Ready for 2011

So we have been in Ayacucho for a few days now. The routine has typically been to sleep in, go play with the kids, take a lunch break to rest, and then go back to play with them in the evening. It has been nice to just relax and learn to appreciate each moment instead of getting caught up in all the things that usually stress us out. Also, the rest is much needed to do how hard our bodies have to work in the altitude. We´ve also been able to see the city.

The kids like to play this game they call taps. Basically they take these small plastic circles with stickers on them and try to flip each other´s tops in order to get more taps. We saw some in the city the other day and bought a bunch for the kids for like less than a dollar. Brandon has been dispensing them, just giving them one a day and making them say please, although they are always asking for more! It has been fun to see how happy these little plastic discs make them! They sit and play for hours. Now these kids have plenty of toys and are provided for more than many other kids in the city, but it still makes me think about the things that make me happy. If only it just took a small plastic circle with a sticker on it. As I mentioned earlier, the kids have many lessons to teach us.

Yesterday we went to get Brandon a tapestry he has been wanting for his christmas present. We made a stop to visit some friends that Brandon used to volunteer to teach english with. They also make tapestries. They showed us their beautiful artwork and showed us how much goes into making each piece. They also told us a sad story about how they have contracted with a woman in Minnesota to sell them. She gives them only about 200 dollars per tapestry and then sells them for 900 dollars. She has been giving them this same price for many years even though the value of the dollar has gone down and the cost of living has gone up. They also use natural materials which cost alot and that combined with the number of hours (15-20 days) it takes to make one tapestry further prove that this family is getting abused by the American woman. She has also slighted them in other ways like not including the craftsmens name on her website nor inviting him to the US to shows she does. She instead invites another artist on her site who gives her much less artwork than the family we met. She further puts a tag on each tapestry saying 5% of profits are donated to a charity that´s existence cant be verified. When the girl who makes the tapestries asked the American woman for some money from the charity for a breakfast that she was doing with children she volunteers for, the American woman declined. It was amazing to see these tapestries and all the other beautiful artwork in the Santa Ana region. It was just sad to hear about how these people were being taken advantage of. We purchased Brandon´s tapestry from a place in the same region where he has gotten one before. It was very elaborate and showed a story of this history of Peru.

Tonight we will go to the city center to celebrate New Years. We are excited to bring in 2011 here in Peru. We hope everyone has had a wonderful holiday season so far and wish all of you a HAPPY NEW YEAR! Feliz Ano Nuevo!

Rachel and Brandon

Life in Ayacucho

Rachel told you all about once we first got to Ayacucho. That night I wanted to take her to an authentic Ayacuchan retaurant so we went to a place called Pizza Italina. It is a small restaurant that serves brick oven pizzas and the oven kept the place nice and warm. Ok so pizza might not be authentic peruvian but it is good pizza and it is something that is safer to eat than some of the other things offered. After dinner we got some ice cream and headed back to the hostal. The high altitude takes a drain on the whole body because our lungs and hearts have to work twice as hard.
Yesterday we woke up and visited with the kids for a while and then went to town for some pollo a la brasa (rotisserie chicken) and visited the artisan market to do some shopping. After we came back we hung out with the kids a little more and then again returned to our hostal after a full day and read some before falling asleep.
Today has been more of the same: sleeping in, playing with the kids, resting a little more, and then we will go back to hang out with the kids a little more before going into town to get some dinner.
It has been a nice to get away from the rapid pace of things in the US to just take a break, relax, and enjoy each moment of every day.

Paz,

Brandon and Rachel

Llegamos a Ayacucho

Hello from Ayacuccho! After a long and winding bus ride, we are finally here! We slept most of the bus ride and arrived at about 8 or 9. We took a cab directly to the orphanage where we stopped at the volunteer house before going to meet the kids. The children absolutely LOVE Brandon! As soon as he walked in the door they were calling Brandon Lee (this is what they call him after Bruce Lee´s son, the only Brandon they know). We met a few other people working there and most importantly met the kids. There are three sections: pequenos (kids under 6), grandes (older children), and lupes (children with special needs). We saw where they sleep and watched them play outside while Brandon told me who everyone was.
Because the coordinator was not there and it appeared there was no room in the volunteer house we went and checked in at a hostel close by. It is actually just 10 soles per night, less than 4 dollars, so it ended up working out just fine that there was no space. We got our stuff to the room and then took a nap because we were exhausted.
When we woke up we went back to the orphanage and sat with a few of the lupes. The coordinator was there so we spoke with her. We won´t be working on the schedule because we are here such a short time. This just means we are able to help out wherever needed and just play with/be with the kids. Because many volunteers come and then leave, the continuity that Brandon brings shows how much he cares. Plus, they just love him and spending time with him so to me, that is more than worth it.
It´s going to be a great two weeks! I hope to put worry aside and relax and enjoy the kids. I think they will have much to teach us and will help us in ways we don´t even know. We came here to help them and be with them but they won´t be the only ones with something to gain.
We hope all is well in the states and you are enjoying the holiday season!

Brandon and Rachel

Christmas in Peru

Merry Christmas and Feliz Navidad to all of our friends and family! We hope you all had a wonderful Christmas. It was a very unique experience to spend Christmas in Lima with our Peruvian family. On Christmas eve, we returned from our trip to Paracas and Ica arouns 7. We showered up and went with Willy and Carlos to purchase some fireworks as well as some Christmas bags to wrap our gifts to the family. Upon returning, we talked with our families via skype and then waited...and waited...and waited. Finally, around 10:30 it was time for dinner. We sat down with 9 other friends and ate turkey, sweet potatoes, rice, fruit salad, pasta salad, apple sauce, and gravy. Because they could not find one turkey that was big enough, they bought two gigantic turkeys. One was about 25 lbs and the other was about 19 lbs. So needless to say, we had PLENTY of turkey to go around. The food was delicious and we shared a toast with each other and the other brother Oscar and his wife who were with us via skype from Canada.
After finishing up with chocolate cake from Amalia's boyfriend Jaime, we rushed to wrap up our presents while Willy unraveled baby Jesus in the nativity set. Ever since we have been here, Jesus was covered up by swaddling clothes but just before midnight, he was revealed. Then it was time for the big show! As we walked outside we could hear bangs and pops everywhere. When we walked out we saw bursts of fireworks all over! We joined in with the fireworks we purchased earlier and from all directions we could see other Peruvians doing the same thing. It was one of the craziest things I've ever experienced but it was so so fun! After about an hour of fireworks we came in and sat around the tree talking for a while. The family all chipped in to buy themselves a TV for Christmas so not too many presents were unwrapped. At about 1:30 when it was finally time for bed, we fell asleep immediately because we were so exhausted!
On Christmas morning we slept in and then went upstairs to a breakfast of bread and Panetone. After talking to our families back home we decided to go back to sleep. This time we woke up about 2:30 and it was time for lunch. We sat down to Christmas lunch which was leftovers from the night before. A new rice dish was made and the turkey was warmed over the stove, not just in the microwave. Really, it was like christmas dinner all over again and we had more wine for toasting to the holiday. After all the turkey for lunch we decided it was time to...take another nap! So back to sleep we went until about 8 when we got up and had a light dinner of Panetone with Amalia, Mami, and Jaime while discussing Christmas traditions from different cultures. We did a little bit on the internet and then went back to sleep. It was so nice to just rest and be with cherished friends. It helped us to get through missing our families back home.
Today we made preparations and packed for our trip to Ayacuccho. We leave tonight at 10:15 by bus. We may not have internet tomorrow but we will make a post once we get settled in Ayacuccho with details. Merry Christmas everyone! We love and miss you all!

Brandon and Rachel

Paracas

So let us pretend for a moment that it is not Christmas but in fact December 23rd, 2010. We just posted yesterday about our trip to Ica and now would like to tell all about the second half of our short trip to Ica and Paracas. We woke up at 6:00 to eat some breakfast and head out to Paracas (about an hour from Ica) we were greeted by our guide and driver from the day before. There also happened to be one other person there. If you remember the driver from yesterday, we thought, was my guide from my tour last year in Ica. As it turns out, he is a twin so I am still not sure if it was actually the same guy, or if it was his brother, or if yesterday was the same guy from last year and today it was is brother, or if we had the same guy both days, or....I think you get the picture.

So we set off with who was either the guide from last year or his twin brother and rested a little bit on the trip over. When we got to paracas we and about 30 other people set sail that day for a two hour tour, a two hour tour (but the weather didn't get rough so the tiny ship was not tossed). It took about 30 minutes to get out to the islas ballesta (ballistic Islands) and once there we got to see hundreds of sea lions, penguins, and thousands upon thousands of other birds. This place and these birds are valuable to Peru because they harvest the guano, bird poop, and sell it for fertilizer (harvesting it must be a pretty crappy job *cue drums*). It made for a pretty bad smell but it was still really neat to see all those animals, islands, and other rock formations out there. There is also this candlestick that had been drawn in the sand and no one is quite sure who did it or when. Some say that is was early indigenous people, others that it was Spanish conquerors, other think it was aliens (the most obvious answer), but basically the tour guide says no one really knows but it was cool to look at nonetheless.

After we got safely back to dry land the tour guide took us in the car to the reserves. The reserves consists of a big area of land and water which has been blocked off by the government for protection from pollution and destruction. At our first stop the driver took out a knife to cut out a part of the road and had Rachel feel it and then taste it, she hesitated but when the driver did it first she figured heck why not. He did it to show that the road was actually made of just salt and sand in order to not bring any harsh chemicals to the reserve. He also showed us a bunch of shells and fish bones because the whole area was under water millions of years ago.

The next stops were at various look outs over the ocean. It was all very beautiful but the guide told us it was much prettier about 4 years ago but a few years back there was an earthquake that destroyed many of the rock formations (and much of the city too which we noticed on our tour yesterday). The final stop of the tour was a port where the fishers come in and bring their catch of the day. We weren't feeling adventurous to try the fish but we did get some shrimp that was good and then we headed back to Ica where we got a hotel room, walked around the city a bit and then went to sleep early (sleep has been one of the highlights of the trip, I think we are almost recovered from the complete lack of sleep during finals week).

Ok so we can go back to the current day of December 25th, 2010 and we may do another post later tonight or we may do some more time traveling tomorrow to get everyone fully updated on our trip.

Feliz Navidad a todos,

Brandon and Rachel

Ica

On Monday and Tuesday we stayed around Lima. We went to Miraflores again and made two trips to the bus station to get our tickets for our trip to Ica and Paracas. Yesterday (Tuesday)we went with Willy to try to get a Turkey for Christmas. It was a special market set up just for Christmas and one guy told us they sell over a million Turkeys each season. However, the biggest Turkey they had was 22lbs and the family needed 27lbs. Simply not big enough! So we left without a turkey and willy said he would return while we were gone to check for a bigger one.
One thing we've been doing ALOT of is walking, which is obviously good for our health, the environment, lung capacity for Ayacuccho, etc. We have talked about how the distances we've been walking here make us think twice about the places we drive to around campus. We complain about having to park in the farthest garage and get in a car to go to Pokey O's or Burger House when here, we walk those distances many times over. We decided to try to walk more when we return to be more conscious about our health and intentional about protecting our environment.
This morning (Wednesday)we left on a bus at 3:45 AM. We got to get VIP seats so it was very comfortable and we slept most of the drive to Ica where we arrived at about 9am. Our guide was waiting for us at the bus station with a sign. We went to the car and found out the driver was actually Brandon's tour guide from when he visited Ica with his Dad! We went from there to our hotel to drop off our stuff and clean up quickly as we decided to start the tour early in order to have the evening free. The hotel, Villa Jazmin, that is included with our tour is very nice. It has a pool, ceiling fan, and even hot water!
From the hotel we went to two wineries. Here we saw the traditional way wine and pisco are made. However, the guide told us that this is basically for tourists now and for the festivals because contracts with other countries require wine to be made with more modern, sanitary methods now. We got to taste some wines and pisco. Well, when I say we I mean Rachel basically took small tastes and gave the rest to Brandon. (Not my cup of tea...or should I say, not my cup of pisco!)
The next stop was the home of a "very famous male witch." This was a little scary but also fascinating too. And on the way we stopped and saw a few main points of the city.
Next stop: Huacchina! This city is basically an oasis amidst miles of desert and sand dunes. It consists of a small lagoon with some shops and restaurants around it. But the main attraction, and the next item on our agenda, was sand buggie and sand boarding tours. After a short look around Huaccachina we boarded a 9 seater sand buggie with a couple from Lima and a couple from Columbia and headed out onto the dunes. It was so fun sliding around and going over big hills. It was slightly scary at first but the buggie was very stable and felt secure and there were tracks set out that the driver (mostly) followed so that huge hills didnt come up unexpectedly.
At the top of an extremely steep dune that we were all scared the driver would go down, he stopped and got out our boards and waxed them. He showed us how to do it (laying on the stomach with elbows in tight and legs balancing the back of the board) and off we went! The guys so graciously let the girls take the first jump. Once we got going it was not as frightening as it may seem and was extremely exhilerating and exciting. We went over three pretty big hills, where the driver would pick us up at the bottom and take us to the next one, before arriving at the mammoth of them all. Believe it or not, scaredy cat Rachel went first! Good thing Brandon was able to translate the special instructions to keep the elbows in particulary tight because it was bumpy at the bottom. It was great to be able to conquer the initial fear because the outcome was an amazing experience.
After all of that we were very ready to get back to the hotel and wash/rest up. We grabbed a bite in the city center and are now just relaxing at the beautiful hotel. Tomorrow it is off to Paracas! Expect a post tomorrow night or Friday about our experiences there. Chau! Mucho amor amigos!

We're Here!!!!

After many hours of travel we are finally in Peru! Our cab picked us up from SMU at 2 AM and dropped us at DFW (after grossly overcharging us). We then flew to houston, then Panama city, Panama, and then to Peru where we arrived at 10pm local time. The time here is the same as in Knoxville and just 1 hour later than Little rock and Dallas. We then took a cab to the home where Brandon lived during his study abroad in Lima. When we got here we pretty much just talked with the family a short time and then went to sleep because we were EXHAUSTED!
Today (after a delicious breakfast) we walked around a bit and then took a bus to Miraflores. We saw some shops and local restaurants before walking to an overlook of the ocean. It was absolutely beautiful! Right below the overlook was a little mall area where we ate churros filled with dulce de leche (caramel)which was of course delicious! We then walked to a park called Parque de Amor which means Lover's Park where there is a huge statue of a man and woman kissing. This park also looked over the ocean and was breath taking. After spending a little time there we headed back to the family's home where we ate Arroz con Pollo the traditional Peruvian way and took a siesta (nap).
Tomorrow we plan to visit a church with catacombs and the national cathedral and president's home. Then later in the week we will take a short trip to Paracas and Ica before heading back here to spend Christmas with the family. "The family" consists of Amalia (mami), her daughters Amalia and Ana, her son Carlos, and grandson Willy. They are all so sweet and welcoming and graciously include us as part of the family. We really look forward to spending the holiday with them as we will be away from our American families.
We are very excited as the trip begins for everything it holds for us. We come with a host of expectations but mostly hope to better learn how to relax and appreciate life. Brandon has been telling me (Rachel) that things wont always go as planned but as an often uptight worrier, I hope to learn to remember what is really important and be thankful for all the blessings I have instead of getting caught up in trivial matters. It will be good for our relationship, vocational discernment, and general outlook on life! We will miss all of you but hope you will remember us in prayer.

Hasta pronto amigos!! Mucho amor!


P.S. If you need to contact us, it is free to text Rachel's phone (501-339-3367) but we may not respond via text. We can get back to you as soon as possible via email or skype. Our skype names are Kincannonrm and Bclazarus. We will be on occasionally and also checking facebook too beacuse there is a computer at the family's home and many internet cafes in Ayacuccho. Also, subscribe to this blog by making a comment so we can know who looks at this. We will try to post to facebook and email those without facebook when we make posts.