Ms. Baikie goes to Trujillo

Smile because it happened...

2010-04-09T00:03:00.000-05:00

Well...I'm here in North America. And if I am being honest with myself and all of you, I am vacillating between being mildly OK with the idea of starting a new life in the states and mildly despondent about it all. It'll be an adjustment, and a difficult one, but as we all know, anything that's difficult is usually worth doing, and as Jamesson has been continually reminding me that I am a child of Christ, I have nothing to worry about.

So with a new chapter in my life outside of Peru, I will be ending this blog with this post and a few final thoughts about Peru. I will be starting a new blog at www.usgillian.blogspot.com and continuing electronically with the next chapter of my life at that web address.

I just wanted to share a few thoughts though about my time in Peru. Actually, one thought in particular that I've been meaning to share for awhile now but just never got around to it.

In the past whenever I went to the US for Christmas, I would often find myself answering people's questions about cultural differences, climate differences, personality differences, etc. I think that's a common curiosity when you travel, to identify the differences from your social/personal/cultural norms. From there, a person can make their own personal judgments about those differences. Sometimes those differences can seem better or worse to an individual; experts say that the key to culturally adjusting well is to not view differences as better or worse, but just different. And the truth is that if you take a generalized view of US culture and Peruvian culture, yes there are many differences. There are many things that can be slightly different or even completely opposite, but for me, I think one of the things that always struck me the most about living in another culture, and one of the things I loved seeing the most was just how different people aren't.

Ok, there is a language difference, and a difference in societal values, and other differences, but seeing the similarities is just as easy. You can see it in the way friends will spend time with each other, laughing, and joking around; the way a mother will comfort her crying child, or the way a grandfather will take care of and teach his young grandson life lessons while on an outing; the way that schools teach national pride to their students; the way a bad day affects a person; the way tragedy can strike at any moment; and the way that family and friends will support and comfort a person when it does strike. These moments, these life situations, some are simple some are life-altering, but at the core of these moments and situations are people, people who at the root are the same, no matter their culture. A person's country, language, family, and society can shape his or her world views and general behavior, but at the end of the day, a person is still just a person; and a person is in need of love and friendship and respect, and a feeling of security, and most of all, grace.

That's been my favorite part of spending the last three years living a life of "differences;" finding out that we're not so different at all.

Well. I guess that's it for this blog...I hope the next blog will chronicle a chapter in my life just as blissfully life-changing as this last one.

Peru, te dejo con un corazon contento...Hasta luego
www.us.gillian.blogspot.com

3 days left...

2010-04-04T23:32:00.000-05:00

Well...I have three days left. I haven't even lifted a finger in order to pack.

Perhaps I am living in denial? Probably.

Today was Easter Sunday and also happened to be my last Sunday in Peru, worshiping with my hermanos y hermanas here in Trujillo. I didn't cry...not in front of everyone anyway.

I know this post is all over the place, but so is my brain, and I did wake up for a 5:30 sunrise service and did not get a nap in afterward.

Well...I wish I could tell you more about what I'm feeling, but I'm not so sure myself. So with that, I bid you an absentminded adieu.

Stop the Presses!

2010-03-16T18:04:00.004-05:00

Presenting my niece...Clara Jeanne Baikie, Baby extraordinaire
(Ok, you can shower the family with congratulations now)

O day of rest and gladness...

2010-03-15T00:03:00.005-05:00

One of my favorite parts of Sundays has always been the music (go figure), and I have a very special place in my heart for hymns. Rich lyrics, rich music...you can't go wrong! Actually, it's one of the reasons I got to have some pretty close ties with the Presbyterians which led me to living in Peru.

Growing up in a traditional Lutheran church and attending a fundamental Baptist school helped me to successfully (albeit unknowingly) evade the majority of Christian contemporary music, and instead become quite familiar with traditional hymns.

When I first went away to college and was trying out the different university ministries, I generally liked the teaching time, but I hated the worship time. I didn't know any of the songs which were all contemporary! But then one fateful Tuesday, I went to Reformed University Fellowship (RUF). And it was only in RUF that I felt right at home during the worship time, where hymns are not only sung, but esteemed. Older hymns are often sung to more modern tunes, and a good chunk of the hymns I grew up singing appeared before my very eyes on the projector screen.

To make a very long rabbit trail a little shorter, I stayed with RUF for four years, and went on two missions trips to Trujillo, Peru which, of course, led me to this very moment sitting in Peru typing this very blog entry.

Anyway, the whole point of this post is to pass along one of my favorite hymns of all times and to wish you a very happy week. Enjoy!

Modern Invention I'm happy I don't live without...

2010-03-13T23:54:00.004-05:00

oh, Skype.

How you touch my life.

what would I do without you?

I certainly wouldn't make international phone calls for scandalously low prices.

People from the United States most definitely wouldn't call me while I'm in Peru.

I clearly couldn't telephonically introduce Jamesson to my family's antics while on a conference call to my mom, dad, and brother, sister-in-law and the baby who doesn't want to make a debut until next week apparently.

And I certainly could not set up phone interviews with potential employers.

Skype. You, sir, are fantastic.

A dream is a wish your heart makes?

2010-03-11T20:29:00.003-05:00

If Cinderella isn't full of it, then my heart wishes that Hawaii would establish a Peruvian inspired transportation system.

I don't know what the deal was, but last night I had about 5 crazy dreams. Lots of odd mashed together bits. I don't remember them all well, but I definitely vividly recall that in one of them, I was in a micro (click here if you need a crash course in Peruvian transportation) that was traveling all up the coast of Oahu.

The only reason I knew it was Oahu was because of the wooden sign we passed on the way that said "Welcome to Oahu"

I need to stop eating Pollo Broaster before I go to bed.

I've been here before...

2010-03-09T12:47:00.005-05:00

Same feelings, same attitude, different environment.

I'm in that "moving but not really going anywhere yet" stage.

The first giant uphill climb of the roller coaster before the big drop. It's almost as if I hear the clinking of the chains and the track right now.

Nope, that's just the sound of the construction workers next door.

I'm less than one month away from completely uprooting my life as I've known it for the past 3 years. Part of me feels like I should write about what I'm thinking about all this, and just have that cathartic experience. Then other part of me says "eh, why? You wrote about this when you left Colorado for South Carolina, and then when you left South Carolina for Peru?"

Am I nervous? YES! Am I worried? YES! Am I excited? YES!

Is this a Quarter-life crisis?
Come now, let's not be dramatic.

It's just that same old familiar unfamiliarity. This time with a little bit of Spanish thrown in the mix.

When my spirit grows faint within me, it is you who know my way.
Psalm 142:3

Did I forget to mention?

2010-03-06T14:01:00.002-05:00

Well...I thought this was common knowledge, but since 5 or 6 jaws of people I know pretty well have dropped in the last week when they heard this, I figured maybe it's not so commonly known, sooo, here's what you should know.

My time in Peru is coming to end. And it's sooner rather than later.

More specifically, it's April 7th.

Ok let me explain. I know that alot of people thought I would never leave Peru because I love it so much (which I still do); but alas, the trifecta of reasons are pulling me away.

First- My brother and his wife are having a baby in oh, a week. The baptism is April 11th, and since I am about to be the world's best aunt, I of course, would not and can not miss this for the world (even the Peruvian world). I'm so excited to be seeing my family again and for such a momentous occasion too!

Second, my brother is also finishing seminary which means he will be getting his pastoral call soon. I will of course be present for this momentous occasion, along with a few other momentous familial occasions that I want to be present for.

Third, (and this is the kicker) those vexing student loans are shrieking at me, demanding payment; almost like the sounds of a shrill alarm clock ripping you away from a blissful dream. The thing is, while non-profit work in a third world country has been amazing, it hasn't allowed me to make payments on my students loans, and I can't put them off any longer.

The next month will most likely be filled with posts related to thoughts of leaving, possibilities for the future, pleas for a job, and alot of nostalgia while, bittersweetly, I will be bidding adieu to my dear Peru on April 7th. Sad to be Leaving, Happy to have all the memories.

Just thought you should know...

My friend Giac

2010-02-21T08:32:00.002-05:00

Yesterday was the giant birthday bash of my friend Giacomo. "Who is Giacomo?" you ask.

Why....he's only the coolest kid in the world.

Height- average
Build- average
Personality- larger than you've ever seen.

Giacomo (named for Puccini, of course) Serrano belongs to Ronald and Tatiana and makes up One Sixth of the best family in the world. Giacomo, like everyone in his family has extraordinary musical talent and plays the cello, piano, and, in addition to many other songs, can sing the entire Black Eyed Peas "I gotta feeling" without actually being able to speak English. I've told him many a time that He's the best English singer I know who doesn't know any English. He's sort of the middle child but he wouldn't dare let you think that he can be forgotten in any way.

Giacomo and I bond over many things. Cello, Scrabble (in English and Spanish), and music, but one of our favorite pastimes is cooking. Giacomo is going to be a chef, and probably be the next Gaston Acurio, Peru's most famous chef. And knowing Giacomo, he'll be even bigger. He loves to cook, bake, eat, and learn about everything related to food. We watch cooking shows together, and then practice recipes. Giacomo can make alfajores that will knock your socks off, and at the age of 11, he even realized that he could make a little extra spending money by selling them. His dad plays for the Trujillo symphony, and Giacomo would accompany Ronald to rehearsals so that he could sell the cookies during the symphony's break. He made quite the profit for an 11 year old's pocket.

But that's Giac. Nothing is done halfway, because he knows that putting your entire soul into something makes it all the more enjoyable.

Thursday Night Musings of a girl with everything and nothing to talk about

2010-02-18T22:19:00.006-05:00

Sometimes I feel like I can't keep up with myself. All these changes that I have gone through, am going through, and will be going through seem to hit me all at once, and I think- What are you doing Gillian? Why on earth would you get involved in all the things you've gotten involved with in your life? Why would you leave your home to go to a university on the other side of the country; and then why would you leave your home and university again to go live on the other side of the equator? Why did you pick the major you did? Why did you leave the career path to do non profit work for 3 years? Why are you leaving that life soon too? Why why why? And these questions start to weigh on me, and I think...Gillian, You don't make any sense.

But then, I remember why I did all that and why I will do a lot of other crazy things in the future that may not ever make sense to me, let alone anyone else.

God chose this path for me. I am exactly where God wants me to be right now. Everything that has happened in my life has been ordained by God and I all I have to do is enjoy it and enjoy Him. And then my new question becomes "Why are you even asking why?"

So enjoy life I will. I will enjoy the small things, the quiet moments, moments like walking by a beautiful garden that smells of roses and honeysuckle; listening to the summer sounds in my neighborhood; holding a puppy; going to the beach; short friendly conversations with people that I don't know, but already consider them friends.

I will enjoy the big moments too, the life-changers; the graduations, the goodbyes, the moves, the not knowing where I will be a year from now, the not knowing where I will be two months from now, the milestones of new family members, new friends, and everything in between.

And by golly, I will enjoy it....whether I like it or not.

A woman happily in love, she burns the souffle. A woman unhappily in love, she forgets to turn on the oven.

2010-02-11T23:10:00.007-05:00

Precisely one week ago, I was sitting with a large group of people from Memphis on a mission trip explaining about the great weather in Trujillo, and going on and on about how it almost never rains here.

Today, I mopped up every last one of those words inside my house.

Thanks to El Niño (which can be oh so fantastically explained here) and/or various other meteorological reasons that I just don't understand, it has been raining for the better part of the last 7 days. Today, being the worst of it all...for me anyway.

See here's the thing, Trujillo. You are a fantastic city...you really are, but if there were some sort of a survivor reality show competition for cities to see who is the best, strongest, and most prepared to face challenges, you would be kicked off no later than week 2.

No Storm Drains + Adobe/Porous Concrete Houses + Flat roofed houses + Open courtyards because it "never" rains here = Me waking up at 7am to a flooded house.

Water was Eeeeeeverywhere. I wish I had taken a picture of the army of buckets we had trying to catch all the drips, but I was too busy mopping up what was quickly turning into a new Peruvian reservoir to take a picture. Rough morning. Luckily, the heavens decided to stop being such a bully and it stopped raining around 11. Heck, the sun even came out a bit for a few hours to make matters a little better.

And just to show that no day is completely bad, after we dumped out the umpteenth bucket of water, I was able to sit down and watch Sabrina. The 1954 Audrey Hepburn/Humphrey Bogart classic that makes any problem in life disappear for 113 minutes while you get caught up in boat neck shirts, fedoras, schmaltzy nostalgic music, and the way that Mr. Bogart pronounces the words "To-mah-ta Juice." It's truly delightful and makes me want to start using antiquated phrases and memorize alot of one-liners so that I can always deliver the most perfect thing to say.

(One of which would serve very well to end this blog post...Sigh...I need Humphrey)

You learn something new every February...

2010-02-03T20:51:00.002-05:00

Well...It's that time of year again. Actually one of the annual highlights of the past 3 years that I have lived here in Trujillo.

The fantastic team from Independent Presbyterian Church in Memphis, TN is back in Trujillo conducting a large week-long medical and dental campaign in some areas where quality health care is needed the most and many times not received due to a lack of financial resources.

I truly love translating for this team. There are some amazing people who do some incredible work in the short amount of time they are here and many times make a huge difference for alot of really great Peruvians.

This year has been a little different translationally speaking (yes, I know that's not a word...just go with it ok?). In the past two years, I floated around more translating for triage, doctors, dentists, and filling in wherever. This year though I've been translating for one of the dentists, Dr. Paul Gerhardt, all week at the clinic and learning much more than I ever hoped to, or ever thought was necessary about dentistry, in English and in Spanish.

Translating has been good, but a definite brain work-out as I try to figure out what some obscure words might be in Spanish. Words like Amalgam, Glass Ionomer, Self Etching Acid, Two-pronged instrument, Burr (the little drillbits they use), and other fun words like those. Those and the occasional easy words that escape me, like "chin". Don't worry, I know it now. (Mentón)

The good thing is that I've managed to gain a whole new vocabulary/skill set, and it turns out that my recent wisdom tooth extraction helped me to gain a good base of dental terms. Who'd have thought? I will tell you this, though- As interesting as this week has been, I do not regret my decision to leave behind the former dream I had at age 4 to become a dentist. But you know, just in case you ever find yourself in a Spanish speaking country needing to the visit the dentist and not knowing what in the world he's saying, give me a call...I'll translate for you. Except the word for "chin"...you should know that one by now.

2010-01-26T10:28:00.004-05:00

Well, it's been one week since Dr. Jorge ice picked my impacted wisdom tooth right out of my mouth but I think that I now have some semblance of normalcy. Normalcy being the ability to open my mouth, talk, and not have a severely inflamed right side. It's still a little tender, but I'm just so happy because I actually was able to eat my entire (soft) solid meal yesterday. It took me about an hour to chew carefully and slowly, but doggone it I did it. Pasta never tasted so good. Which brings me to this post's subject.

I really love food.

Alot.

I love eating and trying new things and enjoying food with friends and good company and feeling satisfied after a hearty meal. There really is no substitute. So when I was banished to the land of milkshakes and water last week, I really felt the hole in my heart...and stomach. Ok ok, I probably did lose a couple of kilos, but still, there is nothing like a heartwarming meal to make you feel good all over. So anyway, all that is just because I wanted to share with you guys one of my favorite websites in the whole world. This is also the website that I stared at all of last week while isolated tears streamed down my face because I knew it would be awhile before I could partake in any of it.

Food Gawker- God's gift to the World Wide Web

This website is ah-mazing. It takes all the food blogger posts and consolidates them into a beautiful slideshow of wonder and magnificence that lets you click on one of the picture and be taken directly to the recipe. Enjoy!
Just make sure you have a granola bar near you...you will get hungry

A Wednesday Afternoon Haiku

2010-01-20T17:37:00.005-05:00

Wisdom Tooth removed.
Now, Frozen chicken nuggets
help my inflamed face.

thank you.

Things I hoped would never happen.

2010-01-19T23:58:00.006-05:00

1) I've always hoped that I could maintain my perfect record of no broken bones.
2) I've always hoped to never need stitches
3) I've always hoped that I would be one of the lucky people who never needed to have her wisdom teeth taken out.

Son of a Gun. 1 out of 3.

My tooth started hurting on Saturday...specifically one my wisdom teeth which were never taken out because they never gave me problems and appeared like they wouldn't come in. I was so happy for this. The thought of having a tooth extracted from below the gums always made my timbers shiver, so I was very happy to assume that it would never give me problems.

Wrong.

Flash forward to today, when I woke up at 2 am in a lot of pain. I had to wait until morning because there are no 24 hour dentists in Trujillo, but I probably would have gone had there been. I got x-rays taken this morning, and sure enough my lower right wisdom tooth (in spanish, tercer molar or diente de juicio) was completely impacted and pushing on my other teeth. Yowzas. So I luckily got to see the oral surgeon right away, who shot me up with a couple stabs of a local anesthesia, and began the process.

Not a fun process mind you. And because the tooth was so deeply rooted, I spent over an hour listening to the interchanging (not-so) soothing sounds of a drill plus suction, and watching what appears to be a fancy ice pick get shoved into the tooth and cracking around. Not pleasant.

I had to start singing songs in my head to distract me. And after the surgery, stitches, and all the other hubbub that goes along with a wisdom tooth extraction, I shed a few tears because I really hated that one of the things I never wanted to have happen, came true....and it hurt.

Positives: My wisdom tooth is out, which hopefully means my jaw will stop popping so much...does anyone know if this is true or not? Maybe just wishful thinking? Either way, at least my teeth won't hurt after everything is healed

I had a delicious chocolate milkshake..and only that for my sustenance today...not bad.

Despite the fact that my dreams were crushed (along with my molar) about not having stitches, I can now say that I have only ever had two surgeries in my entire life (A Frenectomy last year, and now this one) They have both been oral surgeries, and they both have taken place in Peru, which has proven to be the land of firsts for me. At least it's a good story to tell.

Anyone have any good suggestions for recovery?

So my enamorado's uncle has a farm up in the mountains of northern Peru, where they grow rice, mango and avocado.

2010-01-14T11:23:00.002-05:00

Some guys might bring a gal flowers...

I get giant boxes of delicious Peruvian mangos!

Here's what I did with them-
Coconut Shrimp & Mango Salsa
Mango Crumb Cake

Random Thoughts.

2010-01-08T01:07:00.009-05:00

I just got back to Peru recently after spending 3 weeks in the states. I find that when I return, there is not really a pattern to my thoughts, it's like someone uprooted me, shook me around for a bit, and all my normal in order thoughts got jumbled and mixed around, so now there is a veritable smorgasbord that may not have so much rhyme or reason. Therefore, this post won't really have a lot of rhyme or reason.

One thing that I recently discovered was that thanks to Denver being awesome in all it does, including it's public library system, I can check out e-books for freeee! I'm currently reading Mirror, Mirror by Gregory Maguire (same author of Wicked). I only wish I had found this 2.5 years ago.
I also found out tonight that I whisper as I type. Everything I type I whisper. Weird habit, I know. I don't know where I picked that one up from.
It's been great being back in Peru, I already have eaten delicious Peruvian food, gone to a friend's birthday party, ridden in a few micros, spent time with one of my favorite families, and have watched a suitcase explode in my room...and have not cleaned it up.
I was invited to a wedding and the couple has the best wedding invitation I've ever seen

This past time of me being in the states was not so much culturally shocking in a very obvious way, but I think my subconscious was going crazy.

This manifested itself in my dreams, which were some of the nuttiest, consecutive crazy dreams I've ever had. Just to sample: one of the first nights I had a dream that involved College and my old professor who made many a student's lives hell, the Peruvian theater, Denzel Washington, Goblins, making homemade donuts, and letting them bake under some very large christmas trees which were all growing indoors. This was all in one dream.

My intercontinental limbo also was very evident when I woke up this morning, and literally had no idea which country I was in. Sigh...one day I'll figure where in the world my place is.

Cenas Familiares

2009-12-29T23:04:00.002-05:00

Things that keep me sane in the United States....Family!

Coincidentally enough, this is also the thing that sometimes drives me insane. Hmph...funny how that works.

But because I live on a different continent, my family moments are treasured because they are so few and far between.

So it just warms my heart when the family can get together for Christmas, birthdays, random events, and what we took part of tonight The Tuesday night family dinner.

The menu? Chicken Pot Pie. The Dessert? Peanut Butter Cake. The conversation? Priceless.

It's my family, every bit as unpredictable and hilarious as one family can be. Come over some time, we'll feed you...and you might even get a few laughs in.

Things that make me go...Que?

2009-12-27T14:56:00.006-05:00

So, every time I come to the U.S.A., I am culture shocked in some form or another. Sometimes it's something small, sometimes I feel a little disoriented, sometimes I feel like I fell into a vortex and am living in an alternate universe.

Luckily for me, this trip hasn't been too rough on me, minimal shockage. But there have been a few things that have caught me off guard on this trip, so I thought I'd share.

1) December 21st, 1:45pm Flatirons Mall...It was just gross. That's all there is too it. A Monday afternoon and there were so many people. Consumerism at its peak. Blech.

2) Sooo many previews...and So many movies I haven't ever heard of. My family went to go see Sherlock Holmes on Christmas Day. It was super crowded and we got to celebrate the joy of the season from the 2nd row. Nothing says Christmas like a crick in the neck. It was a very good movie though, and I got to see all the previews for movies that I might not ever see!

3) Baking...in Peru, we don't do cake mixes. Everything is made from scratch, and I've gotten used to it. So imagine my surprise when I was able to bake a cake that was NOT from Scratch. I made some cake balls to take to church on Sunday, and successfully put together two cakes and had them in the oven within 13 minutes. It was easy, but I felt a little unscrupulous.

4) Snuggies...I just don't get it. How does one ugly blanket/robe become such a vogue?? 4 million have been sold. Is the US finally starting to take pleasure in the simpler things in life?

And to all a good night...

2009-12-25T02:02:00.003-05:00

The world would be a much better place...

2009-12-21T10:21:00.009-05:00

If everyone had the type of friends that I do.

I am beyond privileged and blessed to have the friends I have. I think if everyone had the type of friends I had, a lot of the world's problems wouldn't be so difficult to overcome.

I just said goodbye to a lot of great friends in Peru, in order to go reconnect with a lot of great friends in the United States.

This past weekend I spent a weekend that can only be described as too short, too funny, and too fantastic. My first stop in my US endeavors was South Carolina, where Julie and I met up with our college roommates and had a weekend full of non-stop laughter, silliness, nostalgia, and the questions- Are we really almost 25? and Can you believe we used to laugh this hard everyday when we lived together?

A trip to Anderson, a trip to asheville, a trip greenville, it doesn't matter where we are...we'll have a good time, guaranteed.

Want to watch some silliness? This was a song we made up on the way to Asheville...we didn't have a radio.

The Lime.

2009-12-16T23:03:00.003-05:00

Well, here I sit, once again, at the starbucks in the Lima airport, awaiting a flight that will transfer me from my South American comfort zone, to my North American "somewhat comfortable in a distant kind of memory way" zone.

We (Julie and I) spent the day in Lima spending too much stupid money on overpriced taxis and other assorted inevitable fees including but not limited to transportation, luggage lockers, and airport taxes. But we had a fun time at the US embassy (Julie's getting married and had to do some paperwork), eating a delicious lunch, and shopping until almost dropping at the Lima Markets, where only the persistent hagglers will walk out with a fair price and the dignity of not getting ripped off. After all the mayhem of the day, Julie and I finally ended up at the Jorge Chavez International Airport, where we checked in, and booked it to the Starbucks, where wifi is free....relatively speaking.

Last time I was here, I waited until about 5 in the morning for my flight to leave, and I was exhausted. This time, I leave at 12:45am and I am not cranky. Why? Two reasons.

1) I am excited to go home, see family, be in Colorado, have a cold winter experience, and catch up with old friends i haven't seen in...ooooh, just about forever.

2) I am wearing the coolest things I've bought...maybe ever.

Today in the Lima market, I was shopping around, finishing up the last of my Christmas gift frenzy, and then I saw them...a positive vision in burnt orange, two beauties before my eyes. Yes friends, I bought...

Two handmade rib knit baby alpaca open finger arm warmers. Not just any arm warmers, my first pair of arm warmers, that are so sensibly, fashionably, and awesomely fantastic. Plus, when I wear them, I feel like a superhero. I just need to find a handmade rib knit baby alpaca cape. Next time, Lima Market...next time.

In the meantime, Look out USA...things are about to get Peruvian.

Peruvians know how to have a good time.

2009-12-05T12:34:00.006-05:00

End of Story.

One thing that I do alot here, that I rarely did in the US is dance. Well, dance with a group of people. Dancing alone in your room as you get ready in the morning does not count.
I love to dance though, and one more reason that Peruvian culture fits me like a glove is our shared love of the baile.

Weddings, Birthday Parties, Baptisms, National Holidays, Monday nights, you name it. Any time is a good time to dance in Peru.

So what did I and two of my favorite amigas do last night? We danced.

There's a (relatively) new Discoteca in town called AMA. Normally I would not go because of the steep cover charge, but my friend Ivka gave us free passes, so of course we couldn't pass it up. The locale was nice, though ridiculously smoky, and the music was great, and then came a peruvian custom that I luurrrrved.

La Hora Loca.

Yep. The Crazy Hour.

As described by the events group Santiago who you can contract for your next Peruvian party:

"EL SHOW DE LA HORA LOCA full fun without end! Hora loca is the height of fun in every type of party, wedding receptions, quinceañeros, anniversaries, birthday parties, business events...in other words, where there is a celebration, there's the Hora Loca Show that will turn your party (big or small) into an unforgettable Super Party!

Guests will be surprised with a carnival of joy when colorful characters on Stilts, Clowns, Mimes Harlequins, Dancers, and more appear at the moment least expected, throwing confetti, passing out noisemakers, masks, balloon hats, and more!"

Here's a visual if you still just can't quite picture it. La Hora Loca Video

In La Hora Loca, there's a non-stop mix of music that has every type of genre imaginable. Last night, it started with a giant Balloon Drop that began when the music started for Black Eyed Peas "I Gotta Feeling" and then went everywhere from YMCA to a mashup from Grease, to Reggaeton to a lot more mixed in there. Balloons were passed out, clowns were dancing on stilts, and just like at any good Peruvian party, a fun time was had by all.

The Postre Lady

2009-11-23T23:42:00.005-05:00

I'm not quite sure when this started. I'm not quite sure when it developed.

But somehow, here in Trujillo, a love for cooking, desserts and baking of all sorts has blossomed within me...and I think I'm starting to get the reputation of being the girl who makes all the desserts.

I'm pretty sure that the love has always been there thanks to the many great ladies in my family. My Grandma, My Mom, My Aunts. They're all great cooks and bakers. So much so, that I remember a certain joke about my mom and my Aunt Connie being WWI and WWII...(World's Wonder I and World's Wonder II)...I believe Aunt Stephanie at the time was a WW-IT (World's Wonder in Training).

If one day, I can cook/bake half as well as the women in my family...well then I am halfway to being an awesome kitchen connoisseur.

I love cooking. I love to create things in the kitchen, and I believe that cooking reflects the personality of the cooker. The manner in which a person (or in this case, me) pulls things together in the kitchen, shows something about how said person (once again, me) carries on in life. For me, I am a fairly reckless cook/baker. I always am looking for fun new things to try, throwing in crazy ingredients, and I rarely every follow the recipe exactly. I don't stop until things taste good to me, even if it means alot of trial and error, and ending up with something I didn't plan on doing in the first place. I cook based on what I have, how I feel, and everything depends on the moment.

Even more than I love cooking, I love sharing whatever it is I've cooked with friends and family...or heck, even with complete strangers. For me, food is a unifier. Everybody eats, so why not use that as common ground? What's better than sharing a good meal with someone you love...or like...or might like in the future if you just get to know them a little?

So...just in case you might like a recipe to share with your friends, or families, or somebody who might be your friend in the future if you just get to know them a little, here is my latest recipe creation.

Cheesecake Swirl Mocha Brownies

Brownie base:
2/3 cup semi-sweet chocolate coarsely chopped
1/2 cup butter
1 cup + 2 tablespoons white sugar
2 eggs
1/4 cup hot water
2 Tablespoons instant coffee granules
1 tsp. vanilla
1/2 cup flour
1/2 cup cocoa powder
1 tsp. baking powder

Cheesecake swirl:
8 oz cream cheese
1 egg
1/2 tep vanilla
1/4 cup flour
5 Tablespoons sugar

For the Mocha Brownie Base:
In a saucepan over low heat, melt the 2/3 cup chocolate, 1/2 cup butter and pour into bowl. Beat and add 1 cup + 2 TBSP white sugar, and add 2 eggs one at a time. Beat well after each egg is added. Combine hot water and instant coffee in a cup or bowl--stir until dissolved and add to chocolate mixture. Add cocoa, baking powder, vanilla and flour and beat well.

Pour batter into a greased 9 x 13 x 2 baking pan.

For the Cheesecake Swirl:
In a small bowl, beat cream cheese, vanilla, remaining 1 egg, sugar, and flour until well-combined. Drop by tablespoons evenly on top of mocha brownie layer. Use a butter knife to swirl the cheesecake mix into the brownie layer.

Bake at 350 degrees for 15-20 minutes (ok...maybe more if you live in Peru and you bake with gas, and then the gas runs out halfway through and you have to then call to order more gas) or until toothpick inserted on side comes out clean. For the love of all baked goods, do not overbake, lest you want to break your tooth on a chocolate rock. Remove from oven and let cool completely....if you can wait that long.

Don't forget to share!

Happy Baking!

A foreigner's guide to Peruvian Transportation

2009-11-17T12:08:00.007-05:00

I thought I would take this time to share with you how to get around town without looking like a foreigner...you know, just in case you ever decide to come to Peru, and don't want to look like a foreigner. We have four main forms of public transportation here. All will get you where you want to go, some will get you there with a little extra motion. Forms 2-4 always have a driver and a porter, who will take your money, and make sure that you can get off at the right stop (read: the right any corner of any street along the route you need to stop at).

1) The Taxi-
Advantage: Taxis in Peru are your best bet if you need to get somewhere fast and specific.
Cost: Taxis generally start at 3 soles (= 1 US dollar) minimum to go wherever, though if your destination is close and you are a persistent haggler, you can get 2.50 once in awhile.
Foreigner's Safety Rule of Thumb: Do not get into a taxi unless it has the logo of a known taxi company, a license plate and identifying numbers painted on the side, and a non-creepy looking driver. That last one perhaps is a little subjective...go with your gut instinct.
Do not be afraid to: Bargain. If you don't like the price. Don't get in the taxi.
Be careful of: unmarked taxis, and taxi drivers who don't go the normal route.

2) The Colectivo-
Advantage: This shared taxi follows a constant route. You get in where you want and get out where you want. Because you can only have 6-7 people in the colectivo, they're a little bit safer
Cost: 1 sol to 1 sol twenty. The cost went up when the gas prices did, but when gas prices fell again, some drivers continued to charge 1.20 while others went back to the price of the good old days.
Foreigner's Safety Rule of Thumb: Make sure you know where you're going and that the colectivo passes by where you need to get off, otherwise, settle in for an hour and a half tour of the route
Do not be afraid to: break all your former personal space boundaries. 7 people in a Buick. you do the math of how much room you'll have.
Be Careful of: Filling up the Colectivo in the correct order. Start in the back, scoot all the way over. Don't mess with the system

3) The Combi-
Advantage: a van that in the states would carry about 9-12 people, combis can and often do take 18-25 people where they need to go along a specified route. Cheap and Reliable. That's the combi way.
Cost: 1 sol for however much of the route you need to take.
Foreigner's Safety Rule of Thumb: Just like the colectivo, make sure you know where to go.
Do not be afraid to: Squish in tighter than you ever thought you could, and speak up about exactly where you need to "BAJA" (get out of the combi).
Be Careful of: not holding up the bus when you get off...even if you feel like your hurling yourself out of the van when it's still moving.

4) The Micro-
Advantage: the largest of all the public transportation vehicles, the micros will get you where you need to go and give you a little extra leg room. A nice feature for those of us who are 5'9" and don't fit well into combis.
Cost: 1 sol for however much of the route you need to go, though a few are only 80 cents, and the ones to get you alllll the way out to the beach are 1.50
Foreigner's Safety Rule of Thumb: Be careful about the micros, because there are more people that can ride on the micro, there is more of a chance of your cell phone getting robbed.
Do not be afraid to: tell the door guy exactly which street you're about to get off at.
Be Careful of: sudden stops. If you are not sitting down in a seat, Hold on tight. Seriously.

Happy Peruvian Traveling!
Your Guide to All Things Peruvian

Oh Oscar....you always know what I'm thinking.

2009-11-09T00:23:00.004-05:00

"Any place you love is the world to you"

The Catherine Wheel from The Remarkable Rocket by Oscar Wilde

So one thing that every immigrant or expatriate must get used to, and which sometimes proves to be difficult, is not being able to find his or her preferred products from his or her specific corner of the world.

For me, living in Peru, I actually haven't had too many products that I was attached to so much that I actually lamented not having them. Actually, come to think of it, living in Trujillo, I have access to so many things, and as globalization continues to strengthen its influence, I find myself not missing much. From Starbucks, to US brands of snacks, drinks, and even toiletries, to dunkin donuts, a cinnamon roll place and what I'm almost convinced is going to be a Bubble Tea store once it opens in the mall, I sometimes forget that I am living in what is officially considered a developing country.

I've had a fair share of luck too with the products that I have actually missed from the states being food items that I end up finding recipes for on the internet. Bagels...check. Tortillas...check. Pumpkin Pies...check. Well, you get the idea.

The point is, I haven't really really missed anything terribly. However, I will tell you one product from the states that I currently am in possession of, but will soon run out of, and thus will soon be mourning the loss of this product.

My friends....I am almost out of....

Toothpaste.

More precisely, Tom's of Maine Natural Toothpaste.

I love this toothpaste so much, and actually, was well stocked, thanks to an amazing care package my parents sent back in March...yeah they did send me a lot of toothpaste. The reason I like this toothpaste so much is because it has no artificial sweeteners, so when I brush my teeth, I'm not actually putting more sugar into my mouth than I did when I ate that piece of carrot cake I just made.

If you've never used this natural toothpaste, you need to go buy two tubes right now and compare how much sweeter your colgate/crest/whatever popular brand is than Tom's. And then, you should send me the other tube in the mail....please?

The life of an immigrant is difficult sometimes. Sigh.

I told the witch doctor I was in love with you...

2009-11-05T00:02:00.004-05:00

So one thing you should know is that when you live 15 minutes from an ocean...the climate tends to be humid. Always.

One humid climate, plus one girl who grew up in a semi-arid climate, equals said girl to be frequently having sinus problems. I find that about once a year, I tend to get some sort of sinus infection/sinusitis type thing which knocks me out for awhile. Even though they are so very readily available here in Peru (you don't need a prescription to buy them from the pharmacy, I try not to take antibiotics, because if Scruff McGruff ever taught my anything, it was that users are losers and that I need to say ugh to drugs.

I suppose that yes, he was talking more about narcotics, but I figure his message can extend into the antibiotical realm too, and no, I'm not sure that antibiotical is a real word.

Anyway, the point is, because I knew I didn't want to resort to antibiotics this year, I began my search for an herbalist who could help me with my problems, though I've been joking around all week about how I need a witch doctor. After Jamesson and I visited a couple of markets with no luck, Jamesson remembered that somewhere over by the cemetery lived a "curandero" who might be able to help me.

And thus, my fun adventure for the week happened.

We knocked on the door, which was opened by a man who was immediately telling us to "Come in! Come In!" It was a yellow living room, but without furniture, only a few benches where some people were waiting. On the back wall, there were two doors, and two little windows. Without us saying one word, and without him giving us a chance to say one word, he ushered us in and pointed us to the closed door on the far right and told us to knock. It was almost like he was expecting us. Weeeeeird.

So we knocked on the door, and a kind faced old Peruvian man, dressed like any typical grandpa came to the door, invited us into his office, which contained precisely one desk and two chairs. The man asked me to sit down, and said "Let me see your hand please" I gave him my hand, he touched my wrist and said to me "You're here for the herbal remedy" And began to reach into his desk drawer. At this point, Jamesson said "Well..she's had sinusitis..." and the man looked at him before he could continue and said "yes" with a facial expression and a tone that very clearly stated that he already knew that.

He pulled out an antique glass device which looked like an old perfume sprayer or a glass air brush. He told me "Tilt your head back" and then he sprayed once in each nostril. My sinuses began to burn, but not a painful burn, just a...Hey this is really working kind of burn, and then about .7 seconds later, everything that appeared to be clogging up my sinuses was quickly making it's exit from my nose and my tear ducts. He then sprayed a little bit on my forehead. Handed me a tissue and said "There...you feel better." It wasn't so much a question, but I enthusiastically said "YES!" Because for the first time in a week and half, I could actually breathe with my mouth closed. He gave me a bottle of his magic remedy to take for the next few days until I feel better, charged me 3 soles (about 1 dollar) and I was on my way.

It was insane. The whole process from us stepping foot inside the door to us leaving with my recently cleared sinuses took no more than 4 minutes, and I'll be darned if know what in the world he actually sprayed up my nose (as far as I can tell, it's some sort of mixture of ginger, pepper, herbs, and what seems to be peruvian moonshine), but whatever he did...it worked and I can breathe and just like always, natural medicine once more has won me over.

When it's time to change, you got to rearrange...

2009-11-01T23:10:00.004-05:00

Sha na na na na na na na na....Sha na na na na! (Think Peter Brady from the Brady Bunch)

It was time for a change. The background, by the way, is a closeup of a Peruvian bill that is worth 10 soles...or about 3 dollars and some change.

I can't believe that October is over. I mean, honestly. What the heck? Where did it even go? I spent the majority of my October teaching english classes, working with compArte, and quite possibly my favorite part of the whole month was dedicating a lot of time to carrying out Pumpkin Fest 2009.

What is Pumpkin Fest 2009 you ask? Oh my. It's amazing, that's what it is.

I'll explain. Pumpkin Fest is at least a month long festival that involves making a lot of delicious things with alot of delicious fresh pureed pumpkin. You see, in the Baikie family, we alllllllways boiled down our own pumpkins in order to make pumpkin pies (my mom makes the world's best...don't try to argue with me, you'll lose as soon as you taste hers), pumpkin bread, and other assorted pumpkin things. we neeeeever use canned pumpkin, and if you think that those fake orange pumpkin pies that canned pumpkin makes are good, well...you just sadly don't even know what you're missing.

Anyway, so with me living in Peru, I do not partake of the same fall festivities of the United States so much anymore. However, thanks to globalization, Peru has recently began to pick up on Halloween, and thus, once a year for a few weeks in October, the globalized grocery stores sell pumpkins, which I quickly buy in order to quickly boil down and quickly puree, in order to quickly begin pumpkin fest, which basically just includes making a lot of pumpkin based things. 31 recipes technically. So far, Pumpkin Fest 2009 has included the inaugural pumpkin pie, pumpkin chocolate bars, pumpkin swirl brownies, pumpkin brownies, roasted pumpkin seeds, pumpkin bagels, pumpkin cinnamon rolls, a chocolate pumpkin layer cake, pumpkin pie fudge spice cookies, aaaand....there's some more coming.

So basically, I've been baking.

Alot.

And yes. It's all been good. Come visit me in Peru, and I'll make you something pumpkiny.

Elbow Room.

2009-10-09T20:23:00.007-05:00

Being here in Peru for over two years, I'd like to think that I'm comfortable in the culture here. A lot of times I feel more Peruvian than I do like a U.S. American. However once in awhile, something will catch me off guard here and the cultural differences stand out a little.

For example. I'm sitting in Starbucks waiting to go to a compArte website meeting in just a little while. I was happy to find that the leather couch was unoccupied, which was great because I also needed to plug in the ol' laptop and the couch is home to one of the not so many seats that come with an outlet. As I was/am enjoying my hot chocolate, a group of business people came in, and with there not being a wide array of seating left right now, they decided to occupy the other 3 seats on this 4 person couch and the chairs surrounding. I'm currently in the middle of their business meeting. It's going well...sales are up.

Sorry, Edward Hall, A U.S. standard of personal space is a frivolous thing to try and treasure here. Good thing I quit that awhile back.

Heavens to Betsy.

2009-10-06T10:52:00.004-05:00

I started out my day really really wanting to feel productive and not like a bump on a peruvian log. So I, true to Gillian Baikie form, made a "Things to Do" List.

I love things to do lists. They help me to see my challenge. They let me organize my plan of attack on the monster before I start, and the satisfaction of being able to cross out a completed task and make that to do list a lot weaker is amazing. Picture Street Fighter, and you're Ryu, and you get a sweet combination punch-kick to Ken, making that red bar surge. That's the satisfaction you feel when you cross one of your tasks off the list.

Anyway, one of the things that has been on my to do list for about...oooh...forever, was to update this blog. Check.

The other that has been on there since forever as well was to go back and review my emails and catch up on those. I'm way behind, so this is my public apology to all those who I have left hanging on the e-mails. If it was my turn to e-mail you back, I'm sorry. I'm still working on it. I'll try to do better.

Anyway, apologies aside, it has been awhile for me to give an update, and I'm happy to report that things are going well! I've been teaching private english classes, and working on CompArte stuff too. We're getting closer to having a website set up, and then I'll be able to give you guys more updates about how everything is going for the music ministry. I'll hopefully be working on an e-mail newsletter soon as well, so if you'd like to receive that, send me an e-mail! (I promise that I'll respond to that one). In the meantime, the big news of Comparte is that we're planning to do some fundraisers so that we can take the kids to an international music festival again this year in Lima. We've also been in alot of planning meetings trying to nail down some new methods for teaching as we continue to grow, and plans for this next year. We appreciate your prayers and support for CompArte as we try to motivate the children of Porvenir with music.

I hope that things are well with all of you guys. I am coming home for Christmas in December, so I'll hopefully get to catch up with everyone, but until then I leave you with a fond happy trails to you until we meet again, and some pictures of my latest Peruvian adventures.

Ok really it's just two pictures of the same adventure. Apparently my camera has been getting a little dusty.

I found a Salamander in the Kitchen!

Why don't you join the group, it's better than being a party poop...

2009-09-05T22:14:00.004-05:00

Oh man...another week over, a new one beginning and I find myself smack dab in the middle of wondering whether I should have done more during the last week and wondering what I can do next week to feel like I can legitimately call myself a productive member of society.

It's a terrible rock with a bothersome hard place unfortunately placed next to it.

But anyway...I'll take this limbo and share about some general developments in my life.
Things are going well here, fiiiinally I feel like I've got my new routine down. In addition to working with comparte it also includes teaching private English classes 3 days a week to some former students from SALI, whom I love dearly. It's so great to be able to spend time with them and help them improve their English, and maintain good friendships through english classes. I really like teaching, and I've been very blessed to have enough students to keep my schedule full osea- just the way I like it.

Allllso, a very important union between two fantastic countries has taken place. At least that's how the Peruvian Justice of the Peace labeled the wedding of my two dear friends Heather and Calin that took place this Thursday. For those of you that know, Heather came to Peru the same time I did two years ago, and about less than a year ago, she began to date Calin, one of the best Peruvian friends anybody could ask for, aaaand less than 4 months ago, they decided to tie the knot. Here are a couple pictures from their wedding. Soo....you know....Congratulations to those two crazy kids!

Other than that, things are all quiet on the Western South American front. I'm looking forward to spring with great anticipation. I hope everything is going well for all of you guys.

With Love,
Gill Pill

This has absolutely nothing to do with Peru...

2009-08-22T00:15:00.005-05:00

However...

I want.

Denver Zoo raising orphaned monkeys

This one goes out to my Algerian fans...

2009-08-18T22:22:00.009-05:00

So I was checking my Clustrmap today, and noticed that Algeria is my number 4 country for visitors. I just want to thank all four of those Algerians who have taken the time to sit down and read Ms. Baikie goes to Trujillo. I hope that this next post doesn't disappoint.

Actually this next post won't be anything grand, so don't get your hopes up.

Things are going great here. On the personal side of life, it's been great catching up with friends I haven't seen in awhile, and also just figuring out my new routine. Because I have a lot more freetime than I used to, I'm also going to be able to teach some English classes on my own which is great since money that I can earn for myself means more money that can be used for CompArte!

And oh yes, speaking of CompArte...

I'm excited that Ronald and I as well as Ronald's family have been in multiple planning meetings and we are well underway in order to developing CompArte's strategic plan. We've been doing our SWOT analysis and are going to be deciding on our misson statement this week. We also will hopefully be nailing down our logo and getting everything started for launching our website soon. Lots of organizational work to be done, and the faster we get it done the better!

I hope that you will continue to keep CompArte in your prayers and we get ready to finalize our plans for the official curriculum, continue our search for funds, a facility, more instruments, more students, and basically just as all the pieces fall into place...and hopefully the right place.

I will keep you updated as we continue to make developments!

Easy like Sunday Afternoon.

2009-08-11T17:25:00.004-05:00

This past week has been great getting back into my routine in Trujillo. Although, technically, it might not look like a very structured routine, the fact that is in Trujillo gives it a lot more stability.

One of the highlights was this past Sunday afternoon. I love Sundays in Trujillo. My typical schedule is to get up and attend Larco church around 9, then after church, a big group of our friends will get together and we'll either go eat in a restaurant, or someone will cook in their home, and we'll all spend the afternoon in good company, content to just hang out with each other with full bellies and fantastic conversations. Then, we'll head back to church for the night service and then many time, hang out again after church. All in all, it's just a lot of friendship time in general.

This past Sunday, Julie, one of my most favorite people in the world, and fellow ex-patriate in Peru, shared with us her new found talent of cooking Juanes (a traditional dish from the Jungle which consists of seasoned yellow rice and chicken, plus a purple olive and hard boiled egg, wrapped up in a banana leaf and cooked to perfection. It was amaaaaazingly delicious. Here's a photo from the group we had. It was the perfect sunday afternoon!

OH! And probably the biggest highlight of last week...maybe this whole month-

I'm going to be an Aunt!!!! Oy Vey!
I found out that my sister-in-law Tiffany is two months pregnant and due in March! So Congratulations to Marcus and Tiffany!!

Oh my word, a baby in the family. The first actually...well...the first of the James Baikie's. Craaaazy.

I'm not going to lie...Babies freak me out, and my niece or nephew will probably be no exception, but this of course is a very large milestone for the family and very exciting. I'm still trying to convince Marcus and Tiffany to name it Gillian. And if it's a boy, they can name it Gill Ian Baikie. It works either way...that's why it's so great!
Well in any case, from now on I get to be Cool Aunt Gilly who lives in Peru and brings home fun Peruvian things...Or Crazy Aunt Gilly who's always speaking in Spanish, eats guinea pigs, and brings back chocolate covered ants from the jungles of Peru.

I'd be fine with either one.

It's just all different, ok?

2009-08-06T14:06:00.004-05:00

Yep. I changed.

I changed my job. I changed my house. I changed my schedule. I changed my blog.
In short. I changed everything.

Except for me and the fact that I live in Peru still and love every second of it. That's the same.

I recently returned from a trip to the US for a whirlwind two weeks filled with too many things for 2 weeks. You name it, I probably did it. And overall it was a very very lovely trip. A little rough for re-entry shock a couple times, but the fact that I got to see so many people that I loved trumped any sort of discomfort. It really was nice. I got to see one of my college roommates and one of my most favorite girls in the world get married (see picture on the left, eating at the BAGEL SHOP, aka the place where dreams come true), I also was able to see sooo many old friends, and I was able to visit both congregations that have supported me in the past as well as a new/old congregation.

When I was between the ages of recently born-5 years old or so, my family attended Concordia Lutheran Church. I don't remember very much from my time there, but I did knock out four of my teeth on their monkey bars when I thought that I had a solid career ahead of me as a gymnast. I didn't. But I did get the opportunity to visit this church once more and speak to them about the CompArte Peru Music ministry.

Overall, the trip was very encouraging, and I was so happy to be able to share a little bit about life down here with the churches in South Carolina and Colorado.

I was also so happy to return to Trujillo to begin the work here in with CompArte. I also am finding myself with the possibility of getting involved in a few other projects as well, so I'm trying to do my best to hit the ground running with everything! It's nice to be able to know that I won't be bored, but I also don't want to spread myself too thin with my time. But...well,
Here's to you life...you do always know how to keep me on my toes.

Ta Daaa!!!!

2009-07-14T19:18:00.001-05:00

Hey Guys, Here's the latest of my newsletters....loooots of new information, so...I hope you enjoy!

July Update Newsletter

Dusting off the old blog...

2009-05-30T18:17:00.003-05:00

After over a month of no updates, I am here to try to recount what my life has consisted of recently. And I can honestly tell you that SALI (the english language institute) has successfully consumed my life for the last two months. Especially in May, I have rarely been able to give time to anything else that was not related to SALI. Since taking the position as Academic Director in SALI, one the biggest projects the Fabian, the institute director and I have been working on is creating the institute's organizational structure. SALI started in 2004 with just over 10 students and now in it's 5th year, we continually have over 200 students each month. Which is fantastic growth that no one ever really planned for. God has blessed us entirely, and because we want to be good stewards of this blessing that God has given us, we want to organize SALI well and create a good plan for the future. So right now, Fabian and I have been up to our eyeballs in policies and procedures, strategic who knows whats and all those other wonderful things that make up an organizational plan. If you've ever had to do one, well...you know how it is.

Anyway. The point is, It's been a doozy of a month trying to reorganize SALI. So I unfortunately haven't been able to write as much as I've wanted

BUT, ever the idealist, I really believe that June will be much better and I will be able to have a little more time to breathe. That's what I keep telling myself anyway. But enough about that.

For something more heartwarming. Peru Mission has a team from Belhaven University doing music ministry all over Trujillo for these 2 weeks. They've been performing and teaching non-stop! Wednesday, we had a concert in the Casa De La Emancipacion with the Belhaven Team, Muyupampa (a Peruvian Folk group from our church), and last but not least, with some of the kids from CompArte Peru! (see previous entries for more info)

The kids played soooo well, demonstrating their talents in front of a very large group of people. Most would have been terrified, but not these kids- they're too awesome to be nervous. We played Twinkles (as if we wouldn't), Minuet 1, and the big finish was an ensemble piece of Ode to Joy. I was very impressed by the kids and their ability to play together as a group. It was fantastic.

Today was Saturday and that also means that I go to Porvenir in the afternoon to teach music as part of the CompArte Peru Program. Today we were very blessed to have 3 guest violinists from Belhaven Univeristy who gave mini-master classes for the children in our program. They helped by giving tips about posture, intonation, and listening to each child play a piece. They finished by playing a piece by Vivaldi, and I know that the kids in Porvenir were motivated by their visit. Thanks to Rachel, Arthur, and Gracie from Belhaven!

My new favorite place in the world.

2009-04-20T22:28:00.005-05:00

Two weekends ago, it was Holy Week...or as my people call it "Semana Santa" It's very common for people to travel during the long weekend, as everyone gets Thursday and Friday off from work.

Well being in Peru, the 4 other girls I currently live with (who, by the way, are awesome) and I decided to follow suit and skip town. We decided that a beach trip was in order, and since I've been dying to go to a beach close to Ecuador for a while now, I suggested Mancora, which turns out is a magical beach full of nothing but happiness and relaxation. Fountain of youth my foot. Live in Mancora and you'll stay young forever....and Happy!

Guys, it was the best trip! It was soooo relaxing. Essentially, we just spent 4 days on the beach, getting tan, and doing fun activities for a very low Peruvian cost like Riding horses for 5 dollars, getting a massage ON THE BEACH for 3 dollars, and other assorted funness. The waves in the ocean were MASSIVE so we didn't brave boogie boarding too much (although I think I found my spiritual gift the first time I rented a boogie board in Trujillo). But even just getting knee deep in the ocean was good enough for me! I loved every second of it! Now, granted, because the town is pretty touristy, the food was a little more expensive. On the other hand because there are so many foreigners, the town has many restaurants to cater to the diversity of the tourists.

Ohhhh the food. Let me take a minute just to make you hungry. We had Mexican food, and giant Margaritas, Thai food, and a lot of just good old Gringo food from the states, one of my favoites was a TBG sandwich- Turkey Bacon Guacamole and the other girls ate some Fish tacos. My easter breakfast was a giant plate of French toast, coffee, Pineapple juice and a big bowl of fresh fruit with yogurt...all for 4 dollars (believe it or not, that is fairly pricey for a breakfast in Peru..even of those unbelievable proportions.) And quite possibly my favorite part of the gastronomy in Mancora was Papa Mo's Milk Bar...strange name, but world's best milkshakes and brownie sundaes! Seriously, a giant milkshake for 2 dollars!?! and a homemade brownie Sundae for 2 dollars?! honestly...I know the Biblical way of handling conflict..."If your brother sins against you, go and show him his fault, just between the two of you. If he listens to you, you have won your brother over." -- Matthew 18:15, But I really think that you can make your brother listen to you more if you take him to Mancora and buy him a Papa Mo's Milkshake!

Oh my word. I wanted to stay in Mancora forever. But I am now back to reality and all I have left is my sweet memories and the pictures, some of which are in this blog. I hope you all had a great Easter! And come to Mancora! We'll get some shakes!

Again?!

2009-04-16T12:53:00.003-05:00

Oh man guys....I don't even know where to begin! So clearly, it's been awhile since I've posted anything, and that means that you'll be receiving the nutshell version that focuses heavily on more recent events...mostly because that's the only part I can remember.

Part of the reason why I haven't posted very much is because of the numerous changes in my life...well, actually just one or two big changes that are super big so they count more than once. I'll post a little bit more about some of those later, but one of the bigger ones has been my change in jobs here in Peru.

At the beginning of March, I was asked by the director of the SALI language institute where I teach to step into a more administrative role. So rather than teaching classes, I am now the academic director of SALI. I work alongside Fabian Moreno (our awesome director of the institute) and work with our academic staff to help make sure that things are running smoothly for our teachers, making the class schedules, handling problems the students might have, throwing drunk guys off the doorstep of SALI (technically it only happened once, but I'm ready to make sure it doesn't happen again), etc.

It's been great, I've spent March and April settling into the position, and it's going well. A big part of the job which I like is the problem solving aspect of it. SALI began a few years back as a very small institute and no one really knew to expect it to grow so much. Alot of the past few years has just been the administration trying to keep up with ourselves without a solid plan, so Fabian and I are now trying to go back and fix some problems we may have had in the past as well as to create a really good structure for SALI so that it can continue to function well in the future and so that we can be good stewards of this blessing that God has given us.

Like I said, it's been a great fit for me so far, and I look forward to the work that lies ahead.
Soooo....maybe you're wondering how I plan to do all this work when I scheduled to be back in the states in July. Hmm...well about that.

Ok look, I know it's not a big shock to anybody that I've extended my time again, but honestly...this time it was a big shock to me. I'm not lying! I really really really thought that I was going home in July and was already preparing myself and looking for jobs and everything, and then bam. All of sudden, God changes directions on me, and I'm not going to lie...I felt like the rug was pulled out from under me. I spent a good chunk of February fighting God on that one too, not because I hated Peru and wanted to go home, but mostly because I was lacking in the trust department. especially because I really thought that July seemed like the obvious time for me to go home for a few different reasons- I didn't think that God could possibly be calling me to stay any longer. But apparently it had been awhile since God demonstrated Proverbs 19:21...well slapped me in the face with it anyway, and so here I am. a week away from my 24th birthday, humbled once more by the infinite wisdom of God's workings, and apparently staying longer in Peru.

I don't know how long I'm staying now. At least until the end of this year I think...maybe longer. We shall see. But anyway, the truth is, that I am content with it. I'm at peace, and even though it's not my plan, it's good that way. It's not my plan..nor should it be.

So there you go, I guess I won't see you in July, but if you want to come visit Peru, you can count on me to be here if you'd like a tourguide and translator!

2009-04-08T21:02:00.005-05:00

Sooooo...I haven't posted in over a month...

And tonight's not the night either. Sorry.

Just to let you guys know, I'm still alive.

AND...I'm on my way to Mancora, a beach town close to Ecuador to celebrate Semana Santa...or as my people call it...Easter!

So Blessed Easter to You all, and I'll send you pictures later!

Por FIIIIIIIIN!!!!!!

2009-02-25T18:37:00.003-05:00

Finally, she makes a new newsletter.

I didn't think she had it in her.

GB February Newsletter

Medical Campaigns and Frenectomies.

2009-02-21T12:00:00.010-05:00

Whew....What a week!

This week, Peru Mission was very excited to host a team of 22 doctors, nurses, and assorted other people from Independent Presbyterian Church in Memphis, TN. The team from IPC came down for one full week to do a series of Medical campaigns in some of the more impoverished areas of Trujillo. This is the teams second year here with us, and after the success of last year's campaign, everyone was so excited to have them return. The team worked non stop 5 days straight by ministering, bringing down their own mobile pharmacy and consulting in the areas of general medicine, dentistry, nutrition, obstetrics, and even minor surgery to help out some of the severely underdeveloped parts of my wonderful city of Trujillo. Everyday the team saw well over 150 patients, and touched some communities in extraordinary ways. It's very difficult to explain the sort of poverty that is a reality here, but I stole a slide show from Allen Bradford (a missionary wife) to give you a glimpse of some of the areas we were working in- mostly in the really underdeveloped areas, including a few squatter towns that have only been established in the last few years.

Side note: I HAD more pictures of my own from the week, but one of the missionary kids asked to take a few pictures with my camera, and then I ended up with all my pictures erased,
Concept- Kids don't know how to work digital cameras.
Application- Don't ever give a kid your digital camera when you have 200 images that are important to you.

Anyway.

Click HERE to be taken the slideshow

I spent the last week translating for the doctors that came down here. I really enjoy medical translations. It's such a great privilege to meet so many more people in the Peruvian communities that I don't get to visit very often as well as to be able to spend some time with some really great doctors from the States at the same time. We were able to listen to the stories from the patients and after many exams, the doctors prayed with the patients as well. I met one lady- Rosa, a single mother who has anemia and about a million other problems that could very easily destroy a person's spirit, but Rosa continues on. She is outside of the church right now and seeking peace, seeking comfort, and seeking anyone to make her feel like she is not alone in this world. We talked for a while and I tried to share the light of the Gospel with her and give her passages so that she could see the hope she has in Christ alone. We prayed for awhile and I continue to pray for her as I ask you to do the same, for Rosa, and for everyone else that has similar stories. This week was tiring but filled with profound and abundant blessings!

OH! The Frenectomy. That probably could go under the heading of Blessing as well. I think. Ok so first of all, one thing that you should know about me is that I have always had a medically odd frenulum (you know that stringy part under your tongue?) Well. My frenulum was always attached too far up, which meant that I could literally only stick my tongue out maybe 1 or 2 centimeters farther than my lips. No problem, I thought, it was always like that, it just gave me a little random fact to make me unique. Well. Anyway, the last day of the medical campaign, I was asking the dentist for some help with my jaw (it often pops so I wanted to know some stretches I could do to maybe help with that). He told me one of the exercises to do which involved touching the tip of my tongue to the roof of my mouth and curling my tongue back, to which I replied "I can't!"

My tongue couldn't easily touch the roof of my mouth, so Dr. John (the dentist) said "What??" He looked at my tongue, and said "Gillian! You're frenulum is tethered, why didn't you tell me? I can take care of that for you right now."

Um. excuse me, what? How? Well, it turns out there is a minor corrective surgery that can be done to cut that part and free my tongue from the slavery of the frenulum. He told me he could do it that day after lunch. I was a little nervous, because I knew my entire life as I knew it would be changed. How would my life look after I could easily stick out my tongue? And now what would I tell people about myself in a conversation that involved medical oddities???

So I thought about it a little, and then the dentist told me that number one, this would allow me to do that jaw exercise that would help my jaw stop popping and the big seller was that a procedure like that would cost between $400-$500 in the states. So I went ahead and decided that having that procedure in a third world country for free beat the heck out of paying for it. So after a delicious lunch of delicious Peruvian food, I gathered my courage and Dr. John and Dr. Mel numbed me up, laughed as I struggled over saying the th sound with the medicine, and did the deed. Snip Snip. My first surgery ever. After 3 minutes, I was freed from my former handicap of an oppressive frenulum. I know can pronounce things clearly, although I was unaware that I talked funny beforehand, and good news, I can now Roll my R's faster in Spanish! So all in all, I think not paying a dime for this thing was worth the sacrifice of my conversation starter.

So there you have it. Medical Campaign and a free frenectomy. All in all, another great week in Peru!

Short.

2009-02-13T11:38:00.002-05:00

I have slowly regressed into the world's worst updater.

Soooorry. I'd like to tell you that I have already rectified this situation by making a giant 6 page newsletter. But it's just not the truth. I don't even know that I can promise to have a new newsletter out in February. But I should try to get working on it at least.

But for the record. Life in Peru is Fantastic.

I'm trying to relish these last short months I have here in Peru, knowing full well that in July, my life will be changing drastically once more as I readjust to a former culture. Oh, and the fact that I have no idea what I'll do when I get back makes the element of surprise all the more fun. Or something...

The future holds alot of unknowns, but God holds the future, so...one step at a time, no?

Theme of the Week: Pizza

2009-02-06T10:06:00.004-05:00

From the www.theonion.com

Pizza Hut's New Pizza Lover's Pizza Topped With Smaller Pizzas

I realized something last night about this week that made me seriously question my better judgment about food this week; but then to throw better nutritional judgment out the window in appreciation of the more important things in life- The people I care about.

Are you ready for my realization? Here it comes:

I have eaten pizza every single Day this week. No joke. Everyday.

No skipping days, no additional nutritional supplements.

Only Pizza for lunch or Dinner every day this week, Monday through Thursday.

(Today is still Friday, and the chance of pizza still is looming)

Ok first of all....I have no excuse. I didn't even realize it until last night exactly how much pizza I had consumed. It wasn't necessarily my idea to get pizza all those times, but I will give you a run down about why I ate so much pizza, and why the people I ate the pizza with are much more imporant that the fact that pizza is now it's own food group in Gillian's Food Pyramid.

Monday- 9pm Pizza Hut (at the restaurant) When I first came to Trujillo, one of the families that I was closest with was the pastors family of my church. Pastor Ricardo, and his wife Dany and two daughters Dorothy and Martita and I plus a few other people always ate lunch together on Fridays in their home. I call them my Peruvian parents and they treated me like a daughter. Really incredible people, and it was hard to say goodbye to them when they moved to a small mountain community last year to help with the church there. But it was a very special treat monday to eat dinner with Dany, Dorothy, and Martita again when they came to visit Trujillo for few days. I loved every second.

Tuesday- 12:00pm Papa Johns (at SALI). Every Tuesday for lunch, all of the interns that work for Peru mission gather to have lunch and to share a time of discussion about different topics of ministry and spend some time in the Word. This week, we were talking about many different topics related to world views and our role in our culture today. Much too philosophical for this blogger to re-hash, but a fun a...lively discussion in any case.

Wednesday- 9pm Pizza Hut (my house). After rehearsing for a wedding that I and a few friends are playing for tonight, we got the phone call from the roomies that pizza was on it's way to our house and to hurry home so we could hang out with everyone. It. Was. So. Fun. We had about 10 of us or so and while we were waiting for the pizza, a few people, grabbed the guitar to give us a little background noise and our friend Ivan started up an alphabet game. In a circle, one person names a song or singer or band, and the next person has to think of a new song or singer or band that begins with the last letter of the first person's word. So for example I say Stevie Wonder- and then next person must think of someone or a song that begins with R. It's a lot of fun, and as we were playing with Peruvians and Gringos, that left a lot of room for accusations about who was making up names and songs and was just a lot of fun all the way around. We didn't even hear when the pizza actually arrived. But arrive it did, and eaten it was.

Thursday- 9pm Papa Johns (Ronald's House) I can't tell you exactly how much the Serrano Moreno family means to me. Ronald is the violinist I work with in Porvenir, and his family means the world to me. His wife Tatiana is amazing and quite pregnant with their fourth child. Branco, the oldest son at 16 is just a cool kid altogether and was my student for at least 4 or 5 months in SALI. Giacomo, 11, was named for Puccini and is always the life of the party, and is one of my cello students as well who has an amazing ear for music. Elsie Michaela is 2 years old and 4 months, and has a sense of rhythm that some people never have. she owns the worlds smallest violin and can play different rhythms on it. Ronald also made her a cello by taking an old full size violin, putting in an end pin, and changing the strings. She is currently enamored with her cello. In my opinion, she could be a prodigy. I try to go to their house alot...usually once a week, and we always have a great time laughing, playing music, and generally just being a family. Last night, one of our new interns Patty who is also a violinist came with us too, and was immediately adopted into this wonderful home.

So you see, Pizza everyday is gross, but pizza everyday with people you love is irreplaceable.

On the mend...

2009-01-19T21:37:00.004-05:00

Last week.

Terrible.

Really Terrible.

But.

I am on the mend.

Amidst a flood of stressful situations, multiple trips to the police station, and some other drama that will not be dwelt upon too much...or at all, I actually somehow made it through last week. I don't know if I'd say that I made it through well, but it's done.

I don't even know where to begin for describing last week. But one of the the major stresses included being worried about my financial situation over the next 6 months (I think it's pretty common knowledge that I'm here as a volunteer and in charge of raising enough money to cover my living expenses through donations so if I don't have any donations, I don't have any way to pay my rent and monthly cost of living- about 280 dollars monthly.) Anyway, I'm in some pretty great need of donations right now, I had no donations in December, and am still holding my breath to find out what kind of donations are coming in for this month. I'm praying...Alot.

And the police station visits you ask? Well. Me and the Trujillo Police have gotten to be buddies since Thursday. First of all, it has been a rough week for other people as well. Unfortunately, the laptop of my dear friend and co-missionary intern Julie Rogers was stolen this week. But the really hard part was that it got stolen off the top of her desk during the middle of the day from our shared office in SALI while 7 other people, including myself were in there. A guy who posed as a computer tech guy walked in while the other real computer tech guy was busy with something, and essentially just walked right out with Julie's laptop. The robbers are bold here. No doubt about that. Anyway, so because everything official requires a multiple step process, we went to the police station, went to a different police station, went back to the same police station, and then the next morning had to go back to the same police station. Julie's only been down in Peru for about 5 months, so she didn't want to go through that whole mess in Spanish by herself, so I went with her to translate, and since I more or less "officially" was the translator, I ended up taking my passport the second morning in case they needed a copy since my name was also in the police report. Enter: The Problem. I normally never walk around with my passport. Ever. Why? Because things can get stolen.

And they did.

After the police station Friday morning, I was walking back to SALI and was waiting to cross the street, I had a purse with me, with a zipper that was closed. As I was waiting to cross the street, I felt something, and since I am pretty alert for pickpocketing in Trujillo, I turned around the second I felt it, but I didn't see anyone suspicious, just everyone waiting to cross the street. Well, a little bit later I felt something again, turned around quickly again, but alas, this time, my purse was unzipped and my passport and 20 soles were gone. In addition to being bold, Trujillano choros (thieves) are quite nimble...and stealthy. But the good news is that I had a lot more stuff in my purse (cell phone, wallet, credit card, etc) that did not get stolen, I think because I turned around to check, but because my passport was on top, that's what Grabby Gabby got away with.

So, I went back to the police station. Again. To file my own report. The Trujillo police know me now. By name. We chatted, we joked, we laughed...well actually, they laughed at my apparent bad luck, and I think some pretty strong friendships have been formed with Officers Reyna, Ramirez, and the rest of the boys at station. I figure it can't be that bad of a thing to have the police on your side.

I now must travel to Lima, go to the embassy, get a new passport for 100 dollars, plus travel expenses and try to figure out that whole mess too.

See my first paragraph about the cause of my stress and you'll understand why that last bit about going to Lima is even more stressful to me.

So I should probably also mention that for those of you who know me, I am not usually this open about what I'm struggling with, however, I think this is one area that God is trying to teach me to work on, this whole, letting others help me. It's difficult. But here I am, with these burdens and trying to float along and make it through (though comparatively, especially from the true struggles I've seen of my friends and others in Peru, I know that mine probably aren't that big).

I've been trying to see God's faithfulness through this. As I was reading my Bible the other night, and trying to encourage a friend who's going through a rough time, I found Psalm 73

23 Yet I am always with you;
you hold me by my right hand.

24 You guide me with your counsel,
and afterward you will take me into glory.

25 Whom have I in heaven but you?
And earth has nothing I desire besides you.

26 My flesh and my heart may fail,
but God is the strength of my heart
and my portion forever.

Last week was Terrible. But God is my portion. I am on the mend.

Raise your Hand if you haven't blogged since last year!

2009-01-09T15:52:00.003-05:00

You can't see me, but I'm raising my hand.

WELL.

Anyway, I'm back in good old Trujillo, soaking up the sun and the 70 plus degree temperatures. This Saturday will be my first beach trip of the summer and I'm sorry if I'm making my winter weather readers a little bit jealous. So if you'd like, you can come visit me and we can go to the beach together....I don't mind going alot.

I'm still more or less recovering from my Christmas Extravaganza (which I don't know about you but to me that seems like it was 100 years ago). It was a good time...restful in the sense that it was soul-nourishing to see a lot of my family and friends...not in the sense of me actually getting rest. What really wore me out was the waking up at 4am on Friday morning and arriving to Trujillo at 5pm Sunday night. Yeah. It was a doozy.

But I did arrive and that's what's important; AND on Sunday, before I went back to Trujillo, I did get the opportunity to visit the kids from our CompArte Peru Music ministry who were in Lima for a musical festival. This is a weeklong music festival that is like a music camp for the kids to develop musically.

As you probably know, since our program is in a rather undeveloped part of Trujillo, the kids we teach wouldnt normally be able to afford this (The registration alone is 70 dollars, and the travel and foods costs are another 55, comparitively, which is really alot of money to spend, and almost an impossible fee for a Porvenir Income- I think I've read that the official minimum wage in Peru is about 500 Soles or $156 monthly) But thanks to many generous donations, we are able to pay the fees for the kids. 2 days before I left however, I received word from Ronald, the program director, that we were short on money for 5 children who wouldn't be able to go, but I am happy to report that thanks to generous donations, all 5 of the children who were not going to be able to go to the Suzuki Music Festival in Lima Peru were able to attend, giving us a total of 21 children!

I don't have any pictures yet, but hopefully will post them soon. Other than that, things here are going well, I'm back to teaching, and back to life in general, although these last six months are shaping up to be a little bit busier than normal as I have been selected to lead the choir for these six months as our normal director Julton is going through his medical internship at a hospital to be a doctor. We'll see how this goes.

Well, I'm gonna go plan some classes, or do some teacher like things, so good luck to all of you northern hemispherers. Hope you stay warm.

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

2008-12-24T03:16:00.004-05:00

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...

2008-12-04T10:27:00.002-05:00

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......

2008-11-26T21:31:00.004-05:00

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...

2008-11-13T15:59:00.004-05:00

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)

2008-11-08T11:02:00.014-05:00

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...

2008-11-05T11:49:00.005-05:00

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.

2008-11-04T00:16:00.005-05:00

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!

2008-10-27T16:54:00.005-05:00

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

2008-10-23T14:03:00.007-05:00

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

2008-10-16T09:05:00.003-05:00

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.

2008-10-14T02:04:00.002-05:00

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

What do you think?

2008-10-14T00:18:00.003-05:00

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...

2008-10-09T14:05:00.004-05:00

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

2008-10-06T23:43:00.001-05:00

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

Glorious.

Information Questions

2008-09-30T22:09:00.004-05:00

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....

2008-09-20T20:36:00.002-05:00

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)

2008-09-17T13:31:00.004-05:00

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

2008-09-11T11:35:00.004-05:00

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.

2008-09-11T00:04:00.004-05:00

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

2008-08-23T11:31:00.005-05:00

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...

2008-07-20T18:03:00.005-05:00

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

2008-07-20T17:38:00.002-05:00

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.

2008-07-09T10:26:00.004-05:00

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.

2008-07-08T14:58:00.006-05:00

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...

2008-07-03T12:58:00.005-05:00

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...

2008-06-17T10:34:00.002-05:00

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?

2008-06-09T09:49:00.003-05:00

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...

2008-06-06T17:37:00.005-05:00

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...

2008-04-18T19:33:00.010-05:00

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:

Let me explain.

2008-04-02T16:27:00.003-05:00

Ok, so the last time I wrote was 3 weeks ago. And It's going to take me a few posts to get you caught up on where my life is right now.

This is mostly to be blamed on the march. Yes, that's right. The month of March.

You know the saying "In like a lion, out like a lamb"?

Well, for me. March was: In like a herd of roaring lions, chasing stampeding elephants. The elephants are then caught up to by the lions, who tripped over their tails, thus creating a large amalgamation of large and dangerous mammals. Then all of a sudden, across the serengeti, a freak cyclone comes through, sucking up the elephants and lions, all the while destroying brush, wild date palms, zebras, and other assorted serengeti flora and fauna. So now we have a holy mess of mammals and vegetation swirling around in a giant cyclone across Africa. So as this cyclone starts to wind down towards the end of March, March then finishes out like lions and elephants and zebras set back down to the earth, safely, but dizzy, where they all re-orient themselves and then lie down to take a nap after a long month spent mostly in a cyclone.

Now, I've thought long and hard about how I could possibly recount to you fine people what the month of march in 2008 has meant to me, and to be honest the previous was the only way that I have been able to come up to describe my thoughts.

So that gives you a little glimpse. As I said, I will be filling you in more about details about that loveable cyclone. It's had its high points and low points. The highs were very high and the lows were very low. The very low low I've already written about (See two posts ago about my precious baby angel mac) And the very high high was having my two friends Cassie and Diana come visit for 2 weeks. I'll fill you guys in more about this trip later, and many many pictures will follow.

The visit from Diana and Cassie ended last night, and left me here in Lima for a few days to sit, reflect, breathe, and spend alot of time at Starbucks, drinking several iced lattes. Starbucks is a rare treat that for me happens about, oh, once every 4 months. I do miss coffee shops. There really aren't any in Trujillo. But they're my escape, so I treasure the few times that I do get to spend in coffee shops every once in awhile. So, I am going to return to my iced latte and my safe haven of this plush arm chair and reflect about all the things I need to write about in the next few days.

Such highlights to be included:

-Easter

-The update on my baby angel mac

-Diana and Cassie's debut in Peru

-My debut on National Peruvian Television (oh yes, it's true)

Tune in next time...

dear you,

2008-03-16T23:57:00.002-05:00

ok, I don't have too much time to write this post, but for all those avid peruvian gillian blog readers out there, don't worry, I have not sunk so far into depression over my baby angel mac that I cannot keep blogging.

It just takes a little more effort to borrow someone's computer and type up a blog. I hope to blog more soon, I will try to make time and update you guys more about what's going on south of the equator.

love,
gillian

Black Monday

2008-03-07T18:17:00.004-05:00

Some of you may be wondering why I haven't updated my blog in awhile. Some of you may be wondering why you haven't received a February update Newsletter yet.

Some of you need to know what happened on that fateful Monday of March 2008.

It's too hard. I can't talk about it... but I must.

My hard drive crashed. My beautiful baby angel mac. My pride. My joy. My life. Gone.
I can't tell you the grief I've been through with this. I also can't tell you what exactly happened. So don't ask. Because I can't tell you, and it makes me sad/angry to talk about it. All I know is that I have lost all of my files with little to no hope of recovery.

Yes that's right. All of my files. All my photos, my music, my calendars, all of my work from SALI, and here's what hurts the most- I had all of my files from college on there. All my reports, and all of my interior design projects. It hurts. I can reinstall my operating system, but that erases whatever chance I had of recovering my files. That's like cutting off life support on someone in a coma. That says, "I'm giving up on you, files, you have no chance, You're dead to me. I'm forgetting you, and starting my new life with a new operating system."

If you think I'm being dramatic about this, then you probably aren't as attached to your computer as I am. My computer, though I did not spend every second on it, I spent a good chunk of my time on it. I used it for everything. For work mostly, and keeping myself organized. It had my agenda to show me what I needed to do, it had my grading sheets for my classes, it had my lesson plans so I knew what to teach, it had my class activities and conversation topics, so that we had stuff to do in class, it had my photos so that I could create an album of my life in Peru, it had my music to calm me down as I was working on everything, it had all of my work from college so that I could actually apply for jobs when I get back to the states. Basically, it had Gillian Baikie. The Lord giveth, and the Lord taketh away. And He tooketh my computer.

I've spent the majority of this week in a state of what I can only imagine to be depression. A part of me has died, and I don't think I can get it back. I'm going to call apple. Maybe they can offer me some solace of solution, but I doubt it. The outlook is grim. I think I'm just going to have to accept this and move on. Pray for me.

What did the Big Tomato say to the baby tomato?

2008-02-27T18:22:00.002-05:00

This is the theme of my post today. I am sitting here watching my students complete their final exams for the month of February at SALI. And I am taking full advantage of this time I have to catch up on blogs, newsletters, on e-mails, on grading, and just in general on life, love, and the pursuit of happiness as well.

February has been an extremely busy month. Which as I ponder this more, I realize that in general, my February's are busier than normal. Perhaps it's because February is a shorter month, yet the amount of work remains the same, so it becomes necessary to cram it all in. Basically February is sweetened condensed milk. (The sweetened part only comes in because Valentine's is thrown into the mix, otherwise, there's nothing sweet about it).

I hope that your February was as pleasant as possible and that even if it was busy, it was a good busy. I hope to be sending out my February Newsletter soon (read: sometime still in February) with a more detailed description about February Activities.

Chau!

Faster than a speeding bullet...

2008-02-24T20:58:00.005-05:00

Hello old friend. It's been a long time, hasn't it?

Do you ever feel that some weeks, though still consisting of the alloted 7 days of 24 hours each, have so much crammed into them, that by the time you are finished with that 7 day period, you have somehow time warped and actually completed 2 or even 3 weeks of your life? It's kind of like if you were Superman and running so fast around the earth, that time can't even keep up with you, and somehow you lap yourself in the process.

This past week was insanely busy, but also insanely blessed. Peru Mission had a team of about 20 from Independent Presbyterian Church in Memphis, TN, with us this past week to put on an intense medical campaign in the neighborhoods around Wichanzao Presbyterian Church. They did general medical consults (family, internal, gynocological, OB) out in the neighborhoods, as well as minor surgery, and dentistry. The team was wonderful, and the medical campaign was a success, and it was such after much hard work from the team members.

Um....so why are you tired, Gillian? You teach English, you don't do medical stuff.

True story, but this week they needed some help translating, so my roommate Heather Campbell, our friend/coworker Sam Love, and I woke up early everyday to be out at Wichanzao by about 7:45 and then to translate until 1:30 or so, when we'd eat a heavenly lunch, cooked by one of my favorite Peruvian moms, Hermana Lydia. Afterwards, we'd run home, shower and gear up for a full day of teaching until about 8:45pm. Like I said, it was busy. However it was a very blessed opportunity to get to know some more of the communities and people out at Wichanzao, to spend some time with brothers and sisters in Christ (Peruvian and U.S. American), and to continue to practice my Spanish. I never had worked as a translator before, and though I don't think I'm ready to print any business cards any time soon, it was nice to realize that my Spanish (albeit slowly) has improved over the past 8 months.

The first day I translated for the dentists. I don't recommend it. They pull alot of teeth and they make you hold the bucket where they put the extracted (read: bloody) tooth. Gross. I haven't ever had a tooth pulled, but I saw enough teeth being pulled to make me want to brush my teeth at least 3 times a day now. Have you seen the tools they use?! I'm just saying....don't forget to floss.

The rest of the week I ended up translating for the general medicine side, I sat with nurse Becky in Triage as she gathered the patient's history. Like I said, it was a great time to meet some of the Wichanzao folks, and it was very good for our medical clinic to make ourselves known in some communities where we weren't previously. Please continue to pray for the people out in Wichanzao, and the work that is going on there as well as throughout Peru. And if you're a dentist and need someone to speak Spanish and hold a spit cup...well...ask someone else first, and if nobody else can do it, I'm your girl.

Me telling a small Peruvian child to brush more, unless he wants to look like the guy behind me who is getting 5 teeth pulled (no joke).

**To read my coworker Sam Love's thoughts on this week, click to see his blog HERE**

**To see pictures from the medical campaign in Wichanzao this week, click HERE**

Public Service Announcement

2008-02-11T19:44:00.000-05:00

Ok Three Things.

First, I was about to write a post about what a good mood I was in today, and then my favorite necklace from Peru just exploded into all 85 of the tiny parts that originally came together to make up my favorite necklace. Bummer, huh?

Oh well. All good things must come to an end. A fool and her necklace are soon parted. No use crying over spilled beads.
Better to have loved and lost a necklace than never to have loved at all.

Well, anyway.

Second: Things are still going very well here, we're in our 2nd week of teaching our February classes. Attendance for the institute is up to 207 students which is great, especially as our goal is to attract 300 students by the end of the year. SALI is experiencing a lot of growth and positive changes and we are continually working on improving the institute. Please pray for us as we continue with this year that our earthly goals will be met this year, but more importantly that we will grow as God will have us to grow.

Third Thing: I hope everything is well with all of you! Our vonage phone is still broken and I unfortunately am still relatively cut off from the Motherland. So this is your Public Service Announcement reminding you that only you can prevent forest fires, and that your friendly neighborhood missionary enjoys hearing from you through blog comments, e-mails, letters, postcards, and the occasional smoke signal, although that kind of conflicts with the forest fire warning. Well....you get the picture. Hope to hear from you soon!

The Native is Restless.

2008-02-06T10:14:00.000-05:00

I am Restless.

Today is Ash Wednesday.

One of the things about being a Lutheran working with a Presbyterian mission is the differences in observation of church dates. Also, one of the things about being a protestant in a highly Catholic country is taking large steps to make sure the practices and observations of the church are not confused with Catholic practices. It's hard to explain, I suppose. It almost feels like I'm in a time of the Reformation, and the tendency is to run the opposite direction rather than take part in some of the good practices of the Catholic church. I do however understand that the evangelical church in Peru is at a point in its history that it needs to definitively distinguish itself from the Catholic church, and for good reason too. And at this point, part of making that distinction is to not observe Ash Wednesday.

Unfortunately, Ash Wednesday is one of the services that I usually treasure the most during the church year. First of all, it marks the beginning of the season of Lent, a 6 week of season reflection and repentance, something I feel I really need right now as well. True, in order to repent, I don't need to attend the Lenten Soup Suppers (potato soup's my favorite) or spend my Wednesday night omitting "alleluias" right and left, but it is something that I appreciate greatly to have a setting which is designed to make me focus. I need that. Ash Wednesday is such a unique time. Here's a short overview from the LCMS website:

A contemporary Lutheran appropriation of the Imposition of Ashes should begin with the two-fold biblical understanding of ashes: as a sign of our mortality and as a sign of our repentance. Likewise, the traditional formula, “Remember, you are dust, and to dust you shall return,” is most appropriate, since it paraphrases the words of God in the Garden of Eden (Gen. 3:19). By receiving the ashes, the worshipper acknowledges that God's judgment against our sin is right and just. But the ashes are also made in the sign of the cross—the very instrument by which our Lord took upon himself the punishment for our sin, in our place. Thus, the cross of ashes serves to remind us that we are sinners, and that Christ died for us sinners.

So on this Ash Wednesday, I will not be receiving the ashes on my forehead, but thanks be to God that His promises still remain despite the lack of outward signs.

People you should know

2008-01-30T01:52:00.000-05:00

Meet my Roomie.
This is Heather Campbell. She is amazing.

A cheesy and uninspired biography of Heather will tell you Heather Campbell is from St. Louis, Missouri. She graduated from Covenant College with a major in Community Development with a focus on teaching English in developing countries.

My version will tell you that Heather Campbell is one of the people I appreciate the most in this world. She will joke around with you about anything. She has the best headband collection I have ever seen. She is fearless. She broke her arm in Peru while jumping on a trampoline. She had her 23rd birthday yesterday, fell for my ridiculous lie and walked right into our surprise party trap. Heather and I spend a lot of time together, and I don't know what I would do without her here. I think that she and I are similar in a lot of ways, but also very different which is good. We often share the same views on things, which makes it wonderful to talk things out with her, but I know that we can also throw down opposing opinions without either of us being offended in the end.

Things I admire about Heather:

She can talk with anyone, anytime, anywhere.
She is always comfortable joking around with people and has that amazing ability to put people at ease.
Heather has spent alot of time living outside of the US (6 months in Mexico and 3 months in the Dominican Republic, and now a year and a half in Peru)
She is very wise.
She has the amazing ability to admonish others in a Godly and loving way, something I often fail at.

And last but not least, she's just cool. Heather Campbell = Cool Girl. That's all there is to it.

Conglamo!

2008-01-30T01:23:00.000-05:00

My mind's a little bit scattered a I write this post. I have a lot of thoughts running through my head right now, thoughts about work, about people, about life in general, and I can't seem to hold onto any of them for more than a few moments until a new thought about work or people or life seeks attention and distracts me from the previous musing.

I can't even focus enough right now to write a blog post on one subject, so here's the chex party mix version of what's going on with me right now.

Things at SALI are going well- Classes end tomorrow which means that tomorrow night, I will be boarding a bus for Moyobamba, one of the jungle cities of Peru. I do believe this will be my first trip to a jungle. And I also do believe that I need to pack still. As with all "get-aways" I am looking forward to getting away for a few days, although when I return, I know I will have what is known in Spanish as a "montón" (pile) of work to do.

I'm beginning to take on more here in Peru. More with the Music Ministry, more with SALI, and more with general life business. When I was in college, I was what you could probably consider an "over-achiever" I always had a hand in everything and was always on the go. As I begin to put my hand in more things here in Peru, I think I'm beginning to realize that maybe this "over-achiever"ness is just an ineradicable personality trait of mine- I like being busy, I like having the challenge of doing a lot of things, and when I don't do a lot of things, I get bored. Maybe it's silly, but that's the flame that this moth is drawn to.

And the last party mix thought of the evening- The Vonage internet phone has not worked for at least the past week here in Peru. In the good words of the good Martin Luther I ask: "What does this mean?"

Well friends and family, whom I love dearly, it means that because my only reasonable line of communication to the US is broken, I have not been able to call anyone in the states for awhile. Sorry Friends. Sorry family. I miss talking with you. Pray that it gets fixed soon.

And remember you can always send e-mails at gbaikie@gmail.com *

*read: Send me e-mails please*

Reasons

2008-01-18T18:39:00.000-05:00

It's Friday. Why do I know this? I know this because I am actually able to type my blog post. And I am able to type my blog post because I am monitoring my students taking their weekly exams. The heat is on as Maria struggles through the many/much section. Alesandra wipes the sweat from her brow as she desperately searches her mind for the rules about making comparisons. Is it noisier? or More noisy? What's the rule?? Jotan has made it to the vocabulary section and crumbles under the pressure. He's weeping in the corner.

Ok not really. My students are all very good and showing English grammar who is boss. They own this language. Classes are going well here, I look forward to February, when we hopefully will have another staff member. We've been fairly short staffed due to many different circumstances, so everyone has been pitching in and working hard to make up for it. Things as you can imagine have been fairly busy.

So there you have it, January has been busy so far, but when you work hard, you also need to have fun. This is what I love about living in Peru. Having fun is a necessary part of life and Peruvians cherish this. One area where I see this clearly is with dancing. I love Dancing. I love dancing despite the fact that I am not a very good dancer. Never have the words "graceful" or "light-footed" been used to describe me. I'm ok with that. I still love to dance. Last night was Thursday and we went to Canana's, a dance joint with an outdoor dance floor and a live band from 11-12. It wasn't planned, but we were just in the mood to dance.

In the states, to go out dancing is somewhat of an event, you need to plan for it, to set aside some weekend to do it. Here in Peru, dancing can be found at thousands of restaurants and it doesn't matter what day it is. You want to dance? Go for it. It's Tuesday night? Let's go to Roky's (think KFC meets Dave and Busters, meets Chuck E. Cheese's) We'll get some good chicken and dance the night away with the live band. Maybe we'll sing some Karaoke afterwards. Why? Just because it's fun. That's the best reason I can think of.

Oh, and also, last night one of our SALI students gave be the best reason ever to learn English.

Me: So Why do you want to learn English, Gaston?

Gaston: Well, I knew a girl from the US and everytime I tried to speak to her, She told me to Kiss her A--. I didn't know what that word meant, so I started learning English. Then I learned what it meant, and I decided that I need to learn English to know when people are saying bad things to me.

Wisdom in it's truest form.

It's Official

2008-01-11T15:29:00.000-05:00

She's a Peruvian. Her Peruvian Residency Card says so.

Learn you some English...

2008-01-08T14:19:00.000-05:00

Things are in full swing down here in Trujillo. We began our January classes yesterday and with around 150 students who signed up for class, January is shaping up to be a very full month for SALI. Since it's summer here, people have more free time. Other students will continue to enter classes throughout the week, but now, I'm beginning January with 16 new students. At SALI, each class or cycle lasts for one month, and professors stay with their classes for about 4 cycles. I'm very excited to get to know my students better over these next four months. They all seem eager to learn, which is a good thing, because I am eager to teach.

It's truly been great being back. I'm excited to see people I haven't seen in awhile and really just want to make the most of my time. I know that right now, a year and half may seem like a long time to live in a different country, but in the long run, it won't seem so long. So with that, I am content to be back in Peru and content with where God has led me.

Back to the Future...I mean Peru.

2008-01-05T09:55:00.000-05:00

I made it! After a 2 day trek that took me from Denver to Atlanta, Atlanta to Lima, and finally Lima to Trujillo using Planes, Trains, and Automobiles. Assuming you count the airport subways as "trains". Either way, I am typing this new blog from my old desk at SALI.

While I was in the Atlanta airport, I wrote in my journal some thoughts about returning to Peru. Care to take a glimpse? Of course you do, it's access to somebody's private thoughts!

It's so very different going to Peru this time. I don't feel like a small child anymore and though I don't know if I'd consider myself a Pro yet about living in Peru, I won't return with eyes opened so wide and overwhelmed by new sights. My ears won't be trying to listen to every last taxi horn, my nose won't be trying to convert every single smell into a permanent memory....or try desperately to block out the bad ones. I will be returning. What a great thing to be able to "return." To go back to something familiar and to be able to walk past a sight and relax because I already know it. The past 6 months have been work. Sometimes hard and not fun work, some work has been a little easier, but to be able to "return" and feel like I have already done the hard work of completely adjusting to something new is a treat. My own personal reward.

So There you have it. I'm excited to be back. Refreshed from the break and very renewed from spending time with my family. I missed them alot, and though I will continue to miss them, it was good to spend time with them . God has blessed me incredibly with the people he's placed in my life. Especially my family, but not just them. With my friends, my friends' families, with my coworkers, my pastors, professors, and a lot more too. I'm very thankful for the people in my life. The way I see it- with such great people, wherever I am, I will always miss somebody. It's one of those facts of life, but I'm thankful that I have a good reason to miss them.

The Battle was Fierce...and Cold

2007-12-29T23:50:00.000-05:00

In the past 3 or 4 years, my family has established a new tradition of going sledding sometime in the week after Christmas. For those of you that know me well, you know that when I say family, I don't just mean my mom, dad, and brother and sister in law, I mean my "family" to include my aunts, uncles, cousins, second cousins, grandparents, and whoever else you'd like to throw in the mix there. The whole Cordova clan. I consider my extended family my immediate family. I love them all dearly and spending time with them is always the highlight/reason of my Colorado visits.

The day started well enough, all 14 or so of us gathered at my house for some homemade chili soup, cornbread, and Bonda Sandwiches (it's a Cordova thing) before heading up to one of my favorite mountain cities- Breckenridge, Colorado (elevation 9,600 feet) to sled at one of the best sledding hills in the state- Carter Park.

We were armed properly with our cheap plastic sleds (they go the fastest), gloves, scarves, hats, and everything else that you might need to brave 20 degree weather. It was gorgeous! There were snow flurries, and though today was the coldest I had been in a long time, it was all completely worth it.

And the Sledding! Now those sledding aficionados know that the more packed the snow is, the faster you go. Well the snow was pretty darn packed and people had even been nice enough to make a few bumps and dips along the way. This is where the trouble started. Whew, buddy. Those dips were rough on the tailbone. My cousin Nikki on her second run, unfortunately hurt her ankle and had to retire to the car for some hot chocolate. My mom actually braved the dips too. Not on purpose of course, but the sleds are hard to steer so she hit them. She quickly retired to the car for some hot chocolate as well. My little cousin Isaiah is a 4 year old trooper, but the cold can overtake the little ones quickly- he ditched us for the hot chocolate too.

The rest of us decided that we would continue conquering Carter Park hill, one awesomely fast sled run at a time. We were flying at ungodly speeds; often hitting the dips; narrowly missing sacking other sledders who weren't aware that you shouldn't stand in the middle of the hill; and going on two, three, and four person sled trains. Those are always fun. Then came our brilliant idea to do another train. This train consisted of my dad, my brother, his wife Tiffany, and me.

We started out well enough, then we went a little to the left.
Then we started going alot to the left.
Uh oh, now we can't stop going to the left.
Now We're completely turned around and I, who was once in back, am now in the front going backwards.
Now my hat has fallen over my eyes and I can't see.

Now we've suddenly stopped and my spine has made contact with something hard and tree-like.
Oh wait, it's a tree. Needless to say, I'm hurting right now.

Our train ended up somewhat disastrously. I hit the tree dead center, my dad's head hit the tree a bit, everyone else wiped out beyond all belief. But luckily, we were ok and laughed awhile about it....laughed and sat there for a bit while regaining the ability to stand.

Overall, it was a rough day to be in the Cordova Family, physically speaking. But the family that bruises together, stays together.

For Pictures from the day and others in Colorado, you can visit my flickr account here
And for videos of a few of our sledding adventures, you can visit my youtube account here

Umm.....is this the right blog?

2007-12-27T02:40:00.001-05:00

Well, 2008 is almost here, and in the spirit of change (and being an art major) I decided to shake things up a bit and create a new color scheme for the old blog. Sorry if you were partial to the old colors, but alas, what is life if not but a series of changes? Anyway, I might stick with this one for awhile, until I decide that it's time for a fresh coat of paint again. If you give a design major a blog, She'll probably want to play with the colors all the time. I think there's a book about that...or maybe it's about giving a mouse a cookie. Either way.

I hope that everyone's Christmas was good and that you all had a very merry time with your families, friends, or whomever you might have spent Christmas with. Here in Colorado, we received 7 inches of fresh snow on Christmas Day making it...what does that make it? Oh yes, of course. A White Christmas! It was beautiful and I'm glad that I got to see some snow before I head back to my summer in Peru. This break has been nice for me. A nice chance to step back, see my loved ones, relax a little, and realize that I want to go back to Peru.

Don't get me wrong, I love it in Colorado, and seeing my family again has been wonderful and very much needed for my soul. But at the same time, it only takes a second to step back and realize where you want to be. Sometimes, I suppose I wish there were two of me, so that I could equally spend my time here with my family as well as in Peru, with my other family. But God didn't quite make the world like that, so I'm stuck with a heart in two different places. However, I'm just thankful that God has given me a heart that has room to call two places "home."

2007-12-24T16:17:00.000-05:00

Writing from the Motherland

2007-12-21T11:18:00.000-05:00

Well I'm sitting against a wall on the floor of the Hartsfield Jackson International Airport in Atlanta. This is the first time that I have been on US American soil for almost six months.

How do I feel?

I feel short. Seriously. Any given time that I walk down the street in Peru, there's a good chance that I'll be taller than about 70 percent of the people I pass. Peruvians are a short people. I am not. That was one of my first reactions to being back in the US. And as I sit here, eating my sesame bagel with plain cream cheese (the first I've had in 6 months) I find myself constantly looking around, looking at people trying to study their faces and learn about them quickly as they scurry to catch their flights. I feel as if they are strangers to me.
Not that I knew any of these people before, but now I feel as if they are really strangers to me. Almost as if I don't identify as much with them anymore. I think this is because I now am identifying myself more with Peru....I suppose not any less with the states, but enough that things look different to me. But...things look different, because I'm different.

Ésta es la belleza de La Vida.

I believe I should be receiving a Partridge in a Pear Tree soon.

2007-12-13T23:11:00.000-05:00

Dear friends,
I am 12 days away from Christmas. On a similar note, I am giving my last test to my December students tomorrow, then they will be taking their final exams on Wednesday and that night I will be catching the bus to Lima in order to fly back home for Christmas. Busses are the most common forms of travel for Peruvians like myself and the trip to Lima from Trujillo will take about 9 hours. The night bus is by far the better way to travel, and depending on which bus company you take, it can be relatively comfortable. Especially if you take the Cama Cama.

The Cama Cama is a magical, mythical beast that transports people to and fro throughout all the land of Peru. Literally cama cama translates to "Bed Bed" and the reason for this is because the seats actually will recline 180 degrees making your seat into your own bed bed. Interesante, no? I think so, and what's more, everytime you talk about the Cama Cama, you can begin to sing Boy George and Culture Club's "Karma Chameleon."

I have many thoughts about going home...first of all, I am very much at peace that I can soon see my family again. You may think that the opposite is true, but I am actually very much a homebody; despite the fact that I went to a university 25 hours away from my house and now with me living on a different continent. I've always felt like my home is in Colorado, and though God has and probably will continue to lead me to other residences, I'm thankful that God gave me strong roots as well. I'm also excited to take some time to reflect upon these last 5 months I've spent in Peru. I have grown in many different and completely unexpected ways. Too many to recount at this moment, but I will be writing down alot of these scattered thoughts soon.

Probably on the Cama Cama. Thank Goodness for long bus rides. And seats that turn into beds. Amen.

There's only one more day left of November...

2007-11-29T10:54:00.000-05:00

This morning I didn't have my usual Spanish lesson so I've spent the morning doing precisely...nothing. It's been a nice change actually to take a morning off.

Usually my day schedule is to wake up about 8:30 or 9, have a Spanish lesson in the morning, spend the rest of the time planning and doing other work for the mission or music ministry, after lunch about 1 or 2, I finish planning and preparing for classes, then I teach from 4:15 until about 9. Sometimes there's stuff going on at night like a bible study or youth group which I go to after classes. The schedule is a little tiring I suppose, but it's good. The work is honest, and I can't complain. I'm just kidding, I really love the work. I can't believe that I've been here for almost 5 months.

What's more is that I can't believe that Christmas is less than one month away. Oh and by the way, if you didn't know, I'll be home for Christmas...yes, you can start singing the song now. I originally wasn't planning on flying back for Christmas, but I need to. I need to see my family and spend time with them, so I will be going back December 20th and will be in Denver until January 3rd. So now, with that said, I really can't believe that I am 21 days away from being home. I look forward to his time of being with my family and friends, anxious to see how I feel about the US when I get back, and definitely looking forward to Mexican food. (No Peruvian food is not anything like Mexican food) I miss me some green chile and tortillas!

I'll post more updates soon, but for now, I need to actually get my day started.

Blessings in Christ!
Gillian

It's the Great Thanksgiving, Charlie Brown!

2007-11-22T23:46:00.000-05:00

Well, my first Thanksgiving away from home has come and gone. It was odd. Good, but odd.
My "First-Thanksgiving-on-a-different-continent" activities were multifarious.

The Peru Mission team is a close team and we spend a lot of time together, so our team is like a family (to me anyway). One big happy family of about 50 Gringos, so what else would we do but spend Thanksgiving together? It was nice and in order to follow suit with the obligatory US custom of telling everyone what we're thankful for: I'm thankful for family. The genetical kind as well as the emblematic kind.

Our Thanksgiving Feast was just that- a feast. No, no, no. A Smörgåsbord.
Seriously. Just like the one that Templeton the Rat sings about in Charlotte's Web. I'm so stuffed, but it was good.

Afterwards, I returned home to finish up some final grading for my November classes. Later, I ended up back at the Bradfords house to hang out with one of my favorite missionary families where we chatted, had some quality time with a puzzle, ate one more slice of pumpkin pie and the Bradfords let me use their vonage phone to call the old familia. I had the traditional game of Pass the Phone to every member of the family to catch up for a few minutes and discuss important issues such as "What did you eat today?" and "How is school going?" It was wonderful- I really love getting to talk with my family for at least a little bit. They are my world and for that, I really am thankful (not just in the cheesy "I have to say I'm thankful for something because it's Thanksgiving so I might as well say 'Family' way").

And theeeen, Caleb and Amanda, two friends/housies and I decided to go to the local Cine Planet theater to see whatever movie was our best option to see. We chose Beowulf (this was our best option from the 5 they were showing, mind you) and bought our tickets for the 11:00 showing. We immediately regretted the decision. Especially once we learned that the movie was made with CGI (think Pixar's Toy Story style).

At midnight, I no longer had to be thankful, and we left the movie halfway through.

El Día de Acción de Gracias...

2007-11-16T00:31:00.000-05:00

I am currently one day away from Friday; two days away from having a weekend; five days from finishing classes for the month of November at SALI; and 6 days away from Thanksgiving. I'm excited about Friday, more excited about the weekend thing, ecstatic about finishing classes for November, and a bit taken aback by the Thanksgiving thing.

Obviously, Thanksgiving is a U.S. American holiday and with Peru not being the USA, I have not been surrounded by thoughts of turkeys, mashed potatoes, and cranberries dancing in my head. It's very surreal having to remind yourself that there is a holiday that has been a very important of your life since you've been on this earth coming up soon. There is no mention of crescent rolls, pilgrims, parades, Mayflowers, giving thanks for families, or pumpkin pies in Peru. Next Thursday will be another day. Just any old Thursday.

Living in Peru has given me a better understanding about what it means to be an immigrant, and in turn, a profound respect for those people who have chosen to leave behind families and countries for various reasons. So many immigrants have left behind traditions, cultures, and much more to establish a life where they feel called to be. This is my first Thanksgiving that I haven't spent with my family. Ever. I'm a little saddened by it I suppose, but at the same time, content with where I am and comforted knowing that I was called here for a purpose.

With that said, here's a little tribute to the old giving of thanks as well as to my old roomie Diana- A Turkey Named Brotherhood

From: Addams Family Values (A simply stunning movie)

She's Baaaaaaack...

2007-11-09T19:35:00.000-05:00

Actually, She's been back for almost a week now, but let's not worry ourselves with paltry details.

The point is that I am back from a miniature size vacation to Cajamarca, a city in the mountains of Peru. I loved being back in the mountains again. I loved being back at high altitudes, and I really loved finding out that I haven't lost my ability to not get altitude sickness. Secretly, it's a big fear of mine that if I live away from Colorado too long, I will lose my mountain lungs and be subject to altitude sickness. But happy news, I can still live at 9,000 feet with no problems.

Some highlights of the trip (besides just being in las montañas again) were:

Spending time in the market of Cajamarca
My first experience with eating cuy or guinea pig for you english speakers out there!
Spending time at the baños del Inca, natural hot springs in Cajamarca
Spending time with Pastor/Dr. Alonzo Ramirez and his family, missionaries with Peru Mission who work in Cajamarca.
And last, a two hour horseback ride through the mountains of Cajamarca...in the rain. I haven't seen any form of rain since July, and I loved it.

I posted pictures to my flickr account, which you can access by clicking here

The trip was nice, and it was much needed. This month has been...well it's been a heck of a month. I've been living/working in Peru for nearly four months now. When I return home for Christmas break, it will have been for five months. It's been wonderful, I truly love it, and truly feel called here, but like every road, you may grow a little weary along the way. No worries though, because as always, God's strength is sufficient.

The Truth...

2007-11-01T09:16:00.001-05:00

Ok guys, I'm not going to lie. This week has kind of sucked.

Every week, not just on the mission field, but in life, obviously will present different challenges. Sometimes those weekly challenges vary in strength and number, and for me, the strength and number categories seemed to have increased this week. In a nutshell? It's just been one of those weeks.

My friend Kat from Anderson (who also served in Peru in the southern city of Arequipa) sent me this little prayer though, which was encouraging at just the right moment:

"May today there be peace within. May you trust God that you are exactly where you are meant to be. May you not forget the infinite possibilities that are born of faith. May you use those gifts that you have received, and pass on the love that has been given to you . May you be content knowing you are a child of God. Let His presence settle into your bones, and allow your soul the freedom to sing, dance, praise and love. It is there for each and everyone of us."

This week may be rough, but it's good to know that His love will never fail.

Tonight I will board a bus to travel to Cajamarca, a city in the "Sierra" or mountains of Peru. This city is located at about 8,900 feet (a little bit lower than base elevation at Breckenridge, CO) and I am incredibly excited to get back to mountains. I love Trujillo, but what with it being a coastal city and what with me being a mountain girl and all....well you Coloradoans know what I mean.

Pictures, of course, to follow.

My home (First Picture) My Home away from Home (Second)

What is a Vampire's Favorite Holiday? ..... Fangsgiving!

2007-10-24T18:43:00.001-05:00

It's final exam season here at SALI as the month of October is quickly coming to an end. In fact my students are currently taking their last Basic 8 exam before they (hopefully) pass on to Basic 9. I'm so proud of them!

I'm sitting here trying to rack my brain for any sort of an important update about Peru and life in it, and I'm coming up with nothing. I'm definitely looking forward to this extended weekend as tonight concludes October classes, and the next cycle begins on Monday. I plan on spending this weekend accomplishing precisely two goals: Cleaning and making pumpkin pies. That's right. Pumpkin Pies.

Up until recently pumpkins were merely fabled gourds in the land of Trujillo. I was disappointed when I found out that I would not be able to eat pumpkin pie this year. Especially since everyone who's anyone knows my mom makes the world's best pumpkin pie and I had been granted the recipe. I didnt know what I was going to do; but then...the miracle that is Plaza Vea occured. The Vea (aka Plaza Vegas, aka Valhalla) is essentially a Peruvian Target or Walmart. It is the only one of it's kind in Trujillo. Before, all your shopping would be spread out over various markets in town or specialty shops, but now with Plaza Vea, anything you could want can be found in one spot, and don't forget at Plaza- Todo cuesta Menos! "Everything costs less!

In any case, I bought a pumpkin from P-Vegas and now Thanksgiving will contain one more very good reason to give thanks.

Strikes, Sickness, and Some other word that begins with S for alliteration's sake...

2007-10-17T17:46:00.001-05:00

I am beginning to write this blog at 5:46, precisely one minute after my 5:45 ESL class is supposed to begin. However, the language institute is not bustling with Peruvians scurrying to their various classrooms and conversation groups. Why? Because today, October 17th, the transportation drivers decided to hold a one-day strike.

No transportation=No Students=No Classes=Happy Gillian.

Ok, Ok, the transportation strike in general is probably a negative thing; but because we all have selfishness issues, I was thankful for this today. Working on the mission field often means that you do not have a 8-5 job and the weekends off. Many times, I feel like we work in three and a half week cycles and then have 5 days off. Sort of like a five day weekends...that occurs once a month and takes the place of the rest of your weekend. But I do love it, I couldn't picture myself anywhere else right now.

In other news, I am currently sick. Those that know me know that usually being sick is a silly little thing that slows me down a bit, but I ignore it until I feels better. Unfortunately, I've had this pretty persistent cough that eventually, as I found out yesterday at the clinica, has turned into a bacteria, thus requiring me to get antibiotics.

I actually was pretty stubborn about not going to the doctor, thinking that I surely could kick this thing with plenty of green tea and as many home remedies as I could try. Peruvians are awesome for knowing home remedies to get rid of the cough, including such favorites as drinking tea with honey and cayenne pepper, gargling water and a slice of ginger root in your mouth for a few minutes and this next one, that I sort of regret.

I went to a little market in Peru and found a vendor that had all sorts of honey. The honey here is amazingly good because it's all fresh, so I was pretty excited when the vendor told me about this product called Bronco Miel (Bronchitis Honey). It's a jar of honey that supposedly gets rid of what ails ye with only 1 teaspoon, three times a day. I was personally excited to learn that honey is a natural expectorant, so I quickly bought the jar for a mere 8 soles (roughly $2.50) and went on my merry way. After I returned home, I grabbed my little teaspoon, ready to enjoy a delicious spoonful of honey, but before I did, I decided to take a whiff of how awesome this honey smelled. I put my nose to the jar and inhaled deeply. Then jerked back wondering how and why a seriously offensive odor creeped into the Old Factory. Surely this rancid scent could not be my newly purchased honey?!

Then I turned the jar over and read the back: (Translated from Spanish)
Recommended for coughs, it serves to cure asthma, and facilitate the secretion of phlegm. This formula is processed with honey, eucalyptis, and garlic.

Yep. That'll do it.