Hola mis amigos!
Since last time, I have fallen even more in love with Peru! I am now a combi expert and I think I have tried just about all the traditional Peruvian food! I frequent the outdoor market, eating two course meals for 5 soles (about 2 dollars), drinking surtidos (mixed fruit juices), and eating every interesting looking fruit and vegetable in sight! If only I could speak Spanish better, I think I would be like the locals!
My personal life has been a bet hectic lately, super emotional, with a lot of confusion and little clarity. Without going into detail (because who actually wants to hear a sob story?!), I think this minor (or major) bump in my life has put things into perspective. I think that it's good to have a little jolt that makes you realize what is important in life, what relationships are worth pursuing, and what kind of life I would really like to live. I guess what it comes down to is that, like most people, I just want a life full of love and laughter. A life that doesn't take things so seriously but enjoys the simple moments, a life in community with others, a life serving those in need, and a life full of joy.
With that said, I must admit that I have embracing the beauty that Peru has to offer. Last weekend I went to Huacachina, a desert oasis about 5 hours south of Lima. The actual oasis is murky, green, and smells a bit like sewage, but the sand dunes surrounding the oasis are amazing! It felt like I was in Egypt or somewhere, definitely not Peru! I took a dune buggy for a 2 hour excursion around the sand dunes. It was both frightening and exhilarating! I felt like a child, screaming and laughing (mostly at the older Japanese couple in front of me who were giggling like school girls)! The driver stopped 4 times, handed us each a snowboard, and one by one we laid on our bellies, with our arms tucked under us and our feet in the air, and were pushed down huge slopes of sand. It was terrifying! About halfway down each slope, I thought, wow, one bad bump and I might actually die! Luckily there were only a few minor injuries and a lot of sand in the face.
I have also been salsa dancing as often as possible. I was lucky in Huacachina where there were plenty of gay men eager to teach a gringa how to dance salsa. I was tossed from gay man to gay man, each outdoing the other in moving their hips, in dipping, and fancy footwork. Turns out I LOVE Salsa dancing!
I feel like I finally am making friends with the people at the hospital. While the language barrier is still very present, I feel like I am at least understanding them better and am able to laugh with them when they joke. Today we celebrated Father's Day and our friend Danni's birthday. We got very little work done because like any day of celebration, we spent the morning preparing! It's so funny when they sing Happy Birthday because they start out singing in English all slow and boring and then start clapping and singing lively in Spanish. It's fantastic!
Tomorrow my friend Dr. Tran comes to Peru! I am so excited to have a friend to share the city with! First thing on our agenda: Salsa dancing of course!! Nate is coming in a week and then we are off to Cuzco and maybe Arequipas...so much fun ahead!
Thanks for all of your support and love. I miss you all very much and can't wait to be with you again state side! Besitos!
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