Placement Change and Training

Around a week ago I got a call from Samina, our desk officer for Peru, to say that our project that we were going to in Arequipa has fallen through due to construction works going on next year and them not wanting volunteers whilst that's going on. It was pretty gutting to hear seen as i'd psyched myself up for going there and was really excited. The new project that we've been given is in Lima, the capital of Peru, in a place called San Juan de Miraflores. We'll be working in a children's home for 300 boys and working in one of the casas with a certain age group. It's run by monks and is therefore very religious so we'll be going to church at least once a day for the evening services and sometimes in the morning too. Full on. I'm not going to lie and say i'm just as happy with this project as our previous one as Lima isn't exactly rural which i'd wanted, so there wont be people wearing traditional dress etc and i'm worried the culture wont be there. Still though, i'm going to make the most of it and i haven't actually been yet so we'll see when i get there. And on the plus side it's right in the centre which will make when we go travelling a lot easier.

Onto training week...

I just got back from our week of training on Coll which was amazing but intense to say the least. I don't think they could have prepared me better for the year ahead. We had sessions on practically everything that will or could happen whilst we're there for example: rape, health, bereavement, how to start a club, sex drugs and alcohol, you and your partner etc. I definately feel so much more prepared to go now than i did before. Plus the ceilidh on the last night was an amazing night with everyone heading down for a little paddle in the sea afterwards (not swimming in case PT are reading this).

I finally got to meet all the other girls that are going to Peru and it really seems like a great group of people who i can't wait to go away with! I think that out of everyone going they managed to pair us all up really well. The partners are:

Lima: Me and Hannah
Chiclayo: Harriet and Rosanna
Trujillo: Frances and Wendy
Iquitos: Alex and Aneesha
Pucallpa: Shannon and Kirsty
Piura: Emily and Louise

It felt weird to leave them all knowing that the next time we're all together again will be on the 26th of August at Heathrow Airport boarding the plane to Lima! It's seriously kicked in now just how soon that is and what a huge thing this actually is. SO exciting.

These are all the Peru girls.
Back row: Shannon, Louise, Kirsty, Emily, Frances, Wendy, Me, Rosanna, Harriet
Front row: Alex, Hannah, Samina (our desk officer for Project Trust), Aneesha

My next blog will probably be from Lima so until then, adios!
Evie x

Placement Letter

Hola Todos,

Peruvian Flag

I got my placement letter today which was very exciting! Looks like i'll be spending the year in Arequipa in the South of Peru. The orphanage is called the 'Fundacion Por Los Ninos' and it has around 60 orphaned or abused children that live there. There are 8 houses all together where each has its own little 'family unit' with a house mother. Me and my partner will be living in a small self-contained apartment within the orphanage. I'll be helping with the day-to-day care of the children and doing English, homework reinforcement, arts and crafts classes etc (basically like a modern day Mother Teresa). It really does sound amazing. We're living about 15 minutes from the town centre where...wait for it... there's a giant volcano! I've never even seen a volcano never mind live just underneath one. I also did a bit of my own research... it takes 6 hours to get to Cusco where there is South America's biggest bungee jump, that's definitely happening at some point! Also, in Arequipa the temperature supposedly doesn't drop below 20 degrees all year round during the day, but gets colder at night so we can sleep comfortably, amazing!

Another thing i haven't mentioned is that i just about finished fundraising my £5000 which was a huge relief, especially so i'm not stressing during exams. So, thank you to absolutely everyone who attended an event, helped out with anything or just donated money, even those who gave me all their pennies, it all added up! I didn't realise just how much people wanted to get rid of me!

I think i've mentioned everything i need to for now so i'll probably do another blog when i get back from training in July. Everything is getting so real now, i'm starting to get butterflies when i think about it but the excitement well over weighs the nerves so i guess that's good.

Thanks anyone who's bothering to read this. If you're interested in seeing what i'm doing when i'm there then save this link or bookmark it, or even follow me. I don't know what that does but i think it means you'll know when i write a new blog or something? Hopefully i'll be updating this every few weeks when i'm out there.

Adios chicos!
Besos, Evie x

Prep

My first ever blog, how exciting! Not exactly sure what to write but i'm sure it'll get easier when i've done a few more.

I found out the date of my training week the other day. It's from the 9th - 13th July during the summer. I'm actually really excited about it even though i know it's going to be a week absolutely crammed with information and training etc. I don't know yet exactly what we'll be doing there but it's to prepare us for living in a completely different society and living with and teaching a group of children in a different language, so i'm guessing there will be lots of preparation for that. I can't wait to meet everyone else that's going to Peru so i can meet my potential partner for the year, even if i wont know who that is until just before i go. I found out today that i probably wont find out what my project is and which part of Peru i'm going to until May time, which is a bit of a bummer. I actually want to be able to research and look into where i'm going but i guess i'll have to save that until after exams.

Fundraising is going quite well so far. I am just over the £2000 mark and have a couple of bag packings booked in March and a big fundraiser meal booked for April, so hopefully my total will be going up soon. Just £3000 to go! If you fancy giving a cheeky donation my virgin money giving site is http://uk.virginmoneygiving.com/evieoldfield :)

I think i've said everything that i need to now so i will probably update this when i next find out some new information, maybe May time? Thank you to anyone reading this. I really appreciate all the support people have been giving me over the last few months. I know all this fundraising can get annoying after so long but i wouldn't be able to do it without you and just think, you'll be rid of me soon so i won't be around to annoy you anymore anyway haha.

Thanks for reading!

Evie xx