I'm in Peru, holy crap!

We are the 13th PC group to come to Peru since they re-entered the country in 2002. This is the wonderful  welcome we got at the training center:

I have made it to Peru in one piece. Made it throught the seminars at the retreat center, and now am at my host family's house, where I will be for the next 11 weeks during training. It was kind of weird leaving the other Trainees, since we've been together since Wednesday all day every day. 

My luggage for 2 years. It was 94 lbs plus the smaller blue backpack, which weighed probably another 20-30 lbs: 

I brought too much stuff. I think more nice clothes than I will need. I hope that I can use some of this stuff in site, b/c right now it's just taking up space and making my duffle not fit under my bed. My host family is wonderful. I have a mom and dad, and 2 sisters, who are 15 and 5. My parents both work as teachers and are eager to help me with my homework and offer me advice for Youth Development. Our house has two stories and my room is probably the same size as my room at home in NJ so I have lots of space. There is a living room and dining room downstairs along with the kitchen and bathroom. Upstairs are 4 bedrooms, a sitting area w/ tv and the washer. I have internet IN MY ROOM! One of the other trainees is living with my host Uncle, so she is my cousin. Other relatives all live nearby.  I kind of miss carpets. Our floors are concrete and at the retreat they were tile. 

5 year olds are a lot. I was unpacking and the youngest of my sisters kept popping in, asking que es esto? what is this? She loved my Swedish Fish. I had to cut her off at two (the big fish) otherwise she would have eaten them all. She is learning to read, so I got to listen to her read a bit. She also wanted to watch me type this. I told her it would be in English, and she wouldn't understand it, to which she replied that she can read in English also. Cutest little thing. 

It is hot here. Like a hot Spring day. There is a nice breeze once and awhile, but I won't be wearing that sweater or hoodie I packed. Yesterday it was chilly at times and I put on my light jacket, but today the sun is out in full force, which I'm told is the normal weather. Here, by the way, is Yanacoto. It's outside the training town of Chaclacayo, which is about 1 hr from Lima. 

Our plane was held up in Miami, about 100 yd from the terminal for FOUR HOURS. There was a storm and they closed the gate because of lightening. Then, when they opened it, they realized the plane in front of us was carrying the luggage of a passenger that never showed up. So we had to wait for them to unload ALL the luggage and find that persons luggage. In the process, it started lightening again. So, we were supposed to land in Lima at 9:45 Friday night. We landed at 2am Saturday, and got to our retreat center at about 3:30 am. Then had to be up for breakfast that started at 7:30. And sessions went until about 7pm. 

I'm sorry this is so scatter brained, I'm just typing as I think. 

I found out today what our walk-around stipend is during training: 8 soles a DAY! 3 soles= $1 so, thats a little more than $2 a day. 

Oh, Andrea- at the retreat center, there was a sign that said ChachiKart. It made me think of you. I had someone take a picture of it since i didn't have my camera on me.

ok. I'm going to play memory with my little sister for a bit. and look at pictures of my family.

Questions and such

I’ve decided that to put off packing for a little bit, I’m going to try to answer some of the most common questions I’ve gotten about the Peace Corps and what I’ll be doing, etc.  If there’s a question I haven’t answered, leave a comment and I’ll do my best to answer it!

 

Q. Where are you going? Do you know where you’ll be for the whole 27 months?

A. I am going to Perú. First, I go to a hotel in Arlington, VA for what is called staging. It's a mini orientation and get to know everyone. Staging is June 4th- 5th, and we leave for Perú via Miami on June 5th. Until August, I will be in a town about 1 hour outside of Lima (the capitol of Peru).  Lima is in the southern part of Perú on the coast. During this time, I will have extensive cultural/language training, technical training, and instruction on health/safety/settling in. I won’t know my site (where I will serve for 2 years) until August, at the end of training.

 

Q. What is the weather like?

A. Because Perú is south of the Equator, seasons are flipped- this means that when I get there in June, it be the start of winter. When it’s winter in the States, it will be summer in Perú. Also, Peru has many climates: the arid desert like coast, the cool and damp Andes highlands, and the tropical Amazon Rainforest. The Northern part of Perú is hotter, since it close to the Equator and cooler as you go South (opposite of here). Still, Lima will be in the high 60’s low 70’s with partly cloudy skies when I get there in June. Perú also has seasons, though the further North, the less drastic the change in seasons. On top of this, I could be placed in any of these climate regions, so I have to prepare for all of it. Think of it as preparing to spend 2 years somewhere in the US between Florida and New York out to the Mississippi with some desert thrown in for good measure.

 

Q. Where will you live, what will your house be like?

A. I will live with a family during training and then when I am place at a site, I will live with another family. This is for security reasons, to help with integrating into the community and because living alone is odd in many Peruvian communities. My house will likely adobe brick covered in stucco with a tile or corrugated tin roof. My invitation pamphlet says I will have electricity and some source of running water. I will have a private sleeping area. This might be a room that is part of a house, or a guesthouse/room on a family compound.

 

Q. Will you have internet access? What about a cell phone?

A. I may or may not have internet access and cell phone coverage at my site. I will have internet access at least every two weeks by going to a capital city. I will likely have a cell phone and will post that info when I get it.

Q. What type of food will you eat?

A. On the coast, seafood is big. Ceviche, raw fish “cooked” by the acids in lime juice, is a big thing. Cuy (pronounced Kwee) is popular also, especially in the highlands. Cuy is Guinea Pig. Since they are small, they don’t need a lot to eat, unlike cows that need a lot of grass. They are also high in protein, which is often hard to come by in Perú. I will likely eat rice AND potatoes at just about every meal. There are something like over 2000 indigenous varieties of potatoes in Perú.

 

Q. What will you be doing?

A. My Program is Youth Development and my Job Title is Special Education Trainer. So what does this mean? My program is part of an initiative by a disabled congressman in which the years 2007-2016 have been designated as the decade of the disabled to focus on providing formal and nonformal education to those with physical and developmental disabilities.  I will work directly with students, with teachers/administrators to develop curricula and trainings, and with the community to raise awareness and acceptance of people with disabilities. I might work on a school to work program, help teachers identify students with disabilities, help parents learn how to best help their children, working with groups of students to develop life skills, self esteem, and socialization. It is also recommended that I take on secondary projects, so this could be teaching English to youth and adults, teaching technology, starting an environmental group, or whatever the community shows an interest in.

 

Q. Do you get paid?

A. I get paid a living stipend of around $300 a month. This is to pay my room and board and for small things like transportation costs. I get two vacation days a month which I can save up to travel or can use for a weekend away and I get paid a small travel stipend to help offset travel costs. I also get medical care and prescription drugs included. At the completion of 27 months of training/service, I get a $6000 re-adjustment stipend to help get resettled in the US. I can also use it for travelling after service. They also pay to get me to Staging and to Perú and back at the end of my service. They do not pay to send me home, except for a family emergency. If I get sick they are unable to take care of me in Perú, they will medivac me to the US or another closer country that can provide treatment. Another bonus is that when I get back, I can go to grad school for cheap or free.

 

Q. How much luggage can you take? What are you taking?

A. I am allowed 2 checked bags, which together cannot weigh more than 100 lbs and neither can be more than 50 lbs. When you add the length, width, and depth of both bags, it cannot be more than 107”. I am allowed 1 carryon of no more than 45” (length+width+ depth) and a personal item. I am taking my computer. I can at least watch DVDs, write emails, and do work on it if I don’t have internet at my site. I am taking a lot of clothes- Peruvians tend to be much smaller than I am so finding clothes in Perú would be tricky. I’m taking good socks and underwear because everything will be hand washed and I don’t think good socks get the kudos they deserve J

 

That is all I can think of for now; like I said, any questions, post it in the comments and I’ll answer! 

3 weeks to go...

Today is exactly 3 weeks until I leave. Exactly 1 week until my last day of work. I'm struggling to be excited. My grandfather is really sick and might not make it to June. It's hard to be excited about June coming when I know that each day that passes is one less that he has. (yes, I realize that every day we live is one closer to the end. It's different when the end is tangible.) What's worse, is that my mom was already having a rough time with me leaving in June and my sister leaving for college in August. I've been struggling with feeling guilty leaving at a time when our family is most in need. I'm feeling better now that this is right for me- it's what I need to do. 

On a brighter note, our class went to the aquarium today. My student LOVED the shark tunnel. It's completely disorienting but sooooo cool to see the sharks swim overhead. I enjoyed seeing her reaction when she got to touch the sharks. I had to get her out of her chair and we shimmied over to the tank because no matter how close I got her chair to the edge of the tank, she couldn't reach (didn't help that the sharks were alllll the way at the bottom of the tank). It was quite an undertaking, but well worth it to see how excited she was. It made the frustrations of the day more than worth it and epitomised why I do what I do. 

Til later...

Staging!!

So, after all these weeks of stalking my mailbox, my staging info finally came.... in my email inbox. 

It's for real. I leave for DC on June 4th, and then along with all my other PC Peru-ers leave June 5th for Lima, Peru! This email was such a big deal because it confirms 100% the details of my departure--- it really is real! I'll probably take Amtrak down to DC instead of flying. We already ruled out Mom driving me down to DC because she's not sure she'll be able to drive all the way home after dropping me off. Flying just doesn't make sense because it's so close and I would spend more time in the airport than in the plane. So tomorrow I will call the travel agency and check on the reimbursement proceedures and let them know I'm going like Biden- taking the train :)

We check in at 1:30, with sessions starting at 3 and continuing to 7pm. We check out at 7:30am 6/5 and depart for the airport at 8am. Guess I should get used to these early mornings...

I was going to put in my notice at work today, but decided to wait one more day for my staging info to come to verify when I'm leaving. Figured I could will it to come that way :-)

Oh, and my flight information to Peru was included!!!

We leave Reagan Int'l. Airport at 12:55pm on 6/5 and then leave Miami at 5:10pm for Lima, Peru, arriving at 9:45pm!  so by 10pm June 5th, I'll be in Peru! 

someone pinch  me... I can't believe it's finally happening!

And it's becoming more real...

So I got everything for my medical set and sent in. And then got a call with questions about all sorts of things. Turns out I had to redo the urinalysis and write a personal statement about 3 other things.  Got that all squared away and faxed. Then I get a call to confirm it was all received and I was told everything is good and I'm set to go. My toolkit says cleared (even though it never changed since I got my initial clearance 2 years ago..) and so I'm guessing that now I just wait for the staging packet. 

Also got an email from the country desk confirming that the aspiration statement and resume I sent in a long time ago were received and they leaked that staging is in DC! 

For anyone who stumbles upon this blog and is also departing in June 2009, I've created a Facebook group for us: Peace Corps Peru 13. Come join!! So far there are 4 of us, and we're hoping everyone else comes out of the woodwork soon!!

Two months and counting!

So I got the last set of lab results I needed to complete my SECOND medical packet. I photocopied it all and it amounts to a small book. It's sealed in the FedEx envelope and ready to be sent to DC tomorrow. So now we just wait for re-clearance and the staging packet. 

In the meantime, I'm separating my life into 4 piles:

1. Haven't worn/used in a year. Won't need for PC or after. This is all getting donated/going in a yard sale

2. Need for PC, but also need before I leave. This goes on the packing list and then back where it was.

3. Need for PC, but don't need before June 4th. This goes in the spare room in the pile near my duffle bag for real packing later. 

4. Don't need for PC, maybe need/would like while I'm still home, and will want when I'm back. Maybe like some jeans and shirts, incase I destroy all my clothes in the next 2 years, and things like momentos, photos etc. These either stay where they are or get packed in a box in my closet so my room is more or less clean and useable while I'm not here.

PC is great for purging and figuring out what you really need and what is excess. I've found a lot of excess so far. 

Later, once I've done my final pack, I'll post on here my packing list so future PC/Peru volunteers will have a reference.. lord knows other people's packing lists, personal experiences and opinions have really helped me prepare for this journey!

Hasta Luego...

More paperwork...

If I could describe my Peace Corps experience thus far in 2 words they would be 'waiting' and 'paperwork'. That's what I've done so far. after months of waiting for the invite, it finally came in the mail and surprise surprise... theres a bunch of paperwork to be completed.. in 2 weeks time.

So first I got started updating my Resume and adding the things they wanted. Then I did the Aspiration Statement, which is pretty much restating everything you've already told 3 or 4 different PC staff during the process. This is because they don't forward you application to the country you will be serving in, so these two documents are the way that PC/Peru staff will know anything about me. I got that done in about a week. (yay for my student having computer shop and therefore I have about 2 hrs everyday with not much to do and a computer in front of me!)

Then I got started on the no-fee passport application. I almost filled out the wrong form thinking I didn't need my passport between now and June, completely forgetting that we're going to Mexico for spring break and I will indeed need my passport. I got my passport photos done (after debating if i should just do them myself or spend the $8 to get them done at CVS). I decided on CVS since it was easier and I was getting down to the wire. To my surprise, for $8 you get not just 2, but SIX photos. Perfect! since I was going to scan and copy them to get the 3rd I needed for my visa application. Today I'm going to the County Store to get my forms signed/authorized and then mailing that sucker.

I've filled out all the other paperwork they sent that I will need for staging, made copies, and filed it all. So now, its back to word one: wait. Wait for my staging packet to come in late April/early May so that I can complete more PAPERWORK! gahhh.

On another note, the Peace Corps never prepares you for all the questions you will be asked.. before you even report for staging. And its the same questions all the time. I know people are well intentioned when they ask me questions about Peru and about PC, but there are just some that are just ridiculous. I know that just as I will be an ambassador of the US while in Peru, that here I am more or less an ambassador of the PC and that most people aren't familiar with the organization. Part of my frustration is with the questions, and part is with myself-- that I should be more patient and that this is part of furthering the 3rd goal of the Peace Corps. I just try to smile, give a short and sweet answer and be happy that I am lucky to finally be in the position I am.