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!
