Return to Lima
Since the Youth Corps is not scheduled to leave Cajamarca until 11 a.m., the urgent 8 a.m. wake-up call comes as quite a shock.
"Your flight has been canceled and you have to be at the airport by 8:15 a.m. to make the last flight of the day," the hotel receptionist nervously conveys.
All other flights to Lima are booked for the entire week at this tiny airport, so the Youth Corps members must throw their belongings in their bags and pile into taxis for the almost 15-minute drive. Although they do not arrive until 8:30 a.m., as luck would have it, the incoming flight is late and the group arrives in time to make the flight.
"I cannot believe we made it," Nichole sighs with relief. "When I got the call I went running across the hotel in pajamas to ask if it was true."
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| Youth Corps members spend their last evening in Cajamarca relaxing at a CARE Cajamarca staff member's pool.
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The chaos of the morning contrasts sharply with the relaxing evening the Corps enjoyed the night before. Last night, the group was given a going-away party at the home of CARE Cajamarca Director Violeta Vigo, where they had the chance to swim in her hot spring-fed pool, dance, eat a terrific dinner and share their feelings on the past week.
"It is obvious we have a lot of things in the United States that many poor people here do not have -- like computers, hot water and even toilets," Wills said. "But it is important that they do not forget the power in the things they do have -- like their values, patriotism, strong families and incredibly rich culture that has opened itself up to us."
This is the first time I have left my family, and I was very nervous before I came," Nichole shared. "But now I feel like I have a new family -- with nine brothers and sisters -- and I have had a wonderful time."
Carina told the group that she was touched by the beautiful children she met at the various CARE projects, especially since she wants to be a teacher. She also was flattered, she said, by the reaction she and the other Corps members received from the people in northern Peru.
"In the U.S., we are just normal people. But here, we are treated like movie stars," she pointed out.
As the CARE Cajamarca staff members who accompanied the Corps members on their field visits began to say their good-byes, tears flowed freely and everyone vowed to always stay in touch.
"In the short time you have been here, you have stolen my heart," said Alicia Sanchez Urrello-Lopez, our driver and host from CARE Cajamarca.
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| Polina tries on slipper made of Alpaca fur in the Indian Market in Lima. Photo by Carlos Guzman.
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After a short one-hour flight, the Corps members are now back in Lima and ready to do some shopping, so they board a crowded public bus and for one sol (a little more than 30 cents) they ride to the Indian Market. Here, you can buy almost any handcrafted Peruvian souvenir and, if you have a talent for haggling, you can get things for quite a bargain.
"The key is to flirt with all of the women to get a good price," Wills explains. "I am making lots of girlfriends. I had three girls ask me if I was single and another three tell me they liked my pants."
Wills' flirting is obviously successful as he walks away from the market with three pairs of pants, a T-shirt, a hat, a pair of slippers and two belts.
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| Alexis and Nichole pose for a picture while shopping at the Indian Market in Lima. Photo by Carlos Guzman. |
The last stop of the day is to the Larco Mar Mall, where the Youth Corps members are able to indulge their craving for food from home. Here, the selection of American restaurants ranges from the Hard Rock Café to Subway.
"I had baby-back ribs that fell off the bone," says Jeremy, who ate at Tony Roma's.
Although most of the Youth Corps members decide a bite of food from home is a treat, they all agree that the shopping center is not as interesting as the traditional Peruvian locales they have visited.
Continue to Day 8