Survived first week of classes!

So, I feel like a dork because I just now realized that people have been making comments on my blog and I just now read the comments! HA! So thanks for those, they were encouraging! And sorry it has taken me so long to discover them!

So thankfully we made it through our first week of classes! (Picture of everyone in front of the University on Monday, first day of classes! Hopefully our excitement that early Monday morning will carry throughout the whole semester!) For some reason I thought I was going to have lots of free time. Wrong! So we may have waited until the day before the homework was due to start it, which thankfully it got done, but we also realized that this is going to be a lot more work and reading outside of class than we had expected. We didn´t really want to wait until the last minute but doing lots of other errands got us behind. But, we got it done. And have realized (yet again) the importance of time management.

I LOVE my classes. LOVE LOVE LOVE. It is awesome to be studying exactly what I am most interested in, linguistics- and with a Christian point of view, and to train us to work in Bible translation in the future. Right now all the students (17 total) are in the same classes. We have 3 right now- Semantics, Morphosyntax, and Sociolinguistics. The last two we will have all semester and Semantics will be only the first half of this semester. The professors are from Chile, Peru, and US. The professor from the US worked with an indigenous people group in Guatemala and translated the New Testament in their language. So his experience and wisdom is so valuable for us!! I have also been really expressed with the other students. They are all very intelligent and so passionate about what we are learning. They are from all over Latin America and ages range from 23 to 40s. So it is a really neat atmosphere to be studying in. I am so thankful to be here! Friday afternoon we did a group devotional and as we all sat there together, I just felt overwhelmed by everyone in that room. Everyone is unique, some already have experience working with an indigenous groups, others are just starting out, several want to go to the 10-40 window and want to work with Muslims, one wants to serve in Asia and many want to work in indigenous groups in Latin America. So as I sat there and looked around I feel overwhelmed being around so many people who all have the specific calling to work in Bible translation. And it made me wonder about all the great things God is going to do through these people.

(p.s. Make sure you look at the previous posts, I uploaded lots of pics!)

Parque de las Aguas

Also last Saturday we went to "Parque de las Aguas" (literal translation: park of the waters) It is a park with several water fountains spread out over it. Different shapes and sizes. But I mean hardcore water fountains. Some of them are meant for kids (and adults!) to try to run through without getting wet because different streams of water come up randomly. There is also one huge water fountain that is programed to music and during the songs, different colored lights and images are projected onto the water!

And more from last weekend...see previous 2 posts!

More from last weekend...see previous post!!

A couple was getting married, and I got a picture with the limo ;)

with Antonio, another Cilta student from Guatemala

Update from last weekend!

Ok, so I am a little late posting this, but I wanted to share with ya´ll about last Saturday! Several members from “Pro-missions” prepared a special day for us. “Pro-missions” is an organization of people from local churches who promote missions in churches in Peru and also help to welcome Cilta students. First they served us lunch– a table full of typical foods from Lima. My plate full of Peruvian food- my favorite was the yellow stuff on the top left, a garlic cheese shicken sauce. And the top orange stuff is sweet potato!! Which is common here, so I´m excited about that!


 The whiteish stuff to the right of the sweet potatos is called "ceviche" (pronounced se-VICH-ey) and is a popular dish here. It is raw fish soaked in vinegar, lemon juice mixture that someone "cooks" the fish. I thought it was pretty good! Didn´t taste like raw fish, and the lemon vinegar taste wasn´t overpowering at all. The drink is chica morada, which is made from black, purplish corn that is boiled and cinnamon, cloves, and sugar is added. Not my favorite, but drinkable. The pic that looks like a fish is like a potato salad underneath but I thought the veggie decorations were pretty good!

with Diana, the other Venezuelan student!

In the center of Lima, historic district


We spent the afternoon talking with them and the other students. Later, we went to the center of Lima, where all the government buildings are. We enjoyed the arquitecture of these buildings, which were built by the Spainards in the 1500s. We walked around and took lots of pictures!

Moving In...

Sunday afternoon we moved into our new aparttment! We are really excited because this is our first place of our very own! :) So we have been doing lots of cleaning and organizing. The Cilta House let us borrow lots of house stuff-sheets, pillows, towels, a desk, dresser, bookshelf, FRIDGE, and kitchen stuff (pots, pans, plates, silverware, tupperware..etc etc)...pretty much the necessities! We didn´t know we would be able to borrow stuff (we were thinking we would have to buy a lot)...We only had room for a few kitchen things in our suitcases, so this came as a nice surprise!!!

Today we went to "San Juan" which is a marketplace about 15 minutes away from Surco. We went with our favorite tour guide, Mapi (who is the same woman who took us around the city on Friday and who loves to powerwalk and tell us where we can find the best deals). We also went with Elia, who will also study in Cilta with us, she is 23 too and from Mexico! Yesterday we met our neighbors who are also studying in Cilta, a woman from Peru and a woman from Mexico and a couple from Peru. Also, so far we have meet students and teachers assistants from Colombia, Chile, Costa Rica and Panama!! So it is really interesting to hear all the accents! It is funny because every country has its own vocabulary words so communicating is sometimes interesting. For example, in Venezuela, popcorn is called "kotufa". In Mexico it is "palomitas de maiz" (which literally means little doves of corn), and in Peru they use another word that I cannot remember right now....and they also sometimes say "popcorn". Ok I got off track, so back to the "San Juan" experience. Well, I have already talked about how I love Wong (the super nice grocery store that has free samples everywhere and lots of American stuff, like peanut butter and pesto sauce) but Amazing Tour Guide Mapi told us about "San Juan" where everything is much cheaper. So today we went. Let me try to describe this. Well it was in a huge building, but divided up into lots of stores. But each store wasn´t an individual room like in a mall, but looked more like this:

But in these stores there was everything you could imagine. Kind of like a Peruvian version of Wal-Mart. All kind of food-fruits, veggies, meats (beef, chicken, seafood), toiletries, school supplies. Crazy. They had huge sacks of rice, sugar, flour, etc, that they measure out and put in plastic bags depending on how much you want to buy. Tons of people. So we stocked up on groceries for the week!!

On another note, we are very pleased with the technology of skype. We have been able to talk to family and friends in the US and VZ and it is SO AWESOME to be able to talk to and see the people that I love and miss so much. We are so thankful that we have internet in our apartment that has a fast connection so that we can skype!

That´s it for today....tomorrow orientation starts! And...tomorrow is David´s birthday!!!

Sweet Home Surco

The district in Lima where we live is called "Surco". I really like this area because it feels more like a small town instead a big city and everything is so close. The university is only about 8 minutes walking distance from our apartment! (We are moving in this afternoon!! :) )And there are lots of shops, banks, restaurants, pharmacies, and a movie theatre closeby! And the weather is so nice and scenery so beautiful that we definitely don´t mind the walk! I found this website online- it has some interesting info and good pictures of nearby parks www.surcoperu.com

Yesterday we went to check out the campus. It is small and not as spread out as college campuses in the US. There are several buildings, garden areas, and libraries, etc. We took this picture at the campus of "Universidad Ricardo Palma".

We also tried "Inca Kola" which is like the national soft drink here. It is bright yellow and the taste reminded me a lot of a Venezuelan drink, Frescolita, which tastes like bubble gum. It isn´t bad, but is definitely no Sun Drop or Chinotto. ;)

First Day in Lima!

¨For the Lord is good and His love endures forever; His faithfulness continues through all generations¨ Psalsm 100:5

Today was a wonderful day- everything has been much better than we had even thought!! Today we went out in the city with a woman who helps with CILTA and she was extremely helpful! She showed us all around the neighborhood and the area where the CILTA house is and gave us lots of good info on where to shop for what.

And........We found an apartment! The people at CILTA had already scouted out some apartment prospects for us and we decided to stay with the first one we saw! Good location and good price and with all the major furniture! The only downside was that it didn´t have a stove or fridge, but it turns out the CILTA house has those that we can borrow, so it worked out perfectly! God is definitely working out all the details for us!

Lima is absolutely beautiful. And I can already say that this is one of my favorite Latin American cities. The weather is great- in the 80s with a breeze-which feels wonderful after the 100 plus heat of Maracaibo!!. The neighborhoods nearby are very nice and clean, beautiful landscaping with lots of flowers! There are several parks closeby. In one of them I saw a squirrel!! (This came as a bit of a surprise to me because in Venezuela there are no squirrels, so seeing one made me feel like I was back in North Carolina. Aparently, people used to have squirrels as pets until a few escaped, reproduced, and now there are many! hahaha) Thankfully, walking distance to us are lots of stores, restaurants, panaderias (small bakerys that sell other food items as well), drug stores, banks, etc. We went to a grocery store called "Wong" which is one of the nicest ones I´ve ever been to. I really enjoyed it because I love grocery shopping (maybe that makes me a little weird). There were people everywhere giving out samples so I was loving trying the food and checking out what kind of food they had. There was a really good vareity with more American brands and spices and sauces than in Venezuela (for example, ranch and honeymustard and barbeque sauce). They also have peanut butter (Peter Pan honey roast creamy-score!!), a little more expensive than in the US, but much cheaper than in VZ. So, that was one of our first purchases :) Also, at Wong you can pay with dollars and they give you change back in the Peruvian currency, "el nuevo sol", or "sol". We also got some dollars changed and got some snacks. There is a Papa John´s and movie theatre walking distance! There are tons of "Chifas", which are Chinese restaurants-Peruvian style. Be expecting a report on that. If you don´t already know, I love food and I am excited to try lots of new food and try to cook some of it too! So overall, everything here is going really great and we are really excited to continue to meet more people and explore the city. I love visiting new places and cultures so I am eating all of this up. We will be posting lots of pictures soon!

Arrival in Lima!

We are here!! Our plane arrived last night on time, at 10:30 pm. Jimmy, a man from a local church picked us up from the airport and drove us to the CILTA house. He gave us the scenic route so we could see a little bit of the city. It is really beautiful!! Has a different look from Maracaibo and reminds me more of the US than Maracaibo did. (I have already seen a Starbucks and Chilis!!, which werent in VZ) We also drove by the part of the city that is on the coast and the beach was beautiful........I cannot wait to go there during the day!! We are staying in the CILTA house, where the professors will stay. We finally got to bed at about 1 and we were exhausted!! But David, who miraculously wakes up everyday at 730 am despite the fact that he hadnt slept the night before, was up and looking out the window, checking everything out! Some girls who are also staying at the CILTA house (who will be assistants to the professors) just made us breakfast! We also met some other CILTA people. Everyone we have met has been extremely hospitable and kind! Today we are going with someone to start our apartment search and explore the city!!!

Napping in the Panama Airport

I thought the next time I wrote we would be in Lima, but I decided to say a quick hello since there is free wireless here in the Panama airport! Thankfully our flights have gone well so far, everything smooth and on time! I love flying and traveling and it has been awesome to travel with David. We have both flown, but never together. Because in the past when I flew to and from Venezuela that meant I was either on my way to see David or leaving him, so it has been a new (and fun!) experience to travel together. I know that many adventures await us in Peru.

We have several hours until our flight leaves tonight at 7pm. We are really excited to get there! I think now I will take advantage of the quiet airport and comfortable chairs...and catch up on a little sleep :)

New addition to our family!

life

This weekend two friends from Cabimas, Keny and Adriana, came to stay with us...and I got a special birthday suprise. When they got here, Keny handed me a small white box and I had no idea what he was doing but I opened it and SCREAMED when I saw a little tiny hamster inside!!!! I fell in love with this hamster (which we named Honey) from the start. She is very snuggly and also very fast. We made her a home out of a big tupperware box, some paper, plastic containers, and she was in heaven. The only bad news about sweet little Honey is that we can´t take her on the plane. Apparently, the airline we are flying only allows dogs, cats, and rabbits. Real bummer. So, we are going to leave her with Kathleen. Kathleen already has one hamster, Po, so she has lots of hamster experience and I know she will provide a happy, loving home for Honey. We suspect that one day in the future, Po and Honey may become best friends and fall in love and make baby hamsters. We shall see.
For now, I am enjoying little Honey while I have her before we leave tomorrow...!!!

We fly out of Maracaibo to Caracas tomorrow evening, then early Thursday morning we will leave from Caracas to Panama, then to Peru on Thursday night. So today finishing up packing and visiting some friends, and saying goodbye to Honey!

Next time I write, we will be in LIMA!!!

Peru is only one week away!!!

I absolutely cannot believe that we are leaving for Peru in a week, Thursday the 11th!!! We leave from Caracas (capitol) at 7am on Thursday so we will be traveling from Maracaibo to Caracas on Wednesday. Praise the Lord for His faithfulness and provision and helping us find a really good deal on the tickets online!
Yesterday David and I printed out our “Student Guides” and it was fun to read up on everything. I am getting excited for sure. As I was reading about everything, it reminded me of when I studied in Mexico over the summer after my freshman year of college. That seems like sooo long ago. I know Peru will be very interesting because it will be a total change for David and me- new city, new school, new climate, new culture, new food, new home, new schedule, etc etc etc

It will be a huge change and there will most likely be some culture shock for us both, but we are so thankful for this oppurtunity- to study linguistics and Bible translation. This has been a dream of ours for many years!

Lima is on the coast and it is now summer there and supposedly nice beach weather so I hope to check that out ASAP. Lima is humid, but much cooler than Maracaibo where I am now, so I am excited to be able to wear jackets and not sweat profusely everywhere I go. It will also be exciting to explore the city and experience Peru culture. (I also did some research on the food in Peru which looks very good and is very diverse, and I must be honest, I´m excited about that as well hehehe)
Please pray for us as we make this big change and that God will give us wisdom and strength as we get used to the life of full-time students again, and that He will help us to manage our priorities and time as we learn how to be married and students at the same time. Oh yeah, and that God will help my brain to absorb the classes in Spanish all day! Being in a class environment and listening to the same person speaking non-stop is difficult. But I know that God has used these past few months in Venezuela to help my Spanish improve a lot. Now I´ll just have to get used to the accent in Lima!

Jackie is doing much better!

Dear friends, thank you for your prayers for Jackie. She is doing much better! They are treating her infection with antibiotics and doing much better. She has been up and walking around and gaining energy. She will hopefully be able to go home sometime within a week! Continue to pray for her quick recovery, treatment of the infection, and her adaptation to the new lifestyle after the amputation. Pray also for her family, for God´s strength, faith, and encouragement for them! Jackie and her family are so thankful for your prayers! God has heard them and He has carried her throughout this long and difficult process!