1 year of service

August was a slow month work wise due to school being out for winter vacation and then it was out a week to prevent the flu from spreading and then I was in Lima a week for mid service but below you'll find what I was up to this past month.

Camp ACESSS

Who knew speaking in English all day would be hard? The first week of August, four Lambayeque volunteers and I helped the ICPNA (Instituto Cultura Peruano y Norte Americano) with their English camp and I got a tiny taste of how weird it will be to visit America (3.5 months baby!). We were asked to facilitate classes in English and to speak English to the students. I didn’t realize how hard it was to speak in pure English all day; while I was teaching the classes I would accidentally insert Spanish words. Most of my interactions with other humans are in Spanish except when I speak with other volunteers …but we speak in Spanglish. The camp was held at a very nice recreational center and by nice I mean nice as in Peruvian standards; at lunch I was given a spoon, fork, AND knife and the bathroom had paper towels. When we were eating lunch I dug into my food just using my fork and hands and looked around, everyone else was using the knife too…how fancy. At home before coming to Peru my table manners were already subpar but now I think people will probably want to turn away in disgust watching me eat…sorry everyone in advance.  All in all it was a fun experience, I got to bond with four other volunteers and after the camp the directors took us out to a nice restaurant for pollo a la brasa... we even got dessert. One of the directors ordered everyone one a pisco sour  (a very popular alcoholic beverage) but then they all got up and left so the four of us had 9 piscos to ourselves and one of the gals doesn’t drink, needless to say… I wasn’t mad.

Blue Team

Jade teaching the kids the wobble...one of my personal favorites

the 3 of us with our 9 piscos

I can keep track of how long I’ve been here by my host niece Angie’s age…she was born during my site visit. We celebrated her first birthday just a couple weeks ago. Here are a few pictures from the event.

Angie's mama Claudia

Claudia is boss at making cake

Angie and her papá

I think she was ready for bed at this point

I'm a little distraught from her crying..I just wanted a picture with the birthday girl

My friend Erin and I received a phone call from our fellow volunteer girlfran Tina…she had been asked by her friend who works for the Ministerio de Turisimo to invite other volunteers to help them out with  advertising for an Eco Tourism site in Lambayeque: Chaparri. They needed pictures of tourists at the site and so we got the privilege to go for free and pose for the advertisements, which was a pretty incredible opportunity because it’s a little pricey to go. The site is incredible, Chaparri is an ecological reserve for endangered animals to be able to be cared for and live in their natural habitat.

"Tunnel of Love"

our guide

tree sap

termite nest

pretty bird

I heard this iguana crawl across the roof and I thought it was cat...then I saw it emerge...definitely not a cat

there was a mama pig crossing the road with her piglets but I wasn't fast enough to get all of them

mamá pig

Mid service:

At the one year of service mark, volunteers are sent to Lima to receive one last training, give presentations of projects to the Peace Corps office, and get medical checks. You know you have created a bond with people when you can walk in groups to the lab to drop off poo samples (to check for parasites- I haven’t heard anything from the docs so I think it’s safe to say I’m parasite free…phew!) As a little mid service treat to myself I got a tattoo. I’m completely in love with it, the tattooist did an amazing job, I had to go back a couple days later and get a tiny detailed added that I didn’t notice before but it’s incredible, I also don’t mind all the compliments.

If you’re scratching your head wondering why the hell I got another Harry Potter tattoo, it’s not just that I really love the books but I saw a similar tattoo on Pinterest and I knew I wanted something similar on my person. Here is the story (The Tale of the Three Brothers from the 7th Book, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows) of where the scene comes from:

“There were once three brothers who were traveling along a lonely, winding road at twilight. In time, the brothers reached a river too deep to wade through and too dangerous to swim across.. However, these brothers were learned in the magical arts, and so they simply waved their wands and made a bridge appear across the treacherous water. They were halfway across it when they found their path blocked by a hooded figure.

And Death spoke to them. He was angry that he had been cheated out of three new victims, for travelers usually drowned in the river. But Death was cunning. He pretended to congratulate the three brothers upon their magic and said that each had earned a prize for having been clever enough to evade him.

So the oldest brother, who was a combative man, asked for a wand more powerful than any in existence: a wand that must always win duels for its owner, a wand worthy of a wizard who had conquered Death! So Death crossed to an elder tree on the banks of the river, fashioned a wand from a branch that hung there, and gave it to the oldest brother.

Then the second brother, who was an arrogant man, decided that he wanted to humiliate Death still further, and asked for the power to recall others from Death. So Death picked up a stone from the riverbank and gave it to the second brother, and told him that the stone would have the power to bring back the dead.

And then Death asked the third and youngest brother what he would like. The youngest brother was the humblest and also the wisest of the brothers, and he did not trust Death. So he asked for something that would enable him to go forth from that place without being followed by Death. And death, most unwillingly, handed over his own Cloak of Invisibility.

Then Death stood aside and allowed the three brothers to continue on their way, and they did so, talking with wonder of the adventure they had had, and admiring Death’s gifts. In due course the brothers separated, each for his own destination.

The first brother traveled on for a week or more, and reaching a distant village, sought out a fellow wizard with whom he had a quarrel. Naturally with the Elder Wand as his weapon, he could not fail to win the duel that followed. Leaving his enemy dead upon the floor, the oldest brother proceeded to an inn, where he boasted loudly of the powerful wand he had snatched from Death himself, and of how it made him invincible.

That very night, another wizard crept upon the oldest brother as he lay, wine-sodden, upon his bed. The theif took the wand and, for good measure, slit the oldest brother’s throat. And so Death took the first brother for his own.

Meanwhile, the second brother journeyed to his own home, where he lived alone. Here he took out the stone that had the power to recall the dead, and turned it thrice in his hand. To his amazement and his delight, the figure of the girl he had once hoped to marry, before her untimely death, appeared at once before him.Yet she was sad and cold, separated from him as by a veil. Though she had returned to the mortal world, she did not truly belong there and suffered. Finally the second brother, driven mad with hopeless longing, killed himself so as truly to join her. And so Death took the second brother for his own. But though Death searched for the third brother for many years, he was never able to find him. It was only when he had attained a great age that the youngest brother finally took off the Cloak of Invisibility and gave it to his son. And then he greeted Death as an old friend, and went with him gladly, and, equals, they departed this life.”

Harry Potter isn’t just about wizards and wizards, it’s a series that teaches about love, I know that’s cheesy but hey I’m a cheesy gal and I won’t ever regret having a constant reminder  to myself and others how important it is to have more love in this world.

starting out... it was a ticklish/painful experience

almost done...

here it is before I realized the mistake with the son's arms extending out  (it should be the man putting the cloak on his son)

here's what it looks like with the minor detail with the arms added and a little more healed...still itches a bit

While in Lima I also had to get two wisdom teeth removed… before you all gasp that I got my teeth taken out in a developing country without anesthesia, just relax it wasn’t that bad. The worst part was not being able to eat all the food I had planned to eat while visiting Lima. 

no more wisdom

Even though my mouth was a little sore I wasn’t going to let that stop me from spending time with my fellow volunteers, it was so great seeing everyone especially watching them present their projects; Peru 19, you guys are an inspiring group, love you all!

love this llama lover

two of my favorite things, bloody marys and time with sweet Andrea

Peru 19 shennangins

As I mentioned before, one of my best friends from home is coming to visit in October.  I’m extremely happy, I’m not going to lie I was getting bitter towards some of my fellow volunteers who have had many people visit them already… I don’t understand why more people aren’t visiting, come on people, can you really think of another time when you’ll have a reason to come to Peru, I know it’s expensive but really live a little…ok rant done. We will be doing a 4 day 3 night trek to Machu Picchu and I couldn’t be more thrilled; I won’t go into too many details as I will be posting about the adventure after it happens.  

Peace, love you all. Abrazos y Besos.