Buenas noches from Peru! I have arrived to Trujillo, my home for the next two months, and am all settled in and ready to start work tomorrow morning!
I landed in Lima last Saturday and was automatically reunited with one of the main people on staff (whom I love!) as soon as I left the baggage claim. From there, I spent the next two days helping pick up the other volunteers for VivePeru and getting to know them as we explored the city a little bit. We stumbled upon a ceremony in honor of the Eucharist in the main plaza downtown, which was really cool to see! I really love how much the Catholic faith is integrated into Peruvian culture. It is so important to them, which I can totally relate to! I have also gotten into running this past year and met a running partner from my program in Lima, so she and I were able to run along the Pacific coast twice the two days we were there! It reminded me a lot of my runs I love doing to Lake Michigan in Chicago, but it was so much cooler!! It will also help prepare me for the 5K I signed up to run in a nearby city, Pacasmayo next weekend. :)
After spending a couple of days in Peru's capital city, we bussed overnight to Trujillo. All I can say is Peruvians know how to travel- their busses are very comfortable! The seats can lean almost all the way flat, and each passenger is provided with a blanket, a pillow, cookies, juice, and tea!! Amazing! So after that comfortable bus ride that we all slept through, I was reunited with my host family once again and went back to bed for a few hours. It is so nice to return to a place that I haven't been to for a while because it reminds me of what has changed and what has not. It is crazy to think that an entire year has passed, that I am now about to turn 21 and enter my senior year of college. And yet being back in this house, seeing my old room- it makes it feel like nothing has changed. And sometimes, when a lot of change has happened in one year and more change is to come, that is a huge comfort!
Since my arrival here, I have been able to revisit some familiar parts of Trujillo. I remembered how to walk to the VivePeru office (which is about half a mile away) my first time back, which for me is a huge accomplishment! I have also revisited all the amazing souvenir shops downtown and have already begun my shopping...oh dear! Save us all. :P
I spent the end of my week learning more about my role as a coordinator with VivePeru and with helping the volunteers travel to and from their worksites. Something that will be a very interesting and educational experience for me is that a big part of my job is to visit all the hospitals my volunteers are working in to check in and see how things are going. There are 9 in Trujillo that I will be visiting throughout the week, so I will be able to see many different clinics and hospitals! I'm excited to learn more about the medical profession and maybe even see something cool!
Another main part of my job is to build relationships with everyone I'm working with and be their go-to person if they have any problems or need help with something. I am really excited about that part because I love getting to know everyone and being the one who can help them. Just as it was last year, I feel that each person here is so unique and interesting. The groups that volunteer with this organization always seem so positive, helpful, and wonderful to be around. I have actually discovered that there are some fellow Christians in the group too, which is always encouraging because I get to talk to people with whom I already have a strong connection right away. But I am really enjoying getting to know every person, and I feel that each one has something special to offer Peru. I'm excited to see what happens the next month with them and then with other new volunteers the month after!!
This weekend was very relaxing, as I napped and watched movies and spent time at Huanchaco, the nearby beach town. I also attended a Presbyterian church with friends of friends this morning, which was wonderful! Did I understand half of what was said? NOPE. But I definitely got the gist of it haha. It really helps that I am familiar with the way Presbyterian services go and with the Bible in general, but I never realized how quickly people say the Lord's Prayer until I tried doing it in a language I am not fluent in...goodness gracious! I think God would enjoy it just as much if we slowed it down a little!!!! I am really excited because I am going to try to get involved in a small group with the church, and I would love that fellowship! But funny story (but not really)...I got totally lost on the way to church this morning. I always do this! My friends with whom I went to church had told me where the church was, and I was pretty sure I knew where they were talking about. However, I am pretty directionally-challenged (I seriously think a part of my brain is missing...), so I decided to look it up on Google Maps. Well, I guess Trujillo isn't as well mapped on Google because it directed me to a completely different part of town than where I was expecting. So instead of walking 5 minutes to the place that I was already familiar with, I ignored my gut instinct and followed the directions from Google and ended up walking thirty minutes away from where I should have been in a...not-so-great part of town. I wandered around there and found the street the church should have been on, but of course it wasn't there! So here I am, all dressed up for church and looking the whitest a gringo could, also looking obviously lost. It seemed like there were groups of men standing outside, looking at me on every corner, and I just got super freaked out and avoided them at all costs. I eventually called my friend and ended up taking a taxi back to the place I had instinctively thought to go. Classic Ruth. But I made it and was only three minutes late to the service! Boom. I am very thankful that God protected me, though, because I know that could have been a bad situation.
Besides that eventful morning, I was able to see my friends surf this afternoon and enjoy the beautiful weather! It has been pretty warm here- around the 70's, which is my favorite temperature! It is strange how cold it gets in the morning and night and then how hot it is during the day. So bipolar!
We begin our first official work week tomorrow, so I am excited to take up more coordinator duties. And so begins the crazy, clumsy adventures of Ruth Hogle in Peru, take two!!!
Sunday, June 29, 2014
Monday, June 16, 2014
I'm back!!
I could not be more excited to write this first post of my next Peruvian summer (or I guess, winter, since that's what it will actually be there!). I have been reading through my posts from last summer the past couple of weeks to get excited about my return to Trujillo this summer, and I am so thrilled and thankful that I will be experiencing everything once again just a year later. I say "just a year", but it has actually been quite the year. I completely finished my junior year at DePaul just last Friday- I do not think I have ever felt so run down and ready to finish a school year! But through the literal grace and goodness of God, I pulled through and finished strongly. And now I am just hanging around Chicago until I fly from O'Hare to Houston and then Lima this Saturday! I can't believe it- 5 more days.
Although I am excited to go back to Peru, stay with the same amazing host family (YAY!), and travel to many of the same places, I know that some things will be different this time. First of all, I now know what to expect, which takes away a lot of the fear and just heightens my excitement. Also, I will be returning to work with VivePeru as an in-country coordinator (I'll explain what that entails in a second). But really, I feel like I have been through a lot this past year and am returning to Peru as someone who understands a little more about the hardships and pains of life, as someone who appreciates the beauty of life more, and as someone who feels a stronger sense of purpose and calling than I ever had before. Based on where I have been emotionally and spiritually this year, my trip to Peru could not come at a better time. And I know that it was meant to be this way.
I am really stoked to be an in-country coordinator with VivePeru. The in-country coordinators serve as a primary contact for the volunteers in each city to ensure that each volunteer has the best possible experience, while caring for their physical health and safety. They assist the staff in carrying out all program related activities, including leading orientation sessions and escorting volutneers to their worksites the first week. They also fulfill any task the director needs them to do. So I was able to refine my music teaching skills some last summer, and now I am excited to learn more about administrative tasks and leading others. I am really eager to further develop those skills! Those responsibilities will take up most hours each week day, so I won't be able to teach and sit in during the Trujillo Symphony rehearsals during the weekdays, unfortunately. However, I am hoping to still remain in contact with the musicians and students there and help out if I can. I also discovered that there is another wonderful program in Trujillo called Arpegio Peru (http://arpegioperu.jimdo.com/english-entrance/), and it is based off of El Sistema methods! I am really wanting to get involved there and teach on the weekends, if at all possible.
I will also be staying in Peru for my entire summer- from June 21st to September 1st! I start my senior year on September 10th, so I will fly back into Chicago with just enough time to settle back into American culture and rest up for my final year of college. I remember writing last summer that it was the best one I had ever experienced- I am hoping I will walk away from this summer with a similar feeling, but not just because I will be feeling fulfilled and happy over the amazing experiences I will have had. This summer is also a big one for me, as I am now thinking deeply on a daily basis where I see myself after graduation. As I've grown more as a musician and as a teacher this year, there are a few ideas and dreams bouncing around inside. But one secret dream that I'm now letting become not-so-secret (and actually, it may be fairly obvious at this point!) is something I have been getting swept up in many moments this year- I sort of think it would be incredible to move to Peru after graduation and keep working with VivePeru and teaching cello with the El Sisema program! Right now, I am seriously considering if that's where I am feeling called. I believe we are all called to certain jobs, places, and people, but we don't always choose that path. It's just so funny because just last year around this time, I would have never dreamt of something so big. My biggest and scariest dream was to stay in Chicago and audition for orchestras and teach. And that is a huge dream and difficult path as well. But picking up everything and moving to a different continent? Thousands of miles away from all loved ones and all familiarity? That's pretty terrifying. And exhilirating!!!! Living in Peru really brought out my adventurous side. I realized that I don't want to settle into a comfortable job that I don't love but that I know will pay the bills and afford me nice material things. What do I really want, if I let myself ask it? I really want to help change the lives of kids and adults in underdeveloped neighborhoods, cities, and countries. I don't want to achieve fame and glory so I can sit back and bask in my greatness as a cellist. I want to be bold- to not be afraid to dare to go where God wants me. And who knows? Maybe I will see throughout my time this summer that He has called me to get my Master's in music performance and audition for orchestras. Maybe I will see that He has called me to teach in the United States and pursue a degree or job. But I don't ever want to be afraid to open the door of my dreams because I'm scared that I won't be good enough, that I will end up being super unsuccessful and ineffective, or that I won't feel fulfilled and happy about the sacrifices I had to make to achieve them. So I am placing this summer in God's hands and am constantly praying over it all. I have faith that it will be revealed to me in time, and I am very excited for whatever lies ahead, no matter how hard it will be.
I have been trying to prepare myself mentally for this great trip in these ways as well as physically. I have been practicing my Spanish on Duolingo (great app!!), so I am hoping I won't be as rusty this time around. I also started packing yesterday, which took me three hours...so if that is any indication of how much stuff I am bringing, you don't even need to see the huge mountain of shirts and dresses engulfing my suitcase to take pity on me. Looking on the positive side, that gives me a fun project to keep working on as I continue to eliminate half of what I packed! Besides that, my goals of this week are to go to Lake Michigan at least once every day and catch up on sleep before my great trek! Here is to another summer full of new friends (because unforunately, none of my friends from last year are returning!), new and familiar hikes, beautiful music and memories, and...LLAMAS!!!!!
Although I am excited to go back to Peru, stay with the same amazing host family (YAY!), and travel to many of the same places, I know that some things will be different this time. First of all, I now know what to expect, which takes away a lot of the fear and just heightens my excitement. Also, I will be returning to work with VivePeru as an in-country coordinator (I'll explain what that entails in a second). But really, I feel like I have been through a lot this past year and am returning to Peru as someone who understands a little more about the hardships and pains of life, as someone who appreciates the beauty of life more, and as someone who feels a stronger sense of purpose and calling than I ever had before. Based on where I have been emotionally and spiritually this year, my trip to Peru could not come at a better time. And I know that it was meant to be this way.
I am really stoked to be an in-country coordinator with VivePeru. The in-country coordinators serve as a primary contact for the volunteers in each city to ensure that each volunteer has the best possible experience, while caring for their physical health and safety. They assist the staff in carrying out all program related activities, including leading orientation sessions and escorting volutneers to their worksites the first week. They also fulfill any task the director needs them to do. So I was able to refine my music teaching skills some last summer, and now I am excited to learn more about administrative tasks and leading others. I am really eager to further develop those skills! Those responsibilities will take up most hours each week day, so I won't be able to teach and sit in during the Trujillo Symphony rehearsals during the weekdays, unfortunately. However, I am hoping to still remain in contact with the musicians and students there and help out if I can. I also discovered that there is another wonderful program in Trujillo called Arpegio Peru (http://arpegioperu.jimdo.com/english-entrance/), and it is based off of El Sistema methods! I am really wanting to get involved there and teach on the weekends, if at all possible.
I will also be staying in Peru for my entire summer- from June 21st to September 1st! I start my senior year on September 10th, so I will fly back into Chicago with just enough time to settle back into American culture and rest up for my final year of college. I remember writing last summer that it was the best one I had ever experienced- I am hoping I will walk away from this summer with a similar feeling, but not just because I will be feeling fulfilled and happy over the amazing experiences I will have had. This summer is also a big one for me, as I am now thinking deeply on a daily basis where I see myself after graduation. As I've grown more as a musician and as a teacher this year, there are a few ideas and dreams bouncing around inside. But one secret dream that I'm now letting become not-so-secret (and actually, it may be fairly obvious at this point!) is something I have been getting swept up in many moments this year- I sort of think it would be incredible to move to Peru after graduation and keep working with VivePeru and teaching cello with the El Sisema program! Right now, I am seriously considering if that's where I am feeling called. I believe we are all called to certain jobs, places, and people, but we don't always choose that path. It's just so funny because just last year around this time, I would have never dreamt of something so big. My biggest and scariest dream was to stay in Chicago and audition for orchestras and teach. And that is a huge dream and difficult path as well. But picking up everything and moving to a different continent? Thousands of miles away from all loved ones and all familiarity? That's pretty terrifying. And exhilirating!!!! Living in Peru really brought out my adventurous side. I realized that I don't want to settle into a comfortable job that I don't love but that I know will pay the bills and afford me nice material things. What do I really want, if I let myself ask it? I really want to help change the lives of kids and adults in underdeveloped neighborhoods, cities, and countries. I don't want to achieve fame and glory so I can sit back and bask in my greatness as a cellist. I want to be bold- to not be afraid to dare to go where God wants me. And who knows? Maybe I will see throughout my time this summer that He has called me to get my Master's in music performance and audition for orchestras. Maybe I will see that He has called me to teach in the United States and pursue a degree or job. But I don't ever want to be afraid to open the door of my dreams because I'm scared that I won't be good enough, that I will end up being super unsuccessful and ineffective, or that I won't feel fulfilled and happy about the sacrifices I had to make to achieve them. So I am placing this summer in God's hands and am constantly praying over it all. I have faith that it will be revealed to me in time, and I am very excited for whatever lies ahead, no matter how hard it will be.
I have been trying to prepare myself mentally for this great trip in these ways as well as physically. I have been practicing my Spanish on Duolingo (great app!!), so I am hoping I won't be as rusty this time around. I also started packing yesterday, which took me three hours...so if that is any indication of how much stuff I am bringing, you don't even need to see the huge mountain of shirts and dresses engulfing my suitcase to take pity on me. Looking on the positive side, that gives me a fun project to keep working on as I continue to eliminate half of what I packed! Besides that, my goals of this week are to go to Lake Michigan at least once every day and catch up on sleep before my great trek! Here is to another summer full of new friends (because unforunately, none of my friends from last year are returning!), new and familiar hikes, beautiful music and memories, and...LLAMAS!!!!!
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