Junin 1: Regional Field Based Training

We just got back from Regional Field Based Training and site visits in Junin.  It was incredible and I feel really lucky to be going there, though climatically and comfort wise it won’t be the easiest site to have.  But comfort is the antithesis of Peace Corps, right?

We took a Peace Corps van up to the city of Junin in the department of the same name.  It was beautiful to go up through the Andes.   The second photo is Grant with a mine and our potty stop.

We ended up at over 13,500 feet, so we had mandatory rest time during which we cuddled in warm clothes and watched the last Harry Potter movies. 

Nobody got seriously ill from altitude sickness, but it was rough for all of us in one way or another.  We were really tired, winded, headachy, and sometimes nauseous.  It made me think that maybe that’s what it feels like to be really old.  We were all slow for the first few days and content to sit around and eat snacks.  Glucose helps with the altitude symptoms so we all trudged around with cookies or hard candies in our pockets.  And popped a lot of Tylenol.

The city of Junin is pretty ok.  A volunteer named Riley is there.  We explored around and climbed up the central spire of the plaza.  It was scary because it’s pitch black and there are ladders and platforms to negotiate.  Here’s us as a totem pole with the plaza tower in the background.

We had some delicious food there.  The most famous thing in the region is a tuber called maca.  They make it into all sorts of things.  The most popular is to put dried maca, hot water, milk, this molasses like substance, honey, and an egg in a blender and serve it up.  It’s incredible and tastes like fall and they all talk about how it’s a tonic and makes you strong.  I read that as having lots of calories.  Pampa breakfast of champions.  There is also fresh unpasteurized milk that is delivered from a few miles away.  Those are the main highlights of Junin cuisine.  The rest is potato. 

The weather is something else.  It’s super cold in the shade and in the mornings and evenings.  The sun feels really hot if it’s out.  There’s so little atmosphere between us and it.  I reapplied my spf 60 sunscreen four times a day and still burned.  We had some rain and hail.  The rainy season starts soon and will go through March. 

I had a little language barrier misunderstanding with the climate. So we have the rainy season coming up.  Then folks were telling me how there is “caye hielo” literally “falling ice” during the winter months.  I thought I was doomed to rain half the year and hail the other half.  Fortunately, it turns out that cayehileo means frost.  Hail is granizo.  The way it works is that it’s not so punishingly cold during the rainy season because of the cloud cover insulation.  During the dry season, it’s blazing during the day under the sun and freezes at night.  Chevere.

Anyway, we had a bunch of activities during RFBT.  We helped a volunteer named Will with his recycling buy.  It seems pretty easy and effective once you get it rolling.  We also helped out at an environmental camp for girls that some volunteers were running on the edge of lake Chinchacocha. 

It was incredibly beautiful.  There is a flat basin where the lake is, then rolling hills, then mountains, then snow covered mountains.  I can’t wait to explore all around.  There aren’t any trees and only ichu grass that is golden now with the end of the dry season.  There are vicunas, which are wild camelids like llamas, running around and tons of sheep and alpaca all over.  Did you know that flamingos migrate from Chile up to Chinchacocha?  I had no idea and it was so strange to see them there.

We took the girls for a hike up a hill and all of us newcomers were wheezing.  But it felt so good to move my body a bit.  We also taught them about compost and I was surprised how into it they were and how much they already knew. 

Then we came back down and tried to enjoy some chicken foot soup.

We went back to Junin to relax and watch more Harry Potter.  I had some charrango time. 

The next day we went for a drive around the lake and were tourists. 

We stopped for pachamanca in Carhuamayo, which was delicious and exciting.  Though it turns out that sheep isn’t my favorite meat.  There’s a town called Huayre with a plaza that looks like it came from Dr. Seuss and a huge maca monument that you can climb.  We also went to the reserve for the battle of Junin and saw some inca ruins. 

After all that touring around, a few days had passed and it was time to split up and go on site visits.   Our socios came to collect us.  I was more emotional than I thought I’d be.  I was really excited, but suddenly felt exposed and alone when all the other gringos left.  I had thought it wouldn’t be a big deal, but I missed them instantly.