Final Reflection

            I have officially been home for a week now. I always have always known that I wanted to write one final reflection about Peru. However, I thought it would be best to wait at least a couple days till after I was home and started getting settled in.

            I think it would be best to start off with what I learned in Peru. Well, the most obvious thing would be the fact that I learned more Spanish in the past four months than I did in the previous six years I had been studying it. Being able to hear, see and speak Spanish for multiple hours every single day does wonders! However, I am still somewhat disappointed with my level of Spanish. I never pictured myself coming out of this trip speaking like a pro, however, I did expect my level to be at least a little better than it is now. Secondly, is the culture. I LOVE Peruvian culture. I remember when I first arrived in Peru and I thought it was so weird that Peruvians greeted each other with a kiss on the check. Now, it has become second nature. Even the Americans can be seen greeting each other the Peruvian way. Another big part of Peruvian culture is how proud the people of Peru are to be Peruvian. This was clearly shown through their mannerisms and this attitude that Peruvians carry with them. Whenever I was walking down the streets in Peru I always saw people wearing shirts with the famous Peruvian mark. Furthermore, I learned very early on that family is everything in Peru. Children live with their parents all throughout the time they are in college and even beyond. I truly feel blessed to have been able to witness how a family runs there! Everyone looks out for each other and families there spend so much time together! Beyond this, I did learn a lot about the country of Peru in general-the geography, how the government works, the history etc.- and the various indigenous tribes around Peru. For example, do you know that Lima has a population of almost 10 million and that it is divided up in 46 districts?????

            Something that I learned that I think is just as important, is everything I discovered about myself. When I look back at my journals and compare the reasons I had for coming to Peru versus what I got out of this experience it is crazy! One simple lesson that we all learned when we were little has really become embedded in me forever. That lesson is “don’t judge a book by its cover.” Coming into Peru, I was a little nervous about the people I was sharing this experience with. I will be honest here; I was actually scared to talk to certain individuals on this trip. I thought there was no way I would ever hang out with them and the only way I would even talk to them is if we got put in a group together for one of my classes. However, I am amazed at how quickly these thoughts of not meshing disappeared. I will never forget the time when Emily, Andrei, Marshall and I were going around a circle naming off our favorite part about our trip. Emily and Andrei went first and they both said that their favorite part had been Machu Picchu. Next, Marshall went and said his favorite part had been getting to know all of us. Although we all did have our core groups, we always invited one another to any big event we found out about that was happening in Lima and we had so many fun get-togethers as a whole, such as the bonfire. The way in which all of came to look out for each other and protected our own still amazes me. I remember that from the second I decided to commit to Peru, I would tell my four best friends on a daily basis, “I wish you would come with me.” Looking back, I have come to realize how wrong I was. Yes, I missed my family and friends terribly, but I also had the opportunity to become close friends with AMAZING people that I would not have had the chance to otherwise. I am feel sooo grateful and blessed to have become close with many wonderful people!

I take this experience I have had in Peru and mark it as a whole new chapter in my life. I feel that the person I came to Peru as and the person I am leaving as are two completely different people. I have gained so many new perspectives and the people I have met and activities I have experienced has truly changed my life.

            I remember when Dr. Aviles was first interviewing me to see if I would make the cut to go on this trip and he asked me what he thought my greatest challenge would be. I answered him by saying without a doubt it will be missing my family and friends back home. I arrived in Peru and the first couple of weeks I skyped my parents and best friends on a daily basis. However, towards the end of the trip, I would skype my parents every Sunday and skype my best friends when we both happened to find time. I think Peru allowed me to grow up a lot and become a lot more independent. It forced me to not rely on others as much. For the first time in my life when something went wrong I couldn’t just automatically pick up the phone or take the five minute drive to my parent’s house. It’s hard for me to pinpoint the exact moment when I went from strongly disliking Peru to absolutely positively loving it! I remember when I went to say good-bye to my brother, Paul, he told me to enjoy every moment and not get too homesick because before you know it you’ll be back in Nebraska and want to be in Peru again. In the back of my mind I was thinking “yeah right, I’m already counting down the days until I get to come home again.” However, all of that changed after I got accustomed to Peru. I have done some serious thinking lately and I am really considering becoming a volunteer teacher for a year in some Spanish speaking country after I graduate.

            I cannot even put into words how grateful I am that I have had this amazing opportunity to live and study abroad for the past four months. Last Wednesday in my Conversation and Culture class we played this memory game. Each student started off by saying “De Peru voy a extranar…” the person would then name off all the things that the students in front of them had said and then end with something he/she was going to miss. I knew in that moment that I was just going to miss the whole experience and everything that came with it. My life was just so different there. My friend and I were talking one time during our final days in Peru and we said that we were now starting to have to deal with real life things, such as finding a job or e-mailing USAA and asking them to change the car insurance policy back. And little did I know, that what Nicki and I said was so true. Literally the day after I got home I started observing in Kearney schools from 8 A.M. to 3:30 P.M. for the entire week. The week nights then filled up with various meetings and other obligations.

            I miss my friends and family soooooooo much! I also just miss the Peruvian life. I literally can think of only one time that I was stressed in Peru. Compare that to America when it literally took me less than 24 hours to become stressed to the max again. I also never realized how unhealthy the food is here. So many foods come in boxes and contain many preservatives. I miss eating my nice healthy salad with lemon on top and chicken on a daily basis!

            Well, this is it for my blog. However, “My Unforgettable Journey to Peru” will never truly end. It’s something that I will carry with me inside and that will be reflected on the outside for the rest of my life. That you all so much for your support, e-mails, letters etc. over the past four months. I hope you enjoyed getting at least a sneak-peak of what was sure to be one of the best experiences of my life!

Abrazos y bestios,

Mary