Land of the Llamas

I can't belive it's taken me so long to blog about Peru. All the moving and life changing stuff kind of got in the way. But! Have no fear, dear readers! I'm here to share some of my adventures in my first South American country. I went on a super cool adventure with my sweet sister Lorin on April 27-May 1 to the exciting and exotic country of Peru. Lorin's husband Phillip was doing a medical internship in Lima, Peru (the capital city) for the month of April, so we went at the end of the month to meet up with him and go sightseeing. We arrived on a Wednesday, after flying through El Salvador and Costa Rica, into Lima. It turns out we weren't that impressed with Lima. While it is on the coast, which is pretty, the city itself is very modernized and there wasn't much for a foreigner to really do. We did have a traditional Peruvian meal and tried our first of many Inca Kola's (think Big Red but bright yellow!). We hung out that night and then left on Thursday morning for Cusco.

Cusco was my favorite! It is a city that's about 11,000 feet above sea level, so we actually took elevation medicine so we wouldn't get sick. Basically, Cusco's claim to fame is that it's the city you go to to prepare yourself for Machu Picchu. We spent two days wondering around this ancient city, and I loved it so much! It was like rolling back in time, to a slower paced, easier life. There are still streets and walls that were built by the Incas over 500 years ago. Women carried their babies around on their backs. You go to different parts of the city to buy different goods. Markets are everywhere. It was so much fun. I must mention that this is also where Lorin and I feel in love with llamas. We were joking about how we were going to buy all of this llama stuff when we were in Cusco, and then we ended up really doing it. It was addicting! I left that city with a llama sweater, llama socks, llama shoes, a llama blanket, a llama purse and a turquoise llama figurine. See? I was obsessed! Possibly the highlight of the trip was when these native women walked right up to us with two llamas and asked if we wanted to take pictures with them. Naturally we had to oblige. It would've been rude otherwise! :)

Then on Saturday we made the long and arduous trek up to Machu Picchu, one of the 7 new wonders of the world. Machu Picchu is an ancient Incan city that was built up on this mountain. It was basically hidden from civilization and wasn't discovered by the moden world until 1911. Crazy, right? The Incans built a self-sufficient city up on this mountain that was just so beautiful. We wandered around the ruins for several hours imagining what life must have been like for these people. The best part, though, was just sitting on the rocks and taking in the beauty of God's creation all around me. I've never been to a place like it. We were literally up in the clouds. Gorgeous mountains (and steep cliffs) were all around us. The land was lush and picturesque. Llamas roamed free. There was a hush all around us as people just took it all in. It was one of the neatest experiences I've ever had.

Lorin, Phil and I had so much fun together! They are great travel buddies and I'm so glad I got to go on this trip with them. Here are just a few of the hundreds of pictures I took. I will say pictures don't do it justice. This was a trip like no other and I will never forget it!

The main square in Cusco

 Sporting our llama sweaters. Aren't we cute?

 Phil examining one of the ancient Incan walls

 The Perurail train we took to Machu Picchu

 Me, Lorin, the Peruvian women and LLAMAS!

 At Machu Picchu! Gorgeous doesn't even begin to describe it!

 Phil with the aqueduct that still had running water! Such an explorer!

 Where the llamas roam free

 Just sitting and taking it all in

 Phil and Lor in Cusco at the Temple of the Sun

Our traditional Peruvian meal in Lima

New Chapter

I've just started a new chapter in my life. I don't know the title of the chapter yet, but it sure has been eventful (hence the lack of blogging for the past two months). Here's an update on everything: the day I returned from my awesome trip to Peru (blog to come next, I promise!), I had an interview at Dallas Baptist University. I did not know at the time that it would basically be a job offer, but that's what happened.

I was offered the position of Director of News and Information, working for my friend Blake (who is the VP for Communications). The job includes public relations type work (which I love to do!) and a new project that's underway and hard to explain, but it's fun! Additionally, they told me about a brand new master's program they were launching this summer - the Master of Arts in Communication. It just so happened that this was exactly the kind of program I was looking for, and they just created it! In one day, I was offered a great job and a great educational opportunity. That day I was just overwhelmed by how God orchestrated everything!

It was like God was saying "Kalie, remember how I've been asking you to wait? Well, this is what you've been waiting for!"

The job was even in the same building that my sister Jamie (who will be a junior) works in! It was too great to pass up, so I said yes! And moved to Dallas three weeks later.

It was tough to say goodbye to HPU, which has been my home for the past nine years. Interesting fact: that is the longest I have lived anywhere my whole life! I feel like I "grew up" in Brownwood. HPU definitely shaped so much of who I am today. There are so many wonderful people who invested in me and believed in me, even when I didn't. I made lifelong friendships and even created my own family there. All that to say, HPU will always hold a special place in my heart! While it was hard to leave, I know that this is exactly what I am supposed to be doing. I don't have a doubt that I am where God wants me right now. God has blessed me with such a peace as I've basically turned my life upsidedown.

Everything is new right now and it's exciting and scary and overwhelming and so much fun! Now, I'm just learning everything that I can about DBU. I'm meeting new people and trying to not get lost too often around the Metroplex. I've been blessed to be able to reconnect with old friends over the past few weeks, which has been really wonderful. There are still many people I want to meet up with, and I know I'll be busy for a while.

And, I actually am really enjoying school too. I started class about two weeks ago. My class is on Social Media Communication. It's really interesting! It's fun to study a subject that I'm familiar with and deal with on a daily basis. I really think I'm going to enjoy this program and will have my degree in about two years, if everything goes according to plan.

So, there's my update. It's kind of lot. Believe me. I know. But, it's good! God has been so faithful and has provided for me in so many ways. I can't wait to see what's in store for me in this new chapter of life. I'll take some pictures of my new apartment and DBU and post them soon so you can all see what my life up here looks like.