Things I miss...

I've been here just over a month and I have decided that in the spirit of thanksgiving, I'll write about things I didn't realize I should have been grateful for. Let me preface by saying I am not complaining. Really! 

Here goes, "Things I Miss" in no particular order: 

10. Showers. Here in Chulucanas, we are in a drought. This also means we don't have running water most of the day. We have these big buckets full of water in the bathrooms and we take bucket baths. Sometime in the early morning (when it's way too early for me to wake up) we get water and Sr. Vivi refills the buckets. And hot water? Yeah that doesn't happen here....

9. Air conditioning. I know, what did I expect?! It's really only bad from about 10am-5pm. Here in Chulucanas, the temp hovers around 90 degrees most days. It's dry. And there is a lot of dust in the air. I rarely leave the house between theese hours. Not that it's any better in the house. I typically sit in these rockers in the shade and dream of Huarmaca days...they tell me it's much cooler there! The plus side to this...I really don't miss hot showers ;) 

8. Normal speed internet. How many failed face times? Skypes? And let's not even talk about how long it takes to load my facebook page! It seems to be significantly worse the more people that are using the signal. But even when it's just me, it is soooo slow!

7. TV guide. Ok don't laugh. I'm trying to learn the language here. Do you know how useful it is to watch tv in Spanish? Just watch tv on the internet, you say? Right, please refer to #8. I really don't enjoy watching tv too much. I like watching movies. Either way, if I could just read the guide, I could decide what looked halfway interesting. Alas, I have just stuck with our tele novela "La Guerrera" which airs nightly at 9pm. Asi es la vida. 

6. Church hymns I know. First of all, I love that they sing so much in church here. Even daily masses, they always sing. The difference is that none of the churches have hymnals in the pews. I suppose the people would probably take them home? They tend to sing the same songs, and therefore everyone knows them by heart and doesn't need a hymnal. Except me. 

5. Piano. I could probably learn the songs if I had a piano and could play them and practice. Most churches back home have pianos and I would have no shame going to the church to practice. I haven't seen a piano in a church here yet. Even in Spain I had a piano. Although I am not a super pianist, I really do love music and I miss my piano. Maybe I'll find a nice house when I come home and get my piano back. That would make me so happy :) 

4. Spinach. I think there is very little nutritional value or flavor in iceberg lettuce. But that is the leafy green of choice here. I haven't seen spinach yet. Maybe it's iron I'm craving?? I just know that a big spinach salad has sounded sooo good for the last few weeks. 

3. Completely contrary to what I just said, beer and pizza. Need I really explain myself? 

2. Cherry coke. I really am not a pop drinker. But it seems the main options here are Inca Cola (a sort of cream soda flavored gaseosa), Coke, Coke Zero, or 7Up. You don't find the million varieties of vanilla, cherry, cherry vanilla, etc. here. It's best that I don't drink it. But on these hot afternoons, I've found myself dreaming of cherry coke more than once!

1. And since I decided to countdown from 10, I suppose I should finish it off. On a slightly different note, I miss me. I met with one of the sisters of Mercy, who is also an American, today. Sharing my feelings with her was such a blessing. Sometimes I feel like I shouldn't be here, I'll never learn the language, I don't know anyone, etc. She shared that she also had those same feelings when she came. Just as a grain of wheat must die to produce much fruit, let me be humbled here. Do not be afraid. Me. It is so hard to express my feelings in Spanish and I feel like the Anna everyone is seeing isn't really me. Maybe a mix of culture shock and missing family and friends. Don't get all excited yet..I'm not coming home yet! Just wishing I felt like I'm where I belong. God brought me here, He'll bring me through it!

Ok, enough mushy! Of all the stuff I miss, I really am grateful for this opportunity to be here and the kind sisters that I am able to live with. And, there is some really great food here that you can't find in the states, so I shouldn't complain! I'll probably find myself missing parts of Peru once I'm back home! Much simpler life here, and that is something I can continue forever. 

Catching up: Chulucanas, Piura, Ordination

Total bummer....my first app fail on the ipad. I had two posts all ready to upload but internet was going suuuper slow. So, I (get ready for genius move here) deleted the app and re-downloaded it. This bright move also deleted the drafts. So now, I will make one really long post and probably not be as detailed. Sad face. 

I don't remember the date for this, but Sr. Jospeha and i went for a little hike up a "mountain". Chulucanas is a valley kind of.... It's got lots of big hills around it. Some of the hills are close, but most are more mountain-like and far away. Anyway, it took us all of 20minutes from our front door to the top of this hill. Here I am looking over the river that no longer exists. Yep, dried up, looking at a sandy riverbed. 

Classic Sr. Josepha pose: 

This one makes me laugh. It makes it look like a really technical climb. I had come down to take Sister's pic and was trying to go back up. Seriously, wasn't that steep, just loose dirt. I should have just run up, but I did it nice and slow and made it super difficult. Not a mountain climber I guess? But, I do love them!

Made it! The star and lights on the letters are just there for Christmas. This is the Hollywood of Chulucanas sign!

Afterwards, Sr. Jo treated us to a few too many scoops of ice cream..Dessert first, lunch came later ;)

Dec. 9th-The day after the feast of the Immaculate Conception, I made a day trip to Piura. It's a big city an hour long bus trip away from Chulucanas. I just go to the city center here in Chulucanas and pay 4 sols to board a bus, then I sit and wait till the bus fills up. Once it's full, it goes to Piura. All day long, people just coming and going. I mostly just walked around Piura. It's a big enough city that I didn't want to wander around too much and get lost. I stuck to the same streets, saw the local street market, a few big shopping centers, the bridge and then I headed back home. 

This here is the cathedral in PIura: 

When I got home, we walked a block down the street to this youth event with our bishop, Monsignor Daniel. Around a hundred kids aged 10-14 ish showed up. We sang P&W, heard some vocational testimonies, had Monsignor give a short talk, and had a light dinner. I thought it was really nice. Made me miss my TEC days...

Monsignor Daniel is originally from Chicago but has lived here over 40 years. He is so loved by the people and such a joyful person himself. Every time I see him he always greets me so kindly, you'd never know I've only met him a few times. So blessed to have him here. 

Thursday afternoon Sr. Jo and I decided to spend our afternoon at the public pool. We were pretty popular. According to these boys pictured especially....here I caught a pic of them all staring at us. All. Day. Long. We played with them and talked with them. They all wanted to know where the gringas were from, how old we were, what we were doing there, etc. You'd think after a few hours they'd stop staring. Nope. After this pic, I went and had a talk with them about how they shouldn't stare and laugh at people. I told them in my country it wasn't very nice. They tried to act like it was normal to stare here, but I finally got out of them that we were fun to watch bc we were different, the "gringas". They eventually left, but I wouldn't be surprised if I was the first white girl they'd seen or Sr. Jo the first black girl, or maybe the 2 of us together was quite something. oh well! It was a very nice day none the less! 

5:00 am Friday morning, the feast day of our Lady of Guadalupe, we left the house the board our bus for the 4 hour trip to Chiclayo. Monsenor Rovert F. Prevost, orginally from the states I believe, was ordained bishop of the diocese of Chiclayo yesterday. It was a standing room only Mass that was over 2 hours long. But, I'm really glad I was able to go. 

In the back of the church was this huge replica of Our Lady of Guadalupe. All those flowers from the people on her special day. Also, the bishop specifically requested to be ordained on this day. Cool!

The newly ordained bishop is somewhere in this crowd of people. He actually had a group of about 10 young men in a circle around him to protect him. I could be mistaken, but I don't think we had to get a security team for any of our bishops in Kansas.*Cultural differences*

After Mass, Sr. Vivi, Josepha and I went out for lunch with a few priests and seminarians from Huarmaca (where we'll soon be going). We got back on the bus at 4 and made it home by 9pm. A long, full day. But all part of the fun! 

Killing time just before the ordination. Love my coffee! (even if it is mostly milk!)

Just a few more days till Sr. Saane returns and we head up to Huarmaca. I'm ready to get this show on the road!!

More pics from Cajamarca!

Sr. Josepha took some pics in Cajamarca and I just got them off her camera. So in case the 20+ I uploaded last time weren't enough, here are some more!

Me and Sr. Vivi at the Plaza de las Armas

The whole group, minus Sr. Vivi:

Me and Sr. Josepha in an old monastery/church/hospital de Belen: 

All those steps..to the chapel and the view at the top!

On our way down! 

Lazy Sunday afternoon update....

This is Chulucanas, Peru. Famous for ceramics, key limes, and mangoes. 

I've been here since November 20th. Hot and dry. Dog days of summer... ;)

Our dog Bobby