Muy Sismico!

We´ve had two small earthquakes (tremblores) since we´ve been here in Arequipa. Luckily no terremotos (large, disasterous earthquakes.) The last one of those happened in 2001, when many neighborhoods in Arequipa looked like this:

In any case, there´s no cause for worry: the locals don´t really even seem to notice when the little tremblers happen -- they just go on with their daily business as if nothing has happened.

We´ve been feeling a bit tired lately. This is probably partly due to the altitude (Arequipa sits at almost 8,000 feet!) but also to a rather relentless school schedule and lots of walking all around town. So it´s time to go home and take a nap I think.

MP

Nice weekend, New Week.

Hello everyone! Well, we had a nice weekend here in Arequipa. We kind of took it easy and went on one little outing and did a lot of sleeping. Some cool things:

One of our teachers Giovanna and her friend Rosa took us out to lunch in an outlying district of Arequipa. We went to a so called ¨typical¨ Arequpenian resturaunt that turned out to be an absolutely massive eatery that probably could have seated about 800 people. The principal dish on offer was deep fried hunks of pork (chicarones) Matt and I had ours with a beer, fried sweet potatoes and stuffed hot hot chillis. Here is Matt P, Giovanna and Rosa after the meal:

Our two friends also took us to the top of a local Mirador (lookout) in that neighborhood. It was a nice view despite the clouds covering the mountains. You could really see the full spectrum of this city from the top. And there is quite a spectrum : from the wealthy neighborhoods, like the one in which we are living to the poor districts that stretch as far as the eye can see towards the edges of the city:

Las week, Matt and I visited a museum in the center of Arequipa that is home to some of the famous mummies discovered buried and amazingly preserved atop the local mountains. Several were in fact discovered near the top of El Misti, the volcano visible from our bedroom window. The most famous of the young mummies (they were mostly young girls, sacrificed to placate the mountain gods) is named Juanita (see photo below.) However she was not home when we called, so we saw another, similar mummy by the name of Sarita. Both are many hundreds of years old, but their skin, hair and clothes have been amazingly preserved by the cold. To make sure this continues, they spend their days in ice-cold tanks. The museum was very interesting, full of amazing incan artifacts and artwork.

Otherwise, we spent the weekend relaxing, watching the biggest football (soccer) game of the year on TV (River v. Boca, Argentina´s two largest teams.) We also had the privilege of cooking dinner on Sunday for our host family. Very fun.

And then this morning, a new week and back to school. Here is my new best friend:

I found out that there is another word for ¨dictionary¨in Spanish: mataburro. (I hope I spelled this right, it´s slang and therefore not in the ... um ... dictionary) It translates roughly as ¨kill the donkey¨, a reference to one´s desire to dispatch with one´s own brain because one is forced to consult the book. In my case, I´d have mata´d my burro on the very first day. My sentences (such as they are) are tortured by long pauses so that I can look up words. But school this morning was pleasant. We always have a long-ish coffee break and discussion on the patio half way through the morning. Here´s Matt L with la profesora Giovanna, nuestra directora Sra. Lula Diaz de Seelhofer, Favricio (another teacher) and Carolina, a woman from Scotland. Notice how (including me) there are as many teachers as students.


-MP

Life in Arequipa

Matt and I have been here in Arequipa for almost a week now, and the reality of daily life here is only now strating to sink in. I believe they call this culture shock. EVERYTHING is different. Well, that is a bit of an overstatement perhaps, but I can say that nearly everything is different ... the food, the people, the way of life, the sound of the place, the pace of life (which is strangely both very rapid and very relaxed) ... Another challenge for me (less so for Matt, who is a spanish superstar and is struggling only with rather advanced and obscure things like the subjunctive) is that I can't yet communicate well enough to do all but the simplest things. I can order in resturaunts, tell the cab where to go, etc etc ... but otherwise I am rather useless, what with my vocabulary of about 300 words and my lack of a past tense. The lack of a past tense is a bigger deal than I would have ever thought. I guess it's obvious when I write it now, but you can't really tell any stories about the past at all, which means you live in this sort of fractured, tortured present, where what little you can say must be happening now, or about to happen really soon. For now, there is only the present for me -- the past I get to learn in the later part of next week, but the future (in at least one form) becomes available soon.


Speaking of learning spanish, our school is called the ...





It is a nice place, located in a series of offices in a very historical old colonial building in the center of town. I'll have more photos soon. Our profesora is the Senora Lula de Seelhofer, a lovely Peruvian woman who has lived all over the world with her Swiss husband Max. We have other teachers, etc ... I'll have to do a special post about them soon, but for now you'll just have to look at the sign on the door. Every morning at 8 am, Matt and I leave our lodgings in Cayma, a neighborhood 25 minutes by foot from the Plaza de Armas (central square) ... La plaza is where all of the action is. For example, here is a photo from the other day of a man dressed in a green Santa Claus suit being questioned by city police:




Most people in Arequipa get around on foot, by various forms of semi-public transportation, or by taxi. The taxis in Arequipa are everywhere. Most are tiny and yellow, smaller than the smallest subcompacts in the US. Taking a 2 km ride in one costs about a dollar:






The taxis cram the streets near the center, sometimes creating great yellow plugs of honking traffic:





Most people seem to get around in combis, which are shared vans or private taxis that operate as the bus system. A young man (usually alarmingly young, like 13 years old or so) hangs out the sliding door of the van and yells its destinations as it cruises by the sidewalk. Then you just jump on and pay him for the ride. Here is a combi:





There are essentially no traffic laws. There are some traffic lights, but obeying them is somewhat optional unless there is a traffic cop nearby. Most intersections are just charged on into and the details are worked out later. Crossing the street is an adventure.

Anyway, more later, but I just wanted to post a bit about the city we are in. I hope all is well wher you are. All is well here!


-MP

Monasterio Santa Catalina

Today after school we visited the beautiful and justly famous Monistario de Santa Catalina here in Arequipa. This convent, still home to some 30 cloistered nuns (who bake excellent cakes as we found out), was at one time one of the wealthiest and largest religious communities in Peru. Our guide Martha told us that it was customary for all important families to send one of their daughters to live in the convent. The beautiful art found throughout the convent is testament to centuries of patronage by the rich and famous of colonial Arequipa. It´s a stunning place.

For centuries, the women of the community lived entirely within the confines of this one city block. The community has its own streets, facilities and kitchens. There are plazas and meeting rooms, many chapels and houses for the various nuns, some of whom were aparently wealthy and important, like their families on the outside. Here, an artist sketches the main plaza with the convent:



The rooftops served as gardens and lookouts. Here´s a view from the top of one of the building, towads the convent church:



It is hard to describe how much being in the compound it felt like going back in time. Until 1970, the nuns still lived and worked in these halls. How the remaining sisters live in a more modern building next to the old convent.

Here´s one of the many walkways:



And the convent bakery with its well:



A beautiful carved cabinet door:



Many of the nun´s rooms had images of the virgin mary or other saints. Here is one of the mourning virgin:

This room contained portraits of 13 of the mother superiors and the ornate stretcher upon which nuns were carried after death to their final resting place in the adjacent cemetary:

This is one of the most amazing places either of us had ever been.

-MP

What a View!

This morning we work up to an amazing view out our bedroom window:



This is Volcan El Misti ... the huge volcano that towers above Arequipa. It stands at around 20,000 feet! Out another window in the same apartment, you can see its sister mountain, which is even higher, though not volcanic. This was an amazing sight to see first thing in the morning after 2 days of clouds.

The night before, Matt L taught Fernando, the 16 year old son of our host mother, how to play bridge ... in Spanish!!!!!!!

More tomorrow about our day in school etc ...

ML MP

Estamos en Arequipa!

Hello friends, family and everyone! We are safe and sound in Arequipa, Peru. We had some significant travel "challenges" getting here (mostly involving bad weather in the US and silly airlines.) So we ended up spending a night in New York, a day in Miami, and then finally made it here a day later than planned. But this city is BEAUTIFUL. Muy muy linda! Much much more to come in this blog about Arequipa and everything we are doing, but for now, know that we are safe and happy in the capable hands of Senora Gladys y su familia, our hosts. As proof of our arrival, here we are in the Plaza de Armas (city square) in the center of Arequipa

ML,MP

The Dreaded Death

Yesterday, our dear friends Larry and Gundula visited us at my parent's home in Indiana. The merging of my Holden life and my Indiana life was full of joy and good food and lively conversation (a lot like Holden). But nothing can bring two women together like hair.

After a series of unfortunate events, I had decided that maybe it was time for the dreadies to go. Gundula, who was the last person to cut my hair over 18 months ago at Holden, brought her "hair kit", and she and my mom Betty gleefully chopped my little 'uns out of of my hair. I was in my parent's kitchen, but it could have been Chalet 3. I guess it wasn't really such a dreadful death for them after all.







Spring fresh scent, anyone?

ML

Noah Wilson, Baller Extraordinaire

One of the highlights of our trip to Indiana was hanging out with my nephew Noah. He just turned 1 year old last week and already he's ready to hit the court and take out the competition just like his mama.



ML

Arrival in Peru

Well, at long last we have arrived in the exotic land of Peru. Surely Peru is right to boast that it has given our world so many famous people ... Cole Porter, John S. "Ole" Olsen. We hope that James R. Walker, the mayor of this great nation, will forever preserve its status as the "Circus Capital of the World". Praise.

ML, MP

Back to Bethel

Today Matt showed me around his alma mater Bethel College of Indiana. I'd heard so much about this place, so many stories etc, and I've known for so long that it's a place where Matt went though so many very formative experiences (sometimes for the better, sometimes not) that I was very excited to see the place.

This morning, we met Dr. Kathy Gribbin, Bethel's dean of students and an old adviser and confidant of Matt's at a South Bend pancake resturaunt for some good conversation and "catching up" ... I didn't know all of the people they were talking about, but I did know some, and felt good being around Kathy again. She was very gracious. Later, we met up with her again in her office, where I took this photo of Matt and Kathy:



Bethel is a college of the Missionary Church, which has its roots in Mennonite Anabaptist protestantism and the evangelical movement. It is a very international church, with most of its congregations and members located outside of the US. There is a heavy emphasis on evangelism and the spreading of the Church's doctrine.




From the preamble to the Church's constitution:

...the Missionary Church will be better understood by the reader who recognizes that a singular commitment of our early leaders was to the position that the Scriptures were to be the primary source of doctrine and life. In addition to this commitment to be a biblical church, we recognize the contribution of John Wesley's emphasis on "the warmed heart"; A.B. Simpson's fourfold emphasis on Jesus Christ as Savior, Sanctifier, Healer and Coming King; the Anabaptist concepts of community and brotherhood; the evangelical emphases of the lost estate of mankind and redemption through Jesus Christ. The Missionary Church, then, is a unique blend of the thought and life of a people who have sought to build their church according to Scriptures and who have appreciated their historical roots.
(more at Wikipedia)

After a tour of the campus, we stopped by Ashli Hepler's tree, a tree recently dedicated to the memory of one of Matt's college friends who died of cancer this year. Ashli's death weighed heavily on Matt while we were at Holden, and seeing this tree was just another reminder for me of the kind of connections we all have to the places were we've lived and loved. Here is Matt by the tree:



The biblical Bethel is the place named by Jacob in the book of Genesis. It's the place where he falls asleep and has his famous vision of the ladder to heaven, with its descending/ascending streams of angels. It's a "thin place" where the usual boundaries between worlds are minimized, and pathways open.


(John August Swanson, the Dream of Jacob)

Of the several promises that God (who is standing at the top of the ladder in the dream) makes to Jacob in the dream, there is one that stands out for me today as I think of walking around this place with Matt:

[I] ... will bring you back to this land; for I will not leave you until I have done what I have promised you. (Genesis 28:15)

Today we came back to Matt's own land of Bethel. Something in me tells me that these "lands" -- all of our own personal places -- draw us back for particular reasons: because they are home, because they explain things about us, because they have become part of our own selves. Or maybe it is we who are not done with these places -- perhaps we have unresolved business, new hope, and new conversations to undertake in them. In any case, it was good to be here today to see a part of Matt's past and present. It felt somehow promising.

MP

Axel Ken, Superstar

At the risk of being one of those people who puts baby pictures on his blog and asks everyone to look and see how cute his baby-of-choice is etc etc ... I am going to do exactly that, but first please know that my nephew, Axel Ken Perry has been independently declared (by a strange man in Bellingham Barnes and Noble store) to be the cutest baby in the world. So I feel some justification. Anyway, here I am with my nephew. He's trying on a rasa-hat at the Jean Queen store on Commercia Drive in Vancouver (taken last week).



MP

Political? Me?

Well yes, sometimes, and right now Matt L and I are both feeling very excited about Barack Obama. I've kind of liked him for a while now, and recently Matt has caught the Barack bug ... Let's get him elected y'all! This is the kind of thing this country can do right now to change our image and our reality here and around the world.



-MP

Eucharistic ramblings and random encounters

Tonight we attended Church of the Apostles (COTA), an emerging church here in Seattle rooted in the Lutheran and Episcopal traditions. Matt and I had heard a lot about COTA from our friend Nadia, herself a pastor of another emerging church in Denver. It definitely gave us a starting place for seeking spiritual community when we return to Seattle after our South America trip. Although liturgical, it felt organic and alive, like an young bud with surprisingly deep roots.

As it was our first time attending, we expected not to know anyone. After about 30 seconds, I saw Katherine and Julia Hinderlie and Josh Samuelson. It felt so wonderful to see fellow Holdenites on "the outs", the first we'd seen since we left almost two weeks ago. And to share the peace and light candles and participate the in Eucharist together with this Holden family did my heart much good. As the proclamation from Ephesians 3 hit my ears, the voice I heard in my head was Paul Hinderlie's. Then, as we lined up to enter the labryinth, the center of which held the bread, we saw Josh Post and Josh Graber. So there we all were, randomly - 3 Joshes, 2 Matts and 2 Hinderlies. All we needed was burrito bar and a Bombardier.

In the 13 days that have passed since Matt and I left the Village, we have attended 3 Eucharist services in three different churches. I find myself anticipating the chance to participate in this sacrament. Why? What is the draw? ....In remembrance of me .....shed for the forgiveness of sin. Broken body and shed blood for forgiveness of sin? Celebrated as a "feast"? It is a mystery that, even as I read my own words, seems so foolish. But then my heart remembers Holden, and I am compelled to enter into this foolishness. If forgiveness is done and the banquet table is set, what else is left but to feast? It is here, at this banquet table, where we find God; broken body, shed blood. This is what I tasted, of what I caught glimpses, at Holden. And I am seeing it can be found anywhere forgiveness is found and bread is broken.

-ML

Homeless at Last!

We rely on the grace and generosity of family and friends in these in-between days ... these days before we depart for adventures in South America, but after we've left Holden Village. During our time in Canada, we spent days and nights with my Mom and her husband Dieter, and with my Dad and his wife Pamela. Both sets of parents were very inviting. We also saw my bellicose, though bountiful grandmother in Bellingham. And my brother Seth -- oh Seth! An up-and-coming comic in Vancouver. We had the privilege of seeing him perform. And of course there was my dear brother Ben and Sister-in-law Naomi, who are such wonderful, real people. I wish they were more often in our lives, and not only because of their delightful son, my nephew the STAR - Axel. Axel has recently been declared the most beautiful baby in the world by several impartial passers-by, and we agree.

Christmas: Ben holds Axel amid a pile of his Christmas debris as my grandma and I watch.




Now we are in the hospitable apartment of our friends Libby and Jordan in Seattle, ready to make the most of our preparations for travel. Earlier today, when we left Bellingham, my mother Britt took this picture of us, dealing with our "homelessness".





-MP