Language school and piety

I think it is time to show the language school students at work and play.  To this end I am including a picture of three of us studying hard with our teacher Carol.  In the class with us is Steve, a young missionary from Canada.  Then there is the picture of our mid morning break where we are joined by folk from Canada, Italy and Switzerland.  This week we have been joined by a Dutch woman who is enamored of a Peruvian and a gaggle of Brits and Australians taking a week of lessons so as not to feel helpless.  This is a great little school.  They work us hard.  They are ever polite and understanding of our halting progress.  Never critical and very understanding.

One of the things that we have done is take a weekly trip or a cultural/culinary foray into Peruvian and Limenois life.  We have learned how to use Peruvian fruit – amazing stuff that makes apples and strawberries look really boring.  We have learned to cook (actually cold cooking in lemon juice) both cerbiche and tiradito.  Today we learned Causa Rellena – look it up as it is wonderful, especially as a summer meal.  We also learned to make a passion fruit (Maracuya) drink – amazing

This week we took a trip up San Cristobal and upon our return stopped at the Plaza des Armas – the main square, very historical and beautiful.  There on the sidewalk was the most amazing chalk sidewalk art.  See for yourself.

San Cristobal is the summit of a 400 meter tall hill in the middle of Lima.  From it you can see the whole city.  The road up is narrow and winding and is set with crosses so that people can make it a pilgrimage, stopping and praying at the stations of teh Cross.  The cross at the summit has candles and such for people’s prayers.  I am reminded that this is both a Christian and a religious country.  It is also a country that inspite of being mostly Roman Catholic we are welcomed as Anglicans, especially for our ministry to the poor.

Enjoy the pictures!  Click on them to enlarge