¿Qué? No entiendo...

It has been close to 2 weeks since I arrived in Peru. I finally found time and motivation to post on my blog. So much to share that it is overwhelming, so I will try to start with two general observations:

I have been playing a (practically) nonstop game of Taboo. For those of you who don´t know, my Spanish skills are a bit lacking to say the least and living with my host family has been interesting as a result. Every night we chat and find the most round about ways to teach me new vocabulary. When in doubt it is easy to just add the occasional "sí" or laugh. But in all seriousness, it has been going great. My host family is amazing - incredibly patient and we joke around all the time, surprisingly I can communicate and understand jokes with my limited Spanish ability. Tiring at times, but I do think I am starting to pick it up fairly quickly considering it has been less than 2 weeks.

Training is like a strange mix of elementary school (the first day my host mom picked up and dropped me off at the training center and packs me lunch everyday), college study abroad experience in a foreign speaking country (living with a host family and "classes" from 8am-5pm every day), and fun real life experiences (learning my way around the area, learning practical skills like details on how to compost). All in all, I have been enjoying it but will not cover up the fact that the conditions at my training center are much different than previously imagined...and extremely different than how it will be at the site I will be placed at for the 2 years.

Hasta luego,
Lauren

Solamente Dos Semanas Hasta Peru!

It’s hard to believe that after 8 months of the relatively arduous Peace Corps application process and anxious waiting, everything is finalized and I will be departing for Peru very soon. Given the pressure to chronicle this adventure, I finally gave in and decided to start up a personal blog. As self absorbed as I feel blogs can be, in all honestly it is probably the only way I will be able to update and stay in touch with many of you. So here I go…

After two and a half weeks back in Rochester - cherishing the remaining hot showers, delicious home cooked meals and the company of friends and family - I realize I have only two more weeks in the US before I embark on a new adventure. Should I start cramming in a list of everything I could possibly miss in the next 2 years before leaving the country…but how does anyone even go about doing that?

At the crack of dawn on September 10, I will catch a flight to Washington, DC for Staging (aka pre-departure orientation). There I will meet up with the new group of Peace Corps Trainees heading to Peru for the next 27 months. One long day of orientation and then I finally depart for Lima, Peru on September 11 (and yes I realized the other day that I am flying on 9/11, hope none of you are too superstitious and concerned)

Short post for now…but to be continued!

Hasta luego,

Lauren