The Last Week in Peru

As the last week comes to a close. I try and do what I call 'the last week adventure'. This started when I first stayed in Europe 3 years ago. On that trip I decided that instead of packing and getting sad because I was leaving I would have some sort of adventure every day of the last week. These adventures, as I call them, don't need to be big and they don't interrupt my normal schedule. So as I have entered my last week in Peru my adventures have come in full swing. I will be writing this post a little different as I recap my last days to you the reader. I want to be clear, I did not neglect my regular work and sadly I have also been saying goodbye to different people everyday.  With that said here we go. My last week started at the end of a week.  I leave on a Thursday and so I will start on Thursday.

Thursday:
I was blessed with two adventures on the first day. The first was a type of graduation party for the children from Semillas. I was able to make them a cake and say goodbye to the kids I had been working with. The second adventure came that same night while all the missionaries got together to play Mexican Train Dominoes. I was able to meet Ed, a man I had heard so much about and to top it off I won a lovely singing Santa. I say lovely with that sarcastically sweet tone.

Friday:
Today a group of youth went to Tarata. This is a natural hot spring up in the mountains. Though the water was hot and the conversation humorous I would have to say the exploration of the cave was my top adventure moment. We had hiked what they call the Inca trail and then went into a cave where we stumbled, not literally, across some remains. The story is said that they were buried there since the war, but since they can't speak we shall never know! Either way, I felt like an archaeologist which made it even more realistic since two of the youth are geologists by trade.

Saturday:
We did Culto in the park today. So we spent the day together playing games and having lunch. Then we all went to the zoo. It was a lot of fun seeing the animals. I fed some hungry monkeys and got attacked by mosquito's. By the end of the day I felt that good kind of tired. The one you get when you have had a long day filled with too much food and you hurt from laughing.

Sunday:

It was my last Sunday at church and it made me sad. It felt like going to a party and having to be the first to leave. But this party happens every week and I may never get to go back. The adventure for me starts there. Let me explain, due to my trip coming to a close I was invited up front at both churches.  They wanted to pray for me. After that they asked me to say a few words. This is normal in most places you do mission work for a period of time. The adventure started when I realized these few words had to be said in Spanish. You may be thinking, 'but you have been learning Spanish?' This is true, but I have a slight fear of speaking in public. It isn't the speaking part or the public part it's because I sound like a 12 year old crying from her first heart break. Go ahead and laugh it's not one of those 'oh your being hard on yourself moments'. No, no multiple people over the years have told me this or a variation of this. So going up front and saying a little something in Spanish turned into me trying to remember all my Spanish while trying not to sound like I was a sobbing child.  I did it and no one asked me if I was crying so I count it as an adventure well done.

Monday:
Apparently my adventure from Saturday never ends. I was given a gift of bug bites that seemed to manifest into my own form of tracker-jackers (Hunger Game reference). They decided to start itching during the night and never ended. For those of you with a wild side remember some adventures turn out to have painful consequences even days later, so make sure they are worth it. This time I will endure but I will think twice about wearing shorts the that park again. On to the adventure of the day. This adventure starts with an open air market where I got ingredients for lasagna. Then I headed up the road to Tio's house were my old host family and my present host family had a lovely lunch. We laughed and talked about super powers. Now you may be thinking 'How is lunch with friends an adventure'? My answer is simple, adventures come in all forms. This for me wasn't just lunch, but quite possibly it was the last time I would get to enjoy the presence of Tio. As you know his wife Tia left for Chilie.  But today was my goodbye with him. This adventure was bitter sweet. No promises given, just the knowledge that if I return to Peru his home is open and if he comes my way the same is true. If you have ever sat down with someone knowing it could be your last face to face encounter you know what I mean when I say this adventure is one I would never replace.

Tuesday:
For my adventure today I didn't even have to leave my house. Don't you love when that happens? I made chicken tortilla soup for my host family and the missionary family. This was the first time I have ever made it and I had to wing it. The recipe was good but Tacna does not have everything it called for - including a garlic press. I usually don't mind tedious tasks but chopping 1/2 cups of garlic by hand was not going to happen. I got about 1T and decided to call it good.  The soup turned out yummy. Just about now you may have one of two things on your mind. One thought is 'Wow this girl does a lot of stuff wrapped around food'.  The answer to that is yes, I believe most things that we look back on and smile about involve food. Your second thought may be that my idea of adventure is different than what you would call an adventure. Again you would be right. If you look up adventure in the dictionary, which is what I just did you will find this "an exciting or very unusual experience." (You will find that if you look it up on the Internet, a real dictionary may say otherwise.) But that is not the point. For me, making something other people have to eat without knowing how it will taste, is an experience. Today I enjoyed my adventure two fold - one experiencing it and two eating it.

Wednesday:
The time has come, I have said my final goodbyes. Today is the last day in Tacna. I fly home in the morning, so I had to make it count. I spent the day learning from a Peruvian how to make a traditional Peruvian dish. I know, I know, more food! It was a blast cutting everything. I even made french fries. -which is something that people in the US just don't do very often. My last lunch was a nice one. We even had some ice cream for dessert. This adventure is two fold also because I got to experience how to make the food here in Tacna and I will also be able to make this dish for my family when I return home. It will make me smile then as I think of the people I have come to care for in Tacna.

Thursday:
I write this from my bed at home. My adventure today was short and sweet. Well not that short since the flight was quite long in duration. But the time flew by, literally, since I was in a plane. I am now home and have hugged the people I have missed and love.

Until I fly again my adventures and travels will stay in my home country. I thank you all for following me as I traveled and for keeping me in your thoughts. Remember, even your home holds hidden treasure. Never think your life is dull, for you do something new every day. God bless. Keep in touch. I will still be writing so please still come and read.

A Shift has Occurred

This week was the anniversary of one of the three churches I am working with and so they all came     together and had service.  After that we served lunch and played games together. I got there early and helped with the cooking. (If you remember from last week I scrubbed potatoes. Well, I ate three whole potatoes on Sunday, they were very good.) Tio held a raffle and I enjoyed watching when someone won. Then each of the churches played volleyball against one another. Jerusalem Church won both games but everyone had tons of fun.

We are ending English class this week and it is always hard to say goodbye - it doesn't matter if it is a person, an activity you enjoy, or a food you like to eat. For the final class we decided to join all three groups together for one final goodbye. Goodbye to new friends, and with that goodbye to exciting topics and new foods. In the end we had a lot of fun and I think our students did also. We are hopeful that we will see them again. Maybe not in class but around the town or at the church.

With this goodbye comes another even harder one for me. My host mom went to Chile this week for the duration of my stay. That meant saying goodbye to her which was so hard to do. On Thursday I moved in with another family for the rest of my days here in Tacna. I am grateful they will have me even though I am sad to leave the place I have called home since the beginning of my trip. It is weird how you can get attached to a place and how it brings back memories of laughter and good times. Tacna will do that for me in the future, I already know this. But as I like to say, it is never goodbye but see you later.

my fruit face

This week at Semillas I got to teach the children a food friendly activity. I decide to make faces out of fruit. That seemed simple - a few slices of bananas and some apple and we made eyes and a mouth. I got started with a few volunteers cutting the fruit for me. By the time I told them how to arrange their plates a few of the younger children had taken bites of their food. Step one... don't eat the food!  (Apparently I forgot to mention that.) Then I told them to add manjar to the fruit for some sweetness. I should have just put manjar on the table and told them to make faces using only one ingredient and they would have been just as happy.

Have you ever bought a cook book, art book, or anything that is supposed to teach you how to do something? The steps look simple enough and the picture makes the end result look so amazing and yet  somehow when you try to do what they say you realize the five steps that should be so simple are in another language. This cause you to just look at the picture to figure out how the author got the end result. That's how I felt. I was speaking Spanglish (most English some Spanish) to the children and then I was showing them my face and they looked at me like, ' how did she do that?' (For you hip folks who look at memes it was one of those nailed it ideas!)

As December has come, once again remember to take joy in the people you get to spend this holiday with. Like always make the most of every day because people are always growing and changing so enjoy the time you have with them right now, as they are. And remember, giving thanks doesn't end at Thanksgiving.

No Picture Necessary

Can I just say time flies when you’re having fun. I can honestly say this week like every one before it, has flown by. I woke up on Monday the next thing I knew it was going to be Friday. Crazy how that works. Crazy how different events mark time.

This past week I have been working in the classroom of the youngest munchkins at church. I am done with all the projects for their playtime. Now I am helping with homework, counting and mostly coloring since I can do that much with the Spanish I know! I also just spend time being with them and playing. This is a fun switch and it definitely passes the time. It is nice being able to get to know the children a little more each time I am there. Fewer unknowns and more hugs.

English class is going great.  This week we had our first student take her test. One of the things we do in English class is to prepare a few of our students who are taking an English comprehension test in their schools. We practice with them twice a week to get them ready. By the end of this week we will have two students that will have taken not only an oral test but a written one as well. They don't get the results until next year but we celebrate with the fact that they did the best they can and pray for passing exams. It is a big accomplishment to pass this type of test and the other teacher and I are very proud of our students.

Halfway through the week my family hosted a little dinner party. I put up Christmas decorations, which I hot glued to the walls! I love doing things I have never done before. The wreathes were hung and the party was in full swing. We had so much food and so many people. It was truly a nice evening reminding me of my family gatherings. It kind of felt like Thanksgiving with lots of people talking and eating. Although my family’s language of choice is English we might hear a little French due to my Aunt. We can even hear a New York accent every once and awhile. Here, there was mostly Spanish with English thrown in the mix. The volume was no different than back home and we even had a few kids running around. What is a gathering when you don't have a child under the table hiding from an adult impersonating an animal and too much food in your tummy?

A picture is worth a thousand words they say. Against my better judgment I left my camera at home so a thousand words it is. Get ready for either an amazing story that will make you laugh like you experienced it with me or a five minute break as you let your mind wonder. We begin with potatoes, move on to an OCD gardener, and then to an epiphany about dragons, followed by a base jumping spider, and then back to potatoes. Twenty words with 980 words to go. I hope that while you're reading what was humorous for those people involved you will not be bored due to my lack of creative writing or my inability to manipulate the facts to sound better. Even if you find the story uninteresting you should still read it all because you have to find out the ending.  So, tally hoe and get ready to be enthralled…I hope!

Walking into the church I saw familiar faces. It was Saturday morning and we were getting ready to celebrate the church's anniversary. I was asked to wash the potatoes ~ that didn't sound too hard. Although I walked right past them the first time, not knowing what is in the sack. By sack, I mean a bag a foot shorter than me and I’m 5'2. Remember the potatoes and I will get back to them later because before I filled a basin of water to start boiling the water I stepped outside to talk with the pastor who was in the garden. When I questioned him, he mumbled to himself and proceeded to talk about a nice plant that he had only one of. To me only having one of that particular plant did not seem like a problem but for him it threw off his whole garden. He was a little OCD about the level and arrangement of the plants and he did not like the thought that right in the middle was a single green plant.  He wanted it to either multiply or die. Ranting to himself in not quite a whisper, he drew in another church member.

Then, as the pastor was directing his tangled words in our direction he had an epiphany.  Of course we jumped on that by asking the, oh so daunting question, “What is it?” He proceeded to tell us of how dragons can see really well in the dark ~ there sight is amazing according to the pastor.  Even in the daytime dragons wouldn't need glasses. The only time the dragon is at a disadvantage is at dusk when the sun is about to kiss the ground and the first star is ready to be seen.   The dragon’s eyes cannot adjust very quickly and so that is when you must STRIKE if you want to kill them. (Of course, if you see a dragon any time soon ~ killing it would be the best option.) Happy to have shared that fun epiphany with us the pastor picked up a plant and began to decide the best place to put it in his garden.

As I headed back into the kitchen I wasn’t sure if he found the perfect place or if he gave up on gardening all together because he remained holding the plant. While looking at us he took notice of a spider on the wall. Pastor informed us that he has the same spider in his house and that they named him Fred. These are base jumping spiders, or so I found out. To show us what he meant pastor took the innocent plant and began swatting at the spider in hopes of making it jump. Well, I don't have to tell you it ran and hid from the giant green thing trying to attack it.

Okay back to the big bag of potatoes.  I finally got water to start washing potatoes. They opened that bag and potatoes tumbled out.  I sat down with two children not yet in the age of double digits and we got to scrubbing. I checked the clock and noticed that it was 10:46 a.m. I also asked how many potatoes were in the bag ~ 700 potatoes. We all three hunkered down and started with our bare hands in a wash basin filled with water and begin to scrub the potatoes. For those of you who have never seen a potato outside of a grocery store they require more than a rinse off. These potatoes just came from a field and that means from underground!  We had to really scrub the dirt off of them and then fill up pots with potatoes. Halfway through we dumped the water and started fresh. In the end we had three pots ranging in sizes with heaping piles of potatoes. The small pot could cook two whole chickens in it and the large pot was large enough to be a great place I could hide if I was playing tag!  It was 12:49 when I have finished scrubbing my last potato. I didn't reach my 1,000 words but hopefully the picture I painted for you isn't too blurry.

If you liked this last story you will have to come back next week and find out if I ate those potatoes on Sunday for lunch or if I was all "potatoed" out. Until then, remember that time goes by quicker than you realize ~ so make the best of it.