Visitors!

Part of saying Yes to JVC was accepting that I wouldn't see many familiar faces for these two years. But happily, “not many” doesn't mean none at all. The weekend of April 25 and 26 I met up with three friends.

Boston reunion above the plaza in Cusco.

On Saturday, I met up with Trisha B. and Nora C., a mother-daughter pair of family friends who are in Cusco to hike the Inca Trail. Nora is in the midst of a gap year and using her time to travel Latin America. She's been in Nicaragua for a few months working with the anti-canal movement*, and after the Inca Trail is headed to Quito for an intensive course certifying her as an English language teacher. She's a brave, bright young woman. If you're interested in her travels, check out her blog.

Trisha looking through an artisan market.

They treated me to lunch at Papacho's (the burger restaurant we went to after ourretreat). I'll be honest, I only expected to spend an hour or two with them and then part ways. We spent 3 hours at the restaurant alone. We had so much to talk about. Nora and I shared travel stories. Trisha told me about her time as JV in Providence, RI. After the restaurant we walked down Avenida el Sol. Nora told me about the political situation in Panam while Trisha looked through some hand woven goods. Then we crossed the street and took in a show of traditional dances from various regions.

So glad I got to spend a day with these two brave,
clever, and interesting women.

When we finally said goodbye, the sun was setting. We had passed the entire afternoon together and we had all greatly enjoyed ourselves. It was wonderful to see faces from Boston. As Nora pointed out, it's also really cool to meet up with people in other countries. The whole time together feels more special and alive.

Lali and me after breakfast.
This is the woman who introduced me to Peru.

On Sunday morning I went back in to Cusco to meet up with Lali for breakfast. Lali is the director of IFSA-Butler's Peru program. I visited her and her mother when we were in Lima in January. She was in Cusco because she was taking the IFSA students on the Cusco trip. They had just got back from Machu Picchu. She treated me to breakfast at a restaurant on the second floor of a corner building over looking the plaza. We discussed how good intentions aren't enough and have to be tempered with thoughtfulness when doing service. She gave suggestions for places to take my family and friends when they visit next year. It was a nice morning of reminiscing, catching up, and looking forward to her next Cusco trip in September. Hopefully she'll be able to come out to Andahuaylillas and see the church next time.

Visitors are special for many reasons. One, it's just exciting to see people. Two, it shakes up the routine. Three, they are usually generous and want to buy me good food. But most of all, I find they are exciting because they remind me of where I've been, and where I can go. Trisha met me the day I was born. I've known Nora her whole life. Lali met me at the airport in Lima two years ago. They all know me from a context outside of JVC, they know me as someone other than a volunteer. Without any specific words they remind me that I was someone before I came here, and that I will be someone after.

*Did you know there is a major effort underway to build a canal through Nicaragua connecting the Atlantic and Pacific?