Where to begin?! I feel as though I have been MIA from my blog scene; my apologies. I’ve been struggling to convey in words my thoughts and experiences the last several weeks.
Let me start out by saying the end of deployment is rapidly approaching and I cannot begin to describe to you the excitement I feel! My life will slowly become ‘normal’ again after 12 long months; living in a house with my husband, having a car, freedom to purchase and cook my own food, leaving work at the end of the day, returning to my hobbies, and overall less stress are just a few things I am looking forward to. That being said, getting to my 1st command and going directly on deployment has given me the opportunity to develop strong relationships despite my relatively short time here. This is something I never expected and something I am truly blessed with. I have enjoyed many port calls in South America in the last several weeks and this is something I will never forget either.
Following San Diego, I was fortunate enough to spend my birthday in Mexico! We spent evenings celebrating Mexico’s Independence Day with local dancing and dress. Also, during the day to fight the unrelenting heat we retreated to the water where we played water games and enjoyed conversation and sunshine.
From there we headed to Panama for some fuel and a single night of liberty. However, due to the needs of our strike group we got our fuel and supplies and had to reconvene with them immediately. Panama was enjoyed from afar taking in the sight of the city and the many ships awaiting the canal.
We continued south along the western side of South America and stopped in Callou, Peru. We were able to accomplish service projects with the local community as well as strengthen foreign relationships through organized soccer and basketball games with the Peruvian Navy. We also swapped a handful of our crew for tours of each other’s ships and their naval base.
Peru was full of alpaca fur! They produce vast amount of sweaters, hats, and socks. Since it was winter transitioning to spring, and us being from Hawaii, the ‘cold’ 50 degree days called for many alpaca cold weather clothes purchases by visiting sailors.
Peru is known for their seafood as well. I never liked octopus much until I tried it in Peru. I will likely not enjoy it the same anywhere else either. They also have a drink that was much enjoyed by us all called pisco. I liked mine as a pisco sour, but there were other variations. It is tart like a margarita and made with egg whites for a frothy surface. They tasted great, but man were they sneaky!
We are focused and determined during our last leg of deployment, not without much sacrifice, heartache, homesickness, and mistakes. Please continued to keep us all in your prayers; prayers for protection, freedom from distractions, and reminders of love and support from home.
