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Heading through the mountains . . .

Looks like rain . . .

The gas station attending monkey . . .

Must be laundry day . . .

Finally, arrival in Anta . . .

We found a internet cafe that actually has a place for laptops.

We will finish up our research on this side of Cuzco today. Tomorrow, we’ll hit one more district on the other side on the way to Puno.

So far we’ve had a great trip with just a few hangups.

Also, we are just now getting word and seeing the images of what has happened as a result of the hurricane. Some of our best friends were in New Orleans (Copelands, Branscums, and Bramlett). We’re worried sick about them. If anyone has some news, please let us know.

I´d like to give big GRACIAS to two folks.

First, my dad. He taught me the fine art of travelling long distances without getting tired. Chew sunflower seeds. There is just something about keeping your mouth busy that keeps you from getting tired.

And then, thank you Judy Davis for smuggling two giant bags of David´s Sunflower Seeds into Lima for me a few months ago! I´m already halfway through one of the bags.

We´ve only been out of Lima for a few days, some interesting things have already happened!

- Rain!
- Using the bathroom on the side of the road.
- A monkey tending the gas station.
- Giving the policia a ride home.
- Altitude sickness!
- Cable TV in the hostals.

We actually started trying to dig up some info today. We are starting in Anta, the county seat, and then plan on working our way out a bit.

Here´s a big map of Peru to trace our route if you´d like. http://www.go2peru.com/maps_parts.htm

We finally made it!

Saturday, after Amanda´s english class we hit the the PanAmerican. We made it to Ica that night.

The spent the next day on the road . . . we made it to Abancay.

Then, finally this morning we made it to Cuzco. We are researching an area just outside of Cuzco, a place called Anta (for you map buffs, like Jeff Morse).

We’re leaving today for our first solo research trip. We’ll be going to the Cuzco area . . . to a district called Anta.

We’ll keep you updated!

Yesterday we went to Mariah’s house for lunch. I really can’t even begin to describe the experience. Hopefully the pictures will help you visualize it.

She lives in Independencia. This is a low-income area of Lima. Pretty dangerous. We had to go during the day for safety.

Anyone who has been to Lima has seen the shanty towns that climb the side of the hills in Lima. Maria lives in one of those. Her, her husband, her brother, and her two sons. We only saw part of the house. But I would say it had two and a half rooms. Dirt floors. Particle board and tin for walls. It’s built on about a 20 x 20 ft. plot carved out of the mountain. She said she paid 7,000 s/. for it.

There’s no road to her house…just a trail across the side of the hill through the garbage. She had fixed literally a feast for us. Anticuchos (beef heart), Papa de Huancayina (potatos with a funny sauce), Arroz con Pollo (chicken and rice), and Chicha Morada (typical Peruvian drink).

We talked a lot. She told us how her first husband used to beat her so she left. And how Luis, her oldest son had been deaf and mute since birth. It’s amazing they have thier own sign language they’ve developed.

Work is scarce she told us. Three ladies came in while we were talking asking us if we knew if maid jobs or something like that in ‘our’ part of town. And she told us how far she had to walk to get water.

It’s seriously a different world over there.

She also told us she’s pregnant. She’s selling DVD’s still. I’m not exactly sure how the pillow business is going. She didn’t talk too much about it.

The best word to describe where we were yesterday is “pobreza” . . . poverty.

Truthfully, I felt really relieved when we left. It was too much to take in. Too much to process. There is no way that I can understand . . . Maria is a believer. She loves Jesus. And there’s a lot just like her in that place.

This morning we gave blood. Our friend Alberto has a sister who had to have six donors ASAP. Alberto is one of our translators and he also tutors us in English.

I hate giving blood! Needless to say I was a bit nervous about going this morning. Amanda, Cindy, and I met Alberto at the hospital (he was giving blood too). We had to fill out the form with all the funny questions on it.

Then we got our fingers poked to type our blood. I’m O positive. Then the scary part.

It wasn’t too bad. Our nurse had poked a lot of arms. She was very fast. “Abre y cerra la manito.”, (“Open and close your hand.”)

Afterwards, they had a little table set up with this funny clove apple warm stuff. Not really coke and cookies like I used to get after the OBU blood drives . . . . but it was better than nothing.

We took Amy to the airport last night. She’s been here for about a month helping out REAPSouth.

Some days with a second language . . . it’s like your brain is asleep. I think my brain is sleeping today. I had a lot of trouble focussing in class. . . mainly because I could barely understand a single word!

After a class I helped with the English class. The teacher asked me if I could spend about 30 minutes with them after my class. So, I get in there and the teacher calls me to the front of the room and introduces me . . . then says “Ok, go ahead . . . ” HA! Can you believe that!! So here I am infront of a classroom of 14 year olds. I seriously have no idea what she wants me to do . . . so I did what I do best . . . spoke English! I told them about myself and what we’re doing here. I convinced that that George W. was my uncle. Then I asked them questions. It was fun. They are fairly advanced so it wasn’t too difficult. The teacher seemed satisfied. So I guess I get an A or at least a B for my first off the cuff English lecture.