Hippopotamus

When I was a little girl, living in Sweden, I had the privilege to begin to learn English in 3rd grade, a year before my classmates, due to the fact that I had and American father. One of my most vivid memories from that class, which consisted of the teacher and one other student, was the day I learned the word hippopotamus. In Swedish, it is just a boring word, Flodhast, which translates to Riverhorse. But hippopotamus on the other hand, is like having a party in your mouth. I remember saying the word all day long, and eventually sharing what it meant with my other classmates.
Well, today one of the girls asked me, while we were at the football stadium watching the boys practise soccer all afternoon, how to say hippo in English. As soon as I said the word, all the girls started laughing hysterically, and they made me repeat it over and over again, and each time it was followed by loud giggles. It brought me back to the time when I was a little girl, just like they are, when I first began the journey to understand a new, different language.
Each new word of we learn, is like a key that opens another door, bringing us closer and closer to finding a treasure. The treasure is a place where connections and relationships are made. A place where I can become a part of a different life, culture and people. It is so exciting.

New student

Yesterday I started spending some time in the afternoon teaching my friend, the taxi driver, English. We met a couple of years ago when I first came here, and when I came back from Lima the other day, I asked if he wanted to practise his English with me. He works a lot, from early morning to late at night, 7 days/week driving his cab, but we managed to find a few hours throughout the week to schedule a class. It is very different to teach an adult. He has different questions and interests than the kids, but I really enjoy it, and we are moving along as slow as we need to. Pronunciation is a big one and I didn´t realize how hard it is for Peruvians to make the th-sound or adding the proper t or n to the end of a word until I started teaching English. Makes me more conscious of my Spanish pronunciation too. We spent most of the time on the alphabet and some basic words, especially some tricky ones. We have now spent a couple hours in the afternoon together and I am amazed how well we are understanding each other. Once in a while I have to look up a word in my dictionary, but today in the car on our way back to drop me off, we actually discussed genetics and height!! Based on my limited Spanish and his limited English, we should not have been able to understand each other, but we did!! I am glad I am being forced to try to make myself understood. If there were more English speakers here I wouldn´t be getting this much practise.

Today´s class at the orphanage got cancelled. When I arrived, water and soap bubbles were oozing out from under the metal gate and it turns out they were scrubbing the floors, cleaning the place. I was a bit sad I didn´t get to see them but that´s just life down here...
Tuesdays here are cheap movie night, $2. I only had two options in English: The new T om Cruise movie and a horror flick, easy choice. Not a huge fan of horror movies. As I walked home in the dark, as quickly as I possible could (although there were still lots of people around), I heard my name and was attacked by lots of little hands and arms, dragging me down for hugs and kisses. It was the girls for the orphanage, on their way home. Highlight of my day for sure!!

PS. I have been drinking "magic wand" tap water for a couple of days now and no stomach problems. WooHoo!

Agua

I have lived many years in houses and apartments with the wonderful convenience of being able to turn on a faucet and drink clean water whenever I was thirsty. I have also lived in places where I had no water, but had to either pay a water truck to deliver it, or haul it myself in jugs from the harbor, downtown or friend´s houses. When you have it available to you at all times, it is easy to take it for granted. If you don´t have access to it, you learn to conserve it and treasure it.
Preparing to come to Peru, knowing that drinking from the faucet here would most likely get me sick, I researched water purifying devices. My dental hygienist, and avid camper, informed me about a "pen" or "wand" used by campers to purify water with ultra violet light. Just fill up a container with water, push a button and stir it around. When the green button comes on, it is clean enough to drink. Sounds like magic to me. It is hard to trust something we don´t understand. My roommate was as sceptical as I was when I asked for advice if I should buy it or not, but I ordered one...
I´ve now been here for 2 months and I´ve avoided using it from fear it wouldn´t do what the instruction manual claimed it would do and I would end up sick. Instead I have been buying and hauling water bottles from the store almost every day. Today I decided to take a leap of faith and try "my magic pen."
How many times do we chose to, at great cost, haul our heavy burdens around, because we are too scared to trust in God? The one who loves us and gave himself to us, but a God who is sometimes hard to understand because His ways are not our ways. Things that are difficult couldn´t possibly be good...? Will He really do what He said He would do? I have to confess, during the many years of struggles I experienced, I asked my self that a lot. It is easy to trust Him when things are going well in our lives but we can trust Him always.
I want to have BIG faith, in every area of my life. I want to give him all my burdens and worries and let Him carry it.
Whether this "magic pen" can clean my water for me or not, I don´t know yet, but I do know I believe in a God that is trustworthy. He has proven himself faithful over and over in my life, in the big and small things.

"Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight". Prov. 3:5-6
"Jesus answered, "Everyone who drinks this water will be thirsty again, but whoever drinks the water I give him will never thirst. Indeed, the water I give him will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life". John 4:13-14

Trampoline fun

Life is good, what else can I say. After yesterday´s cancellation of a visit to one of the orphanages here in Lima, it was great to again spend some time with kids. All the older ones had classes when we arrived, so we got to devote all our attention on five little crazy, energetic boys. (Heaven!)
They have a huge trampoline at this place, it´s the nice private Christian orphanage I visited last month, and we jumped until we couldn´t jump anymore. It was hilarious to launch them high in the air. When we couldn´t jump anymore, we wrestled. I had lollipop in my hair, and all over my shirt from their sticky little fingers, but who cares?!
Ate lunch with the kids, and by then, the older ones were done with classes. Three out of the four boys that spend Christmas with us, were there, and I was so happy to see them again. We handed out candy, and toothbrushes that came all the way from Homer. Then it was time to head back to Lima, with our hearts filled with love... We piled 7 people in our tiny little car for most of the way back to Lima. A couple of us had to take a taxi past the police controls.
Tomorrow I am going back home to Huacho on the bus so packed up all my clean laundry, made a few last minute phonecalls and used the Internet tonight. I am more than ready to get back to my kids.

TaeBo and Tallarin

I have been craving a great workout for weeks and yesterday I splurged $11.80 on a day pass to one of the nice gyms here in Lima. A ridiculous price for the economy here, but I got my money´s worth.
Warmed up on the treadmill, did some weights for about 40 min, more cardio on the treadmill and then I noticed the big gym was empty after the Pilates class, so I went in to do a bunch of crunches and stretching. Right when I was about to leave, people started trickling in for the next class and everybody started encouraging me to stay for the class. I have always wanted to try a Taebo class, and I might even have a couple old VHS tapes from a yard sale somewhere in my storage in Homer.
The teacher convinced me to stay. My poor muscles were pushed way past exhaustion and my legs were extremely sore today, but it was a total blast. I was regretting the previous crunches because the class ended with 10 minutes of crunches. Man, I would have abs of steel if I could come here every week!

This morning E´s brother came over to practise his English. It was fun getting to know him a little better. We also go to spend the evening with the rest of their family, and I finally got my lesson in how to make Tallarin. E´s family owns a restaurant at the bottom floor of their house, and they make amazing Peruvian and Chinese food. As we were driving over there, about 10 min from our apartment, in the middle of rush hour traffic, we ran out of gas. Luckily we were only a few blocks from the gasstation and we could push the car over onto the sidewalk... Life in Peru is just one big adventure for sure! Never know what is going to happen. By the time we finally made it to the restaurant, and after watching the skillful cooking by E´s Father, I was ready to eat my megaplate of delicious noodles. We burned off some calories by playing volleyboll on the street with her niece. I managed to ruin the fun when one of my shots landed the ball on the balcony of one of the neighbors. Oops! I was reassured they would get the ball back tomorrow, but I felt terrible for ruining the fun. Came home late, but with a full belly!

Swedish and Soccer

I think I found a "COTR -Lima" today. Went to church a about a 10 minute walk from the apartment, and from the moment I stepped through the doors, I felt like I was almost at home. Everything from the greeters, to the set-up and welcoming speech was so familiar and it felt so comfortable being there. Today happened to be a day with a guest speaker from the States, so I didn´t have to focus on translating and could just enjoy the message.
This afternoon, I was determined to watch a soccer game between Peru and Uruguay, but since the TV in the apartment was claimed for American football for most of the afternoon and evening, I walked across the street to a cafe and found a TV. I shared it with a businessman from Iquitos and we chatted a bit in Spanish. When he found out I was from Sweden, he called his friend who had lived there almost 30 years, and we spoke a little on the phone. Later he joined us at the cafe and I got to speak more Swedish while watching soccer. Double treat!!

Weddings

At the store yesterday I hopped on a bathroom scale in the bathroom isle and happily discovered I´ve lost 15 lbs in the past 6-7 weeks, despite a few ice creams and the heavenly chocolate mousse... I don´t cook much where I live now, mostly sandwiches and one bigger meal/day, and all that walking must have done it. An office job is probably one of the worst things for your health, sitting on your bum 8-9hours/day!
The weight loss inspired me to go running today, and oh my, what a difference to run with 15lbs less to haul around. Had to stop  sooner than I wanted because I had forgotten my water bottle and was afraid to overheat in the hot sun, but it was fun to be running again.
One of the reasons I cam back this weekend was to attend a wedding at Wilma´s church, but the groom pulled out last minute. I feel so sad for the bride, but I guess it is better it happened now rather than in a few months or years.
On a happier note, a super sweet couple in Homer got married today, and I wish I could have flown home for just one day and celebrate with them and their families and friends.

Lima visit

Some of the older boys have been showing off their knowledge of certain sentences these last couple of days and I love following their instructions after our class, when they are shouting out: "STAND UP, SIT DOWN, JUMP, POINT TO THE TABLE" etc... They seem pretty stoked that I understand them, but today I made a happy discovery, when one of the littlest guys, who sometimes attend class, spoke up and said "Touch your nose, point to the chair". It was the first time I had heard him say anything in English and it wasn´t just a word, it was whole sentences!! I was so proud of him. Things are sticking in their minds!!

After class I ran to the mall for a quick bite to eat, and I was trying to figure out the best and safest way to get to the busstation to go to Lima. As I was walking home, I happened to run into my taxidriver friend, and was able to arrange for him to pick me up in 10 min. Perfect timing! I am so thankful he came with me because once we arrived at the station I was pretty much mobbed by different bus companies yelling at me to come with them and yanking on the strap to my bag. Luckily my friend had a firm grip on my bag until we figured out what bus to get on. I never had a chance to figure out about tickets or anything, they practically shoved me up the stairs of the bus, and before I even found a seat, the bus backed out of the station. Pheww.... Didn´t know where in Lima I was going to be dropped off, but at least I was on my way to the right city. Thankfully, my dear Peruvian friends figured out at what station to pick me up when I gave them the name of the bus company, printed on the back of every chair and curtain. I got sucked into watching a movie as we got closer to Lima, even though it was in Spanish, but we arrived when it still had maybe 10 minutes left and the screens went black. Now I will have to find it in English and watch the whole thing over again.

My friend from Homer arrived last weekend and it was great to catch up with him. It is our third time together in Peru and it was great to have him join us for a month.
Tonight we had a birthday party for a friend who turned 20 years old and we got a cake for him. So far I haven´t found a cake I´ve been super impressed with and we have tried a big selection of them with all the holidays and parties we have had the last couple of months. They look pretty fancy on the outside, but something is "missing" when I try them. Did find a chocolate mousse to die for though!

"My name is Jessica"

The girls have started practising volleyball in the mornings a few days/week, so I will not be able to see them Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays for our English classes. I only had the boys today and we worked a little on "My name is Jessica, what is your name?" "My name is..." Most of them did great, others were really shy about responding. After class a bunch of them thought it was hilarious to run around shouting "My name is Jessica". It was absolutely adorable...
Got some disappointing news that things from Homer, that I had been hoping for, never made it to my friend who flew to Lima today. Mostly school supplies, but also some personal belongings I was looking forward to. I was surprised how it dampened my mood for most of the day. Despite the fact that I love being here, there are still things from AK that I miss very much, spending time with old friends, Thai food, walking in the snow, pizza staff meetings @COTR, for example. Getting a letter from home or even just seeing an old beat up Toyota or Dodge truck on the street really excites me! Maybe that is why I felt so gloomy when I found out I wasn´t getting the things from home... I also had a dream about 2 good friends last night which made me miss them quite a bit.
I took a long walk on the beach in the late afternoon and felt much better. When I´ve felt stressed, sad, mad or confused in the past, being close to the ocean always helped me refocus and feel peaceful again. The two years I spent landlocked in Utah was difficult for me, but since I managed to escape to the coast of California a couple of times, I survived even those years. I love that live only a couple blocks from the water now. And things are just things.

Pet chickens

I don't think I have mentioned that we have two pets living with us. When I first met them, they were tiny little fluff balls, that could both fit easily into my hand. They have now grown into, what I would call, teenagers. Most of the time they live in a box, but lately, they have been spending a lot of time in our bathroom. The other day I went to take a shower and moved the shower curtain, and there they were. Had to spend the next few minutes chasing them down and putting them in their box before I could get my shower. I am curious what it will be like as they grow older. Supposedly there is one male and one female. Does that mean we will be waking up to a rooster alarm clock sometime soon? Time will tell I guess. I have to say it is the oddest pet I have ever had in my house. Wouldn't mind some fresh eggs in the morning though!
Day 2 of English lessons went well, and I have to say the boys are impressing me with their focus and participation. Some of the girls are doing great too, but almost all the boys are very engaged, versus about half the girls. It is also a bit harder to to teach the girls b/c there are so many of them. I would like to sit down and do a lot more one-on-one, but maybe I will have more time for that later on.
Stayed behind after class and had some time with a few of the boys today. One of them laid down on the bench next to me and put his head in my lap and I stroked his hair. He stayed there for a long time and I almost thought he had fallen asleep. I wish all of them could grow up with a mom or a dad, or both, that loves them more than anything in the whole world. That they know how special and important they are. I know I can't change their living situation or family relationships, but I hope and pray they will soon know that their Heavenly Father feels that way about each and every one of them.

First day of class

Yesterday I didn't see the kids, and I missed them terribly. I ran around and did some errands. Managed to find the fruit market all by myself, must have been my built-in "fruit radar" helping me out.  Bought some mangos, kiwis, bananas, pears and passionfruits, all that for a couple bucks!! Fruitsalad, coming up!
Spent the rest of the day reading a book I got from one of the girls on the Nome team. She moved down here for a few months too, but didn't plan to teach English, so it will come to better use with me!! It's called English in A ction and it is so helpful with prepping for classes. I was a bit nervous since I am not a teacher. I really don't know what I am doing, but after reading some of the instructions in that book, I felt a lot more confident that I can do this. I'll try to make it as fun as possible.
Today was Day 1 as an English teacher. Started off with 20 girls and moved on to teach 17 boys. It was fun and time flew by. I must have been nervous still, because my mouth was as dry as a cottonball when I was done. Note to self; bring a waterbottle!
To get them used to hearing the English language and participate, I am starting out with a few of them in chairs and I start with giving a command, for example "Stand up". Then I show them what I want them to do, and then I motion that I want them to do the same. Other commands we practised today was "Sit down", "Jump", "Turn around", "Walk" and "Stop". I can tell some of them are picking it up much quicker than others and I wish I could break them into smaller groups right away, but since I am alone, we'll make do with the big groups.
Later this afternoon I got up the courage to leave the house with my phone and found a cafe with Internet. While I ate my lunch I spoke with mom on V iber and a couple of friends in AK. It was nice to catch-up, and I didn't get robbed.

Stocking up on school supplies

I don't know my way around town very well yet, so K took me to the market to help me buy a fan for my room and to a market full of school supplies where I bought over 40 notebooks/pencils and a few erasers and pencil sharpener. I LOVE notebooks and pens and could have stayed all day and spent all my money but only got what I really needed. It is nice to know where it is located if I, some day in the future want to get myself a little present though!
In the early afternoon we went to pick up the kids to go to the beach, like we had set up yesterday, but was told to come back again at 4pm, when the sun isn't so strong. Hung out with the boys a bit, trying to learn the cardgame they were playing, but it was too complicated for me to figure out without any verbal instructions...
Later we, or rather they (foot still a balloon), played more soccer on the beach. It is really sad how much trash is laying around on the beach. Bottles, plastic, diapers, wrappers etc. It was hard to find a spot to play that wasn't completely covered with litter. I am going to try to see if I can do some beach cleanup while I am here.
Said goodbye to my friends K&P, they are going back to Lima tomorrow morning to meet up with the team from Nome that are returning from Cusco in the afternoon. I will officially be on my own here! Sink or swim!

Time with the kids

Spent time with the girls at the orphanage over an hour this morning. Trying to learn all their names; Yokira, Yolisa, Flor, Milagos, Sofia, Ruth, Alexandra, Alejandra etc...Came home with a stack of drawings I am going to put on the wall in my room. It will be fun to spend more time with them. K helped me speak with the director at the orphanage and we were able to set up my English classes, starting on Thursday. I get an hour with the girls and an hour with the boys in the mornings. Hurray!!
Later in the afternoon we picked up the boys and took them to the beach and played soccer in the sand. Well, they played, I watched, because my right foot is still terribly swollen. I have hopes for it though, because now the left one looks almost normal. The right leg had more bites so maybe that is why it still needs a few more days to shrink. A lot of the kids kept asking me, "how do you say... in English", and it is fun to see their hunger to learn and to communicate. I ask them how to say it in Spanish, so we are both learning. Got home right at dusk and took a cold shower before the water got shut off for a few hours. The whole town does this to save on water in the summer time. It was fun to see the sky through the ceiling, felt like being in an outdoor shower, except a little more private!

Beach day

It is a strange thing to look down at your legs and feet and not recognize them at all. I wonder at what point I should start worrying. When I fly far distances sometimes they swell up and it takes 3-4 days for them to get back to normal, but since this wasn't caused by air pressure I am not sure how long I should wait before seeking medical attention. I'll keep taking what pills I have and hope for the best.
Most of the team left this morning but two of them stayed behind for a few more days so I am not quite on my own just yet. Took it easy this morning and had fish and rice for breakfast with the family. I can't recall if I have ever had fish for breakfast before, but it was yummy. We took a moto (a motorcycle with a little bench seat in the back and a shell around it) to a beach about 15 minutes away and it was a nice beach. I am not a huge fan of shorebreak so I didn't go swimming although it was tempting. Could rent a parasol for about $1.25 and although I was stretched out in the sun for over an hour, I too eventually had to move my head into the shade. Coming there at midday was maybe a bold move. Later in the afternoon would have been perfect.
Went to church tonight and met the American pastor and his son. Mostly college students, skaters and surfers attend and a couple families. There were maybe around 20 people there tonight. Hopefully I will get to know them a bit over the next few months. I actually understood most of the message, and it helped that there was a PowerPoint presentation so I could both read and hear at the same time. According to the notice, service starts at 7pm, but found out that it is actually Peruvian time and it didn't get going until around 8pm. Good to know for next week. I wish there was a morning service so I didn't have to worry about being out at night, but will have to figure something out.

Making memories

Opened my eyes this morning and realized I could see the blue sky through a hole in the ceiling. This made me smile and even chuckle a bit. It is a very good thing it doesn't rain or I would have to move my bed to the other side of the room. I just hope that too many bugs and other critters won't find their way down... Slept really good, my new neighborhood is not as noisy as the apartment in Lima with its constant honking and other traffic noises, but I kind of regretted I went for the cheap firm mattress, because it turned out to live up to it's claim - FIRM. Almost felt like I slept on the floor, but I will eventually adjust to not having a foam top mattress anymore... I later noticed that every room has a whole in the roof, ventilation I assume with the biggest one in the bathroom over the shower. Won't have to worry about mold problems that way.
Yesterday I made a big mistake. I did two very quick squirts with the bugspray on my legs and ended up with about 30 bug bites on one leg and probably over 50 on the other (gave up counting after 40 something)... I have know idea what kind of poison those little buggers had in their fangs but throughout the day today, my legs started swelling pretty bad and they itch like crazy! If I ever go back to that Sayan I am covering myself with bugspray from head to toe. Could barely hobble from my bed to the lightswitch at bedtime on my balloon feet. Took some benedryl and asperin to try to reduce them to normal size overnight.
Besides the puffy leg issues I think this day goes down as one of my favorite days of all times. We took the kids to the park for the whole day. Played ball, walked around, ate lunch, made colorful string bracelets together etc. I got to spend a lot of time getting to know Jose better and some of the other kids too of course. I felt completely and utterly content and I couldn't think of anything else I would rather do or anywhere else I would rather be than where I was today. Seeing them smiling and laughing is the best feeling in the whole world.

Casa sweet casa!

Woke up around 6am to take my last hot shower for awhile. My friends A, S and I left the Lima apartment a little after 7 and grabbed a taxi to the bus station. We had just missed the 7:30 bus so we waited around for the next one. Lucky for us, they depart every thirty minutes. I am amazed that a three hour busride cost only around $5, the price of a fancy cup of coffee. I am so grateful that it is so affordable, because it will allow me to go visit friends for a few days when I feel the urge, without having to stress about the cost. Busride went by quick. They showed a W ill S mith movie, but since I didn't feel like watching it in Spanish, I read one of my favorite books, studied some Spanish and admired the beautiful coastline and waves instead. Buses are super comfortable, if you are a small Peruvian or if the person in front of you doesn't tip their chair back. I wasn't so lucky and got my knee bonked pretty hard and had to spend the rest of the trip in an interesting position... My short Peruvian friend looked very comfy next to me!! Travelling and when buying pants are the few times I wish my legs were a bit shorter...
Discovered that summer is in full swing when we arrived and the heat felt amazing. Not a stuffy kind of heat because there is a nice breeze, but very comfortable. Went to my new home but only had time to pick up a key from "my new family" and throw my bags in the room and then we headed over to the hotel to get the team all checked in before they arrived in the van. After lunch we went to a town about 45 min north called Sayan. He handed out bread and prayed for people in one of the poorest area. Two of the kids from the orphanage and the secretary had come with us so they could spend time with their sponsors, and they always need a chaperon when leaving the orphanage. Had a great time and on our last stop on our way home, the secretary started asking questions about our faith and God, and she ended up giving her heart to the Lord right there in the van! It was so exciting to welcome her to the family!!
Another highlight of the day was going to the orphanage in the evening and seeing the kids. I can't get over how amazing they all are. I know I am where I am supposed to be right now. I told them I was staying in town for awhile and when I asked who wanted to learn English there were lots of little hands in the air, both boys and girls. My Jose was with his guardian tonight, but there were plenty of other little boys to hug, arm wrestle, tickle and snuggle with. I can't believe I really get to stay here. I get to see them again and again and again... I don't have to say goodbye in a few day.
One of the guys from our team were going to escort me home after dinner because it was kind of late, but the one taxi driver we know in Huacho came by the restaurant to visit with us and he ended up giving me a ride home. Perfect timing. He practised what little English he knew and I struggled along with my little Spanish and we actually had a little conversation going. I was really tired but didn't want to go to bed until I had unpacked my clothes, Spanish books and toiletries and got a little organized. Now I feel good. I am home.
(unable to load pictures to blog at this time but if that changes I will add later)

Last day in Lima

Tomorrow is my big moving day! I am so excited! Can't believe the day is almost here. I have been repacking my bags and exchanging money to get everything ready. It will feel so wonderful to actually unpack and get organized after living out of my bags for almost 5 weeks. The team is going in a rented van, but I am going on the bus with A early in the morning, since the van is full. Hopefully they can at least take one of my bags.
The 4 boys went back to the orphanage yesterday morning and I miss them a lot. It was so nice to have them here everyday. I really connected with Hector. We often did the dishes, cleaned the kitchen together and tried our best to talk to each other. I hope I see all of them again soon.
A lot of people are nervous about me moving to Huacho. I keep getting the advice to be careful, don't go out after dark, don't carry much money on you etc... I probably should be more concerned about this, but I have such peace about my move and as I was thinking about this new situation and was praying about it today, I opened up my Bible and my eyes landed on Luke 1:74-75, talking about our Messiah coming "...to rescue us from the hand of our enemies, and to enable us to serve him without fear in holiness and righteousness before him all our days." This is where my peace is coming from. What hope we have in Him!

Adios 2012, Bienvenido 2013

Thanks to the holidays I have been learning a lot more about Peruvian traditions, and New Years was no exception. I quickly discovered that yellow is the color of the last day of the year. Yellow is everywhere; hats, whistles, noisemakers, garlands and even underwear. They also buy or make a large doll, stuffing it with old clothes etc and at midnight they set it on fire. In Homer we have the burning basket and it reminded me a bit of that; getting rid of old things and starting over new.
I usually talk to my mom on the phone at midnight, Swedish time, but we were in a taxi on our way home from the market so I talked to her shortly after instead.
I spent the afternoon and night at my friend A's house with her family and I got to know her sisters a little bit during the evening. I felt like I was in a beauty salon; got my hair straightened and my nails done... What a treat!! The rest of the evening was just as wonderful and I got to practise lots of Spanish by trying to keep up with the conversation. We started eating a little before midnight and then ran out and watched the sky explode in color once again. We had a couple "burning men" outside the house too, so it was quite the show! Stayed up until about 3am, but more and more relatives showed up and the party didn't quiet down until 7am so we didn't sleep much last night. It was like trying to sleep in a nightclub, next to the speaker! :)

Came back to the apartment today and helped prep lunch/dinner for the team that arrived from Nome, AK early this morning. They had to spend New Years in the air. One of the girls will be staying in Peru when the team leaves, but she will be in Cusco for the first months to study Spanish. She would also rather be in Huacho, so maybe we might end up being roommates if it all works out!