Semana Santa

“Christ is risen!”
“He is risen indeed. Alleluia!”

On a normal traditional Easter those are the words I would be saying at our 6 a.m. worship service. However, as with many days in the Peace Corps, Easter was not the traditional day for me. I woke up Easter morning in the jungle of Perú.

A group of eight other volunteers and I traveled through the three geographic zones of Perú (desert, mountains and jungle) during our four days of vacation we get for Holy Week (Semana Santa).

The voyage/adventure started with some of us coastal volunteers meeting up with some sierra volunteers in Yauyos. We got to see some of the beauty of this untouched natural reserve. It was spectacular, beautiful, truly breath-taking and…cold (that is a feeling I had not experienced in a long time). I was comfortable bundled up in my smart wool socks, boots, jeans, tank top, short-sleeve shirt, long sleeve shirt, fleece, rain jacket, hat and gloves. This is quite different from my usual chacos, skirt and tank-top look.

After spending a day in the mountains, we ventured into the jungle. There we relaxed, went on some hikes in the jungle, hiked to waterfalls, climbed up waterfalls, drank coconut milk, saw and ate and drank lots of fresh fruit and juices, played in a pool, participated in indigenous clothing and dancing, and ate lots of ice cream and desserts and good food.

Although I had a terrific time, I will be honest: at one point while discussing travel plans I almost broke down as I realized how badly I wanted to be at home for Easter…but, alas, that was not an option. I normally do not get very homesick here, but at that moment, I was very homesick. Instead, I woke up Easter morning to church bells ringing and then sang some traditional Lutheran Easter hymns before jumping on a bus to travel the three geographic zones while avoiding land-slides over the course of twelve hours.

But truly an excellent Easter.


Part of the Semana Santa crew.


Sites of the coastal desert--the view as I walk to the municipality building each day.


One of the beautiful views of Yauyos (the sierra)


Me at the first waterfall we hiked to in the jungle.


Some of the delicious fruits at the market.

Happy Easter!