School Days (or "daze")

Yesterday was Sarah's first day of school here in Peru.  Actually, it is the mid-year point here.  The school year runs from March through December.  The schools here just had their two week mid-year break and they started back up yesterday.  Sarah was so excited to get to start school and finally meet some friends that she will see every day (not just at Kid's Club).  She just trotted right in and started class like it was an everyday occurrence.  The only thing that stumped her was that she didn't know the words to the national anthem and the pledge to the flag (of Peru).

I took Liz with me as a language helper, because I predicted that there might be vocabulary that would be new to me during the registration process, or legal-type things that I might not understand.  I received a HUGE complement when we sat down with the director of the school and she began to try to speak English to me and said, "I will speak English because you don't speak Spanish", to which Liz jumped in and replied, "Yes she does.  She speaks very good Spanish.  You can speak Spanish to her."  I didn't get a chance to stick up for myself because Liz did it for me, but it was so nice to hear!!!  

So, once again, I have an incredible burden in my heart for the ESL students back home in Texas because I TOTALLY know how their parents feel when they come to register their kids for school.  Folks, chances are that these people are NOT complete idiots... they just don't understand how you do things or WHY you do them that way.  For example, it never dawned on me that I would have to purchase everything imaginable for Sarah.  I expected to buy crayons and paper and scissors, etc. (normal school supplies in the USA).  I did NOT expect to have to buy modeling clay, paint, books, several different types of glue, etc.  And since it is mid-year and there aren't any books left to purchase, I have been given the master set of books to take and have copied... which means I have to now find a copy place and figure out how to explain what I need and that I need it TODAY because they need their master set back.  And her school has dance and karate and cooking classes as part of their curriculum, which I have to go and rent the clothes for (you don't buy the outfits, you rent them).  And, by the way, children in Latin America don't use crayons past 2 or 3 years old -- they use colored pencils.  Crayons are for training babies.  I ran into that in Costa Rica a little bit, but even more so here.

And all of those times when I just couldn't understand why Luis and Daniel and Jorge just wouldn't say "Mrs. Drum"... they called me "Miss" all of the time.  I remember how much this used to drive other teachers crazy.  Well, guess what... in Latin America, that is all you are allowed to call a teacher!  "Miss" is the proper way to address a teacher, even for a parent.  I asked for Sarah's teacher's name yesterday and was met with a strange look, but was told that her name was Rocia.  However, everyone must call her "Miss".  Liz assured me that this is completely normal.  It isn't normal to even know your teacher's real name.

And Sarah, at 4 years old, brought home two pages of homework last night.  Granted, it was easy and we had fun doing it, but I was surprised.  According to Liz, she will have homework every night.  By the way, we did the homework WRONG because I didn't understand the vocabulary in the instructions (Liz just told me).  How can I be so stupid???  My mom skills and my teacher skills are taking a beating here...

So, once again, I'm a teacher of 15 years, the Science Department Head, a curriculum writer, a team leader, etc... and I'm a complete idiot in the schools of another country/culture!  I have been brought to my knees by a school supply list.  I was completely blindsided by the registration process and the fees that are paid to schools.  It is so frustrating to be at the top of your game in your culture, and be a "special needs case" in another.

We're hanging in there... we're learning.  I just wish I could have been a better advocate for my ESL kids' parents back in Texas... I understand their feelings now.  God bless them - it's rough!

Kid's Club collage

Just wanted to share some photos from Kid's Club...

All tied up in knots...

Being in the world of knitters and crocheters here in Huancayo, I decided a while back (while I was still in Texas 2 years ago, only in the planning stages of this mission) that I needed to learn how to knit and crochet.  I thought that it would be something that I would have in common with the ladies here and we would have something that we could do together and talk about.  So I went to my church's Prayer Shawl Ministry and learned how to knit.  

My first project was, of course, a prayer shawl.  I managed to get it 90% complete before mission training and trying to leave the States became too hectic and I had to put it down.  I left it with the ladies in the ministry so they could finish it off for me and deliver it to my grandmother after they prayed over it and over her.  There was a baby blanket project that wasn't ever finished, either... it was given to a women who came to my garage sale looking for craft supplies... she was excited to take it home and finish it off.

So that was the end of the knitting until sometime early this year in Costa Rica when I was going stir crazy and needed a craft project that I could focus on and relieve my brain of Spanish overload.  I went out and bought yarn and needles and began to make Sarah a scarf for our future cold days in Peru.  I couldn't remember how many stitches to use... they just don't seem that big on the needles!  So I guessed and used 36 stitches for Sarah's scarf -- right now, any one who knits is rolling on the floor laughing at the thought of 4 year old Sarah wearing a scarf 32 stitches wide!!!  Bottom line... that's about 3 times too many for her size!  So, Sarah now is the proud owner of a blue shoulder wrap, which most of the time doubles as a baby blanket for her dolls.

While we were at home in Texas in May, I promised to "fix" the scarf problem for Sarah and I bought more yarn.  This time I got it right and she now wears her pink scarf with pride in Peru.  In fact, I liked her pink one so much that I got the same yarn for myself and I'm just about finished with my own scarf to match.

So, since we have been here, I decided that it was time to tackle crochet.  I went to the store yesterday and bought a hook and yarn so I could begin to learn.  Last night and all day today, I have been crocheting.  The basic crochet is not an issue... got that mastered.  However, how many more scarves does a person need???  I want to learn to do more than just the basic back and forth scarf or baby blanket.  

So, with the help of the internet and YouTube, I am working on mastering some other stitches.  I REALLY want to learn to make a Granny Square... I have fond memories of my greatgrandmother making us pillows and afghans with this pattern, so I would like to do it also.  But I'm having serious issues... I think I have ripped out 5 or 6 squares so far and started again.  The first few weren't squares at all - they were circles.  Guess they would have made nice doilies or something, but that wasn't the plan.  This last one was feeling much better, but then everything went south and it somehow started to draw in on itself and look something like a stocking cap.  By the time I gave up on it, it looked a lot like a hollow ball... seriously, I'm thinking of buying a styrofoam ball and putting it inside my "not-so-granny square" and using it for a Christmas ornament!

Anybody out there with any great ideas?  Guess I'm going to have to use my language skills and get out there and ask some cute little Quechua woman in the park to teach me where I'm going wrong.  I'm kind-of afraid of that idea.  You should see these women knit... these ladies are professionals!  They knit with the yarn wrapped around their shoulders and they frequently have 4 or 5 needles in their hands going at once, and they move at lightning speed.  I think I'm in too deep here...  What was I thinking???  My Martha Stewart days were over a long time ago.  Guess I'm stuck with scarves... guess what everyone is getting for Christmas!!!

The past 3 days...

It's kind of funny how "normal" here is really kind-of abnormal, but I've gotten used to it and it seems completely normal to me... but then I try to tell someone in the USA about it and suddenly I realize that it isn't normal at all in my culture!  Did that make ANY sense???  Anyway, here are the past 3 or 4 days so you can get a feel for how I spend a typical day...

•   Friday, other than the "normal" errand running, I had a meeting with Susan (a 25 year old Peruvian college girl).  Susan wants to start a bible study with a group of jovencitas (high school youth girls).  Evidently, several of the girls in this group did a study together a couple of years ago and they have been wanting to get back together, but they didn't have a place to meet or a leader or materials to study.  Enter me - the new missionary in town who happens to have spent a week with Susan trying to get my residency visa... can you say, "Divine Appointment"?  So we talked again and decided to do a study called God's Good Gifts.  The girls wanted to have a time of bible study, but also a time of fellowship and a time to learn how to make or do things, like bake or do crafts, etc.  This study is a 'scrapbook bible study'... each week, we have verses over the specific topic/gift to study and do devotions over (homework).  Then, when we come together, we will discuss our week's study and how it pertains to each other, and make 2 pages of a photo scrapbook for that week.  Cool, huh???  Susan was really excited about it when we first talked about it, and is equally excited now that it is actually going to happen!  So we are in the process of getting the materials together (cameras, scrapbook materials, study materials, etc.).  The crazy part is - THE STUDY ONLY COMES IN ENGLISH!!!  AAAAHHHH!!!!!  This means that my homework is double and one week ahead of everyone else - I have to translate this whole 12 week study AND do it in Spanish!  I think I've lost my mind...  but I'm excited!  Pray for me...
  
• Each Friday night from 7-9 p.m., the ministry here has a praise and worship service downtown.  It generally consists of about 45 minutes of music, 45 minutes of sermon and prayer, and 30 minutes of more music.  Attendance varies, but this week, there was only one empty chair!  
• Saturday, Sarah and I did our grocery shopping (which took 2+ hours) and then went to Kid's Club.  Kid's Club is generally the absolute best part of the week.  You just can't beat going to an empty field on the edge of town, turning on Christian music on the loudspeakers, and watching 80 kids flock to your side!  It's amazing!  And for two solid hours, children from 1-15 years old sing, watch puppet shows, listen to Bible stories, read, learn a Bible verse, and make a craft.  Incredible!  And it's all led by volunteer Peruvians who have decided to take this up as their way of serving God on every Saturday of the year.  It's pretty much 2 hours of VBS every single Saturday in a public field or park.  And I wonder every week... why can't this work in the USA?  Why is VBS only during one week in the summer?  Why don't we (USA folk) just set up in the park every Saturday and spread the Word to whomever shows up?  It really is an amazing time each week.  See this 1 minute video for a sample...

• Saturday night, after a VERY QUICK bite of dinner at the house, Sarah and I went to the other side of town for a dance competition.  A local Quechua pastor sponsored a dance competition in the local park.  He invited several local churches to enter their youth groups in the competition.  Now, I don't mind telling you that I had my doubts about this. From my cultural background, I'm thinking that no one is going to show up, and if they do, it is probably going to be a little 'lame'... high school youth kids don't generally think that standing on a stage in a local public park and dancing to Christian music is a great idea.  WOW, WAS I WRONG!!!!!  I was amazed that 6 churches entered the competition!  And most of the dancers in each group were guys!  And not only did they dance, but they each got up and preached a little to the crowd first!!!  Incredible!  There were about 300+ people in the park by the time it was all said and done... maybe more than that!  Before and after the competition, our ministry's praise band played a mini-concert.  Very cool!  
• In addition to the dance competition, Sarah and I had a great time just BEING there.  We were surrounded by about 30 kids from the minute we stepped foot in the park.  They all wanted to touch Sarah's hair and hear us talk English.  I was literally BEGGED to come and teach english in the school in that neighborhood.  It is very cool to have people be surprised that you speak English, as though Spanish is your only language.  And when I took some pictures with my digital camera - then I was surrounded by all of the mamas!  You would have thought that I just introduced fire to the community... obviously not a lot of digital cameras in the area!  These women were completely wide-eyed and amazed that they could see the picture on the back of the camera immediately.
• Yesterday, we spent awhile in the Sunday market downtown.  We had some household things to buy, some clothes for Sarah, found a couple of gifts along the way, etc.  An old man, at least in his 70s or 80s, was going on and on about Sarah's hair - how beautiful, how soft, etc.  He was intrigued, which was kind of funny because Sarah was intrigued by HIS hair - "Mommy... he has white hair.  I've never seen a Peruvian with white hair."  By the time it was over, he had grabbed her by the hand and sufficiently kissed her all the way up her arm for being so beautiful.  Typical costs... a homemade Quechua-mama apron for Sarah - $1, a pair of pants for Sarah (handmade) - $2.50, a crocheted Barbie dress - $.60, a Peruvian woven tablecloth - $5, and 3 bunches of fresh flowers - $2.
• This morning, I spent almost 3 hours in the kitchen listening and talking to a Peruvian friend about her weekend, her family, cultural issues, relationships, God... you name it!  The AWESOME cool thing about that is that I UNDERSTOOD AND TOTALLY PARTICIPATED IN A 3 HOUR CONVERSATION IN SPANISH!!!!  How cool is that???!!!  And there were some really deep, intimate details that I never dreamed that I could converse about in another language... incredible.  God is so good! 

So, that's a pretty typical weekend for us right now.  It's about to get pretty busy and hectic because when Billy gets home, we will begin working with a couple of schools, two disciple groups should begin meeting in the house, the high school girls should be meeting in the house, Sarah will have started school (next Monday)... LOTS going on and LOTS about to occur.  It's so great!  So glad to be here serving Christ.  Thank you for being here with us through your prayers and your support and your love!

And another thing...

I've never blogged two days in a row!  What's up with that!!!???  But there's more to say...

• Food comes in strange packaging (well, it's strange to those who never travel or live outside of the USA).  Milk comes in a liter box... kind of an over-sized juice box... and it's on the shelf, not in "the dairy section".  Juices also come in liter boxes.  Most condiments come in a baggie with a squirty thing in one corner.  I LOVE THIS!!!  It is lightweight in my bag, it takes up very little space, it isn't breakable, and I can squeeze the last drop of ketchup or mayonnaise out of the bag.  As discussed in the previous blog, coffee is purchased by the kilo in a brown paper bag (creepy).  Dog & cat food is much the same... by the kilo in a plastic bag tied in a knot.
• Dish soap also comes in a baggie, or you can buy it in a solid form in a tub - think of Comet in a solid cake.  By the way - dish soap is formulated differently here because most people don't have hot water and can't cut grease with the heat, so this soap is INCREDIBLE at cutting grease and cleaning.  Same with laundry soap - you buy it in a bag.  Really, nothing here comes in a can or a plastic container or a box - not if it can be put in a baggie of some type.
• Don't even get me started on the bread and the dried cereal that is sold on the street.  Billy and I watched one day as a street dog came by and tried to steal some cereal, thus spilling it all over the street.  Then, horrified, we watched as the lady scooped it up with her hands (off the street) and bagged it back up and put it on the table for sale again!  We made a solemn vow not to buy cereal off the street!  
• We buy fresh fruits and vegetables.  Liz goes to the open market once a week and buys most of it for us, but we buy some things for ourselves.  ALL OF IT is washed in clorox water and dried before we eat it.  We didn't do that in Costa Rica, but when even the locals tell you that you should do it, we decided to do it.  Add to that the fact that we have watched dogs walk up and hike a leg on the fruit crates...  Yes, we wash everything!
• And the water... we have a water filtration system in the house.  But a major problem here is the water quality and how it effects health.  Liz told me today that the ladies look at their water and they say, "It looks okay to me.  It is clear.  There isn't anything wrong with it."  But, in fact, the bacteria and yucky factor in the water here is horrendous!  Giardia being a huge problem.  One of my jobs in the very near future is to use a microscope and show people what they can't actually see in their water, and teach how to combat the issue.
• I've become a big fan of yogurt here.  They don't have the "stiff" yogurt like we have in the USA.  All of the yogurt here is the drinkable type... it comes in liter bottles and it pours.  Some of you are surprised that I like this, since I have the severe "gag factor" test for foods that might be too slimy or gooey or unusually thick... well, I'm all about this yogurt.  But I don't drink it.  I pour it over my cereal instead of milk.  I have also poured it over cut up fruit.  It's awesome!!!
• I had a traditional drink the other day.  I've seen people drinking it on the street corners and wondered what it was.  Liz made it for lunch... chicha morada.  It is made from purple corn.  It looks like grape juice.  It smells and tastes like hot spiced apple cider that we drink in the USA around Christmas, except maybe not quite as sweet.  It was delicious!  I look forward to more of that.  And I'm assured by the locals that it is the cure for hypertension and high blood pressure and all problems heart or blood related (I love learning local lore and local natural remedies).

Okay - that's all for now.  Ciao!!!  Happy eating!!!

One month in Peru... so what's it like???

We have been Huancayo for a month now.  In some ways, it seems like it has been much longer.  Yet, in some ways, I feel like it can't have already been a month!  "So, what's it like?" you ask.  Other than the normal things that we've already covered (food, climate, etc.), here are some of my thoughts:

• Something feels rather strange (almost illegal) about buying coffee here.  There is precious little "real" coffee... it's all instant.  But there is real coffee to be had, you just have to know where to go, and it seems a little clandestine - almost like trying to buy alcohol during the prohibition or something.  We have to go to the corner of two not-so-populated streets, about two blocks off the main drag in downtown.  On the corner, you will find a little mom & pop shop that sells random convenience store type items (think of a room about the size of your master bathroom, dark, floor to ceiling shelves full of dusty grocery items, with a tiny area of counter where someone stands to meet you).  When you go in, you have to ask for "the Chinese man with the ground coffee".  Then, from the darkness, a metal scoop of coffee grounds is shoved forth for your approval.  "Yes, it's good.  One kilo, please."  (To add to the illegal feeling, you have to buy it by the kilo!)  So, somewhere in the darkness, the Chinese man weighs and bags your coffee and thrusts it back out at you in a brown paper bag.  
• Did I mention that we live two doors down from a gym???  Yes, they have gyms in Peru.  The one on our corner offers weights and aerobics and spinning and dance.  So, at 8 a.m. every day, whether we like it or not, we are subjected to very loud aerobic/spinning music and a very energetic and demanding Peruvian man yelling commands over the music.  Seems kind of funny to me, since this is a pretty quiet culture, for the music to be so loud and the man to be so demanding.  And the music is kind-of funny, because it is generally 80s and 90s American pop music put to an exercise beat.
• Speaking of quiet... when we arrived at the airport a month ago, the first thing I said to Billy was "Wow, it's so quiet".  It was drop dead quiet in the airport.  Very odd to me.  But then we started to notice that it was pretty quiet everywhere.  People just don't talk in loud voices.  We can barely hear Peruvians when they talk to each other... it is such an intimate type of conversation.  Even when a Peruvian talks to a taxi driver, it is almost inaudible.  Guess we have gotten accustomed to that, because yesterday when Billy called me from the USA on a cell phone, it sounded to me like he was in the middle of a riot!!!  "No, just Target", he said.  The Iveys said that when American mission teams come down, they don't realize how loud they sound to everyone else... interesting information to note for later...
• Also of interest for later... a Peruvian noted to me that some of the American mission teams that come down "aren't Christians".  So I asked for clarification on that, of course.  She said that she watched them eat every day and they didn't thank God for their food before they ate... they must not be Christians.  Just goes to show you, you are being watched CONSTANTLY and your actions speak volumes to those around you.

Okay - I know those were really random thoughts.  Just thought they might be of interest...

Ups and Downs

The title today is kind-of thought provoking for me, because the events of this week have been both ups & downs at the same time.  Billy's dad died on Wednesday night after a valiant fight with lung cancer during the past year.  He was diagnosed just after we left Texas for Costa Rica last summer.  Early this summer, it appeared that he had beat it and his doctors said that he was cancer free, so we rejoiced in this healing.  We had a great visit with him in June as he finished his treatments.  He was in great spirits, but continued to have troubles breathing due to the incredible damage in his lungs from the tumor and the radiation/chemo treatments.  On July 2nd, he was hospitalized because he couldn't keep his oxygen levels up and he had pneumonia.  At that time, a new, aggressive tumor was found in his lungs that was being fed by an artery and was inoperable.  He was not in any pain until this week - Praise God!  On Tuesday, he began having lots of pain and began to deteriorate quickly.  Everyone's prayer was that he would not suffer and his trip to heaven would be swift, which it was.  On Wednesday night, with Billy's mom and sisters at his side and Billy on the telephone with him, he died.  The whole family was together and everyone was able to say goodbye and they loved him (including Billy via phone).  So, of course, everyone is sad at the loss and going through a period of grief.  But also, we are so grateful that he wasn't in pain for long, that he didn't linger and waste away for a long period of time, that he didn't suffer, and that everyone had the opportunity to see him and love him and tell him goodbye.  It seems strange to find blessings in death, but they are there, and there are many of them.

So Billy has gone back to Dallas to be with his mom and his sisters for 3 weeks.  This, too, was a happy/sad decision... he was happy to have the opportunity to go home (via frequent flyer miles) and help his mom out and happy to have the opportunity to see Ryan and Miles again.  At the same time, he was sad to leave Peru, sad to leave the ministry, and sad/worried about leaving me and Sarah for 3 weeks.  We haven't ever spent more than 3 days apart - in 22 years! He cried as he said morning prayers over breakfast... this has been an emotional roller coaster.

Please keep Billy in your prayers as he travels (he has been on a bus for 8+ hours today, and will catch a flight in Lima tonight for another 12 hours of flying).  Please pray for his peace and safety and for God to be a comfort to him in the next few days/weeks of grieving.  

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On a happier note... Alfredo the plumber is finished!!!  Hallelujah!  After he cleaned out our tank and hooked up the pressure pump, the hot water heater "exploded"... not exactly, but it sprung a multitude of leaks in it's sad little rusty body due to the high water pressure that Alfredo hooked up.  So then began the saga of buying a new water heater and getting that installed (2 days of no hot water).  But all is well now... we have hot water, we have water pressure, we can take real baths and showers, and we can fill the washing machine!  I was amazed to find out that it isn't really supposed to take two and a half hours to do one load of laundry! 

Now if I can only master the chair in the office... the office chair and I had a fight… more like a rodeo.  Unfortunately, the chair won.  I wasn’t able to stay on for the required 8 seconds.  It threw me off and into the corner between the sofa and the wall.  Charlotte (the puppy) found the whole show quite amusing – she looked up from her nap on the sofa, yawned, cocked her head at me, and went back to sleep.  I’m okay… good thing I didn’t break a hip or anything!  Liz doesn’t return to the house until next Wednesday because of Peruvian Independence Day holidays!!!  I would have been lying here for a long time, with Charlotte and Oreo (the cat) licking my face and me dying of frost bite since the office door is wide open.  Sarah probably wouldn’t have ever noticed… she would just watch cartoons in the house and feed herself out of the fridge and the pantry like those orphan kids you see on the news.  Maybe someone would have noticed that I didn't show up to Friday night worship or Saturday Kid's Club, but I don't know  - it being a holiday weekend and all.  Anyway - good thing I wasn't hurt.  Guess I should put this chair in "time out" like I used to do when my students fell out of their chairs in class!  HA!