Yesterday was a dia feriado for the town in honor of Santa Rosa de Lima, the patron saint of the police. In order to celebrate this event the police hosted a huge party at a local venue. The party began at 11am, and like most Peruvian parties it continued well into the night. It was a good opportunity to talk with a lot of the community members and learn more about their town. There was an awesome live band that played Huano, Marinera, Cumbya, and Salsa music throughout the day and into the night. I think I danced with every single person there, so the day was definitely entertaining. Someone visiting from Trujillo asked me how long I had been in town, and was surprised when I told him only a week because a lot of people seemed to know who I was. It was definitely a compliment to hear that, because it can be pretty overwhelming to try to introduce myself to an entire town and start making connections. I was told various times that I could be the Reina of Poroto, which I think is hilarious given my lacking coordination and dancing skills. As the day wore on I got so tired, and was definitely ready to go home by 9pm although the party continued to rage.



Today I finally was able to meet the director of the local school. He seemed fairly interested in working with me, and promised to introduce me to the staff and students on Friday, so hopefully that will actually happen. Things here are going well and I´m incredibly excited to be here, but it is definitely a challenge. It is crazy to wake up every day and know that I am solely responsible for filling my day and finding connections and people to meet. As the only Peace Corps volunteer here (not to mention the only foreigner), it can be difficult to explain my presence and role in the community as well as the projects I would eventually like to do. I have to seek people out and really strive to make meaningful relationships now so when I begin actual work I will have supportive community partners. Although we have the first three months to condcut a community diagnostic, I still feel pressure to be productive and useful. I have to realize that things are going to take time, and I´m really grateful for the community members I have already met and the town events I´ve been exposed to. I´m so used to a quick pace of life, so this will definitely take some getting used to, but I don´t think there is anything like the experience you can have in the Peace Corps. Living here day in and day out for the next two years and sharing in every aspect of the culture and lifestyle here will not only be an incredibly enriching experience and opportunity for growth, but also hopefully allow me to develop a solid foundation for meaningful work and projects.