Poco a Poco.....

Where does the time go? It’s hard to believe I’ve been in Arequipa for two months now. Yikes!! The weather seems to be getting cooler here. It’s a bit strange to see some of the little kids going to school wearing gloves…it’s probably warmer than 55 degrees outside. Funny!! Since summer is coming for y’all in the U.S. that means winter is coming for me. AAACK!! Two winters this year!! At least it won’t snow here…

School continues to be challenging and fun too (most of the time…). As we push through more complex verb tenses and lots of new rules for grammar I’m reminded of how much I have already learned and also of how much more there is for me to learn as well.

Lots of people down here seem to like the phrase, “poco a poco"(little by little) when talking about language learning. This is probably a good way to look at the process, but I’m more of an instant gratification person… I’m an American. I’d like to have the results now please. For me, this has been a good lesson in patience and reliance on God. As I gradually learn more language I’m encouraged and thankful that God has opened up my old brain to learn Spanish in preparation for my next destination. One day, (I hope sooner rather than later) I’ll be fluent in Spanish. Until then, I’m enjoying the adventures on the way. I’m sure there are plenty more to come.

Other than school, I’ve been enjoying the sun, parks, center of town, and running from dogs. I think it’s rained about twice since I’ve been here. It’s been great!! I guess that’s the advantage of two winters for me. Yay for dry season!! The food continues to be absolutely amazing. I still miss cooking, but the food here is so good… Otherwise, life has been full of lots of Spanish and little bits of confusion.

Hasta próximo tiempo!!

Toros!!

Just thought I'd share a couple of pictures from my latest adventure to a bull fight down here.




Pre show entertainment


















Couy!!
























More Pre show entertainment....






Priming the bull












Three fearless men

















The real deal.....

Que Pasa?

What's new? Lots of Spanish vocabulary, verbs, and grammar. At this point I could name just about every object in your house and tell you what to do in the house with my mad crazy amount of verb knowledge. I've been in school for almost a month now. Yikes!! Classes have been challenging and fun as well. Give me a couple more weeks and I'll be fluent (only in the present tense though). One of these days I'll be stable enough to go on to future and past tense. I'm so excited to be able to talk about what I did last week in past tense.

Life in the city continues to be an adventure. Nothing surprises me anymore. I've managed to stay out of trouble in my travels and am thankful for this. I hope to keep a clean record for my stay here....

Other than studying hard core and playing in the city, there's not much else to report, so I'll keep it short. Fall is here with cooler weather than I'd like, but it's not as cool as the falls in MD. I'm enjoying the time God has given me here and am really looking forward to being fluent in Spanish. Soon enough!!

Hasta próximo tiempo!!

No comprendo!! Repite, por favor

It’s hard to believe, but I’ve now been in Arequipa for about two weeks. The adventure continues to be exciting and full of new things. I’m still trying to get used to laid back Peruvian time, dogs barking all the time, the sun rising at 0500, and all the kissing too. I think I’m now healed of my personal space issues.

I’ve been in school for almost two weeks and am now fluent in Spanish. It’s a miracle!!! Actually, I’m nowhere close to fluent. But…..I’m happy to report that I can now name just about any item in your kitchen or dining room in Spanish(very important stuff…). Over all, classes are going well and there is definitely some learning going on these days.

Outside of school, just about everything is in Spanish as well. The Peruvian family I’m living with speaks mostly Spanish, so I’m being exposed to Spanish pretty much all day. As expected, church is in Spanish as well. A two hour church service can feel pretty long if you don’t understand everything being said…. I can’t wait til the day I’m dreaming in Spanish.

I’ve had a couple of opportunities to explore the city and am thankful that I haven’t gotten lost(for those of you who don’t know….I’m directionally challenged). It’s been interesting learning the ins and outs of getting around the city in buses and taxis. I still have lots to learn, but I’m glad to have a basic understanding of where I am.

Over the past two weeks I’ve been reminded quite often of how dependant on God I really am. For a person who likes to be in control, I’d have to say that God has been stretching me in many ways. It is comforting to know and remember that He is with me every step of the way in this adventure. I’m excited for the amazing things God has planned for my time in Arequipa and in Cusco as well.

Hasta la vez próxima (until next time)

Finally!!!

I'm here!!! Three planes, two drug sniffing dogs in the lovely country of Columbia, and a great time in customs, I'm through traveling for a while. Yay!!! I've been in Arequipa for almost four days. It's beautiful here!! Actually, I'm just a fan of the mountains, lovely flowers, and warm sun (not all the business of the city).

Once I got here I started off running. Classes started the morning after I arrived, so there's already lots of learning going on here(I think...). I'm pretty much fluent in Spanish at this point, so I'll be moving to Cusco next week(just kidding). I'm still a beginner and probably sound like a 2 year old learning to talk at this point. So far, it's been a good experience.

The host family I'm be living with for the next six months is lovely. They are so warm and welcoming(great cooking too!) They don't speak much English, so we have fun conversations with English/Spanish, pantomime, and plenty of laughing. It's great!!

I'm sure there are plenty of adventures to come. God has been faithful in bringing me here and I'm looking forward to what He has in store for me in the next six months and beyond!!

Thank y'all for continuing to pray for me!!

Adios!!

It’s hard to believe it, but the time has finally come….. Just one week from today I will be starting my adventure to Peru. Time has been flying by. Amazingly, most of the last minute things on my to do list have been taken care of and I’m starting to see straight again. I’m starting to feel kind of organized. Praise God!! The bags are getting packed and hopefully they will contain everything I thought I packed… Any suggestions for strange stuff I might not have thought of to pack yet would be greatly appreciated.

As I go through this next week, please pray for me as I tie up loose ends, make final preparations, and say goodbye to dear family and friends. I head out this coming Monday (March 22). I’ll be flying out of New York and making a couple of stops before I get to my final destination. You can pray that I arrive in Arequipa in one piece with all of my bags. I’m praying for a green light as I go through customs (if I get the red light they’ll go through my bags). It’s just more of a nuisance to go through all of that

I’ll be staying with a host family while I’m in school. I’m looking forward to the experience of living with a Peruvian family and being immersed into their culture and the Spanish language as well. It should be great!!

There are so many things to look forward to and lots of exciting things right around the corner. It is my prayer that throughout all of this I keep my eyes on Christ, that I don’t lose sight of what He has called me to as I step into the mission field.

See y’all on the other side!!

7 days….