Cuy and Tocosh

My apologies, some internet problems have delayed my post!

A poncho is REQUIRED for the cold of Huacora!

Last Friday morning, Katrina and I were up and at ‘em bright and early for our trip to the Community of Christ congregation in Huanaco. Huanaco is one of 24 districts in Peru and is about a nine hour bus ride through the Andes. I’m a bit infamous for my sensitive stomach and motion sickness, so the idea of the bus ride wasn’t exactly my cup of tea. However, before we left, Graciela pumped Katrina and full of some of her infamous HerbaLife to help with our stomachs, I loaded up on Dramamine, and we were on our way.

I feel like I need to pause here to explain HerbaLife. HerbaLife is a weight loss program that Graciela sells in Callao that’s based off all natural products and includes a lot of different shakes and teas. Every time someone gets a little sick here, Graceila always has an HerbaLife solution. She is incredibly passionate about what she does and loves the product and it’s wonderful to see her passion when she’s whipping up an HerbaLife shake for someone. Katrina and I have promised her that we’ll go to a meeting, so when we do I’ll be sure to blog about it.


Tocosh de Mazzamora (aka 6 month old potatoes!)

Anyway—the ride to Huanaco was quite a blur to me because a side effect of Dramamine is sleeping in a hibernative state where you honestly have no idea what is going on around you. I can say that I woke up at one point and the bus was wicked hot because we were driving through an area where it was the middle of summer. I woke up at another point and it was SNOWING outside, which is something I didn’t expect to find this close to the equator. Something super strange about Peru is that the mountains here throw off all the seasons. For example, it’s summer in Huanaco right now but its winter in Callao. Weird, huh?

Katrina and I with the Community of Christ sign in Huanaco.

Anyway, Wilfredo, Virgilio, Katrina and I finally made it to Huanaco, grabbed dinner with a few congregation members and crashed for the night in a hotel. Saturday morning, Katrina, Virgilio and I headed about an hour and half away into the mountains to visit Huacora, Virgilio’s hometown. Huacora is the first “small town” I’ve seen in Peru. Coming from Lamoni, a town of under 2,000 people, when people say something is a “small town” I tend to be skeptical of just how “small” the town is, but Huacora fit the bill. I’m told Huacora has beautiful vistas, but unfortunately, we were shrouded in a curtain of fog for our entire visit. Oh, and it’s winter in Huacora (see what I mean about the seasons?) so it was PLENTY chilly up there.

We spent most of the day with Virgilio’s brother, Antonio. Antonio was an amazing host, making us coffee with a little sock-like tool I’d never seen before, picante de cuy (aka guinea pig) and tocosh de

mazzamora (tocosh is six month old potatoes). While these things might not sound desirable, I’ve been hearing about them for a long time now and I was ready to finally give them a try. So, the reviews? Coffee: great. Cuy: I’m reserving judgment. Katrina loved it, but for some reason I had a hard time not envisioning a little guinea pig running around. I can tell that it would have a nice flavor if you didn’t know what you were eating. Tocosh: good. Now, I must tell you—mazzamora is a desert, loaded with sugar and cinnamon. Katrina has tried tocosh in its more traditional form and she said it was a truly dreadful experience. So I’m not sitting here endorsing tocosh, but I am saying what I’ve tried of it has been pretty good—though the potato texture is a little odd.

After our morning in Huacora we cleaned up and met with Orlando’s family and the Huanaco congregation to chat about our role in Huanaco. This has been a bit of an interesting conversation, because we haven’t fully decided how long we’ll be in Huanaco, what we’ll be doing there, and, frankly, if there’s even a desire for us to be there. From what I could tell, the conversation went fairly well and it looks like we’ll be spending a few months there.

Sunday we spent the entire day at Orlando’s house, which is a little further up in the mountains from Huanaco. The views from Orlando’s are wonderful, and Orlando’s family raises pigs, chickens and roosters, which was delightful for me, because I love being around animals. They also have four dogs, which frankly, put me in heaven. We had wonderful meals with Orlando’s family, including some fresh trout we had bought on our way back from Huacora. (And this trout was FRESH—we saw it get fished out of little pools with a net, then smacked on the head until they were dead and put in a bag for us.)  We went on a few different hikes around the mountain, and the dogs Lucky and Oso followed us on as our little protectors, which I found adorable. In the late afternoon, we had a bible study led by Virgilio and a church service with the Huanaco congregation, which was nice. Since Katrina presided over the service and Wilfredo preached, it was hard to get a sense for what church is like in Huanaco, but I’m excited to get to know it a little better.

Sunday night, we caught a very wet moto taxi back to Huanaco and caught the bus back to Callao (in which I lost a little bit of my delicious dinner). Since arriving back at Graciela’s and resting back up, I’ve spent most of my time working on my sermon for this weekend in Monte Sion. It’s been about a month since I’ve last preached, and I’m definitely nervous, but hoping I can show some improvements. Wish me luck!

El Dia Del Nino

We’re another week down in Peru! Last week was one of our busiest weeks since we arrived in Callao, so I’m just now getting a chance to update—here’s a breakdown of what happened.

At the zoo! See what the humidity does to my hair? GREAT.

Monday: Katrina, Graciela, Rosio, Wilfredo and I checked out the zoo in Lima! We showed up a little late, so we only got to roam around for about an hour and a half, but it was a good time. Oddly enough, I think my favorite part was the goats that screamed like people. We also got to see a lot of different types of llamas and alpacas, but Katrina and I want to return another day when the weather is warmer to explore a little more.

Tuesday: We headed out to Marlene’s house to come up with a theme for children’s day. Our final decision was to have a super hero theme, centered around a song called “Jesus es mas Fuerte que Superman." (Jesus is stronger than Superman.)

Wednesday: We went to the Metro store at La Marina to buy some baking supplies. We’ve had a few requests for lasagna, which is the meal Katrina cooked for the Paz family last time she was in Peru with World Service Corps. Afterwards we went shopping with Wilfredo. He recently moved into a new house and we’ve made a number of trips with him to buy some necessities for his new place!

I've done more cooking in Peru than I ever did in the US.

Thursday: After cooking up some lasagna, garlic bread and veggies for the family, we headed into Lima to buy supplies for children’s day. The traffic was killer in the city and Wilfredo was a saint for driving us there. We tucked in and out of little shops in a bustling market area, and eventually bought all of our supplies for Children’s Day. We ended the day by visiting a jugaria, a place that blends and serves up fresh juice for you. I had a blended concoction with honey, banana, milk and another local sweetener I can’t remember the name of—and it was a delicious way to end the day.

 

Friday: In the morning, Katrina, Rosio and I headed out to check out the Callao museum. We traveled their by combi (my favorite…NOT), then took a one hour boat tour to start out the day. It was my first time every seeing the Pacific Ocean, so that was exciting! Afterwards we stopped for a bite to eat, then checked out the museum. Our tour guide kept telling us about ghost sightings that happened there, which freaked me out a little, but kept things interesting. We toured some prison cells called Masomoras, where around 70 people would be cramped into a small space, where they could do nothing more than stand, until they died. From what I could interpret, these cells were used during the war Peru had with Chili. After the museum, heading home was a bit of a cultural experience—we found out what it’s like to travel by bus during rush hour in Callao. After that exhausting experience, Katrina and I headed to Monte Sion, ready to teach a class about sharing your life testimony, but unfortunately nobody showed up. Wilfredo told us that this happens about once every six months.

Saturday: Children’s Day was finally upon us! I was presiding for the event, so I had a more behind the scenes (well, behind the computer) roll in the day. The service wasn’t perfect and I definitely saw some things I could have done MUCH better, but the night ended well. Some highlights were a drama about superheroes that we put on for the kids and the goodies we handed out after the service. We passed out food to all the kids, who brought plastic bags with them, which is custom here. Not a bad idea, huh? Bring a bag to an event, take home some goodies. Anyway, after snacks, we passed out capes and masks so all the kids could be superheroes. All and all, the day ended well, and we got to pig out on animal crackers on the drive home. Always a good day when it ends with cookies.

Sunday: I found out a few hours before church started that I’d be speaking for the offertory and giving the invocation at the service, so my afternoon was a little frantic preparing for church. Eventually everything came out well and it was a fun service. Katrina and I also got up to sing “Santo, Santo, Santo” (“Holy, Holy, Holy”) with the congregation and we led the English version. Neither Katrina nor I would classify ourselves as singers, so standing in front of the congregation singing into the microphone was definitely a new experience. Everything went well though and we headed home for tired, but happy.

Today: We trekked into Lima this morning to buy our bus tickets for Huanaco this weekend. I found out that the bus ride to Huanaco is a whopping 10 hour journey through the mountains and let me tell you something: I will NOT forget my motion sickness medicine for that. On the way home, Wilfredo bought some sugar cane at a stoplight for us. Let me pause here to tell you that Peru would be the HARDEST place to be on a diet at. At stoplights there are constantly people walking around to your car windows selling all kinds of delicious chocolates and sweets—including fresh sugar cane. We had a few pieces with lunch, and now I’m sitting, fat and happy, back at Graciela’s house.

We’ve got another full week ahead of us, but I’m excited to finally see Huanaco this weekend. I’m not too sure what to expect, so I’ll be sure to give you the full report when I come home! Until next time!

Thanks for the Applause

Buenos tardes de Peru!

We’re on the other side of another busy weekend at church.

Friday night, Wilfredo led a bible study about the importance of sharing community. We visited the scripture in Matthew that says, “For where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them.” In a year devoted to building community, it was nice to have an hour just to  appreciate the warmth of community.

Saturday was our busiest day of the week. We spent the morning preparing, then were off to Monte Sion around 4 p.m. I’d like to pause here to tell you about the gloriousness that is the car ride to Monte Sion. First, the ride is about 40 minutes long. Second, about 2/3 of the car ride is through construction, which means bumpy roads, detours and slow driving. Third, we pass some delightful smells, including refineries and a very fishy smelling marina area. And finally, there’s the issue of space. Wilfredo drives an older, delightfully small car that has quite limited space in the backseat. The problem? Sometimes we have as many as seven people in the car—which means three crammed in the front, and four crammed in the back. Usually, we’re lucky enough to just have five people in the car, but last Saturday we had the pleasure of having six—which means, by the time you get to Monte Sion, your butt is asleep and you spill out of the car when someone opens a door.
I’d also like to take time to note something else about Monte Sion. Usually, the second we arrive, kids start running up to the church. It’s a wonderful sight to see, kids so excited for you to open the doors, but it also means you don’t get time to walk off the cramp you have from the tiny car, or to gather your thoughts before class.



Katrina preaching about Faith last Sunday.

Getting back to the story, Saturday Katrina took the ‘ninos jovenes’ and I took the ‘ninos grandes’ for class. This time around, we were both on our own teaching. Teaching the kids here is still the most challenging thing for me: 1. Because I don’t have any one to help me translate what I can’t say and 2. Because behavior management is even more challenging when I don’t know how to say things like, “Keep your hands to yourself” or “No talking while I’m talking.” Note to self: Learn to say these things. 

Anyway, though this is my third time making a lesson plan for one of these classes, I still haven’t perfected the art. Upon jumping into a lesson it becomes evident that I can’t manage this lesson this with the language barrier or with my environment. Example: I usually get a separate classroom for my students, but this time we unexpectedly shared a space with the smaller kids and didn’t have a table.. The smaller kids were learning a song and rather loud. Another note—my kids were 30 minutes late to class. Small details like this can radically change a class, which means you have to think on your feet—in Spanish. My class was far from perfect, but it’s another one done and I learned a little more from teaching it.

After class, we went on our first home visit. Katrina, Karen and I visited a woman’s home in our congregation that is currently under construction. Her children stayed in the temporary residence while we chatted outside in the frame of her new home. Though I got lost in the conversation fairly quickly—from what I could pick up the visit went well. And even through the language barrier I was able to learn a little more about a member of our congregation.

After the home visits was the Saturday night service in Monte Sion. Pretty much the same minute that the service concluded the power went out in all of Monte Sion and we had to clean up by flashlight and head home. Luckily, the power came back on shortly after we left and we had streetlights to guide us home.

Yesterday was Katrina’s big day preaching in Filidelfia and she did a wonderful job. This was the first time one of us has preached in Filidelfia and the first time one of us has had to give the traditional, 20 minute sermon. Something I love about the congregations here is that they often clap after a sermon—which, really, is something I wouldn’t mind brining back to the States. Let’s face it—no matter how many times you’ve given a sermon, preaching is stressful. It requires a lot of thought and there’s always going to be a fear in the back of your mind that someone in the audience will hate it. The least we can do for that person is give them a little bit of applause afterwards for their effort—even if the sermon put you to sleep.

Anyway, this is, once again growing too long, so I’ll wrap it up. We’ve officially been in Peru for over a month now, this weekend is Children’s Day (more info to come) and the weekend after that we’re trekking to the congregation in Huanaco, about five hours away—we’ve got some exciting stuff in our future!

Good Cake and Good People

We’re about to start another FULL weekend of church in Peru!

Tonight, Wilfredo will lead the bible study class in Monte Sion, which makes me excited. Wildredo’s class was my favorite part of church last weekend. While Katrina and I have difficulties understanding everyone’s Spanish, for some reason Wilfredo is the easiest person to understand. I don’t know if it’s because we’re used to talking to him or if he’s used to talking to Spanish language learners, but it’s refreshing to feel like you know what’s going on (for the most part.)

 Tomorrow, things will be hectic, but good. We’ll head to Monte Sion in the afternoon and Katrina will teach the young children’s class and I’ll teach the junior high group. It’s been a while since I’ve taught the kids, and the last time I did I had a LOT of help from Laura—so this is my first time teaching alone.  I’m a little nervous about it, but it’s something I need to get used to—working with young adults is one of our biggest role’s here. I’m planning to keep the topic simple: God made you and loves you for who you are.

After class, we’re starting something new: home visits. In groups of two, we’ll go to the homes of people in our congregation and chat with them for about a half hour. We’ll have a religious theme for the week and a handout, but the visit is more about chatting and building community as opposed to trying to recruit people or make them feel obligated to come to church.

After home visits, we’ll have the weekly service in Monte Sion, then head home for a late dinner. I don’t know if I’ve mentioned this before, but we tend to be night owls here, especially on church nights. If it’s a Saturday or Sunday, we don’t expect to get to eat dinner before 10 p.m. If it’s a weeknight, you still won’t eat dinner until 9 p.m. This is a big change up for me. My family usually eats dinner around 6:30 p.m. and when I lived on my own I probably ate dinner even earlier than that. My body adjusted for the most part—although I know it’s not particularly good for me to eat a full meal, then instantly go to bed.

Sunday will be a another big day—it’s Katrina’s first time preaching. She’s nervous, which is completely understandable. I was fairly grumpy and stressed out the days before giving my sermon and the day of, all I could do was countdown until the moment I finally just go the stress of the sermon over with. The feeling afterwards was truly amazing though—knowing it was all over and that you did it gives you a wonderful since of peace and accomplishment. I keep telling Katrina to hold out for that feeling—it makes the stress worth it! Katrina has given a few sermons in Spanish before and I’m sure she’ll be wonderful. At the end of the month, I’ll be giving my second sermon ever, so I’m hoping to pick up some pointers from Katrina this weekend. 

But I guess I’m getting ahead of myself here—I haven’t told you anything we did during the week this week! Tuesday night we went to another birthday party for a member of our congregation and it was a lively night. From what I can tell birthday parties in Peru are pretty similar to the States—good food, good cake, good people. Katrina and I LOVE the cake here and the people aren’t afraid to serve you a nice, big slice—which is much appreciated.  

Katrina and I were also able to get back on our running schedule this week and we are inching closer and closer to being able to run our full route. Our goal is to be able to comfortably run a 5K by the end of the month and right now we’re about a half mile away—so things are going well! We DID have our first run-in with a dog though—thankfully, it didn’t chase us, but it did scare us pretty good. If it really wanted to bite us, it could have, but I’m pretty sure it just wanted to scare us away from the kittens on its porch. The next time we ran past this dog we were sure to give it more space (although I’d still love to get a better peek at those kittens.)

The last notable thing from this week is that we went to a mall, just to wonder around in San Miguel. We stopped into a gelato shop and got drinks and I had this fantastic mixture of gelato and espresso. I have a tendency to be a bit of a tight wad, but its things like a delicious drink  that lifts your spirits that remind you—Hey, you’re only in Peru for one year of your life—you better make the most of your time here, even if it means spending a little money. That being said, Katrina and I have started making very tentative plans for visiting Machu Picchu, and perhaps taking a Spanish class in September. I’ll keep you posted as we continue to plan!

Okay, this post is becoming ridiculously long so I’ll go ahead and cut it off—wish us luck at church this weekend!

P.S. I have to give a shout out to Corienne Gulley for sending me my first piece of mail in Peru! I’m in the process of writing back, I promise!

Repete, Por Favor

I’m happy to say that I’m back at 100% health and was even able to go on a run with Katrina yesterday. I’m still not able to eat dairy or any uncooked fruit or vegetables until tomorrow, but after that things should be back to normal.

Eating some big lima beans in Lima!

Friday in Monte Sion, after teaching the adult bible study class for two weeks, Katrina and I took a back seat and Wilfredo taught. After a long week of being sick and not having a ton of time to work on my Spanish, it was nice to just be a part of a class. Leading classes is a big part of what we’re here to do, but occasionally it’s nice to just sit and try to translate everything while someone else is in charge.

Saturday we went to Monte Sion again for children’s classes and the weekly service. This week, Katrina and I were in charge of the smaller children’s class. We played Memory (Memoria) in teams to remind the kids about the importance of sharing. I still struggle with my confidence when we’re in charge of a group and naturally try to shift myself to a more behind-the-scenes role. Half the time the kids speak to me I have no idea what they’re saying and the other half of the time I don’t know the right words in Spanish to respond, so class can be a bit of a struggle. All the same, we always manage to get through it. I knew my first few months here would be uncomfortable—trying to get used to teaching church classes, speaking Spanish, and being in front of people again—and I’ve just got to build that confidence back up.

After class, Katrina and I were in charge of the service and Marlene was preaching. This was the first time I’ve ever had this role at church and I was nervous, but Katrina and I were able to work together and she knows the ropes pretty well. All the same, crossing the language barrier can make the most simple task painfully difficult. For example, it took us FOREVER to pick out music for this week—Katrina and I barely know any songs in Spanish. Then when we find a Spanish song that fits the theme, we never know how the congregation is going to respond to it. Right now, the language barrier has a tendency to make everything seem somewhat impossible. I’m working on my mindset to tell myself that everything IS possible, it’s just going to be more complicated than I’d like it to be.

Anyway, we got through the service and Marlene’s preaching was wonderful. I read a few scriptures during the service, but my role was very minor. By the time we got the kid’s class planned, the PowerPoint ready and the all the details sorted out, I had little time left to prepare anything to say about the scriptures. I ended up just reading them, saying a quick sentence in broken Spanish, then quickly passing off the microphone. The next time I’m reading scriptures, I want to be better prepared for sure. I think a big part of it is just getting used to speaking in front of people again. I’ve been in front of people for many presentations before, and for an entire semester during student teaching, but something about doing everything in another language has brought some of my stage fright back. But the past is the past and now I'm looking on to what’s coming next. I know that I’ll be preaching again before the end of the month and I’m hoping to get an early start on it this time around so I don’t have to read my sermon from a paper.

After the stress of yesterday, we made an unexpected trip to a friend’s house for a birthday celebration, which was a great way to the end the night. We had a hearty dinner and a big serving of cake and it was nice to go to bed feeling “fat and happy.”

Tonight we’ll be going to Filidelfia for their church service and I’m happy to be able to sit and enjoy another part of church this week. My goal is to understand a little more each time I hear a sermon in Spanish (which, by the way, is a great way to make sure you pay attention in church.) Wish me luck!