Well... What to write about? It seems the number one thing on my mind these days is that Peru 13 Peacecordians have 5 months left and counting. And this week I kept thinking to myself... What did I do everyday, every minute, every second here in this little mountain town to get me to this point? How can you go one minute mentally prepared for a long haul and the next feel as if you'd like to reign it all in a little bit... slow things down. Even if I get to stay in this country longer than just August, this two year journey is still coming to an end and you can't help but reflect and wonder what has changed in you, what you've come to realize, what's matured.
Or at least you hope all those things have happened. :) I was different when I first stepped on the bus at 2:00 a.m. to go to my new home of Chosica, Lima. But those changes would have occurred no matter where I was in the world. Things happen in your 20s. You don't have to go to a developing country and live in a Quechua speaking town for two years to start coming into your own, for your frontal lobe to solidify, to hold fast to strong opinions, to love, to lose, to fight for injustices, realize what you're good at (and what you frankly suck at) and come to terms with hard realities that before once felt to be the stuff that adults played with.
Now what to do with all that. Is that the task of the 30s? To take it and run with it? No se. I guess with any luck I'll find out. I'm not done exploring, groping with new languages or living with new people. I hope that my older, more professional self will always keep these two years in mind and that my time as a peruvian peacecordian will affect what I do para siempre.
Abrazos,
Em
