3 semanas

I’ve been in my site now for over 3 weeks. I am still getting adjusted; there is a lot to get used to! But my family and all of the Julacaneros are all very nice, and I am beginning to accept that this is my home for the next two years.

It is definitely pretty hard to come into a new community as an outsider and establish yourself. Right now everyone here thinks of me as the new “psicologa” in town (just because I have a BA in psychology, to them means I’m a true professional who can cure everything). I’m trying to establish myself as the new peace corps volunteer here who will be doing other things besides giving therapy to their teenage boys who like to drink. I will be planning educational sessions and other activities on health issues such as nutrition, development, maternal healthcare, self-esteem, communication, hygiene, domestic abuse, etc. I will start working in the schools (although for the next two months, the kids are out on summer vacation), work more in the health center, visit families, as well as get to know the other organizations in the community.

I’ve heard that the first 3 months of Peace Corps service are the hardest, and I definitely believe that. Right now, I am just the tall white girl who walks around Julcán. People are nice to me, but they are still not quite sure what I’m doing here. To tell you the truth, I’m still not quite sure what I’m doing here either. But hopefully after a couple of months, we’ll all have that figured out.