Meal times and food

It is taking me a while to get used to some of the different customs of Peruvian life, especially meal times. Lunch is the biggest meal of the day, and teatime could be as late as 9 or half 9 at night. At the weekends, lunch will be later in the afternoon, but because I'm working in a school 5 days a week, lunch is midday. That's a long time to go between meals! It's been throwing my blood sugar scores a bit, and I feel a need to snack more often.

I usually have cereal for breakfast, and anyone who's ever lived with me will know how much of a cereal fan I am! In the supermarkets you can buy many of the same brands of cereals - like Kellogg's Corn Flakes and Special K and Fruit Loops and Nesquik. They're more expensive than the other cereals, of course. I'm trying to make the cereal in the house last, although sometimes I just buy my own box to save Diana from having to restock too often.

But MILK! Ah, milk is an interesting topic here. No joke, there are aisles full of tins of evaporated and condensed milk in the shops! I've never seen so much shelf space given over to tins of evaporated milk! There are also lots of cardboard cartons of UHT or soya milk or other such stuff. In the fridge section, there are a few kinds of bagged milk. Yes, milk in a little plastic bag. (It's awfully messy to pour, believe me!). Fresh milk (something that seems so normal to those of us who live in the UK or USA) is hard to come by. When I first arrived in Peru and moved into Diana's flat, she gave me a tin of evaporated milk for my cereal. I was shocked and horrified. Haha...I had to dilute it with water, and cereal eating was not its usual pleasant experience. Circumstances improved, though, and I got some bagged milk. Yesterday I bought my own fresh milk for the first time! Yippeeee! I'm still using evaporated milk for my tea and coffee, though. It's funny how some little things that would normally not be an issue at home suddenly become so important to you. I'm really looking forward to being able to nip down to Tesco to get my 2 pints of semi-skimmed for 89p when I return to Aberdeen...!

How can I go any further without mentioning rice?! It's eaten with just about everything. I was once given a plate of chicken nuggets and chips...and rice. And dishes with potatoes...have rice. Lots of starchy carbs. If you had a 3 course meal, you could potentially have rice in all 3 courses: rice in the soup, a large portion of rice with the main course, and rice pudding (arroz con leche) for dessert. I have yet to find someone who cooks brown rice or a substitute like cous cous or bulgar wheat; it's all white rice. They have a knack for cooking it well here, and it's a good thing I like rice!

I have had the opportunity to try a few new dishes, especially Peruvian favourites. Pollo a la brasa is just cooked chicken (cooked on one of those sticks that turns around) with chips; MC and Eric took me to a restaurant recently that did absolutely spectacular chicken. Salads are often a few pieces of lettuce, a few pieces of carrot or cucumber (which is much bigger here), and avocado and beetroot. For years Mum has been trying to get me to eat and like avocado, and the good news is, Mum, that I am learning to eat it a little here! Not love it, but eat it. :-) Diana made a Peruvian soup for me once, which had what looked like a chicken drumstick floating in the middle and a few small pieces of veg. It was tasty. I went to a restaurant with Catriona MacD and a few others before going to Cuzco, and I was pretty much forced to try the famous anticucho de corazon (cow's heart). Hm. Yeah. I won't be eating that again. I honestly did try to swallow it, but I was unsuccessful. Someone got a hold of my camera while I was trying it, and you can enjoy the photos below...

There are many other foods that I have tried, and the names are escaping me right now. There are also some things that are just part of a normal diet for me. It's interesting to see how many brands are familiar in the supermarket. Ritz crackers and Oreos are two that immediately come to mind.

Rejoice with me that I found porridge yesterday! Well, it's not proper porridge, but it's close enough. I had it this morning for breakfast, and it cheered me up. :-) This topic of food is one example of how many things we can take for granted at home and how much we have to be thankful for - the Lord provides.

Pollo a la brasa and a salad

Catriona's sister Joan and I with the anticucho

Tentative first bite

Oh dear, I don't think she's too keen on it...

Yep, I'm afraid it's going to have to come out!

Test your knowledge on Scotland!

One of the other volunteers, a West Lothian lassie called Rachel, and I had great fun and lots of laughter in writing this 'Test your knowledge on Scotland' quiz today! Rachel was having a class of primary children learn things about Scotland, so we thought this quiz would be a good starting point.

Have a go yourself, if you wish! Family and friends in Scotland: enjoy!! :-)

1. What is the capital city?
    a) Aberdeen
    b) Glasgow
    c) Edinburgh
    d) Stirling

2. What countries are near Scotland?
    a) England, Wales, Ireland
    b) Peru, Wales, Morocco
    c) England, Greece, Ireland
    d) Wales, India, France

3. What language do the Scottish speak?
    a) Spanish
    b) English
    c) Scottish
    d) German

4. What colours are the flag?
    a) blue, red, white
    b) yellow, blue
    c) blue, white
    d) red, blue

5. What is the name of the famous Scottish outfit for a man?
    a) haggis
    b) kilt
    c) tunic
    d) clogs
    e) Irn Bru

6. Which drink is famous in Scotland?
    a) Coca Cola
    b) Irn Bru
    c) Inca Kola
    d) Sprite

7. Which of these is a Scottish football team?
    a) Manchester United
    b) Chelsea Football Club
    c) Hibernian Football Club
    d) Liverpool Football Club

8. Which of these is NOT a popular sport in Scotland?
    a) football
    b) baseball
    c) rugby
    d) shinty

9. What is the famous musical instrument of Scotland?
    a) recorder
    b) banjo
    c) panpipes
    d) bagpipes

Scottish Slang: What do you think the correct English is for these Scottish words? Circle...
1. Tatties - potatoes   popcorn    turnips
2. Neeps - frogs    turnips    sleep/siesta
3. Numpty - boiled egg    tool    silly person
4. Breichs - lake    trousers    boots
5. Loch - bagpipe    lake    look
6. Dinnae - don't    type of boat    type of money
7. Aye - no    yes    maybe

Since Benjamin asked...

Here are a few other photos of yours truly on the trip to Cuzco and Machu Picchu... ;-)

We're getting back into the rhythm of school again. This is the last term of the academic year for the students and teachers, so things will be getting wrapped up in the next few weeks. I've had a few classes in the past couple of days - mostly reading classes with 4th and 5th graders.

Tomorrow lunchtime I'll be teaching a Bible lesson to any 4th graders who wish to attend. Catriona MacD usually does the Scripture Union class, but she asked me to do it tomorrow. We'll be talking about forgiving people who are treat us badly, for we have been forgiven greatly by the Lord. It only lasts about 15 minutes, and it will be completely in Spanish. I'd appreciate your prayers in leading this, but more importantly pray for the students who will attend.

'Could we bear from one another what He daily bears from us? Yet our glorious Friend and Brother loves us though we treat Him thus: Though for good we render ill, He accounts us brethren still.' - John Newton

Caterpillar kebab, anyone? Haha, not. It's just corn on a toothpick...

Cute little lamb!

I don't know why I just want to laugh every time I see this photo...

Cuzco and Machu Picchu!

This week has been the October school holiday, so Jodie and I planned a sight-seeing trip south to Cuzco and Machu Picchu. We left on Monday and returned to Lima yesterday. If there is one thing that was constantly on my mind when I was away it was that this is an amazing world that only God could have designed and created. The scenery of the towering Andes Mountains is just breathtaking, and no pictures are able to capture it well enough.

On Monday, Jodie and I arrived in Cuzco and did a little exploring of the main Plaza de Armas. We found a little cafe in the evening where I ordered a hot chocolate. It was a great drink, but what I thought was a chocolate log sticking up in the drink was actually just a log... We weren't quite sure what to make of this piece of wood, but I'm sure the chew marks on it must have amused the waitress when she cleared up after us. :-)

Tuesday was a Cuzco day. Most of the little stands and shops are aimed at the tourists, so we looked at plenty of bags and nic-nacs and handmade goods. We also visited the cathedral. It was interesting to see lots of women wearing the traditional outfit and carrying their children or their goods on their backs. If you wanted to take a photo with them or of them, they wanted you to give them some money. The shopkeepers were so desperate to sell us things that by the end of the day we were tired of hearing 'Senorita, senorita' all the time.

We joined a tour group on Wednesday morning for a trip out of Cuzco into the Sacred Valley of the Incas. We visited the Inca ruins at Pisac and Ollantaytambo and made a few other stops for food and photos and visiting the Pisac village market. The setting of these Inca sites was impressive. They built on mountains for security (from enemies and from the effects of earthquakes), so the views from the sites are amazing. There was quite a lot of walking and climbing stairs involved in visiting these places, and because they are at a high altitude we were often out of breath. Jodie and I left the tour group at Ollantaytambo so that we could spend the night there in a hostal and go to Machu Picchu the following day. Our hostal was very basic, and unfortunately we had eaten something that disagreed with us. I was in so much pain and was up a lot of the night. Even the next day I was feeling a bit queasy and didn't eat very much. I'm much better now, thankfully!

On Thursday we got a PeruRail train from Ollantaytambo to Aguas Calientes. The train is quite slow compared to most passenger trains, but it meant that we could enjoy the scenery much more. At Aguas Calientes, we joined the hordes of people getting on buses. The bus took us up the side of the mountain to the location of the famous Machu Picchu Inca site. Amazing! The Inca city itself is so impressive in its use of space and the various architectural skills and knowledge of astronomy that the Incas employed. But what I think is even more impressive is simply its setting in the mountains. Machu Picchu is the name of the mountain on which the city is located, and the sides of the mountain are steep. All around are even taller mountains and huge drops into the Urubamba Valley below. It's difficult to describe - you'll have to go and see for yourself! We got a long tour through the city, learning about the Incas' religion, their astronomy, the latest theories on what their life was like, the discovery of their sacred city by Hiram Bingham, the architecture, etc. It is all very fascinating, and I only wish I had been feeling better to appreciate it more.

We got an evening train back to Cuzco and stayed in another hostal before flying back to Lima on Friday. It was a super trip, and I could hardly have spent an academic year in Peru without visiting the country's most famous spot! On the plane yesterday, I was again amazed at the views of the mountains and then the coast from the air. We live in a beautiful world.

Psalm 8:3, 4. Psalm 24:1. Psalm 65. Psalm 104.

Cuzco - Plaza de Armas

The hot chocolate...with a stick in it?

Women in traditional dress with child on back, lamb in a blanket, llama at side.



View from the Inca site at Pisac.




I'm sure he said 'Hola' to someone else, but I couldn't get anything out of him. Disappointing!



The town of Ollantaytambo.

Inca work at Ollantaytambo.



Jodie and me enjoying the sun at Machu Picchu.



The famous viewpoint on Machu Picchu.

Looking down onto the temple. This temple has great significance in astronomy because of its marking the June and December solstices. 

A panorama shot of Machu Picchu in its amazing setting.

Back to school

I went back to school today, although I'm still coughing a bit. I finished my antibiotics this morning, and they seem to have done some good. I think I would've appreciated another couple of days of medicine, though.

Today was another good day at Colegio San Andres! Jodie (another Scottish volunteer) and I had to watch a classroom of tiny and tremendously cute first graders at lunchtime. It was really quite funny because once I started speaking to them in Spanish they flocked around me and were asking lots and lots of questions. I also was given two Tic Tacs and a cracker from someone's lunch, which I take as a sign of approval. :-) When they found out I spoke English, I tried to explain to them that it was my native language. One girl exclaimed in Spanish (with lots of emphasis), 'You speak MORE English than Spanish?!' Haha...if only she knew how conscious I was of that fact...

I'm really enjoying the feeling of coming home from school and NOT having homework! Ah...

On Friday it is Daniel's birthday, and when we were discussing the differences between Scottish and Peruvian cuisine I found out that he really likes Scottish tablet. So...I said I'd try to make some for his birthday...because every Scottish person knows how to make tablet...hmmm... :S
If any of my Scottish family and friends have suggestions regarding the making of said treat, I would love to hear from you! I have a recipe, but I know it's a difficult (rather hit or miss) task to get it just right. There's a voice in my head saying, 'Oh Megan...why?' :-)