So Many Places

I have left my heart in so many places. 

I haven't quite wrapped my mind around it, but it's time to say goodbye to this semester, to all of the amazing people I've come to know and love, and to this crazy beautiful, diverse, troubled, and wonderful place that is Peru. I will miss it all. And yet, I am so excited to return home, to see my family, friends, and fiance, and to prepare for whatever new adventure life throws for me. 

This has, without a doubt, been the semester of a lifetime: 

I watched the sun set over the ocean.

I settled into a new house and university.

I played in magical fountains.

I swam in the Pacific.

I saw sea lions and penguins at the Islas Palominos.

I went sandboarding and dune-buggy riding in the desert and watched the most beautiful sunset.

I flew over the Nazca Lines.

I saw mummies. 

I visited the oldest civilization in the Americas. 

I celebrated Semana Santa with festivals, bull pulls, and enormous candle-lit floats.

I was proposed to in the most magical spot in the world. 

I visited ruins in the heart of the city.

I traveled to Machu Picchu and hiked this mountain.

I ventured off the beaten path and had my breath taken away.

I volunteered in a city built on a sand dune and met some of the strongest people I know.

                                                 

I wandered into the jungle and spent a week learning and volunteering.

I celebrated my 20th birthday.

I made it back to the jungle where I saw river dolphins, held a sloth, and swam in the Amazon.

I learned about Afro-Peruvian culture in El Carmen.

I celebrated Inti Raymi in Incan ruins.

I flew over Lima as a goodbye.

I traveled to Cieneguilla and went horseback riding.

I visited the girls' shelter in Cusco one last time.

I toured Cusco on my own for a day.

I visited a yacht club in Chorrillos with my host family.

And I said goodbye to some of the best friends I've ever had! 

*Apologies. This post was written months ago and I never got around to posting it*

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 :) 

How Lucky

How lucky I am to have something that makes saying goodbye so hard. -- Winne the Pooh 

Done with classes. Done with finals. Done with volunteering in Villa El Salvador. Done with group outings. Done with the lavanderia and the fotocopiadora (no tears there!) Done with Lima. 

Wow.

I am so sad to go, and so happy to return home. Such conflicting emotions, but overall I am just so GRATEFUL that I have had this wonderful, amazing, big, fat experience. So grateful that I've gotten to know some of the most amazing people ever and some of the most beautiful places in the world. So grateful to be reminded what adventuring feels like and why I'm here. So grateful that I have a loving family to return to and a loving family to leave behind. 

And, of course, so grateful I have a chance to see these wonderful girls before I go! 

Choose to Live in Joy

We cannot cure the world of sorrows, but we can choose to live in joy! ~ Joseph Campbell 

A bit over a week ago, Saturday the 5th, Andy arrived in Peru! I was so excited to see him and planned to surprise him at the airport in Lima. Unfortunately, my romantic gesture completely failed as Andy somehow managed to slip out of the airport without me seeing him! Luckily, I made it back to Parque Kennedy and, right as I was about to have a breakdown-- having lost my non-Spanish speaking boyfriend in a foreign country with no reliable way of contacting him-- I heard him call my name! Such a relief!

Andy and I in front of Parque Kennedy where we met that night (this was taken on Andy's last day in Peru though!) 

The rest of the week went a bit more smoothly. Sunday we made our way down to the center of Lima, visiting the Plaza de San Martín, the Plaza de Armas, and the Church and Monastery of San Francisco. At the main cathedral of the Plaza de Armas, there was a huge celebration for the canonization of a new saint so we got to enjoy carpets made of flowers, crowds of nuns and priests, and religious floats for a bit! After that, we walked over to the church where we got a tour of the building, the monastery, and the catacombs! In the evening, we met up with a few of my study abroad friends for dinner and browsed a small market in Parque Kennedy.

Lima Cathedral where a parade/celebration was taking place.

Flower carpets in front of the presidential palace. 

Iglesia de San Francisco where we toured the church, monastery, and catacombs. 

On Monday, I brought Andy to Villa El Salvador with me to spend the morning volunteering with Building Dignity. The ride in the moto taxi might have been Andy's favorite part! They are certainly not like anything in the U.S.-- riding in the back of a teensy taxi built on top of some kind of dirt bike over an unpaved road on a sand dune is a unique Peruvian experience! We helped out at Building Dignity and grabbed lunch in Villa El Salvador before heading back to Miraflores for Andy and class at La Católica for me!

Walking through Villa El Salvador.

One of the motos that you can ride up the dirt roads to get to the volunteer site. 

Fresh juice at lunch! 

Tuesday meant a trip to Pachacamac-- Incan ruins located about an hour south of Lima. The ruins certainly couldn't compare to Machu Picchu, but they were pretty impressive, especially thanks to their location on cliffs overlooking the ocean! Later in the day, we tried to take advantage of the Magical Fountains that I visited earlier in the semester only to discover that the park wasn't open on Tuesdays. Instead, we headed to the movie theater since Tuesdays are half-price movie nights and laughed at the very non-Peruvian "American Pie" movie!

Andy and I in front of a temple at Pachacamac. 

Some of the ruins in front of the urban sprawl of Lima. 

Andy and I at Parque de Amor. 

The Miraflores lighthouse. 

Andy decided that he wanted to see the university so on Wednesday he came along for my classes at PUCP. I felt a bit bad that he had to sit through a class all in Spanish but he survived and got to meet the rest of my IFSA-Butler friends! In the evening, we visited my host family so that they could officially meet Andy. We sat, chatted, and snacked for a couple of hours before my Aunt Frida was kind enough to give us a lift to the bus station where we boarded a late bus to Huaraz!

Huaraz was just stunningly, breathtakingly beautiful! 

We got into Huaraz at 6 a.m. the next morning and found our hostel, Alpes Huaraz. After hanging out on their couch for a couple of hours, we ate breakfast and headed out on a tour to Chavin de Huantar. We stopped by a beautiful mountain lake and the view during the whole three hour drive was simply breath-taking! The Cordillera Blanca to one side, the Cordillera Negra to the other-- I couldn't get over how spectacular it was! Chavin de Huantar  consists of ruins built by the Chavin culture beginning nearly 5,000 years ago-- it's just a bit younger than Caral! We toured the ruins and went to the local museum displaying Chavin artifacts before heading back to Huaraz to eat dinner and arrange the next day's adventures.

SO BEAUTIFUL! 

Laguna Querococha on the way to Chavin de Huantar. 

Andy and I at the lake. 

Our tour group for Chavin de Huantar from Chile, Peru, the U.S.,  France, and Spain! 

Stone heads at Chavin de Huantar. 

Friday morning we woke up early and met our bus at 6 a.m. We were able to sleep for the first hour or so of the bus ride, but soon hit a dirt road leading up into the mountains and were bounced around far too much to think about getting any more rest! We stopped at the beautiful Llaganuco lake and, 2 hours after beginning the journey up the dirt road, arrived at the start of the Laguna 69 trail. The hike was about 3 hours long uphill and, unfortunately, I was feeling a bit sick from the altitude. I wasn't even sure I was feeling up to finishing the hike-- especially after I was pretty sure the lake was right over the next hill, but, when we climbed over it, it was only a little cow pond and we could see that the lake was still a long uphill hike away! The beautiful view helped spur me on though and eventually we arrived at Laguna 69! It was incredibly beautiful-- turquoise water surrounded by snowy mountain peaks-- and, after resting there a bit, snacking, and chatting with some other hikers, I was feeling a lot better!

Llaganuco.

Andy and I at Llaganuco pre-hike. 

The hike to Laguna 69 was b-e-a-utiful with waterfalls, flowers, and stunning mountain views! 

Snowy mountain tops up close and personal.  

Laguna 69. 

We were about ready to head back down the mountain when Andy asked one of the other hikers if she would take a last picture of us by the laguna. I handed my camera to the girl and, when I turned around, there was Andy down on one knee, holding a ring, and asking me to marry him! I was so surprised and happy! He couldn't have picked a more beautiful place to propose. After more than four years together-- across countries and continents-- I couldn't imagine finding anybody I'd rather spend the rest of my life with.

After a lot of hugging, laughing, and enjoying the clapping and congratulations of our fellow hikers, we made the two hour trek back to our bus and returned to Huaraz where we got a well-deserved dinner and were asleep by 8 p.m.! The next day, we slept in, wandered through the local markets, and then went horseback riding in the mountains near Yungar. The view was, of course, amazing and Andy had never ridden a horse before (or been out of the country or been to the mountains as it turns out!) That night we ate dinner and then took the 10 o'clock bus back to Lima.

A last view of the beautiful Laguna 69.

Climbing into the mountains on horseback. 

A view of Huascaran, the highest peak in Peru. 

Andy and I. 

Sunday, our last day together, we spent being homeless... at least for a few hours that is. Our bus arrived much earlier than I had expected-- around 4:45 a.m.-- and I hadn't thought to make any hostel reservations and knew it was too early to return to my host family's home and wake all of them! Instead, Andy and I hung out in Parque Kennedy waiting and waiting for McDonald's to open so we could get some breakfast (Lima doesn't like to get out of bed too early!) When Mickey D's finally did open its doors half an hour late we discovered that they were only serving hamburgers-- such a disappointment! Luckily, after a trip to Starbucks and a nap in a park, our day improved and we ended up wandering in the local markets and down to the beach, spending some time with my host family, and enjoying some delicious waffles before we had to say goodbye! As soon as I sent Andy off, I had to head to a coffee shop and start studying for my Monday midterm! Definitely a bit of a reality check! 

I'm so happy that Andy was able to visit and I was able to show him some of the things I have learned to love in my time in Peru (including the Inca Kola I made him try!) And I am so, so blessed to have such a romantic and caring guy to spend the rest of my life with, as well as the most supportive family and friends in the whole world! So, despite the pile of homework sitting before me, I can't be too upset! I am just way too overwhelmingly full of joy right now!