Up, up and away...

One of my favourite parts about flying is waiting at the departure gate. Once you've reached the gate, you've passed the point of no return and you can finally stop worrying about whether or not you forgot your bathing suit because there's really nothing you can do about it now. You have a few hours to hang out and people watch. I was apparently enjoying this a bit too much since it took me 2.5 hours to realize that I was at the wrong gate. My flight should have started boarding 30 minutes ago and everyone around me was either British and dressed elegantly or so anxious to hit the pool bar that they were only barely resisting the urge to put on their bathing suits in Toronto. It turns out the wrong gate was printed on my boarding pass. Luckily, my flight was a bit late and I still made it on time. Phew.

The layered sunset on the flight from YYZ to LIM.

We are all travelers.

During the past five months, I have received mixed responses to the prospect of this trip… Don’t get me wrong, people have mostly been supportive. Still, I want to clarify two points.

First, in response to not only this trip, but also previous travels, I get a lot of people telling me how lucky I am. To some extent that’s true. Yes, I am extremely lucky to have parents who are passionate about backpacking and have given me so many opportunities to travel. Our family vacations were definitely more exotic/ adventurous than average and, even at home, we always traveled through the food we ate, the movies we watched, the music we listened to…

However, as I grow up and am able to take responsibility for my travels, it’s not so much a matter of luck. I work hard to earn money to fund my travel addiction. I daydream and research extensively. Okay, obsessively. Most importantly, I do.

I guess what I’m saying is that if you really want to travel, you can. Luck has little, if anything, to do with it. It’s only a matter of deciding you want something badly enough to make it happen, whatever it takes. Maybe the stories and pictures to be posted here can be more than just an account of my time spent in Peru. Maybe they can inspire you to make your trip happen too.

Onto point number two. Many are shocked by the fact that I am going to teach voluntarily *gasp!*. “You mean you’re doing this for free?! Why?!” Well, dear friends, money isn’t everything. I’m sure you’ve heard that once or twice before. That being said, I did choose my organization very carefully.

I am quite strongly opposed to organizations that charge 4000$+ to go work for them for three weeks, mainly because most of that money is unlikely to go to the cause. I also think that only the amount going to the cause should be fund raised, not the costs of personal expenses such as airfare or vaccinations.  I don't want this post to turn into a voluntourism rant, but these are a couple of the things that I specifically avoided in my search for a volunteer position in South America. I also wanted to avoid organizations based in North America which often operate as a middleman of sorts.  Instead, I searched for something local.

Horizon Peru is a small local organization and Manuel, the founder, grew up in La Esperanza. In fact, he grew up in the very house I will be living in. Consequently, he is fully aware of the needs of the community and is truly invested in improving conditions for the children who are growing up there now. They ask for a small donation which, in my opinion, is completely reasonable.  I am also paying a small weekly fee to rent a room with all amenities. The donation and rent go directly to supporting the program, and they have clearly  listed how the fees will be used.

I chose to volunteer in La Esperanza to improve my Spanish, to learn about a different culture and interact with the locals, to gain teaching experience, and to contribute to a good cause through a program that I believe is structured to properly cater to the children of La Esperanza’s needs. I am not denying that I do have some self-interested goals. I just listed them. But I am one of those who believe that making the world a better place starts with education so, for me, volunteer teaching makes sense.  Based on the information available on the Horizon Peru website, on my correspondence with Manuel and Luz through e-mail and Skype over the past five months and on reading the blogs of past volunteers, I believe that Manuel and Luz have started something special by offering the children of La Esperanza an opportunity for free education. I’m looking forward to doing my part in helping those children too.

-S xo

Hello Blog.

At last, my undergrad is complete! Dad picked me up in Guelph yesterday and, with the help of some kind strong hands, we miraculously fit all my belongings into and on top of the car. The wind was too strong and we had to ditch the mattress on the side of the highway, but other than that it was a successful mission. Now it is time to say my Montreal goodbyes because, in twelve days, the much anticipated adventure finally begins!

For those who haven’t heard about the trip yet, after deciding that I had absolutely no desire to dive into grad school right away, I wrote down a list of things I did want to do. First on the list: improve my Spanish. Some research and one Skype interview later, I was signing a three month volunteer contract with Horizon Peru. I will be teaching English to children in the impoverished district of La Esperanza in the city of Trujillo (also nicknamed the city of Eternal Spring…and located in the province of La Libertad. Such pretty names!). Also on the agenda: attempting to master the waves of nearby Huanchaco. My fourth month will be all about traveling.

So I caved in and created a blog where you can follow my adventures. I do not have the best track record with blogs, but I think this might just be the one I can keep going for longer than a week. I promise to try really hard to post frequent updates and lots of pictures.

-S xo

P.S. Thank you to all the wonderful friends who came out to say their goodbyes this week! I am not very good at goodbyes and probably did not do the best job of conveying how much I am going to miss you all. You should know, I already do.