Peru 2016: It's On Trips Like This That You Find Yourself

I would like to preface that this post is all over the place and talks about my feelings and thoughts during this journey and life in general. We have already reached the half-way mark, and I am still wondering if I will every want to go back home. In the past two months there have been some eye-opening experiences that have made me question what it is that I want to do with my life. Before coming to Peru I spent each day going to class, studying, going to meetings, working, and trying to keep myself fed like clockwork. I wasn't unhappy at the time, but now that I have had the chance to live in another country and experience things that I never could have dreamed of, I can see that I wasn't really living. I know that everything that I was doing was important, but I am not sure if they are as important as I used to think they were. I allowed classes and the pressure of getting into PT school wear me down to the point of just going through the motions. I understand that I am happier here due to my lessened load of responsibilities and the excitement of new things, but I also have truly fallen in love with Peru and its laid-back lifestyle. Having the opportunity to spend less time studying and not having a job or meetings to attend has allowed me to take this time to really focus on myself and live in the present instead of focusing on the future. It sounds cheesy, I know, but facing little challenges or overcoming fears each day really teaches you about yourself. When I first got off the airplane in Lima I was terrified. I didn't know how to speak Spanish really at all. I didn't know the family who would be taking me in for 4 months. I didn't know how to set up my phone to work here, how to walk to campus, or how to get around on the buses. I was nervous when ordering food or getting a taxi. Little by little I have conquered my fears and grown so much as a person. I now take taxis by myself, meet up with my own Peruvian friends, and walk confidently in the streets instead of trying to hide from the stares (I am now enjoying being famous and welcome the pictures with strangers). I have learned that I can roll with the punches really well. I don't allow myself to dwell on negative things and I bounce back very quickly when something doesn't go as I had hoped. I have also learned that I can be a super chill and go-with-the-flow kind of person instead of the high-strung girl struggling through life in Kearney. Now I am struggling through life in Peru, but it is an exciting and adrenaline-filled struggle that I love :) I don't feel like the person I am in the United States. I have found that I can live away from all of my family and friends and not be homesick because I am truly happy with my life (although I do miss you all at times).

Before coming here I never knew that I could be so independent, enjoy meeting new people so much, and be spontaneous and carefree. I feel like a free spirit that could be blown anywhere by the wind. I have friends in Peru, Ecuador, Argentina, and Spain who would take me in whenever I visit. I can go anywhere or do anything. I have been able to break out of the monotony of the past few years and challenge myself to truly make the most of every single day. I have grown to love this country and the people here. The plan that I had set in stone for the past 3 years is now in question. Maybe I won't go to PT school after all, or maybe I will. It has become difficult for me to justify spending some of the best years of my life studying day and night when I could be traveling and living in another country instead. Maybe I'll move to South America (hopefully with Zach and Hannah. Eli you can come too if you want to learn Spanish, it's really fun!). Maybe I'll become a surf instructor, ice cream vendor, or sell bracelets made from my hair on the beach while I move from country to country (just kidding, this is plan X, Y, and Z if all else fails). All I know is that there are so many opportunities in the world that are waiting to be taken outside of Nebraska or the United States.

Anyways, moving on from my questions about life, this was another great week spent with Peruvian friends and my Nebraska girls of course. We got to celebrate Ahnika's birthday at her house with her family on Friday night. It took me an hour and 10 minutes to walk to her house and I still regret not taking a taxi (I don't know what I was thinking. I was drenched in sweat when I walked through her door). Right when I got there her dad grabbed my hand and started salsa dancing with me, which was fun and embarrassing because my hips simply don't move like they are supposed to for salsa dancing. I am determined to learn though. We spent the night dancing, drinking chilcanos (I'm going to miss these soooo much), and eating amazing food.

Saturday we went to Playland, which is a small amusement park here in Surco. I didn't go on any rides because I didn't want to give myself a headache for the rest of the day. After that we went out together and tried a new place close to our houses. We were supposed to have our names on the list to get in, but we walked past the bouncer without any questions asked (it is nice to be the only white people around sometimes). Everyone was wearing white there except for us so I'm assuming that when everyone else put their names on the list a few days before they were told to wear white. Oh well, you can't win em all. We then went to Miraflores to Pizza Street and danced at our favorite disco until late in the night. I practiced my salsa dancing once again and I think I actually got a little bit better!

Today I went to a soccer game with my parents and two men who I assume to be my dad's brothers or cousins, I'm not totally sure. We took taxis there and it was amazing to put two people in one car and three in another instead of cramming 6-9 people into one taxi like us girls usually do. We got to the game only 15 minutes before it started so of course the line to get in took 30 minutes to get through. Once we got through the gate we started running like little kids in order to avoid missing a goal (since they happen so often in soccer). It was a great atmosphere and felt similar to a husker football game only on a smaller scale. The "halftime show" was my favorite part. It consisted of a crazy guy body slamming into the clear plastic wall that kept people from falling off of the balcony. He threw himself into it headfirst, into his stomach, and against his shoulder at least 7 times before the police came and beat him down. He singlehandedly knocked down 5 policemen so they then began hitting him until it looked like he himself was knocked out. They eventually carried him out of the stadium, but it took at least 10 policemen. He was a wild one. My mom told me he was crazy. I told her he was drunk. We were all laughing and the whole side of our stadium was watching him instead of the poor cheerleaders. Overall, the soccer game was actually incredible; I didn't think I would enjoy it as much as I did. I've decided that soccer players are some of the most agile and amazing athletes. I loved watching them dance around with the soccer ball and psych each other out. It was a high scoring game, 4-1, which made it more interesting as well. I would love to go to another game while I am here and maybe I will watch the U on TV with my dad next time they play.

What It's Like To Live In This City Of 20 Million People: The Good And The Bad

As much as I love Lima, I don't think I could ever live here permanently. Really the only reason for this is the traffic. When I take a taxi to Miraflores, which is a district connected to mine, it takes 30 minutes minimum and when traffic is bad it can take over an hour. I would never be able to drive my own car here because I would end up killing myself or someone else so I would spend a ton of money and time on buses and taxis.

I kind of like how you never run into people you know on the streets. You can avoid awkward encounters with people you kind of know or wish you didn't know (which is impossible in Kearney and even Lincoln). You can do embarrassing things in public because you know you will never see any of these people again (which is good for me since I embarrass myself at times). There is always something to do, somewhere to go, new people to meet, and new places to explore.

However, there are a few things that are a little strange to me here. For example, toilet paper is a luxury that is seldom provided in public places. We have grown accustom to stealing napkins from every restaurant we go to and carrying them around in our purses. They don't flush toilet paper here because the sewer system can't handle it, so it was fun getting used to throwing the toilet paper into the trashcan next to the toilet. Also there are many times when toilets don't have seats on them and sometimes they don't even flush.

There is also no air conditioning in the houses, on campus, in most stores and restaurants, or really anywhere except for fancier places. I have gotten used to waking up covered in sweat and then proceeding to sweat the rest of the day. I know I'm weird, but I really don't mind sweating that much. I'd much rather be hot all day instead of cold. My evening showers are one of my favorite parts of my day though because it is the only 10 minutes of the day in which I feel clean. I start sweating when I get out of the shower.

There is a lot of trash in Lima and Peru in general. Like a lot. Throwing away trash and recycling are not important in this culture as they are in the U.S. This is something I have really gotten used to for the most part, but I think it takes away from the beauty of this country, especially for those who aren't used to seeing trash everywhere. All things considered, there is nothing that I miss about the U.S. enough to make me want to come back yet (not even the air conditioning). I want to stay here forever and dance my life away.