After a day here, I would have to pronounce Miami okay. It's a little warm for my tastes, but there are lots of Spanish-speakers, which almost makes up for it;- ). The resort is really nice, and it has eleven floors and four very slow elevators. Today my mom and I went to the beach with a bunch of people, although we didn't swim, just walked around. The water is absolutely gorgeous, and I picked up about a million shells and put them in a sock in my camera bag. I think I embarassed her. I probably did look pretty stupid carrying around this soggy little sock, but it was fun. We stopped for ice cream, and I got this flavor called "elephant ears" and it was deliciouis.
The only bad thing about being here is that they've got us sleeping six to a room. Six. It's pretty ridiculous. And out of all six people, I of course just happend to end up sharing a bed with The Cuddler. As I've never considered myself a particularily cuddly person, this is amazingly awkward for me. Sharing a room with another people is horrifying enough, but a bed?
She seems like a really nice person when she's awake, and I know she probably can't help it, but I'm dreading tonight already. Last night she didn't go to bed until around 1:30 (they were all watching a movie on TV, but I read some Don Miller before writing a little and conking out around 11), so it wasn't so bad. Tonight I'm guessing we'll all go to bed a little earlier, though, which means that many more hours of trying to avoid being, um, snuggled.
What is the polite thing to do when you wake up at two forty-five a.m. to realize that someone you met only eight hours before is literally sticking to you? She was sleeping diagonally, and I was practically falling off the bed trying to avoid touching her. If it were Nate, and I've had expirience, I would have simply hit him until he woke him up and I could chew him out, but that didn't seem very nice to do to a girl you'll be spending the next two weeks with. I inched closer to the edge of the bed, wracking my groggy mind for a way to get her to move. The only thing to do would be to wake her up, but I had to do it discreetly, so that she wouldn't know I'd done it and feel bad. I turned around on the half a pillow I had left and tapped her arm a few times, then quickly rolled back over and pretended to be asleep, hoping she'd wake up and discover how appalingly close she'd gotten, but be saved the embarassment of thinking anybody knew. Luckily, the plan worked. Tomorrow we'll be getting different room assignments, with people who are actually on our teams, so this should be the last night with her. I pity her next bedmate, though-- they'll have to endure it for the next two weeks.
Two of the other girls in my room are from Canada, and the other two are from...Minnesota? There's not a whole lot planned for the teens until tomorrow, and I don't think I've ever watched so much worthless television in my life. So walking the beach today and writing this feels pretty good. We stopped in at Bubba Gumps this afternoon, and Mom bought Nate a ping-pong shirt that says "prepare to be paddled." I bought another "Stupid is as Stupid Does" pin to replace the one I lost a few months ago, and I got one for my cousnin, too, (another Cuddler) because she was always stealing the old one, although I don't think that's how it got lost the last time.
I hope that in Lima I can find a shirt that has a picture of Peru with a speech bubble that says "Paul is lucky I've heard of him," but it doesn't seem likely, so he might have to be content with a stuffed llama instead. (He told me Peru was lucky he'd heard of it a few weeks ago when I chided him for not knowing Lima was the capital). We'll see. I guess they don't use pesos at all, but something called a soles... I'm not sure.
And I found out today the lice shampoo is for us. Mom says if she'd known that, she wouldn't have bought the generic. Whoops.
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2 comments:
McK, I enjoyed reading your first blog on your Peru trip. I'm glad that you made it past the 'boring' days of freedom. Now the real 'work' of 'training' will begin.
As for the 'cuddler' problem, my advice is keep sliding toward the edge of the bed. She will likely gravitate toward you in her sleep. Once you have no more room, get up, walk around the bed, and take the spot she vacated. You will likely get a couple good hours of sleep before she realizes that you've switched places. She may begin to gravitate again, but then you can repeat the process all over again. The shorter the night the fewer times this must be done.
I'm praying that you will experience some real 'God momments' where He takes you by surprise and does a mighty work through you to touch life, a heart, a soul.
Hi McKenzie!
I enjoyed reading your blog and look forward to reading more about your trip to Peru.
Peru holds a special place in my heart as it was where I went during my first missions trips and it was what encouraged me to take more Spanish when in college (something that has markedly altered my life). I pray that you will be able to see God's presence in the people you meet (both Peruvian and "gringos") and feel His hand in your life. One of the biggest things I experienced in Peru was the great joy and generosity of people that had much less than I. Whatever your experience, I pray that it will be memorable and God will reveal Himself to you.
Sorry...no ideas for the cuddler difficulty. I'm glad for your sake its only one more night. : ) Just be ready for the touchiness of the Peruvian people - two kisses for every greeting/salutation and every time you say farewell...yeah that means everyone in the room if you follow Latin American tradition (you can probably get by with a little less since you're a "gringa").
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