First things first: my address has changed! If you ever feel inclined to send me a card, send it to my new P.O. box in the regional capital, which I’ll visit at least once a month:

LUCIE RUTHERFORD

OFICINA SERPOST

CASILLA Nº64

AV. LUZURIAGA NRO 714

HUARAZ – ANCASH – PERU

COD. POST. D2001

And just like that, 11 weeks of training is up. Since Site Exploration, life and training has been a blur. More than anything, volunteers used these two weeks to soak up our last bits of accessible social time. We hung out every day after training, playing volleyball, grabbing a couple chelas, dancing. In the same light, I spent this time soaking up my last days with my amazing host family. I loved my host mother, Isabel, but it’s the two little girls that I’ll miss the most. The little sisters I never had, and now can confirm I would have been the most bomb older sister of all time. We played chess, tickled each other, watched movies, went to the park. I’m excited to see what beautiful women they become. Emmi is incredibly smart, and Mia has a fire and attitude about her that will either get her in trouble or send her very far, or both.

One of my favorite moments over my last 2 weeks in Chaclacayo was Thanksgiving, the week we got back from Site Exploration. 2 volunteers immediately decided to return to the U.S., and the rest of us realized how easy it could be to leave and be home for Thanksgiving with our families. It set a solemn mood when we all came to that realization, that those 2 volunteers would be sitting at the table with their families while the rest of us were thousands of miles away. But, we came together to have what was honestly one of the most special Thanksgivings of my life. We had a long table, enough for 40+ of us, and everyone brought a good ole American dish. We had it all and more – mac & cheese, turkey, gravy, stuffing, desserts, green bean casserole, mashed potatoes. We cooked together in the morning, ate our massive meal around 3pm, and spent the rest of the day swimming and playing in a volleyball tournament. We hung out until the wee hours of the night, as a family.

We had two final immersion days before Peace Corps let us out into the real world. I co-taught a life skills class to 15 year-olds about making good decisions, of which they actually seemed to enjoy. Coming into Peace Corps, I would have thought that age group would never want to listen to me, but they’ve proved me wrong. Second, I co-led a nutrition session for mothers of babies under 1 year. My group cooked a variety of dishes the night before to showcase: for 6-8 month-olds, liver/potato/pumpkin purée and sangrecita (blood) mousse; for 9-11 month-olds, liver primavera and sangrecita pasta; for 12-23 month-olds, sangrecita chaufa (fried rice) and liver omelets. While these may sound disgusting, they are actually not too bad (with the exception of the liver purée, which no cognizant adult should ever eat). The mothers seemed to love it, asking questions the whole way through. They of course came with all of their children, as there is no one else to watch them, so the room was a bit chaotic. I know this will be a trend in every mother-related event I put on over the next 2 years … mothers will always come with their crying babies and that is something I’ll need to accommodate.

The final hoorah was our swear-in ceremony, a very emotional day. Not only was this the day I became an official Peace Corps volunteer, but also the day I had to pack all my things, say goodbye to my host family, AND to the amazing friends I have made over the last 2.5 months. Needless to say, there were tears, but that makes me realize how special this situation really is. Looking back to September 11 when I left the U.S., I had a feeling it was going to be great, but I didn’t know the extent to the great people I would meet. My fellow volunteers are people I know I will see for the rest of my life. They have these curiosities and beauty within them, inside and out, that makes them want to make this commitment all the while dealing with the sadness of missing out on everything back home.

Now, I write this from my new home – Pueblo Libre, Ancash, Peru. I have a perfect living space, more than I imagined, really. It’s an apartment-esque situation, with my own room, living room, bathroom, and extra room that I’ve designated a work out space. It’s the house of an aunt who lives in Lima and rarely visits. My back yard is an adobe brick-fenced space with about 7 turkeys (1 of which I’ll be eating at Christmas), and another 15 or so chickens.

The rainy season has just begun, and while that means muddy shoes, it also means greener views, and I will certainly take that exchange. My first three months here has 1 major goal: build relationships. My plan is just to put myself in locations where conversations can be had and invites can be given. For example, my first day here I just camped out in the health post, a little awkwardly at first with nothing concrete to do. I ended up hanging out in the child development office, watching appointments with mothers of little kids and chatting with the nutritionist about upcoming community sessions to combat anemia. I got invited to a meeting with all of Pueblo Libre’s actores sociales (individuals that conduct house visits to pregnant and new mothers), as well as an invite to the health center’s annual Christmas gift exchange.

At the end of my first 3 months, I’ll need to write up a community diagnostic, which essentially is my overview of many facets of the community’s health – including the points of view of mothers, health workers, adolescents, and teachers. Through the diagnostic, I’ll learn what piece of the puzzle I fill in. Whether it’s training teachers to deliver more effective youth health sessions in the colegio, or building the capacity of local community members to guide women through healthy pregnancies, I’m unsure, but the potentialities are endless.