Send me back to Lima
Posted by Courtney Pelley on August 24th, 2010
I’ve been back in Ottawa for one whole week now. It feels as if I never left – nothing has seemed to change at all in my absence. I, however, have had the opportunity to see and do very much in these past three months and have come home a changed person. I have mixed feelings about being home, and I have to admit wasn’t prepared for this. I guess it would be called “reverse culture shock.” I hesitate to call it that because even though I was living and working in a different culture, and saw some difficult things, I don’t feel like I had a traumatizing or overly-involved experience. I wasn’t living or working in tough conditions; I had pretty much all the creature comforts of home and even worked with another Canadian. This was my second work-term in Peru, and this did not happen last time. During the last few weeks I was homesick and was really looking forward to being home. But now that I’m home, I kind of want to be back in Lima. I definitely had some issues while living in Lima and was looking forward to getting back to some Canadian comforts (such as predictable bus times and pedestrians having the right-of-way). But now that I’m home I just want to leave. I don’t feel resentful towards Ottawa, or the people here. I now see that both places have their pros and cons, and both are amazing cities. I’m just having a difficult time deciding where I fit in.
Summer 2010 was full of ups and downs, and I’ve come away with new perspectives and insights through my time in Peru. Working for a children’s rights and development organization was challenging, but the rewards far exceed the limitations I faced. My initial hesitation with Spanish diminished over the three months, and my confidence grew in understanding how the NGO functions on many different levels. Three months was a short time to really see all the ins and outs of an organization, but with the time I had I feel I really have a more complete grasp on the type of work local scale NGOs do in Lima and Peru.
As for where I go from here, I honestly think I’m more confused than before I left. This internship has opened my eyes to many of the issues I’ve been learning about for the last four years, and has also exposed me to many of the strengths and inefficiencies faced by local NGOs. I will be completing my undergraduate degree this year, and I guess this far in, with this much experience under my belt, I’m supposed to have a better idea of what exactly I’m going to do with my life. I have no clue.
