The First Few Days in Peru

June 23^rd, 2006 Washington, D.C.; Atlanta, GA; Lima, Peru

The Plane Flight

We arrived quite early at the airport and had relatively few difficulties checking our bags and boarding the plane. Pretty much everyone is in a state comprised of both excitement and anticipation. Although we spent 16 hours today traveling or waiting, the day flew by because there is still so much to learn about everyone. FYI: Airline food is still very mysterious.

June 24^th, 2006 Lima, Peru

The First Two Days: At the retreat center

We drove about 30 minutes to a local retreat center where we slept 6 guys to a bungalow. In the morning, we got up for breakfast which consisted of rolls and this papaya concoction. This “juice” was the thickest stuff I have ever seen. It had the consistency of a thicker chunkier salsa.

We met the staff who will be taking care of us during our stay. They did a break down of how much it cost per volunteer to run the Peace Corps program. Approximately, $44,000 per year is spent per volunteer. I receive about $4,000 per year directly.

The medical staff gave a presentation also and explained all the procedures used to care for our well being. The lead doctor, Jorge, is quite humorous and supposedly is mentioned as the best doctor in Peru in a guidebook called Lonely Planet. Mine impression so far is that he will live up to his name.

We each had a language interview where pretty much they stick you in a room and you have to try to communicate with your teacher only in Spanish. There were a lot of silence and long pauses but eventually I submerged. One trainee put it best, “I have no soul. She took it from me.”

After a few sessions about safety and security we ate lunch, had some free time and ate dinner. I must inform you that they do coffee quite differently here. At first we were stupefied, because they pour about two ounces of coffee in your cup and then either milk or hot water. The coffee is a concentrate. The reason it confused us was because they do not pour the milk or water until later and you are left to wonder if all you are about to receive is two ounces of coffee. Most of crowded in one 10 by 10 room to play cards and socialize and then eventually we all went to bed.

June 25^th, 2006 Santa Eulalia

Training Center

Our training center is a city called Santa Eulalia. This is where we will be trained in the laungauge, the culture, the technical aspects of our job, health and safety. After a few sessions and lunch, the big moment arrived: We met our host families.

Host Family

Some say I have the greatest “hook-up”. This very well could be. My “padre” is named Jaime and works at the local school where he teaches children. As far as I can gather, I think my “madre” is a nurse in Lima. She is named Deri. She left tonight to go work. I hope she doesn’t always work nights because then I will not ever be able to see her, and actually her Spanish is the easiest to understand. I am the fourth volunteer to live with them. I also have a “hermanito” named Juancarlo who is 13 years old and a “hermanita” named Michelle who is 11. I am really glad I got kids around that age. I think they will be a great family with whom to live.

My house is rather large. After sharing a bedroom the past fours, anything would have sufficed but my bedroom is about the size of a master bedroom in a starter home. I also have a bathroom which is just as nice as the one in my old apartment, except for the fact that they do not use shower curtains here and there is no such thing as hot water. All the more reason to rise early to run and work up a sweat.

The reason all the other trainees are so jealous is because my family owns an internet café minus the café. Se lo llama una cabina internet. This means for now I have free access to the internet. At least I think it does. They didn’t charge me tonight.

Mi padre and I traveled down to a little town called “Choseca” which is where most of the businesses are located. I had to buy a towel and then we did some exploring before returning home. I then met my “abuelos” which live across the street. But by then my brain was fried from the past four hours of speaking Spanish with my family and Jaime in the market. I could barely formulate the smallest sentences by then.

This biggest surprise is when Jaime and I heated up dinner in the microwave. It consisted of rice and “guisa” which is stew with carrots, peas, potatoes in some redish sauce. I hope that was just because Deri had to go to work.

Juancarlo and I played some sort of rummy but it was real difficult since I don’t speak Spanish all that well. Whatever version we were playing, I managed to win 3 out of the four times. He thought I was doing card tricks or something, thus I had to show him the one card trick I know. He is now quite impressed. That was the first day. I would love to share how I am feeling, but my brain can barely express the events that took place. When I am not so fatigued, perhaps then I will be able to express emotion or the many philosophical thoughts which come throughout the day. Until then, a mere account of the daily activities will have to suffice.

Orientation in D.C.

June 21^st, 2006 Washington, D.C.

Pre-Staging Orientation

I guess it goes without saying that the people are extremely friendly here. I mean I have spent the past four years in the friendly state, Texas, but the atmosphere here is something I have never quite experienced. It is a bit like the first days at college in your min-con group except that the backgrounds vary more and you realize these 37 volunteers are the ones you’ll be friends with for life. Rest assured, I am quite certain that a supportive network will be developed by the end of staging.

After arriving in D.C., I spent sometime with Leah who is interning in D.C. at a church. We ate at Wok ‘n’ Roll, a small Chinese restaurant in Chinatown. Orientation was just a bunch of exercises where we began to understand the policies to a fuller extent. For dinner, a group called Amigos de Bolivia y Peru joined us at a tapas bar called Oyamel. This was beneficial because Returned Peace Corps Volunteers (RPCV) joined us and shared their experiences as well as answered any lingering questions we may have had. This group seems quite fun and I feel confident that at least I will be able to relate to those who are about to embark with me on this journey.

June 22^nd, 2006 Washington, D.C.

Pre-staging Orientation

It is interesting how stereotypes seldom represent what is true. You may have preconceived ideas about who a Peace Corps volunteer is. As did I, but so far I have yet to find anyone who even remotely resembles the volunteer I first conjured before I even gave a mere thought to joining. The idea of volunteers as modern day hippies has apparently decided not to represent itself in my class of volunteers, at least as far as I can tell. But yet, classifying these people on the few conversations I have engaged in with these new found journeymen does not seem all that contrary to stereotyping. I imagine I will rely less on preconceived assumptions as I emerge from my blatant ignorance.

Orientation progressed as it should and primarily consisted of more interactive instructional type activities. Other than lunch at the Pentagon City Café and dinner at a nice place called the Lebanese Tavern the day remained fairly educational. After making a few final phone calls, I joined the others at a bar called the sky dome which overlooked the D.C. skyline. Quite beautiful.

The adjectives I would use to describe my mood one day before departure would be calm and curious. I believe I have been able to maintain such a state of tranquility because this is a day I have prepared for for quite some time. My experience so far has led me to believe the Peace Corps’ 45 years of experience has taught them that a smooth transition is imperative to success. This time in Washington has indeed served its purpose.

General Information

This is the first post of my blog which I hope will serve as an outlet for my thoughts, frustrations, and joys during my time as a Peace Corps Volunteer. To all those who are interested in serving themselves, I hope you are able to find valuable insight when making decisions for yourself.

As most of you know, I will soon be departing this fantastic nation we call America, for the beautiful landscape of Peru. Although Peru is the host to capable people with the appropriate resources, the country has suffered from corrupt government leading to extreme poverty. Approximately, 54% of the population lives under the poverty line of $2 per day. The Peace Corps sends Volunteers to attempt to remedy the underlying problems and alleviate the pain the Peruvian people have suffered for years.

On June 21^st, I will fly from Grand Rapids, Michigan to Washington, D.C. to participate in Peace Corps Orientation. On June 23^rd, I will depart for Lima, Peru where I will endure 10 weeks of training. This will include

About midway through training, I will be assigned to a smaller town that will serve as my post. I will be located here for two full years beginning on September 1, 2006. Barring any family emergencies back home, I will most likely not return to the States until September 1, 2008.

I will be working as a volunteer in the Small Business Developments sector. This entails providing general business consultation to various citizens seeking advice. The majority of the time, I will be researching the opportunity to place existing products in new markets or developing new market distribution channels, especially those utilizing the Internet. Primarily, I will be working with artisans and agricultural businessmen as well as with other small business owners.