I took the first photo just as Emily was cheekily spitting out water in my direction, and it's amazing to see all the drops of water captured by the camera. And Joanne took the second photo when I was playing 'football' with Emily and Franchie. :-)
Tuesday 31 January 2012
Paddling Pool Antics
I was given the day off today, and it has been nice to relax around the house. The Arevalo family was given a new pool as a gift this morning, so I tried it out with the girls this afternoon. Fun in the sun!
I took the first photo just as Emily was cheekily spitting out water in my direction, and it's amazing to see all the drops of water captured by the camera. And Joanne took the second photo when I was playing 'football' with Emily and Franchie. :-)
I took the first photo just as Emily was cheekily spitting out water in my direction, and it's amazing to see all the drops of water captured by the camera. And Joanne took the second photo when I was playing 'football' with Emily and Franchie. :-)
Sunday 29 January 2012
A delightful Sunday
Today has been one of those simply scrumptious Sundays - lovely service at church, delicious lunch at the Baileys' house, great fellowship and fun with friends, and sunshine!
It has been such a blessing to have Joanne with me in Lima. Yesterday we went to Miraflores (a really nice part of the city) and walked through some shops and a park and went to see the sea. Unfortunately, there was a lot of mist, so the sea could not be seen very well. What made us laugh was the poor tourguide-phototaking-person who was standing at the viewpoint at the coast and trying to get people to pay to have their beautiful photo taken with the beautiful scenery behind them! Ummm....what scenery? He couldn't fool us! Anyway, we ate pollo a la brasa, and we bought a lovely Anne of Green Gables-style sunhat each (no, it's not a sombrero). We really fancied these hats, though we hadn't seen many people wearing them. At the risk of sticking out even more (as if bright white legs, curly light brown hair and blue eyes weren't enough), we purchased our hats. After that, we started noticing more people wearing them...all older ladies...haHA....but we're determined that we will be the means of starting the latest fashion among young Peruvian ladies!
Today we had a good service and the Lord's Supper at church, though it was just roasting in the half-inside/half-outside building. The Baileys had Joanne, myself, MC, Erick, MC's mum Mairi, and the newest addition to the family, little Ruth Miriam, to their house for lunch. What a spread! Does anyone else think that mashed tatties are one of the best things in the world?!
Little Ruth is two weeks old now and is GORGEOUS! She was the centre of attention most of the afternoon. She has dark hair, but her skin is not too dark. MC is doing really well, and it's just so lovely to see them as a family of three now! Enjoy the photos. :-)
It has been such a blessing to have Joanne with me in Lima. Yesterday we went to Miraflores (a really nice part of the city) and walked through some shops and a park and went to see the sea. Unfortunately, there was a lot of mist, so the sea could not be seen very well. What made us laugh was the poor tourguide-phototaking-person who was standing at the viewpoint at the coast and trying to get people to pay to have their beautiful photo taken with the beautiful scenery behind them! Ummm....what scenery? He couldn't fool us! Anyway, we ate pollo a la brasa, and we bought a lovely Anne of Green Gables-style sunhat each (no, it's not a sombrero). We really fancied these hats, though we hadn't seen many people wearing them. At the risk of sticking out even more (as if bright white legs, curly light brown hair and blue eyes weren't enough), we purchased our hats. After that, we started noticing more people wearing them...all older ladies...haHA....but we're determined that we will be the means of starting the latest fashion among young Peruvian ladies!
Today we had a good service and the Lord's Supper at church, though it was just roasting in the half-inside/half-outside building. The Baileys had Joanne, myself, MC, Erick, MC's mum Mairi, and the newest addition to the family, little Ruth Miriam, to their house for lunch. What a spread! Does anyone else think that mashed tatties are one of the best things in the world?!
Little Ruth is two weeks old now and is GORGEOUS! She was the centre of attention most of the afternoon. She has dark hair, but her skin is not too dark. MC is doing really well, and it's just so lovely to see them as a family of three now! Enjoy the photos. :-)
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| our Anne of Green Gables hats :-) |
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| If photos had accompanying music, this one's would be 'The Flower Duet'. |
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| Mother and daughter :-) |
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| Looking so so cute in the hammock! |
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| Myself, Mairi, Joanne, Clive, Ruth, MC and little Ruth, Erick |
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| The Rios Martin family |
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| I got a cuddle too! |
Friday 27 January 2012
Ticket Booked for Moyobamba!
The exciting news is that I now have a booked flight to Tarapoto for the 13th of February. From there, it's only a couple of hours to Moyobamba. My original plan was to go on the bus (a mere 26 hour journey), but due to the rainy season in the mountains/jungle, I was advised to fly instead. I have a one-way ticket, as I might return to Lima in June on the bus.
Other exciting news is that this morning Joanne Nicolson arrived from Scotland! She is a new volunteer at San Andres and will be in Lima till July. She is staying here with the Arevalos for the first week, and it's so nice to have a companion! Even though she'd been travelling overnight, she felt fine for seeing a little bit of the Magdalena district this afternoon. We wandered through a few streets lined with pokey shops piled high with a few things you might want to buy and quite a lot of stuff that might also be called 'junk'. haha :-) And we bought a very prickly pineapple to eat tonight with our chorizo sausages and ciabatta rolls - what a feast!
Saturday 21 January 2012
Today I found a park
The warmth and sunshine and clear blue skies are so...lovely...inspiring...motivating...enjoyable...and make me think of going to a park. I asked Dennis if there was one nearby, and he gave me directions to a little parque within walking distance of this house. It was surrounded by lots of Peruvian-style houses with their colours and flat roofs and gorgeous flowers. I sat on a bench and read Tim Keller's The Reason for God for a while, and it felt so peaceful and blessed in contrast with the normally chaotic and noisy Lima that I know. I look forward to returning to 'my spot' soon.
The past few days I've been working 8-4 at Colegio San Andres at the matriculation desk. There aren't many people coming in during January; there was a rush in December at the end of the school year, and there'll be another rush in February when school is about to open again. All I'm doing is handing forms to the parents and making sure they've filled them in correctly. Not particularly exciting, so I have Dickens' A Tale of Two Cities to keep me entertained. :-)
I hope to return to la Iglesia Presbiteriana de Surco tomorrow for church, but I'm a little apprehensive about getting there, since I'm now living in a different district and have a different bus route to that part of the city. Here's hoping I'll not get lost tomorrow!
The past few days I've been working 8-4 at Colegio San Andres at the matriculation desk. There aren't many people coming in during January; there was a rush in December at the end of the school year, and there'll be another rush in February when school is about to open again. All I'm doing is handing forms to the parents and making sure they've filled them in correctly. Not particularly exciting, so I have Dickens' A Tale of Two Cities to keep me entertained. :-)
I hope to return to la Iglesia Presbiteriana de Surco tomorrow for church, but I'm a little apprehensive about getting there, since I'm now living in a different district and have a different bus route to that part of the city. Here's hoping I'll not get lost tomorrow!
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| Parque Jacaranda |
Tuesday 17 January 2012
From winter to summer in 8 hours
Buenas tardes con todos!
I arrived late last night in Lima after an 8 hour flight from Newark. The flight was fine; I watched films and CSI programmes until I was a little too creeped out and suspicious of all other passengers....haha. The airport was really busy at that time of night, so it took forever to get through immigration and suitcase-pickup and customs. The good thing is, though, that I was given 180 days on my passport to be in Peru, so that should last me until June. I won't have to leave the country and then come back in again in order to be 'legal'! :-) The dear Baileys were there to pick me up and take me to the house of the Arevalo family, who will be my hosts for the next few weeks.
Dennis and Charmian Arevalo have 3 friendly children, whom I am getting to know, and their house is big and lovely. :-) It's the house that Rachel and Jodie stayed in last year (that reminds me: Happy New Year, everyone!). I have Rachel's old room (pictured below) - if you're reading this, Rachel, I want you to know that I think of you every time I enter it!
And the weather is HOT! It is summer time here, and the sun is shining and providing lots of heat. It was quite a shock after the minus temperatures of Pennsylvania, but I'm already enjoying it. I plan to go in to Colegio San Andres tomorrow morning to see what admin work they have for me to do in the next few weeks.
Before leaving the States, I was nervous and a bit sad to be going away again. However, now that I am here and in a familiar place I feel a lot more settled. It helps that it's sunny. :-) In the car on the way to the airport yesterday, Mum gave me Spurgeon's Morning and Evening reading for January 16th to read. It was so appropriate - 'I will be with thee' - and a comfort. Please pray for me as I begin this next stretch of Peruvian adventures.
P.S. I found a dead beetle on my floor this morning! Eeeeeeeeek! Must be a preparation for Moyobamba...
I arrived late last night in Lima after an 8 hour flight from Newark. The flight was fine; I watched films and CSI programmes until I was a little too creeped out and suspicious of all other passengers....haha. The airport was really busy at that time of night, so it took forever to get through immigration and suitcase-pickup and customs. The good thing is, though, that I was given 180 days on my passport to be in Peru, so that should last me until June. I won't have to leave the country and then come back in again in order to be 'legal'! :-) The dear Baileys were there to pick me up and take me to the house of the Arevalo family, who will be my hosts for the next few weeks.
Dennis and Charmian Arevalo have 3 friendly children, whom I am getting to know, and their house is big and lovely. :-) It's the house that Rachel and Jodie stayed in last year (that reminds me: Happy New Year, everyone!). I have Rachel's old room (pictured below) - if you're reading this, Rachel, I want you to know that I think of you every time I enter it!
And the weather is HOT! It is summer time here, and the sun is shining and providing lots of heat. It was quite a shock after the minus temperatures of Pennsylvania, but I'm already enjoying it. I plan to go in to Colegio San Andres tomorrow morning to see what admin work they have for me to do in the next few weeks.
Before leaving the States, I was nervous and a bit sad to be going away again. However, now that I am here and in a familiar place I feel a lot more settled. It helps that it's sunny. :-) In the car on the way to the airport yesterday, Mum gave me Spurgeon's Morning and Evening reading for January 16th to read. It was so appropriate - 'I will be with thee' - and a comfort. Please pray for me as I begin this next stretch of Peruvian adventures.
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| My room at the Arevalos' house |
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