Looking back on a year.

I’m about one week from when I left for the Peace Corps, one year ago. Its like a birthday in a way, except at this birthday I actually have a good response if someone asks me, “how do you feel to be one year older.” I would say I feel fairly accomplished with my service thus far. With my community, we’ve made public trash cans, planted hundreds of trees, and even dug an irrigation canal on the side of a mountain just to get water to them. I’ve given classes of English and Environment, and with the students we’ve dug mico-landfills, started composting, and we’ve even begun separating the trash at the school and saving our recyclables. I’m completing my goals as an Environmental Volunteer and I’m very impressed with how far my Spanish has come. So overall, my spirits are high...atleast as far as my projects go.

But another part of having the earth complete another circuit around the sun and watching a year tick by, is gaining more knowledge and perspective than the year before. As my Spanish improves I’m able to have more in-depth conversations with Peruvians, and I’m truly starting to see the true nature of their hearts and minds. I’m seeing that they are proud of their country, but can’t see how to develop their country without outside help. They see the USA as the end of all means, and if its not given to them it may not be worth trying to get. I see radical Peruvians tired of being exploited by outside organizations, and I see placid Peruvians being ungrateful and selfish with the help that is given to them – and of course all manners of people in between. I’m starting to see the subtle undertone of suspicion when I say I’m from “Cuerpo de Paz” or “Body of Peace” when you directly translate it, which sometimes acts as another reminder of the “Cuerpos de pacificación” that came into their towns and “pacified” the “terrorists” during the 80’s and 90’s. I’m seeing that, like everything in life, even just giving your time with the best of your intentions isn’t even immune to the blending of black and white. Its not that I’m questioning development work, I’m wondering about the history of where its been and where it will go into the future. I’m wondering about what the free-handout does today to the people of tomorrow. I’m also just simply wondering if working in the health field would be a more satisfying way to help people instead of environment work, (if you ever get to see the blank stares you get when trying to describe the importance of reducing our carbon footprint to a rural community of Peruvians, you’ll know what I mean.) I guess it’s a good thing that I’m thinking about it, I think that means I still care.

So as I complete my Peace Corps Birthday this September 11 (yes, we left on 9/11 last year,) I want to say what I’m thankful for and give birthday wishes. I’m thankful for the beautiful site that I live in, I’m thankful for the extremely motivated community members, and I’m thankful for just being able to help-out now and then and have this experience and give a positive representation to Peruvians on behalf of the USA. I wish that the projects will keep coming, I wish that I Peru will eventually brew a decent beer, and I wish that all of you back home stay safe, happy, and healthy and I can’t wait to see you at Christmas!!!