Wow!

Well this will be short because this woman is tired. We are in class 6 days a week and I get extra tutoring 3 days a week in Spanish. I encountered Lima on Saturday, walked all day, had some terrific ice cream in a fruit flavor called lucumba. I´ve also had a cold, sore throat and have cellulitis in one leg from infected mosquito bites so I was home on Sunday with my leg up. We get terrific health care so I¨m not worried, just tired.

And now can barely spell in English because I´m working so hard in Spanish all the time. Great people in my group, free spirits all. I now ride the combis by myself and holler at the drivers when they miss my stop. They holler at me for getting off too slow. My host sister and brother are working with me on homework, calling out numbers to add, subtract, divide or multiply so I can learn to hear numbers.

Love your comments and appreciate the cheering section. This is more work than starting a new clinic!

Day 2 of training

Hey folks, thanks much for the comments. I can´t write much tonight because I´m too tired but it was a good day. I survived my second trip on the combi bus, got most of my Spanish homework done, did my whole yoga routine. Tomorrow, we´ve organized a class after training.

The training here is really interesting. I´ve heard a lot about adult education methods but never seen them really used. We are a very active crowd. I haven´t laughed so much in a long time. Being able to laugh at yourself is a must here. I´m walking a lot and the other volunteers in my community go with me on the bus because I was so scared by the damn thing the first time. They roar off the second you put a foot on the first step. At least I know how to ask for my stop now.

I could write a book on the first few days but I don´t have time! Did I say I really like my family even with the chaos of 4 kids, 4 ducks, one dog and grandma with senile dementia?

Sara

First day in training

Wow. This is intense. I started my day with hot homemade soy milk because my host mother knew I have a lactose intolerance. Hot soy milk, bread, butter and jam. Well, actually I tried to start my day with meditation but a host of pigeons were walking on the tin roof over my room. 15 minutes of yoga worked with the pigeons on the roof. After waking in the night to the war of the dogs outside. I was so tired, I napped over lunch realizing I´d rather sleep than eat!

My host mother introduced me to the combi busses this morning as I take a bus to the training center. When I got off, I thanked God and my host mother that I was still living. Two of my compadres are going back to our community with me tonight and we´ll meet in the morning to go together. I´m too tall to see out the window and know where to get off!

I am still very impressed by the staff here. They really understand adult learning and make things fun. And we have laughed a lot, all of us as we compared notes on our experiences transitioning into our host families and making both cultural and language blunders.

I´m in the most basic Spanish class with 3 extra hours of tutoring every week. My host family is also committed to my Spanish learning. I sat with my host father last night talking religion, politics, earthquakes.

I´m pretty challenged and tired so if you´re reading this, comment as then I´ll know your connected and get your support. Tomorrow I´ll post a new address for snail mail, the address of the training center which is more direct. And the advice they gave in the handbooks about not sending care packages is for real, only music or books as things get stuck in customs, require lots of money and a copy of your passport to get out.

What an adventure!

Toto, we´re not in Kansas anymore

Well, I have a new home in a tiny rural town carved out of the side of a very dry mountain and a new family. We moved in with our families today after instructions from the PC staff. My family is made up of Walter (padre), Marta (madre), 4 children ages 2 to 12, grandmother (in her 70´s with multiple illnesses including dementia), a dog named Rambo and 3 ducks. They are incredibly warm and helpful. If I don´t learn Spanish here, I am hopeless. The youngest child, Jorge is a really independent 2 year old much like Alex at 2!

I have a great room at the end of a hallway. My room is big, airy with windows looking out at a small mountain. There´s a water delivery twice a week to a tank on the roof over the shower. I wish I could come home for 1 day and leave behind half my stuff. I have so much more than I need.

This family has had volunteers from 4 PC groups so they know how to help me settle in and will take me to the training center tomorrow until I find my way and can take the bus. Their house is at the top of a VERY steep hill so I´ll walk down to the bus in the morning and take a mototaxi uphill at the end of the day.

I´m writing this with the help of 4 year old Jennifer who can´t understand why Í don´t have the music and headphones on.

My house mother, Marta is in school 3 days a week to learn become a hairdresser. She ran a resturant but inflation drove her to close it. My housefather drives a cab in Lima long hours every day.

I have to say the PC staff here have been so helpful. They´ve really thought through how to get us started and provided a lot of support including instructions on how to take a bucket bath and how to tell people to get out of the way you have an urgent need to get to the bathroom. The bathroom talk is pretty funny as was a slide presentation by one of our two physicians on how to manage the inevitable. So far, so good.

Tomorrow we start formal language training which will include classes (yours truly will be in the most basic)lots of field trips, time in the markets, etc with the language staff. Walking to the internet cafe, I met a neighbor who is a nursing assistant in the local clinic. She´s going to talk to her boss about letting me observe a vaccine clinic in a couple of weeks. Yippee!

I´m tired but slept 9 hours last night. I am glad to get over the initial shyness about meeting my family. I feel quite comfortable with them. We´re organizing a yoga class at the training center for the end of the day. The diet of rice and potatoes in large quantities served together will be offset by the walk up the hill to my home.

Did I say I brought way too much stuff and am really glad to be here?

Day 1 in Peru

Well with flight delays we arrived in Lima around 10:30PM, got through customs, got the luggage for 47 people and arrived at the retreat center where we are for 2 nights at 1AM. Actually, all went well. The Peace Corps staff who met us were really helpful and welcoming.

We started orientation today after 5 hours sleep under the Peace Corps motto "hit the ground running". Tomorrow we meet our host families and move in with them. I had my first language assessment which was taped and am competing for the most improved volunteer award at the end of 11 weeks. Our orientation is really well organized and the staff here are great. Lots of good people and laughter in my volunteer group.

I'll learn on 11-8 where I'll be working and living although we will all be in coastal provinces. The health director is a nurse with her masters in public health, Emilia.

Many thanks to Mary, Sarah V and Nancy that I didn't walk out of my language interview in tears, especially since I barely could remember English I was so tired! We'll learn tomorrow or Monday which language class we're in but I already know I'll be in the most basic and learning fast.

Don't worry if you don{t hear from me much for awhile. I'm alive, well and cheerful.
Lots to learn. New food, cold showers, new bird calls. There was a llama hanging around on the porch of the retreat center today. Several yoga practitioners and more who want to learn in this group. Two guys brought guitars and another brought harmonicas so there's music in store while we're in training. I spend 1/2 hour struggling to use the keyboard in an internet cafe and then learned we have wireless connection in our rooms at this center.

Good start to the journey.

Tomorrow--Peru!

Well, I just finished 2 days orientation in Washington DC and am ready to head out tomorrow. I was a bit taken aback when I walked in and realized that there are 46 volunteers about 40 years younger than me--total of 47 in our group. After the 2 days together with lots of activity, laughter and information, I'm not worried about being left out. Lots of good people with some interested in yoga, some music makers, varied backgrounds as you'd expect.

It was hard saying goodbye to Alex who announced to his school, "This is my grandma and she's going to Peru!" The day before he asked what state Meru is in. He instructed me on the cool stickers to get when I get shots. I'll be connected to his school through a correspondence match as well as connected to Lily's first grade at Nuestro Mundo in Madison.

So tomorrow morning we have to have our luggage ready to load up at 6:15 and fly out of DC for Peru at 1PM. I'll be at a retreat center in Lima for 2 nights with more orientation and then meet my host family on Sunday. Sometime on Saturday, I'll have a Spanish interview. Gulp. Say a little prayer for me--preferably in Spanish.

Adios
Sara

Ready or not!

Well, I leave for Washington DC tomorrow and think I'm actually ready. Brian, you really are right, the devil is in the details (and I've been deviled by details). I took my packed luggage to the airport today to see how close I was to the weight limit and only had to do a bit of juggling. The large rolling duffel came in at 51.5 pounds and my backpack at 34. I don't want to talk about the daypack... And left behind books to be mailed later. Left behind the good coop peanut butter.

Last night I packed the big duffel, wrestled everything in place and then realized my yoga mat was sitting out in the corner of the room. Everything came out again to make room for that mat!

I've shed a lot of tears saying goodbye. And I'm very excited. While I'm a little nervous about my Spanish, about keeping up with the pace of training and about all the adaptation, I haven't once waked up and thought, "Oh no, this is a mistake!"

I fly to Washington DC tomorrow for a night and morning with Jen, Alex and Jeff. Then on Wednesday at noon, Jen will take me to the hotel in Washington DC where I begin this journey. We have 2 days of orientation (and probably immunizations) and fly to Peru on Friday the 12th.

Thank you to all who have lent many hands to helping me get ready for this journey. It's taken a village to launch this Peace Corps volunteer.