We had to be ready to leave Cuzco by about 7:30 to drive to the airport (thank God I was able to sleep during it) for our 11:50 flight to Lima. As soon as we landed after our short 45-minute flight, I felt the difference in air. It was like we'd been breathing underwater for two weeks and I finally had oxygen again. We all somehow didn't notice the permeating fish smell that had been so strong before... maybe we'd gotten used to it, or maybe we just weren't close enough to the ocean; who knows. We had another hour-long drive to good old Youth Hostel. I dragged my things up the stairs to my 12-bed room and immediately got online to get in touch with my host family. I'd been in contact with Renzo to let him know I'd be in town one last night and to try to arrange something with him. After I got online, I wrote down his number and called him from Monica's cell. He told me to come to his house at 4pm, so I hung up and figured out plans until then (this was at about 2 or 2:30).
I wasn't sure if we'd be eating together or not and didn't want to take any risks, so I walked with Alison, Rachel, Natalie, Amy and a few others in search of Mexican food. There was a really good restaurant that others had been to right by the hostel, but it was closed (we figured this was since it was Sunday, but later that night I discovered it must've just opened up later on in the day). I didn't have too much time to spare on finding another restaurant and eating before going to my host family again, so I bought some food at Wong's with Kim and we walked back to the hostel to eat. After having a nice chat with her and finishing my two empanadas, I hauled a cab to my beloved Calle Martin Napanga. I was really happy to be back in Lima and was so eager to see my family again.
I love Cuzco with its gorgeous scenery, interesting culture, daily parades/dances and more. But it's also very touristy and I was sick with a cold during most of my stay... I was bombarded daily with locals who offered me tourist items ("Lady, massage?" "Machu Picchu information?" "Sunglasses?" Eventually, I knew exactly at what spot people would ask me things and who to expect) and didn't enjoy the nightlife that was overly crowded but desperately lacking Peruvians. I enjoyed my time in both cities and fell in love with Cuzco right away, but my heart belongs in Lima with my family, the people, the nightlife and my experiences I'll always keep so dear to me.
I got to the house and talked with Renzo a bit while we waited for everyone else to come back from the grocery store. When I got into the cab ride to his house, I realized just how tired I was, and I was overcome with the familiar feeling I experienced so often in Lima: I was too busy, too tired, too mentally drained to speak Spanish to the best of my ability. Renzo and I chatted, and while my Spanish had definitely improved, I had trouble understanding some simpler things sometimes (plus he always talks so quickly that I had to adjust to that as well, since the people here tend to speak slowly and clearly). I told him I was tired but wanted to see everybody, and he said I should take a nap til 6:30 and then hang out with the family. I said my hellos to Miriam, Manolo and Alvaro (Ximena was at a friend's house til later on in the evening)... man, did I miss them. I had a chance to catch up with them briefly before going upstairs and napping. (How sweet of them to allow me to rest there when I came to visit) I awoke a few hours later and came downstairs, where they had coffee and bread and snacks ready for me. Manolo and I spoke one-on-one most of the time and it was so great to talk with him again. I was able to communicate much more easily and confidently, plus I just enjoyed his company so much. We had an ongoing joke about eating cats (in the very beginning, he asked me if there was anything I didn't eat, since he noticed some of the people on the trip are vegetarians. I told him, no, I'll eat everything, so he asked me, "Even cat?" The joke took off from there), and when Miriam offered me tea, she said it was cat tea. I told her puma was my favorite kind.
After being in a serious household in Cuzco with barely any sense of freedom or room to breathe, I was once again relaxed.
I truly do love my Lima family and it meant so much to be able to see them again. I couldn't have asked for a better host family... when I was packing up after my 2 weeks in Lima, Manolo told me to pack the bed since it's mine; he said if I ever come back to Lima, that's my home. And I felt at home there since the beginning.
So, after a wonderful conversation with Manolo, Renzo and I went out for a few hours to walk along the beach. He told me there was a place along the playa where people hang out every Sunday by bonfire. We walked the few-minute walk over and saw about 50 people gathered there... in the middle of the bonfire, probably 10 different people were jamming out on bongos and other percussion, which was amazing to experience. We met some local people and some Americans, too. Then we just sat on a bench and chatted for a while.
We went back to the house and I had a bit more time to talk with Ximena and Miriam and Renzo (unfortunately, Manolo wasn't home, but I told them to say goodbye for me). I told them that I have every intention of returning to Peru (possibly with my dad) and will definitely keep in touch. I also told them, "It's not goodbye; it's see you later." And I know I will see them sooner rather than later.
Renzo left to help a fellow architecture student with his thesis project, and I gave everyone hugs and took a cab back to the hostel around 9:30 or 10.
I got there and went outside by the pool to find a dozen or so of my friends hanging out. Cara passed around her MacBook Pro so that we could all choose some songs to add to our newly-created Peru Playlist. I discovered what great taste everyone had... from Bob Dylan to Adele to Iron & Wine to the Beatles and more, we had a blast hanging out and enjoying our company and music.
At some point, I was hungry and decided to head out to Wong's to buy some cheap food. On my way there, I saw that the Mexican place was open, so I happily ordered a pork taco to go. I brought it back to my table of friends and ate it there. After a few hours of socializing, I debated whether it was worth it to try to take a nap for a few hours. We had to meet up at 3am to head to the airport for our 7am flight. I fought to stay awake, since I wanted to save all my sleeping for the planes, but by about 1am I decided to hit the sack. I woke up groggily and boarded the bus, experiencing a very strange, uncomfortable feeling that this was all coming to a rapid halt. While we go to America, Scott will actually be traveling to Ecuador with one of his friends who lives there. He said goodbye to us all and it finally hit me that this group of 30 will never be in the same place at the same time again. I won't bother to blog about our 5 1/2 trip to Miami or our 3 hour flight to Boston, but I will say some final remarks on the 45 days I've had here.
I didn't know much at all about Peru before I decided to spend the better part of my summer here, but now I feel like this country's a part of me as much as I'm a part of it. I've been so involved and interested in its culture, history, people, dances, food, politics, everyday lifestyles, thoughts, struggles and more. I've followed an historical presidential election and discovered an aspect of Peru to which I had previously been oblivious: the terrorism that so many of its inhabitants experienced and for which they lived in daily fear. (I've honestly been more concerned and more fascinated with its history, politics and economics than I have with my own country's.)
Peru is an incredibly beautiful country, and what it lacks in economic wealth it has an abundance in scenery/places, artifacts, culture, kind people, caring people, proud people. Yes, Peruvians are proud to be Peruvians, and I understand why. This is a country that has so deeply touched me in many ways and I am proud to have spent my dialogue here, but at the same time, it's sad to know that we live so comfortably in America while the minimum wage here is only 150 dollars a MONTH (I've actually been told it's 250 soles, but it looks like 500 soles might be the official amount. True, everything here is much cheaper, but as tourists we tend to take that for granted and not think about how expensive 10 soles a meal is when you're living off of nothing).
The country has a long way to go, and I know that I will be watching it progress. And, speaking of progression, my experience to Peru has significantly improved my Spanish abilities all-around. I asked Renzo how my Spanish was, and he agreed that it's changed a whole lot, and I'm able to understand and speak much more easily. My whole family commented on it, too. I'd always felt more self-conscious speaking with the children (it took a while for Renzo and I to really start speaking and hanging out) since the parents took charge more, and I didn't feel as comfortable speaking in the first place. But Ximena and I sat at the table and I felt like a different person talking to her. It was then that I realized just how much my Spanish had improved.
I thought back to my first few days and weeks in Peru when I was so eager to learn and, considering my arduous, broken path to learning Spanish, I was speaking and understanding really well. But I had forgotten many basic words or phrases, and had trouble putting simple pieces together when I wasn't 100% sure what someone meant. I second-guessed myself a lot, I thought a lot before and during speaking, I made plenty of careless errors (ok, that much hasn't really changed, but that's a natural part of learning, and I suppose I do make less now), and overall I wasn't as smooth and confident in my speech. But after talking with mi familia peruana (which I realized was probably the best, most thorough practice for me this whole trip), I found myself speaking more quickly and thinking less, feeling drastically more confident in my speech, and more willing to elaborate, articulate, and explain concepts for which I didn't have the vocabulary.
Oh my God, I've learned so much in these six weeks!
I still have a long way to go before I reach my goal of being fluent in Spanish, but it will be a whole lot easier for me to continue my studies after this. I'm pretty sure that I will be choosing between spending my last semester (in January, after I co-op this July-December) in Argentina or Spain, and I can't wait to see how much I improve after 4-5 months if this is how I feel after only 6 weeks.
I have had so many incredible experiences here, and while I have benefited from and enjoyed the time to myself (partly because that's my personality and partly because, as I've said, the one-on-one conversations really help me out), the people here have made this trip. Monica's been working since well before we even took off to Miami and has made sure that we experience as much as humanly possible in the short time we have (last year's dialogue only had 5 weeks, so we've done even more than they did). She's guided us through everything and dealt with countless hospitalizations, trouble in Puno, inadequate tour guides, and so much more. She, her mom Sara, Jenny, and Henry have all helped us in ways we haven't seen but have felt. And the people I've met here, from the Peruvians to the 29 other Northeastern students, have made me laugh, dance (trust me, I don't usually dance), smile, and, now that it's over, cry. But I will keep these memories and these people in my hearts forever. I have a stronger love of Spanish, an intense desire to keep learning (despite the countless times here where I've felt jaded/on the verge of just wanting to speak English already), a newfound confidence in my speech and comprehension, a love for Peru and its people, and many photos to keep me feeling like it was all just yesterday.
Y a Perú, me gustaría decir que siempre tendrás un lugar en mi corazón. Nunca puedo olvidarte ni mis experiencias increíbles aquí. Recuerda: no es "adiós;" es "hasta luego."
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