Angels Watching Over Us

The zoo in Lima!!! Check out the giraffe in the background!!!

La Playa Punta Hermosa!

These past couple of days have been filled with a whirlwind of events. I have realized there have been so many angels watching over us this entire time in Peru. For instance, I do not believe it was just pure luck that before I went to board my plane in Atlanta I randomly met a father and son who told me they would watch out for me. I also don’t think it’s merely a coincidence that all the e-mails, messages, or skype conversations I have had with people just happen to occur at exactly the right moment. Last night a couple friends and I were leaving a district of Lima that is about 45 minutes from Surco (the district we live in). We only kind of knew how to get back and right when a bus was pulling away we literally saw a friend we had just met earlier that night and hopped on the bus at the exact right moment. This friend is originally from Michigan and he is fluent in both Spanish and English and he made sure we got home safely. Pure luck??? I think not.

Something that has amazed me over the past two weeks I have stayed here is the way in which all the students here from UNK have came together. We all come from such different walks of life, yet we all protect each other and look out for each other. No girl ever has to walk home by herself regardless of whether it is light or day. I was at a friend’s house a couple days ago and he lives 25 minutes from me by foot. We decided it was time to leave around 7:30 P.M. because it was already pretty dark out. He was nice enough to walk me all the way back to my house even though it meant that he would have a 25 minute walk back to his house alone.

Also, the way that women are treated here has really surprised me. Whenever we are with Peruvian native men they open our car doors for us and are very protective. If we are getting on a bus they always let the women get on first. If we are on a crowded bus the men always give up their seats for the women. If we are walking down the street they always walk on the side closest to the traffic. It’s just the little things that really add up.

Earlier this week we met with two English professors here at UPC and they informed us what we would be doing for our volunteer tutoring and Teacher Assistant jobs. I will be helping with an English class every Thursday for two hours and then tutoring on Mondays. I am soooo excited for this opportunity. It will be a great way to meet new people and I also think I will learn a lot from it.

This past Friday the students from UNK and myself went to a zoo here in Lima. A couple students from UPC also joined us and we had a blast. Saturday was spent at two discotecas with some UNK students and some UPC students also. That leads me to today. This morning I went to mass and it was the most amazing mass I have ever been to thus far in my life. It is so hard to put into words everything that happened. It was the first mass I have been to here in Lima that has had music. And let me tell you, it was BEAUTIFUL music. The Eucharist is so sacred to the people here. When we go to receive the Eucharist we still go up in an organized fashion pew by pew. But, when you get to the priest that is handing out the Eucharist (and it will be a priest compared to how at home members of the community can distribute the Eucharist) you kneel down on a “mini pew.” Also, there are people that place a “gold plate” underneath your mouth when you are receiving the Eucharist to ensure that the Body will never hit touch ground. These people that hold the plates are either nuns or altar servers. Besides the music and the importance of the Eucharist I was in awe at the blessing all the children receive at the end of the mass. All the children go up to the priests in the same way that people go up to receive the Eucharist. Also, if adults would like water to be blessed they can join the end of the line and the priest will bless the water. Even though I was not able to understand word for word what was going on at mass today, I could just feel the Holy Spirit within me.

Something else that really stuck out to me this week is a song we analyzed in my Conversation and Culture class. It is called “Cuando Pienses en Volver.” It just gave me a new perspective on the world. The song was about a country that sends immigrants as compared to a country that receives immigrants like the United States. It talks about how even though there are more opportunities for success outside a person’s native country, the love of friends and family far outweighs success.

This week has also been filled with meeting lots of new people. I was able to meet two of my host mom’s brothers and a couple of their children as well. This past week my host mom’s sister has stayed with us. Right now we are anxiously awaiting the arrival of my host mom’s daughter who has spent the past year in Atlanta, Georgia working at a hotel.

I hope life is well wherever you may be. Wishing all those going to Uncle Fred’s funeral safe travels!!! Thank you for the many prayers and know that you are in my prayers as well!

<3 Mary