18 May, 2012

new kicks.

lovely family mailed these TOMS down to me for my birthday.
i.love.them.

aren't they perfect?!  just in time for fall/"winter" weather here!!!
thanks Bobichs!!!

gaby is 14!

my little host sister turned 14!


it was her delight to make her own birthday cake to bring to school to share
with her friends and teachers : )
she chose to make Banana cake with Cream Cheese frosting and top it with BonBons.


make a wish!



the Avengers/ los Vengadores.

Movie Night!
I went to see the Avengers 3D with some friends.
The 7:30 movie was sold out, so we went to the 10:30 show {yawn!}
So because we had time to kill, we went out for coffee before the movie in the Center of the city.
And we took some photos :)

Graciela, Jose Luis, me & Emerson

the wanna-be Avengers! haha

100!

this is my 100th post since having my blog (Septemberish, 2006).
Ha!  I've had it for awhile...

But to celebrate my 100th post, I wanted to share the 100 day countdown to London Olympics picture/video.



I.LOVE.THE.OLYMPICS!!!!

I can't wait for the London Olympics, I SO want to go!!  But I will just be a fan here in Peru, and try to get some Peruvians pumped for it too :) :) :)

this pic was taken on April 18th... there are now 70 days until the Olympics.. but who's counting??! (me)

Here's a video about the picture above:



world view.

a few weeks back i went to grab a bite to eat with a good friend after she showed me around the U.
we were, or more i was, talking about below's sermon by David Platt.

we were talking about the world, and at one point in the conversation my friend, L, asks:
"ok, well, how many continents are there?" (as a rhetorical question)
me: "7"
L: "7?! there's 5 silly!"
me: "hahaha, that's funny, there's definately more than 5!!! there's 7!  that's what I learned in school!"
L: "really?!  I learned in school that there are 5!!"

right there i was having a cultural moment.
my thoughts: how could Peru teach there were 5 continents when clearly there are 7!
ok, i'll step down from my platform and try to listen and wrap my head around this.

here is my view of the world:
7 continents : N. America, S. America, Africa, Europe, Asia, Australia & Antarctica
L's view of the world:

5 continents : America, Africa, Europe, Asia & Australia
Do you see the difference?
Ok first, L just disregarded Antarctica... she said, really no one lives there, so it really isn't a continent... Hahaha, I laughed, and thought, ok, so then there is 6 in her mind, but they just don't count one.

So the big difference: is North American and South America!!!!
They just include it all into one, it's just one America.
One is more North, and one is more South, but it's just one.

I admired this way of thinking, and it made me appreciate the collectiveness of her world view -- I've been raised in more of an individualistic society, and this small exchange has proven it true.

However I must say, it made me hate the name of my country because it's hard to identify myself.
I can't say I'm "American," because their response, "me too!"
I mean come on: Peru = Peruvian, Switzerland = Swiss, England = British, Germany = German... so easy for them!

So that is why I have accepted my name that they have given me: "Gringa"
and I receive it as a term of endearment : )

Annie the Gringa, it sounds nice, right?!

26 April, 2012

challenged & encouraged.

David Platt (one of my faves for sure) gave this exceptional sermon on Missions.
Here it is said to be "one of the best sermons on missions you'll ever hear."

It's well worth an hour of your time.
I was challenged and encouraged - not guilted - to be more pointed in praying for the advancement of the Gospel of Christ.




"The greatest news in all the world is that the slaughtered lamb of God reigns as the sovereign Lord of all."

25 April, 2012

my own kind of marathon...

Ruins (in the distance) in Chiquitoy --- see post below!

maybe i should just be honest and say that i'll be lucky to post once a month... :)
that's what i'll shoot for.
i'll share pictures, stories, cultural lessons, what i'm learning, etc.

i'm still running and running with the ebb and flow of life down here.
working 3 classes this month again, what a blessing!  i've been called to sub for other teachers which makes it a little more than 3 classes which helps me out financially.

although in American eyes i'm making peanuts as a wage, i'm so happy at the end of every month (you are paid monthly down here) to see that the Lord has provided for exactly what i need.
i have enough to cover my expenses, and a very little bit for necessities, taxis, and fun with friends.
it just fills my heart and calls my heart to worship my Provider.

i've had more days off in this last month since i've posted (7 collectively!!) than i've had since i've started-- which has been SO refreshing.

let me recap just what has been happening on this side of the equator...
- 1 trip outside T-city with friends
- 1 birthday
- 2 earthquakes (yikes!)
- 2 trips to the beach
- 3 trips to Starbucks!
- 3 months in Peru!
- 3 Easter church services
- 4 baking successes!
- 5 days under 80 degrees (more of that please!)
- 6 substitute days
- 7 vacation days
- 8 (ate) & cooked a meal with my small group
- 9 the number of times I was asked how old I am now from my students, ha!
- 10 minutes: how long it takes me to walk to work and get set up in my classroom

here are some posts about the end of march to april.
[i'm going to try to post them in order!]

giving thanks.

like i said in a previous post, when i was thinking about what to "lent" i couldn't think of anything besides chocolate... and really that's not even a struggle right now as the chocolate here is not even that good, and it isn't in the house.

so i thought that the lent season of 40 days, to best prepare my heart for Easter, i would jot down 10 things that I am thankful for, trying not to repeat any.  So i put a large piece of white paper on my door, and every night i jotted down {at least} 10 things i was grateful for.
it was a discipline for me (especially when you are just snuggled up in bed, and you remember you forgot to write!) and it really called my heart to be more grateful: something i'm really learning i need to be more of.

Easter in Peru was so wonderful.
 i feel like my heart was prepared to worship
and be in awe of the great sacrifice on the Cross...
which the center of Christianity.

By his wounds, I am heal.
Thank you Jesus.


side note: 
i still have it up, it's a good reminder to me, 
and it's fun to look back even to the end of february 
and see how the Lord was faithful and gracious.

pollo & caramel macchiato. (but not together)

after surviving my second month of teaching, we had 2 whole days off to recover, and then started the April cycle of classes.
what did i do in my 2 days?!
well, i entered the marks for my classes from March one day, and the second day i prepped classes for the next day :)
ok, i DID have some fun!

a lovely British friend from my school is heading home this month.  her and her Peruvian fiancĂ© invited me out for pollo a la brasa.  that's fancy (or spanish) for grilled chicken & french fries!!
i hadn't had it yet, so they took me to a delightful chicken place: we ate, we laughed, and we had fun.  i will be sad to see her go :(
they brought me (and treated!) because 2 months back i helped her fiancĂ© in asking for her hand in marriage with his to-be in-laws via skype.  it was really sweet actually to be a part of that!
praying that the Lord will bless this time as they prepare for a life together.

i also finally went to Starbucks that is here in T-city -- yes to carmel macchiato!!!
being in a starbucks i really felt like i was bolted into another world... a world so familiar.
it warmed my heart.
delicious coffee, dear friends, great chats.

as a side note: in coming here, i came knowing many people here, and having friends.  but as i was preparing, i felt that the Lord was asking me to be open to new friends.  in reality, i didn't want new friends, i was just so excited to build on the friendships i already.  but i was open, and have been open.  he has brought me friendships that, only of the Lord, have gone deep and real in such a short time.
again, so blessed by that.



chiquitoy.

i'm just so awful at making decisions!
after starting the April cycle of classes on a Saturday, we had 5 days of classes before Easter break (4 days! + I asked for Monday off for my bday and they gave it to me!! = 5 days offffff!!)

a group of my good friends invited me to go out of Trujillo for 2 days, 1 night.  they hesitantly invited me because they didn't have much planned, and it was expected to be pretty rustic.  it was a "last minute adventure."
the Chiquitoy gang --- Edson, Laly, Lessly, moi, Catrina (from Switerland), Kati & Alex
i was looking forward to 5 whole days off, and what did I want to do most??  clean my room and bake. 2 things I couldn't do outside of T-city.

much of the scenery in Northern-Costal Peru
after much contemplation, i decided to go midnight the night before.  i had to be at Lessly's house at 7am!!  i had no idea what i was getting into.

6 friends, one bus, and one bumpy convi ride through fields of sugar cane, we arrived to chiquitoy.
a pueblito--town/village.
we went to the house of one of the friend's grandparents.  however, it's been abandonded!
his grandparents recently moved to T-city.
no stove, running water at some hours during the day (thankfully a bathroom!) and a very dusty/dirty house welcomed us.
we started cleaning, me understanding this is where we were going to sleep.
we also went to the local market to find out what we would eat.  a few that were back at the house cleaning got a fire started in the back patio to cook the food over.
we came up with tuna, tomato, lime and onion salad, white rice (never go anywhere without your rice cooker!), potatoes and juice.
it was seriously like the fish and 5 loaves of bread... okay, there were only 7 of us, but this is probably the closest i've been!  the food was suffice to fill our bellies, and we gave thanks to the Lord.

next we went to the town's horse locale.  the owners opened the gates to welcome us in, and there were probably 100 horses in all.  we pet them, took pics, and maybe named a few of them!

then, a friend of a friend invited all of us to sleep on the beach with his family.
we agreed, and said we would walk to the beach.
the powerlines in the far off distance was 1/2 way :)
we were told that walking to the beach would be about 45 min-1 hour.  I just don't understand how they are ALWAYS so off on time here, it's nuts!  it took us 2 hours to walk, and it was about 10k.
We arrived when it was dark, so we set up camp and started to make our fire to cook supper (coffee to go with the bread we bought).
since it was Maunday Thursday (the day before Good Friday) we had a devotional time, prayer time, and song time.  it was so nice, and all with the sounds of the waves in the background!!
It was a really nice clean beach.  i think ALL of Chiquitoy was camping on the beach, there were so many people!!


the sleep got to be kinda hard at night, but it was nice.  the 5 girls crammed into 2-2 person tents.  the tent with only 2 girls (mine) had to hold all the valuables!
we ended up not having to walk back to Chiquitoy, thankfully!  we got a ride with the neighbor's in the back of their truck.



upon our arrival back at the house we prepared breakfast over fire.  having some spare time before our departure, we then walked to some old ruins in the midmorning/afternoon (another 45 min. walk each way---yes there are moto taxis, but we're too cheap!).


Ruins just outside of Chiquitoy -- Peru's history is SO fascinating!

hot and tired we returned, packed up our belongings, cleaned up the house, and were on our way back to T-city!

it was a nice trip, i look back on it with fond memories with great friends :)

birthday.

i had my first Peruvian birthday!
my birthday fell on the Monday after Easter, so I asked for that day off of work too, found substitutes, and i was set!!

in the morning Pastor Marco made me an omelette, yum!, and then i went up to the rooftop to spend time reading and journaling.  it was so refreshing and relaxing.  just thinking about this past year, the Lord's mercies, grace and blessings.  i've been blessed with another year of life, so grateful!  may i use this next year, if you will, to bring glory to your name.


Olenka and Gaby took me to Roky's for Pollo a la Brasa (again, yum!) and then my friend Lessly took me to the beach to walk, talk and watch the sunset.  so fun and chill.


the birthday sunset, a gift from above!

the ladies: Graciela, yo, Cinthia
the gentelman: Toño, Jorge and Sebastian











In the evening, my small group invited me out for Chifa: Chinese food!  I love Chinese food, but haven't tried it Peruvian style yet.

It was delish!!  But I enjoyed the company more, good friends, good food = good times!

When I got home, it was time to prepare for Pastor Marco's birthday!!  His birthday is the 10th, so Gaby and I walked the streets looking for ingredients to make him a birthday cake.  We decided on a Banana Cake, which turned out awesome!

The next day I returned to work, sigh.  No, it was actually so good to be back!  AND my students even threw me a surprise party!!  They took pics, hope to post them soon if they ever bring them for me!!

my Peruvian birthday was a success.  I also heard from many people via email, facebook, skype AND snail mail (packages & letters, so great!!) !!!!
Birthday singing on Easter Sunday from 2 sissys & 2 nieces!
Birthday singing on my bday from the rest of the fam!








Thank you all for your love!!

on the menu.

Mexican Lasagna, Guacamole & chips, and Chocolate Chip Cheesecake Bars.

my sweet small group asked me to teach them how to prepare an "American Dish."
i suggested we just go to Jano's for a burger and fries :)

i had no idea what to make... but i know that i really love Mexican food.
so, with hopes that they wouldn't get offended that I wanted to prepare a different Latino dish (I had to convince them that I LOVE Peruvian Cuisine more than Mexican, ha!), i suggested Mexican Lasagna.  They LOVE lasagna, but I wanted it to have a little bit of a Mexican flavor, instead of Italian.

It took us 2 hours to prepare and cook it all, but it was SO worth it!!
It turned out delicious, and we had so much fun :)

I love my {Peruvian} SG!!
(miss my SG in MN!!)


Full Bellies = success!!!

26 March, 2012

i have a dream...

In light of Martin Luther King, Jr. day, my sweet niece Myli had to write her "I have a dream..."

As she is just learning how to write, anything kids write at that time is so stinkin' cute.
I talked to my sister a couple weeks ago, and she told me about this project that Myli had to do, and she saw it in the hallway at Myli's school.  My sister, Alison, didn't know that Myli had to do this project, or what she wrote.


Much to her surprise, and mine, this is what Myli wrote:

"I have a dream that I can sped mor tim with my Anee"

Talk about filling and breaking an Auntie's heart at the same time!!!
I miss her!

beach time.


going to the beach is like going to the lake.
that's the norm in Minnesota...you grab what you can, throw it in a bag, and head to the lake for the afternoon to relax.

now the beach on the pacific ocean is my new lake.
the closest beach to T-city is like a 20 minute ride in a micro costing S./2 roundtrip (equaling less than a $1).  it's not the prettiest beach the locals say, they actually call it out ride gross and ugly.
but to me it's the BEACH by the OCEAN!!

I went on my 1 day off at the end of February, and I went on my afternoon free this last weekend.  I have 2 days off this week, so I will probably try to find a friend to go with this week too.
I actually swam in the water this past weekend, so fun!
the waves were pretty strong, and the beach is mostly rocks, so it's not super swimmer friendly, but it was still fun to get wet with my girlfriends!
Cynthia's niece Brittany making her sand castle
My dear friend Cinthia and me

Beach by Sunset with Catrina, Kati and Lokilinda :)

06 March, 2012

50 in 40. join me?

Lent season is underway.
I'm not usually a "Lenter" - I forget that it's coming, and by the time Fat Tuesday is here, I cannot think of anything to give up except for Chocolate, and that seems impossible, haha.  I guess that might be the point... but I've always wanted to participate and really be able to put my sight of the day that we will be celebrating 40 days from Ash Wednesday.

Lent can be abused and done for personal achievement; I want and desire to stay far away from that.
I, again, this year scrambled to figure out something to "give up" or "do" for Lent on Fat Tuesday -- I wanted to participate to really prepare my heart and put my vision on Easter Sunday, the day we celebrate Jesus' great conquer over the grave - He conquered DEATH that we may LIVE!!!!

I did not bring very many books with me to T-City... they weigh too much.  One book I did bring was Piper's "50 Reasons Why Jesus Came to Die."  They are 50 short blurbs about just why Jesus DID have to come to DIE for YOU and for ME.  It was no small act, no small sacrifice - it was most necessary for the HOPE of life beyond death.




I love Desiring God and how they offer FREE PDF books online.
One book, just our luck, is this book I am mentioning, read it &/or download it HERE.
Join me?
We are almost 2 weeks into Lent.  I read 1 or 2 chapters a day.
Even if you read just 1, you will be blessed.

Let us fix our eyes on Christ,
he who came as a MAN,
was CRUCIFIED, DIED,
and CONQUERED the grave.

Philippians 2:5-11 (ESV):
Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus, who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant,being born in the likeness of men. And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. Therefore God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.


Join me...
in being amazed, humbled, and blessed by Jesus' obedience to death.
One man died that many may live.

AMAZING love.

i lift my eyes up...

One afternoon I just needed to be filled.
NOT by man, not by man's words (phone, internet, in my house).

Where should I go?
Where should I turn?

I battled within, reluctant to go to the roof.
My spirit was SO willing, yet flesh so weak.
I marched up those 14 stairs to the rooftop to meet with my Lord.
Sitting down at the table, opening His Word, just then...
I looked out (NorthEast) and it HIT me.

My EYES could not behold the glory that was screaming from the mountains.
I cried.

He met me, He filled me, and He blessed me.

{note: the pictures cannot exactly capture the majestic beauty I saw in these "mountains"...
but trust me, they were, and still are, beautiful!}

On normal days, these mountains are not visible... and I've never seen them like this - purple mountains majesty!!
Soaking up the word under the canopy with clothes on the line :)














I lift my eyes up, unto the mountains, Where does my help come from?
My help comes from You, maker of heaven
Creator of the earth
Oh how I need you Lord, You are my only hope
You're my only prayer
So I will wait for You
To come and rescue me, To come and give me life



24 February, 2012

Sindy's Friends Dinner

Sindy wanted to have friends over for a dinner at her house before she left.
This was my first try at Peruvian Italian food as her mom made Lasagna... and it was good!

While waiting for the food, the tunes started pumpin and the 
oldest 2 Escobedo's started bustin' out their moves!


And the rest of us just watched....


And then {below} we were forced to join in... haha
(obviously by my huge smile (???) I was not having fun at all)



Me and Evita, #4 of 5 Escobedo siblings.

This night was so fun!!

First day of School.

I had a picture taken on my first day of school.
I was smiling then, and still am now :)


I'm grateful for a job that supplies for my financial needs & the opportunity to TEACH.
THIS day was a dream in the making for 5 years.

The Lord is so good, my heart overflows with gratitude.

Northern, Coastal Peru

My friend Sindy invited me to bus with her to Northern, Coastal Peru.
We went to Lobitos first.  A beach town - more like a village!
It is still kind of undiscovered, but becoming more and more popular with surfers.

Last year the Women's International Surf Competition was here, and this year will be the Men's. 
So they say that now everyone wants to know Lobitos :)
This is the pier right in front of the hostal we stayed at (Sindy's friends own the hostal)... we ate fresh fish and ceviche, YUM!!

Here is our walk back to the house/hostal on the pier.
My friend Sindy is on the right, and the big house you see in the 
distance is "Surf Camp" hostal where we stayed.

The beach when the tide is out.

This is entering Lobitos, the sign says, "Welcome to Lobitos"

We made a stop in Piura (a hot, hot city) on our way home and from there
took a taxi to Catacaus.  We just walked around and looked at the shops.


Later this night we took our overnight bus back to T-city.
A quick weekend trip, but so worth it!

Me and Sindy at sunset in Lobitos!!!