While working in the Amazon has been a once-in-a-lifetime experience, building my own community in Iquitos has provided a unique set of obstacles. From making friends to figuring out where to buy groceries, the difficulties of living in a foreign country have sometimes felt insurmountable. Yet, I have learned that my discomfort is temporary and can be overcome by creating ties to my new country. For me, building a community started with finding people who share common interests and passions. As exercise has always been an important part of my life, I joined a running group, and it has been a great way to meet new people and explore the city.
For my final Journal as a Reach the World Explorer, I want to share the story of one of my favorite moments in Iquitos so far. At the end of October, my running club organized a triathlon. If you ask me, completing a triathlon in the Amazon should be on everybody’s bucket list, so I decided to sign up! It did not hit me that I would be swimming in the Amazon River until I was standing on the beach ready to dive in. My mom asked me if the river has a particular taste, and while I am sorry to report that I did not swallow the water, I can assert that it definitely has a distinctive look…and that look is brown. When I put my head under the water, that was all I could see.
