Standing in the Lima airport, a knot was forming in my stomach — a feeling many of us associate closely with airports, the anxiousness of a hard goodbye or a long overdue hello. My Parents Were Coming to Perú. We’d been planning the trip for months, and I could already picture the forthcoming collision of worlds and cultures.
A question has been on my mind. “Am I actually a minority here in Peru?” Like most questions, I see no clear answer , but the conversation begins with one word: privilege.
A week before Christmas, the school year here ended, along with it some youth volunteers’ hopes of having consistent work for a few months. Thankfully, vacaciones útiles is notorious for keeping both volunteers and students busy.
I know March has already arrived, and our dreams of fireside chats, chocolate fudge, fuzzy pajamas, and candlelit tables are long gone, lost in the routine and regularity life. Regardless… Merry Christmas and Happy New Year from my home in Peru! For many volunteers, the holidays can be the most difficult time of the year. We miss comfy sofas, lazy …
After the swearing-in ceremony, our whole training group promptly said our tough goodbyes, and we were bused off to our respective communities. Packed days of training alongside an incredible group of friends and PC staff instantaneously became relatively free days of pretending to have a clue of what I should be doing and what it means to be a Peace …