So, Sunday was my 20th birthday, which was spent shopping for food for this campaign! It definitely was a different way to spend it, but that's ok, cause we all went to ice cream Saturday night and I totally ate too much ice cream!! It was amazing though!! Well, sunday was a really long day, but it definitely got exciting when we got home. Turns out, Manuel had started a fire on our property and it had gotten really close to our house. So to come home and see smoke and tree logs still smoldering about 20ft from the house was less than comforting. It also seemed like the whole community around Km 38 had wanted have fires as well, so there was quite a glow on the horizon as we drove home that night. Thankfully, God provided a tremedous downpour about 30 minutes after we got home to put out any possible fires, which I was very happy for!!
The storms down here are quite amazing. Sunday night's storm was soo incrediably loud that I couldn't even sleep. The rain was pounding on the tin roof so loud, I couldn't even hear myself talk! Yesterday, we had a crazy wind storm. We were eating lunch and suddenly the wind picked up and started blowing so incrediably hard. The tin was rattling really loud, so much so I was afraid it was going to rip off, which wouldn't have been too fun. Cheva, our beloved, but dumb rotweiler dog, was barking at the roof as it rattled and tried jumping up to it. It was soo funny! Cheva is afraid of thunder and now I guess tin roofs!
Tuesday, August 28, 2007
Iparia
Well, I'm sitting in a hostel using the free wireless internet that we found while staying here the last couple days. It's been pretty cool! I'm waiting to hear whether or not we are leaving for Iparia tonight for our next campaign or if we'll be leaving in the morning. Lack of communication with some important people has caused this delay and so, by the looks of it, we'll be leaving sometime tomorrow morning.
I'm actually really excited about this trip. We are leaving by boat for a 16hr. ride down the Ucayali River to Iparia where we will be holding clinic for 4 days. All of us SM's are quite excited about using our newly purchased hammocks on the boat! A medical team from Georgia is joining us for this trip, which will be awesome. We will be working among the Shipibo Indians, providing medical and dental care. The dentist who was with us for the last campaign is now gone and so Brent and I are basically on our own! Kinda scary! We have a Peruvian worker who is a crazy teeth-pulling machine, but the language barrier creates some problems in learning how to pull teeth!
I'm actually really excited about this trip. We are leaving by boat for a 16hr. ride down the Ucayali River to Iparia where we will be holding clinic for 4 days. All of us SM's are quite excited about using our newly purchased hammocks on the boat! A medical team from Georgia is joining us for this trip, which will be awesome. We will be working among the Shipibo Indians, providing medical and dental care. The dentist who was with us for the last campaign is now gone and so Brent and I are basically on our own! Kinda scary! We have a Peruvian worker who is a crazy teeth-pulling machine, but the language barrier creates some problems in learning how to pull teeth!
Saturday, August 25, 2007
1st Campaign
Woah! What a week! It's been such a crazy long, stressful, tiring week, but wow it's been really great at the same time!! Our first medical/dental campaign started on Sunday morning, around 9am. We left our house about 6:30am and drove to the site, which actually wasn't too far from our house. So we did 5 1/2 days of clinic, from about 8:30 to 5:30 or whenever all the patients were seen for the day.
Learning teeth extractions hands-on style is totally new thing for me! We saw around 50 patients each day. Extracting teeth takes lots of patience and time, though at times it's just easier and less painful to yank the tooth out and get it done and over with. Manuel, a Peruvian who is an expert tooth-yanker, helped out and showed Brent and me some techniques. He's a maniac!! crazy. I definitely wouldn't want to get my tooth pulled by him! :-)
Days were really busy and long. Nights were short and frequently interrupted by roosters crowing, dogs barking, and people talking. We slept in the house we were using as a clinic and so people would start lining up early in the morning (like 1am on Friday morning!!) in order to get a ticket, because only 70 were passed out in the morning and 70 more in the afternoon. Otherwise, we would be treating patients 24/7! By the second day though I was so tired, I pretty much slept though everything, so I got pretty good sleep.
The previous weekend right before the clinic started, some of us had traveled again to Masisea to visit the church members on Sabbath. So I had had no time to catch up on the sleep before leaving for the clinic. It was just one thing after another. But God is awesome and gave us all the strength and patience to deal with each situation and patient in a kind and Christ-like manner, despite the lack of sleep. God really blessed and we were able to help lots of people, though at the same time, there were still so many people that need help. At times, I feel we are only helping the current toothache or health problem, but not teaching a lifestyle change that could help to prevent further problems in the future. That's where Emily and Kristin come in. Starting today, they will be living in the community for about 6 weeks trying to help instruct and educate the locals about how live a healthier lifestyle, which I think is a great idea!! I'm really excited to see how this new concept will work out! Please keep this campaign in your prayers as Satan is really trying to discourage the Bible workers and the campaign!
Learning teeth extractions hands-on style is totally new thing for me! We saw around 50 patients each day. Extracting teeth takes lots of patience and time, though at times it's just easier and less painful to yank the tooth out and get it done and over with. Manuel, a Peruvian who is an expert tooth-yanker, helped out and showed Brent and me some techniques. He's a maniac!! crazy. I definitely wouldn't want to get my tooth pulled by him! :-)
Days were really busy and long. Nights were short and frequently interrupted by roosters crowing, dogs barking, and people talking. We slept in the house we were using as a clinic and so people would start lining up early in the morning (like 1am on Friday morning!!) in order to get a ticket, because only 70 were passed out in the morning and 70 more in the afternoon. Otherwise, we would be treating patients 24/7! By the second day though I was so tired, I pretty much slept though everything, so I got pretty good sleep.
The previous weekend right before the clinic started, some of us had traveled again to Masisea to visit the church members on Sabbath. So I had had no time to catch up on the sleep before leaving for the clinic. It was just one thing after another. But God is awesome and gave us all the strength and patience to deal with each situation and patient in a kind and Christ-like manner, despite the lack of sleep. God really blessed and we were able to help lots of people, though at the same time, there were still so many people that need help. At times, I feel we are only helping the current toothache or health problem, but not teaching a lifestyle change that could help to prevent further problems in the future. That's where Emily and Kristin come in. Starting today, they will be living in the community for about 6 weeks trying to help instruct and educate the locals about how live a healthier lifestyle, which I think is a great idea!! I'm really excited to see how this new concept will work out! Please keep this campaign in your prayers as Satan is really trying to discourage the Bible workers and the campaign!
Friday, August 17, 2007
Earthquake
Just a quick note to say that we are all safe from the earthquake. All of us had just sat down to eat dinner and were in the middle of prayer when a weird rolling sensation started. I thought I was just really ditzy and about to faint, but everyone felt it, so. Then we found out more about what had happened. We are all hoping to be able to go sometime and help with the relief effort but it´s hard to say when. God is good!!
Tuesday, August 14, 2007
Masisea
This last weekend was one huge adventure after another! This summer Ansley and Carly spent about six weeks in a small river town about 6hrs south of Pucallpa. Peruvian Bible workers had also been holding an evangelistic series there and by the end of the series, started a small body of church members. So this last weekend, the head Bible worker, Domingo, and Jenni, our on-side director, decided to visit Masisea for do some follow up. So all of us SM’s, five girls and one guy decided to tag along and see for ourselves what Masisea was like. In the short time we had been with Ansley and Carly, I had heard quite a number of stories and experiences, so I wanted to see for myself what Masisea was like.
We left Friday morning around 10:30 from the port in Pucallpa and traveled up river (actually south) to Masisea. The port of Pucallpa is the most dirty, disgusting, place I have ever seen in my life. The river is pretty low right now, because it is dry season and so in order to get to the boat, you have to walk through mud and muck, which seems to stick to your shoes and anything else it comes in contact with. Not only that, but the mud has so much trash, banana skins, paper, sewer, you name it, I’m sure it was there. There really is so much pollution in that area, it’s just really sad. The boat itself isn’t much better. It’s crowded with lots of people, carrying their produce, soda cans, and whatever else they can sell, with them to the next port. The boat is just a larger version of a peke peke, very old-fashioned by American standards. Platano, papaya, and other items are placed on top to be sold in other villages along the river. The stench of the whole area is really what got me. Everything smelled rotten and disgusting. No sanitation whatsoever. The trash from the shoreline of the river would get in the river and contaminate the river as well. Seeing people going to the bathroom in the river was a commen occurrence. The boat ride lasted for about 5hrs. These are the times you hope for no diahhrea, because there aren’t too many options for going to the bathroom except just using the river as the boat rides along and everyone watches you! Also, the boats aren’t the most comfortable things to sit in especially when your seat is made of wood. The whole experience was new for me, and despite it all, it was quite fun, though it was really sad for me to see how so many people live, even in the 21st century.
After arriving at our stop, we had about a 30minute motorcar ride to Masisea itself. While we were riding, we passed soo many papaya trees! I had never seen so many before. No wonder papaya was a very common gift to give visitors!! The church is made up of very new members and nobody really knows how to run things, so us SM’s helped out with the Friday evening worship and also church on Sabbath. Brent preached on Sabbath for church and us girls sang special music and told children story. Friday afternoon before the evening vespers, we were able to play some soccer with the local children. We all had so much fun and I think they were quite excited to be playing with some white kids from the United States. All the kids down in Peru are amazing soccer players; all soo naturally talented, it’s crazy! We were supposed to leave on Sabbath afternoon and head back to Pucallpa, but it decided to rain and man did it rain!! We all huddled in our tin house that we were sleeping in for the night and listened to the rain pour down. Whenever it rains, the boats don’t run and so we were stuck in Masisea until the next boat was scheduled to come, around 4am Sunday. So we were able to spend a few more hours in Masisea, though most were spent watching and listening the rain come down. Boy, was I glad I brought my raincoat. That was a lifesaver for sure!
The hostal where we were staying for Friday (and eventually Saturday night) was right by the center of town, across the street from the plaza. And since no Peruvian home has sound-proof walls, we got to hear lots of different sounds Friday night. A bar/party was right behind the hostal, so I got to fall asleep to techno music. Also Peruvians like to have chickens and so that means there needs to be at least one rooster around as well, and since these particular roosters can’t tell time, they decide to do their cakadoodledoing at all hours of the night. I think the rooster at the hostal also had problems of some time because his cakadoodledoing sounded like he was dying each time Through Ansley and Carly, I had also heard of rats and other questionable creatures scurring around at night and wreaking havoc. I had a hard time sleeping because I would always wake up to little noises that sounded like rats could be in the room. I’m not a big fan of rats at all and so needless to say, none of us got much sleep, though when I think about it now, the whole situation was quite amusing!!
After the Sabbath sundown program, we played games with the local children for a little while, which was really fun! We had quite a number of children playing, but we had lots of spectators watching as well, observing our attempts at duck-duck-goose and other fun kid games. The children really looked like they were having fun and it was so great to see the smiles on their faces and be able to bring a spark to their life even if it was only for a little bit.
Being gone from the States for only a couple of weeks and all of us are already craving American food! BBQ chips, nachos, ice cream, chocolate, and pizza, just to name a few. It is quite a hot topic of conversation! Saturday we all got horrible cravings for junk food and so we hunted down a Peruvian style Seven-Eleven/gas station and stocked up on the Peruvian versions of junk food. I will have to get used to their brands of chips and other junk-like foods, but it’s possible. With the knowledge we would be having to leave around 4am to catch our boat back we headed off to bed early.
In order to get to the port, we had to get two motos, but by 4am we only had one, so Kaitlin, Kristin, Marjie, and I piled into one of the motos and followed Domingo (the Bible worker) and Brent who were both on Domingo´s motorcycle to the port. Since it had rained so hard the roads were very muddy and slow to navigate. Not too long into our drive, Brent had to switch over to our moto because he was too heavy and the motorcycle was fishtailing all over the place. So Marji went on the cycle. So the four of us left headed off into the darkness of the Papaya tree jungle. Our moto stopped at one of the villages close to the port. Since none of us really knew Spanish and it was still quite dark outside, it was definitely a sketchy situation. Luckily in a few minutes the rest of our group showed up, but by then we had to run to the port, which we found out was about 1 mile farther down the road. So in the early morning dark with only our headlamps to guide us, we speed walked to the port. Thankfully the boat was waiting for us and we were able to catch up on our sleep. This boat was much smaller, and the seats were long narrow boards, needless to say, we were all very excited to get off the boat and go home and get some sleep.
We left Friday morning around 10:30 from the port in Pucallpa and traveled up river (actually south) to Masisea. The port of Pucallpa is the most dirty, disgusting, place I have ever seen in my life. The river is pretty low right now, because it is dry season and so in order to get to the boat, you have to walk through mud and muck, which seems to stick to your shoes and anything else it comes in contact with. Not only that, but the mud has so much trash, banana skins, paper, sewer, you name it, I’m sure it was there. There really is so much pollution in that area, it’s just really sad. The boat itself isn’t much better. It’s crowded with lots of people, carrying their produce, soda cans, and whatever else they can sell, with them to the next port. The boat is just a larger version of a peke peke, very old-fashioned by American standards. Platano, papaya, and other items are placed on top to be sold in other villages along the river. The stench of the whole area is really what got me. Everything smelled rotten and disgusting. No sanitation whatsoever. The trash from the shoreline of the river would get in the river and contaminate the river as well. Seeing people going to the bathroom in the river was a commen occurrence. The boat ride lasted for about 5hrs. These are the times you hope for no diahhrea, because there aren’t too many options for going to the bathroom except just using the river as the boat rides along and everyone watches you! Also, the boats aren’t the most comfortable things to sit in especially when your seat is made of wood. The whole experience was new for me, and despite it all, it was quite fun, though it was really sad for me to see how so many people live, even in the 21st century.
After arriving at our stop, we had about a 30minute motorcar ride to Masisea itself. While we were riding, we passed soo many papaya trees! I had never seen so many before. No wonder papaya was a very common gift to give visitors!! The church is made up of very new members and nobody really knows how to run things, so us SM’s helped out with the Friday evening worship and also church on Sabbath. Brent preached on Sabbath for church and us girls sang special music and told children story. Friday afternoon before the evening vespers, we were able to play some soccer with the local children. We all had so much fun and I think they were quite excited to be playing with some white kids from the United States. All the kids down in Peru are amazing soccer players; all soo naturally talented, it’s crazy! We were supposed to leave on Sabbath afternoon and head back to Pucallpa, but it decided to rain and man did it rain!! We all huddled in our tin house that we were sleeping in for the night and listened to the rain pour down. Whenever it rains, the boats don’t run and so we were stuck in Masisea until the next boat was scheduled to come, around 4am Sunday. So we were able to spend a few more hours in Masisea, though most were spent watching and listening the rain come down. Boy, was I glad I brought my raincoat. That was a lifesaver for sure!
The hostal where we were staying for Friday (and eventually Saturday night) was right by the center of town, across the street from the plaza. And since no Peruvian home has sound-proof walls, we got to hear lots of different sounds Friday night. A bar/party was right behind the hostal, so I got to fall asleep to techno music. Also Peruvians like to have chickens and so that means there needs to be at least one rooster around as well, and since these particular roosters can’t tell time, they decide to do their cakadoodledoing at all hours of the night. I think the rooster at the hostal also had problems of some time because his cakadoodledoing sounded like he was dying each time Through Ansley and Carly, I had also heard of rats and other questionable creatures scurring around at night and wreaking havoc. I had a hard time sleeping because I would always wake up to little noises that sounded like rats could be in the room. I’m not a big fan of rats at all and so needless to say, none of us got much sleep, though when I think about it now, the whole situation was quite amusing!!
After the Sabbath sundown program, we played games with the local children for a little while, which was really fun! We had quite a number of children playing, but we had lots of spectators watching as well, observing our attempts at duck-duck-goose and other fun kid games. The children really looked like they were having fun and it was so great to see the smiles on their faces and be able to bring a spark to their life even if it was only for a little bit.
Being gone from the States for only a couple of weeks and all of us are already craving American food! BBQ chips, nachos, ice cream, chocolate, and pizza, just to name a few. It is quite a hot topic of conversation! Saturday we all got horrible cravings for junk food and so we hunted down a Peruvian style Seven-Eleven/gas station and stocked up on the Peruvian versions of junk food. I will have to get used to their brands of chips and other junk-like foods, but it’s possible. With the knowledge we would be having to leave around 4am to catch our boat back we headed off to bed early.
In order to get to the port, we had to get two motos, but by 4am we only had one, so Kaitlin, Kristin, Marjie, and I piled into one of the motos and followed Domingo (the Bible worker) and Brent who were both on Domingo´s motorcycle to the port. Since it had rained so hard the roads were very muddy and slow to navigate. Not too long into our drive, Brent had to switch over to our moto because he was too heavy and the motorcycle was fishtailing all over the place. So Marji went on the cycle. So the four of us left headed off into the darkness of the Papaya tree jungle. Our moto stopped at one of the villages close to the port. Since none of us really knew Spanish and it was still quite dark outside, it was definitely a sketchy situation. Luckily in a few minutes the rest of our group showed up, but by then we had to run to the port, which we found out was about 1 mile farther down the road. So in the early morning dark with only our headlamps to guide us, we speed walked to the port. Thankfully the boat was waiting for us and we were able to catch up on our sleep. This boat was much smaller, and the seats were long narrow boards, needless to say, we were all very excited to get off the boat and go home and get some sleep.
Huge prayer requests
I have a huge prayer request for this week. Actually a couple. First, we are having our first campaign starting on August 19, which will last for a week. Then two of our nurses will stay in the village for six weeks living with the people and trying to teach and educate the villagers about nutrition, hygiene, home improvement, etc. This is the first campaign so it’s going to be kind of crazy! This week, there is a dentist visiting who will be training Brent and I about administering anesthesia and pulling teeth. Please pray that the campaign will be a success and God will guide our hands and minds to treat the patients and villagers in the best way!
I have another huge prayer request. There is a good possibility that in the area where I’m living there will be a strike starting on August 20. This basically means that all life stops in Peru. No transportation anywhere, food bought or sold, no stores open, so pretty much nobody does anything. I don’t know all the politics involved with the strike or why it’s all happening, but the strike would not be a good thing for us. There was a strike at the end of June that lasted for about 10 days. Many of the Peruvians hadn’t prepared for the strike and they starved. It wasn’t a good situation for many of the Peruvians. The people who could afford to stock up were fine, but most Peruvians can’t afford to buy lots of rice ahead of time.
If there is a strike, we are not able to go anywhere or do anything. It is safest to stay at km 38 and hang out, waiting for the strike to end, which could possibly last for 30 days or so. The sad thing is if there is a strike, we will have to cancel the medical campaign and possibly the health campaign that the nurses would be doing. A lot of work has already been put into this campaign. Dentists and other volunteers are traveling down here to help out during this campaign and it would really be sad if it didn’t work out. So please pray for this situation, as we don’t really know for sure what is happening!! We are going to be stocking up on rice and beans and other basic essentials to be prepared in case the strike happens. It would definitely be a memorable adventure. So if you don’t hear from me for a while, it’s because of the strike. God knows what we can all handle and He will work out everything for the best!!
I have another huge prayer request. There is a good possibility that in the area where I’m living there will be a strike starting on August 20. This basically means that all life stops in Peru. No transportation anywhere, food bought or sold, no stores open, so pretty much nobody does anything. I don’t know all the politics involved with the strike or why it’s all happening, but the strike would not be a good thing for us. There was a strike at the end of June that lasted for about 10 days. Many of the Peruvians hadn’t prepared for the strike and they starved. It wasn’t a good situation for many of the Peruvians. The people who could afford to stock up were fine, but most Peruvians can’t afford to buy lots of rice ahead of time.
If there is a strike, we are not able to go anywhere or do anything. It is safest to stay at km 38 and hang out, waiting for the strike to end, which could possibly last for 30 days or so. The sad thing is if there is a strike, we will have to cancel the medical campaign and possibly the health campaign that the nurses would be doing. A lot of work has already been put into this campaign. Dentists and other volunteers are traveling down here to help out during this campaign and it would really be sad if it didn’t work out. So please pray for this situation, as we don’t really know for sure what is happening!! We are going to be stocking up on rice and beans and other basic essentials to be prepared in case the strike happens. It would definitely be a memorable adventure. So if you don’t hear from me for a while, it’s because of the strike. God knows what we can all handle and He will work out everything for the best!!
Wednesday, August 8, 2007
visit to the zoo
We visited the zoo and saw lots of pretty animals. We also became quite an attraction to the Peruvian visitors!!
The past and current Southern SM´s in Peru
Past are Carly and Ansley
Current are Emily, Kristin, Tara, Kaitlin, and Me
There is a guy too, but...definitely lots of girls!!
Mingling Cultures
Mingling Cultures
We have been so blessed to having some Adventist Peruvian workers living and working on the project with us. So while eating meals, there are always Spanish lessons. They are quite amused by our horrible attempts at learning their language. We are all learning, but it’s definitely going to take a while!! It has been really cool to see how everyone has been included in conversation, despite an obvious language barrier between most of us. Saturday night, we played some games and were able to convince the Peruvian workers to play with us despite having no translator and all us SM’s knowing little Spanish. Amazingly enough, we were all able to use the little Spanish we knew and hand motions to describe the games. The whole evening was quite hilarious and I can honestly say I haven’t laughed that hard in a while!!
We have been so blessed to having some Adventist Peruvian workers living and working on the project with us. So while eating meals, there are always Spanish lessons. They are quite amused by our horrible attempts at learning their language. We are all learning, but it’s definitely going to take a while!! It has been really cool to see how everyone has been included in conversation, despite an obvious language barrier between most of us. Saturday night, we played some games and were able to convince the Peruvian workers to play with us despite having no translator and all us SM’s knowing little Spanish. Amazingly enough, we were all able to use the little Spanish we knew and hand motions to describe the games. The whole evening was quite hilarious and I can honestly say I haven’t laughed that hard in a while!!
A Novelty
I absolutely love Peru! The Peruvians are amazing people. Just soo friendly and nice! Walking down the street in Pucallpa with four other American girls is quite a sight and the Peruvian men make sure we know it’s a wonderful sight for them to behold. The constant cat calls, whistles, and stares makes it all but impossible to blend in. We had an experience the other day which was quite amusing.
On Sunday, the group of us, which now consists of a guy as well, Brent from Andrews, took a trip to the Pucallpa Zoo. It was really great to see some of the beautiful animals that the Amazon has to offer, yet it was quite sad to see so many of them in really small cages. Many of the animals looked quite sad and scared, walking back and forth quite swiftly in kind of a nervous manner. The spotted jaguars had the most beautiful green eyes and I just wanted to cuddle up and pet them (though, at least on earth that wouldn’t be such a grand idea). The black panther also had some beautifully peersingly yellow eyes against his velvety black coat of fur. They are such beautiful creatures!! The monkeys were definitely the main attraction. Watching the spider monkeys crawl up and around the walls and ropes was so entertaining. While watching the monkeys “fly” around, the girl who had come along with us “gringos” to translate and show us around the area, told us that some of the local Peruvian girls at the zoo wanted to take a picture with all of us. Needless to say, we were all quite taken aback and amused by this idea. But not knowing what else to say, we went along and posed for quite a few pictures, as more and more Peruvians wanted to have their picture taken with us. None of us had taken a shower that morning because we had all been in a rush. With the humidity and walking around everywhere, we definitely didn’t look our best. So being the celebrities at a zoo was quite hilarious to us. Afterwards, we decided we should start charging money for each picture!! For the rest of the time there, we had quite an entourage of Peruvians, mostly children, following us and attempting to converse, though it was quite slow.
While, still at the zoo, we were interviewed on some TV show for Pucallpa about what we thought of the park and Pucallpa, so maybe I’ll be able to get a copy and post it! So the trip to the zoo was quite memorable for us!
On Sunday, the group of us, which now consists of a guy as well, Brent from Andrews, took a trip to the Pucallpa Zoo. It was really great to see some of the beautiful animals that the Amazon has to offer, yet it was quite sad to see so many of them in really small cages. Many of the animals looked quite sad and scared, walking back and forth quite swiftly in kind of a nervous manner. The spotted jaguars had the most beautiful green eyes and I just wanted to cuddle up and pet them (though, at least on earth that wouldn’t be such a grand idea). The black panther also had some beautifully peersingly yellow eyes against his velvety black coat of fur. They are such beautiful creatures!! The monkeys were definitely the main attraction. Watching the spider monkeys crawl up and around the walls and ropes was so entertaining. While watching the monkeys “fly” around, the girl who had come along with us “gringos” to translate and show us around the area, told us that some of the local Peruvian girls at the zoo wanted to take a picture with all of us. Needless to say, we were all quite taken aback and amused by this idea. But not knowing what else to say, we went along and posed for quite a few pictures, as more and more Peruvians wanted to have their picture taken with us. None of us had taken a shower that morning because we had all been in a rush. With the humidity and walking around everywhere, we definitely didn’t look our best. So being the celebrities at a zoo was quite hilarious to us. Afterwards, we decided we should start charging money for each picture!! For the rest of the time there, we had quite an entourage of Peruvians, mostly children, following us and attempting to converse, though it was quite slow.
While, still at the zoo, we were interviewed on some TV show for Pucallpa about what we thought of the park and Pucallpa, so maybe I’ll be able to get a copy and post it! So the trip to the zoo was quite memorable for us!
Too many wonderful surprises
Upon arriving at Km 38, which is the main site for construction and living for those involved with the project, I was really surprised as to how nice the house was we were to be living in for the next 10 months. The previous SM’s had been living in tents, taking bucket showers, using a hole in the ground as a bathroom, basically camping for a whole year. With this knowledge, I had planned to be living be rough for a while, at least a couple months until there was running water to have a shower. The five of us girls (all from Southern) were taken aback by how large the house was. The house consists of five bedrooms, each with two beds, and a kitchen. There is also a main eating/social area in the middle. The roof is made of tin (which is going to make those downpours of rain extra loud) and the floor is made of cement. The walls are all made of wood, hand chopped and cut from the jungle. Lots of sweat and hard work was put into our wonderful new place we call home! After getting a tour of the area, getting a run-down of the bucket shower process and checking out the bathroom situation, I quickly realize that taking a shower will take longer than normal and it might just be safer to not go to the bathroom at night because coming face to face with some creature staring at you in the middle of the night is not my idea of a good time, especially when you are half-asleep.
But God is amazing!! Less than 24 hours into our stay we are surprised with our first miracle. The Peruvian workers have been working hard laying water pipes and building the shower, but we had been told it would be at least another couple weeks or so. Somehow the men completed the shower by mid-morning. Some of the girls had already experienced a bucket shower earlier, but I was privileged to be the second person to take a “real” shower. It was a super amazing surprise! Then, by mid afternoon they have the toilet installed and we are able to use the bathroom in style, without after to squat over a maggot infested hole and having to walk though questionable territory (especially at odd hours of the night). Granted we had to pour water ourselves because the flush wasn’t working, but that’s not a big deal. I just couldn’t believe how amazing it was to be upgraded to a real shower and bathroom so quickly upon our arrival! So spoiled!!
By Friday, the Peruvian workers had set up a sink outside the house with running water and also a sink in the bathroom! And Friday afternoon, there was even running water in the kitchen sink. I just couldn’t believe how spoiled, but incredibly blessed we all were to be able to live pretty comfortably (minus the mosquitoes). God has blessed so much already!!
But God is amazing!! Less than 24 hours into our stay we are surprised with our first miracle. The Peruvian workers have been working hard laying water pipes and building the shower, but we had been told it would be at least another couple weeks or so. Somehow the men completed the shower by mid-morning. Some of the girls had already experienced a bucket shower earlier, but I was privileged to be the second person to take a “real” shower. It was a super amazing surprise! Then, by mid afternoon they have the toilet installed and we are able to use the bathroom in style, without after to squat over a maggot infested hole and having to walk though questionable territory (especially at odd hours of the night). Granted we had to pour water ourselves because the flush wasn’t working, but that’s not a big deal. I just couldn’t believe how amazing it was to be upgraded to a real shower and bathroom so quickly upon our arrival! So spoiled!!
By Friday, the Peruvian workers had set up a sink outside the house with running water and also a sink in the bathroom! And Friday afternoon, there was even running water in the kitchen sink. I just couldn’t believe how spoiled, but incredibly blessed we all were to be able to live pretty comfortably (minus the mosquitoes). God has blessed so much already!!
Friday, August 3, 2007
Well, I’m here safely in Peru, to be exact km 38 at the main house. The trip over went super smoothly and nobody lost luggage or anything. God really was with me throughout the whole flight over. I was stressed out because one of my suitcases was overweight and my carry-on was absolutely huge, but thankfully I had no problems on any of the flights. On our flight over to Pucallpa, the five of us girls had tons of luggage and totally went over the limits, but the airline didn’t even charge us, which is amazing!! God really watched over all of us.
My flight left at about 6am from Sacramento, CA and I flew to Houston, TX. I was able to catch up on some sleep, which I was very thankful. After getting to Houston, I met up with Kaitlin, who is another SM who will be teaching English. The layover in Houston was about 3 1/2 hrs. We then boarded the plane to Lima. The flight was about 6hrs, which seemed liked a long time for me. Since I don’t know hardly any Spanish (I can understand more than I speak) I had my first experience on this Peru trip with communicating with people who don’t know English. I sat next to a cute older lady who didn’t know any English and since I don’t really know Spanish, it was kind of awkward at first. Thankfully, the lady on the other side of me could translate, so I was given my first unofficial lesson in Spanish!
The flight over to Pucallpa was beautiful! We were able to see the Andes mountains, though there wasn’t much snow on the peaks. On the jungle side of the mountains, everything was soo green. So much water everywhere. The rivers slowly meander through the trees, it´s quite amazing!
Peru is a really beautiful place, though the cities I’ve been to so far have been quite dirty. I have had so much fun riding around Lima and Pucallpa just observing the people and their way of life.
Last night I was able to look up at the stars and see millions...We are right below the Milky Way and it is just breathtakingly beautiful. The sky is soo clear and I can just see forever!! I´m going to try to take a picture, but we´ll see.
My flight left at about 6am from Sacramento, CA and I flew to Houston, TX. I was able to catch up on some sleep, which I was very thankful. After getting to Houston, I met up with Kaitlin, who is another SM who will be teaching English. The layover in Houston was about 3 1/2 hrs. We then boarded the plane to Lima. The flight was about 6hrs, which seemed liked a long time for me. Since I don’t know hardly any Spanish (I can understand more than I speak) I had my first experience on this Peru trip with communicating with people who don’t know English. I sat next to a cute older lady who didn’t know any English and since I don’t really know Spanish, it was kind of awkward at first. Thankfully, the lady on the other side of me could translate, so I was given my first unofficial lesson in Spanish!
The flight over to Pucallpa was beautiful! We were able to see the Andes mountains, though there wasn’t much snow on the peaks. On the jungle side of the mountains, everything was soo green. So much water everywhere. The rivers slowly meander through the trees, it´s quite amazing!
Peru is a really beautiful place, though the cities I’ve been to so far have been quite dirty. I have had so much fun riding around Lima and Pucallpa just observing the people and their way of life.
Last night I was able to look up at the stars and see millions...We are right below the Milky Way and it is just breathtakingly beautiful. The sky is soo clear and I can just see forever!! I´m going to try to take a picture, but we´ll see.
Wednesday, August 1, 2007
I´m here!!
Just a quick note to say I´m here in Peru, safely. The trip over went so smooth, God really answered my prayers and even exceed my expectations!! well, gotta run!
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