"I think I finally breathed again": Minnesota student back in US after getting stranded amid Peru's political chaos
EDEN PRAIRIE, Minn. – Several Minnesotans have been stuck in part of Peru, trying to make it home for the holidays.
Since Thursday, violent protests between demonstrators and the military have been breaking out throughout the country following the detainment of President Pedro Castillo, after he tried to dissolve the country's legislature.
The unrest shut down city airports and railways, preventing anyone from traveling out of the country.
Kendra Fischer, 20, is a student who was stranded there. WCCO spoke with her mother, Andrea Fischer, who lives in Eden Prairie.
"She's alone, she's by herself, she just is trying to figure it out down there," Andrea said.
Kendra should have been back to her mom's house on Thursday. Instead, she was stranded in a hostel in Cusco, Peru, for the last four days under a shelter-in-place order.
She had just wrapped up a mission trip with her classmates from DePaul University in El Salvador. She didn't fly home with the group, and instead solo traveled to Peru.
"Kendra has always had on her bucket list to go to Machu Picchu," Andrea said.
She checked the historic site off her list, but when she got back to Cusco, she learned the airport had been breached by protestors and shut down.
As a mom, Andrea was worried for her daughter's safety, along with Kendra's aunt, Cynthia McCabe.
"When the airports did open up … all the flights were booked, the minute she tried to reserve a seat," Cynthia said.
What gave these sisters peace was help from local officials. They reached out to the office of U.S. Rep. Dean Phillips, who helped connect them to the U.S. Embassy in Peru.
"That was comforting in a time where I couldn't do anything else," Andrea said.
After multiple attempts, Andrea secured a plane ticket for her daughter, and Kendra just landed stateside Sunday afternoon. She will be back in Eden Prairie the day before Christmas Eve.
"I think I finally breathed again, and now I'll be able to sleep tonight," Andrea said. "I told her I want to hug her as soon as I see her before Christmas."
Despite the worry and fear this family went through, Andrea hopes it doesn't dim her daughters' drive to explore.
"I want them both to continue to travel. I think it opens so many doors and I want them to spread their wings," she said.
If you are trying to help someone you know still stranded in Peru, reach out to your district's U.S. representative.