Adios mi lindo Peru.....

There are so many things about Peru that we will remember fondly...our list below is not in any particular order, just a way to keep some fun, interesting, and good memories.

1. The Beach! It so nice to have the beach right across the street from our home to cool down after those hot, hot afternoons.

Maija enjoying an Inka Kola by the beach

2. The Ice Cream guys. Everyday at least 10 times per day this little cart would go by the house with some loud speakers, sometimes it had music (not like the ice cream truck back home, but more like Justin Beiber, or Salsa Music), other times it just said.."Yamboli, Yamboli, Yamboli!" and for one Sol ($0.40 CAD) you can get just about any ice cream in the cart.

3. Random animals everywhere....see Terran's post (Dear Mrs. L-J letter #4)...He makes a list of so many animals he has seen here in Peru.

4. The Corner Store. Everyday the kids would go to buy a little cereal or candy. Although we didn't get a picture of it, it will probably be something the kids will remember.

5. The dogs. The kids also loved the dogs especially Gringo (the neighbor's dog) and Sisi (the dog that came to my mom's house for food every meal). 

Gringo

Sisi

 7. The geckos. Maija counted them (I think she got to 29 or something).

Gecko 

8. Increased family time- We always try our best to make our family our priority, but I think routine, and distraction often got in the way. After Wyatt finished a long day of work here in Peru it was great to just go and all be together. Without too much TV or internet (at least in Zorritos) we found ourselves hanging out together a whole lot more.....whether we wanted to or not....;)

Maija and Wyatt in the process of getting sand EVERYWHERE!

10. The people we met! We will miss them dearly! It is hard for me to believe that we are more than halfway through our trip, and are now saying goodbye to Peru. Peru was beautiful, eye opening, fun, hot, and crazy, overall it was a fantastic experience. We have SO MUCH FAMILY here! It was awesome! We were lucky to get together with many of them before heading to Ecuador.

Elder Silva, Victor (Our friend from Venezuela), Maija, Wyatt, Terran, Monica and Elder H. from the La Cruz ward

Enjoying "Pollo a la Brasa" with the LDS missionaries serving in Zorritos

Maija, Terran, La prima Vero, and Lita...Vero has a little corner store, and was always so very generous with us from the moment we met her.

The gang....These boys rode bikes, and played with Terran.

Tio Belle (Domingo- my Mom's youngest brother), my Mom, and I

La Chilena and my Mom

Visiting my grandfather and uncle's graves in the cementary in Bocapan

More pollo a la brasa with family

Family saying goodbye the morning we left for Ecuador

In Peru we truly saw how others live in a different part of the world. We all also saw how fortunate we are to have so many advantages we take for granted back in Canada. Everyday we would see Venezuelan refugees walk by our house on their way to a better life here in Peru.We met a young 18 year old boy that had walk all the way from Venezuela to Peru, and his story was not unique.We felt for them, heard some of their stories, and got to know them, and now my kids are very much interested on the lastest news coming from Venezuela.

The people of Zorritos wait everyday for a water truck to come by to deliver a little bit of water for each household. The town has not had water coming through their pipe system for almost two years. We saw a lot of poverty, and also a lot of generosity. Many family members send us fruits, eggs, goat meat, fish, and more importantly made us feel very loved, and welcomed! Peru will always hold a special place in my heart, and I know that thanks to this experience it will also mean a lot to my husband, and kids.