2 Days into site visit

Okay, it´s time to shed my peace corps lite image. I´ve been at my future site and it is very clear to me that things are going to get a lot tougher. I´ve been really surprised at how easy my transition has been so far. I really love training and everyone in my group. But the first night I arrived in my site and sat alone in my room for about 6 hours For the first time since I arrived in Peru, I wanted to go home. Not actually go home, but it´s the first time I really missed it with every fiber of my body. I had my first full on panic attack, and it wasn´t the kind that came and went and then I felf better. It was the kind of panic that lasted for two strait days. I couldn´t eat anything and I felt like I was going to throw up for most of the day. I finally confided in Bianca how I was feeling, although I was sure she was gonna think I am the biggest wimp. Maybe I am.
First, in order to understand how I was feeling let me explain the situation. Even though my site is an hour south of Lima, it is very rural. My "town¨is a scattering of houses that are extremely poor and built into the back of an all dirt mountain. There are farms stretching every direction and lots of livestock. Most of the houses here have no electricity or running water. My house does have electricity and running water but it down right scares me. I can´t even tell how many people live there. I think 10 but it feels like so many more cause there are people constantly coming in and out. I´ve determined that the scariest thing to me is that I am to far away from the main town. After I come home from work around 6 there is NOTHING for me to do but sit around. Anyone that knows me know I cannot just sit around. I go absolutely crazy. The town is to far to walk to at night safely. But ther town, Lurin, is relatively nice. it´s got a cute main plaza, lot´s of restaurants, Internet cafe´s, a great market and a gym. The Gym I feel will be my saving grace. It is what saved my sanity in Spain and it will hopefully work out well. The panicking sensation finally started to calm down once I went to the gym and got the hours of the classes and everything. It will be great to go the gym in the evening and release all that stress.
Another positive aspect that I´m constantly reminding myself of is I technically have a site mate. His name is Dennis and I thought he was living south of me, but turns out he´s in a little town in the opposite direction of me from Lurin. He´s about a half hours walk. During counterpart day at the center in Lima, I just happened to walk into the room where he was talking with one of the doctors and met him by luck. He seemed so energetic and very happy. He was even talking to me about this project he had with an NGO that was donating 300 surf boards to poor kids. I have no idea if I´ll actually do anything with that project but it´s nice to think about. Dennis is very active and hopefully he can introduce me to a lot of stuff to do in the area so I don´t go crazy. Plus, hopefully he will be a good friend when I need an American to just sit down and have a drink. Okay, that´s all I have time for. It´s lunch time at the hogar and I´m gonna go eat with the girls. I´ll post again when I get back from site visit.