erinsyearinperu

Viva Che!

2007-03-08T10:00:00.000-08:00

Chapter One: The next adventure for the SALI inters will be conquering the northern half of Argentina.

We Love you Annie!

2007-03-08T09:40:00.000-08:00

Annie left Peru two days ago. It was the first of many goodbyes. Its weird to think that she is never coming back, and its weird to think that one day I will never come back. We spent her last few days in Peru together at Machu Picchu. It was amazing we hiked Waynapicchu together and experienced Machu Picchu together. I am so glad that she is my friend.

SALI Kitchen

2006-12-07T07:53:00.000-08:00

I think this is my favorite place in SAIL. Mostly because Rosita it usually there. Its kind of old and isnt always clean but I love it. It feels like home in a very foreign place.

A Little Bit of SALI

2006-12-07T07:26:00.000-08:00

This is the entrance to SALI

This is the SALI office. We just got new desks. They are very nice.

This is my desk at SALI. This is where all the magic happens.

2006-11-27T17:04:00.000-08:00

This is my conversation partner. She doesn't look very happy but I think she likes me.

Thanksgiving Play

2006-11-27T11:53:00.000-08:00

This was our First Thanksgiving play.

Mystery Dinner

2006-11-20T13:31:00.000-08:00

This weeked the missionaries had a mystery dinner on the high seas. I was Amber Okely and Sara Joy was a nun.

Thanksgiving

2006-11-17T12:26:00.000-08:00

I am sitting in class giving a test to my students right now. It’s kind of nice to be on the other end of test day. Thanksgiving is about a week away and I didn’t even realize it. It doesn’t feel much like Thanksgiving around here it feels more like spring or summer (because it's actually is spring). All of the interns will be eating at one of the missionary’s house for Thanksgiving dinner. None of the missionaries really like turkey so I don’t think that I’ll be eating any turkey this year but I am fine with that. Next week is SALI’s anniversary and since it is around Thanksgiving we are going to have a Thanksgiving party. SALI is decorated for fall with pumpkins but it looks kind of funny. My conversation partner asked me why there were squash in the sala (the sala is where the students often hang out and study). I told her because it was fall in the United States but she still didn’t really get it. I am pretty sure that there are many times when the Peruvian’s think all the gringos are crazy. To add to this sentiment all of the interns are going to be in a Thanksgiving play for SALI’s anniversary. I think the idea is to reenact the first Thanksgiving. I’ll let ya’ll know how it all goes. I’m sure there will be many pictures. Have a good weekend everyone.

New Month

2006-11-06T05:44:00.000-08:00

Classes start today. I like that each month is a new month with no mistakes in it. I have two classes this month. One class I have had since my first month here. The other is a brand new class to me. I hope that all goes well and that relationship will begin grow. Thank you everyone for your prayers.

No Ecuador

2006-10-30T07:52:00.000-08:00

We could not go to Ecuador because of a transportation strike. Sad be we are going to Lima for an American week

Ecuador

2006-10-27T06:59:00.000-07:00

Hey guys another month is almost over and a group of us are going to Ecuador for about 5 days. I think that it is going to be a great vacation and rest that all of us need. If you could pray for safety and safe travel that would be wonderful.
Also, if anyone would like to send a, greatly appreciated, letter or note of encouragement the address is:

San Agustin Language Institute
Larco 100
Trujillo, Peru
South America

2006-10-04T14:26:00.000-07:00

These are the beautiful women that I am privileged to serve with in Peru. I have only known them most of them for about two months but I know that they are all going to leave a mark on my life. I would like to introduce you to them.
(From Left to Right)
First there is Sara Joy. She is from San Antonio and she went to A&M but we didn’t really know each other until we move to South America. She is the oldest intern and my roommate. She has a lot of experience in life after college. I like to ask her for advice. She can talk to anyone and is up for anything. There are many days I wish I was her. I am so glad she is down here

Next to her is Raven . Raven is from Jackson Mississippi and graduated from Belhaven. She wants to be a psychologist. She is quiet and a hard worker. She is always working on lesson plans. She also has great one-liners that are so funny I want to pee my pants. I am so glad she is down here.

Next is Annie. Annie is from Dallas and she graduated from Texas A&M. We were roommates in college and were pretty good friends before Peru but now I think that we will be even closer. Annie is one of the friendliest people I know. She will do anything for anyone. She is very compassionate and seems to care deeply for people’s situations. I am so glad that she is down.

Next is Me.

Next is Allie. Allie is from Florida but was going to school at Belhaven in Mississippi. Allie wants to be a teacher. She is the youngest intern but definitely not the most immature. She says that she is a big kid and in way that’s true but she is also serious and wise. She loves to give hugs and sometimes she gives me hugs when I don’t want them. I am so glad she does that. I am also glad she is down here.

Last is Amanda. She is from every where. Her father was in the military. I think she says that she is from Idaho. She graduated from William and Mary and is very smart. Amanda is going to go to law school. I love talking to Amanda because I feel like she really listens to me even when I am rambling. She also laughs a lot which makes me laugh a lot which is good for my heart. I am so glad that she is down here.

Progress

2006-09-21T16:50:00.000-07:00

The second month of teaching is coming to an end and it all seems to be going by really fast. I am learning more Spanish but not enough. I am learning how to be a better teacher but I still have very boring classes. I am making Peruvian friends but I am closer to the other American. I guess the best way to describe my time here right now is progress. But I guess that’s what life is, progress. This Friday we are having an American BBQ for our students. We, the interns, are cooking and have been cooking since Wednesday. We are making food for 120 people. That’s a lot of potato salad and chicken but I think it will be very good. I will put up some pictures up of the party this weekend.
Today I read Proverbs 21 and this verse really stuck with me so I thought I would share it.
A wicked man puts up a bold front, but an up right man gives thought to his ways
Proverbs 21:29

Dreaming

2006-09-11T14:30:00.000-07:00

I think one of the best things about living in the U.S. is that we can dream big. We can dream of being anything. Well I guess anyone in any country can dreaming of being anything, however in the U.S. the odds of realizing that dream are much better. When I was a child I dreamt of becoming many things. When I was in high school and college I got to explore my talents and passions. When I graduated from college I knew what I wanted to do. I still know what I want to do, and I am confident that when I get back to the U.S. with a little more schooling I will be able to do exactly that. In Trujillo, Peru passions, talents, and dreams get stifled by a bad economy. Some of my students go to primary and secondary school work hard and get into a university and at the same time attend classes English at SALI. They do all of this so that maybe they can get a job on a cruise ship. I am not saying that working on a cruise ship is a bad job. It is a very respectable job but if your dream is to be a fashion designer that kind of job would kill your spirit. I know of a woman who has a degree in accounting but she cannot find a job in that field so she is hoping to find a job as a maid. Being a maid is a very respectable job but her dream is different. Maybe it’s not that big of a deal. Maybe people just adapt and learn to love or hate whatever their job is. Or maybe being able to dream big is important to a person, to a community, and to a country. I am not sure but I do know dreaming is a luxury that is available to everyone in the U.S. but it is often forgotten.

English and Spanish

2006-09-07T15:47:00.000-07:00

here's a thought: Its hard to learn Spanish when you teach English all day.

Lima

2006-09-03T16:44:00.000-07:00

Well I finished the first month of classes complete with final exams. I am glad to have the first cycle under my belt. I know my teaching will only improve. In between each cycle the teachers have some time off. The interns usually travel. Some of the interns and I went to Lima. We stayed in a very nice hotel. We took very hot showers and had a very nice breakfast. It was great. We also ate some American food and drank some Starbucks. I don’t have too many pictures or at least not any good ones.

2006-08-24T15:00:00.000-07:00

These are the taxi rides

2006-08-23T19:07:00.000-07:00

these are the girl interns but more are coming on sunday...

Working Hard

2006-08-18T17:05:00.000-07:00

I feel like not a lot has happened and at the same time everything is happening. All I have really been doing is teaching for the past few weeks. I know that I have said this many times but it is a lot of work. We have to write out lesson plans and tests and grade which is very time consuming. It is also a lot of work just to get things done in Trujillo. No one is ever on-time and no one ever follows a schedule. Which is a nice way to live but it’s a hard way to work. For example the hairdryer that I use broke and my roommate and I needed to get one. It took four days to get one. First we had to figure out where to buy one. Then finally one of our students said she would take us to get one but she never showed up. She wasn’t being rude it’s just the way things work down here. I think for them life is like abstract art. It follows rules but know one really knows what they are and they can be broken at anytime. For Americans life is not like art at all. It’s a set of rules that you have to follow and we generally get really upset when you break them. I don’t think either one is correct they’re just different. We finally got the hairdryer this morning it took about 2 hours. The first place we went didn’t really have what we needed but the second place did. The line however was really long because they only had one person on the register even though they had two people. Here in Peru they believe it’s better to have one person take the money and another person bag whatever you just bought. In the U.S. I would have driven to Target 4 days ago and bought a hairdryer.

It sounds like I don’t like it here but that is not the case at all. I love it here its just different. One of the missionaries said that there are three phases of culture shock
1. Honeymoon where everything is new
2. You really start the hate everything about the new place that you live in and they way they do things.
3. You assimilate and start to appreciate they way they do things.

I think I am in between one and two.

Weekend Pictures

2006-08-07T14:28:00.000-07:00

What a Great Weekend

2006-08-07T14:23:00.000-07:00

Things were hopping in Trujillo this weekend. A lot of new interns came and many of the old ones are leaving. They are very sad to go and that gives me hope. If they love it this much after one summer I know that Ill also grow to love it much more after one year. An old friend from college is going to be an intern this year also her name is Sarah Joy. We are going to be roommates and I think that we will become very good friends. It’s kind of hard not to become very good friends with all the interns because we spend so much time together.
Classes are going to start on Monday and the real work has already begun. I am teaching two classes, and I had to make my lesson plans for the month. I am also going to be part of something called the street kids ministry. This is where I and another intern teach English to some of the street kids around our building. We teach letters and numbers and colors, sing songs, wash their faces, brush their teeth, and give them a snack. I think that this is going to be very rewarding and challenging. This is the kind of thing that gets me very excited because as we impact kids’ lives with love they will grow to be women and men of integrity, and Peru needs more men and women of integrity. Before classes begin on Monday all of the interns had a funfilled weekend. It started off with an unexpected concert on Friday night. It was the Trujillo city Orchestra. The music was great and the theater was beautiful. Then on Saturday morning we went to Mocha which is a 1,500 year old native ruin 20 min. outside of the city of Trujillo. It was very impressive. The picture of me with the scary face is from Mocha. Then we went to Huanchaco Beach and went surfing. It was all a lot of fun but now my muscles are very sore. There is a picture of the interns that went surfing and a picture of me in front of the house that we stay at. I am having a great time. Please pray that my classes go well on Monday.

I Wish I Had Pictures

2006-07-30T17:37:00.000-07:00

I am here and meeting people. Everyone is very nice and helpful. My Spanish is very bad but everyone here says that I will be able to communicate well in Spanish by the time I leave. I have not had orientation yet but I will on Thursday when more new interns get here. It was independence day for Peru this weekend and it was fun but I forgot my camera. So I don't have any pictures yet but I will soon. I love getting emails and posts so thanks for all of that. Some people have asked if you could still send money and YES YOU CAN!
You can make the Check out to Christian Missionary Society and put my name in the memo. You can send the checks to
Christian Missionary Society
P.O. Box 2051, Statesboro, GA 30459
love and miss yall
Erin

I'm Here!

2006-07-28T11:25:00.000-07:00

Hey Everyone
I am in Peru and getting settled. Everything is going well.

6 Days and Counting

2006-07-20T21:42:00.000-07:00

I was not going to keep a blog during my trip in Peru. I just read Lesley's and now I have to. I leave for Peru on July 26th. I am so excited and not nervous at all. I am exctied to meet all the people and teach my classes and see South America and learn Spanish. Thats all I have for now.
Love yall
Erin