One year

Flashback to exactly one year ago: I’m sobbing on the airplane completely overwhelmed by the feeling of loss after having said goodbye to my family and Conner.  On one hand I was devastated but on the other hand, I was embarking on a dream. To decide to leave for Peace Corps was one of the easier decisions I have made, I was bright eyed and bushy tailed, ready to change the world but actually leaving my family and boyfriend at the airport and the 6-8 months that followed were the hardest times I’ve gone through and what I’ve heard from other volunteers more hardships are ahead but I am so completely happy that I’m here.

When I heard the phrases, “Peace Corps is the hardest job you’ll ever love” or “You’ll experience your highest highs and lowest lows” I just thought  guh, how cheesy! But in all honestly I don’t think there is a better way to describe Peace Corps in a more concise phrase. I have been humbled by the poverty in Peru but also by the incredible kindness shown by the people who live here. I have gawked at the beautiful landscape of Peru but have also rolled my eyes at how much garbage contaminates the beauty of this country.  I was taken in by two incredibly loving Peruvian families who treat me as one of their own and one I have to thank especially for giving me the best birthday I’ve ever had.  I’ve also had a few brief moments of “I could go home right now” or “What the hell am I doing here?” Right now all I can think is, “wow there is no way I could come home right now, but I would sure love a bloody mary.”  Before arriving in Peru, I had this idea of “big changes” and “saving people” but honestly the most change I have seen in the past year is in myself.  A year ago if you would have told me that I would be training for a ½ marathon I would have laughed in your face, nor would I have believed you if you said that I was teaching 9 classes in my high school and also had two other projects going on… I’m still quite awkward and sometimes a little shy but I have grown out of my timid-ness little by little. I have learned that Peace Corps isn’t about saving an entire community but it’s about celebrating the small successes-  I do hope that for the next 14 months I can that little bit of difference in the lives of the Peruvians I encounter but if not, I know I have been changed for the better at that will be enough.

I don’t think I could be here one year later without the unwavering support from my friends and family back home, from the time I made the decision to leave and to now. Thank you to all who have sent me care packages, letters, advice, or just simply staying in touch through Skype/facebook.  I am even grateful to all those who have not stayed in touch but nonetheless supported me before leaving. 
It would also be hard to be here if it weren't for all the amazing volunteers who I have had the privilege to serve with...they are among the most inspiring and wonderful people I've ever met.

Love you all, abrazos.

Here’s to the next 14-15 months.

p.s. Follow up post about CAMP ALMA to follow shortly 

Goodbyes,hearts,horcruxes, and second chances

I knew goodbyes were a part of joining the Peace Corps. The goodbyes to my friends and family back home when I left Iowa and the goodbyes I’ll have to do in 15 months with my new friends and family when I leave this place that has also become my home. Something that didn’t occur to me when I embarked on this journey were the goodbyes I’d being doing during service. Already said goodbye to the 16ers who left in November, while I wasn’t close to any of them, they were all fun, bright spirited people who I wished I had more time with. Then there are the people in my training group (19ers) who I’ve had to say goodbye to many times over; after saying swearing in we all parted ways into different parts of the country, while I have seen some of the group on various vacations or trainings there are some I have not seen since November and also have had to say goodbye to one wonderful 19er, Samuel, who left the Peace Corps a couple months ago. There are also the silent goodbyes on the occasional mornings when I open my eyes and realize it was just a dream- this realization can be just as painful as the original goodbye. In 3 months the 17ers will be leaving the country and I cannot imagine what Peru will be like without them. One 17er, Kim, said something as a joke a few weeks ago…as it was a Harry Potter reference it of course resonated with me….we were discussing the lifestyle of living abroad, my instant thought was that it’s something I would like to continue doing after service, then Kim said, “I think living abroad has taught me that I need to be grounded, when you live abroad it’s like leaving horcruxes all around the world.”  For the less fortunate who do not know what a horcrux is, I will not dive into a long drawn out explanation even though I am inclined to do so, in short- it is an object in which you conceal a part of your soul, while dangerous, your heart can be split into many different objects, the more often you split your soul the more it unstable it becomes. I have a lot of time to think things over and have turned it over in my mind many times…when you live in many places it does feel like leaving a part of your heart behind however not in objects, but in the people you meet and places discovered. It is a double edged sword in that, when you are live in such a way where you are always meeting new people, sometimes making a wonderful instant connection with them, a piece of you is left behind and if you are to part ways there may be a part of your heart that feels split forever. I am certain of the fact that I want to travel and see more of the world but I think what Kim said holds true, Harry Potter reference aside, you leave a bit of your heart behind in every new place explored, whether it is tucked away in the mountains in a beautiful lagoon or in someone met just in passing but inspired you to dance, to sing, to take action, or simply changed you even if only for a second. Home is where the heart is... home is when I’m with you... while I do feel lucky to be able to call so many places and people home, it leaves one feeling homesick more so than a person who stays in one spot. 

DRAMATIC TOPIC CHANGE >>>

From the facebook status of my fellow 19er Casey Lubbert:

As I was riding the overcrowded minivan back to Pátapo, the old man next to me caught me staring at his wrist. His long sleeves snuck up his arm just enough to reveal massive scars perpendicular to his arm. I felt his gaze fall upon mine, so I jerked my head upward in a failed attempt to act inconspicuous. His dark, sad eyes looked right through me “isn’t that horrible?” he said “I used to be very depressed as a kid and I cut myself.” I looked him in the eyes and told him “it’s not horrible at all. it would be horrible if one of those cuts had taken your life. It would be horrible if you didn’t have a second chance to learn from the mistakes of your adolescence. I made countless mistakes in my youth. I was so consumed by alcohol that I would drink until I blacked out almost every night. Although I don’t have scars on my wrist, my behavior was just as suicidal. I was throwing up blood and had unbelievably terrible nightmares for weeks when I finally made the decision to quit. I don’t look at those mistakes as horrible. They inspire me to learn from my past and they unremittingly motivate me to be a better person. Too many people die young and don’t get that second chance to learn from their past. We, on the other hand, are so lucky. In honor of the good people who have lost their lives to depression, addiction, or drug/alcohol abuse, let’s be thankful that we had this opportunity to meet each other. Be thankful for everything and everyone, every single day.” The old man never broke eye contact with me. After a few moments he gave a genuine smile and a tear fell down his cheek. He gave me a hug and we rode the next half hour side by side without saying another word.

Second chances. It’s the best gift that life has to give. I am so lucky to know such a great person like Casey and to know so many great volunteers here in Peru. I have told Casey countless times that he needs to be a motivational speaker; I am always so awe-inspired not just by what he says but it’s the way he says things, he is so positive and so open hearted and I hope you take a moment to consider his words: “Be thankful for everything and everyone, every single day.”

The USB charger for my camera has stopped working but my dear friend Erin brought me back a wall charger and will now be posting more pictures now that I can finally charge my camera!

Here are some pictures from my  last trip – photo credits to Erin Chapman 

Llanganuco, Ancash

Huaraz, Ancash at sunset

Huascaran

Jesus Statue-Yungay, Ancash

This homes here are relatively new, in the 1970s there was an earthquake that caused an avalanche that covered the entire city,
Yungay, Ancash

memorial of Yungay

Horcrux left here, Llanganuco

I'm on a boat- YAH!

yes, the water really looked like that

Poem "Some People" by Flavia Weedn which I think is very revelant to my blog post today. 

Some people come into our lives
and leave footprints on our hearts
and we are never ever the same.

Some people come into our lives
and quickly go...Some stay for a while
and embrace our silent dreams.

They help us become aware
of the delicate winds of hope...
and we discover within every human spirit
there are wings yearning to fly.

They help our hearts to see that
the only stairway to the stars
is woven with dreams...
and we find ourselves
unafraid to reach high.

They celebrate the true essence
of who we are...
and have faith in all
that we may become.

Some people awaken us
to new and deeper realizations...
for we gain insight
from the passing whisper of their wisdom.

Throughout our lives we are sent
precious souls...
meant to share our journey
however brief or lasting their stay
they remind us why we are here.

To learn...to teach...to nurture...to love.

Some people come into our lives
to cast a steady light
upon our path and guide our every step
their shining belief in us
helps us to believe in ourselves.

Some people come into our
lives to teach us about love...

The love that rests within ourselves.

Let us reach out to others
and feel the bliss of giving
for love is far richer in action
than it ever is in words.

Some people come into our lives
and they move our souls to sing
and make our spirits dance.

They help us to see that everything on earth
is part of the incredibility of life...
and that it is always there
for us to take of its joy.

Some people come into our lives
and leave footprints on our hearts
and we are never ever the same.

Love you all, peace, hugs, and kisses.

1/3 done

Who says high school/college are the best years of your life? This last weekend the volunteers of Lambayeque started a new tradition of Lambaysexy Prom. All the women rented Peruvian style dresses (think a mixture between a stripper and ugly bridesmaids’ dresses) and the guys dressed up nice and we all went out to the discotecca.  We even voted on a Prom King and Queen and Best Dressed.  I cannot wait to take part in the tradition next year when us 19ers will be the “seniors”!

All the Lambaysexy ladies

Lambaysexy 19ers falta Michelle, Betty, Erin and...Sam :(

The puffy dress gals

About two weeks ago I was watching an episode of Big Bang Theory with two other volunteers; Howard had just gotten back from a NASA expedition and when he returned it was all he could talk about, he even went out of his way to relate the conversations to his trip and eventually the others became very annoyed with him. I turned to the other two and said, “This is going to be us when we go back.” Not only will I not be able to shut up about Peru when I get back, I’ll also have some peculiar mannerisms. Before I left I always talked out loud to myself and I was always made fun of by my friends; now I feel normal about it, ALL volunteers talk to themselves out loud-we spend some much time solo that it becomes second nature.  I will probably be cursing out people all the time, I do this is here usually under my breath but still loud of enough to hear and I just take for granted that no one can understand what I’m actually saying.

Some others things I’ve become accustomed to:

-At night whenever I have to use the bathroom I will slowly enter and check the sink EVERYTIME.

A few months ago I walked into the bathroom and discovered a lizard in the sink and it jumped out of the sink and landed on my head and I screamed and screamed.  Ok. I’m going to level with you, the lizard didn’t land on my head nor did it leap out at me but it WAS there in the sink and I did scream and I will never make the mistake of walking into the bathroom without checking my surroundings first.

-An ant in my food or beverage              

I never thought I’d be able to pick a bug out of my food or beverage and continue consuming but now it has become second nature. Just now I was drinking a glass of water and there was a little anty in it and I tipped him out of the glass and continued to drink. Sometimes there is only a certain amount of boiled water in the house! Also I’m really wondering how I’m going to act in a restaurant in the states when I get back….you know the scene in Mean Girls when Lindsay Lohan leaps over the lunch table at Rachel McAdams? That’ll be me at restaurants when I see someone return a plate of food because of a piece of hair or a bug.

-Things starting late

It was so hard when I first arrived because things almost always start at least an hour late. Now I’ve gotten used to it, not only that but I’m incredibly surprised when something starts on time or is even less than an hour late. Things just take longer here.

-Spanglish

I am always mixing up the two languages. I’ll be talking on the phone with my mom from the states and will start inserting connecter words in Spanish without even realizing it. It’s especially weird when I talk to my German friends because they know Spanish and English so during our conversations we will be talking English part of the time and Spanish the other part. SO strange.

Since the end of March I have been so busy. The last week of March was my Semana Santa vacation (in Peru we get a 3 day weekend vacation for Easter) and I went to Trujillo/Huanchaco to hang out on the beach with some of my favorite gals.

Delicious Columbian restuarant in Huanchaco

us ladies posing with famous Columbian singer Juanes

Hot

dancin

A week after returning to site I had to leave again for Project Design Management training which actually turned out to be a really great learning experience. Each volunteer was asked to bring someone from their communities to attend the training and the young man I brought was very impressive; he paid attention and was very participative. We are hoping to create a youth group that promotes sexual health education and prevention of teen pregnancy- he is even busier than I am though so I am having doubts about how fast we can get this going.  Side note about the training-it was in Ancash. Which I have to say is one of the most beautiful places I’ve seen EVER. I was pretty sick the first 4 days of the trip and went to bed accordingly but on the day of my departure we went on a tour to one of the most staggeringly beautiful and majestic places I’ve ever been to. It was this lagoon-Llanganuco, imagine turquoise colored water and a snow capped mountain backdrop, so incredible, when I got off the bus I nearly cried. I have to wait until I get pictures from my friends from the trip because my camera is currently not working but I’m hoping it’s just a problem with charging the battery and am waiting for my friend to bring me back a wall charger from the states. Here is a picture I found on google

Since being back in site I’ve been keeping really busy. I meet twice a week with my Pasos Adelante class which is a Peace Corps initiative to help prevent HIV/AIDS and teen pregnancy-I’ve been doing this since February and I am almost done with this group and will be starting the new group in about a week-I’m hoping to have some of the boys from the previous group help me train the new group. In coordination with the psychologist at the health center we are giving workshops to two groups of adolescent mothers. I also have 8 hours of tutoria classes/week in the high school. So don’t worry about this girl….I’m doing great and keeping busy. Time is flying by and I’ll be giving you all hugs in less than 8 months when I come home for Christmas! xoxo Lots of love

Same Love

Today I’m supposed to be in Chachapoyas, a beautiful mountainous region of Peru…I had planned to go on a 3 day hike with some fellow volunteers (ME, a hike, yes I was rather pumped about it). However, due to it being the rainy season we decided not to risk being stuck in mud in the middle of nowhere and seeing as how the likelihood of me slipping off a cliff and plummeting to my death will be less likely during the dry season, I think it’s best I put off the trip until later in the year.  So now I am getting ready to leave for Trujillo-Huanchaco. Even though I’m bummed about having to change my plans I’m excited to visit Trujillo once again. I have a soft spot for the place…probably has something to do with access to Papa John’s, frozen yogurt, and Chili’s and a little bit to do with the beautiful Spanish architecture there. It’s definitely time for a vacation; the past week has been a rollercoaster.  Samuel Heinz, my fellow 19er, my neighbor, one of my best friends, has decided to return to the states for good. Last night I was in Chiclayo to despedir him at the bus station- While part of me is sad he won’t be around anymore, I’m so happy and grateful to have gotten to know someone so incredibly remarkable.  Sam is that person who always has a smile on his face and can see the silver lining in anything, I don’t think anyone of us 19ers or Lambayequers can say we haven’t benefited from his positive energy. I can’t imagine what the past 7 months would have been like without Sam; he will be missed by many. It’s funny how fast things can change, and by funny I also mean a little unsettling.  On the other hand, some things (my projects) move very slowly and that has also been part of my frustration this week. I’ve been trying to get more projects going but it’s been difficult to rally support from my community and I’ve also lost some motivation lately. Hopefully when I get back from vacation and have cleared my head some more I can be a little more motivated. Just keep swimming.

Last night I was conversing with my sweet mother on the phone and I told her that lately I was afraid I had turned into an alien. She guffawed at me and I explained to her this: I’m a very emotional person, at least I was… I would cry at anything -happiness, sadness, anger, excitement, stress- but lately I haven’t felt that. I was feeling worried for not being able to conjure up tears even though many things have been going on lately that would usually send me into fits of sobbing. My mother told me that was a part of growing up and it was also a part of guarding myself. Initially, I thought that was a little ridiculous because I wasn’t trying to guard myself at all, at least I’m not making a conscious effort to do so. However after having thought about it more today, I really have grown up with this experience and I’ve become less emotional-a little unsettling to have such a big part of personality change like that but after having watched this video, tears welled up in my eyes and I knew I hadn’t turned into an alien. Maybe I’ve just grown out of stress/angry tears and now I’m only leaking happy/very sad tears and I decided I’m ok with that. Now watch this video:  same love

“…Pity those who live without love” part of one of my favorite quotes in the world and right now as the supreme court is deciding on marriage equality, I feel deep pity for the people who do not  understand love and are fighting against it. Why are people arguing about this, love is the very best part of living, why shouldn’t everyone be included in sharing it?

Ok I'll get off the podium now, Love you all. 

6 months

I am a quarter way through my service. I cannot believe it- the time has rushed by and I imagine the next 6 months will fly by as well due to all the things I have planned in the coming months: I have a project starting next Monday (I’ll get to that in a second). School starts the 11^th. The last week of March I will be going to Chachapoyas for a hiking trip. In April I have Project Design Management training in Ancash. In May, I want to visit a couple volunteers in La Libertad. I probably won’t travel in June but then in July one of my best gals from the states will hopefully be visiting Peru. Then when August hits I’ll have completed a year of service!

So about that project I start on Monday…I was sitting in the municipality of Pimentel on Monday morning waiting to talk to the head of Human Development office about my World Map project…then three people walk in and sit down. After listening to them chat for a bit I find out one of them is the director of the juvenile home for boys here in Pimentel and they are there in the office trying to get some help from the municipality for training the boys. The department head then introduces me…she starts to say that I could possibly help teach English but I (as politely as I could) told her that I don’t really do that and pitched a different idea of “Pasos Adelante” which is a popular Peace Corps project that trains youth in self-esteem development, decision making, and sexual health education. The director and the other two women were really excited about it and so now I will be doing the class twice a week with a group of 15-20 adolescent boys and if it goes well then they can help me train the next group of boys. I’m also planning a project in the school with the high school students and there will be a drug/alcohol/gang prevention component and I think it would be really great if the boys from the home who have first- hand  experience can help talk to the high schools to steer them away from that path.  I’m trying not to get too excited about because so often when projects get planned they don’t turn out how you expect them…keep your fingers crossed for me!

 My summer vacation projects are winding down now and I got to say…not my favorite. It was fun getting to know some of the kids in my neighborhood but I just didn’t feel like I was very productive... I had very low attendance when it began and then I had a few weeks of a really solid group of kids but this last week the kids just stopped showing up…I’ve decided to blame it on the fact that kids want their freedom before school starts up again, rather than take it personally.

Ok so I’m going to rewind a bit now because I have to contar about my Carnaval experience.  Part of me wishes I could just tell you that it was BEST TRIP EVER and be done, but there are some pretty great parts of the story so I think it’s worth the space and time to tell you all. So Carnaval is the celebration they have before Lent begins, they have Carnaval celebrations all over Peru but the biggest one is in Cajarmarca which is a department 6 hours north of where I am.  The first day when I arrived, the volunteers and I bought water guns (it was a war zone, we couldn’t walk anywhere without water being shot at as or having balloons be lodged at as from balconies) at night we went to a bar to hang out with all the volunteers. I came across one volunteer who I had never met before and he goes, “I love your glasses let’s trade!” So he takes my glasses off and puts his glasses on me. We somehow get separated and I end up walking back to my hostel room to put my contacts in because I cannot find this guy with my glasses. In the morning I have a panicked voicemail from him because someone had run up to him and taken my glasses off his face…turns out it was just my best gal Brittany who recognized them as mine.  On the following day was paint day-SO MUCH FUN. We bought buckets of paint at a hardware store and then filled our squirt-guns with watered down paint. Brittany and I hadn’t left the hostel yet and we got paint shot at us when we were standing on the balcony. We danced in the street, followed a parade, threw paint into the crowd- the only complaint I had was that it was COLD! I think Carnaval would be better idea for a hotter location but Cajamarca has breath taking beauty so my complaint about the cold is minor.  Ok, one more Carnaval story…but first just note that if you were to come to Peru only one day out of the whole year I vote that you go to Paint Day of Carnaval in Cajamarca.  Last Carnaval Short Story-could be a great one to tell my grandchildren one day: So I’m in the plaza dancing with other volunteers and I wander down the street away from the plaza and someone runs by me and rips my fanny pack (yes I wore a fanny pack, get over it) off my body and runs away. Naturally I start to bawl my eyes out. Another volunteer, Nick, sees me crying, somehow finds out who stole my bag, punches this guy in the face, then gets punched in the face but thankfully talks himself out of having a full-fledged flight with this group of guys and miraculously retrieves my fanny pack. After talking to my bfff Jessica Elwell she renames the story, “The Peruvian Tale of: Nick, the Fanny Pack Hero” (imagine this in her very best radio dj voice) and she says, “I’ll get back to you with a better title “(if you don’t know Jessica she wants to be a voice over actress).  Moral of the story: Put money and valuables in your bra and put the more replaceable things in your purse or just don’t wear a fanny pack… that could be good advice as well.

There was so many other great things going on that weekend of Carnaval but I don’t want to overshare or bore you or make you too jealous so I’ll just leave you with this message which was written by another volunteer, Phillip, about donating to our departmental camp for adolescent girls:

"...Here in Peru life for woman is different. While it is possible to achieve positions of stature and importance the cards are stacked against. These young girls our looked at and treated as physical objects by many Peruvians (not all). They walk down the street being cat called, and pestered for no reason apart from that they are female. Part of this camp is to educate and empower these girls to know that it is not ok, it is not normal, and they deserve better. If you have any extra money to lend to our cause and in turn educating these young ladies about their futures and what they deserve please follow the link below. 

If you do not I will cat call you in the streets upon my return.”

You can donate as little or as much as you like please take a gander here!

Cloud 9

I will now be including my 24th birthday on my list of favorite birthdays. Yesterday was absolutely amazing and I couldn't have asked for anything better.

I'll start the story with the eve of my birthday when a fellow Lambayeque volunteer, poured me a glass a wine (which she neglected to remember a cork screw so we spent a good half hour or so trying to open it with a knife) and asked me two questions ..First...'What was your favorite memory of being 23 years old?' After a long pause, she said 'You can have more than one.' This made the question easier to answer because when I think over the time since my last birthday it is split into two parts...the time before I left Peace Corps and the life I've led since being in Peru. They are completely separate...4 months of being 23 in the United States while the last 7, almost 8 months have been here in Peru. Since January 26th, 2012 I have had many swell memories, a few stick out.
1) My going away party in Cedar Falls. While I was a sloppapotamus at the end I have fond memories  of that night.... hugs, kisses, bloody marys, beer garden flip cup, and dear dear friends.
2) Peru 16 despidida in Lambayeque. So much fun! Rocking the flash mob gangnam style and yummy pizza!
3) mudbaths! I really don't think that needs explaining.

The second question was, 'What are you most looking forward to for being 24?'
Answers:
1) creating health promoters in Pimentel. I feel that I will have been successful as a volunteer (and as a 24 year old woman) if I can improve the self esteem of a group of teens who then can educate their peers about their sexual health.
2) traveling to the Peruvian jungle. I need to get to the Amazonas before January 26th, 2014.

The rest of my birthday eve was spent drinking wine and chatting about life.

Yesterday morning, I woke up excited. I was expecting it to be a good day: I had invited the Lambayeque volunteers to come visit my host family house for tacos, planned beach time, visit another volunteer event, and had proposed we go dancing at the end of the night.

My day started with my host mother stopping me on my way to the bathroom telling me that she wanted to give me an abrazo fuerte; she exclaimed that even though I was far away from my real mother that she wanted to wish me a happy birthday because she considered herself my mother and I her hija. This woman has a beautiful soul and I'm so lucky to be living with her.

To continue the day I made my way to the market to buy ingredients for tacos...I anticipated to feed between 15-20 people so I loaded my market bag with avocados, tomatoes, onions, cilantro, etc. I spent about 50 soles for all the ingredients I needed minus the rice that was provided by my host family. That is less than 20 US dollars!!! This would be impossible to do in the states, even though I've been in Peru for almost 8 months it still blows my mind how cheap fruits and veggies are here. I returned from the market and my wonderful friend Betty and I started work on making the tacos. Here is when I start to ascend to cloud 9 and  I really haven't come down since then. I was so happy to be preparing food...not just any food either, TACOS-which come my favorite category of food. Betty, Erin, Amanda and I sliced, peeled, chopped, shredded, boiled, stirred, seasoned and I was in heaven.

here is Betty slaving away

I absolutely love preparing food, it pleases me to bite into something yummy and know that I helped create those flavors and at the same time I get to please the taste buds of others. I do have to admit there were moments when I felt a little overwhelmed because guests starting to arrive at the house and I'd have to pause what I was doing to hug, kiss, greet friends and family. We had planned to eat around 1...we started about 2ish probably closer to 2:30, lawd help me, I've started following hora peruana. Finally, I was able to eat and drink some much loved Inka Kola and was able to relax a bit while everyone enjoyed the tacos.

I didn't get to sit down for too long before my host family called me to the back of the house where they were all sitting and we took pictures...

apparently my family was fascinated by Casey because they wanted a picture with just him...probably the tattoos 

Shortly after, we all gathered in the kitchen to do a toast with a copa de vino. Next thing I know I am face to face with two delicious chocolate cakes that say "Feliz Cumpleaños Ali" ...so there I am, thousands of miles from my parents and close friends but at the same time I am surrounded by family and close friends. I can feel the tears well up in my eyes as I'm looking at the two beautiful cakes, at least 15 members of my host family, 10+ volunteers all there to celebrate my birthday...the birthday plans had barely begun and I was already having one of the best birthdays of my life and had nothing to do with getting presents or chocolate cake. I was with people who cared about me and who went out of their way to make this day special. As a PC volunteer it's easy to get caught up in judging your service by the work you do... but personally for me, the best part of my service so far has just having the privilege to be a part of my host family. I probably could have bawled my eyes right at that moment but I just took a deep breath, wiped the tears away and thanked everyone for being there. 

cloud 9

wiping away my tears of utter joy

It is tradition to push the birthday person's face into the cake...I'm glad I've been here long enough to know so I was expecting it

Next we made our way to the beach. Let me tell you how excited I was to going to the beach on my birthday...there have been times when Iowa's freaky weather would grant me with a warm day and no snow, but I can safely say that it was never more than 70 degrees outside and that I had never swam in the ocean on my birthday. After gracing the sea with my presence for a bit, I sat on the beach with my friends, played a little volley, and drank some beer. 

Hallie, one of the business volunteers in Lambayeque had invited us all to the grand opening of a business she helped open in Reque last night.  A woman in her site had dreamed of opening a cafe... she ended up winning a regional competition and finally a national competition to receive funds to begin the business. It was inspiring to be there...you hear so many stories of volunteers trying to get projects started that don't work out, we also tend to bitch and complain about our frustrations when we are together so it was so beautiful to see a success story in person. They provided entertainment (dancers from another volunteer's site) and free samples of yummy treats.

Grand opening of Cafeteria Dulce

Finally we went back to Chiclayo...Thankfully one of the volunteers had made delicious hummus so I had something other than pringles and a hershey's cookie and cream bar for my birthday dinner....Around midnight we took a taxi to the discoteca and danced the night away. I had such a great time, didn't sit down at all...well, except to pee.

Thank you everyone for your birthday wishes and to all those who celebrated with me yesterday. I love you all so much. First Peruvian Birthday- NAILED IT!

this was from last week, doing a vuelta around the plaza with my host nieces who are more like sisters

SQUIDWARD!

isn't she adorable!