Life So Far...

Hello again,

It's been quite awhile since my last post. Guess I'm not very good at keeping this up-to-date. Life here has been interesting thus far. It has been the hardest thing I have ever willingly put myself through. I came here expecting to go on this amazing adventure and love every minute of it. It has definitely been an adventure, but not in the way I expected. Working at a small international school is a lot harder than I expected. The school is going through an accreditation process which means a lot more work for the teachers. There is an overabundant amount of work on top of the normal requirements of a teacher and for awhile it got very overwhelming. I was actually working 7 days a week, 9-10 hour days. That is way too much for anyone. Working that much was really affecting all aspects of my life, especially my spiritual life. At the beginning of October we had a four day weekend, so some friends and I decided to go away for the weekend and take a break from work.

We spent the weekend on the beach in Arica, Chile and it was an absolutely amazing weekend. It was exactly what I need to gain perspective. Being about to take a step back from work really help me to see where my priorities were and where they should be. I realized that for my own health and sanity I needed to not work so hard, but actually enjoy the time I have in Peru. I went to Chile with four other people for three days. We flew down to southern Peru and drove over the border to Chile. We spent the three days relaxing on the beach, boogie boarding, playing Frisbee, sand volleyball, card games, and had an exuberant amount of laughter. It was an extremely relaxing time and I wish I was back there. The above picture is of John Swaney, Jon Bernhardt, Marissa Parsons, Jenette Cline, and I enjoying the sunset in Arica, Chile.

Since Chile, my time here has been a lot better. I have been really proactive about not working so much and enjoying my time in Lima. This weekend is Thanksgiving weekend and I decided to stay in Lima for the break. On Thanksgiving day I went to a potluck that a few of my coworkers were having. There was a traditional meal which made being away from home a lot easier. The next day I went to a beach in the southern part of Lima with 6 other friends. It was so fun. The waves were huge, probably the biggest I have ever seen. Since the waves were so big, it allowed dolphins to come really close to the shore. I have never seen a dolphin in the wild before so it made it that much cooler to see them jumping out of the waves. A few of us took boogie boards out and tried to ride the waves. We were extremely unsuccessful. They were so big it made it impossible to ride them. As soon as the waves hit me, it would just throw me around. It was really fun/intimidating to be next to waves that size.

The next day, 5 of us decided that we were going to go surfing. I have never surfed before so it was really fun to learn. It is a lot harder than I thought it would be. I am so sore from paddling out every time. I successfully stood up twice though, but only for a few second each time. While out there, we swam next to a jellyfish that was a good two feet wide. Talk about feeling helpless. I was happy once I got away from that. Now that the weather is getting nicer here I am really excited about spending more time at the beach.

There is only three more weeks left in the semester and then I go back to Colorado for a month. I have really missed all of you so much and I can't wait to see you all. I am so blessed by each and every one of you. I now have a phone that can call to and from the states. The number is 724-687-9071. Feel free to call me anytime. Again, thank you so much for all your prayers and support.

Andrea

P.S. As I was sitting here write this blog, Lima had an earthquake. There have been a lot here, but I haven't felt any of them, until today. I am glad I finally felt one. Now I can say I truly live in Peru:)