When I learned I was going to be going to Peru for a service trip set up by ESD I was ecstatic. It was a decision I made in less than two days but I thought a lot about it and I determined it was too good of an opportunity to experience something new in my life to pass it up. A few days later I found out that I would be the only male student going and the other six were females. Only one of these girls I knew really well because she was on my freshman hall and 3 of them I hadn’t met before the meetings for the trip. At first that thought didn’t really bother me. However, when I would tell other people that they would make comments like “Oh that sucks, I don’t envy you” or “You’re gonna regret that”. Although these comments were made in a joking manner for the most part, they got me thinking that maybe this trip wouldn’t be very enjoyable for me as the only guy. Despite starting to second guess my decision I did not back out. I told myself that worst case scenario I could just hang out with Professor Gilmore the whole time.
Upon arriving to our destination in Lobitos, we were given a rundown of the house and the expectations of living there. I was pleasantly surprised that electricity was not really an issue although it did go out one day for a couple of hours which was not a big deal. They did tell us though that we need to be very careful with our water consumption because it is only delivered 3 times a week. This worried me because I was unsure of how the girls would react to not being able to clean up like they would normally. Throughout the coming week I would find out the answer to that and I was pleasantly surprised by the result.
Another thing I was a little concerned about was how they would handle the cuisine options we had in Peru. I got my answer to that question right away at the first meal we had in Lobitos. We went to a local restaurant and as an appetizer they served us Ceviche. Ceviche is a raw fish dish with onions, lime juice, and cilantro. All of the girls ate it with little to no reserve and continued to throughout the week until we had it so much that everyone including myself was sick of it. This is when I started to really believe that the trip with all girls wouldn’t be so bad after all.
For the first two days everyone, including myself, was pretty reserved (except for Taylor of course). I mostly just chatted with Professor Gilmore Friday and Saturday. Sunday was when that changed significantly. We went fishing in the morning (which I was also pleasantly surprised by the girls’ excitement to do so) which really started our bonding because it was in George’s terms “good fun.” Then that evening we went down to a fiesta on the beach. There were probably a couple thousand people on the beach and we were the center of attention because we were Americans. The girls especially were getting attention and were getting whistled at and such. They all handled it so well though and I think I was more uneasy with it than they were. We stayed until it was dark out and we had a blast. At one point Rachel forced me to dance with her despite my attempts of avoiding it and I am glad she did. To me that was the turning point in when I really starting connecting with all of the girls.
Over the next several days we surfed together, helped out with the kids’ surfing lessons, held story hours with the kids, worked on the land, ventured the area, and just chilled in the house at times. We pretty much spent every waking minute with each other for over a week and not once did I get annoyed at any of them or wish there had been another guy there with me. Through a couple water shortages and some sickness there was little to no complaining just positive outlooks. When time came to go home I was excited to get back. I got back to school however and it just didn’t feel right. After just one day I already missed the “Peru Crew.”
Looking back at it now I can say that my week in Peru with 6 girls was one of the best weeks I’ve ever had. I can’t even spend a week with my 6 best friends from home without getting frustrated or annoyed with them and I managed to do so with 6 girls who, for the most part, I barely knew. I can now say to those people who said I was going to regret the trip that the only regret I have is that I waited so long to get to know these girls and that I only have one semester to build upon our friendship. I would not have wanted any different group to have shared that week with and because I had so much fun I owe Maddie, Michaela, Leylin, Molly, Rachel, and Taylor all a personal thank you.
-Nate Coughenour, Civil and Environmental Engineering
Bucknell Students for Sustainable Development 