It has been exactly a week since I arrived to Peru but it feels like I have been here for a month. I think of my family and friends so much. It aches to think about it but it is a good thing I have been so busy. We arrived Saturday the 12th at 2:30 a.m. to Lima and stayed in Chaclacayo (one hour outside of Lima) for the week-end. Our first days have consisted of: a lot of sessions and presentations, mini projects within the community, interviews, etc. I moved in with my family last Sunday. I will be living with them during my training for the next ten weeks. They are so wonderful! I live with the mom, dad, sister, brother, his wife and daughter, and an uncle. They have all been so amazing to me. I got really lucky and was placed in a community called Yuanacoto, along with 12 other volunteers. Everyone here knows who we are and are so friendly. My room has a great view of the whole town and I have my own bathroom!
I have also experienced the first culture shock: cold showers. They are actually not that bad but I can’t lie, I do dread it every time. Tomorrow I will be experiencing the second biggest one: washing laundry by hand. The food I have had so far has been really good. My dad was not lying when he told me Peruvians eat a lot of rice and potatoes. I have eaten rice every day for lunch and dinner with my meals.
The currency here is in Soles. The conversion is S/2.83= $1.00. We each get 8 Soles a day for “walk-around” money. That is about $2.80 I am living on a day. Our meals and housing are already set. The interesting thing is that those $2.80 last me great! For example, we bargain to take the “combi” (bus) for 25 cents. So, that is 50 cents round trip. If I want a water bottle, I can get that for 50 cents. That leaves me with $1.80. A good beer that is 32 ounces is $1.70. So, after training yesterday we all went to have one. However, the culture here is to share one. You pour it in a small glass, too. It is looked badly upon to just drink from the bottle. So if I share one that means two small glasses of beer will cost me about 88 cents. That leaves me with a good $1 for some cookies to snack on before dinner or perhaps some fruit! Isn’t that hilarious?
Also, I was sure to bring every possible toiletry, clothing, and packing supply possible so that I would not have to spend on that for a good while. It ended up costing me the same for overweight. Did I mention that out of the 54 volunteers going to Peru, I was the only one lugging around two huge suitcases of 68 pounds each…and, a carry-on that weighs 35 pounds? One volunteer saw me and just said, “Wow, you just really went for it.”
I am so happy right now. I feel so blessed to be here. I am well aware of the challenges that come along with it but I have learned to embrace them. This past week, I have met fellow volunteers that I am already such great friends with and know they will be my best friends for a life-time to come. They are so wonderful. We have had great laughs like you could not imagine! Before leaving some people would still ask me why I would want to do something like this and be willing to leave my life behind. THIS is my life, though. I didn’t come here to “feed the hungry.” A wise mentor told me before leaving, “Don’t try to manage every project you embark on while in Peru, just try to teach one local Peruvian how to do it, so that when you leave, they can pass it on.” One of my wishes has always been to inspire and better just one life. As a volunteer, I will have accomplished my work here doing just that. I also know that they will without a doubt change and inspire mine.
So, I have 9 weeks of training to go! This coming week-end our Small Business Development group will be traveling to a town outside of Lima called San Pedro de Castas. It is 4,000 meters up in elevation and 20 degrees Fahrenheit; it is higher than Machu-Pichu! It is a small tourism town and to get there we need to drive three hours and go up in horses another three hours. We will be camping once we reach the top. I am so excited! The whole point of us is to start getting a grasp of how small businesses work here.
I wish I can tell you all in person of what I am living right now. It is so hard to summarize it all in a blog. This is better than nothing at all though.
I will be sure to let you know how that trip went! I miss and love you all dearly.
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