Feliz Navidad!

Wishing everyone a very Merry Christmas from Peru!!

The Golden Arches

You know I am starting to get homesick when.... I decide to eat lunch at McDonalds instead of a Peruvian restaurant. I ate there not once this past week, but twice. Yikes!! Cusco doesn´t have many chain restaurants, but McDonalds opened the first weekend I was here in September. There are plenty of good things to eat here, so I´ve had no reason to go there, until now. I just couldn´t resist a golden arches cheeseburger and fries!! It tasted like home.

I have started missing southern food too. Here is the beginning of a list of things I am looking forward to eating when I return to the States: my mom´s lasagna, Cracker Barrel biscuits and hash browns, Lawyer´s Barbeque, corned beef hash and Thai food. Oh and I almost forgot, pizza with real cheese. It sounds like I´m going to be doing a lot of eating when I get home!

Salty Dog

If you can believe it, my own mother called me out for being a slacker with my blog! Well, here is one more post from the time my brother was visiting. There is an area here called the Salineras, or salt pans. Apparently the earth and water in this area are very rich with salt. A stream flows out of a mountain and into the pans that you see in the pictures. When the water evaporates from the pans it leaves piles of salt behind. Who knew? (Certainly not me.)

Lost City of the Incas

One of the main reasons tourists come to Cusco is to access Machu Picchu. When people find out that I have been living in Cusco for three months, one of the first things they ask is what I thought of Machu Picchu. People seemed astounded to find out that I hadn´t visited yet. Well, now I can say that I have been to Machu Picchu, otherwise known as the lost city of the Incas.

Machu Picchu was recently voted one of the new wonders of the world, and it is truly an incredible place. The setting is gorgeous and the workmanship that went in to building the city is astounding and has stood the test of time. There is no written or oral history of Machu Picchu. We know only what archeologists have surmised since the ruins were discovered in 1911. The lack of information on such an incredible place makes it that much more intriguing and mysterious; Why was Machu Picchu built? What events occured in this place and why did the Incas want to wipe it from their history records?

Cuy!

I can´t believe that in three months I haven´t posted anything about Peruvian cuisine. There are a number of dishes unique to Peru, and Peruvians are proud of their excellent variety of food. One of the specialties here is Cuy, otherwise known as guinea pig. I wasn´t sure I wanted to try it, but with the encouragement of my brother I tried this local specialty last night. And yes, it tasted like chicken!

More from New Life

This post is a little late due to computer issues. I´ve had lots of requests for more photos from New Life. I hope these cuties put a smile on your face! Remember, if you´d like to sponsor a child at New Life Orphanage you can do so by going to their website: www.perumissions.com. I can assure you that your sponsorship money will be used wisely and appropriately.

Baby Talk

I had some great pictures lined up to post, but wouldn´t you know that I get kicked off line every time I try to upload them! I know the photos are the best part of the blog, but I´m afraid you´ll just have to put up with my writing this time. I´ve had another great week at the Orphanage. I´ve mostly been helping with the three and under crowd since the older children are in school all day. I have gained a much greater appreciation for the parents of toddlers. Here are some examples of the things I say everyday... What´s in your mouth? Don´t eat the paper-string-shoe-etc! Don´t hit. Chairs are for sitting. Eat your food..don´t play with it. Kudos to the ladies who care for these children every day and do such a wonderful job!! I´ve had a great time here and will really miss it.

I will head back into central Lima tomorrow afternoon and then return to Cusco this coming weekend. My brother is coming to visit me during his Thanksgiving break from school, and we have a full week of traveling and sightseeing planned. I´m really looking forward to his visit! Happy Thanksgiving to everyone (a little bit early).

The Faces of New Life

I have been living on the compound that is New Life Orphanage for about a week now. I have been debating what to post because I feel that posting about orphanages, and the children who live in them, is always a sensative subject, but I cannot say enough good things about the facility and staff here. New Life is currently home to approximately thirty children between the ages of 9 months and 13 years. Many of the children who were here during my 2007 visit are still here, but I am encouraged by the fact that several have also been adopted. The pictures above are a few I snapped this afternoon. (Katie, I chose these just for you!)I´m sure that I´ll post more cuties before my time here is up.

Lima

This past weekend I flew to Lima and spent some time visiting with friends in the city. It was great to see them and we had a really nice visit. I didn´t realize how much I´d missed chain restaurants or cable tv, so I also enjoyed eating dinner at TGIFridays and watching TLC in Spanish. Yeah! The pictures I posted are of some graffiti style artwork near my hotel...I thought it was really cool.

Yesterday morning I arrived in Cieneguilla, a suburb of Lima, where I´ll be staying for the next couple of weeks. I will be living and helping out at an orphanage called New Life. Many of you following this blog are probably aware of this organization, but if not, please check out their website www.perumissions.com.

More of Club Corason

I hope everyone is not getting tired of pictures of the Club! It is where I´ve spent most of my time over the past couple of weeks and tomorrow will be my last day there, so I thought I´d try to put together a slideshow. I have many more pictues I´d like to include in the slideshow, but it just takes too long for them to upload to the internet.

I will be heading to Lima on Saturday for a couple of weeks, so I´m not sure when I´ll be able to post again. Hopefully I´ll be able to find a good internet cafe close to my residence there.

Weekend Roundup

I promised to post about this weekend´s activities, so here you have it: On Friday night the children here celebrated Halloween much like we do in the US. They all got dressed up in various costumes and then walked around the main square and asked stores for candies and sweets.I have never seen the streets so crowded here! Friday was also a day to celebrate Peruvian music, so there were many bands playing traditional music at local restaurants and bars. There are many native languages in Peru so a lot of traditional music uses words in Quechua, instead of Spanish.

Saturday and Sunday were much calmer than I´d expected. It seems that the Day of the Living is mostly celebrated by spending time with friends and family and eating pork and tomalles. The Day of the Dead is celebrated here by visiting the graves of loved ones and praying for them or talking with them. I´d expected more of a Mexican-style celebration, but the day was actually very calm and quiet.

I´m off to ´work´now, so I´ll try to post some photos tomorrow.

Catching Up

I apologize for allowing so much time to lapse in between posts recently. Between my schedule and computers that do not work, posting has been a challenge of late. I thought I would write a quick post just to let everyone know that I am still doing well and enjoying my time in Peru. This coming weekend is a big weekend of celebrations: tomorrow is Halloween as well as a Celebration of Peruvian Music, Saturday is The Day of the Dead and Sunday is The Day of the Living (as I understand it). I expect to have stories and photos to post following the weekend festivities!

Fiesta

We had a party last night to inaugurate the opening of the new room at Club Corason. We have been cramped for space, so we are all very excited to have a room big enough for all of the children. The party started with a clothing distribution, then the children sang the songs they´d learned in English (and did an excellent job). The performance was followed by dinner and music by a band. All of the children from the neighborhood and their parents were invited, and we had a great time!

Club C.o.r.a.s.o.n

For the past two weeks I have been working at a community center on the outskirts of Cusco. The center was started by a local pastor and his wife and is an incredible community resource. They have plans for many different programs, but right now their main program is an afterschool enrichment program called Club Corason. The Club provides children ages 3-11 years with help on homework, structured art programs, sports activities and basic English classes.

I had originally planned to spend time volunteering in an orphanage (as most of you know), but then my language school informed me that this project was in great need of volunteers. Without volunteers to work with the children, they cannot keep their doors open. It has been good for me to see the needs faced by local communities here and how much effort it takes to help children rise above poverty and difficult life circumstances. The photos are of the neighborhood around the community center, the center and a couple of the children.

Ruinas

I thought it would be nice to post a few more pictures from this past weekend. There are many Incan ruins around the city of Cusco, and I spent Saturday hiking through several ruins located in the nearby town of Tipan. There are many great pictures that I´d like to post, but I chose these because I think they really show the landscape in this area. Pictures taken within the city don´t show how arid the sierra section of Peru really is.

Sunday Market

Sunday is usually the biggest market day here. Yesterday I traveled to the city of Pisac, which is about a 40 minute bus ride from Cusco, to check out their big market day. I really don´t know of anything in the U.S. that is comparable to an open air market here. You can buy anything: clothing,jewelry, blankets, fresh fruit and vegetables, meat or anything else you can think of. The first photo is of some handmade flutes which are very common here. The next is of some ladies selling friuts. The third is a photo of a colorful wall tapestry and the last is of some cheese.

Recommended Reading

I thought that perhaps I had managed to escape the dreaded stomach bug that all travels seem to get here,but it finally caught up to me this past week. Being sick has definitely not been fun,but it has given me a chance to do some good reading (and to watch Jurassic Park III in Spanish). I just finished reading A Thousand Splendid Suns and highly recommend it. It tells the story of two Afghanistani women and follows their lives from the 1980´s through recent years. It is one of the most moving stories I´ve read. I also recently read When Invisible Children Sing. This book is a non- fiction account of an North American doctor who spent time working with street children in LaPaz, Bolivia. While this book is not cheerful, it is inspiring. It brings attention to the plight of hundreds of thousands of children in Bolivia,and other countries in South America, that spend their entire lives on the city streets with little hope of a better future. I encourage you to take a look at these great books!

Political Humor

I imagine that the current Presidential Campaign in the US is getting lots of press. If you´d like a good laugh over the state of politics check out this website: http://www.jibjab.com/originals. It´s great (and equally pokes fun at all candidates)!

Llamas, Alpacas and Vicunas... Oh My!

A friend was scrolling through the pictures on my digital camera the other day and commented on the disproportionate amount of photos I have taken of Llamas and Alpacas; I admit that I am fascinated by them. These animals serve many purposes including:farm animal or pack mule, their fur is woven into warm, soft yarn for clothing and they also can be served for dinner. Prior to visiting Peru, I was unaware of the existence of the Vicuna. This animal is a close relative to the Llama and Alpaca and is said to produce the finest wool. However, the Vicuna has come under the protect of Peruvian law and is now only allowed to be shaved every third year in order to help protect and maintain their herds. I hope you enjoy these fun photos as much as I do!

Exploring more of Cusco

Lake Titicaca

Several classmates and I took a trip to Lake Titicaca this weekend. Lake Titicaca is located in Southern Peru and borders both Peru and Bolivia. The trip was quite a long one with two overnight bus rides, but it was worth it. There are many natural islands within the lake, as well as a group of man-made islands called the Uros Islands. The Uros Islands are made of reeds that grow in the lake and are also referred to as the floating islands because they would move around the lake if they were not anchored in place. The whole concept of islands made of reeds is fascinating to me and was amazing to experience.

QUICK FACTS:
·About half the lake resides in Peru and half in Bolivia
·It is the highest navigable body of water at 12,507 feet
·It covers 8,300 square km
·The lake is the remnant of a vast area of water formed in the Ice Age known as Lake Bolivian
·If someone falls into the lake, like a fisherman, it is traditional not to rescue them but to let them drown as an offering to the Earth Goddess Pachamama.

Clinica de San Juan de Dios

Earlier this week I had the opportunity to visit a clinic for children with physical and/or mental handicaps. This institution provides a home for children while providing them with loving interactions from caregivers, medical care, physical therapy and whatever else they need. The goal of this institution is to prepare these children to return to their families by/at the age of fifteen and live self- sufficient and productive adult lives. I was quite impressed with the facility, their staff and goals.

Thoughts for the Weekend

Kindness is worth the effort.

I love watching people and enjoy spending time sitting outside in the town center (Plaza De Armas) observing my surroundings. There´s always something interesting going on. A funny thing usually happens once I get myself situated, though; someone either wants to practice their English with me or sell me something. At times it can seem quite annoying. I have tried to use these situations to practice my Spanish and get aquainted with some of the people that I see on a daily basis. I have been suprised by their warm reception and willingness to chat with me. Some of the children who sell their paintings, postcards, etc. on the streets to help support their families have really touched my heart.

So, I leave you with these thoughts from Jill Briscoe, "Kindness is worth the effort. In the felowship of believers it is a ncecessary part of spirtual life. But kindness of spirit must extend to the unbeliever too. There are many motivations for ministry and numerous incentives to evangelism. None is more winsome nor effective than the loving-kindness that reaches out in genuine sympathy to the spiritually forlorn and, regardless of personal cost, generously and unstintingly communicates the reality of Christ. There are no substitutes for kindness in the lives of those who know the loving-kindness of God."

A Day in the Life...

A few people have asked how I spend my time here, so I thought I´d give a quick overview of my daily routine. I have Spanish classes each morning and then eat lunch at the school. I am at the school each day until about 2pm. After school I am free to do as I please. I usually try to take advantage of the sunny afternoons and walk around Cusco and explore the different churches, museums and stores. I also spend some time studying or practicing my Spanish with local Spanish speakers. In the evenings, I may have dinner with fellow students, watch a movie (in Spanish of course)or attend a cultural class at the school.

My volunteer work will start in about three weeks, and my schedule will change quite a bit once I start working. For right now, though, I am trying to get as much Spanish under my belt as possible!

Room with a View

Here are a couple photos taken from the balcony of my apartment. As you can see, there are some advantages to living on the side of a mountain. I have a beautiful view of the city below.

Around Town

Hello From Peru

I arrived safely in Cusco, Peru on Saturday afternoon. I apologize for not posting sooner, but the internet has been a bit unpredictable here. Cusco is a beautiful city located in the Andes mountains. It sits at an altitude of about 11.500 feet, so I have been taking it easy for the past couple of days in an attempt to avoid altitude sickness. If you link to the website on the right about the city of Cusco, you can view a live camera feed from the central square here (Plaza de Armas). Maybe you´ll even see someone you know wandering around!

I started spanish classes yesterday and will have them everyday for the next couple of weeks. The school at which I am studying has also provided me with dorm-style living accomodations. They are nicer than I expected and I´ve met a number of other international students who are traveling around South America and also studying Spanish.

I haven´t quite figured out how to post photos yet, but will post some as soon as I can.

Video Bar

It seems that the Video Bar Tool has not worked liked I'd hoped it would, so I've removed it and will attempt to post some links below to video footage of the people of Peru: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7QVMJ7TusQc and http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7IzMdflJbLs.

Travel to Peru

For several years now I have been interested in attending a Spanish language immersion program. However, it never seemed like the right time and I was overwhelmed with the number of countries and programs from which to choose, so I pushed the desire to the back of my mind. I recently made the decision to attend a language school in Peru and will be leaving for Peru in September.

Since making this decision people have asked me all kinds of questions such as,"Where is Peru?", "What is the country like?" and "What are the people there like?". Peru is a beautiful country located on the western coast of South America just below the equator. It has three distinct topographical regions and therefore a wide variety of terrains and climates. The Peruvian people are also beautiful. Most Peruvians are of Incan descent or a mixture of Incan and European or Asian descent.

I am following my heart as I embark on this journey, and I appreciate the support my family members and friends have given me in making this decision. Please click on the video bar on the right to view videos about Peru and learn more of this fascinating country.

Just For Fun

This dog belongs to a friend of the family, and I couldn't resist posting a couple of pictures. Enjoy!

Some More Favorites

I have had a lot of fun thinking about my favorite activities and interests. These two posts barely scratch the surface of all the activities I enjoy, but I think they're a good start. The top photo is of Chris Daughtry in concert. The second photo was taken in Guatemala. Traveling and learning about different cultures is definitely something I enjoy. The next photo is one I took at Birmingham's Botanical Gardens. I love flower gardens, and Birmingham has one of the nicest Botanical Gardens around. The final pictures is of several of my coworkers having a good time at work. We are showing off our bracelets which support international adoption.