Relationships and Getting Started

So, what do I actually do during the day? My main goals for the next few months are to improve my Spanish, make relationships, and begin entering the music world of Trujillo. I spend about 4 hours studying Spanish everyday. My excellent tutor works with me 1-2 hours and I have a one hour group lesson. She is very encouraging which helps me keep going. Learning a language uses both parts of your brain which makes it exhausting. After a couple hours of Spanish study, I cannot remember English words anymore! In order to teach music and be active in the music community, I basically have to be fluent in Spanish. Many prayers in that regard are highly appreciated!

I usually go to work about 8:30 AM. The office is about 3-4 blocks away so I can easily walk. In the morning, I usually practice violin and study Spanish. Lunch here is from 1-3 so the days I don't have commitments (we have lunch with the interns one day and lunch with our "family" one day) I usually go to a Menú which is a small lunch place which usually serves a 2 course meal. The going rate for that is about 4 soles (a little less than 2 dollars). Today I had the traditional Lomito Saltado which is small pieces of tender beef with french fries, tomatoes, and onions. It came with soup and a really different juice drink. The juice looked like river water with bits floating around in it and tasted like barley tea with sweetener. Seth laughed and said he loved ordering something unknown.

After lunch, I prepare for my English class. I teach one advanced class at 4:00 PM Monday through Friday with 5 guy students. Most of them are between 20-30 years old. it is a really fun class and a great way to make relationships with people from many different backgrounds. One thing I really appreciate is the time people take for other people. Everyone greets each other and says goodbye to everyone. Another thing I really enjoy is the 10 minute prayer and Psalm time we have before English classes.

At night my roommates I are out and about doing various things trying to develop relationships with our students and each other. Monday night some friends came over and hung out. We listened to the Kjarkus band and ate spaghetti. On Tuesday the girls had prayer meeting with Alleen. We went to the late night showing of Inception and met up with some of our English students. It was good discussion material for the next day's class! Wednesday, Lydia and Hermes, (our friend from Cristo Rey Church), and I went and ate a traditional Peruvian dish. It was a cool time of sharing and fellowship. The intern Bible study is on Thursday nights. Needless to say, we don't spend much time at home!

I love the schedule and getting to know people.