Saturday, May 19, 2012

All Good Things Must Come to an End

Back in the end of April, many of our group began packing up and flying for Nebraska. After three UNK students had made it back home safely, it began to hit me that this great adventure and exciting chapter in my life was coming to an end. I was looking forward to seeing my family and friends back home, but along with that feeling was an unexpected emotion of sadness at the thought of leaving behind Peru and all my new friends.

The plan was to fly to Brazil and see Hugo, who had stayed with my family as a foreign exchange student five years ago. After two weeks there, I would fly home.

As time went by, the date for me to fly to Brazil drew closer and closer. Before I knew it, most of the Nebraska group was gone and it was time for me to start packing. I finished packing about a couple of hours before tit was time to make the drive to the airport. I picked up my belongings, left my room for the last time, and carried all of my stuff downstairs. All of my host family had come over to the house to see me off. We said our goodbyes and talked about keeping in touch and future plans to see each other again, whether it be in the U.S. or in Peru. I remember the first time I met them all and how much harder it was to communicate back in January. The grandmother whom I lived with and our maid took my departure harder than I expected. As we hugged they began to cry. My emotions had been easy to keep under control up until that point, but I found hard to swallow the baseball of tears that was growing in my throat. It very well could have been the last time that I would ever see the two elderly women that had taken such good care of me. But my time there was over, and it was time for me to get going. As we drove to the airport, one last trip through the horrible Lima traffic, I saw many of the landmarks that helped me navigate the city. We got to the airport. I said my last goodbye to Toño outside of security. It wasn't so hard. We could easily keep in touch easily with the internet, and we both felt confident that we would see each other again sometime. After all, I was going to see a friend in Brazil with whom I had a similar relationship five years earlier. We hugged goodbye, I went through the security door, got on a plane, and left Peru.

 The program was an amazing experience for me. I am really glad that I chose to do it. It wasn't all good and easy, but the good parts outweighed the bad. My host family was better than I could ever have hoped. I got a good understanding of a new culture. My Spanish saw an immense amount of improvement. The UPC international office and professors were exceptionally helpful and kind. I made many Peruvian friends whom I hope to keep contact with  for the rest of my life. I grew close and made some lifelong friends with the other UNK students. I had amazing trips to Inca ruins and wild Amazon jungles. This trip was one of the best experiences that I have ever had and I would recommend it to anyone. I will always look back with fond memories of Peru.


¡Hasta Luego Perú!