Wow. We have done so much in the past four days, don't know where to start. This weekend we were assigned to teach in Puno, which calls home the shores of Lake Titicaca, which is also part of Bolivia. This is the highest altitude we've ever been to. The clouds were so close!
We found out a day before we were supposed to teach that we would be teaching separately for the first time, which meant I had to review/learn parts at the last minute. After a five/six hour bus ride, Jenny was dropped off in Juliaca, a super sketchy commercial town about 40 minutes from Puno, while I stayed on the bus to teach in Puno.
Puno consists of pure hills with the Lake Titicaca to the side. Beautiful. When I got to Puno, I found out that there would be 60 people in the classroom. 60. We have NEVER had a group this big, let alone, teaching it by myself. Adventure for sure. I felt like I was screaming to keep their attention.. hilarious. Apparently the director had asked for 5 representatives from each ward to come to the workshop, so some people were there and didn't really have solid business ideas, which made things a little more difficult, but fun none the less.
On Saturday, I joined Jenny in Juliaca for some Carnaval fun, and then headed back to teach the workshop.
Sunday. We went with the employment specialist of Puno, David, to the branch on Lake Titicaca. The Uros people live on these floating islands made from totoru reeds, which they replace every 15 days. They basically live on plants that have been stacked up for years. Felt like I was on another world.
Apparently this branch is only about a year old, and some general authorities from the church came to dedicate it a little while back. The coolest thing was to see how humble these people are. Their neon colored clothes, both men and women, gave an interesting contrast against Jenny and mine's dark, black coats and tights. Sunday school and Relief Society was in Spaymara, or what I like to call Spanish, and Aymara, the native language of these people. They learn Spanish while in the public schools. This was probably number one on the COOLEST THINGS I've done here in Peru so far. Afterwards, we ate a lunch of locally caught trout, and chuno, which are potatoes that are dehydrated, frozen, literally stomped on, and then served. They taste just about how they sound ;).
I finished the workshop that day, with the group a little bit smaller than before. Awesome learning experience. Puno has been the most organized in terms of being on the ball and wanting to continue the workshop compared to all the other places we have visited.
Loved visiting with a Quechan family. I feel like the grandpa and I were soulmates in another life.
Monday was our P-day, and we traveled around with our workshop friends to some interesting ruins. Check out Facebook photos coming soon.... let's just say pictures say a thousand words. By far the most interesting ones we've been to so far ;). Jenny and I were lucky to get back home in time before it got dark when we went to some other ruins, Sillustani, which are tall funerary towers built by the Incas, which we got into for free. Don't know how. Got back home to Arequipa at 3 this morning!
We're here for another three days, living on a fruit diet, and then we travel to Tacna on Friday, which is on the border of Chile. Whoop whoop!
We found out a day before we were supposed to teach that we would be teaching separately for the first time, which meant I had to review/learn parts at the last minute. After a five/six hour bus ride, Jenny was dropped off in Juliaca, a super sketchy commercial town about 40 minutes from Puno, while I stayed on the bus to teach in Puno.
Puno consists of pure hills with the Lake Titicaca to the side. Beautiful. When I got to Puno, I found out that there would be 60 people in the classroom. 60. We have NEVER had a group this big, let alone, teaching it by myself. Adventure for sure. I felt like I was screaming to keep their attention.. hilarious. Apparently the director had asked for 5 representatives from each ward to come to the workshop, so some people were there and didn't really have solid business ideas, which made things a little more difficult, but fun none the less.
On Saturday, I joined Jenny in Juliaca for some Carnaval fun, and then headed back to teach the workshop.
Sunday. We went with the employment specialist of Puno, David, to the branch on Lake Titicaca. The Uros people live on these floating islands made from totoru reeds, which they replace every 15 days. They basically live on plants that have been stacked up for years. Felt like I was on another world.
Apparently this branch is only about a year old, and some general authorities from the church came to dedicate it a little while back. The coolest thing was to see how humble these people are. Their neon colored clothes, both men and women, gave an interesting contrast against Jenny and mine's dark, black coats and tights. Sunday school and Relief Society was in Spaymara, or what I like to call Spanish, and Aymara, the native language of these people. They learn Spanish while in the public schools. This was probably number one on the COOLEST THINGS I've done here in Peru so far. Afterwards, we ate a lunch of locally caught trout, and chuno, which are potatoes that are dehydrated, frozen, literally stomped on, and then served. They taste just about how they sound ;).
I finished the workshop that day, with the group a little bit smaller than before. Awesome learning experience. Puno has been the most organized in terms of being on the ball and wanting to continue the workshop compared to all the other places we have visited.
Loved visiting with a Quechan family. I feel like the grandpa and I were soulmates in another life.
Monday was our P-day, and we traveled around with our workshop friends to some interesting ruins. Check out Facebook photos coming soon.... let's just say pictures say a thousand words. By far the most interesting ones we've been to so far ;). Jenny and I were lucky to get back home in time before it got dark when we went to some other ruins, Sillustani, which are tall funerary towers built by the Incas, which we got into for free. Don't know how. Got back home to Arequipa at 3 this morning!
We're here for another three days, living on a fruit diet, and then we travel to Tacna on Friday, which is on the border of Chile. Whoop whoop!
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