Summer is Here

Are you ever just totally amazed at the way God works in your life? I am on a regular basis. I moved across the country less than two weeks ago and have already had the chance to meet some amazing people. My second day of class, I sat down next to Melanie. She is a Christian and has been living and teaching in Nairobi, Kenya for the last four years. After graduation, her dream is to go back there are work as a medical missionary. I am inspired! For those of you who don't know, I am so stoked about the idea of medical missions. I've been thinking lately about working as a traveling nurse so I could have the money and flexibility to do actually swing it. At this point, I'll just wait for God to lead. Regardless, we are having some great conversations and she's proven to be one of those people it is just really fun to talk to. All that to say, I HAVE A FRIEND!! Today I went with her to visit her family in the Poconos (the mountains just north of here). The day matched the summer weather that seems to have arrived here just in time to make all the weekend vacationers happy, us included. In other words, it's stinkin hot here, but it was great since we got to hang out on a lake. We went to a brunch with her insanley huge family (her dad have 9 brothers and sisters and they all have a mess o kids), then went back to their lake house where we prepared for lazy afternoon. I forgot my swimsuit at her house so I got to wear a bright teal early 90's classic because the idea of sitting on the shore while the others swam across the lake was worse than being seen in something so hot ;). And I did swim across the lake...twice! After chillin on the shore for awhile, we went back to the house and practiced taking blood pressures on the tons of people that make up her family. Awesome practice since there's a mess of them of all shapes, sizes, and ages. Tomorrow we start our examination and assessment course and the midterm is Friday (including head to toe assessments and vitals), so we figure we need all the practice we can get! All in all it was a great day. I'm happy. And I have so much reading to do....

Neighborhoods

I am a country girl at heart. I grew up in the foothills of the Sierra Nevada mountains and I think hills, trees, and windy roads will forever feel like home. But I'm living in suburbia now and I have to say there is a part of me that love the little things that come along with a real neighborhood. Little boys running their paper routes, ice cream trucks, grandmothers gardening, and kids riding their bikes out in front of my car. I know they're probably everyday happenings for most of the people here, but they are the details that I love about my new place. I'm getting in the habit of going for a walk in the evening just because I love it so much :) With the tree-lined streets and brick houses, parks, and streams that fill this place, I feel like I'm on the set of a movie or something, because it just seems a bit too family-oriented and peaceful to be reality. I'm sure my feelings will be very different when the humidity comes on full force, but for now, I'll just enjoy the moment...

Kallie, Villanova Nursing Student

That's right, it is now official! Started classes today and I must say, I'm quite excited. I'm totally appreciating that I spent the last year working in the hospital because it seems like everyone is already freakin out about clinicals and I feeling anxious to get back in a hospital! Of course there is tons to be learned, but it's nice to start feeling relatively calm and prepared for the next 14 months. Our professors are great so far and the students seem nice as well. There are about 40 of us that will be in all the same classes, so I'm sure I'll be getting to know them VERY well whether I want to or not! Ok, it's late, and I gotta get up for Day 2 tomorrow, so this rather lame post will end here.

Burnin' Down the House

Today was an eventful day. I found a great church, got a bed, and tried to burn my house down...twice. I think some sort of fire or near fire accident is obligatory when moving into a new place ( I must say my sister managed to have a much more dramatic experience than I, but I guess that's good since she's married to a firefighter and I'm not). For me it all started when my roommate and I decided to make tortilla de patatas and bruschetta for dinner. We both spend some time studying abroad in Spain a few years back (not together) and she asked me if I knew how to make tortilla (note: Spanish tortilla is kinda like a glorifed onion and potato omelet). "Sure," I said, "I can totally make it for you." So we went to the store to pick up potatoes and some other things we both wanted to buy. I think we were gone for about 40 minutes or so. Yeah, um, but before we left we had put some water on our gas range to boil because some tea sounded nice, so we came home to find it still on! Ah! Luckily nothing happened except that the water had boiled almost completely away, so tea wasn't really an option unless we wanted to start over. Ok, so onto the the REAL almost fire incident. We began making the tortilla, chopping up tomato and garlic for the bruschetta, and I stuck some bread in the oven to toast. I put it on broil, but the oven didn't seem to be getting very hot and the bread wasn't toasting. After checking a few times...yeah...I TOTALLY forgot about it. I was more focused on the fact that it seemed like the tortilla was taking forever to cook. Then the smoke alarm starting going off and you'd think this would have reminded me about my bread, but no, I thought, "Oh no, the tortilla is burning!" So we flipped it over, and it really didn't look burned so we were a bit puzzled. Then we noticed the smoke starting to pour out of the range...and I realized it wasn't from the stove, but from the oven! I threw open the oven door and smoke billows out, burning our eyes and turning the whole apartment hazy. I throw the pan into the sink and turn on the water and at this point my roommate and I lose it laughing. We run to the windows, find the fan, and furiously wave our towels in the air, gasping for breath since we're totally cracking up. And of course I'm feeling totally humbled since my confidence in my cooking ability has been shattered by the fact that I can't even toast bread. We ended up making more toast (and set my cell phone timer just in case we could possibly forget) and dinner was actually pretty good. In the end, we decided the whole thing was a great bonding experience "The night we tried to turn down the house...twice." Yeah that and that we should probably get a toaster.

Road Trip Pics

Is it time for some pictures already? They were promised in Peru and yet still I have posted nothing LAME! Ok, so here we go....

Shall begin with the road trip? Ok.

First stop, Battle Mountain. What is there to do there? Well, not a ton as it turned out, but it was at this site that we left our car for the first time since departing Reno for random photo action on the side of the freeway. (if my mom reads this, there wasn't a lot of cars and we were totally off the road so don't worry). More importantly this is where we named our road trip mascot.

CAPTAIN BASE CAMP.

True Story: Captain Base Camp is actually a painted green army guy given to me by a friend before my freshman year of high school. G=For the past 9 years of my life he's been hanging out in my desk at my parents house. When I was packing to leave, Jessica decided he should probably come along. He definitily played a crucial role in telling us where to go during the long trip cross-country.

After stopping in Salt Lake for the night for the night we made our way down to Arches Natl. Park which was awesome. This is one of our more normal pics...we took polaroids of us holding up rocks and arches...sweeeet.

In Grand Junction Bert and Merce took us up to the top of this canyon on their property where we ate lamb, grilled potatoes and veggies, made on a campfire. I don't think words can really describe just how cool it was.

In Fort Collins we stopped at New Belgium, the brewery that makes Fat Tire, my current favorite beer. It was great! We scored free postcards (they even mail them for you), free beer, free keychains, and found great company in the many college students that frequent the place. Highly recommended.

Well, Nebraska wasn't the most thrilling part of our drive, but I had the best T-Bone steak EVER at this place.

In Chicago we hit up Ed Debevic's for lunch, where we had the best time being treated like crap. Their gimmick is horrible rude service. Who knew it could be so much fun. I just liked this sign they had at the exit. :)

We ran into a walking Reese's peanut butter cup walking around the city, and OF COURSE had to take a picture!!!

In Pittsburgh I mostly hung out inside with this little guy, my brother's roommate's new golden retriever puppy....totally adorable. Ok, so if you want to see more pics, feel free to check out my album at http://photos.yahoo.com/supertallkallie

A Creature of Habit

Most of the time I don't really think of my life as being ruled by routine. I'm always changing places, changing activities, making new friends, reuniting with old ones, working weird hours, etc. and lately I don't feel like I have any semblance of routine in my day to day activity at all. But really I do. And the fact of the matter is, I find comfort in the little routines that offer some level of normalcy to my ever-changing life.
Today I decided to go hit up some garage sales to try and get a few things we're lacking here in the apartment. In typical Kallie fashion I had some trouble convincing myself to get up an at'em and slept in later than planned. Thus, I decided to just throw some clothes on and head out and shower and eat something when I got back home. My trip was a success. I go to check out some more of the neighborhood, found some great buys and got back to the apartment around 11. And it's been a relaxing, chill kinda day, but my routine that I didn't even know existed is admittedly a bit off. I had breakfast at 11, then read one of my nursing textbooks until I decided it was time to take a shower (I love legitimate procrastination). It was the shower that really got me thinking about this whole routine thing. I know I have a shower routine because whenever I change up the order, I usually forget something. Today, I got distracted by the way the water tempertaure was scalding hot and failing to adjust and forgot to wash my hair. Do other people do this? I wouldn't say it happens very often, but when it does I can blame it on the changing up of the routine. Luckily I'm hanging around the house this afternoon, so I just hopped back in when I realized and again appreciated the loveliness of my exceptionally tall showerhead. But mostly I got to thinking about the little habits, patterns, and orders that bring an impulsive, feet first girl comfort in new circumstances...like the fact that I first wash my hair, then my face, etc....

Settling In

Well, the intial anxiety I experienced when realizing how many little details I had to figure out before school starts on Monday has subsided and I'm feeling quite relaxed and happy here in my new home. As it is, I've gotten a lot accomplished and all the urgent things have been taken care of. My room is still devoid of any furniture, and as my roommate says, looks like the room of a very small person since nothing is more than a foot and a half off the ground. A bit ironic since I have about a foot on her :) It will soon be changing however since I managed to find a great bed for a great price that I'll be picking up later this weekend thanks to craigslist and a nice couple that doesn't want to lug all their furniture to their new home in Phoenix.
It's been nice to have some time to explore the neighborhood and get some bearings. I think I spent at least half of my driving time getting lost, but as a result I've discovered the location of grocery stores, the post office, Target, parks, schools, rich neighborhoods, shady mcgrady neighborhoods, etc... and am starting to get my bearings. Sometimes it helps and sometimes it doesn't since knowing which direction I want to go and actually going there seem completely different in this land of curvy streets with names that mysteriously change on you. It seems more often than not there are 3-5 ways to get anyplace here, the trick is figuring out which way will have the least amount of traffic and no tolls! Still, the trips I've made into Philly make me realize how glad I am to be living exactly where I am- close enough to visit whenever, go downtown for dinner, etc, but able to come back to my sweet, safe, quiet home with abundant parking and kids playing outside.
Whoever said East Coasters are cold has apparently not been to this area. When I went running the other day, just about every person I came across greeted me with a smile, a wave, or a hello, and the people at school and around town have been equally friendly. It's a great feeling to realize more and more each day that I picked the right place. As far as school, I'm sort of wondering just exactly I have gotten myself into since I realized I'll be taking a semester's worth of full-time study in 6 weeks instead of 15, but I guess I'll figure than out soon enough. For now I'm trying to organize my life and enjoy my last few days of freedom.

The End of the Road

I made it! I'm writing this post from inside my new home here in beautiful Pennsylvania. And it really is beautiful. Despite the rain, I enjoyed my drive from Pittsburgh thanks to the gorgeous scenery. Nothing like spending miles and miles on 80 going through those plain states to make you appreciate lush green trees and rolling hills. The rain cleared about halfway through my drive and thankfully I got to move my stuff from car to house with clear skies. So a bit about my new place. For those of you who don't know, I found it online and just met my new roommate the same time I got handed my keys (ok, so we talked and emailed a bit). As it is, everything is working out splendidly. The apartment is located in a suburb of Philly, and I'm seriously enjoying the east coastyness of the area. Tree-lined streets, brick houses, and township added to the end of the city names :) Everyday for those from here, but simply delightful to a California girl! My apartment is clean, small, but not too small, and has great carpet. That seems like a weird thing to say, but I'm really stoked about the fact that we a)have carpet and b) it's actually clean enough for me to lay on without concern...especially since at the moment my room is totally devoid of furniture. That's one of those details I'll get to work on tomorrow. Oh, the to do list is long! But I'm a happy girl. Gnight.

The Home Stretch

I officially made it into Pennsylvania last night, or more accurately early this morning. I'm hanging out in Pittsburgh at my brother's place and the fact that I'm actually moving and not just on another vacation has begun to hit home. Jess and I had a great time in Chicago yesterday with my cousin-of-sorts Julia (all these seconds and once-removed just confuse me). We went to Ed Debevic's for lunch, which is this hilarious diner where the wait staff is totally rude to the point of hilarity, on purpose of course. They also dance on the bar and make a great chocolate malt. Now Jessica is on a plane back to CA and I'm beginning to get the itch to get going on to my new home myself. I'll head out tomorrow and plan on exploring the area around my new place a bit since my roommate will be at work until the evening and the drive is only about 6 hours. It's been a pretty low-key day, but I've been enjoying it since I know once the craziness starts, it's just gonna keep on going!

Road Trippin'

It's about time I put up another post already! So I was home for a whirlwind week and now I'm transversing the country with Jessica having an amazingly good time. Don't want to rub it in and say you wish you were here, but the reality is, you probably wish you were. We are currently in Libertyville, IL and in the six days since we left the only meal we actually paid for were sub sandwiches in Fort Collins...SCORE! Shall we recap with priceless gems from each state? Ok, here we go!!...

California- alright, let's be honest, not much happened between Shingle Springs and Reno, but that's a good thing since my track record of trips through Tahoe with Jessica is less than stellar. (think snow and closed roads)

Nevada- talk about a proper send off, the DAD hooked us up with dinner on Monday, hot breakfast on Tuesday and lunches big enough to last for DAYS. The state's scenery was lacking, but Battle Mountain was awesome. What We Learned: If you are a town worth any consequence in Nevada, your name had better be on the side of a mountain.

Utah- land of Mormons and dragon slayers, mountains and amazing arches. Watch out for the manholes and the missionaries...kidding...kind of.....um, Arches Natl park was super cool and gets our endorsement. We should also note, it was the first place we had to actually pay for something other than gas.

Colorado- beyond description...Colorado was very good to us :) In Grand Junction we met mom's super fun friends Merce and Bert, ate a gourmet dinner on the side of a cliff, played with dogs, and had pretty much the best granola ever (which we can now make ourselves!). From there we headed to Fort Collins, through pretty much the most gorgeous scenery ever (the first that really competed with our beloved CA). In Fort Collins we had lunch with a friend from Portland and hit up New Belgium Brewery for some free sampling and a true taste of the college vibe.

Wyoming- The cheapest gas we'll probably see the entire trip at $2.58/gal. And we learned that Sonic really does exist. Yup, that's about it

Nebraska-If you love museums and quantity means more to you than quality, this is the state for you. One at EVERY exit. One contained a miniature version of Buffalo Bill's Wild West Show. Best part, some couple spent 12 years carving those figurines. Wow. Unfortunately, I didn't get to ride any REAL buffalo, only fake ones. Hands down best steak I've ever had. Lots of wonderful tall Sealocks we were happy to meet!

Iowa- Kinda a jumble with Nebraska since like the illegal immigrants we did a lot of border hopping. Not a lot here, though we did play some rousing games of interstate bingo....bonus if find a Corvette (we never did). and OHMYGOSH! we got FREE ice cream at a gas station just for asking for it (props to my good buddy Jessica)

Illinois-Well, we only just got here, but I think we've already spend more money on stupid tolls than on anything else we've yet to purchase....and there's not even bridges after them! Oh well, guess we can't complain since our trip has pretty much been charmed the whole way through. We're now at my great uncle and aunt's house (both great in the my grandma's brother sense and in the great people sense), which is sort of castle-like :) Tomorrow we spend the day in Chicago before continuing on our journey.

Other random facts: Polaroids enhance any road trip. My front bumper is a bug graveyard. Jessica is the squeegy (sp?) master. Tubewiches are the best, but you will get weird looks if you make them in the car (peanut butter tube, jelly tube, bread, nuf said). Cats love lasers. Dutch ovens make great dessert. I'm not tall as you think I am. Just ask Greg. Driving through Nebraska is as boring as they say it is. You can combine a gas station with anything you want: pizza place, donut shop, restaurant, dry cleaners, etc...

I think about it. We've taken some great pics which we'll sure to share in the future. Hasta pasta!

Hogar dulce hogar

Home sweet home.
After a few flight delays and a bit of panicking by the parents (who were told by the airline I never got on the plane in Lima), I made it home safe and sound yesterday afternoon. I was met by Wally, my dad, and a wonderful ice-filled glass of diet pepsi (thanks dad!).
So guess what? Right before I left Peru, or maybe I should say as I was leaving I met a Peruvian not just my height, but taller! Yay, someone my height does exist there! He was sitting next to me in the emergency exit row. He was also late 20's, good-looking , and a Berkeley graduate...pleasant flight company :) Still is proved to be a bit of a tortuous flight since it was my second night of red eye travel and I'm the crappiest plane/bus sleeper ever. But after a wonderful night's sleep in the best bed ever (mine), I'm quite a happy Kallie. I'm feeling the reverse culture shock some, but trying to take it in stride as much as possible. It's hard to see people with so much that are still so unsatisfied and hold on so tight to their money, or spend it on useless stuff. Makes me realize that money holds us more than we hold it and while it can be used for good, it can also inhibit people from really figuring out what's important....but on a lighter note, I'm loving that I keep seeing people as tall as me! yay for proper nutrition! Ok I have a to do list about a mile long, so I better get going. If you want to see me, I'm in CA for a week, gimme a call! Ciao

What goes around comes around...YES!

So remember how I missed my flight in LA helping la pobrecita peruanita who didn't speak any English? Well, I'm now spending my last day here in Peru with my friend Sandra who also missed the flight. Got into Lima early this morning after taking an overnight bus, and her and her mom came to pick me up. After a nap, a wonderful breakfast and a shower we're about to head out and explore. She has a whole schedule planned out, packing in as much as we can before I leave tonight. Gotta love the unexpected blessings that come from what at the time seemed like a problem!
I had a wonderful last day in Trujillo yesterday. It was a bit sad, but mostly awesome because I had the opportunity to bless a lot of people. What is not a big deal to us, can be really expensive for the locals here, so it was cool to be able to help some of my closest friends get what they need. And I'm understanding more and more what it means to "be grateful you can give because you have been given much." For dinner last night, I made pizza with the kids in the home. None of them had ever had it before and I thought it should be corrected! It was great fun and most of them loved it. The power went out before we finished but thankfully the oven was gas and we were able to finish before it got dark...they kids didn't mind because it meant they got to eat the ice cream I gorught first. Ok, I gotta go because I don't want to spend my last day in front of a computer! Hasta pronto!

Swallowing my pride

I think I'm pretty much humbled on a daily basis here, and the cool thing is, every time I can let go of a bit more of my pride. I once heard someone say that "humility isn't thinking less of yourself, it's thinking of yourself less." And I really couldn't agree more. Since the moment I stepped off the plane, impressing people has never really been an option. I stumble through what I want to say because of my lack of vocabulary, I pronounce things wrong, and I blend in about as well as a red wine does on a white t-shirt. And it's been great. Since I generally assume I'm going to make a fool of myself, there's not really a lot standing in the way of whatever it is I want to do. Now I'm not a total people pleaser or anything, but I would say I generally, like most, want people to like me. I'm not shy, but at times I avoid situations were the likelihood of embarassment is high. And it's not like I quit altogther caring what anyone thinks, but more that my mind tends to be less on myself lately and more on what I want to be doing for God and for the people around me. I thought I'd include some of my recent lessons in humility for your dining pleasure:

A couple days ago I had a preschooler help me with my pronunciation. Vicki is 5 and apparently wasn't satisfied with the way I was pronouncing my "errre" when I said "rojo". First she made me repeat after here several times. Still unhappy with my progress, she went to her backpack, pulled out her markers, and took out a nice pink one. She demanded, "Abre tu boca" (open your mouth) and placed her marker across my mouth. I was then instructed to close my mouth and repeat after her again. After a few tries I apparently got it down well enough that we could go play. :)

We were at church one day and the band started to play, "Open the Eyes of My Heart," a worship song we sing in the US that is also sung in Spanish. I sang the words in English and since then all of the kids have been asking me to sing it, write it down for them, etc. Well, one day my friend Elisa was there when I was singing it for them and asked me if I would come sing at her sing at her church with her. Now I love to sing, and was in choir in jr high and high school, but I'm not one to do solos. Together, I figured I could swallow my pride a bit and handle it. So I went with to church with her last night to sing....and before we left she decided it would be better for me to sing it alone since that way we wouldn't have to worry about matching up or anything....oh, and there's no band I would be singing a capella. Whew...what have I gotten myself into? I admittedly was a bit nervous, but it turned out great. I reminded myself I was singing for God and not people and wasn't freaked out at all. That, and it turned out her church was teeny tiny, like 20 people. It was a great experience. The pastor asked if anyone had anything special to share and as it turned out I wasn't the only one to go up and sing...and those that followed me were definitely not Whitney Houston's. Many were singing out of tune and clapping off beat, but it was evident they were raising their most joyful noise to the Lord and the truth of it is, it was beautiful. These simple people are an incredible reminder of what it is all about. They come without a fancy sound system, or even a guitar for that matter to unabashedly sing praise to our Father. Sweet.

The weight of reality

Do you ever feel like you've had just a little too much reality? Seen a little too much? I'm kinda there today. While I am not one to shut out pain and suffering in this world, there is definitely some truth in the saying, "Ignorance is Bliss." I went to the house of one of my best friends here last night and it was both a heart warming and heart breaking experience. I feel like I'm always saying that here. That it's wonderful and horrible at the same time, but it's the truth. You know the story in the Bible of the woman who gave her two coins to the offering and it was a much bigger sacrifice than the extravagant gifts of the rich? That's what these people are like. They have little, but share all. Last night got me more than most because I saw that poverty here is not found only among the uneducated and/or the lazy. My friend is an incredibly hard worker that has a college education...and has lived for the past year without light or running water, in a neighborhood where you pretty much can't own anything valuable, or it will surely be stolen. If someone hears your radio or TV, they're as good as gone....but it's not a big issue, because those things aren't really affordable anyway. We went to the house of her family (which has lights and water) and they shared all of their best with me and were happy to have me in their home...their first foreign visitor! And though is was hard to see her circumstances, I was honored at the chance to literally break bread with my friend and her family...but now I want to take her home with me!

I've won the nickname Blancanieves here (Snow White) because most have never seen anyone as white as me. It's sort of the opposite of the US in regards to color. No one is trying to get a tan and they think white is beautiful, that we look like dolls :) Ok, I'll bask in my whiteness for a bit. On the other hand, I think the fact that I shave my legs to them is a bit wierd. I was cracking up when one of the kids was actually afraid when my legs were a bit prickly. :)

The days are dwindling...

Hard to believe I only have a few days left here. The truth is, I'm a bit sad to leave. I have no regrets about how I've spent my time here; I've honestly packed in about as much as I could! But I've realized in doing so I quickly became part of a family and a mission here. Originally, I thought there was no way I could live in Peru for an extended period of time, but with every day that goes by it feels more and more like home...yeah, that and I found Huanchaco. If I were to live in La Libertad (this region of Peru), that's were I would be! About a 10 or 15 minute drive from Trujillo is this beautiful little beach town that won my heart :) It's a combination of tropical paradise and my familiar Pacific, that had me thinking about SLO bunches. I went on Sunday with Marina and Aida (who knew I could have so much fun hanging out with 11 and 12 year olds?!). We strolled, shopped, snacked, and fished off the pier. It was wonderful! Quite a relaxing way to spend a Sunday afternoon. Yesterday and today it's been back to work, which I was also glad to do. Having spent the end of last week in the comedores and the weekend doing workshops and playing, I was missing my kids in the home! On top of that, I been working on translating the Nuevos Pasos video into English. Though I'm not the fastest in the world, I've definitely enjoyed the opportunity and it's nice to see that my Spanish is decent enough to do something like that! We're pretty excited to have the video in English because we can now share Nuevos Pasos with English speaking countries and, God willing, gain more support for all the work that is going on down here. Yay! It's always cool when you get a glimpse at how God is using you. :)

A girl of many homes...and kids without a single one

I think I have more homes than anyone I know. At least a couple in Cali, a few down here, and soon to have another in PA. Well, yesterday I "moved" again back into El Aposento. I'll admit I was a bit sad to leave the Bel's house. It's amazing how close we've become in the short time I've been here. But I was surprised to find I was equally happy to be back in my first house here in Peru! It just sort reminded me that it truly is the joy of the Lord that has made me so happy here. My physical circumstances don't really seem to matter that much. The Bel's house has more of the comforts I'm accustomed to- a big bed, TV, comfy couches, a loving family, etc., but I must say I also enjoy the simplicity of living in the Aposento. And of course me sweet Maruja is there filling us with delicious dishes and lots of love! The new "us" I'm referring to includes Olga, Johan, and myself. Olga and Johan are from Argentina and Sweden respectively, but both call Alicante, Spain home. I'm realizing I've become more comfortable with Spanish because Johan speaks English and I really haven't spoken with him in English at all! That, and at the prayer vigil we had last night I gave my testimony in Spanish. I was a bit nervous, but everyone seemed to understand me just fine! Yay!
This morning, like every Saturday morning here we had talleres de vida (Life Workshops). Talk about a wonderful, yet heart wrenching experience. I have done pretty well, for me, at handling all the poverty and trauma I've seen here, but today it was almost too much for me. The workshops are done at locations all around the city and when we see kids working in the streest, if we don't already know them, we invite them to join us. We started of with singing, (I'm finally starting to learn some of the songs here!), then moved into a time of prayer...and if you heard the prayer requests of these kids your heart probably would have broken too. Prayers for kids killed in the streets, for friends addicted to drugs, prayers that they could make enough money, that they could somehow find a place to live, etc... Then we did an activity with the kids, a follow'up to the movie we took them to last weekend. When we got on the topic of movies I was horrified to realized most of them have seen more porn than children's movies. I was helping one of them read the worksheet. He was twelve and couldn't read, didn't know his colors, and couldn't color in the lines. Wow. I praise God for the work that is being done to help these kids. It's incredibly difficult to see kids in such circumstances, but amazing to see people working so hard to help them rise above their cirumstances and to help them realize in a world where they have found no love that Jesus loves them. After the activity, we gave them sandwiches and juice and played with them for a bit while Carmen collected some info on new kids. They keep track of all the kids they work with, figuring out their backgrounds, who's in school, etc. so they can help them best. Sad to find many of them are into drugs, sexual exploitation, working in the streets 7 days a week, etc. Please send up a prayer for these kids and all those helping them. On a lighter note, the kids in the home brought home the first good English grades and of them have ever had!! Woohoo!

Combies, Comedores, and Cameras

Getting around here in Peru can be quite an adventure in itself. I thank God I never have to drive in this city. You know that part in Pirates of the Carribean where they say the laws laid down in the pirate code "are more like guidelines than actual rules"?, yeah, well that's kind of what laws are like here in Peru. And we all know how often the general population listens to guidelines and recommendations :) There aren't really lanes, and you can pack as many people into a xar as you can fit (we had 13 in a taxi once!).
Today I went with Diana to learn how the comedores operate and to help out. First we took a bus (micro) to the market to buy the food we were going to prepare for lunch today. I wish I could take pictures of this to show you all, but pulling out a camera in the middle of the market is pretty much like saying, "hey come rob me," so we'll have to do without. It is a hodge podge of sight, smells, sounds, some appealing and some that make my stomach turn a bit. From there we took a moto-taxi to our next micro stop. You have to understand that the bus system, or micros here are nothing like you'd ever find in the US or Europe. They are mostly VW type vans (combies) and some privately owned buses (pronounced booses) that have no exact stops, arrival, or departure times. If the caller is doing a good job and it's a busy time of day they are packed full. Some can be shady, but most are ok. Moto-taxis are a blast. Kinda like the bike taxis you can find in some college and beach towns but a yamaha motorcycle instead of a bike. We took the micro out to Laredo to the WawaWasi Comedor. It consists of 3 rooms, a preschool, a kitchen, and a main room. Dirt floors in the latter two rooms, no electricity, no running water. It seems like everyday I realize there is a lower level of poor and I have yet to experience the bottom level. I thought the kids in the home had nothing, but no they have beds, blankets, clothes, toilets. And then I realize the kids going to the comedor get at least one good meal a day, brush their teeth, wash their hands. For many, it is their only good meal. It kinda tore at me a bit to see them devour the food put in front of them. My mom was right, hungry kids aren't picky eaters. Every one of them cleared their plate and not one of them complained about what was being served. They eat a lot of rice, beans, lentils, etc. here, with some great sauces. I've liked almost everything, but today I had to brace myself a bit when liver was dished onto my plate. It's not guinea pig or anything (yeah, that's a delicacy here), but I'm really not a fan of liver. Thank you mom for teaching me how to eat even what I don't like.
The kids were FASCINATED by my camera. In fact, it was tough to take pictures, because they kept wanting to look at the ones I'd already taken! That, or look at the viewer and see their friends. After every picture, "A ver! A ver! A ver!" (let's see!!) I managed to get a few though to show what it looks like and how stinkin adorable the kids are here. I'm not looking to sell anything, but if anyone is interested in helping them out, for like 25 bucks a month you can sponsor one of the kids and cover the costs of their food and activities. Today we made animals out of playdough. I'm learning the value of these creative activities working in the hogar. Many of the kids there, and in the comedores as well, suffer from neglect and lack of stimulation, so we try to offer not just food, but developmental activities. Trying to get them to create something of their own, not just a replica is really challenging! It'a awesome that so many people are fighting for these kids. The love of God is in this places even in it's darkest corners.

Things I previously took for granted

Day by day I'm learning to appreciate things I previously took for granted. It's amazing to have your eyes opened to all of the ways your life is blessed. In the US, it's easy to assume what you have is the norm, and maybe for some reason you're entitled to it. But here, I meet kids who are so excited by things a have always considered "no big deal". I've never considered myself ver materialistic. I don't always need the biggest or the best. But the truth us, on some level I am. As an American, I think I have been so accustommed to having excess that I only occasionally recognize it as luxury. Though there are others who have it worse, "stuff" has had a hold on me. Being here, I feel both liberated by my lack of possesions and at the same time appreciative for them. This is difficult for me to explain, but I think I'm recognizing that all of the "things" in my life I can appreciate without feeling a necessity to always have them. Ultimately, my happiness is not dependent on my physical comfort, but on my closeness with God. Whether I have many things or few, as long as he is there, my life will be blessed. I've always struggled with how we can have things and enjoy them without serving them. This is one of those things we Christians talk about a lot, serving God instead of money, but I feel like I finally get it. It is in the recognition of what one has and what one needs. I have much, but I need little.

The Other Half...or the other 5%

So today I discovered not everyone in this country is poor and those with money tend to have it in spades. Some friends of the Bel's belong to a country club and we spent the day there with them. It was GORGEOUS! I felt a bit like a camp counselor with all the playing that was going on. I taught the kids how to play Marco Polo and threw them around in the pool until they wore me out :) They loved the game and taught it to the others until all the kids in the pool were playing. We had a wonderful lunch, then cakes and coffee...yum! It was so nice to just be able to walk around by myself for awhile along the paths without having to worry about safety or really doing anything. Very relaxing I was thinking about how different it would be if I was working here as a nanny for some rich family instead of volunteering with Nuevos Pasos. I guess it would be kind of like going on vacation at a tropical resort as opposed to working with the people who live there...same country, but totally different worlds. I then shot around with Marina a bit and we worked on her form and shooting. It was pretty fun and she was doing great. I feel so at home here with the Bel's. I've been thinking about why and I think it's largely due to the fact that they are so affectionate with each other. It's like being in my house. That, and they truly seem to enjoy each other's company...and thankfully mine! Semana Santa has turned out to be a wonderful, relaxing, much needed rest and I'm feeling ready to get back to work tomorrow!

What the heck do I do down here?

I've gotten some questions about what exactly it is that I do, so I thought I'd explain what my schedule kind of looks like, so you can get an idea. It's not really a concrete schedule and will probably be changing somewhat since they want me to get a taste of all their minstries, but at least I can tell you what I've been up to so far. I get up around 7, Maruja comes to the house to get breakfast ready at 7:30, and we usually leave by 8:30. As of today this will change because I'm now staying with the Bel's, not in the Aposento, since my Spanish family is headed back to Barcelona tonight. But anyway, Nuevos Pasos has a driver, Emiliano, and he usually picks us up and takes Montse and I to the Home. Then I spend the morning helping the older kids with their homework, teaching English, playing with the kids that are too little for school, and whatever Mamacita might need help with. Lunchtime rolls around, the older kids get ready for school (primary is in the morning here and secondary in the afternoon), while I help get the tables readys for lunch. The younger kids get home and the older kids leave and I usually help serve, then head back home for my own lunch. We then have a little time before we head back to the home to help the younger kids with their homework and play with the. Evenings tend to vary, sometimes going downtown, babysitting, church, shopping, dinner, etc. And weekends, well I rarely know what's going on :) Next week I think I'm going to be visiting the comedor's that we run in a few different neighborhoods. These are basically soup kitchen where kids can go for lunch everyday. They also teach them basic hygiene, and spread the hope that is Jesus Christ. I can't believe tomorrow is Easter. I hope you all have fun with your egg hunts, brunches, and families, and remember that Christ is Risen!!! Yay! Someone save me some Reese's eggs...serious lack of peanut butter outside the US :) Ok, well, I think I've given you enough to read for now with my three entries in one day. Gotta catch up!! Ciao!