Thursday, March 23, 2006

Coming Home

Mar. 22
I've definitely been slacking on my journaling. OK, you have me, I've hardly journaled at all in the last couple of months. Maybe it's because I have 44 days left in country. I remember sitting at my desk in the Family Connection office counting down from 64 days until I leave for Peru. Now, here I am counting the days until I come home.

March 20 marked my two year anniversary. The day went by like any other, but I did take the time to congratulate myself and a couple others. I also took the time to reflect on my two years here. I've really done this. Looking back over two years, it's not the change I see in Peru or my Peruvian counterparts that I really appreciate, but the change I see in myself. I'm so much more aware of who I really am. I've learned that Peace Corps is about character development of the volunteer; the projects in sites become secondary. I've learned how to take care of myself. I see that it's good to take from others who are different from you and use their good qualities to improve yourself. I'm proud to be small town Southerner. What a blessing it truly is to be from a culture where belief in God thrives and genuine hospitality, not only to your neighbor but any stranger, is not only expected by taken for granted.

I'm ready to go home. Before now, I wasn't. I often thought that I was ready. Oh, I was so homesick, believing I was never going to make it to the end of two years. But looking back, I wasn't. I wasn't ready on the inside. Now, it's the Lindsey that accepts her strengths and shortcomings, that appreciates what makes her, well, Lindsey that is coming home.

Feb. 27
I keep envisioning myself working in New England for the summer, doing things I've only wished I could do in the past, especially sea kayaking, sailing. It's kind of like my Peace Corps service, but shorter and with kids that actually speak my language. And unlike Peace Corps, they're actually going to be paying me!

I've just returned from COSing in Lima, that's Close of Service in PC lingo. I'm officially done! I have the certificate and pin to prove it. It really is an awesome feeling to know that I made it the two full years, not to mention, I'm practically a different person having learned so much.

I had some friends from home visiting for a couple of days. They were such troopers! Barely speaking any Spanish, they made it to Huaraz to hang out with me, then on to Cuzco to see Machu Picchu. It was a fun week.

Feb. 10
Today was Ultimate day and it was a fun time. We had to share the field with literally hundreds of kids that evidently were on some kind of field day. We nestled away our little bit of space and ended up playing a good game of five on five. I twisted my left ankle (the only healthy one I had left), but fortunately it was not too severe and I was able to continue playing. One of my buddies got busted in the lip with the disc, so I consider myself pretty lucky, since I didn't shed any blood.

The best news for what's going on with me is that I was offered a job as an adventure travel leader with a company in Nyack, NY. I had an intense 1+ hour web cam interview. I'll be leading groups of high schoolers on adventure and/or service learning trips for 15-20 day trips this summer in Maine, New York, and possibly Colorado and Wyoming. The adventure aspect they throw in is hiking, sailing, climbing, swimming, kayaking, biking, and horse back riding. They are even going to certify me in First Aid, CPR, and Life guarding. I'm so excited.

Feb. 5
It hit me in the face that I really only have a couple of months to go. With such a tight schedule my days are filled with various projects that I'm trying to complete:

The Youth Development "Best Practices" project is going well. I have been put in charge of interviewing in person nearly all of the current Youth Development PCVs. That means actually going to their sites and questioning them (with a great new digital video camera). Logistically speaking, it's been a lot of work to coordinate with the PCVs to be in their sights when they actually have work going on. For me on a personal level, it's really inspiring to see what good work we are doing with kids in this country. I've actually copied a project, "¿Quien Soy Yo?", and have implemented my own version in the orphanage.

I'm visiting the orphanage around 3-4 times a week. We've made earrings, started the new self-identification workshop, and just generally had a good time. It's overwhelming at times since I have almost 40 kids I'm working with each visit.

The Gringos Saludables theater group starts up again on Tuesday. We've been broad casted on the radio and TV even. Supposedly, the mayor and all the political big-wigs are coming to our next performance. I'll have to make sure my campesina gear is in tip-top form.

The book club is still a big hit. We'll be discussing "Memoirs of a Geisha" come next Saturday. Right now, I'm submersing myself in "The Book of Ruth", a fiction piece written from the perspective of a developmentally challenged girl. It's quite fantastic.

I'm right in the middle of editing our most recent edition of "Pasa La Voz", the PCV Newsletter. It's always fun to read what other PCVs experience and how they then put it down on paper.
My newest project is a Christian Diversity Group retreat coming up weekend after next.

Diversity groups were put into place for PCVs who felt in order to support one another in their similar differences (if that makes sense) and that they might actually meet together and "deal". There is a Jewish group, LBGT group, Minorities group, and several others. The Christian group which I've recently picked up the ball on, is planning on attending an English language interdenominational church service in Lima, then chatting about issues on the beach for a couple of days. It will be nice to be around other Christians and get their views on life as a PCV.

I'm still stressing about what to do with LIFE AFTER PC, as I keep sending in my applications for grad schools and jobs. I'll just have to see when it gets here.

Jan. 17
Life is Peru really never ceases to amaze me. I'm floating, it seems, through my days, nothing really of any importance to do, yet time is flying by and I feel so occupied. I head to Lima tomorrow for an "all-important" work session with my boss and by the time I return to Huaraz, it will be February. February, the month where I officially end my Peace Corps service during our Close of Service ceremony. Where has all my time gone? It seems like yesterday that I returned home from my Christmas vacation to the states.

On Sunday, I took a magnificent hike with some PCV pals. We hiked straight up and toward Huascaran, the highest peak. I can't really describe the feeling I had when we crested the last pass between us and "The Majesty" of the Andes. I felt like I could reach out, wrap my arms around the peak, and touch the snow. The hike exhausted me as we didn't really know our route and ended up following the river back to the main road. Resting for lunch and to chat with some barefoot Quechua women, it can be marked as another fantastic day.

Saturday, March 04, 2006


Turquoise water of Lake Llanganuco