Me voy

It's my last day in Peru. I'm in Lima right now, staying with a friend of my co-volunteer Katy's. Lima is incredibly enormous, but somehow I've enjoyed my stay here. I'm not so sure if I'd say the same thing if it wasn't for Katy's friend and his social network down here. Which makes me think about my time here in Peru and all the great people I've met and experiences we've shared. It also reminds me of how much I will miss them and all the things they've brought to my life. From Arequipa to the Sacred Valley to Lima, people are what have made this trip special. And I am already sad that I have made most of my good-byes.

Onto the next adventure.

I'm excited to get back to the states: friends, skiing, cheeseburgers, calling people with my phone, driving, a job with a salary, Mexican food, flushing TP instead of putting it in the trash. It's all about the simple pleasures in life. However, I will be missing the simple pleasures and other quirks that seem totally normal to me here in Peru. For example, I'm using a computer from the states right now, and its keyboard is different and doesn't allow the accent to be put above the 'U' in Peru. And the question mark is in the wrong place. In addition, I'll miss Choco Sodas, Cuates, Angel Chock, lomo saltado, aji de gallena, maracuyas, Nana, combis and cheap taxis, smelly bus rides, haggling with street vendors, not knowing what you'll find in the bottom of your soup or salad, Coca-cola made with real sugar, constant streams of Spanish, Peruvian Spanish, verano, Peruvian time, no refridgerator, hand-washing clothes, the smell of diesel, street-cred you get for calling/chatting from Peru, crowing roosters at 4am, inspiring awe with my mere presence/being a giant, jokes that don't translate well, eggs and papas, La Coyanita, street dogs and street dog procreation, being called Doctor on the streets, Yunsas, Carnival, Rocio, el patito, dark and noisy internet places, intestinal hitchhikers and subsequent self-diagnoses, surgeries, Quechua, addressing ladies as Mama and men as Papa, paros, breaking paros, playing gringo guess, unsafe-to-drink tap water, the slight fear when riding in any automobile, choclo con queso, llamadas llamadas llamadas, tamales-quatro por un sol, Nuevos Soles, Kausay Wasi...

But most importantly, I'll miss la familia Paz-Cornejo, Guido and Sandy, Edy and Naomi and Noah, Ben, Katy, Amelia, and Holly. Thanks for an incredible four months.