My house is located right at the center of town by the Plaza de Armas and is more of a store and restaurant than a house. Customers stream into the restaurant all day and help themselves to a drink as they await heaping plates of rice, goat, chicken or duck. Everybody knows everybody, so people pass freely back through the kitchen. There are constantly dead animals ready to be cooked filling the “backyard” and animal skins drying on a clothesline next to the family’s laundry. Just behind this is a hallway with three small rooms, one of which is my bedroom. I can hear everything that happens around me, considering its just thin walls and a giant window to the hallway. I do have lights and electricity, and some sort of water, so it could be worse. Regardless, it is interesting but surely I will become accustomed in no time.

This is about 3 feet from my bedroom. Please note the animal skins hanging on the line.

I woke up to the hustle and bustle of the store and restaurant that is literally 5 steps outside of my bedroom. I got dressed and found my community partners and their peers drinking coffee in the restaurant, so I sat down and was thrown into the day before I had time to fully open my eyes. Most of the people I met are staff members at the health post, including the head doctor, an orthodontist, psychologist, and NGO worker. Although that may seem like a strange combination, they all work closely with the youth of Poroto and I am hoping I’ll be able to develop great working relationships with them to reach the adolescents here. I was supposed to have a welcome reception complete with the playing of the national anthem and a speech, but in true Peruvian fashion the meeting kept getting pushed back until we decided we would just walk around to introduce myself instead. I was able to meet a significant portion of community leaders, and several of the younger staff from the health post ate lunch with me at my host family’s restaurant.

After lunch I went to see the town mirador (lookout point) with Maria and her little cousin, Enrique. From the mirador I could see the tiny town of Poroto encircled by mountains and fields. Most of the houses are constructed from mud adobe bricks and tin roofs, and there is a Plaza de Armas, church, and municipality building at the center of town. We wondered past the mirador through the fields of pineapple, avocado trees, and sugar cane. I never knew how pineapple grew, but it was really neat to see. It grows from the ground in long rows and the bushes look like enlarged pineapple tops sprouting from the soil, but the growing pineapples rest on top of these sprouting leaves. We followed the water aqueducts from Poroto to the next small town of Shiran, and along the way we passed farmers harvesting their crops and donkeys, bulls, and sheep wondering in the fields. The surrounding mountains and flying birds provided a beautiful backdrop for our little hike. When we reached Shiran we crossed a bridge over the river to stop by their abuelita’s (grandmother) house who greeted us with water and fresh oranges. Animals have free reign in this country, so the newborn puppies and kittens were wondering in and out of her house as they wrestled amongst themselves. We walked back alongside the road as moto-taxis whizzed by. After our walk I ate dinner in the restaurant with some locals. My family seems incredibly busy with their tienda and restaurant and are all currently attending to their customers. I still hadn’t had a chance to talk to my host mom because she’s been furiously preparing food for this weekend’s festival, so I decided to sit with her in the kitchen after dinner and she was nonchalantly beheading ducks through the duration of our conversation.

Later, one of my counterparts stopped by with some of his friends and introduced me, so we talked about Poroto and some of their visions for its development as I tried to choke down the Inca Cola they poured for me. (Inca Cola= yellow bubblegum flavored soda that people here think is liquid gold and I think is the most disgusting beverage in the world). Anyway, it was interesting to hear their thoughts about their town, especially when relaying them to me as a foreigner in their town. They seem interested in promoting tourism, but unsure of the best way to do so in such a small town.

The dynamic of Poroto is really interesting; it is a very small town of about 200 families where 80% are involved in agriculture work and the others own small tiendas or restaurants and most professionals commute to and from Trujillo. It is a striking juxtaposition of resources and modernity, because poverty is evident and most people live in small adobe houses, but they have television, newly created internet connections, and easy access to Trujillo. Their access to technology and a big city seems to influence their modern (often bordering provocative) dress and acknowledgment of pop culture.

This morning we were introduced to our community partners from our towns who we will be working with for the next two years. Each volunteer had a representative from their town attend this meeting, which explained some of the goals of Peace Corps and how the community can work with us to promote development and make a positive impact through our partnership. A teacher and psychologist came from my town to greet me and participate in the meeting, and both of them seem pretty involved in the town and willing to help connect me to some community contacts. There were 14 of us volunteers at the session and each was paired with at least one community partner, so it was pretty interesting to see the dynamic between everyone.

After our conference one of my community partners, Johan, accompanied me back to Poroto. We took a little combi van that was full of people and a perfect introductory ride to my Peruvian Peace Corps site. I was sitting on a little bench seat in the front, interlocking knees with the four people directly facing me. The man sitting directly in front of me had a floral arrangement that spanned the entire width of the van and the woman to my left had a massive bag of potatoes resting under her feet. There was a woman sitting in the middle of the combi wearing traditional attire with defined wrinkles etched into her coffee colored skin, telling silent stories of her life. A toddler with enormous deep brown eyes stared at me for the duration of the trip, as her orange juice trickled down her neck. We passed small dusty mountains and then fields of bright green sugar cane before entering into some of the small towns that line the outskirts of Trujillo. Fresh produce lined the streets and dogs curiously approached the combi as passengers boarded. As we came closer to Poroto, the dusty mountains slowly transformed into more defined mountains and the scenery became increasingly green. My level of excitement continued to climb as we passed some beautiful scenery and drew closer to Poroto. After about an hour and 15 minutes in the combi we pulled in to the center of town and I was immediately introduced to some of the community members. My host family owns the local restaurant and store, so they were busy working when I arrived. I was nonchalantly greeted by my host sisters, who guided me to my tiny bedroom in the hallway between the store and restaurant.

I have two sisters, Maria Alejandra (Alejandra) who is 13 and Maria Ernestina (Maria) who is 15. Alejandra was pretty shy, and initially tried hiding behind the store counter before introducing herself to me, but Maria was outgoing and immediately agreed to show me around town. My host Dad, Richard, looks like Santa Claus and my host Mom, Ernestina (Tina) was busily preparing dinner as I arrived, so our introduction was brief. Poroto seems like a very small town, but there were people milling around the center until well after 9pm. There is so much to take in, so I’m trying to calm my thoughts and give myself time to process this whole experience. It is really surreal to be in the location that will be home for the next two years. I’m meeting with some of the community leaders tomorrow, and I’m excited to see the town during the day.

We arrived bright and early from our overnight bus into the district capital of Trujillo, which is the third biggest city in Peru. We were greeted by current volunteers who are living in La Libertad as well as our regional director, Sandra, who immediately began shaking “ruda” (a traditional Peruvian plant known for good fortune) on our shoulders. We ate breakfast with the volunteers as we learned more about the capital city and their experiences in La Libertad. Afterward, we wondered around Trujillo for a bit; it is a really cool city with lots to do and see. Conveniently enough, Trujillo is also about 15 minutes away from a beautiful little beach town called Huanchaco, so we headed to there for the afternoon. We took off our shoes and enjoyed the sun and sand as we watched surf lessons and fishermen out on the waves in long traditional fishing boats. We ate ceviche on an outdoor patio and took in the scenery; it was a beautiful little town, and I am sure we’ll return quite often. I’m pretty excited that I can get to the beach in less than an hour and a half from my site.

After lunch we headed back to Trujillo and got to know the city a little better with the current volunteers. Trujillo has everything you could want, from a pretty center plaza with intricate architecture to surrounding malls where we can buy all the basic necessities for our sites. I’m excited to figure out the details of the city and find some cool places to enjoy during my trips into the capital city.

Thursday for our language class we took a trip to Lima to go to the Archaeology museum. The museum was filled with remnants of ceramics, cloth, and other artifacts from all the different eras of Peruvian history. Some of the earliest artifacts date back 4000 years, which is incredible. Typically when I think of learning about history I assume the simplest way to do so is through literature or written history, but looking at the intricate designs and progression of simple household items provided valuable insight into the lives of ancient Peruvians. The ceramic bowls and pitchers told stories of nobility, daily life, and tensions through their designs and provided an interesting glimpse into the societies of the past.

Yesterday we had a campout at the training center, which was a lot of fun. A few of us got together to cook, and it’s always funny navigating Peruvian grocery stores and kitchens. The results turned out pretty well. Our group is amazing at potlucks, so we had quite an array of delicious food. We had a big fire and even created cheese fondue over the fire, which was pretty amazing.

Today was an awesome day of relaxation before we head to visit our sites tomorrow. I went to Chacrasana for most the day and we just enjoyed hanging out, chatting with Mario’s host family, and wondering around Chosica. I’ve become pretty good friends with several people here, so it will be weird when we all scatter throughout Peru, but I think we all share a special bond after going through training together that will keep us connected in some way.

I have a home! Today was our site assignment celebration, so we all know where we will be living for the next two years. The day began with our Spanish classes, but we were all so excited and anxious we had a hard time focusing on anything. We were treated to an enormous delicious lunch and all of the Peace Corps Peru staff from Lima came to the training center to share the news. Following lunch we heard from the directors and then had to play a game to find out our placements. The staff filled out pieces of puzzles with our names on them and threw them in little bottles in the pool. We had to fish them out and find other people with the same colored puzzle pieces. It was absolute chaos as everyone excitedly ripped open their bottles and found the volunteers who would be living in the same department. As we pieced together our puzzle, we realized it formed a map of La Libertad which is a department in Northern Peru with a combination of Coastal and Mountainous areas. Everyone was jumping around and analyzing the other members of their group, who will be their main American social network for the next 2 years. My group is definitely pretty awesome, but it was also kind of sad to look around at the other groups and see friends who will be up to 20+ hours away. Regardless, we were all thrilled and the excitement resonated throughout the training center.

We met with our regional coordinator of La Libertad to hear the details of our site, and I found out that I will be in a pueblo in the foothills of La Libertad called Poroto. It is sunny year round and pretty temperate weather, but it is also pretty close to the mountains and the coast, so I think I’ll have the best of both worlds. I’m not sure what to expect, but I can’t wait to see it for myself. I will only be about an hour and 20 minutes from the department capital, Trujillo, which is pretty awesome. Trujillo is the 3^rd biggest city in Peru and is supposed to have a lot of cool history and attractions, so I’m excited I’ll have easy access to it. There is one other volunteer who is about 30 minutes away from me, and then a few more within an hour or two. My town I will be working in is definitely rural, and there are only 1200 people, but I think that’ll be so awesome! It’s exactly what I wanted- access to a bigger area, but the opportunity to really engage with a small population. With only 1200 people, I should definitely know almost everyone, which will be really exciting! Apparently my site is one of the biggest pineapple producing areas of Peru, so that should be delicious. I’m not sure what the situation is with water/electricity/communication, but we’ll see! It will definitely be interesting.

After our site assignments, we all furiously researched our new towns and regions to uncover as much information as possible. I looked up Poroto on Google Maps and found a giant mass of green and not much else, so I think I’ll just have to wait to see it for myself. Afterwards, we all went out to celebrate and excitedly discuss what lies ahead in the next two years. It is crazy to think that my life will be here in Peru for the next two years. When I thought about the Peace Corps before actually getting in country, it seemed like an alternate sort of life, as if time would stop while I completed my two years of Peace Corps service. However, life isn’t stopping; in fact, it is quite the opposite. The longer I’m here, the more I realize how excited I am to spend two years here in Peru. There are so many aspects of my life that will be dramatically impacted by this experience, and I am just inspired and excited to get to know this amazing country and its people. There is so much need here, and I hope I can truly make an impact with the work I do and the relationships I make. I already know that I’ll personally be transformed by this experience and I haven’t even finished training. Life in Peru will definitely be an adventure, but one that I am ready to take!

Tomorrow is the big day! We all find out our official site assignments and where we will be spending the next two years of our lives. It is so crazy to think that such a big decision is now essentially out of our hands. The entire Peace Corps process involves a huge amount of uncertainty, patience, waiting, and flexibility. We began our application with the possibility of being sent anywhere in the world, then we found out South America, then Peru, and tomorrow the world will be narrowed to one small community in rural Peru. I couldn’t be more excited about finding out the details; there is so I want to know. Many people gave pretty detailed preferences and requests for their sites, but I had a hard time discerning where I would most like to be. Peru has so many wonderful different sites and climates, each with its own pros and cons. The mountains are absolutely gorgeous, but I’m not sure I could handle a 3-6 month rainy season where it rains every single day. On the other hand, I like warm weather and sun but I don’t necessarily want to be in a dusty desert location. I asked for a “temperate” location, so it will be interesting to see where I am sent. Regardless, I think Peru has some of the most incredible communities, so I know I’ll be very happy anywhere. I don’t think I’m going to be able to sleep tonight I am so excited.

Friday night we celebrated Kim’s birthday in true Peruvian fashion. We all gathered in her neighborhood and collected all of our friends from their houses to come join in the celebration at her host family’s house where we sang happy birthday and shared cake and champagne before heading to Chosica. I think by the end of the day Kim had at least 4 different birthday cakes, which I believe translates to a very successful birthday.

Yesterday I woke up early and headed to the market to buy apples to make pies with Melissa’s host mom to help raise money to refurbish a park in Chacrasana. We all gathered in her kitchen and helped make the desserts, which turned out beautifully. Afterwards, we decided to venture into Lima and see a movie. We saw El Origen (Inception) with Leonardo Dicaprio and all felt like we took a mini escape to America.

One of the projects volunteers tend to do at their site as an initial way to introduce themselves to their community and connect with youth is to paint a giant world map in their community. Heather was able to organize the painting of a Peru map in Yanacoto, so this morning a bunch of us went over to help her paint a huge map of Peru on the town’s cement soccer court. It was probably at least 15-20 feet long, so it was pretty impressive when it was complete.