Some interesting things I’ve noticed after my short time in Peru…

1. Dogs here do not necessarily have homes, but many do have t-shirts.

2. Bargaining is completely necessary; not only for trips to the market, but also rides on the combis and just about any time you pay for anything. In fact, learning how to bargain is one of our learning objectives in our language class. I’m proud to report that Mallory and I successfully bought a pineapple, 3 oranges, 4 apples, and 4 bananas for only 2 soles and won our class’s bargaining competition.

3. Jesus is everywhere. Mounted in the center of public school classrooms, hanging over the liquor shelves in bars, dangling along with a rosary in the combis, hovering over public plazas, in store windows… you name it, He’s there.

4. If you are white, and especially if you are blonde, you will stand out. You may also have your taken not so discretely taken.

5. Michael Jackson is incredibly popular. So are his dance moves.

6. Alarm clocks are completely unnecessary- if you aren’t woken up by a train, rooster, or dog, you may be woken up by public announcements regarding water bill payments or men selling tamales at 6am.

7. No one drinks real coffee. Perhaps my biggest complaint about Peru so far is the lack of brewed coffee. I just can’t get over the fact that real, fresh, delicious coffee grows both in Peru and in neighboring countries, and the only coffee available here is instant coffee. I think coffee producers would have a worthwhile market considering caffeine-deprived Peace Corps Volunteers alone. Small business volunteers, take note.

8. I don’t think there are stop signs here. Instead, the car/combi/moto-taxi just beeps incessantly to alert other pedestrians and drivers that they are approaching an intersection.

9. Every meal must come with at least 2 carbohydrates. Rice and potatoes are usually not enough- you have to throw in some bread/quinoa/pasta to make it complete.

I just got back with my “family” from a day in Chorillos, a beach town south of Lima. My host mom is back from work for a few days, so we decided to take full advantage of the “Dia Feriado.” The day was quite hectic, but a lot of fun. We left after breakfast and took a series of public transportation to Chorillos to celebrate the Festival of San Pedro and San Pablo, which is a festival in honor of “los Pescadores”, or fishermen. There were thousands of people filling the streets of Chorillos- I don’t know if I’ve ever been somewhere so crowded for so long, but the atmosphere was a lot of fun. There were people selling every type of food you can imagine- Ceviche, grilled carne with yucca, fried fish, all kinds of sweets, nuts, and pastries, juices, fruits, etc. They also had a giant parade of local marching bands, military personnel, and others with solid walls of people watching as they walked alongside the water. The beach town was an appropriate setting for this holiday, and there were lots of small fishing boats that came in especially for the holiday.

We walked around afterwards through the crowds and celebrations; I think my host family was much more concerned about losing me than their 8 year old. I think I stuck out more here than anywhere else I’ve been. I don’t think I saw one other blonde person (or white person, for that matter) all day, which was kind of neat because it seemed like a more authentic festival without a ton of “gringos” like myself running around.

I can now understand why Chaclacayo is a welcome get away for those who live in Lima in the wintertime. We made our way to Lima this morning to explore the country’s capital and were met with dreary gray skies, which is the standard weather for a winter day in Lima. Despite the overcast weather and the repeated warnings of potential robberies and kidnapping echoing in the back of our minds, we managed to enjoy the city. The World Cup was featured on a giant screen in the main plaza, and hundreds of fans gathered in what I thought was a really cool display of community. We wondered around the main section of the city, enjoying the main cathedral, the palacio, and a large market. The center of the city is well patrolled, filled with ornate historic buildings, and clean streets, which highlights the stark disparity between the center of Lima and the outskirts, which are dirty, dangerous, and poverty-stricken.

After exploring Lima for awhile, we headed to Miraflores, which is a high-class subsection of Lima alongside the ocean. Despite the gray skies, Miraflores was still beautiful. We walked around the park and spoke with several locals about the city. The USA vs. Ghana World Cup game was on, so we watched the game while sitting in a restaurant that overlooked the water. The view definitely made up for the fact that the US lost.

Although we traveled to Lima with our Peace Corps language facilitators, part of our “challenge” was getting ourselves back to Chaclacayo at the end of the day. This task proved to be quite an adventure; we found a free bus from Miraflores back to Lima, where we went on a wild goose chase for a place called “Polvos Azules” which is a counterfeit paradise. DVDs, jerseys, shoes, clothes, etc; you name it, there are at least 1000 cheap replicas at this crazy store in Lima. After an unsuccessful hunt for US jerseys, we managed to find our way out of this maze of a store and back onto the streets. We all piled in a combi and shared a comical (and hot/crowded) ride back to Chaclacayo.

Friday! Everyone was extremely happy that the week of training was over, and it was only week 2. There is so much information to retain every day, and we often feel like we’re back in school. I really don’t mind training because it gives us a chance to delve deeper into some of the topics we’ll cover and interact with each other, but at times it just feels like one introduction after another. After lunch today we went to a local school to cover some of the results we found after yesterday’s community diagnostic activity. The children were adorable, and we all enjoyed playing jump rope, soccer, and volleyball in between our sessions.

Today in my language class we watched the movie “Paloma de Papel” which illustrated some of the terror that took place because of the Sendero Luminoso, a terrorist group prevalent in the 1980s in Peru. This terrorist group, which was inspired by a fusion of “Marxist-Lenist-Maoist” ideologies, committed mass acts of terrorism within the small mountain villages of Peru. The legacy of this terrorism continues to haunt the people of Peru, especially the “campesinos” who live in the isolated Andes.

The terrorism of the 1980s and early 1990s subsided significantly under the Fujimori presidency, but his violation of human rights led to his incarceration. He remains in jail, but his daughter is now controversially involved in the Peruvian political world. There seems to be whispers of terrorism increasing within Peru, especially among the “narcotraficantes” (drug traffickers) in the selva (jungle) areas of Peru. Many terrorists from the 1980s are currently being released from jail; in fact, one of the leaders of the MRTA (another powerful terrorist group) is now supposedly living in our community.

After our morning movie and discussion, we began our information gathering for our practice community diagnostic. We spoke with locals about family and religious dynamics, economic trends, the educational system, healthcare, political influences etc. to determine some of the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats within each of the small communities in which we are living. Conversing with members of each community provided interesting insight into the details of their lives and some of their personal perceptions of their neighborhoods. We’ll be conducting an extremely detailed diagnostic when we arrive at our sites, but this was a good introductory exercise and indicated the importance of not relying on our own observations when seeking to understand a new community.

After training a bunch of hung around for Peruvian Dancing lessons with Pablo, one of the language facilitators for the Peace Corps. It was such an entertaining experience; we learned dances from the three regions of Peru: la costa, la selva, and la sierra. We were all terribly uncoordinated, but absolutely loved it.

We went to a new community today to have our language classes, which is always exciting. We took a combi there and as usual had to bargain for our price. A combi ride to Chacrasana should cost no more than 70 cents, but they charged us 1 sole. The other members of my group paid the full price, but I somehow managed to talk him into letting me pay only 50 cents. I was pretty proud.

I went for a run after training and my knee felt a lot better, which I was definitely happy about. I decided I would stop and stretch whenever I saw a potentially threatening stray dog (which was fairly often) and that tactic seemed to work to my advantage. After that a bunch of us did yoga in the training center yard, which was fun. A lot of people did yoga back at home, so they were able to lead us all in the session and it was nice to relax and work out a little.

We had an interesting debate this afternoon about the effectiveness of different development actors, including International NGOs, National NGOs, Faith-based organizations, Private Corporations, Peace Corps, and the Peruvian Government. The nature of development invokes questions regarding its very definition, and the ambiguity surrounding this practice leads to serious discrepancies in its goals, methods, progress, and results. Development is such a complicated process, and although “sustainable development” is definitely a hip buzz-word right now, it can be difficult to define and even more challenging to carry out.

As Peace Corps volunteers, I think we have an obligation to seriously consider our methods of “development.” Many understand development as attempt to improve the standards of living in developing countries through the alleviation of poverty and the provision of resources to meet basic human needs. I feel like economic growth and integration into international trade have long been considered necessary steps toward development. However, critics have more recently questioned the implications of economically based development programs and highlighted the need for environmental, political, and cultural factors to be incorporated into the understanding of development in order to understand the various consequences of such efforts.

Without a clear cut definition for development, it is near impossible to have a mutual understanding regarding the goals and the paths necessary to lead to this imagined destination of “development”. Different measures of progress also affect development practices and deliver very different reports regarding the success, failures, and prescriptions for various programs and efforts. It is vital to acknowledge the intersection of interests and ideologies that drive development discourse and contribute to the controversy surrounding its implementation. Various international actors, organizations, and scholars seek to understand the practice of development and through the examination of these competing opinions and critiques regarding the methods and consequences of development, the complexity of the term emerges.

Although I may be biased, I think the community-based approach of the Peace Corps offers a more sustainable method of development. Integration into our communities is one of the main Peace Corps goals, and it is only through this integration that communication, coordination, and “development” can occur. Although the Peace Corps surely has its weaknesses, as does every development agency, I think the grassroots approach facilitates local empowerment and ownership over the goals and direction of development which is unique to each community.

I’m sitting at the kitchen table doing my “tarea” with Grease and listening to American music on my computer. It is endlessly entertaining to hear someone who speaks Spanish sing along to popular American music (as I’m sure they would love to laugh at me trying to sing along to Spanish music). Grease is wearing a Hannah Montana tank-top, so I wish I had some of her music to play for her, but unfortunately that is not part of my I-tunes library.

We had several interesting conversations during training today, much of which will be relevant in our work in youth development. Apparently marriage licenses are issued here without much consistency, so our language instructor informed us that many men have multiple wives and families. She explained that men will be married in one district, and then get married again in another district without getting a divorce because there is no coordination or consistency in the record keeping between districts. Some men have multiple families and children, but give little support to any of them. Although there is a system of child support, fathers can avoid paying quite easily, leaving many single mothers without means to support their children. Unlike the US, there is no foster care system, and orphanages can be extremely difficult to access, so many children are left in extreme poverty/living on the streets. A boy who couldn’t have been more than 12 came on the bus yesterday on our way back from Lima and sang about how he was abandoned by his parents and left to care for his little sister. Although there is definite poverty and homelessness in the US, it is uncommon to see such young children alone and without any kind of support. It may be a bit of a stretch to associate multiple marriages and the machismo culture with child abandonment, but lacking paternal responsibility seems to be a causal factor.

Feliz Dia Del Padre! Judging from Father’s Day alone, Peruvians seem to take their holidays quite seriously. Not only is Father’s Day advertised on every bulletin board and store window, but schools seem to dedicate a significant amount of time preparing for the occasion with songs, poems, and art projects dedicated to Papis everywhere. There was even a giant sign in the town plaza advertising a Father’s Day 80s disco dance party… interesting.

Today my family and I went to Lima to visit some family and friends for Father’s Day. We took a combi into Lima, so I was able to see Lima and its outskirts for the first time in daylight. Hundreds of markets line the main highway and feature thousands of vendors who come into the city for the weekend to sell produce and other goods. Lima is definitely not the most attractive city, especially at this time of year, and is known for its continual gray winter skies. The outskirts of the city are run-down and littered with trash. Perhaps my favorite view: a 10 foot wall painted “DO NOT LITTER” (in Spanish, obviously) that was surrounded by so much garbage it was hard to make out the words.

We went to my family’s friend’s neighborhood in Lima, which had lots of cute, colorful houses. We went out to eat and I was super-excited to try Ceviche, and it definitely lived up to the hype. Raw fish and seafood with lime juice and some other mysterious goodies: riquisima (delicious)!!! Afterward, we went to my family’s friend’s house and I got to meet their cousins and friends, who were all incredibly warm and welcoming. I felt like I was a part of their family as Guadalupe (my host mom) introduced me as her hijita mayor. It was fun to talk to everyone and meet some more Peruvians, and everyone seemed interested in what I was doing here. When I told them I would most likely be living in a poor rural area for the next two years, they sympathized with me as they said I would surely have to kill a pig at some point (hopefully they were joking).
They had a barbecue on their porch and cooked mountains of chicken, salad, and potatoes for us all to enjoy. After dinner we ate their Father’s Day cake and sang happy birthday in both English and Spanish (although I’m not sure why). Everyone, from the little babies to the grandparents, were dancing, eating, and enjoying each other’s company. Being a part of this celebration definitely made me realize how cool it is to be here as part of a family/community rather than a tourist. I had such a good day, and it was definitely something that couldn’t be replicated by any kind of personal vacation.

Woke up early this morning to the smell of tortilla and the usual classic rock my host dad loves. I met Ryan in the plaza this morning and we headed to Yanacoto, a nearby community where a lot of Peace Corps volunteers are living. Since I live in downtown Chaclacayo, I wanted to get out and see a different area. The town is situated in the dusty mountains where the houses are built into the rock and dust, and the aftermath of a landslide remains evident in the center of the community. We walked around and saw everyone’s families and houses. The community is filled with mangy dogs that run around everywhere; pets are often seen more as protection than companions so they’re not always the friendliest creatures.

After our visit to Yanacoto we went to Chosica and wondered around through the markets and streets of the city. They sell just about everything in these markets: everything from pigeon eggs to clothing to electronic equipment. We had lunch there and also went to Plaza Vea, which is essentially a Peruvian version of Wal-Mart, complete with low-cost specials and a brightly colored warehouse layout.

It’s Friday! We officially finished our first week of training, but when you consider the fact that we’ll be here in Peru for over 100 weeks, it doesn’t seem that significant. Regardless, it’s been a good week and I’ve enjoyed settling into my new lifestyle and meeting new friends with all kinds of awesome backgrounds and experiences. We all met up to celebrate Juliane’s birthday and it was fun to relax and unwind in a more casual environment.

It has only been one week since all arrived in DC, which is really hard to believe. In so many ways I feel like I’ve been here for much longer than that. Today was mostly an interactive day of training. During our language class we took the “combi” or mini-bus to the closest big town, Chosica. The combi prices seem to vary depending upon who you ask, but we arrived intact. Most people take the combis everyday, but I live close enough to walk most everywhere. The combis are quite an experience; they seem to be packed full of people most all of the time, and barely stop to let more people on. My head almost hits the ceiling of these buses, and holding on can be a test of your balance.

While in Chosica we spoke with various natives in order to better understand the city and some of the basic things we need to know, including money and transportation. It is a pretty little city, but the poverty is quite blatant. Children sell candies and offer to shine shoes in the parks, and the city is surrounded by “pueblos jovenes” which are poor neighborhoods situated on the steep hills on the outside of the city.

During the afternoon we interviewed members of the community to get a better idea of the educational system within Chaclacayo and Peru. There seems to be a significant divide between both private and public schools as well as rural and urban schools. State-run schools seem to be overcrowded, lacking resources, and have poor teaching staff while private schools have smaller classes, more opportunities, and better trained teachers. The universities here are quite competitive, and the entrance exam seems to be incredibly important. Also, universities are located almost entirely in Lima or other large regional capitals, so many rural youth have extremely limited knowledge of educational opportunities after graduation from la escuela secundaria at age 16.

After dinner I spent the night talking with my host parents for a solid 3 hours. We ended up talking about just about everything you could imagine; the pros and cons of a capitalist society, the existence of God, the end of the world, political corruption, etc. It is really cool to get a different perspective on world events, and my host parents are much more open about touchy topics than most people I know from home, so their direct questions open a lot of doors to interesting conversation.

Today we had our language classes at our house; the location will rotate between each of our houses as well as various sites throughout the community. It is exciting to learn more, but it is amazing how much it takes to truly grasp another language. Hopefully I’ll be able to fully express myself and my opinions before too long.

After classes today I went running with another volunteer, Adam. It was great to see more of the town and get some fresh air. My knee is still killing me, so we ended up only running for 15 or 20 minutes and then walking around for another 45 or so until we stumbled across a group of boys playing futbol and basketball in a local park. We stopped and said hi and ended up playing with them for awhile, and made friends with one of them who let us shoot the basketball around with him for awhile. If there is one thing I’ve learned about connecting with youth, it is that having more skills in sports would be really helpful. However, I’ve also learned I can form a bond by joining in at the laughter directed at my lack of basketball skills. When I was volunteering at the Boys and Girls Club in Charleston, I repeatedly lost to 14 year old girls when playing 1:1 games. Adam, who is still learning Spanish, informed our new friend that I was “embarazado”, which he intended to mean that I was “embarrassing” because of my lacking basketball skills, but translates to “pregnant” in Spanish. I quickly clarified that I was certainly not pregnant, but we all shared quite a laugh.

Today we found out our language groups and more in-depth plans for the upcoming weeks. Our language classes are conducted within the community and should be both fun and productive. During our morning language discussions we heard a series of “cohetes” or firecrackers, which seem to be a commonplace noise here in Chaclacayo. Evidently there are celebrations for saints and other festivals quite frequently. We all ran out of the training center to experience the procession first hand. There was a group of people carrying an adorned throne with flowers, followed by a band and women throwing flowers. There was also a woman at the front of the procession who was in charge of setting off the cohetes every few minutes. Some of us were invited to help carry the throne and participate in the procession, which I thought was a really neat gesture. We all became involved in the celebration and the locals seemed to embrace our presence and participation in their procession.

At lunchtime Papa hand-delivers my hot lunch to the training center, which I think is adorable. We’ve been getting vaccinations to prepare for our travels each day, so we all have been walking around with band-aids, sore arms, and lolli-pops given to us by the medical staff. Each staff member seems completely dedicated to their job, and we spend much of the day laughing. I’m interested to learn more about the history of Peru and the lasting effects of the terrorist group “The Shining Path” that was extremely active and destructive in the 1980s.

After training I went home and was able to finally meet my host mom, Guadalupe. She’s extremely warm and engaging, so I loved chatting with her for most of the evening. Despite my limited Spanish skills we were able to talk for several hours over hot milk mixed with ground corn. She works in Lima Friday through Tuesday while Pablo cares for Grease and tends to the home. We talked extensively about women’s rights and the changing times. She explained that Pablo isn’t a “Machista” and although he has worked in accounting and pharmacy, she now works while he stays home. I think living with this family will help me see the possibilities that are available to the women and people in general of Peru, and hopefully provide me with motivation as I work in less developed areas.

Today was our first official day of training and we spent the day learning about some of the details of our program and we had a chance to meet our language facilitators and some of the other staff with whom we will be working. Each day of training will be a pretty long day, from 8:00 to 5:00, but it seems like it’ll be interesting and should be a lot of hands-on learning. After training my Papa picked me up to walk me home, and I felt as though I was in Kindergarten, but I felt pretty loved when Grease ran down the street screaming “hermanita, hermanita.”

I talked with my Papa for most of the night about my decision to join the Peace Corps, my family and background, and other things about America. It can be frustrating to have my language skills limit my range of expression, but I can already tell that living here will be an incredible way to improve. There are so many cultural differences between Peru and America which are comical to discuss. In Peru, a woman doesn’t change her name when she gets married, and a child takes one part of each parent’s name. When I explained that my name was “Kelsi Ward” with no other “apellido” or last name, my Papa couldn’t understand that I did in fact have a mother. Also, they are really blunt in their descriptions and much less tactful when describing someone physically. Multiple times I’ve heard reference to a “gordita,” which essentially translates to “little fat one.” Papa also keeps telling me that I need to eat more, and his last host daughter gained some weight while she was here and looked much nicer. The food has been pretty good so far, but they love their carbohydrates: lots of rice and potatoes. Too bad I’m not training for a marathon now!

Una Casa Nueva

I’m currently sitting on a bed with my new 8 year old host sister, Grease (pronounced Grace), watching a jumbled Disney movie in Spanish. My host family’s house is in downtown Chaclacayo and I’m the only one of the volunteers right here; all the other volunteers are in neighboring barrios or little towns. I have a 4 minute walk to our training center and the town center compared to most other’s bus rides or 15+ minute walks. The house is beautiful and quite big, complete with a backyard garden and my own spacious bedroom. When Pablo, my host Dad, and Grease brought me to our house I thought it was a joke, but apparently most accommodations in Chaclacayo are very comfortable during training. There isn’t hot water, a washing machine, or internet, but they have most other modern conveniences and tons of space, which I didn’t expect.

I spent the afternoon hanging out with Grease, who is super-outgoing and really bright for an 8 year old. She may turn out to be the most effective Spanish teacher I’ve ever had. We threw the Frisbee in the yard and later played with her Barbies. Pablo cooked dinner and I spent most of the night talking with him. My Spanish needs some serious improvement, but it is really exciting to have people to converse with. My host Mom, Guadalupe, is in Lima working right now so I won’t meet her until Tuesday. I believe she is a pharmacist and spends some of her time working in Lima. Pablo worked in both Pharmacy and accounting in the past, but now he stays with Grease and seems to do a lot of the traditionally feminine tasks around the house, which is an encouraging indication that the Machismo culture may not be as pervasive in more modern or urban communities.

Bienvenidos a Peru

Ya, estamos en Peru! We arrived in Lima around 1:00am last night. We were in the Miami airport for an extended trip because the flight was delayed from 4:25 to after 7:30. We managed to entertain ourselves with some rousing games, including “toiletries” which was our improvised game of spoons that attracted some interesting looks from passer-bys. Our group of 56 completely dominated the airport. The actual flight to Miami was interesting- definitely an appropriate transition language-wise, as the announcements were predominately in Spanish.
We arrived in Lima and proceeded en masse through customs; we even used the diplomat exit through immigration which I thought was pretty cool. We then piled in buses, met some of our Cuerpo de Paz staff, and headed to Chaclacayo about an hour east of Lima. The bus ride exposed some of the poverty within Peru; the streets looked desolate and run down, but it may have been a different perspective in daylight.

We’re staying in a retreat center and I just woke up to beautiful mountains directly facing us that were covered in a veil of darkness last night. You can tell when a new person comes out of their room because a “wow” accompanies their exit.

Later…

Today was filled with presentations and introductory information for our upcoming service. We met the Peace Corps staff who all seem awesome and many of whom are from Peru. The Peace Corps presence within Peru continues to grow. The Peace Corps started in Peru in 1962 and ended in 1975 due to political turmoil, but began again in 2002. The president who invited Peace Corps back to Peru hosted a Peace Corps volunteer at his house as a child, so he has a special relationship with the Peace Corps. I think that in itself is an incredible testament to the cross-cultural communication and bonds that are formed through Peace Corps service.

It is exciting to hear about Peace Corps stories and successes as we begin to get a better idea of where we may be serving and what kinds of projects we may be doing. Several current Peace Corps volunteers shared their stories and insight, which was interesting. Something I will surely struggle with is the Machismo (male-dominated) culture that is prevalent in Peruvian culture, but hopefully there will be opportunities to empower women and girls through our service. Additionally, my blonde hair, blue eyes, and very white skin don’t exactly allow me to blend in, but hopefully that won’t present too many issues.

Yesterday after arriving in DC Chris (my friend from Barcelona!) picked me up and we wondered around Georgetown for awhile before he took me to meet my fellow “Peace-Corps-ers” at our hotel. I felt like I was walking into the first day of college as I nervously wondered around and began to introduce myself. Talking with the other volunteers has proven to be quite interesting. The spectrum of backgrounds, personalities, and experiences seems to vary quite dramatically. During our extensive orientation session we discussed our collective aspirations and anxieties for Peace Corps service. It’s comforting to realize over 50 volunteers will be sharing in this experience together. Similar concerns and excited hopes were voiced- a foreign language, potential loneliness and isolation, health and safety threats, not being productive at our sites, missing out on emotional or exciting events happening at home, and the general unknown were all uncertainties that seem to be issues we’re all facing. However, these are outweighed by the thought of meeting new people and potentially life-long friends, truly embracing a new culture and country, obtaining Spanish fluency, promoting true and worthwhile positive change, gaining new perspectives, learning new skills/hobbies, and having a home and a heart in a new place.

This morning we woke up early and congregated to begin our long day of travel. The mountains of luggage were strewn across the lobby of the hotel, and the overstuffed backpacks and suitcases seemed as ready to leave as the anxious volunteers. We piled in buses and headed to Reagan almost five hours before we were scheduled to leave (better early than leave someone behind, I suppose). After long security lines, we anxiously awaited our departure and took advantage of last minute American food; in my case, an incredibly satisfying egg and cheese bagel. I’m sitting in the airport now waiting for our flight to Miami and getting to know all the other volunteers. It still doesn’t feel like I’m about to leave for 27 months!

Adios!

Its 5:25am and I’m sitting in Gate 6A at the ABE airport about to embark on an adventure that will mark the most drastic departure from my current lifestyle, and hopefully also be the most fantastic adventure I’ve yet to experience. As I said my goodbyes over the last weeks, I haven’t quite grasped the gravity of this choice or the length of my absence. I’ve deliberately avoided overanalyzing the upcoming months and have suppressed any apprehension or fear I may have. Despite my effort to remain calm, the occasional butterflies and heart palpitations have set in over the last 2 days. Part of me feels like I should be yelling, crying, or generally freaking out, but I’m remarkably calm. I’m absolutely convinced this is exactly where I should be.

I am blessed with an incredible network of family and friends from home, and their love and interest in this decision has been encouraging and I know and I’ll rely on their support to sustain me during challenges and doubt. So many thoughts and emotions are flashing through my mind as I await my flight, but one emotion prevails: excitement. Excitement to see a new culture, excitement to travel and experience a new lifestyle, excitement to meet new people, excitement to be challenged, to grow, to stretch, and excitement to hopefully incite positive change in an area that direly needs assistance.

I may be optimistic, I may have a smile constantly spread on my face, but I’m also realistic; I expect challenges, I expect hardship, and I expect doubts about my abilities. However, I also expect to face these challenges with faith, enthusiasm, and passion. I’m sure a wild ride is in store, but I am ready to thrive on new experiences and embrace every opportunity presented to me. Cuerpo de Paz Peru- Estoy aqui, estoy lista, y estoy emocionada!