The End is in Sight

As we write this we are counting down the number of days we have left at the Language Institute - exactly 4 weeks. It is hard to believe that we are coming to the end of our formal language learning as in many ways we still feel very green to Peru and to the language.

We are very excited about the prospect of moving on to the next step but at the same time I am sure you can imagine that after spending 6 months of intensive language study with our teachers that we have bonded really well with them and become great friends. In many ways it is a disservice to call it a language institute as the teachers have helped us with our cultural adaptation, our emotional health and our spiritual health. We are grateful to God for having met our teachers and for the amount they have imparted to us.

Over the last week we were given a number of exams in the institute. The idea was to identify where we were and what our weaknesses are and then work on these areas over the last month. This has been really helpful to date and we look forward to polishing up a few more weaknesses in the coming weeks. We plan to keep studying when we leave the institute - perhaps a few hours a week so that we can continue to develop. Hopefully when we arrive in Ilo we will be able to find a tutor who can assist us with this.

The plan is that we will move house from Arequipa to Ilo on the 27th of September. Over the last couple of weeks and for the incoming weeks we have been and will be making preparations for our move. Things that we need to organise include transport of our stuff from Arequipa to Ilo. We are also planning on picking up some furniture here in Arequipa before moving as it is generally cheaper here, often of better quality and there is a much wider selection. This last week we were sofa shopping. At home this is a relatively straight forward task, the problem is often that there is too much choice. Here sofa shopping is a different story! It is rare to go into a shop and see the exact model you like here. Rather you must come to the shop with an idea of the style you would like and then from a selection of materials choose your covering, then choose the firmness of the sofa and then they make the sofa for you. It is important when you do this to pick an honest and well-known sofa maker as quality varies. After looking around many shops we have finally come to the point where we are about ready to make a decision. After we place our order we will be able to go and inspect the wood, material and filling for the sofa. To us this is another interesting aspect of the culture that we are being exposed to.

In the next week or ten days we will have to organise the transport of our sofa and other goods to Ilo. At present we believe we have found a suitable house in Ilo but will not hear until the end of August or the beginning of September if it will definitely be available to us. Once we know we can begin making a few more concrete plans and preparing for our impending move.

Our arrival in Ilo will just about coincide with the arrival of a gap year team from Ireland coming to work at the camp centre and in other projects for the the year. We are very excited about this team and look forward to meeting the individuals and working with them.

Once again we thank you for praying for us and know that all our forthcoming plans will be covered in prayer. We really appreciate your prayers and were touched by many people's concern and prayers after the recent earthquake, thank you. The media hype from this tragic event has subsided, however many, many people are still in desperate situations and it will take months and even years to rebuild their homes and their lives, please continue to pray for them.