Galapagos Galore

I am marking August 27 in my calendar as the day I left Trujillo for the first solo trip of my life! After a day with little sleep and a lot of stress, I arrived to Lima at 11:30 pm and spent the night in the airport. Thankfully there was a Subway and a missionary family from Texas to keep me company!

I finally arrived in Quito on the 28th and got to spend time with my friend John's family that evening. This was yet another example of this culture's hospitality. I had never met these people, and they picked me up from my hotel, drove me around the entire city, bought me medicine and a hot drink for the bad cough I had acquired, and then treated me to dinner (at Burger King haha). Quito is the most beautiful city I have ever seen!

The view from my hotel room.

I arrived to the Galapgos on the 29th for the start of my tour in Puerto Ayora on the Santa Cruz island and was stunned by the simple beauty of the water and classy beach atmosphere.

After having a $6 sandwich and fries for lunch by the port, I gathered my things and headed out for a 2.5 hour boat ride to Isabela Island with 12 obnoxious Bulgarians, 2 perfectly posh Brits, and 4 hilariously sarcastic Germans. It was quite a ride as we headed straight into waves bigger than our boat.

When we arrived to Isabela, we went straight to the hotel to drop our things off and then to Flamingo Bay--a short 10 minute ride. The guide, Ricardo, told us that flamingos aren't native species to the islands but they are allowed to stay there because they aren't a threat to any of the natural species and there was no change to the ecosystem when they arrived. He also told us there were 200 flamingos on the island, and we got to see a whopping 4. Can you find them in the picture? Yeah, me either. Haha.

From there, I walked home with the German mom, Meike, and got to see a beautiful beach and a beautiful sunset.

After a delicious dinner in the hotel, we went to bed early that evening to be able to get up early the next morning and head to El Volcán Sierra Negra and El Volcán Chico. At 6:30 we loaded up in the truck--4 Germans, 2 Brits, and an Aussie.

From there, we had a full day of hiking! We hiked 14 kilometers and above the clouds to make it to the volcanoes...

We stopped at the volcano and got to see the clouds coming over the bank. It was enormous...

We picked some fruit called guayava off a tree and ate it (worms and all)...

And we continued on to El Volcán Chico and had a spectacular view of Elizabeth Bay.

After having lunch in the shade, we went back to the hotel to get ready for snorkeling at Concha de Perla. There were sea lions everywhere on the islands, and one even showed us the way. The water was freezing, but we got to see some really cool fish! I also almost got eaten by two sea lions playing in the water.

After snorkeling, Tania (the German teenager and I) quickly showered and went to play volleyball/slackline with some of the locals at a bar/volleyball court/bonfire site near the beach.

The next day I went out with all the Germans and our tour guide to realize one of my dreams. I got to see the Wall of Tears! It was incredible to actually see something I have studied for years. The Germans thought I was crazy, but it was an great moment for me!

We visited many other stops on the way back to the hotel, and they were all incredible. First we went to El Estero. Along the way, we saw the biggest trees on the islands, saw a great place to camp, stopped by Brazo de Mar, and met some sea lions.

El Estero

We took another stop at El Tunel del Estero (The Estuary Tunnel), which was basically a huge tunnel made of lava.

From there, we went to La Playa del Amor, and I found true love like our guide promised. I like to call him Gustavo. He's very calm, loves the outdoors, and enjoys rock climbing as well. Unfortunately, he likes to snot rocket salt water from his nose. I think that might be a deal breaker.

Gustavo

La Playa del Amor

Later, we went to a tortoise research center and got to see a lot of these guys. This one was actually missing a back foot because it was born during the time of a volcanic eruption. The tortoises only get fed Monday, Wednesday and Friday because there isn't enough financial support.

After a delicious lunch and some time to get some sun and walk around the island, we went snorkeling again and got to see a huge manta ray, a variety of fish, and a few sea turtles. It was great!

After snorkeling, we walked around Islote Tintorea (White-tipped Shark Island) and saw a lot of sharks, iguanas, and a few blue footed boobies and penguins.

As a part of our last night, we went out again with some of the locals to celebrate one of their birthdays. It was a great last night.

In the morning, we got up very early, picked some bananas off a tree for breakfast, and took another 2.5 hour boat ride back to Santa Cruz. I checked into my hotel before my guide picked me up and we went to The Charles Darwin Research Center and I got to realize another dream. I got to see Lonesome George's pen! He unfortunately died last year, but he is famous because he was the last of his species and died before he could reproduce. He was over 100 years old. My guide informed me that two days before, one of the females who had mated with him laid eggs and that they could be from him because the females can store sperm. I guess we will have to watch the news to see if anything ever comes from it. Thankfully one of the guides on the islands is my facebook friend so he can let me know :-)

I had the afternoon free, so I walked 2.5 kilometers to Tortuga Bay, the most beautiful beach I have ever seen! It was great. I was in the sun for 40 minutes and got horribly burnt, but it was so worth it! Out of everything I did, Tortuga Bay was my favorite by far.

After scarfing down a tasteless Ecuadorian ceviche (Peruvian ceviche is so much more scrumptious), Daniel, my guide, and I headed to go see the Twin Craters in the middle of the island. There are many theories about how it happened, but the basic idea is that many years ago the earth was unstable and collapsed. Since they are at a much higher elevation, it is frequently rainy and wet. Hence, the rain jacket.

Later, we went to go see the tortoises in their natural environment. It was very peaceful in this part of the island with so little hustle and bustle. I also saw the biggest tortoise I have ever seen!

And then, I was a tortoise...

After, I had the evening free and enjoyed some casual shopping and a great pizza dinner. One of my favorite parts of the islands was the sense of security, especially after having been in Trujillo for so long which is the second most dangerous city in Perú. Oh, what was that, Mom? I forgot to mention that to you? Sorry! It was nice to be able to walk alone at 11:00 pm and see many others doing the same.

The last morning, I woke up at 4:45 to take advantage of my last few hours. I walked to a dock close to the hotel and snapped the picture below of the sunrise. Thank you, Jesus, for your beautiful artwork!

Then, I went bag to Tortuga Bay and jogged the walk down there and back just to have 45 more minutes there. And boy was it worth it! It was even more beautiful in the morning when I was the third person to walk along the beach. I had a time of worship before heading back to shower so that my taxi could get me at 8:00. Then, I had one more day in Quito before I got back to Trujillo, but it was a wonderful trip overall, and I hope I get to make it back to the islands one day.

Feliz Cumpleaños, Timmy!

Today is a very special day because it is the birthday of the most important man in my life—the one and only Timmy T. People always say they have the best dad, but I know for a fact that isn’t true, because I have him! The list of sacrifices he has made for my family over the years would be somewhere close to infinity if I were to write them all down. He has always supported us in everything and never complained for one second about it.

There are so many things I love about my dad, but my favorite thing about him is how much fun I have with him. Every time I am with him we are always laughing and straight up having a good time. His corny jokes get me every time (as much as I try to not laugh). And, even better, his corny jokes get him every time, too. His presence calms me, and I know everything is going to be alright when he is around. I feel a great sense of security and comfort knowing I have him by my side supporting me.

So here’s to someone who I love dearly, who takes care of me, and who I respect immensely.

Happy Birthday, Dad!

4 Month Update

It's hard to believe that 4 months ago to the day I was packing up my things and heading to the airport for this journey! This isn't the promised Galapagos update, but that will have to be when the real world gives Melissa some time to breath. . .

The month of September was a little more relaxed as far as "fun" activities go, and I was really able to focus on teaching better. Spring finally came (even though it's still been cold), and since Trujillo is the "City of Eternal Spring," there have been plenty of festivities the last week.

I was going to post pictures of the first celebration in the main plaza, but I was unfortunately robbed that evening. :-( My Peruvian friend and I were outside of my house chatting when the two choros came. Thankfully they only got my Argentine purse, my UGA ID, my key, my American cell phone, 50 Soles (about $20), and other small things. One of the men had a gun, but thankfully the only harm done was psychological and financial. Because they stole my key right in front of my house, I had the fear that they were going to return and possibly enter the house and harm my family. AKA I slept horribly that night. Then, all day Saturday I didn't drink any water because they stole my water bottle and I was too preoccupied to buy another one. Which then turned into me being incredibly dehydrated all day Sunday. (When will the last domino finally fall!?) From there, it was a rough start to the week for my stomach until Friday morning.

Friday the 27th I woke up with a rash from my waste up, swollen eyes, swollen ears, swollen face, and an itchy scalp. When I walked into class, all of my students asked ¿Miss, qué tiene!? (Miss, what do you have?), and then I knew it was bad. I went to the pharmacy and took some sketchy pills that brought my symptoms down, but the rash keeps coming back every few hours if I don't take some sort of pill.

Saturday the 28th, I went to the "parade" and start of the Olympic games for La Universidad de Cesar Vallejo (where I work), and I was the queen of the Language Center.

Following my short-lived and highly embarrassing queen-ship due to having 10 minutes to choreograph a dance to a song I'd never heard, we ate a lot of chicken and then commenced the volleyball tournament. This is my incredibly fierce team! Not sure how we pulled it out, but we won the first game to put us through to the next round next weekend.

Overall, it was a fun morning, but the rash came back shortly after that and I got sunburned, so I had to leave a little early. My family was worried about me, so they took me to a dermatologist. He told me it was one of four factors: a reaction to medication, a reaction to food, a problem with my blood, or a parasite. I find it so odd, because the food and medicine I had taken during the week is all food and medicine I have eaten or taken before. He then gave me a strict diet. No medicine. No citrusy foods. No pork. No eggs. No chocolate. No packaged food. No artificial coloring. No seafood. AKA he cut out about 95% of my diet in the States. Nothing packaged? Really?!

In all honesty, I have never believed in culture shock until this week. Two people prayed for me in English on Saturday, and I burst into tears both times because that’s the first time somebody has prayed for me in English in the last four months. My upcoming trip isn't helping my anxiety at all, and I am completely focused on getting home to get rid of the rash and all the other bad things that have snowballed the last week and a half. I’ve had a rough time being present in everything I’ve done lately. I honestly never thought I would miss Lawrenceville so much. Haha.

Amid everything that has gone on, I have realized even more how important it is to surround yourself with believers. All of my friends from the church are the ones who took me to the pharmacy to figure out my medicine situation, didn’t judge me when I started to cry, listened to me gripe and complain about their country without trying to prove me wrong, gave me hugs when I needed them, and have made me feel at home.

Everything that has happened in the last week has all been a test of the Enemy, and as much as he has beaten me down, HE HAS NOT WON because my God is better than him. I think the Lord has given me this time to really make me appreciate what I have in the States as well as toughen me up a bit. For that, I am thankful!

On a happier note, this is what I have been up to the last couple of weeks:

1. I put on a movie night at the church with the college-aged group. We watched Despicable Me. :-)

2. A free orchestra concert downtown.

3. Street burgers at El Gitanillo after the show. Nomz.

4. Hanging out with Mariale after my queenship!

5. Dinner with some of my old students at El Gringo Loco which is the best burger shop around!

6. Watching the Spring Festival Parade from the terrace of my friends' house.

Lessons and Lesson Plans

The time has finally come for that awkward blog post that I have been dreading... The one where I haven't written in over a month! Oops. Please, pull up a chair as I enlighten you about one of the most stressful months of my life.

At the end of July until the beginning of August I had a few days off between semesters, so I decided to head up to northern Perú thanks to the invite of a local missionary, César, to see the most beautiful beaches in the country, and boy were they beautiful!

This little gem of a beach is called Zorritos (Little Foxes), and we sat here for hours enjoying the sun and relaxing sounds of the waves :-) We only encountered a handful of people on both days combined. Que rico!

This lovely beach is called Máncora which is the most touristy beach there is in Perú. I saw many friendly gringo faces after days of pure Peruvians!

This is Puerto Pizzaro with Whyny, the daughter of the family I stayed with in Tumbes.

From Puerto Pizzaro we went on the sketchiest boat ever and saw a LOT of birds. This place is literally called Bird Island.

One of the highlights of the trip is that I got to go to ECUADOR! I have wanted to go to Ecuador for some time, and so this was like a dream come true! César and I walked across the border from Aguas Verdes to Huaquillas, had a smoothie with an Ecuadorian grilled cheese sandwich, and bought sunglasses and earrings. Unfortunately there is so much commercial exchange between these two cities that they don't stamp passports. I left Ecuador a little heartbroken that I didn't have a stamped passport. At least I can say I walked across the border...

And that I took my first motorcycle ride!

I stayed in less than desirable conditions in Tumbes (there was a pig, cold water, lots of dirt, and a rat hunt), but it was one of the best experiences of my life! A Tumbesina family welcomed me, an unknown gringa, so openly into their home. Likewise, César took off multiple days from work to make sure I was comfortable and enjoying my time there. I really wouldn't have felt safe without him by my side! This trip was a good reminder of just how hospitable Peruvians are. Amid all the frustrations their strong cultural differences have caused me, they generally have huge hearts--Christians and non-Christians alike. As much fun as I had, I was very happy to finally be home in Trujillo. Living in Trujillo has made me appreciate what I have in the States, and staying in Tumbes made me appreciate what I have in Trujillo. I firmly believe everyone needs to have the chance to experience another reality like this to make you appreciate the little things (things like hot water, carpet, clorox, and toilet paper).

Returning from Tumbes (five hours late thanks to "difficulties" with the bus which made me miss work Saturday morning--oops!), I went to the wedding of two people from my Peruvian church. The traditions were quite similar to an American wedding, but the whole event was much less serious than an American wedding. Jokes were being made throughout the ceremony, and a good time was had by all! They sure do look happy, right? Haha. I am diggin the father of the bride with his aviators during the whole ceremony.

Starting from that Saturday during the whole month I averaged about 4 hours of sleep per night as I was trying to keep up with planning for my 3 classes, hosting friends in Trujillo, and planning my trip to the Galapagos Islands in Ecuador! All of August was an incredibly rushed month, but I am still thanking God for my time here! This is the part where I lamely encourage you to get out of your comfort zone and explore the world! There is so much to be learned about what God has created for us. We lack so much understanding due to living our lives so comfortably confined within our own home, and I think this is what has ultimately caused a lot of conflicts, wars, and prejudices in our world. If we increase our understanding of others, walk a mile in their shoes, hurt for their pain and feel joy for their triumphs, intentionally causing them pain becomes unimaginable. Thank goodness for August and all it taught me, but PRAISE JESUS for September and the relief it has brought.

Fear not, faithful readers! The next update will be Galapagos galore. I know that is the main reason you decided to visit my blog today! :-)