2012 was a
great year. I got invited to be a Peace Corps in Peru. I began to immerse in
the Peruvian culture. I made many new friends. I managed to stay in contact with friends who
I left behind in the states. I ate guinea pig for the first time. I improved my
knowledge of the Spanish language. I became a part of a wonderful Peruvian
family. I got over my fear of talking in front of a group of people. I’ve began to appreciate the value of spending
time with myself. I began to take care of my body more by exercising and
incorporating more fruits and veggies in my diet. I discovered just how
wonderful mangos are. I’ve been humbled by seeing the disparity here and realized
how much I took for granted in the states.
The past
month of December has also brought some joy. I’ve become more involved in my
municipality and am hoping that with their help I will be able to have
successful summer program. I talked with the health center about a project with
adolescent mothers. I had a nice Christmas with my host family. I did miss my
mother’s cooking and being able to see my nieces and nephew but that was balanced with the looks of joy
on the faces of children here during the choclatada my host family put
together. The Lambayeque 19ers got together and had a secret santa exchange. Then
I made my merry way to Mancora to celebrate the coming of 2013.
2013 didn’t
start off so great. I had many expectations for Mancora; I was told by other
volunteers that it was so much fun and I’d have a blast. Not 2 hours after the
fireworks rang in the new year; my best friend and I were leaving the bar to
venture to another bar, when we walked outside there was some douche bag harassing
another female volunteer; one of the male volunteers stepped to tell the guy to
back off; the douchebag proceeded to get aggressive and my best friend (such a
good hearted person) stepped in to keep them from fighting; the douchebag
proceeded to knock her out with a punch to the face sending her to ground and
then kicked the male volunteer in the face a couple of times; probably one of
the most terrifying things I’ve seen in person. The two injured volunteers are
such troopers and they’ll be fine but that experience kinda tainted my fondness
for Mancora- I realize that this could have happened anywhere seeing as douchebags
exist everywhere but I probably won’t make the trip back next year. Don’t worry
though I still have few shiny moments from my vacation: after midnight all the
volunteers went around hugging and kissing each other; laying on beautiful
beaches and swimming in the warm waters; dipping into a mud bath (never knew it
was dream come true until I was swimming in a pool of mud (I’ll post pictures
when I have access to faster internet); and just being able to spend time with a
group of people who I can honestly say without hesitation are some of the most
wonderful people on the planet and I’m so glad to have gotten to know them in
2012.
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