The day before I left for Peru, my family received one of the worst phone calls we could have expected. We were driving to the airport to send me off when my aunt let us know that my uncle had passed away. It wasn’t unexpected, as my uncle had been in the hospital for several weeks suffering from cancer. But it was still a shocking moment for my family and me, as our minds were in two different places, especially mine.
Feeling the nerves and excitement of my new adventure ahead, while also grieving the loss of a portion of my family and knowing I could not be there to support them, made my head spin. But I couldn’t focus on that; I needed to focus on my own adventure, my own future.
This memory caught up with me this last week as I talked to my four best friends in my program in one of our favorite cafes. It was our last day before two of us were going to leave for the States, and the question among us was, “What is something you wish to bring back to your life at home?”
My answer came to me quite quickly, as it is something I have admired so much about this place that has been my home for these past four months: the genuine kindness of the people.
Our last trip to Arequipa, Peru
From the moment I entered Peru, I noticed that people's relationships felt different. I walked out of the airport, was guided to my host family’s house, and was welcomed with a warm hug from my host mom. Later, I met my host brothers and host dad and received that same kindness. Nothing changed over my time here. I became family to almost everyone I met.
There is something beautiful about the sense of family that forms here, and that feeling of belonging extends far beyond my host home and into the streets.
I’ve seen it most clearly when the community comes together in the plazas: a beautiful, spontaneous energy as people begin dancing in the streets. It doesn't matter who you are or where you’re from; in those moments, everyone belongs.
Dancing in the plaza
That same spirit shows up in everyday interactions. Whether it was a stranger offering directions or someone simply checking in when I looked lost, the kindness of the people here has been a constant. No matter who they are or what they are doing, there is a deep, underlying desire to help one another.
This spirit is something I only learned by being in this place the way that I was; something that grew in me that I never expected. I grew in many ways, as you might expect from traveling: my independence, my strength, my perspective. But now more than ever, I feel a desire to love others unconditionally and without judgment.
I needed that more than ever when I came here. I arrived with a mindset of feeling alone, thinking I needed to hold everything in. I felt like my emotional capacity had to keep filling until it reached a breaking point because there was no one else there to help carry it.
But Cusco, its people, and the friends I met opened that space up. They shared their time, their homes, and their love when I needed it most, showing me the beauty in protecting one another and holding that care with a smile bigger than anything else. They showed me that we don’t need anything else but each other.
Puno, Peru, during the sunset
I think about my uncle’s story now, because my grief is forming again with the end of my time in this place that has become like family to me. I am leaving a place that has been nothing but comfortable—full of smiles, stories, and laughter that lasted all night. I’ve been so lucky to be part of it.
In a way, these two experiences have become the same. The reason we love so deeply, even when it’s hard, is because we know it won’t last forever. My uncle passed away, but I loved him so much, and so did all the people he held close. Even though we lost him, I found so many beautiful spaces and memories as my world kept moving forward. His memory lived on in the life I lived here, and thanks to this place, that never felt like a burden.
Saying goodbye before leaving
The same is true for Peru. My time here is over. I am moving on to a new life, with new people and new stories, but I will move forward loving unconditionally and carrying these memories with me.
I’m leaving to prove to the world the beauty in it all.
Thank you so much, Cusco.