Music to a girl's ears...

...or at least this girl's ears. That is what I was thinking while the tears of joy were streaming down my face when I walked past an Irish pub in Cusco that advertised showing MNF via satellite on Mondays. And you know what? I get back from Machu Picchu Monday night and spend it in Cusco before heading to Lima then home on Tuesday. Who even cares that it's St. Louis vs Seattle!? Now I have absolute proof God was calling me on this mission trip to Chimbote. He is rewarding me with an extra day of football viewing!

Cusco is beautiful! The elevation is definitely something to get used to, so it's good we came a day early to acclimate that before we start some intense hiking tomorrow. Chimbote is at sea level. Cusco is about 3300meters. Which is a little over two miles or almost 11,000 feet high. (Thank you high school track for helping me with those calculations...1600meter=1 mile= 5,280 feet. 3200m= 2 miles= 10,560 feet...impressive huh???) Anyway, walking up the flight of stairs to our hostel (which is a convent attached to a Catholic school) had me breathing pretty hard, but I'm adjusting a little better today. Anyway, it was fun to walk around the city yesterday and we will do more exploring today. But I am most excited to do this hiking trip tomorrow. We leave at 5am and will spend 4 days hiking to Machu Picchu. We arrive on the afternoon of the 4th day and stay in a hostel that night meaning the morning of our last day I get to see the sunrise at Machu Picchu which is supposed to be pretty impressive. Another cool thing is that the moon is full on Dec. 11...also while we are camping. Our guide book says that is a bonus. Say a little prayer for me though...my stomach still doesn't like me very much and with all the tempting "normal" food again, it is hard to stay away! That's all for now...hopefully tonight I can post some more including some pictures from Cusco so far, but otherwise you will hear from me after the great Machu Picchu (that is NOT stonehenge!)

Wait a second...Do I spy a McDonalds???

Yes I do!
Maggie and I took the overnight bus to Lima, leaving Chimbote last night at 11:30 and getting into Lima about 6 this morning. We were lucky that Wilder, an employee of the Parish, also was headed to Lima last night too. So he shared his taxi with us and dropped us off at the airport. That´s where I am right now. Waiting for the flight to Cusco. We´ve got about 3 hours til take off. It´s funny...when I arrived in Lima exactly 6 weeks ago today, I was OVERWHELMED. There were so many people, a foreign language, and giant city (although now I realize Lima is more like a state broken up into cities called districts, just like in Chimbote). I had my passport carrier hidden underneath my clothes, locks on all the zippers of my luggage, and my carry on back pack worn against my stomach instead of my back. I was sure I was going to get robbed! By the grace of God I found my taxi driver (or really..he found me) and managed to make it to the hostel. The next morning, it started all over again when I took a taxi (same driver) to the bus depot and crossed my fingers I was actually getting on the bus to Chimbote.
Anyways, today I actually looked out the window of the taxi to see Lima while enroute to the airport. Nothing too special that I saw...basically your typical large city, but definitely a lot different than Chimbote. Once at the airport it was time to get something to eat. This is where the biggest decision I have had to make since I got here came into play. WHERE TO EAT??? McDonalds, Starbucks, Dunkin Donuts, Papa Johns, a smoothie place, a Cinnabon-type place and some other probably Peruvian chains were the options. I told myself I should still probably be pretty careful beacsue I had been so sick this weekend. So I picked a strawberry-orange smoothie and an ENORMOUS cinnamon roll. Surely what the doctor would order :)
Not sure if I`ll post again before heading out to Machu Picchu. This morning we got the final confirmation that our trip is booked though, so on Thursday morning we will leave for a 5 day, 30+ mile hiking trip ending at Machu Picchu. I am very excited for this! I wasn´t planning on taking a side trip while I was here, but it ended up not being too expensive, I had tons of advice that this was something I shouldn´t miss out on, and I have a friend to go with. Should make for a good time.
Oh yeah, I´m still being careful with my luggage this time too. My passport carrier is still under my shirt and locks are on my backpack, but I`m wearing it on my back :)

NSYNC, NSunk, N-out-of-sync

My last weekend in Chimbote! It had such promise! Friday started out with my going away party at the PT clinic I work at, followed by a surprise lunch with them. That was followed by another planned lunch with Enrique and Rosio, some Peruvian friends, and Maggie. Good food and good times...and some good beer.

 Rosio and Maggie...but basically this was to get a picture of our "crush", the guy at the other table in the middle :) He DID wave at me as he was leaving...

 The bracelet was a going away gift from one of the patients I worked with. Muy bonito!

 Ceviche and wine for my going away party at Corozon de Jesus.

 Me, the therapists, and some of the patients I worked with while here :)

 At my surprise lunch with the therapists. They wanted to dance. So at 11am we danced. You know I don't like dancing, right???

 The guys at our surprise lunch...hahaha...its a poster in case you couldn't tell...

 Enrique, Rosio, and I at ANOTHER ceviche lunch!

After that, the afternoon was going to be spent getting ready for the Machu Picchu trip. I needed to email a copy of my passport to the tour company we will be hiking with in Cusco, so Katie, Maggie, and I headed across the street to the business office of the Parish. Berta, the woman who was helping us, is one of the nicest ladies Ive met here. . Katie mentioned that the other day, one of the other workers was playing NSYNC in his office, all morning. At first, I thought "I must go meet my soulmate", but was quickly distracted when Berta offered to pull up some NSYNC on youtube. And so the dance-karaoke party began.

And that was to be my last party in Chimbote. I ended up getting really sick shortly after this picture! Fever, BAD stomach issues, head ache, body aches...you name it! Spent Friday and Saturday in bed, but by Sunday afternoon was able to return to the land of the living. My host family took SUCH good care of me, though. My host mom came and checked on me in the night about every three hours (I think my fever freaked her out) and continuously brought me tea or hot water. Saturday my host dad asked if I wanted something to eat. I asked for crackers and he looked at me strangely and came back with the tiniest sliver of a breakfast-type cake. Cracker and cookie have the same name in spanish. I assumed he thought Id be talking about crackers, but he must've thought it very strange that this sick girl was asking for sweets! The worst part of the whole deal (besides missing my big going away party on Saturday)...my host family only has water turned on in the morning. To "flush" the toilet when the water is off, you have to use 1 or 2 buckets of water. By 3am Saturday morning, I had used the last of the water. I was PRAYING to God that I could hold off using the bathroom again until 5am when the water got turned back on. Thanks God for listening...and I'm sure my host family thanks you too :)

So today is my last day in Chimbote. Maggie and I hop on the bus tonight at 1130 to head to Lima. Then on Tuesday we fly to Cusco where we hang out until Thursday...mainly to get used to the altitude (going from 0 to 14,000-some feet). And then the fun begins! Thursday we head out for a 5 day hiking-camping trip to Machu Picchu. Then I shall head home!

Prevention

Thursday afternoon I had the chance to go to one of the Prevention centers the Parish has set up. School only runs half the day due to teacher and space constraints, so kids either go in the morning or afternoon. They have these centers set up so kids have a positive place to go. Otherwise, most of them are just by themselves on the streets, making it really tempting to get involved in poor choices. For the 2 hours I was there, I colored with the kids, gave lots of hugs, and watched them play leap frog over one another (a strange, but fascinating game haha!). Some kids worked on homework, some played foosball in a corner of the room, and others just "chilled out". One girl, probably about 10 years old, helped me with my spanish :) She would point to things, tell me the name in Spanish and then ask what it was in English. We BOTH learned a lot!. The hope for these centers is to keep kids out of trouble and out of gangs and keep them in school. I was so impressed with some of the skills these kids have! I am no artist, but some of these kids draw REALLY well. And of course, I am continually impressed by the physical skills these have...and the fact that when they fall down, they NEVER get hurt...or at least don't complain about it!

So much to write about, so little time!!!

By now, this blog has become my journal. And there is so much going on here, that if I miss a day (or 3!!!) of writing in my "journal", I am behind. So I have 5 different posts to write about here. Hopefully Ill get some pictures uploaded too, but that might just be asking too much of myself!!!

Last Wednesday there was a Posada. It was a really neat deal. It started around 730 and it was dark out. Basically going through the Nativity story. First, the Angel Gabriel appearing to Mary and then to Joseph, and then Joseph and Mary riding the donkey, knocking on doors looking for a place to stay. Finally, Jesus being born in the stable and the 3 wisemen visiting. The people who put on the show did a great job. And then afterward, there was dancing. I know I am not describing it very well, maybe the pictures will help out! Note- These got a little out of order. I DO know how the Nativity story goes...

 The wiseman after visiting the baby Jesus

 The start of the procession. At each stop we would see the scene, say a prayer, and then sing a song while processing to the next place.

 The Annunciation-Gabriel appearing to Mary

 Some of the kids in the procession. Great costumes!

 Gabriel appearing to Joseph

 Joseph leading Mary on the donkey, knocking on doors, looking for a room in the inn

 The Holy Family!

 There was a pig at the stable! He got pretty cranky during the show and started squealing up a storm!

 The dancing after Jesus was born

Not sure why this little guy is dressed up like a man, beard and all, but it was funny to me :)

Oh what a beautiful morning...

My running partner ditched me this morning. Apparently hes sick or something...NOT an excuse!!! Haha...just kidding of course...kind of ;)  Anyway, I really didn't mind. Instead I made a cup of tea (I have never drank so much tea in my life here) and went and sat on the roof and contemplated the meaning of life.  Ehh...not really. Want to know what I thought about? Good...cuz Im going to tell ya. First it was about how excited I am to watch the Packers play again. They are undefeated you know! But should they keep winning? Maybe these next 2 weeks should be losses. That way they play hard when it counts...during the play offs. Id much rather take a superbowl over an undefeated regular season! Once I had mapped out GBs plan for the rest of the season, my thoughts turned to how much I love the mornings. Back home, I love the mornings because its usually pretty quiet and there is not much going on. My favorite run is to head out of town, where, if I hit it at good timing, there is very little traffic minus some work trucks and I can see the sun rising. Here, I still love the mornings, but it is not quiet and there is always a lot of stuff going on. Cars are honking, animals are making their animal sounds, people are talking and usually yelling, and there is SO much truck traffic you can hear them anywhere. Its not peaceful, but yet it is??? I can still see the sun rising and the mountains in the background. And while there is all this commotion going on around me I still feel relaxed. God really had made (or at least tried to make) the world BEAUTIFUL! And every place is so different. Peru certainly doesn't look like WY, which doesn't look like ND, which doesn't look like Ireland, and so on... But I love that peaceful, easy feeling (name that tune...) of all those places. Hindsight is always 20-20, but I really like the memories that come to mind when I think about mornings I have spent in different places. Then my mind shifted to complete randomness including the realization that I haven't seen any Starbucks or McDonalds, even in the nicer parts of Chimbote. Strange. I don't think I have very many contemplative moments, but I guess you could say I had one this morning. For a few minutes at least. Sandwiched between the Packers and McDonalds... HAVE A GREAT DAY!!!

Leave the skin on the potatoes and the shoes on the right feet!

One of the best parts of this trip is hearing all the stories Fr. Jack has to share about the 30some years he has spent in Peru. One of those had to do with watching a meal get prepared at one of the soup kitchens. Potatoes are really cheap and plentiful here. So the volunteers (all Peruvians) were peeling potatoes for the meal. Fr. Jack suggested they leave the skin on them as it has a lot of nutrients (which are very lacking here). He explained the importance of it as well as how it would be less wasteful. The workers agreed and left the skin on. The next time Fr. Jack came back, though, the potatoes were all peeled again. I KNOW how that must've felt! I have worked with  a lot of children in the PT clinic, either through screenings or actual treatments. I would say 80% of the children under age 3 wear their shoes on the wrong feet. That apparently is supposed to correct everything from in-toeing, out-toeing, bow legs, delayed walking, tiptoe walking, you name it. And it is true for even the children with a disability like CP who aren't even mobile. A couple weeks ago I said something about it and you'd think I said Christmas is actually in March of something like that. Maria, the main PT there had me clarify at least 10 times to make sure that is what I really meant. Once they were sure of it, they all agreed with me and the shoes were put back on the right feet. It was short lived though. Minus the fact there is no evidence that it actually does anything, it just looks funny! Ughhhhh! Ok...now I will hop off my soapbox.

It has been an eventful week here, my last in Chimbote. Today was my final day of actual work and tomorrow starts all the going away parties. Friday morning is one at the PT clinic and then lunch with some of the people at the parish. Saturday is lunch and volleyball (???) with some other friends and then Saturday night is the "big" despedida (going away party). Sunday afternoon my host family is making a big meal to say goodbye and then on Monday I have lunch with Fr. Jack, Sr. Peggy, and the other volunteers. Should all be a good time :) Monday night I take the overnight bus to Lima and from there will head to Cusco and then Machu Picchu.