E is for Exhuastion in Miami

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

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


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


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

The Dance of The Century

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

Un choque cultural

Sooo....

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

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

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

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

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

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

It's 2:00a.m.

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

What do you think?

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

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