To My Dearest Blog Stalkers, 

I'm on a plane to Peru right now! You of course will read this after I land, but still it's worth noting. What I also think is worth noting is the fact that I have never had to go to the bathroom this badly in my  entire life. Well, maybe once or twice before. The plane captains wouldn't let us get up for forever because there were thunderstorms, and once they finally turned off the fasten seatbelt lights, it seems like the whole plane decided to rush the bathroom. I must not be the only one who drank too much diet coke and coffee before I got on. I could just get up and wait, but I feel that that would be more painful than sitting and waiting. It seriously is painful once you get to a certain point of having use the restroom. But enough about that...

So, what am I doing going back to Peru?  Let me tell you-more of the same. Baby loving. English teaching. Friend making. Possibly interesting food eating, although I'm not sure my stomach will be able to handle the meat since I haven't eaten meat in a pretty long time. And, one of the things I'm most excited about: wedding going! 

Yup you heard me, I'm going to a Peruvian wedding! Lidia's sister is getting married!!! The wedding just happens to be the day after I arrive!

Side note, the guy beside me has spent the whole time drawing Lewis dot structures...I'm guessing he is super smart. Be right back, I'm going to go brave the bathroom!

Ok, so I'm back. I feel wonderful. Who knew a bathroom could be a lifesaver. I did have a moment when I thought I might be sucked down by the toilet. They don't just let all that drop out of the plane right? That would be a rude awakening when your driving. You might actually be thankful it is just a bird pooping on your windshield if you got a window full of stuff from an airplane. 

Too much information? Sorry...I'll stop. 

On another side note, when I got back from the bathroom, the guy I mentioned before, you know the really smart one, had put up the arm rest. I actually like arm rests; they put up a barrier that says "this is my territory, come a centimeter over onto my side and I have full rights to kick you (on 'accident' of course)." Ah well, personal space in Peru isn't given very much thought. I guess I should look at this as a blessing...ease my way into bing prodded and poked by my neighbor's eight bags on the 45-minute-on-a-good-day ride up to Pachacutec.

Lots of love from Peru ( or I guess from the sky's above who knows where)

Love your american,southern, attracts every Peruvian man's attention with her blond hair, super excited to eat potatoes and rice for every meal, positively ecstatic to throw away all her toilet paper in the trash, desperate to see her little naylee and jony, a bit bored of this flight and wondering how she will ever sit through a flight to the land of the kiwis, cookie not biscuit eating, Jesus loving, quite forgetful when it comes to names, cuey and cow heart on a stick eating  before she stopped eating meat) C.S Lewis, hunger games, and harry potter obsessed, oxford comma using,  and not tired because she had a large coffee friend, daughter, granddaughter, former nanny, acquaintance, sister, cousin, and whatever else I may be to you, 

Maemie

2 hours and 45 minutes

She only had 5 hours of sleep last night...

the waiting game has begun...

Katie and I arrived safely to the Fort Lauderdale Airport, and are waiting for our plane to Lima.  It leaves tonight around 5:30.  We should arrive in Lima, if all goes well, around 10:00pm tonight.

                                                                                              Five more hours!

Even though we have only been sitting here waiting for maybe three hours, I have realized how much I hate waiting.  Thinking about my life, I can see that I don't wait.  If I decide I want to buy something, I got to the store right then.  If I want to do something, it happens as soon as possible.  This waiting is really testing my patience.  I want to be there, not here.  The game is no fun.


As I was thinking about this, I realized how blessed I am to be waiting for something that I know will come.  I am only waiting for 8 hours.  After that, it's over.  All these children that Katie and I are going to love on in the orphanages, they are also playing this waiting game.  And for them, it's really no fun.  It is a painful game. 


All these babies are also waiting, waiting for a family.  For someone to love them and hold them and tuck them in at night.  Waiting for something that they may never get.  I can't imagine how they must feel.  I've never truly waited for anything compared to these babies.  


For me, the injuries of the game are a little bordom and maybe a few dollars lost on food bought.  For them, the injuries are feeling unwanted, unloved, and not good enough. Worst of all, this painful game they are in is not even their fault.  It's nothing they have done that has made them the unwanted children of society.  


My waiting?  Maybe it's not so bad after all.

I waited patiently for the LORD; he turned to me and heard my cry.                                                   -Psalm 40:1 

He will hear their cries, I believe it.  He has great rewards stored up for them for their waiting.

"For I know the plans I have for you," declares the Lord, "plans for you to prosper and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future"                                                                  - Jeremiah 29:11 

 There is a hope for them, and I think it's in us.  The everyday normal people who God has blessed beyond belief.  He has given me much more than I will even need, and He didn't give it to me so I could keep it all for myself.  He gave it to me so I can show others His love.

ten days & ten hours

Just ten days and ten hours until I am on a plane back to one of my favorite places.  Home and the lake are probably the only other top contenders (and maybe Disney i guess).  But, I will not be sitting on this plane alone!  Nope, guess who is coming with me on this trip...one of my dearest friends, Katie Hobbs.

After a suggestion given by my mom, in passing conversation, that she should come with me, Katie bought a ticket!  Seriously guys, I think she had it just four days later.  Talk about easy going!  I think that she is excited, but I am ecstatic.  I had thought about asking around to see if anybody wanted to come with me when I started planning the trip.  But, after thinking about the trouble it could cause, I decided not to, thinking that God would have it under control if He wanted someone to come.  And was I right?  Amazing, that guy upstairs isn't He?   

So now, I am left wondering about all the amazing things He has in store for this trip.  There must be some pretty big things if He's already shown Himself this much:)

I've been preparing slowly since I got moved out of my room and onto the ping pong table(a long story, I'll spare you).  A suite case has been opened and clothes have been haphazardly thrown in; gifts have been bought for people back in Peru, and Spanish has and still is being studied.  I am packing much lighter than last time that's for sure.

I do have something to ask of you though, I would really love it if you could pray for a few things.

- For Joselyn, that she will email me back so we can meet.  I really would love to know if she's all  right.  She moved out of the house that I volunteered in last time, and hasn't been answering my emails/facebook posts.

- For the other Joselyn.  She has been in contact with Jade (my Colombia traveling buddy).  She is living in another house (the same type as the one I volunteered in, but more permanent).  She is having a hard time right now, and really needs a community she can be a part of.

- For all the babies in the orphanages we will be working in, that they will know of God's great love for them, even though they haven't ever felt it in their parents arms as we all have.

- For safe travels for Katie and me.

Thanks!

Ten Days Left

Well, I’m back in Lima. My grammy and Pawpaw left, and I have about ten days left.

We finished out our trip my doing Machu Picchu, flying back to Lima, doing a tour of the city, and just a little bit more Inka market shopping. I’m so glad they got to come down. I had a ton of fun, and loved getting to show them around Lima. I also got a few good laughs when they forgot and went of in an English tangent and the person they were talking to just gave them a blank stare.

Now that their gone, only ten days left, and about ten thousand things to do. Last minute Inka Market shopping, Christmas gifts to be bought for my babies at San Antonio’s, a graduation party to be planned, a curriculum for the English program at Pachacutec, and lots of goodbyes to say.

I’m really excited about going home. I can’t wait to see my family (especially Susanna and Catherine since it’s been foru months since I’ve seen them), and all my friends. Skype has made it fairly easy to be away for so long, but it will be nice to actually be able to hug everyone! And, Christmas is going to be so much fun. I’m really looking forward to all the family stuff that’s always going on. But, I’m also sad that I have to leave. I love Lima, the city is amazing. I love being able to walk everywhere and not having to drive. I love the culture, being able to buy food on the streets, speaking Spanish. It’s just all around amazing. I also love the family I’m staying with, and all the kids I’ve met. It just so happens that I’m going to be missing my 6^th grade class’s graduation and a Baptism of about 20 babies form the orphanage. We all got asked to be their god mothers. But, I know that there would always be something that I;m going to miss no matter when I leave. So, I’m just going to enjoy the time I have left here, and hopefully get my long to do list done!

Oh yeah…I’m typing this on the plane back fomr Cusco (and yes my grandparents ahvent left yet, and at this moment I have more than ten days left, but I;m not going to have time to blog once I get back) and my Pawpaw popped up with this joke (He said Eamonn would like it a lot). Thought I would share.

There’s a mamma tomatoe, a daddy tomatoe, and a baby tomatoe. Their walking along the road, but the baby can’t keep up so the daddy tomatoes goes back and squishes him saying “ketchup.” And there you go ladies and gentlemen the humor of my grandparents.

Plans...

Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things you didn't do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines, sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover. - Mark Twain

Ok so I didn't find this quote on my own…I got it off of one of one of the other volunteer's blogs. But it's great isn't it? It fits rather nicely with this post. My mom might have emailed you already, but for those of you that haven't heard yet, I changed my plans for when I return home. I've decided to come home and work for a few months and then travel Europe for a month or two. I've thought about school a lot, and I think that I would be better off starting in the beginning of the year. That way I can rush and go to welcome week which will help me meet people. I'm really sad that I'm not going to be able be at school with everyone this year. I figure though that it won't make a difference once I'm there wether we're in the same class or not.

You might say I've caught the travel bug. I love being in Peru, meeting new people, and learning about the culture. I've met people from all over the world, from all different backgrounds. I've made some friends that I will probably stay in touch with for years. I've found that, at least with the volunteers here from other countries, that there's not as big of a push to go straight to college. Maybe it's because they have to decide what their going to major in before they go, but its really common to take a year or two off and work and travel. It seems like such a smart idea too. When else am I going to have this much freedom. I have no school to worry about, no family I'm taking care of, no job I need to keep. Why not go see the world? So yes, I'd have to agree with you, I have caught the travel bug…it must be contagious.

My plans at this moment are to work and save my money. Then I'll travel Europe with one or two of the girls I have met here. Lindsey lives in St. Louis (close!), and has traveled there before. She's already been planning and getting ideas ready. Jade is from New Zealand, and is the other girl who might be coming. She's been traveling South America for a few months, and in December she's going to go stay with her family In England. Hopefully we can convince her to stay there and work and then travel with us too! I'm thinking about finding a place to volunteer for a few weeks also, depending on how the time and money works out.

I've been looking into jobs for while I'm home. I haven't come up with anything concrete yet. My mom wants me to wait tables, which I think would be a great job. I know that I'm going to buckle down for a few months and work as much as I can. We'll see as the time gets closer what I can find. I've also been looking into places where I can get involved volunteering. I don't want to come home and do nothing. I would love to continue to volunteer just because it has taught me so much. I think that continuing will help to keep me grounded and not forget the things I have learned here. I would love to find a place where I can go regularly. I think it helps when you can build a relationship with the people your working with. It just makes for a better experience. If anybody has any good ideas, I would love to hear them…I'm coming up with a blank as of right now.

I've Got My First Week Under My Belt

I've officially been in Peru for over a week!

I was a little homesick the first day, but I've been fine since. I've been working in a few different places here. Semillitos is one of the orphanages we work in. It is for children with special needs. They have all ages living there, ranging form newborns to the elderly. I've worked with the children and babies as of now. The babies are my favorite. There are three babies with Downs Syndrome that I have fallen in love with. They are all so full of life, and energetic!

On Tuesdays and Thursday, everyone goes to teach English in a shanty town called Pachacutec. I am going to be teaching the 5th graders, and some of the 6th graders. Some of them hardly know their ABCs, so my minimal knowledge of the Spanish language doesn't really matter. Speaking of Spanish, did I mention that I am lacking in Spanish skills. I can understand people sometimes, but I can't really have a conversation with anybody. I'm trying to learn, but it's easier said than done.

There is also an orphanage for normal children that I have only been to once, and hope to go to sometime this week. I was with the babies the one time I went, but I hope I can be with the older kids next time. They love to talk, and want to know the English word for everything (more practice for me!).

During the weekend, all of the volunteers usually travel around Lima and the surrounding area. I went to Pisco, Paracas, and Nazca. Pisco is the home of the famed drink, Pisco (imagine that). This is the preferred drink in Peru. We didn't stay for long though, we just stopped there because it's where the bus station is (traveling by bus is the way to go here, I would rate their enforcement of driving laws at a zero).

We took a taxi from Pisoc to Paraca, where we slept in a hostel. The next morning, we got up and went to tour the Islas Ballestas and the Resvera Nacional de Paracas. There, we saw penguins, fossils, sea lions, and many other creatures. Then we got a bus to Nazca, where we spent the night. We woke up in the morning and walked around the city a little bit, buying avocado sandwiches for breakfast for S1. Then, we got a taxi to the airport to fly over the Nazca lines. These lines were literally dug into the desert between 900 BC and 600 AD, by the Paraca and Nazca cultures. They consist of over 800 straight lines, 300 geometric figures, and 70 animal/plant drawings. The only way to see them is fromthe air. They were beautiful. After a long day out, we hit the road and headed back home!

Pictures are coming soon hopefully. My camera broke as soon as I got here. Once I fix it I'll post some pictures:)

Top 5 Reasons Peruvian Airlines Rock

1. They feed you. On both of my TACA airline flights, I got two choices of food. They weren't half bad either.

2. They come around twice to ask if you want drinks. These are not normal drinks either, they also have juice. Good Juice.

3. They show movies. They show a movie and a TV show, recent ones too, not weird movies from other countries. They also don't blast the movie through the whole plane. Headphones are provided.

4. They give you pillows and blankets. No more using your sweatshirt as a pillow and freezing your butt off.

5. Everyone is super friendly. I have never been on a plane with such a friendly crew.

Pack, Unpack, Repack, and Repeat

This is the packing process. Pack and feel accomplished. Weigh and find out the suitcase is over the dreaded 50lb. weight limit. Unpack. Repack, strategically switching "lighter" items in one suitcase for "heavier" ones in the other, hoping a equilibrium can be met. Weigh. Feel very accomplished once again, because everything is packed and both suitcases are under 50 lb.. Unpack once again because all toiletries are not in ziplock bags.

I would have skipped the ziplock bag ordeal, but on my last trip, my shampoo opened. Luckily it was in a ziplock bag (kudos to me). It is inevitable that at least one of my more messy bathroom goods will bust with three flights to suffer through. Unpack it its. Repack and repeat. A kind of traveling aerobics if you might. This reminds me of fond emeries at SCA where we did Catholic aerobics. "And kneel and stand and kneel and stand...now walk to communion and walk to communion..." Oh the things you will do in an all girls Dominican high school.

Have I told you of my inability to pack light? If you went on SB '09 with me you will know (or any other multiple night trip for that matter). Picture me pulling up to Teresa's house with a suitcase that is at least twice the size of everyone else's. I guess I just feel the need to outdo everyone else in suitcase size. Bigger is better!

Do you know what packing light for four months means? I don't, thats for sure. For one going on a week long trip, one bag might suffice. OK, if your anybody but me, one bag will suffice. I might now have done any math lately, but one bag per week means I get sixteen bags right?

Hasta luego amigos, tengo que ir de embalaje final!

And yes I had to use google translate for that.