This week is my first Peace Corps In-Service Training or IST. All the volunteers from my training group in Lima (we’re Peru 18, the 18th group of volunteers to come through the training center since Peru was re-opened for Peace Corps my President Toledo and I can’t remember what year that was). We haven’t seen each other in 3 months and we are spread out all over the country in very different climates, cultures, and completely different Peace Corps Peru experiences. It is exciting to see everyone again. It’s like our own private little America when we get together. It kind of feels like summer camp with our training schedule; we have all our meals together, we room together, and activities all day.
I live out in the campo (campo= country) and up in the mountains in Cajamarca. I have animals and lots of green plants around me, but the technology and development in my area is significantly less than the volunteers that live on the coastal desert climates. The population of my town is about 4,000, but there are people that live in very urban areas with much larger population size. It is really interesting to compare notes with the other volunteers on their experiences. On the coast they have toilets, showers, and internet, but they also have HIV, a whole different type of desnutrición from all the processed food, and they have to live in the heat, yuck! I’m feeling really happy with being a Cajamarquina right about now; I’d pick sierras over desert any day of the week.
Our IST is in a costal tourist town. The beach is nice, but beyond the main drag of surf shops and restaurants is just desert. There are mountains all around, but they are barren dirt mountains-like the ones in Lima
Last week my cell phone was robbed and I went into Bambamarca to do the police report or denuncia. Then I had to go to Serpost to send a hard copy to Lima
Later that day on my way back to my site an elderly woman grilled me in the truck on the way back up to my town. We went through the usual interrogation I get from the Peruvians; why are you here, where are you from, how old are you, do you have kids, are you married, are looking for a man, do you like Peruvian men? My usual response is no I am not interested or looking for a man, but just for the hell of it I told her I did like Peruvian men and I was looking. This woman was so excited. She told me she was going to give me a man. The verb she used was ‘regalar’ which translates to ‘to gift’, so she is going to ‘gift me a man’. I have never met this lady before, but now she knows who I am and where I live. I guess we’ll see what happens with the man-gift situation, the ball is in her court.
Anyhow, although they are keeping us busy this week for the training, I am thoroughly enjoying my time here. We have nice comfortable beds, sun, beach, showers, and high speed internet. Plus, I am not eating rice and potatoes at every meal! I’m speaking English and swapping external hard drives. Aren’t you all glad to know your tax dollars are hard at work putting up this volunteer in a hostel on the beach of La Libertad?!
I should be able to update soon with all this internet, woot! Thanks for all the mail; Aunt Linda, Mom, and Sesame. Expect some letters back.
Chau for now,
kb
It’s never too early to think about the Third Goal. Check out Peace Corps Experience: Write & Publish Your Memoir. Oh! If you want a good laugh about what PC service was like in a Spanish speaking country back in the 1970's, read South of the Frontera: A Peace Corps Memoir.
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