Visitors

I'm back! I hope you all had a wonderful holiday season. I certainly did. As I mentioned in my last post, I had visitors.

JVC doesn't want us to have visitors during our first year. It may sound cruel, but it makes good sense. Visitors from home take you out of the JV experience, and waiting a year before receiving visitors allows JVs to fully engage with their first year and build relationships with the local community.

My family came for our first international Christmas. We spent a week in Andahuaylillas where they got to meet all the key people in my life here, then a week in the Cusco area on our own where we got to have some quality family time. I feel very lucky that my family had already seen Machu Picchu and most of the tourist sites in Cusco because it gave us a more relaxed trip. They left on January 1^st.

My favorite family in Andahuaylillas with my real blood family.

After ringing in the new year on the main plaza in Cusco with my sister, I flew to Lima and spent a few days with some dear people from my study abroad experience in 2013. On January 3 my friend Kevin arrived. We spent a few days in Lima (including an all-important trip to the movies to see Star Wars VII), then flew to Cusco for some time in the city and Andahuaylillas. The second week of Kevin's trip with did a 5 day hike to Machu Picchu, following the Salkantay trek route. If you want to hike to Machu Picchu, but don't want to spend Inca Trail levels of money, look into the Salkantay trek. Kevin left on the 16^th.

Me and Kevin at Peru's most famous site.

Now it's just the four of us JVs in the house. It was wonderful to have visitors, but it's nice to be back in a more recognizable rhythm. My mother likes to say “Nice to go, and nice to come home” when we get back from trips. I think it's the same with hosting.

Thank you Mom, Dad, Nora, and Kevin for crossing so many miles and spending so many dollars to come see me. How blessed I am to have people who think I am worth such a journey!