Expert Em

Hello to anyone and everyone who reads this blog. Jessica has asked me to do a guest blog entry after recently traveling to Peru. After our nine-day rendezvous around Northern Peru it goes without saying how much respect I have for not only Jessica but all Peace Corps volunteers.

Having traveled around parts of Peru before, through a high school program back in 2006, I thought I had a pretty good idea on what the trip would be like -- I was wrong. Before I had traveled around the "ritzy Peru," going to cities like Cuzco, Arequipa and Macchu Pichu, staying in tourist friendly homes and hotels, believing I was becoming more worldly, when really I was still situated perfectly in my comfort zone. This time around was different. Jessica was able to show me the real Peru. A filthy yet gorgeous country blessed with so much history but poisoned by visible poverty everywhere.

Our trip started out like any other trip, I got in late and we quickly got to catching up and hanging out like it had only been a few days since we had last seen each other, not 14 months. We toured Lima, had an embarrassing night at one of Lima's more glamorous restaurants and wound up eating at good ole' Chili's, talking about the latest American gossip. After scheming our way into buying some knock-off DVDs and checking out the catacombs, we were off to Mancora, a small surfing town located on the Northern coast close to the Ecuadoran border.

Being in Mancora was awesome! The beach was right there, the mountains were right behind you, everyone had such a laid back attitude, and I was lucky enough to have been able to spend some time with one of Jessica's best friends, Steph. One night, after hanging out with some of the other backpackers at the local surf bar, Jessica quickly became famous after performing her original take on the Michael Jackson's classic "Thriller" dance. The next day, we all three had one last trip to the Mexican restaurant and then Steph went home. From there, Jessica and I were off for our romantic date. But before our romantic date at the natural hot springs, we had to get in our workout. We were led by two teenage Peruvian boys up the side of a dry rustic mountain with an 75 degree incline. We strapped on our helmets and harnesses and ziplined our way down the mountain only to be welcomed by goats! And lots of them. Once I get all of my pictures developed I'll be sure and include some of our hiking pictures to the blog, that is if Jessica allows them. Once we made friends with the goats it was off to the natural hot springs where we watched the moon rise and enjoyed a nice bottle of red wine and chicken and mayo sandwiches (mmm). Another overnight bus and boom! we were almost to Jessica's site. I was so nervous about going to meet Jessica's 'new' family. However, they were so welcoming and kind about another gringa staying with them. We enjoyed our first, and my last, meal together -- a chicken that Jessica and I supplied and a house salad. Now, I'll spare everyone the details, but after that meal I was down for the count until my flight left 2 days later.

Not too many "oh my gosh" memories stand out about my trip to Peru, yet I still had the best time of my life! Being able to finally see where my sister lives, what she does, who her friends are and how she is living was what I hoped to gain from my trip. The last day before I left, as Jessica and I were sitting and enjoying our Snack Wraps from KFC at the mall, Jessica told me what she thought she had learned about Peru and Peruvians after being there for over a year. While my time there doesn't even begin to compare to her, I did fall in love with the contradictions that seem to make up Peru. For example, in Jessica's site running water turns on at 11:00 am and shuts off at 3:00 pm yet satellite TVs and cell phone reception were always available. I could continue to share more of the things that I love about Peru, but I don't want to spoil the excitement of Peru. I strongly encourage that everyone pay Jessica and Peru a visit. Jessica is a FANTASTIC guide and really does show you the real Peru, whether you are ready for it or not!

I hope you all enjoyed my take on Peru and my visit. Visit Jessica! I know she would love the distraction!

Emily

Editor's Note: Everything you read above is Emily's original post. For once, this editor resisted the call of the red pen -- not that Em needed it, great job! Emily was a great guest; a real trooper. Being exposed to "my" Peru is not the easiest or most relaxing vacation, but we definitely made the most of our time together. Oh, and she's right, I would love visitors. In the immortal words of Rod Roddy: "Come on down!"

Jumpin' July

In an effort be a better blogger, I'm summarizing an entire month in order to get caught up and pave the way for more, better and funnier blog posts. Plus, I can't pass up a double-J alliterative title.

July has been somewhat of a whirlwind month, mainly because I've been traveling a fair amount. The month started off with a trip to Huaraz, Ancash to celebrate July 4th with some other volunteers. Ancash is home of some of the world's best trekking and climbing trails. It is absolutely gorgeous -- stunning glacial lakes, soaring Andean peaks, lots of outdoorsy backpacker types, and some truly delicious cafes. Steph and I decided ahead of time that we were in the mood for a true vacation; no more extreme adventure trips...for now. Mission accomplished. In Peru's premier activity spot, we participated in exactly one activity: a three-hour horseback ride through the mountains. To be fair, I was sore afterward so I'm pretty sure that counts as strenuous exercise. We spent the rest of the time in the aforementioned cafes, eating tasty American breakfast treats, sipping on real coffee, reading, doing puzzles and playing Trival Pursuit. It was perfect.

Mt. Huascaran, the highest peak in the Andes, as seen from a great distance.

The horse whisperer, Peruvian edition.

We celebrated July 4th in true Peace Corps style -- a bunch of loud volunteers taking over an unsuspecting Peruvian bar. We made friends with the DJ, played our favorite American classics (including Lady Gaga, obvi) and danced the night away. We made sure to acknowledge the special day by talking incessantly about our favorite foods from home. Yep, get a few over-carbed, under-proteined gringos together and the talk inevitably turns to food.

After spending an uneventful week or so back at site, it was time to hit the road again. This time I was headed north of Chiclayo to a town called Olmos to participate in a leadership camp for teenage boys. Each volunteer is to bring a few boys from their communities to participate in the event, which involves lots of team-building activities, self-esteem workshops, sexual health classes, and a chance to meet other kids from all over the region. In short, it's a really cool (and free) experience for the kids. Sadly, the boys I was supposed to bring backed out at the very last minute -- literally, I was on the bus waiting for them and they never came -- which left me more than a little annoyed. One of the most frustrating things about my work is here is the lack of follow through. I mean, if you're going to turn down a free two-day camping trip, how are we ever going to move forward? But I went anyway and had a lot of fun just watching the other kids. We had a similar camp for teenage girls back in February, which my girls actually participated in, and loved.

The infamous condom race...preventing teenage pregnancy one banana at a time.

Despite the disappointing turn of events, I kept my spirits high because I was headed to Lima to pick up my little sister! Emily arrived to spend about 10 days following her big sister around Peru. It was a great trip! I've asked her to write a guest blog entry to give her perspective of our time together, which I hope to be able to post in the next few days. So stay tuned for that!

Sisters!

In the meantime, a brief overview of our Peruvian adventure: spent a few days in Lima, checking out some of the main sites, eating decidedly non-Peruvian food, and shopping for bootleg DVDs. From Lima we embarked a long and multi-stop journey to the extreme north of the country for a couple days in the cool, hip beach town of Mancora. From Mancora, we took another bus (Emily realized that she, in fact, wasn't the biggest fan of Peruvian public transport) south to Chiclayo so she could see my town, meet my family and get a taste of the campo life. Obviously, there was a lot more to our trip, but I don't want to steal her thunder. We'll post more details later.

Which one of these is not like the others...

In short, it was fantastic to see my baby sis, show her around, hear about her life, listen to her observations on Peru and Peace Corps and to simply spend time together, laughing and opening up in a way that's only possible with those people you've known forever. I am so so happy she came, saw and semi-conquered. Em, I miss you already!

Despite a couple of hiccups, July was a good month for me. A much-needed good month. I'm always excited to see more of this amazing country, and to have someone I love with me for some of these journeys certainly added to my enjoyment. Playing tour guide is a great way to remember the reasons why I really do love this country, and the many, many ways it makes me laugh. At the end of the day, finding the humor in this whole crazy experience is the best way to stay sane.

Up next: a few weeks working hard in site and then headed to Cuzco/Machu Picchu at the end of August with the next round of visitors. Thanks for reading this blog, stay tuned for more -- I promise to update more often! Comments are great ways to motivate me to update! Miss you all mucho.

Still Standing

Apologies for the lapse in posting. I think I’ve said before that I don’t want to use this blog as a public platform for complaints, negativity and insight into my schizophrenic emotional breakdowns, so I try not to post in the middle of such breakdowns. Which is a long way of saying that it’s been an up-and-down couple months. It’s hard to explain the frustration that comes with watching good idea after good idea fall into the “Little Project That Could But Won’t Because of Lack of Follow Through” category. I gave up my life, or at the very least put it on hold, to come here for a variety of reasons, many of which were selfish. But one driving reason was a desire to do something different, something for the greater good, as cliché as that might sound. And also a belief that I was somehow qualified to do this thing, whatever it is. As one failed project rolls into another, it’s hard to keep motivation high and it becomes harder to justify my presence here. That’s not to say that I am unhappy, but I feel like I’m taking so much more than I’m giving.

That’s the abridged version of what’s been going on with me, at least internally. I’m happy to say that I’m feeling much more positive about my situation. I have a few small pilot projects in the works that seem promising, which I won’t go into detail about for fear of jinxing them. I continue to build and strengthen a few meaningful relationships with people in my town, relationships that, at the end of the day (or two years), will do more to define my time here than any project I could hope to develop.

My buddy, Violeta

Case in point: meet my friend Violeta. She’s 42, has two grown children and one grandson. She sells artisan products at the museum complex. She was one of the first people I met and has never failed to make me feel at home. Despite never having traveled much further than Chiclayo, she has a tacit understanding and empathy for what it must feel like to be so far from home. She talks to me like a real person, asking my opinions on anything from fashion to politics to marketing strategy. She is always giving me little trinkets from her stand; friendship bracelets, rings, perfume samples. She invites me to her house for lunch where she feeds me really good food and then lets me take a nap on her couch in front of the TV. In short, she is amazing – this nurturing and fun hybrid of a girlfriend/aunt/mother. I like to think I’m teaching her things or opening her eyes to a broader understanding of the world, but I’m pretty sure I’m getting the better deal out of this relationship. For someone who spends so much time alone, the power of a kind word or an unexpected hug can not be overstated.

I am also so lucky to have my host family, who puts up with my unpredictable stomach and/or appetite, who leaves me alone to read for hours in my room but somehow intuits when I need company, who invites me everywhere and who has opened my eyes to a whole new dimension of generosity. And what would this whole experience be without my hilariously witty and insightful volunteer pals? They remind me that anything can be dealt with if you just laugh at it and inspire me to “just keep swimming.”

Some of my very favorite people

AND…drum roll…I’ve made it a YEAR! Yep, June 6th marked the one-year anniversary of my arrival in Peru. Sometimes I feel like I’ve been here forever and sometimes it seems like mere weeks. It’s been a whirlwind year. I’ve lived through more once-in-a-lifetime experiences than I though was possible, some of which I’ll be glad never to repeat – namely that 18-hour canoe ride. I wish I had some clever turn of phrase to summarize this year, but so far this experience has proven impossible to summarize or neatly package. Suffice to say it’s been a year of contradictions and a year of learning. I’m looking forward to seeing what the next year brings; hopefully plenty more blog material at the very least. But for now, I’ll just say that I’m proud to have made it this far, still standing.

Happy July 4th weekend!