Return to Huaraz and a Big Move Coming

Greetings folks,
How have you all been? I will avoid my common refrain of stating how I can't believe how long it's been since I've last posted on this blog. . .instead I will just jump into it and push down the page the disturbing mustache I sported four months ago. Shortly after Christmas, Marianella and I found ourselves back in Minnesota during the most agreeable winter weather I've ever experienced in all my days. Besides enjoying time with friends and family, we also undertook a major decision which I'll share with you all in just a bit (how bout the suspense I'm building?)

After returning to Peru, we've been keeping ourselves occupied with work while enduring one of the hotter summers in recent history for Lima. Last week afforded us our first extended break since our return home, so we traveled to one of our favorite spots to visit in Peru, particularly for myself. Leaving the heat and humidity of Lima, we ascended through the mountains to the charming community of Huaraz. If you travel back in time through this blog, you'll see other trips taken to this region where we engaged in heavy duty tourism of the region; this time out, we stuck around the town, enjoying the white-capped mountains of the Andes at sunrise, napping through the afternoon rains, and spending a lot of time in our favorite coffee shop on the planet, Cafe Andino. Marianella was treating me to my 40th birthday and as far as relaxation goes, it will be hard to be topped.
What we woke up to in the mornings:


















Never pass up an opportunity to take a picture with llamas wearing sunglasses:



















Marianella at the coffee shop:



















Marinella posing beside the Huaraz mural:

















On Good Friday, different organizations decorate the main street of Huaraz with "carpets" (dyed sawdust) recognizing the life/resurrection of Jesus. Our favorite was from the bomberos (Spanish for firefighters) with their detailed work of Jesus on the cross:

















On our last day, after the rains left clouds and haze, the retreating light of daytime provided one last memorable photo:


















Where in the world are Marianella and Stokes headed?
So, to the alluded "big news" in our lives. As stated earlier, while back in Minnesota we undertook a big upcoming change, accepting education positions in Bangladesh at the American International School of Dhaka. I will continue as a high school counselor while Marianella will be teaching Spanish in elementary school (80%) and providing learning support in the classroom (20%). We will start these new jobs in August and July 30 (which is actually my 40th birthday) will be our first day in Bangladesh.

Quite a change indeed. We are currently alternating between excitement and anxiety for the move, but ultimately we are eager to start this new chapter in our lives together. It will surely be interesting and I would expect this blog to become more active than you've seen in recent times (it will remain the "Stokes in Peru" blog much like the Lakers remained the same after their move from Minneapolis to Los Angeles).

A few fun facts for you all about Bangladesh:
1. It's either 11 or 12 hours ahead of Central Standard Time (depending upon daylight savings). So, if I were to Skype or phone at 8 p.m., it would be either 7 or 8 a.m. in MN/WI
2. Dhaka, Bangladesh is deemed the "rickshaw capital of the world" (for Seinfeld fans-perhaps I'll run into Rusty over there?)
3. It is often flipping hot in Bangladesh; a good chunk of my paychecks will go towards sunscreen, no doubt
4. While Bangladesh itself is not considered paradise, it is a close flight to Nepal (Mount Everest), Thailand, Vietnam, India, Sri Lanka, Dubai, Malaysia, and much more. We're already excited about our vacations, as you can imagine.
5. Final fun fact for today: our tickets have been reserved, we leave on Saturday, July 28 from Lima at 5:30 p.m. and arrive on Monday, July 30 at 8:30 a.m. in Dhaka. Discounting the 11 hours from time zone changes, we will be in transit for 28 hours. Yowser! I guess the flights between Lima and Minneapolis were just kid's play in comparison.
Our soon to be new locale:















Alright everyone, take care of yourselves and you can expect an update or two before we land in Bangladesh.

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