What I Wish Americans Knew about my Peace Corps Country

Check out this video I made for the video challenge in honor of Peace Corps week

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xZSiNQ_FOzU&feature=youtu.be

abrazos

P.S. I will try to get a new post up here soon-ish, I honestly just haven't been motivated to write anything

Reblog from What I Learned in the Peace Corps

This is a blog post I came across on my Facebook newsfeed, it is from a volunteer I don't know who served in a different country but her words are well written and I thought it was worth the share. Enjoy.

Don't Join the Peace Corps

You heard me. Don’t do it. I’m telling you, it’s going to break your heart.The Core Expectations for Volunteers states you are expected to “serve where the Peace Corps asks you to go, under conditions of hardship, if necessary…” What it doesn’t state however is just what hardship means.Right now you’re thinking, “Oh. There’ll be no flush toilets or showers. I can handle that. I might have to squash a few spiders, but for the high calling of changing the world, I think I can put up with those things.”But the truth is, hardship isn’t the quirky and fun hardship you’re expecting, where each new day brings adventure upon crazy adventure, more wonderful than the next. True hardship is much more sobering.During your service you might have to bury a neighbor. Or watch helplessly as your host family is torn to pieces by corruption. You might show up to school to learn one of your students was killed by a classmate. Your host sister could be kidnapped and forced to marry a man she’s never met. You might witness abuse, violence and mistreatment. You may see your best student lose to a kid from another school because his bribe was the biggest. Your dog might be fed a needle, just to quiet it down, forever.And if none of that happens, then something else will. There’s just no knowing how hard it will be or it what way. It could be dealing with other volunteers is your biggest challenge. Or that you can never live up to the expectations of your host organization. Or that the Internet is so accessible you spend your entire day trolling Facebook, jealous of all the lives continuing on back home.And what about all the things you’ll give up? Your boyfriend might not wait two years for you. You’ll put your career on hold. Your familiar support networks probably won’t be around – there’ll be no gym, no fast food joint, no car to drive, no family to visit. The stress and diet could make you lose thirty pounds—or gain thirty—whichever you don’t want.The Peace Corps uses phrases like, “Life is calling. How far will you go?” and in a breath you’re ready to sign your name on the line. But two years is a long, long time and in the middle you find the world you wanted to change is a confusing and complex puzzle of which you are just one, tiny piece.So please, if you’re not ready for the heartbreak in the hardship, don’t join the Peace Corps.Or do.Because you might just find that all your blood, sweat and tears are worth it – worth the pain, worth the time and worth the investment in the people for whom your heart breaks. Because you might learn some of the most important lessons of your life – that a broken heart can heal stronger than it was before, that a softened heart has more compassion for the world, and that in between its cracks and fissures is the only place where true beauty and grace can grow. 

Original post: Don't join the Peace Corps

6 months to go

“Home wasn't a set house, or a single town on a map. It was wherever the people who loved you were, whenever you were together. Not a place, but a moment, and then another, building on each other like bricks to create a solid shelter that you take with you for your entire life, wherever you may go.”

I counted down the days, and finally it came and went, swiftly and pleasantly.  My hat is tipped to the volunteers who manage a full two years without once making a trip to the land of Star Spangled Banner. 

There were so many things about America that I did not appreciate until returning there after a year and half in Peru. For instance, running water- never will I ever again take for granted having clean, hot, running water 24/7, I happily did my laundry WITH a dryer at any hour of the day that was convenient for me, did dishes by hand under wonderful hot water, and with much gusto drank water from the tap. I stood in the aisle at Walgreens for about 15 minutes just staring at the wall of face products searching for a face moisturizer, there were just soooo many kinds! Something about Peru completely and utterly blows my mind: costumer service, or lack of, I should say. Do you know why this boggles me? These people are among the kindest people I have ever met, they refuse a “no” when they offer you food in their home, they always greet each other on the street, “buenas días/tardes/noches/ como estas?” are things I here several times a day, you can’t walk into a room without kissing someone on the cheek to greet them politely but for some crazy frustrating reason, generally the customer service here is TERRIBLE! If I am in a restaurant I could easily wait 10-15 minutes before a waiter comes to my table, usually without a smile or greeting,  9 times out of 10 they will bring you 1 menu for the table, there are no free refills and just a list too long to revisit here but it’s so interesting to have such a kind hearted culture to have such bad service. So when I was at the Atlanta airport, getting my grub on, and received such pleasant service from the waitress, I was so happy! I left her a very merry tip.  I used to be a waitress so I was already grateful for good service at a restaurant but now I have a special place in my heart for the bartender who served me my first bloody mary on US soil after being away for 18 months and for the woman who brought me a delicious high calorie platter of fried food to my table at Buffalo Wild Wings, the first restaurant I stepped foot into at the Atlanta airport.  My mind boggled at all the flavors of vodka, Salty Watermelon, really?  I stood in the aisle in Hy-Vee and I counted 15 different types of bloody mary mix on the shelf. I could go on and on detailing all the things I will not take for granted when I return home for good but I’d like to end there with things and go on to people; my favorite part about my trip to the US was seeing my friends and family, getting to put my arms around my mom, dad, brother, sister, and nieces/nephews was incredible.

Christmas Day

 Spending time with my friends in Des Moines and especially Cedar Falls was like a dream.

these girls are like my sisters, first time all 5 of us were together in about 3 years, and the first time we were all at a bar together...legally

There were indeed aspects of my relationships that were different but those differences were such that did not affect our friendship; like they had grown up, gotten real jobs and acted like adults but we still shared the same inside jokes and felt so comfortable together. I consider these relationships, the ones I’ve really held onto the past 20 months to be really very special.  If you are one of those friends reading this (you know who you are) I am so incredibly thankful for you.  Some people are afraid to go home because they believe they would not be able to get on the return flight to Peru after seeing their friends and family but I felt the opposite, I felt like wow, my relationships rule, if we can make it 18 months apart then I can make it the next 7 months because I know that I have so much support and love from home-again, thank you.

Most things become easier with the passage of time. It is not so with Peace Corps. There is a quote from one of the many books I have read in my free time “I had proof that not all days are the same length, not all time has the same weight.” I have definitely found that proof here in my time as a Peace Corps volunteer; some days are fleeting, blinks of the eye other days are long, grueling, exhausting, especially boring days, those days are the hardest.  My first 6 months in Peru were filled with those miserable days but I convinced myself that if my language level improved everything else would eventually fall into place; eventually my language did improve and things did fall into place and I rode that wave for 6 months and I was genuinely happy to be here but unfortunately the past couple months have been rough. I made it through November because I knew that I would be going home to visit soon and I would get the reboot I needed. Now I’ve been back in Peru for a couple weeks and it has not been easy; I’m not saying I’m ready to jump onto a plane back to the comforts of the United States right now but it has been a thought that has crossed my mind. However I will be staying, not just because there is so little time left but because I really do think there are things I could still do here to benefit my community, I hope I am not eating my words. I also know that I will miss it here, when I am back home in my Queen sized bed and eating all the wonderful varities of cheese that exist in the USA, I will miss my sweet blessed host mother, I will miss going to Peruvian parties or holding children while their parents “joke” that I could take their baby back to the US with me, I will miss the beach, I will miss the other amazing volunteers I serve with, nonetheless I’ll be needing lots of love from back home and from my awesome fellow volunteers for the next 6 months and I do not doubt on your delivery. Abrazo fuerte.

the way back

Ecuador was splendid. I only spent a few short days there but I certainly loved it. I think the transition from states right to my site in Peru would have been seriously more difficult if I had not gone to Ecuador. It was still Latin America, so of course we encountered hiccups with our plans but it was a vacation so I was not overwhelmed by it; while I have admittedly spent a lot of time isolated in my room since I have been home in Pimentel, I believe that is more for a need for alone time, lack of anything to do, and processing/reflection from my trip home and haven't felt too sad about my return here.

Four other PCVs and I met up in Montañita, Ecuador which is a beautiful beach town, I had heard from others, (volunteers and Peruvian)s that Montañita was even more crazy than Mancora (a town on the Northern coast of Peru with an intense party atmosphere-to give you some insight on how insane it is there, 3 volunteers were injured there last year on New Year's Eve night). Honestly, a part of me was nervous about the excursion because I'm not the type to enjoy that kind of scene but it turned out to be a fantastic vacation, in large part due to the awesome ladies I got to share it with.

Leland, Betty, and I

Betty, Heidi, me, Andrea, and Leland

 The beach was magnificent; I have NEVER felt sand that soft in my life, I'm not a huge fan of sand because I really dislike the gritty feeling of it but I  happily napped on that sand, like laying in powdered sugar. The atmosphere was energetic but I don't feel overwhelmed by it as I did in Mancora. It just felt SO chill. There were only two instances in which I was like, whoa intense. One was the night before NYE, my friend and I were sitting on the beach and some guy comes up to us and offers us acid.  My friend was not surprised but that was the first time I had been offered anything like that so I was a little dumbfounded (don't worry I did not partake). The other instance was on NYE night, we were walking down the street (crowded with probably hundreds of people) and this guy stops me, says, "You're so pretty" and proceeds to stick his tongue in my mouth! What the hell?!?! Who does that? Gross, at least start a conversation with me or have the decency to ask, "May I kiss you?" I know I looked smokin' that night, but damn, have some respect boy.
Moving on, one of my favorite parts of Montañita were the mixed drink stands- a few of the major streets towards the beach were lined with these stands. Daquiris, mojitos, margaritas, rum, vodka drinks all served to you in a plastic cup to allow leisurely walking while drinking-definitely something the US is missing.

To Go? Yes, please!

Dream Team

NYE night

leaving at 7am on New Year's Day, to give you an estimate on how I felt, I went to sleep at 6am

Border of Ecuador and Peru

Our 5th and last mode of transportation from Montañita to Peru....long day of travel

I am so happy to have gone on this trip and would love to return when it is not NYE to see how the atmosphere is...I could seriously see myself living there for a short time, maybe whoever I end up with and I can open up a restaurant and run a hostel when we are older...I mean...I didn't think about that at all when I was there...

Being back home in Pimentel has been bittersweet. Spending time with my host family has been great, I once again acted as the Virgin Mary for Three Kings Day and my host family one 1st place in the competition! (Another blog post in the future for that.)

 I will be getting started with teaching a couple summer classes this week. I am going to be teaching one class of silly American party dances like the Cupid Shuffle, Cha Cha Slide, Wobble, etc. The other one will be similar to one class I taught last summer about different cultures of the world; my students and I will "travel" to a different country every week and learn about the culture and geography of that place, with this activity I also hope to start and finish the World Map project I have failed to do. Look for updates on all that.  Hopefully I can have a summer busy enough to pass the time but slow enough to not feel overwhelmed. 

Still trying to process my trip home (Des Moines/Cedar Falls) but I will hopefully be writing that one soon. 

If you are an Iowan friend reading this, bundle up  and remember  that you could come hither to be warm :p If you are a fellow volunteer reading this, "just keep swimming" it's hard to be here sometimes but you are a rock star, and you inspire me to be a better volunteer. If you are anyone else, I love you, thanks for reading, abrazo fuerte!!!!

A love letter to Peru- Honor Heindl

This blog post is written by my dear friend and sister, Honor Heindl who came to visit me in October. This is the entry she wrote in her journal after our trip and these are some of the amahzing pics she took. Captions done by me.

Dear Peru,

You have taken me on quite the ride these last two weeks. You have taken, but you have also given me a lot. You have driven me absolutely crazy and you have rendered me speechless. Our little fling was short-lived and has definitely left me craving more. You have your fair share of scars and imperfections, but who doesn’t? Your history is drenched in vibrant colors and woven through intricate tapestries, layered in treasures and stories left behind from so many other lives. Thank you for letting me in for a small glimpse of your glory, ruins and all. The deserts, the mountains, the warm faces, the treacherous bus rides, and the ancient Incan trails that stencil your geography—it all possesses a beauty I will not soon forget. Thank you for the near death experiences in collectivos and the hospitality of selfless strangers. I love you and look forward to meeting again someday.

Love,

Honor

two beauties

cathedral in Cusco

architecture in Cusco is wonderful

Church in Cusco's main plaza

Day 1 ok trek to Machu Picchu

love hug

Cusco's main plaza at night

trek to Machu Picchu

terraces of Pisac in the Sacred Valley

Pyramids in Tucume, Lambayeque

Church in Lima

I am so so so happy to have had a visitor here with me in Peru, it was like piece of home with me for 2 weeks. I am also so lucky to have gotten to see this lovely young lady when I went home to Cedar Falls, it was a wonderful trip (upcoming posts about my trip home and to Ecuador to come).
P.S. come visit me people, for real

How I feel when people ask me if I'm ready to go back to Peru

'

I'm comin' home

Its crunch time before coming home: I’m wrapping up my projects for the year; I’ve started packing, begun to watch movie trailers for what I want to see in the theaters while I’m home, and got some YouTube time in. I keep thinking of all the things I want to do, see, and eat while I’m home and of course thinking of all the lovely people I will get to embrace, but to be honest there is a part of me that is nervous to come home. People at home have many aspects of their life, work life, love life, personal life, etc. I have one life, its Peace Corps, living and working in Peru, and friends, there is no love life to speak of and I won’t know how to talk about anything else but Peru. Be wary that all my sentences will start with, “I was working on this project…” or “My volunteer friend and I…..” or “This one time in Peru…”, I am trying to do my part though, I watched the parody of Miley Cyrus’ Wrecking Ball….amahzing, and trying to memorize some songs so I can sing along in the car…but  I can’t promise that I won’t be bursting to tell you about my Peruvian life. So I’m trying to prepare myself as much as possible but I decided to make a list (buzzfeed style) to prepare all of you for my arrival…because folks, I’ve only gotten weirder.

I will speak to you in Spanglish. I might say “Salud” after you sneeze. Say “Gracias” or “de nada.” I will also insert random Spanish words into English conversation. My favorite is “falta” which means not enough. I also like to add “ing” to Spanish verbs.

I may pick my nose in public….I hope to not do this but I catch myself doing it all the time.

My reaction when I walk into a public bathroom and there is toilet paper and soap, or go to a restaurant and there is good service

I might cry a lot. I can’t say when or where but I can see it as a possibility. I may from joy of seeing a long lost friend or could be that we go to a restaurant with free refills.

I’m a little nervous of not fitting in with my friends...

but mostly feel this

I'm also used to being able to swear and have no one understand me, so this might be me

Stuffing my face with American grub, aside from that, I've just become much messier when I eat.

and this will probably happen

So friends and family, be ready for me. We are going to have so much fun and really all I want to do is eat, drink, hug and cuddle. Love you all! Can't wait for real live Xs and Os in ONE WEEK!!!!!