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!