Homework Assignment

So Tuesday and Wednesday afternoons I have blocks of music lessons. Recorder, flute, clarinet, and piano, oh my.

Well, I like to ask my kids what songs they like, and then learn them on their instrument. Today one of my students told me he didn't know what songs he liked. So I asked what type of music he listens to...and he doesn't listen to music. At least not intentionally. So I told him in broken Spanish, "your homework assignment is to go on the computer and find a song you like. Any song." And that I'd see him in a week.

I couldn't believe it at first, but it's actually pretty possible for the kids not to hear music unless someone else is playing it, or at church. It seems pretty unimaginable to me, and I'm always trying to find ways of making all sorts of music more accessible to the kids. Because I'm glad that there were so many people in my life who did that for me.

My 'Proud Mom' Moment

Yenni and her leaves!

On Sunday night, one of the girls here came up to Audrey and I in somewhat of a panic because she had to make a cake for school the next day. Her assignment was to bake a cake using some weird dried out leaves from Chile. She called it her "Experimental Cake" assignment...and I'm not even sure what class it was for.

Now, they rarely bake cakes here. Everyone pretty much buys cakes from the store because baking takes a lifetime in this altitude. But we were like...ok let's look up a cake recipe.

After gathering all the ingredients from various places, we were ready to begin. Because the leaves were dried, I knew we couldn't just through them into the batter. After I privately consulted the internet on baking "special" brownies, I got an idea!

We all worked together on it. Once the batter was finished, I was really worried about how this cake would taste. But once it was done cooking (6 years later), we tasted it and it was pretty good! On Monday, Yenni reported that her classmates LOVED the cake and all wanted to try it...and she got first place in her class! I felt so proud!

So because this cake went over so well, we all had to make 2 more cakes yesterday for further judging throughout the whole school...and I still don't understand what this is even for. But once she got the cakes to school, she learned that the judging won't commence until NEXT Wednesday, so Yenni made $5.90 selling the cake to her friends. I think we should start a business :)

Caballos!

Don't you want to sponsor this child?

What a weekend! Saturday I went with the kids to an intramural sporting event for children's homes in Arequipa. I watched our little boys play soccer, and I gotta admit, they were struggling at first. But with a little encouragement and continued direction from the older boys, they ended up winning the game! Julio didn't want to play so we hung out on the sidelines.

After teaching my Saturday lessons, the church had a goodbye party for Greg. We played a lot of games such as 'habla chancho', which involves wearing a blindfold and guessing who people are based on their animal impressions. Very fun. I got Greg on his bad impression of a guinea pig.

It kind of hit me this weekend that September is going to be a tough month. All of my Gringo besties are leaving me, and I'll have to rely on my Spanish more than ever. I was getting a little discouraged while praying about it outside, when one of my clarinet students happened to start practicing. He was learning a Simon and Garfunkel song, El Condor Pasa (If I could). It's actually a Peruvian folk tune that S&G adopted (that's my nice word for stole) and I'll be recording it with some of the older kids for Greg's documentary.

17 El Condor Pasa (If I Could).m4a


Anyway, listening to my student practice reminded me of why God brought me here in the first place. Not to become a Spanish-speaking all-star...although that would be nice (and I will admit I prayed one day to wake up the next morning with the ability of speaking Spanish fluently.) But I'm here to give the kids love and music lessons, and none of them have had the opportunity of learning clarinet before this! So listening to my student practice and learn a new song on his own reminded me to focus on victories from God, and not rely on my own strength.

Sunday after church, Audrey took all the girls horseback riding! It was beautiful riding throughout the countryside and just taking in God's creation. Although my horse was kind of a bully and kept biting other horses in the butt. What can I say? She wanted to be first, and I can appreciate that.

Volcanoes

So I recently found out that Arequipa is surrounded not by mountains, but volcanoes! Within the Andes Mountains there are quite a few volcanic zones (thanks wikipedia) and I'm living in one of them. Meet Misti, Arequipa's favorite volcano. Misti is inactive, and people climb it quite often. This is a photo I took on a bus tour of Arequipa.

Here's what Misti looks like from space. I took this photo on a space shuttle tour of the Milky Way:

Peru sometimes has earthquakes too. Arequipa experiences around 200 small tremors a day which can't be felt normally. (Unless you happen to be a trained earthquakeologist like me.) From a Wikipedia article on Arequipa: "Unfortunately the city was built on a very earthquake prone area, and was completely destroyed by earthquakes and volcanic eruptions during the 1600s."

Honestly, I'm just glad I didn't decide to time travel before my visit. Because that would have been rough.

In other news, I went to a bunch of really cool art galleries today. There's a guy living at New Hope who's currently getting an Art degree in college, so he took me to some cool places. My favorite was a gallery full of paintings by a Peruvian artists who has visited the US a few times, which you could see in some of his works. There was one of the San Francisco bridge, which is fitting because there's a San Francisco area in Arequipa. I wish I could find more links online to his paintings because they're gorgeous. All the ones in the exhibit were of this style.

Tomorrow, the girls are going horseback riding! I'm pretty excited about it. And fortunately, I recently bought a pair of gray boots that I'm pretty sure will go perfectly with a horse.

Babies

Audrey: "you can totally buy babies on iTunes!"
Laura: "what?!?"
A: "...the movie!"

I heard this is a really good movie. And while actual babies can't be purchased on iTunes yet, here's to hoping.

Cake!

Good news: My health is improving and chicken is back in my life! Peru is making a meat-eater out of me...I even had some pork today. I don't know who I am anymore!

A music update: I have about 15 recorder students, 2 clarinet students, and 3 flute students. There's also a boy who wants to learn trombone...go figure...so I'll have to learn to teach that. It's so amazing to see how excited the kids are for their lessons! I hear them running across the yard, up the steps, and by the time they get to the music room they're out of breath. I tease them that they need air to play their instruments. I love that they have something different and exciting to look forward to each week. And I like to think that with time, music will help the kids continue to heal and empower them. I just love them!

So I went to Lima from Monday-Thursday this week with my friend, Audrey. The 16-hour bus ride was surprisingly really nice, and we had beautiful weather. One great thing about the trip was I got to spend time in another Children's Home in Lima. The kids there were so great, and younger in general than at New Hope. I also spent some time at the beach, ate at Chili's and Starbucks, and did some shopping!

My birthday was wonderful. I love the way they celebrate birthdays here. They normally throw a party with tons of snacks and cake. The kids play games, sing songs, and share about one another. I was lucky enough to have a translator, and I was really encouraged to actually understand what the kids were sharing! It really help me feel like I'm making an impact here. Here's a picture with 2 of the girls, Luz Yenni and Gladys:


Then at cake time, I was told I got to take the 'first bite'. Little did I know that the first bite was a chance for my face to get shoved into a cake. I loved it!


Today I celebrated my birthday with the disciples at the Arequipa Church of Christ, and I got another delicious cake but with a fork this time. :) It's really encouraging having a strong spiritual family here, and I'm getting better and better at communicating with them!

Fun Times, Sick Times

On Monday Emily and I took the girls swimming at an indoor pool. It was only 3 soles a girl, and we spent several hours there. I taught a bunch of the younger girls how to swim, how to float on their back, and even some synchronized swimming moves! They loved it.

The next day, I had my first Spanish lesson at a coffee shop in town. Oh how I miss going to coffee shops. They're actually a little more expensive than at home (go figure) so it's probably a good thing there aren't any close to where I'm living. As soon as I got back to the home, I got a phone call from a friend who just had her civil wedding in court! It was truly a blessing that everything went through with the paperwork, since she is from the US and married a Peruvian. I met up with them in town for a celebratory lunch, and I'll be playing at their 'US' ceremony on Saturday.

Tuesday evening, we took the older boys and some of the girls to the 'mechanical rides'. These are basically your standard fair-ground rides, however everything is a little more sketchy. As in...Emily told me that on one of the rides she was on, the bar came unlocked for a few seconds until they pulled it back in place. Yikes! Everyone is alive, I'm happy to report.

When I got home I started feeling feverish and had an upset stomach. That continued all day yesterday, and my fever finally broke in the afternoon. I slept all day yesterday. I've had a terrible headache this entire time however, and no amount of medicine seems to be helping. It really stinks because I've basically been incapacitated, and unable to spend time with the kids. I told them this morning at breakfast that I've been "mal", so I hope they understand that's why I haven't been around.

If I'm not feeling better by noon I'm going to the hospital. Don't freak out though...hospital here is basically like going to the actual doctor's. Last time I was sick I went to the neighborhood health clinic, which is fine when you know what's wrong with you.

The main thing that worries me is the food here. I'm not sick because of the food, but it's hard for me to get energy from it. They don't eat beans here (I still can't figure out why) so getting protein has been tough. I've thought about eating meat (stop smiling Steve) but the quality of meat they eat here is awful, and it would probably make me feel worse. I don't know what I'm going to do...I do know it's time I start buying some of my own food.

This little piggy went to the market...

....and I saw all of its internal organs.

Some days I'm so glad I'm a vegetarian. Today was one of them. I went with a group of girls to the open market, where you can get just about any food available in Peru and pretty much anything else. I saw cow tongue, pig livers, intestines, some animal's heart, sheep heads, and blood...everywhere. At one point I realized I was walking around on a slippery floor that had animal blood all over it, I was wearing flip flops with no traction, and good jeans that I didn't want to get blood on. Luckily I didn't slip.

I also am very grateful I am living under the new covenant. That I don't need to make animal sacrifices and be sanctified by their blood...because I have already been cleansed by the blood of Jesus through my baptism. Sometimes you just need some animal blood in your life to appreciate these things.

Psalm 96:1-4

Sing to the LORD a new song;
sing to the LORD, all the earth.
Sing to the LORD, praise his name;
proclaim his salvation day after day.
Declare his glory among the nations,
his marvelous deeds among all peoples.
For great is the LORD and most worthy of praise;
he is to be feared above all gods.

PS. The young kids here memorized that scripture in about 15 minutes. CONVICTED.

A kiss from God

So I've been feeling pretty sick lately, and yesterday I went to the doctor to get some medications. I'm pretty sure I have a sinus infection, so I was able to get some antibiotics, cough syrup, and pills to help with all the mucus. Yum!

The doctors here are funny. They tell you things like, "always wear socks" and "drink lukewarm water" and "don't shower for 5 days." I was like, excuse me? I may be sick but I don't want to be smelly. So I woke up this morning feeling a lot better, and I decided to try and take a shower. Oh my goodness, it was the best shower I've ever had. All the showers I've had here so far have been cold to lukewarm. My shower this morning was HOT.

It's amazing how a hot shower here can be so encouraging - something I've always taken for granted in the States. I felt so loved by God from a simple shower! Anyway, I'm thinking about how I'll come home in 3 months and get used to hot showers again. I don't want to take things for granted...so I'm thinking about ways to appreciate all the gifts I have at home. I really am so blessed.

Ropa Nueva y Chivay

The past week has been crazy busy!

Last Monday, I was assigned the task of redecorating the music room here. I was so excited about a fun project. So a few of us went to a place similar to Home Depot and bought some paint which I got to pick out. Monday - Thursday were spent cleaning, sanding, painting, painting, and painting. Girls here usually don't do this kind of manual labor, so I got some interesting looks at first. At this point the painting is mostly finished, although we're going to do a small music-themed mural on one wall. One of the older guys here is an amazing artist, so I've already solicited his help. :)

Another thing I did last week with the other 2 gringas, Emily and Audrey, was pass out new clothes to the little boys. I've never seen little boys so excited about clothes, but considering what they have, it makes sense here. A lot of their stuff was old, ripped, or didn't fit properly. The littlest boys found some high heels and they were running around in them. As much as they wanted to keep them, we put our foot down (pun intended) and said, "No, para un mujer!" or something like that...

Friday-Sunday, ten of us went on a bus trip to a town called Chivay. It was amazing. We rode through the mountains, winding and weaving, up and down through the Andes. We went to Colca Canyon, which is TWICE as deep as the Grand Canyon. There, huge birds called Condors fly around looking for dead stuff to eat (yum!). And when I say huge birds, I'm talking about birds with a larger wing span than any other bird. They are truly magnificent. So after the Canyon and a nice long nap, we saw some traditional Peruvian dancing and music. The ladies in Chivay wear like 6 skirts at a time and really heavy socks, sparkly hats, and blankets. It's really cold there right now.

After making it home safe from Chivay, I was able to go to the evening service at the church here. I was feeling particularly discouraged because I was tired and sick, and I couldn't understand the message. It's been hard not being able to really communicate with the older kids, and especially hard not understanding the messages in church. So when the group of us who went to Chivay were asked to come up and talk about our trip, I cried a little. In front of the whole church. It was embarrassing, but I think God used it to open up a few doors, because I had a translator who told the kids why it was hard for me. And I think the older ones get that I really do want to talk to them...and I'm working on getting better at it.

On a more encouraging front, some of the interns including myself took the 8 little boys to see Shrek Monday night. It was amazing. They were so excited because they rarely get to see movies in the theaters, and we also got them ice cream and pop corn! Watching Shrek in Spanish was hilarious, and actually pretty easy to follow.

I've had a pretty rough cold for the past 5 days so I'm going to the doctor today. Apparently it's about 11 soles for the visit and medicine...I think I can handle that. I'll let you know when I'm feeling better.

Nueva Esperanza

Well it's been a few days since I got in safe and sound. I made it into Arequipa around 8am after very little sleep, and after 2 days of lots of naps and recovering it's been wonderful here. I was overwhelmed at first by the reality of not being able to speak much with the kids, which was hard. But after getting to know them they've taught me a lot of Spanish, and I can help them with their English homework too!

I'm still figuring out exactly how I'll be helping here, but I hope to give some of the kids music lessons on flute, clarinet and guitar. I've also been helping the older girls make meals, and they'd like me to introduce some American dishes and more vegetables. Spaghetti with marinara sauce is the first thing I'll show them, then I thought about making pizzas with the girls. Apparently they love American food, so give me your suggestions! Also, everything here is made from "scratch", so some meals take a couple hours to prepare. Some yummy dishes I've had so far include:

-Steamed rice milk with sugar (every breakfast)
-Potato and chicken stew (minus the chicken for me). The sauce was made of fried onions, peppers, fried peanuts, and soaked bread - all combined in a blender
-Papas fritas! They often eat them with hot dogs, and no ketchup

I need to start consuming more fruits and vegetables, my body misses fiber if you know what I mean.

I'm sharing a room with a girl named Emily from London, and she'll be here a month. She's mostly helping with the little boys, whom I often visit because they are adorable and fun. Yesterday Emily and I toured the city of Arequipa with two of the older boys, and they showed us a lot of the older buildings with beautiful architecture. Arequipa is known as the White City because they're racist. JK. Actually, a lot of the traditional architecture is made of stone from volcanoes (I think) that's turned white. We saw a lot of beautiful stuff and tried frozen cheese. It's actually just ice cream made of milk and sugar.

Today Emily and I went to the beach! We took a 3 hour bus trip to Camana, where we saw some interesting characters, including a man who had a prosthetic leg. He was making announcements up and down the bus advertising his 'fake leg', which people could touch for 25 cents! When we got off the bus, we had to take a mototaxi to the beach, which is basically a motorcycle with two seats attached to the back. La Punta was the most desolate beach I've ever seen in my life. So after about an hour at the beach, we decided to head back to grab some food before our bus trip home. A dog followed us for a bit (there are tons of strays here), but I fended him off with a cardboard-tasting granola bar. Poor thing. We finally made it in one piece, which was good, because we were riding through the mountains the whole time so there were a lot of treacherous twists and turns.

Tomorrow is church!

My 3 Month Adventure

If you're reading this, then you probably know that on Tuesday July 6th, I'll be leaving Philadelphia to volunteer at a children's home located in Arequipa, Peru. The home is called New Hope (Nueva Esperanza), which is where I'll be living for three months. I'm going to be helping with the music program there, teaching instrumental music and helping with a church choir.

I graduated two years ago from Temple University's music program, and have been thinking a lot about my next step. I've been looking and praying for an opportunity to combine my love for music and helping people. I've learned that New Hope has some clarinets and a flute, which is great news for me! I've collected lots of music books to take with me to Peru, so thank you to all who have donated your used books.

I'm looking forward to learning Spanish and embracing a completely new culture and exploring an amazing city. I'd love to hear from you, so please Skype me or email me if you get a chance. But most importantly, I need your prayers. I really feel blessed to be able to embark on this journey, and God has provided for me in so many ways. But I know that some days will be hard and I'll miss my family and friends so much. Luckily some of my financial burdens have been lifted, as I've found someone to sublet my room for 2 months and I can live at the children's home free of cost. But a huge leap of faith for me was quitting my job here in hopes of following my passion for music.

I thank you in advance for your support in prayers, encouraging letters, and words of advice. If you feel so inclined to support me financially, I'd appreciate that as well. You can do so HERE. This is the only time I'll be posting a link to donate to me personally. In the future I'll give you more details about supporting New Hope and the kids living there.

Please keep me updated on happenings in Philly and the US! I will sorely miss bible talks in Clark Park, Balkan dance parties at the Tritone, Sunday afternoon lunches after church, and all of your faces. Thank you for being part of my Peruvian life as I'm away. I look forward to giving you an in-person update in three months.

Hasta luego.