Dearest readers,
I'm really sad to tell you that this will be another photo-less post. I know, I know. I promised more photos so I could keep you entertained. Truth is, I haven't taken many pictures. It's not that I don't want to, but it's not smart to carry valuables to some of the places I want to take pictures at. One day, I promise I'll brave up and do it. Until then, I'll tell ya about what I'm doing now, since people at home are curious! The best way to get everything in is probably to just go down through the week. So, if you're interested, follow me through a typical week!
Sunday-- I wake up at like 8:30, eat breakfast, find clothes, and facebook chat with my mom for about 2 minutes, then Melissa and I catch a bus to Barranco, an area of Lima about 15 minutes from our house. Muy cerca. Sunday school starts at 10:30ish. We're usually 5-10 min late. No worries though, so is everyone else. I love this culture for that! Anywho, Sunday school usually goes til 11:40ish, and then church starts around 12. It lasts til 2. Yep, that's right. TWO hours. But I love it. Our worship songs are verses out of the Bible, like verbatim, set to music. Last week we sang Psalm 95, 97, and Revelation 15. Love it. We sometimes eat lunch at church for 5 soles, but not always. However, we always get cremoladas on the walk back to the bus.. These are like creme slushes basically, and just 2 soles (that's 66 cents!). Soo yummy. Then we come home. I usually take a lil nap or read. Then we have class from 6-8, and hang out til about 9. That makes for a full day!
Monday-- Mondays are planning days, or atleast I try to make them that. I try to get things planned for my classes on Wednesday and Thursday. Something always seems to come up on Mondays. Either visiting someone or getting lunch with someone, but both are always fine with me! At 5 we get ready to take the S bus to San Miguel to work with some translators (keep a lookout for a blog about the buses here). Our friend Arturo has started a "Christian Interpreters Club" at his church, Calvary Chapel, and we go to be the native speakers that correct and perfect their English. We sit in circles of 4 or less and take turns reading passages of Scripture in English and translating it to Spanish, and vice versa. This is always fun. And they usually make me translate too, so I get to practice some Spanish.
Tuesday-- Tuesdays are my Sabbath. It's the one day I have no where to be all day. Usually I still have some planning to do, but then I can read and blog and cook and do whatever I want really. Melissa and I do have our team time on Tuesdays, and we usually go to the market after that. But that's about all that's consistent and worth talking about for Tuesdays. If you ever want to skype or something, this would be the day!
Wednesday-- Wednesdays are my full days. I get up and get ready to go downtown. I catch my bus at 9:05ish to go downtown. It takes about 30-35 minutes on the bus to get downtown, then I jet down two blocks and get to the orphanage/school that I'm teaching English at. I say I jet down two blocks because I definitely stand out downtown, and I don't want to risk getting robbed or anything just because people think that I have money just because I'm white. So I get to the school, ring the doorbell, and the fun begins. Wednesdays I teach 1st and 2nd grade English. These kids have or have had difficult living situations, so they all want love and attention. They're all a mess, but all so super sweet (watch, they'll be crazy tomorrow since I'm bragging on them now). I've only been twice so far, but I love this. I'm teaching from 9:50-1, all a mixture of broken Spanish and English they don't understand. As the weeks go on, I'll write about days here. At 1 I jet back down 2 blocks and go to a mall. I have been buying a drink in Starbucks and sitting there reading and looking up stuff on my iPod until 5. At 5 I go about a block away and meet Melissa as well as Gina and Quentin Roberts. Quentin and Gina are missionaries in downtown Lima, and we help them with English here. I teach a group of about 5-8 adults basic English. It's so fun because they actually listen!! It's great! We finish there at 8, and we leave immediately. Again, this part of town isn't very safe, especially after dark. Quentin and Gina are very good about getting everyone out by 8 in order to get home safely. We usually get back about 9 and eat something & then I retire to my room.
Thursday-- Thursdays aren't quite as busy as Wednesdays, but still full. I go downtown to the orphanage/school to teach 3rd and 4th grade. These kids listen better than the younger ones, usually. It's nice. When I finish at 1, I take a bus back home. I usually take a nap and work on some planning stuff. We have translation class at our house from 6-8. And then we hang out for a little bit and then back to my room!
Friday-- Fridays are always different and fun. We wake up, either visit people, or spend the mornings reading or doing whatever around the house, then we meet our friend Santiago for lunch. Then the 3 of us take a bus to Pamplona Alta. Pamplona started out as a shanty town, but now it's HUGE. A couple thousand people living in what most Americans would call huts. Oh yeah, it smells like pigs and pig poo too. But these people are (mostly) happy. Yeah they all have their struggles, but they are unstained from the greed and ignorance that most of us live in. The children there are ecstatic for a coloring sheet to color, not for an iPod or cell phone. Although their living conditions aren't necessarily the best, they don't know any better and are just as happy and joyful there as most of us are in the US, sitting in our houses of fortunes. In Pamplona we have Bible study with several ladies, and it's always really good. Santiago likes to put me on the spot and ask me to pray in Spanish. It drives me CRAZY, but I have to remember that it's for the Lord and that with him all things are possible, even my broken Spanish. We then take the hour long bus ride back to our area of town and find something to do with the rest of our afternoon/evening (it's usually around 5:30 or 6 when we get back).
Saturday-- Saturdays are my days to teach! Saturday morning is devoted to finding college football, and hoping that some online station is showing the Vols. I also do a lot of planning for our Saturday afternoon conversation class. These classes are really laid back and we just have a topic that we try to get everyone to discuss. It's a big fellowship time basically. Then we sometimes go out with our students after class, or just have a night in. Either or.
I'm sorry if I bored you with that book I just wrote. I just thought some of you would like to know where you're money is going! Every week is different, and things change a lot, but you have some idea now. I promise next time to take pictures and make things more interesting! Thank you for reading!
