So many things to learn….

Saludos!

One of my favorite parts of traveling, especially to places very different than my own home, is how much you can learn from other cultures. 24 hours in Peru and I already had been blessed with so many learning experiences. Some big, some small, some silly – all meaningful in their own way:

Driving:
My mom was extremely worried about her daughter traveling across Peru on her own to a small rural village. Specifically nervous about me navigating from the airport in Lima to the bus station on my own (I would say she’s being dramatic, but on another solo trip to Costa Rica in my horrible Spanish I somehow managed to get the cab driver to drive me to the border of Nicaragua before I realized my directions were terribly wrong). Anyway, I found my taxi driver to be sweet, funny, and courteous. He has children attending college in the United States and was so worried about me getting on the right bus he escorted me and my many bags into the station and talked to the lady in the office to ensure I got the right ticket ( I must emanate directionally challenged).

However, I smugly sat in my seat in the very front of the bus thinking to myself what a travel pro I was as the bus left the outskirts of Lima. “My mom is so overprotective. I don’t know what she was worried about. This is perfectly sa-What the $#%&!!!!!! Mr. Bus Driver, is passing on a curve, with a car headed in the opposite direction STRAIGHT AT US, with light rain, ON A CLIFF necessary?????”

Apparently, yes, yes it was. Because this type of driving continued to happen for the rest of the 9 hour bus ride. And happens every day in Peru. Who needs blinkers, breaks, or sanity when you have a horn and a need for speed? My gracious hosts in Caraz don’t own a car and after 3 days here I can understand the fear. Random road trip fact – growing up in Texas I always saw a plethora of road kill, however I never saw a llama as road kill before last Monday.

Altitude:
As I’ve mentioned, I’m staying in Caraz, a small town in the mountains in the Ancash region of Peru. It is located in the Cordillera Blanca, famous in Peru for absolutely gorgeous mountains to hike, including the highest mountain in Peru Mount Huascaran and the mountain voted most beautiful in the world, Mount Alpamayo. I never realized what an affect altitude can have on, well, everything! It turns baking into a science experiment, and can cause headaches, loss of appetite (something I unfortunately have not experienced), and apparently your digestive system. This can cause people to have constant gas. And speaking of restroom issues – when in Peru always carry toilet paper in your purse, because NO BATHROOM HAS IT. Unfortunately, I found this out the hard way.

Water:
The water bill here in Caraz is $2 a month for unlimited water. Many homes do not have indoor plumbing, so they have an outside water source that they live on literally nonstop.

I Should Have Listened to My Mom:
I should have listened to my mom and majored in Spanish in college. When I tested out of 15 hours of Spanish in college and didn’t need any more hours, I thought why would I take more Spanish? When would I ever need to speak Spanish. Hmmmmm…..how about EVERY DAY OF MY JOB???? And it would be real nice here too. I hate not being fluent. I also hate when I make a communication error like meaning to say the word “feedback” but instead use some word that means “retro food”.

Different Countries, Different Schools, Same Problems:
We walked to a school in the town and spoke with the teacher about the challenges she faced in the classroom. Beyond the obvious (she was in a 1 room school with limited supplies and no technology), we faced many of the same problems. The teacher only had 8 students, but they ranged in age from 5-10 years old. Hearing her speak of her difficulties differentiating for students reminded me of my classroom – some students are reading on a kindergarten level, and others on a 6th grade level. As different as our situations are, we totally can connect on the challenges all teachers across this world face on a daily basis.

Sometimes You Gotta Change Your Perspective:
My first night I arrived I was exhausted. After 8 hours of flying and 9 hours of perilous bus riding, I was ready to hit the hay. Kelly and Mac (my awesome hosts) walked me to my apartment. Being nowhere near a large city or lights it is pitch black outside, and I was staring at the ground trying to avoid tripping, and all I could think was how badly I needed a shower and a bed to sleep in (instead of a bus seat or a plane seat). As I’m unloading my bags in the apartment, Mac calls me outside to look at the Southern Cross in the sky. Begrudgingly, I shuffled my tired body outside…and then look up. I see stars. I see thousands, probably millions of stars. The last time I remember seeing so many stars was when I camped on the Serengeti. I see constellations. I see Mars. I see that sometimes it’s worth it to stop and appreciate the special moments in life even when we feel we don’t have the time or energy. This gorgeous sky was right above my head the whole time as I just plodded on underneath, not thinking to look up. It makes me question how many more acts, sights, or wonders of beauty I might see if I just decided to look for them?