Tag Archives: peace corps volunteer

02/09/2013
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adventure, food, lima, love, mp, vacation

pause.

a8ac31100d0411e3a6de22000a1fb5b7_7mike and i both took a pause from our schedules, and we spent 4 days in lima together! hooray! but really, i am just grateful that he was willing to travel all the way down to peru for just 4 short days…which flew by way too fast. we had a blast! we stayed in a condo with an ocean-view in miraflores, walked around town a lot, went bowling, explored barranco, finally visited the ministerio de cultura to visit the shining path exhibit, ate ceviche, and drank plenty of chicha morada. we had another grand finale feast at another top restaurant in peru, this time at central restaurante. it was named as one of the 2013 top 50 restaurants in the world, and the number one overall restaurant in peru. honestly, it was incredible. personally, i thought it was better than astrid y gaston, because they paid attention to every final detail, including the presentation. i still find myself salivating over all of our dishes…mmmmmm…

enoying the ocean-view from our balcony.

enoying the ocean-view from our balcony.

exploring barranco.

exploring barranco.

one of these things is not like the others.

one of these things is not like the others.

enjoying the plaza in barranco.

enjoying the plaza in barranco.

the ministerio de cultura.

the ministerio de cultura.

i asked mike to feel how soft my hair is, and this is how he responded...so romantic...

i asked mike to feel how soft my hair is, and this is how he responded…so romantic…

i had a really hard time with the front door to our condo building...as in it intimidated me...but seriously, it was HUGE!

i had a really hard time with the front door to our condo building…as in it intimidated me…but seriously, it was HUGE!

i had such an incredible time with him, and now i have reacomstombrared myself with the life in the norte. it’s tan caliente right now, and i am counting down the days until we get to see each other again!!!

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02/09/2013
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food, lima

(med)check that off the list.

just trucking my mri images around lima.

just trucking my mri images around lima.

once a year, the lima peace corps office, brings all the volunteers to lima for a week of medical checks and a couple of days of training. the training was…well let’s just say the most interesting part was learning what everyone else has been up to for the past year. the rest of the week i was in and out of doctor’s offices throughout lima. i had one day where my first appointment was at 8 and i was spent all day traveling and waiting for my other appointments, with my last one ending at 8:30pm. the results? well, i learned that my fateful fall in the jungle has left me with a torn ligament in my ankle, and i got a broken tooth cap and only had 1 cavity! the bad news, is that i have to go back to the dentist this week for some follow-up work. the good news is that i got my broken glasses replaced! and that i finally learned why my ankle still hurts…though, i would have preferred something like “a really bad sprain…” oh well.

don't worry. my friends and i still found plenty of time to eat plenty of delicious food...and by food, i obviously mean pinkberry.

don’t worry. my friends and i still found plenty of time to eat plenty of delicious food…and by food, i obviously mean pinkberry.

we also made time for gaston's amazing hamburgers at papacho's.

we also made time for gaston’s amazing hamburgers at papacho’s.

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02/09/2013
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happenings

filtered.

i think this is the point where i put a shameless plug for my amazing water filter. after my mid-service med-checks last week, i can officially announce that i am parasite free. that means i have made it 15 months of service sans parasite! which doesn’t explain everything else, but it does mean that my water filter is amazingly resilient…even after it had been cracked due to a couple of fateful falls onto concrete floor.

anyways. if you are looking for an amazing water filter, that will last forever…that’s the one!

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31/08/2013
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adventure, chaparri, friendship, happenings, happiness, hiking

chaparri!

a couple of weeks ago, i received a last minute phone call from my friend, tina, who asked ali and i to join the ministerio de turismo at chaparri…all expenses paid. of course i knew better than to say no, and freely offered my help as they were looking for gringos to use in new promotional materials they are making for the ministerio de turismo.

chaparri is a nature reserve about 90 minutes from chiclayo and generally speaking is quite expensive to reach because of its remoteness. however, the reserve is famous to bird watchers and animal lovers around the world. it has partnerships with zoos in france and london, and pumas, foxes, wild hogs and the endangered spectacled bear…and of course countless species of birds. here are some of my favorite shots from the day:

letting us know we were headed in the right direction.

letting us know we were headed in the right direction.

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tree sap.

tree sap.

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enjoying the scenery!

enjoying the scenery!

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we thought we heard a cat...surprise!

we thought we heard a cat…surprise!

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the osos!!!

the osos!!!

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the photographer and bear getting personal.

the photographer and bear getting personal.

scratching his back (or) striking a pose? you decide.

scratching his back (or) striking a pose? you decide.

the bears were checking out the aerial camera.

the bears were checking out the aerial camera.

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ali getting photographed.

ali getting photographed.

just hanging out with a cobra...nbd...

just hanging out with a cobra…nbd…

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stepping inside the shaman's office.

stepping inside the shaman’s office.

the whole crew!

the whole crew!

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28/08/2013
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campo, caserios, food, friendship, happiness

una noche en el campo.

dinner by candlelight.

dinner by candlelight.

a couple of weeks ago, i had the opportunity to have a sleepover with one of my lambaybesties in the campo. she lives in a caserio outside of changoyape. the next day i was going to head to chaparri, and her site is the last place before the reserve, plus we got to have some quality time!!! we ate some veggies and watched the count of monte cristo, and basically were just cracking ourselves up about how gross it is to be a peace corps volunteer sometimes…don’t worry, i will spare you the details. but it was such a fun night!

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12/08/2013
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happenings

welp.

today is the first day back to school after the two week mid-year break!!! woohoo! oh wait, there’s a swine flu outbreak? so school should be canceled for the entire week? okay. if you say so.

am i surprised? nope. at least i still have a few other meetings and projects happening at the same moment…

also, i think it should be noted that i think it shows how integrated i am as a volunteer that i am quite excited for the count of monte cristo to finish downloading. not just because of the movie, but because it’s my monday night plans that i have made for myself…and i am super excited to watch this movie for the first time, especially since i just finished the book last week!

ps. the book is awesome! it is a must-read!

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10/08/2013
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camp access, happenings

camp access.

(or) the time my face and arms got covered by bed bug bites.

the campers and their fearless volunteer leaders!

the campers and their fearless volunteer leaders!

this past week, i spent all week at el tambo with icpna and 4 other volunteers participating in camp access, an english immersion camp for 40 scholarship-sponsored students from cajamarca, trujillo and chiclayo, which is put together with partnership with the us embassy in lima. though it was quite a surprise for us to arrive thinking we were only going to be teaching a few classes, but instead were expected to run the whole camp. but we are peace corps volunteers, so not much surprises us anymore.

we had workshops ranging from english grammar, american culture, all the way to personal and professional development. we also had a number of other “american” activities, such as a talent show, kickball tournament, singing beside a bonfire, watching harry potter, and learned to dance the electric slide.

needless to say it was a lot of fun!

…minus the bed bug bites…minor detail…

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10/08/2013
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fiestas patrias

fiestas patrias.

the desfile in town.

the desfile in town, while my students were marching.

july 28th and 29th were peru’s two days celebrating its independence from spain. sunday was filled with parades and defiles (a marching competition between all the schools in town). the desfile competitions always draw a large crowd. on the 29th i went to monsefu and explored their feria where i ate every peruvian fried food imaginable…which is not many…but it was still a lot of fun! viva el peru!

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10/08/2013
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dia del logro, happenings, túcume

dia del logro.

fireworks...of course...

fireworks…of course…

the last day of school for the semester ended with a dia del logro celebration at the school. all the classes showcased their accomplishments and achievements throughout the semester. each subject took an hour to showcase what each and every class (6 classes to each grade…and their are 5 grades…so 30 classes) took time to share what they learned in each subject. honestly, it’s a great idea, and it was fun to see what each class had learned!

the setup.

the setup.

more of the setup.

more of the setup.

of course, we need to highlight the virgen. always.

of course, we need to highlight the virgen. always.

danza de los diablicos.

danza de los diablicos.

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my students highlighting what they have learned in their speech class.

my students highlighting what they have learned in their speech class.

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showing off what they have learned in math...it was...riveting...

showing off what they have learned in math…it was…riveting…

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10/08/2013
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chiclayo, fbt, happenings, olmos, zaña

fbt.

the new 21er's, their trainers and me!

the new 21er’s, their trainers and me!

a few weeks ago, i had the pleasure of hosting 8 of the new 21er’s that just arrived to peru in june! if you recall, i also endured my on field based training, which is a week-long intensive training of language, culture and giving practicums. it is not for the weary. the days are long, and you end the day collapsing onto your bed, only to wake up feeling as though you had just closed your eyes. part of my hosting the trainees, was coordinating the entire schedule for the entire week, which included numerous site visits of other volunteers, which was lot of work…i know better understand the amount of coordination that goes into any training, and my goodness, it is A LOT! during the week, i stayed with the trainees, and basically served as a mentor for the newbies throughout the week. many have never been in a classroom before peru, and so i was there to help with generating classroom activities and ideas for them, and also help them with their spanish. i also was sort of a cultural liaison, to help them understand the cultural differences they were experiencing and seeing first hand. here are some highlights of the week:

we visited olmos!

we visited olmos!

the land of the limon! i loved being able to see all the other volunteers' great projects as well!

the land of the limon! i loved being able to see all the other volunteers’ great projects as well!

i got to see milagros! another highlight for me was seeing all of the youth that i have worked with from our camps!

i got to see milagros! another highlight for me was seeing all of the youth that i have worked with from our camps!

we visited the afro peruano museum in zana!

we visited the afro peruano museum in zana!

isabel getting into the music!

isabel getting into the music!

ana maria and the trainees enjoying some good ol' american food!

ana maria and the trainees enjoying some good ol’ american food!

the english activity with students at icpna!

the english activity with students at icpna!

trainees working with teachers at icpna!

trainees working with teachers at icpna!

the entire group of trainees were fantastic and stayed so positive through their grueling work week! i kept stressing to them that service is nothing like this, but they were always so eager and determined which was awesome! i am so excited for the four that are headed to lambayeque! they are a great group! though, it should be noted that it took me two full days of sleeping to recover…but that may also be from the gripe i caught during the week….

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