A (half) Year Abroad in Peru- Part I

Llamas, llamas, and more llamas...

The first half of my Year Abroad was spent in Peru, best known for its llamas, Machu Picchu, and women in colourful clothing. My grandad actually told me on the phone before I left that I'd have to buy multi-coloured clothing as 'that's what everyone wears there'. Some people also thought that there'd be no internet (and thank goodness they were wrong!). Honestly, I didn't really know what to expect, but I assumed that skirts of every colour probably weren't the main fashion on the streets of Lima, the capital.

I chose to volunteer as an English language teaching assistant in Peru as I knew that I wanted to go further than Spain for my Year Abroad, and had always had an interest in South America. Shadia, a representative from the organisation VolunTeach Peru, gave a pre-Year Abroad talk at my university, explaining the role that the volunteers would take on, the flexibility of volunteering and the linguistic advantage of living with host families whilst participating in the program. At the time, I was in the process of applying to work as an English language assistant for the British Council in Argentina. But the talk got me thinking: I had always wanted to visit the Inca ruins of Machu Picchu; I would definitely improve my Spanish more in a family setting, and that would solve the problem of wondering around a foreign city looking for accommodation! I withdrew my application for Argentina, keen on volunteering in Peru instead.

The application was relatively simple and was split into various stages, and all in English. Firstly, I applied on-line, then I submitted a reference from my university, followed by a Skype interview. Before I knew it, I had been accepted and was overjoyed by the fact that I'd finally be going to Machu Picchu (and for the great opportunity in general as well, of course!). My next stage after the acceptance was to create a video about myself for both the host families and the schools in which I'd be working to see before my arrival. My video was beyond cheesy, and included my sister talking enthusiastically about how great I'd be as a teacher... I turn red just thinking about it. And even redder when the volunteers and I watched each others' videos with nostalgia at the end of our time in Peru.

I booked my Machu Picchu four-day trekking tour (I'd never trekked before at that point) early. Probably too early, but we'll come to that later... I booked my flights, and went into full-on preparation mode, buying clothes that I could work in, clothes that I could enjoy the sun in also, thinking that it'd be hot and sunny all year round in the whole of Peru. (Side note: research the weather conditions before you go on your Year Abroad...). I was sent the details of my host families and schools a couple of months later, and my excitement, and nervousness, grew. It was finally real; I was going on a Year Abroad. To Peru. Really far away. Could I actually speak good enough Spanish? Would people laugh when I spoke? The self-questioning happened quite often, but I guess that's normal for someone who has never travelled to a foreign country alone before, especially with the intention of living there and working. My friends (male engineers) also thought it'd be hilarious to tell me about forced drug smuggling incidents and the like, which I was genuinely terrified of until I safely got out of the airport in Birmingham at Christmastime.

I finally set off on my long journey to Jorge Chavez International Airport, Lima, at the beginning of August 2014. I mostly held back my tears at the airport saying my goodbyes, but it was a strange feeling, knowing I wouldn't be back in the same continent as my family and friends for a long time. After two long plane journeys I arrived into Lima airport. It was cold. Maybe all those summer clothes wouldn't be appropriate... Outside of the airport stands a huge 3D advertisement for Coca-Cola. It's a 'landmark' that brought me both happiness and sadness: the excitement of travelling to other places within the country, and the end of my Peruvian journey.

Anyway, a few other volunteers arrived at the same time as me so we got picked up together and dropped off at a quirky hostel in Miraflores. We all tried to sleep relatively early in order to wake up for the long day of inaugurations the following day. It was loud, unbelievably cold and I couldn't sleep well at all. I had come from rural Herefordshire, where the only noise at night is the occasionally mooing of a cow. I guess this was the first moment in which I considered the drastic change, country girl in the countryside to country girl living in a city with nearly 10 million people, crazy traffic and more catcalling than I had ever experienced before.

I woke the next day still nervous but excited to explore the city and meet the other volunteers. The tour took us from Miraflores to the historic city centre, where la plaza de armas is located, surrounded by the Government Palace, the Municipal Palace of Lima and the cathedral. It's an impressive place, full of tourists (and some demonstrations on that day...), and pretty colonial buildings. The weather was pretty awful that day too; I'd really not packed accordingly. Later on we went to the organisation's meeting room and listened to a talk about general safety, cultural awareness and how to take on the role of a teaching assistant. My excitement grew; the next day I'd get a bus to the city of Arequipa to meet my first host family.