We did not sign up with the Peace Corps to go overseas and subsist. We came here to work. The fact that we find ourselves living and working among a people whose subsistence needs are quite a bit different than ours, does not mean we should lower our standards to that level for our full 18 months here. In order to function and work well under the adverse conditions we PCVs find ourselves in, we have found that we have much more need for such things as good music, decorated housing, decent vacations, liquor and cigarettes, and food which does not produce dysentery. Perhaps you find these things unimportant while relaxing in your heated, carpeted homes in Lima. Come out and join us sometime--on our salary--and you'll understand why we can't live as the Peruvian barriada people live. You'll see why we need every cent of the $110 a month we now receive in order to maintain a sound mind and a healthy body.