Lunch

Yep, that's right. In honor of father's day, my host mom prepared the very special rodent-centered lunch of cuy, a.k.a. guinea pig. This is one of those cultural things that is super normal in Peru but nonexistent in the states - I have to say though, the little guy was actually pretty tasty!

A day in the life

6:30 - Wake up, put on my flip-flops (going barefoot in the house is weird here), brush my teeth and get ready for the day.
6:50 - Eat breakfast and chat with my host mom. Breakfast is probably my favorite meal here so far, because it tends to involve fresh fruit juice, bread and cheese/jam/palta (avocado), and some variety of milk or oatmeal - all things that I love.
7:20 - Meet my neighbor volunteers, Nydelis and Jesse, to walk down the hill to the carretera.
7:28 - Start attempting to catch a combi, the mini-buses that we take to get around here. Catching a combi at this hour is a serious challenge, and not for the faint of heart, as all the city's schoolchildren are heading to school, making every combi stuffed to the gills. Few even bother to stop for us, and those that do usually result in a conversation along these lines:
Cobrador: Sube sube sube sube!
Me: (skeptical) But there are three of us... there is no space.
Him: Sí sí hay espacio (shouts at people to move towards the back; no-one moves because they are already packed like sardines) - you are all skinny, it's fine.
Me: Ok...(starting to push my way into the wall of people at the door)
At least two out of the three of us gringos end up half outside of the combi, until a couple of stops pass and some of the kids pile out.
7:45ish - Arrive at training center, stash our lunch-boxes (lovingly packed by all the host moms) in the kitchen, share funny host fam moments from the night before.
8:00 - Clase de español
12:00 - Eat lunch, then play some soccer/frisbee in the yard or go for a walk.
1:00 - An afternoon of training sessions around one or more of the following themes: Peace Corps policies, Medical/Health, Safety, or technical training in community economic development.
5:00 - Finish training for the day. Go for a run, go for some café or drinks, or just head home. Usually spend some time chatting/watching bad Peruvian television with the host fam or doing some homework before dinner.
8:00ish - Dinner with the host fam.
9:30ish - Feel ridiculously tired and head toward bed.

It's a busy life for sure, but the other volunteers and my host family make for lots of fun moments too. And we're already done with week 1 of training - crazy!

(Don't) call me maybe

One of the most noticeable adjustments for me during our initial days in Peru has been getting used to being without a cell phone. The number of times I’ve instinctively started to reach for my phone in the past three days has made me very aware of how ingrained constant connectivity is in my daily life. When something reminds me of someone, when something amazing happens and I want to share it, when I realize the French Open finals are today and want to text my mom to ask who won – I am used to being able to instantly gratify these thoughts with a quick text or call. And it’s not just the result of being away from home and missing everyone I usually talk to - even during this first day flying solo with our host families, I’ve wanted to share things with other volunteers and have found my hand starting to rummage through my bag before I stop and realize I have no way of reaching them.

Don’t worry, I won’t be swearing off telecomms for the next two years or anything drastic, but I am going to try and be conscious of how my life is different during the next 5-ish weeks (until we get our cell phones). Also, side note while we're on the topic of connectivity - I've updated my snail-mail address on the "Contact" page; turns out the first one wasn't right, woops!

The first few days

The past few days have flown by - somehow it already feels like I left Seattle two weeks ago, rather than only four days. Our days have been jam-packed, culminating in meeting and moving in with our host families earlier this afternoon, so I thought I'd just share a few snapshots of what life has looked like the past few days...

Nearing the end of our 22-hour travel day on Friday, Peace Corps staff scored all 46 of us access to the diplomáticos line at immigration, so Peru 19 proceeded to enter the country in style.

Bolstered by four hours of sleep and an energy-assuring cold shower, we enjoyed our first Peruvian breakfast (tea, bread, jam, cheese) at the retreat center on Saturday morning.

After a day filled with sessions on survival Spanish, advice on host families, meeting the PC Peru staff, basic safety, and training overviews, we had some time to enjoy the beautiful weather - it's pretty much like a sunny Seattle summer here right now, which is lucky since I'm missing the one at home. As you can see in the photo below, the retreat center was a valley paradise surrounded by the foothills of the Andes.

I got dust all over my "business casual" clothes after an hour-long juggling circle attempt to reach 50... when our record maxed out at 29 we decided it was a parallel for life as a PCV: starting out believing you can change the world, then adjusting to the slightly-more-feasible reality of just doing what you can. After dinner we laughed our way through about ten different group games, the majority of which involved strange sounds and/or movements. It's amazing how fast our group of strangers has already come together to feel like great friends, and I know that will only grow stronger.

Saturday night represented a small miracle, as it not only included lots of fun with new friends, but then a HOT shower and 8 whole hours of sleep! Life was good, and it only got better with today's big event of meeting our host families for the next ten weeks. Here's me and my new host mom, Gudelia.

And here's my new room!

And, last but not least, the view out my window. My house is located in the community of Huascata, about a ten-minute combi (shared van/bus/taxi) ride from the PC training center, still within the municipalidad of Chaclacayo (a suburb of Lima). We are nestled right in the hills, with the big carretera central (highway) just a short walk down the hill. Huascata is nicely small and walkable (total population is about 800), and I live just around the corner from two other volunteers.

Now it's off to eat dinner!

We made it!

For those of you (Mom) worried about my arriving safely, you can sleep soundly tonight - I am safe and sound in Peru and had a great first day of training. More to come soon!

Feeling the love

The 46 members of Peru 19 (so called because we are the 19th group of volunteers to arrive in Peru) just finished our staging event at the ever-so-classy Holiday Inn Georgetown, and it has been a whirlwind couple of days to say the least. There's not much to say about staging... pretty much your standard intro/orientation day, with the plus of meeting a lot of really awesome fellow PCVs (Peace Corps volunteers), who I feel lucky to get to spend the next two years with.

But as I do the final bag pack in preparation for boarding the plane to Peru tomorrow morning, I just wanted to take a moment to appreciate the immense outpouring of love and support I've received over the past week. Phone calls, hugs, well-wishes - I will be carrying all these things with me on this adventure, and I can't thank everyone enough for sending so much love my way.

That's it for now - next post will be from Peru!

New chapter: Peace Corps Peru

For those of you new to this blog, welcome! If you're reading this, you likely know that I'm about to embark on a 27-month long adventure in Peru as a Peace Corps volunteer. During that time, I hope to use this blog to keep friends and family updated on my life and work in Peru. However, while a blog is the easiest way for me to share stories with you all, it can be a very one-sided means of communication. I'm counting on you to overcome this - read a post, then write me an email about what's going on in your life! Being away from those I care about for 2+ years is by far my least favorite piece of Peace Corps, so please keep in touch. Of course, visitors to Peru are also welcome at any time :)

Now, by way of introduction, answers to some questions I've been hearing repeatedly over the last few months:

Why did you decide to join the Peace Corps?
The Peace Corps is something that's been in the back of my mind since high school, if not before, as a unique and challenging adventure that always sounded right up my alley. For one, I love to travel, experience different cultures, encounter new people, and learn too many languages. But perhaps more importantly, I am passionate about international development, particularly the areas of women's empowerment, microfinance, and education. While Peace Corps has its faults, it remains a great opportunity for a young/inexperienced, yet passionate/motivated person like myself to get on the ground and work collaboratively with a community to solve issues that limit their freedoms and well-being.

When do you leave?
June 6: leave Seattle for a one-day orientation in DC. June 8: leave DC, fly through Miami, and on to Peru!

Where will you be?
Until mid-August, I will be in Chaclacayo, a community just outside of Lima (the capital), for in-country training. I won't know my final site placement (where I'll spend my two years) until midway through training, and it could be anywhere from the beach to the Andes. During training I'll be with a group of 47 volunteers, but at post I could be flying solo in a village or in a larger town near a few other volunteers. I will be living with a host family throughout my time in Peru.

Will you have internet? A cell phone? Electricity? Running water?
Internet: at minimum once a month, at most in my house or town. Cell phone: eventually yes, but cell phone service could be another story. Electricity: likely yes. Running water: possibly. These things vary a lot between different sites, so I won't know the details until I'm assigned.

What will you be doing?
My official title is Small Business Promoter, and I will be serving as part of Peace Corps' community economic development program. Each volunteer's work is different, and the projects you pursue depend very much on the needs of your particular site, but some of my potential activities include: working with artisan co-ops, setting up micro-savings groups, promoting entrepreneurship among women and youth, teaching business and/or technology classes, etc.

Are you excited/nervous/happy/scared/insert-favorite-adjective-here?

Yes.