oh sad day!! Last night, around 1 am, my host grandma died. We all woke up in the middle of the night, went to the city of Ica to collect her body, put it in a casket, and bring it back to her house in La <Venta. She had stomich cancer for 6 months before passing away. We spent the whole day today at her house, crying, looking at her dead body. It was a pretty heavy load. I dont understand why things keep dying here. In the last three months, I have probably seen more death than in my whole life. Three dogs, a grandma, a bull, two rabbits, 3 cuy, and a chicken. Though the only ones that matter are the three puppies and the grandma.

Tomorrow, we are going to carry her casket to the graveyard, and drink all of our sorrows away, apparently. Funerals are one of the biggest drinking events here in Peru. Hopefully, I can convince my friend to come with me, so We can hang out together and I dont have to get plastered drunk like the rest of my host family and relatives. Going to these things alone pretty mich means you are going to drink as much as they do. They are persistant people if you are the only one not drinking.

So for now, the house is sad, probably for the next week. But hopefully we can move on, and start to get things done. Too bad its only 3 days before christmas that this happened.

Hope every one is well in the states,

Teigan