Very few people can probably say that their day began by giving an educational session about the Bubonic Plague (Yes, like the infamous Black Plague carried by rats and responsible for wiping out huge populations in Europe). However, now that La Libertad has been experiencing several cases of the Bubonic Plague, I can now proudly say that I am one of those people. The health post in Poroto is following the cases of the Bubonic Plague carefully, and taking early precautions by informing local students and parents of its prevalence and details about how it is transmitted. Although it sounds somewhat scary, it is pretty isolated right now and if caught quickly there is an easy fix. Hopefully I won´t be bit by any fleas, but if I am, I am now fully aware of how to diagnose myself. Introducing myself and Peace Corps after giving a session on the Bubonic Plague was an interesting means of presentation, but seemed effective enough. The students at the secundaria seemed interested, and I´m excited to work with them in a lot of different capacities.





After spending the morning in the health post and local school, I joined a group of girls playing volleyball. Although I warned them of my severely lacking volleyball skills they still invited me to join, and I think I provided them with their daily entertainment. Volleyball is absolutely huge here, and every girl knows how to play well. I think that will be a goal of mine while I´m here; in the meantime I´ll get used to being laughed at.





Afterwards I ate a delicous lunch and decided to go on an exploratory run. I ended up running to a nearby caserio called Mochal, and it was beautiful. The small windy road was lined with sugar cane that reached over my head on one side and fields of pineapple and corn on the other side. The mountains were prominently displayed against the blue sky in every direction, and the sun was strong but wonderful. If people didn´t already seem confused by my presence, seeing a tall, blonde, white, gringa running through their fields definitely evoked some interesting looks. I made a point to smile and say ¨buenas tardes¨ to everyone I passed, but I think that only confused them more. It was definitely one of those times where I stepped back and realized how incredible it is to be where I am- running through sugarcane fields in the Peruvian foothills as I watch donkeys carry harvests on their backs and local farmers cut down their crops. Is this real life?