dia de amistad.

Oh man. What. a. week. El Dia de Amistad marked our first month here in Peru! I've changed a lot.

Last week was crazy, with the rain, and our first time teaching in Arequipa and in Camana, a beach town about 2 1/2 hours away.

We traveled with our director, Alexander Nunez, and his family on early Saturday morning. For the past month we have been living in a cold, rainy climate, similar to a Utah fall in Arequipa. It was nice to get a break from that and travel to a booming, but humble beach town for the weekend where we didn't have to sleep in a jacket ;).

There are three branches, instead of wards, in Camana. No air conditioning in the newly furnished chapel in the humid weather, and the people are so humble and loving.

This was our first workshop and definitely a new experience for me.

This is what it entailed....

Half dead cockroaches on the tile floor.
Breastfeeding mothers who don't hesitate to feed their child in front of everyone.
People walking in an hour after the scheduled time.
Humble business owners start to get their ideas flowing and bounce ideas off of other personalities in the workshop.
Welcome to Latin America. I loved teaching this workshop.

I don't speak Spanish very well, but I understand the intentions of these people. At one point, I couldn't communicate what I wanted to say, and said in Spanish, "I'm still learning, I'm sorry." I am amazed at how forgiving this culture is. "That's ok. We'll understand anyway..."

Yesterday, Jenny and I walked around Arequipa with some jovenes from our neighborhood for El Dia de San Valentin. Soaking wet, but so much fun. Played air hockey, basketball, and dance dance revolution with some Peruanos. Afterwards, it was dinner at Pizza Hut, which is a sit down restaurant here, including the mint at the end of your meal. Only instead of a mint, it's a cough drop. Jenny hates that and I think it's hilarious. I eat it anyway.

It amazes me how much American culture takes over the world!