la libertad

About 150 Peace Corps volunteers in Peru are currently serving in 9 departments (states) in the country. In my department of La Libertad, there are 8 of us. We all see each other at least once a month for regional meetings in the capital city Trujillo. Most of them live on the coast (where its hot, sunny, and the people are extroverted and more liberal), three of us, Melissa, Chris, and I, live in the sierra (where it is currently cold and rainy and the people are timid and conservative). It is interesting to all get together and share about our different peace corps experiences. Its also cool to get to know people from all over the States who I never would have met had it not been for Peace Corps.

Javier is a Small Business Development volunteer from California. His primary project is working with an artisan group in his site. He’s been here for about a year and half and will be leaving in July. When he goes back to the States, he wants to go to grad school in public administration.

Josh is a Youth Development volunteer from Texas. His primary project is working for an NGO in Trujillo which works with kids in the city. He is a third year volunteer and will be wrapping up his peace corps service in June. When he goes home, he also wants to go back to school, but eventually come back to live in South America.

Melissa is another Health volunteer (in my program) from Oregon. She also lives in the mountains, about 2 hours away from my site. She has been at her site for about a year, and has another year left. She studied Biology in college and wants get her MPH when she returns to the US. She has been great helping me get adjusted to my site, as she has had similar experiences working as a Community Health volunteer in the sierra.

Edson is a Small Business Development volunteer from Ohio. He lives on the coast, about an hour away from Trujillo. He is helping an artisan group develop their business in his site. He arrived in Peru just 3 months before I did; he has about a year and a half left in site.

Chris is a Water and Sanitation volunteer from Florida. He previously served as a Peace Corps volunteer in Bolivia, until the Bolivian PC program got shut down for political reasons. He transferred his service to Peru. Chris, who also lives in Julcán, is an engineer and is working primarily in the municipality to improve the water system of the region.

My closest friend from La Libertad, Jason, who had lived a 2 hour walk away from me, unfortunately had to go back to the United States due to a family emergency. We are going to miss him a lot.