Week Five

These two classes are K-4 and K-5. They are learning the different words for furniture in K-4 and the professions in K-5. Now that I am more accustomed to the kids and the way the class time runs, I'm trying to incorporate different ways to make learning the new words fun. It's really hard to come up with different games or fun exercises that actually work.

This couple from the church is such a blessing. Myley loves people and talking, so we've gotten along well. We've also found a common interest - cooking! These pictures are from when she invited me to lunch with her and her husband. They stopped by the house and we rode bikes to lunch. How fun to get out and visit another area of town.

Wendy took me out on a little tour of her campus - the National University of Trujillo. It was interesting to walk through a campus much, much larger than MBU. The picture of Wendy and I shows how we found Pastor's (her uncle's) name on the plaque of alumni.

This awesome mosaic wall goes around the whole university. I thought it was so fun!

I'm so thankful for Wendy and the family I'm living with. They put up with all my stumbling, hesitations and misunderstandings so well. I wish you could hear the kids giggle when I make a silly mistake. It's almost worth making mistakes on purpose just to hear them laugh. 

Week Four

This week has been a very average week of teaching in the mornings at the school, and then doing homework, relaxing, and spending time with the family in the evenings. However, this weekend I was able to be adventurous and try some strange foods. First, I tried sheep stomach/intestines (pic below). It was a rather odd experience. The stomach didn’t have much of a flavor, but it was very chewy (think similar to chewing a rubber band).

 Esta semana fue una semana normal de enseñar por las mañanas en el colegio, y luego hacer tarea, descansar, y pasar tiempo con la familia por la tarde. Sin embargo, esta semana yo podía estar aventurero y probar algunas comidas extrañas. Primero, yo probé el estómago/intestinos de una oveja (la foto arriba). Fue una experiencia extraña. El estómago no tenía mucho sabor, pero fue muy masticable.

Then I tried raw fish – a dish they call “ceviche.” It might be the number dish of the country. So many people, especially in this area, love it! They marinate the raw fish in lots of lemon juice (however, their lemons are different than ours) and lots of onions. Honestly, I was kind of scared of trying it. Just the thought of eating raw meat is rather disturbing. When the time came for me to try it, the family watched to see my reaction and Pastor was videoing on his phone. Though I was scared, it really wasn’t that strange. There was so much lemon juice and onion, that that’s all I could taste. So, though it’s not necessarily something I’ll be looking forward to eating, I wouldn’t mind trying it again.

 Luego, yo probé pescado crudo – un plato se llama “ceviche.” Quizás es el número uno plato del país. ¡Muchas personas, especialmente es esta área, a ellos les encantan! Ellos ponen el pescado crudo en el jugo de limón y muchas cebollas. Honestamente, yo tenía un poco miedo de probarlo. El pensamiento de pascado crudo es un poco perturbador. Cuando de tiempo vino para probarlo, la familia me miró para ver mi reacción y el pastor estaba grabándolo con su teléfono. Aunque yo tenía miedo, en realidad no era muy extraño. Había tanto jugo de limón y cebollas que no podía saber el pescado. 

This Saturday I was able to visit a daughter church in another, poorer part of Trujillo. I traveled with Jen and a few others for an hour long, bumpy micro (bus) ride. I’m not sure exactly what it is, but I love riding the micro, so I was very thankful for the fun ride. At the church I talked with the Pastor about the people in the area and the people in another even poorer section closer to the mountains. It was very heartbreaking to hear about the different needs of the people, especially the children. I’m so grateful that they do have a church in each of these two areas. (The poorer section I am talking about is Alto Trujillo. I have some pictures from the church in Alto Trujillo from my previous trip.)

Este sábado yo podía visitar otra iglesia en otra, más pobre parte del Trujillo. Yo viajaba con Jen y algunos otros por una hora por micro. No sé porque, pero me encanta viajar por micro; entonces, yo estaba muy agradecida para la experiencia. En la iglesia, yo hablé con el Pastor de la gente en el área y la gente en otra sección más pobre y más cerca a las montañas. Fue muy desgarrador oír sobre de la necesidades de la gente, especialmente los niños. Estoy agradecida que hay una iglesia en cada uno de estos lugares.

Wendy is the Pastor's wife's niece who is living with us too. :) 

These last two pictures were taken on Sunday after the morning service. When I was still in the church on of the little boys in my family came running up to me with a small ice cream cone. I was confused at first, until I realized that there was an ice cream man outside the church selling ice cream. He had a good business as many people from the church wanted a small treat on the warm, sunny day.

 Las últimas fotos fueron tomadas el domingo después del servicio. Cuando yo todavía estaba en la iglesia unos de los chicos en mi familia vino a mí y me dio cono de helado. Yo estaba confundida en el principio, hasta que yo me di cuenta que había un hombre con helado enfrente de la iglesia. Él tenía muchas personas que querían algo dulce y frío en este día caliente. 

I took this picture after everyone but one customer had left. What a new experience for me to have ice cream just outside of church.

Solamente un Día Normal en Casa

Nothing extraordinary, just pictures from a normal day in the house.

I was sitting at the table working on Spanish. Before I knew it I had all three kiddos surrounding me. They each set up their drawing spot right in front of me so I could no longer work on Spanish but just sit and watch them draw from pictures of trucks on my computer.

Memorizing verses to help with my Spanish learning.

Helping in the kitchen like a good little girl 

Playing around the house

Week three

This past week I began teaching in the school. What an adventure that was! The only classes I’ve ever taught before coming here are small Sunday School classes of about 5 or 6 people. Therefore, it was quite the experience to try and maintain a whole classroom of about 12-16 kids (5 yrs and 8 yrs) and try to keep them focused on the material. Honestly, it was difficult and pretty stressful. But I hope that as time goes on, that I will learn more and more about how to teach the kids in the best way so that they can learn as much as they can. Please pray for me in this area, that I would have strength and wisdom to know what to do. 
Esta semana pasada yo empecé a enseñar en el colegio. ¡Fue una aventura! Antes de venir aquí, yo solamente enseñé las clases de la escuela dominical de cinco o seis personas. Por lo tanto, fue una experiencia nieva para tratar de mantener un clase de doce a dieciséis niños (5 años y 8 años) y tratar de mantener su atención.  Honestamente, fue difícil y tenía mucho estrés. Pero, espero que como tiempo pasa, que yo pueda aprender más y más sobre de como yo debo enseñar los niños en la mejor manera. Por favor, ora por mí, que yo tendría la fuerza y sabiduría saber que debo hacer.

Today I was able to teach the 5th grade English class for the first time. Even though this was my biggest class, I really enjoyed teaching the older kids. Their responses were encouraging and inspired me to do my best. These four girls are in the 5th grade and are so very sweet.
Hoy yo enseñé la clase del quinto grado para la primera vez. Aunque esta clase fue la más grande, fue muy divertido enseñar los niños mayores. Sus respuestas me animaron mucho y me inspiraron hacer mi mejor. Estas cuatro chicas están en la clase del quito grado y son muy amables.

I was again able to go to the seminary to play volleyball with some of the ladies from the church. However, when I entered the gate of the seminary, I was greeted by several playing children who wanted to talk! They remembered me from English class in the school, so they were also asking me “How do you say ___ in English?” I was very happy when a young girl came up and joined our conversation. I asked her what her name was, and she said, “Luz Clarita” (Clear Light). I realized that this was the girl I played with in the seminary three years ago! I was delighted to find her again.
Otra vez, yo podía ir al seminario para jugar voleibol con algunas de las mujeres de la iglesia. Sin embargo, cuando yo entré la puerta del seminario, ¡yo fui saludado por algunos niños que querían hablar! Ellos me recordaron de la clase de inglés en el colegio; entonces, ellos estaban preguntándome, “¿Cómo se dice ___ en inglés?” Yo estaba feliz cuando una niña vino y empezó a hablar con nosotros. Le pregunté su nombre, y ella me dijo, “Luz Clarita.” I me di cuenta que era la chica con quién yo jugué en el seminario hace tres años. Me alegré mucho encontrarle.

Volleyball game from the competitions on Saturday

This past Saturday there was a volleyball competition between the churches in the area. Many people came to watch and cheer on the teams. During this time I got to make a new little friend with this sweet girl.
Este sábado había una competencia de voleibol entre las iglesia en la área. Muchas personas vinieron para mirar y gritar para los equipos. Durante este tiempo yo hice una amiguita nueva con esta chiquita.

This week I also started giving violin lessons. As of right now, I have three students! Before coming to Peru, I was preparing to teach English lessons and play the violin in the church. I definitely wasn’t expecting to give violin lessons. However, they were rather dropped into my lap by the music director in the church. Now, I realize that if I would have refused I would have missed out on great opportunities.
También esta semana yo empecé dar lecciones del violín. Ahora, yo tengo tres estudiantes. Antes de venir a Perú, yo estaba preparando enseñar lecciones de inglés y tocar el violín en la iglesia. Sin duda, yo no estaba preparando dar lecciones del violín. Sin embargo, el director de la música en la iglesia me dio la oportunidad (con mucho ánimo). Ahora, me doy cuenta que si yo hubiera dicho, “no,” yo habría fallado oportunidades buenas.

Week two

Last week (on Tuesday) I started visiting the elementary school that is within the church here. I was rather nervous at first because I wasn’t sure what to expect, but Pastor told me that they were taking exams all week so I wouldn’t be doing much. So, this past week was an excellent time to visit all the English classes (from 4 years to 5^th grade) to get a feel for how they were. I did get to help the four and five year olds with their exam. When these little ones finished their exams, I chatted with them and read stories to them. They just love having someone different come to visit!

La semana pasada (el martes) yo empecé a visitar el colegio que es en la iglesia. Yo estaba nerviosa en el principio porque no sabía lo que esperar. Pero el Pastor me dijo que todos de los estudiantes estaban tomando exámenes toda la semana; entonces, no tendría que hacer mucho. Entonces, esta semana pasada fue un tiempo excelente para visitar todas las clases de inglés (de cuatro años hasta el quinto grado) para saber más de cómo van las clases. Con los que tienen cuatro y cinco años yo podía ayudarles con su examen. Cuando estos niños terminaron sus exámenes, yo charlé con ellos y les leí cuentos. A ellos les encantan tener alguien diferente visitarles.

After visiting the first grade English class, I had thirteen beautiful drawings and cut-out snowflakes from the girls and boys in the class. There were about five girls and one or two boys that were around me trying to talk to me and asking me many questions. Two of my favorite questions that they have asked me are, “What are your parents’ names?” and “Do you speak English?” I suppose, for them, it’s rather a rare thing to have people who speak English.

Después de visitar la clase de inglés del primer grado, yo tenía trece dibujitos bonitos y copos de nieve de los niños y las niñas en la clase. Había cerca de cinco niñas y uno o dos niños que estaban alrededor de mí, tratando de hablar conmigo y preguntándome muchas preguntas. Dos de mis preguntas favoritas que ellos me han preguntado son, “¿Cómo se llaman sus padres?” y “¿Hablas inglés?” Supongo que, para ellos, es raro tener alguien que puede hablar inglés.

This weekend was a busy one, but very enjoyable. I practiced with the church orchestra in the morning, talked with my parents on skype, and then went to the seminary to play some volleyball with some other ladies in the church. I really enjoyed being back at the seminary were I have great memories from years before.

Este fin de semana estaba ocupado, pero muy divertido. Yo practiqué el violin con la orquesta de la iglesia por la mañana, hablé con mis padres por Skype, y luego fui al seminario para jugar voleibol con algunas damas de la iglesia. Fue muy divertido estar en el seminario otra vez donde yo tengo memorias buenas de los años pasados.

Resting and chatting after volleyball 

Also, every Saturday evening they have "jóvenes," which is like youth group, but the ages are little older. It goes for a couple of hours and includes games, songs, and a message. Afterwards we were able to chat with several of the people. They enjoy sharing their culture and talking about the differences between our cultures. I enjoy it too, and it's good for my Cross Cultural major. I learned during this time that, according to them, there are only 5 continents in the world (America, Europe, Asia, Africa, and Australia). We had a little discussion about whether they were right or we were, and they are quite steadfast to there only being 5 continents. 

También, cada sábado por la noche ellos tiene “jóvenes,” que es similar “youth group,” pero las edades son mayores. Va por algunas horas e incluye juegos, himnos, y un mensaje. Después, podíamos charlar con varias personas. A ellos les gusta compartir su cultura y como es diferente que nuestra cultura. También, a mí me gusta, y es bueno para mi especialidad de Inter-Culturales. Aprendí durante este tiempo que, según ellos, solamente hay cinco continentes en el mundo (América, Europa, Asia, África, y Oceanía). Teníamos una discusión de si ellos eran correctos o nosotros eramos correctos, y ellos son muy firme en su posición. 

Jóvenes

Day 3 in Trujillo

After a very long bus ride through the night to Trujillo this weekend, I have now arrived safely in Trujillo. I am getting settled in nicely with the Rojas family. There are four kids in the family - all full of energy. I do enjoy spending time with them. The two middles ones (ages 6 and 4) have a hard time understanding why I can't always understand what they say. But hopefully in time I will get accustomed to their language and I won't have to say, "Lo siento, no entiendo" ("I'm sorry, I don't understand") as often.

Después de un viaje de autobús por la noche a Trujillo este fin de semana, ahora he llegado en Trujillo sin problemas. Estoy agradecida por la seguridad que Dios nos dio mientras estábamos viajando. En la familia Rojas hay cuatro niños – todos son lleno de energía. Me gusta pasar tiempo con ellos. Para los dos en el medio (edades 6 y 4) es difícil entender porque yo no puedo entender todo de lo que dicen. Pero espero que en tiempo seré más acostumbrada a su lengua y no necesitaré decir “Lo siento, no entiendo.”

My room - mi cuarto

Yesterday was a good day to visit the church here for the first time. The fathers of the families that Jen and I are staying with are the pastors of Faith Baptist Church. First, I went to the youth Sunday School class with Wendy (their niece who is staying with the family as well). Upon entering the class (a bit late) we were asked the question, "¿Que es el amor?" ("what is love?"). I was grateful to find that our Sunday School teacher is fairly easy to understand and I tried to take good notes. The services and the order of things are very similar to those of the States. During the congregational singing they have a small orchestra play with various instruments. I plan to join them with my violin as I did in the evening service. 

Ayer fue un día bueno para ir a la iglesia aquí para la primera vez. Los padres de las familias con quién Jen y yo estamos son los pastores de la Iglesia Bautista de Fe.  Primero, fui a la escuela dominical de jóvenes con Wendy (su sobrina). Cuando entramos (un poco tarde) el maestro nos preguntó, “¿Que es el amor?” Yo estaba agradecida que yo podía entender el maestro de la escuela dominical y traté de tomar notas buenas. 

 Walking to church - caminando a la iglesia

Today I was able to go with Hermana Magaly to the nearby market. I loved going and seeing the different way they sell their food. I watched how Hermana Magaly talked with the people behind the stands. It was very interesting to listen to her ask for the prices of the different fruits and vegetables. 

Hoy yo fui con la Hermana Magaly al mercado. Me encanta ir y ver la manera diferente de como ellos se venden su comida. Yo miré a la Hermana Magaly mientras ella habló con las personas atrás de las mesas de comida. Fue interesante escuchar a ella mientras ella pidió los precios de las frutas y verduras diferentes.

At the market - en el mercado