Is there lint in your belly button?

Today for lunch, I ate corn-on-the-cob with cheese. First of all, I don't know why I have never thought to put cheese on my corn-on-the-cob! It's delicious! Second of all, I think I've mentioned that the kernels of corn here are HUGE. The size of the cob is about the same in diameter, but there were only 8 ROWS of corn (from one end to the other) on this cob, becuase the kernels are so very LARGE!

After class today, I came home, ate lunch, took a little rest/nap and then went over to Amy's house to be with her and Sydney. We went to the Plaza de Yanahuara and in search of queso helado, which means 'cheese ice-cream', but we were unsuccessful. However, we did find picarones, which are basically fried dough drenched in honey. We went to this little restaurant that Amy had gone to with her family. It was very very little. There was one picnic table for all of the customers to share, and one table where three women were making fresh picarones. They were quite yummy.

Later on, the three of us went to my house for some chicha morada (that's the purple corn juice). Before long, we found ourselves playing our own version of Catch Phrase by passing around my Spanish-English dictionary. This, we quickly learned, is a great way to practice our Spanish and learn new words. I learned the words ombligo (belly button) and borra (fuzz or lint). You never know when those words could come in handy.

Father, I thank You for Amy and Sydney and for laughter and the good time that we had today! Oh man, God, I'm in Peru! Thank You for being here with me and help me to embrace everything that You have in store for me here. Jesus, bless mi familia, both here in Peru and in the States.

praise the LORD, all ye nations!

One of the strangest sensations that I have experienced here in Arequipa is the feeling of burping carbonated water. Ugh. And yes... I bought carbonated water again today--on accident. This time, it didn't explode all over myself, though, so that's an improvement.

Today was a holiday in Arequipa--Dia de Santa Rosa de Lima--so there was no school. So, I went to a concert tonight!

Two days ago, I noticed an advertisment on a wall as I was walking to school. It was for a concert for a band by the name of Rojo, a Christian group from Mexico. I recognized this because the ONE Spanish CD that I have is by this same band! I asked the Calvin group if anyone wanted to go to this concert, and a few people were interested. So... the next step was getting tickets.

According to the website, the tickets were being sold at a store called Estilos. I knew I'd seen a store by that name... but I could NOT remember where it was. The internet told me that there was one relatively close to the Plaza de Armas. So, this morning, Lauren (one of my classmates from Calvin) and I headed down to the Plaza de Armas and started searching for Estilos. It didn't take us too long to find it, and we bought tickets for the two of us and another classmate, Scott. The tickets were only S/. 20 (that means, 20 soles, which is about... $7.50).

On our way back, we got a bit delayed by a parade that was celebrating Dia de Santa Rosa de Lima. I guess it wasn't exactly a parade--just a lot of people singing in the street and launching fireworks.

Later on this afternoon, Lauren, Scott, and I met at Starbucks and took a taxi to Coliseo de Arequipa, where the concert was being held. It was a big basketball stadium set up for a concert. And we had a great time!!!

O praise the LORD, all ye nations: praise him, all ye people. (Psalm 117:1)

This verse came to mind during the concert because part of one of the songs was "las naciones declaran que Tu eres Senor" (the nations declare that You are Lord). And that is true!! I have read this verse before, but tonight I sang it in a differnt country with hundreds of other people.



Getting a taxi after the concert was a bit more complicated because there were a LOT of people. But, before too long, we were on our way home! And our taxi driver taught us some words in Quechua!

Oh God, You are worthy of honor and praise!! Digno eres Tu, Senor! You are good and faithful, the provider and healer, and Your Name is above all other names that exist! And God, I thank you for mi familia here in Arequipa--Lord, bless them in Jesus' Name!

Unfailing love in Arequipa

Ways that I have seen God at work here in Arequipa:

1. One of the assignments that I had to complete for Didactica de las Matematicas involved finding out when operations with fractions are first taught in elementary school, and then finding that lesson in a text book and making a copy of it. I searched online to see what the standards are in Peru for fractions, and according to what I read, I determined that I needed to make copies from the fourth grade book, so I did. However, all of my classmates knew more about where to look for this information, and they all determined that this is first taught in third grade. Oops! So, I arrived in class with the wrong materials... but Leyda, one of my classmates, had made an extra copy of the third grade text book for me!

2. As you all know, there are some really cool mountains here!! And God made them!!!!!!!!!!

3. I am soaking up God's love through my familia here in Arequipa. They have been so patient with me as I learn more about their language and culture, and they have been so kind and welcoming to me everyday!

4. God is teaching me to slow down, stop, and rest. My time in Peru does not need to be spent frantically, hurrying from one thing to another and spending every moment of free time doing homework.

5. I see God answering my prayers about getting to know mi familia and my classmates.

6. God has been constantly reminding me that He is my refuge and my joy. He has been training me to keep my eyes fixed on Jesus Christ at all times, including times of uncertainty and confusion.

the good Samaritan

Estacion means 'season'. Estacionamiento, however, means 'parking'. That really threw me off today. I was having a great conversation with Emily about this 'season' of our lives, but I was actually talking about this 'parking' of our lives. Great.

Last night I had Didactica de las Matematicas again! Oh, such a fun class!! We did and talked about a bunch of activities that I could EASILY adapt for middle school or high school. (Lauren and Kristyn--I'll have to tell you about them!) We have class again tonight and part of our homework was to look up some more stuff in some text books in the library. So, after class I went with two of my classmates to the library. Oh man, these girls are so helpful to me!! They have explained assignments to me and helped me understand so many things!
Last week in one of our Calvin classes, we talked about the parable of the Good Samaritan. I think that most of the time when I think about that parable, I identify myself with the Samaritan. I want to be a good neighbor to the people around me and to help and serve them unconditionally. However, in class we talked about this parable from the point of view of the scribe whom Jesus is talking to. The scribe would definitely want to identify himself with the priest or the Levite, but since they do nothing to help the beaten man, the scribe cannot identify himself with either of those people who recieve so much respect in his culture. Furthermore, because of the terrible reputation of Samaritans, the scribe CANNOT identify himself with the Samaritan. Therefore, his only choice is the man who was beaten and robbed and left for dead.

So, I've been thinking about what it means to identify myself with the man who fell into the hands of robbers and recieved the mercy of a stranger. That is really not far off from my reality rigth now. No, I'm not almost dead on the side of a road, but I am quite dependant on people who I didn't know two weeks ago and who are at home in a culture that is different from my own. I am dependant on them to eat food, I am at their mercy to learn about this culture, without them, I would have no place to sleep!! Rather than being the one with the power to help, I am in a position of receiving from mi familia. I am learning that that requires a lot of humility. It is often (for me) a lot easier and more comfortable to give than to receive, but God is stretching me and teaching me how to recieve well.

Father, thank You so much for mi familia here in Arequipa. Thank You for showing me Your love through them. Show me how to recieve well, and I pray that I might be a blessing to them as they have been to me. Help me to keep my eyes open that I might keep learning from mi familia and seeing You at work here, Jesus!

It's really true!!! I'm in Peru!

OH WOW. I'm in Peru! This still seems so crazy to me! Every morning, I wake up, and I'm STILL here!!!

And I need to clarify something. Some of you might be under the impression that I get up at 5:00 AM to write blog posts. That, I assure you, is not true. I write all of my posts at reasonable hours. However, Google likes to play jokes and has decided for some reason to not post accurate times on my blog.

I am learning more about how things are done in Peru, more specifically at Universidad Catolica San Pablo. I recently had an assignment due for my Didactica de las Matematicas class. Part of this assignment involved getting a book from the library and making a copy of a few pages, and printing something off from the computer. This is NOT as simple as it seems. Yesterday afternoon, I decided to tackle these objectives.

First I went to the library. I was slightly surprised when I realized that I tell the librarian what book I want and then she goes and gets it. But that's not too bad, I can handle that! When it was my turn, I told the librarian what I needed, and she asked me for the code. What? Is there a secret library password that I don't know about?? Actually, there are computers outside of the library that I walked right past to get in. I was supposed to stop at those computers and look up the book I want and write down its code. I didn't do that. The librarian still got my book for me, but next time... I'll give her the code.

After that I headed to the printing place. I waited in line for a short time for a free computer, and when one opened up, I took a seat in front of it and started to log into my email, since the document that I needed to print was in there. But I didn't get very far. I typed in "hjberridge" and then I realized that pressing SHIFT + 2 would not give me the @ sign that I needed. Instead, SHIFT + 2 gave me ", and that was NOT going to help me.

Needless to say, I felt slightly lost, both at the library and at the printing place. I have always known how to check out a book, and throughout my years at school, I never had a hard time printing out documents. These are, more or less, pretty simple tasks that I, as a member of my culture, almost automatically know how to do! Yesterday, though, I felt a bit out of the loop. Everyone else knew how to check out books and log into their email accounts. This made me think of all of the people from different countries who come to America with their families, or to study. They most likely feel a bit out of place as well, and when I return to America, I want to keep that in mind when I interact with people who are not in their home culture.

When I got home, Andrea taught me that @ is CTRL + ALT + 2. Now I know.

Oh God, thank You so much for this time! I give You this day, and I pray that You would do with it whatever You want. Open my eyes to see what You are doing and how I can join You, Jesus! And I pray that You would bless my host family here--thank You for their hospitality, and fill their home and their hearts with Your unfailing love!

Didactica de las Matematicas

A minute ago, I was doing some reading for one of my classes in English. Tita is a few feet away from me, and she was talking on the phone in Spanish. I soon realized that when I am hearing Spanish and reading English... I don't understand either of them at all.

Also, I have a water update. I bought more water yesterday. I was very careful to make sure that the two bottles that I purchased were not carbonated. However, I didn't realize that I also have to be on the lookout for "autentica agua mineral" (authentic mineral water). This water tasted super gross!!! I quickly drank one of the bottles and then washed down the taste with some Reeses Peanut Butter Cups. Emily suggested that I use the other bottle that I bought to water the flowers. I'm  not sure yet what I'm going to do with it.

Last night, Tita took me to Mamut, which means... mammoth. It's a sandwich restaurant that is painted in very bright colors and there are lots of pictures of mammoths on the walls. They also serve very large (and very yummy) sandwiches. And after that, we dodged across a very crazy street to Capriccos, which is a wonderful place. They serve good food, really good hot chocolate, and, as I found out last night, amazing desserts. I had a very chocolate chocolate cake.

I want to tell you all about my Didactica de las Matematicas class!! I love this class!! It meets twice a week, and there are six students in it. I get the idea that they all know each other from other elementary education classes, but on the first day, the professor (she's wonderful!) welcomed me to class and we all went around and told a little bit about ourselves. She made me feel very welcomed, and throughout that class and the ones since then, she has frequently asked me how things are done in American classrooms, which makes me feel like my opinion in that classroom is valued. She also takes are to explain things to me that she thinks that I might not know about, which I greatly appreciate.

The professor clearly loves teaching. She taught elementary school and high school, and she reminded us that, as teachers, we will NEVER stop learning about how to be better teachers. Teaching is dynamic--on a given day, we never know what is going to happen during class. And teaching requires humility--we are shaping human beings, just as other people have shaped us. After a summer of being out of the classroom, it was so much fun to be in an education class again and to be reminded that I cannot wait to be a teacher!!! But I will wait, and while I do, I will love being in Peru!

On the second day that we met as a class, I got to talk quite a bit to my classmates. We actually broke into two groups and had to do a short presentation about a section of a math textbook. This was a little bit intimidating for me, but my classmates were very gracious with the errors that I made, and after class we all walked to the bridge together. One of the girls in the class speaks English fairly well, but the other two whom we were walking with do not know English at all. Thai, the girl who knows English, wanted to practice with me, so we did and had to translate for Grace and Laida. We talked about America and Peru and about teaching and Arequipa... it was so much fun to get to feel welcomed with these girls and to get to know them!

I have been relieved to discover that I understand much of what the professors say. And, when I don't understand, my classmates are very helpful. I have also found that it is very difficult (okay, right now it's impossible) for me to read the powerpoint and listen to my professor at the same time. It doesn't work. Similarly, a few nights ago I discovered that I cannot listen to the television program and listen to Tita and Andrea at the same time, either--nothing makes sense when I try to do that.

Where are the clocks?

Here are some things that I have noted about life in Arequipa:

1. I have yet to find any kind of clock in the entire building at Universidad Catolica San Pablo! And so far, I have only found one clock in my house. There are not many clocks here.

2. There also aren't many shorts here. People don't wear shorts. Ever.

3. And the paper here... is a couple inches longer than paper in the U.S. It sticks out the end of my American folders.

4. I should also say a word about the weather. It is very warm here during the day. The sun is fierce here. Actually, Tita told me that Arequipa is the second city in the world in terms of strength of the sun. Everyone must wear sunscreen when they are outside, even for a short time. And sunglasses are important. There are a couple holes in the ozone layer near here that make the sun especially dangerous. As soon as the sun goes down, though, it gets a bit chilly. It's good to have a hoodie or jacket to wear at night.

5. When a student is speaking to a professor, they must use formal language (Usted instead of tu), and when a professor walks into a classroom, all of the students rise together until the professor grants them permission to sit. This took my by suprise on the first day of class--I wasn't sure what was going on, but I decided to stand with everyone else. I'm glad I did.

6. Many people speak English! My family speaks English quite well. Andrea speaks English better than I do, an so do all of her friends. A few of my classmates at the university have spoken in English with me to practice. Students start learning English here very early and it seems like in the middle and upper-middle classes, it is expected that you speak English. When I'm in the car with Tita, we listen to a Spanish radio station that plays all English songs from the U.S.

7. Everyday, after lunch, we rest. Everyone just finds a place to plop themselves and reads a book or takes a nap. It is part of life. I think it's a good thing to learn how to do--to make time for rest everyday. Rest is not, I don't think, something that the American culture values very much, but here in Arequipa, it is important.

8. In our Calvin classes, we have been talking a lot about culture. We've talked about good things and about bad things in American culture. One of the good things that I have realized this week is that we read a  lot in America. That is not so here in Arequipa. On the first day of class, my professor in Didactica de las Matematicas talked about how in Peru, no one reads in the parks or on the planes or on couches in the univeristy, but in America, people read all the time in public transportation and in public areas. That is good!! Keep reading, people!

Grace

I have to talk to people. I cannot prepare ahead of time what I am going to say, like I can in Spanish classes at school. What if I say something wrong? What if I don't know what to say?

Hannah, trust Me.

I don't know how to behave here!! What if I say or do something terribly offensive???

Trust Me, My Beloved Hannah.

I have no idea what's going on. Should I make plans with someone to hang out? Or did Tita say that I'm going to go with her to the fiesta? What is going on??

Hannah, wait. Trust Me.

Oh my goodness!!! My computer isn't working!!! What am I going to do?? How will I communicate with America and my professors? How will I do my homework??? I don't want to buy a computer here! But what if I have to??

Dear Hannah, trust Me.

Where do I go to buy water? I'm out of shampoo!! How do I print off my homework?

Trust Me, Hannah.

Where are my clothes??? They were hanging up on the clothes line yesterday... and today they aren't. I don't want to be rude and ask where they are... but I want to know!!!

Hannah, stop. Trust Me.

What on earth is going on tonight? Some friends MIGHT be going out to dinner, so I could find out about that... or I could stay here. Which is better? And what about tomorrow?? Am I supposed to go to that thing, or not??? And if so... HOW DO I GET THERE???

Hannah, Hannah, Hannah, trust Me.

I want my family to like me!! What if they don't?? Should I go downstairs and watch TV with them? Or should I give them their space and stay up here? Do they WANT me to hang out with them? Am I missing cultural cues that are telling me to buzz off???

See those birds, My daughter?

They have no storeroom or barn;

yet I feed them.

And you are much more precious to me than those birds!

Trust in Me!

I am learning. I'm a little bit slow at times, but I am learning, and I find myself completely surrounded by God's grace. Oh, thank You, Jesus!!! 

An Adventure in La Campina

This morning, our whole group went on an excursion to la campina (that is, the countryside). Oh man -- it is really cool!! And I learned so much!!!

First, we went to a place where we could get a good view of the Valle de Arequipa. It the is a very green area on either side of the Chili River. There is a lot of farming there. In fact, they have three harvests a year in this area!! They grow a lot of alfalfa. Since the terrain is so hilly, the fields are all different levels, and our guide said that some of the walls and irrigation that we saw is from PRE-Incan times!!!

Other things that I learned at Valle de Arequipa:

1. Chili is a word in Quechua, an indiginous langauge spoken in Peru, and it means 'cold'. The waters of the Chili River are cold because they come from the mountains.

2. The area around the river is known as Chilena, another Quechua word that means that it's around the Chili River.

3. Arequipa is surrounded by mountains and three volcanoes that tower above the moutains. There are 82 volcanoes in the region of Arequipa, but only three can be seen from the city.

4. The tallest of the three volcanos is Chachani. In Quechua, Chachani means 'white dress'. It is called Chachani because there is a lot of snow on its peak.

5. El Misti is the city's favorite volcano.

6. Pichu Pichu is the third volcano. It is actually made of up 14 peaks, and that's why it is called Pichu Pichu--in Quechua, Pichu means 'peak', so Pichu Pichu means 'many peaks'.

Valle de Arequipa with El Misti in the background.

Valle de Arequipa with Chachani in the background -- and you can see the Chili River here, too!!

After seeing the Valle de Arequipa, we drove through home-sweet-home Yanahuara. Yanahurar is also a Quechua word, I learned, that means 'black pants'. Our guide told us that when Yanahuara was founded, the people who lived there had to wade across the river to get to the center of Areqipa, so their pants got wet and looked dark. Yanahuara is one of the oldest parts of the city and looks a lot like the cities in the Andaluz region of Spain. I also learned more about sillar (remember, that's the white volcanic rock that is used in many of the buildings in the city). Sillar is only found in this part of the world, and it is especially useful here because it is a very strong rock, so it can withstand earthquakes.

Next, we went to the Mansion del Fundador, that is, the historic home of the founder of Arequipa. It is a huge house with beautiful gardens. Finally, we went to el Molino, which is a historic mill not far outside of the city.

Here I am with Emily and Fuller in front of a bright blue wall at the Mansion. Many buildings are painted very bright colors here.

And see the lovely gardens!!! The flowers are doing well, probably because no one tries to transplant them. :-)

Water

Here in Arequipa, no one drinks water out of the faucet. The water must be boiled or bought in a bottle. I have been buying plenty of water at school, but this morning I had some extra time and I decided that I should explore the supermarket that I walk by everyday on the way to school. While there, I figured that I might as well buy some water.

I purchased two bottles and tossed them in my bag and bounced off to school. At school, I was still early for class, so I headed out to the lawn behind the school (they keep the lawn very very short here--it's more like green carpet) and sat down for a few minutes. I pulled out my water bottle, and opened it. Uh-oh. Water sprayed everywhere. I got quite wet. And I was very confused. I couldn't understand why my water had exploded.

I read the label. "Hm... San Mateo, Agua Mineral de Manantial...," here's the important part, "con gas." Con gas. This means the water was gassy--carbonated! When I was at the supermarket, I didn't think to look for non-carbonated water. I just chose two bottles, threw them in my bag, and walked the rest of the way to school. From now on, I will be sure to buy non-carbonated water, that is sin gas.

Carbonated water is not that good. It's not flavored... just carbonated. I don't get it.

Public Transportation

Last night, I had my first night class, Didactica de las Matematics (a class on math pedagogy for elementary education). It ends at 7:45, but since it gets dark here around 6:00, Andrea suggested that I take a taxi home. Taxis are very abundant here. They are all over. They are tiny little cars and they zoom all around. There are constantly taxis at the university for students to use, and they are associated with the university, so they are safe. Not all taxis are safe to use.

I successfully told the taxi driver where I live, and I got in the car, and we zoomed off. Now, driving down the streets of Arequipa reminds me of cross country races. When you're running a cross country race and there are a lot of runners, you have to swerve in and out and look for where there are little gaps where you can squeeze in without slowing down. That's what the cars do here. At any point on the short trip home, I could have unrolled my window and stuck out my arm and touched at least four different cars.

But taxis are not the only mode of public transportation that there is in Arequipa. There are also combis. Combis are either large vans or small busses (they vary in size), and they drive around the city. There is a side door, and there is a person inside the combi by the side door screaming out where the combi is going. If you want to go somewhere, find a combi that is going where you want to go! There is no maximum amount of people that can fit in a combi. People pack into combis like sardines. If you are stuck in the back of a combi and need to get out, you have to yell and squeeze your way to the door. I have not yet been on a combi, but some of my classmates have to take combis to class everyday because they live farther away from the university.

I would say that combis and taxis combined make up at least 80% of the vehicles on the road. Most people use combis or taxis to get around the city, or they walk. People walk EVERYWHERE! In order to help the pedestrians cross the crazy combi-and-taxi filled streets, police officers are present at a lot of corners to stop traffic. I would NOT want to be a police officer here. They are very brave! The streets are very very congested, but the police officers just walk out in the traffic and blow their whistles, and let us cross the street. I am very grateful for them.

Arequipa has grown a lot in the past few decades. It was not designed to be a big city--the streets are narrow and curvy and they are not made for such volume. But somehow, it works! I'm glad I don't have to drive here--I don't think that would end up very well--but I haven't actually seen any accidents at all yet!

inca kola, my neighborhood, and MATH!

Mmmmmmm! I just finished a delightful lunch of estofado de pollo (that is, chicken stew). The big meal of the day is eaten in the early afternoon here. I had class in the morning, now I am home for lunch, and I will return to school in a few hours for another class. With lunch, I drank inca kola, which is a popular kind of pop here. It's really good! (Lauren, I will bring some back for you!) Since lunch is usually a large meal, dinner, in the evening, is pretty light. Tita tells me that, becuase of the altitude, it is not good to eat a lot in the evening. And for breakfast every morning I eat bread with chicken paste. I haven't quite decided what I think about that yet.

I live in Urbanizacion Santa Cecilia. It's a cute little neighborhood--I love it! The enterances are gated, and there are guards that are always walking around and blowing this little horn/whistle thing. I asked Andrea why they do that... and she didn't know. That's just how it is!

This is where I live! My room is on the third floor. Most of the houses in Arequipa are walled in like mine. On the other side of the wall, there is a little garden and then the house!



This is my street! See the yellow gate at the end of the street? That's the enterance to Urbanizacion Santa Cecilia.



And right across the street from us is a park! And this is the park!

Yesterday I had my first class that was NOT with my Calvin classmates. I'm taking Algebra Lineal y Geometria Analitica (Linear Algebra and Analitic Geometry!). It is a course for first year engineering students, and I signed up for it, knowing that it's a first year class, hoping that that would mean that I already know the math content and can simply concentrate on learning it in Spanish. Today we met for the second time, and it was so much fun to be in a math class again!! We did Gaussian Elimination today (that is a way to solve systems of linear equations with three or more variables)!

One more thing. Bathrooms. The bathrooms in the university have toilet paper, but not in the stalls. There is a toilet paper dispenser when you enter the bathroom, by the sink. People who go to the bathroom get toilet paper BEFORE entering a stall. I need to not forget that.

I am learning!!!!

I am living in a pretty cool place right now!!!!!!!!!!!!! And I am learning oh-so-much!!

1. Every city in Peru has a Plaza de Armas. This is a central park area that, during colonial times, was used for the army to practice stuff (I don't know what kind of stuff they practiced). In Arequipa, the Plaza de Armas is linda (everyone uses this word all the time. it means... beautiful, cool, wonderful... something like that)!


La Plaza de Armas

2. All of the old buildings in Arequipa (there are MANY) are made of sillar, which is white volcanic rock. Therefore, the city is known as "La Ciudad Blanca" (The White City). These buildings are from the colonial era of Arequipa and they are very ornate.


This is the Iglesia de la Compania, which was built out of sillar in 1698.

3. I live in Yanahuara. The city of Arequipa is divided into sections, and each section has its own plaza.

This is the Plaza in Yanahuara.

4. If your lawn mower is broken, I suggest you invest in a llama. There is a park in Arequipa that has llamas in it. They keep the grass nice and short.

5. The streets in Yanahuara are very skinny in places.

This is one of the strees of Yanahuara. It's narrow. But I'm sure that the taxi drivers manage to drive side by side here. Nothing stops them.

6. No one says "adios" here. Instead, the word for "good-bye" is "chau" (pronouced "chow").

See? I'm learning so much!!!!!! I can't believe that I'm here! And at the same time, I can't believe that it has only been five days! Arequipa is still celebrating its 472nd birthday. The festivities last all week long. I went back to the fiesta last night with three friends from the Calvin group. We had VIP tickets again, thanks to Andrea and Kike. It was still hard to understand what they were singing about, but this time I think that what I heard was a bit more accurate than last time; I'm pretty sure I heard the phrase "esta un hombre valiente" which means "he is a valient man". Before the fiesta, I had a great time with some friends at the home of one of my classmates. So far, we've been successful at speaking only Spanish to one another.

I have been having fun sitting with my family at night and watching television. It is a good conversation starter, I have discovered. Car rides are also great for asking questions. I went with Tita yesterday to buy some paint and flowers, and last night Kike and Andrea drove us home from the fiesta. Today I went to mass with Tita, and then I ate lunch with a classmate and a few of us met up at a mall and walked around the neighborhood. We found a place with an AWESOME view of the mountains, but... I didn't have my camera with me.

Oh God, thank You so much. Thank You for the family that You have put me with, and thank You for the classmates that You have chosen. Guide me in the days to come as classes start this week. Help me to remember who I am in You and to clothe myself with Your love. Jesus, bless Tita and Vincente, Andrea and Kike. They have been so wonderful to me--show me how to best receive from them and love them and be a blessing to them, as they have been to me.

Corn

Today was the second day of classes at la Universidad Catolica San Pablo! It takes about 15 minutes for me to walk to class. Today and yesterday was mostly orientation for our Calvin group. We learned all about safety from the the head of security at the university, we learned about being healthy from the university doctor, and we learned about student activities. Some friends and I are going to take a tae kwon do class starting next week!!!

This morning we had a scavenger hunt around the city. We broke up into teams of three to explore, and it was great!!! However, it was a race, so things went a bit fast. In a few minutes I am going to go out again with some friends and retrace our steps. I'll take some pictures so that you all can see this awesome place!!!

When I got home from class, I ate lunch with Tita, Vincente, Andrea, Kike (that's Andrea's boyfriend's name--now I know it!), and Tita's mother and aunt. Lunch is the biggest meal of the day in Arequipa, and dinner is usually very light (soup or a sandwich) because it is not wise to eat a lot in the evening because of the altitude.

Part of lunch today was corn. The corn here is HUGE!!!! One kernel of corn is about the size of half of my thumb. They also have purple corn, and it is used to make juice, which is delicious!

There are signs all over the university and the airports that say "Zona segura en caso de sismo", which means "Safe zone in case of tremors". I spent some time relaxing with Tita and Vincente a few nights ago, watching television. They told me that it is very common in Arequipa to feel earthquake tremors--it happens once every couple of weeks. The last real earthquake was in 2001. The buildings in Arequipa, including my house, are all made of concrete so that they can sustain these tremors and earthquakes. The walls sound different here when you pound on them because they are very solid. In order to hang something up, they have to drill holes.

I spent some time showing Tita and Vincente some pictures of Lansing, Chicago, Calvin, the Indiana Dunes, and my family and friends. They loved the pictures!!! They think that you are all beautiful people!! And they are right!!!

Arequipa esta en fiesta!!!

I am in Arequipa!!!

In the last few days, I have been on my first, second, and third airplane rides. They are pretty cool. I learned that it is -57 degrees farenheit at an altitude of 37,000. That's super cold!

Upon arriving in Arequipa, we went to the University to meet our host families. Tita and Vincente are my host parents, and Andrea is my host sister. They are lovely people!!! After settling in a bit, Tita took me to the fiesta. This week is Arequipa's 472nd birthday! To celebrate, that night there was a huge concert going on. I haven't quite figured out what Andrea's boyfriend's job is, but he was involved in planning this fiesta, and so we had VIP passes to this huge Arequipan concert! It was fun! Though, I had a really hard time understanding anything. The only phrase that I could make out during the entire fiesta (other than "Arequipa esta en fiesta!!!") was "viva la jamon", which I must have mis-heard, because that means "long live the ham" and I really don't think that is what they were singing about.

The fiesta continued today. I went with Andrea and her boyfriend (I really need to learn his name) to a parade. Again, we got special passes and I sat in front of the Bolivian dignitaries and the mayor of Peru kissed me on the cheek (that's how everyone greets one another here). After the parade, we went to a seafood restaurant, and I ate squid and octopus. I think I also ate raw fish that had been marinated in lemon juice.

My experiences of the last 48 hours have led me to make a conclusion about the rules of the road here in Peru. There is one rule: go. All the time, go. Stop lights are merely suggestions. I have learned that the painted dashed lines on the roads are purely decorative and that it is actually quite easy to fit three (or four) cars across on a two-lane road. 

Arequipa is beautiful!!! When I got here last night it was dark out, so I couldn't see much. But when I woke up this morning and looked out my bedroom window, it looked so awesome!!!!!



THIS IS WHAT IS OUT MY WINDOW!!!!!

 Father, thank You for providing safe travels. Thank You for my host family, and I pray that You would bless them and my relationship with them. I can hardly believe that I am here!! God, prepare me for classes that start tomorrow. Guide me and help me to trust You, Jesus!! Amen!

7661 feet

Nine days from now, I will be in Arequipa, Peru. That is really crazy and really cool!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

In anticipation for this semester, I've been learning about Peru. The city of Arequipa is the second largest city in Peru, and the population of the city is about 904,931. Interestingly enough, 904,931 is a prime number! Wonderful! The altitude of Arequipa is 7,661 feet (that's tall). While 7,661 is not a prime number, the sum of its proper divisors is 211, which is a prime number! The president of Peru is Ollanta Humala, and the nation is divided into 25 regions. The area of Peru is 496,225 square miles, which is approximately the size of Texas, California, Georgia, Deleware, and Rhode Island combined. Arequipa is in southern Peru--I circled it in red on the map! That's where I'm going to be in nine days!!!!!

I will be living with a family in Arequipa and taking classes at Universidad Catolica San Pablo. I will not be speaking English. There are 17 other Calvin students who will be studying in Arequipa with me, and hopefully as a group we will have the discipline to speak only in Spanish with one another. We will do some traveling as a group and there will be opportunities for us to go on weekend trips around Peru, but as I get ready for the semester to come, the part that I am most looking forward to is the day-to-day stuff: meeting people who live there, getting to know my host family and classmates, and learning about and taking part in the culture. While I am in Arequipa, I want to be a resident, not a tourist. I want to learn to appreciate and respect the different and similar ways that people live.

Father, prepare me for what is to come. Bless the family that will be opening their home to me. I thank You for this opportunity to spend a semester in Peru and I pray that You would take this semester and shape it, in Jesus' Name. May it bring glory to You, God. You, I know, are able to do exceedingly abundantly above all I ask or think--God, do whatever You want with this semester. It is Yours. Whatever comes, I praise and thank You!