these individuals while still in D.C., as its always more powerful to meet someone face-to-face.  I am so grateful to those individuals who sat down with me simply because of an email request or a mutual contact.  Additionally, I began to network in Peru and have had many Skype conversations with people that not only gave their time, but offered up additional contacts.

I learned a great deal in these conversations about current projects, legal issues, recent reports, and active organizations.  I really feel like these learning sessions embody the notion of 'pass it forward'.  Right now I am still receiving most of that, but in the future I will always be sure to give good bit of myself whenever it is requested of me.