Elisa ~ Joanne ~ Olivia ~ Rachel
In Lima we met 4 other girls who would become like family to us by the end of our first week in Huancayo. In Lima we were hesitant friends somewhat uncertain of how we would all get along, but when you are forced to sleep in a bedroom with 5 people in one night, I think you are almost required to become friends.
Olivia and Rachel, are two wonderful girls who were high school friends from Minnesota (aka MInn-ee-sota in their accents), Rachel is hoping to take the MCAT and start medical school next year. Olivia is applying for PA school after graduation. Joanne and Elisa, are friends from undergrad at University of Illinois. Joanne is a biopsychology major, and Elisa is a bioengineering major, both hoping to go to medical school.
Once in Huancayo, we were excited to find out that we would all be staying with the same host mom, Señora Elena. She made us the best meals! Some of our greatest memories were around the dining room table, from where I’m sure the neighbors could hear our constant laughter.
These girls each have unique experiences and a different outlook on life, but we bonded over our compassion and willingness to serve others and our new-found love for this country that all of us (except Elisa) had never seen before this week. We had so many laughs and inside jokes. I even made a list of them so that we could remember them even after we separated. We complained about the constant speed bumps in the roads. We would wave and say Hello to people who stared at us in the streets, or from buses, or from their own cars. We were constantly on the lookout for gelato, fresh juice, or a pug for Rachel. We would often watch Joanne and Elisa pet the cats and rabbit in our courtyard at home.
One our last day together, after volunteering at a shelter for teen moms, Señor Rojito was driving us home and we found ourselves singing (or shouting) to Ed Sheeran’s “Thinking Out Loud” (🎶🎶PEOPLE FALL IN LOVE IN MYSTERIOUS WAYS🎶🎶), and suddenly we turn our heads to see a group of Peruvian men cheering us on! Half of our group was embarrassed, and slunk down in our seats, the other half kept on singing! It’s memories like these that bound us together!
We sent our kiddos off to college today with tears in our eyes as they waved their final goodbye to our home in Huancayo! Can’t believe how quickly it is possible to create such great friendships! I look forward to keeping in touch and hopefully a reunion in Chicago this summer!
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