All the Joy You'll Find

Think of all the joy you'll find, when you leave the world behind, and bid all your cares goodbye.

You can fly! You can fly! -- Peter Pan 

My last two weeks in Lima have flown by (pun intended) and they have been full of presentations, tests, papers, and, of course, some amazing experiences! And, although Lima, with its constant noise, its air pollution, its crime, its concrete, and its constant cloudiness, is not by any means my favorite place in this incredible country, these last two weeks have definitely helped me to find some joy here as well! 

 First, the one truly negative thing that has happened during my whole four months in Peru: I got robbed. I was in Villa El Salvador by myself walking to the bus stop and pulled my camera out of my backpack really quick to take a photo of a soccer game for my fútbol-obsessed friend Ava, when all of a sudden a guy ran up and snatched it out of my hand. I grabbed onto his shirt and held on for dear life-- yelling like a bilingual maniac, hitting him, and trying to get it back. He got loose and took off, with me in pursuit until a "get-away moto" came along yelling "Sube! Sube! Sube!" (Get on! Get on! Get on!) and they disappeared. Definitely unfortunate. Definitely could have been a lot worse. And, although there are uncool people like my thief in Villa, I also met a couple of really nice people that same day: Earlier in the day, a moto driver gave me an extra long and completely free ride when he found out I was a volunteer and, after being robbed and looking like a very sad gringa standing in the street, another driver gave me a free lift to the bus stop. Just a little more proof for my strong belief that there are good and bad people everywhere. 

Besides that one sad incident, the last two weeks have been pretty awesome! I love finals and term papers! Hahaha I kid, I kid. But, so far at least, I have survived them and had some very fun times in between. Last Friday evening we had a "despedida" or goodbye party in the IFSA office with all of our professors, host families, and patas. Then on Saturday night, our group headed to the Brisas del Titicaca restaurant for a delicious dinner and show. We got to watch lots of tradition Peruvian dances, listen to music, and even do a little dancing ourselves! Although it was a late night-- we left the restaurant sometime around 2 a.m.-- it was a great time with all the friends I've made this semester and a good chance to keep practicing that salsa dancing! 

Sunday, Kaylie and I headed back to Pachacamac, the ruins south of Lima, for the celebration of the summer solstice called Inti Raymi. The celebration was beautiful! Participants were dressed in elaborate and colorful costumes and performed acrobatic tricks, dances, and music. Meanwhile, offerings were being made to Pachamama, Mother Earth, and towards the end of the ceremony we all hugged and wished each other a happy new year-- there's nothing like being squeezed tight by a four foot something woman in a bowler hat and multicolored shawl to make you feel happy! 

The week consisted of a zillion presentations and tests as well as my last two trips to Villa El Salvador. On Wednesday evening I went out for my last visit to the Mujer Emprende program and public hours. I was able to become the first customer for the Mujer Emprende program when I bought one of the dolls they have been working to make for my doll-collecting grandmother! The goal of the program is to teach the women handicraft and business skills so that they can eventually raise enough money to start their own small business together. It's an amazing program and I was happy to help start it off! 

After two finals and a paper due Thursday, I came home and went to bed before 6 p.m. Yes, I am 97 years old. It was fantastic. 

On Friday morning, Martha and I taught our last computer class! We taught the kids internet research and note-taking skills this week and it was awesome to see how much some of them have learned. It was a holiday so we didn't get to teach English this week, but received some wonderful (and gigantic!) thank-you notes from the kids we have been working with at Buena Esperanza! I was sad to say goodbye to Villa El Salvador-- it's been such a good experience working with Building Dignity and learning about the people of this amazing sand dune city. 

Friday afternoon my host aunt decided to take me to La Punta-- a historic neighborhood in Callao that is basically the furthest tip of Lima into the ocean. My two aunts came with and we walked around the area, seeing the ocean from both sides! It was pretty and so nice to spend a little more time with the people who have become my second family. 

In the evening, Ava and her visiting Guatemalan boyfriend were kind enough to host a bbq at their hostel! I have not eaten a burger in ages, but it tasted strangely delicious last night! Sitting out on the rooftop laughing with friends and listening to a guitar-- this is what I'm going to miss. I have made some of the most amazing friends here and I can only hope our mutual wanderlust will help us cross paths in the near future! 

And today... today I jumped off a cliff and learned to fly. I had planned a studious day and was diligently working when Ava called to let me know that it was not entirely cloudy and that the paragliders were active! I had almost given up on this Peruvian goal thanks to uncooperative winds, but as soon as she called I hopped in a taxi and headed to the cliffs! I thought I would be at least a teensy bit scared as I jumped off 150 foot cliffs with only a parachute and an instructor to keep me from plummeting to the ground, but instead I felt weightless. Peaceful. Joyful. The view was to die for-- the city stretching out in one direction, the sea in another-- but what was most amazing about this experience was just the pure joy of it! It was a wonderful, wonderful way to say goodbye to my temporary home, to conquer a fear, and to fulfill a childhood dream. So yes, Peter Pan, I can fly :)