Check it, I have a site

What you can look forward to if you read this post:

• Combi driver strikes
• Tres de Octubre Part 2
• Chosica
• Peru Country Clubs
• More pictures
• Peace Corps elections
• MY SITE!!! (more exciting than it sounds, as I know very little about it)

Combi Driver Strikes

Combis, remember those bus like things filled to the brim with people that race down the highway at breakneck speeds that I told you about several episodes ago?  Combis are the main form of transportation for the working men and women in this region of Peru (and possibly other regions but I can’t speak with certainty on that), and as such are relied upon for transportation to and from work, the market, schools, and any other institutions that a person might be interested in attending.  Well based on their extreme importance and necessity, it is only logical that the drivers would go on strike for a day.

From what we understand (which is very little and based on extreme speculation) there are 2-3 main combi companies.  Think of a combi company like a cab company where they have a bunch of vehicles that people drive.  One of the main combi companies has a history of traffic violations, infractions, recklessness, and various other wrong doings.  Additionally they have a history of never paying their fines, rather they accumulate them and then protest for a day or two by blocking main roads to show that they are a needed service to this region and, as such, won’t be paying their tickets. 

We were lucky enough to be here for one of these protest times.  Sights to be seen include large numbers of people standing on corners trying to find transportation, large groups of gringos thoroughly confused, combis arguing with other combis in the middle of intersections, transportation fairs that are 10x the standard amount, and various other sights that one might expect to see during a combi protest. 

I make it sound worse than it actually was. 

In reality, we didn’t really know what was going on except for the fact that every combi we saw was empty and people were trying to hail other forms of transportation.  We in turn call upon the U.S. Government to round up 27 gringos stranded in two barrios.  How does Uncle Sam respond, you ask?  With a combi of his own, of course.  Well actually more of a huge van that we crammed 27 people inside of.  So I guess it was exactly like a combi.  Similar to the Post Office, neither rain, nor sleet, nor combi protest will stop Cuerpo de Paz (Peace Corps in Spanish) training. 

Tres de Octubre Pt. 2

Tres de Octubre, celebrates its anniversary every year on the weekend of October 3.  If you think it is a funny coincidence that they just so happen to celebrate their town’s birthday on a day that is strikingly similar to their town name (more like exactly similar), well you are entirely wrong.  Tres de Octubre (Spanish for the 3^rd of October) was name for the day it was founded.

Again, we were invited to partake in the festivities.  9 out of the 10 aspirantes that live in Chacrasana (if you haven’t been following my blog religiously, Chacrasana is the town I live in.  I also recommend you follow my blog religiously) got together, split a beer or two, then hopped on the combi to go towards Tres.  Little did we know, Tres is one of those magical cities where, if you don’t know how to get there you will miss your combi stop, argue a bunch, then wander the streets for an hour and a half until you find it.  Truly magical.

We ended up finding Tres de Octubre and had a splendid time dancing and socializing with the folks until late into the night.  Sadly, no toro loco (see the previous post for the reference). 

Little town festivals are a great place to spend all of your money.  There is great street food to be had and beverages to hydrate yourself with.  Is there a better way to spend your paycheck?  I think not (also, our paychecks are super small.  I live on 10 Soles/day, or the equivalent of $2.20-ish depending on the exchange rate of the day.)

Chosica

There is a regional city near us called Chosica, and it is here that many weekend nights are spent.  Chosica contains a lovely park, numerous restaurants and bars, and several discotecas.  If you walk into any of the discotecas on a Friday or Saturday night, it is a safe bet that you will find a group of gringos dancing like fools.

Training is hard.  We wake up around 6am everyday through various methods.  Some wake up to roosters, some wake up to dogs, others wake up to dog fights in the street.  After leaving the house we cram on combis (referenced in a previous post) and head to the training center.  There we are “talked at” for 8-9 hours.  Never in my life have I seen so many PowerPoint presentations in such a short amount of time.  This happens 5-6 days a week.

After such a hard week, it is only natural that one would want to go somewhere to relax and that place is Chosica.

Peruvian Country Clubs

When you think of a country club, what comes to your mind?  Polos?  Golf courses?  Fancy dinners?  Well in Peru, at least near Chacrasana, these clubs look a little different.  At the bottom of our hill, we have a club called Portada del Sol (Portada del Sol is also what you yell on a combi to express your intent to exit at this stop) and this club features some incredible amenities including, but not limited to a large grass field with holes and cracks everywhere, a river that features a surprisingly small amount of trash, paddle boats, dirty pools, a dirty looking jungle-gym, and several menacing guard dogs.  All this can be yours for the admission price of 5 Soles (about $1.80).

While it may not sound like a great place to be, it is actually a incredibly fun time.  Picnics, swimming, soccer, Frisbee, rock hopping on the river, and basking in the endless sunlight, what more could a Peace Corps aspirante living on a budget want.  While we have only been to Portada del Sol one time we make endless plans about returning to this charming place. 

Peace Corps Elections

In Peru (and possibly other Spanish speaking countries) a committee or governing group is called a junta (pronounced hoonta).  Think along the lines of the P.T.A. (Parent Teacher Association for those who find themselves disconnected with the topic of parent involvement in the education system).  Not surprisingly, each group of Peace Corps aspirantes elects a junta to govern them throughout training, and possibly into the future, however I am unsure if this is entirely true.  Nonetheless, we had an election for our junta.  We elected a president, vice-president, secretary, treasurer, fiscal (a person responsible for making sure all other people are doing their jobs correctly and various things related to discipline, typically the most trustworthy person on the council and above corruption), and a vocal for each of the three programs (water & sanitation, health, and environment).

After a week of heated campaigning (one poster was hung up by one person) the votes were cast, and can you guess which fine young aspirante was elected fiscal?  If you guessed any other person besides me, you are entirely wrong and should be ashamed.  I am the fiscal of the 22nd Peace Corps Peru junta, and although I am not president, I rule with an iron fist. 

MY SITE (where you will find me for the next 2 years)

After much anticipation and speculation the time came to receive our site placements for the next two years.  This is an event that holds significant meaning for an aspirante, for this is the moment that you will finally know where you will be, who you will spend your time with, and whether you brought the right clothes with you.  Despite all the anticipation, I arrived to the training center on this day and forgot that all of this was happening.  Meanwhile my friends sat around anxiously chatting, speculating, and hoping about placements.

Between two trees were strung ~52 balloons.  The significance of these balloons was explained to us during a brief assembly describing the course of the next hour.  Each balloon contained the site information for an aspirante.  The balloons were popped with a “magic wand” (really a broken piece of ¼” PCV pipe painted black with a small orange balloon attached to it.  When your balloon was popped you received your assignment and the wand, then you popped the next balloon and handed off the wand. 

To make a long story short, my site is the town of Pomacochas in the Amazonas region of Peru.  I know very little about this site except that I have a site mate from the health program, there is a big lake, I am about ~30minutes from monkeys, and my host dad says there is a lot of fish in the lake.  Oh yeah, my site is on a lake.  Also it rains a lot.  According to numerous sources on the internet, the temperature ranges from 8-20 C, which I estimate to be 40-70 F, although I haven’t actually converted it.  If you have free time and are interested in my next home I would greatly appreciate your research skills/internet access as my access to the World Wide Web is extremely limited.

Pictures Section (only 2, the internet is slow today)

We rode around in that little van for like 6 hours that day on bumpy dirt roads.  Super dry desert.  In the two years that the volunteer we shadowed lived there it never rained.

This is our valley from the top of our mountain.  This picture features 10-15 neighborhoods between Chacrasana and Chosica.  Super pretty during the night time.

Next time on Oh Hey, Peru (hopefully posted soon, but based on my track record it will probably be a while)

• Field Based Training
• Hat shopping in Lima
• Probably more pictures
• My typical day