Day 728: On the way home!!!

A final photo with the community... That is a mountain that we will never forget. And friendships that are in our hearts forever.

To all of our faithful families, friends, and other readers,

So... that's it. Three days ago we celebrated 2 years as Peace Corps Volunteers in Peru and we are on our way home! The journey was challenging, impressionable, exciting, and full of cheek-muscle hurting smiles. We have grown as individuals and as a unit; we are stronger, more aware, and a bit more realistic than we were two years ago. Our stories are told in this weblog, but let's be honest, they are just the tip of iceberg. What I remember most, writing this, is the smell of toqush in the irrigation canals, the sound of a donkey braying to wake me up in the morning, the view of the mountain as I walk comfortably over the uneven pathways up the hill to Betty and Raul's, the sound of my godson calling out my name as soon as he sees me approaching, the hugs of the older women, and the smiles of the health promoters as they gained confidence in public speaking and led the project participants through nutrition sessions...

Our final improved stoves project was an ultimate success. We were able to successfully transfer our knowledge of the project and participants to our replacement volunteer, Mike, and were comfortable leaving him to finish things up and start projects of his own. Good luck, Mike, and keep in touch!

We will try to keep up with the blog... or perhaps a new iteration as our life changes and we return to the US of A. Many things will change in the upcoming months... we'll get jobs, move back into our house, probably get a car. We'll visit with friends and family, reconnect and start to tell our stories. We are looking forward to hot showers and pizza, delicious desserts and comfortable beds... but mostly seeing friends and family members.

We thank you all for your attention over the past two years and are eager to hear from you and hopefully see you sooner than later!

We'll be back, Peru. No te preocupes.

Day 715: Our Final Trek in the Andes - Huayhuash Circuit

Three cheers to the trek of a lifetime! Benj and I headed off on one final high Andean trek before making the journey back to the US of A... this time to the Cordillera Huayhuash. South of the Cordillera Blanca (where we lived), these mountains offered the chance for a 9 day wilderness adventure!