It´s going to be a long one....

So I left out a lot on the last entry because I was running out of time, but I should be able to write a little more now because my family has internet in their house! Can you believe it? I´m definitely going to be spoiled in these next 10 weeks because it´s very rare for them to have internet. We had a panel about host families yesterday and they told us we´d be spoiled here because our families are in a much better economic situation than our families at our sites will be. Before I tell you more about my family, I´ll back track a little bit.

Our first two nights in Lima were spent at a retreat center (where I wrote the other entry from) and we stayed in little bungalos of 5 or 6 people. It was a great way to get to know some of the other volunteers a little better. My roommate was Lindsay and we had a great time together. We bonded from the very beginning over our fear of what we thought was a huge cockroach on her pillow! It was our first night and we were all so tired, but there was no way we were going to bed with that thing in our bungalo. I was the only brave one who would try to get it, but we didn´t want to kill it because we thought we´d have bad karma. I caught it with a cup and put it outside. Next thing we know, it´s inside again! I guess I didn´t put it outside far enough away. We spent the next 20 minutes freaking out because we couldn´t catch it (by now there were 4 of us). I finally got it outside and ran far away with it before I let it out of the cup. It was really funny. Lindsay and I were then paranoid we´d find them everywhere in our room so we pushed our beds together so they´d be away from the walls! It was really funny, but it allowed us to bond and the next night we had a great talk! It´s nice to really feel like I have a friend now and someone (besides Hana) who knows a little bit more about me than just the surface stuff that everyone else knows.

After all of our interviews the next day, we finally had some down time before dinner. I think it was the first and last time we´ve had some down time since we got here. I spent a few hours talking with a few of the girls in my group and we had so much fun. It felt really good to laugh a lot! We hung out at the discoteca that night (that they opened just for us). One of the guys in our group is from El Salvador so he taught me how to do the merengue. I´m sure I looked hillarious, but it was really fun!

Yesterday we drove to the training center after breakfast. The area we drove through to get there didn´t seem very nice. It´s really dry here though and it was really overcast in the morning so I think that might have been part of the reason it looked so dirty. Because it´s so dry, it´s also really dusty everywhere so it makes everything look dirty. Anyway, we had some presentations and panels in the morning and after lunch, our host families came to pick us up. We were all standing on the basketball court waiting to be picked up - we felt like cattle. My host mom was the first to arrive and I left immediately. She is really cute and has two kids. Her name is Carmen and she is 39. The kids are Fernando, 9, and Naomi, 8. They are really cute and I love talking to them because they are usually much easier to understand. After thinking the neighbor who drove us home was my host dad, I found out my host dad is really in Spain working until December. At first I thought she said he was a chofer, but then she spent 20 minutes last night telling me about his whole work history and I got the impression he is in construction. However, Carmen´s mom (who we call "abuelita") also lives with us and she told me that he really is a chofer. I have no idea why he´s driving cars in Spain. My host mom thinks I understand a lot more than I really do so she speaks to me at the same speed she speaks to everyone else. I´m happy if I get 30% of the conversation. It´s hard to converse though when she´s talking so fast because I have to put all of my energy into concentrating on what she´s saying. Today I told her I want to speak as much as possible though and we´ve spoken together a lot tonight so I hope it continues that way. I like talking with abuelita too because she speaks more slowly.

My room is really nice and a decent size. I was excited because there is enough room for me to put my yoga mat down and do yoga. Three of the other volunteers (including Lindsay!) live on my street. It would be fun if Hana lived nearby, but I´m pretty sure she doesn´t. It´s good for us though because we´re trying really hard not to be buddy-buddy and branch out. Our neighborhood is crazy though. I think there must be some kind of celebrations going on this week because there are fireworks going off at all hours of the day and night. There was also really loud music, lots of horns honking, and a train going all night long, but I was so tired that I didn´t have any problem sleeping (besides the fact that I didn´t have a pillow and improvised by stuffing my fleece in the pillow case I brought from home). Last night everyone went to bed really early, but I feel like I´m already getting a better visit in tonight. My host sister is doing her homework in the same room as me right now. She likes to follow me around, but I love it because she helps correct my Spanish and I can understand her! So cute!

Well I have lots of reading to do and things to get ready for tomorrow. Based on our day today, it looks like training is going to be great, but really intense. We split up today into our different groups. There are 19 youth development volunteers and 18 small business (if I didn´t mention before, the gender split is 20 girls and 17 guys). Our youth development group is great because we all have very different experiences and all come to the table with something different. I´m really looking forward to working together during training and brainstorming new ideas. We also decided we would make a resource manual of our ideas that we can all take to our sites with us. That made me feel really good because at this point I keep thinking, what in the heck am I going to do?

I promise I´ll stop now because this is so long, but for those of you who wanted to know some details, here they are. I´ll try to post some photos one of these days too.

Keep the emails coming! Since I have internet in the house, it´s easy for me to check email and write back. I miss you all (but try not to think about it too much or I´ll drive myself crazy)!

I Made It!!!!

Woooo hoooo!!!! I'm finally here!!! We arrived around 11 o'clock last night, but it feels like we've been here longer. We've been going and going and going that all of the days are just running together at this point. It's been very exhausting, but awesome at the same time.

There is so much I want to say, but I only have 20 minutes because the man who owns the little internet cafe at our retreat center is staying open just so my friend and I can use the computer. This keyboard is also really confusing so I can't type very fast because every time I look up at the screen there are more random symbols than letters. Anyway, I'll try to sum up as much as I can.

Arriving in DC early was great because it allowed me to have a long dinner and visit with Allie and Stephanie. The next morning I hung out with Paula and the kids which was so much fun. The kids were adorable and Paula practically had to pull them off of me when they left! So cute! Then orientation started and it was the beginning of this whirlwind of meeting people and sharing our excitement, concerns, and anxieties. It felt so good to finally be starting my new life as a Peace Corps volunteer after all of the waiting. There are 37 people in my group and everyone is really nice. It's so great to meet so many people from all different backgrounds with a common interest. Before I came here and I would tell people I was joining the Peace Corps, so many people told me that some of the most interesting people they know have done the Peace Corps. From what I know so far of my group, that holds true. I can't even really describe the feelings I'm having right now other than it's been a huge relief to meet everyone and talk to people who know exactly what you've been going through the last few months (the emotional roller coaster we've all been on). I feel like we're all really becoming so close already and it's only just begun. I can't even imagine how I'll feel in a few months! The night before we left, Hana and I were able to say goodbye to a lot of friends who came out to a bar to wish us well. It was really fun and really meant a lot to both of us.

Ahhh there is so much more I want to say and my time is almost up. We met tons of the PC Peru staff today. They were really funny and open and made us feel really welcome and helped to calm some nerves. We also had language placement interviews, which were hillarious. Wow is my spanish RUSTY. I figure it's a no lose situation though because it only means I'll be placed in a lower level (if I really did that bad) and I could use the practice anyway. I was also able to have some great conversations with fellow volunteers today and really spend time getting to know people better.

I meet my host family tomorrow so I hope I get to post another entry soon because I have so much more to share with you guys!

My Address

Time is flying by (of course) and I have less than a week left with my parents before I fly to DC for orientation. I have to fly in a day early for orientation since I'm flying from the west coast and wouldn't be there in time otherwise. Although other volunteers are probably upset about this, I thought it was great news because it meant I could stay with Allie and squeeze in one last visit with Paula and the kids! I couldn't be happier! Hana and I are, of course, thrilled that we get to spend our last few nights in the country in DC with our friends. Orientation is done by 7 pm both nights so that leaves plenty of time to meet up with friends and get in all of our goodbyes before we leave for Peru on Friday the 23rd.

It's hard to believe I'm actually leaving since I've been waiting so long to go. We just got the email addresses of most of the people in our group so everyone is frantically writing to one another about what to pack. The most popular is debate is whether or not to bring a laptop. I thought seriously about bringing mine, but I figured it wasn't necessary since I don't even know if I'll have electricity. Also, I'm going to be living in a very low income neighborhood and if I bring a laptop everyone will know it. I just don't think I need to draw that kind of attention to myself. But one of the girls said her friend is currently serving in Peru and said her laptop was the best thing she brought. She said it's the number one thing volunteers have their friends or parents bring to them when they come visit. So who knows, maybe I'll get down there and find out it would be nice to have, in which case, I'll bring it back with me after Christmas (because hopefully I'll be coming home at Christmas!!). I'm not sure if the emails going around about packing are helping me or making me more stressed out and overwhelmed about packing. I thought I had a pretty good idea of what I was going to bring, but now I think I have to review and cut down A LOT. My new thought is that I'll lay out everything I think I want to bring and then choose half of my things. I can always have my mom send more, but I don't want to be the ridiculous girl who brought way too much stuff. Plus, if I use all 100 lbs. they've alloted us for packing (yes it went up - it used to be only 80 lbs!) then I'll probably tip over because we have to be able to carry all of our own stuff. It's nice to know all of my fellow volunteers are also freaking out about this same thing and feeling anxious about leaving in a few days.

The whole reason I sat down to write though was because I got my address in the mail and lots of people have been asking me for it. Hopefully that means you're all dying to send me care packages (in which case - I love granola bars, peanut butter, m&m's, and magazines) - ONLY KIDDING. The address listed below will be my address all through training, until September 1st when I move to my site. I'll let you know that address once I get it, but it won't be for a few months.

PCT Kristen Cummings

Cuerpo de Paz

Calle Vía Láctea 132

Urb. Los Granados, Surco

Lima 33, Perú

According to the volunteer handbook, letters and packages must be sent via regular international mail, but I'll let you know if that's not right. I'll try to write again before I leave and maybe post some pictures of the crazy packing experience. Don't forget to send me lots of emails (and letters or packages too if you have time) when I'm gone. Even if I don't answer them right away, I know I'll love to hear from all of you!