Learning with Laurah J.

January 19, 2025

I'm not panicking. Ok, maybe a little.

In approximately 23 days, my partner and I will set off on a grand adventure. We'll be packing up our things and our cat, and heading to beautiful Lima, Peru, for the next 10 months.

Around this time last year, we were dealing with the aftermath of a house fire in which we lost almost everything- including all but one of our beloved kitties. As we slogged through that mess and moved forward, I thought a change of pace might be great for all of us.

I decided to apply to the State Department's English Language Fellow Program. I had applied twice before- once I was offered a post in South America, but my late husband wasn't interested. The second time, I was accepted, but matches were stopped due to the emerging COVID-19 pandemic. I thought, "maybe the third time is a charm?" I talked it over with my partner, and we decided that if I was offered a post, we'd go.

I got word of my acceptance in June, and in less than a month we climb on a plane. There is STILL so much to think about. I'm very picky about my toiletry and cosmetic products, so I may have ordered 10 months worth of everything from Amazon to take with me. 🥴 But still, so many questions and uncertainties, some of which are a little silly, and some of which are possibly more serious:

What if my Spanish isn't good enough?
What if I break a cultural taboo in some horrific way?
How many pairs of shoes is reasonable to take for 10 months?
What if I'm not smart enough for this? (Hello, impostor syndrome, is that you?)

Anywho, I could go on..... I'm going there to share my expertise in teaching English as another language, but I'm really hoping to learn a lot while I'm there- from my colleagues, the teachers I'll be teaching, and the people I'll be living among. I want to be prepared for the cultural aspect, so I've been reading up on the history and culture of the country, as well as brushing up on my castellano.

Of course, I bought some books to help. I'm looking forward to exploring every interesting bit of Lima, and researching interesting things to do when we have a chance to get out of the city. They say Lima is one of the culinary capitals of the world, so hopefully we'll get to try some new and tasty foods.

So, I swear, I'm not panicking. Yet.