This past week, I plunged in to the culture and city of Arequipa…

Last Sunday night my roommate and I were riding in a taxi and got rear-ended by another taxi. The impact was strong, and we were both dealing with head/neck/back aches, but it could have been far worse. We are very thankful for this!

Due to a shortage of teachers, my classes were changed to the afternoon for 2 weeks. Honestly, it was really frustrating because I learn best in the morning, but I decided to make the most of it and take the mornings to explore the city and study.

This is how I spent the past week:

Monday morning I went to the post office to pick up a package and as I had been warned, it took an unbelievable amount of time. I arrived at 8:20am and there were 3 people in line ahead of me. The international package window opened at 8:30am and the first person got their package at 9:15am. At 10am, I was called in, filled out forms, opened the package for them to see what I received (thanks for the peanut butter, Mom!), and by 10:20 I was done. Thankfully they had time to get my friend Leanne her package also before they closed at 10:30am. Yes. That’s right. They are only open for 2 hours in the morning and 2 hours in the afternoon. Remember that the next time you're standing in line in the post office in the U.S. :)

Tuesday, as I was taking my laundry to be cleaned, I saw the owner of our school and got to practice my Spanish with her. I continued on my way downtown when an old man started talking to me and told me about all the places I needed to see while I was in Peru. He gave me his card and his wife’s name and told me to call them if I needed anything. I finally reached the laundry place and spent the rest of the morning studying in a coffee shop where they now know me like my friends at the Kam Starbucks.

On the way to pick up my clothes on Wednesday morning I walked through 3 different protests. One was in front of the Justice building, one was in for teachers and took place in the Plaza de Armas and the final one was on San Francisco, a street adjacent to the Plaza. As I was walking up San Francisco, I noticed there were a lot of people in the street. I assumed it was another protest, but what I couldn’t see was the line of 50 police officers with their shields on one side of the street! As I got closer, I didn’t know whether to turn around and go another way, or continue up the street but just then I saw an old woman trying to sell ice creams to the police officers, so I figured it wasn’t too dangerous. UNFORTUNATELY, that was the one day I left the house without my camera!

Thursday morning I awoke at 4:30am, showered, and left the house at 5:15am with my sister, Tati, for a procession in the Plaza de Armas. In Peru, and other countries, Catholics celebrate October as the month of purple. It is a month of celebration and reflection on the miracles of Jesus. He is called, “El Señor de los Milagros”. In the procession there is an enormous painting of Jesus surrounded by vases of flowers that is carried from one cathedral to another and all the people sing and pray while walking. It took 40 men to carry the painting and flowers and every half block or so they had to change out the people carrying it and every time it was re-lifted, the people applauded. It was one of the most interesting and beautiful things I’ve ever witnessed and I’m so thankful for the experience.

On Friday, in the Plaza de Armas, I witnessed a demonstration for world peace done by hundreds of children and youth. Most of the youth were holding posters they had made, some girls were holding flags from countries around the world, and there was a band playing music. It seemed that everywhere I went that day in downtown there were children with orange posters for world peace. It made me really happy :)

In honor of my upcoming birthday, my weekend was filled with things that remind me of home. We ate sushi and miso soup on Friday night, crepes and coffee on Saturday morning, and had a LOST marathon Saturday afternoon. It was the first day since I’ve been here that I got to just hang out and not do anything. (We all need those days from time to time!)

Sunday we went to church and I was excited to learn that my Spanish comprehension increases more and more every week. I am very thankful for the progress I’ve made thus far and want to work really hard for the next two months in order to be ready to meet and connect with my Peruana partner and jump into the next stage of training.

Thank you all so much for your love and support. There is no way I could do this without you.

Aloha Means Te Amo,
Suthee J

The Hardest Part...

So much has happened since my last blog which I will get into later, but for now I'd like to share the hardest part of being in Peru...

Honestly, I thought I would perfectly content and free of culture shock until we got to Iquitos. Arequipa ia very modern and thus far there isn't much I can't find here (besides miso soup and orbitz gum). But today I called my dad on Skype to find out my Gram is in the hospital. She was on her way to the doctor (I believe) and some girl u-turned and hit the car she was in and now my Gram is in the ER with 2 broken ribs.

So today I am facing my worst fear- that something will happen to my family while I am so far away- and it sucks.

But, in every moment we have a choice, and in this one I am choosing to believe that she will be okay. I am choosing to put my faith and trust in the One who called me here...especially when things happen that are out of my control. I am choosing to be thankful I am here, even though I desperately wish I was close to my family.

What will YOU choose?

Aloha means Te Amo,
Suthee :)

Present Tense

In my first 2 weeks of Spanish class I could only speak in the present tense. There were times when I was frustrated that I couldn’t explain something because I couldn’t speak of the past or future. At first, I viewed this as a limit but the funny thing about limits is that, more often than not, they lead a different kind of freedom. In my limited knowledge, I became free to really explore the present moment. I’m not saying the past and future aren’t important, of course they are! The past has contributed to who we are and the future will grow from the choices we make in the present. However, when you can only speak of this moment you begin to realize how much you talk about that is out of your hands. It’s sad to me when I think of how much time and energy I’ve expended over things I could not change or control (and so as not to repeat those mistakes, I won’t continue on that subject anymore!).

I’m so thankful for the past 2 weeks of not being able to speak about anything but the present. I’m so thankful to be fully present in this moment, that I can appreciate all I’d normally take for granted.

Learning Spanish is teaching me more about myself and life than I would’ve thought possible. And that is always a good place to be. I challenge you to find ways to be fully present in this moment.

Aloha Means Te Amo,
Suthee :)

Day by Day...

Today I spoke with some of my 4th grade students from Hawaii on Skype and cried because I miss them terribly. This did not surprise me, but what DID surprise me was that the peace in my heart did not waver. I remain confident that THIS place is the place for THIS moment. It is a strange thing to completely love the people of another place and yet know that the right place, for the moment, is so far from them. I am again filled with overwhelming gratitude for my ohana that is matched only by the quiet confidence that I am exactly where I should be...

And I believe this moment is blessed.

Aloha Means Te Amo,
Suthee :)

Esperar

In spanish class this week I learned that the word "esperar" means to hope, to wait, to expect. In practicing my vocabulary, every time I came to "esperar" my thoughts turned to this verse, "Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see". I love the spanish language- even more so when I learned about the different meanings for esperar.

Waiting for something we haven't seen is an act of HOPE. Sometimes it is easy to forget that. Sometimes we think that waiting is futile because we do not have hope. But when we wait with expectation-- how incredible it is to see our hope fulfilled!

"Espero al Senor, lo espero con toda el alma; en su palabra he puesto mi esperanza." Salmos 130:5 (Psalm 130:5)

Aloha Means Te Amo,
Suthee :)

Leer Means to Read

Yesterday my spanish speaking German sister, Francesca, took Brittany (my roommate) and I to some of her favorite places near La Plaza de Armas. Our last stop was a "fake" bookstore where you can get almost any classic book in espanol very cheap. I just started 'The Magician's Nephew' by CS Lewis (thanks to Eick) so when I saw 'El Sobrino del Mago' I decided to attempt it in espanol also.

HA! Yeah... I'm on page 3. And please don't ask how long it took me to get there :)

Despite the difficulty, I am very excited to be learning spanish for real. It's nice to finally know how to form sentences! My hope is that I will learn a lot these 3 months in order to be a better partner to my Peruana counterpart. And that this effort will translate into a genuine love for the people of Peru.

Ojala (I hope)!

Aloha Means Te Amo,
Suthee :)

Bend Not Break

As hard as it may be for you to believe, I haven't listened to my iPod since I left for Peru. I've thought it was strange, but wasn't sure why I hadn't.

Then today I turned it on and listened to Hide & Seek by Imogen Heap (I realize a lot of you have no idea who that is, sorry). I wasn't sad, wasn't homesick, but when I heard that song I remembered the last time I listened to it and started to cry. Strange, no? The memory I have in connection to that song is a great one: riding in the back of my friend Cati's truck, taking in the beauty of the ocean & mountains of Hawaii.

It's strange when you begin to realize that your life is no longer your life. Strange when you realize this new place is your now your place. These new people are now your people. The Israelites struggled with this one for decades. Hopefully I can learn from them, so, I'm determined to welcome this new life with open arms, and not rebel against the unfamiliarity. Determined to take in each day and find the beauty that awaits. Even when it looks much different than that of the old familiar places.

Change is always difficult. But I'm learning to bend through the change and allow it to mold me, not break me.

Aloha Means I Love You,
Suthee :)