Friday, July 10, 2009

We are wrapping up our last day at the guest house tonight with a birthday party for Carolyn and Abby N. You'll have to ask them about the Peruvian "first bite of cake" tradition.

We spent the morning at the worksite, pouring more footers. We finally finished the footers for the entire dining hall building and proceeded to some of the wall that will enclose the compound. Though in some ways it is hard to see our progress because it is all sort of underground, we can now see the footprint of the entire building where there was only one wall when we arrived. We handed out some clothing and candy to the kids (they remembered we had promised it on Friday). They each had a huge sackful's worth by the end. The local workers-- our overseer (dubbed El Grande Jefe--"the big boss"), the on-site gardener, the cement mixer, etc.--enjoyed their handfuls as well. After working side by side all week, their gap-toothed smiles won by a handful of candy warmed our hearts.

After lunch and clean-up, we were off to the downtown area to tour the historic square and do some shopping. We walked about a hundred miles, with no idea what direction we were going. I think that is how our interns get their revenge on us for being so noisy and embarassing all the time. We found a few good deals, though we were surprised to find most of the shopping consisted of store after store of shoes (their local specialty--they even have a "big shoe" like Thomasville's Big Chair). So I hope you all like shoes. : ) Many of the guys found some warm hats, and Nilsen and Dustin found some especially gaudy versions. They insisted on wearing them on our wanderings through Trujillo afterward... as if 25 gringos weren't conspicuous enough! They drew a lot of laughs, and quite a squeal when they blew kisses to a bunch of girls who were just heading home from their school. We also stopped by a churro stand for one last fix!

We are packing up now, humbled to realize how much we possess. Many adults are leaving clothes and duffel bags for local distribution; some even left their shoes with people at the worksite. Can you imagine people in the US gladly accepting our worst pair of sneakers after we had worked in them on the dusty, sometimes muddy construction site all week? But these folks did.

So as we close there is not much left to say, except, Moms, don't plan to have rice or chicken for awhile when we get back. Please. I mean it.

This will probably be the final entry for the blog, as tomorrow we head out for the bus at 7:20 a.m., travel all day to the airport then fly overnight to get home. Just pray for safe and smooth travel, especially as we go through immigration and customs again. We are looking forward to our own beds and seeing our families, but I think each of us will leave a piece of our hearts here in Peru. See you soon!