My Peace Corps Family-- an ode to my fellow volunteers

When it's time to say goodbye, you have to do it right. And in Peru that means having despedidas, or, going away parties. Obviously in the States this is something we do as well, but in Peru it's pretty much a requirement. I have something like six despedidas planned for my last week in site, including the day I have to get on a night bus to head to Lima. I will literally be partying until my last hours. Last night I had my first despedida, and that was with all of the Lambayeque volunteers for those in group 17.

In case I haven't made this completely clear, Lambayeque is the department I live in and there are something around 30 volunteers here (over 200 volunteers in all of Peru including all of the departments). My training group, 17, is the group I arrived to Peru with which is comprised of small business and youth volunteers, and there were five of us from group 17 that moved to Lambayeque. In Lambayeque we also have volunteers from other programs, like environment and community health.

Site assignment day in training, we found out we'd be new Lambayeque volunteers August 2011

Lambayeque 17ers at COS May 2013

I don't think I've ever taken the proper amount of time to explain just how important the other volunteers have been in my service. I mean, these people are my people. I think that no matter what, no matter where I am in the world, when I meet another RPCV (returned peace corps volunteer) I will have an automatic connection to that person. Doubly if they were in Latin America. Triply if they were in Peru. My fellow 17ers, well, they're like the equivalent of my graduating high school class; a lot of really close friends, some acquaintances, some people I don't really know but in the end I'm still going to care about where they end up in life. And my Lambayequanos? The Lambaysexy crew? These people are my family.

Before I joined Peace Corps I was pretty sure that I would be making lifelong friends in Peace Corps. In fact, I counted on it. And when I first met my training group I was like, "Okay...these people will be my best friends eventually...right?" You know, it's really weird to meet a bunch of strangers from all over the US and to suddenly be stuck with them for 9 hours a day, day-in-and-day-out, and have them be your only compatriots in a completely foreign land while you're dealing with a lot of stressful adjustments. You bond quickly, but you also get on each other's nerves real quick. In fact, many times during training all I could think was "get me away from these people!"

Peru 17 from beginning to end. From Sabrina!

I made good friends in my training group, but many of us were separated amongst different departments, making it so we only saw each other on vacations or in-service trainings. I called all of my training group friends regularly, but within my department it took longer to get to know people and have friends to meet up with.

I couldn't even pinpoint exactly when it happened, but there came this point when the people who were once strangers and acquaintances that seemingly had nothing in common with me prior to Peace Corps suddenly became the people who understood and appreciated my feelings and experiences better than anyone else. The "older" generations of volunteers gave sage advice, while my fellow 17ers empathized with me as we seemingly went through all the same phases of ups and downs. And soon after that it wasn't just that we could bond over how tiny the poop-sample cups were at the lab, or funny parts of being a foreigner in Peruvian culture-- like judging beauty pageants and drinking endless cups of hot chocolate at parties on hot summer days-- but I came to appreciate their company, understand and admire their strengths, and love their quirks.

I don't know if I could ever write anything to do justice the strength that is the volunteer connection, how great my friends are from Arequipa to Tumbes (two opposite ends of Peru) or just how truly proud and honored I am to have worked and lived in Lambayeque with such hard-working, dedicated volunteers. All I can say is we have shared a part of this life that has forever changed me and I have learned many lessons from them.

So to my fellow volunteers: you have been there for me when I was down, you've celebrated with me when I was up, and you've weaseled your way into my heart over boxes of Gato and fuentes of ceviche chatting about life, love, Peru, and poop. I have made connections and friendships in my Peruvian community that have been life changing, but this experience wouldn't have been what it was without you. And honestly, I don't think I could've done this without you.

And now the hard part-- returning home where we will all be spread out over the span of a country that is far bigger than Peru!

To my predecessors, thank you for all the advice and friendship you've given which has made a huge impact on my service. I totally expect to continue receiving it as I embark back into US territory. To my 17ers, NAILED IT. I don't care how far apart we'll be, lets talk real soon and road trip, mmkay? To my 17ers staying for a 3rd year or extending, you guys are badass and I have mad respect for you and know you're going to continue to rock it. To my Lambaysexies, keep up the Lamba-legacy of awesomeness and success! 18ers, soon this will be you so aprovechan this experience all you can, the last months fly by fast! 19ers and 20ers, I'm so glad great people keep joining Peace Corps so that even halfway through my service I could make fast friends with awesome people like you! One more year, and you guys are going to rock it! You're the old and wise ones now, wear that badge proudly.

I won't be able to see a lot of volunteers again before I leave Peru, and that is really hard to believe and I get pretty emotional just thinking about it. But it's all going to be okay. Just remember, it's not "adios," it's "hasta luego."

a photo so good I need to post it on my blog twice! Love you Lambayeque!

8 down, 19 to go

Wow! As of the 10^th of February, I have officially been in Peru for 8 months. That means I have almost completed one-third of my service. I know, right?! Two-thirds of my service left, and depending on the day it feels like either the longest amount of time, or not enough time. When I’m missing home and looking down the barrel of a year-and-a-half, it feels like forever until I will once again be on U.S. soil, see my loved ones, and be free to take advantage of all the things I once took for granted. When I’m looking at my projects and the things I want to accomplish, I look at this time and think, “I’ve been here 8 months and only accomplished ‘x’. I need every second of the next 19 months to count so I can walk away from here actually having something to show for all of this.”

The two-year commitment is what makes Peace Corps so unique and such a challenge. Many people back down from applying or look into different programs because of what is required and expected of volunteers as far as time commitment. But after I got here and I began to learn how things work and saw the length of time that even the smallest of projects take to get things done, it became obvious that to commit yourself to any less time would be laughable.

Right now, I am actually quite happy to be sitting at this end of things with so much time and potential to work on things in my community. The new school year will be starting in less than a month, I have spent almost 6 months in site networking, showing my face at as many town functions as possible, doing small projects and becoming well known not as “la gringa” but as “Amanda” and “Señorita Cuerpo de Paz.” Considering I am the first volunteer to live in my site, those are huge leaps and bounds, and I am ready to start with projects and get things going with an entire school year ahead of me.

This sudden shift in motivation and feeling good about where I am here in site could have a lot to do with the fact that we just finished Camp ALMA 2012. Camp ALMA (Actividades de Liderazgo para Mujeres Adoloscentes, the Peru version of “Girls Leading Our World,” a world-wide Peace Corps leadership camp for teen girls) is a two-and-a-half day camp for teen girls run by volunteers. Each department has their own Camp ALMA (and Camp VALOR for boys), and each year it has a different theme. This year we did a healthy lifestyle camp where girls spent their days attending presentations and workshops on everything from sex education and physical fitness, to nutrition, self-esteem, and vocational orientation. They also learned about women leaders around the world, played lots of games, learned Afro-Peruvian dance, competed in “Olympic games” and water fights, worked on arts and crafts, and participated and watched a talent show amongst other things. Yes, all of this in two-and-a-half days. It was probably one of the most intense and non-stop camps I’ve participated in at the same time as being very fun and very educational and pertinent to the lives of the youth. I think the 49 girls ages 13 to 16 that participated got a more comprehensive sex education than most high school students in the U.S., and many of them, while leaders in their communities and chosen for such, were pushed outside of their comfort zone (in a good way). For many girls, this was the first time they had ever spent the night away from their house and family. It was probably the first time anyone had been frank with them about sex, STD’s, pregnancy, and condom and birth control use.

I brought two girls with me from my site who are members of my Muchachas Poderosas group. It meant a lot to me that their parents would trust me, a very new member to the community, to take their girls away from home for the first time. And I’m so glad they did. One of my girls even won MVP in her group! They did such a good job and it really lit a fire under their butts to get involved in a health promoters group in the school (which I’m hoping to start once school is back in session).

It was a really good experience; one where you actually see the change being made. I feel like those moments are few and far between, and are often the small milestones and rays of hope that keep volunteers afloat during the times when no matter how hard you work or how much you want to help you feel worthless, and nothing works out.

Also, it was a nice bonding experience with the other volunteers in Lambayeque. Not all of our sites are close together, and we all have differing schedules so we don’t always get to spend time together. I have felt like one of the hardest parts of Peace Corps has been the friendship aspect. I like the other volunteers and we all have this common bond of being here on this wild ride, but it’s not the same as having an old friend who understands you. I got to know some other volunteers in our training group pretty well that I considered friends, but even then we were all split up except for Zack and I.  So after spending weeks getting to know my training group we all split up to our individual departments, and I slowly had to start getting to know the volunteers in my department, some of whom I’m lucky to run into once a month, some of whom finished their service not long after I arrived. I have felt like I’ve spent the last 8 months explaining who I am and getting to know people, not just within my site, but amongst volunteers. At times I have felt like there isn’t a single person in this country who just knows who I am, and I know who they are, and we can just be. I finally feel like I have friends in my department. There are people I can count on, people I know will always be good for a chat on the phone or for solid advice, or who will be up for going out to blow off some steam. And with the 18ers being in site for 3 months, I’m glad they are a good, solid crew as they are going to be here until I’m done with service. The 15ers will be leaving and the 19ers will be arriving just as I’m completing a year. It’s this never-ending cycle of coming and going, and the 18ers, aside from my fellow 17ers, will be the ones I spend the majority of my service with. It’s nice to finally feel like I have a group of friends to meet up with and do simple things like sitting around eating ice cream or watching a movie. It's some of the few moments I can forget about all the things stressing me out in site, and just be with people without calculating everything I'm doing to make sure I'm being culturally sensitive to those around me. I can just be me. 

At the moment, things are going well. A little overwhelmed by the weight of the remaining two-thirds of my service, but all-in-all looking forward to it. I guess I couldn’t really ask for anything more than that. I just have to hold onto this feeling before the rollercoaster takes a nose dive again. Here's hoping that isn´t for awhile. 

Feliz dia de amistad tomorrow, and miss and love all of you back home!