Three week report

Greetings! We have now been here in Chimbote for three weeks -- as I was dicussing with nicole and emily earlier this week, it both seems that we have been here a long time and that we are stll unsettled and very new to town. I think that our environment here is so different from that which we left that the US seems far away in both time and space. On the other hand, I stll feel inept at times with the language, am meeting new people all the time, and -- as when moving anywhere -- it takes time to develop friendships. In addition, my injury took many of the routines I had settled into and forced them to change. I now take a long walk downtown instead of running, for example. Some things are getting getting easier, though, such as sleeping through the night noises (with the occasional help of earplugs for the steady weekend parties with very loud music), finding my way around walking, knowing where to shop for food certain items of food, photcopies, etc. Wrking with youth at the parish is is also beginning at a slow pace, though with my arm and the cultural adjustment i don´t mind. I attended a confirmation meeting last evening and met a lot of new young people (about 30 attended), and have another coordination meeting tonight with Fr. Carlos and Yuri, president of the youth counsel. I will begin my experience here by accompanying the confirmation group during the leadup to their 11/25 ceremony in addition to begining systematic visits to the homes of other youth and families. This was an idea I had to help me know more of the youth and their reality, what they and their parents see as needs that we can work togeher on, and to re-*invite personally youth that are not actively involved (the post-confirmation disapearance is also common here).

This week both Emily (10/15) and I (10/19)are celebrating birthdays. We had a birthday lunc with Sr. Juanita on Sunday with delicious strawberry shortcake, on on monday we gave emily some small gifts and were pleasantly surprised when a couple guys we´d met at the parish called at 10:00 pm to ask if the could come over to wish Emily a happy birthday. Six guys arrived a half-hour later with two guitars to serenade her with las mañanitas and then came inside to sing and play until almost midnight. Two were excellent guitarristas and most are in the parish choir, so it was both an excelent musical and cultural experience. Nicole is planning to make a cake for us tonight (halfway betwwen) with a cake mix that we found at a small supermarket downtown.

Other news/observations:
-On Sunday Elmer. a new acquaintance here, took me to professional soccer game at the local stadium between two of the teams in the national league, which was fun.
-A small group of kids from the neighborhood (most are related and live in the same house) have befriended us and come to visit every few days to draw and play games in the patio. I think they would come every day if we let them. :)
-For Chimbote, a city of over 400,000,there are only about 40 PO boxes at the one, small post office. Sr. Hermanita says that 99% of people have never sent or. received a letter.
- The national census takes place this Sunday, and there is a prohibition on parties and discotecas the night before (we had to move a planned joint bithday pary to next weekend). In addition, everyone has to stay in their homes from 8;00 am onward on Sunday until the census takers come by (whenever that is). I find it somewhat difficult to believe that there is suffiient organization here to complete the entire cesus in one day, but that is the way its done.

Thanks for reading!