The six month experience in Peru was a whirlwind that flew by before I could even blink my eyes, but somehow so much happened in such a seemingly short amount of time. It was certainly not an easy experience and it put me outside of my comfort zone quite a lot. I witnessed a kind of crime and poverty that I was not used to, opening my eyes to the reality outside of my happy little bubble at home and at college; but I witnessed more than this ¨social reality¨. I witnessed an amazing country full of pride and home to an incredible culture. Through all my experiences and adventures I learned a great deal about myself and about a country and its people I had previously known so little about.
I will always have memories of the La Pontificia Universidad Católica del Perú, where I met so many unforgettable friends and went through the struggle of adapting to a new education system and classes in Spanish. I loved having lunch with friends en El Comedor Central, watching deer walk freely on campus, and playing soccer once in a while in the small fields on the edge of campus. I loved my project for photography class taking pictures of informal workers throughout the city and my Peruvian Social Reality project investigating a mall that sprung up in a poorer area of the city. I miss being involved on the campus of la PUCP, in the choir Voces en Christo and in my Afro-Peruvian dance class. The choir was such a welcoming group, and the members wanted to share with me just as much as I wanted to share with them. The Afro-Peruvian class was one of the most challenging and embarrasing things I have done! I can certainly say that I am not a natural Afro-Peruvian dancer, but the class really helped put me outside of my comfort zone and adapt.
Outside of the university, I miss my Peruvian family so much. Although sometimes a little quirky, Señora, Dante, and Cynthia created my home away from home. In that house I improved my Spanish by long dinner conversations and I met an amazing group of other exchange students to share the experience with. I miss Guillermo´s family as well, who loved to cook meals for me and invited me into their family just as if I was their daughter. I also miss the craziness of the unorganized transportation systems. I miss taking combi or micro buses and watching the ¨cobrador¨hanging out the door to yell to people about which direction the bus was going.
Looking back at pictures, I think of all the traveling opportunities I had while in Peru. I saw and did things that I never imagined doing and realized that trying new things is the best way to learn. Each journey was new, different, and made me want to explore and experience more of all that is out in the world. I was able to visit a local tribe and hold an anaconda snake in the rainforest, swim with a colony of seals, sandboard in the desert, visit a floating hay island on the highest-elevated accesable lake in the world, climb Machu Picchu and Huayna Picchu, camp by a lagoon in the middle of the Andes Mountains, surf in the Pacific Ocean, and hike into and across the deepest canyon in the world. With my sister I had the opportunity to see other South American countries, exploring a little coast town of Uruguay, relaxing on the beach in Chile, watching Tango in downtown Buenos Aires, and enjoying a fruit salad of every fruit imaginable in a market in Santiago. In Lima, I was able to witness one of the largest religious processions in the world for Señor de los Milagros, experience a crazy New Years celebration complete with fireworks and bonfires in the street, run the 100th annual half-marathon of Lima, cheer on the national soccer team to victory, and interview a famous Limenian chef. The experiences will last a lifetime in memories and have inspired me to seek out more of the truly amazing world we live in.
I often look back on my volunteer time spent in the Hospital del Niño, the children´s hospital, and La Posadita del Buen Pastor, the orphanage for children with HIV. This experience is hard to describe in words, since it really made me realize what matters to me and what I want to do with my life. Leaving after a morning or afternoon of volunteer work gave me a feeling I had never experienced before - I felt an inner peace in knowing that this was really my passion. I know that I will find some way to make this my life´s work. Whether in the field of researching disease or pediatric medicine, I want to devote my life to battling the diseases that take away so many innocent lives. The children in the hospital and orphanage taught me what real courage is and serve as an example for how to appreciate and take advantage of what one is given in life.
Finally, I look back on the friends I made in Peru. Meeting and getting to know the Holy Cross students and the exchange students living in my house was so helpful in giving me people who could relate to the experience, talk about differences in culture, and also just be almost a piece of home. The Peruvian friends we met showed me how incredibly open-hearted people can be. Many of our friends genuinely wanted to help us learn about their country and language and wanted to learn about us as well. My Peruvian friends were a blessing that I will never forget, and I hope to be able to stay in contact with them and some day see them again.
Ahora tengo que decir gracias a todos en el Perú por todo lo que han hecho para hacerme sentir cómoda en un país y cultura muy diferente que el mío. La experiencia de vivir en Lima no era fácil y tenía que acostumbrarme mucho a la nueva forma de vida. En los seis meses que estuve en el Perú, aprendí muchísimo del idioma, de la cultura y de la vida en general, y al final me enamoré del país. Tengo muchos buenos recuerdos que nunca olvidaré y amigos que nunca quiero perder. Todos tienen un hogar en mi país si me quieren visitar y algún día muy pronto quiero regresar a Lima. El país del Perú, su cultura y su gente siempre tienen un lugar especial en mi corazón.
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