ONE WEEK FOLX. One week left living and working in my rural community until I travel to Lima to complete the process of ending service. I’m having a mix of emotions and while I’m excited to reunite with friends and family and start something new I’m also very sad to leave the relationships I’ve developed here. The past few weeks people who I didn’t think knew me well have called me by my name rather than “gringa” which means a lot to me! While my work here hasn’t always been easy I’m taking the time to reflect on the good things that I’ll miss.
POTATOES
Please don’t quote me on this, I beg of you! When you eat boiled potatoes at least twice a day every day it gets repetitive. But I have planted the seeds then pulled them out of the ground and I know how fresh and uncontaminated they are. And I swear sometimes they taste like butter!
LA NATURALEZA
I am surrounded by nature here and it is so calming and refreshing. From beautiful cotton candy sunsets to the green and yellow and brown patchwork farms to the striking white snow of the mountains. I am constantly walking through fields or forests next to deafening rivers and smelling the eucalyptus planted in abundance. The full moon’s light shining through the door, the sun forcing me up as it pierces through my glass window.
BREASTFEEDING
No shame about it here! It’ll definitely be weird to go back to the US where women can’t feed their babies in public. While at first it was shocking to me here I love the connection between mother and child and that it’s not sexualized.
COMMUNITY
I can be walking somewhere and run into someone I know, not necessarily a mother I worked with or know well but stop and have a 5 minute conversation. And even if I don’t know someone well, I still know that! I will definitely miss the strong sense of community.
MY HOST FAMILY
My host family has been the best part of my time. They always help me and take great care of me. I can be myself around them and play with my little brothers. Leaving them is the hardest thing.
I am so grateful for everyone that has opened their homes, their lives, their families to me. Having a stranger come live in your house and want to work with you is not normal or common and I am so indebted to everyone who has loved me so much in my time here. I have gained so much patience and understanding in these two years, just to name a little. It’s sad and scary to leave as I don’t know when I will be back to visit (but I will!) or how easy communication and staying in contact will be. In my last week I want to spend my time focusing on the good times I’ve had with everyone and thanking them while saying my goodbyes.
¡What's New in Perú! 