COS Conference

May 7th-10th, 2008 Lima, Peru

COS Conference

Approximately 3 months before the end of our service, Peace Corps puts on a Close of Service conference. The conference serves many purposes including: a time to reconnect with volunteers for the last time, provide job search advice, and explain all the administration details necessary for leaving.

The day before the conference we all pretty much just hung out. As usual the boys played cards while the girls chatted. The next morning we left early for a retreat center outside of Lima. It was actually pretty nice. In between sessions on resume writing and culture shock we threw around the football.

The next night we headed back to Lima. I thought it was a rite of passage for the whole group to go out to the club and dance all night but apparently our group is lame. I think only 14 of the 32 volunteers hung out that night.

The next day we enjoyed lunch at this great gourmet buffet in Lima. I seriously have never ate better. Its all the steak and seafood and gourmet pastas you can eat. Afterwards, a few of the guys headed to the horse track. We spent the next three hours betting on horses, which in my opinion is exhilarating. I came out up a dollar but my buddy won $12 on the last race. We then headed directly to the bus station.

In conclusion, COS conference was anticlimactic since we still have 3 months left. It was good to be reminded how to do a resume and great to see everyone for the last time.