Monday's (belated) Inspiration - JFK

 "Life in the Peace Corps will not be easy.  There will be no salary and allowances will be at a level sufficient only to maintain health and meet basic needs.  Men and women will be expected to work and live alongside the nationals of the country in which they are stationed - doing the same work, eating the same food, talking the same language.

But if the life will not be easy, it will be rich and satisfying.  For every young American who participates in the Peace Corps - who works in a foreign land - will know that he or she is sharing in the great common task of bringing to man that decent way of life which is the foundation of freedom and a condition of peace."

- John F. Kennedy

I am a day late (and, ask JFK pointed out, always a dollar short) on posting this week's Monday Inspiration, but I have some reason for my tardiness.  Today marks one month since my group swore in as Peace Corps Volunteers and one month since we began our service in site.  So it felt appropriate to save JFK's words for today.  JFK, along with Sargent Shriver, founded the Peace Corps in 1961 and the mission and foundation has not changed.  This is what I am working for in Peru - a little world peace and a lot of happiness and adventure!

And, as my Papa has reminded me in years past, it is appropriate on Constitution Day (which is today) to be thankful I am an American and part of a country that allows me to come to a developing country and share ideas of development and improvement for the health, education, and future of their youth.

And that is my inspiration to share this week :)

 So Happy Constitution Day and Happy One Month In Site, Peru 21ers

Inspiration Monday

I have decided to occasionally post some of the inspirational or motivational things I stumble upon during my time here in Peru - just things I read and enjoy, things that make me stop and think, or just small things I want to remember and find fun to share.  And what better time for a little inspiration than Monday mornings when, even in Peru, getting out of bed seems to be a little more of a chore. So with this explanation, here's a little Monday motivation from Walt Whitman :)

THE OPEN ROAD

by Walt Whitman
Leaves of Grass

Afoot and light-hearted I take the open road,
Healthy, free, the world before me,
The long brown path before me leading wherever I choose.

Henceforth I ask not good-fortune, I myself am good-fortune,
Henceforth I whimper no more, postpone no more, need nothing,
Done with indoor complaints, libraries, querulous criticisms,
Strong and content I travel the open road.

*This is a picture of the walk I went on yesterday with my host sabrinas (nieces).  The little one making strides here is 5-year-old Dayana

I'm a Peace Corps Volunteer...Now What?

As I talk and catch up with people at home, I realize very few, if anyone (myself included sometimes), really know what it is that I am doing here in my small pueblo in Peru.  So I thought I would take a few minutes to explain what I know so far about my job as a youth development volunteer in Mocupe and Ucupe.

So I am here for 2 years but that time is slightly split up, especially during my initial year.

First Months (August - December)
The most important part of my first months at site is integration - learning about my community, bonding with my family, practicing Spanish, etc.  The big "work" of the first months is the Community Diagnostic - a document I write and present all about my community and the youth here in particular.  It includes statistics, demographics, and information gained from observations, interviews, and surveys.  Then the diagnostic will, supposedly, lead the projects I will work on in the following year and a half. (To my macro social workers - yes, I am writing another community needs assessment!)

Other work of my first months in site include "Early Wins" - or activities that are more or less easy to do and foster integration in the community and the development of confianza (trust) with community members.  I'll write a post soon about the activities on which I have been working.

Summer Vacation (January - February)
The end of my first months run into the summer vacation here. Obviously, as a youth development volunteer collaborating with students in school, summer vacation affects my work.  During summer vacation, I will be working on Vacaciones Utiles - essentially summer school.  It usually consists of remedial academics such as math or expensive sport options in the capital city so I will work with the municipality and/or schools here to coordinate and teach different enrichment options - or something like that.

 March/April 2014 - Close of Service in 2015
This is the time I will really work on projects, including sustainability efforts to continue the projects in the community past my time here and return home. 

There are Peace Corps trainings sprinkled through this time in December 2013, March/April 2014, August 2014, and the Close of Service conference in Spring 2015. There are also opportunities for me to work on a few different committees like the youth initiative committee or gender equality committee that I may look into joining when applications come around.

That is probably more information than you wanted to know about the boring parts of the job of a volunteer in Peace Corps Peru but I hope it helps paint a picture of my work here for my friends and family back home.  I will stop now before I bore you all to death with the mission of the Peace Corps and goals and objectives of Youth Development - but the nerd in me loves it and could go on for days ;)

So that is all for now and I look forward to sharing my activities and projects as my job develops here in Mocupe and Ucupe.