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