Its really just a piece of cake...or banana bread

So my weeks have been passing fairly smoothly. I’m looking at one month in site already, and I have had several opportunities to feel integrated and even slightly purposeful in my community. I’ve also found some time to see some of the other sites around my area, and in fact just returned from Brad’s site called Vitis which is about 15Km’s away. Of course to get there it’s a 6K (3.6 mile) hike to the main road, where I catch (hopefully if one hasn’t missed it) the only passing vehicle to Vitis. And luckily this time I did get to the road in time to hop on the bus otherwise it’s another 9Km hike straight uphill to Brad! Brad’s site is literally situated on a mountain outcrop, and is aptly named “El Cuidad de los Vientos,” or like our own Chicago, “The City of The Winds.” Once I got to Vitis I met up with Brad and we ate some of the local delicacy, fried trout; a fish that isn’t native to Peru, but has become a symbol of pride for many rural communities because they have started their own successful fish farms. Afterwards we met one of the environmental and tourism promoters in his site and we headed up the mountain to post a “Do Not Throw Trash” sign near the trails to some of the local archeological sites, and then headed back down just before the rain started….
.....Now let me pause a moment and let me inform you that putting up a small 3’x 2’ sign with such a simple and common message as “Do Not Throw Trash” is a monumental success for sites like Brad’s and mine. I can imagine its surprising when you think a simple sign like this can be made and hung in one afternoon by visiting Lowe’s back in the states, but when you’re faced with the challenge of living in communities where you may not even know you have an environmental and tourism committee until after 6 months in site and the supplies alone take another 2 weeks to procure, you can begin to imagine how volunteers take their successes, no matter how small, as giant steps forward….
So after the hike and sign hanging we bought some bananas, slightly browning, for what Brad and I considered the next great achievement of the day; making banana bread in his newly purchased oven! We followed the recipe as best we could, mixing the batter in chipped bowls and dented pots, and using guess-tamation to preheat the small gas oven that was lacking temperature gauges. We substituted some ingredients with others, and added our own flavors like roasted peanuts and honey that was made at Brad’s site. We popped our makeshift stew-pot/pie-pan into the over, and waited patiently listening to Christmas music on Brad’s computer, passing the time like usual during the rainy season with conversation and tea drinking. After an hour had passed with frequent checking, our masterpiece was complete and a total success! Two inspiring volunteers, lacking all proper materials were able to improve the quality of our community’s environment by promoting proper trash management, and even more so, we were able to amazingly produce outstanding banana bread at over 13,000ft in elevation with a small gas powered oven in the middle of Brad’s room! Now if that’s not ingenuity and embodiment of the Peace Corp experience, I don’t know what is!

All Systems Are Go

I probably struck pay dirt with my site, I honestly couldn’t have been luckier. First of all, I live with a host family where my mom is part of the Recursos Naturales Comite and my dad is president of the PTA. I met an environmental/English teacher that is super excited to get me in the schools to teach enviro-education and a full immersion English class to the chicos. The governor of my town is super motivated to start a trash clean-up program with my help. My mayor is super motivated in general which is hard to come by in such a small town. There are two, yes two, agricultural/forestation promotion organizations near my site that make regular visits to my town. And, I have two community partners that seem much obliged to work with a gringo on just about any project! So to say I’m grateful is an understatement. During training we heard horror stories of people having tons of problems in every area I just mentioned, and in some cases not making these breakthroughs until half-way through their service! I won’t be shy in saying a lot of the early breakthroughs I’m making are partly my on doing by just getting my face out in the community; but honestly the majority of a volunteer’s success is totally dependent on the communities attitude, and even more just purely circumstantial. So once again, to say I’m grateful is an understatement. I still have those times when absolutely nothing happens, when the rain is pouring and all you can do is wait. But when part of my “integration,” (which I might add is supposed to be the hardest part of the two years,) is going fishing all day with my host brother in some of the most scenic places I’ve experienced thus far, I consider myself pretty lucky.

Also, my family is really starting to warm up to me. It’s a small step forward when they invite me to watch the one channel television with them, but its such a big success in my mind considering they’ve never experienced a volunteer (even more so, a gringo) living with them. You learn to count your blessings no matter how small when you’re this far from anything you once knew as comfortable. I think what I’ve truly learned to appreciate is how much warmer a room can be with other people eating and laughing can be when there is a freezing rain outside. The idea that you depend on other people for your comforts is really new to me, as strange as it sounds. My time in the Army showed me I can survive and endure strange situations, but now that I’m in the Peace Corps I’m finally learning to enjoy those situations as well.

Its been 2 weeks already

So its been two weeks already and since my town has electricity today I´m going to bang out a blog on the Municipalidad´s ¨full speedy¨ internet...
I´ve pretty much spent the last 2 weeks realizing that things just seem to fall into place in this backwoods, rural town of Yauyos. It must be that ¨country living¨ type of mindset you hear so much about on the country station but never have the slightest idea what thier singing about. I can literally leave my house with one goal in mind, randomly run into someone I wanted to find the day before, end up making an appointment for tommorrow, and then realize that I still haven´t met my goal but I understand that if I go to the appointment tommorrow (which will probably fall through) I can achieve it then! If you can understand that, then you´re ready for the Peace Corps. Honestly my best advice for future volunteers or anyone wondering how to cope with a similar situation, is just stay out of your room and roam around the streets or just make spanish small talk (no matter how horrible your spanish is.) Each day i´m talking to new people, or even visiting the same small shops and having the same small conversations, but from what we were told in training, its the best way to intergrate yourself.
So far by just randomly walking around or asking the silly question of ¨Do you have plans today?¨ I´ve helped with some potatoes, milked some cows, dug an irrigation ditch, was taken on a tour of the nearby ruins, and even participated in a monthly meeting of all the park guards here in the Yauyos Reserve. I couldn´t have done these things if I was only watching the 3rd season of ¨The Office¨ in my room, cursing the afternoon rains. Sure it was a shock to arrive here, and i´m still learning to cope with it all (especially the cold...especially the cold and how Miraflores has yet to upgrade to insulation or indoor heating,) and yes, I do spend time in my room. But overall, as my ¨go, go, go¨ American mindset slowly settles into the rhythm of life thats seems so much more fitting for a rural life-style, I am learning to appreciate being in the moment, and realizing that this experience is going to go by just as fast even if I´m taking it slow....
So practical advice in sum: If you can´t sit still for longer than one hour while you watch your host family prepare a scarf for weaving while its raining cats and dogs outside, once again re-wetting your clothes on the line that you washed 3 days ago, and being out spoken by your 3 year old host sister (atleast for my level of spanish), then I you might want to re-consider joining!

First moments in site

(I published this post along with the next one on the same day, but the content is about things that happened about two weeks apart).... I’ve been in site now for almost a week now, and I could have packed the world with me and nothing I would have brought could have helped me with the life changing decision being a volunteer signifies. Of course we try and picture ourselves in rustic conditions with Kodak moments of serendipity with local farmers or laughing children, but to me all of that seemed so distant and surreal as I traveled up the mountain 6 people deep in a 4 person station wagon traveling 4 hours from the nearest city. My site is a wonderful mountain town situated quaintly in a valley next to a roaring river. The main activity here is farming and child rearing, and is about as rustic as you can get. My room is a fairly good size, a bed, a desk, dirt floors and rock walls. My new host family consists of my madre Yolanda, my padre Ramilo, and my hermanas Gaby and Pati and my hermano Ramilo Jr. There are about 300 people in my town, and is one of the “newest” towns in Yauyos since it was formed in the 1900’s! I’ll be primarily working with Peru’s National Park Guard equivalent, called SERNAP Park Guards. So far the food has been agreeable (it could use a little less salt and grease), the people have been open to the idea of a gringo strolling their streets randomly coming up to them and explaining why the hell a gringo is this far from a city, and it seems that if you talk to enough people you’ll eventually find something interesting to do. I think the hardest part so far is not having a structured calendar. Though I am part of the US Government, with all its bureaucratic tendencies, all structure flew out the window the hour in my site. I still haven’t met the Mayor because he’s been on vacation, I’ve talked to my community partner once (in passing as he whizzed off on a motorcycle), and I ended up teaching a class on English my second day here without any notice. But that is why the Peace Corps needs driven, independent, and most importantly flexible people. These first few months are probably going to be a big test of my fortitude and patience. The first part of the Peace Corps experience is also the hardest, and that is simply being integrated into your community; all of my future projects will depend on how well I can pass this first test…No pressure.
As for practical advice, all I can say is give me a few weeks and I’ll get back to you! Honestly, right now I don’t think any training, packing, or mental preparation could probably help me (or the reader of this blog) truly prepare for the first few moments in site…I can say bring a rain coat, its rained every afternoon so far.

Offically a Volunteer

I will officially be a Peace Corps volunteer November 22nd, 2009. We have our swearing in ceremony in the morning then we head off to our sites for the next two years. To say we are excited can hardly encompass the extremes of emotion that have filled the training center with a omnipotent tension that seems to linger over everyone’s heads. Each person has gone and survived their Field Based Training and Site Visits at their future sites last week, and we seem to all have experienced a nice quick reality slap when we finally saw where exactly we were being placed…in fact let me back up a bit…
So we all had Field Based Training II and Site Visits with our Site Group Clusters. A Site Group Clusters is how the Peace Corps is striving to optimize the experience by placing 3-5 volunteers within hiking distance of one another. These clusters went to meet and greet the mayors, community partners, and usually introduce themselves to the schools in their towns. It was a nice 8 day roller coaster ride of hand shakes, pictures, and a ton of introductions. I went with my pseudo-cluster (because my actual cluster in Yauyos is a different group of 2nd year volunteers that have lived in Yauyos for a year already) to their sites in Junin for 4 days and then shot over to my site in Miraflores, Yauyos for the next 4 days. In Junin we had an amazing tour of the massive lake there, which is situated on a sweeping valley bed between two mountain tops that easily reach over 4000m (over 13000 ft.). For me it was just a nice vacation because it wasn’t my actual site and I didn’t really have to worry about impressing anyone we met, but once I started heading to my site I couldn’t help to get more and more excited and nervous, to say the least. I took 15 months of an application process and 2.5 months of training and I was finally about to see the true reality of my decision to join the Peace Corps. I was about to see the community that has asked for a volunteer to make a difference, I was about to meet the mayor that might have un-attainable expectations of me, I was about to see my house and host family where I’ll be spending most of my leisure time; all of these factors could easily make or break a volunteer´s experience, and they were all about to land in my lap. My heart was obviously pounding as we pulled in the town square, but was immediately put at ease as I simply looked up at the beautiful surroundings I had been placed in. My community is situated in a steep valley with towering mountains on both sides and a river roaring on the side of it. It’s a pueblo of 350 people, but it does have a health post, electricity, and “full speedy” internet at the Municipality building. There are Andean (Andes Mountains) terraced farming and Incan ruins all around me, and the town seems truly excited to have a volunteer living with them, especially my host family. At my new house I’ll have three siblings, a mom and dad. My dad is a jack of all trades, including carpentry and blacksmithing, and my mom is a traditional stay at home mom. I’ll be living in a very, very, very rural setting- I’m talking dirt floors, adobe buildings, chickens in the front yard kind of setting, but there is running water and a toilet…
….So now lets resume where we left off considering you now know why this was such a reality check for so many people. Many people didn’t have the scenery I had, or running water, or even a room that was ready for them! Many people, including myself, finally had that romantic vision of the Peace Corps turned into a concrete reality; for me especially when I randomly found myself one day milking cows with a neighbor, or staring down a bowl of 25 potatoes for breakfast, (I’m not joking I had a bowl of potatoes for breakfast). We actually lost 2 volunteers after their site visits, it was enough to make them realize they’d made the wrong decision. But for most of us, we survived and returned to put it all into perspective. A positive perspective where we realized that we don’t have to take this experience as a 2 year chunk, but that like most demanding situations, you take it day by day. And as we returned and shared our stories of who will have what in their communities or who saw the most random of Peruvian behavior, the excited tension started to form. The tension of knowing that many of the friends we’ve made over these past 2 months won’t be seen again for atleast a year, or the hope that training has given us the tools to succeed, or even the quiet contemplative tension of everyone’s inner voice saying, “am I ready? Is THIS why I joined the Peace Corps?” But I personally feel completely ready, because I have been proven time and again that if you’re patient enough and understanding enough your experiences will usually pan out for the best. I know that this omniscient tension will definitely need a knife to cut it, but I also think that knife will be our swearing in ceremonies where we change our title from “trainee” to “volunteer” and head out with our bags packed, once again to begin the simple but venerated duty that John F. Kennedy intended for in 1961 which was to spread understanding and respect between two cultures…and hopefully having a few laughs along the way.

First field based training

So we did our first ¨Field Based Training,¨ in the region of Ancash. It was amazing to see the snow covered peaks, the glaciers, and the aqua-marine glacial lakes. Everyday we did a little ¨follow the leader¨ with park guards of the protected areas or the community leaders from the places we visited. My group presented some talks on trash management, learned some cultivation techniques and plant names from the farmers, and of course we had several amazing hikes. I think the best parts were finding a steal cup I could buy off one of the camposino women after one of my breakfasts, talking to motivated volunteers in thier sites and all of thier projects, and definitly sitting around an open fire kitchen and dirt floors, eating guinea pig (cuy), drinking tea, and having a truely Peace Corps experience talking to one of the volunteer´s host mom as she sat across from us in her traditional camposino clothing and smiling.

As for packing advice, several other folks had light weight sleeping bags that saved space on the plane to Peru but made thier montain nights pretty chilly. I reccomend a good low-degree sleeping bag and sleeping mat, especially as we do more site visists these coming days and weeks. Also the steal cup is amazing, since here in Peru you find yourself needing a cup for random reasons and really wishing you had your own that you know where its been!

As for training, only a few more weeks left and I couldn´t be more ready. Standing out in the night air, on top of a mountain, over 11,000 ft. high, a full moon and nothing but the sound of a river behind me definitly put me in the right mood to head to my site after my offical swearing in mid-november.

A little description

Sorry for being so vauge about my surroundings here. Heres a little description.

My room is normal sized with one bed, a table, and three hooks and a bench for my clothes. The floor, walls -the entire house for that matter- is concrete. Concrete is one of the cheapest building materials, so most, if not all houses around here are brick and concrete. Most houses have one or two completed floors with an open roof and unfinished concrete pillars so they can keep expanding thier house as they save up money; its actually a nice physical representation of hope and planning. Most people have an ugly mutt and chickens on thier roofs, and like in my house, the sink to wash clothes in and the clothes lines are up there too.
Chaclacayo is in a valley, so all houses start at the river and dramatically climb up the steep mountains; they´ve literally terraced thier houses right on top of each other in some areas. See, in the 80´s and 90´s when the terrorism in Peru was really bad, many people fled the country side and went to the cities. The cities had no room so the people had to build on the steep hills that were once considered un-inhabitable. Your best visualization is to think about steep, grey, rocky hills, covered with colorful matchboxes! Of course there are central areas and parks which are always a nice get-away, and like all neighborhoods you have the upper classes and lower classes usually seperated by walls and/or mountains!
I eat some variation of rice, potatoes, eggs, chicken, meat everyday; definitly rice and potatoes everyday. Its interesting because Peruvians have always had an aversion to eating anything animals eat, so there is a big emphasis on harvested cerals, meats and potatoes. The interesting part is that rice is one of the hardest crops to grow in Peru, and they actually waste millions of dollars to grow rice in near desert conditions or import the stuff...gotta´love cultural cunundrums. I´ve had cuy (guinea pig), Cua Cua (intestines), and Ceveche´ (raw fish in lime, onion, garlic juice to kill the bad stuff) Pulmones (cow lungs), and Anticucho (heart and liver,) and i´ve enjoyed it all. I think the only dish I won´t try is the i´ll-prepared, fried chicken anus that they sell in the streets! But then again they say ketchup can cover all!

Half-way done with training

I would say learning Spanish has been like learning to snowboard, and anyone that has tried the latter will be able to relate to the pain involved. Granted with snowboarding it usually takes 3 days, not 5 weeks, but the theory is about the same. That theory is that you eventually fall down enough while learning to snowboard you literally learn to snowboard because you’re tired of hurting your ass. I would say the same for Spanish, it hasn’t completely clicked and there is definitely two more years worth of learning, but I’ve accepted the general idea of just allowing myself to speak the phrases and sentences and tenses I do know, simply because I was tired of the painful process of speaking it wrong. For example, when we had to arrange and teach a class in a school in our neighborhoods for our environmental training, I could totally comprehend and respond to the teachers and the kids of the school we picked…of course it was kindergarten, and the teachers were used to working with little non-Spanish speaking creatures, like myself, but you’ve got to take your wins when you can get em’!
We’ve also started going on field trips. We went on a hike last week to a waterfall at around 2800m, and had the Mayor of the town teach us about the plants we encountered along the trail. There were several species-especially the desert-like plants- that many of us had had experience with in the states, but there were so many more that seemed like something out of a Dr. Seuss book. When then descended back towards earth with an amazing view of a cloud filled valley of towering-terraced mountains, and after running into a tarantula well over the size of a child’s out-spread hand, we all made it safely down the mountain for lunch hosted by the local town. This week we are going to a nearby “loma,” which is most easily compared to a watershed or even an oasis; like a random patch of natural area that’s much more vegetated and populated with animals then the rest of the area around it. And on Friday we are traveling to a wild-life refuge in Lima that I think specializes in protecting birds. Of course I wish I could remember the names of these places, I think the first one is called Ayas or Aryas which is East of Chaclacayo, and the others (I think are spelled,) Lomas de Lachay, and Pantanos de Villa.
As for the practical side of my life, I’ve been sick for at least 75% of the last 3 weeks, ranging from bad stomach problems (which will happen to everyone), cold-like symptoms (which will happen, and is happening, to everyone here), and even just overall fatigue (mentally and physically, which will happen to everyone as well.) So for these I just reminded myself that this is one big process. It’s a process to learn Spanish, to discover Peru, and overall it’s a process to let your body adapt to a new continent! Nothing that I’ve had, or that anyone else has had, has taken us down for the count to where we couldn’t attend or function in classes. So I recommend just keep the fluids coming, allow your body to strengthen itself by not taking medicine if you don’t have to, and realize that you can’t enjoy the sweet times unless you’ve overcome the bitter ones. As for equipment, a thumb drive has been a nice accessory I threw in at the last minute. Simply because I’ve been able to share files with others and download some entertainment from the web; when I actually get around to using the internet cafés. Also a recommendation when you are packing is to remember to leave space in your bags for at least a shoe box size of extra stuff. We’ve received several manuals and books along the way and I’m glad I left extra room in my bags so I can easily carry them to my site.
Lastly, I’d like to wax philosophically for a spell if you’ll allow me. I really look at all of this as; 1). An exercise-an actual and literal exercise-like in the gym, when you plan on running a marathon you can’t do 26.2 on the first day, a runner needs to build his/her runs, there will be days when you feel like you could have run 10 more miles without pain, and there are days when the simplest runs feel like the Devil is plotting against you the entire time, the same rule applies in training and learning Spanish, there are days when you can run, and there are days when you really just want to crawl, the point of it all is to just keep moving forward, if you maintain your forward momentum eventually the 3 or 4 miles that kicked your butt in the first weeks will eventually be your warm-ups in the end weeks, and 2). I feel that adapting to a new culture is a test in one’s ability to “hold on tightly, but let go lightly,” what I mean is the person most able to adapt to a completely new situation is one that is able to let go of their past habits and being humble and patient enough to be pleasantly surprised when you’ve obtained new ones….With that being said, overall I find myself using patience the most when customizing myself to Peruvian culture. Patience in my Spanish classes because I know it’s an exercise, and patience with the random cultural encounters I could have never planned for. Like a full week of going to church every night with my host family and not understanding one word from the pastor, or why the congregation has literally sang the exact same song 3 times a service, at every service!? I’m glad I did this when I was old enough to have gained a hint of patience, and young enough to not be so stubborn I couldn’t “let go lightly.” Do you ever get those feelings that everything you did in the past is somehow culminating for what you’re doing in the present….?

My first true post in Peru

So as many of you know, I’ve arrived to Peru. The initial landing here and even the bus ride through the city the first night, were all oddly reminiscent of my first night in Kuwait; me sitting in the same type of tour bus, surrounded by strangers, tired as hell, holding my trusty Blackhawk backpack on my knees. But as I soon realized, this place meets none of the very few expectations I allowed myself to indulge in and I could never begin to compare any of these new experiences with anything I’ve done before. We were lodged in a “retreat” to kind-of decompress for the first few days to get our paperwork and introductions out of the way and to have our first Spanish interview. The interview went about as well as trying to breathe underwater, and not surprisingly I was placed in the lowest level Spanish class. But like my remedial math class I had to take in college, I really needed to be placed where I was simply because I had all the rules and vocab memorized but all of that flys out the window when faced with a true Spanish conversation. So as far as Spanish is concerned, my first few weeks here have definitely made me feel pretty elementary at times, but I’m improving in leaps in bounds because I’m learning what works and what doesn’t in conversations. After the retreat we finally saw the Peace Corps Center where we will be spending our next few weeks of training. We met our host families, and I couldn’t have asked for a better placement. My host family has had 5 other volunteers so they totally know what to expect. They are really patient when I whip out questions like, “is there a bathroom in the church” or “how do I wash my clothes.” I have a 10 year old host brother and 17 year old host sister, and like my host mom and dad, they aren’t expecting too much of me. I just keep smiling and nodding “yes” to most of the conversation, but I’m getting there. To say the least it’s a truly humbling experience and a person needs to have a lot of patience. My daily routine is typically Spanish classes all morning and technical classes in the afternoon. Granted, there are always those much beloved governmental briefings on sexual harassment, health and safety, etc, but its all part of training. My program is in environmental management and I truly think we’ve got a great program to work with since it will undoubtedly take me to the most scenic places of Peru. Most environmental folks get placed near some sort of protected national reserve and have a pretty defined set of expectations. Everyone in my program, all 57 of us, are all very motivated and positive which makes for a great working environment. I’m living in a small suburb of Chaclacayo during training, and I will probably find out later in training exactly where I’ll be placed for the remainder of my time in Peru. For now, all week is spent training and the weekends are spent trying to find the next neat religious festival to attend. I went to one street dance so far and was able to see a marching band that started in one part of Chaclacayo in the morning and marched to the other side by sundown, marching and playing the entire time! The music was all traditional tunes played with saxophones and guitars, which made for an interesting spectacle to say the least. I had some kids try and teach me to Cumbia, but when that failed I tried to teach them the Two-Step, but that ultimately failed as well; not really a good start to a first attempt at a cross-cultural experience. We’ve actually had some classes on the different dance styles in Peru, but since I can’t seem to get the lead outta’ my feet It’s going to take some practice before I rip up the dance floors at the local disco-tecas! We went to Lima and an Agriculture University last week, which was a welcome break. I saw the Pacific Ocean for the first time since I was little, and though the sky was overcast and the ocean was pretty grey, I thought it was amazing. I’ve had Cuy (guinea pig) and Ceveche (raw fish in onions, garlic, and lime) and this weekend my host mom has promised to show me another Peruvian delicacy surprise. Today we had a visit from the US Ambassador to Peru and we got to ask a lot of questions about the diplomatic situation between the two countries. It was pretty neat to see someone that has had a successful career in international development, which is where I think all of the Peace Corp volunteers here are interested in going in future careers.
As for keeping it real to my original, practical purpose of my blog I want to say I packed pretty well. The duffel bags worked well, and being able to carry what you bring is a good rule-of-thumb to try and pack by. As for clothes, I know I’m not the snappiest dresser here, but after spending an hour and a half hand washing only a couple pairs of pants, some shirts, and socks, I can’t say I would really want my wardrobe to be much more intricate; but then again I’ve accepted that I’ll probably be wearing some form of cargo pants and t-shirts for the rest of my life. Volunteers receive a pretty thorough first aid kit when they arrive in Peru, but I still think a person should definitely bring a personalized one. An extra mirror was a good item to bring as well since the bathroom isn’t always available and I sometimes have to shave in the sink upstairs. Other than that, I would say bring at least one or two good books to read since there aren’t many bookstores around, and its kind of nice to have a relaxing read in English every once and awhile. And even though most of your toiletries can be bought at the several markets or cities near-by the selection is a little limited so bring enough to last for about a month while you get accustomed to what you can and can’t live without. Several people brought their workout gear which has definitely been used since most of the volunteers are pretty health conscious, and you never know when a random b-ball game gets brought up and you might want your sneakers. I’ve been working out with a few other volunteers in my neighborhood in the mornings and we’ve been able to use the park nearby or the mountain trails all around us to utilize for a nice functional fitness regime. All-in-all, Its still all so overwhelming when you stop and think that the birds you hear are Peruvian birds and the trees and mountains that surround Chaclacayo are all part of South America. This experience is truly rewarding when you remind yourself that each day you spend, whether in good health or bad, is all part of the most memorable thing any of us has ever done. Buenos noches. No hay problema en Peru!

Some quick thoughts

1. I saw an ex-girlfriend from high school. She was a Rosetta Stone model in lesson unit 3 that said "Si yo tuviera espacio en mi mochila, llevaria tu camera," to a very masculine arm and hand holding a camera. The interesting part isn't that I'm sure I saw an ex-girlfriend as a Rosetta Stone model, but that even as a language teacher she was still hitting on other guys.

2. My packed duffel bags feel like they are staring at me. Like they contain a secret or an inside joke on me. They are laughing at things I should have packed and all the things they know I didn't.

3. I bought two Wyoming coffee mugs and Wyoming post cards as gifts for my host families. I think my favorite thing about the coffee mugs is that even though they are two completely different coffee mugs with completely different collages of Wyoming pictures, they were both able to capture the noble and stoic profile of the mangiest antelope in all the land.

4. And my last quick thought is a practical one just to keep the theme of the blog rolling. Kevin from Armenia told me that Armenian borscht is made from cow knuckles and cow head. He told me that to successfully eat a bowl of Armenian borscht the bottle of vodka that accompanies it must be consumed entirely as well.

First revision

So for all you doubters out there, may you feel vindicated. For the first revision to my packing list I'm going to actually need two duffles for all of my stuff...sadness. Granted I'll be bringing a daypack also (which fits into the second bag, FYI), but I guess there is a reason the PC recommends two bags. Now for me, two bags seems like a lot, but I went through it meticulously and have determined that since I'll be actually living in Peru and not just surviving I might as well bring a few extra items. So the first bag is completely full, packed as follows; shoes on the bottom, then pants, then shirts, then undergarments, cold weather gear, towels, and rain gear. The second bag has my supplies, like toiletries, sleeping bag, sleeping mat, first aid kit, etc. And just to spite the doubters, the second bag is only 2/3 full, ha!
I trimmed a lot of weight by taking things out of their packages and putting the like items in zip-lock bags, as well as taking only enough pens, pencils, envelopes, toiletries, etc., for a month or so. And a packing tip for the sleeping bag is make sure you buy a good strap-tightening stuff sack.
I read a blog awhile back about a PCV stationed in Nepal (when PC was still active there) who brought too much stuff his first assignment, and only brought a daypack and guitar for his second assignment. Now, as romantic as this sounds-a traveling nomad helping the world with only a backpack on his back-I don't think the PC is like what it used to be then. The PC office already has directly recommended dress clothes, a laptop, and a sleeping bag; that's almost one daypack already! So I still stand next to my statement of packing like a minimalist or a Spartan, but one that lives in a modern world preparing to serve and represent-respectfully-a governmental organization for two years. So pack with a Spartan mindset, but just substitute your big ole' bronze shield, helmet, and spear for two bags of necessary living material and you should come out about even. Good-luck!


...As a small addition to this post, I just talked to my RPCV buddy, Kevin, who assuaged my fears of overpacking when he told me that 2 bags is neccessary. He confirmed my thinking in bringing only a few essential toiletries, and stressed the importance of a camera and a headlamp. I hope this helps.

Spanish Classes

So I'm not sure if this happens to many Peace Corps volunteers, but I was nominated to Peru with only having beginning Spanish from college, and a month later they said I couldn't go without a higher level of Spanish!? I was none the less confused about why I would be cleared to serve in a country, then flagged to go to that country because I wasn't cleared to serve there in the first place. I can only imagine I just slipped over the red tape somewhere, but it eventually caught up to me. Besides the popularity of the assignment, I began to wonder why South American PC nominations needed higher language requirements? Why did I meet a retired couple at a Returned PCV picnic that went to Mongolia with no language background, and were tossed into the "complete immersion" test class? Where are there no requirements for the Armenian, Thai, and Togo assignments which simply give you the 3 months at Pre-Service Training (PST) to become a proficient speaker? To me these languages, which many of us have had no encounter with, seem much more deserving of qualified speakers prior to departure...But no matter, it proved to be providential, it forced me out of my comfort zone and into another college level Spanish class- intermediate in fact. I signed up to a correspondence course from the University of Tennessee simply because it was the cheapest, and not because their mascot is the Volunteer. U of T mailed me my courses and syllabus and I purchased the exorbitantly priced book that's no thicker than my thumb- making me wonder if the pages were lined with diamond dust! It took me about 3 months with one vacation to Florida in between, and I got a solid B! On top of that I can now honestly say what millions of people that have learned a language to an intermediate level can say, "I can read it, but speaking it is another story." I actually finished two books in Spanish, El Color de Mis Palabras and El Capiton Calzoncillos; obviously not Neruda, but its a start.



After the Spanish Class the PC also recommended to me, like they now do to all volunteers before departure, to complete at least 40 hours on the complimentary Rosetta Stone program. It was a great way to solidify what I learned in the Spanish class, and even learn quite a bit more vocabulary. And if anyone has had the opportunity to be serenaded by the lovely "you are correct" chime Rosetta Stone incessantly bings at you, you'll know what a great program it is...And for the record my favorite sentence to date has been, "El gato esta debajo de carro!"

Staying fit in Peru

I plan on exercising and staying fit while in Peru. The speech the British POW's gave to Billy Pilgrim and the other American POW's about staying fit in Vonnegut's Slaughter House Five is quite applicable. No need to read it, I'll sum it up; stay clean, exercise, and stay active. 30 minutes, at least, on most days...Of course like most of my advice on this blog its all trial and error, so i'll keep you posted if I can maintain or not...I follow Crossfit at home, but I don't think I can keep that up in Peru, unless of course my community has some bumper plates and kettlebells. What I do plan on doing is a functional fitness routine based around what I can bring; my portable Rouge Fitness pullup rings, a jump rope, and my body. Squats, pushups, pullups, dips, and situps will probably make up most of my routine. I think the air-squats will definitely get the most laughs from my community. I would love to add running to the list, but i'm not sure how that will go over, I guess it really depends on where i'm at. Heck, maybe i'll start a little gym for my community! I can have a bunch of little Rocky's and Rockitas running around, talking about protein and lactic acid and the killer burn in their glutes!

Reading Lists and dress clothes

Do I plan on taking dress clothes? Yup. To my dismay of course. Not because I don't like puttin' on the ritz, but because its more stuff to pack and something you have to worry about what you pack around it. So I plan on bringing two polo's, two long sleeve button up's, one actual dress pant and use some khaki cargos for another pair, nice socks, and nice shoes, two ties. Oddly enough, the more I learned about the PC, the more I realized this wasn't the hippies retreat everyone seems to have the connotation of. In fact, many places I read that the PC needs hair and beards to be neatly trimmed and clothing should be respectable in order to remain presentable in the community. Most of the communities we'll be living in take great pride in their appearances. They would scoff at the "devil may care" look many college students take when they go out in public, and ironically the worst dressed of those college kids are usually the types that are the ones attracted to the PC, myself included.



As for the reading lists, since I'll be an Agroforester/Enviro ED, I started compiling online articles and journals months before and saved them to my harddrive. I recommend the Overstory Agroforestry website, http://www.agroforestry.net/overstory/index.html for its periodicals, and its recommended reading lists http://www.agroforestry.net/aflibr.html. I also went to the USDA National Agroforestry Research Center website and requested some free material http://www.unl.edu/nac/order.htm. The History and Conquest of Peru was something I had always wanted to read and I definitly picked it up after I was assigned there. Ultimatley I enjoyed it, it does have a weighty portion AFTER the actual conquest, but if you stick with it you eventually discover where many of the modern cities get their names and even the ancient ones. You also learn how the fragile relationship between Peruvians and Europeans was created, and it sheds light on how their modern culture and religion is shadowed by events that happened in the 1500's!

Packing Lists

First issue, packing lists. As you may know, they recommend packing for every environ; from rainforest to desert, mountain to ocean, obviously a person really has to be prepared. But don't let the numerous situations scare you because no matter where you're at the same rules apply; layering, staying dry, protect your feet, staying healthy. I'll update this list as I actually test each piece of equipment in country. This list is a "must have" type, not including your own personal doo-dads you might need, like a lucky cap or favorite toe socks.

*All of this equipment shouldn't take up more than one large backpack or Army sized duffel bag. Remember not to pack everything you might use today, tomorrow, and possibly touched yesterday. Peru is a growing country who was hardly affected during this global recession, there are large cities and universities where you can get most anything you need. Based off my experience, you'll end up with more crap then you can carry back with you and will probably be selling your stuff to the next guy/girl coming in after you, (which means you'll be getting sold to as well.)

Primary Items:
A. Three pairs of foot wear--1. High quality, low fashion work boots. You'll want Vibram soles at the least, and ones that don't scream "I cost 150$!," good laces, and solid eyelets (preferably metal). To decrease the fashion you can skip on the Gore-tex, and just get some all leather one's with a small can of minkoil if waterproofing is a concern. 2. Trail Runners/ Rugged low tops. Once again go for low fashion high quality, neutral tones, good laces and eyelets, Vibram soles or equivalent. You'll want ones that are comfortable enough to run in, but also rugged enough for casual hiking and everyday use. 3. Sandals/Shower shoes. If you wear sandals, obviously I recommend Chaco or Teva. For those less inclined to reveal their phalanges and meta-tarsals, I still recommend a pair of flippy-floppies for the shower. Athletes foot or just foot fungus in general can easily be prevented with a half-inch of barrier between you and the wet floor. Final Note, never skimp on price or quality, your feet are your primary mode of transportation and always need to be protected. Footwear will be the starting point for many of your skeletal and muscular aches and pains, so get a solid pair that will last.

B. Clothing; its all about layers, its easier to take it off then put it on.-- Get smart with "ninja tights!" Light weight, long-john substitute, synthetic fiber tights and top for a base layer. Even in hotter climes they are practical to use for late nights and as P.J.'s. Socks and underwear are personal, so I will only recommend making sure you have a few pairs of long "wool-like" socks and also thin black socks for dressing up or blister prevention in hotter climes. Pants and shorts should have as many pockets as possible, as few snaps as possible (can't repair them easily), and rugged seems for durability! I'm biased to cargo and Carhart, blue jeans rip easily, stay wet longer and can't carry more then your keys, I won't be bringing a single pair. Shorts aren't usually worn outside the home in many other countries, its good to assume you'll be wearing pants most of the time in your community. Your shirts should have a higher portion of short sleeves to long sleeves, since you can substitute a long sleeve with a good fleece and you can typically use long sleeves more often since they are more of a shell then a primary base cover. Fleece and/or vests are an awesome way to stay comfy in all climes. A nice synthetic fiber fleece (or recycled synthetic from Patagonia) and/or a good quality, insulated vest with as many pockets as possible, are both great way to continue the layering process; you can be covered in mild climes or add insulation in colder climes. Coats shouldn't make you look like the kid brother in "The Christmas Story." If you've followed the layering process, your coat should only have these characteristics; Waterproof, windproof, tons of pockets, a hood, and no more then a 1/4'' to 1/2'' of insulation. Your coat should protect but not restrict, you're not going snowboarding, your going to work in a foreign country and need to move freely. Final Note, your clothes like your footwear should be high quality, low fashion. You'll possibly be hand washing which is hard on clothes, and you'll probably start wearing clothes for more days in a row then you are used to. Plan on taking less pairs of higher quality clothes to minimize packing weight, start thinking as a Spartan, as a minimalist, as a practical person that doesn't want to be a target. Remember you can air out clothes by hanging them up, and extending their wearge during the week.

C. Your packing bag;-- Its easy; high quality, low fashion, neutral colors and should have that worn-in look if possible. Increase main compartment room and decrease external pockets, the more stuff on the outside in small pockets means less stuff inside in the main pocket. Recommendations; Army duffle bags with your name spray painted on the side, and/or an Army ruck-sack for smaller items and day-trips. The brighter and fancier your backpack the brighter the target you wear on your back! You'll be lugging your bags across a foreign country, make sure you've actually worn it around a few times to make adjustments.

Secondary Items:
A. Hats, gloves, belts, extra shoe laces. Have a sunny hat and a cold hat, have work gloves and cold gloves, have a sturdy belt, and the extra shoe laces are a no-brainer.

B (a). A sleeping mat and wet weather gear. The sleeping mat shouldn't be bulky, it should only be about the size of a Nalgene bottle when rolled up. Your coat should already be waterproof, but its good to have a large poncho and extra tarp. These last two items can be used as a shelter and also a place to set stuff on you don't want to get dirty/wet/dusty.

B. (b). A Sleeping Bag. A nice sleeping bag, perferably rated to 30F should be adequate. Even if you don't go camping it can substitute the need for sheets and a comforter, and can come in handy if the bus doesn't make it to your community in one day.

C. A First Aid kit. Not a whimpy freeby the size of a piece of toast, but one that has a good case with compartments so you can take out the silly stuff ( i.e. itty bitty band aides, cotton balls, etc.) and put in the important stuff, (i.e. lots of medium to large dressings, rubber gloves, tweezers, tape, pain-reliever, anti-biotic/anti-fungal cream, and Pepto-Bismol.) Seriously, open your first aid kit and get to know where each thing is, not only because of emergencies but because you may not have a light to see it at night.

D. A multi-tool. Its just good to have, I recommend the Leatherman Wave. Even if you don't carry it, when dealing with a common sense, practical farmer, sometimes the first way to impress him or her is having the one tool everyone needed.

E. The laptop. Its definitely a debate I'm willing to have with anyone, but as authentic as you want your PC experience to be, wireless is everywhere man! Not to mention the PC is a governmental organization, which means lots of emails and lots of electronic regs and journals that might help you. Also you can create professional looking projects and documents, as well as save photos and videos. Keep the purchase on the low end without a lot of gadgets and whizzers. Most laptops should be replaced in two years anyway, so consider it your PC laptop. And remember to either remove the harddrive or back it up, not just because of crooks but also because sh*t happens and its usually harder to get the smell out when your away from home.

Tertiary Items, no explanation necessary:
Camera, Bug spray, multi-vitamins (i.e. GNC Megaman, or Centrum), safety pins, gallon sized or larger zip-lock bags, nail clipper set, some exercising/sport clothes, swim-suit, tweezers, anti-fungal/anti-biotic cream, hand sanitizer, foot powder, duct tape (seriously its been recommended by every RPCV I've met), military 550 cord or equivalent, journals and writing materials, external hardrive, travelers wallet or neck-purse, headlamp/flashlights, pad locks, portable mirror, and possibly a traveler's set of outlet adaptors...OH! and don't forget dress up clothes, bleck!...

I'll keep adding or deleting as I find out what is best suited for Peru. Please feel free to add comments about what I've recommend or forgotten.

A Practical Man's Guide to Peru

The "B.L.U.F." as defined by my old commader stands for Bottom Line, Up Front, pretty much getting to the freaking point! So here I am, at the freaking point. The reason I made this blog will not only serve for my family and friends to check up on me, but more importantly to serve as a guide for what I found lacking in the hundreds of other blogs I perused before hittin' Peru--practical information and actual advice for future volunteers. Of course i'll share about all five senses being bombarded upon first arriving in country, or even the struggles with the language and customs, but I want those who read this to know that i'll be taking a practical man's standpoint on the experiences I encounter and how best to prepare yourself for similar instances.

So let's get started; first we'll need some background. It will be 15 months from the time I started to apply for the Peace Corps (PC) to the time I step on the plane. I got out of the military in June 09' after 5 years. I was enlisted for two years and an officer for 3...long story short it paid for college. I was raised on a small acreage farm in Cheyenne, WY, and worked for the cities Parks and Recreation and as a landscaper before joing the military. And just to top it off I was a Boy Scout and Boy Scout First Aide Counselor, and also certified EMT. I leave for Peru on September 9th as an Agroforestry/Environmental Educator, and I couldn't be more excited to finally be on track for what I truely want to do in life.