Time to air you´re (insert adjective here) laundry

Hi friends!

I hope you are all doing just fine. No worries, I am still kickin it down here in Peru. Life has started to get somewhat normal (a term that really has no meaning in a Heart’s Home because every day is different and you just go with the flow).  I have begun the lovely adventure of doing laundry last week and today. Let me tell you, I still hate it.

The first time I did laundry I realized how exhausting it was and it made me rethink the definition of dirty. Thankfully, being a college student taught me it is ok to wear a shirt at least twice before washing it, however I am pretty sure my definition is quickly changing. There is a lot of dirt around my house, which I don’t mind at all, but that means my clothes are “dirty” after just one time. If I only wore something once, I would quickly run out of pants and would have a mountain of laundry every week. So, “dirty” is also a relative term here. Don’t get me wrong, I am still conscious of how I present myself to our friends and don’t wear the same thing day after day, I just think twice before throwing something in the dirty laundry.

So, you may be asking, how do I do my laundry now? Well friends, by hand. It has made me appreciate washing machines more in some areas, in others, I am thankful for having to wash it by hand. For example, in a washing machine, the work exerted to actually clean the clothes is minimal. However, I am able to load it full, which means I have more clothes to fold and put away. If you saw my room last year, you would understand that I hate doing this and clothes often shared my bed or a clean spot on the floor. Washing by hand, I don’t have as many clothes to put away at one time, it is kind of nice. Plus, here I don’t really have a floor or a bed big enough to put my clothes when I don’t want to put them away, so it has to be done asap.

The process: I am still figuring out the best way.

It is NOT: wash, rinse, hang for 2.5 days…I learned this the hard way and had to re wash most of my clothes after the first time I did laundry because they smelled a little sour (which I noticed after I put them on…fail)

It IS: (I think…) wash in sink, pre rinse in a bucket of water, rinse under the faucet, ring out well, soak in fabric softener for at least 10 mins, ring out REALLY WELL (I’m talking, my hands hurt after ringing them out), hang on the line (I have a strategy so that my unmentionables are concealed from Edagardo and any visitors we might have), right now, they are on the line for at least one day since there is a lot of moisture in the air, usually they hang for a 1.5 to 2 days. In the summer, apparently one day is sufficient since there isn’t a lot of humidity. During this whole process, it is essential to have music playing. I still keep my American tastes close at all times and play my ipod instead of the radio (even though Katy Perry is on it…). This means I often dance while doing laundry or Lore will come out and ask me the name of a song and then proceed to hum it because she knows it in Spanish or is familiar with the guitar part in it.

I am trying to laundry once a week so that I can have clean clothes and not run out, but also so I don’t have a lot of clothes to wash. We’ll see how well I keep this strategy up…

Si, soy una Gringa

So… I knew I would be out of place here, but it is just now hitting me how strange I am. Whenever I am out walking with someone on visits or to run errands, there are constantly whistles and other forms of catcalls, most of which I don’t yet understand…nor do I want to. One of our friends, Victoria, and others as well, constantly greet me by telling me how beautiful I am and things along those lines. That type of flattery I can handle, it’s respectable and I understand that a lot of our friends have probably never had an American talk to them.

However, on the other hand, I am also a freakshow down here. People will see me and gawk at me. Some kids in the neighborhood will say hi to everyone else but me…pretty sure it’s because I am blonde and extremely pale. Even the dogs will only bark at me instead of the others…which is no good since I am terrified of stray dogs (something I am quickly getting over).

I forget at times that I am quite the sight here since I am not constantly looking in a mirror. At mass this past Sunday, there is another volunteer here with some other organization, but he is from Germany and is just as white as me and more blonde. I was looking at him and thought of how strange he looked among all of the Peruvians. I am determined to go up to him when my Spanish is better (not even going to try to speak German…) and hope we can form a bond over being so out of place. However, we don’t typically go to that mass on Sundays so we will have to see if he is at a daily mass someday.

There are some areas where I am not so out of place. One includes El Centro, which is close to the other Punto. It is the historic part and a little touristy. Apparently, I will not be out of place when we go to Miraflores (if nothing else, I am asking to go for my birthday…). Edgardo informed me that there are a lot there. Hooray for not being alone!

Its all something that I am just going to have to get used to because it will be my life for the next 13.5 months.

Week 1

A lot happened this past week! I am starting to remember people´s names but I have met so many I can´t keep up! Right now I am at the sister´s house about 2 hours away for our day of rest. It is so beautiful out here. I want to go climb the ¨hills´´ that i call mountains but its quite cold so i´ll pass. I did my first attempt at laundry, yep, still don´t like it. I am not sure I was able to get my clothes dry enough to line dry by the time I retrun home tomorrow. We´ll find out.

Please keep the letters and emails coming, its a nice surprise whenever I am able to get on. Sorry this isn´t longer, the internet isn´t the best here.

Much love.

es mi vida...

y me encanta mucho!
i apologize for improper grammar and misspellings. its a new keyboard, give me time. i arrived safely, american airlines had a broken plane once we stopped in dallas (just like in rome!) so i was delayed there for about 1.5 hours. i made it to miami in time, but then realized i had to go back through security! thats ok right? its a latin american country and they´re always late...no, when i got to the gate ten mins before the boardin time on my ticket, it was almost all done! what is this! i wanst able to call home which really sucked but i called the next  morning and it was good.

i got home around 1 in the morning with the rest of my community. there are 5 of us!
lore-argentinain..speaks super fast...but has learned to slow down for me. she loves maroon 5 even though she has no idea what the lyrics are. shes the musician...i think i´m becoming the singer...who´d a thunk!
edgardo aka chipo-also argentinian that speaks fast but slows down for me. always with matte...which is my new fave form of caffeine...me gusta mucho!
seve-french permanent member of hearts home. she is currently on her way to spain for world youth day with a group of friends of hearts home from here. knows english! its been nice to have her help
florencia aka flosh aka flo-also french super helpful and knows some english too! she makes sure to keep me in the loop when i am lost!

whenever we go anywhere, we take a bus....but bus drivers here are crazy and its scary at times. i like it when its not crowded. when it is crowded, it stinks...literally, everyone is dressed warm and then everyone is giving off body heat...gross.

the last two days i have been going to the city with others for whatever reason. i´ve learned, shopping is def not my thing. i dont have the patience to even really accompany when we go shopping in el centro. but i love the market! its exactly like the movies.

i feel super spoiled right now...the popular soda here...tastes like bubblegum soda! the food is awesome, everyone is patient with me. the only down side is i sometimes forget i´m very gringa and much desired here. catcalls are plenty along with the stares...i kinda want to dye my hair...
my spanish is coming along quite well in only 2 days. i THINK i understand most of it, who knows! i still have issues forming my own sentences...its kinda like stage fright...

my address is different than in my first letter. that is the physical location of the house but the mail isnt super reliable...send letters to here:
Kari Stender
Puntos Corazon
APDO Postal 4607
Lima 100
Peru

there is so much more i could write but i´m a little hungry and want to go eat...love you all!

Good times and Goodbyes

Bear with me if this gets lengthy.

The last two weeks have been extremely hard but extremely joyful. I've learned that no matter how at peace I am with leaving my loved ones for at least 14 months, I can't do goodbyes. I have cried a lot and it's not always because I am sad I will miss out on these peoples lives while in Peru, but because I am just now truly coming to understand the love these people have for me. It can't be easy for DJ to always have his big sister running off on some adventure whether its to Tulsa for school, Colorado for the summer, or Peru for mission. My parents are letting there little girl go into the real world. Scary for any parent, however, my "real world" is not in a city with a job, but a foreign country among the poor. This love has brought me peace and has brought a different meaning to my life and the relationships I have in it.

As I was driving across the Midwest with my friend Beth, I also came to realize how much my friends are my family. I am having a really difficult time leaving them, especially since most of them are starting new adventures too that I want to be present for at all times. Whether it's planning a wedding, joining a religious order, doing mission work in Chicago, continuing in seminary, starting a job, going to grad school, I want to be there. I tell people to please write me and keep me updated. Even if I'm unable to reply quickly, I want to know what's going home. I'm sure when I leave Peru, I'll ask my friends there to do the same. This hit me especially at Abigail and Tim's wedding in July and especially yesterday at my sending forth mass. I was surrounded by people who have seen me at my best and happiest and at my saddest and my worst. Yet they love me and were there to celebrate the Eucharist and send me off to Peru. This was all emphasized by the fact that the sending forth mass was celebrated by Fr. Matt who has been with me the last 3 years and has helped grow and mature in my faith, answer my questions, and be a friend to me. It was at the Newman Center (Catholic student center) at TU. My home. I walked into the chapel yesterday and felt like I was at home. Absence makes the heart grow fonder, even to places. I was flooded with memories of sitting with Liz on the left hand side with some other Thetas and a few Chi Os and Lambda Chis when I first started going to mass again, and of sitting in the front with my brothers and sisters from Newman. I could keep going on about the Newman Center, but I'll get moving.

I finally have my visa! Praise God that adventure is over. The consulate was closed Friday when I tried to go get it (Peruvian 4th of July) so Marcel and I drove from Tulsa to Chicago Sunday night, got to the consulate, was there for 3 hours and, after a few more obstacles, frustrations, and a few tears, the Consul General gave me my visa. We booked it out of that city and I don't ever plan on going back except for a Cards Cubs game in Wrigley. That's it.

Even after having my visa, it isn't really hitting me that I'm leaving. It's like I'm saying goodbye but I don't know where I am going. I have no picture in my head of my home or new community. I can't even fathom what the Andes look like, what the food will be like. The only thing that keeps making its way into my head, is that in less than a week, my whole world will be in Spanish. YIKES! I've been practicing, but I feel I'll still be a fish outta water come Monday.

This week I am hanging out in Tulsa and not really thinking of leaving. I am doing my best to fit all of my friends in, if I don't give you a proper goodbye, I'm sorry, this week is crazy busy, I'm surprised I've had time to write this entry. Know that I love you and will be praying for you. I leave Sunday at 1030 am. My mom is coming to Tulsa and taking me to the airport (probably no the best way for us to leave each other but I couldn't imagine anyone else taking me) and I fly to Miami then Lima. Altogether it is about 8 hours in a plane so not too bad.

Thank you for the support. Next update most likely will be from the southern hemisphere where it's winter (not like Iowa thank God!).