So I’ve been in country for about 6 months. This is by far the longest time I have been out of the country. And I think the longest time I’ve been away from my family. I am no stranger to living on my own, but I always make it home for a week or two during the holidays. One part of me deeply misses my family and friends. The other part of me feels like it is just hitting its stride and getting comfortable. Now for an update on who I think I am in this moment.

1.) The first thing that comes to mind is the fact that I’m sick. I wouldn’t consider this to be a part of my identity, however it’s the lessons I learn that I think change who I am. I get sick about once a month either from food, water or travel. That’s an obnoxious amount of sickness compared to what I am used to. My body feels like it is constantly battling something. Because of that, I spent a lot more time with myself– breathing and waiting to heal. I am more patient now and I am more grateful for the times when my body is 100%.

2.) Developing fanatic of huayno music. My family has 2 channels on their TV. One for news and one for music. Huayno is the typical music of the Andean sierra where I live. Most of the times I do not enjoy it. Especially when its blaring in the morning to wake me up and blaring at night to put me to bed. However, sometimes, I catch myself singing along and tapping my feet. Here is a sample. Enjoy!

3.) Still a poet? I haven’t felt inspired to write poetry in a while. Normally I wait for experiences or certain thoughts to spur the creation of a poem. As of lately though, I’ve only been writing longer blog posts and personal diary entries. I identity strongly as a writer, but not so much as a poet right now.

4.) Along the same lines as #3, right now, the part of me that is an ethnographer is strong. My master’s research is in full swing. So far I have collected 3 interviews and have 3 more scheduled for this month. I’ve also logged about 4 months of observations. It is exciting for me to chip away at this process. I look forward to learning more and writing something interesting about my community.

5.) I identify as a rock climber now more than ever. The fact that I have been able to continue my passion for rock climbing in Peru has been incredible. Rock climbing allows me to see beautiful places, meet awesome people, get stronger in new gyms and push the limits of my physical and mental boundaries. Just yesterday I came down from my first multi-pitch in Peru. In total, the climb should have been 3 pitches, but at the top of the second pitch, we got forced down by rain. After some wet and muddy rappels, we were on the ground and racing for a bus ride home.

6.) Practicing yogi. My yoga practice has been developing for about 2 years now. Before that however, I have specific memories of thinking and saying that I would never enjoy yoga. I’m not sure what changed, but something just clicked while I was living in CO. The practice became a perfect counterbalance to the other aspects of my life such as skiing, rock climbing and cycling. Just last month I completed a 30 day commitment to yoga with my sister as part of the new year. I used downloaded videos to guide me through the process. The process helped me realize how much I enjoy a personal home practice as opposed to public classes and how much I prefer slow and gentle yogic styles as opposed to flowy and sweaty vinyasas. With that being however, limb of the yogic process serves a very valuable purpose. Use this link to check out videos from the teacher I enjoy. She is kind of a legend in the online/video/home practice world of yoga.