Week one of PST (Pre-service training)

Week one of PST (pre service training) is...done. I have 9 more weeks of this. Training is mentally draining. Look at that rhyme.

On Monday, I had to wake up at 7am to take my first BUCKET SHOWER. I didn't expect this... but I actually love them. They are way less painful than taking a cold shower in the morning. It is cold here during the morning and at night so the cold water is pretty intense. Bucket showering allows me to do my hair first then put it up in a towel before finishing the rest. I had breakfast with my host mom and sister Bryanna. Bryanna has to leave for school at 730 am and I start walking down to the center around 745. Training is filled with language classes and youth development training as well as classes in Peru culture, etc, etc. By 5pm nothing else can fit into my brain.

This week I got to do some pretty cool things. I made a lemon pie with my host mom who is honestly the nicest. In my house, my host mom's mom also lives with us and she told me that my Spanish is getting better very quickly. I also get to sit down and do homework with Bryanna who is pretty dang smart for a 3 year old. 

I really worked my Spanish out on Wednesday night. I decided to finally ask the internet man about getting wi-fi in my house. Now this is where it gets interesting. As many of you may know my Spanish isn't the greatest and I'm far from fluent, so when I had a women and an internet man holding my MAC outside the top window of a house... you can imagine my face. Apparently the signal is really bad to pick up WI-FI in my house so I would need an antenna installed... for 90 soles. No way jose. Somehow, with my broken Spanglish, I managed to have the guy install the antenna for the original price of 50 soles... and I promised to give him back the antenna when I left. The antenna is coming on Monday... so right now I only get internet on my roof... next to 15 ducks. So, as I write this, I'm chillin' with the patos on the roof with a piece of lemon pie. Life is good. 

On Thursday my TAPS (youth development training group) went to Chosica to accomplish something called "Mission Impossible". Chosica is a major town filled with resturants and markets. My group had to interview a resturaunt owner and a school director. It was really interesting to see how schools are run in Peru. After the mission impossible a few of us stuck around and checked Chosica out. I decided to eat a cow heart from a street vendor. I didn't get sick and it was pretty darn tasty.

I came home today to find that my mom had killed one of my amigas (ducks) because it was eating all the other ducks foods. The duck died right in front of my eyes and all my host mom said was "Hasta Luego"... but guess what... 5 mins later my host mom was plucking the feathers off the duck and putting it in the fridge (along with the pig head with the eyeballs still in it). So excited for dinner tomorrow. 

My family is celebrating El Dia de Padre (Father's Day) tomorrow because my host dad works in Lima on Sunday. There is a fiesta tomorrow... but no one knows the time. Should be interesting. 

Special shout out to my DAD in America! Hope you have the most amazing Father's Day! I miss you very much! Thank-you for your unwavering support :) I would not be doing this amazing thing without you. 

I really do love Peru, more and more everyday.

I found a really great quote by JFK that I want to leave you guys with

"Life in the Peace Corps will NOT be easy. There will be no salary and allowances will be at a level sufficient to maintain health and 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 Peace Corps---who works in a foreign land-will know what 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 the condition of peace." 

Miss you all so much!

-Brielle

PS: I promise pictures on Monday when I get the wi-fi and say adios to the ducks on the roof!