The Hills You Climb

Ryan Bernal Franco, a sophomore at the City College of New York, wraps up his time in Peru with a reflection of gratitude - 

As my time in Peru ends, I can’t help but thank those that I have met along my journey of finding myself spiritually, mentally & physically. 

Thank you to my housemates for allowing me to be myself and comfortable in any space we’re in. 

Thank you to my colleagues who I have been able to learn more from, hear their stories and work alongside them. 

Finally, thank you to the students who I have been so fortunate enough to have during my time in Peru. 

 

Working as a Teaching Assistant at Fe y Alegria Primary School has taught me so much about my character, my patience, and overall, the joy of putting yourself in an uncomfortable position where you can venture out and meet new people. At times, I found myself being in situations where I was challenged in the best way possible through learning from my mistakes. Such as, not being able to pinpoint a specific location of the school to a student or not knowing the basics of how to write in cursive. All these situations were a testament to challenging myself to grasp more knowledge about the school, practice basic penmanship skills, and accepting that there is so much more to learn.

 

Being an after school tutor at the bibliotheca in Huaro has taught me valuable lessons that I will forever cherish. From having to re-learn math or even picking up new words in Quecha while I translate words in English. I am taken back to my first day where I found myself nervous and not knowing how to connect with the kids in Hauro— all my worries were gone once I started interacting with the kids with a simple hello, what is your name, where are you from, etc. Seeing their faces light up when I walk in shows me how far I have come in my time here and the joyful relationships that have come from a little bit of learning and effort.  

With the final weeks that I have left of being in Peru, I am ensuring to make every minute of everyday count. It is without a doubt that I would not be able to have get out of my comfort zone without the motivation and support from my housemates and do the things I would normally not do like, hike Rainbow Mountain, a two-hour hike with low oxygen and steep hills or hike up Machu Picchu, an hour and a half climb up a multitude of steep stairs. All this to say, sharing the house with five other individuals has allowed me to grow more as a person, share laughs at the dinner table, cook different cuisines and try new meals. 

 

Lastly, to Peru, I thank you for allowing me to call you home for the past two months. It has been two months filled with craziness, excitement, joy, challenges and above all, fun!