Mothers Day in Peru

Mother's Day is a little different down here. All the talks are not about Mother's. There's no primary children singing in Sacrament meeting. No chocolates or flowers are handed out. But there sure is a party on Saturday that the whole barrio is invited to!

The priesthood were in charge of preparing the food and they did serve us sisters well. I, however, earned my meal that day.

The Elder's Quorum President called me up that morning in a panic saying he had no clue how to decorate for this thing. He asked me if I had any ideas and I was like, "I don't know. Flowers?" Poor guy. I finally asked if he needed help setting up and he greatly accepted my offer. He also said they needed more bowls to prepare the food and I was like, "Oh that's easy. You just go ask all your female friends to borrow theirs."

So after some bowl collecting, last minute shopping, and some flower arranging, this is the end result.

That big flower arrangement in the middle I am so proud of. And I recruited one of the primary girls to help me with the smaller ones. 

All I can say is he owes me big time!

Latest from Lima

I'm telling ya, this country is full of surprises. In some ways I am getting kind of tired of it. 

I am still waiting for my work permit to get processed. Words from the natives is that could take 4-6 months. Well, it was started in February, so I guess I am on schedule as far as Peruvian time goes. Fortunately I am still working, which is helping me keep my sanity. My current students are as follows: A family of young boys, a 16 year old girl who is heading to the US to study for a year in high school in August, and two other young boys through the tutoring company I work for. 

But now I am to embark on another epic journey.......teaching piano. There's very few pianists down here. Well that in part may be due to there are very few teachers down here and very few pianos. It started with a sister in my ward. Then her friend wants me to teach her daughter. Goodness knows where this is going to lead to. 

And that leads me to my next bit of news. I moved. Gabi and Mari's brother and his family were coming to Lima to have a baby. I guess the town where they live doesn't have an abundance of doctors, so they decided to come here. That and his wife's family is here and they already have a two year old girl. 

So they came and stayed for a month in an apartment. Their parents came also to help out and stayed with us...............for a month. 

Now I actually like their parents. But after three weeks it just got so crazy with five adults in a three bedroom place, a two year old niece and her brothers family popping in every once in awhile. And Mari and Gabi were stressed out also. I heard fights between them and their mom, and then between Gabi and Mari. I basically wanted to go somewhere else where I was not going to have to deal with this situation because really, I thought that was asking a lot of someone. 

When I told Mari I was moving out, she was actually relieved. I guess Gabi and her were thinking they wanted the place back to themselves as they had a lot of clutter they just didn't have room for. She said Gabi and her hesitated because they really liked me, but they were thinking possibly in August of asking me if I would consider going somewhere else. She told me they won't be renting out the room long term again and if for any reason I needed to come back, I was welcome. 

So now I am with Carmen. She is Peruvian. Very sweet and we are so quiet and boring. She actually reduced the rent if I promised to give her piano lessons. I am also a block away from the beach. Which means I get that fun cold sea breeze constantly.  

Stake Conference is tonight. I have been tortured by the choir for the last two and a half months as I have been accompanying them in rehearsals (singing is not Latin Americans strength). Me playing for Stake Conference and now teaching piano. You can tell they are desperate down here. 

A wonderful thing called Super Glue

This past Sunday I headed over to Tania's house once again. It was Easter weekend here in Lima. With Peru being a mainly Catholic Country, they don't celebrate just Sunday, but also the previous Thursday and Friday. So yes, in a sense, everyone gets a four day weekend. However here, Thursday and Friday are the big days of celebration. Nothing really happens on Sunday. The cities and towns might have parades, but that's it.

I have to admit, I was kind of missing decorating eggs, having candy, easter egg hunts, and of course, the Easter Ham. I mean, Sunday was just so anti-climatic. It usually was this way in the US as I go to church every Sunday as it is. But at least in the Midwest there were churches all around having big celebrations and stuff. Oh well.

As I made my way to Tania's she asked me to take a mototaxi to her house. This is basically a large golfcart that they use for a taxi service. They are like aunts crawling all over the place and usually are seen in the more impoverished areas of Peru.

I don't know how it occurred, but somehow as I got out of this mototaxi I cut my hand open right at the base of my Left pinky. I started bleeding everywhere as I got out to pay the driver. Once I made it into Tania's house they helped me wash it out and everything and I just put a bandage on it while we ate lunch.

A little bit later after it stopped bleeding, Tania and I took a closer look at it. It was a very deep cut. I may as well have taken a knife and sliced across it. Tania and I could both see the fatty tissue of my hand. She commented she thought I possibly might need stitches. I was actually thinking the same thing. Then I sat there and thought, "I don't know where to go to get them here or where I live. Healthcare doesn't cost much here, but it will still cost a good chunk of change, and in reality, I have to be at Stake Conference Choir practice in an hour and a half."

So I looked at Tania and said, "Do you have any Super Glue?"

It's the latest thing I heard in medicine right before I left the US. For small cuts and scrapes, instead of going through the hassle of stitches, doctors are just using super glue to put it back together.

Well, Tania did have some. Course, she was worried about an infection, but I said with all the chemicals they have in that stuff, I don't see how any self respecting bacteria could survive. Tania put some on while I pinch my skin back together. It hurt like the devil for a few seconds, but the skin stayed together.

Here are some before and after pics.

I only played with one hand at choir rehearsal that night. But so far so good. Though I haven't told my mom about this yet as I'm guessing she might freak out. Mom's tend to do that.

Birthday Surprise

My birthday was on March 22, Wednesday. In usual American style, I wasn't planning to do too much. Sunday I was busy with New Beginnings and then had to run off to Stake Conference choir. On my way out Johel asked if I could come over for Family Home Evening the next night. I couldn't understand why. Usually only when he wants to talk to me, and I have been behaving myself. Well, as you can see, his two cute daughters showed me why.

They really are two of the most adorable girls I've ever met. 

Baptism and Birthday

Saturday was a busy day at the Serpia household. Tania's oldest daughter turned 8 on Friday and got baptized on Saturday with a party following that night. Apparently there's a cartoon show from France called "Ladybug" about a girl who is a normal student by day an by night a superhero which was the theme for the party.

What better person to do it than her father. Arturo really is very nice. 

Melina had a chance to bear her testimony.

As did her mom. 

I suspected it was Tania's sister because I think they look alike. Turns out she served her mission with the Elder's Quorum President in my ward. 

Overall it was a fun day with lots of family around. I was so glad they let me be a part of it. 

Piano and Primary

I have hit a gold mine as the Primary Pianist. Never in my life have I had a calling where almost every week people are thanking me, telling me how wonderful I am, and just so happy to have me here.........................and I do pretty much next to nothing.

I mean really? Spending 20-30 min plucking out a few tunes and then off I go to Relief Society. No obligations during the week, no meetings to attend, no lesson to plan, it's the best.

Leaders love me, parents love me, even the kids love me because of it. And the best part of all, I don't have to worry about what the kids do. I was telling Casey, if the kids aren't paying attention, or climbing the walls, who cares! I am supposed to focus on the piano. That's somebody else's job.

But the climax of it all happened today. There was a family I had never seen in our barrio today and they were from Venezuela. I don't know if they were visiting or are a refugee family (country is kind of in turmoil right now). Anyway, I was standing next to Johel who was talking to the parents. The little girl, who I am guess is about 6 or 7, looked up at me and said in Spanish, "You play the piano very beautifully."

Oh I was tickled pink! I knelt down and asked her if she enjoyed singing time. She said she did and then I said I hoped she would be able to come back and sing with us again.

Really, does it get any better than this?

The Natives are Restless

About two Sundays ago I was busy to say the least. It started off with me heading to Tania's house in Independencia right after church. She was going to teach me how to make some Peruvian food. And this is coming from a very good cook.

But the day couldn't be as simple as that. During Sunday School second hour I was sitting next to some guy in the ward I hadn't seen before. He would turn to me occasionally and say an English word and I was wondering what he was trying to do. Finally, at one point I leaned over and said in Spanish, "Do you know I speak Spanish?" He replied he did. I didn't think too much of it.

Third hour though was Sharing Time in Primary. There is this one kid who is literally the terror of primary. Like, just simply having him not there you notice a huge difference. Anyway, he was being his usual hyper self, so I finally just took him outside to let him run around. While I was out there the guy who had tried to speak English to me came out and just started peppering me with questions.

I mean at first I wasn't catching on till I realized he was interested in me. Things like, where was I from, why was I here, was I married, did I have kids, etc. Looking back later I realized he should have been in Elder's Quorum.

Then, on my way to Tania's I saw a guy from the barrio that I had met when I initially came down. I only knew him by name and face, but he had been around the past 4 months, so I figured he was harmless. He was on the same route I was to visit his dad. We started talking (because isn't that what you do when you run into somebody from your ward?) and before I knew it it was the same routine again. He was asking me where I was from, how old I was, did I have kids, had I been married before, etc. I mean, within 15 min he's offering to take me places and inviting me out to lunch. We got to the stop he was supposed to get off at and he decided he would "accompany" me all the way to where I needed to get off at.

Of all the Sundays for Tania's husband to be late picking me up. Tania's in a part of town where if her or her husband don't arrive, I get back on the bus and head back. So here I was, stuck at the station, which wouldn't usually be a problem, except I've got this guy from my barrio who is bugging me to go out with him.

Tania's husband finally arrived and I ran off without giving the guy a second glance. I texted Johel whining about it later and his response? Oh just come over for Family Home Evening tomorrow and we can discuss it.

Johel was, of course, dying to hear what had happened. Which guys, what did they do, etc. He said after I explained it all that really, it was just Peruvian culture and that's how the men are. But he also said if I was his daughter he would not want me to be with either one of them. I guess the one who bugged me during the third hour drifts in and out of activity and is also 20 years older. The other he said has actually asked other girls in the barrio out and is known to be very forward. Yeah, I have to say, being so forward with someone after knowing them for only a few minutes is a real turnoff.

The problem is, I've just gotten to the point when I run into men on the street I just tell them I'm married. I have a fake name I give them and everything. But if they are in my barrio I can't pull that scheme. I talked with Erin about it though and she says she gets hit on all the time also. She says sometimes she wears headphones even though she's not playing anything and just acts like she can't hear the men.

I'm becoming less nice though and now just make it apparent to some guys the answer is no and I am not interested.

My sister Deborah made the comment though when I spoke to her later that night that Johel takes very good care of me. He really does.