First 5 days in Peru

I have only been in Peru for 5 days and it already feels like a lifetime! 

Arriving at the airport in Lima (check out the Peace Corps sign!)

I arrived in Lima, Peru late last Friday night with 56 other Peace Corps (PC) volunteers and we were shuttled to the PC retreat center somewhere 1.5 hours from the airport. I spent a busy Saturday meeting PC Peru staff and listening to introductions of the entire program, and what to expect for the next two years. Sunday we left the retreat site and took small buses (combis) to the training center in Chaclacayo where I will live for the next 10-weeks during training.

Tamales for lunch at the retreat

Arriving at the training center in Chaclacayo with all our luggage!

 After a quick introduction to the training facility we were sent off with our host families! We stood underneath tents and waited for our host families to find us, and I was extremely nervous! But, when my family arrived they were very kind, and as soon as we were in the car they started barraging me with questions in spanish! I quickly learned that my spanish is not nearly as good as I thought it was. Sunday was a long day spent with my host family un-packing and exploring my host community and struggling through a lot of spanish sentences. It is helpful that there are five other volunteers in my community, so we all take the bus or walk to the training center together as a group.  The name of my host community is "3 de Octubre" which is a date that literally means October 3, the day that the community was founded.

Taylor, Dave, and I in our host community "3 de Octubre"

Everyday this week I have 8 hours of training at the training center. Training sessions include health, safety, cultural, water/sanitation/hygiene (WASH), and language. Everyday I seem to learn a ton and I come home mentally exhausted with homework and more spanish practicing to do with my host family. I am looking forward to sleeping in this weekend!

My language teacher Isabel and classmates practicing our spanish in a local store

A mural I pass on my walk home from the training center everyday