Just Our Life!

So this post is coming a week late. I wrote it last week but never posted it, so just know when you are reading it that it's from 2 weeks ago. I'll post for last week in the next couple of days! Thanks for reading!

Happy October everybody!! It’s crazy that it’s already October and that we have been here in Peru for a month now. At times it seems like time passes so slow but then I look back and can’t believe it’s already been a month. We still aren’t crazy busy but things are picking up a little. Caleb and the girls are doing more visits on their own and now that they are more familiar with the schedule, are able to find more things to do to occupy their time… haha like go to the gym. Caleb and I joined this gym. I haven’t gone yet because I haven’t been feeling well but Caleb has been working out. It’s a pretty ghetto gym but they have personal trainers there everyday that come around and help you which is pretty awesome. Christi got a job coaching a swim team, and Steph writes for her blog the mormonbuzz. So I guess we are all adapting to the life here.

Playing a game with the kids

Monday I had a leadership meeting for La Communidad the non-profit org, to get feedback on how the program is going and to talk about what we as volunteers can do better. It gives me something to do on Monday nights and pushes me to keep studying Spanish because they do the meetings in Spanish and only translate if I need them to. On Wed. we took the kids to the Botanical Gardens to educate about the plants and flowers and livestock that they have here in Peru. It was kind of a crazy day, no kids showed up so we had to go around to all of their houses to round up kids and then fit 4 adults and 4 kids into a taxi to take them to the gardens. Super illegal in America, but pretty normal here. The kids are really fun and cute, there are a couple of them who are kind of like demon children, there was one who kept throwing big rocks at the fish, stomping on plants and being very destructive. He only will listen to Diego, and it’s only kind of listening when Diego talks to him. I’m getting more comfortable at speaking to them and trying to put myself out there to make connections with the kids.

Our Art!

On Thursday, at the other location for the program, we had some local artists come to teach them about painting with this stuff called earth dust, and inspired them to pursue their dreams in the arts if they want to. The kids were actually really into it. There is this girl who is usually pretty crazy, running around, screaming and such so I decided to challenge myself to try to get her to focus and be more calm, and it actually went really well. She sat and painted and did great. Thursday was also a holiday here in Peru so everybody had work off, and our ward held an activity. The problem with the activities here is, THEY ARE ALL DAY LONG! Literally 9 am til like 6 or 7 pm.

Caleb and Diego eating KFC

On Friday we tried to go to the beach, but we ended up not getting out of the house until pretty late, so we decided to postpone the beach to Saturday. So instead of going to the beach, Caleb, Diego and I went to the mall! The malls here are like a little America, we ordered steamers at Starbucks, and ate at KFC! The clothes and shoes at the mall are way more expensive though, so we didn’t really do any shopping. 

Mini America!

On Saturday we decided to go to the beach, but it was really windy so we just went there, ate at a restaurant and walked on the beach. Diego told us more about his family and the jungle where they live. He told us some crazy stories but I’ll have to tell you them when I get home. While we were at the beach we ran into 3 of the girls that I volunteer with. One of the girls had just got her iphone stolen on the bus!! Apparently a bunch of Peruvians got on the bus, crowded around her, passed her around and someone reached into her bag, grabbed her phone and then they all ran off the bus. Apparently Iphones are pretty hot items here, they sell for 7,000 soles which is over $2,000 American dollars. Good thing my bag I carry around has a zipper on it.

On Sunday we went to church, and right after the sacrament, the Bishop got up and announced that all of us were going to get up and bear our testimonies. So Christi, Steph and Caleb bore their testimonies in Spanish and I got up and bore my testimony in English. Even though no one could understand me, I was super nervous. The bishop also gave us a calling, (we had no idea until he called us in sacrament) for the facebook/social media people. So we are starting that, making sure that every organization has a page and that they are posting and inviting less active members to activities and such. Fabiola also came to church and brought her daughters. They didn’t come to sacrament meeting but they came to primary. It was a pretty big surprise cause the missionaries thought she wasn’t gonna be able to make it because of her schedule. She told us that Brenda her oldest daughter had been asking for me, and asking when she was gonna see me. The primary has their program next week so they were practicing in the chapel, so we sat by Fabiola as her daughters sat on the stand pretending to sing the songs. Brianna her youngest daughter is only 2 so she didn’t stay focused for long so they left before it was over but Fabiola invited Caleb and I to Brianna’s birthday party on the 21^st of October.

Caleb playing this unusual instrument
at Diego's house!

Then on Sunday night, Diego invited us over to his house for dinner. His brother Elliott is a chef so he made us Chinese food, and we got to meet him. He is super nice just like the rest of his family, and he served his mission in Argentina so Caleb and him had a blast talking all about Argentina. The Chinese food he made us was actually really good! 

Well that was basically all for the week, stay posted for more on our life here in Peru!

We've seen better days!

Well, to be honest, this week wasn't one of my favorites here in Peru. Not that it was bad, it just was not very exciting in the least. I did however go to my volunteer program on Wed and Thursday which gave me a little something to do. This week we taught the kids more about using recyclables by making these artistic pictures with recyclables goods. Apparently in Peru, there are these markings at various places, that look like crop fields (like from the movie SIGNS). They aren't really sure where they came from but they are real, so we took Styrofoam boxes and had them etch designs in them and cover them with paint and stamp them onto a different paper. It didn't turn out like we had hoped but it was fun to hang out with the kids. Sadly I will never have pictures of these events because we aren't allowed to take pictures of the kids for personal reasons. We aren't really supposed to speak English at the program because it makes the kids uncomfortable so, I'm still working on getting comfortable and truly enjoying the program, since I can't really speak to them at all. I guess it forces me to learn Spanish faster, but I think that is why I haven't fallen in love with the program yet. 

This week I felt good enough to go play soccer with Caleb at the institute which was really fun and a nice way to release some of my pent up energy. Peruvians aren't really known for their athleticism, so I feel like a star when I play soccer :) 

Caleb and I in our new Peruvian sweaters!! So comfy!

On Friday we went to this "fair" which was just tents of little shops where you could buy cool stuff from Peru and get souvenirs that are from Cuzco cheaper then they would be at Machu Picchu. Caleb and I got these awesome Peruvian sweaters, Caleb got some Peruvian hobo gloves, Caleb, Diego and I got matching leather bracelets, and then I got an awesome Peruvian purse and authentic handmade leather sandals. They are pretty awesome. These are the only pictures I have from this week. Sorry there is not a lot to look at. 

Caleb's nice sweater! He loves it.

Besides that, we just had a lazy weekend watching General Conference. It was nice to just relax and get spiritually rejuvenated. It was a little bit sad for me to not be able to do the traditions that we normally do during conference like Cinnamon rolls, or orange rolls or even eating anything delicious in the least since we don't really have a lot of options when it comes to cooking. 

So, that's all I really have for this week, so I've decided to make a list of some things that I like and don't like about Peru. 

TOP 10 LIKES (in no particular order):

1. The Weather! It's usually Mid to high 70's everyday! Not too hot, not to cold!
2. The Arroz! For those who don't speak Spanish Arroz is rice. I love the rice here. I can usually tell if the restaurant is a good one or not by the taste of the rice. 
3. Everything here is so Cheap!!! We eat a huge lunch for 6 soles, which is like $2. It comes with a appetizer, drink, and a huge meal. 
4. They have thousands of pairs of shoes. So many to choose from, literally any shoe you could imagine. There are also really nice leather shoes for really low prices, which is amazing. 
5. Manjar Blanco and Alfajores. Yum!! Manjar Blanco is kinda like Carmel, and alfajores are two cookies with manjar in the middle!! I could eat like 5 of them every day!

6. Fruit! They have awesome fresh fruit. The only fruit I really miss is lemons, they don't really have them here. They have a ton of limes, but no one has lemons, kinda odd. 
7. You don't have to tip waiters here which is nice because whatever the menu price is, is what you pay, no tax, no tip just simple and easy. 
8. People are really kind and welcoming. They kiss each other on the cheeks when you greet one another even if it's your first time meeting someone, and it's just kinda refreshing and endearing. The members of our ward have been especially kind and welcoming, and even though I don't understand them, they make me feel really welcome with their gestures and expressions. 
9. They don't really eat dinner. I actually really like this and so does my tummy. We eat a very big lunch, and then for dinner, eat something small like a fruit salad, oatmeal, yogurt or cereal. My tummy feels better since I've been here and I can't help but think it has something to do with my diet. Caleb is always hungry so he'll usually grab a burger or something at night, but their hamburgers are not really the same as American hamburgers. They just aren't my fave so I'll usually pass on them.
10. Peru really does have a lot to offer. We have some Aztec ruins and a beach super close to us, you have Machu Picchu which hopefully we can go to, and they have the jungle. There are so many places you can travel to while living here. Hopefully we'll get to do some of that. You normally have to fly to Lima to travel to other places, so traveling can cost a little bit of money, but hopefully we can make it work. 

TOP 10 DISLIKES:

1. Not being able to flush toilet paper down the toilets. I know that many south American countries are like that, but I will never get used to it or like it.
2. Cockroaches in my house. It's not that they really disgust me, but it's annoying having a variety of different sized cockroaches running around our kitchen.
3. NO OVEN. To be fair, this isn't as much Peru as it is my apartment, but nevertheless, I still hate it. 
4. No Rain! It never rains here, so it's not very green. As the weeks have gone by, it is getting a little more green since it is now Spring. Apparently however, in December it is supposed to rain like crazy because of something called El Nino, where it rains like crazy, flooding the streets even, which happens every 10 years ish. Because of this right now, all the kids have started having to go to school on Saturdays so that they can have the whole month of December off for the rain. 
5. It's so noisy. It comes with living in a city, but traffic is so noisy. The car horns or car alarms here, are literally the most annoying sounds I have ever heard. High pitched beeps going off all hours of the day. Not my fave.
6. The air quality. A lot of smog and pollution. I haven't really had two big of a issue getting used to it, but a lot of people have headaches when the first get here because of the smell and pollution. 
7. Either a lot of the foods they have are not like American Food, or they don't really have them (or they are super expensive) For example, Ketchup, they have it here but it's consistency is that of jelly with clumps in it. Hamburgers and bread, not the same. They have peanut butter but it's really expensive so people don't really eat it. Luckily I did bring some down with me, but I've only been here 3 1/2 weeks and it is already almost gone. 
8. Peruvians are pretty flaky. They have no concept of being on time, so they are either really late like a half hour to an hour, or they don't show up at all. This makes it very hard to plan things and get things done. 
9. Pedestrians NEVER have the right away. Don't get in their way!! The taxi's, buses, and moto's drive like crazy and I have had a couple of close encounters. 
10. They have a lot of theft and deceit here, so you have to be careful with who you trust and always keep your purses close and be aware of your surroundings. It also has caused Peruvians to be less trusting and very cautious, which isn't too bad of a thing, but they don't like taking risks.... EVER! 

So there you have it, now you know a little more of what life is like here in Peru, and what we love and what we don't love so much!! I'm sure as times goes on, I'll fall in love with more things and probably find a few more things that I don't particularly love. 

Here are a few more pictures that I found on Caleb's phone that I thought I'd share!! Enjoy!!

 Caleb made me eat cow heart from the street, I almost threw up. Of course he didn't tell me until it was in my mouth, I wished he would have waited until I swallowed. Caleb was going to the bank and saw this random couple dancing, and this delicious looking thing on the right is a Cremolada! A Coconut flavored one with real coconut in it!!

Well until I write again,
Chao

Week 2 - Happy 2 year illiversary!

So this past Monday, September 21st, it was Caleb and I's 2 year anniversary. We were super excited to do something crazy and adventurous since we are in a foreign country, but Caleb's stomach decided to start a war with him, so we just had a cozy night in. We bought some fruit salad, and pastries and watched Princess and the Frog on netflix. Not the craziest night we've had since we've been married, but I know we'll have the opportunity to make up for it while living here in Peru. It's actually kind of tradition for us to delay events. We only had one night for our honeymoon since we were both in school, so we went on our "honeymoon" 3 months later in December. So it kind of works! :) 

On Tuesday we went to lunch with Gabi and Diego for her going away party. Let me explain. Gabi and Diego are from Pucallpa which is the Jungle part of Peru. Her mom still lives there with Gabi's 6 year old daughter. Gabi came to Trujillo to work and earn some money, but is going back to the jungle to be with her daughter and to help her mom because her mom is struggling with some health issues. So on Tuesday we went to this nicer restaurant, which had excellent food and took pictures and celebrated her "going away", something else that they do here in Peru. 

At the restaurant with Diego, Christi,
Stephanie, Gabi and Caleb

The same picture with me in it :)

My Salad. It was in a avocado, with carrots,
potatoes, peas and chicken in a mayo sauce,
it was really good!

My Chicken, rice and beans. My staple lunch here.

Gabi and I. Gabi ordered these spring roll things with cream cheese in them.
They are just like won tons but in spring roll form. Muy Rico. (Very Delicious)

Our Dessert, Pineapple in a fruit sauce.
He was still sick so he only ate soup, poor guy.
For this entire meal, the salad, main course, dessert and
juice (and remember this is at a fancier restaurant) it only cost
us 10 soles, which is a little over $3. It's so crazy how cheap
food is here, but we love it!

Caleb went to the Dr. on Monday and was given some medicine. No one really knows why Caleb's stomach decided to attack him, but I suspect Salmonella. He was ordered by the Dr. to eat no meat, fruits, or milk products which was a little rough on him. He was stuck eating soup and drinking Gatorade for the next couple of days. (As you saw in the picture above, he did cheat a little bit and had a bite of the pineapple oops, but who can blame him). I report that he is now doing better..... for the most part, and is back eating a normal diet. I started getting sick on Tuesday with a sore throat, sinuses, and a headache, which is what Caleb had been dealing with the previous week. Thank you Caleb. I think it was a cold or the flu, but I was basically in bed the rest of the week. Because of not feeling well, I didn't go to my volunteer program, so I have nothing to talk about there. 

Aren't they beautiful?

On Wed. Caleb, Stephanie, Gabi and I went shoe shopping! Gabi wanted to buy her daughter some shoes before she left so we went to shoe heaven!! This was the place that I had bought my shoes at with Gabi last week, but it was Caleb and Stephanie's first time in shoe heaven and boy were they in awe. I'll have to take a picture of it next time we go because it's really hard to do it justice. It's literally hallways and hallways of shoes stores and hundred's of thousands of shoes. We didn't buy any shoes on Wed. but Caleb and Stephanie took Christi later on in the week, and Caleb got his new pair of real leather brown church shoes, and a pair of indoor soccer shoes. His real leather shoes were $25 dollars. Right? Crazy huh? So fun fact, Trujillo is known for their shoes. They have a lot of tannery's here and are mostly known for their leather shoes. This is where all the other cities in Peru import their shoes from. Because of this, we can get shoes so cheap! We may be bringing a suitcase of shoes home. Christmas presents anyone?

Tacos

Anyways, Wed. was the day I got really sick, walking around all day really did me in so I just came home and slept instead of going to my NGO (Not for profit volunteer program, NGO is what they call it here in Peru). Wednesday night we held a big fiesta for Gabi's going away party!! Ashley's mom sent her taco seasoning packets so we made ground beef tacos, I made no bake cookies with the peanut butter I brought, and Stephanie made passion fruit pie, which was really good, especially since she had to bake the crust in the microwave because we don't have an oven. We then turned dance music on and had a little dance party. I got the dance fever and started showing everyone how to Latin dance. We danced the salsa, mamba, cha cha and samba. We also did line dances like the wobble, the boot scootin boogie, the macarena and etc. haha. Then Diego and Gabi, (and Ashley's boyfriend Eduardo) showed us some traditional Peruvian dances. It was so fun! Sadly, I paid for the dancing while being sick, the next day but it was worth it to have one last crazy night with Gabi. 

Dancing Salsa

It was a very bittersweet couple of days for me because I feel like I was getting really close to Gabi. She has such a sweet spirit about her, and she is so sincere and kind. Though I wasn't able to have deep conversations with Gabi because of the language barrier, were able to spend a lot of time together, running errands, helping each other with the language and just hanging out. For those of you who know me, I'm not the kind of girl that has a lot of girlfriends, so getting close to her was kind of a big deal for me. I was able to write her a letter in Spanish (thanks to google translate) and I got us friendship bracelets. Caleb and I are hoping to be able to fly out to the jungle and visit Gabi and her family because it's supposed to be amazing and beautiful. Hopefully that will happen so I can see my new friend again!

The next day, we said our farewells to Gabi and Caleb was able to go to the institute and play soccer and futbol (soccer) with some of the young adults. I stayed home to say goodbye to Gabi, and sleep off my sickness. Blah. On Friday Caleb went to dinner with Alejandro, the boss of Danper's social responsibility department, and the other interns. I decided not to go with them because I still wasn't feeling well. On Saturday Christi and Stephanie went to Chan Chan, which is some Ruins in Peru, but we stayed home because it's like a 5 hour tour and I still wasn't quite feeling my best. Diego said that he would take Caleb and I sometime so look forward to that post in the near future. Caleb went and played soccer with the taxi driver from Danper for like 3 hours while I stayed home and studied Spanish. After he finally got home, Me, Diego and Caleb went to eat some dinner at a place called Roky's. It's a more pricey restaurant but it has karaoke at it so we had a fun night eating and singing. I rapped, Caleb sang two songs, one in English and one in Spanish and Diego sang a song in English. He was so nervous but he did great. Karaoke in Peru is very different then what you'd expect. You just stay in your seat to sing, they give you a microphone and people don't really cheer each other on. Haha they just kinda stare at you, especially when we started cheering for everyone. They were probably thinking, "What's wrong with those crazy white people!" We had a lot of fun though, and Diego is easily becoming one of Caleb's new best friends. 

Diego!

Caleb!

On Sunday, at church it was the coolest thing, Fabiola, the lady that Caleb and I visited with, with the missionaries the prior week, came to church with her two little girls. Her husband was traveling so he wasn't able to make it. It was so exciting to see them there. When the 6 year old turned around and looked at us as we waved, she got so excited and told her mom that Estaci and Caleb were behind them. Fabiola seemed excited to see us, and even came to sit by us. I think it was helpful because we helped keep the girls distracted so it was a little easier for her to listen to the testimonies. She left after sacrament but the missionaries made another appointment with her for later that night and invited us to go with them. We were able to go with them to a couple of other homes as well and listen to the discussions. Caleb and I went with the American missionary on splits to 3 different homes. We went to the home of a guy named Martin, who is a member but just recently became active again, and taught him about service. We went to another members home, who is not very active at the moment, invited him to church and then went to Fabiola's home. We just asked her about church and whether she had any questions. She told us that it was really crazy to see her 6 yr. old daughter, Brenda, love me as much as she does. She stated that she usually takes a really long time to open up to people, but with me, she tested the water quickly and then became attached instantly. This made me very happy to hear because Brenda is adorable and I adore her. I just need to learn more Spanish so I can communicate with her better. 

So not a super exciting week, but there were still a lot of fun experiences. Hopefully this week both Caleb and I can feel better at the same time so we can have some more exciting adventures. We are also looking forward to General Conference that is this weekend, and hearing who are 3 new apostles will be. 

We love and miss all our family members and friends but are loving being here and making new memories that will stay with us forever. 

Thanks for reading and following us on this crazy journey called life.
Until next week,
Chao.  

Caleb... we're not in Kansas anymore! aka America!

Peace out America!

On Saturday September 19th, I woke up to find myself in a room and bed that did not belong to me, the sound of cars honking and speeding by, and people yelling and speaking to each other in a language that I didn't understand. I awoke in my new home, Trujillo, Peru. So what brought me and my husband Caleb to Peru, well let's rewind a few months. Caleb and I were living in Logan, Utah where Caleb was attending school at Utah State and majoring in International Business. I knew that because of his degree, at one point we would most likely live out of the country, but like a lot of things that come with being married to Caleb, I didn't know when and where. One day he came home from school and told me about the SEED program through Utah State. 

(The SEED program sends students to live abroad and help businesses with micro loans.)

He stated that he was planning on applying but didn't know how likely he was to get in because there were a lot of students interested, but if he did the two countries he could potentially go to were Peru or the Philippines. For those of you who don't know, I LOVE TRAVELING!! Especially outside of the United States, so of course when I heard this I was thrilled and supported him in applying and hoped and prayed that he would get it. Well sure enough, he got in and we begin to prepare for a semester in Peru, which he chose because of his knowledge of the spanish language. It was a crazy few months getting prepared because first we would be moving to DC for 3 months. For those of you who may not know Caleb has done summer sales for the the past 5 years, and this summer managed the DC/Baltimore branch. A week and a half after we got home, we would be on our way to a new chapter in our life. 

 This is me hanging out at the Lima Airport during our 11 hour layover. 

We slept, played games and slept. (Tried to sleep that is)

 Finally, our last leg of the trip from Lima to Trujillo. So tired

 The clouds literally looked like snow, there were clouds all around.

This was the first time I've ever stepped off an airplane directly, it was awesome. Just landed in Trujillo. 

So that brings us to the present time, where I am sitting in my new house, on my new bed, surrounded by my spanish books, so that eventually I can communicate with the people of this beautiful country. 

Our house is right on the outskirts of central where there are hundreds of shops, places to eat, and so many things to see. 

We live with 3 other girls who are from Utah as well and are part of the seed program. Their names are Ashley, (whom is the girl that interviewed Caleb for the program), Christi (who is from Lindon, small world) and Stephanie. Ashley technically isn't interning anymore because her internship finished up in August, but she decided to stay here until December because she met a cute Peruvian boy at church, and got a job at the DanPer Plant, which is the company that runs this program. Christi and Stephanie got here on Sunday and are the other interns working with Caleb. They both speak Spanish because Christi went to California on her mission and Stephanie went to Chile. So of course I'm always lost since they all speak spanish to one another. 

There are two other women who don't live with us but work out of our home because it's the office. They are both peruvians and are very kind. There names are Milagros, and Alaina. Alaina is learning English so she can speak to me a little, but most the time I just say hello, how are you, goodbye or goodnight. Hopefully eventually, I will be able to hold a conversation with them instead of just smiling and nodding my head. I've been studying a lot but there literally is so much to learn. Just when I think that I've made headway, I go to apply what I've learned and realize that there is so much more to learn. I get a little overwhelmed sometimes, but I have faith that it'll come with time. 

Huanchaco beach with Diego, Ashley, Caleb and Gabi. 

So let me try to summarize my first week in a few short paragraphs. On Saturday we met Diego and Gabi who are brother and sister and my new best friends. They came over to make crepes with Ashley and then they took us to central and showed us around. Gabi has been great and has been taking me to run errands while Caleb is working. Diego is majoring in Social Work and so when he found out about my background he got excited and asked me if I wanted to volunteer at a program with him. This was literally a tender mercy and an answer to my prayers as I had only been in Peru for less then 24 hours and already had a lead on what I would be doing for the next three months. They are both great and I will continue to tell you more about them in later posts. 

 Caleb is eating a Cremolada which is like 

shaved ice and fresh fruit juice, it's heaven in your mouth.

The Cathedral

This is a statue in Central that 

tells a story of Trujillo and slavery.

This beautiful Cathedral in Central with Diego and Gabi

The Trujillo, Peru Temple

After we saw central and ate lunch, we rode the bus to huanchaco beach and walked around. It's past the temple so we were able to drive past the temple and can I just say, it is beautiful! We haven't been to do a session yet but we will soon. 

On Sunday we went to church and met our ward. Of course I didn't really understand much of anything but the people were so friendly and I could definitely feel the spirit. We also were able to meet the Elders and get to know them a little better. In one of the pairs there is an Elder from Clinton, Utah, so it was great to be able to talk to him in English. After talking to them for a little while, they asked us if we would be willing to come with them to visit one of the families they have been teaching. I don't know what prompted them to ask us, but we were so excited and jumped at the offer. The couples names are Louis and Fabiola and they have two young girls who are 4 and 6. The missionaries informed us that Fabiola had accepted the gospel and was wanting to get baptized but that Louis her husband wasn't as enthusiastic about it. They stated that they couldn't really get a lot out of him and a lot of the time he wouldn't meet with them when the wife did, but they were hopeful that maybe he would open up a little more with us being there. So the Elders taught the lesson and would have Caleb jump in here and there with insights and comments, and I just sat listening not really understanding what was being said :). However, before hand the missionary from Utah told me that I probably would be able to understand more in this situation then normal because of the spiritual setting. Of course I wasn't overcome with the gift of tongues, but I was able to pick up on certain things and understand bits and pieces of what was going on. Louis was very nice and friendly but was quiet when asked questions about the gospel and he didn't have a whole lot to say. Towards the end of the lesson, the 6 year old little girl randomly came up to me and sat on my lap. The parents seemed shocked at this and started laughing and smiling. After that, they seemed to open up and Fabiola even expressed her love for her husband. This apparently is a big deal here in Peru because I guess spouses don't really show or express love in public very often, so the missionaries said it was a really big deal. Louis accepted the challenge to be potentially baptized, he just wants a little more time to learn more and strengthen his testimony. It was so great to watch this happen as I just held this 6 year old little girl and braided her hair. I think it really helped everyone because before that the parents were really distracted having to continue getting up and tending to the kids. After she came up to me, everyone was content and the little girl did NOT want me to leave. We told them we would come back to visit them and we told the couple it'd be fun to double or something, which they really don't do here, but the missionaries said it'd be really good for them. It was awesome to get a glimpse at a day in the life as a missionary and feel of the spirit that it brings. 

At a clients house checking the books

Anyways, all Caleb has been doing is sitting at the house all day (the office) waiting for stuff to do, or going on visits to check in on the previous micro loans recipients to see how their business is doing. I was able to go once so far, and can basically go with them whenever I want, which there will be plenty more opportunities. I think it'll be more fun for me when I can understand the language better. 

We had to ride in this little dune buggy, ALL 5 OF US!

Caleb had to sit in front and was
basically sitting on the drivers lap. 

Sugar Cane field that was
being burned to be chop down

So these aren't kids from the program.
We met them on the side of the road at the visit
and just started playing with them and of
course as I took out my camera, they wanted
photo after photo after photo. They were so cute!

So real quick, let me briefly tell you about this program that I am volunteering at. I have only gone once but it's called La Comunidad que Construimos. It's Monday-Thursday from 3-5pm at two different locations. The goal of the program is to improve the self-esteem of the kids in the community, (which is right up my alley). In order to do this, the volunteers pick something that they are passionate about and teach it to the kids. So for example the day I went, the volunteer who was teaching is studying sustainability and environmental stuff in school, so we taught the kids about recycling and other things that can help our environment. After the mini lesson, they had the kids make propaganda stuff, so like posters with sayings such as Recycle etc, and then we took them to hang up in the community. Then in turn they have the kids teach the volunteers something about the peruvian culture. The point of this is to encourage the kids to be proud of the culture and where they are from and open their eyes to things they can do in their own culture and while living in Peru. As of right now, I'm just volunteering Wednesdays and Thursdays and am just monitoring behavior and hanging out with the kids. The leaders would eventually like me to lead and they asked me already to do so, but I told them that I wanted to wait until I felt more comfortable with the country and language, since it entails teaching lessons and such. Diego is going 4 days a week and will take me on Wed. and Thurs. when he goes so that I don't have to go alone on the bus and he can help me with the language. I only committed to two days so that I can go with Caleb on visits when I want to. So that is basically the gist of it, I'll explain more as I learn more. I go tomorrow so it should be fun. 

Me, Christi, Stephanie and Caleb with the nino's

They adored Caleb! He started playing soccer
with them and playing with a slingshot!

Picarones! These are fried donut like things
dipped in Fig and honey

Other then that, Caleb has been sick, (and I think I am now getting sick, thanks Caleb) so we've been kind of boring and mostly just hanging out at the house. We have been trying new foods and that's been great. See the pictures for a look at what we've been eating. I'm leaving out more recent things because I'm going to post in a couple of days about this current week so I will fill you in when I write that. I should be able to post easier and faster now that I have everything downloaded. Feel free to email or facebook me questions that you may have or write them down to ask me later. I have so much more to tell everyone and say, but I don't want this post to be a novel, so until next time, as the locals would say, Chao!

Caleb came home one day with this
in his hand! They were so beautiful and only
cost him 10 soles which is like $3.50 in America!
I'm looking forward to a lot more surprises like this ;)

These are pigeon eggs that they sell on the street,
they actually were really good! 

Ukes with pepper sauce on top! This is
one of Caleb's favorite!

So this is what I eat for dinner basically every night!
It's a fruta ensalada (fruit salad) with yogurt, fruit
granola and the cereal SMACKS on top of it! They don't
really eat big dinners. Just huge lunches and then light things like
yogurt and these for dinner. The red fruit on it is cactus! Yummy!

Also fresh juice is the best! 

My first time trying star fruit!

Stephanie with her ensalada

Gabi! Her salad had ice cream on it.

Diego! He used to work at this ensalada shop so he's
the one that showed us. They also had these cookies that are made
with yogurt and um they were amazing!!