Inspired!!!

My Inspiration over the past 3 months!!! :)

“Times goes by so fast, people go in and out of your life. You must never miss the opportunity to tell these people how much they mean to you.”

“Some people come into our lives and quickly go. Some stay for awhile and leave footprints on our hearts and we are never, ever the same.”

            A couple weeks ago I came to the very sad conclusion that my time here in Peru is coming to a close. Ever since then, I have been thinking about what the perfect gift would be for one very special person I have met here in Peru. This person has inspired me beyond words and I have never even been able to come close to telling her how much I appreciate everything she has done for me. After three weeks of thinking, I still haven’t come up with anything that would even come close to sufficing what I want to convey to her. One of the many things that I have learned while I have been in Peru is too enjoy and appreciate all the little moments. I have come to realize how truly insignificant material things are. The person that I have learned all these wonderful insights from is my host sister, Marylinda. I know that she wouldn’t want any material present from me and so this blog is my final gift to her. It’s the best present that I can think of giving her.

            I wish each and every one of you could be gifted with meeting my host sister. She is a gorgeous person both inside and out. I have never ever seen a person with more patience or a better attitude. Marylinda passes the day watching her nieces/nephews. I have never heard her even once raise her voice to them. Marylinda has spent countless hours with me checking over my homework and if I could pick one person, class, or event that has allowed me to improve my Spanish the most it would be Marylinda hands down. And the best part about it is she does it so willing. She never makes me feel like it is a burden for her to constantly check papers, or to constantly correct my mistakes that I continuously make over and over again while I am speaking. Also, Marylinda has such a positive and welcoming attitude. I am going to miss hearing her cheery voice when she answers the phone or when she greets someone at the house.

            Something else I really really admire about her is her faith life. Just being able to watch her from afar during mass or seeing her read the Bible. She clearly illustrates how much her faith means to her in both her actions and words. I don’t know if any of you remember, but I wrote once in my blog that I have been able to see the Eucharist in a new light since I got here. Well part of the reason for this is because of my host sister. After see comes back from receiving the Eucharist she just has this bubble of reverence, admiration, and appreciation that radiates off of her.

            The way she cares about others amazes me. I have honestly never seen someone care about their family so much as Marylinda. Marylinda and her mom have a really special relationship. Marylinda always accompanies her mom when she has to pick up something from the store, or always carries groceries or her mom’s purse for her. Her mom and her spend countless hours together going to church, watching movies, or just simply talking and spending time together. Outside of this relationship, the way she treats her nephews and nieces amazes me. She treats them all equally and makes they all feel special and unique. You can tell she is one of the best aunts out there just by the fact that every time Lyah or Flavia see her they scream her name and coming running up to give her a big hug. Furthermore, Marylinda also makes sure that I am always okay. The day I flew to Arequipa I had to wake up at 3 AM to catch my flight. I set an alarm clock in my room and then Marylinda told me she would set the alarm on her phone and put her phone next to her ear just to be a 100% sure I would make my flight. She just holds her family in such high regards. They always come first in her life. She is also excited about attending a cousin’s birthday party or going to the uncle’s beach house in San Bartolo!

            I think the many changes that have occurred in me since I came here are due to her. She is such a positive role model in my life. The way she holds her faith in such regards, how caring and respectful she is to her family, and her patience inspires me to be a better person.

It makes me sad because I can’t even come close to explaining how amazing she is in words. Blessed and grateful don’t do justice about what I want to say about being able to live with her for the past 3 months. I’ve always wanted to experience having a sister and wow has it been amazing. I know some people that are here in Peru have not been as blessed as I have with my host family. I am also 100% sure that no one here has been gifted as much as I have been with my host sister. She has made so many positive footprints in my life that I will never forget. Thank you so much for everything, Marylinda! It is greatly appreciated! I will miss you beyond words!

XOXO Mary