Hello from Puerto Maldonado. This is the first of what will hopefully be many small reports on the work that I am doing here. A brief introduction of who I am, why I am here and the organisation I am working for, before getting onto the important bit of "the story so far".

My name is Rebecca, I am an undergraduate of the anthropology department and gained a place on the Overseas Training Programme run by Volunteer Service Overseas. More info. on the programme can be found at www.vso.org.uk. In a (brazil) nutshell the programme gives people like me the opportunity to gain experience working in the field of development and conservation (and all things related). Thanks to the support of Helen Newing in the department I am working with TReeS (Tambopata Reserve Society) who support local development initiatives that compliment the preservation of the biodiversity found here and enable studies into the flora and fauna. (Puerto Maldonado can be found in the south-east Amazon area of Peru that borders with Brazil and Bolivia).

Things are chaotic and fun and confusing and all sorts out here but I am enjoying myself and have already learnt so much. I have not yet begun work on a specific project so watch this space next time. But here follows a brief summary of the last couple of weeks:

The jungle has so far been a pretty cool place to have landed. The weather is good and just when you think you can’t bear the heat for another day these freak winds called friajes come in from the sierra and drop the temperature down to about 14-20 degrees instead of the usual HOT. It is bizarre to see people riding around on their motorbikes with woolly hats on to a backdrop of palm trees. And how terribly British to have started with the weather, old habits die hard. New habits however are quite abundant, thrice weekly aerobics with a "lets do that again but this time 100 repetitions" instructor who spent far too much time at the school of "no pain no gain". I reward my efforts with chocolate cake firstly because its chocolate cake and secondly to watch her surprise at my lack of weight loss despite said repetitions.

I have badly salsa danced and got down to the beats of Mr Jovi at the local night club, biked through the rain forest to a caiman and pirhana infested lake but fortunately they were all out when we went for a swim, and bobbed up and down the amazon on a pequepeque (pron. Pecki pecki, named such because the engine goes peckipeckipeckipeckipeckipecki). Initial explorations around the local area have been fun and have taken me from BBQs to bow and arrow competitions.

My work is going to take me out into the indigenous communities that line the mass of local rivers that weave in and out of the trees on their way to Brazil and Bolivia. I am going to Infierno (translated as hell - do not ask me why they called the pueblo hell but the Esa Eja who live there are trying to get it renamed to Baawaja their indigenous name for the Tambopata river). They have a cultural centre and a natural healing centre with a botanical garden full of all the plants they use the extracts from to cure patients from far and wide. (just re-reading that found an amusing typo, had left the "l" out of plants!). TReeS is supporting the centre and it is hoped that it is going to become self-sustainable. To do this may involve tourism and therefore we are going to have to face all the problems that arise with the controlled fusion of western tourist and indigenous population.

I have been to a brazil nut zone with people who are trying to maximise the gain from this resource to help the small local farmers. New forestry laws introduced should help control the sustainable use of the forests but at present it is difficult for the small extractors to comply with the regulations. FENAMAD (native federation for the river Madre de Dios and tributaries) is continuing its campaign to ensure that voluntarily isolated indigenous groups are protected and have appropriate land rights and have written to Survival International to secure their support.

Like all the best anthropologists Alfedo, my supervisor, has his own unique method of organisation that could itself be studied! I have been using the last few days to try and "fuse" a bit of my organisation with that of the office here!

A man is cycling round outside telling me in a nasal voice through a speaker that "there are ice creams". I presume he is selling them rather then just spreading the good news so may just go say hi. Until next time, rebecca.