My journey thus far...

It´s already been 5 days since being in Peru and so much has happened thus far. I thought I´d clue everyone in on the basics, just so you know what´s going on, but feel free to email me otherwise as I have much more to tell...

Pre-Staging
I boarded my plane to Washington D.C. on Wednesday and saying goodbye was probably the hardest thing I have ever done. I started crying as soon as I saw the airport and didn´t stop until I boarded the plane. As soon as I sat on the plane, however, talking with my neighbor and I realized that I was going on a great adventure and have so much to look forward to. As my sister said to me, it´s better to look at the possibilities ahead instead of what I´m leaving behind...so I´m choosing that as my motto whenever I get sad. Me and 56 others from around the United States met at the hotel in D.C. (5 people from Oregon) and had a small orientation to the peace corps as in what we can and cannot do. I started getting really excited when we were talking about our goals and aspirations, and again, I realized what a great opportunity I have.I had sometime in the morning on Thursday to explore the National Mall a bit, but the rest of the time was in orientation and or packing. I also got to see a good friend from college, which was an adventure in itself.

Arrival
Friday came before we knew it, and we all boarded our plane to Lima, Peru. Seven hours later, we exited the plane to find a man holding up a peace corps sign who helped us through customs, which was a relief to me since I didn´t want to think anymore....All I could think of was how funny is must of been to see 57 gringos with all there luggage walking around togther. Once we got through the airport, we had two buses waiting to take us to our retreat center, Huampani, a little bit outside of Lima. It was like going to camp becuase we all stayed in this bungaloos and had our meals together in a big mess hall. There were also horses and llamas just walking around (Photos to come). The most intimidating part of the2-day retreat was definitely our spanish interview. We had an interview to see what level of spanish we were at. Since I haven´t spoken spanish since graduating college almost a year ago, it was a bit of a stretch, but I was impressed with how much I still remembered. We also got to meet the country director, and other PC staff, which are all fantastic. They kept on telling us how lucky we were to have gotten Peru as our Peace Corps program. After two days of getting adjusted to Peru and to each other, our host families picked us up on Sunday...off to another adventure...

Host Family
So I and 8 other PC trainees live in a small community called Chacrasana. There is not much in Chacrasana. Basically two paved roads that both lead up a long hill. My host family is wonderful. I have a mama and papa along with two host siblings. My mom and dad are gone during the week in Lima, so my host sister basically takes care of everything for me. I call her my "mamacita," which makes her laugh everytime so I think I will continue to call her that. I also have three dogs staying with me. Two are 3-month old dogs called "gringo" and "petista." There is also another dog named "Marron," which doesn't care for the puppies from what I have seen. My house is nice in comparison to other volunteer houses from what I've heard so far. I have running water and electricity...and an electrical socket in my room! That apparently is gold right there! There is, however, no toilet seat, which I'm pretty sure I'm going to have muscular thighs after 2 years. And while I haven't had real coffee in Peru yet, a cold shower is a good substitute. I live upstairs along with my host sister and to get to my room, I have to go outside and greet the dogs first, which are always excited to see me. I thought after having lived in Chile for a while, I would be able to understand fast spanish, but no....I think my host sister takes the cake for talking fast. I usually just shake my head when I understand a word or two, but that's a bad habit to start becuase then they think you know more than you actually do...so now I just try to stare or ask her to repeat herself.

That is all for now. I've been trying to take lots of photos, so I'll try to upload some soon. I am also going to try to be on skype (username: anniebopannie) as much as possible, so if you have it, try to log on whenever you are online, so that we could chat. I would love to hear your voices and see faces!

The Definition of Uffda

1. A multi use exclaimation from Scandinavia immigrants during the early part of the 20th century. Means suprised, disgusted, over worked, tired, over whelmed.

2. Used to express mild disappointment, similar to "oh my".

3. Used to expressed something is "too bad", "oh, poor thing".

Being as how my family is from the great state of North Dakota, we have been using this phrase as long as I can remember. I have just finished packing all my essentials for the next two years into 4 bags, and all I can say is "Uffda!"

For those of you that have traveled with me, you would know that I am not a good packer. I most always over pack for fear of needing that one thing that I left behind. So needless to say, packing for the peace corps has pushed my limits!

Here is a glimpse of my packing list:
-3 jeans
-2 work pants
-1 dress pants
-1 dress
-2 skirts
-3 blouses
-T shirts
-Fleece Jacket
-Rain Coat
-Sleeping bag + Pad
-Good undies, socks, bras
-2 half-zip pullovers
-Dri-wick shirts
-Running shorts
-Running shoes
-Hiking shoes
-Dress shoes
-Sandals
-2 Nalgenes
-Camping towels
-Laptop + external hard drive
-Ipod + speakers
-Yoga mat
-Books, books, books....
-Crystal Light
-Jelly Bellies

From this....

To this...

Whether I packed the right things or not, it doesn't matter by now since I'm leaving in less than 12 hours. I'll either learn to live without or have it sent or buy it while I'm down there. This whole peace corps things puts a new twist on "living out of a backpack..."

Look Ma'...I'm famous!

So as it turns out, there is not just one Roseburg local going into the great unknown, but two! Patrick and I went to the same High School and swam on the same swim team way back in the day (Not sure about the whole preschool part, but it makes for a nice title).

Check out the article from the following link:

http://www.nrtoday.com/article/20090907/NEWS/909079996/1063/NEWS&ParentProfile=1055.

I tried to sound as eloquent as possible, as to not embarrass myself. You can be the judge on that.

FAQ's

A number of people have been wanting to know about my coming adventure (Where are you going? What will you be doing? etc), so I thought I might answer them here in case you were wondering the same thing...

When do you leave?
I leave Sept 9th for Pre-Staging in Washington D.C., which basically means a time for me to sign my life away and get a bunch of shots. The real journey doesn't start until Sept 11th, when I will officially embark on my next adventure in Peru.

Why did you decide to do the Peace Corps?
There are a number of reasons why I decided to go into the Peace Corps all the way from the convenience of it all (I'm out of school, no mortgage, no family, no job) to idealism (I want to contribute to something greater than myself). I also like to think I have an adventurous side of me, which was just craving to see more of the world and what better way than to have the U.S. government pay for it all. Thanks Mr. Obama!

Do you know where you will be living?
I will be living with a host family somewhere near Chaclacayo (about an hour east of Lima) for training. The first 11 weeks are devoted to training in all aspects including language, technical skills, safety and security, and health. True to Peace Corps-Style, I won't know where I will be living for the next 2 years until about week 8 or 9. This also adds another twist to the already difficult packing situation, since I will have to be packing for the desert AND the mountains.

What will you be doing?
Good question...Officially, I am a Public Health Educator in the Community Health Program. Unofficially, I will be doing whatever my community needs me to do. There are three main goals of my program: 1. Health Promotion 2. Environmental Health Promotion 3. Healthy Sexual Behaviors. Actual projects I might be working on could be developing education and awareness campaigns, building latrines and cooking stoves, training mothers in the importance of a healthy diet, and planting community gardens. Then of course, there are opportunities for secondary projects not related to my field, like leadership camps, teaching English, or organizing women craft groups. I'm not sure how Peruvians will find my scrap booking skills, but we'll see.

Will you be living with a family?
Yes I will. From what I hear from other volunteers, this isn't very common. I will be living with a host family during training (typical), and then moving in with another host family once I get to my post (atypical). I'm looking forward to learning my host mom's secret recipes, playing with the many youngins' (I hope), and just being apart of a family as I will be missing mine dearly.

Do you get paid?
As if living abroad for 2 years, learning a new language and culture isn't enough, I get paid to boot! I will be receiving a monthly living allowance that will enable me to live a modest lifestyle that fits in with my community. I also get special allowances for moving in, vacation expenses, and readjustment for once I get back home. Unfortunately (or fortunately depending on the way you look at it), I won't be making bucket-loads of money, but that just means I don't have to file taxes in 2010 (You are welcome Dad)! But I think the experiences I will be having and the people I will be meeting will more than make up for the money that I would be making back at home.

Do you get vacation?
Being the working girl that I am, I accrue 2 days of vacation a month (not including training). So hopefully I can save enough up to travel around and have people come visit me (wink wink).

Can we contact you?
But of course! Thanks to the world wide web, I don't think we will have too much of problem staying in contact. I won't have a cell phone until I become an official volunteer, but email will work just fine. I also have skype (anniebopannie), so if you have forgotten what I look like, we can schedule a chit-chat. Not sure how much Internet service I will be able to find, but I will do my best to answer emails and so on...I would very much love to hear from each and every one of you!

How do I mail stuff to you?
I can receive mail during training at the following address:

Annie Embertson, PCT
Cuerpo de Paz
Calle Via Lactea 132
Urb. Los Granados, Surco
Lima 33, Peru

Once I get sworn in as a volunteer and get to my post, I will let you all know my new address.

As far as mailing instructions go, they recommend people not to mail packages over 1.1 pounds or with a declared value of $100 or more since it is costly, time consuming, and I will have to pay a fee. It's best to send only small items and to use a padded envelope. If you are a loss for what to send, books, magazines, and photos are always welcome.

Please don't take this as you HAVE to send me something. Of course I will be happy to receive anything you wish to send, but a friendly email will do just the same.

Can we visit?
If you haven't already guessed from the earlier hints, anyone is more than welcome to come and visit. I won't be able to have visitors until 6 months of being in-country (February 2010), but any other time is free game. If you do decide to venture down south, you can expect to have a "real" experience of Peru courtesy of me.

That's all for now. If you have more questions, shoot some my way.

The Final Countdown

One month and counting until I leave for my next adventure in Peru!

So many emotions are going through my mind these days, that it's hard thinking straight. My plans of the coming weeks include packing, reading Harry Potter, eating yummy food, getting my fix of new movies, learning as much spanish as I can, enjoying Roseburg in the summer, spending time with family and friends, and preparing myself the best I can for what lies ahead...

Here is my schedule for the next few weeks:
Aug. 15th: Eugene, OR--Shopping!
Aug. 20-22nd: Corvallis, OR--Challenge Course and visiting my friends and family
Aug. 23-Sept. 1: Seattle, WA & Orcas Island (and maybe Portland)--Family Vacation Time!
Sept. 5-6 (?): Corvallis, OR--Football Game OSU Vs PSU. Go Beavs!
Sept. 9-11th: Washington, DC--Pre-Departure Staging
Sept. 11: Voy a Peru!

In between those dates, I will be in Roseburg (of course)...

I'm trying my best to get everything done while saying my last goodbyes, so if you are in the area...let me know!