Comida (chifa and ceviche and cuy, OH MY!), Cruz del Sur, and Cusco

I am pleased to report that I am NO LONGER in Lima!! I have made it safely to Cusco, and am leaving for Andahuaylas tomorrow night. I am SO thankful that the details have finally been ironed out and I am on my way! Thanks for praying.

This week has been pretty exciting. I spent from Tuesday to Friday at another Paz y Esperanza office in San Juan de Lurigancho, which is the largest district of Lima (a million people!). Grace, a young woman from California who is volunteering at the San Juan office for a 2 year term, was so kind to let me stay in her apartment for three nights! It was wonderful to be out of a hotel and to share life with her for awhile … and also to have someone with whom I could speak English! I was also thankful that we got to exercise together (yoga, pilates, running) as I’ve really missed my daily workouts. Thanks for a great time, Grace!


On Friday night I took a CRUZ DEL SUR bus from Lima to Cusco. It left at 5:30pm and didn’t arrive in Cusco until 3:30pm on Saturday!! You would think that I’d have died from boredom (or a sore butt) … but it was actually really great! The only really tough part was using the bus’ restroom on the windy roads. It was pretty hilarious, actually. I sat by two lovely girls from Scotland and Ireland on their way to do 8 weeks of volunteering near Cusco, and it was fun to talk to them and somewhat travel together. They showed lots of movies on the bus, and also did a BINGO game! Unfortunately I didn’t win the free ticket back to Lima, but it was a good refresher on Spanish numbers. The rest of the time, I was able to sleep in the spacious reclining seat, and watch the breathtaking scenery out the window. Really, it was gorgeous. I had a wonderful time listening to music, reflecting, praying, and just watching the mountains. This is a picture from our one 10-minute stop!

When we arrived in Cusco, my Andahuaylas supervisor Lupe was there to meet me. She is from Cusco and has been gracious enough to let me stay at her house while I am here. Hanging out with her has only made me more excited to work with Paz in Andahuaylas! She is a vibrant, energetic, fun person, and a strong believer. I know I will learn so much from her these next six months, and I will also enjoy myself!

While Cusco is known for Machu Picchu, I think I’m going to have to come back and have more time to really enjoy it. It is only a 10 hour drive from here to Andahuaylas, and Lupe comes home frequently, so I will surely be back. But so far I am really enjoying this place! Today Lupe took me to the “feria” of Cusco – an annual fair with live music, a horse show, and dozens of vendors selling food, art, furniture, hats, animals, and EVERYTHING from all around Peru. It was fantastic!! We walked around all day, ate a LOT, and just enjoyed the lively atmosphere.






Here I am with an alpaca and its owner. They're really cute animals, used for their fur mostly. I think this one won some kind of prize!










And to keep with the alphabetical theme, I need to put a plug in here for Peruvian COMIDA!!! This food is amazing!!! Seriously. I have tried so many delicious “platos típicos” (typical dishes), and have really loved it so far. With very few protests from my stomach. The only time I had a little trouble was with CEVICHE (here’s a picture - before I ate it), which is basically raw fish in lemon juice. I’m working up the courage to try it again, because it is very very popular all over Peru.

Also very common is all types of CHIFA (Chinese food!). There are little Chinese restaurants all over Lima, selling chaufa (fried rice – NOT arroz frito as I quickly found out, haha. I’m always trying to create new cognates), tallarín (noodles), and all kinds of Chinese food.

I have yet to try CUY, but here they are before they are cooked. Yes, they are basically guinea pigs. I am told they are very common in Andahuaylas, so I’m preparing myself for these little guys! I can’t imagine eating one, but I am kind of intrigued by the idea … I’ll let you know how they taste.


THANK YOU as always for your prayers, support, and encouragement. I have only survived these weeks through the grace of God, as I will continue to do so in the coming months. I am so excited to report to you SOON about life in Andahuaylas. Miss you all … Really, you should come and eat Peruvian food ☺

Besos, Barcos, Bebés ... and a little bit of Bostesando

In order to properly greet you today, I would give you a BESO (kiss) on the cheek.
***VIRTUAL BESO!!!***
I have come to really love this physical affection from everyone! It is such a warm way of saying hi. Check out this blogpost for some in-depth (and quite humorous) advice about besos ... from the perspective of a man who came to Perú for a "6 month internship" with Paz (sound familiar?) but ended up staying 6 years!! Don't worry, HNGR wouldn't let me do that ;)
Y mi besito?

Now that we've greeted appropriately, I need to tell you that, unfortunately, I have STILL not made it to Andahuaylas because of continuing protests throughout the country. It has been a day-by-day process of learning patience, as each day I come to the Paz office and am told "Still no, still no." This has led to some boredom and BOSTESANDO (yawning), as I feel quite useless here in the office and spent most weekdays last week on the Internet and most weeknights watching TV in my hotel. I am disappointed, as I am anxious to start my "real" internship, get to know my host family, settle into a routine, and begin my independent study ... but as so many of my faithful encouragers have reminded me, God doesn't waste any part of our lives! While I don't know why I am "stuck" here, I trust that God is teaching me and molding me in a special way here in Lima. To be sure, it has been good language practice! Also, I have been so blessed with the super-hospitable and helpful staff of Paz here in Lima. They never hint at the feeling that I've overstayed my welcome here, and are quick to do whatever they can to help me. I feel VERY cared for and loved. This is a picture of the daily Uno game during lunch break. It is hilarious to watch and participate as these sweet women get so competitive!! Also funny to me that Uno cards are in English (I was very proud to help with the pronunciation of "Wild" and "Skip"). This is one of my favorite parts of the day!

That being said, on Friday I was still nervous about spending the weekend alone, especially as I hadn't even gone out by myself! However, as he always does, God provided just what I needed. Friday night and all day Saturday I spent with a Paz coworker named Nancy, as well as her 2 completely adorable gemelitas (twins)!! We went out most of the day on Saturday. First we went to the coast, which I hadn't seen yet, and took a ride on a tiny little BARCO (boat). It was so fun to be out on the water ... although a little scary at times because this boat was TINY and we moved around a lot! After our ride, it was relaxing to just stand on the rocky beach and hear the natural sounds of the ocean waves. There's something about being out in nature. And now I finally know where all this seafood is coming from!!














Nancy and I then went to a naval museum (which admittedly brought about a little more bostesando because 1. I'm not all that crazy about the subject matter, and 2. monologues are the death of my Spanish! But we had fun just walking around and looking at stuff).








After the museum we ate lunch and walked around a little more, and then went to pick up her ADORABLE BEBES (babies!). Their names are Karin and Osyris, and they are just over a year old. These twin girls are sooo precious. I got such a kick out of taking pictures of them, watching them toddle around, listening to them try to talk ... And Nancy is supermom, seriously. I tried picking both of them up at the same time and I couldn't even hold them standing still, much less walk around!!








We took them to the "centro comercial" (a mall) and everyone was staring at them. Obviously because they're the cutest! Osyris fell asleep on my chest while we were riding home in a taxi, and it convinced me that I am totally adopting a Peruvian baby someday. :)
I love their pigtails!













And so is life for me, with besos, barcos, bebés, and a little bit of bostesando ... Please keep praying for Perú during this tough time. Pray for a quick and fair resolution, one that will benefit the nativos and not just the government. It is also dangerous for everyone traveling. And please pray that God will continue to reveal Himself to me, that I will feel His presence, and that I will patiently wait for the right time to travel to Andahuaylas. He is faithful! Thanks so much for reading ... and for all your prayers and encouragement!! Miss you all ...

Love, Christine

Acostumbrandome

I'M IN PERU!!!! Praise God for a safe journey, kind people who have warmly received me, and relatively few stomach problems :) I am spending until Wednesday in Lima, the capital city, before I head to Andahuaylas where I will be for the rest of my time.

Realizing that I have about 26 weeks here, I have decided to update my blog once a week (as time and connection permit ...), organizing it around a word of the week following the alphabet - ie, this week is A, acostumbrandome ... meaning that I am adjusting!! I am adjusting to the food, culture, lack of hot water, and public transportation. I am adjusting to the Spanish!! I am adjusting to being away from family and friends.

My days have been quite up and down emotionally. Trying to communicate in Spanish has been the most difficult thing so far (predictably), followed by some loneliness. I think this comes from feeling isolated, not being able to fully express myself. It is quite frustrating for such a verbal person like me to feel trapped in language! I have unfortunately often succumbed to just sitting in silence, rather than attempt to navigate an explanation and ask for the 257th time "Como se dice ...?" (How do you say ...?) I end each day completely exhausted. However, people have been unbelievably patient and encouraging, and I am definitely learning a LOT!! I am confident that with time it will become a lot easier, and all this hard work will pay off.

After a day of introduction to the Lima office of Paz y Esperanza on Friday, I got to spend the weekend exploring Lima with Roxana, a young woman who works with Paz. This place is huge!! People everywhere, especially at night. Roxana took me to several vibrant places, always using public transportation, which has been an adventure all in itself. The city really reminds me of Abuja, Nigeria's capital - there are many contrasts ... Many tourists, but much poverty; huge parks, but sprawling poverty; Kentucky Fried Chicken, but beggars trying to scrape by ...

Roxana took me to a museum with LOTS of information about Peru, lots of artwork and artifacts ... Sorry the pic is kind of bad.










Plaza de Armas ...












This is a cathedral we visited, complete with catacombs! How cool! So much religious history here.

A view from the Parque de Muralla of a poorer part of town.

















We rode on a "trencito" (kiddie train) around the Parque.









Saturday night Roxana and I went to a folkloric dance show with Eunice, another Paz coworker. It was AMAZING!! There were about 10 choreographed dances complete with colorful costumes, from all different parts of Peru. Between numbers, everyone in the place got up and danced! It was awesome! this picture is from a dance depicting a fight between an ángel (left) and a bunch of diablos. I had to wait in line for this pic!!





I hope this video works ... This is the diablo dance.


Today I am at the Paz Lima office again ... And tomorrow I am visiting another office of Paz in San Juan de Lurigancho, which is about an hour's drive. Then, if all goes well, I will fly to Andahuaylas on Wednesday. Please pray for safety in all of Peru, as there has been some violence between "los nativos" in the jungle and the police/military. There have been several deaths on both sides, as well as many protests throughout the country. Although I will be in the southern part of Peru far from the fighting, there have been protests there as well. Pray for peace, and that I will be able to travel safely on Wednesday.

Thank you for all your prayers!! I am definitely relying on God a lot for strength, energy, understanding, and provision. I am learning so much humility and dependence and patience!! Those are not always fun things to learn, but I am thankful nonetheless. He is faithful. Until next week!!! Amor y paz ... Christinita