Back to Ancash (Just to Visit)

This week I returned to Ancash for the first time since leaving my site in December. Compared to the chaotic scene I had left a few months before – a general strike against the mining company that shut down everything for close two weeks – the city seemed quiet, and without my friends from my group there anymore, it seemed a little empty as well. I arrived at night and the rain trickled down on me as I tried to wake up the owner of the hotel I always stay at so she would let me in.

The next day the city was brighter and I started to feel comfortable and at home again. I visited Café California where I ran into many old acquaintances, and I even got pulled into a pick-up game of Ultimate Frisbee which was just what I needed. I spent the rest of the day working on a presentation for Peru 16’s Early IST (Training Event) and had dinner with a close friend who I hadn’t seen since leaving.

The next day I visited my host-family in Collón. It was great to see them again, even though I had little time to speak with Ernesto and Fortunato who both had to work while I was there. I walked around with Lindsay and ran into Patrick, my replacement, and Dora from the health post. I also spoke with the mayor of the town who said that they were asking the district municipality to start a trash management system in the community. This on top of the news that thousands of native queñuales had been planted made me wonder if my presence had a positive impact I hadn’t foreseen. In the meantime it is also great to see that my replacement Patrick is integrating very well into the community and already has a lot on his hands. Sometimes I felt that a big chunk of my service was just getting things ready so that someone else could be successful there, and seeing him quickly settling into his life and work makes me think again that my service was more worthwhile than I sometimes give myself credit for.

Meanwhile, my life in Lima has been great so far. I feel much more comfortable living on the coast than I ever did in the mountains, and I continue loving my job and the work that I am doing. I feel incredibly fortunate to have the opportunities that I do in my life, and I hope that I don’t take them for granted, but that I take advantage of them to the best of my ability. This means to me, trying to be more observant and aware of the world around me, journaling to remember the stories I experience and hear, and doing a better job of sharing that experience with others. I really want to feel I deserve the blessings that I have come to have.

As always, thanks to the few of you who read this : )

Brian

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