June 5, 2004
I am just hanging out in the hotel room today. I couldn’t really sleep last night. I woke up early and checked my email here at the hotel. They had a continental breakfast which was excellent. With Peru’s ways of little waste, the all you could drink, eat of my breakfast was fabulous. I took a shower, disappointingly my water wasn’t very hot, and then we headed to the beach for some shopping and lunch at Pizza Hut. It is very cold here and there’s no heat. So I have been bundling up when we head outside. I got a 10 minute massage at the mall for 10 soles; it was worth every minute of it! We don’t head out to Trujillo until 9:00 pm. Everyone else leaves earlier. It is so sad to see everyone leave for their sites. Everyone has gotten so close – going through training together, laughing & crying together. It is hard to think about not seeing everyone everyday for now on.
June 4, 2004
Swearing in today! I got up extremely early to get my luggage sent off and myself ready for the big day. With a borrowed dress and shoes and an up-do I said my goodbyes to my Santa Eulalia family. It was very sad. They have treated me so well and made me a part of their family. We left for Lima with a crowd waving us farewell from the training center. Needless to say, I was very nervous about giving my speech.
We made our way to the Peace Corps Office, then to the Presidential Palace. Our ceremony was very formal with about 200 people attending, including past volunteers, world diplomats, the US ambassador, the Peace Corps director, and of course President Toledo. I have to admit, my speech went well! I spoke just before President Toledo. Afterwards, many congratulated me on a job well done and even complemented my Spanish. There were a lot of press cameras present and we even made it on Peruvian television.
After our ceremony, we had an amazing lunch at a restaurant called Mango’s on the beach in Lima -- a complete buffet where I stuffed myself full of chicken, beef, pork, vegetables, and salad. It was scrumptious. The Peace Corps Director, Gaddy Vasquez, dined with us and he sat by me at the table -- my first experience conversing with a President Bush appointee. He told us of his experiences as a politician and his job at Peace Corps Director. Later, we checked in our hotel and just chilled out. For our last night together as a group, we headed to Miraflores with our trainers and language teachers. We had a lot of fun.
June 3, 2004
Our last day of training. We had breakfast at our trainer’s house. We cooked for ourselves: pancakes, scrambled eggs with veggies, smoothies from fresh fruit, and coffee. Afterwards, we presented our mentoring experience. At 3:00 pm, we had a party for our families. I was on the gift committee – we gave the families flowers, framed photos, and homemade candles. Also, we had a food committee (and, boy, they did a great job!), decorations, and entertainment committee. The party was a huge success. We sang a song we dubbed the CHP Blues, did a skit where we acted like our Peruvian moms, and presented the gifts. All and all it was a great end to training.
Tonight is my last night here. I dread packing! My family took me for my last dinner to a restaurant in Chosica. They are too sweet. I will miss them.
June 1, 2004
I practiced my speech for my language class today. We went to Chosica for errands this afternoon. I bought another pair of handmade sandals; thought it might be my last chance! I practiced my language interview questions with another trainee. I have had late nights everyday this week. Just not enough time in the day to get everything in and completed.
