First Week in Peru!!!

So although this is my first attempt at a blog entry, today marks the end of my first week in Peru!! Exactly one week ago I flew from Washington DC all the way to Lima to start a long exciting journey into the world of being a Peace Corps volunteer. This week, although only a week, has felt more like a month. To begin my time as a Peace Corps volunteer, there is a preliminary staging in Washington DC, which is a full day of workshops to reflect on what it means to be a volunteer, and to prepare yourself for a 2 year commitment to living and working in Peru. After staging, which is a big emotional affair of circle sitting and conversations about hopes, anxieties and expectations, we were set off to enjoy our last night in the USA. To enjoy my last night, I did the most American thing I could do......I went out for a fat bacon cheeseburger, drank a few Sam Adams, and watched the Steelers win the first game of their season. When we left Washington, we left in a steady grey downpour that soaked all of our luggage and carry ons, but successfuly I have not been plagued with mildew yet. After a long long day of travelling from DC to Miami and Miami to Lima, we headed through customs painlessly and met with Michael Hirsch, the country director for Peace Corps Peru, who led us to our huge Omnibuses for 1 1/2 hours of driving to a vacation resort called Huampani. Exhausted from travel and having been on planes and buses for 11 hours, we were all dropped off in front of a bridge in Chaclacayo, because the buses were too big to drive through the covered bridge in front of the resort. After a half hour of walking with a light load of luggage, we were all checked into our rooms to sleep our first night in Peru, and sleep we did.