I've been here how long?

So its been almost a week now since I've had time to get to the internet cabina and give you guys an update. Seems like things have settled down a lot. Actually, today marks one month here in Peru. It doesn't seem like that long ago that I was saying goodbye to all the other YAVs and boarding a plane, scared out of my mind asking myself what I was doing. I would have hopped that by this time my Spanish would be a little better than it is, but I am able to understand a lot of what is said, as long as I can stay focused. In English, I can listen to several people talk at catch it all. I can even pick up on things even if I'm not really paying attention. So far, thats not the case here. I have to be intently listening to the person and making a effort to understand. It is improving my listening skills though!

This past Friday, I had my first day with the thrid Compassion group that I am working with. In the morning there are only a few kids all combined into one class, but in the afternoon there are 4 pretty big classes. I am going to be working with the older kids, high school aged to you and me. When I was introduced, the teacher asked if they had any questions for me. Of course they did! One question that keeps coming up that I wish I could answer is why I am here. I know why I am here, but can't share that with them yet. The their tutor is actually younger than I am, but he knows some english. It seems like each time I go to a new place, there is someone there who knows enough English to be able to help me out. I mean we aren't carrying on long conversations or anything, but they are able to put it in simpler words so that I can understand. Basically like being a 3 year old again.

Over the weekend I experienced my first normal weekend in a church here. The church that I was in had its youth service on Saturday night. They played some silly games, sang some, and had a Bible lesson. They asked me to play a song for them in English, so I played Open the Eyes of My Heart Lord. Thats one of the only songs that I can play without music so far, and they know it in Spanish so that helps out too. Sunday they have a childrens service at 10, and then a normal worship service at 11:30. It was much like a worship service at good ol' MPC except the sermons here are much longer than I have heard anywhere. I'll be glad when I can fully understand it all! I spent the afternoon with the Pastor's family and a guy in the church my age. The plan was to play basketball, but it turned into a soccer game. It was me, the pastor, his 2 sons (16 and 8) another 10 year old and Cesar, the guy my age against 6 guys in their 30s. Pretty even teams if you ask me! Anyway, I am horrible. But I did score a goal on a header which was a first for me. Too bad we were already down 6-2 at that point. Maybe I am improving a little...Then it was back to the church for the night service where they asked me to play again. The night service is a little less formal and there were several people that came up and sang, so I wasn't the only one who was asked to come up.

The kids that I work with during the week at Compassion are starting to understand that I need them to speak slowly, and I am doing a little better at communicationg with them. Yesterday, I had the opportunity to go with one of the tutors on her visits. One day a week, they go and visit about 5 of their students in their homes. Several of the kids were working, but I got to see where they lived and meet their parents. I am really enjoying the behind the scenes look at a program that I am somewhat familiar with. Our youth group has sponsered a Compassion child for as long as I can remember and I really enjoy being able to see the other side of that. Too meet the kids, see where they live, and what the money is going for. I've actually been able to read some of their letters too. For more info, you can check out www.compassion.com . Sponser a kid in Peru! I'll write more about the program as I learn more!

I want to thank all of you that are reading this and are praying for me. Sometimes it gets kind of lonely here when you can't really talk to anyone on an in depth level. It is reassuring to know that there are those at home that are praying for me and thinking about me! Thanks!

A day with the Gringos

After 8 long days of not conversing in English, I braved the buses, to ride into Lima central and have an afternoon with the other volunteers in Lima. This was my first real solo bus ride without a note from my parents, and I did fine. I was planning on coming home with my host dad, but we stayed out for dinner and I made it home too! I was greeted first by Emily who I did not expect to see. She was in town getting a new passport, having being robbed of her original one on first arriving at her placement site. It was actually weird to me to speak to her in English. I was so used to processing what I was going to say, to dumb it down enough to where I might be able to say a word or 2 in spanish, that it took me a second to realize that I could speak without thinking (which isn't really a good idea for me either!) But the weirdness quickly went away and I spent the next 7 hours happily conversing in my native tounge. The 5 of us had lunch and then walked around a bit, hitting all the DVD stands looking for 24 season 3. We also had dinner at a relatively "American" place. They wanted to try and speak English to us, so we let them, trying to respond in Spanish. After dinner, we headed our separate ways, them back to their houses and me back on the bus for an hour to get home. It was really good to see the people who were sharing this experience with me here in Peru, even if we are all having slightly different experiences...Santiago.

Remember how I said I survived the weekend? That required a little more than I had thought. Tuesday night, I started feeling a little sick. I slept horribly and woke up with a sore throat and a stopped up head. Not being sick enough to not go to work, I went, even though I wasn't good for much. By lunch, my head was killing me and I just wanted to leave. But since I didn't know how to get home, I had to stay. When I finally got home, I got in the bed and stayed. Mama Flor brought me my dinner in bed and Eduardo brought me some super drugs when he got home. They were pretty concerned about me. Sometimes, I think they forget that I am 26 and have been living on my own for more than a few years now. I didn't have anywhere to be until the next afternoon, so I slept it off and felt much better by the time I had to go to my guitar lesson. It is not much fun to be sick away from home, especially when you can't call your mom and complain to her, or better yet have her take care of you, so I am glad that it was over in a day!

Things here seem to be becoming a little more routine, so I don't feel that I have that much to say, but I think that is because there is so much that is different and so much going on, that I don't really know what to write about. It is all part of a great experience that has just begun. It is hard for me to believe that it was only one month ago that I was saying goodbye to my family. It already seems like a lifetime ago. I know that they are praying for me and that is all I can ask. I am praying for all of you as you read this in hopes that God is doing great things in your lives as well!

Another side note to end things, today I had to eat something that was not easy for me. There are people who eat this in the US, lots of people in fact. But it was something that I had not had before and if I have to eat it again, it will be too soon. What was it? Liver. Maybe it was because of the fact that with every bite, every time I chewed it I thought about the thousands of mice livers that I worked with over the past 5 years, but it was hard to eat. I just thought I would share that with you all!

24...Peru edition

Well, I made it. I survived the weekend and am here to tell about it. It was a lot more than I had expected, but it was really great. The 9 churched here that I am working with had a collective youth retreat for the weekend. We went to the "country" which was basically just a little less city. There were still dogs to lull me to sleep (if I had been able to, but I'll get to that later) and the distant sound of traffic.

I got there a little earlier than a lot of the youth, so I helped set up the tents and whatever else needed doing. I was told there would be about 50 people or so. By the time everyone got there, there was 91 people! Probably 80% under the age of 18. Three of the churches that I am working with have Compassion programs, so their youth groups are rather large. I knew a lot of these kids because 3 days a week I work with those programs. And by know, I mean I had seen them before but familiar faces are nice, especially since that means I had already done something stupid around them so it was a little easier.

At about 7 or so we finally got things started with worship. I really love the music they play here. Some of it is familiar, but most of it is new, and I don't understand any of it. Its a little tough for me because I am a person who loves singing and that is a big part of worship for me, but that will come. After singing a lot, the pastor for the weekend started talking. Pastors here talk for a long time and in case you didn't know...I don't speak that much spanish. Have I mentioned that before? Well about 9:30, we got to eat dinner. We were paired up with the instructions to get to know the other person. And apparently somewhere in the instuctions included "well enough to present your partner." Now, I have a hard enough time remembering what I had for dinner the night before in English, so imagine me trying to remember all these facts about a person in a different language. I didn't only have to remember them, I had to remember how to say them! Needless to say, when I had to get up in front of everyone the next morning, I didn't do a very good job, but at least everyone got a good laugh! I am good for something.

We had a campfire after dinner and there was more singing. Then comes the sleepign arrangements. The girls were staying inside in a dormatory type setting. The guys were sleeping outside in army type 10 person tents. There were 3 tents. There were 45 guys. Now I wasn't a math major, and I did go to UNC, but I dont think those numbers add up. Anyway, there were 15 people in my tent. There was no room to roll over, or even pretend to sleep. So laying in the same position with a lumpy backpack as a pillow, I attempted to go to sleep at about 1, not knowing that the wake up call was coming at 6. Needless to say, I am in serious need of a massuse if you know of one in Peru...or anywhere in South America for that matter!

Despite the lack of sleep Sunday was good. There was more worship and bible study. During the morning service, I got a little down, just thinking about a lot of different things. I think beging tired I let my gaurd down a little. But those feelings passed after some intense prayer, since I wasn't understanding the pastor. After the worship service came the games. They were pretty fun games and of course, I had to be involved. I don't know if you've ever been in a place where almost everyone there is watching your every move, but that would be what it felt like. But it was a lot of fun, and playing games definetly transends language barriers...except the instructions part.

I got a little bit of sunburn which doesn't bother me because I hadn't seen the sun that much since I left the USA. But we packed up after a few rounds of volleyball and headed home bout 5. That was probably the longest 24 hours of my life.

It was really different for me to be on a spiritual retreat like that and really have nothing to offer. I did read a verse here and there in our small group Bible study, but I wasn't able to give any insight or help answer any questions. But I am getting more used to just being and not doing. While I am involved in lots of things, I am more just there soaking it all up, just waiting for the time when I have more to offer.

On a differnet note...it is probably a good thing that I am not in the States right now. After seeing the results of UNC's first 3 games and the Panther's first 2, I am pretty sure that at least one TV somewhere would be broken and Adam probably wouldn't let me back in his house.

Traveling in Lima

So while the last few days have been more of the same, understanding some people and not being able to say much in return, I thought that I would share with you all a little about the transportation system here...using those words very loosely. There are six main ways of getting around here, so I'll try to keep it brief, but still give you a good idea of what its like.

First of all there is of course walking. This is not reccomended if at all possible. Coming from the pedestrian friendly town of Chapel Hill where those traveling on foot can do no wrong, that is not the case here. It didn't take me long to find that out either. You know those nice little pedestrian signs we have in the states with the woman and her child calmly walking across the street? Well, they have those here too...but they are running. I have a picture that I will try to post at a later date when I figure out how.

Next in line is the bus. Now there is no bus schedule, and all of the bus lines are owned by individuals, so they run when they want to. I haven't had a problem with this yet, but I don't see how it can be avoided. The bus is probably the safest way to travel here, and I'll explain why. Its slow, and its big. If you were to hit something in a bus (which I have experienced) you would be going at a slow enough speed that it wouldnt matter, and it would probably be a taxi which is a lot smaller. Buses are often times crowded, but then again in a city with 9 million people, you would expect that.

Then we have the Combis. They are basically like a van that they cram as many people into as possible. They all have written on the side of them where they are headed, and then someone hanging out the window yelling at people where they are going...I think. They speak so fast, that I have yet to catch one word that they say. They are all competing against one another, so at a bus stop, they are all looking at you and waving at you to come get on, whether you are going there or not. Being somewhat tall for the average person here, I always try to get a seat because standing up is extremely difficult, plus you can't see where you need to get off.

Then there is the taxi. Not very many people here own cars, but thats ok because most of them drive taxis. There are two types of these. The regular kind, and the collectivo. The collectivo is another fun way to get around. These cars, all of which are compact cars, collect at certain areas and go to a specific location. They dont leave until they are full. Its basically like splitting a taxi with 3 other strangrs. But they are extremely small and intimate. One night my shoulder was used as a pillow by an intoxicated indivitual. Felt like the P2P all over again! Then the "normal" kind. They don't have meters, so you negociate the price before getting in so you need to know about how much it should cost to get you where you are going. This is the most expensive way of travel, in that it costs you about 4 dollars American for about a 20-30 minute trip.

Finally we have the mototaxis. They are used to get around on the smaller side roads. Its basically just a motor bike with a little cabin built on the back for people to sit in. Probably no better than walking, but a little faster. The problem here is that I don't think that the drivers know that they aren't in a car because they are driving in traffic like they are!

Then there is just driving in general, which I am glad we are not supposed to do! The lanes on the roads are more like suggestions, this is where you could drive if you wanted to. I've seen them go 5 wide in 3 lanes more than once. Stoplights and stop signs are again, more like suggestions. Its basically like one big game of chicken, who is going to yield first. Its much like the Jerry Sienfeld skit about taxi drivers in New York, but on a whole different level. Surely they know what they are doing. I mean they are driving quite recklessly, on bald tires. They have a license. I think all it takes to drive here is the ability to use the horn. I think I have used the horn on my car like 3 times. Here if you only use it 3 times a trip you are doing something wrong.

I hope you have a better idea about what its like to travel here. I know that everytime I leave the house I am in for an adventure! And driving is something that I will defenitly leave up to the "professionals."

I am now halfway through day #4 without having a conversation in English (and no, the ones in my head do not count). It seems like I am sitting around trying to soak up as much as I can and I find myself thinking that in a month or 2 I will be able to answer that question! But I couldn't have asked for a better 2 weeks.

This weekend was packed with activites which will be the norm for me. I am working with 9 different churches and they all want to get as much out of me as they can so Saturday's and Sunday's will be packed. This coming weekend for instance will be a campout, so I dont even get the night off! While some YAVs get to paint their apartment to make it look nicer (sorry to pick on you girls again!) Saturday I got to patch the holes in my wall so that air stops coming in. Over the course of the year, we will do this to the whole house. But it was fun to work alongside of Eduardo. We listened to a praise CD in spanish. Sunday we had a "barbeque" at his church to raise money for one of his members who was burned badly and will be in the hospital for the next 2 months. We grilled for about 3 hours. That was great getting to know the members of his church, but a little weird having the youth giggle every time I caught them looking at me. Its weird too that in the midst of all those people, I felt a little bit of loneliness. I think it was just so familiar, the getting together with new family and friends, that made me miss my family and my church.

Then yesterday was my first day of work. I went to one of the churches where I will go every Monday to help out with the Compassion program that they have there. Imagine, if you will, that you are in middle school again. You walk in to your classroom and find a strange man sitting in the corner, and for the next 3 hours, he sits there. You try to ask him questions, but he looks at you with a blank stare like he has no idea what you are saying. Then you turn to one of your friends and say something about him and you all laugh. This was the first impression I made on the kids. I felt like a teacher's assistant, who was a mute. I know that it will get better, but just the initial lostness of it all. Tomorrow I get to do it all over again at a different church with different kids!

Today being my day off, I finally ventured to the internet cabin near my house to be here with you now. It was nice to sleep in, considering that for the past 2 nights, the neighborhood dogs have decided to bark ALL NIGHT LONG. Not to mention that they are building beside my house and start bright and early at 6. Anyway, enough of my complaining. I really do love it here and am looking forward to sharing it with you!

And then there was one...

Tomorrow marks the end of our orientation period here in Lima. Early Saturday morning, the other volunteers will be leaving the city and going on long bus rides to their new homes for the year. While I have already been living with my family, this is still a big day for me too. It marks the end of my english speaking days. After tomorrow, I will be completely emersed in Spanish. Not just at night, or in the mornings, but all day long. I am still trying to get my head around that. Its not an easy thing, but it is going to be good for me. The sooner I learn, the better experience I am going to have here, being able to interact with those around me, and those that I am here to serve and learn from. And that is why I am here.

Yesterday was by far one of the best days that I have had here, not that any have been bad. There is a program here that organizes groups of Peruvians together who handmake crafts to sell in various stores here and also through partnerships in the US. We got a chance to go and visit these artisans. We went to 5 different workshops where they were making pillows, placemats, pottery, nativity sets, blankets and much more. It was awesome to see where these things were made and the people working so hard. (You can get information about the products at http://www.fairtradeperu.com) After we visited the first place, we went walking through the pueblo joven that the ladies lived in. We walked up this big mountain, lined with ¨houses¨and at the top, was the most beautiful view I have ever seen. The top of the hill overlooks miles of beaches and sand dunes. There wasn´t a person in sight. There was no real way to get down to the water from where we were because we were so high and the drop off had become the trash pile, but it was a breaktaking view. Then to turn around and see what the people who had this wonderful view lived in was heartbreaking. Houses constructed of whatever they could find and built on the side of a mountain. To see the beauty of God´s creation on one side, and to turn around and see how God´s beautiful creation of humanity is forced to live on the other side was a powerful experience and one that I will never forget.

As I try to come to grips with what is about to happen, and the many things that I have experienced over the last 2 weeks, I now have a new member to my family to help me to deal with things. Today, I bought a guitar. I now have an escape. When it seems like I can´t take anymore, I will at least have my music.

Thanks for all the comments, and even if I am not responding (so far my interent time has been pretty limited...I´m not as lucky as some people living in say...Northern Ireland) I am reading them when I can and they are helping me to cope with not being there. I´ll write again soon! I start my job on Monday!

(Oh yeah...everything on this computer is in Spanish...so I cant find the spell check! Please excuse my mistakes =) )

Home, Sweet Home

I now write you from the country of Peru, my home for the next year. It has been a wonderful, scary, awesome 5 days since we got here, and each day it becomes a little more like home, and a little less like a far off land. I live in Carabyllo, a pueblo joven on the outskirts of Lima, about an hours ride from downtown...when there is no traffic. We all thought that when we arrived at the airport on Monday night that we would all be wisked off to a hotel of some sort of house where we would all be staying together for the 2 week orientation process. We were wrong. My new family was waiting at the airport, and we were all taken to spend the night away from the friends that had become our support group, with people who didn´t speak English. (In case you didn't know...I´m a little lacking in the Spanish department!) But my family is great, and we were able to communicate enough with each other to understand. I live with Eduardo and his wife Flor, who is 2 months pregnant! I'm glad that I will be able to be a part of this year in their life and them in mine.

Each day I understand a little more Spanish, but I am still struggling with the speaking part. While it is great to spend the days with the other YAVs and the nights with my family, it is kind of hard to switch from Spanish to English at the drop of a hat. It is very interesting living where I am. On the way to the office in the mornings it takes about an hour, but on the way home at night it takes almost 2. This is also is a very intricate process usually involving a taxi and at least 2 different buses, all packed to the brim with people. Luckily, Eduardo works in the office and I just follow him. After next week, I will be beginning my jobs, and will have to travel by myself to and from them. Today was actually my first bus ride alone. All the YAVs met at Ruth and Hunter´s house and then we went out in Miraflores, one of the nicer, more touristy parts of town. Eduardo put me on the bus, gave me a note of where I was going, and told the money collector where I was getting off. I felt like a 5 year old on the first day of school...only 5 year olds can talk! But I got here with no problem and am spending the night so I wouldn´t have to take a bus back at 11pm. I must admit it will be nice being able to take a shower with hot water in the morning and not having the dogs barking outside and the roosters crowing, although I have almost gotten used to all that.

As I learn the language and get to know more about my surroundings and how to get around, it is really starting to become more like home, and less like a dream. Today was the best sign yet. As we were on the bus from the fruit market this morning, all 3 of us and 60 lbs of fruit, there on the seat beside me was a teenage boy. He seemed like your average Peruvian young man. But on his head was...are you ready for this...a UNC hat. Yes, UNC has even made its mark in Peru! So as I continue to adjust to the cold showers and the long bus rides that seem to never end, it was nice to see a familiar sign from home, even if I couldn´t talk to him and ask him about it...and even if they did lose to Rutgers today. Hasta pronto!