I'm Here!!

I can't even believe it.

It doesn't seem real.

How is it that 48 hours ago I was sleeping in my bed in cold, snowy Wenham, MA and now I am sitting in a hotel in Lima, Peru with a little color on my face and arms from the sun? (The sun is stronger here because we're closer to the equator. Which means that I'll be wearing sunscreen every day.)

So here are some pictures from before I left.

And now I would like to introduce you to a very special little friend of mine. This is Piggy. A little guy from the BBQ who decided to hitch a ride down to S. America with me. So I'm going to chronicle his journey.

Here he is at his home and then packing.

I will do my best to keep you updated on Piggy's journeys.

Now, let me catch you up.

My flight to Newark was cancelled on Wednesday night. Which led to a panic attack and three different phones going to contact Continental Airlines. Turns out they had already put me on other flights, but weren't going to tell me until I got to the airport. Anyways...I flew Boston to Houston and then Houston to Lima. Arrived in Lima around 11:30 pm. (Side note about Lima, it smells like Mexico, but a little different, more humid.) Got to the hotel a little after 1 am and was in bed around 2. Then up around 7:30 for shower, breakfast and then a bus took us all to the University where we will be studying. La Pontifícia Universidad Católica Peruana (which will be referred to as PUCP or la Católica from here on). We took our Spanish placement exam, which went well for me. We then had a coffee break, followed by a tour of campus. While I'm talking about campus I'll give you my address because I can receive mail through the international relations office.

Abigail (or Abby) Sawyer

c/o Relaciones Internacionales y CIEE

Pontificia Universidad Católica del Perú

Av. Universitaria cuadra 18 s/n

San Miguel, Lima 32, Perú

So send me mail. Por favor.

Alright, moving on. We then had lunch at José Antonio, a cute little restaurant with a nice buffet of typical Peruvian food. Everything I had was really good. I even started out the meal with a Pisco Sour. But I didn't get through it all. It was very strong. And it being my first alcoholic beverage, I was taking it slow. After lunch we headed back to the hotel for some informational sessions, and got our cute little cell phones. I successfully managed to put money on my phone at the supermarket. We were on our own for dinner tonight and a bunch of my friends from the program and I ended up in the food court of a mall called Lacromar which overlooks the ocean. Then we headed back to the hotel and here I am. So now its bedtime.

Buenas noches.

I'm Leaving...

Wow. Today has been a crazy day with a few stressful moments. Problems with my medications and a cancelled flight were the main causes of my stress. But now everything is set. I have enough medications to last me for six months and I am once again on a flight to PERU. That was a bit of a panic moment. Silly New England winter storms.

So now its on to packing!!

P.S. I Love You

And no, I'm not talking about the movie. I'm talking about the Bath and Body Works scent that is currently on my hands. I woke up on Valentine's day to one of the people that I love the most in this world - my best friend Sarah. And she gave me a little bottle of the lotion, because she loves me. And I love her. Such a great way to wake up.

In case you didn't know, I was able to go and visit some of my best friends who go to school down in Pennsylvania this weekend. Tim and Nick are sophomores at Grove City College and Sarah is a junior at Bucknell University. This was my first time traveling domestically by myself (My first time was flying from Moscow to Kyiv. Wicked scary). I've decided that I don't really like traveling alone. It gets boring. And there is no one to watch your bags while you go to the bathroom or get a slice of pizza. You must carry them with you everywhere. Bummer. But the travels went smoothly. There was a lot of waiting. Waiting in Boston, in Newark, in Pittsburgh, and in Philadelphia. But all the waiting was totally worth it to spend some time with good friends. Especially since I won't be spending time with them for a very long time.

Some highlights from my weekend:

SourPatch Kids and Latina Magazine.

Creeking.

Pink pancakes kissed with chocolate chips.

Feeling at home at a church I've never been to.

My first dining experience at Sheetz.

Getting into a basketball game as a Bucknell student.

Campus tours given by very knowledgeable tour guides.

Realizing that I am very content with my life.

Spanish Class with Sarah.

Visiting the Grove City Outlets.

Watching the Olympics.

Coming home to clean sheets on my bed, apple pie and flowers for Valentine's Day from my Dad.

So all in all, it was a great trip. But of course bittersweet. Goodbyes are never fun. But there will be a lot of them within the next few days. So now I've got to figure out how to say goodbye to family, friends and everything familiar to me.

I leave for Peru in one week. 7 days.

I'm starting to feel a little unprepared. But tomorrow I'm going to get myself organized. Make a plan and go for it. Wish me luck.

It's getting real

3 Weeks...

22 Days...

528 hours...

And I'll be in PERU...

Crazy, isn't it?

As the countdown gets smaller and smaller it is slowly starting to feel more and more real.

I'm getting emails from the program.

I'm thinking about what I have to buy.

I have 3 different To-Do lists.

I'm thinking about what I want my mom to make me for dinners.

But what have I been doing with all this free time? Well I've been working at the BBQ. It's strange to think that I will only be working there for a few more weeks. I started working there 4 years ago. It's like a second family to me. And I'm really going to miss everyone. So many things are changing...

I'm currently watching Marie Antoinette. And I'm watching it in French. I'm not sure why, but I figured that I won't really be able to practice my French for a long time. So I'm sure that Prof. Vanborre would be très contente. I'm going to miss taking classes with her.

And of course I've been thinking a lot about Mexico. Looking at pictures on Facebook. Praying for my friends down there. And I often wake up after dreaming of Mexico. I can't wait to go back. I pray that I will be able to return in January. But who knows...this is a big year for me. A lot will happen. And I think that a lot will change. I will change. Hopefully for the better.

I want to gain a better understanding of who I am, who God created me to be and what my future holds.

I want to become fluent in Spanish.

I want to make new friends.

I want to form relationships with other students and my host family.

I want to travel.

I want to take advantage of all the opportunities that I will have.

I want to try new food.

I want to comfortable with who I am and not try to be someone else.

I want to visit Machu Picchu...again.

I want to visit my sponsorship child, Rosa.

I want all of this, and so much more.

Where did the last week go?

One month

4 weeks

29 days

696 hours

41,760 minutes...

...And I'll be in this beautiful country.

So I just realized that I'm down to four weeks. Strange thing, I swear it was just yesterday that I had 5 weeks until I lea

ve. Hmm...where did that week go. I'm not really sure, but I am sure that these next four weeks will probably pass in the same way, without my knowledge. So I've got to get down to business. Appointments, errands, shopping, packing, getting things in order.

I've been thinking a lot about Mexico recently. And I really miss it. I dream about Mexico, long for Mexican food, and spend my time looking at pictures from the trip. As I've been thinking about Tijuana and the situation that it is in, it reminds me of some quotes that I've saved from the book Mountains Beyond Mountains by Tracy Kidder. Let me share:

"It's a parallel universe. There really is no relation between the massive accumulation of wealth in one part of the world and abject misery in another."

"I know it sounds shallow, the opiate thing, needing to believe, palliating pain, but it didn't feel shallow. It was more profound than other sentiments I'd known, and I was taken with the idea that in an ostensibly godless world that worshiped money and power, or more seductively, a sense of personal efficacy and advancement, like at Duke or Harvard, there was still a place to look for God, and that was in the suffering of the poor."

"You want to see where Christ crucified abides today? Go to where the poor are suffering and fighting back, and that's where He is."

Of all the world's errors, he seemed to feel, the most fundamental was the "erasing" of people, the "hiding" away of suffering. "My big struggle is how people can not care, erase, not remember".

"...the idea that some lives matter less is the root of all that's wrong with the world."

Some more fotos

So here are some pictures that other members of my team have put on facebook.

me dancing with alejandro




Samantha

Pastor Enrique

still processing...

So I've been back in the states for about 4 days. And I'm slowly adjusting. I think my stomach is used to food again, but sometimes it gets upset. I am glad to be able to sleep in my bed, drink skim milk, brush my teeth with water from the faucet and flush toilet paper. All these things are great. But there are many things that I miss about being in Mexico. Speaking Spanish. The kids. Rosca. Warm weather. Space. Huevos verdes. Pato pato ganzo. Sunsets. Spending time with my team. Driving through Tijuana. The sapo song. "Buenas noches Señor Jesús" And many more...

Some debriefing that we did in Coronado was a series of three questions.

1. What did you see?
children. poverty. trash. pain. despair. joy. love. friends. dogs. dirt. family. God. laughter. dancing. food. bugs. brokenness. shacks. Tijuana. the Church. suffering. survival.

2. How did it make you feel?
loved. blessed. at home. scared. inadequate. inspired. tired. overwhelmed. at peace. comfortable. uncomfortable.

3. What are you going to do about it?
pray - for the church, for the kids. keep in contact. learn more spanish. tell others about the trip. try to find my joy and contentment in being a child of God. rely on God when I feel inadequate.


Another thing that I've been thinking about is something that the pastor at the church in Coronado shared at the Sunday evening service. "Be Jesus to everyone you meet and look for Jesus in everyone you meet." Which got me thinking, Where did i see Jesus (God) while in Mexico?

-in Enrique's passion for reaching out to the children/youth of Tres de Octubre to stop the vicious cycle of drugs and violence that has taken hold on the city.
-in Josabet's servant heart.
-in Agustin's endless joy.
-in Mixter's eagerness and willingness to help.
-in the ladies who made us lunch everyday.
-I heard Him in the sapo song.
-I could see Him in Alejandro's smile

-I saw Him as Profe explained the purpose of La Casa
-I saw Him in the loving relationship between Roberto, Maria and Karina (siblings at the orphanage)
-I saw Him when Roberto made sure that I had something to eat.
-I felt His power of protection as we travelled through a very dangerous city.
-I saw Him in the kindness and gentleness of Leo, Carlos and Marvin
-I heard Him in the prayers of Miguel
-I saw Him in the kindness and acceptance of the older girls - Karina, Yara, Marisol, Daisy, Estefani

This is where I saw, heard and felt God while I was in Mexico.
I can only pray that they were able to see a bit of Him in me as well.