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.