I Need a Vacation

15 days till my parents arrive
18 days till we go to Cuzco
39 days till my marathon
59 days till Fiestas Patrias (Independence day and one of the few free vacations we recive)
66 days till Amanda arrive
71 days till I fly home

As a Peace Corps volunteer we receive two vacation days a month, 24 days a year. That may seem like a lot to the average American who get a whopping 10 days year, but really we PCV´s get the short end of the stick. We get 2 days a month, period. We don´t get weekends or get Holidays. Yesterday, all of the Peace Corps staff had the day off for the American Memorial day. Earlier this month they had another 3 day weekend for the Peruvian Labor day. I feel very claustrophobic sometimes, not being allowed to leave my site. My favorite past time in the states was taking off on a weekend for a sporadic road trip. Because my parents are coming in June and I am going home in August for two weeks, I have had to save all of my vacation days for these two trips. We also weren´t given any vacation days during training, so it will have been a full year since I have been able to relax and put my feet up. I´d say after everything I´ve been through these past 12 months, I deserve a vacation.

Things have become very mundane at site. I`ve been working very hard, which makes me happy, but also makes me want a break even more. I feel I am looking forward to seeing my parents far more than any 24 year old should. It´s almost romantic how I count down the days and try to contain myself every time I turn a page on the calender.

While I feel very comfortable and even apprecite the down time I have, I spend so much time in my bed reading or at the computer writing friends and blog entries. I´m running a lot getting ready for the marathon and I patiently deal with all the kids on a daily basis. I am so ready for a little excitement, for a change of scenery. With Lima`s weather is changing to endless gray, it is stoking the flame within me to head for the hills, literally. I am very excited to finally be going to Cuzco and Machu Picchu. What I like about my winter plans, is that once my first adventure ends, it´s not long until the next one starts. I am trying to be patient for the first one to start, but after all the patience I have had to muster in my first year in Peru, I don´t know if I can stand it any longer.