Friday, February 4, 2011

Smoke Signal

I need to try to express how incredible, dynamic and exciting my life is right now. I’m pinching myself. What did I do to make this happen?

I’ve been on the road. As the Ancash PCVL, I've had the amazing opportunity to discover more of Ancash than ever would have been possible during my first two years of service. I spend hours in dusty, crowded combis, listenting to my ipod, watching he mountains pass by, to get to volunteers in their communities and provide support by monitoring their work and talking about life. I spend days in sites spending time with volunteers and their host families, community partners and friends - eating, chatting, walking around town, visiting local institutions or attractions like trash sites, latrine projects or green houses. And every time, I’m reminded of my experience in Tumpa – the discoveries, the joys and the frustrations of being a Peace Corps Volunteer in Ancash.

I spend a lot of time coordinating and running around Huaraz with Nelly, Ancash’s beloved Regional Coordinator. I put on my business casual and we visit the Ministries of Education, Health and Environment to strengthen relationships, learn about new initiatives, and inform their staff about our volunteers' progress in the field. Nelly is the most motivated, driven, passionate and dedicated Peruvian woman I have ever met, and she's taught me a lot about the ins-and-outs of Peruvian government, bureaucracy and culture.

My work with youth has only been more exciting since living in this city. Huaraz has a population of over 100,000 residents, and I work with the Health Center Huarupampa that serves just half of that population. With my partner, Mari, I’ve been teaching a group of student peer educators at a local public school on sexual education and HIV prevention. I also work with a youth group at a governmentally sponsored social center for neglected or abandoned children on healthy lifestyle issues like self-esteem, decision-making, and of course, sexual education and HIV prevention. After six months of work with these groups, I’ve managed to build and gain trust from the kids and I’m ready to delve deeper into sex-ed with them to keep them informed, healthy, and baby-free. A major reason I decided to stay for a third year in the Peace Corps was to develop more serious experience working in sexual education and HIV prevention, and I’ve discovered that this topic, and working with Latino populations, is my passion.

I’ve also gained a bit of policy experience in this new position. I sit on three Peace Corps committees: the Volunteer Advisory Council, the Peer Support Network, and the HIV Initiative Committee. Most personally fulfilling would be the latter group (read: arriba), but I enjoy being a part of and having input in the inner discussions of the current state and future of PC – Peru in all senses.

Ahora, next week, I will be departing on an on-foot adventure into the Andes Mountains with 5 PC friends, 2 Huascaran National Park Guards, and my backpack. We will head NE into and over the Cordillera Blanca to Pomabamba with the purpose of identifying new, potential PC sites and to set up a base-line for monitoring flora and fauna within the National Park lines. Jessica, our resident biologist and nature-freak, will head this scientific expedition and eschool us on the ins-and-outs of field biology. We will be gone for just over one week on this adventure, one that is sure to be the experience of a lifetime. I'll spend days leading up exercising, getting to bed early, and eating well to prepare for the trip.

Did I mention that my godson, Carlitos, is walking?!

And so I write this to send up a smoke signal, to profess my passion for my work, and to reiterate my undying love for this country, Peru.

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Pictures of life lately: http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2245454&id=7403642&l=f779c41100
New Years Resolution: Hecho.
Plans this month: To celebrate the 5th Anniversary of my 21st birthday, and to celebrate the 50th Anniversary of Peace Corps.

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