The Week that shall Forever be Known as 'Fatty Week'

Alright, since I’m updating a little earlier this time around, I’m going to add some detail that I  glazed over last week. 


My fantastic drink at Juan Valdez!

Last week was what Katrina and I so kindly titled “Fatty Week.” To better describe it, let me recap the fatness that occurred.

The primary scene of the crime was Miraflores. Every day in Miraflores, Katrina and I walk past this place called 'Manolo' that has a glorious window full of hot churros. Every day, I eyeball them longingly as we walk to school. And last Monday, I caved in and bought one. Everyone in our host family tells us not to buy things in Miraflores because it's more expensive there, but I couldn’t help myself. The four soles was worth it—the dulce de leche churro was the most delicious churro I’ve ever had.

And it all went downhill from there.

Tuesday, Katrina and I stopped by Starbucks and I had to sample a banana muffin and the Algarrobina Frappuccino. Good Morning America did a special on the best Starbucks drinks from around the world and Peru’s Algarrobina drink made #7. Algarrobina is a syrup made from the Black Carob tree and is basically like honey and sugar (super healthy, right?).



A sampler of some different types of fish at Tanta!

Wednesday after class, Katrina and I grabbed ice cream cones from Bembos (they’re less than a dollar, we couldn’t say no!) We slurped them like a couple of happy children as we waited for the combi. Bembos is about the equivalent of Dairy Queen in the States. We also walk past this delicious temptation every day on our way to class. Miraflores really knows how to lure in the tourists.


Thursday, it was time to try the chocolate churros from Manolo. And if that wasn’t enough, that night we headed to Juan Valdez with Wildredo. Juan Valdez is a Colombian coffee shop that can compete with the best of the best. I tried something called the Arequipa (a city in Peru) that was simply to die for.

Friday, Katrina and I had to stop by Dunkin Donuts. We simply had to. We’d tried Starbucks and Juan Valdez in Peru, but we just couldn’t compare the coffee shops without including Dunkin Donuts. It makes sense, right?  All I wanted was coffee…but they had a great deal on the Tutti Fruti donuts. So that happened too.

Friday, Bill and Lela Ayers, Community of Christ members from Arizona, flew in to Lima. The Ayers are going on an exciting excursion through Peru (including some time in the jungle!) but first, they wanted to stop in and hang out with the Community of Christ congregations in Lima. We met up with them in Miraflores and ate at a place called Tanta. Tanta was started by a famous Peruvian chef named Gaston and we were excited to give the restaurant a try. It didn’t disappoint: the fish was top notch. Disney said it well: ‘My, what a guy, that Gaston.’  

Saturday was like Christmas, because Lela and Bill gave us snacks from the United States. Reeses and Sour Worms and Chocolate Raisins: Oh my! Not to mention two giant jars of peanut butter from Katrina’s grandma. On top of that, the Ayers treated us to a fantastic lunch, where I tried a dish called Tacu Tacu for the first time. Tacu Tacu is a rice and bean mix and it came was a gigantic (and delicious) pork chop.

Sunday, I had to try another type of Churro (because churros are like Pokemon—you’ve got to catch them all.): This time around the flavor was lucma. Lucma is a very sweet fruit in Peru that tastes like a mixture of sugar and butterscotch. Afterwards, the Ayers treated us to another fantastic lunch and I was able to give Cicharron de Pescado a try. It turns out ‘Chicharron’ means fried; so, naturally, the meal was delicious. We rounded out the night with some fantastic cake for Lela’s birthday, and thus fatty week had the perfect ending. (Do I need mention that Katrina and I had two pieces of cake?)

 

Also, I feel compelled to tell you that Katrina and I bought a box of Sublime somewhere during the weekend, that we will continue to eat for the next two weeks. Fatty week is the gift that keeps giving.

All of this being said, I realize I should probably include something substantial in this post besides what I ate this week.

We spent most of our weekend with Bill and Leyla, showing them a few things around Lima and Callao. Friday, we went to Parque del Amor, which is a neat little place with famous quotes about love. Naturally, the park was full of real, Peruvian lovers (go figure.) It overlooks the ocean and I’m told at sunset the view is simply magnificent. Unfortunately it was a cloudy day, so we’ll have to return later (hopefully at a time when our Spanish is a little stronger so we can better appreciate the quotes.)

Saturday, Katrina presided in Monte Sion and we had a wonderful night full of testimonies. Bill said a few words and some local congregation members spoke about everything from their childhood memories to recent pregnancy struggles. The Peruvians do a lot of things well (singing, dancing, birthdays, cooking, etc.) but one thing they truly excel at is giving testimonies. Even with the language barrier, you can tell when someone is speaking from the heart.

Sunday was my first time preaching in Filidelfia. Despite some technical difficulties, the sermon went more smoothly than my last one, although there’s still room for improvement. I’m excited for the day that I’m fluent enough to not have to read my sermon—it’s such a bland presentation and it goes against everything I learned with my teaching certification. Poco a poco (little by little), we’ll get there. Until then, I’ll keep trucking!