Week One

The first week I spent in Peru I was in Trujillo playing with kiddos while they waited to see the pediatricians. There were three pediatricians, a PT, and a nurse from my church in Virginia seeing kids all week. Each day we set up a clinic in a different neighborhood. Melissa and I were there to provide some entertainment while the kids waited to be seen. Using the tiny bit of Spanish I know I would try to ask the kids if they wanted to come play, and I told them that they had to share the toys with all of the kids, and leave them with me when they left. This worked for the most part…until the last day. On the last day we were in an open field for the clinic and it was really hard to keep things orderly. On the other days we had tables for the kids to color and do crafts. Well the last day every single toy I pulled out disappeared within five minutes. All of the crayons, coloring books, bubbles, jump ropes, soccer balls…all of it! It was crazy. At first I got mad and didn’t even want to be there anymore. I know we were in a poor neighborhood where the kids don’t have much, but that doesn’t mean they should steal! I said a quick prayer and then realized that I didn’t even need the toys. I went and sat in a circle with the kids and we sang songs, played clapping games, and just tried to talk. This was the day I met Valeria. She understood that my Spanish was limited and was very patient with me, speaking slowly and trying several words to help me understand what she was saying. She was awesome and very smart! It was really funny because one of the translators from my team came to talk to Valeria and thought she couldn’t speak Spanish because of the broken way she was speaking. But she was talking like that because that was how she had been talking to me all morning! Haha! We ended up giving her a Jesus Storybook Bible in Spanish and English. We also introduced her to an elder from the church in that neighborhood and I am hoping she will be able to attend. Her parents work on Sunday and it is unusual for a child to go to church without parents in Peru. But someone from the church was going to go meet Valeria’s parents and hopefully they will be able to begin building a relationship.

After spending the first week in Trujillo I was able to go do some sightseeing with a few other girls. We had some funny stuff happen and I will share more about it later :)

Glimpses of Peru

Throughout the week I played with kids at the medical clinics while they were waiting to see the pediatricians.

Group photo at ruins that are over 2000 years old. Amazing!

This little girl is Valeria. She has to be one of the smartest kids I've ever met and she was so patient with my Spanish :) She was able to meet with one of the elders from the church and really wants to come to church! Meeting her was one of the highlights of my trip.

On the beach in Trujillo

This was atop some Inca ruins with the Andes Mountains in the background

Machu Picchu! This place is INCREDIBLE! These 1200 year old Inca ruins were never discovered by the Spanish when Spain conquered Peru, so they are very intact. We got to walk around down in the ruins sitting atop the beautiful Andes Mountain Range. It was completely surreal.

This was the view from the window of the train :)

I had an amazing time in Peru! The missions part of the trip was wonderful and I loved playing with the kids and learning a little more Spanish :) There are tons of great stores that I will share on here over the next few days.

The Little Monster

These are a few recent pictures of Addie. Notice how nice and sweet she looks sleeping. But then when she wakes up she turns into a little monster!

Well...I made it through my class last week! Woohoo! It was actually a great class. It was titled Philosophical and Historical Foundations of Education. It was one of the most interesting classes I have ever taken. It made me rethink my philosophy of education...which was the point since it is a teacher education class.

It was sad being away from Addie all last week, but even more sad is the fact that I leave Friday and will be away from her for 2 weeks! But it will be worth it. I'll be in Peru! I will be spending a week in Trujillo and then a couple days in Lima, a day in Cusco, and a day at Machu Picchu. There will be lots of fun exploring to do. I went out today and bought all kinds of fun stuff for the kiddos to play with; craft supplies, soccer balls, etc...I'll be sure to post pictures when I return :)


P.S.
Here is a list of events that took place as I was typing this blog post. First Addie pulled an entire loaf of bread off the counter and preceded to swallow as many pieces of bread as possible before I could rip it all away from her. Then she pulls a plant off the kitchen table and rips it to shreds. I was hoping that wore her out…but no. Someone left the bathroom door open so she got into the trash and was playing with an empty toilet paper roll...now she is outside, probably digging holes...

Summer is Here!

I am taking a break for a moment to update this blog...a much needed break!

I have been taking two classes for the past eight weeks and they come to a close this Friday. I have everything finished...except one 15 page paper that I am about half-way through. Well y'all know how I LOVE to procrastinate! Yeah...it's really catching up to me this time. Next week I am taking a week-long intensive course at Liberty University in Lynchburg. I am supposed to do some prep work before I get there. Well I was thinking I was just going to have to prepare a 3-5 minute presentation on an educational thinker. I chose John Calvin so I figured it would be fun/interesting/easy. Well...it was. I finished it today. What I failed to realize it that I also have to read 2 rather thick books, define about 50 terms in my own words, and fill out a chart on the philosophical beliefs of 12 philosophers. Philosophy=not fun for me. Well, apparently I should have paid better attention and been working on this for a while. But somehow I will get it done. I always do. And then I can enjoy my summer!

Also, I have been teaching swim lessons for the past two weeks. My kiddos have ranged in ages from 4-10. I LOVE teaching swim lessons! It is fun to have a break from homework and get outside and play in the pool with the kiddos. We talk to the fish and blow bubbles and swim like superman :)

I can't wait until Independence Day! It is one of my absolutely favorite holidays...if not my fav. I just love being outside, eating ALL the yummy food, being with friends and family, and who doesn't love fireworks! This time last year I was in Kenya planning for the big 4th of July Party at the Girl's Shelter. I miss those girls...but I am also happy to be with my family this 4th :)

Down the Steps

Addie is growing so fast! She has nearly doubled in size in the 2 1/2 weeks she's been home! She used to walk up to my room and then wait for me to carry her back down. Well last Tuesday she decided she could do it on her own :)

Here's the video (so glad I decided to go get the camera)...

Look Out for Tricky Locks

Let me tell you that I don’t know what people did before cell phones…actually I take that back…I do know and let me tell you a story about that.
So this past week I have been housesitting for my brother and sister-in-law. They live about 5 miles away from me. I went over there at about 9:45 PM to turn off the lizard lights, bring in the mail, check on the cats, etc. Well I pulled up, opened the garage door, and Meghan (my dog) and I went inside. I decided to leave my phone and purse in the car since I wouldn’t be too long anyway. I closed the garage door behind me since it was kinda late out and well…I don’t really know why because usually I don’t close it. So I go inside and set my keys on the counter, take care of some stuff, pet the cats…
Then I remember I need to grab the mail, so I unlocked the deadbolt on the front door and went outside and grabbed the mail. Then I walk back up to the front door and turn the knob. Only it doesn’t turn. I’m thinking…oh this darn old door always sticks on me. Well I keep trying to turn, rattle, shake, push with all my might, and the door doesn’t open. And I realize that yep! I didn’t unlock the doorknob lock! It opens from the inside of course but not the outside. (And the person who designed doors that way really is an idiot. I mean seriously what sense does it make. You are just asking to get locked out with a lock like that…sheesh). And the garage door is down. And my dog is inside…with the cats…and I’m five miles from home. My phone is locked in the car and it is now after 10 so I can’t be knocking on some neighbors door that late when all the light are off anyways. So what do I do? I do what people did before cell phones. I start walking.
I decided the best thing to do would be to walk to a friends house (I have a friend from church who lives about half a mile away, and of course it is in the opposite direction of my house which is already 5 miles away). Well I get there and of course no one is home. So now I’m thinking…time to really get walking. So I walk to the main road and the whole time I am just laughing and thinking to myself…if only I had my phone in my pocket, if only I hadn’t locked my car, if only I hadn’t put the garage door down, if only I had remembered to unlock the doorknob and not just the deadbolt…I’ll be shocked if Meghan doesn’t scarf down all the cat food. So after I walked for about 2 miles I came to Applebee’s. And THANK YOU Applebee’s for being open late!!!! So I go in and say to the hostess “um, do you have a phone I could possibly use?” As I am carrying the mail (yep I just kept it with me the whole time although I don’t know why.) She gave me her cell phone to borrow, which was so nice, and I called my mom. Thank goodness she answered. So I’m like, “mom I’m at Applebee’s. Will you come pick me up?” My mom says, “huh, why are you there? How did you get there? What?” I was like “Oh I’ll explain when you get here.” So finally she comes with the spare key and takes me back to get into the house. Of course Meghan ate all the cat food (and paid for it with an upset tummy). And I got my keys and was so thankful to get my cell phone back. I was really thankful I didn’t have on my pj’s to walk down that busy road late at night and into Applebee’s. I almost put them on before I left home but then I thought to myself “what if I get in an accident or something, I better just wait to change until I get back.” Well it was one good decision I made that night!
So the moral of the story is…”Don’t go out in your pj’s, keep your cell phone in your pocket, and look out for doors with tricky locks!”

Addie is home!!!

My adorable puppy is finally home. She turned six weeks old yesterday. Hopefully I can get a little sleep tonight :)