Well, I just said my goodbyes to three very good friends that I've made here in Peru...oddly enough I will get to see them again in less than a month upon my return to Kearney. I can't believe that we are already coming to the end of this incredible journey. Before I came to Peru, I was most scared that I wouldn't learn Spanish as well as I wanted to, and that I would not be able to find my way around a city of 9 million. I fared pretty well in both areas of concern.
Never in a million years did I have "Study Abroad to Lima, Peru" on my bucket list of things to do in my life, but I am so incredibly glad that I get to put it on my bucket list and cross it right off! This trip has been the trip of a lifetime and I have been able to see so many amazing things in the short span of 5 months. Lanisa and I will be staying here an extra 20 days to really soak up the South American culture, and we will actually be joined by my dad tomorrow night!
I am so excited to have the opportunity to travel to Argentina and Chile with a very good friend...and my dad! I wish I could share the experience with my mom too, but it was unable to happen. Life is full of little surprises and I'm glad my little surprise from life this year was allowing me to come to Peru.
I have met so many people in my time here and I know that I am going to miss them so much when I leave, but I aspire to return to Peru in the future so I know it won't be goodbye forever :)
Other than that, I don't have too much else to describe to you, but just for a touch of humor I can tell you what I know none of us will "miss" from Lima (these little annoyances will always have a tiny fond spot in our hearts)
- Smooches / kisses/ whistles from grown men in passing vehicles or at construction sites
- Speed bumps
- Honking horns
- The sound of the ice cream man going up and down the street
- The walking speed of the average Peruvian...snail paced.
- PDA in the utmost grotesque way you can imagine
- 7am rush hour.......7pm rush hour
- Stares from anyone and everyone
Now some little things I will miss
- Walks from Haley's gate to the little store after a late night of dancing
- Walks to and from Sam's house on a weekly basis
- Oddly enough...classes at UPC
- The cute little old man from my apartment who buzzed me in every night
- Miguel, who buzzed me in every day and greeted me with a "Señorita, buenas tardes!"
- Eating SanGuchon because Luke wanted it
- Talking in a ridiculous group chat with my friends titles "Princesses"
- Snap chatting each other our feelings
- Mi princesa David
- DJ Agua (Kevin)
- Lanisa's dad Jaime
- Jockey Plaza
......last but certainly not least on this SMALL list of things I will miss is......
My incredible Peruvian family who took me into their house and have provided me everything I have needed throughout my stay here. They have been wonderful to me and I hope one day they can come visit me in Nebraska and I can show them around my territory :)
Espero que hayan disfrutado de mis blogs durante este semestre, pero ahora digo "adiós" al blog...hasta que quiero recordar mi tiempo de querido Perú! Un besito, cuidense mis amigos, y chau!
...it only took us until the last week of classes to ask how to spell "ciao"...it's chau. :)
Friday, April 19, 2013
Wednesday, April 10, 2013
Winding down...
The school year is coming to a close and we are busy as ever with our school schedule. It isn´t that the assignments have all been equally as challenging, but they all take an excessive amount of time to complete. Such is dead week I suppose. Not only do we have dead week left, we also have finals week and I am not looking forward to it.
This weekend was a Peruvian friends birthday and he invited all of us to go out and go dancing. We all had a blast and were saddened to think it may be the last time we all get to go out dancing together while in Lima. It is weird that half of the group is preparing to leave for the United States in less than two weeks, but also exciting because that means Lanisa and I will get to start our 10 day vacation to Argentina and Chile.
My dad comes in 12 days and I am getting more excited as the days pass...not only does it mean that I will get to see my dad, but also that we are that much closer to going home to Nebraska. I am starting to miss Nebraska a lot more as the time comes closer...but I also am realizing how much I am going to miss Lima.
This past week the only real adventures I have had have been with Lanisa when her computer broke two days before our final project was due so she had to take it into the Apple store here to see if they could fix it. Of course none of our Spanish speaking friends or family were available to aid in this journey, so Lanisa and I set off to Jockey Plaza all alone.
When we got to Jockey, around 11am, the store had not yet opened yet we had to walk right in and ask if they were open yet to figure it out...odd custom. Then they told us they would be open in 10 minutes. In true Peruvian fashion, it took them an hour before they were actually open. So with the crowd of Peruvians, we stormed into the store and to the computer part to wait in line in possibly the hottest room on the planet. We were being chatted with by a Peruvian woman, whom I am positive was complaining about waiting in line for so long (we had been there for at LEAST 5 minutes...sarcasm on the *so long*) But we worked our way through tagging each other in when one of us didn't understand the question or word and it was overall a learning experience...not a fun one but now Lanisa has her computer back and all is well!
Only one week of school left, and it definitely feels like it. I can't believe some of the people in the group will be home in 10 days! How crazy, I still have 29. But I am going to make the best of them because I know I will never get this time back! :)
I will have one more blog for you before the end of this trip...maybe two. But for now, cuídate y nos vemos pronto!
This weekend was a Peruvian friends birthday and he invited all of us to go out and go dancing. We all had a blast and were saddened to think it may be the last time we all get to go out dancing together while in Lima. It is weird that half of the group is preparing to leave for the United States in less than two weeks, but also exciting because that means Lanisa and I will get to start our 10 day vacation to Argentina and Chile.
My dad comes in 12 days and I am getting more excited as the days pass...not only does it mean that I will get to see my dad, but also that we are that much closer to going home to Nebraska. I am starting to miss Nebraska a lot more as the time comes closer...but I also am realizing how much I am going to miss Lima.
This past week the only real adventures I have had have been with Lanisa when her computer broke two days before our final project was due so she had to take it into the Apple store here to see if they could fix it. Of course none of our Spanish speaking friends or family were available to aid in this journey, so Lanisa and I set off to Jockey Plaza all alone.
When we got to Jockey, around 11am, the store had not yet opened yet we had to walk right in and ask if they were open yet to figure it out...odd custom. Then they told us they would be open in 10 minutes. In true Peruvian fashion, it took them an hour before they were actually open. So with the crowd of Peruvians, we stormed into the store and to the computer part to wait in line in possibly the hottest room on the planet. We were being chatted with by a Peruvian woman, whom I am positive was complaining about waiting in line for so long (we had been there for at LEAST 5 minutes...sarcasm on the *so long*) But we worked our way through tagging each other in when one of us didn't understand the question or word and it was overall a learning experience...not a fun one but now Lanisa has her computer back and all is well!
Only one week of school left, and it definitely feels like it. I can't believe some of the people in the group will be home in 10 days! How crazy, I still have 29. But I am going to make the best of them because I know I will never get this time back! :)
I will have one more blog for you before the end of this trip...maybe two. But for now, cuídate y nos vemos pronto!
Sunday, March 31, 2013
Time is NOT of the essence:::::Cusco---Marco Antonio--INCAS
Our adventure to Cusco began last Thursday at 3am when I was rudely awakened by the screeching sound of my alarm clock signaling it was time to head to my good pal Jorge Chavez...International Airport. We have become very familiar with the airport here in Lima, but I'm not going to say I was sad that this Cusco trip was going to be our last flight on Peruvian Airlines. Peruvian Airlines served its purpose, but not in the easiest way possible. After one canceled flight, one delayed flight, and never leaving on schedule, one can rightfully be a little upset with the airline. That's all I'm going to say about that...
Cusco: MARCH 21-24
On the first day, we arrived late (naturally), so we only had a couple of hours to adjust to the altitude before we had to meet up with our guide Marco Antonio for a half day of tours. I can honestly say that Marco Antonio was easily the funniest english speaking Peruvian I have met here. I was laughing 3/4 of the day from funny little jokes I would catch. I think I was mostly just impressed that he was able to be funny in english, and somewhat jealous because I still have no idea how to be funny in Spanish. This first day we visited a few different places in Cusco and learned a lot of historical facts dating back to when the Spanish invaded and took over the Incas. Of course I was loving all of this information after taking a Latin American history class, but it was interesting to hear more details about the Incas coming from someone who's heritage is closely tied to the Incan culture.
The second day we woke up bright and early to make our way toward Machu Picchu. I had no idea how big of an ordeal it was to get to Machu Picchu. It took us nearly 6 hours to finally reach to the top (once again behind schedule), once we reached the top and got check in with our tour company we finally got to take the trek to the famous Inca ruins of Machu Picchu! Our tour lasted 2.5 hours and it was incredible! Easily the most incredible thing I have seen in my life. I cannot even describe to you how I felt seeing and soaking in the facts about the Inca ruins that I, Danielle Bartels, walked through. I would love to go back again, and maybe even stay at the hotel at the base of the trail...I will have to save up some serious money though because ONE night in that hotel is over $1,000USD. Insane!!
Saturday we got to take a traveling tour to other Inca ruins in surrounding cities outside of Cusco. This trip began around 8am and ended around 7pm. We were able to see a wildlife refuge area for Peru's protected animals like the vicuña, condor, puma, etc. It was incredible being up close an personal with such incredible animals. The condors especially! The Inca ruins from these little field trips were amazing, very similar to the architecture of Machu Picchu...which is mind blowing to begin with. Those Incas were incredible people. I am eternally fascinated with their knowledge. Even though they were not "civilized" like Europeans (guns, metals, etc.) the natural resources they used to build, produce, grow everything they did is impeccable.
Sunday morning we got up and went shopping in the markets and bought too many souvenirs...yay for you friends and family! Not so "yay" for the bank account...no in all reality souvenirs here are fairly cheap. The average price for a tshirt is around S/. 15 which is about $6 USD. Not too shabby! Sunday afternoon our plane was supposed to leave at 3:10 but...YOU GUESSED IT! We were delayed until 4:30...it really wasn't the biggest of deals but frustrating all the same. We were all tired from a long weekend and were ready to be able to sleep in our own beds.
This last week was regular class, and I think we have all started our countdown as to when we are going home...38 days...and school is winding down. Thursday we did not have class because it is Holy Week and here they shut everything down Thursday and Friday of Holy Week and just about 8million people skip town to go to the beach. Lima was dead quiet for the past couple of days, and that was wonderful. I have gotten used to the noise that Lima produces, but not having to hear a lot of noise was refreshing.
This coming week we only have class on Monday and Thursday...and they are the same class. Conversation with Liliana. We are going to get our Spanish talking in for the whole week that's for sure. I don't have much else to say, except that I have really been enjoying my time here in Peru and have made some pretty good friends while being here....and Peruvians are always late to everything.
That's all for now, here's some pictures! :)
If you want to check out more picture: https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10151418187233355.1073741831.500473354&type=3
Cusco: MARCH 21-24
On the first day, we arrived late (naturally), so we only had a couple of hours to adjust to the altitude before we had to meet up with our guide Marco Antonio for a half day of tours. I can honestly say that Marco Antonio was easily the funniest english speaking Peruvian I have met here. I was laughing 3/4 of the day from funny little jokes I would catch. I think I was mostly just impressed that he was able to be funny in english, and somewhat jealous because I still have no idea how to be funny in Spanish. This first day we visited a few different places in Cusco and learned a lot of historical facts dating back to when the Spanish invaded and took over the Incas. Of course I was loving all of this information after taking a Latin American history class, but it was interesting to hear more details about the Incas coming from someone who's heritage is closely tied to the Incan culture.
The second day we woke up bright and early to make our way toward Machu Picchu. I had no idea how big of an ordeal it was to get to Machu Picchu. It took us nearly 6 hours to finally reach to the top (once again behind schedule), once we reached the top and got check in with our tour company we finally got to take the trek to the famous Inca ruins of Machu Picchu! Our tour lasted 2.5 hours and it was incredible! Easily the most incredible thing I have seen in my life. I cannot even describe to you how I felt seeing and soaking in the facts about the Inca ruins that I, Danielle Bartels, walked through. I would love to go back again, and maybe even stay at the hotel at the base of the trail...I will have to save up some serious money though because ONE night in that hotel is over $1,000USD. Insane!!
Saturday we got to take a traveling tour to other Inca ruins in surrounding cities outside of Cusco. This trip began around 8am and ended around 7pm. We were able to see a wildlife refuge area for Peru's protected animals like the vicuña, condor, puma, etc. It was incredible being up close an personal with such incredible animals. The condors especially! The Inca ruins from these little field trips were amazing, very similar to the architecture of Machu Picchu...which is mind blowing to begin with. Those Incas were incredible people. I am eternally fascinated with their knowledge. Even though they were not "civilized" like Europeans (guns, metals, etc.) the natural resources they used to build, produce, grow everything they did is impeccable.
Sunday morning we got up and went shopping in the markets and bought too many souvenirs...yay for you friends and family! Not so "yay" for the bank account...no in all reality souvenirs here are fairly cheap. The average price for a tshirt is around S/. 15 which is about $6 USD. Not too shabby! Sunday afternoon our plane was supposed to leave at 3:10 but...YOU GUESSED IT! We were delayed until 4:30...it really wasn't the biggest of deals but frustrating all the same. We were all tired from a long weekend and were ready to be able to sleep in our own beds.
This last week was regular class, and I think we have all started our countdown as to when we are going home...38 days...and school is winding down. Thursday we did not have class because it is Holy Week and here they shut everything down Thursday and Friday of Holy Week and just about 8million people skip town to go to the beach. Lima was dead quiet for the past couple of days, and that was wonderful. I have gotten used to the noise that Lima produces, but not having to hear a lot of noise was refreshing.
This coming week we only have class on Monday and Thursday...and they are the same class. Conversation with Liliana. We are going to get our Spanish talking in for the whole week that's for sure. I don't have much else to say, except that I have really been enjoying my time here in Peru and have made some pretty good friends while being here....and Peruvians are always late to everything.
That's all for now, here's some pictures! :)
If you want to check out more picture: https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10151418187233355.1073741831.500473354&type=3
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| Marco Antonio--our guide |
Wednesday, March 20, 2013
STAY WITH ME...THERE ARE PICTURES.
Ica--Paracas.........AND...........La Selva!!!
First let's talk about Ica--Paracas. We left Lima for Ica on Sunday morning. Ica is around four hours South of Lima so we took a double decker luxury bus ride to Ica. It was surprisingly comfortable. I think anything would have been comfortable after the night of LITERALLY no sleep the night before!
**TIME OUT**
Let me explain why I didn't get any sleep! My uncle Mancho was throwing a birthday party for himself at my grandma's house so my family and I got dressed up very nice and went over to my grandma's house for the party. It started around 8pm and I did not get back to our apartment until 5:30am and I had to be at the bus station to leave for Ica by 7am and it took around 40 minutes to get to the bus station...so I had not slept! But it was so fun, and definitely worth it! I really enjoy the times I get to spend with my extended family! They are all SO incredibly kind and helpful with my Spanish...even when I can't function at 4am!
**TIME IN**
We got to Ica around noon and I was cranky from not sleeping too much but overall I was very excited to just be out of Lima for a few days! We didn't have a whole lot planned for this trip, and for that I was kind of grateful. It was very nice to be able to just relax for a few days while still being able to see some really cool sites! Sunday evening we were able to go sand boarding in the desert as well as visit a vineyard where they make Peruvian pisco! It was interesting to learn about but I wish it would have been light out so we could see everything a little better! I did buy some really good wine to bring back though! Sand boarding was INCREDIBLE. At first I was terrified because I am not necessarily a daredevil but I always want to do cool things so after I let 5 people go ahead of me, I finally sucked it up and boarded down. It was AWESOME. Very sandy but so worth it!! The dune buggie ride out to the dunes was so much fun, and equally terrifying. I only saw my life flash before my eyes three times. Naturally we didn't start on the bunny slopes, we started on the black diamond of sand dunes which is a grand part of why I was terrified. Our boarding guides were very fun guys, they were crazy drivers but definitely made sure we were safe going down the dunes.
Monday we woke up very early and drove around an hour to Paracas where we got on a boat to ride out to the Ballestas Islands. They were so incredible! I absolutely LOVED the lobos marinos. I would like one as a pet. A baby one. NOW. We were taken around the islands for a couple of hours before we headed back to land and from there to Ica. After we got back to our resort we cleaned up a bit and decided to head into town to grab some dinner. After dinner we played some cards games and called it a night! The morning we had free until around 3pm when the bus came to pick us up to head back to Lima! The weekend overall was very fun...but our adventures weren't over yet...we planned to leave for the Jungle two days after our return!
LA SELVA!!! (The Jungle)
Let me just preface this section with: It was freaking HOT. Even though it was rainy season in the jungle, we somehow experienced a heat like never before. I would sweat every time I took a breath. It was disgusting. But being able to give myself a little slap on the cheek to remind myself that I was in the Amazon, erased any uncomfortable sweaty feelings I was having. The first day we met our guide, Ashuko. Ashuko took us to our boat we would be riding out to our camp, and after an hour ride más o menos we arrived to our camp and settled in. That afternoon we headed straight for the jungle and hiked for a bit and learned about a bunch of different types of trees and frogs and animals and even saw him dig a tarantula out of its hole in the ground! That evening we gathered up our flashlights and wandered out into the jungle to, what I was sure would be our death by snakes or jaguars, and managed to find a ton of spiders and one snake. I didn't necessarily enjoy that part of the trip, but looking back I'm glad I went.
One important part I forgot to mention...things we take for granted in the US...electricity. We only had electricity for TWO HOURS a day. 7pm-9pm, other than that we were completely lit up by flashlights. It was an interesting experience, and kind of nice to be away from everything.
Saturday morning had planned to go piranha fishing and bird watching, but when we woke up it was raining so we ate breakfast and took a nap in the hammocks while we waited for the rain to clear, and even changed around our itinerary to going to MONKEY ISLAND (eeeeek!!!) and the other things the next day.
There was a room full of hammocks where we spent a lot of our break/down time. I took approximately 5 naps in a hammock in the Amazon jungle. Have you? No, you haven't. It was incredible.
We got to monkey island, and out of the jungle walked the CUTEST monkeys I have ever seen. They were so friendly, but still wild...obvio...they live in the Amazon jungle...anyways, they jumped all over us and played with my hair because it was in a bun and apparently looked like too much fun for them to pass up. There was also a SLOTH!!! I got to hold him and watch him smile at me and I just know he wanted to be my friend, but I don't think I could get a sloth through customs. After the monkey island and lunch we went to go looking for pink dolphins. Everyone but me saw the damn dolphins, I'm still a little bitter about it pardon my french. Then some crazies from our group (everyone but Haley and I) swam in the river. It was brown and surely full of bugs and only heaven knows what else, but they all had fun!
The next morning we woke up early and went out to go fishing, and only Haley was successful...but she didn't catch a piranha, she caught a catfish! After fishing for an hour or so we were "bird watching" which we did a majority of the time anyways, there were some really cool birds but it's hard to get pictures of birds because they fly right by you!
A group of us had to be to the airport Sunday by around 5:30 for our flight home to Lima so we hopped on our boat back to Iquitos after lunch and it was a 3 hour boat ride against the current so we made the best of it and stacked some suitcases for a makeshift table to play cards on. It worked out pretty well!
Everything was going well until we boarded the plane an hour late and sat on the plane for another hour before we were told we had to get off of the plane because the window wouldn't seal. THEN we found out our flight had just been canceled all together. After waiting in line for a few hours we were finally put up into a hotel in town by the airport and were given ticket for a 2pm flight the next day. We were all tired sweaty and cranky so it didn't help any when we hadn't eaten dinner and it was 2am AND our sink in our bathroom probably had more water pressure than our shower head did. It was an interesting experience.
The trip to the jungle was a once in a lifetime experience and I am so glad I got to experience it with the people I did. Bug bites and all, I enjoyed the jungle.
NOW: We are off to Cusco/Machu Picchu in t-minus 6 hours so I need to get at least a little bit of sleep!!
Until next week mis amigos! Un beso :) ¡Ciao!
Wednesday, March 6, 2013
See you in 63 days America!
The other day Lanisa and I were talking, and in the midst of conversation Lanisa said, "Oh, I need to write a blog too..." (I think we were talking about what homework we had to do this week...) and to that I responded, "Why?? We JUST wrote a blog, you're being an over achiever." Little did I know, that is has, indeed, been a week since my last post.
I wish I could tell you that I knew where all of the days go, but they go by so quickly that some days I don't even remember what I eat for breakfast. The other day I was chatting with my mom on the phone and she said, "Your English in your blogs is bad, your sentence fluency and sjkgheughreighfosgjkfhgkldsfh..." (which I already knew, but having someone say it made me realize that I should put forth more effort...cuz I aint no dummy) so I am making a conscience effort to sound like the educated person I am, in this blog. Although it is painful to write complex sentences in English, I will try my hardest.
To think that in 63 days I will be stepping off of my plane in Omaha, Nebraska, absolutely blows my mind. Would you like to know what blows my mind even further? The fact that I have been here for approximately 66 days. Peruvian life is becoming my norm, and when I have to get back into the swing of things (work...work...school...work), I am going to be hurting. Why am I going to be hurting, you ask? Because; I will have to wake up before lunch is ready, I will not be able to watch Netflix, I will not be in Lima, I will have to make my own food, I will have to buy gas. THAT is why I will be hurting. But as much as I don't look forward to changing my routine upon arriving back home, I must say I miss America. While talking with my mom, I mentioned how I miss America and how hard it is to be "American" here. By that I simply mean, that not everything is a simple phone call away and you can't just hop into your car and drive to WalMart really quickly. American's are such fortunate people, and living in Peru has taught me that we are also extremely greedy people. We take SO much of what we are offered and given for granted. For example, cars. There are 9 million people who live in Lima and there are approximately 1 billion cars. How many of these cars are owned by families? MAYBE 20%. The other 80% is taxis. For people here, in Peru, to hear us say that most members of every family has their own car is absolutely absurd. If a family has ONE car for all 8 of them, they are very lucky.
My wish for every American, is that they challenge themselves to live abroad...not "vacation" for two weeks...stay a couple of months. Learn that our "first world problems" are not at all problems. I have found a whole new appreciation for the little things in life just from being here for two months. Air conditioning being an example...in the United States air conditioning is expected. Here? I have felt air conditioning in two places...one classroom, and one privately owned car. Homes here tend to not have air conditioning. At first, I was a negative nancy about it and I thought I would die without it. Now? My balcony door is always open and fresh air is always flowing into my room. Granted, it does not replace air conditioning, but I have adapted and learned that air conditioning is a commodity.
Enough of my chit chatting and onto the good stuff! This past week, Sam's host brother Kevin took us to a market called Polvos Azules. Now let me just tell you a little bit about what we THOUGH Polvos Azules was...we thought it was going to be a place where we could buy cheap knock-off brand name clothes and shoes. What we did NOT think it was going to be was thousands upon thousands of imported brand name shoes...and a complete mess. It was back sweating hot in this HUGE building with...you guessed it! NO air conditioning. Needless to say, the girls were not enjoying the sweat, but Luke was LOVING the shoes.
This Sunday, our class leaves for a trip to Ica. Ica is a desert oasis about three hours South of Lima. We will be traveling by bus there and back. In Ica we will be able to sand board down the sand dunes as well as ride in dune buggies through the dunes. I'm sure there is plenty of other fun stuff we can do there, but so far that's all we know of! One of the days we will be taking a boat ride out around the Islas Ballestas where we will see lobos marinos (sea wolfs...look them up they are cool looking) and penguins and some other really fun animals. My mom said she saw a picture of a killer whale eating a lobo marino on the shore...so WHO KNOWS!??! Maybe we will be in for a treat :) Hoping just the sighting of a whale and not the eating of the pobrecito.
Here's the timeline...
Ica: March 10-12
School: 12-13
Daniela's (host sister) Birthday! Woohoo!: March 14
Iquitos (Jungle): 15-17
My high school friend Abby will be in Lima week of March 18th!
Peru vs. Chile fútbol game: March 22 (in Lima)
....we are in for a busy month of March!
So many exciting things to look forward too in this coming week...I know I have promised some pretty great pictures, but don't hold your breath because it will still be another week or so before I can upload some incredible pictures! But I PROMISE you will get some :)
Until those beautiful pictures come, I have some that I would like you all to enjoy. A few of them will be some comic relief, per say. Others, I just find interesting
This first picture is from the week before we were SUPPOSED to go to Cusco and my mom was a little concerned...rightfully so. BUT good news for Cusco, we believe that we have around $400 back from our original trip!! Good good news!
This next picture, with the kind fellow blowing up daffy duck blow up animals...he is just a guy trying to make a living...selling daffy duck blow up animals on the side of the street. These types of vendors are all over the place. Sometimes at stop lights, people will do dances or juggle then go down the line of cars hoping to collect tips for their performances.
The picture with the men standing in a group? Those are men in a mall stopping their shopping to watch the fútbol game on DirecTV tv's. Probably the funniest thing I have seen this week.
Last, but certainly not least!! My friends, FaceTime-ing me with their beautiful faces because our Wi-Fi connection sucks. Miss these fools.
Until next time :)
I wish I could tell you that I knew where all of the days go, but they go by so quickly that some days I don't even remember what I eat for breakfast. The other day I was chatting with my mom on the phone and she said, "Your English in your blogs is bad, your sentence fluency and sjkgheughreighfosgjkfhgkldsfh..." (which I already knew, but having someone say it made me realize that I should put forth more effort...cuz I aint no dummy) so I am making a conscience effort to sound like the educated person I am, in this blog. Although it is painful to write complex sentences in English, I will try my hardest.
To think that in 63 days I will be stepping off of my plane in Omaha, Nebraska, absolutely blows my mind. Would you like to know what blows my mind even further? The fact that I have been here for approximately 66 days. Peruvian life is becoming my norm, and when I have to get back into the swing of things (work...work...school...work), I am going to be hurting. Why am I going to be hurting, you ask? Because; I will have to wake up before lunch is ready, I will not be able to watch Netflix, I will not be in Lima, I will have to make my own food, I will have to buy gas. THAT is why I will be hurting. But as much as I don't look forward to changing my routine upon arriving back home, I must say I miss America. While talking with my mom, I mentioned how I miss America and how hard it is to be "American" here. By that I simply mean, that not everything is a simple phone call away and you can't just hop into your car and drive to WalMart really quickly. American's are such fortunate people, and living in Peru has taught me that we are also extremely greedy people. We take SO much of what we are offered and given for granted. For example, cars. There are 9 million people who live in Lima and there are approximately 1 billion cars. How many of these cars are owned by families? MAYBE 20%. The other 80% is taxis. For people here, in Peru, to hear us say that most members of every family has their own car is absolutely absurd. If a family has ONE car for all 8 of them, they are very lucky.
My wish for every American, is that they challenge themselves to live abroad...not "vacation" for two weeks...stay a couple of months. Learn that our "first world problems" are not at all problems. I have found a whole new appreciation for the little things in life just from being here for two months. Air conditioning being an example...in the United States air conditioning is expected. Here? I have felt air conditioning in two places...one classroom, and one privately owned car. Homes here tend to not have air conditioning. At first, I was a negative nancy about it and I thought I would die without it. Now? My balcony door is always open and fresh air is always flowing into my room. Granted, it does not replace air conditioning, but I have adapted and learned that air conditioning is a commodity.
Enough of my chit chatting and onto the good stuff! This past week, Sam's host brother Kevin took us to a market called Polvos Azules. Now let me just tell you a little bit about what we THOUGH Polvos Azules was...we thought it was going to be a place where we could buy cheap knock-off brand name clothes and shoes. What we did NOT think it was going to be was thousands upon thousands of imported brand name shoes...and a complete mess. It was back sweating hot in this HUGE building with...you guessed it! NO air conditioning. Needless to say, the girls were not enjoying the sweat, but Luke was LOVING the shoes.
This Sunday, our class leaves for a trip to Ica. Ica is a desert oasis about three hours South of Lima. We will be traveling by bus there and back. In Ica we will be able to sand board down the sand dunes as well as ride in dune buggies through the dunes. I'm sure there is plenty of other fun stuff we can do there, but so far that's all we know of! One of the days we will be taking a boat ride out around the Islas Ballestas where we will see lobos marinos (sea wolfs...look them up they are cool looking) and penguins and some other really fun animals. My mom said she saw a picture of a killer whale eating a lobo marino on the shore...so WHO KNOWS!??! Maybe we will be in for a treat :) Hoping just the sighting of a whale and not the eating of the pobrecito.
Here's the timeline...
Ica: March 10-12
School: 12-13
Daniela's (host sister) Birthday! Woohoo!: March 14
Iquitos (Jungle): 15-17
My high school friend Abby will be in Lima week of March 18th!
Peru vs. Chile fútbol game: March 22 (in Lima)
....we are in for a busy month of March!
So many exciting things to look forward too in this coming week...I know I have promised some pretty great pictures, but don't hold your breath because it will still be another week or so before I can upload some incredible pictures! But I PROMISE you will get some :)
This first picture is from the week before we were SUPPOSED to go to Cusco and my mom was a little concerned...rightfully so. BUT good news for Cusco, we believe that we have around $400 back from our original trip!! Good good news!
This next picture, with the kind fellow blowing up daffy duck blow up animals...he is just a guy trying to make a living...selling daffy duck blow up animals on the side of the street. These types of vendors are all over the place. Sometimes at stop lights, people will do dances or juggle then go down the line of cars hoping to collect tips for their performances. 
The picture with the men standing in a group? Those are men in a mall stopping their shopping to watch the fútbol game on DirecTV tv's. Probably the funniest thing I have seen this week.
Last, but certainly not least!! My friends, FaceTime-ing me with their beautiful faces because our Wi-Fi connection sucks. Miss these fools.
Until next time :)
Wednesday, February 27, 2013
You're shakin' up the snow globe!
Well folks, what can I say? I'm livin' the life. I wake up in the morning and have breakfast waiting for me...usually cold because I wake up whenever I feel necessary, but that's not the point...I prepare myself for the day and around 1pm every day almuerzo is ready, home-cooked for me and at night I am offered a little snacky snack. Peruvians are definitely the most welcoming people I have ever met in my life. The Peruvians I have met anyways...I mentioned that once to a Peruvian friend and she was quick to correct me that not all Peruvians are kind. I believe her, I don't care to find out for myself. I was placed with an awesome family and I am very lucky! We learn more and more about each other every day. Talking is becoming more common and I am starting to feel more comfortable...like I'm a part of the family :) I am going to miss them when I come home, I hope they will some time be able to come visit me...preferably not in the winter because I would be afraid they would never come back.
This week has passed by ENTIRELY too quickly, I actually refuse to believe it has been a week since I posted on here. I catch myself thinking I'm on top of the game but then, BAM...it's been a week. Days just sneak right on by. This weekend we took a short little trip over to Barranco (and by short I mean just a taxi ride lol), a district 20 minutes from where we live to go to a paint party with a couple of our Peruvian friends...since we were SUPPOSED to be in Cusco we weren't going to be able to go to said paint party...but thanks to the kidnappers we got to go!! Lose, win situation. Positive Patsy. That's what life is about right? I had that attitude until about an hour after we got into the club and I was literally sweating from my head to my toes. It was disgusting. I allowed myself to drown in my sweat and the sweat of the other 700 Peruvian people in the club while smelling everyone's body odors for about an hour before I had to come up for air. Haley and I walked up with Kevin (Sam's host brother...aka DJ Agua) toward the bathroom to breath and we were all kind of confused of what was going on with the group because we had yet to see any paint...we did however get water and other liquids sprayed on us sporadically...ANYWAY I became a bit of a party pooper because I couldn't stand the sweaty mess that I had become so Whitney, Sam, Kim and I walked outside to hail a cab. Our friend was very worried about us getting our own cab, but we did just fine...that wasn't our first rodeo ;) I suppose you're wondering what happened next....well, THE PAINT CAME RIGHT AFTER WE LEFT. Whatever, you win some and you lose some. It was a fun experience overall, I think the best part was that we went with our Peruvian friends and they are very much fun!
Saturday I went over to Lanisa's house and we booked flights from Lima to Buenos Aires, Argentina and Santiago, Chile for 10 days and MY DAD IS COMING TO PERU...and ARGENTINA AND CHILE!!! How cool is that? I am very excited to be able to show him what we have been doing, except now I really need to figure out where to take him in Lima. Definitely the water circuits we went to earlier this semester...I'm gonna have to think on it.
After we booked the flights Lanisa's family had invited me up to join their BBQ on their roof patio. It was fun to sit and chat with her family. The food was also very good, we had grilled cheese sticks which were interestingly tasty.
Sunday...I left my bed twice the entire day...to breakfast and to lunch. You might call that lazy, but I prefer to call it "Peruvian style Sunday activities".
Monday we didn't do too much, class and started making a brochure for Marta's class. And then I was just jealous of everyone who got to watch The Bachelor while I have YET to watch it. It's okay, I will watch it sometime. Hopefully before he proposes to someone and I have to read about it all over the internet. I've been counseling myself on how I'm going to handle that when it happens next Monday. It's inevitable and I am not happy about it. Deep breaths.
Tuesday we had an exam in grammar and it was alright. A test is a test, ya know? Luke informed us that we shouldn't study before the exam because it "shakes up your snow globe, and it doesn't have time to settle before the exam"...we all had a little bit of a laugh out of that, but Luke is just a funny fella.
Today we had a test in Peruvian Literature where we had to write an analysis over a piece of peruvian lit pin pointing one section/theme from one story we have read and analyze it. If you could have seen my face when I patiently let Christian explain how this test would be, I'm pretty sure you would lose it. Classic Danielle "You have got to be kidding me" face. For all of you who know the face, enjoy visualizing that.
Because we haven't been on any trips recently, this blog is a little bit of a ramble write, but you do have a sweet blog to look forward to around March 17 because I will have been on TWO trips in the span of a week and a half :)
AND we may still have a possibility of going to Cusco, so not everything is a bust with that...take that kidnappers!
WELL ONLY 70 DAYS LEFT AND I DON'T WANT TO LEAVE YET! YOU ALL SHOULD COME HERE :) SEE YOU ALL SOON, AIRFARE IS ONLY APPROX. $1100 ROUND TRIP. ***SHELB, KRIS, ABBS, KEISHY, SAR, HAN, LYSSY, MADDAWG...GO TO GI STEAL VANESSA AND GINGER AND LILY AND I WILL PICK YOU ALL UP FROM THE AIRPORT <3 much love***
¡Hasta luego, mis amigos!
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| Some of us waiting in line to get into the club! |
Saturday I went over to Lanisa's house and we booked flights from Lima to Buenos Aires, Argentina and Santiago, Chile for 10 days and MY DAD IS COMING TO PERU...and ARGENTINA AND CHILE!!! How cool is that? I am very excited to be able to show him what we have been doing, except now I really need to figure out where to take him in Lima. Definitely the water circuits we went to earlier this semester...I'm gonna have to think on it.
After we booked the flights Lanisa's family had invited me up to join their BBQ on their roof patio. It was fun to sit and chat with her family. The food was also very good, we had grilled cheese sticks which were interestingly tasty.
Sunday...I left my bed twice the entire day...to breakfast and to lunch. You might call that lazy, but I prefer to call it "Peruvian style Sunday activities".
Monday we didn't do too much, class and started making a brochure for Marta's class. And then I was just jealous of everyone who got to watch The Bachelor while I have YET to watch it. It's okay, I will watch it sometime. Hopefully before he proposes to someone and I have to read about it all over the internet. I've been counseling myself on how I'm going to handle that when it happens next Monday. It's inevitable and I am not happy about it. Deep breaths.
Tuesday we had an exam in grammar and it was alright. A test is a test, ya know? Luke informed us that we shouldn't study before the exam because it "shakes up your snow globe, and it doesn't have time to settle before the exam"...we all had a little bit of a laugh out of that, but Luke is just a funny fella.
Today we had a test in Peruvian Literature where we had to write an analysis over a piece of peruvian lit pin pointing one section/theme from one story we have read and analyze it. If you could have seen my face when I patiently let Christian explain how this test would be, I'm pretty sure you would lose it. Classic Danielle "You have got to be kidding me" face. For all of you who know the face, enjoy visualizing that.
Because we haven't been on any trips recently, this blog is a little bit of a ramble write, but you do have a sweet blog to look forward to around March 17 because I will have been on TWO trips in the span of a week and a half :)
AND we may still have a possibility of going to Cusco, so not everything is a bust with that...take that kidnappers!
WELL ONLY 70 DAYS LEFT AND I DON'T WANT TO LEAVE YET! YOU ALL SHOULD COME HERE :) SEE YOU ALL SOON, AIRFARE IS ONLY APPROX. $1100 ROUND TRIP. ***SHELB, KRIS, ABBS, KEISHY, SAR, HAN, LYSSY, MADDAWG...GO TO GI STEAL VANESSA AND GINGER AND LILY AND I WILL PICK YOU ALL UP FROM THE AIRPORT <3 much love***
¡Hasta luego, mis amigos!
Wednesday, February 20, 2013
Kidnappers = No Cusco
Unfortunately we are not able to go to Cusco this weekend because of potential kidnapping plans than a super secret organization has in the area surround Cusco and Machu Picchu. The American Embassy has put out a security alert for American citizens stating it is prohibidibabido (...movie quote, laugh if you get it...if you don't it's from Fired Up, watch it) to go into Cusco. Therefore, our $600 pre-planned trip to Cusco is postponed until further notice. Although this is frustrating news, I would rather be free in Lima than kidnapped in Cusco :) AND we had an extra class today since we were supposed to leave early in the morning tomorrow, so tomorrow we don't have class...therefore for us Wednesday=Friday.
This last week has been pretty relaxed because we were trying to rest up for the trip to Cusco, so now we all must come out of our coma and participate in the real world. Perhaps we will go on a little class excursion tomorrow, or perhaps I will sleep all day tomorrow. My future is still uncertain.
This last weekend Lanisa, Kim, Allie, and I went to a zoo here in Lima with our conversation partner, Adrian. It was a wicked hot day so naturally I got some sun. I have told you before...I am becoming a Peruvian. Also, let me tell you something about Peruvians (in general...not all are the same, obvio), I think they would DIE in Nebraska summer...when it hits 80 degrees here, they are bedridden and immobile because it is so hot. Granted, it is pretty hot being this close to the sun...but I don't think they would appreciate Nebraska's ever changing climate. The zoo was interesting because it was very spread out and the animals were sporadically placed throughout. We may have just been there at the hottest part of the day when all the animals were taking a nap but we didn't get to see too many of the animals in actions. Granted it was a cool experience :)
As for you, here is a picture of what I will not be seeing this weekend...but I WILL see before I leave Perú!!
This last week has been pretty relaxed because we were trying to rest up for the trip to Cusco, so now we all must come out of our coma and participate in the real world. Perhaps we will go on a little class excursion tomorrow, or perhaps I will sleep all day tomorrow. My future is still uncertain. This last weekend Lanisa, Kim, Allie, and I went to a zoo here in Lima with our conversation partner, Adrian. It was a wicked hot day so naturally I got some sun. I have told you before...I am becoming a Peruvian. Also, let me tell you something about Peruvians (in general...not all are the same, obvio), I think they would DIE in Nebraska summer...when it hits 80 degrees here, they are bedridden and immobile because it is so hot. Granted, it is pretty hot being this close to the sun...but I don't think they would appreciate Nebraska's ever changing climate. The zoo was interesting because it was very spread out and the animals were sporadically placed throughout. We may have just been there at the hottest part of the day when all the animals were taking a nap but we didn't get to see too many of the animals in actions. Granted it was a cool experience :)
As for you, here is a picture of what I will not be seeing this weekend...but I WILL see before I leave Perú!!
Thursday, February 14, 2013
Perú is Beautiful, and English is HARD.
We have been doing a lot of writing in Spanish for our courses and I think that is why it is becoming so difficult to form English oraciones (can't think of the work in English...). Don't have time to dictionary it. Classes are becoming easier, because we are getting really good at juggling our homework and fun times.
This last weekend fuimos a Arequipa and went on a 2 day one night tour of the Colca Valley. It was incredibly beautiful. We started our trip at 2am on Friday the 8th and I think I finally left my zombie state of mind Monday around 9pm. Sleep was scarce and the fun was endless. Friday we drove the majority of the morning/afternoon and saw some of the most incredible sights anyone can ever dream of seeing. Definitely worth waking up at 2am. We drove from Arequipa to Colca Valley, a four hour drive stopping multiple times along the way. First to see llamas and vicuñas and alpacas, then onto a little market where they sold coca tea. Coca leaves in hot water is supposed to make you feel better with the altitude sickness. I'm not exactly sure how much it helped, but it was an experience. We arrived to Chivay (the main town of the valley) to lunch and we had a buffet. Some brace souls ate alpaca...but I will leave it to them to describe how that poor little animal tasted. RIP alpaca. After lunch Lanisa y yo went to our room and I wanted to nappy nap a little but ella wouldn't let me...she just kept talking because she didn't want to fall asleep in the short twenty minutes we had before going to the hot springs. We went to the hot springs in the evening, and me being the BEST suitcase packer in the world, forgot to pack my swim suit so I just hopped right into the water with some extra shorts and a tank top. It was very relaxing, until my fingers started to prune...then I had to get out of there real fast. That evening we had dinner while traditional music and dancing took place.
The next morning we ventured out to the Cruz del Condor, a place where tourists can go to see condors flying. We were not able to see any there because it was so foggy, but we were able to see one at one of our next stops. It was awesome, they are the biggest flying birds in the word. Incredible. After lunch, we headed back to Arequipa...a four hour drive. It was rough, but we made it and after a little bit of disputing at our hostal we finally were able to get settled into our rooms. That evening we decided to walk around the Plaza de Armas and buy some Mac'n Cheese and stuff for sandwiches. It was a fun evening to say the least. We all went out on the town and danced until the wee hours of the morning...which didn't turn out to be a good idea and 100% contributed to my zombie state. But it was all worth it :) Memories that can never be replaced!!
This weekend we don't have anything planned because NEXT weekend we will have the pleasure of seeing Cusco and Machu Picchu. I am VERY excited for that trip, even more excited knowing I can check a suitcase for free and don't have to follow the tiny liquid laws of the United States!
Just for you all to gage how hard English is...I began writing this at 2:22. It is now 3:23.
Until next time!! :) BYE!
Tuesday, February 5, 2013
Week 5...¡qué buena!
Well folks, we started our fifth week of school here in Lima, and it's almost unbelievable. This week or so has been pretty dull consisting highly of homework and sleep. My goal to become a Peruvian at heart is becoming a more doable reality...the more naps I take the closer I get.
Since I didn't really do too much this week I would just like to list some observations I've made throughout my time here in Lima (stealing this idea from Luke)...first I will briefly overview my week for you:
Wednesday 30- I did homework.
Thursday 31- I did homework. And drank sangria with my family...then proceded to take a sangria-induced nap.
Friday 1- I did nothing; I was tired of doing tarea...there was more to do, don't let me confuse you.
Saturday 2- I went to a BBQ with my family for my "cousin" Omar's 15th birthday. Turning 15 is like our "Sweet 16" so it was an all day event. I was given enough food to feed an army, and when asked why I didn't eat it all..."no te gusta?" Yes, I liked the food... "comes comes!!!" (eat, eat!!!)...so I ate. I could have burst. It was really fun getting to talk with all of my "aunts and uncles and cousins" the whole day...they are proud that I am responding to them in full sentences now as opposed to when I met them on day 5. I am proud of myself too.
Sunday 3- SUPERBOWL SUNDAYYYYY! Don't let my written enthusiasm lead you to believe that I even knew who was playing in the Super Bowl...because I didn't. I don't watch NFL. I had never even watched a Super Bowl (for the football anyways) until I watched the Ravens and 49ers play in Super Bowl 47 (I'm showing off that I remember and know these facts). Haley, Kim, Sam, and Sam's host brothers David y Kevin and I went to the Casino Fiesta in Miraflores to watch the Super Bowl. When we got there I decided I was going to "go for the red team"...aka the 49ers. We almost pulled through and beat those dang birds but it just wasn't meant to be. We didn't get to see any of the iconic Super Bowl commercials, but we did see one commercial 1,000 times in a row. After pretending that I was sad that "my team" lost, we got a taxi and headed for home. Overall it was nice to hang out and explain to the Peruvians our absurd sport called Football.
Monday 4- I went to class and did homework.
Tuesday 5 (TODAY)- Went to class...and I'm not going to do any homework...except study all evening for a test tomorrow morning :)
You have to be thinking, "is all they're doing in Lima is doing homework?" and the answer is yes. Yes, we only do homework. But that's part of the experience...to learn Spanish...and I sure as h-e-doublehockeysticks plan on learning Spanish. So it's not at all bad!
Some observations I have made regarding Peruvians:
Some observations I have made about our American group 5 weeks in:
...last but not least...
This Friday we are going to Arequipa which is around 600 miles south of Lima and one of the largest cities in Perú. I am very excited to see the Colca Valley (4 hours out of Arequipa) which we will see on a tour. I will be sure to post some pictures for next time!
¡Hasta luego chicos!
Since I didn't really do too much this week I would just like to list some observations I've made throughout my time here in Lima (stealing this idea from Luke)...first I will briefly overview my week for you:
Wednesday 30- I did homework.
Thursday 31- I did homework. And drank sangria with my family...then proceded to take a sangria-induced nap.
Friday 1- I did nothing; I was tired of doing tarea...there was more to do, don't let me confuse you.
Saturday 2- I went to a BBQ with my family for my "cousin" Omar's 15th birthday. Turning 15 is like our "Sweet 16" so it was an all day event. I was given enough food to feed an army, and when asked why I didn't eat it all..."no te gusta?" Yes, I liked the food... "comes comes!!!" (eat, eat!!!)...so I ate. I could have burst. It was really fun getting to talk with all of my "aunts and uncles and cousins" the whole day...they are proud that I am responding to them in full sentences now as opposed to when I met them on day 5. I am proud of myself too.
Sunday 3- SUPERBOWL SUNDAYYYYY! Don't let my written enthusiasm lead you to believe that I even knew who was playing in the Super Bowl...because I didn't. I don't watch NFL. I had never even watched a Super Bowl (for the football anyways) until I watched the Ravens and 49ers play in Super Bowl 47 (I'm showing off that I remember and know these facts). Haley, Kim, Sam, and Sam's host brothers David y Kevin and I went to the Casino Fiesta in Miraflores to watch the Super Bowl. When we got there I decided I was going to "go for the red team"...aka the 49ers. We almost pulled through and beat those dang birds but it just wasn't meant to be. We didn't get to see any of the iconic Super Bowl commercials, but we did see one commercial 1,000 times in a row. After pretending that I was sad that "my team" lost, we got a taxi and headed for home. Overall it was nice to hang out and explain to the Peruvians our absurd sport called Football.
Monday 4- I went to class and did homework.
Tuesday 5 (TODAY)- Went to class...and I'm not going to do any homework...except study all evening for a test tomorrow morning :)
You have to be thinking, "is all they're doing in Lima is doing homework?" and the answer is yes. Yes, we only do homework. But that's part of the experience...to learn Spanish...and I sure as h-e-doublehockeysticks plan on learning Spanish. So it's not at all bad!
Some observations I have made regarding Peruvians:
- Peruvians love Fanta.
- Peruvians love Crocs.
- Peruvians love American people.
- Peruvians love driving straight at you while you are crossing the street.
- Peruvians love honking their horns.
- Peruvians love walking slowly...painfully slowly...coming from ME, that's pretty slow.
- Peruvians love eating...a MONTÓN of food.
- Peruvians love talking at the speed of light.
Some observations I have made about our American group 5 weeks in:
- Americans fear for their lives every time they cross a street.
- Americans have learned to love Coca-Cola...I refuse to do so.
- Americans are no longer "muy blanco/a"...we have bronzed quite nicely.
- Americans have learned phrases to tell Peruvians to talk slower.
...last but not least...
- Americans are having the time of their lives in Lima, Perú and we can't believe we are already a 1/3 of the way done with school and our time here in Perú!
This Friday we are going to Arequipa which is around 600 miles south of Lima and one of the largest cities in Perú. I am very excited to see the Colca Valley (4 hours out of Arequipa) which we will see on a tour. I will be sure to post some pictures for next time!
¡Hasta luego chicos!
Tuesday, January 29, 2013
It's really happening isn't it...
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| Lanisa, Kim y yo |
...I'M TALKING MORE SPANISH!
Well folks, it's been just shy of a month that I've been in Lima. I have already done so much and learned so much. Last week I started volunteering to help in an English class for the University students and it is very interesting to see how they teach English here. It was a big relief that they didn't catch onto English easily, because I know that Spanish speakers learning English understand how I feel learning Spanish. That has helped me to be more comfortable with talking Spanish.
I can't believe it's been so long since my last post, but I really don't have enough hours in the day to get everything completed! We need about 8 more hours each day to get everything done :) and to sleep. Homework, school, volunteering, and making time to go out on the town take up all of my time. It is nice to be able to have some down time in the evenings to chat with friends and family from home, although it is not always the easiest thing in the world.
Since my last post I have been to Centro, Lima (downtown) twice. The first time was to see the Circuito de Las Aguas. It was incredible to see all of the different fountains and the way they made the water move. Some seriously nerdy people were in charge of that magic...I was in awe. Here is a picture of some of us that when to Centro with two of our Peruvian friends Adrian and Xiomara. They are very friendly and offered to meet us at UPC so we could take a taxi together to Centro. It was about a 45 minute taxi ride because we went in "rush hour" (as if that makes a difference in Peruvian driving habits).  |
| Note the small cup...and no free refills here in Peru. *babysips* |
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| The birds |
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| Our group in front of the church |
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| Me with the waterfall |
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| With the Mayor of Matucana |
The following day our class was able to go to Matucana (about 2 hours away from Lima) to go hiking in the Andes mountains! It was absolutely amazing...pictures don't do it justice and it doesn't even matter that I couldn't move the next day from exhaustion. We left around 7am and got home around 6pm. We hiked for 14miles (more or less...personally it felt like a million miles) and finally reached our destination, which was a "little" waterfall coming from a HUGE laguna at the very top of the mountain. It was completely worth the hours long hike up and down. When we got done hiking we just so happened to run into the mayor of Matucana (and when I say "we" I mean our guide Coco (aka Jorge) ran into her). She was very nice and offered to even give us a tour of her building, it was a very neat surprise! We then ate at a little restaurant before heading back to Lima. When we got back to Lima, I headed straight for my shower because I was nasty...hours in the sun and sun burns require a cold shower. I'm happy to share that my sunburns have magically disappeared (basically) in the span of a day and a half...with surprisingly little pain. I will admit that I layed in my bed all day Sunday feeling like death with sunburns but other than that, I did good. Later that evening we went to Sam's host family house to play some games and hang out, it worked out well because Peruvians like to practice their English...but like us to speak Spanish to them so we played games where Americans had to answer (with aided Spanglish) in Spanish and the Peruvians had to answer in English. It was a very fun time, but we were all tired really early so we headed home.
I've been nursing a bit of a cold, but I have recently (last night) come to the conclusion that it is allergies...Zyrtec has saved my life. And for that, I am eternally grateful.
And here I am, Tuesday afternoon, avoiding studying for a rather large quiz I have today, writing to you all for pure entertainment. I'm having the time of my life, and I don't think I'm going to ever want to leave. Our Kearney group has grown closer together over these few weeks and I think that helps us suppress homesickness. We've even made some inside jokes...and I'm not going to tell them to you cuz they're for my friends, and you wouldn't think they're funny.
Until next time! ¡Besitos!
Friday, January 18, 2013
I'm an unofficial member of the BAU.
I didn't realize this post was going to be as long as it is, so I apologize...but still read it. I'm a really good writer.
Two weeks have already flown by! It's unbelievable how much fun I have already been having, that when I remind myself I've only been here for two weeks it makes me even more excited to see what future outings and experiences we will encounter!
American NyQuil was probably the smartest thing I packed for this trip, granted I can think of about 14 other things I should have brought as well...oh well. I've only had to take NyQuil twice to help sleep, but I think I'm starting to get acclimated to the traffic and noise and light in the morning. But those two NyQuil nights were the best nights sleep ever.
Two weeks have already flown by! It's unbelievable how much fun I have already been having, that when I remind myself I've only been here for two weeks it makes me even more excited to see what future outings and experiences we will encounter!
American NyQuil was probably the smartest thing I packed for this trip, granted I can think of about 14 other things I should have brought as well...oh well. I've only had to take NyQuil twice to help sleep, but I think I'm starting to get acclimated to the traffic and noise and light in the morning. But those two NyQuil nights were the best nights sleep ever.
So far I've watched an entire TV Series on Netflix, called My Boys...great show. I can't decide if it's a bad thing that I watched all four seasons, but YOLO. I've started from Season 1 of Criminal Minds, and if all goes as planned I will have all 7 seasons on Netflix finished by the time I get back. Morgan and I will also be happily married by the time I return, we are registered at Target and Bed Bath and Beyond. Feel free to send any gifts to our newly built mansion...address to follow.
One of my favorite things to do in my free time is stream The Bachelor through some super sketchy website. If you know me, you know that that was sarcasm. It takes me four hours to watch one episode. Dedication is what that's called folks. Or boredom with free time...fine line between the two.
On Tuesday night we were told that we may not have water for the next two days...but my house was spared. I think they stole our hot water though...because I've been taking less than warm showers for the past three days, at least I have a shower right? That could be a nightmare. One thing I have given up on is keeping my feet clean. It's next to impossible.
Wednesday is Peruvian Literature...and it's terrifying. I'm sure once the whole speaking Spanish thing starts coming easier to me, so will analyzing Peruvian Literature. High hopes.
Thursday we all went out to Miraflores to a hyped up club called Karma 181. It only took us four taxis and an hour to find it...and when it was found there was four men singing karaoke. Needless to say, we decided to find a different venue. Overall, the night was very fun and we had lots of laughs.
We were going to go on a class excursion to the Andes and go hiking this Saturday, but it has been pushed back until next Saturday. Tomorrow we may go to the Circuito Mágico del Agua, which from my understanding is magic water. It should be fun because we are going to go with some Peruvian students who live around the area and know when the best time to go for the show! I put a video of some of the fountains that we would see...enjoy!
¡Hasta luego!
Thursday we all went out to Miraflores to a hyped up club called Karma 181. It only took us four taxis and an hour to find it...and when it was found there was four men singing karaoke. Needless to say, we decided to find a different venue. Overall, the night was very fun and we had lots of laughs.
¡Hasta luego!
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