First week in Peru

Everything has been a bit overwhelming but amazing all the same so far here in Peru. I have been attending school from 8-5 everyday so I have been exhausted most evenings but I have been getting to know my family quite well. The family consists of 3 girls and 3 boys that live at the house full time and a boy and one girl who are older and live at the house part time. Our abuelita also lives with us but she only speaks Quechua so I have not been able to chat with her too much. She is from the Sierra which is the mountainous region of Peru and therefore, is very traditionally Peruvian with the full skirt, apron, and fedora style hat. I have been trying to learn a few phrases in Quechua to communicate with her but it has proven difficult. I am hoping to have a few greetings down before leaving for my site since I will most likely be in a place where everyone speaks both Quechua and Castellano (the spanish that I know). My host mom and I get along very well. It is nice having someone taking care of me and showing me the ropes. She packs my lunch every morning before school and makes sure that I have everything that I need. Everyone I have met so far is incredibly hospitable and more than willing to give me food, advice, and more food.

The food so far has been excellent. I have tried many of the traditional dishes and even learned to make some of them. Today we went to the market and bought a bunch of fresh ingredients to make ceviche and various kinds of potatoes. My diet generally consists of a lot of starch but my host mom has been trying to add some more green vegetables. It was a very good decision to give up on being a vegetarian because otherwise I would be eating white rice and potatoes most of the time. My family has chickens and guinea pigs that live on the back porch. I was not sure what to expect but the guinea pig was surprisingly tasty once I got my host family to stop taunting me that I was eating my pet. A lot of jokes ensued when I told them that there is a movie out in the U.S. where guinea pigs are the heroes.

Every day I get up a little before 7, eat breakfast with the family, and jump on the combi (a crowded mini-bus) to go to the training center which is located in the small city of Chaclacayo. Each day we have four hours of language classes and four hours of technical classes and other lectures that usually address health related issues (last Friday the title of the presentation was diahrea and dental health, not a good combination). After school we usually go for group runs or do yoga which has been a nice way to stay active and decompress after a long day of classes. After exercising I go home and spend some quality time with the family. I can already tell that my spanish is improving because I usually speak it more than I speak english on any given day. I am looking forward to finally speaking flawless spanish.

In our environment lecture last week we were told that our main goals will be reforestation, environmental education, organizational strengthening, and solid waste management. We also learned about composting and created a compost pile at the training center. It is so nice to finally have some idea as to what our goals as volunteers will be. We were also told of the 5 departments of Peru where we could potentially be placed. They are Lima, Ica, Lambayeque, La Libertad, and Junin. All but Ica are in the Sierra so I am most likely going to be in the mountains or, as my director described it, Siberia.

Alright my computer is about to die but I would love to hear from everyone so please email me back and let me know what is going on in your lives! Miss you!