It's really happening isn't it...

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*

Later in the week, not sure exactly what day because they all run together, the Americans decided it was time for some McDonald's. For me, this was my first taste of "American" food I had eaten since January 3rd. It was wonderful...and I don't even like McDonald's. Don't get me wrong, the food here is absolutely amazing and I want everyone to eat it when I get home but having something familiar is a nice change sometimes. 

The birds

Our group in front of the church

Me with the waterfall

Our second trip to Centro was with our grammar teacher Roberto, he kindly took us on the metropolitano...and I will kindly decline any offer to ride that horrid thing ever again. It is more stressful than anything. But I imagine if I lived in a big city, like New York, I wouldn't be as closed-minded to the public transportation...BUT I don't live in a big city, so I would rather take a taxi where I only have to smell the armpits of my friends and not the BO of strangers. Anyway...we got to Centro and walked for about 30 minutes to La Iglesia de San Francisco. It was very pretty and HUGE. We paid 7 soles ($4) for a tour in "English"...I put quotes around it because I think I may have understood more of what she said if she spoke in Spanish. You win some you lose some. The church was one of those iconic "pigeons pooping and walking and being disgusting on the front steps to the church" churches...I'm not much of a fan of the birds here...they actually prefer to fly directly at you rather than flee from our scary human selves. Overall, it was a very good day and I got sunburned. 

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!

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. 

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! 

11 days down...

Lanisa y yo en UPC

Eleventh day here in Peru, second Grammar class, second Tuesday. It feels like I have been here for ages. I'm not upset about that statement, it just seems unreal that I have only been here for 11 days. It's getting a little to the point where I'm becoming restless because I feel more comfortable with doing new things, I just don't know how to go about doing them. 

My Spanish has been improving, although I'm not always completely comfortable talking in Spanish so I go to my brother or sister as a scapegoat and talk in English to get a thought across. I am going to be trying to eliminate my use of English as much as possible...but in all reality I know that I won't just stop speaking English. Keeping my hopes high. 

On Sunday, I went with my family to my grandma's house for a BBQ for my aunts birthday. We left our apartment around 6:45 and arrived to my grandma's around 7. Almost all of the houses in Lima are directly connected to the outdoors in at least one area, and my grandma has glass doors that she opens leading out to her backyard. We were the first to arrive for the party and so I sat on the couch and chatted with family while more brothers and sisters kept coming. When everyone arrived I was told that no one was to speak English to me, and as a joke they said "Vas a sufrir" (You are going to suffer) and that I did. But I survived...and I ate cow heart. The Peruvian dish that is common at barbeques is called "anticucho". Anticucho is cow heart cooked on a kabob and it looks like you are eating beef...but it's beef heart. Of course I didn't know what it was before I ate it, but after I ate it I understood why it was extra chewy. Overall, my first Peruvian parrilla (BBQ) was a success! 

Today was our second grammar class and we had a test. Here in Peru, a 100% is a 20. We were all a little anxious to get our first test out of the way, who wouldn't be? Lanisa and I met up at UPC around noon to go over some last minute studying and to eat some lunch. We ate at a cafe above the Starbucks on campus. So far, my eleven days here in Peru have been great and I'm excited for what's to come. We have been assigned places to look up to travel to for our class with Dr. Moorman so I am excited to get started on our adventures!!

"A very little window."

Even when you don't have school on Friday's it seems like time just flies by. I can't believe it is already Sunday, where does the time go?! I can just do a quick recap of how my first real weekend in Lima was:

Thursday: Before class we all met at school at 2:30 for a meeting with our "tutors/friends" from UPC (Peruvian students). We chatted with them until 3:30ish then we went to receive a present from the University...a wind breaker that says UPC. I am going to wear it every day. Then from 4-7 we had our last class of the week Conversación Avanzada with Liliana del Río. She was more than comfortable up in front of a bunch of gringos who apparently looked like we all just saw a ghost...because she didn't fail to point out our blank stares and our "Uhhhhhh" replies. It was actually a very fun class, and I'm glad she was so open in poking a little fun at us because as strange as it sounds it made us more open to try to talk. After class, I sat in my room. I am almost too exciting for my own good.

Friday: In the morning Lanisa, Thalia and I went to Jockey to walk around and look at all of the stores. I bought two pareos and a dress. Coming from someone who doesn't like shopping, being with two people who LOVE shopping but told themselves they couldn't buy anything, is a lot of pressure. I don't know if it was just the fact that maybe we walked in twelve circles and I didn't know it, but Jockey Plaza is a pretty big mall. We went to the outside part of the mall, which was very pretty and it has a lot of American brands. Around 2 Thalia asked if we were hungry for a snack and asked if we wanted to try churros...I'm just gonna throw it out there that Taco John's churros are not anything like Peruvian churros. Obviously. After we had our snack we walked around some more until 3:30 or so then we took a taxi home. The taxi driver was very chatty telling us a story about a horrible wreck that happened last week with a family and a secured vehicle (the ones that get money from the stores and take it to banks). The three people in the family all died, while the other driver was okay. So sad, but then he started telling how the wife that died with her husband was the FIFTH wife of the man. Not because the others were gone...he was just married to five women at the same time. So at the funeral all of his other wives were crying and saying, "My husband died.." "No MY husband died!" Granted this was all in Spanish so I can't clarify whether or not that last part was a broma or not but...five wives. Brave man. When we got back to Lanisa's house we had some food called causa (sp?) but it was interesting. Then we painted our nails, and naturally right when we were done painting our nails we had to do something just to ruin the paint. Oh well. So I walked home to take a nap because my stomach was hurting, most likely from the different foods...stomach was confused. So I stayed in my bed all night and watched movies.

Saturday: I woke up around 11:30, ate a little breakfast...crawled back into bed. Did some homework, listened to some music, took a nappy nap. Then around 5 I decided to finally shower, which turned out to work really well. After I showered I called home and chatted with my mom for just about an hour which was nice. Then around 7 Lanisa asked if I wanted to go with Thalia and her to her friends house in San Isidro, so we went there around 9:30 and what happened from there is a blur. Let me explain this blur: 12 Peruvian friends talking. They could have been saying anything and I think I can speak for Lanisa too when I say that the only time I had any idea what most of them was saying was when one person told another to translate it in English for us. They were all very kind and understanding about us not speaking very well, but we tried! And for me, listening to Spanish is as good of practice as any at this point. I need to understand what they are saying before I try to say anything in reply. We played Cranium in Spanish. That game is hard in English... It was actually fun though because they helped us a lot with words we don't know and they explained the cards to us since they all read them so fast. There was lots of laughing during the game and I swear the game lasted for three hours straight but it was very fun to be with a whole group of people around our age. One of Thalia's friends Daniel has a car so he drove us home so we didn't have to take a taxi which was very kind of him. We did experience getting pulled over, but I learned really quickly that the only reason cops pull you over in Lima is to barter money out of you. They say "Pay me 50 soles and I will let you go.." and Daniel said, "I don't have any money with me..." so the cop let us go. Like I've said before, Lima traffic is unheard of in the US...there are no driving rules so I honestly don't even understand La Policía here. Interesting experience, a learning experience. Finally got to sleep around 3am because I've painfully become an insomniac since my time here in Lima.

Today: Well, I woke up rather early today around 9:30 and that means I will be needing a nap in the near future. Naps are acceptable, rather, they are encouraged. I appreciate that. And I embrace it. I love napping. So for now, all today entails is napping and a BBQ at my 'grandmas' house tonight around 7.

I'm not sure how it's already Sunday, but I have to accept it and get ready for classes to start again tomorrow. If all the weeks go by this quickly, I will be back in the states before I can say "Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious" (and certainly faster than the time is took me to look up how to spell that on google..)

Tired ears.

Tuesday we had our first grammar class,  and lots of listening took place. Since each class is three hours long, you would think I would have a lot to tell you about what we did...but I couldn't tell you what we did if my life depended on it. I know we played a game...and my team won. Okay, I'm kidding a little...I know what we did it was just such an overwhelming experience that I don't know how to summarize everything. The class went by quickly, and we had one ten minute break. It's getting harder to think in English...so I suppose that's a good thing. Soon I will be writing in Spanish and translating it to English...¡qué pena! After class, Lanisa Kim and I sat out on a bench on campus and just hung out for a little bit since we don't all live in the same area.

While we were sitting out there I tried to Skype call my mom and dad and was able to call my dad because I called on a landline...the internet is just tricky here. I am still figuring things out. I will try calling my home phone sometime so I am able to talk with my mom. Around 6:15 we decided to go to my house so I could change and let my family know where I would be so they wouldn't worry, then we walked back to Lanisa's house to sit on her deck on the top of her apartment and listen to music and "do homework". Needless to day, we didn't get much homework done because we were listening to music and chatting. Oh well! We will do homework today, most of the stuff we have looked at thus far as been review for me, but I am glad to be starting out with review rather than diving into something completely new in the academic area. I've already been thrown into a new culture...but I'm loving every minute of it!

Today I got up early, around 9am and I don't think anyone was awake so I have been trying to stream The Bachelor to my computer for the last couple of hours...I'm 24 minutes in! Thanks to piracy, lots of things are only available in US/US territories. So I'm not having the best of luck. BUT, I'm determined to watch it. I have class at 2, and today it is Peruvian Literature. I'm not sure what it will entail, but I'm eager to get this first week over with so I know how each course will be lined up.

The hardest cultural aspect for me to adjust to has been the use of down time. Most down time (which is most of the time) is spent relaxing, watching tv, reading, listening to music...not going to the mall, walking around town, trying new things. This surprised me a little bit because as a tourist, naturally, I want to be exploring and trying new things. But like they say, "When in Lima, do as the Peruvians do..." okay so no one has ever really said that...but seriously, blending into the daily activities is one of the most important aspects. As soon as I become more comfortable with the way things occur here, I think I will do more exploring and trying new things. We need to make Peruvian friends too. My host brother and sister have been two of the first friends I've made here, and I'm eager to make more :)

Soy una gringa. Verdad.

Today was interesting. After going to class at 2pm, our class decided that we should all get phones so we could communicate with each other. Some people already had a cellphone, but I did not. We came up with a plan, to go to Jockey Plaza which is a BIG mall about 20 minutes from the University so we could purchase our phones. The decision was to take a micro/combi to Jockey. I regret that decision, completely. 

Let me explain a combi to you...they are the Peruvian version of a clown car. Let me just show you...

Literally, there is someone yelling out the door for more people to get on...granted it is very cheap transportation (from UPC to Jockey S/3 total which is around $1.25), I think I will stick to taxis from now on. When I told my family our class was going to ride a combi to the mall, they looked at me and said ¿no en taxi? and I should have just took a taxi. 

You see, I don't have the best balance in the world and for those of you who have had the pleasure of knowing Lima traffic...you need balance. Center lines, no importa. Other cars, no importa. Speed limit, no importa. It's complete chaos. So back to my poor balance...I had to stand in the combi and let's just say I owe Kim, Lanisa and los pobrecitos chicos an apology for body slamming and falling all over during the ride. All I have to say about it is, IT WAS MY FIRST TIME...AND LAST. 

I explained what happened to my family and how much I don't like the combis and they kind of laughed and said "pobrecita", without really saying it...I could read it in their eyes, they knew what I was in for but I'm glad they let me experience the mistake on my own lol. 

Clearly, la gringa in the combi was me. And I'm not even ashamed. Overall, it was an experience that I am glad I had...but I don't wish to experience it again. :) 

First day of classes...

I have some good news and I have some bad news this afternoon...good news is I start school today and get to see people from los EEUU. And the bad news is; I broke my fingernail clippers. Long story, doesn't matter...just know I am in Peru without fingernail clippers. ¡Qué lástima! This morning I woke up early...8am to be exact to take a shower and get ready for my first meeting at UPC. I ate breakfast...scrambled eggs and hotdogs (I think they call it bacon here), and sat around until it was time for Patty and me to walk to UPC to begin the tour. The campus is very small and it is surrounded by brick walls, meaning you have to have an ID to get into the school gates. That makes me feel a little better, and once you get inside the campus it looks like a whole new world. The building are very tall, most have around 5-6 floors...lots of stairs to climb. I have four classes, and three out of the four are in the same building in the same room. Hearing people speak in Spanish so fast is a little unnerving but I know I will get the hang of it. We went on a campus tour and saw all of the buildings and things around the buildings, but I think it will take some exploring before I feel very comfortable. I'm sure I can ask Daniela if I have any questions as well. Today, after almuerzo, when I go back for class I will take some pictures of the campus...better to be a tourist now and take a million pictures as opposed to two months from now, ¿no?

Sidenote: I'm getting really good at typing accents and ¡ and ¿ really fast...¡qué buena!

Yesterday, I felt pretty lazy because I literally stayed on my bed until Patty's mom, brother (and his family) came over at 7:30 to chat and eat ice cream. I met two of Dani's and Mauri's cousins named Pedro and Omar. They both know a little English. Pedro has been studying English for 10 years, so that just goes to show how difficult learning English is. It was nice to be around people my age, since I hadn't really seen anyone from UNK yet. 

Lomo saltado

The people here are so welcoming, and give plenty of invitations. I expect there will be some people to are not interested in foreigners, but for the most part everyone has been very open and inviting. 

For almuerzo yesterday, we had a Peruvian plate called "lomo saltado", which is beef with onions, tomatos, french fries, and rice. It was good, and I am trying new foods. I even ate some onions. If you know me well enough, you will applaud me for this accomplishment. 

The weather has been pretty pleasant, there is always a little breeze, so having my balcony door open is very helpful during the day...but during the night it's useless. Plus, I'm a little scared to have it open during the night por ladrones...a little far fetched for living on the fourth floor, but you NEVER know. 

As for today, I have one class from 2-5pm and it's in English with Dr. Moorman. Mon-Wed I have ONE class each day from 2-5pm and Thursday I have class from 4-7pm...and Friday estoy libre. ¡Qué bueno! Today, my goal is to buy a cell phone and to exchange my money...I think I will change my money at the school, or maybe just take some out of the ATM. Es mejor. I don't want to get jipped. 

I am excited for the months...weeks...DAYS to come, but first I need to buy some water because these little people don't drink a lot of water here...and I'm a tank. I haven't had water since the flight to Lima. ¡Qué horrible!

¡Hasta luego! 

Feliz cumpleaños a Lanisa!

Today is Lanisa's birthday!!  I was able to walk to Lanisa's to watch a movie and eat dinner with her for her birthday. It was very nice to be able to see each other since we hadn't seen each other since we left the airport with our respective families. I stayed there for quite some time while my family was with their extended family. 

To start from the beginning, Lanisa and I got to Lima on the 3rd really late in the night, and the immigration lines and baggage claim lines were hell *perdóneme*! ¡Qué horrible! My host dad, Enrique and su hijo Mauricio (Mauri) picked me up at the aeropuerto and we took un taxi a la casa. It was an hour long drive and it was already las dos de la mañana (2am). Patty y Daniela (the daughter...with the same name as me!) waited up for me to get home to greet me, I thought that was very nice. One custom that is very different here is the besitos en la mejilla (kisses on the cheek)...I thought it was only from Europe, pero NOPE! 

I am already finding myself talking in English, like I think in Spanish. If that makes sense...at all. I know my mom has already noticed my language has changed a little and I've only been here two days. I call it my survival mode. My family is absolutely wonderful! I am very lucky to have received the family I did. Los hijos, y la mamá hablan en inglés y español así I can talk in English. I haven't decided if that's a good thing or a bad thing. Patty, mi mamá, wants me to speak with her in Spanish most of the time, but like I said sometimes survival mode comes into play. 

Tacu tacu...sin carne

So far, the food is my favorite parte and my least favorite is the ice cream man that makes a terrible noise with a horn of some sort. He rides by my apartment every twenty minutes and blows a horrendous sounding horn that sounds like a dying peacock. I hope he loses his horn. 

Anyway, the food is impeccable! Enrique made tacu tacu for lunch today. Tacu tacu is a Peruvian dish that has rice and lentils fried to form a cake sort of dish and it is served with meat. Another dish we have had is hamburguesa con arroz y lentajes...lentajes (lentils) are probably going to be what I eat most of the time so I am glad that I like them!! 

I haven't walked around my neighborhood very much yet, but I did go on a little walk yesterday and managed to get a solid sunburn...shirt outline and all! ¡Qué lástima! I live very close to UPC, so that is nice! Only four blocks, and about a 5-10 minute walk depending on how much traffic there is! I learned very quickly that crosswalks mean NADA and cars don't care about people...cars come before people. I didn't learn from experience, gracias a dios (thank god)...Daniela told me about it while she showed me to the university. I have been given many tips about safety in Lima, and I am glad! 

A lot of my free time is spent writing in my journals because I do not want to forget anything that happens here. I try to write in each journal (one for anyone to read, and a private one) twice a day...who knows if I will be able to keep up with that for the next four months! We will see I suppose...

¡Hasta luego mis amigos!