I feel relieved to have arrived safely in the city of Huanuco, which will be my home for the next year. The accompanying photo is the view from my office at Paz y Esperanza. I am surrounded by clear skies, protective mountains, and new friends that I will rely on in more ways than I can imagine.
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I received a wonderful send off from Lima, having attended a high-energy church service on Saturday evening hosted by young adults in the community of Comas. I had a good night’s rest at the apartment of my YAV site leader, including a hot shower (which are hard to come by), pancakes for breakfast made by Debbie’s husband and big hugs at the bus station from Debbie and Leslie, one of the other YAVs.
I had been looking forward to the eight hour bus ride over the cordillera (backbone) of the Andes, which would allow me to rest, enjoy beautiful views and hopefully avoid the affects of the extreme change in altitude. Thankfully, I was able to do just that!
Driving through numerous towns and villages, I observed the daily activities of the more rural communities in Peru. I saw women and children wash clothing in the river, donkeys stood lazily on street corners, a young woman with tired eyes slouched on a stone ledge with her baby, sheep grazed on the steep mountain sides and a wild horse roamed through the grass. As we exited the desert reality that is Lima, cactus bushes and skinny green trees sprinkled the mountains. Abandoned adobe huts which would have had thatched roofs, revealed an older way of life. But the woman sitting in front of me who spoke Quechua, reminded me that indigenous life continues to exists.
I arrived in Huanuco at dusk and was welcomed by my host father, Pastor Abdon. The family's home is welcoming and comfortable and felt suddenly familiar as we sat down together for dinner. My host mother, Elena, noted that we each have assigned seats at the table, just like my family! We were joined by my host sister Carla and Judith, a medical student from Switzerland.
I presented the family a small gift I brought from Albany, four greeting cards from the Book House at Stuyvesant Plaza. I chose images that symbolize my home, with pictures of Thatcher Park, a stained glass window of a church in Albany and a picture of a red tulip. After describing Albany’s Tulip Festival, I noted with delight that my host family lives on the “Street of Tulips!”
After our dinner of thick noodle soup and bread, Pastor Abdon suggested that we take a walk around their barrio (neighborhood). It was while we lingered in a small park that I saw a bright clear luna llena (full moon). I paused with a deep feeling of belonging, realizing that this moon is the same moon that I’ve followed with a great deal of intention for the past several years. The cloudy sky of Lima had hidden the moon from view, and I had almost forgotten that she existed. But…. wow… ever does she illuminate the sky of Huanuco, surrounded by sandy colored mountains, where I have a bed, a family, and a life.
I had been looking forward to the eight hour bus ride over the cordillera (backbone) of the Andes, which would allow me to rest, enjoy beautiful views and hopefully avoid the affects of the extreme change in altitude. Thankfully, I was able to do just that!
Driving through numerous towns and villages, I observed the daily activities of the more rural communities in Peru. I saw women and children wash clothing in the river, donkeys stood lazily on street corners, a young woman with tired eyes slouched on a stone ledge with her baby, sheep grazed on the steep mountain sides and a wild horse roamed through the grass. As we exited the desert reality that is Lima, cactus bushes and skinny green trees sprinkled the mountains. Abandoned adobe huts which would have had thatched roofs, revealed an older way of life. But the woman sitting in front of me who spoke Quechua, reminded me that indigenous life continues to exists.
I arrived in Huanuco at dusk and was welcomed by my host father, Pastor Abdon. The family's home is welcoming and comfortable and felt suddenly familiar as we sat down together for dinner. My host mother, Elena, noted that we each have assigned seats at the table, just like my family! We were joined by my host sister Carla and Judith, a medical student from Switzerland.
I presented the family a small gift I brought from Albany, four greeting cards from the Book House at Stuyvesant Plaza. I chose images that symbolize my home, with pictures of Thatcher Park, a stained glass window of a church in Albany and a picture of a red tulip. After describing Albany’s Tulip Festival, I noted with delight that my host family lives on the “Street of Tulips!”
After our dinner of thick noodle soup and bread, Pastor Abdon suggested that we take a walk around their barrio (neighborhood). It was while we lingered in a small park that I saw a bright clear luna llena (full moon). I paused with a deep feeling of belonging, realizing that this moon is the same moon that I’ve followed with a great deal of intention for the past several years. The cloudy sky of Lima had hidden the moon from view, and I had almost forgotten that she existed. But…. wow… ever does she illuminate the sky of Huanuco, surrounded by sandy colored mountains, where I have a bed, a family, and a life.
