Love, Love, Love

No, I haven't fallen of the face of the internet. I had to take my computer in for repairs and give it a little vacation too. I still have a week left in MN, but my computer isn't on vacation anymore.

Love, Love, Love. That is the greatest gift I received this Christmas. My mom with the Bedard clan planned a beautiful, crazy, full Christmas celebration this year with more than 40 people coming and going through our door within a 48 hr. time period. It was wonderful to see so much family and eat endless plates of Christmas cookies. I remember a year ago I was in Cajamarca with an awful cold celebrating the holiday with my new friend Paola and her family. They were so sweet and loving with me, but nothing compares to the warmth and love of your own family. Grandma came with her traditional Christmas cookies, my aunt Jeanne brought over the wine and folding chairs and later got stuck under the tree with all the presents, my cousins came over with their cute little kids, yeah pretty much everyone was present at one point or another.

We ate, caroled, drank, ate, went to church, ate, drank, played endless board games and ate some more. Yep, that sums it up. For me it isn't so important what happens when family gets together, it is the simple act of getting together that makes us family. And after having missed all those get togethers all year, it was very special and filled with that much more love to share this Christmas with everyone at home. Who knows where I will be next Christmas? But, I will be thankful to have filled this one with love to remember all year.

My vacation has been filled with other things besides Christmas celebrations. My dear friends from River Falls planned a reunion weekend in St. Paul and my mom treated the family to theater tickets. This means I have been doing cool American things recently, things I can't do in Cajamarca. Like order from a beer list that was at least 20 pages long (yes, a little ridiculous and stressful), see theater actors, eat Mediterrian food, catch up with high school friends, you know - those types of things.
The Bedard's waiting for the show to start.
My River Falls companions reuniting in St. Paul.

So if you are reading this, I send my love out to you because my cup runneth over.

Cheeseheads

I took my (longer than I remember) road trip to visit friends throughout Wisconsin (well, just Madison and Eagle River, but it felt like I went all over the state). It was a lovely and short reunion with a place I use to call home. My friend Erica, after visiting me in Peru, decided to host a fund raising event for Discover Hope Fund. So last Saturday we had an open house with all the hot winter treats and invited Madison folks to see what DHF women make and encourage them to make a donation. And, it was successful! Thank you Erica!!!

The only disappointing part of the trip was the -15 reading on the thermometer which kept me from using my X-country skis that I eagerly packed in the car. On the other hand, I can't complain, I am only here until Jan. 8th so I will deal with whatever Mother Nature decides, as long as I get to see loved ones.

Speaking of loved ones, I got to meet Trish and Mark's new baby, Iland, who was born in October. Precious. Precious. I spent my visit with Trish and Mark mostly squeezing their little baby bear (as he is called) and catching up with Trish in between cries, feedings and changings. Big stuff happens when I leave the country for a year. I wonder what I will find come next year's return? Anyone?

Thanks to everyone in Wisconsin. I had a warm bed and lots of yummy food while visiting with you. As my friend Jen once said about her visit back to WY, I felt like I got a big, warm hug from WI, warm despite the freezing temperatures.

Christmas everyday, all day

You thought I wouldn't blog while I was in MN? Oh, but there is so much to write about, this journey back to my old home, so much to take in.

So I arrived on Sunday and it has been like Christmas all the time. So many wonderful things happen every minute here in the U.S. (But do keep in mind I am on vacation, who knows what my cultural shock status will be next week, but I will enjoy my happiness while I can) Here is a small sampling of all the fabulous gifts I have experienced and received since arriving on U.S. soil...

- There is always, always food in the fridge (including ice cream) - I never have to run to the store for something I forgot to buy earlier that day. My parents have a constant supply of everything you would ever want to consume, including my most favorite homemade foods.
- I discovered "again" my old clothes, scarfs, shoes that had been in storage for the year. I feel like a gitty girl celebrating a new wardrobe.
- The bathroom never lacks toilet paper and nobody charges me 10 cents to use the bathroom. There are public bathrooms everywhere and they are usually really clean. What a gift!
- The snow blankets the earth, trees, houses, and paints a beautiful winter wonderland picture!
- I can talk in English on my cell phone to my family and friends and it is covered under my verizon plan and I don't need to buy phone credit every other day (let's just hope I don't go over those set minutes....)
- Juicy hamburgers, ginger ale, hot steamers, German chocolate cake, Beers besides Cusquena, etc....
-CHOICE!!!! (Everywhere!)
- Hot showers, day or night, no worries about the electricity disappearing mid-shower.
- Reunions, smiles, laughs, hugs with those I dearly love - the presence of loved ones. No greater gift - and it happens multiple times a day.
- These are just a few...more unmentioned, and I am sure, more gifts to come.

Hope you all have gifts that you discover every day before, on and after Christmas.

Home Sweet Home

Hello from Minnesota! From Snelling Ave. in St. Paul to be exact. What a cold embrace I received yesterday leaving the plane with only two layers of clothes on - my light sweater didn't protect me from the Minnesota cold. It was a lovely and tasty reunion, as my parents cooked all my favorite requested dishes of enchiladas, sweet rolls, and porkolt. We ate and talked all afternoon. I am so happy to be in the presence of family again and many more reunions with family and friends to look forward to...

My last days in Huaraz with Jen and Meche were nice and relaxed. We explored the town, ate good food, recovered from our many stressful high altitude hikes, and simply took in the incredible sights all around us. While traveling to another corner of Peru I realized how lucky I am to have lived (and will continue to live) in an amazing country with so much to explore. Having Jen around reminded me of our Guatemalan days and I came home a little confused; was I returning home after Peace Corps in Peru? Well, after two consecutive nights traveling (on bus, then on the plane) I guess your mind can get a little out of whack.

So I am transitioning now from one snowy tundra to the other. I feel like a little kid, seeing the snow for the first time here and aweing it. I even asked my Dad to take a picture of me in the snow; I am a tourist in my own home town! Augh. Jen also helped me transition to MN life as the day before I left Peru I brushed up on my cribbage skills so that I wouldn't be so rusty. It was a close victory, so now I am ready for all the Bedard cribbage tournaments.


For those of you reading this in the U.S., I am at the same house and cell phone number as a year ago. Hope to be in touch this month. A big hug to all - it is so, so, so wonderful to be home!

Snow Capped Goodness

It is times like these when I wish I would have read my camera manual. I am Huaraz, which is in the cordillera blanca in the Andes, roughly translated snow capped mountains everywhere you look. Every time I blink I am witnessing a postcard of beauty. Hence, I wish I read the camera manual so I could do justice and share with you all what I taking in here.

From Top to Bottom 1.Lagoon Llaganucos, 2.Nora and Jen taking a breather at nearly 5,000 meters above sea level, 3.Me resting at Laguna 69

Jen(my friend from Peace Corps)and Meche (my friend from Cajamarca) and I hit the trails the past couple of days. I think you could probably stay in Huaraz for months and still not venture out into all the beautiful mountain trails. We are just getting a little taste of what we can this week. We did some glacier climbing at 5,000 meters above sea level the first day. Why we choose the highest peak to visit on Day 1 I do not know, but the exhausting hike definitely reminded us we need to acclimatize and take it easy so not to do any damage. Oh, and as a side note, during our glacier trip we were accompanied by a school group of teenagers which made the whole experience...well, how do I say...unique. We went on a gorgeous smaller hike the following day to a male lagoon, Llaganuco, which was breathtaking. The altitude was not as high, so we enjoyed every minute of our rainy walk. I felt like I was in an enchanted forest with the foliage, hanging trees, and constant waterfalls surrounding us. The following day we passed by the same lagoon and his female counterpart to venture deep into the mountains and visit yet another amazing emerald lagoon. This hike was a three and half hours climb up and up and more up than I imagined we would go (we were told it was a 2 hour hike, yea right). Every turn was a different postcard. The altitude of Lagoon 69, our final and absolutely amazing destination, was 4,600 meters above sea level. We were breathing hard and maybe even doubted if we would make it, but seeing the lagoon nestled below the tip of the snow capped mountains made it all worth it. Thanks to climate change we witnessed an endless display of waterfalls throughout our climb. We have heard that the glaciers and the snow on the mountains is melting so fast that in a matter of decades there will hardly be a trace of this beauty left. At least the mountains are protected within the walls of the national forest, but still...it is a devastating and awful thought to think these majestic mountains have little time left to shine.

We arrived back to our homey hostal just dead. I have come down with a throat infection of something or other, so I am out of commission to hike or do anything today. The girls went on a tour to Chavin to see some pre Incan ruins or something cool like that. I am going to chill in town and look at the mountains all day. Those of you considering a trip to Peru next year, put Huaraz on your list of places to visit. You will not be disappointed if you love to hike and see snow capped mountains and emerald colored lagoons.

I am leaving the computer now, I have mountains to look at.