Day 6: August 10,2006

Camp la Joya

SICK! That about sums up my day. The day started with a little excitement, as somebody poisoned one of the camp's dogs last night. After that my day consisted of naps between trips to the bathroom. 27 trips on the day, to be exact. I will never again take 2-ply toilet paper for granted, as all I could think about was Johnny Cash's "Ring of Fire". I figured out that at this point I was the fifteenth team member to get sick. Not a fun day. In the evening we had a games night, and us Canadians got schooled by the Peruvians at soccer. I didn't play, for obvious reasons. After it was over and I was very slowly making my way to my bed, three of the Peruvian men met up with me on the path. After learning that I was feeling sick, they accompanied me on my trudging journey to the cabin, which I found comforting and encouraging, as they hardly knew me, yet were still concerned about my well-being. And thus ended the worst day of the trip.

Day 5: August 9, 2006

Camp la Joya

Today was another day of work, although it was much easier than yesterday. All we had to do was put up the rebar for the cabin walls and haul away brush. The team has been dropping like flies as Montezuma has been making his rounds and taking his revenge.

In the evening we hosted a men's night, with worship, testimonies, games, and food. However, I was not a part of it, as me and Jamie were playing with the kids all evening. This was the most rewarding experience of the trip so far for me. The Peruvian kids are just so incredibly happy and energetic, and are not the least bit shy around us gringos from Canada. One of the boys tried to get me to go up to his sister (who was FAR younger than me) and ask, "A kiss, my love?" For obvious reasons I refused, although I found it rather amusing. I think that I learned more Spanish attempting to talk with the kids than I have all trip. We even got a 3-on-3 soccer game going, and us Canadians (me and Jamie) were clearly outclassed. It just struck me how happy these kids are, even though they come from poor families and probably have few toys except for a soccer ball.

After that we joined the others, who were sitting around talking with the Peruvian men. They made up nicknames for some of us, with Newman being "King Kong" and Anton being "Jackie Chan". Jamie was "Mike Tyson". Once again it was another awesome day in Peru.

Day 4: August 8,2006

Camp la Joya

Dust, dust, and more dust. That pretty much sums up the day. It was our first day of work. I spent the day mixing cement, raking bamboo/cane, working with rebar, and hauling rocks. Since we have limited Spanish, our conversations with the Peruvian workers were therefore also limited. We worked with Freddie, Raoul, Alsidas, and Washington. Peruvians are an extremely hard working people, and put most Canadians to shame. After work, icy cold showers washed away the layers of concrete and dust. Not much else happened today, as we basically just worked on the new cabins. The only other interesting thing that I saw was about 20 massive condors (up to an 11 foot wingspan) circling something atop one of the mountains. Montezuma's Revenge claimed its first victim of our group today.

Day 3: August 7, 2006

Arequipa

After eating breakfast at Martha's house, we left for a missionaries' (van Pelt's) house for a meeting with other missionaries from England, Germany, Switzerland, and Canada. Then we had a game of "The Amazing Race: Arequipa Edition". We were divided into teams of 3 or 4, and raced through the city in tiny taxis. Once again traffic was crazy, as there are no traffic signs or lanes on most roads, so anything goes. Pedestrians do not have the right of way, so crossing the street is like the old video game Frogger. We saw several beautiful stone cathedrals, and I got to feed a llama. After lunch I had an extremely close call with Montezuma's Revenge, but I somehow managed to pull through.

Camp la Joya

The trip to Camp la Joya was an hour long ride in a rickety old school bus. The winding, narrow roads ran alongside deep canyons for most of the trip, and only rarely were there any guard rails. Not to mention our bus was passing other buses/cars/trucks on hairpin turns, with only a few feet separating us from the steep drops. For somebody who was afraid of heights like Sari, it was a rather nervous adventure. However, we made it to Camp la Joya safe and sound.

The camp is much greener than the desolation we drove through on the way to the camp. Although in the middle of the desert, along with random large billboards, there were many small brick or thatch shacks that were smaller than my bedroom back home. How those people survived out there on so little, I have no idea. The camp is located in a valley by a river, surrounded by steep cliffs/mountains. At night, the stars are simply breathtaking, as we are so far from any major cities and there is no pollution.

Some funny/interesting things that happened today:
1) I got to drink coca tea (made from the plant we get cocaine from). There is also another type of tea called anis tea.
2) Found a dog sleeping in Newman's bed in our cabin, with its butt sticking out from under the sleeping bag where a pillow should be.
3) Chris got yelled at for farting in public (it was absolutely hilarious!).

Day 2: August 6, 2006

Lima

Woke up this morning and, after surviving the electrical shower of death, enjoyed a breakfast consisting mainly of foreign (to me, at least) fruit, some of which came from a cactus.

For church we attended Gracia Calvary Chapel, a small church located on the third floor of a building, right above a gym. Despite my not knowing the language, I felt right at home; like I belonged. Most of the songs were familiar, allowing me to stumble along in my broken Spanish. The worship team was incredible, especially considering the relatively small size of the church. I was awed at how the common bond of Christ supercedes any cultural or language barriers. I think that I felt more welcomed and at home than I do in most North American churches. The church felt so much more alive, and we were even able to witness a young man give his life to Christ at the end of the service. I think it is safe to say that I will miss that little church and the joy that they have.

Arequipa

The difference between Lima and Arequipa is like night and day. Lima is fast paced and hectic (especially the traffic), the air is hard to breathe from pollution, the weather is hot and humid, and there is always an incessant buzz in the air. Arequipa is much more relaxed and laid back, the air is crisp and clean, the weather is warm and dry, and there is a blanketing hush in the air. The streets have many speed bumps to further reduce the flow of traffic. Like Lima, every house is surrounded by high walls topped with barbed wire and/or spikes to keep thieves out.

The house that we are staying in is awesome! It has an open air courtyard, and a large flat roof that we can hang out on. We all had supper at some missionaries' home, and the evening was filled with broken conversations in both English and Spanish. And thus ended our first full day in Peru.

Day 1: August 5, 2006

I am back in Canada at long last after an incredible two weeks in Peru. For those of you not fortunate enough to have shared in this amazing experience, I will attempt to recreate some of the events of my trip by publishing my daily journal entries from my trip. My first entry is not terribly deep or exciting, it is just a list of first impressions and events from the trip from Calgary to Houston to Lima.

Houston, Texas

1) Ever since entering Texas airspace, I had the theme song from "Walker, Texas Ranger" running through my head. I then saw a guy wearing a Chuck Norris t-shirt in the Houston airport, which I found rather amusing.
2) I ate a lunch of catfish, hush puppies (like cornbread), and waffle fries at a place called Bubba's Bayou Grill. Our waitress kept saying "y'all"! The restaurant also served wine that was flavored with a hint of tobacco and smoked bacon.

Lima, Peru

1) Took first breath of "fresh" air outside the airport and realized that I was not in Canada anymore. Gotta love the taste of diesel!
2) I never want to drive here! Traffic lanes are relatively narrow, with very few traffic control signs that I could see (few YIELD, STOP, speed limit signs). Drivers instead rely heavily on their horns.
3) Buildings are box-like and stacked, reminding me of Lego creations. Even a McDonald's was 3 stories high!
4) On the trip from the airport to the mission guesthouse, buildings changed in style every couple of blocks. They went from run-down stacked box-like structures to the flashing neons of night clubs/discos/casinos to modern highrise apartments and office buildings to large Spanish style houses all in one trip.
5) My heart broke seeing some of the people begging on the streets. At one stoplight, a young girl approached our bus trying to sell us some old tennis balls to make a little money.
6) It was a strange sight seeing the streets lined with towering palm trees, yet having the Andes Mountains visible in the distance.
7) Upon arrival at the guesthouse, we were warned not to touch the shower-head when using hot water, with the consequence being death. Apparently most houses here are not grounded, and the electric water heater could cause problems in the shower. Toilet paper must also be placed in garbage cans and not flushed, as Lima is a huge city of 11,000,000 people. The consequences of your actions sure are dire here!
8) I got my first sleep in over 36 hours tonight!!!
9) Bands and songs heard on the radio while on the bus: U2, The Police, Bryan Adams, Turning Japanese...
10) Traveled from summer to winter in a single day.

So there you have it, some tidbits of information from my first day in Peru. The rest of my journal entries are to follow at later dates. Thanks again for all of your prayers and support!