i´m back

I don’t know whether or not to embark on a description of my 20- day stay in the United States, for I fear if I do- I will never finish this blog. I’m hoping that all of you who ready this know I was home during the month of June and what was expected to be a 12- day stay turned into a 20-day one, due to my hospital visit and my gastrointestinal episode(s) which I will only refer to as “Peru’s vengeance because I left it.”

Alas, those twenty days home could not have been better spent in any way, shape or form. It started off with papa bear moving me up to first class on my flight back so I could rest comfortably and be closer to a bathroom- great idea. Props to Kev for doing that and even better, surprising me so I had no idea until the lady at the ticket counter told me I would be flying ¨priority¨for the next nine hours. I legit cried. Then, I spent four days with five of my best friends from college, which upon being reunited, you would have never thought we had gone our separate ways over a year ago. I went to my uncle Tim and aunt Patty’s wedding where I indulged in scotch and ginger ales (call me grandma) and ate perhaps the best meal I have had in years. Not to mention the wedding itself was beautiful. I tubed along the Shenandoah river, went to the movies, went out to my favorite restaurants, hung out at the bay, played chess with my mom, laid by the pool, and saw so many family and friends that there was no way for me to leave unsatisfied. I reaped the benefits of being loved by so many caring and amazing people that if I learn nothing else from this experience of living in Peru for two years, I’ve at least recognized how lucky I am to have friends like you all. So to all of you that I saw when I was home- thank you.

So I did find it hard in a word to come back here after eating hummus and salads instead of rice and potatoes for 20 days. I traveled through Ecuador on my way there and back and my way back was definitely SO MUCH BETTER because a. I did not get hallaciously sick and have to convince a random stranger to take me to a 24 hour pharmacy at 4:30 in the morning, b. I did not get robbed by a hotel employee and, c. because I was traveling with my friend Isha. So the way back went much more smoothly and as a bonus, the next morning I went with (almost) all of the Tumbes folks to the national mangrove park that we have up here in Tumbes. We traveled by canoes as a guide explained to us all about the wildlife and delicate ecosystem that exists there, the types of mangrove trees that grow and a bunch of other stuff that was frequently interrupted with photo-taking. The highlight? Climbing like legit-monkeys across mangrove-roots that stick out of 3-foot deep mud.

Continuing with my awesome travel experiences, I went and visited a bunch of other volunteers in Trujillo and Pacasmayo, where there was an international marathon being held (disclaimer: it was organized originally by a peace corps volunteer 3 years ago). Pacasmayo is a small town, 2hours outside of Trujillo that sits on cliffs overlooking the Pacific. I, being lazy, did not run, but served as the official photographer for everyone that did. While in Trujillo (third biggest city in Peru), I went to see some ruins called “ Huaca del Sol y Huaca de la Luna” with Alyse (from Tumbes) and another older volunteer- it was tres chevere. In all seriousness, it was pretty interesting walking thorugh a five story ruin still in the process of being excavated from the Moche culture wayyyyyyy back in the day. See facebook eventually for pictures.

One thing that I noticed while being in Peru this month was the national frenzy surrounding the world cup- even for a country that didn’t participate (note: im pretty sure Peru’s soccer team is the worst in S.A.). Nevertheless, I was walking through one of the streets of Trujillo during the Brazil- Holland game and walked by a crowd of about 80 people huddled around a television on the street. It was so Latin America-y and so cool. Would you ever expect to see that in the streets of New York one morning if France and Japan were playing? Not likely. So I of course, took a picture.

All in all though, the four days I spent in the Trujillo- Pacasmayo area were pretty great. I saw a bunch of volunteers that I hadn’t seen since November when we left for site because they are either a. in a different program or b. live far as f--- from me. So a reunion was definitely in order- and no better time to have a bunch of Americans together than on the fourth of July!
So today being July 13th, I’ve been back in site for awhile, trying to haul ass and get my projects going. It’s a lot of work- I woke up this morning stressed and took an extra 10 minutes to get ready so I could get some Enya- music time in. The plus side of being in Tumbes this month is that it has cooled down a bit (we’re in winter). So I have actually seen the thermometer drop to 73 degrees. May not sound like much to you all since I’ve heard it’s pretty hot up there but after living for MONTHS with the thermometer stuck at 95-100 degrees with NO AIR CONDITIONING- this is paradise. I am actually wearing a t-shirt with sleeves today.

So that concludes the end of the first blog I have written in a month and a half- life has been moving fast and I’ve been doing all I can just to keep up. I hope this all finds you safe and shoot me an email if you’re bored. Please.