Peru?

So, Peru. "Why are you going to Peru?" has been the question on everyone's mind lately. Or at least, right after I tell them that I'm going to Peru this summer. I can't blame them, it's a little random.

I am going to Peru to do an internship with a health organization. It is a program through BYU, through the International Internships part of the Kennedy Center, BYU's Center for International Studies. The program is called the Bolivia/Peru Internship, and was originally designed for students to go down and work with health organizations to gain experience. The program has existed for a few years, and the students in the past have all gone to Bolivia. The "Peru" part of the title mostly referred to the Maccu Picchu trip that they take at the end of the program. This year, however, is the first year that students will also go to Peru to work with health organizations. Eight students are going to Bolivia, and four of us are going to Peru.

Students will work with a few different health organizations. This year some will work with ProMujer and some with ProSalud, both large health organizations. There's also the possibility of some other organizations. (It's not all set in stone yet.) The four of us going to Peru are going to be working with Freedom from Hunger (www.freedomfromhunger.org), which is a health organization based out of San Francisco. They do work in many countries around the world, dedicated to helping people (most especially women and children) to escape from extreme poverty and hunger and build better lives. They say that a little better on their website...go there and read the main page, and click on "About Us." It's informative.

We will be working for them and alongside some of their partner organizations, one of which is called PRISMA. Basically, we are going to be gathering information and taking surveys, assessing the efficacy of their current microcredit lending program called Credit for Education. We will also be helping start up a new program for them. I don't know much about that yet, but will learn more this Wednesday in a phone conference, and next Monday when I fly to San Francisco for a day-long training.

I'm excited about this opportunity to go somewhere. The two main reasons that I decided to go are first, be immersed in a Spanish-speaking culture again and regain the fluency and vocabulary that have been shrinking and gathering a bit of dust. And secondly, I look forward to working with people in something of a health setting. I am planning on obtaining a Masters Degree in Speech Pathology, and I think the experience will be invaluable.

I leave Monday, May 12, 2008 and return Wednesday, August 13. (Well, my return flight is actually on the 12, but I hope to extend it one more day, because it was mis-scheduled.) Of the 3 months I'll be there, I will be in Huancayo, Peru for half of it and Arequipa, Peru the second half.

A few other facts about my trip:
-I'll be gone for three months
-it's a volunteer internship, we will not be paid
-I will receive internship credit for school
-the internship is not particularly related to my major, but I think it will be a valuable experience to each of my fields of study

If I come up with any more details I find relevant, I'll definitely be writing about them. And if anyone has questions, as I'm sure they will, feel free to ask me in person or blog style. And by the way, it's only two weeks until I depart!