Field Based Ridiculousness

So I´ve heard from a few select sources ( ahem...Megs and Laur) that the blog´s a hit but it just may be lacking a certain degree of comedy. I´m gonna try, my friends, but I assure you it is no easy task to make potatoes and guinea pigs funny over and over again. With that said, I´ll keep your requests in mind. Tone down the sap and pump up the humor. Anything for a laugh, right Laur?

For now, though, I´ll cover the basics. Here we are, mid 7th week in Peru (or Pay-rooo if your name is Annabelle Brennan), recently retruned from our first glimpse of the next 2 years, Field Based Training! Youth Development split into 3 groups of 11 or 12 trainees and with those groups we traveled to either (have your maps handy?) Cajamarca, Piura, or Lambayeque. There we visited the regional capitols and various volunteers in their sites.

I had the good fortune (maybe it was good) to visit Lambayeque with, as I said before, a comical grouping of Youth Development´s finest. Now I must admit that I had my reservations about many of my ¨campaneros.¨ In fact, many of these reservations may or may not have come out in arage during our long drive (if sitting completely still in a taxi for over an hour can be called a ¨drive¨) tothe bus station in Lima. But the mere sight of our luxury bus...I´m not kidding, this bus could have rivaled Megan´s 1st class flight to Italy...made me put my preoccupations aside and enjoy a sublime con galleta, an American movie dubbed in Spanish, and a few hours of sleep.

Once in Lambayeque we really had an amazing time. First to Chiclayo, the regional capital, where we went on a scavenger hunt to get to know the city, firmly grasping our purses all the time! With an Earl Gray tea from Starbucks, ceviche for dinner, and a hot shower (my 1st in Peru!) we got things off to the right start.

From there we were off to Puerto Eten and Cuidad Eten, coastal towns where we visited Elizabeth, our future Peace Corps Volunteer Coordinator. She introduced us to her high schoolers who were ¨going green¨in science class! Their clothes made from recycled materials could have easily been showcased in the WashU Fashion Show this fall!

Along the way we visited a few healthposts that would have amazed (or maybe horrified) Mom and Dad. We seriously have more prescription drugs in our house than these people have in their hospitals. Bring on the Z-packs.

From there we were on to Cayalti and ZaÑa, two more coastal sites where Peace Corps volunteers are working with special education, AIDS education, and lots more. In ZaÑa we visited Nicole, a volunteer who has started a tourist industry with a group of really impressive teenaged tour guides who led us through the first Afroperuvian Museum in the country and thenthrough the remains of historical churches and buildings all over town.

At last we visited my personal fave, Bolivar, a 4 hour drive from the regional capital along a rocky dirt road past fields of sugar cane and more greenery than I´ve seen yet in Peru. It was a beautiful drive tarnished only by my poor friend Kim barfing out the window along the way. Yikes.

In this town of a couple hundred we taught some elementary schoolers rock, paper, scissors, and visited the library that Mike, the Peace Corps volunteer finishing up his service there, built with a grant from the US Army. A really great project that has so much potential to get bigger and better with the help of Mike´s replacement volunteer.

Here they said that most elementary school teachers have only finished high school, if that! To think that Megs is going to teach Kindergarten with a bachelors in ed., 2 years of teaching experience, and a masters from Harvard! Meggsies, I know it´s gonna be tough but those kids are so crazy lucky to have you!!!! Believe it.

At Mike´s house I think we saw the most stereotypical Peace Corps living situation we´ve seen so far...except for that giant mural of the Disney princesses in the dining room. Not sure what that was about. But when a chicken walked past our table and right out to the door during lunch I think I breathed a sigh of relief. ¨So this is the Peace Corps!¨

All in all it was a great trip. Despite several people´s attempts to completely alienate the Peruvians around us with questions about ice for our drinks or heat during the winters (two things almost completely nonexistent in Peru), things went well. And despite my many somewhat judgemental reservations, I certainly came back really liking and appreciating everyone in my group for their many strengths.

I must say though that on my return to Chaclacayo I was ready for some me time and you know what that means (or at least Megs, Lu, and Dana do!)- a shopping spree! Sadly in Peru that means a visit to Plaza Veia and, Dad would love this, a total bill of $44. So after a month and a half in Peru what does a Peace Corps volunteer splurge on, you might ask? I´ll tell you:

A bottle of Dove shampoo, a notebook with a pig on the cover, a bottel of body wash, and a shower sponge with a rubber ducky on top. A bottle of drinkable yogurt, 10 slices of cheese, wheat crackers, and the luxury to beat all luxuries, a box of cereal.

Yes, I lead a wild and luxurious existence here in Peru but even that has not kept me from catching a cold. Nothing big- runny nose and cough which my host mom has assured me comes from the cold yogurt I drink in the morning. When you keep in mind that she also says corn flakes look and taste like dog food, however, you realize we have completely different understandings of food in general.

Anyways, I am now off to celebrate Fiestas Patrias!- Independence Day here in Peru which happens to coincide with the birthday of a certain party maniac who recently sent me a jar of peanut butter (thanks again for that!). Happy Birthday Mom!!!!!!!! Hope you have an amazing day!

I told Mom she should move to Peru so that she can always have a day off on her birthday to totally rage. She said she was gonna rage anyway and I believe her!

Have an extra margarita for me, Mama! I love you tons! Until next time, so much love to everyone!