Feeling honored

Just chatted with Emelia, my APCD (Associate Peace Corps Director - basically the superior who I will be in contact with the most about my projects over these next two years) and she told me I will be going to a health post with a "micro red de salud" close-by. This is a huge honor because it means I'll have the opportunity to work with a bigger population.

Most volunteers go to a middle of nowhere town with a health post, which is the bare minimum when it comes to health services - maybe a nurse and an "obstetriz" (a midwife, working with mothers that just had children). The idea behind a health post is basically a site of referral because of its low level of resources. A micro red has a general doctor, nurse, surgeon that comes at least once during the week, lab technicians, and sometimes a pediatrician. This kind of post gets more traffic, therefore, the people I can work with grows and I love that thought. I will be in a rural town with a health post but the micro red is 15 minutes away in combi. My APCD, Emelia, thinks I can handle a bigger population and I just feel so honored that she believes in me. I love that God has given me this immense opportunity to have an effect on many lives. This is what I live for - this kind of news makes me feel alive. We should all take advantage of every opportunity we have to love and help our brothers and sisters all over the world. I know I will be! Aprovechar, baby! That's basically the Spanish translation for seize the moment!

We are given the moment, we are to make good use of it!

God is good.
Rev Gia

Sunday night futbol turns into a sex ed lesson

Played futbol with the usual crew and some new faces (pics soon) - David (6 years old), Jared (6 years old), Ari (9 years old), Jeremy (6 years old), Michael (14 years old), Liseo (13 years old), and Phil (13 years old).

I want to write about this before I forgot.

My team won AGAIN! Boo ya baby!

I don't know how we're winning since for all my life I've been convinced that I suck at all sports requiring coordination but I seriously think I'm semi-okay at soccer, because the kids always chose la alta gringa! Also as everyone knows, my calves are huge. Whatever. But the kids think I can run faster and am stronger. For once in my life I'm happy I have calves bigger than most boys! ha!

Anyways, on the walk home, David and Ari came with me to see where I lived so they can know which window to tap to get me to come play Sunday's. Whether I should be showing my window to all the little kids could be my demise and I'll never have a moment of peace again OR it could lead me to some of my favorite moments here!

Tonight I had a favorite moment! David and Ari - brothers - are kicking the balls back and forth to me as we're walking/running back home. I saw Emelie's little sister, Maygote (pronounced my-got), and she ran to give me a hug, right? Well when I ran back to catch up with David and Ari, David was saying how Maygote is Ari's girlfriend. Obviously he was making fun of him like any little boy would but then Ari said he has a girlfriend too. I asked why and he said it's because they're the same age. I then thought to myself - teaching opportunity!

I told them they have to respect the girls, and had them repeat to me the words, "debemos respetar las ninas!"

Moment of success: they started fighting over who would bring their girlfriends flowers first. I can't wait to hear who wins!

A quote for ocean girls

"Full to bursting. The sea accepts, widens our reception. We are overflowing and the sea contains us. And then when we are stretched, when we are broadened, opened up to new life, the sea gives us back to ourselves."

Susan St. John Rheault

So random but...

I went to a circus this past weekend...but not a circus like in the states. Not as legit, but still legit, if that makes any sense at all. Pet a monkey. Watched these kids from Chile do and sat with my good friend's little 6 year old sister, Maygot, and she clung to me and we shared a lollipop too. I also sat next to Jeremy, my Sunday futbol pal. Yes, my clan of friends is age 6 and below. I love it. :-)

I can't wait to be a mom one day!

You know how people always say, "Oh I want to be a doc when I grow up!" or "Yeah I want to be a teacher!" No one ever says, "I want to be a mom." But I think that has such a huge part to do with who we are - we need to all take care of someone one day. God bless those with more to care for.

Well, anyways, that's what I want to be - a good mom and I want an amazing family. Love running through the frame of the house, keeping it strong, ya know? I can't wait to meet my future family. :-)

So random, I know. Well, that is all. Ha!

That's the little boy who was a clown and the oh-so talented "Brian Jackson"

I want to feel ALIVE or feel NOTHING!

The best way

to find yourself

is to lose yourself

in the service of others.

Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi

Inspirational corner

You will rise by lifting others.
Robert G. Ingersoll

Keep your head up.

Keep your mind strong.

Field based training in Huancavelica, Peru

Oreo snack time. LITTLE THINGS!!

EL CONDOR!! I guess their wing-span can be up to 30 feet. Don't know whether I believe that or not...I'll be looking for one over these next two years!

Peru Spanish class excursion

La Plaza de Armas!!!

I want everyone to take note that this is Jesus at the Last Supper with cuy, which is a VERY popular form of protein here. It's basically an over-sized guinea pig. Awesome, right?! I love Peru! HA!

The bestie boo boo bear, Emelie!

 Love ancient books!

 BUDDIES!!!

Seeing the ocean for the first time in a month!

La Punta with Danny and Lindsey!

I don't care that it was cold and rocky. I smelled that ocean breeze again and it's all I needed to remind me of home. Great day to be alive!

Trying to get my feet into the water but the rocks were hard to walk over

New friends, yay!

Little beach town, La Punta

Miraflores at night! El Arcomar! Where we had some yummy birthday gelato! Happy birthday Danny!

I live for you.

If you're not doing something for someone else, I don't know what you're doing with your life.

I've decided, from this day forward, I'm going to be exactly the person I've always wanted to be. It's hard to give up so much of yourself for others but this is the ultimate release. I'm coming to know myself at my core and that humans are more alike than I ever imagined. We all thrive off one thing - love. You get through your day because of nice gestures, hugs, kind words, kisses...all forms of love.

I want you to think of your day without those little things people - whether it's a stranger on the street or your mother. I don't think we could live without it. For that reason, I'm going to try to give as much love as I possibly can. It seems like an easy goal but this means putting others before me in every situation. I can't say I used to ALWAYS do that. I feel shame about that. I know humans aren't perfect but I'm going to try and perfectly giving of myself. For some reason, I think it's plausible. That's the person I've always wanted to be so I'm going to give it my absolute best shot. Grades never mattered to me - how much love I could give in a day did.

With that said, I'm trashing all of my concerns about the future - how I'm going to succeed, how I'm going to go forward and I'm ready to give every little thing I can - my possessions down to my heart. It's all yours, because I've realized I live for you, not for myself.

Think about it - without each other, we are nothing. 

We all need love. I would argue it's what gives our blood the force to pump through our hearts to keep us breathing, enduring.
  
I just beg everyone to be good to one another. We are all each others brothers and sisters...one big human family.

A night out

Discoteca's here are dirty but people dance their HEARTS out. I don't know if I can handle it, being a "gringa" and all...

P.S. The club was called "X-treme." Cracks me up.

Fun fact time!

"Machu" comes from the word "big" in Quechua and "picchu" comes from the word "mountain" in Quechua. Machu Picchu is a BIG MOUNTAIN, so there you go!

Climb Lima before you climb Machu Picchu

So can we talk about how I told my mom yesterday I’d be running the Machu Picchu marathon and this morning at 5am, I get a wake up call that goes a little something like this,

“GIGI!! LEVANTATE!!!! SI QUIERES ESCALAR MACHU PICCHU, NECESITIAS ESCALAR LIMA PRIMERO!

(If you want to climb Machu Picchu, you need to climb Lima first!)

I think I just might have found myself a coach! Ha!

Wonderous Matucana

Went on a hike with my mother's sister, mi tia (my aunt), her family and Eddie and Andrea (a married couple, volunteers mi tia houses). The kids are Joey and Camilla and their father, Francesco.

Magestic, right?!

Before the hike!

It's parrots galore in Peru!

Going up to say hello to the donkeys! Ha!

Saw my first taruntala!!

Familia and Michelle!!