What will I be doing?

Many of you are probably wondering: What will Robyn actually be doing? Well ... let me tell you.

Step one: Embrace the awkward turtle

My first month at site will be a riot of introductions, Christmas parties, meetings and overeating. A great time to work on my Spanish and acclimate into the community.

Step two: Snoop around

My next three months (January through March) will be spent doing a community diagnostic in Pampas de Hospital. I'll conduct house visits and interviews with community members, make maps, draw up lists of local resources, etc. — all in the hopes of identifying where the community's needs are.

Step three: Plan it up

Based on the info gathered during my diagnostic, I will show my findings to the community, and (ideally) together we'll draw up a work plan for the rest of my time here. For example, helping families build vegetable gardens, training youth health promoters in sexual health education, or starting a recycling program.

Step four: Get to work

... yeah.

BUT, as important as the diagnostic is, I'd go insane if I got up every day just to conduct surveys. So meanwhile, I'll also be working with the health center staff, giving life skills and health education sessions in the schools and teaching some English.

Super Secret Step 1-4a: PEPFAR initiative

During 2009, Peace Corps Peru will be working with local governments to implement an HIV/AIDS prevention project in the highest risk areas of the country (Tumbes, Piura and Lambayeque). In addition to the plan I create with my community, I will be working simultaneously with this initiative throughout the year. I'm super psyched. I don't know much yet though. More info to come.