Life from the Southern Hemisphere

Well, I am going on my 6th day in Lima, Peru and as with any new place, I am full to the brim with new sights, smells, words, and faces. As I engage my surroundings every day, my eyes begin to see new things as the macro-impressions of "the city" of Lima become more refined and detailed. I have begun to recognize the names of my neighbors, the relative locations of the surrounding districts, the streets that run around my neighborhood, and the landmarks which  help me know when to get off the bus (my little casita is across from the red Pesca gas station). As I begin to see this place more fully, the beauty and the brokenness will no doubt become more poignant. I will say, however, that they people I have met so far, including my host family, and their extended family and friends, have extended a warm hospitality to me and express a precious and overflowing joy. 

I live with Ronald, Amparo and their 11-year-old son Esteban in a suburb or district of Lima. I was asked to bring a couple of X-box games for Esteban (I know, video games right?!) and so we have been playing a couple of them together. Actually one of them is a sports game in which you have to move in front of the screen like you were actually playing the game. You get more exercise than you might think, especially when playing the Track & Field part of the game where you have to sprint and jump hurdles. This basically involves running very fast in place and then jumping as high as you can. I can't say I have spent much time playing video games before now but, all things considered, this is at least a little more active and actually kind of fun! Regardless, it is an initial venue for building a relationship with Esteban. He seems like a sweet kid and I am looking forward to getting to know him better. 

Right now Ronald is away in Bolivia leading a seminar for World Relief so it has given me a chance to talk with Amparo one-on-one and get to know her pretty well. She is a biologist who volunteers with A Rocha and has a passion for creation care and encouraging other Christians to take initiative in supporting and leading conservation efforts around the country. She is by nature a teacher and especially loves children. Every Wednesday, she and a couple of professors from a nearby university take students on "field trips" to rivers, wildlife areas and other natural reserves around Lima to aid their learning experience and help them engage with the natural world around them. She says I will be able to join her this week! During my first couple of days in Lima, I went with Amparo to a conference on sustainable development and was introduced to some of most active environmental professionals in Peru. What a way to begin this whole adventure. I even met the new Minister of the Environment! I also met many women who were professors or organizational heads doing some amazing work in the jungle, the mountains and along the coast. I hope to be able to talk more with them in the future and ask them lots of questions about their work and life.  

I don't start my work with A Rocha until Thursday but we will be working in los lomas or literally, the hills, surrounding Lima. I actually saw them for the first time the other day when we were walking to the bus stop.  The weather here is remarkably like Seattle and is often very overcast but, the sun had burned off the clouds just enough for me to see vibrant green hills in the distance. The Lomas seem to have both ecological and cultural significance and face quite a few challenges in their conservation. During the winter, which is from July to September here, the hills receive the mist/moisture from the trade winds that come across the Pacific and are stopped by the Andes. This provides an explosion of life in an otherwise dry desert. Despite the rich biodiversity of these unique ecosystems, the lomas have been plagued by deforestation and overgrazing by the cattle brought by Europeans during colonization. Traditionally these hills were also home to many native peoples including the Inca. I hope that during my internship I will be able to engage both the hard science of conservation efforts in the lomas as well as help determine strategies for understanding the social, economic, and political constraints of their protection.  

I have ridden the "bus" multiple times now and each time is a wild ride. There are rules to the road but I haven't quite figured them out yet. I also find it somewhat amusing to see how many people they try to pack into one little van. It isn't really that expensive to ride around on it and it is the primary form of transportation that my family uses. There are very few private cars and those that exist are often owned only by the rich. Amparo has been helping me learn to navigate the system by asking me to tell the driver where we are going and when to stop. I can probably get to two or three different places by myself if I had to but, I think it will become a little easier and more comfortable with time. That brings me to the biggest challenge: the language! Yes, I have been able to communicate fairly well and I have been able to understand more as the days go by. But, it is a little tiring to be engaged in Spanish conversation all day long and as was the case with church yesterday, my brain seems to check out at a certain point. Amparo is a patient teacher and has been faithfully teaching me Peruvian slang. As Ryan in the HNGR office says, laughter and risk are two excellent ingredients for improving language skills.  I have had plenty of opportunities to use both of these in the last week! 

I think this week will continue to be one of "firsts." I ate chicken liver for the first time today and apparently cow heart is on the menu in the near future. I guess we will have to see what is next :)

Please continue to pray for this time of transition and that I would be open to taking risks and stepping out of my comfort zone. God has faithfully brought me this far and I know he will continue to reshape my preconceptions of the world in order to teach me more about Himself and what it means to live as his disciple in this world. Today was a full day of rest which I so desperately needed. I was able to read, write, process and just enjoy my new family here. I pray for more of these along the way. 

Rachel  

A handful of photos from my house: 

This is the view from the rooftop

This is the view from my front window, we live on the second floor with the in-laws below us. 

Street vendors in our neighborhood cooking Antecucho and Picarones (cow heart and fried donuts)

Esteban with the fresh and hot picarones we bought from the street vendor!

Amparo cooking in the kitchen. The houses have no heat so everyone wears their winter coats inside.