Saying Goodbye: Despedida

Note: Sorry for the lack of updates...we have been busy moving and getting organized in Tucson. Picture updates coming soon.  Meanwhile, we'll try to catch up:

Our last week in Tacna was full of goodbyes.  On the last Thursday, we had a nice goodbye dinner with the Jesuit Volunteers in Tacna. They have been great to work with and get to know during our time in Peru so we went over to their house and made tacos.  A few of the JVs helped me with all the chopping veggies and rolling out dough while JP worked at the Posta, and we ended up with a great meal of pinto bean tacos, chicken fajita veggies, salsa and guacamole.  We had a feast and had a nice time reminiscing and sharing stories.

On Friday we hosted a little Despedida (going away party) for ourselves in our little capilla apartment. Since the JVs were going on retreat, we decided it made more sense to split up our goodbyes given our little houses.  We actually made more tortillas and ate the leftover beans from the previous night, along with more guacamole, bread, and popcorn.  Here is JP ready to welcome the guests:

We had told people to come between 7 and 8, so of course being american we had everything ready at 7 and then waited around, wondering when people would come. No one rolled in until 7:45, and most people didn't come until after 8, and this is normal for Peruvians--the things we forget to take into account.  Several of the guests brought some other snacks, so we had lots of good food and had a nice time hanging out and telling stories with everyone. It was hard to squeeze everyone into our little kitchen/dining room/living room but we managed.  Here are a few photos:

Here is JP with the staff from the Posta Medica, from left, Doctora Isabel and Doctora Noelia (dentists), JP, Doctor Richard, and Enfermera Gloria (the nurse).  They have been really great to JP all year and gave him a stethoscope as a going away gift!

Here is JP with our friend Guily.

Here we are with our friends Martin and Edith. 

The Despedida was a great way to repay the hospitality people have shown us over the year and say our goodbyes.  We had a lot of fun, except we forgot that the only problem with hosting your own party is that you have to clean up after yourself! :)  But it all worked out well.

We spent the rest of our last weekend mostly packing and getting organized, along with watching soccer games, and said one last goodbye to the JVs before heading to the bus station. It is hard to believe that was two weeks ago today--it feels like longer!

Coming up: Photos of the move in process...