And Finally...The Big News

So, I'm finally ready to announce that after much debate, many long months, and a lot of crying, that Peace Corps has decided to move me out of Catilluc and to a new site in a different department. This decision has come after the awful meeting a few months ago with a few of the members of my committee, plus the constant rehashing of this awful event by community members, and the inability for the people of my site to communicated with me like adults. To explain, things have been difficult at site. And then it gets better. And then another bomb will drop and things will be difficult again. And then I'll find something else to love about Catilluc again, only to hear another lie about me in the community. The amazing thing is that I'm not much of a gossip, but I keep hearing all of these things that I have said out of context, blown out of proportion, or a complete falacy.

I've actually known for about five months now that Peace Corps wanted to move me, but it was in March when they made the final decision and I stopped holding out and decided to submit to their decision. I am sad, but not that sad. There will be people I miss in Catilluc, but they're not the people I thought. Now that things are better with my family, I will miss them a lot. I will miss Mama Casilda and some of the teachers.

My little brother Fran, my host mom Yobani, and me in a milk truck on our way to Cajamarca.

But I will not miss the gossip, learning about another thing I had done wrong two months after the fact. I will not miss my counterpart who has been a huge gossip and not much of an advocate. I've also told everyone I'm going to Tumbes, rather than telling them I'm headed to the beautiful department of Ancash. I will still be living in the Andes, and I will still live in a small town, alhough this one is four time the size of Catilluc.

Let's just say I feel a huge relief, and I'm ready for my service to get started on a more positive note. I'll tell you more about my new site when I get there.

My younger siter Ailyn and me in her classroom at school.