Bienvenido a Chimbote°°Colin

Hello cyberspace...This is my first blog ever so we will have to see how it turns out. If you are reading this it means that you are interested in visiting Chimbote or you have stumbled on this blog randomly. In either case, I am glad you are reading this.

My name is Colin. I am 22 years old and recently graduated college this past May. I left for Peru on Thursday March 11 and will be staying until the 25th. Just a 2 week visit but in my mind enough time to get a small taste of the Peruvian culture, do some service, and learn a lot.

I have been fairly active in service since high school and have been on three different short term international service trips in the past. All three of these trips were to a small village in Guatemala called San Lucas Toliman. San Lucas is one of my favorite places in the world and when I decided that I wanted to take another service trip I thought about returning for a fourth time to Guatemala. But I ultimately decided that I wanted to go somewhere different to serve a new community and learn about a new culture.

My mom suggested I look into Los Amigos in Peru and after some reaserch I decided that it was exactly what I was looking for. Chimbote is a large departure from my experiences in Guatemala. Chimbote is a city of 400,000 people. San Lucas is a town of about 4000. While the cultures do have some notable similarities, the unique histories of both regions and countries have created unique social and economic problems. The problems of both regions are similar but due to the unique qualities of both areas, the solutions are different.

I have only been in Chimbote for a few days now but one of the things I noticed immediately about Los Amigos and the people of Chimbote in general is the welcoming environment and a focus on community. During my two weeks here I am living with a wonderful host family with lots of patience for my stumbled Spanish.

I have met a lot of truly inspiring volunteers in my time here. When one truly comprehends what Father Jack and Sister Peggy have accomplished here and the goals that are being reached every day it truly is amazing.

I will post another blog in about a week after I have a full work week under my belt. I am having a wonderful time here and am turly grateful for the experience!!