Entrenamiento y Diversion

Early IST (In Service Training) is an opportunity for all youth development volunteers to gather together after our first three months at site to share our community diagnostics and receive various technical training. The week was a great opportunity to reconnect with friends from training and also get some fabulous ideas for projects and programs to initiate in the upcoming months. The training was held at a retreat center seemingly far removed from civilization, but with snowcapped mountains and enjoyable scenery. Our training included teen pregnancy prevention, youth entrepreneurship, and other exciting programs I hope to implement at site. We also shared our community diagnostics, which was good insight into the work the other volunteers are doing. There are 33 youth development volunteers in our group spread throughout the country, so hearing the individual reports of communities and hopeful aspirations from other volunteers was both interesting and motivating.

We celebrated World AIDS day during training and participated in local community celebrations. My group went to Kyle’s site and we joined the local school in a parade around town to help raise awareness about HIV/AIDS. In addition, we gave a charla to a primaria class about the details of HIV, how it spreads, and how to prevent its spread. Initially I was concerned about talking to such young students about a disease that is spread primarily through sexual relations, but the students were mature and we came armed with fun dinamicas and games to help illustrate the transmission of the disease.

The following day we travelled to another volunteer’s site which is located at the base of Huascaran, one of the largest and most impressive mountains in South America. As we were driving through the windy road to the site I was completely overwhelmed by the beauty of the local surroundings. The enormous snow-capped mountains perfectly placed in the bright blue sky were such an incredible view. The aesthetic beauty was incomparable, and made me so grateful for the opportunities I have through the Peace Corps. There are so many moments where I step back and realize how incredible this experience has been so far and how much more I have to look forward to. Although living abroad for 2 years in a foreign place can present its challenges, I can’t imagine being anywhere else or doing anything else. This really is a blessing, and I hope to never lose enthusiasm or appreciation during my service.

Once we arrived at the site we gave a presentation about recycling and the environment as we instructed the students how to make bracelets from recyclable materials. The school was an incredible example of utilizing the natural resources and habitat to benefit the students and incorporating healthy lifestyles and environment into school curriculum. The school featured various murals advocating health, gardens filled with herbs and compost, trash cans and recycling, and art classes that produce beautiful products using local materials. Among the most impressive artesania made at the school were handmade scarves, blankets, hats, and bags made from local sheep wool and died with local plants. I was able to model a hand knit skirt, hat, and other products, and left with a beautiful knit blanket.

The retreat center is located close by the old city of Yungay, which was the site of a massive glacial landslide and earthquake in the 1970s. Very little remains of the city of Yungay, and the new city was rebuilt several kilometers away. One evening we decided to take a walk to see the remains of the city, but didn’t expect much. Much to our surprise the site of the earthquake has been transformed into a beautiful memorial garden, complete with roses, mosaic walkways, and tree lined paths. The site is also commemorated with wreckage from the earthquake. The steeple of the town’s church remains intact and serves as the focal point of the garden memorial. We couldn’t have stumbled upon a more incredible time to explore this garden; as the sun slowly set behind the snowcapped mountains behind the church, radiant sunbeams and a colorful sunset also decorated the mountains on the opposite side of the church. I have never before experienced a sunset where the views in both directions were so stunning I couldn’t decide where to focus my attention.

The week of training was a refreshing chance to catch up with other volunteers, see some beautiful sites, and get excited about new projects and programs to start up at site.