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Update: January
21, 2004
Subject: Final Countdown
Hey everyone!
Just wanted to drop a quick note to let you all know
that I am coming home for good on January 29th!!!!!
After an exciting and wonderful 1 year and 3 months
in Peru I have decided to move on with my life. I plan
to start some classes this summer in preparation for
grad school.
I originally wanted to write something profound about
my experience but it is just too hard to put into words.
This experience has taught me many lessons and a lot
about myself. I plan to come home and apply these lessons
in my life in the States.
It has been a really hard 2 weeks of spreading the news
of my decision to Peace Corps and to my town. Everyone
is really sad including myself. I find it truly amazing
as to what the human spirit can endure and get accustomed
to. I walk around town and I see things that I know
in the States would be appalling or nasty but here they
are just a part of my everyday life. I am so used to
my town now and the people and the wacky things that
happen that coming home will take some adjusting. I
feel like Santa Rosa really has become my town and the
people there really have become my friends and family.
I have experienced so much with them from Carnaval (Mardi
Gras), to weddings, to funerals, to town meetings, to
baptisms, to birthday parties, to town festivals, to
celebrations of certain saints, to working in the fields,
etc. There are just such huge differences in their lives
compared to ours and too many stories that I find it
hard to write down.
I definitely feel that I have learned more from them
then they have learned from me. I taught things like
hygiene, nutrition, geography, a little English and
dental hygiene. They taught me how to survive, how to
not be stressed out with what time it is, how to be
generous and much more. I will certainly be taking their
spirit back with me. They have so little but yet are
so happy! If only everyone could learn this lesson,
but it is hard to appreaciate life in the US because
we have such easy access to everything.
It's hard to think about what I will be leaving behind.
How and what will I remember from Santa Rosa, Peru????
I think I will mostly think about the children who have
become like my own kids. Everyone in town jokes around
with me about my many kids. I will remember how Lushca
would always come to my house by herself and just push
open the door "Yenifer, Yeeeennnniiiiiii".
She always liked coming over to see me because when
she went to the bathroom I always gave her toilet paper
and then made her wash her hands with Dial Liquid Soap.
She said that the "bleach" always smelled
so good! I will always remember how Sonia would come
up to me and show me her little hands saying "Look
Yeni, my hands are clean". This started after I
taught them about washing their hands and why. Of course
most of the time her hands were totally dirty! But that
is the thing about development work.... it is soooooo
hard to change habits. She obviously hadn't washed her
hands but at the very least she did learn that it was
something good to have her hands clean. Maybe one day
she will take the next step and actually wash them!
I keep trying to tell myself "remember this moment"
or how this looks or how that looks, but it is never
the same. I am bringing home a million pictures but
they never do anything justice.
Finally, after about 2 weeks of answering the same questions
of why I am leaving and when I am leaving, I am getting
anxious about coming home. I can't wait to see everyone
and hear what has gone on in their lives for the past
year. AND.... my little brother Tom is now home from
Iraq. My other brother Paul will be flying in from seminary
school in Minnesota also. So the whole family will be
together on Super Bowl Weekend. I guess I will have
to willfully endure the stupid football games. At the
least I'll enjoy the commercials!!!!
Well, this will be my last email from Peru. It is the
final countdown. I leave my town on Saturday. I bus
to Lima on Sunday. Monday - Wednesday will be spent
getting all kinds of medical tests. Yeah... fun!
Okay, well this is it. See you all soon.
Love,
Jenny
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