Erick AYP: A Fond Farewell

Erick on the floating islands in Lake Titicaca

I am writing one more bonus blog to wrap things up. I am now in Victoria, Canada, my home. It feels very good to be back after a long summer of being in Peru. It has been lovely to see my family and friends and enjoy all the comforts of life that I had forgotten this summer, such as toast, seatbelts, and going barefoot indoors.

But just before I came home to Canada, I went to Puno on Lake Titicaca as one last holiday. The trip was quite fun and I got to see some fantastic scenery. We visited the famous floating islands as well as Taquile Island and Amantani Island, where we stayed with a homestay family. The lake is breathtaking and I will never forget the picturesque sunset over the lake. The two seven hour bus rides to get there and back were less fun but could have been much worse.

This September I start my last year of Biology at the University of Victoria. I am very excited to get back into the books. Just to remind you, I found out about Mosqoy through an Environmental Studies elective I took in which Ashli was a guest lecturer.

Sunset over Lake Titicaca (Photo Credit: E.Jantzen)

Though I am enjoying being back greatly, it has been a very abrupt transition. It is rather surreal experiencing the poverty in the Peruvian Andes, full of strange sites and smells, to the peaceful little town of Victoria where I have grown up. It feels like my summer was all a dream, as I slip right back into my old life. It also feels like perhaps my familiar life now is all a dream and I will wake up back in Peru. This is not the kind of culture shock I expected and yet I know it will take some time to get my head sorted out. I hope that, in time, the dichotomy of my summer and my regular life can be reconciled and I can relate the time in Peru with the rest of my life. I must always remind myself of the lessons I learned and the experiences I had there, lest I forget the valuable life-changing event I have had this summer.

Sunset over Lake Titicaca part 2 (Photo Credit: E. Jantzen)

The shores of Titicaca during the day (Photo Credit: E. Jantzen)

Lastly, I would like to thank everyone again for being supportive and encouraging and helping me get through this past summer. Best of luck to all and I hope to see some of you in the future.

Flying back to Canada (Photo Credit: E. Jantzen)