Hola a todos!
So what does a Peace Corps volunteer do anyways?
Well, that’s a great question, and one that I’m not completely qualified to answer yet. However, last week, we had field based training (FBT) in beautiful Lunahuana located in the southern part of the Lima province. Part of the FBT experience is designed to show us some of the potential tasks that we might partake in for the next couple of years, but with some training wheels (PC staff, other trainees, currently serving volunteers, etc.). One of the current trainees will also be at this site, so whoever ends up here also got a sneak-peak into what life looks like in the town.
This site was seriously beautiful with tall, dramatic mountains and rivers running through the green valleys. It was also about 80 degrees and sunny every day while we were there. Above is a picture I took from the van about 20 minutes out of site. This is a very popular tourist region known for whitewater rafting, zip lining, and pisco/wine production. Unfortunately, based on our tight work schedule and other Peace Corps rules, we were not allowed, nor did with have time to enjoy any of these activities during the week. I guess that’s just an excuse to come back another time! We stayed in a hotel for the week in central Lunahuana that was located right on the river. My room was facing the river too, so we had a killer view and fell asleep every night to the sound of the rushing river.
There were a lot of crammed into one week. Luckily for us, there is a current volunteer there, so they were able to help coordinate with the community to make sure our week was packed with activities that could potentially be part of our life once we arrive at site.
Our main socios (co-workers) will be the ATM and JASS (in English, the acronym roughly translates to the Technical Manager and the Administrative Directorate of Sanitation Services), the health post, and the schools. The ATM works with the municipality in the districts that we will be placed in. They are responsible (and shortly along with our help!) for the upkeep of the water systems in the annexes located within the district. The annexes are locally managed by the JASS, who are volunteers in the community elected to manage the family fees for the water and ensure the day-to-day upkeep of the water systems.
Here are some examples of the activities that we did to complete the week!
Water System Inspections & Disinfections
This is my favorite part of the job so far since it deals directly with the water systems themselves. The inspections include all the parts of the water system from the catchment, to the reservoir, to the chlorination system, to the distribution systems to the houses in the community. There are checklists that we follow that help us determine the risk factors of each component. Based on what we see and what can be fixed, we can make recommendations to the ATM and the JASS for improvements.
In Lunahuana, my group went to the Annex of Langa for inspections and disinfection. The reservoir, pictured below, was quite literally located on the side of a cliff. One wrong step off of the couple of feet of space alongside and well, there was a long way to fall.
The water resources engineer in me was having heart palpitations about the erosion on the side of the cliff and what happens when it rains. However when I asked about it, the answer simply was that it does not rain. When I asked what happens if it does? They responded, no really, it doesn’t rain, like ever. Anyways, probably not my battle to pick as a trainee, but the engineer in me was screaming.
The disinfections is exactly what it sounds like – heaps of chlorine going into the systems. Since we are using highly concentrated chemicals, we have been provided with an abundance of super stylish safety equipment (see below). It is just about as comfortable as it looks, but hey, anything to not breathe in chlorine fumes
The chlorine solution that we make is actually so concentrated that even with all of the PPE, we can only enter the reservoir for 5-10 minutes at a time to clean during the disinfection process. Luckily, in our break time out of the reservoir, we could take the equipment off to cool off a little bit and enjoy the view. It was about 80 degrees and sunny most days, so the breaks out of the reservoir and out of the heavy suits was much needed.
These both seem like pretty common activities for WASH volunteers, and provided we have good socios in the municipalities, these will probably comprise a good amount of our work.
Other Work Activities
We had a few other activities throughout the week as well! On one of our first days, we met with the health post to learn about some of the work that they do there. This little site was so impressive! There is about 50 people of many different professions (doctors, nurses, phycologists, oncologists, obstetricians, programming managers, etc) that work there to provide health services of all kinds to the rural communities in the area. For us WASH volunteers specifically, we could potentially work with the person in charge of environmental health to promote sanitary practices in schools or the community and to do house inspections to test for water quality.
We also had a day where we went to the schools to teach a class. The topic given to us by the trainers was hand washing/ water safety. We knew our class would most likely be high-school aged students, so we had to find a creative way to make a lesson that was not so rudimentary that they wouldn’t care or pay attention. We also wanted to try to provide new information of some sort to them. One of the members of my teaching group has had some pretty extensive WASH experience in other Peace Corps countries and suggested we show them how to create/use different kinds of tippy-taps. For those unfamiliar, a tippy-tap is essentially a homemade hand washing station that can work without having a faucet with running water. I didn’t take any pics of the versions that we had, but here is a sketch of what a tippy-tap might look like.
Once we arrive to our site, we can work with the science and technology teacher to help facilitate classes on a wide range of topics including safe water use and environmental stewardship.
Community Activities
As part of our week, we also took “community walks” with someone from the community. It was supposed to be in the annex that we were working in, but our community member could not make it last second, so we ended up walking around Lunahuana with the current volunteer that is serving there! We walked around to the church, the plaza, the mirador (view point), and down to the river. This site is seriously beautiful. In my opinion, whoever ends up here is one lucky duck!
One of our activities in the community was to go around asking people about local lore/legends. My group went to the little bodega near the hotel. We started chatting with the owners of the store. After a few initial questions, they asked, “Oh you guys are from Peace Corps, right?” Surprised, we asked if they knew the current volunteer serving in the site or how they knew about Peace Corps. They then informed us that they are the future host family of the volunteer that will be serving in this site! What are the chances?! I have a feeling this small-world thing will keep popping up throughout Peace Corps service.
Since we were working in the annexes during the day for most of the week, we had lunch at local places that had a menú (about 12-15 soles for whatever they happen to cook that day, often including an appetizer, a main dish, and a drink), or with local people who offered to cook us lunch. The second day, we had lunch with the secretary of the JASS who also runs a very cute hotel, complete with a pool and all! After eating, she offered to let us use the pool for a few minutes (we didn’t bring bathing suits, so we just dipped our feet in), but only after dancing with her for a few minutes! Needless to say, we were rejuvenated for a long afternoon of work!
One group was a bit unlucky and ate something that was funky for our weak US stomachs. That night and the next day, all of the group members had some pretty nasty gastrointestinal issues. The staff member working with the group, having a much stronger Peruvian stomach, somehow survived unscathed. One of the staff members acted as PC nurse the next day, talking with the medical team back in Lima, buying electrolytes and meds, and even taking someone to the health post. Not all hero’s wear capes.
The night after that group got sick we were supposed to have a volunteer and staff talent show. In a frenzy searching for a talent I could do on a small stage with limited materials, I googled some card tricks. However, since a good part of the group was down and out for the count, we ended up just having a gathering of staff, trainees, and current volunteers. Due to this change in plans, probably luckily for everyone, the group was spared from some sub-par magic tricks on my behalf. Instead we ate, we danced, and one of the volunteers even played violin! Since we have been learning so many dances that are commonly seen in Peru, the trainees decided to share and taught a bunch of the staff how to do some typical US line dances (Cotton Eyed Joe, Cupid Shuffle, Cha Cha Slide, Footloose, etc).
So what does a Peace Corps volunteer do? Well, the TLDR is quite a bit. A lot of hard work, a lot of community integration, and a little bit of dealing with stomach issues while enjoying the special moments. This week was definitely an idyllic version of what a volunteer experience might look like, but was also a great chance to understand the activities and characteristics of what life might look like for the next couple of years.
Next week is our site placement, where we learn where we will be for the next couple of years. I am currently feeling pretty anxious about what is to come, I think mostly because so much is unknown still.
Hasta pronto!
Looking forward to hearing where your site placement will be, and what your assignment will be for the next 2 years!! So exciting!!!
I really appreciate your updates!
Great post....crossed fingers for a great post assignment!