Future sites

Yesterday we got a packet of information on all 18 of our future sites. Of course we haven´t been matched up to them yet, and the information is incredibly broad (whether or not theres regular water access, electricity, distance to closest city, etc), but it has given me a general idea of what´s available. It´s nice to know that we have a lot more options than I initially thought. We have an interview with the director of the environmental ed program and we get to tell her our site preferences. There´s a good number of medium-large sized sites, which is what I´m looking for, with regular access to water, electricity, and a market. I´m hoping not to get placed in what´s basically known as ¨cowboy country¨where the ¨fun¨activities listed in the packet are ¨walking, running, and milking cows¨ (not joking). But I need to keep an open mind because not everyone´s preferences can be met. I´m sure I´d adapt to wherever my site will be, as most volunteers do, because Peace Corps takes weeks and weeks to analyze all of your strengths and where you would be most successful and happiest. So I trust their judgement. But the sites generally all have the same projects - teaching environmental ed in elementary schools (most of which are multigrade), working on community garden, compost, and tree nursery projects - with some additional site-specific activities or projects to continue from previous volunteers (some sites are first-generation sites for volunteers, others have had up to 5 prior). Tomorrow we have a site fair so I´ll be able to learn a little bit more about each of the 5 departments (regions).

Sunday we are having a ¨Fiesta de la Finca Dos Mil Ocho¨(Farm Party 2008) haha. A bunch of the trainees and Nica family and friends will be getting together at one of my fellow site-mate´s family´s farm and having a big bbq and fiesta. I anticipate it will be lots of fun, but I´m sure there will be plenty of rain to put a damper on our party. Perhaps we´ll throw in some mud wrestling just to spice things up ;). Stay tuned.