Walking the Line: Preparing for the Future and Living in the Moment

I’ve interrupted our Sunday night movie tradition to blog before we head to Iquitos tomorrow . You should appreciate this, as Sunday night movie is one of our most treasured traditions. 

Celebrating yet another birthday in Peru. 

For starters: what on Earth is Iquitos? Iquitos is a city in what we like to call the “selva” in Peru, aka the jungle. In fact, the city’s nickname is the “Capital of the Peruvian Amazon.” That’s right—we’re headed to the Amazon Basin. Iquitos is the heart of the jungle, and it’s actually nestled alongside three rivers: The Nanay, the Itaya and, of course, the Amazon. Since it’s the jungle we should naturally expect three things: 1. Blazing heat, 2. Rain and 3. An assortment of animals: mosquitos included. But with malaria pills on hand and a giddy sense of adventure, we’re ready.

Now, moving on, this week something new emerged. I was browsing a website called MOREAP, which is a hub for teaching openings in the state of Missouri. As I looked at what was available in the Kansas City area, it suddenly became evident to me that the time was now: it’s time to start applying for jobs. Now, this creates a contradiction. How do you balancing living in the moment and planning for the future? We’ve heard all the phrases: Carpe Diem, YOLO, live while you’re young, etc. We know we’re supposed to embrace the moment. However, what One Direction does NOT sing songs about is that it stinks to have no job, no money and no health insurance. It’s just not as catchy. So this week brought the question: how do I live in the moment and experience Peru, while also making sure I’m preparing for July 14 when I step foot on American soil again?

Playing squishy face with little Melissa.

Well—my first major decision with this came today. Before our Iquitos trip, I wanted to complete a job application for the district where I did my student teaching and make some progress on my Teach for America application. The Teach for America application required a Skype interview and a two-hour line online activity. My other application—well, I was just meticulous about it and wanted everything to be perfect. The problem? Today was a major carnival in Lima celebrating the city of Puno. The carnival promised a variety of traditional dances from Puno and Peruvians celebrating in full force. Thus, the decision: finish everything before I head to Iquitos or go to the carnival? The Teach for America activities were on a strict deadline and the other job opening said the district would close the position as soon as they selected a candidate. They could select one at any time. So--the decision? I stayed home and worked. 

I know, I know what you’re all thinking: Melissa, why didn’t you go to the festival?! I know. And I wanted to go the festival. However, I don’t want to spend my entire week in Iquitos kicking myself and fretting over job applications. I wanted to be at peace. So, if this makes any sense: I didn’t live in the moment, so that I can live in the moment next week. There is always going to be that one thing that you COULD have done, but you didn't. But after the moment passes, you have to trust your judgement and just move on. 

I know this is going to be an issue that continues to emerge, but luckily, now that I know what lies ahead of me I can make a solid work schedule and avoid having to make choices like this in the future. And I supposed this just gives me a reason to come back to Peru—I’ve got to catch that dance festival next year J

Anyway—let’s get to this weekend. Friday night was our second English class in Monte Sion and our attendance more than doubled. This was welcome news, but when your age range is 2-13 years old and nobody seems to come two weeks in a row, it was a bit of a hurdle. Throw in the fact that nobody came on time, and we barely got through five new vocab words. Thus, we’ve got our work cut out for us when it comes to this class—but we’re ready. 

Katrina at the Carnival in Lima today.

Saturday was another little hiccup—I found out Friday that I’d be presiding. So, once more I had the rush of getting a service together on time. Now, nobody likes being rushed—but I especially hate being rushed when I’m presiding. I like to make a nice, flowing service that ties everything together. I like to put people at ease when they’re at church, to make an environment where you’re open and ready for the preacher. This tranquil art in near impossible when you’re frantically throwing together a power point. Eventually, the service came together; but the tranquility and flow just wasn’t there. The last second notice thing may be something I never master, yet I hope I'm at least getting better at thinking on my feet. 

And that brings us to today. My friends Dave and Erica were able to come to church with us in Filidelfia, and that was a wonderful experience. It’s weird to watch two of your communities come together: your United States life and your Peru life; but perhaps what is weirder is to watch when they don’t mesh perfectly. To see that, perhaps you’ve changed a little over time. Now, that’s not to say that my friends and my church family fought; it was friendly and there was nothing of the sort. But it was obvious that my friend felt out of their element, and church is Filidelfia is about as in my element as I get in Peru. Sometimes you think that people never really change that much--but you never know. Perhaps we're changing more than we realize. 

And now--we're up to date. You already know what’s on my plate for next week (Iquitos) and it’s late and I still have to pack. So I’m up to the roof to fetch my clean laundry, then off to bed for a glorious five hours of sleep. Until next time!