'Round the Girdled Earth: Goodbye, Ollanta
On March 12th, after over two months of living in Peru, I will finally be heading back to the good old United States of America. It’s hard to begin to reflect on my time here, partially because I still have a little over a week left, but also because I don’t think I will truly realize the effect life in Ollantaytambo has had on me until I get back and let some time pass by. However, one thing that is clear is how much I’m going to miss my Peruvian family, students, co-workers and friends, who were all such a significant part of my experience here.
Teaching here has been an up and down experience, but has definitely improved with each class. I was really frustrated, having never been the lead teacher in a classroom before. With little experience and teaching in a language I am hardly competent in, class started off a bit rocky. However, this term allowed me to gain hands-on experience planning lessons and designing curriculums, and managing students and class time, and class has improved significantly. In addition, I have really been able to get close to my students, to understand what they want to learn and work toward a goal together. As most of the students work in the tourism industry, English is a major requirement for getting hired, and it’s awesome to know that the lessons we learn in class are being directly applied to their jobs and job applications. Even better is the feeling I get when I see them in the street interacting with English-speaking tourists.
When I applied to work with Awamaki, I was looking to gain teaching experience and work with an under-resourced community. It was just a plus that I would be able to live in a different culture and speak a different language. I had no idea how much this would impact my experience here, how much I would learn outside of teaching and how much I would love it. I have lived with my 63-year-old host parents and their 25-year-old son, Jesus, for my entire time here. In addition, their 35-year-old daughter eats every meal at our house, as does her husband and nine-year-old daughter. Together, they have made me a true part of the family, teaching me about their culture, their family and their language. Jesus has been on summer vacation from his university (it’s currently summer in the southern hemisphere), so we have had the opportunity to hang out everyday. Jesus has brought me on hikes, invited me to play soccer with his friends, brought me to family parties and parties with friends, shown me around the city of Cusco and brought me out and talked with me for hours, explaining things over and over again in Spanish to help me understand. I am so grateful for his friendship and kindness, and I know my time here wouldn’t have been half as amazing without him. We call each other “wayki,” which is Quechua for “brother,” and I think that says a lot about our relationship.
Along with my Peruvian family, I have also become close with many of my co-workers, which has made living in a developing part of the world much easier and a ton of fun. Getting to know people here has been somewhat similar to some of my experiences with friendship on trips; when you haven’t showered in a while and you’re pooping in the wilderness together, you just skip a lot of awkward steps and get to know each other really well, really quickly. I can’t remember a time I’ve laughed so much in my life than working with my friends here, and I’m really going to miss them. It’s especially hard to leave because I am the first volunteer to go back to the U.S., so I’m certain I will feel like I am still missing out on all the fun with them. However, being back in the United States surrounded with my family and friends will be wonderful, and I’m definitely excited to finally see everyone again.