Crossing this imaginary line has always been
on my bucket list and this summer I will be able to check it off, why? Voy a Perú! Not only am
I excited to see llamas and alpacas, taste ceviche and coy, and visit ruins
like Machu and Huayna Picchu along with other touristy things; For about 1
month I will be living in a host village along with the rest of my group where
we will engage in various community service projects. The host
village is said to be in Peru's Sacred Valley which is located in the Andes at
an astonishing altitude around 10,000 feet! Also, because Perú is south of
the Equator it will be winter when I am there. During my trip I will have
ample time to work on and improve my Spanish and may even
learn some Quechua which is the language spoken by the Incas and many
indigenous people; currently 45% of Peru’s population is American Indian and
around 37% are mestizo (people of combined European and Native American
descent.) To prepare for this trip I have been reading many books my
favorite so far is The White
Rock by Hugh Thompson which
documents not only his time in Perú which he spent walking on Inca Roads,
but also stories he heard from locals and history as well. Below is a map of Peru:
It is natural for us humans to become complacent with our lives, the people, and the opportunities at our disposal. This behavior is innate and completely understandable. Think about it, if you saw a [beach] everyday, you may not view it with the excitement of someone who grew up days away from the ocean. This is not due to a lack of appreciation, but rather because [it] was at your becking call, [it] was easily... accessible. Take a chance and try something new, you never know what awaits I think many of us can agree that humans are often habitual creatures. More often then not, our lives get busy and we find comfort in our routines. The increasingly fast-paced, urbanized, and technologically advanced nature of society does not help combat this tendency. Luckily, there are currently 61 National Parks across the United States that can provide the change of environment and therapeutic experiences many of us subconsiously seek. https://www.mapsofworld.com/usa/national-parks...
