Año Nuevo

Happy New Year! This Christmas, Carl and Franceen met me in Cusco where we spent a beautiful week walking past Incan walls and visiting colonial churches and local weaving stores. Cusco is a very well preserved city, and the juxtaposition of Incan ruins with Spanish colonial architecture is unique and dramatic. In contrast, Huaraz has been destroyed three times over by intense earthquakes in the past 100 years; the cathedral in our Plaza de Armas has been under construction since the last earthquake. So I loved Cusco. We made our homage to Machu Picchu and spent Christmas at the Santuario Hotel right next to the ruins. Machu Picchu is breathtaking in a way that words really cannot describe. The city wasn't discovered until 1911 by Hiram Bingham, an American explorer, which means that the Spanish conquistadors had no idea Machu Picchu even existed. Machu Picchu is at about 8,000ft on a mountain ridge in a jungle climate, and there are hundreds of types of orchids that grow in the area. It's one of the most amazing things I've ever seen in my life.

I spent New Years camping out on a beach south of Lima with some friends - including Grant Picarillo, my classmate from GFA! He's in the Peace Corps in Guatemala and came down to Peru with his wonderful boyfriend to see the sights. The New Years trip was so much fun - including mimosas for Shannon's birthday, Vermont sharp white cheddar NYE picnics, fireworks at midnight and a great bonfire on the beach.



Before the holidays, back in Tumpatown, I was asked to be the madrina (godmother) for my neighbor's son's graduation from primary school. So I went to Rodney's graduation and danced with him and his classmates and ate half a cuy. Part of my responsibilities as the godmother of his graduation was to give him a gift, so I gave him a Spanish-English dictionary. Appropriate, no?


Right before school ended in mid-December, I had a final meeting with the health post, teachers and admin for my Healthy Schools project. The grant proposal is being reviewed by Washington right now and should be posted on the Peace Corps website sometime this week, so that's very exciting! More on that once it's posted.


So here I am, it's January, the rain isn't too bad just yet, but it's getting cold... School's out until March, so my life as a Youth Development volunteer is a little quieter than usual. Shannon and I are planning and coordinating a girls leadership camp in Ancash called ALMA, or Actividades en Lierazgo para Mujeres Adolecentes (Leadership Activities for Teen Girls). Every PCV in Ancash is participating and will bring 2 girls from each volunteer community to the 3 day camp. We're going to bring in local Peruvians to lead conversations and activities on leadership, women's health and environmental issues. We're going to get the grant proposal in by the first week in February, so we're busy at work looking for a site, planning the activities and working out the budget. I'm diving into my personal hobbies to pass the days - cooking healthy mostly vegetarian meals in site, working out for the first time since the marathon last year, reading, writing, watching trashy TV episodes and hanging out with my host sister. We cook together. Jess' Minestrone is next on the menu (YUM!)

I have 7 months left of my service in Tumpa. I'd be lying if I said I wasn't starting to freak out a little bit. I love it so much here, and the thought of leaving soon is heart-wrenching. So I'm keeping my options open. I know the right decision will come to me.

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Amazing firework shows I saw over the holidays: 2
Currently reading: Three Cups of Tea
Post-Peace Corps options considering: ∞
Next blog title: TYLER RETURNS TO PERU!