Quick Update

Although I've somehow managed to go 8 weeks in Peru without getting majorly sick, my laptop has come down with a virus, I'm afraid. So that means I'm kind of having trouble writing updates on my laptop, saving them on a flash drive and uploading them at an internet cafe, like I normally do.

So just know that I'm doing well. The Peru YAVs had a wonderful retreat in Huanuco, the land of eternal spring (seriously, the weather was georgous). I left Lima Friday night and returned tuesday night. We all got a chance to enjoy great food, weather and fellowship.

I guess I just hope that the retreat re-energized us enough to make it through big, bad November. November is supposedly the most difficult month of the YAV year, as culture shock is at its worst, because the differences between Peru and the United States that we don't mind when they're new and exciting start to get you down when they become old, stale and unchanging. So far I'm doing well as far as that goes. I have good days and bad days. On my good days, I feel like I could actually be a for-real missionary some day - you know, as a career. On my bad days, I can't help but despair that I won't be able to go home for another 9 months. To cope, I've thought about making a "Top 30 Reasons to Prefer Peru to the US" list, and then reveal one every day during November. Right now I'm having trouble getting to 30, but I have at least one: Thankfully, in Peru, in order to see/hear Sarah Palin on TV, you have to really try hard to look for her. Apparently in the US, you guys aren't so lucky....

Also, yesterday I went to a "Pollada" (yeah, the closest translation would be a "chicken bar b que) with the kilometro 13 church. So I'll leave you with the steps to have you're own pollada.

1. Get a chicken from the market.
2. Cut its head off
3. Cut the claws off the feet.
4. Save the feet.
5. Cut out its intestines.
6. Save everything else.
7. Grill or fry to taste.

Yeah, I'm leaving out some steps. But you get the idea. This is why I tell people in Peru I don't know how to cook. In the US, I would tell someone with all confidence "yes, I can be in charge of grilling the chicken for the family bbq." If you say that in Peru, they'll hand you an entire chicken. And you better save the heart, liver and other internal organs -- some people think those are the best parts!