Day 3 - Day After Thanksgiving Dirt Biking

FYI: Motorcycle tours are way cooler than bus tours. Casey and Lisa had met a motorcylce guide named Eddy when they came through Arequipa. They highly recommended him and gave us his number. We were able to arrange a tour almost half the price of going through an agency (which he works for) because we called him directly. He provided us helmets (some readers will be happy to see that) and a Honda 250cc. We followed him through backroads on the outskirts of the city to small towns and local sights that tourists don´t normally see. We stopped at a picantería and had a local corn drink which smelt fermented, although he insisted it was not. We saw some canyons where they get the white sillar that has been used since the conquistadores to build the structures in this city. Because of this rock, the city is known as "The White City". There were workers breaking the rock by hand. They work hard, making only 20 bricks a day, getting paid 2 soles per brick ($0.60/brick). They also get complimentary respiratory problems for the rest of their lives, breathing in the rock dust.

On a more positive note, Eddy took us to a beautiful oasis in the middle of the arid countryside. It was absolutely beautiful. We also passed through a couple small towns and, just outside of Arequipa, we visited a mirador, which is a lookout point with a great view. We saw a 360 degree view of Arequipa. We highly recommend this trip.

Day 2 - Thanksgiving on the river

Captains log:

Today, instead of wasting time cooking mass amounts of food that would never totally be eaten, and cleaning for hours afterwards with a miserably full stomach while the "guys" watch the Dallas Cowboys get beat (yes, we know it was Cincinatti vs. Pittsburgh, but that´s not tradition yet), we decided to go rafting amongst the volcanoes of the Andes. How untraditional of us. Really, it was a simple tourist rafting route with classes 2-4 rapids and lots of rocks due to the low season. But if you´re not Kyle Drake or Brian Howard or the likes, it was awesome. We were in the raft with a couple world travelers, one from Ireland and the other from England, who had some interesting stories. Our river guide was Argentine, and it felt good to hear the accent since that was the birth of my Castellano (Kelly--she´s refering to Spanish). Our other guide, who took pictures of us with his Blackberry (since his 3 other cameras were stolen), was absolutely crazy and hilarious. He was a white guy with blond hair who would get passionately offended when asked where he was from. He´s pure Peruvian, but apparently he gets asked every day of his life because he sure doesn´t look Peruvian. He´s from Lima. Here´s a photo of us just before we got in the 50 degree F water. They were gracious enough to supply us with wetsuits and chocolate. Both very important. We will post more photos of us screaming over nothing on the river later.

Please check out the "Pictures of Peru" link to see more of our trip.

Day 1, Santa Catalina

Kelly and I were told, ¨When coming to Arequipa, you have to check out this convent.¨It was absolutely beautiful. Check out the pictures above. This is a Catholic convent from the 1700´s. It was breathtakingly beautiful. It takes up an entire city block (a HUGE block). The main part of the convent is now solely for tourists, but in the back, where we were not allowed to go, there still are nuns living and worshiping. There are streets, courtyards, beautiful flowers, walkways, choir rooms, prayer rooms, and everything is painted with vibrant colors. The walls are made of a beautiful white rock found in abundance in the hills surrounding Arequipa. Arequipa is actuallt known as the ¨White City¨because of all the buildings contrsucted from this rock. It was a beautiful experience for the both of us and it was amazing to walk around and see the inside of this convent.

Bus Ride to Arequipa

In order to cut costs, because traveling is expensive even in Peru, Kelly and I decided to take a bus from Lima to Arequipa. We traveled one of the better know companies, Cruz del Sur, and it paid off. The buses are like airplanes, but take 10 times as long to arrive. They are extrememly comfortable with onboard movies, meals (small and not as willing to offer seconds), restrooms (however they politely told us that we could only go number 1...grrr), and two levels.

Our trip was suppose to be 14 hours, however, we ended up taking 16. It was an incredible long trip. I am rather large for down here, so my legs were constantly in the isles. It was a bit challenging to sleep, because we were traveling in the mountains, and we were a slightly scared. We were on the top level, so every turn (there were MANY) we felt the g´s. It was slightly scary to look out the window and see the bus passing a semi-truck, going up hill, and around a corner, but I felt safer than what I was expecting. If you talk to Kelly, she was slightly more scared than I was, and my left arm has the markings to prove it.

It was a beautiful journey while we still had light. We traveled on the Pan-American Highway, which follows the coastline. On the right side we had the ocean, and on the left side we had the desert. I did not realize how much of Peru is desert. I also failed to realize how many toll-booths there were in Peru. There are a lot. Even though the trip took a long time, it provided a fun story. We traveled during the night so that we would not have to pay for lodging as well. I don´t think that we got near enought sleep, but it was still enjoyable.

Here is a picture of our bus. You enter through the bottom, and then head up to where to common folk sit. The bottom is reserved for the VIP class. I have no clue why there is a VIP class because it costs just about as much to ride down there as it does for a one way ticket via airplane.

Trip To Indiana, Peru

As weird as it might sound, there literally is an Indiana, Peru. This town is located about one hour up the Amazon by speedboat. We made the trip in a slow barge type boat which took 3 hours. Kelly and I made the trip to surprise her cousin, Kaitlyn, who was arriving with Mount Ellis Academy. They were coming to provide some medical, spiritual, and counseling for a group of about 80 kids. The facilities in Indiana are beautiful. Check out this video.

This is an Adventist camp situated close, but private, to the Amazon river. It felt great to interact with people that spoke little to no spanish. It felt good to be able to translate a few things for them (my spanish is still in the woodworks, and I am by no means fluent). Kelly and I spent the night in hammocks because there was no room for us to sleep anywhere else. It was quite the experience!

Above all, it was good to see family down in the Joungle -our territory. Here is a picture of us and Kaitlyn.

Marquitos

We have an abundance of cute kids out here. Marcos is one such kid. He has the ability to find a place in any ones heart. He lives with his mother, Ermelinda, who is working on finishing high school. Marcos is an adorable child. He is always into everything, but one tough cookie. He is an accident prone little dude. Whenever he cries, and you pick him up, he latches on to you, and will not let go. His head becomes buried into your body. We were playing around with the camera the other day, and this is what we saw. We have a feeling you might like it.

No Goatin´ Around

We have two goats that live adjacent to where we live. We have tried to put into words how they sound, but it just doesn’t give them justice. Here are two short video clips that show the two goats having drastically different sounds. One of them sounds normal, but the other sounds like it is dying. The dying one has awoken us many times in the night and early morning due to its annoying sound. Hear for yourselves…

National Team Comes to Iquitos

This last Saturday night, November 1, Kelly and I were able to watch the Peruvian Under-17 National Volleyball Team play here in Iquitos. We were surprised to find out that everyone here plays soccer and volleyball. Volleyball is a huge deal, and people are always playing in the streets. Luckily for us, we were able to go with some friends, and they were helped us get in. It was mayhem trying to enter the stadium. Everyone was trying to purchase a ticket, everyone was pushing, everyone was yelling, and everyone outside was angry. Juan, a volunteer helping out at the office and Santo Tomas, had to push through people to purchase some tickets, and in the process, his wallet was stolen. We were all able to have a good time however. The National Team played the local team of Iquitos, so everyone cheered for everything. They had their national and local pride. It was comical to see everyone screaming for every point scored. In the end, although it really did not matter who won, the National Team won all three games. Here are some photos.

Ana Victoria´s Birthday

Ana Victoria turned 11 on November 6 and we had a party for her with cake, snacks, games and some friends. A strange tradition they have down here for birthdays is they smash a raw egg on top of the head of the birthday person. It’s an entertaining surprise, but a reminder to us to make sure and take a “vacation” on our birthdays.

Our New River

We continue to have torrential downpours out here in the jungle. From what we have read, the worst is yet to come (January and February are notably the worst time of year). With all of the rain and electrical storms (the lightning and thunder are intense at times), our power goes out frequently. We have yet to have water enter into our room, however, water has/does go into the kitchen and dining hall. Here is a short video showing our new river; this literally popped up over night from all the rain. Word has it that with the rising water levels comes more snakes (Kelly is ecstatic) as well as some baby crocodiles.

A Surprise Visit

Romeo is the spitting image of Curious George. This little guy lives out at the office, and runs around getting into everything. He is fairly hard to approach, and seldom lets you pick him up, but occasionally he gets people needy. Kelly was sleeping in a chair, and this guy pounced on her and started cuddling in her lap. She let out a little squeal because she didn’t know what had happened. A few minutes later, Romeo jumped in my lap as I was typing away on the computer (see photo below).
There are many exotic creatures down here. Many of which you grow up reading about. God made so many beautiful creatures. Kelly and I have marveled at the complexity and beauty that some of the ones down here hold. I wish that we could bring some back to show people, because it is near impossible to get photos of everything.

Only In South America

Hey, remember my words on snakes? Well, a couple nights ago, Aaron and I were showering before bed and I noticed a little dude under our toilet (probably swam up the drain). I grabbed the machete we had in our room and had Aaron kill it. Then he finished his shower and we went to bed in peace. The girls say it was poisonous, but we’re learning they say everything is poisonous—even the toads we touch daily. So now we don’t know if it was or not. It had no red color so we couldn’t use the cool little poem. It was merely yellow and black. Oh well. I am sure that there will be more… grr…

We Have Snakes, Crocodiles, and now People-Eating Ants

The title makes it sound so scary. Really, it’s not that bad…yet. Rainy season is coming, waters rise (as you can see on the other blog about the river that appeared behind our place overnight) and apparently we get some extra wildlife with that. We will have to keep our grass cut, and, by the way, it grows like its on steroids, so that alligators don’t make little homes in them…or so that we can see them coming before they get to the sala. J As for the crocodiles, they are probably smaller and rarer than they sound.
Snakes…well, we’ve had a couple minor encounters, but I guess we could have some boa visits. A neighbor killed an anaconda at his place a couple weeks ago and came to us gringos to see if we wanted to buy it. We politely declined. I was never afraid of snakes…until now. Poison and the ability to swallow me whole play a role in my newfound fear.
For the ants, we have a little video. They don’t eat people, people like to eat them. Casey was catching them to feed to the monkeys and some of the girls and our grounds worker were telling us how delicious they were (only the butt part of the ant, not the whole thing). They fly and they are not tiny. One bit a girl and drew blood. Take a look.

Bible Book Fair

A few weeks ago, an Adventist Book Fair came to town. We were able to find, and purchase some much needed items. One of which were some music/karaoke CD’s for the girls. The girls LOVE hearing the music, watching the video, and then singing along with the words as they appear on the screen. We have about 3-5 currently, but the girls listen to those over and over again until they drive you insane, and you sing them in your sleep (this literally happened to one of us). We purchased 4 new CD’s, and the girls are LOVING them. It felt a little weird to barter with the conference, but it paid off –we saved a few bucks from it.

Last Day Events

Every morning we have worship with the girls. This past week we began going over end times and prophecy with the girls. Casey and Lisa brought an awesome Doug Bachelor CD from the States that gives detailed Bible study outlines on last day events. It’s a lot of information, especially since most of these girls were never Adventist before coming here (or still are not). We’ve only covered the tip of the iceberg, but the girls seem to be really interested and excited about the topic. Some have come to ask more questions about the Sabbath and others have asked about getting to know God and their Bible better. It’s been awesome and we could use all your prayers.

A Tour of Our Facility

Here are two short videos, from two different locations, of where we live. Kelly gives a short little commentary with each video. Hopefully this will give you a better idea of the facility in which we live. It is a beautiful little paradise.

Our Dog Sucia

In Spanish, Sucia means dirty. This little dog lives up to her name. She literally eats anything, and is in to everything as well. She is still just a puppy, so it is hard to get frustrated at such a cute little dog. She is always in play mode, but always barking at anyone she does not recognize. She makes the best guard dog of all. She has the biggest bark, but has NO bite. Check out this video.

Keyla Goes to Dinner

The other night Kelly and I were able to take Keyla out to dinner and give her an opportunity to spend some time in the city. We dined at the, “Yellow Rose of Texas.” This establishment is owned by a gentleman from Texas, and has incredible food for reasonable prices. This is also the gringo hang out. This restaurant is known for having great food among the American tourists. It felt good to sit, eat, and relax. After dinner, we headed over to a near by ice cream joint and indulged ourselves in some awesomeness. Here is a photo of Keyla and her humongous bowl of ice cream.

A Northwestern Experience, Soccer In The Rain

Yesterday, October 19, I invited over some neighborhood kids for a mini soccer tournament barefoot in the rain. We had enough support for three five man teams. Sadly, my team lost, but it was an enjoyable time. The rain came at about halftime of the first game, and from there on out, it was anyone’s game. The field became one giant mud pit, and people were flying everywhere. We lost 12 – 8. Kelly was even able to get a photo of me falling down… thanks! Here are some photo’s of playing in a torrential downpour. When all was said and done, the winning team went home with a 2.3 liter of Orro (a cheap Inca Cola –a South American favorite that some say tastes like cotton candy/bubble gum).

Youth Group Social

This last Saturday, October 18, we had a bunch of kids over for some social activities. This was originally for the pathfinders, but with our fires burning, blaring Christian music, and our gate open, neighboring kids were soon apart of the festivities as well. We played games, sang songs, socialized, and had an amazing time. We made two big bonfires, had prizes, some food, and over 80 kids. We even had some crazy drunk guy who thought Kelly was Russian wanting to come play with us. Here is a video, I hope that you can view it and it is not too dark.

English Lessons For The Girls

Kelly and I have been spending more and more time teaching the girls English. This is a challenging task. We have so many rules, and then, we have so many contradictions. We have started small with questions like, “What is your name,” “How are you,” and my personal favorite, “Don’t bother me.” The girls are learning slowly. It works out nicely for me because they are spending more time teaching me Spanish during this whole process. The girls are starting to use more English in their everyday tasks.
It has been simple, but still an improvement from when we first arrived. They say, “Excuse me,” “How are you,” and “What time is it?”. It may sound simple, and not very exciting, but for us this is a beautiful beginning. The girls have full time English tutors, but have not taken advantage of it. It is exciting to see them branch out and not be afraid to try our challenging pronunciations and uniquely ruled vocabulary. The girls are showing growth, what more could you ask for?

English Class and Class in General

Ironic story, the English teacher out here at Santo Tomas does not speak English. This is not meant to be rude, but makes our lives slightly more challenging. The girls have English class once a week for two hours, and work out of a workbook which is entirely in English –not the best learning environment. The education system has a severe lack of funding, staffing, and motivation.
The girls are required to complete homework which they do not understand. Our girls have a tremendous advantage, but are not required to practice conversation in class. The girls are also unable to bring home textbooks. Class is done on a chalkboard, problems and homework are copied down in a journal, and books are rarely used.
It is frustrating to see how education is treated down here. You never know when there is class. School could be canceled, a teacher may just decide to not show up, supervision is a joke (the gates are actually monitored by other students, not teachers or staff), and class gets out early frequently. Motivating the girls has been challenging due to the teachers having minimal motivation themselves. Our girls are performing well considering, but there is still more ground to cover.