muchedumbres!

To be honest, it wasn’t the best week. Maybe it has something to do with the fact that I’m getting to the halfway point and realizing on one hand that I feel like I’ve barely done anything very useful, but realizing on the other hand that I still have 3 long months left (Mom and I like to call it the "third lap of the mile" syndrome) … or maybe it’s the fact that so many of my Wheaton friends are back at school together and I’m not there … or that I just spent 2 really fun and exciting weeks, first with Dr. Kepner and then in Ayacucho … But I was really bored and frustrated being in the office 8 hours a day, and I was really homesick.

Thankfully, Friday finally came along and I started a weekend of MUCHEDUMBRES (crowds)! God seemed to know that I really needed a good ol’ dose of humanity, and I had 3 different opportunities to be around lots of people and really enjoy myself this weekend.

On Friday, Paz held the “Lanzamiento para la Campaña de Derechos Humanos en Andahuaylas” (the launching of a Human Rights Campaign in Andahuaylas). I was deemed the photographer for the event, and had a really great time running around snapping pictures of everyone! The event was mainly composed of local schools, from kindergarten up to university level, and also some local authorities. The kids all came prepared with signs and cheers, and were so excited to march across town to the plaza. Paz had balloons with the slogan of the campaign on them – “Quieres Ser Feliz? Respeta Los Derechos Humanos” (Do you want to be happy? Respect Human Rights), which I helped blow up to distribute to all the kids. The event was super colorful and exciting. When we reached the plaza, there was an hour-long program including 2 great dramas and short speeches by local authorities. I had so much fun participating in this event!!











































(Above is Rodrigo, the 7 month old of 2 of my coworkers ... I'm trying to set him up with Kate Glass!! :))


On Saturday night, I had my second “muchedumbre” experience at a discoteca on the Andahuaylas plaza! I went with 2 friends from work, Angela and Nimia, and we met up with 4 of their friends. We had a great time dancing the night away, and I was shocked that I was still going at 3am, the latest I’ve stayed up here so far!! It felt so funny to be shrieking out the words to “Simply the Best” at a club called “Kreazzy” along with about 100 Peruvians, and realize that I was the only gringa! Oh, globalization ☺



My third “muchedumbre” was on Sunday afternoon at the Andahuaylas stadium, where an Andahuaylas fútbol team played an Abancay (neighboring state) team. Because of a small misunderstanding, I got left at home and had to make my way to the stadium alone to meet Papá and Yordani … meaning that I got to battle the crowds at the ticket counter alone, and search about 10,000 Peruvian faces to find them once I got inside!! Thankfully, I’m pretty easy to spot, so they found me first ☺ The teams were pretty evenly matched, which made for a really good game, and we scored 2 goals in the last 10 minutes to win! Also really exciting was an injury on the other team that brought out an ambulance, at least 10 paramedics, and about 6 policemen with shields!















After these fun events, I’m thankfully starting this week a little more excited to be here. There’s something about sharing the human experience with others that just makes life so much more enjoyable. I’m figuring out that it’s important for me to take every opportunity that I can to be with others here – and there is plenty going on in this vibrant Peruvian life! My biggest prayer right now is that I will be able to really DWELL here, to really EMBRACE life here. I'm so thankful for the relationships that I am slowly building, and that I finally feel like I'm starting to really share life with others. However, it is still tempting to escape, to hold back. I want to jump into life with both feet!!

Como siempre, les agradezco por su apoyo, su amor, y sus oraciones! Con MUCHOS abrazos … Christinita