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Ok....breathe! I think we are actually on our way home now. After a 10 hour delay at the Lima airport due to some ticket difficulties, we are at the airport and getting ready to check in with our new Air Canada flights. TACA wouldn't let us board due to confusion over a date change in the tickets until they received proper authorization and the authorization didn't come in time for us to catch our flight. Our bags did, however, and are being sent home to Edmonton via San Salvador, while we are home via Toronto. The really fabulous upside of this somewhat stressful situation is that, through this mix-up, we avoided nearly $700 worth of overweight and extra baggage charges. Vale la pena! (translation...so worth it!)
So many emotions over the past while...sadness, anticipation, anxiety, excitement, reflection...how many emotions can a person feel, for crying out loud! Mancora feels like a dream...a world away that may or may not still exist somewhere in the planet. Feels like a time warp being in the hustle and bustle again of a big city like Lima. Probably a good transition so we don't go into shock arriving in North America.
The past week has been a whirlwind with our despedida (going away party) being exactly one week ago today at Elizabeth's house. It was filled with beautiful friends, laughter, music, dancing, cervesa, sangria, tequila sunrises (only made with Ron Cartavio rum instead!), stories, memories and some tears. We will always remember the feeling of peace and love that filled the room. Benjamin brought as a gift two members of the local music group Sentimiento Latinoamericano and dedicated lots of songs to us and to our time together...it was really fun and we loved making request after request of our favorite Peruvian songs. Peruvian music definitely has a distinct flavor and we are excited to share it all with you upon our return to Edmonton!
Our last day in Mancora was spent visiting friends, going for one last ceviche and cervesa with Rita and Elena, saying goodbye to Duke (our little moto), and delivering some last minute gifts. When our taxi driver, Victor didn't show up to take us into town to catch our bus to Lima, there was a slight panic, but the security guard from Casa de Playa flagged down two (yes, two) motos to haul us and all our stuff into town. We are happy to report that we made it safely into town and had plenty of time to say our goodbyes because our bus was an hour late!
We arrived in Lima in time to catch our flight to Arequipa, southern Peru. Wow! It turned out to be our favorite city yet. It is called the White City because of the stones used in construction made from the lava and ashes of nearby volcanoes. It is absolutely gorgeous. We took a tour in the early, freezing cold morning to Colca Canyon, the deepest canyon in the world. We went to the Cross of the Condor and we were fortunate enough to see 7 condors flying at one time over and through the canyon. They are massive, 1 metre high with a wing span of 3 meters. We also took a 4 hour city tour on top of a double decker bus. Beautiful countryside and such a clean city. It was a really tranquil place and good way to unwind a bit before heading home.
I've taken some time to reflect on the past year and assess what I will miss and not miss about Mancora and here are the top 10 lists:
Not miss:
10) ants....everywhere!
9) miracle sand that I sweep out of my bed each night and that re-appears by morning
8) dirty feet
7) chinchorros (really creepy beetles that are here from December to April and they smelly bad!)
6) grios (even creepier flying beetles that dive bomb your head and swarm the lights)
5) waiting until "manana" for an entire 7 months without ever getting our phone
4) people staring all the time, astonished to see gringas in the pueblo
3) crazy, crazy drivers
2) public urination and nose-picking
1) people calling me a gordita (chubby girl!) It is a wonder I am leaving with self-esteem intact!
Miss very much:
10) speaking Spanish....imperfect, but definitely much improved!
9) being called the "gringas con moto"
8) visiting our favorite jugeria that serves the most incredible maracuya juice in the world
7) the sun 360 days per year
6) the gorgeous, palm-tree-lined beaches at Las Pocitas
5) people speaking with so much emotion and always using words of endearment, such as "mi hija, mi amor, mi amorcita, mi chola, mi corazon, mi carino...."
4) driving or riding on our little motorcycle, Duke
3) greeting friends around town and being known and seen by people
2) feeling useful and like I am making a difference
1) the beautiful, beautiful people of Mancora and their testament to the strength of the human spirit
It's been a full, full year and I feel extremely lucky to have shared this year of growth and challenge and much much happiness with Shelly. As sad as I feel to be leaving so many amazing people in Mancora, I feel ready to begin a new and different chapter of life back in Edmonton.
Thanks for all your messages of love and support this year....you are appreciated! See ya soon.
Love, Stacy
Well I can`t believe that I have lived a year here in Peru and South America.
One must really be careful for what you wish for. I wanted a year full of change and I certainly got what I asked for and then some. This year has been often like a roller coaster, up and down, laughing and crying, intense and tranquil, lonely and full. But it has always been moving, moving, growing and learning.
This year has given me what I wanted...change. It has also given me insight into myself and a little better understanding of what I hope to continue to do with my life. I really love helping people and this year has allowed for me to freely give of myself in a way that I have never experienced before. It is fullfilling to be useful, it has been for me anyways. The appreciation these people have for even something small that you do for them is marvellous.
Like I have often said, I have learned so much more than I have taught. The wonder of being human is exciting and complex. Sometimes the more I learn the less I understand. This is the journey of life I suppose. And as I leave here I am not sure I have any more profound answers to the secrets of life, but what I have learned is to just be content with life. Grab on to all it has to give you, don´t wait to love people, be quick to forgive because if you don`t you are the only one who looses. Remember that this little crisis that you appear to be in will pass, and will pass easier with a smile. That money cannot buy happiness, people here are very poor but always happy. That no matter where you live and the background you have and the language you speak, love can transend all of these things and allow you to have wonderful friends who touch your heart and life if you want them to.
So I am so very thankful for the time I had here, the experiences and the lessons and the memories. How could I ever forget this year? How incredibly lucky I am to have shared it with my wife who is a marvellous person full of wisdom, love and strength. Our relationship have also changed and continues to grow with all its bumps and bruises. She is someone who also wants to continue to grow and learn and has such a great heart full of compassion. I thank God for her and the time that we had.
I look forward to coming home and continuing to grow and learn and help. Thank you all for taking this journey of the past year with us, and for your messages of love and care. We missed you a lot. We are looking forward to connecting with you again and hearing about your year and your memories.
We love you and will see you soon.
P.S. Don't worry if we talk about Peru with a tear in our eye, we have become apart of it, it is in our blood and we are in its heart.
Love and kisses
Shelly
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