Slap my wrist and put me on the naughty list...

I'm a terrible terrible person who hasn't updated her blog in oh I dont know...just about forever.

Quick update, and my make-up gift:

First, I'm currently writing this from my US home in Denver where I will be until January 2nd. Hooray for being home for the Holidays! I made it safely and look forward to my time here!

Second, because I've been a crappy blogger, I'm sharing my Christmas video I just made of my family's christmas party tonight. Enjoy the out of control-ness of my family!

Merry Christmas and I will (hopefully) update you more soon!

Plagiarism...

isn't technically plagiarism if you give due credit.

So...in order to give you all an idea of what kinds of fun exploration activities I have taken part in lately, I present to you:

Julie Roger's Blog post about going the the Chacra!
(click above to see the original post)

several, several weeks ago now Gillian and I were invited to visit the chacra. what is the chakra you are now asking yourself? well... a chacra is more or less a family farm. our friends Omar and Jamesson invited us to visit the chacra for a day. they are brothers, although... unless i had been told i would have never guessed, they are very very different both in personality and in physical appearance in my opinion. but, they both take classes at SALI and are both an incredible amount of hilarious fun to hang out with. they have an uncle who owns a farm, about two hours ish away from Trujillo. so.. one saturday gillian and i prepared for a visit to the farm... chickens and cows and hay here we come? no. not so much. haha i think that mostly the farm is made of rice fields, although... i am no expert on what blade of grass is different from another... so there maybe be much much more there, and i also heard jamesson tell us that they have avocado trees somewhere... so our future holds fresh guacamole! (gillian and heather make amazing guac)

the day at the farm was wonderful, to say the least. we went with omar, jamesson, and their uncle, who may be 50( or+..) but he definitely has the heart of a 20 year old. it was fun just to watch them all interact together. the view on the way there was beautiful... mountains and towns and flowers and people and lake and... just everything. here are some pictures, i hope you enjoy:

to me this is a perfect picture of the personalities of omar, jamesson and their tio (uncle) they like to joke around a lot, and make everyone laugh.

yes, yes this lady is crocheting along the road. she is awesome.

omar thought we were taking a serious picture....

there was mud... everywhere... and of course by the end of the day we all had mud all over ourselves either by accident, or on purpose because they guys thought it was funny to throw it. okay maybe gillian and i joined in. there wasnt anyone else around! we could act like kids! the funniest part is a story that their uncle told one of this friends when we arrived back in town about why we came back dirty. he told his friend...You wanna know what happened? i came with four girls... and the two peruvians girls fell in the mud! (both jamesson and omar fell into the mud.. gillian and i were a little more graceful)
rice fields... yes they really were that green. they were beautiful
in peru its common to see more than one person on a one person bike... it doesnt look that comfortable but we see people on the streets of trujillo all the time like this. so... there was a bike at the farm.. and gillian and i gave it a try... i think we laughed more than we moved anywhere. and yes, it was uncomfortable. especially on a dirt road.

(thanks for writing this Julie...now I can go actually work on lesson plans)

I'm thankful forrrr......

This Thanksgiving will be the second that I've spent in Peru. It's still a little difficult to be away from Family, but I am very thankful to have my community down here on the mission field with me. The Peru Mission really does a fantastic job of holding up our gluttonous feasting traditions even though we're south of the equator. Tomorrow can only be described, and has been described as a Thanksgiving Smorgasbord, with everyone on the team bringing their Thanksgiving specialties, it's a giant recipe for people to give thanks, share in tradition, and to fight food comas.

I greatly look forward to it.

So what with today being Thanksgiving Eve and all, I did what any 23 year old missionary intern ESL teacher would do. I taught.

This month I am teaching a Basic 5 class (i.e. the English babies), an intermediate 4 class (i.e. the awkward English 8th graders), and an intermediate 8 class (i.e. the I am English 16 going on English 17 year olds.) I love all of my classes. They all have such unique personalities and it's a joy to teach all of them.

Today, my basic 5 class was really fun. My 4 students are currently learning how to give personal information, for example- My name is....My brother's name is...etc. (Basic right?) So in order to practice talking about other people's families (His brother is... her mother's name is...etc) We constructed family trees for each other on the white board using some amazing clip art stick figures and sticky tack. Some of the pictures are below.

Vanessa is hard at work on Sara's Family tree

Too bad my students are so stinking awesome.

Miscellaneous...

I'm not really sure that I'm starting out with the purpose of going anywhere specific with this post.

But just to give a little snippet of an update:

Things are going well here, Summer is definitely on its way to Trujillo with the sun blinding me through my apartment window as I type this very entry.

Thanksgiving is officially 14 days away, which means that in precisely 12 days, I will cease all food consumption in order to make room for the massive blowout of food that is coming my way with Peru Mission's annual thanksgiving dinner. (seriously. it's out of control)

I may or may not be going Sandboarding this saturday...more to follow.

Music ministry is going well, and there is some talks of a group from the US coming down sometime next year to help out with it (I'm definitely praying that comes to be)

My wonderful students are almost finished with their Int. 3 cycle, and are doing so very well that one can't help but be proud and amazed.

I went to a Peruvian Amusement park this past week. It's most definitely as sketchy as it sounds and I have bruises from the "safety" equipment...however, I would go back there everyday if I could because it was just so much fun.

And last but not least. Today is my Brother's 29th Birthday (HA) and I can't give him a gift in Person, but I just want him to know that sometimes when life isn't going your way....just remember that

Nobody's Perfect

Happy Birthday to my Brother, the guy who's closest to being perfect without actually being perfect...at all.

Election facebook status updates over. (Praise the Lord)

On with Life...
One of biggest parts of my life down here in Peru has been the Larco Parish Church. (note the website is a little outdated, we have a roof now and have had for more than a year and half) Out of the current three parish churches that Peru Mission has, this is my Peruvian home church. Since the beginning of my time here, I've been attending Larco, been a part of the Grupo De Jovenes (youth group) as well as participated with the music on Sunday and a few Bible studies throughout. This church has been so amazing to be a part of and to watch God working through the people to see the growth of this congregation and its programs, and to see their sense of community as they said goodbye to one pastor and openly received another pastor, began new bible studies, came together to help more in the community and see the desire to be a stronger church flourish among the people.

One of the ways that the church has seen growth has been in the addition of new members and the development of future leaders in the church as well. Here's the latest edition of the Peru Mission Newsletter that speaks about the new Deacon's program in the church:

Training Future Deacons

The Son of Man did not come to be deaconed but to be a deacon and give his life for a ransom for many. Mark 10:45

The key to Peru Mission’s long-term goals is attaining godly, male, indigenous leadership in our parish communities. Jesus Christ himself serves as our model for healthy church leaders. Everywhere he went Jesus preached and portrayed the good news, loving sinners both in word and in deed. Following this divine example, it is our hope that the kingdom of God will expand as we preach and portray the gospel in our communities. It is noteworthy that the New Testament has preserved the importance of words and deeds in the offices of elder and deacon. Jesus is our deacon (Romans 15:8) and chief shepherd (1 Peter 5:4). Both offices are rooted in the person of Jesus, and both offices are essential for the life and mission of the church.

We have been praying for many years that God would raise up a new generation of Peruvian leaders, and we are beginning to see the answer to our prayers at the Larco Church. There are literally dozens of young, capable men waiting to be trained. Taking advantage of this opportunity, the leadership at Larco Church launched a ten-week deacons’ course last month. At our first meeting we had thirteen eager men ready to learn what it means to be a deacon.

God has also been adding new members to the Larco congregation. With this new growth come new challenges. Pastor Jaime and the elders are spending most of their time in diaconal work such as administration, mercy ministry, and building upkeep. The elders simply cannot keep up with all the needs of the congregation, let alone the surrounding neighborhood. Our hope is that the Larco Church will soon have an army of deacons ready to help the elders lead the church through service to others.
Please pray that God would continue to raise up godly, humble, capable leaders in all branches of the church and mission.

The Election as I have seen it...

I won't lie. I didn't keep up with politics. I didn't really know the platforms for either candidate. I...did...not...vote. I know, Normally I'm all about voting, but this year, I'm either a really bad US Citizen, or just a decent Peruvian resident.

All that is to say that one of the ways that I have been socially/electronically connected to the election this year has been through Facebook, which allows you to write a Status update, to say what you are doing right now or how you're feeling. I went through all my friend's status updates who have posted something about the election. I'm not writing anyone's full name, but all of these are copied directly from facebook.

I am only going to comment on the first status update, because I can't resist it. As for the rest I'm not saying I agree or disagree with any of these (though I do think some are ridiculous, I won't say which) but these are true opinions and this is how I have observed the election.

D. found out that after i vote tomorrow, i can get free Ben & Jerry's and free Starbucks AND a free Krispy Kreme donut. Life rocks. **Commentary on the United States of America. How do you get US citizens to vote? You bribe them with sweets. um... Isn't that what did Hansel and Gretel in?**

L. just waited two hours to vote!! GO MCCAIN! :).

J. just cancelled out a vote for change.

M. walked in and got to vote without standing in a line...oh the joys of living out in the middle of nowhere :).

L. is happy she already voted and was happy to cast her vote for Obama/Biden.

D. is pulling for McCain, but prophesying that Barack Obama is the next President of the U. S.

J. is hoping his friends realize that REGARDLESS of who gets in, the world isn't going to hell in a handbasket.

J. is so excited! Go Obama!!!

M. thinks "President Obama" is difficult to enunciate clearly.

J. thinks it's funny that oprah is quoting the bible in reference to her endorsing obama.

N. is ready for forward movement. Finally.

J.- there goes the neighborhood. To Switzerland I go.

K. is ready for Jesus to come back NOW!

J. -well obama...you've got a lot to live up to. good luck saving the world.

C. just watched history being made.

R. -Finally the change America needs..

V. is asking america why?

N.- God is Sovereign. Even if you don't believe in God we have a system of Checks & Balances. Either way, the country won't fall apart. Everyone chill out.Please.

L. -all the baptists are scrambling to their Left Behind books to see what happens next in the story....

A. is in TEARS! The 1st African-American President? 2008? And it's 4REAL! God had his hands in this along! Say what you want! It was a part of HIS plan!

K. is still proud to be an American. Obama will never take away what this country has accomplished, nor decide by himself it's future.

E. is disappointed in the number of people who are willing to give up on their country simply because they did not get their way. Canada/Mexico deserve you.

S. thinks Hitler gave good speeches too....

X. now believes this really may be a defining moment in American history - this Obama guy is the real deal.

D. thinks that it took more than one president to build this country and it will take more than one to tear it down...

M. is praying for our president-elect.

J.- “At this defining moment change has come to America” (Obama 11/04/08) “National Socialist Movement will bring about a revolutionary change" (Hitler 01/30/37).

S. says: so change has come to America huh? I hope it's as good as people want us to think....

J. is excited to see what a sovereign God can do through President Obama, a sinner just like me.

E. is waiting for all those people who promised they would leave the country to come visit me in mexico!

L. is thinking that living in Chile for the next four years might be a very good option.

H.: Well, America you voted and you got it: Higher taxes and fewer freedoms! But God is in control!!!

A.- I want everyone to go buy a bottle of chill pills and down a few.

S. hopes that now that Obama will be president that he'll at least put his hand over his heart for the national anthem and hold a higher opinion of our country.

K. is scared that her husbands Commander In Chief will be Obama.

B. is SARA PALIN 2012! :).

L. is trying to deal with the fact that obama is going to run our country for 4 years

J. sees that the world is still turning. Weird

H. voted for Michael Jackson. He's black, and white, a woman, and a man... definitely politically correct, and a crowd pleaser :).

M. is sayng, "Promotion does not come from the east or west. God is the judge, he puts one down and sets up another." so lets pray for the one God promoted!

J. is mourning the election of Obama for President. Oh God, please have mercy on our nation

M. is praying for our country and President elect!

S. will be glad to help you move

The Season....has begun.

Globalism and its effects on Peru can be argued to be either good or bad. Today, I argue that globalism is a positive thing.

Why?

Because globalism has brought some of the US traditions of Halloween to Peru. Is that really a good thing? Well....that's also something that could be debated as a positive or negative thing. Today I argue that Halloween traditions coming to Peru are also a good thing.

Why?

Because it means that Plaza Vea (think Peruvian target and an exemplar of globalism in Peru) sells pumpkins for a few weeks before Halloween. Is that a good thing? YES!

Why?

Because I get to make Homemade pumpkin pie!!! Just like my mom's (but a little baby step down). I have successfully carved, diced, boiled, scraped, and pureed two and a half giant pumpkins. The 1/2 because the warmer weather and humidity in Trujillo apparently means that half of your pumpkin will grow mold after 2 days...lesson learned.

2 and 1/2 giant pumpkins means I have enough pumpkin puree to last me until I leave Peru for good next July. So far, I've made mini pumpkin pies, normal sized pumpkin pies, pumpkin pancakes, pumpkin lattes, and cinnamon chocolate chip pumpkin bread. Yes, those are just as delicious as they sound. There of course is much more of this to come- including, but not limited to: Pumpkin mousse, pumpkin swirl cheesecake, pumpkin fudge pumpkin cream cheese spread, pumpkin gingersnap parfaits, pumpkin soup, pumpkin bread, pumpkin bars, and yes of course, More homemade Pumpkin pie...

I is for I....am back!

After two days of traveling, three airplanes, 6 hours of layover in Miami, 15 hours of layover in Lima, and 96 pounds worth of luggage for the missionary families (and some for me) which included but was not limited to: Chocolate Chips, Books, Two Stuffed animal turkeys, Velour Lounge Suits, Candles, Coffee Filters, Dance Leotards, a macbook pro, Saffron Rice, Peanut Butter M&Ms, and Batman Costume complete with mask (no...unfortunately not for me) I have returned to my Peruvian home of Trujillo. Phew!

Today is my first day back of teaching, and so far I'm 0 for 2 when it comes to actually teaching. My first class had no students, my second class had 1 student. Third class hopefully will be a charm. Actually I know for a fact that my third class will be a charm because it is one of my all-time favorite classes at SALI. I spent 3 cycles with this class, and then last month could not teach them because of my U.S. travels, and now am going to be "Reunited and it feeeeels so goood!"

My trip to the US was great. I looooooved seeing all my friends again and getting to catch up with so many people! It was nice to also have a "test run" for when I actually go back to the United States for real next July. WHICH, I figured out is why I was so very nervous about traveling to the US in the first place, because I was trying to see what it would be like to leave for good. The second I stepped on the plane I opened my sketchbook to write down my thoughts about leaving. Here's a little peek:

I don't even know where to begin...I don't know how to describe what I'm feeling. I was super nervous about the possibility of there being a problem in Lima with me trying to leave the country for some ridiculous random reason...How strange it is to me that I have been planning this trip so long and expecting and anticipating it and suddenly it has arrived and my anticipation now seems so foreign to me. Even stranger, the thought has crossed my mind many times that this trip is like a "prueba" (trial run) of what it will be like when I leave Peru for good. I've tried to be in tune with my emotions as I leave, like I'm trying to become familiar with a Jackson Pollock painting. I try my best to study it, but in the end I won't be sure what the best method is for remembering it. Do I look at only the general picture and try to remember only the overall image without trying to know the specifics? Or do I intensely study individual lines or splatters of paint, hoping that by getting the fundamentals, I will be able to build something vaguely similar? Of course now what really scares me is that as of about 10 minutes ago, my life in Peru somehow seems like a memory. Only a memory. I am no longer experiencing it daily, but rather remembering people and places and sights and smells and textures and sounds. And perhaps these thoughts are too dramatic. After all, I'm not going to the US forever. I will be there for 9 days and then I will return to the normalcy of my Peruvian life. I know that at least I have 8 more months of my time in Peru, but down in my heart I know what's really scaring me is that one day, this flight will be the end and that my Peruvian life will truly be nothing more than a memory that I will desperately try to recall. And it will make me sad that I can only recall it, and not experience it. I'm so emotionally invested. I can't leave so easily.

Sooooo...looking back, I was pretty freaked out on that plane. Hehe I'm a lot less freaked out now. This US trip was good for me to at least get a glimpse of the future, I feel a lot more prepared now, and I know that yes. It will be incredibly difficult to leave, but not impossible.
So there you have it. That's what was going on emotionally. Take it or leave it.

E is for Exhuastion in Miami

I'm so tired, and I'm only 1/4 of the way done with my travels.
I was so exhuasted when I stepped onto the plane in Atlanta that I fell dead asleep before takeoff, did not even wake up or stir during takeoff, and only woke up (barely) 2 minutes before we landed.
Not even joking.
There may or may not have been some snoring or drooling involved...you'd have to ask the people around me. But either way, I need more sleep.

The trip overall was good...no not good, Great!. Right now, the past 9 days are a wonderful whirlwind rotating in my brain so I'm looking forward to coming to a point where I can process everything and appreciate it more, and from there, give you a clearer update. But for now, please read my plagiarized blog post straight from Allen Bradford's blog about the new Peru Mission logo, and then enjoy the new video.


We are so excited to unveil our new logo! This is the culmination of many months of thinking through and praying about what would represent who we are and what we are seeking to do in Peru. The logo’s geometrical shapes and colors reflect consistent patterns in Peruvian art, thus capturing our desire to present an authentic witness within Peruvian culture. The cross, set off by white and occupying center-stage within the other shapes, expresses our commitment to the centrality of the Gospel in all our interconnected ministries and our conviction that only the Gospel can truly transform culture.


And now for the piece de resistance. This is a video my amazing friend Bailey showed me.
In case you are feeling overwhelmed in life, like things just aren't going your way and you're finding it hard to be yourself,
Watch this video, let this young dancer be your inspiration to break out....be free...and just....DANCE!
Watch it all the way through, and maybe you, yes even you could pick up some sweet new moves.

The Dance of The Century

**Side Note: Had youtube been around when I was a kid, I could definitely see myself doing something along these same lines...Seriously**

Un choque cultural

Sooo....

Here I am in the United States. More specifically in the city where I went to college, sitting at the Bagel Shop, one of my usual haunts when I was here. It's good...it smells like bagels. I missed bagels when I was in Peru. But now I'm at the bagel shop and I miss Peru.

I am re-entry shocked as all get out. I truly am happy to be here and it's been fantastic seeing old friends and being encouraged by so many different people though. It 's been a...weird experience coming back to the States, seeing what exactly is shocking to me, as well as how I behave differently amongst "mi gente" now.

Just in case you are wondering what's going up here in this cabeza of mine, here are the ways I have been re-entry shocked. Some of these were like a little wool sweater on a winter day electrical shock. Some were like a cardio defribillator.

Top Ten Things that re-entry shocked me when I got back:

• I flushed toilet paper in the actual toilet (oh by the way, you can't flush the toilet paper in Peru. I did it in the States, but it took me a while to think about it and not fear a massive clogging)
  
• I drank from a public water fountain (I was still suspicious)
  
• I got a free refill on a 16 ounce drink (In Peru, they don't drink many liquids with meals like we do. Oftentimes, you'll have about 12 ounces of something to last you the whole meal and there are no refills. You really learn how to ration something out)
  
• I ate a bagel sandwich (We don't have bagels in Peru. it was good, but the shock came later to my stomach...US food chemicals are rough on the barriga)
  
• The vegetables here taste like nothing, and everything has a slight hint of plastic (Basically everything is organic in Peru. If I eat chicken for lunch, there's a 90% chance it was killed that day)
  
• People keep asking me questions in English, and I respond in Spanish
• I watched TV....and the majority of the channels are in English
• I felt like the water pressure of the shower was going to peel my face off
• Water gets reeeeeaally hot here, reeeaaaally fast
  
• Cars are gigantic...as are most other things in the United States.

That's it for now. I am currently still adjusting to life in the United States, and doing it with the blessing of seeing my friends again!

It's 2:00a.m.

Do you know where your Gillian is? Because it's definitely at the Lima Airport.

What do you think?

I took this picture about an hour ago in the Lima airport, impatiently awaiting 3:00am to come so I can check in my suitcase, so that I can impatiently await 6:00am to come so I can board a plane that's going to the United States.

What I can't figure out is if I look Super Peruana....or if I look Super Touristy.

A is for Antsy...

In exactly 5 days, I will be in a country that is severely english speaking.
That has not happened in almost a year. I'm traveling to the United States, leaving on Monday and on U.S. Soil on Tuesday.

To tell you the truth, I'm nervous about traveling. I haven't been nervous about traveling since....well I can't even remember the last time I was nervous about traveling. When I travelled to Peru in order to live here, I was just excited, not even nervous. But I am legitimately nervous. This doesn't happen often.

I keep having visions of something going horribly wrong and me spending my 10 days in the states locked in an airport customs jail in Miami. Why? I don't know, but I'm preparing for the worst....you know, just in case.

I'm very excited though about going on this trip. Seeing people I haven't seen in almost two years is going to be incredible, especially since I wasn't planning on seeing anybody in Anderson until maybe next year when I move back to the States for good. Soo....special thanks to Nicole Tyson who made this trip possible by getting engaged. I rejoice in your marriage, as well as how it benefits me. Just kidding...but not really at all. Thanks!

I'm sure that I'll be scribbling tons of thoughts on returning to the "motherland" in my sketchbook, and probably a good chunk of that will make it to this blog as well. But until then, I leave you in eager anticipation of the experiences to come.

Rare Treasured Moments

me + 1 kitty + a laptop - 5 other girls=my apartment right now.

Glorious.

Information Questions

Who?

Me, Gillian, or Yidian, as the Trujillo Starbucks sometimes spells it.

What?

I am updating my blog.

Where?

Starbucks.

Why?

Because I am kind of bored.

Why?

Because I am not teaching any classes this month.

Why?

Because I am going to be traveling for 10 days this month.

Where?

I am going to the United States for the first time in almost a year.

When?

October 14-23

Why?

Because I will be playing for the wedding of my dear friend.

Who?

Nicole Tyson and I'll also be catching up with my supporters, friends, and other vips in my life in South Carolina.


(Oh.)

If people watching were a contest....

There in fact would be no contest, as I would quickly win whatever title there was to be won.

Plaza Vea is abuzz this Saturday night with people on their way to the movies, to a restaurant, to get some grocery shopping in, or whatever other Saturday night fun they are looking for and here I sit, stationary in my corner booth at Starbucks (which makes it more than my once a week budget...shame on me, but I didn't eat out today so it works) watching the buzz, the twittering to and fro, the passing of people, couples, groups, families, whoever walks by the glass curtain wall. Tom Waits is accompanying me tonight, and I'm not sorry to say that I have a giant crush on Tom Waits' music.

Normally on Saturday nights, you would find me at the Larco Church youth group for their weekly Saturday meetings, however, my Saturday's have recently been burning me out a little bit. After going to Porvenir for music ministry at 3:30, leaving a little early at 5:15 in order to make it late for Choir practice which then goes until 6:30 (or 7 depending on the day) and then resting for an hour before youth group at 8, plus whatever other Saturday activities there are, I was getting a little burdened, so I am therefore on a brief hiatus from youth group until further notice.

It's kind of nice, I do miss seeing the people in the youth group a bit, however, this me date time is welcomed and appreciated muchly. I love people watching and unfortunately don't get to do too much of it because of a schedule that keeps me on my toes. This time is a good time to reflect, recollect, and finally realize that I am living in Peru. A pleasant awareness and comprehension that I am content.

Gaining Momentum (p.s. this is long...read it anyway)

As most of you already know, one of the projects I have been involved in down here is a music ministry in the very low income district of Trujillo called El Porvenir. You can click on the right side of this blog to read more about the structure and goals of the ministry. Over the past year, Ronald Serrano Moreno, the founder of the program, another volunteer, Rachel Jurkowski, and I have been working towards organizing and expanding the project.

We recently have some good steps towards the organization of the project by becoming an official NGO, as well as deciding on our official name- CompArte Perú (a fusion of two spanish words- comparte meaning share, and arte meaning art). We also are currently trying to build a website in order to share photos, stories, and post concert dates, etc. as well as giving our project plan, mission statement, history, and other things that we are pulling together right now.

Also, another exciting milestone for us was about 2 weeks ago, Ronald, Rachel, and I were interviewed by the Trujillo Newspaper "La Industria" about CompArte Peru. A large article was printed in the Culture section of the main newspaper of Trujillo, meaning that we are also gaining more recognition in the city. Please continue to be in constant prayer and support of this music project and especially for the children who participate in it, that the program will benefit the kids, their families, and the community as well.

Here is the translated article, as well as a color copy of the photo that accompanied the article:

"Proyecto 'CompArte' lleva el Arte a Niños Pobres- Cuando la música cambia el fulbito por los violines- dos chelistas estadounidenses son parte de importante trabajo cultural

"Project CompArte takes the Arts to poor children- When music changes soccer for violines- Two US cellists are part of an important cultural work"

Something is changing in El Porvenir. Now, in some corners of this heavily populated district, in place of traditional games of fulbito (soccer played on a court), children come together to play violin, treating it as if it were a small party. The motive? The results of an innovative new project called “Comp-Arte Peru” that well-known Trujillo violinist, Ronald Serrano Moreno directs.

“The idea,” says Serrano Moreno, “is to give children and youth with little economic resources the opportunity to accomplish their goals through music. Obtaining that kind of discipline, that confidence in the work they put into music can then be applied to other aspects of their daily lives as well.

The results are easy to see. Not only have the children accomplished learning a musical instrument, but now they also look at the future with much more optimism. “The purpose of the project is to stimulate and motivate the lower class children using music. They come underprivileged, they don’t have many toys or games, but through music, we hope to help them set higher standards and reach their goals” explains Serrano Moreno.

However, the motivation does not stop there as the most outstanding students of the project advance to be a part of the Teófilo Álvarez Dávila Youth Orchestra (Orquesta Infantil Juvenil Teófilo Álvarez Dávila), a group that has already given commended musical concerts around Trujillo.

For Love of the Arts
The project has even pulled in two young volunteers from the United States who have been working in our city (Trujillo) for over a year- Gillian Baikie and Rachel Jurkowski.
Gillian Baikie is a cellist who graduated from the school of Education (correction: School of Interior Design) at Anderson University of South Carolina. Before living here, she had already visited Trujillo and had seen the condition of some parts of Trujillo and wasn’t shocked by the poverty of the area. Her only problem upon arrival was in fact the language barrier, a stumbling block that she has overcome, as she is already speaking like a “Trujillana.”

Gillian teaches cello to the children and youth in El Porvenir and is happier for the experience she has had. “It’s been great, a child gains confidence and then that ability in music serves as way for him or her to set goals for his or her life, a way to grow as a person,” says Baikie.

Above all, she takes pride in seeing the progress of her pupils. To watch them as they are able to play beautiful notes on their instruments and to see the smiles on their faces. “They want to play, they love it and that love is contagious,” recounts Baikie, “I remember one Saturday, some girls from the neighborhood found out about our project and came by because they wanted to part of our group. The kids in the project are an example for the other children.”

Miss Baikie came to Peru with Peru Mission (Misión Reformada en Perú) and now, in spite of the meager state of the area, wants to stay another year and continue working with the children of lower income families. It has been here in Trujillo that she has made many friends who have helped in everything, even in procuring a cello for her to continue practicing her passion.

“This project gives children the opportunity to rise to greater heights, to appreciate music more, to discover talents and to be an example for the other kids,” she said convinced.

Likewise, her compatriot, Rachel Jurkowksi, who graduated from the University of Notre Dame in Indiana with a degree in Music and Philosophy, came to Trujillo with the intention of doing volunteer work.

“Ronald told me about the project and I told him ‘Sure, let’s go see,’ reflects Jurkowski.

The beginning, as with everything, was difficult. Jurkowski was quiet, shy and the economic disparity was an obstacle for her assimilation in Trujillo and with the children. However, with time, she and her students began learning. “They loosened up a lot,” she says, “Now they laugh, converse, and there is a connection between them that allows them to learn more quickly.”

In fact, the majority of the children in the same position have a common, passionate desire to learn more and more about music.

“These children work so much harder because it is all they have; and for that, they dedicate themselves wholeheartedly to practicing,” concluded Rachel.

Two for One

Ok since up until last night it had been so very long since I had written a new blog, I've decided that the only way to make it up would be write two within 24 hours of each other. And since I accidentally forgot to bring my student's papers to grade for my weekly starbucks visit, I have nothing else to do.

By the way, I added a few new features to my blog, the first one is a link to a PDF about the Porvenir Music Ministry. A second is a chance for you to sign up to "follow" this blog, I think how it works is that it'll send you updates about when I write a new blog (however few and far between the posts actually are). So, you know, check it out on the right side of this post!

So here I sit in the only starbucks in Trujillo, where the prices are still the same as in the US and not conducive to my Peruvian stipend; the same starbucks that gives me a fantastic opportunity to exercise self control by only coming here on Thursdays. Usually my roommate Heather and I have Thursday morning starbucks dates. However, roomie is sick and that leaves me all by my lonesome to sip on my latte and blog till my heart's content.

Things are going well here in Trujillo. SALI has been growing literally by leaps and bounds. We have shattered another enrollment record for this month at 292 students, we are very close to our lofty goal of 300 students by December, which is especially good to know when just 6 months ago we were hovering around 175-200 students. SALI also for the past few months has reached its goal of being self-sustaining financially, which is very good for the mission, the community, the students, and just good in general. With self-sustainability we are able to improve the institute and expand our resources without depleting any funds from Peru Mission, giving Peru Mission the opportunity to give to other parts of the mission that run in a non-profit way.

It's the ciiiiiircle of liiiiife. I mean Circle of Missions.

Other than that, things are going well. I'm gearing up for a trip back to the United States in October to play for a wedding of a dear friend in Anderson, SC. Which means that I will be able to visit some of the churches and individuals who have supported me in my time here in Peru. I'm excited/nervous. Excited because I get to see friends that I haven't seen in over a year and spend time with my dear friends and family in Christ in Anderson. I'm nervous because I haven't stepped foot on U.S. soil for 10 months now, and I'm not sure what it'll be like. I'm sure it will be fine though. More than fine. Great!

Also, I may regret putting this on the internet, but I have signed up for a skype phone number to make it easier for me to contact family and friends in the states as well as to make it easy for friends and family in the states to contact me. So with that said, my new internet phone number (which works just like a US phone number) is 303-242-5543. I have voicemail with it too, so you can also leave me funny or heartfelt message, whichever strikes your fancy.

Strangers and creepy people need not call. Thanks.

Friends, Pets, Outings.

So much to say, so little energy to write.
Why do I get to this point?! I do this alot! I don't blog about things when they happen because I think, Hm...that was a pretty big event my Peruvian life so surely I will blog about it soon.

Wrong. Super Wrong.

I forget, or keep pushing it away until it ends up being a month since I last posted and so many things have slipped through the bloggy cracks that I cant even figure out what I've missed
writing about anymore. I did however change my blog layout to give people the impression that I did write something new. Nope. Lies, all lies. I just changed the colors around.

Anyway, I'll try to give a brief summary of what's been going.

I am surely blessed by the Lord, because three new additions have recently come into my life. The first, a lovely new 3 bedroom apartment which I share with 5 other peru mission interns. The apartment is furnished with some ugly furniture, an awesome kitchen, a laundry machine, and is somewhat of a step up from the 1 bedroom that my roommate and I were renting before. It's not uncommon for rooms in a house to be rented out, which is what we had before, however, it's kind of like living in a college dorm again, but without alot of other college kids around you living in the same situation. So although my old room was nice for a year, I am enjoying the benefits of a living room and kitchen.

The second addition is also found in our apartment and was bought for 8 soles (roughly 3 dollars). He has blue eyes, gray fur and fits in one hand. He is...Kitty. A little kitten that we recently purchased at the Mayorista Market where you can buy anything and everything, including 8 soles cats. He's fluffy, sleeping on my lap right now and although he runs in between my feet when I'm walking, he's still pretty cool. We're going to have to work on the desire to jump into the fridge everytime it's open though.

The third addition once again is found in the new apartment, lives next door to me and answers to the name Julie Rogers. Yes, my dear friend Julie from Anderson University recently arrived in Trujillo Peru as a new missionary intern for the San Agustin Language Institute. I lived with Julie Senior year in the ministry house and am glad that the Lord decided that one year of us living together was not enough, so he gave me some more Julie time. It's been fantastic, I love having her here! She's a fabulous addition to Peru and has already been making Trujillo a sunnier and more vegetarian friendly place.

Part of the fun of having Ms. Rogers here are the photo excursions. We went on one yesterday when (surprise surprise) there was another transportation strike, which meant no classes yesterday. The good news was that Trujillo saw the first hint of spring with a delicious dose of vitamin D which made for some excellent excursion conditions. Heather (my roommate) and Julie and I spent an excellent day with cameras in hand to explore a little more of our dear city of Trujillo. Here are some pictures below and more can be found on my flickr webpage by clicking on the photo link to the write of this post.

Saturday Morning Post...Peruvian Edition

Hey friends,
It's been awhile since I've posted, but all things are quiet on the Peruvian Front.

I'm about to finish up this month of teaching at SALI and am very excited to say that one of my classes will be finishing up their Fast track Course!
Fast track is an intensive approach to English, I teach 2 hours everyday and the students are also given weekly tests, have to do 2 oral presentations each month as well as vocabulary quizzes and interviews with native speakers for a grade, The program lasts for 7 months total and at the end, though not fluent, they are able to be fairly conversant with a pretty solid vocabulary. Needless to say, the students who make it through the program work very hard for it! So this Wednesday, SALI and I will be congratulating Ivka, Katherine, and Roselly on all their hard work over these past 7 months. I was fortunate to have them for 3 of those months and they are pretty amazing chicas. My other students in different classes are pretty amazing too, but their time in the spotlight just has not come yet. Soooon!

In other news...

I have finished putting together a little information pdf to explain more about the Porvenir music ministry as well as how to get involved, and some of our goals for the next year. Please click below and take a look and see what's happening with some very talented future musicians south of the equator!

Click HERE
(you know you want to read about children learning music in Peru)

And in Conclusion,
I have been out for the past week (maybe 2 weeks, but who's counting) with what I thought was a bad cold, only to go to the doctor when I was not getting better who told me I actually had Sinusitis and a slight case of bronchitis. No worries, he gave me enough antibiotics to fight a war, and I'm feeling much better. I cant say I'm 100% yet, but I still have 2 more days of meds. In time....

How I spent my one year anniversary in Peru...

What does one do on her one year anniversary in Trujillo?

First, I began my first painting and drawing class at Bellas Artes, the art institute in Trujillo. I've been missing art a lot lately, and my roommate and I decided to dust off the old 2B pencils and take a class. I've never had a formal painting class before and It's been awhile since I've had a drawing class so I am very content with this new addition to my life schedule.

After art class, we headed out to Arevolo where we consumed an obscene amount of Lomo Saltado with the pastor's family. Noemi (my old Spanish teacher) is the pastor's wife and the world's best lomo saltado maker. It's a fact. You can look it up. Afterwards my belly was full with lomo and satisfaction.

Upon returning to my house after lunch, I was just in time for a 30 minute nap before I headed to Por Venir for the weekly music ministry that I'm a part of. Ronald (the violin teacher and founder of the program) picked me up and we headed out to the neighborhood to teach the kids. Today we would work on Go tell Aunt Rhody, O Come Little Children, and the unatainable concept of bow direction and changing the bow at the right time. I struggled with that concept for years I'm sure. My girls did great though and will get it in no time I'm sure. Because they are awesome, and awesome kids can do things like that.
After a few hours of music ministry, Ronald and his wife Tatiana took me out to coffee to celebrate my first year. However we did not go to just any coffee shop. No my friends, we went to the opening of the very first starbucks in Trujillo. Ever.

Granted, Starbucks is not the end all be all of coffee shops. I agree, their coffee is strong, sometimes bitter, and overpriced oftentimes. However, what you don't understand is that coffeeshops are not a part of Peruvian culture, and there really is not any place that has really amazing coffee plus a good relaxing atmosphere, So picture yourself living without any form of coffeeshops for one full year (especially if you're the type of person who frequents coffeeshops in the US as much as I did i.e. practically everyday) and then picture the glorious opening of exactly what you have lived without for one year. You would be excited too. I promise.

By the way Starbucks openings in Peru are so much better than starbucks openings in the States. They gave us free sandwiches, free wine, and any kind of starbucks drink you want, for free. I was so content. there is nothing like sipping a free iced hazelnut latte while holding a free glass of wine in the other hand.

I can't think of a better anniversary gift than a starbucks. Thanks Peru, I love you too.

Anniversarial Thoughts

Saturday marked a very auspicious and important day in the life of both Peru and Me.
Saturday July 19th was my one year anniversary of living in Trujillo, Peru and working with Peru Mission.

I remember the day I arrived like it was just yesterday....

Just kidding, this will not be a blog full of cheesiness, I still after all, am me.

However I will let you guys know that the past year of my life has been wonderful at times, terrible at times, however the common thread has been that God has been growing me from the start. I would not trade this last year of my life for anything. I know that the past year/future year was not my expected path. I kid you not, I was planning on graduating and beginning my career in interior design right away (like a normal person would). However that clearly was not the plan that God had for me. I know that this path is not the norm, but this was the path that God had planned for me from the beginning, and I rest assured that this is the path that was chosen for me in order for God to best sanctify me and to teach me lessons that I would not have learned otherwise.

So what exactly have I learned this past year? Why yes, I will tell you ten things I've learned.

1. Where the street food stands are that will not make you sick.
2. How to be more patient and not be stressed when things dont begin exactly on time
3. The prices of taxi rides for Gringos are not the same for Peruvians.
4. How to haggle with taxi drivers until I get the Peruvian taxi price.
5. We don't flush toilet paper here, and getting out of that habit is pretty difficult when you return to the states.
6. Salsa dancing can take place any day of the week, at any given restaurant or friend's house. I also learned to salsa so that I can be prepared for any given restaurant or friend's house.
7. Living in a Coastal desert often means no rain and a lot of sand.
8. Fruit will always be better from an open air market than from a grocery store.
9 Things in Peru are generally louder than in the States. Enjoy it.
10. How to say the Lord's Prayer in Spanish, without looking at the words, and while keeping up with all the native spanish speakers around me who I'm pretty sure can say it all in one breath.

Of course, I have learned other things as well, but those are just a few highlights.

Strike Out.

I'm pretty sure I've written a similar post to this one a few months back in October, but I once again am taking advantage of the latest Peru Transportation Strike which just so happens to be today. What this means is that the streets are free of honking taxis, of rumbling combis, of ground-shaking micros and relatively clean of the pollution of all three of those methods of public transportation, which means my world is a little quieter and a little more smog free today.

Same story as last time too, the strike in general I'm sure is a negative thing, but I have been handed someone else's lemons and I will make lemonade by enjoying this day of rest. I will catch up on my lesson plans, and my world, and I will love every second of it.

In fact, I am going to go brew myself a lovely cup of coffee and start right now.

Have fun working today!

Update Up.

Gillian is moving on up to the east side 21st century.

I think I just figured out how to create a link on my blog so that you can open up my update newsletters in a pdf format directly from this same blog before your very eyes. Be amazed, Be astonished... or not, whatever.

So if you have a few extra minutes, feel free to read the newsletter here

http://rapidshare.com/files/128199994/April_Newsletter_1_.pdf.html

Click on Free user when the link opens, then wait about 25 seconds until you see the download button. Click it, and everything should open fine! Happy reading!

No puedo creerlo...

Resucitó, Resucitó,
Resucitó, Aleluiaaaaaa

This is a song we sing at my church here in Peru about the resurrection.

I am now applying it in a slightly more secular setting in order to speak about my baby angel mac.

Yes, that's right folks. After exactly 4 months after the great hard drive crash of 2008. I FINALLY got my baby angel mac laptop working again. It was a long and difficult struggle. After many attempts of finding someone to fix the hard drive, and then buying new hard drives only find out that they didn't fit, to finally having my mom and dad bring down the golden hard drive that did work, I am typing this blog entry on my "new" mac. I almost cried when the installation was complete.

Part of the problem of fixing the computer quickly is that living in Peru means that is is a little harder finding things like laptop hard drives to fix problems and find solutions that normally in the states, we have easy access to. But, after all this, I am happy to report that my computer is now working and all is right with the electronic world...for now.

This also means that FINALLY I can start updating everyone better. Being without a computer for a while means that communication basically comes to a standstill until I can find a free hour to use someone else's computer or find an internet cafe. So all that to stay, you should be receiving an update letter soon. If you'd like to receive one but aren't on my email list, just leave a comment with your email address on it, or send an email to gbaikie@gmail.com and let me know.

Also, my mom and dad's first trip to Peru went great! I was very blessed and content to have them come visit, and will by posting my pictures and a decent update soon! I hope everyone is doing well. I look forward to maybe hearing some updates from friends and family back home soon.

Until then, let me share a Bible verse that has been a great comfort to me and a hopefully encouraging reminder to us of who we are in Christ and where we stand in this world.

"In all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord."
Romans 8:37-39

Esperando...

I am sitting in an internet cabina in Lima right now.

Why?

Because my parents are coming to Lima tonight for the very first time to visit, and I can´t wait to see them and pick them up from the airport.

How do you summarize 5 months of your life in one Website?

Flickr.com

That's how

Ok this post is just to let you guys know that after eons, I have finally posted new pictures from the last few months to my flickr account. Phew. Click here to go to my flickr photo site.

www.flickr.com/peruviangillian

Below is just a little tasty sampling of the feast to come. Ok not really, but here are a few pictures from the sets I created.

And we're back...

After a very threatening comment on my last post from my good friend Diana, I decided it would be a good idea to post again. Alright, alright, alright, I know it's been forever and a day since I last posted.

Heather Ferguson, one of the missionary wives, and one of my favorite people in general likes to talk about life through seasons. It's really very helpful to be able to say that the last season of my life was very busy, very....well, to tell the truth, I don't know exactly what it was. It was odd.

The first months of the year was alot of sanctification and pruning through various trials, situations, and just life experiences in general. I keep a sketchbook of my thoughts and drawings about what happens, and I know that will be very interesting later to look back on. I know that for the first 4 or 5 months though of this, I was going through a season of change and general unrest. However, I feel that season has turned finally and for the better.

I know that the lessons I learned through that season were for my good, but they still take something out of you. Something fierce. Through that season I sort of fell off the communication wagon and haven't been able to keep up with some of my US friends and family as well as continuing my relationships here in Peru. Not that I wanted either side to get lost to the other, but it's difficult to find that balance. And while heather often speaks of seasons of life, I am beginning to find that my personal credo is "Finding Balance" Which I guess is applicable in every part of life, but especially when you are adjusting to a new environment.

Isn't that strange how you are thrown into a new environment and it's like you suddenly forget who you are and what you need to function at a good level. For example, I completely forgot at one point while living here that I am the type of person that loves people, yet still needs alone time in order to not go crazy. Why do I do that? Why do I forget? Looking back on it, I think "Man, I would have saved myself alot of stress if I had just taken 30 minutes each day to myself so as not to make myself reach my boiling point.

But that was earlier, in a different season. I am happy to report that things here are just going fantastically well. I've almost been here a full year now and am very content with my life here in Peru. I'm still involved with Music Ministry and hope to write an update soon about that. I of course am still teaching at SALI, am very happy in the classroom and enjoying learning everyday from my students and improving my teaching skills. I also have assumed a new role within Peru Mission as an assistant to the Intern Director in the area of Intern Recruiting and Logistics. All that to say that I try to help people get down here safely (without getting lost in Lima) and try to help them get accustomed to their internship in Peru. I enjoy the recruiting process. I used to work in the admissions office at my university and I always enjoyed answering questions and providing as much information to people as possible so that their transitions are smooth, so I will enjoy doing this on a much grander, international level as well.

And I think that's about it for now, My mommy and daddy are coming in 11 days to visit Peru and I couldn't be more excited. I can't wait for them to visit Trujillo, to see the work of the mission (and even help out a little to) and well...just to see them in General. I haven't seen them in 6 months, which for someone like me whose family is a vital part of my being is quite a long time. I always miss my family while I'm away and so this will be a wonderful refresher for me. We're going to have lots of Peruvian adventures I'm sure, but I have to plan their itinerary before I can write about what sorts of adventures will be coming our way.

Stay Tuned.

Diana and Cassie went to Peru, and all they got was this lousy blog post...

As promised, albeit a little bit later than I would have liked it to be, I am back once again to give you some more updates about the month of March.

This update will be about two of my dearest friends' visit to my dear Peru.

Diana and Cassie are my amazing amazing friends, with whom I lived with for practically all four years that I was at Anderson. Diana was a ceramics major and essentially a painting drawing major. Cassie was a graphic design major. They are two of my favorite people in the entire world because of the high quantities of fun we have when we're together.

We spent some time in Trujillo, they got to know alot of my friends, and we also were able to go to Moyobamba, a city in the Jungle of Peru where we swam in crystal clear rivers, held a baby leopard, walked through some jungle trails, and yes, we did see and pet some monkeys.

Their visit was not only spectacular, but very much needed. It was so nice to be able to have some of my best friends to come down and be able to take part in the Peruvian part of my life.

Ok, ok, enough mushy stuff. let me just show you some pictures.
Diana and I, just like old times

It's U.S. Tourist Diana in Peru!

We rode on these reed boats at the beach in Trujillo. If you come visit me, you can ride one too!

We had fun hanging out with my Peruvian friends as well as having some "old friends" time


Here are some pictures from the Jungle with the baby leopard:

And last but not least, what is a Peruvian journey without some llamas...and some obscenely large llama hats: