Sudando en el Verano

So I guess it’s been awhile since an update.  The good news is that I’ve been busy!  For those of you that know me pretty well you will know that this is a very good thing for me as I do not handle free time all that well.  I’ve still been working with the school that has an awesome environmental program and gardens where I planted a bunch of seeds of a native tree species.  One of our three program goals is natural resource management with an emphasis on reforestation, so our boss has been really pressing us to plant these seeds.  Hopefully some of them will grow!  It's kind of hard here in the desert but vamos a ver.  Work with my Municipality is getting better...more people are talking to me and letting me know about meetings and projects I can get involved in.  I have lots of ideas for future projects, I'm just hoping that someone will be receptive!

A couple of weeks ago I had to opportunity to go to the site of another volunteer to help with a project of his (we call this in PC a "tech exchange").  My trip was awesome!  The site of my friend Matt couldn't be more opposite of mine.  He lives about 6 hours away in a mountain site called Yauyos in the souther part of the department of Lima.  His community is in a valley with green mountains expanding on either side.  It was green, kind of cold, and a little rainy, and I couldn't have loved it more!  I'm not sure how I would handle living there, but going for a visit and escaping the heat and sun of Paracas was pretty nice.  I helped him with his cocinas mejoradas project, which involves building improved cookstoves that are more efficient so they require less wood to burn and are a lot better for the health of those that are preparing the food (less smoke inhalation).  He's been doing them in personal homes but I actually helped him with industrial cocinas that we built in a couple of the schools in his town.  It's a really cool project that I would love to possibly do here in one of my annexes in the future. It was great getting to spend time with a friend in a site so different from mine, and Matt was a great host.  Everyone in Yauyos knows who he is and greets him by name.  It was like I was with a local celebrity.  That's another big difference for a lot of volunteers compared to me...my site is so touristy that I haven't been able to make personal connections with a lot of local people (other than those I work with directly) because they assume I am just another white tourist.

After my mountain getaway, I returned to site for a SUPER busy week.  My APCD (boss of the environmental program) came to my site for his first official visit.  I wasn't sure what to expect and I was kind of nervous, but it turned out to be pretty laid back.  He was here for 2 days along with my Volunteer Coordinator (a 3rd year volunteer that works in the Lima office to support the work of my APCD) and one of the PC Doctors.  They seemed to enjoy my site and we had some good meetings with socios so all in all it went well.  It was just a little weird because they were here for 2 days and all the other visits were only for like 2 or 4 hours.  Oh well, I guess they wanted to take advantage of their trip to the beach.  A couple of days after that we had our regional meeting, which I was actually hosting here in Paracas.  Didn't I mention it was a crazy week?  Over 20 other volunteers from the region made the trek to Paracas for our meeting.  Weeks before this I had been organizing the logistics in hopes that it would be a smooth weekend for everyone.  I secured a location for the meeting, negotiated with hostels where everyone could stay, and made a deal with a tour company so that everyone could visit the Islas or Reserva if they wanted.  The weekend came and went pretty smoothly, other than some chaos with the Sunday tours where the boats going to/from the Islas were very backed up and people had to wait for hours and even missed their second tour (myself included).  But I think everyone enjoyed the beach, some ceviche, and the tranquilo vibe that my site has to offer.  Though I must say, I can't wait for our next meeting in Ica so I can actually relax!

Oh yeah!  The day before the regional meeting I had an event that went pretty well!  I had been bugging my socio for awhile about how dirty the local beach was and that we should organize a beach cleanup and he finally got on board.  So Friday we had a beach cleanup with about 15-20 volunteers including some local kids, members from the Municipality, SERNANP parkguards, members of the Marine Authority, and another PC Volunteer who happened to be visiting Paracas with his mom who was here from the US.  I was really happy with the turnout and the result...a definite improvement since the local beach here is pretty gross most of the time.

I can't believe March is almost here, and I can't believe I've been in Peru for over 5 months!  Some days it seems like it's crawling by and others it's flying.  I've got a lot going on in March including a week of training/meetings outside of Lima and then FINALLY my first real vacation for Semana Santa.  I'm looking forward to my travels and to get to visit a new part of the country.  Well I think that's about all I've got for now.  Mi vida Peruana is pretty great and I've got lots to look forward to!

Until next time,

Todd

Christmas, Clowns, and Computer Chaos

I know, I know.  It's been awhile since my last update, and I'd like to say I haven't written because I've been SOOOO busy changing lives and making a huge difference, but that's not quite the case.  My work-life has been fluctuating like a roller coaster.  It started off pretty well, then the holidays came and productivity came to almost a screeching halt (not just for me, but any and all of my Peruvian socios too), but now it has started to increase again which makes me happy.  As many or most of you know, I don't do well with free time and love to be busy.  So I have been reaching out to more people and trying to initiate more projects while trying not to stretch myself too thin.  It's quite a choreographic challenge, but so far it seems to be working.

Now I wanted to make the bulk of this post about my experiences during the holiday season here in my site.  Not only did I celebrate Christmas and New Year's here in Paracas, but I also attended a baby shower as well as my 12 year-old host brother's promocion from primaria to secundaria (basically graduation from elementary to high school--they don't do middle school here).

Let's start with Navidad.  First of all, the holidays felt a little weird for a myriad of reasons.  Mainly because it's hot.  Down here in the southern hemisphere summer is in full swing, and I've got the sunburnt shoulders and neck to prove it.  Also, there was minimal decorating for the holidays.  The only decorations my host family put up were a single string of green-colored lights in the front window, and this took place only 2 days before Christmas.  I guess I just became so accustomed to Christmas decorations being shoved in your face beginning as early as the beginning of November back in the US, but here there was very little evidence of the holiday season.  Even though it wasn't my first Christmas away from my home and my family, it was harder than last year when I had to work at good ole SeaWorld.  At least there they played Christmas music and there were gaudy decorations everywhere you looked--that I could deal with.  But here my host family didn't even have a Christmas tree!  Anyways, the celebrations in Peru are vastly different.  We celebrated at midnight on the 24th, counting down like it was New Years until the clock struck 12 and it was then December 25th.  After we counted down we all hugged and wished everyone a Feliz Navidad, then went outside to watch the fireworks.  Yes, fireworks for Christmas.  I'm telling you, the entire thing was very January 1st-esque.  After the fireworks, my family and I shared a large meal of chicken, pork, potatoes, and salad.  At about 12:30am when everyone was done eating, we went to walk around town but there was little to no action.  After walking a bit and finding not much about, I ended up in bed by 1am.  The next morning, the morning of Christmas, I was able to Skype with Mom, Dad, Ryan, and Ashley as they opened presents before they headed to Augusta to celebrate with the rest of the family.  Not gonna lie, Skyping with them was weird.  It didn't feel like Christmas at all for me, and I was sitting in my room sweating watching them open their gifts.  At least the internet Gods didn't fail me and allowed me to see my family on Christmas.  After that I got to Skype with Addie B. for a little bit, which was nice.  Still weird to see people dressed in winter clothing when I have my box fan blowing full blast.  After that the day was pretty tranquilo.  Even though it wasn't very sunny I decided to go lay on the beach and have a beer.  That was my Christmas present to myself.

Next event--Baby Shower.  Oh boy was that weird.  My oldest host brother, who is 22, guilted me into going to a baby shower with him.  Really?  Two guys heading to a baby shower?  That alone seemed weird enough.  It turns out it was for a girl I knew that works in the Municipality, but the festivities at Peruvian baby showers are just plain odd.  Their were relay races with hair accessories, a birthing enactment by the soon-to-be-mother's father (complete with a C-section using a butcher's knife), guessing of gifts, singing, dancing, a piñata, oh and did I mention clowns?  It wouldn't be a Peruvian celebration without a couple of payasos.  After the hora loca complete with balloons and limbo, I opted out and headed back to my house before anymore of the girls from the Municipality tried to get me to dirty dance.  Maybe it's just me, but dirty dancing at a baby shower with women that work at my local government was just a wee bit uncomfortable.  I'll chalk this one up to a cultural experience, one that still has me confused.

My youngest host brother asked me to attend his promocion, which I was pretty excited to attend.  I like doing things with my host family sometimes, but I also like that they give me my privacy and independence.  The promocion was a simple ceremony/celebration for students as they essentially graduate from primaria and are moving on to secundaria, or high school.  Their teacher made a speech, presented them each with a huge frame that had a class and individual picture, there were lots of photos, some dancing, finger foods, oh and of course a CLOWN.  Yet again the payaso makes an appearance.  Another clown, another hora loca, more balloons, more dancing, more antics.  Ugh.  After this I think my host family could tell that I wasn't a huge fan of clowns--not that I have a fear or phobia of them but I just find them pretty damn annoying.  And of course I always get extra attention because I'm the lone gringo in a crowd of Peruvians.  Oh well.  I survived another event and made my little host brother happy in the process.

New Year's was quite possibly stranger than Christmas.  I think the problem was that I kept thinking about my past New Year's Eves with my friends, and imagining what they were doing at the same time all throughout the night.  I knew what they were doing--they were out at bars or parties having a great time, dressed all fancy, drinking good beer/drinks, and making lots of noise.  What was I doing?  Starving and waiting for midnight so that I could finally eat dinner!  Yes, just like Christmas we waited until after midnight for our meal.  This time there wasn't a countdown though.  That part really threw me.  My host family was just kind of watching TV and waiting for midnight, but no one kept an eye on the clock.  Then we heard all of the fireworks and assumed it was now the new year, so we went outside to watch.  More hugging and Feliz Año Nuevo-ing, followed by dinner.  Pretty similar meal to Christmas.  There was also the tradition of eating 12 grapes at midnight to have 12 months of goodluck, but there weren't enough for everyone to have 12 so it looks like I'll only be lucky through May.  Oh yeah, apparently it's tradition to wear yellow underwear for luck in the new year as well, so a few days prior I bought some bright yellow boxerbriefs from the market in Pisco to ensure 2013 would be great.  After dinner we walked around town to seek out family members and wish them a happy new year.  My family is pretty large so I was meeting/saluding many relatives that I'd never seen before.  After that we drank in the plaza for a little while (my first sip of alcohol wasn't until after midnight--another odd NYE difference between here and the states) then I headed to a bar with my oldest host brother where we were later joined by some other family members.  We stayed at the bar drinking and dancing until the sun came up.  It actually turned out to be a lot more fun than I expected.  In Peru things just always seem to start a lot later than I'm used to.  Leading up to midnight and shortly after were pretty anti-climactic, but after that the night was full of celebration.  I've realized that it's hard not to compare life here to life in the states, especially during holidays or special events.

I'm glad I got to experience the holidays with my host family.  It was a great way to learn more about their culture and their traditions.  That being said, I'm pretty sure I'll be traveling with friends for the holidays next year.  So far 2013 seems to be flying by.  I can't believe January is already more than halfway gone.  Since January has begun I have started a new project with a school that has an awesome environmental program.  To start out with I am going to work with them to plant some trees and help maintain/improve their existing gardens.  Each class has their own space they take care of, and there are 3 "environmental leaders" for each grade.  The whole school/program is pretty mind-blowing, especially for Peru.  I think they will be great to work with during my remaining 22 months.  Oh yeah, within the first week of 2013 my computer decided to crash (thanks internal hard drive…of course I didn't want any of my documents, photos, or music) so I made a quick trip to Lima where I indulged in some Chili's and the best sandwich place in the world.  At least I didn't have to buy a new computer and I got to go two days without having a meal with rice.  

Another volunteer here in Peru told me that the days feel long but the weeks go by quickly, and she couldn't have been more right.  As always I am continuing to enjoy my time and life here in South America, and I hope things are well with my friends and family back home in North America.

Until next time,

Todd           

Settling Into Site

So there isn’t too much new to report.  I’ve been here in site in Paracas for almost 2 weeks.  Work has been slow to start, but I’m not trying to rush it.  I’ve really just been trying to meet people and learn more about my community and the current projects that are in place that are related to some of the work that I will be doing.  I FINALLY met the alcalde (mayor) of the town.  I probably went by his office 10 times trying to meet him, and he was either not there or busy.  His secretary finally gave me her cell phone number to call ahead so I wouldn’t have to keep guessing and showing up.  I went yesterday afternoon and after waiting for almost 2 hours I actually got some face time with the man.  The meeting wasn’t too involved, we just talked a little about Peace Corps and my program and the kind of work I expect to do.  I’m a little worried he wants me to work more on tourism stuff than environmental, but hopefully I can at least put an environmental spin on it.  Or if I help him with what he wants at first then maybe in the future he will be more receptive of my project ideas, or more likely to support me in what I want to do.  We shall see—only time will tell.  He did seem pretty positive and helpful though, offering for me to use any resources or supplies at the Municipality that I may need like printing and whatnot.  We have another meeting tomorrow in which he is going to officially introduce me to the people in charge of environmental work in the community.  Hopefully this will help me get a better idea of what they’re doing currently and what they want to do in the future, and how I can fit into that. 

This past weekend I actually helped two youth volunteers with an event they put on in Pisco for World AIDS Day.  It was a big educational fair with an art contest, games, skits, and booths of informative organizations.  There was a great turnout of students and public.  A group of volunteers that arrived in June before me actually had a training session and were there so it was nice to meet some new volunteers and talk to them.

Other than that I’ve been trying to make my room a little more home-y.  I’ve hung my maps of Peru and Ica along with some other personal things.  I got a lamp for the desk my host family gave me.  It’s starting to feel like my own space.  Of course I am always wanting to add more personal things, so this is my shameless request for family/friends to send me printed pictures and/or postcards to hang on my wall.  So far there is only one postcard hanging (thanks MQD!) but I would love to add more things to remind me of all you folks back in the States!  After talking with the current volunteers I share my mailbox with, apparently we don’t have issues receiving mail including packages.  So if anyone gets the urge to send something my way, feel free!!  Candy, letters, pictures, incense, stickers, and surprises are always welcome.

Well that’s all I’ve got for now.  This weekend we have our regional meeting so it’ll be good to meet some other volunteers from the region and see some familiar faces. 

Until next time,

Todd

Long Update...I'm a real PCV!

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It’s been awhile since I’ve updated, and a lot has happened!

I am now officially a Peace Corps Volunteer as I swore in this past Friday at the US Ambassador’s house in Lima, but that’s kind of jumping ahead.

The last 3 weeks of training were a whirlwind.  It started off with FBT (field-based training) when I went with 7 other MAC volunteers to Lambayeque while the other 6 headed to Junin.  We were divided by the type of sites that we had (either coast/desert or sierra).  FBT was awesome!  We got to meet up with current MAC volunteers in their sites and help them with some of their projects.  The highlights included starting a vivero, camping in the bosque seco, being a part of La Hora Ecologica radio show, teaching about climate change in a school, and spending the night at a zoo.  Other highlights were the food!  I really do love Peruvian food for the most part, even though there are days that I would give just about anything to go three meals in a row without seeing a plate full of rice.  It was great meeting the volunteers and seeing their sites in Lambayque, and the ceviche was pretty tasty too.

After FBT we had our site visits, but luckily my region had a day off inbetween that we spent in Lima.  During this day we indulged in the world’s best sandwiches and caught the new James Bond movie for the equivalent price of less than $2USD.  Then we headed to our regional capital of Ica, Ica.  The first day was great—we got to hang out with some volunteers from our region and enjoyed a fun evening out.  The next day we got the chance to meet at least one person from our communities we’d be working with and one member of our host family before heading to see where we would be spending the next 2 years of our lives.  Unfortunately for me I found out that there had been some issues with my host family situation.  The initial family I thought I had didn’t work out due to safety/security regulations regarding rooms for volunteers (apparently wood is no good).  Luckily there was a backup, but that family backed out the day before I was supposed to arrive. 

So I spent my site visit in a hostel, which actually didn’t turn out to be that bad.  I got to meet some of the people I’d be working with in my site and they seemed awesome!  I will be working with two different offices of SERNANP, which is essentially the Peruvian National Parks System, one that operates a huge national marine reserve and the other that works with some protected islands right off the coast of my site.  Did I mention I got an awesome site assignment?!?!  During the visit I also went to a meeting of an NGO that works with marine conservation, and they gave some cool info about Humboldt penguins that live on the protected islands.  Staying at the hostel allowed me to meet some backpackers and eat whatever I wanted, so it was pretty relaxing all around.  On my last day in Paracas, I went to meet a family that had a room that somehow my regional coordinator found.  I only met the mom and one of her sons, and they seemed pretty shy and timid which is understandable since they had only heard of Peace Corps the night before and now they agreed to let a random American live in their house for 2 years.  The room is small but nice.  It’s on the second floor and has its own private entrance.  The two family members I met seemed nice, but I was really concerned that they would change their minds and back out after I left for my last week of training.

After site visit I headed back towards Lima, but stopped in a little beach town about halfway between Paracas and Lima for the regional meeting of volunteers.  My region is made up of volunteers from Lima, Ica, and Huancavelica (we are affectionately known as Licah region).  The meeting itself was pretty short, and it was just a great opportunity to get to know volunteers from my region and unwind a little bit.  The next day the trainees headed back to Lima, where we found out that there was a change in our training schedule.  Instead of heading back to our host families near the training center we went to a retreat center a little farther away, the same one where we spent our first two days in Peru.  While it was a bummer we couldn’t spend our last week with our families, it turned out to be an amazing chance to spend time together as our whole training group.  We had our regular sessions, then at night we could swim in the pool, watch movies, or just hang out in friends’ rooms.  It was a really nice way for us to kind of say goodbye before we headed to our sites. 

But before we had to say goodbye, we had Thanksgiving together with the staff at the training center!  The logistics got a little hectic with very limited kitchen use, but somehow it miraculously worked out and there was plenty of delicious home-cooked food complete with turkeys for all 56 trainees plus the staff.  The day got a little emotional as some staff and trainees shared what they were thankful for, the majority of which surrounded around us becoming such a tight-knit family.  That afternoon was the host family celebration complete with face painting, food, and a talent show.  Sadly I did not display any of my wonderful talents, but my family seemed to enjoy themselves.  When the time came to say goodbye, I was surprised at how emotional it was.  My mom, sisters, and nieces all cried as they hugged me one last time and I promised to visit since Lima isn’t all that far from my site.  I didn’t realize it until that point but they really do care about me and I actually felt like a part of their family.  After all the families had left and the party was cleaned up, I went out for pizza and beer with some friends to top off a great day.

The next day was what the previous 10 weeks had all built up to—Swearing In Day.  We were finally to become true Peace Corps Volunteers (PCVs).  We had to load all of our luggage into two buses, get dressed in our fancy outfits, drive to Lima, unload our luggage at the hostel, then head to the Ambassador’s house.  Well needless to say that this crazy day became even crazier when our bus was an hour late, it didn’t have air conditioning, the driver couldn’t find the hostel, and we were late for our own ceremony.  But once we arrived everything moved quickly and before I knew it we had taken the oath and were out on the patio having snacks.  I talked with my host mom, other volunteers’ host family members from my community, the Ambassador, my APCD (basically my boss in charge of the environment volunteers), and some guys that work for SERNANP in Lima.  Before I knew it everyone was being ushered out, we got on our busses, and then headed to our Country Director’s house for a celebration.  The party was a lot of fun.  All of the staff was there to celebrate with us, the brand new volunteers.  There was food and drinks, plus a huge dance floor that we definitely took advantage of.  After hours of dancing, eating, taking pictures, and laughing we left his house and went back to our hostel to get ready to continue the celebration out in Lima.  Our big group broke up into smaller groups, some of which went out and some that decided to get some sleep.  I went with a bunch of MAC volunteers, a couple health volunteers, and some WASH (water/sanitation/hygiene) volunteers to a few places to grad some drinks and dance some more.

Saturday was pretty mellow for the most part.  There was a lot of packing, sharing of TV shows and movies to take with us to site, eating more delicious sandwiches, shopping at a handicraft fair, walking by the beach, and just taking advantage of the spending the last day with all our friends for the next 3 or 6 or 12 months.  Some people had to leave Saturday night, so the goodbyes started, as did the tears for some people.  It really is amazing to think of how close our entire training group got over these 10 weeks.  Not knowing when you’re going to see someone next is a pretty weird feeling, but we all promised to keep in touch and have planned to visit or take holidays together. 

Sunday was the day I was slated to head to site.  I actually had to leave pretty early in the morning so that I could meet my regional coordinator in our capital city to buy things for my room since it would be completely empty when I arrived.  Fortunately for me, my partner in crime/sidekick, Kate, also needed a bed so she got to meet me in Ica and go shopping with us.  To make a long story short, after we got locked out of our coordinator’s car (which has diplomatic license plates and people always stare at it as it is) and strapping two mattresses to the roof, and then watching in the rearview mirror as one mattress flew off the roof on the highway, we made it to my site and I unloaded my stuff in what will hopefully be my only room for the next two years (I don’t even want to think about having or wanting to switch host families after all the hassle before).  That night I hung out with my host brothers (I have 4).  My host mom was out of town, but my host dad was home and he seemed pretty nice.  It was a lot more comfortable than the day I met my host family from training, but I know that this nice I was speaking more/better Spanish, even though I’m still far from fluent.

I spent Monday, my first day in site, not really doing much of anything.  I tried to go meet with some people at my Municipality, but the mayor was busy and the guy I’m supposed to work with wasn’t there that day so I left.  I went back to my room and began to organize some stuff.  I ended up taking a nap because I was so exhausted from the past week and weekend.  I woke up and had lunch with 2 of my brothers while watching Rambo 3 on TV.  Then I went across the street with them to check out the chickens and roosters that they raise.  Two of my brothers actually raise and compete in rooster fights for money.  Apparently they make good money and it’s quite the spectator sport here in Peru.  I’m sure I’ll be seeing one of those in the near future.  In the afternoon I went and played soccer on the beach with my 15 year-old host brother.  It was a lot of fun to play soccer and be at the beach in the sun.  Did I mention my house is only a block and a half from the beach?  Not too shabby.  Some people may say I’m in the Posh Corps rather than Peace Corps, but there are still volunteers that have nicer houses and sites than me.  It’s all relative and no two services or experiences are the same.  After soccer I went for a run down past all the rich peoples’ houses in Paracas.  Apparently the rich people from Lima have houses down here that they spend weekends and summers at, and for the rest of the time they’re just sitting here empty.  There’s also a Hilton and a 5-Star resort called Hotel Paracas. 

Anyways, this has gone on long enough.  I guess now that training is over the real fun begins.  The days filled with nothing or everything, depending on what I want to do and if one of my socios actually shows up to a meeting.  So far this week I am 0 for 2 on trying to meet with people from my Municipality.  It looks like all of the woes I heard from other volunteers are going to be true for me too.  Oh well, I still have other people that want to work with me and I’m sure I will be busy enough but still enjoy everything Paracas has to offer. 

Oh yeah!!  I finally have my real address for the next two years.  I’m sharing a PO Box with some other volunteers that aren’t too far from me.  I have to go to the next town over to get my mail, but it’s not that bad.  The address is posted to the right, so don’t be afraid to use it.  I hope all is well stateside or wherever you are reading this from!

Until next time,

Todd    

Mini-FBT and Regional Assignments!

Update Numero Dos!

Well I just got back from my mini field-based training trip Wednesday and it was a blast!  The place we went was only a couple hours north of Lima so the travel wasn’t too excruciating.  The MAC (environmental) group went to Chancay, which is a coastal city/town with about 40,000 people.  I’ll break the trip down by day to make things easier.

Saturday

We traveled from the training center to Lima by combi (which is the sketchy-style bus that I take everyday to get from my house to the training center in Chaclacayo) and then we got on a luxury bus (the kind we used to take on fancy field trips when we went further than downtown Atlanta) to take us to Chancay.  After settling in at our hotel (please think more hostel and less Hilton when you picture this) our group of 17 went out to dinner to enjoy a common Peruvian restaurant dinner of pollo a la brasa (which is basically rotisserie chicken that you can order either ¼, ½, or whole chickens with fries and salad…why this is such a popular style of restaurant here I have no idea).  On this trip we had the 14 MAC volunteers, our tech trainer, one of our Spanish teachers, and a current volunteer that was along to help out but also because during her training last year she was sick and didn’t make it on her mini-FBT so our tech trainer wanted to make it up to her.

Sunday

We grabbed some breakfast near the hotel and then headed off to Las Lomas de Lachay, which is a national reserve of Peru.  The ecosystems of Peru differ greatly, and often the coast sites are edged with desert, which is the case for Chancay.  However, Lomas de Lachay is situated away from the coast and through the desert, and the ecosystems take a drastic change from a horizon of sand to this lush green oasis of tree-covered mountains and valleys.  The weather was a bit misty and cloudy, so naturally I was shivering since it wasn’t 80F or above, but the hikes were still gorgeous.

Monday

Our second full day was dedicated to learning about the environmental efforts of the municipality (local government) of Chancay.  We toured different facilities and locations all over Chancay with one of the environmental leaders from the municipality.  We checked out their botadero (dump), viveros (tree nurseries), some wetlands near the beach (which happen to be where the botadero was located over 20 years ago and there is still a ton of disgusting garbage and waste only meters from the crashing Pacific ways…so say I was shocked would be an understatement), and then their potable water system.  In the midst of these excursions, we got ceviche for lunch at a beachside restaurant and it was DELICIOUS.  I can’t wait to move to my coastal site and east ceviche weekly if not daily.

Tuesday

The week prior to our trip we were told that we would have to give a 20-30 minute environmental presentation to a class of primary school kids, and yes it had to be completely in Spanish.  I wasn’t too worried since I have a lot of teaching experience, and I got paired with Amanda who has also worked a lot in environmental education so we were pretty confident.  We made a quick lesson on photosynthesis and I adapted a game I used to use when I taught in Malibu called “SuperPlant.”  Our session went really well and the kids seemed to enjoy the game and they actually learned stuff!  The teacher was super nice and even gave us some cake after our lesson.

That afternoon we took a tour of the Castle of Chancay.  It was interesting to say the least.  I still don’t really understand why it’s there or the specific history behind it, but we got to watch the sunset from an oceanfront castle so that was pretty cool.  Oh I almost forgot to mention that for dinner on Monday and Tuesday night I had anticuchos, which are grilled cow heart.  It was actually really good, and luckily I didn’t get sick like some other people in my group did but I’m not sure if it was from the anticuchos or other food.

Wednesday

Woke up bright and early to catch a bus to Lima.  Before heading back to our host families we met with a professor at a University in Lima that taught us a little about native plants and trees to Peru.  It was pretty interesting, but we were all completely exhausted from the trip.

All in all mini-FBT was great.  We did some really cool technical things and I got the chance to bond even more with my fellow MAC trainees.  It’s hard to believe that in 5 weeks we will be spread throughout Peru.  Speaking of which, yesterday all 57 of the Peru 20 trainees found out which departments (equivalent of states in the US) we will be living in for the next two years!!  Mine wasn’t really a surprise since I’ve had a good idea since my second day in Peru where I’d be going, but it was exciting to learn about where my friends are headed!  So at the end of November I will be moving a little bit south to the department of ICA!  I’m fairly certain my site is only 3 hours from Lima, and it’s definitely on the coast and my boss basically said it’s where people go to vacation so I am excited that my friends will come see me!  It’s weird to think that some of my closest friends from training will be waaaay up in northern Peru in Piura and Cajamarca, but it’s a good excuse to travel and luckily I have my closest friend here only an hour and a half away so we plan on doing our traveling together.

I think that’s about all I have for now.  There is a lot to look forward to and a lot to do during the second half of our 10-week training.  I can’t believe I’ve been here over a month!  I’m still loving it everyday and I am so thrilled to be here in Peru.

Until next time,

Todd  

Sunset from the Castillo de Chancay

Poco a Poco

**First half was written on Sunday October 7, 2012**

Sorry it’s taken me awhile to send an update, but I just haven’t really found the time to sit down and put into words all that’s been going on.

I’ve been in Peru a little over 3 weeks now, today marks 3 weeks with my host family.  They are really nice, but don’t speak any English, which is somewhat of a challenge but it helps my Spanish.  I live with my host parents (in their 60s), two sisters (in their 30s), their husbands, and my 2 nieces (7 and 8).  My room is completely separate behind the house, which is nice for privacy but then we all share only one bathroom, which is in the main house.

Basically my typical day consists of training Monday through Friday from 8 to 5.  I usually have 4 hours of Spanish class, a couple hours of technical environmental training, and then various other sessions on safety and security, health, culture, or Peruvian history.  Everyone in my training group is pretty awesome.  There are 57 of us total—14 are environmental, 14 are water and sanitation engineers, and the rest are health volunteers.

My technical trainer and my boss for the environmental program are both awesome.  My tech trainer is 26 and she is a complete badass.  She has worked with Amazonian manatees here in Peru and she also did sea turtle research in Brazil.  Plus she’s an amazing photographer. 

I’m pretty sure I’m going to be working with a marine reserve and protected area once training is over.  It’s too early for my boss to tell me for sure but he has definitely hinted at it.  He says I’ll be doing education/outreach, working with fishermen to educate/enforce regulations, possibly planting some native tree species, and possibly assisting with some marine species research within the reserve.  It sounds really awesome and I can’t wait to learn more…plus I get to live near the coast so that makes me happy!

I feel tired all the time.  I don’t really know why either but I guess it’s because 4 hours of Spanish a day is exhausting on top of everything else.  I can’t wait to be fluent!  Ugh I wish I was better but I know I’ll get there. 

In case you ever miss me and want to brighten my day, my address for the remaining 7 weeks of training is below!  I have been searching for postcards but haven’t really found any—plus my friend mailed 2 letters and it cost her like $8USD, which is a fucking lot of money to us here (during training we make the equivalent of $3USD/day).

I haven’t really done anything too exciting.  I went to Lima with my Spanish class but didn’t get to see or do anything too exciting.  I’ve been to a few birthday parties, complete with a clown, a DJ, and a giant guinea pig (and yes it was for a guy’s 25^th birthday).  I also went to a beauty pageant for a nearby town.  Pretty much just like the ones in the states, but thank goodness it wasn’t toddlers.  Other than that I really just hang out with other volunteers and my host family.

Well I feel like this has been a pretty lackluster update, but this is my Peruvian life thus far.  I hope everything is going well stateside!! 

**Now for more of an update today October 10, 2012**

Life is great in Peru.  I am almost 40% done with training (4 out of 10 weeks), and the upcoming weeks are going to be busy ones.  Tomorrow my environmental group is going to a site south of Lima to learn how to make improved stoves that will be better for the environment and the health of the people using them to cook.  Then on Saturday we are leaving for a 5 day trip known as "mini field-based training" to a site a couple hours north of Lima.  There we will get to explore a national park, meet with the municipality (local government of the district) about their environmental efforts, and then give educational presentations at a local school.  Lots to do and lots to look forward to!!  I basically already know where my site for the 2 years beyond training is going to be, but I'm not going to report it until I get the official word--but I am really excited about the location and work I will be doing.  There's a lot going on and always a lot to do, but I am really enjoying my time and I am so proud of the work I am going to be doing and so proud to be a part of the Peace Corps family.  I am inspired everyday when I hear of the work being done by current volunteers here in Peru and I just hope that I will be able to live up the the expectations that my country staff (and myself) have for me.  

I'm going to try me hardest to be better at updating this thing.  In the meantime feel free to shoot me an email, facebook message, or even better a piece of snail mail, and I will try to respond faster than I have with this blog post.

Until next time,

Todd

**MY ADDRESS UNTIL THE END OF NOVEMBER**

Todd H.
Cuerpo de Paz - Peru
Calle los Cedros 647 Chaclacayo
Lima 8 - Peru
South America

Peace Corps Invites You to Serve...

They say a picture is worth a thousand words...so how many words is a video worth???  Rather than type out all of the details here I recorded a video of me opening my invitation that I received today.  Check it out to learn where I will be serving, or just keep reading if you have no interest it watching me fidget for a minute and a half.  Please excuse my awkwardness and facial expressions, I'm not used to recording videos...especially in public venues such as coffeeshops.






Okay, well if you opted to not watch here are the details:

Country:  Peru
Program:  Community-Based Environmental Management
Job Title:  Environmental Educator
Staging:  September 13, 2012

I couldn't be more ecstatic!  This is the perfect invitation and from my conversation with my PO I know there is nothing more fitting for me.  I look forward to learning more details as my departure gets closer, but for now I am focused on finishing this darn Master's degree!!  Thanks for reading and best of luck to everyone in their PC process whether you're in the application, nomination, invitation, currently serving, or returned volunteer phase!  Below is my BBP and assignment then a fun picture I took as I celebrated on the beach.  Enjoy!!

Todd