Hey all! My host mom just told me an amazing story!! She has 6 brothers and sisters and is the fourth born in the family, 2 years in between each of them.One day, after coming back from school, they were all doing their own thing, working out in the alfalfa fields or doing homework.My host grandmother raised cuy (ginea pig) at the time, and had over 300 of them!!She would sell them in the market in Ica in trade for food for the family, since there were 9 of th...

Hello all! Happy 4th of July!! We had a great vacation, Frieda, Kate, and I, in Yauyos, the mountains of peru. They were, not even joking, the most beautiful place I have ever been! Not only were they beautiful, but one of a kind. They were slightly like mountains in europe, near the north of Italy, but had a touch of norwegian plains, and slightly skinnier. Its hard to describe, but its worth seeing. There is no cell service, internet, and hardly even light...

Hi everyone!! Its been a good long time since I have unpdated my blog. But rest assured, that I am alive and kicking, working here in my community. I am currently working on getting funding for a recycling project in the school system. The idea is that we would get the funds for the containers for the recyclables, which are plastic bags, plastic bottles, glass, organic waste, tin, paper, and cardboard. The schools would send slips home to their parents, com...

I have realized that this is the longest I have ever been away from home, let alone the states. There are things about home that I have forgotten, like what the roads look like, fences, and lawns with very inviting, green grass. Slowly but surely, the states that I call my home has become a strange and frightening place to me. I cant help but stare at tourists that walk down the streets, thinking of how different they are, and how much they dont know about my c...

Hey all! Hope things in the states are brightening! I am in sunny Ica once again, and have been out of my site for about 2 weeks now! So long that I have not seen my family! They really miss me. Apparently while I was gone, my dad tried to make rice a roni, and did it incorrectly, so ate raw rice for dinner!! My brother, peter, made mac and cheese successfully and LOVES IT! I am in training with the other water and sanitation volunteers for my group. Its such...