Happy 1 Year, Perú 17.

“After a day at a retreat center... I will be picked up by my host family and then things really get interesting....”

And, boy, did they get interesting.

I wrote that a year ago, today. I had been staring at this blank page of a soon to be new and important blog for a long time before I wrote anything down. There is so much of me that can’t wrap my head around the fact that I’ve been here a year.

Like Rent, how do you measure a year?

In mangos? In ants? In pounds of rice and potatoes? In mosquito bites? In cold showers? In dinámicas? In cervezas? In care packages? In vacation days? In Peace Corps acronyms?

It seems like yesterday we were all dropped off at the training center and we were standing in front of our soon-to-be host families for training. Melissa, my host sister, picked me up and brought me home to a host family that I consider now like my real family. My host mom, Carmen, was pregnant at the time with a baby girl who is now my beautiful namesake and goddaughter. I felt Brielle Ann kick during training and she was born happy and health in October 2011. Now, she’s a chubby little baby trying to talk and walk. Where did the year go?

It seems like yesterday that I was sitting in a retreat center with almost 50 other strangers. Strangers that later would become the most important and invaluable part of my service thus far. We came from all over the United States with different beliefs and backgrounds and we became one very dysfunctional family. Peru 17 was the first group to make it to swear in with all its’ trainees since 2004. As a group, we have had our ups and downs, but I’m extremely proud to be part of such a loud (I can hear Richard laughing all the way from Arequipa), creative and resilient group of people. Where did the year go?

In a year I have experienced 2 host family changes and a site change. I have been sick more times than I can count, and I’ve eaten more rice than I thought my stomach could hold. A year ago, then me, could barely get through a sentence in Spanish, and now, I’m teaching in front of classrooms of teenagers. A year ago, then me, couldn’t imagine being on a bus for more than 3 hours. Now, 15 hours isn’t even that long. A year ago, then me, didn’t think she’d make it to a year. Now, here I am.

A year in Perú.

I have been challenged in ways I couldn’t imagine. I have had successes I never thought possible. I have formed strong relationships both with volunteers and Peruvians alike. I have had my share of highs and lows. I have thought about giving up, but later remembered why I was here. Where did the year go?

I’m grateful everyday for what Peru has given me: both the good and the bad. I have grown from both.

Happy 1 year, Perú 17.

Here is to another year.

"Five seagulls are sitting on a dock. One of them decides to fly away. How many seagulls are left?"


"Well...  four."


"No," he responded. "There are still five. Deciding to fly away and actually flying away are two very different things. Listen to me carefully. Despite popular belief to the contrary, there is absolutely no power in intention. The seagull may intend to fly away, may decide to do so, may talk with other seagulls about how wonderful it is to fly, but until the seagull flaps his wings and takes air, he is still on the dock. There's no difference between that gull and all the others. Likewise, there is no difference in the person who intends to do things differently and the one who never thinks about it in the first place." -Andy Andrews, The Noticer

Until Next Time,

Brielle