Today is day number one hundred in South America so I thought I would do a little celebrating by posting one hundred observations I have had since being here, some serious, some funny, and some just plain ridiculous. (Yes, there really are one hundred observations; this blog is not for the faint of heart.)
1. Showers are not necessary everyday when living in the mountains.
2. Peruvians have a ridiculous sweet tooth.
3. Toilet seats do not exist in most bathrooms here.
4. Working and living with a translator is one of the biggest challenges.
5. Everyone here eats desert (postre) with a spoon, cake; pie all eaten with a spoon.
6. Laundry in rainy season never dries.
7. Mazamorra of any flavor is not good.
8. The word “bored” is not God glorifying.
9. “As you do not know the path of the wind, or how the body is formed in a mother’s womb, so you cannot understand the work of God, the Maker of all things.” Ecclesiastes 11:5
10. Bull fights would totally cause a riot in the United States, but makes the list of one of the best cultural experiences I have had.
11. God gives greater grace everyday. (James 4:6)
12. Discipline is simply a demonstration of God’s love for me.
13. I have been given a spirit of power, of love, and of self-discipline. (2 Timothy 1:7)
14. Cow stomach really has no taste.
15. It smells like eucalyptus everywhere I go.
16. Having a deer live in your backyard is not as bad as first anticipated.
17. Walking outside to the bathroom at random hours of the night is still not fun.
18. Breathing at 11,000ft has become like normal, but if we gain any altitude at all breathing becomes all the harder.
19. An 8:00pm bedtime is not looked down upon when you have to wake up at 6:30am.
20. Potatoes are a big deal here.
21. Stepping in various kinds of manure daily is not a big deal. (Cow, pig, horse, dog, cat, donkey, chicken, sheep, etc)
22. Just because there is school scheduled for the week does not mean that any of the teachers will show up to teach.
23. World Vision is doing a lot of work here in the surrounding towns. The program sponsors the majority of families here.
24. English is a very hard language and if it were not my first language I probably would not have the motivation to learn it.
25. Having a dog pee on my foot, inside my house, did not faze me as much as I thought it would.
26. The world stops here in Peru when there is a soccer game on TV.
27. God’s plan for the way I spend my time is much better than my own.
28. The Lord has been very gracious to my taste buds while in country. I eat tomatoes and carrots almost everyday and I am starting to drink tea, these are things I do not do in the states.
29. Being sick in a foreign country is one of the worst things ever.
30. Friday night movie nights with popcorn and hot chocolate on our homemade couch are my favorite.
31. The quote, “someday it is going to start raining and it is not going to stop” hangs over our heads daily.
32. Standing on top of a mountain at 16,000ft+ makes one feel very small.
33. There are more than 2,000 kinds of potatoes grown in Peru; most of them, however, have very unoriginal names. (White potato, yellow potato, etc.)
34. Chocolate covered saltine crackers may be the best idea Peru ever had.
35. If you happen to slip up on thoroughly washing your fruits or vegetables from the market you will definitely know first thing the next morning.
36. The best flavor of Kris is definitely kiwi apple.
37. I still do not understand why if Peruvians are so short the sidewalks in Huaraz are so tall.
38. Alpaca fur is much softer than llama fur.
39. Always lean to the left when greeting or saying goodbye to someone in order to avoid a very awkward encounter.
40. Reaching across the dinner table to get something is not considered impolite for a Peruvian.
41. If you get sick in any way it is guaranteed a Peruvian is going to try and make you drink a hot beverage, most likely tea.
42. American DVDs are super cheap to buy here. (I bought four dvds for 25 soles the other day, which is close to $8)
43. The metric system is difficult to adjust to.
44. In the mountains they come up with any excuse to have a festival.
45. My favorite excuse for not having school was and I quote, “The students are washing their hands in the plaza.”
46. Inca Kola tastes like bubble gum.
47. I enjoy seeing people’s shocked faces when I tell them I live in Peru.
48. Taking a shower with a family of spiders is a normal thing.
49. You cannot throw your toilet paper in the toilet. That is what the trashcan next to the toilet is for.
50. Email is the new snail mail.
51. The Lord is everywhere and everything is His.
52. “Administer true justice; show mercy and compassion to one another. Do no oppress the widow or the fatherless, the alien or the poor. In your hearts do not think evil of each other.” Zechariah 7:9-10
53. Napkins are one square and one ply.
54. The Lord is glorified through my weakness.
55. When you delight yourself in the Lord He will give you the desires of your heart. (Psalm 37:4)
56. 2.70 soles = $1
57. Beverages are served either with your meal, after you are done eating or sometimes not unless requested.
58. If you ask for ice in your beverage they will look at you are very strange and probably think that you are going to get sick.
59. God has saved me and called me to a holy calling- not because of anything I have done but because of His own purpose and grace. (2 Timothy 1:9)
60. People who live in Lima have probably never seen lightning or heard thunder in their whole lives, therefore, when they come to the mountains and there is a thunderstorm they freak out and think the world is going to end.
61. Peruvians constantly speak at a low whisper.
62. If a Peruvian is talking on a cell phone they will yell loud enough for the whole town to hear.
63. A life that is unpredictable, spontaneous, and full of risks brings such great joy and grace.
64. I do not particularly enjoy watching the head of my chicken get cut off seconds before buying it.
65. All yogurt is drinkable.
66. When you tell kids to raise their hand to answer a question that does not mean they are going to wait until you call on them to answer. The exact opposite is true; they will all raise their hands while simultaneously yelling the answer.
67. There is such a thing as eating too much rice.
68. You quickly lose any pride you ever had when you say something wrong in Spanish to a native.
69. No car, kombi, or taxi would ever pass an emission test in the States.
70. Working and living with the same person for three plus months is difficult and often very trying.
71. There are only so many ways to get comfortable on a bed with a wood plank running though the middle of your back.
72. Things like a microwave, a bath mat, and sharp kitchen knives are big luxuries.
73. Peanut butter is very expensive here.
74. Peruvians love volleyball.
75. I am so thankful the Lord knows exactly what I need when I need it.
76. When eating out you must flag your waiter down and request your bill. They will not bring it to you, nor stand over you and wait for you to leave, no matter how long you have been there.
77. Every country in Latin America thinks their Spanish is the best.
78. When using a gas stove you never know when you are about to run out of gas, therefore, running out in the middle of cooking dinner is a likely possibility.
79. Pedestrians do not have the right of way.
80. Killing a spider before bed and first thing in the morning is now part of my daily routine.
81. There is no such thing as prepackaged food.
82. I thought Spanish was hard until I tried to learn Quechua.
83. Guinea pig (cuy) tastes like chicken.
84. Holiness is what I long for, holiness is what I need, and holiness is what the Lord wants for me.
85. Most measure distance in blocks.
86. All coffee is instant.
87. God is my Father and He loves me as a child, providing only that which is best for me.
88. Peruvians only buy things on an as needed basis. (Ex. If they get sick they will go to the store and buy medicine, but they will only buy one pill. If they are sick the next day they will go to the store again and buy another pill.)
89. Eating pasta, rice, and potatoes all in one meal is too much starch for one American to handle.
90. You cannot let anyone look down on your solely because you are young, but you must strive to set an example for the believers in speech, in life, in love, in faith, and in purity. (1 Timothy 4:12)
91. The only way to make popcorn is on the stove.
92. Instead of buying wood by the truckload, like in the states, they buy it by how much one donkey can carry.
93. Almost all Peruvian cell phones are prepaid phones. Peruvians only put a few minutes on their phone at a time. They work really hard to make phone conversations under a minute, as to not waste their minutes.
94. Rabbit tastes like chicken as well, just a little bit tougher.
95. Utcuyacu is my favorite place to go during the week and the thirty-minute walk to the highway brings so much clarity and perspective to my life and ministry here.
96. Spanish computer keyboards seem normal until you start to type.
97. Always, always, always carry an umbrella or rain jacket with you during rainy season, even if it looks like it is going to be sunny all day.
98. The Lord has given me a great gift in the Holy Spirit and I am thankful that He goes with me wherever I go.
99. Wood plank, dirt floors, are never clean.
100. God’s plan was sovereign in bringing me to Peru and His plan is still sovereign as I finish my journey here and get ready to move on from this place into the next season of my calling as His servant.
Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already been made perfect, but I press on to take hold of that for while Christ Jesus took hold of me. Brothers, I do no consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.
Philippians 3:12-14
