Tener gripe no està divertido

Good morning! I write today from the convent computer here in Chimbote, and for the first time in a while with two hands (learning to appreciate the little things). Most of my news since my last posting, as the title suggests, involves being sick. On Wednesday the 24th I came down with the flu, a combination of fever, cough, and nasty headache that lasted until about Monday. I peaked at 102.5 degrees on Friday night, and I have to say that when you are forced to lie in bed all night not being able to sleep, the general noise of life here can be a little more irritating that usual. Anyway, with the help of some antibiotics and fever-reducer from the doctor here, I beat the fever by Monday, only to struggle with stomach cramps and nausea for couple more days. Finally yesterday and today I feel nearly back to normal, though my stomach still feels uneasy. Though in some ways I feel as though I lost a week, I was able to use some of the time to read, think, and ponder the questions of life (like why is the brass band at the cultural center across the street still playing at 3 a.m.? and who invented fireworks anyway?).

In general I must say that I have a felt a little homesick the past couple days, probably in part due to not quite feeling 100%. I find myself missing things about home, even little things like types of food, such as cereal and cold milk in the morning (so yesterday I splurged and bought some of each at the supermarket downtown). The underlying nausea also decreases may waning ability to be excited about any of the food choices here, as we seem to be running out of options and ideas for different things to cook. Our basic ingredients to work with include pototaes, white rice, pasta, chicken, eggs, a cheese that appears like swiss but becomes a bit rubbery when melted, carrots, brocoli, a few types of beans, apples, oranges,and other fruits, a few spices, tomatoes. We may try fish now and then, though Nicole is not a big fan so that will happen only occasionally. We buy fresh bread rolls every couple days from one of the bread vendors on the street, which we tend to eat with either breakfast or supper. They do have oatmeal here, which some of you may know was a staple of my diet in the US, but here it is milled quite finely and therefore upon cooking rapidly turns into a paste which I am having increasing difficulty in getting down. We did learn about this stage of culture shock in our orientation, `longing for food from home,`so I guess I could have expected it, and I`m sure as my stomach settles down the choices will sound more appetizing.

Also, I realize that in choosing a life here and giving up many of the small pleasures, luxuries, and comforts, and predictable routines of my life in the US I am left with some sense of a void, a lack of little pick-me-ups that I didn`t realize my moods depended upon so much. Thus, a conscious effort is required to notice this within myself and look around for constructive investments of time that can sustain my spirit, maybe even more so than what I am missing at the moment. To this end, I have already been journalling substantially more, have more time to read, study Spanish, and just these past few days have again picked up my guitar and am working to get my fingers and chord-positions back in shape. I also recognize more clearly my need for quiet prayer in the mornings as a way to help foster a mindset of more awareness and appreciation for what is actually here. This experience is no doubt an opportunity to serve, but maybe more than I realized an opportunity for self-discovery as well.

In closing, a summary of a few events of the past week that did happen in spite of my illness. We had a few friends over for Halloween and then went downtown to hear some Peruvian music, as October 31 is also a national holiday del Cancion Criollo, or native music. On All Saints Day, which is a national holiday here, some of the same group took us to the Vivero Forestal, a kind of city park with trees, playground, swimming pool, a few unhappy zoo animals, four-wheeler rides, and a small lake on which one can rent rowboats. It is really the only place like it in Chimbote, an oasis of relative green in mostly a dustly and dry local (though isolated houses and neighborhoods, such as that of the neighboring parish of Fr. Jack, do make real efforts to plant and care for green space). Preparations for a youth outing/field trip are under way for next Sunday, and a number of Confirmation-related meetings and events will happen this month. Tonight we three are going to a benefit dinner for the Hospice, which is held at a restaurant downtown and should be a festive event with dancing, etc. Socially, we are gradually meeting and getting to know a few friends better (especially guys, who seem to be quite interested in `practicing English and teaching Spanish` with Nicole and Emily :). They have learned that their status as still novelties here can be a bit tricky to navigate without creating unintended expectations or hurt feelings when more than one person wants to visit or be their guide at a given time, but no major problems. Friendships still take time to build, but there are some seeds that may grow with time.

Well, probably enough introspective rambling for one day -- thanks for reading!