Drum Roll Please....
Yurocoto, Ancash, Peru!!!!!
(I'm going from Yanacoto to Yurocoto).
If I got to pick any department in the country of Peru to live, it would without a doubt be the the department I was assigned to on Wednesday. Some volunteers wanted beaches, or hot climates, or big towns with universities nearby; I just said give me somewhere cold, in the mountains, and preferably small... And true to their track record with me, Peace Corps hooked it up. My site has everything I asked for, and more.
Mountains: Think Alaska meets south America (The mountains in Ancash are the number one tourist attraction, think "Touching the Void"... and if you haven't seen that movie recently, or ever, stop reading, go watch it on instant Netflix, and then come back and to read the rest of this blog).
Cold: My town will be at about 8,000 feet. I'll be looking at snow year round.
Small: 400 people. LSH (my high school) was equal to over half of this town's population.
Bonuses: Mountain lakes and rivers (think fishing), great other volunteers, Quechua speakers, and more!
I'm going there this Monday to see the site. I be there a week to meet my new host family*, and determine what I need to buy (I know I'm going to need to buy a bed because they don't have one for me). Until I can get there (8 hours by bus from Lima) and return, join me in my daydreaming by checking out this link to Wiki and this to Google image search:
Wiki Link to Ancash Info
Images of Ancash
* My host family here in Yanacoto (the Hinojosa Family) are super happy for me, but we're all sad I have to leave. When I came home Wednesday night Gregoria, Francini, and Don Poncho were waiting for me. After I told them where I was placed, Don Poncho got up and gave me a hug (which was great, but caught me off guard as was thinking he was coming in for a handshake). I'll be sad to leave these guys in 2 weeks, because they've treated me real well, and I know I've had it pretty easy with them. But as with all my other Peace Corps siblings (Peter from Ohio in Peace Corps 14, Ian from Wisconsin in Peace Corps 15, and Laura from Illinois in Peace Corps 16) I'll stay in touch.
