Where muppets come to die!!

I was coming home from work the other night when I saw something that I was not expecting. I knew that if I did not take the opportunity to take a picture, I would regret it. So, that is what I did. I will let this picture speak for itself. I titled it simply: Lima. Where muppets come to die!! I am sorry to tell any of you die hard Elmo fans out there, Your idol has past on to the other side.

Writing a new book

I am not going to write much on this because I want to keep a secret, but yes, I am writing a book that I am very excited about. For those of you who know me, and know what I write, this is very different. This is something I feel really good about, and want to push myself to finish it because I think people could benifit from the story. Yep, thats about it. I don´t want to spoil anything. But thanks for reading this.

Brandon J. Greer

The Peruvian bus story

As I was on my way to work this morning, I had a good idea for the blog. Well, at the time, I was not having a great time. Well, just read on to find out what happened.

It was 6:45 in the morning, and I was on my way to work. I have to take two busses to get to work. The first one I take is a smaller bus called a combi. It seats, oh, lets say maybe 10 to 15 people. When I got on, I took one of the last seats. Now, I have to give you an idea of what these little combi´s is like. They are very small vans, and you can´t even stand up in one. I was sitting there, and they guy who takes the money just keeps on letting people in. Soon all the seats are filled, and he keeps letting people get one. With people still getting on, there are soon 5 people standing. I bet he would have let even more people get one, but he almost didnt fit. Anyways, that is not the bad part.

So, I get to Avenida La Molina, which is kind of like a junction for the bus, and I switch to another bus. This IS a bus. Much bigger. I would say that 20 or more people could sit on this bus. But they do not stop at that in Peru, and I am used to that. I will get onto a bus where there is only standing room. Its okay. But, some of these guys who lets people get on don´t seen to notice, or don´t care how full the bus is getting. More and more people get on, and soon it feels like a can of sardines. I mean, you look out the window and see a fat guy walking towards the bus and you think to yourself, " Holy crap, we are all going to die!". This morning was like that. This bus go to crowded that I literally had to push people back so I would not be touching the bus driver.

Mornings can be like that in Peru when you don´t have a car. It is cheap though.

And that is all for now. I will keep you posted on other things as they happen. Most likely next time will be about the guys who take money on the bus. Yeah, that will be another long story.

Brandon J. Greer

How a man can change

Place: Ate, Lima, Peru. Situation: Walking to work at 11:30 in the morning. Thinking about the things in life that you didn´t think you would think about.

When seeing things for the first time, it is hard to take it for granted, but the more you see it, and hear about it, the easier it is to take for granted. Growing up as a kid, I had it easy. I am sure that I complained about things, or cried because I did not have something I wanted. But really, I had it easy. Ask yourself that same question. Do I have it easy? Right now, I still have it easy. Yes, I may have to walk to work, and I have to work hard to get what I have, but I can get it. How often do we think of those who do not have, or do not eat?

Peru is a third world country, and everyday I see things that change me. A small child begging me to give him food because he is hungry. A woman with three children sitting on a dirty street, dressed in dirty clothes, holding out a dirty hat in hopes that someone, anyone, will drop in a few dirty coins.

Again and again the scripture comes to mind. I do not know it by heart, but you will know what I am talking about. What you do unto the least of these my brethern, ye do it unto me. How often do we find ourselves giving to Jesus, or just walking past, head down, hoping that He will not notice? He does notice.

I walk past these people everyday. I give what little I have, and sometimes nothing at all but a wish and a hope that someone else will give. But always I have a pain inside that I do not do more when I can, and when I can´t.

This morning I was coming home from work and this lady came up to me. "Por favor, un sol, tengo hambre." "Please, one coin, I am hungry." It is enough to make you cry. But when you are around it everyday, it is easier and easier to ignore, and even avoid such encounters. There are two questions that need to be considered. And the first maybe isn´t the best.

Is this person really in need of my help, or do they just want my money? It is a hard question to answer, but it probably keeps some people going hungry and cold at nights.

The second question is do I have enough to spare? The coins that I carry with me usually find their way into a dirty hat on a bridge, or a sidewalk, or in a park. But I can be doing more. I need to be doing more.

Life can be hard sometimes for all of us, so please, be happy always with what you have, and think of those who go without everyday.

Brandon J. Greer

My lastest thoughts

I hope you are all ready for this. I have not written on here in a while, so I hope that I do not overwhelm you with all my words. First, and again, I would like to thank the people who have been reading this. Okay, not that that is out of the way, on to business.

As I have been getting used to the food here in Peru, I have been wanting to write an entry for my blog called: Is rice made of metal? The answer to that questions is a total NO, but here in Lima, it has become a STAPLE in my diet. We eat it all the time. But they do so much stuff with rice here that it is great. I don't mind eating rice everyday. Tomorrow, however, I will not be eating rice. Tomorrow is pasta day. I love all the food here. It is a wonder that I am actually loosing weight. My family will be astonished at how I looke when I come home for a visit.

Over the week, my fantastic wife bought me a new book. For those of you who don't know, I love to read. I am almost finished reading The Chronicles of Narnia for the third time. I am about half way through The Last Battle. Great books. It is amazing at how close they come to the gosple. Anyways, my new book. As most of you are aware, there are two books out there which have been made into movies. Angels and Demons, and The Da Vinci Code. My favorite out of those two was Angels and Demons. The book and the movie. It is the very first novel featuring Robert Langdon. Well, Dan Brown has come out with a third book in the series. The Lost Symbol. I have not started reading it yet, because I am waiting to finish The Chronicles of Narnia. I am very excited for it though. If any of you out there have read it, let me know what you think, but don't spoil anything for me.

I have also found one of my new favorite movies. The Proposal with Sandra Bullock and Ryan Reynolds. Very good movie. I already have it on DVD.

Also, an update on Laura. She is doing much better. She is still having some trouble with an infection, but she is on some treatments now, and things are going much better. She has an appointment with the doctor again next week to see how everything is going.

Well, that is about all for today. Have a great day, and take care.

Brandon J. Greer

I am still here.

For those of you following my blog, thanks for following it. Yes, I am still here. Life has been a little crazy. I have been working a lot, because Lauras health has not allowed her to work. Also, internet is not so great at my house at the moment. But do not worry. I am here, alive, and well. So is Laura. And I will be posting more soon. I miss you all. Yep, even those people reading this that I don't know. I miss you guys the most.

Brandon J. Greer

A continuation on Laura

So, we went to the hospital again yesterday to get another injection for Laura. She hates it. She does not like getting shots. So, to make life easier for her, the people at the hopital put this thing in her arm. She has to keep it there until Friday. This is where they will put all of her injections. Now Laura is part human, part machine. Ha. I have a cool wife. She is doing okay. Her fever is down, but her kidneys still hurt. Not as bad as they did, but they still hurt. Well, thats all for now.

Brandon J. Greer

Laura sick in bed

Okay, it worked. Here is Laura, sick in bed after returning home from the hospital. She is not a very happy wife right now. Only 4 more trips to the hospital this week.

Our trip to the hospital!

Lately, Laura has been feeling under the weather. We were thinking that it was due to stress she was having at work. (She works as an English teacher for a bunch of snotty nosed little brats who give her nothing but trouble) Well, some of the symptoms she has been having don't quite fit into the I'm having too much stress at work catagory. She started to have pains in her kidneys, and today she had a high fever. So, at 6:30, and I guess now, this would have been yesterday, we rushed her to the hospital. A very dirty hospital.

She had to have her blood and her urine tested, then, two hours later, we got the results. She has a very bad infection in her kidneys. Probably connected to the infection she just had in her bladder, but who is to say. After 6 long hours in the hospital, we are now home, and Laura is resting in bed. (I tried to post a picture of her laying in bed, but it didn't work)

Now we have to take her in for 5 injections so she can get better. We are just praying that she gets better for Saturday. That is when her sister is getting married. Congradulations Fabiola and Cesar.

Ta-ta for now.
Brandon J. Greer

A dog among men: A commentary about life in Peru

I come from a small, rural town in northern Utah. Very different from Lima Peru. I went from quiet to crazy. I am finding myself changing in ways I never pictured myself changing. And it is mostly good. I am growing as a person living here in a new culture.

But sometimes it is the dogs that amaze me here. Dogs live in the streets, and act as if there were no people around. Back home if I saw a big dog walking towards me, I would think about running. I would not know what that dog was going to do. Here, in Lima, it is much different. When I see a big dog walking towards me I think, "Wow, that is a big dog." I keep on walking, not even thinking of running. The dog walks right past me and does not even look at me.

Today I was out walking when I was passed by a dirty little dog. I thought of my nephew. He would scream if he saw a small dog running around. I think he would die here. Some of these dogs are huge.

I wonder what the dogs would do here if someone started running from one of them. My wife says they would just ignore you.

Before I came here, I sometimes wondered how it would be if man still walked around with animals, both living and doing their own things. Here it is that, with dogs and man. I dont know if the dogs used to have owners, or if they are mostly wild dogs. But, they usually leave alone, and we leave them alone.

There you have it. Dogs and humans, living together as one. Now we just need to get cats into it too. Well, there are some places that have lots of wild cats. Not the big ones, but the house kind, but that is for another blog.

Brandon J. Greer

The faces of me. Ha. I think its funny.

This post is dedicated to my wife Laura. This is the angry collection. She loves it when I look angry. Like the bad guy in the movie that you should hate, but secretly wish they were the main person in the movie. Cheers.

Brandon J. Greer

Brandon and Lauras night out

Laura and I needed some time out, so we went to Jockey Plaza to get some batteries for my camera. I wanted to take some pictures. We spent a while walking around looking at clothes and shoes. We looked at a few cats and had some chinese food. It was a good time. Here are some pictures from the adventure. Enjoy.

My wife, my life in everyway.

This is Laura. She is my wife. I would add more pictures now, but my internet is really slow. I am going to tell you the story of us. It is going to be fast, because I don't want to type much. We are going to watch a movie and have some popcorn.

We met over the internet, and started talking on April 3rd, 2008. We talked online for 6 months. In October 2008, I went to Lima, Peru to visit her. I spent a little over a month in Peru. We even went to Cuzco to see Machu Picchu. But, we didn't make it to Machu Picchu because of money. I went back to the states for 2 and a half months to save up some money. Then I came back, and I am in Peru now. Yeah, exciting stuff. Blah blah blah, yackity schmackity. And that is a good thing.

The story of David vs. The Matrix? Does that really work?

This is a story I wrote a while ago, and I am going to write it here in installments. Let me know what you think and I will continue.

David and Goliath

This is a story of biblical proportions, chuck full of insperational goodies, and faith building characters. Get ready to be thrown for a loop as this story becomes a mistake of biblical proportions.

We meet David out in the fields watching his fathers sheep. David has always wondered why his father made him watch the sheep. I mean, there was a 20 foot high electric fence around them. They are not going anywhere. But still, David is forced to watch them. Most days consist of David taunting wolves or lions to give him something to do. If by chance one of them came after him, he would guide it to the fence. At the fence the sheep would get their attention and they would try to get the sheep. You can guess how that turns out. Lion sandwich for lunch.

Being bored most days, David would practice his aim. He would throw rocks at bottles, shoot rocks out of a sling at trees. You know, that sort of thing. And he was pretty good with a firearm.

However, David was only 14, too young to do many of the big things, like professional wrestling. Although those things did not intrest him at all. David wanted to be a farmer, but his father was not too keen on that idea. No, he would not be a farmer. He would sit and watch the sheep behind the fence. David's father never thought much of his dreams. Not since the dream where David was a paratrooper. The next morning he jumped out of a tree hoping that his jacket would catch enough air to slow him down. No, the medical bills alone from that bright idea made David's father think he knew what was best for the lad.

Like that little bit? I hope so. More to come later.

Brandon J. Greer
Copyright 2006