Training Classes

So training classes aren’t exactly like your typical college class. Our classes are pretty entertaining. We do a lot of hands-on type learning, especially when it comes to culture:















And in-class cooking lessons! Here is a delicious typical dish of Peru which we cooked called Ahi de gallina:














We even have presentations on different departments of Peru to learn different customs and traditions. Here I am wearing the traditional clothing of the dept. Ancash:



















Quite flattering don’t ya think? I am looking forward to rocking this at site. Below, we are acting out a tradition in Northern Peru where people dance around a tree and each person hits stump with an axe and when the tree falls, the person who hit it last becomes the patron of next years fiesta! Because the patron must pay and plan for the entire festival the following year, each person barely taps the tree with the axe! Don’t worry though, us Peace Corps wouldn’t actually act it out and kill a tree:














Something that I just had to add to my blog because its just too funny…Peace Corps reviews a lot of HIV/AIDS and STD education, and with that proper CONDOM USAGE! To ensure we are retaining the information, we had a mandatory relay race in which we split into 3 teams and each person ran down, put a condom on a dildo (for lack of a better word), took it off, tied it, and ran back. Unfortunately, our team lost the relay race, but the experience was just unforgettable:














Sometimes we go on fieldtrips! Just the other day we went to Lima to check out an artisan fair, where 3 volunteers came from all over Peru with their artisan groups which they work with at site. The artisans here make the most incredible goods:















Some school days are even followed by guitar classes from fellow PC trainees. They are teaching all 10 or so of us inspired Peace Corps Trainees guitar basics so that during the downtime of our 2 year service we can become pretty badass guitar players. Here’s a little insight into guitar lessons with Sal and James:














So as you can see, life is good over here. I will try to post tomorrow about the incredible Field Base Training which I just got back from. It is late now though, I am going to sleep in my beautiful bed (imagine me sleeping):