I don't care about money, I just want to BE WONDERFUL- Marilyn Monroe: Say Hello Wave Goodbye

It's late morning on a Sunday and I'm laying in a hammock. I could not be more relaxed. This is a stark contrast from the week leading up to today. I spent the past 7 days running around La Libertad being responsible... who knew that was possible? This past week I led a group of new youth volunteer trainees around our department to share our coastal towns with them and give them the chance to practice their skills in our classrooms.

As I lay here staring at my feet with not a care in the world, I am happy. I did not wake up at 6 this morning, I was able to sleep in until 8. And I didn't meet with a group and hop in a bus this morning. I love this morning. The week was great, but there is nothing quite like a Sunday morning at the beach. I left Amanda to go to the beach alone this time, unlike most Sunday mornings when I wake up in Huanchaco. Instead I took some time alone. Got caught up on some emails, took a nice long barefoot beach run, then retired to the hammock before some other tourist at our hostel could swoop it from me. After a long and productive week, it's nice to just chill and think about things, or not think at all. The world needs more hammocks. That is a fact.

To appreciate the value of this tranquil moment, I will share with you some details of the week that brought me here. Peru 19 FBT, La Libertad 2012.

FBT= Field Based Training. A trip held during training for all new groups of volunteers. Several trips are taken in the same week. The large training group is broken into small FBT groups. This year for the youth program, one group went to the department of Ancash, another to the department of Ica, and one group came up to visit us in the lovely land of La Libertad. Lucky ducks :)

Last year I took this trip to Ancash. It was a random selection for us. No one knew where they would be placed. Same was true for this group. It was a little less random this time around, but they still didn't know their sites at the time of their visit. This year, instead of being a wide-eyed trainee ready to see more of Peru, I was the volunteer leading them around and showing them more of Peru. This was a job I sort of fell into and am very happy to have had. I had a wonderful week and I really enjoyed being able to share in the 19ers growing Peace Corps experience.

While I was, in a sense, teaching them, I learned way more from them than they could have learned from me. The group of 9 new volunteers I had with me was a group of intelligent, creative, and patient people. They were humble with their language skills, were never late, rarely complained, and gave 100% in all of the activities we had planned for them this week. I was continually impressed by the work they did throughout the week. Instead of writing about all the cool stuff they did, I will leave you with a bunch of pictures at the end of this post.

Being able to spend time not only with the new volunteers from Peru 19, but also our third year volunteer coordinator -a Peru 13 youth volunteer- made me proud to be a part of the Youth Development program. Plus, I got to see the excellent work my fellow 17ers are doing in their sites. I am a part of a great group with so many opportunities to do incredible things here.

But to mention the arrival of Peru 19 and neglect the departure of Peru 15 would be a dishonest representation of the week. For as much happiness as I received in working with the new group, I felt equal parts sadness for the exit of some dear friends I've made in the past year. While it was sad and difficult to say goodbye to some very inspiring people, it was very motivational to watch them leave with so much sadness and so much love for their communities. The relationships they made and the impacts they have had while here are real things. I can only hope to accomplish as much as the Peru 15 volunteers have.

Sorry this has gotten so sentimental, but I had to share. I am a part of something big, something awesome, and something sustainable. It's like that feeling I love so much. That feeling that you are small. It comes when you stand on a mountain. Or get knocked over by a wave while sneaking into the ocean (you know, when you accidentally trip and fall in the ocean mid-day ;) It's the feeling that the world is big. It's giant, and overwhelming, and beautiful. And we are all a part of it. My hope is that these big things I am a part of- the Youth Development program, my community, Peace Corps, my family, the world... that they will be better because I am a part of it. I hope I was able to inspire the new volunteers the way they, and the outgoing 15ers, have inspired me.

A bittersweet week, but overall very motivational. Sorry for all the mush, but I needed to say it. Maybe it was the hammock that pulled it out of me, or perhaps my nice long beach run this morning (side note- I ran into a very scary looking snake... and I wasn't waring shoes. Almost shit my shorts). Whatever the case, it's the way I'm feeling this morning. Happy, accomplished (at least for the week), inspired, motivated. I will hold on to this the next time Peace Corps or Peru happens and everything comes crashing down ;)

Thanks for a great week Peru 19, and thanks for an awesome first year of service Peru 15. Suerte y muchos exitos a todos!