Hello everyone! I hope this writing finds you all well and enjoying the summer! It’s a little crazy for me to imagine you all celebrating the 4th of July with barbecues and picnics when we’re just getting into the heart of winter here! Of course, winter here is nothing compared to a Nebraska winter, with temperatures oscillating between perhaps 55 and 75, but the open-air nature of the buildings and houses here does allow for the constant coolness to reach under the skin and chill the bones. 
This weekend wrapped up the lingering festivities from the celebration of San Pedrito (Saint Peter), who is the patron saint of Chimbote. It was a two-week celebration – the biggest event of the year – with lots of concerts, food and artisan fairs, art and dance exhibits, etc. The first culminating event is the vigil night, June 28, which features a huge concert in the main plaza until about 6 in the morning. I went for a few hours with a group of five people and we had to grab hands and make a train so we wouldn’t get lost in the sea of people! The following day, June 29, is the central day of the fiesta and starts with a boat procession out to sea led by a 2-foot statue of San Pedro. Despite being out late the night before, we were determined to pull ourselves out of bed and take advantage of the unique opportunity to take a boat ride in Chimbote’s bay. It turned out to be quite the adventure…
We left the house later than planned, about 7:30 when we should have left at 7 at the latest. We took a taxi to the main dock for boarding the boats and quickly got in line – a little questioning revealed that the boarding wouldn’t actually start until 9, so we had some time to wait. We had been told, though, that the year before they had waited in line but the boats filled up before they reached the front, so we were willing to wait. Our Peruvian friend went to check out another dock further down the seafront to see if we might have a better opportunity there, and brought back the news that the line we were in would only let us board tiny boats, which could be more dangerous and less comfortable, but the other line would lead us to bigger fishing boats, which could be a more enjoyable ride. So, we decided to abandon our spot in line and head to the other site. We arrived to find a short line of people waiting to board a very large boat, decked out in colorful flags and a five-person band. After a short wait we became uneasy about the random method there seemed to be for letting some people board while others no, so our friend went to inquire. He soon waved us over to the boarding ramp and explained that it was a private boat by invitation only, but he had explained that he had friends from abroad visiting and the captain invited us to join them. After a bit of debate and prodding from the captain’s sister (details of which I won’t go into fully) a couple of us were very uncomfortable with the idea that we would get to board just because we were foreigners while all these other people would be refused entry. So we sent our one roommate with her friend (who really was visiting from the US) on the large boat while three of us (Kelli and I and our Peruvian friend) left to see if we could still get on the smaller boats. Story said and done we easily boarded a small row boat, which carried us to a slightly larger fishing boat and out to sea. It was a 2-hour ride on a small, dirty fishing boat but it was beautiful and I wouldn’t have wanted it any other way. The waves made us a little uneasy at times but the sights of sea lions, pelicans, rocky islands and open water helped to distract us!We compiled a little list of some of our San Pedrito experiences on the program blog, http://www.iwmissions.blogspot.com/. I also wrote a little spiritual reflection about Saint Peter and the celebration with that article, so please read if your interest is sparked! It really is a celebration of Chimbote – the culture, the food, and of course the people! It’s a beautiful display of pride and unity that I hope is reflected in the U.S. during this holiday season!
Apart from the celebrations, my activities are going well! My main activities are coordinating the parish youth council, organizing activities for the youth movement, helping teach Confirmation and First Communion, teaching English, participating in the parish theater group and volunteering at an after-school program for children who work on the streets of Chimbote. I generally fill my spare time with preparations, one-on-one help with English or computers, cleaning the house, reading, praying, heading downtown, cooking, watching Kelli practice tricks on her spinning top, enjoying Marcelle’s cooking, playing music with friends, hanging out with the Sisters, catching up with the lives of friends and family on Facebook (haha, hint hint, call me!), etc., etc., etc.
As we celebrate the 4th of July, I pray that it can be a time of unity and that our pride (or whatever feeling it may be) in our home country may drive us to act on behalf of a stronger and healthier global community where dignity for all is our top priority: “One nation, under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for ALL.”
Peace,
Emily
