Hey all!
We went on our mini trip to Canete last week. It was great fun! I stayed in a hostel with two other volunteers, and I definitely feel closer to them than before. We had some quality bonding time. We saw lots of sites with trash management projects and dry bathrooms with diversion toilets. Most of the time was spent in the combi though, driving around. After the tour, we went to eat lunch, which took forever, in the middle of nowhere outside of canete. We didnt eat anything from 8 to 4. Needless to say, I was grumpy until we got our food and ate. I had a traditional dish called sopa seca, which means dry soup. Basically its pasta with shrimp on top. It actually wasnt very good. The noodles were over cooked and it was too dry. But I was so hungry, I didnt care at all.

On our way back to Lima and Chaclacayo, some peruvian sitting behind me on the tour bus threw up on the back of my seat. It was really gross. It started seeping into my area and smelled for half the trip. I wasnt very happy about it, but there isnt anything you can do. One of the current volunteers told us a story where he got in a taxi with 4 other drunk Peruvians, and the one he sat next to was so drunk, he peed all over himself, and the volunteer had to ride in a taxi covered in someone elses pee. It sounds pretty gross. I hope that never happens to me. Apparently Peruvians have a bit of a problem with drinking.

This last weekend, I made cookies with some other volunteers. It was a fun time, and I really wanted to get out of the house. Especially since I was a little annoyed at my sisters. We had to dig holes for trees that were being planted on my street. My parents are gone every weekend studying and working, so it was the three of us who had to dig these hole. But really, I was the only one going any work. They just watched me sweat like crazy, working. So I wasn't too happy with that. I didnt really want to practice my spanish with them that day. But the cookies turned out well! We cooked, played guitar, hung out and talked. I also found out that we lost our first volunteer this weekend. She went back home. Apparently she just didn't want to be hear, she always complained about things, like not having hot water, not being able to communicate, things like that. Its weird, because I cant picture myself going home right now. The only thing that I have to do is learn spanish. And really, I am being paid to do nothing but learn spanish and show up to training. How can you lose on that deal! Its like summer camp with a bunch of my friends. Things will change for sure when I get to my site, but right now, its pretty much a cake-talk. I am sure we are going to lose another volunteer before the end of training. With such a big group, someone is going to leave for sure.

Well, Hope all is well!
Happy Travels,
Teigan