Serendipity

My greatest loves: art, travel, and teaching.
The challenge: to combine them all into one unforgetable experience.

In Spanish, the verb "Volver" means to return and I find myself this summer 2010, once again returning to Peru. I never thought or planned that I would return to this beautiful country for a third time, but as with some things that happen in life, we have to listen to the signs that the universe is communicating when certain opportunities appear in front of us. I decided it was time for a break from my life here in Toronto and a sojourn into the unknown was in order when I saw an ad for a job teaching English in Peru.

Peru is not exactly unknown to me, but what is unknown is what it is like to really live there, not merely to be a traveller.

I became enamored with Peru while travelling there for six weeks last summer 2009. I discovered a land where at once I felt comfortable and welcomed by the warmth of the people I met. I encountered cities that were full of contradictions and beauty, the old and new, indigenous and modern. I experienced a sublime, spiritual nature from the salty ocean to the tallest snowcapped mountains, to the green jungle to the desert sands. I tasted food with unexpectedly delicious flavours and textures like anticuchos (bbq cow's heart), mazza morada (purple maize with rice pudding), and spicey ceviche. I fell in love with the bright, vivid, warm colours I saw around me in the art works. I felt the heat of a scorching, strong sun and music that warmed the spirit and inspired the body to dance.

All of my interests have been pursued in isolation or in some kind of minimal combination, but never all at once; in fact, I did not know if or how they could even be combined. And then, I came upon this job ad that seemed to be exactly what I did not know I was even looking for. I made the accidental and fortuitous discovery of my ideal experience, and it just happened to be a job teaching English in a small village called Urubamba in the Andes mountains of Peru, near Cusco (the historical capital of the Inca empire and the gateway to Machu Picchu). And the rest of the details just fell into place (another sign you're on the right track!).

And so off I go now, taking a leave from my teaching position at an inner city highschool in Toronto and pursuing my dream to explore teaching, travel, & culture in a place far, far, away from my life here. The plan is to be gone for seven months in total and to travel for the last month (Argentina & Brazil here I come!). My job will be to teach English to local Peruvians who work in tourism. The school is called El Arte Sano, http://www.languagecultureperu.com/ This is a language centre in the small village of Urubamba, which is dedicated to teaching and sharing languages, photography and culture.

Inevitably, my current vision and expectations for this encounter will end up being different than the reality and flexibility will be the key to making the most of this journey.

I will attempt, through this blog to document and share my journey, explorations, and discoveries with all who are interested. And hopefully, at the end of it return to my home "and know the place for the first time." (T.S. Eliot)

One month to go until depature! The countdown is on...