Closer to the Sun

One beautiful day during June of last year, I stepped into the elevator after my very first interview at Peace Corps headquarters in DC, waited until the doors slid shut, and did a little dance for joy. Ever since that first point of contact with Peace Corps, I’ve been imagining – dreaming – of what my site would look like. Would I be in Africa weaving baskets with native tribal women? Would I be living on a remote island in the South Pacific learning an entirely new language? Or would I be on Playa Hermosa in Costa Rica? After 14 months of waiting, my site placement was fished out of my training center’s pool. You heard me. Now lets just back this truck up for one hot minute and clarify a few things. My site was typed on a small piece of paper, rolled up, and tucked inside a blown-up balloon by the controllers of my destiny. The same was done for all 37 of my Peace Corps friends. After these months of anticipations, the Site Placement Ceremony began. One by one we approached the pool and fished out the balloons containing the sites of our friends, and one my one the stars aligned as we discovered our placements throughout Peru. It was a very emotional day in all the best possible ways. Now let me tell you a little bit about my site.

It’s paradise.

For the next 2 years I’ll be a resident in the department of Ancash in the sierra of Peru. Ancash is home to over 70 snow-capped mountains, over 100 crystal blue glacier lagoons, and all the extreme hiking and mountain sports you can dream of. My town is located at the base of Huascaran, the largest snow-capped mountain… in the tropics… in the world. The view is nothing less than spectacular. Less than 3,000 people live in my site, and they all speak Spanish and Quechua, the language of the Incas. The women wear traditional dress – bright colorful skirts paired with stylin’ sombreros. (Pictures to come, I’m totally buying an outfit!)

As a Youth Development Volunteer, I will work with the Health Post, the Municipality and the secondary school in my site on themes like healthy lifestyle development, vocational skills, community involvement and leadership. My work partner is a motivated young nurse who already works with kids in the schools and has tons of great ideas.

I visited my site last week and met a few leaders in the community and spent time with my new family. My host parents Angelica and Alberto are a young couple – younger than my siblings! – with a 19 year old son who trains for the military in Lima and a 12 year old daughter who lives with them and attends the school where I’ll work. Her name is Maria, and when I told her she has the same name as my real sister, she was very excited. She is beautiful and sweet and pure and I know she will become a very important part of my life here in Peru. My family is quiet, sentimental, traditional, funny and wonderful. At one point during the week I became pretty sick (totally normal for this job), and they cared for me like one of their own with that one Peruvian remedy of fresh oregano and mint tea, and that other Peruvian remedy of good old-fashioned TLC. The people in these mountain communities are shy, but with time and trust, I think I’ll be welcomed as a part of the greater community family.

Now lets get to the most important topic… food! It is Peruvian custom to welcome guests with a good meal(s). My family had a special afternoon planned for me when I arrived, starting at my host grandparent’s house. They have about 10,000 guinea pigs. Guess what I had for lunch? After slitting the throats of two of the fattest guinea pigs right there on the table at which I was seated, my grandmother Margarita proceeded to prepare one of the most memorable meals of my life (No offense, mom!). Let me tell you what – watching 2 little guys be drained of the blood, dehaired and cooked up might not get your mouth watering – but lets just say I was thankful I skipped breakfast that day. Lunch started out with a big bowl of soup. Then came the main course. On top of a mountain of rice and accompanied by E I G H T large potatoes, my spiced guinea pig took its throne. Lunch was followed up with an orange and a glass of soda. I ate every last bite. And it was pretty tasty, but it was the most I’ve ever eaten in one sitting. I definitely felt nothing less than victorious after I cleaned my plate (clean plate club has a whole new meaning). And if that doesn’t sound impressive, I dare you to visit me and see if you can handle it.
So the running joke of the week was that I’d eaten my mascota, or pet. My host family is very excited for my real family to come visit so they can serve them guinea pig too, and then they’ll love it and then they’ll return to the States and prepare the dish for all their gringo friends! Book your tickets and Get ready, family!!!

I’m thrilled to be living in a traditional and more conservative Peruvian society, and I think I’m going to have a very unique and rich experience in my site. The sun sets over the Cordillera Negra, a seemingly never-ending mountain range that I overlook from my small mountain town set high up in the sky.

On August 22, 2008, I will swear in as a United States Peace Corps Volunteer, and I’ll move to Ancash to start my service. I can’t believe training is almost over. I couldn’t have imagined this experience in my wildest dreams. I hope you enjoy the pictures and stories. Thank you to my family and friends for your continued support, and I wish you all LOTS of Peruvian love. XO.