Swiss Engineer moves to Peru to improve Life quality with Solar Energy
(written in German by Rosmarie Kayser, published at Bethlehem Mission Immensee, Switzerland
/translated by Wolfy Becker / 15 January, 2007
Source: Livinginperu.com
http://www.livinginperu.com/blogs/features/246
At the beginning of January, Swiss solar energy engineer is flying to Peru and stay there for the next three years. On behalf of the Bethlehem Mission Immensee (http://www.bethlehem-mission.ch/) he will participate in a project that will introduce simple solar energy techniques to the population high up in the Andes.
Until roughly a year ago, leaving his home country for an extended period of time wasn’t in Simon’s plans at all. In July 2002, Simon, who has a degree in heating engineering, founded his own solar- and alternative energy business in Niedermuehren (Swiss region of Fribourg), and the business had just started to take off. Then he traveled to Peru for a 3 week vacation and visited his acquaintance Thomas Kläy who is working for the Bethlehem Mission on a solar energy project at Lake Titicaca, the highest commercially navigable lake in the world.
“On the last day of my visit, Thomas asked me if I would be interested in working on such a project“, Simon said. “My first reaction was „no way“. I am doing really well in Switzerland, the business is just starting to grow, and I cannot leave here”. But the thought of such a life changing experience kept creeping in his mind during the remaining two weeks of his vacation. When he sat on an airplane that took him home, it became clear for Simon. “That’s what I am going to do”.
Environment protection and Equality
Meanwhile Simon Rüegsegger has completed the mission’s preparation process for emigrations, he quit his second job as a teacher at a vocational business school, and only a couple of weeks ago he dissolved his business and apartment. On January 2nd he flew back to Peru. In Santo Tomas, a town with about 8,000 inhabitants in the highlands of the Andean Mountains, he will participate and contribute to education projects organized by an agricultural school. Together with a team of Peruvians he will educate and train teachers and scholars in the utilization of solar energy. This is an assignment that corresponds to his conviction and beliefs 100 percent.
“My interests are based on the protection of environment and resources but also equal opportunity“, Simon explained. “I believe, all people have the right to heating and mobility. Using mainly crude oil and nuclear power is something our planet Earth cannot endure. That’s why we need other resources“. Solar technology can be very effective especially in the highlands of the Peruvian Andes. In spite of long periods of sunshine it can get very cold there due to its high elevation and these poor rural areas have hardly any electricity. “If we can give people the opportunity for a warm shower or an additional hot meal, thanks to solar energy, then this means a significant increase in the quality of their daily lives“, Simon says.
New perspectives for one’s own world view
Now he is looking forward to exciting encounters and discussions about a culture that fascinates him. “I am expecting different ideals, values, moral concepts and philosophies of life which will provide new incentives and perspectives for my own world view”. The only thing that makes him feel a little insecure is the foreign language. He’s just not a linguistic genius, he says. Right now he can barely get by with his Spanish knowledge but it’s not nearly good enough for heading a workshop. He also wants to learn a few words of Quechua in order to be able to at least communicate on a basic level with the natives and to exchange acts of courteousness.
He will spend the first two months on learning the language in Arequipa and Cusco, the two biggest cities that are closest to his actual location. And he is hoping that he will able to remain patient. What he would like best is to spit into his hands and start working right away.