La ultima vez

Hello my long lost friends,

How are you all? Less than 90 hours and I will touch down in the UK. I am very excited and am looking forward to seeing my family, housemates and friends. Have had a great week travelling, in the last two weeks I haven´t slept in the same bed more than once!

This week we spent time at Lake Titcaca, both on the Bolivian and Peruvian sides. Have tasted some scrumptious fish. I rarely eat fish in England as it is so expensive, so it tastes all the better. It was fascinating to learn more about Andean culture and religion. Alot of the project we are doing for Med School is on culture and religion and travelling has really enhanced this. An example is one island we went to, your relationship status is dictated by the type of hat you wear! I think this beats facebook any day.

We are now in Cusco in Peru and are going up Macchu Picchu tomorrow. This is a dream come true for me and to do it tomorrow of all days is so exciting. I am enjoying learning about the Incas and all they did and all the Spanish did too!

On Saturday we fly to Lima and spend the day with missionary friends who live 3 hours south of Lima. It will be great to catch up with them and chill out. Then on Sunday it is flying home time. Touch down at 15.25 (I think) on Monday.

I want to say a big thank you for everyones support during this trip, it has been much appreciated. There have certainly been some grueling moments but some fun ones to, including when I tried to be maccho and more of my leg slipt into a lake of sulphur. I smelt worse than my brothers farts. (You can compete between yourselves, as to whose are worse!). I believe I have grown through this whole experience and can´t wait to share more of it with you.

This will be my last big trip in a while. I don´t know when the next one will come. I remember fondly 5th September 2004 when I tearfully said goodbye to my stepdad at London Heathrow not knowing who or what was at the other end. I got on that plane to Brazil and I was there for 3 months, some of you who have journeyed with me since then will remember it. I have to add that when I flew back on the 6th December my Mum was meant to pick me up. Unfortunately her back was too bad and so my stepdad came. As I came through the gates I saw him and to my surprise he was running away from me. I later found out my Mum had said he wasn´t allowed to give me a hug until he had taken a photo of me! I doubt it will be the same on Monday.

I have had an extra-ordinary opportunity to travel in my student years, the majority of which has been paid for by governmental grants! One thing I am grateful from the Labour government. My time in Brazil, New York, Mozambique and Malawi, Thailand and Bolivia and Peru have undoubtedly shaped the person I am today and I believe they will shape my future too. I want to thank my parents for releasing me to do all these things.

Can´t wait to see you soon. I have really had the trip of a life time. Dressing in Andean clothes and learning to dance Andean style was certainly an experience.

Love Zara

God Spot:
I want to write a huge lists of thank yous to God:
Thank you for safety
Thank you for health
Thank you for not being travel sick - This really is a miracle!!
Thank you for the Bakers (Jon and Linda who we stayed with in Cochabamba)
Thank you for the girls the Bakers look after
Thank you for 3 bursaries (A third one we found out about last week) that means this trip financially viable. Potentially even profit making!
Thank you for friends and family
Thank you for the community team at the hospital that gavem me purpose in the 5 weeks
Thank you for the smiles that people give that warmed my heart
Thank you for the internet and mobile phones, I find a lack of communication difficult.
Thank you for the opportunity to travel
Thank you for my dream of going to Macchu Picchu becoming true
Thank you for the Cochabamba International Church where I could worship with others from all over the globe. I can´t wait to get back to church, cell and too see my DZ kids.
Thank you for Kat, without her this trip wouldn´t have been half of what it has been. Kat you are a god send and your blonde moments make me laugh.
Thank you Jesus, for loving me, for picking me up when I was down, for teaching me, for being my friend and my guide.

Please pray for safe travel. I have been reading in Deuteronomy about God going before everything we do. I know God is going ahead of me as I go home, this makes me excited and I wait to see what comes next. Please also pray that Kat and I can really show the love of God and encouragement to our friends in Peru, they have been having a tough time of late.

Thank you.


By the way those of you who have got this far down I got bored of my centre parting and now have a side parting!