Monday, October 11, 2010

PC Training: Week One

My chair started rocking, tipping from side to side and front to back. On the table, the silverware started chattering. “Do you feel that?” says Derek, a previous PCV (Peace Corps Volunteer). With a look of wonder in my eyes, I shake my head yes and say, “What is it”? As he says, “It’s an earthquake,” I grab other volunteers arm in awe and feel the earth shake below me.


Although it only lasted 10 seconds, those few moments were a powerful sign of the adventure that has only just begun.


Orientation at the beautiful retreat center, which felt more like summer camp than PC, has sweetly come to an end. After a week of getting to know the staff and the other volunteers and preparing for training, I am ready to get away from the security of our fellow gringo friends (and hot showers) and enter my community where I will be living for the next 10 weeks.


I’m living with a Melina and Rafael Hernandez Castro AKA Meli and Rafa. They have two kids, Margaret, 13 and Brandon, 8. My new nickname is Niki! They have a nice (bigger than most) house that they have been building for years. My room is upstairs away from everything else so I have a lot of privacy. Although they don’t have hot water, they do have internet which is a huge plus since the community doesn’t have an internet café.


We live in the mountains filled with vegetation, animals of all kinds, and lots of rivers. Today I went exploring with some locals here and not only saw a beautiful waterfall but also tried probably 10 new kinds of fruits, saw a huge lizard, two frogs, a very scary insect and all kinds of birds. The biodiversity is phenomenal.


The biggest transition is my schedule. It gets dark around 5:30 this time of year so I go to bed around 9:00 p.m. We have breakfast at 6:00 a.m. and have to be on the bus at 7:00 a.m. I love it here! Tomorrow we start the first day of training.

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