La Despedida: bittersweet

      Well, here I am enjoying my last day here in Arequipa. As usual, I find myself with some time this Sunday morning as I wait for my family to get ready for our outing of the day. Today, is mass (my mom's idea to give thanks for how good God has been to us this semester and taken care of us so faithfully), followed by some lunch. As usual, I don't know more than that as plans are normally changed and made on the spot. I am just so thankful to have this last day to enjoy with my family and Arequipa.
         My family and Arequipa have been so good to me, and every new "last" that comes my way, my heart hurts. At the same time, I know that it has to come to an end some time and I have another family waiting for me in the states. The perfect word for today is bittersweet. It marks a very bitter end, but also a sweet new beginning. A new beginning of living in West Michigan with the influences of my peruvian experiences. A new beginning of a long distance relationship with my Peruvian family, and a new beginning of the unknown: the unknown of what God will bring into my life next.
       Sadly I end this blog post knowing that it's probably the last report I will give on my Peruvian adventures and my home in Arequipa, but I will keep the blog in hopes of updating all of you wonderful supporters of mine of the new adventures that God brings into my life in the future. Lastly, I want to thank any of you reading this for your support, concern, and love that you have communicated to me during this semester. It really means the world. I don't think I would have flourished so much over here, if you all weren't over there sending me love. Thanks :)

my wonderful family of women :)

me and my sweet Mamá at La Despedida

our wonderful group!

the view of Mount Misti, newly covered with snow....another treasure of Arequipa 

Giving Thanks

      Thanksgiving came at the perfect time in our semester. As we are nearing the home stretch of semester, Thanksgiving was a perfect day for me to stop and reflect on how thankful I am for the opportunity of this semester abroad and all the blessing it has brought into my life with it.

To celebrate this American holiday, we prepared a large feast to share with our Peruvian friends and family. I was amazed at what we could whip up from Peruvian ingredients. In the end we had a very thorough Thanksgiving meal. Some girls from our group also prepared a program to explain the tradition and food to our Peruvian guests. Yes it was a bummer not to be able to celebrate with my family in the states, but our evening was a pretty good replacement. I ended the night with a very full, happy, and grateful stomach, but also content heart.

we gathered in the industrial size kitchen of the University to cook the large things like the turkey and mashed potatoes

our feast!

It was fun to see the reactions of the Peruvians to our food. Stuffing was a weird idea to them, but the biggest shock was that we would put marshmallows and brown sugar on our sweet potatoes. Here in Peru they are not eaten with anything other than chocolate. 

Our feast! complete with desserts of brownies, apple and pumpkin pie!

being on the decorating crew we went right to work making the classic hand painted turkeys

We were pretty proud of our work, in Lori's words "They don't have Thanksgiving here, but we sure made it look like they do!"

the crew for our presentation of explanation

To share the holiday with the Peruvians was very special for a couple reasons. The first reason being that we could teach them a little of OUR culture and make them try OUR food. But more than that, it was very special to share with them the things we are thankful for, to spend time focusing on God and his goodness in our lives. In return we also had a chance to sit and listen to their thanksgiving. The night was very special filled with joy and contentment.

so ready to enjoy some american food

I just had to include this cause as always Misti was stunning during sunset :)

Before I end this blog I want to state some things that I have been thankful for here in Peru:
-my fantastic Peruvian sisters and mother
-my friends here in Peru with me that are there to rejoice and mourn with me
-the beauty of Peru and the amazing opportunity I have to experience it through many excursions and daily wanderings
-the rich culture here in Arequipa that has taught me the importance of a greeting
-a chance to experience God here in Peru and be reminded of his ever present and inexhaustible faithfulness, love and joy.
-as crazy and hectic the system seems at first, I am thankful for the combis here in Arequipa that have taught me more about public transportation, and also allowed me to be free within the city
-the faithfully sunshiny weather here in Arequipa
-the watchman on my street that always takes time to say "Muy buenas tardes Señorita" (very good afternoon miss) as I come or go
-family in the US that takes time out of their busy schedule to skype with me and hear about my latest adventure
-friends who send me letters or quick reminders on facebook that they haven't forgotten about me

I am thankful for all these things and more during my time here in Arequipa, but in these past days I have also begun to think about the beautiful things of my home in Michigan. I don't know if it's because I have begun to listen to Christmas music and it makes me nostalgic or just because 4 months is a long time, but I have begun to think of the comforts I left behind when I came to Peru.
-hugs from family members
-late night talks with siblings
-fuzzy socks
-cuddling up against the cold to read a good book
-watching movies on my sofa in the basement
-playing with my dog
-baking with out worrying about improvising ingredients or adjusting for the altitude
-hot chocolate
-snow :)

Finally, I am thankful that I have all these cozy memories to look forward to upon my return.
I feel that the only proper way to conclude this blog post is that I am extremely blessed and there are so many things about travel and my homes in both Arequipa and Michigan that I will never take for granted. God is good and his love endures for ever.

Weekend Wanderings

In our weekends that are not filled with excursions we still find ways to keep busy. A couple weekends ago, me and some friends made our way to the coast of Peru. We took a 2 hour bus ride to Mollendo.

Our first glimpse of the coast of Mollendo!

Like most things here in Peru, it was a very different experience than going to the beach in Michigan. Before heading down to the beach we decided to go to the market to get some yummies to snack on during our day. Turns out raw octopus and plucked chickens hanging from their heads were some options.....we passed and went for the empanadas.

(dead dog being eaten by vultures) :(

(jelly fish! everywhere!)

(dead duck laying in the channel)

Another difference was the variety of things we found on our long walks on the beach. So many jelly fish that required that you look down when walking so as not to step on them, and dead animals. 

The next big difference was the size of the waves and the strength of the current. It was incredible. The waves were absolutely ENORMOUS and so much more powerful than even the waviest day I have experienced on Lake Michigan. I guess this is the proof that well......it is the Pacific Ocean. But still shocking to be literally whipped around like a rag doll in the water. No worries, we didn't go out far enough to be swept away :) We enjoyed riding the waves (willingly or not) at the same distance from the shore as our fellow peruvians at the beach. As you can tell by our faces though, the undeniable strength of the water gave us a shock, but SO FUN. 

It was absolutely stunning and a wonderful day at the beach in......November :)

***On a larger scale, the following weekend, me and 12 others from our group,
 including Neal the spouse of my professor, set out to climb Mt. Misti. 

This volcano is unavoidable from the city of Arequipa. If I walk to the university,

 the city center, a friends house, or just down the road, Mt. Misti is in the background. 

From constant sightings, I have gotten quite an appreciation for Misti and it’s beauty, 

but my appreciation for it’s immense size was amplified after climbing to the very top. 

At 8:30 am on saturday we embarked for our journey. 4 by 4’s 
brought us to our starting point at 14,000 ft.

From there, we hiked for about 2.5 hrs. till 16,000 ft. 

 Upon arriving, we bundled up against the cold and camped for the “night”.

 I put night in quotes, because we woke up at 1 am to summit Misti, so a night of rest wasn’t 

completely enjoyed. 

We climbed in the dark until about 5 am when the sun started to rise. As we stopped 

breathlessly for a rest, we turned around and were stunned by a sunrise above the far off mountains. 

Needless to say, it was a sight worthy of National Geographic.

Our climb continued for six hours. During this time we took the guide’s advice

 and thought about nothing, but our next step. Looking up towards the peak was prohibited,

 because to see the extensive and steep path was disheartening. Also, thinking about the time 

till the summit was discouraged, because usually the answer was in hours. So we trudged on 

an only let our minds wander as far as “breathe, breathe, step, breathe, breathe, step”. 

(notice the necessity of two breathes per step...)

When we finally summited at 19,339 ft., we collapsed. The climb had exhausted us 

so thoroughly that we needed to recover before taking in the beautiful scenery and 

relishing the fact that we had, in fact, conquered the Misti. 

(Chichani)

(crater)

(our group!)

The view at the top was stunning. We could see the smoking crater, blue mountains 

in the distance, Volcano Chichani to the side, and Arequipa below.
 It was an incredible experience to be on top of the Mountain Misti that always 
towers over the city of Arequipa. I proudly state that our entire group summited. 
Some suffered from the altitude more than others, fighting nausea and 
pounding headaches, but every one reached the summit.

Overall, it was a very hard and long, journey, but I think that the majority of us would
 agree that it was worth the suffering. I quote from my dear friend 
Megan Rozeveld who stated it perfectly, “The best miserable thing I’ve ever done." 
Really miserable, but amazing chance to be humbled by our dependance on something so 
small as air, and reminded of how small and helpless we are. Although I am so happy 
that I can say I have had this experience, you will have to threaten me with something 
awful before I climb a mountain at this altitude again. 

*** also I apologize for the out of line pictures and words..... 
blogger wasn't in my favor when I wrote this :/

Wonders of Peru

Well, I first wrote out this blog and it was 3 pages with out pictures. So to start I will say that some of you should thank me, and some of you should email me if you have questions or would like to know deeper detail because I might have the answers. Also, this blog is so late for 2 reasons. The first is that school has picked up and I had many other things to do these past weeks. The second reason is that I really have no words to describe this incredible excursion so I dreaded trying to explain it and kept putting it off. Despite these emotions, I figured I should finally just go for it, and I’ll count it a success if by the end of this blog post you can begin to feel the awe that struck made me walk around with dropped jaw for most of the 4 days. 

The weekend started out with an overnight bus ride to Cuzco (for Emperor’s New Groove fans, in my head I kept hearing, “Cuzco Topia!”). We passed the morning exploring the markets of Cuzco. Markets are overwhelming places with aisles of woven products, hanging dead animals, fruit, and millions of types of bread.

The rest of the day was dedicated to sites of Cuzco. First was the Cathedral. This Cathedral is famous because the Pope has visited, and it actually three churches and a monastery (so extensive). Unfortunately, photos of the inside were not permitted, but the church was filled with many paintings, catacombs, as well as small chapels. I can now distinguish between a painting of Peruvian handiwork and of European. Also, I know why the Santo de los Temblores (saint of the earthquakes) is now black.

Qoricancha is the most important Incan temple, and our next tour. Majority of the temple was destroyed by the Spaniards, but still Incan techniques can be noticed, such as their precision in building walls. You can see perfectly aligned windows, as well as the lego effect utilized in building walls without mortar.

The following day, we headed to El Valle Sagrado (Sacred Valley). This stunning landscape is another location that the Incas occupied. 

For a change from ruins, we visited an animal reserve. Here, they care for injured animals until they can to be returned to the wild.

 In the pen of the condors we saw in reality how big the birds are and they flew over us. Their feet were the size of my hand, the head probably came up to my waist, and the common wingspan is 8 to 10 ft.

And then there was this dog.....I think it was a pet, just really ugly.

We headed next to Ollantaytambo, yet another Incan site. Here displayed were Incan terraces for agriculture as well as more “lego” walls. The importance of this site is that it distracted the Spaniards from continuing to Machu Picchu. 

Our day ended with a train ride that brought us to Aguas Calientes, the town closest to Machu Picchu and in the jungle! We arrived in the dark and could feel the humidity and the looming mountains around us, but the most fun was when we woke up to rain to a wet, green, and foggy world. The air was wet with moisture from the first rain I’d felt all semester (Arequipa is basically desert), and the clouds were below the mountaintops giving the landscape a mystic feel.

We walked through a foggy Machu Picchu as it was early morning and....well we were in a cloud forest so that’s how it is. Our first activity was to climb Huayna Picchu. This is the tall mountain in the back of basically all photos of Machu Picchu. The climb was a fun opportunity to be in the cloud forest, see the leaves and large flowers saturated with water, feel the rain and enjoy the intense greeness. As we climbed the view was clouds which gave us the aura that we were in a mystic forest with an abyss beneath us, and pretty much the truth. At the top, we explored the ruins and reached a look out. We were quite disappointed that the clouds blocked our view of Machu Picchu. Fortunately, a miracle happened, and later the clouds parted to show a birds eye view of Machu Picchu. Needless to say, it was a magical moment

First walk through Machu Picchu

Enjoying the jungle :)

views from the climb

ruins on top!

The clouds opened!!!

After soaking in the beauty, we started the steep decent to explore Machu Picchu instead of view it from above. 

Some shocking things that Machu Picchu involves: 

-a rock carved to the exact same angle as the tilt of the earth

-many rocks placed so precisely that they give shadows that indicate the equinoxes.

-there is a rock carved to point directly south. This rock is called el Cruz del Sur. Our guide placed his compass on the point and sure enough it was right on. 

-There was a water system through out the entire area that still runs today and is a the perfect angles that it never stops flowing

Why is Machu Picchu so special?

-It was never destroyed by the Spaniards. Therefore, the town is left exactly as the Incans left it. 

-There is a mystery that surrounds the town because no one knows why the Incans left, because the Spaniards never arrived there to kick them out.

-It was discovered only 100 years ago.  

-shows undamaged proof of the Incan’s genius for masonry and architecture

After too little time, we left Machu Picchu to catch a train back to Cuzco. I could have sat there for hours soaking in the beauty of not only Machu Picchu, but the stunning mountains, jungle, and clouds that surround it.

In Cuzco, we visited another site called Saqsaywaman (pronounced “sexy woman”). This a LARGE temple to the sun god. This site was impressive because the stones that the Incans used to build the temple were extremely large. The Spaniards not only knocked down the walls, but also filled in around the base to create a hill. Even with the size of these rocks, the Incans used the “lego” effect that requires the rocks to fit absolutely perfectly together. 

Our final stop was another place of Incan worship known for its caves. One cave was used for mummification because it has an alter that could kept the body cold enough so that it would keep throughout the mummification process (a month long). Apparently, this rock/alter is so cold that if a person lies on it for more than 30 minutes then they will die from hypothermia. It is a mystery why this spot is so cold, because the other surfaces of the cave are higher temperatures. 

Over all, I spent the majority of the weekend in awe of the genius of the Incans and the amazing feats that they accomplished in the short 100 years of their empire. I felt the loss of all destroyed by the Spaniards. I fell in love with the cloud forest, rejoiced to be in humidity again as it reminded me of my beloved home. This weekend was an experience filled with so much wonder that even as I write this blog, I am still processing the beauty, exotic, and intensity of it all. Although, above all, as I am privileged enough to visit all these sites, over and over again I am blessed to see God’s creativity in new ways through out the ages and through out a wide variety of nature.