Thoughts and Goodbyes and Iquitos and Pucallpa

I’ve been forced to do some thinking lately and I have realized something. Going on exchange is torturous and heart-breaking. You go away from everything you’ve ever known for a year, torn apart from everyone and sent off to a different country where you aren’t able to communicate with anyone. Everything you are used to doing is no longer how it should be done. The culture and atmosphere are all different. You are living in a house with a family of strangers. You don’t know if you can trust anyone, but you have to. You have to blindly trust everyone you meet. You are sent to a school where you don’t know anyone and you aren’t capable of communication with anyone. You can’t understand any of the lessons in classes. You have to learn how to navigate a new city, and get hopelessly lost all the time. But, because of all of these things, you figure other things out. Being sent away from everyone makes you realize who actually cares about you. Not being able to communicate with anyone forces you to learn the language. A different culture and atmosphere opens your mind. Living in a house with a family of strangers is awkward at first, but eventually that family of strangers will become your family. Blindly trusting everyone teaches you who is worthwhile to be friends with and who won’t let you down. Going to a school where you can’t communicate teaches you who your friends are really because they will help you all the time, even when it’s inconvenient. Not understanding anything might get you out of some of the homework if you’re lucky (but not usually) but mostly forces you to learn more of the language. Getting lost in a new city is the only form of learning how to navigate the said new city. You are torn away from your life, and you have to make a new life for yourself. You make best friends, new friends for life. You have the other exchange students who are all in the same boat as you, and will become your best friends in the entire world. You have created a new life for yourself, but it can all only last for a year. Once your year is up, you must return home. You must go back to what were once your life and your world. You have to go back to school, and talk with the people who ignored your existence for a year. You must say goodbye to your new life and friends. You must go back to talking your native tongue, slowly forgetting your new language. And, once you arrive home and are back into the groove of things, you realize that you have changed. You can’t be what everyone expects you to be, because you have changed. You have best friends that live on the opposite side of the globe. Going on exchange is torturous because you are dropped off in a new world, not knowing anyone or anything. Going on exchange is also heartbreaking because you have to eventually say goodbye to it all; to your world, your life, your new family, your friends, and your language. The whole experience is life changing, and though it might be rough, it is something everyone must experience.

Recently, the two Australian exchange students have returned home. Both of them have found a special place in my heart. Not everyone can understand this, but the relationship formed between exchange students and other exchange students is like none other. They are in the same boat as you and are really the only people that can relate to your struggles. They become your family. I suppose on exchange you make at least 2 new families. One is the other exchange students and the others would be your host families.

As some of you may remember, I was scheduled to go to Iquitos for a month or so during my year here in Peru. Well, I am here! I arrived the 17^th of Jan. I am living with the family that is my sponsor family for the whole year. Their daughter is in Minnesota for a year as an exchange student. My family in Iquitos is awesome and they are really making me feel a part of the family. I went to the gym with my mom this morning and went to eat breakfast with her after. I’ve spent most of my time with her so far. My dad here works during the week, but I see him at night and for lunch. He is really nice and fatherly to me, which is something that I have kind of missed. My brother doesn’t talk that much, but isn’t the one to hold back laughing when I make a silly mistake. He seems sweet and genuine.

About Iquitos: it is a city in the Peruvian Amazon Jungle. It is right off the coast of the Amazon River (which I saw in the plane as we neared the city. Breathtaking. And very brown.) Iquitos is a the most touristic city in the Jungle in Peru. There is a house right off the main square that was built by the man who built the Eiffel Tower. Iquitos was formed a long time ago, because the European came and cleared the jungle in this area because it was a goldmine of some sort of valuable mineral. Not gold though. Some of the original buildings are still up, and are very pretty. Although Iquitos is a city of about half a million, it has a small town atmosphere. People are nice and help strangers a lot more than they do in Lima, and they act towards each other like people back in Petersburg do. You go for a drive and will see about 5 people you know within 8 minutes. It is just refreshing to have this type of atmosphere coming from a town of 2,300 people and then moving to a city of around 10 million. The heat here isn’t as bad as I thought it would. Yes, I do sweat a lot, but less than I thought it would be. And, I have a AC window unit in my room, so that helps. The fruit here is delicious.

On Friday I will be going to Pucallpa, another city in the jungle, for a week. So, yay! I’ve already been to Pucallpa once for 5 days in October, but I get to go back! Traveling is always fun.

The internet in Iquitos is quite spotty, so I don’t always have internet and if I do, it is extremely slow. But, it forces me to communicate with my family more and to watch more TV in Spanish (which helps me practice my language). Iquitos is pretty awesome and I wouldn’t mind staying here for the remainder of my year.

I climbed the tower in the church of the main square. It was full of bird crap and spiders. Laura and I screamed multiple times going up, but the view from the top was worth it all. We also went to a museum about the history of Iquitos, including the rubber boom. (which is what the Europeans were getting in the jungle. its from the sap of some tree. ) We also just walked around. It was pretty cool. 

The next day I went to the zoo and Manatee reservation in Iquitos. That was cool. 

And I've gone to the club with my mom multiple times. It's really cool and I think I'll be swimming there almost everyday.

Right now, I'm in Pucallpa, another city in the Jungle. I'm here with my family from Iquitos visiting their family. There are 8 other exchangers in Pucallpa. I'll be here for a week, so yay!

Oh, my parents are coming to Peru in April to visit me :) 

Until Next Time!

Emily