So every day in Lima is a little bit different than I thought it would be when I wake up in the morning. Yesterday was no different.
I thought a group of us wanted to go to Barronco yesterday, but it was very cold and drizzly and gross out. Instead, some people went out to lunch (I saw that they had pink plantains, so I stayed at school with liz haha). Then Liz and I walked around for awhile and met up with Eric and Kaitlin at the place they went for lunch. The others had gone home to work on their papers etc. but I didnt want to go home because I am essentially finished with school haha. Instead I went over to Liz and Kaitlins house! I have been there more than I have been at my own home it seems, but its always fun. While Kaitlin should have been working on her paper, we ended up talking for 2 hours. We wanted to go to a nice dinner before we left Lima (GAH 2 days?!) so we took a taxi down toward San Miguel to eat at this traditional Peruvian restaurant. It was closed. boo. So we stayed in the taxi and went to a really ridiculously good restaurant that is known throughout the world! Its in Miraflores, and we had heard that it was good, but we didnt realize how good it actually was haha. I paid 82 soles for my entire meal, but it was definitely worth it. I have never been to that nice of a restaurant before. The three of us got to this restaurant, Astrid & Gaston (google it!), around 730 and stayed until midnight! This was an incredibly wonderful dinner. We were all smiling the whole time haha. We were definitely out of place and I think the waiters thought we were on something because I had my bookbag... hadnt been home yet... and we werent dressed as nicely as the others. But we didnt care. We enjoyed the food, the company the conversation, and the probably a little bit too loud laughter. Ok so first we had this AMAZING bread... (dont worry there are pics to document everything.) Bread doesnt do it justice though... imagine a cross between cake and bread and wonderfulness. There were about 6 different types with fresh butter, olive oil and spices. It. was. heaven.
Next our food arrived! I forget what mine was called in Spanish, but it consisted of all the Peruvian shellfish... shrimp, crab, prawns, mashed potatoes, and about 4 different sauces. It was so wonderful! Small portions, but wonderful. Liz got a coconut tuna dish with rice that was wonderful, and Kaitlin got a veggie dish! So good.
Dessert was by far the best. They broughout literally a drawer of desserts. Each drawer had 2 different types of dessert candies for us to try! It was amazing. I was in heaven. There were 2 different types of dark chocolates, 2 different types of gummies, 2 different types of alfajors (popular Peruvian desserts!), and 2 different types of things that I cant quite classify. We stayed for another hour or 2 after that to just chat until they walked me home!
Because of the holiday (Saint Peter and Paul Day), there was a massive party literally right outside my window last night. Haha. Got about 2 and a half hours of sleep so I am pretty tired today haha. For class we went to the Peruvian Anthropology and History Museum! Nice change of pace. not exactly sure whats going on today, but this might be my last entry before I am home! Leaving on Thursday and we dont have internet anymore at home, but I might not be able to check my email or anything tomorrow. Transportation to and from Cusco is kind of crazy, but it should work out ok!
Hope you all are wonderful!
martes, 29 de junio de 2010
lunes, 28 de junio de 2010
100 soles clubs, World Cup game(s!), Zoo and Bars
So after my relaxing day on Friday, I met up with Liz and Kaitlin to walk over to Larco Mar to go to Gotica! The walk was definitely nice, though somewhat (ok, really!) chilly. We tried our hardest to put together cute outfits, but none of us really brought appropriate clothes for this club haha. We got in for free if we got there before 11 because some people know people, so it was empty at first. In Peru, things get going around 2 or 3 it seems! Imagine really posh club scenes in NYC. This is where you go to see and be seen in Lima. I am quite certain this is where all the tall people in Lima congregate as well! Haha. Some people got a little bit crazy, but we all had a good time dancing and hanging out!
Luckily, I live really close, so some people walked me home before they took taxis home.
The next day I slept in until about 10 to find an avocado sandwich waiting for me! Gabby had gone to the synagogue, but by the time I had showered and gotten ready she was back as well. I made it my personal goal to watch the US game on a nice TV, so I got Eric to meet us at TGIFridays in Larco Mar! Carlin and Ginny met up to walk over with us and then Ella, Danielle, and Frances met up with us. I really wanted to see the whole game, so we were walking rather quickly and then practically ran into Fridays, convinced the waiter to move our table right in front of the TV to watch right as Ghana scored.... that was a bummer. We were able to watch the entire exciting, yet quite disappointing game in front of HD tvs! Our meals were ridiculously overpriced, but then I realized that it was bascially the equivalent of what you would pay in the states haha. I got a burger and fries.. mmmm it really was just what I wanted! There were surprisingly a good amount of people rooting for the US, but I guess that makes sense since we were in an American restaurant. We were actually encouraged to not go to the Centro Lima to watch the game haha. They told us this way we wouldnt have to worry so much about our safety if we went to Larco Mar haha. I thoroughly enjoyed relaxing and watching the game though... I unfortunately havent seen many games at all, so this was a nice treat!
Afterward, we all walked back toward the main part of Miraflores (Larco Mar is located right along the beach, so when we were watching the World Cup game we actually also had a perfect seaside view! I live about 2 minutes from the beach, and the main Park of Miraflores is about 10 minutes from that... Parque Kennedy). We stopped at a world famous place for Churros (delicious! though i only could eat a bite... my stomach wasnt quite used to the greasy hamburger haha so i thought i would take it easy) I am definitely going back for another one though! Some people also got some ice cream before we stopped at some shops for awhile. It was getting dark, so some people headed back, but Ginny, Danielle, Gabby and I went over to watch the old salsa dancers in the middle of the park! So cute. And there was also a vintage car show which we checked out.
Finally, Ginny and I caught a bus down Arequipa to Liz and Kaitlins house. They showed us all the parks around their house in San Isidro. I actually think that San Isidro is nicer than Miraflores... its more for bringing up a family. Lots of parks, security guards, large houses etc. We went back to their house to meet up with Marquis, I guess who would be their Peruvian moms somewhat secret boyfriend. He is from the Bronx and really doesnt speak good Spanish haha. He wanted to take us to some more local Peruvian places to show us a side other than the touristy parts. First we went to a really good beer place called Chez ? that had beer from all over the world. Slightly more pricey, but good beer. Then we headed over to the Centro. I would never want to go over there by myself at night, but Marquis made us feel completely safe. The Centro is beautiful at night! We explored the Plaza de las Armas as well as the Plaza of San Martin. The buildings look like they belong in Europe... very Western, gorgeous architecture that was lit up. Finally, we arrived at Munich, a piano bar. We were definitely the only non Peruvians there haha. Lots of dancing, piano playing, drinking, smoking. It was a really cool atmosphere. It was about 1130 by now and we hadnt eaten anything, so we shared some fried chicken pieces and were on our way. We then took a taxi to Miraflores and checked out another club slash bar. After that I headed home because they were going to check out Barranco and then San Isidro, and I knew it would be hard for me to get home alone haha.
Sunday I woke up, made some coffee and a PB&J!!!!!! and then on a whim turned on the TV in my room. I flipped through and found the Germany and England game. Best. Thing. Ever. I didnt catch it until the second half but it was worth it. This tv is really grainy, and there is double of everything haha, so I learned to ignore the slighty fainter players and constant screeching noise, but it was so nice to watch this game! Then Morena got home and made me another sandwich as I waited for Gabby to wake up. Around 1230 we headed over to the zoo! Zoos in Peru are more like huge parks! We got to see a lot of Amazonian animals, but I was sad t osee that all of their cages were way too small... the lions and tigers were in little prisons and the workers dont enforce the dont feed the animals policy. It was really cheap to get in, and it seems to be a popular destination for Peruvian families to come on teh weekends. There was a small train that would ride all around the zoo, huge parks to picnic and play in, and we even saw a group of nuns playing volleyball haha. After spending about 3 hours there we headed back home.
We no longer have access to Internet at our house, so Gabby went to the Internet cafe and I went off on my own. I spent a good amount of money on food at Vivanda... I found some apples that were imported from the US so I bought some haha. The Peruvian apples are mushy and make me sick, so I paid the extra sol for some. Later, I realized that they already passed their best by used date, but they were still sooooo delicious. I havent had an apple in 5 weeks! They are so delicious. Bought lots of snacks and water for Cusco too... I think I actually have too much now haha... I am getting concerned about the amount of stuff I have... I have to bring everythign to Cusco and my original plan was to just leave all my shampoo and PB and anything that took up room here in Lima... but now I hav eto bring all that stuff to Cusco, so this will be quite difficult. I will squeeze everything in there though! Walked around the area some more and I even helped someone who didnt speak Spanish! haha, how ironic.
Since we didnt eat lunch, we convinced Morena to maybe have dinner around 6 instead of the usual 8... chicken, rice and potatoes again haha. For the past 2 weeks this has been my dinner! I cant complain though, at least I get filling food. After dinner I finished up my Spanish paper and hung out til bed time.
Today I think taht a group of us wanted to check out Barronco after school, which is the district that is on the other side of Miraflores that is a little farther from the school. Maybe a nice dinner somewhere? Im never really quite sure of what I will be doing until the day of haha. Only 3 full days in Lima left =( I am excited to see some sun in Cusco though!
Luckily, I live really close, so some people walked me home before they took taxis home.
The next day I slept in until about 10 to find an avocado sandwich waiting for me! Gabby had gone to the synagogue, but by the time I had showered and gotten ready she was back as well. I made it my personal goal to watch the US game on a nice TV, so I got Eric to meet us at TGIFridays in Larco Mar! Carlin and Ginny met up to walk over with us and then Ella, Danielle, and Frances met up with us. I really wanted to see the whole game, so we were walking rather quickly and then practically ran into Fridays, convinced the waiter to move our table right in front of the TV to watch right as Ghana scored.... that was a bummer. We were able to watch the entire exciting, yet quite disappointing game in front of HD tvs! Our meals were ridiculously overpriced, but then I realized that it was bascially the equivalent of what you would pay in the states haha. I got a burger and fries.. mmmm it really was just what I wanted! There were surprisingly a good amount of people rooting for the US, but I guess that makes sense since we were in an American restaurant. We were actually encouraged to not go to the Centro Lima to watch the game haha. They told us this way we wouldnt have to worry so much about our safety if we went to Larco Mar haha. I thoroughly enjoyed relaxing and watching the game though... I unfortunately havent seen many games at all, so this was a nice treat!
Afterward, we all walked back toward the main part of Miraflores (Larco Mar is located right along the beach, so when we were watching the World Cup game we actually also had a perfect seaside view! I live about 2 minutes from the beach, and the main Park of Miraflores is about 10 minutes from that... Parque Kennedy). We stopped at a world famous place for Churros (delicious! though i only could eat a bite... my stomach wasnt quite used to the greasy hamburger haha so i thought i would take it easy) I am definitely going back for another one though! Some people also got some ice cream before we stopped at some shops for awhile. It was getting dark, so some people headed back, but Ginny, Danielle, Gabby and I went over to watch the old salsa dancers in the middle of the park! So cute. And there was also a vintage car show which we checked out.
Finally, Ginny and I caught a bus down Arequipa to Liz and Kaitlins house. They showed us all the parks around their house in San Isidro. I actually think that San Isidro is nicer than Miraflores... its more for bringing up a family. Lots of parks, security guards, large houses etc. We went back to their house to meet up with Marquis, I guess who would be their Peruvian moms somewhat secret boyfriend. He is from the Bronx and really doesnt speak good Spanish haha. He wanted to take us to some more local Peruvian places to show us a side other than the touristy parts. First we went to a really good beer place called Chez ? that had beer from all over the world. Slightly more pricey, but good beer. Then we headed over to the Centro. I would never want to go over there by myself at night, but Marquis made us feel completely safe. The Centro is beautiful at night! We explored the Plaza de las Armas as well as the Plaza of San Martin. The buildings look like they belong in Europe... very Western, gorgeous architecture that was lit up. Finally, we arrived at Munich, a piano bar. We were definitely the only non Peruvians there haha. Lots of dancing, piano playing, drinking, smoking. It was a really cool atmosphere. It was about 1130 by now and we hadnt eaten anything, so we shared some fried chicken pieces and were on our way. We then took a taxi to Miraflores and checked out another club slash bar. After that I headed home because they were going to check out Barranco and then San Isidro, and I knew it would be hard for me to get home alone haha.
Sunday I woke up, made some coffee and a PB&J!!!!!! and then on a whim turned on the TV in my room. I flipped through and found the Germany and England game. Best. Thing. Ever. I didnt catch it until the second half but it was worth it. This tv is really grainy, and there is double of everything haha, so I learned to ignore the slighty fainter players and constant screeching noise, but it was so nice to watch this game! Then Morena got home and made me another sandwich as I waited for Gabby to wake up. Around 1230 we headed over to the zoo! Zoos in Peru are more like huge parks! We got to see a lot of Amazonian animals, but I was sad t osee that all of their cages were way too small... the lions and tigers were in little prisons and the workers dont enforce the dont feed the animals policy. It was really cheap to get in, and it seems to be a popular destination for Peruvian families to come on teh weekends. There was a small train that would ride all around the zoo, huge parks to picnic and play in, and we even saw a group of nuns playing volleyball haha. After spending about 3 hours there we headed back home.
We no longer have access to Internet at our house, so Gabby went to the Internet cafe and I went off on my own. I spent a good amount of money on food at Vivanda... I found some apples that were imported from the US so I bought some haha. The Peruvian apples are mushy and make me sick, so I paid the extra sol for some. Later, I realized that they already passed their best by used date, but they were still sooooo delicious. I havent had an apple in 5 weeks! They are so delicious. Bought lots of snacks and water for Cusco too... I think I actually have too much now haha... I am getting concerned about the amount of stuff I have... I have to bring everythign to Cusco and my original plan was to just leave all my shampoo and PB and anything that took up room here in Lima... but now I hav eto bring all that stuff to Cusco, so this will be quite difficult. I will squeeze everything in there though! Walked around the area some more and I even helped someone who didnt speak Spanish! haha, how ironic.
Since we didnt eat lunch, we convinced Morena to maybe have dinner around 6 instead of the usual 8... chicken, rice and potatoes again haha. For the past 2 weeks this has been my dinner! I cant complain though, at least I get filling food. After dinner I finished up my Spanish paper and hung out til bed time.
Today I think taht a group of us wanted to check out Barronco after school, which is the district that is on the other side of Miraflores that is a little farther from the school. Maybe a nice dinner somewhere? Im never really quite sure of what I will be doing until the day of haha. Only 3 full days in Lima left =( I am excited to see some sun in Cusco though!
viernes, 25 de junio de 2010
relaxing days!
Wednesday night a bunch of us ended up going to a bar in Miraflores for happy hour! (which lasts until midnight here!) It was a lot of fun, and I found out that the bartender spoke German! It was just a lot of fun to hang out with people and relax.
Yesterday was a wonderful day as well! I literally cannot sit still for 4 hours. I get incredibly antsy... luckily my professor got there late, but it still kills me to just sit and sit and sit all the time. My body cant handle it anymore! Finally class was over, we ate lunch, and then some people had to work on papers. Liz was craving ice cream, so she, Kaitlin, Gabby and I took a taxi to Miraflores to find something. Ok, so McDonalds have these amazingly good McFlurries... Iberica is what its called, and its just so amazing that we had to get it again. They werent actually McFlurries, more like Sundaes, but when youre craving chocolate of any kind, this definitely hits teh spot. I have been really hungry lately, so this just elevated my mood tenfold. We hung out and watched the World Cup games for awhile, which was exactly what I wanted to do! Its unfortunate that I really dont watch them much here! Gabby had to write 3 papers that she forgot about, so I walked her home (we literally live 10 minutes away if you speed walk), I quickly grabbed some extra clothes, snacks, and told Morena I wouldnt be there for dinner, and quickly got back to McDonalds to meet the other 3. We went back to Kaitlin and Lizs house until our Zumba class with our professor! Going to their house was a much needed break. We had 3 hours to just relax, sleep, eat, and chat. Eric and Kaitlin had to work on papers, but Liz and I just hung out and got on her computer! It was interesting to see how other people live here. Their house is huge! There are millionaires who live next door to them too. My apartment is nice, but really small. During the 3 hours Liz and I got to skype with Jon though, which was definitely nice! I could really go for some of that Tonys now.. haha
7:45 came very quickly, and we were off to Giancarlas Zumba!!! It was a lot of fun... there were aboutu 10 of us who showed up, and it was all the people who we are closest too (ie went to Paracas and Ica that second weekend) none of us knew exactly what we were doing, but it felt so nice to actually move and sweat a little bit! I did a good amount of walking yesterday and then this workout class just brightened my day even more. I cant wait to go running again! After an hour of Zumba, we took cabs back to Cafe Haiti. We always meet here, but none of us had ever ordered anything. Its a nicer restaurant, so it has a little higher prices, but it was definitely worth it! A lot of people got burgers, but Liz and I both just wanted a fresh salad. Since a lot of tourists go here, we knew it was safe to eat, and it was definitely worth it! Best thing ever! But it left me a bit hungry afterward haha. Even though I could definitely walk home by myself, Liz and Kaitlin walked me home around midnight! They are incredibly nice... I dont know what i would do without them here! Got home went to bed and now im here!
Today I dont have official class, but we have mandatory lectures... booooo. Just three more days of class left!
Im not quite sure what the weekend will bring, but hopefully it will be something exciting!
Talk to you all soon!
Yesterday was a wonderful day as well! I literally cannot sit still for 4 hours. I get incredibly antsy... luckily my professor got there late, but it still kills me to just sit and sit and sit all the time. My body cant handle it anymore! Finally class was over, we ate lunch, and then some people had to work on papers. Liz was craving ice cream, so she, Kaitlin, Gabby and I took a taxi to Miraflores to find something. Ok, so McDonalds have these amazingly good McFlurries... Iberica is what its called, and its just so amazing that we had to get it again. They werent actually McFlurries, more like Sundaes, but when youre craving chocolate of any kind, this definitely hits teh spot. I have been really hungry lately, so this just elevated my mood tenfold. We hung out and watched the World Cup games for awhile, which was exactly what I wanted to do! Its unfortunate that I really dont watch them much here! Gabby had to write 3 papers that she forgot about, so I walked her home (we literally live 10 minutes away if you speed walk), I quickly grabbed some extra clothes, snacks, and told Morena I wouldnt be there for dinner, and quickly got back to McDonalds to meet the other 3. We went back to Kaitlin and Lizs house until our Zumba class with our professor! Going to their house was a much needed break. We had 3 hours to just relax, sleep, eat, and chat. Eric and Kaitlin had to work on papers, but Liz and I just hung out and got on her computer! It was interesting to see how other people live here. Their house is huge! There are millionaires who live next door to them too. My apartment is nice, but really small. During the 3 hours Liz and I got to skype with Jon though, which was definitely nice! I could really go for some of that Tonys now.. haha
7:45 came very quickly, and we were off to Giancarlas Zumba!!! It was a lot of fun... there were aboutu 10 of us who showed up, and it was all the people who we are closest too (ie went to Paracas and Ica that second weekend) none of us knew exactly what we were doing, but it felt so nice to actually move and sweat a little bit! I did a good amount of walking yesterday and then this workout class just brightened my day even more. I cant wait to go running again! After an hour of Zumba, we took cabs back to Cafe Haiti. We always meet here, but none of us had ever ordered anything. Its a nicer restaurant, so it has a little higher prices, but it was definitely worth it! A lot of people got burgers, but Liz and I both just wanted a fresh salad. Since a lot of tourists go here, we knew it was safe to eat, and it was definitely worth it! Best thing ever! But it left me a bit hungry afterward haha. Even though I could definitely walk home by myself, Liz and Kaitlin walked me home around midnight! They are incredibly nice... I dont know what i would do without them here! Got home went to bed and now im here!
Today I dont have official class, but we have mandatory lectures... booooo. Just three more days of class left!
Im not quite sure what the weekend will bring, but hopefully it will be something exciting!
Talk to you all soon!
miércoles, 23 de junio de 2010
Back to Lima
Back to Lima... but the good news is that it was sunny for most of the day! I am still amazed by how the sun can change my attitude! I love the sun... the way it soaks into my skin, the way it makes everything look prettier, and the way it makes it WARMER outside! wooo love the sun!
The past couple of days have been pretty good. Today I had a weird realization... my last class is in exactly one week... it is actually insane. My last night in Lima will be a week from tonight. I honestly cannot believe it! I have probably seen my actual host madre for about 30 minutes total, and I feel like I am just now getting to know Morena. Add on to the fact that I dont normally get home from school until just before dinner time (too busy parading around the city of course) and then Morena goes to bed around 8 30 normally. And then I havent spent an entire weekend in Lima since I have been here. It just made me start thinking a lot about how little we actually spend here!
Anyways... what have I been up to the past couple of days?
Monday... first day back at class. Nothing too exciting, but I spent the whole day at school sans a small reprieve to the grocery store haha. I stocked up on snacks again and THANK GOODNESS. I was starving all day for some reason... couldnt tell you why though. I wasnt so good at actually doing my work though unfortunately. Instead I hung out with people and looked at pics of everyones family. Its funny, I feel like I know these people so well. We talk about digestion problems, funny communication errors, and stories about getting lost, but I couldnt tell you much about their friends from school or what their family is like. You catch bits and pieces here and there, but nothing too specific. I just find it so funny that we talk about bowel movements ten times more than anything it seems haha. So we hung out at school all day because we had to watch a movie premiering at 6. It would be silly for me to go all the way home, so I was perfectly content with just staying. The movie was filmed in both UVa and in Peru featuring the Shining Paths effect on areas around Peru. However, once we all sat down, we were instructed that the movie would be entirely in Spanish and that we should probbaly just go if we dont have at least 2 years of language behind our belt. Since Gabby had to stay anyway I did homework for 2 hours until the Pizza came (Pizza Hut!). We left after that. Monday was a pretty bland day... but thats ok. I was still so tired from the long long bus ride!
Tuesday
Lots of fun! Went to class for awhile, and Elise was feeling better. She felt sick after 2 hours though so she had to go home... lots of people have been feeling sick lately again... I have definitely not been eating the meat at the school lately and that seems to help haha. Once she left, my professor and I just sort of talked more about Peru. The classes have been going by quite slowly and we are learning a chapter a day, so its really hard to remember everything. I think he gets frustrated with us sometimes, but normally a chapter at school would be covered over 2 weeks... just too much information to cram into your head! And I could go home and study, but that does not happen at all. I would rather do other fun things after school haha. He let me out 10 minutes early again though! A group of us had been craving some American food, so we considered going to McDonalds near my house haha, but ended up just staying at school. Katy, Lauren, Shelly, Liz, Kathleen and I ended up wanting to explore though... Giancarla (one of the professors who I have fallen in love with... she played tennis at Arizona! From Peru but went to the states to play tennis, and now lives in Houston! Rachel, she demanded that you go to her Zumba classes!) wanted to take a bunch of us shopping in an Incan market in Miraflores and we had to meet up with her at 5. So we piled into a taxi. Yes, 6 people can easily fit into the back seat, and headed over to Parque de Amor! Its sort of a racy park... lots of PDA all around (Ma, that means public displays of affection), but it is really cute. Lots of love quotes all around the serpentine esque walls. The white sheet was over Lima that day for sure, but we also saw the largest island in Peru way off in the distance. The way the sun was semi hitting it made it look like heaven! After exploring and taking pictures here, we walked right past by apartment and up the main road of Miraflores. It felt so good to actually explore this area more... we often stay so close to school in Pueblo Libre because thats where everyone lives and transportation can get a little pricey (but not really... still WAY cheaper than in the StatesS). I felt so good because I knew where I was going exactly! As we walked along the main strip (if you googled Miraflores you would probably see exactly where Im talking about. Parque Kennedy is the name of the park, near Calles de las Pizzas) we stopped at a couple of book stores. One of the professors wrote a book, and so many people wanted to buy it. The place where we were meeting up with everyone, Cafe Haiti (really famous! Also where we met the first night before we went to the Chifa), is right next door to McDonalds.... so we stopped! Its like an actual nice place there! There are 3 stations... one coffee area that looks like a legitimate Starbucks, one with regular food, and an entire separate ice cream station! We got McFlurrys that were very good, but different than the ones in the States... but so yummy. You can also get passionfruit sundaes! Passionfruit is sooooo delicious here. Passionfruit juice is my absolute favorite thing, and I dont normally like juice! Finally a huge group of us walked over to the Incan market which is really close! Got some stuff for good deals, but I definitely want to get more! This market was actually more expensive than normal because its in Miraflores and the vendors werent as willing to barter unfortunately. Our last stop was in the main Parque Kennedy for the vendors. FINALLY found a small leather purse that I have been dying to get since I got here. For about 13 American dollars. WOO. It made my day. After that I walked home! It was soooo nice to just walk home! I am getting slightly tired of 45 minute taxis to and from school... I love walking around! So finally when I got back I realized that I still had 2 papers to write.... grrr. Ate dinner and worked on those... but ended up just going to sleep because I didnt want to work on them. Intended to work on them this morning... but the computer was no longer there! Turns out my madre had to take it to work today... that was slightly unforutnate. So it is what it is... the papers are actually the worst thing I have ever written, but I have learned to get over it! Whatever. THe class is pass fail, so hopefully I will pass it just by turning it in.
Today the taxi ride took forever again. I have been trying to do the massive amounts of Spanish workbook in the taxi on teh way to school... but both times I have done this I have felt sick... I just never want to do the actual work! Sometimes I forget that I am technically here for school... I feel like Im on vacation all the time haha. Class went by slowly, though our professor got there about 45 minutes late... oh how Peruvian time is sometimes nice! Nothing too exciting for the rest of the time. Our final is scheduled for Monday because Tuesday is a national holiday, but we are supposed to have classes... Im not going to tell him that though haha. Wednesday he just wants to talk haha. And this Friday we were supposed to go on a fieldtrip... he wanted to leave school at 7 AM, which means I would have to take a safe taxi by myself at 6. That would be expensive and I would have to get up early. Then we would take a 2 hour bus ride to Pachacamac... then more looking around. I would like to go with him, but he is also going with a large Jesuit group and we have to go to a lecture at 930. It kind of works out for the better I think... and then I wont have class on Friday after the lecture! Its the last lecture for the series about Tarma.
I had a really big problem concentrating today during class though when I saw the sun come out. All I wanted to do was go running. I had the biggest craving for it. I havent run in literally a month, and its getting to be really hard. I am constantly fidgety and shaking and my legs hurt. THey are literally aching to be used! But the sun stayed out all day, and it was absolutely wonderful! During our trip to Tarma and the jungle, I loved how sunny it was all the time. I still have yet to see actual rain, but the clouds are generally always there in Lima. Crazy.
Anyways, I printed out my awful papers, turned in a 3rd, and Kaitlin, Gabby, Carlin, Shelly, Kevin, Charley and I went to another market closer to the school. I am shopped out. I didnt get anything... there were wayyyyyy too many choices that I couldnt decide what I wanted. Too overwhelming. Took a taxi home with Kaitlin and Gabby, but I felt sick again... sooo hungry! We had Arroz de las Cubana (?) today for lunch, which is actually one of my favorite things here... rice, fried egg and plantains, for lunch, but I was still starving. Another thing I have learned... saltines and peanut butter are an amazing snack to have on hand! So just munched on a bunch of those, and now I smell the cauliflower balls (not quite sure what they are called) baking in the kitchen now! Morena is singing along like always! I wish I could tape her secretly... shes so cute.
I hope you all have had wonderful days! Talk to you all soon... LOVE LOVE LOVE
The past couple of days have been pretty good. Today I had a weird realization... my last class is in exactly one week... it is actually insane. My last night in Lima will be a week from tonight. I honestly cannot believe it! I have probably seen my actual host madre for about 30 minutes total, and I feel like I am just now getting to know Morena. Add on to the fact that I dont normally get home from school until just before dinner time (too busy parading around the city of course) and then Morena goes to bed around 8 30 normally. And then I havent spent an entire weekend in Lima since I have been here. It just made me start thinking a lot about how little we actually spend here!
Anyways... what have I been up to the past couple of days?
Monday... first day back at class. Nothing too exciting, but I spent the whole day at school sans a small reprieve to the grocery store haha. I stocked up on snacks again and THANK GOODNESS. I was starving all day for some reason... couldnt tell you why though. I wasnt so good at actually doing my work though unfortunately. Instead I hung out with people and looked at pics of everyones family. Its funny, I feel like I know these people so well. We talk about digestion problems, funny communication errors, and stories about getting lost, but I couldnt tell you much about their friends from school or what their family is like. You catch bits and pieces here and there, but nothing too specific. I just find it so funny that we talk about bowel movements ten times more than anything it seems haha. So we hung out at school all day because we had to watch a movie premiering at 6. It would be silly for me to go all the way home, so I was perfectly content with just staying. The movie was filmed in both UVa and in Peru featuring the Shining Paths effect on areas around Peru. However, once we all sat down, we were instructed that the movie would be entirely in Spanish and that we should probbaly just go if we dont have at least 2 years of language behind our belt. Since Gabby had to stay anyway I did homework for 2 hours until the Pizza came (Pizza Hut!). We left after that. Monday was a pretty bland day... but thats ok. I was still so tired from the long long bus ride!
Tuesday
Lots of fun! Went to class for awhile, and Elise was feeling better. She felt sick after 2 hours though so she had to go home... lots of people have been feeling sick lately again... I have definitely not been eating the meat at the school lately and that seems to help haha. Once she left, my professor and I just sort of talked more about Peru. The classes have been going by quite slowly and we are learning a chapter a day, so its really hard to remember everything. I think he gets frustrated with us sometimes, but normally a chapter at school would be covered over 2 weeks... just too much information to cram into your head! And I could go home and study, but that does not happen at all. I would rather do other fun things after school haha. He let me out 10 minutes early again though! A group of us had been craving some American food, so we considered going to McDonalds near my house haha, but ended up just staying at school. Katy, Lauren, Shelly, Liz, Kathleen and I ended up wanting to explore though... Giancarla (one of the professors who I have fallen in love with... she played tennis at Arizona! From Peru but went to the states to play tennis, and now lives in Houston! Rachel, she demanded that you go to her Zumba classes!) wanted to take a bunch of us shopping in an Incan market in Miraflores and we had to meet up with her at 5. So we piled into a taxi. Yes, 6 people can easily fit into the back seat, and headed over to Parque de Amor! Its sort of a racy park... lots of PDA all around (Ma, that means public displays of affection), but it is really cute. Lots of love quotes all around the serpentine esque walls. The white sheet was over Lima that day for sure, but we also saw the largest island in Peru way off in the distance. The way the sun was semi hitting it made it look like heaven! After exploring and taking pictures here, we walked right past by apartment and up the main road of Miraflores. It felt so good to actually explore this area more... we often stay so close to school in Pueblo Libre because thats where everyone lives and transportation can get a little pricey (but not really... still WAY cheaper than in the StatesS). I felt so good because I knew where I was going exactly! As we walked along the main strip (if you googled Miraflores you would probably see exactly where Im talking about. Parque Kennedy is the name of the park, near Calles de las Pizzas) we stopped at a couple of book stores. One of the professors wrote a book, and so many people wanted to buy it. The place where we were meeting up with everyone, Cafe Haiti (really famous! Also where we met the first night before we went to the Chifa), is right next door to McDonalds.... so we stopped! Its like an actual nice place there! There are 3 stations... one coffee area that looks like a legitimate Starbucks, one with regular food, and an entire separate ice cream station! We got McFlurrys that were very good, but different than the ones in the States... but so yummy. You can also get passionfruit sundaes! Passionfruit is sooooo delicious here. Passionfruit juice is my absolute favorite thing, and I dont normally like juice! Finally a huge group of us walked over to the Incan market which is really close! Got some stuff for good deals, but I definitely want to get more! This market was actually more expensive than normal because its in Miraflores and the vendors werent as willing to barter unfortunately. Our last stop was in the main Parque Kennedy for the vendors. FINALLY found a small leather purse that I have been dying to get since I got here. For about 13 American dollars. WOO. It made my day. After that I walked home! It was soooo nice to just walk home! I am getting slightly tired of 45 minute taxis to and from school... I love walking around! So finally when I got back I realized that I still had 2 papers to write.... grrr. Ate dinner and worked on those... but ended up just going to sleep because I didnt want to work on them. Intended to work on them this morning... but the computer was no longer there! Turns out my madre had to take it to work today... that was slightly unforutnate. So it is what it is... the papers are actually the worst thing I have ever written, but I have learned to get over it! Whatever. THe class is pass fail, so hopefully I will pass it just by turning it in.
Today the taxi ride took forever again. I have been trying to do the massive amounts of Spanish workbook in the taxi on teh way to school... but both times I have done this I have felt sick... I just never want to do the actual work! Sometimes I forget that I am technically here for school... I feel like Im on vacation all the time haha. Class went by slowly, though our professor got there about 45 minutes late... oh how Peruvian time is sometimes nice! Nothing too exciting for the rest of the time. Our final is scheduled for Monday because Tuesday is a national holiday, but we are supposed to have classes... Im not going to tell him that though haha. Wednesday he just wants to talk haha. And this Friday we were supposed to go on a fieldtrip... he wanted to leave school at 7 AM, which means I would have to take a safe taxi by myself at 6. That would be expensive and I would have to get up early. Then we would take a 2 hour bus ride to Pachacamac... then more looking around. I would like to go with him, but he is also going with a large Jesuit group and we have to go to a lecture at 930. It kind of works out for the better I think... and then I wont have class on Friday after the lecture! Its the last lecture for the series about Tarma.
I had a really big problem concentrating today during class though when I saw the sun come out. All I wanted to do was go running. I had the biggest craving for it. I havent run in literally a month, and its getting to be really hard. I am constantly fidgety and shaking and my legs hurt. THey are literally aching to be used! But the sun stayed out all day, and it was absolutely wonderful! During our trip to Tarma and the jungle, I loved how sunny it was all the time. I still have yet to see actual rain, but the clouds are generally always there in Lima. Crazy.
Anyways, I printed out my awful papers, turned in a 3rd, and Kaitlin, Gabby, Carlin, Shelly, Kevin, Charley and I went to another market closer to the school. I am shopped out. I didnt get anything... there were wayyyyyy too many choices that I couldnt decide what I wanted. Too overwhelming. Took a taxi home with Kaitlin and Gabby, but I felt sick again... sooo hungry! We had Arroz de las Cubana (?) today for lunch, which is actually one of my favorite things here... rice, fried egg and plantains, for lunch, but I was still starving. Another thing I have learned... saltines and peanut butter are an amazing snack to have on hand! So just munched on a bunch of those, and now I smell the cauliflower balls (not quite sure what they are called) baking in the kitchen now! Morena is singing along like always! I wish I could tape her secretly... shes so cute.
I hope you all have had wonderful days! Talk to you all soon... LOVE LOVE LOVE
lunes, 21 de junio de 2010
Freezing cold, burning up, bug bites, jungle food, deserts and clear skies
WOW so much happened in these past 10 days. I cant even believe how incredibly fast it went by though! I know Im going to leave a bunch of stuff out, but I will try. Fortunately I was really good about writing a bunch of stuff down so that I wouldnt forget things, but we will see!
I actually convinced my professor to let me out early today. Normally we get out at 1 30, but the other girl is sick today so he let me leave at 11 30. 4 hours is way too long to sit down anyway! Plus, I have 3 papers to write haha. I would rather do this... and we have to watch a 4 hour movie tonight too (in Spanish...), so I will have to stay at school all day. It just is a very long day today in general, so he took pity on me I think. Heart of gold.
Anyways... back to June 10!
Class went by incredibly slowly... I had to pack up everything the night before (I am INCREDIBLY grateful that I ended up buying that hiking backpack. Its the best for quickly carrying everything in a large back and then still having both arms to carry things!) I had to bring all of my stuff to school because we were leaving at 330 and I would literally have gone home and then come back a very short time afterward... a group of us went to the grocery store to stock up on water and snacks. We were told to eat very lightly all day because we were going up so high (the 2nd highest railway pass in the world... China beats us.) In my opinion, they were really trying to scare us about altitude sickness. We stopped 2 times within the first 2 hours haha... They handed out puke bags which freaked me out more than anything and I ended up becoming so hungry that I scarfed down a bunch at the highest alititude anyway. haha I was completely fine though. I never felt the effects of altitude sickness though we were very high at some points. i never took pills for it either. Some people got it really bad though... sick to their stomachs, fevers, massive headaches. Its like the lottery though... you never really know who is going to get it! After a very long bus ride (we ended up leaving about an hour and a half late... one thing I have definitely learned is Peruvian time... add about 2 hours to everything we do!) we finally made it to the hacienda. We got there around 1 and had a bowl of soup then went straight to bed. The hacienda is gorgeous. Its located on a farm with mountains everywhere. At night the skies were incredibly clear... more stars than I have ever seen in my life. It was absolutely gorgeous... but FREEZING. We knew it would be cold, but I havent been that cold in a long time. There is of course no heat or hot water, so taking a shower was very interesting. I took the strategy of just going all in like a band aid, but a lot of people either skipped showers or just washed their hair. Haha.
Friday June 11
We got to sleep in until 830! During the day Tarma gets to be very hot, so its really hard to dress. The key is to dress in layers! Hacienda La Florida is a plantation where food is grown for sustainable living, but it is also used as a hotel for friends. There were 2 German girls who helped out with the farm, and there were so many dogs, sheep, cows and llamas. After a delicious breakfast of fresh bread and really fresh cheese, homemade jam, eggs, and coffee we had a 2 hour introduction meeting about Tarma. The most famous anthropologist in Peru joined us in Tarma because he is a friend of Jorge, and he talked to us several times throughout the trip about the incans, peruvian lifestyle, coca leaves etc. Very interesting. After exploring the hacienda more...(i really wish i could upload pics... it is INCREDIDBLY beautiful. Bright blue skies, the Andes mountains surroudning us, old timey feeling... very cute!) We ate fresh fish straight out of the river for lunch and then we went off to another hacienda to hike. There was a slighty miscommunication though... We had to take two different buses to get there, and Jorge was in the other bus. He didnt wait for our bus, so we were told to meet up with them ourselves. Turns out we couldnt quite find them though we had other professors with them. We kept walking and walking pretty much straight uphill (this was really hard for some because of the alititude I think), but we just got lost in the Andes. Haha I found this really funny because we got to the top right as the sun was setting adn then we realized that we had no flashlights and we didnt quite know where we were. Some people freaked out, but I thought it was incredibly cool... we were in the middle of the Andes somwhere, but I never felt unsafe. I was actually more scared the one time Jon and I heard a bear (I swear it was a bear) when we went hiking and were lost. The hardest part was navigating down the mountains again in the dark, but we were cmpletely fine. nobody was hurt, though many freaked out more than necessary haha. We stopped downtown Tarma for the best dulce de leche around! So delicious, and I was starving by this point. When I say downtown Tarma, its probably different than youre thinking. Tarma is deifnitley not a tourist destination. Its in a valley of the Andes, but its still higher in altitude than most places. There are no white people. We were stared at no matter where we went, but it was a lot of fun to explore. We were just always supposed to be in groups, but Tarma was probably one of the safer areas we went... the worst that would happen was pick pocketers they said. I dont really remember what we did after this, but it was late... I know we had really good chicken for dinner though haha.
Saturday June 12
We had to wake up at 615, take freezing showers, and have wonderful breakfasts.
Then we loaded up the buses for 2 hours and went to the butter factory! We were the only foreigners to ever step foot there. They have the absolute best butter in the world. Its more expensive than even the best butter sold in the states, but the owners refuse to sell it commercially. Everything was taught in Spanish, but I had a friend translate the parts I couldnt understand, which I was very thankful for. The butter plantation also had thousands of sheep and 400 alpacas. The sky was once again incredibly blue and wonderful. After the butter plantation we went to the site of the Battle of Judin. I honestly didnt get that much out of this because it was once again all in Spanish, and it was harder for me to get a translation.
After that we ate boxed lunches and stopped at a small place to watch the US vs. England game!
I also switched haciendas this day. Long story. But I was actually very happy to switch since the other hacienda was where most of my friends were. Hacienda San Martin is also in Tarma but it is about 10 minutes away by bus. We could walk downtown within 15 minutes though, which we definitely took advantage of, and this hacienda ended up being nicer! It was much smaller, but they heated up water bottles to put in your bed at night to keep you warm. Definitely helped! The food was also better! And the wallpaper in the dining room was made especially in France for this hacienda. It was attacked by the Shining Path, the communist group that is the cause for the violent news coverage, about 10 years ago too. There were new born puppies here! And pet guinea pigs (theyre actually not there anymore... I think we ate them yesterday... sorry Mr. Piggy!) And a room with a fire place and a tv that was brought in for us so that we could watch the World Cup haha. Had rum and coke with the professors and just hung out before going to bed.
Sunday June 13
Another early day. Went to a convent. It was interesting to hear both sides of the story... first from the natives perspective and then to hear the side of the Spanish. It was called Convento de Ocapa. Afterward we listened to the anthropologist for about an hour talk about the Spanish influence on the natives. I didnt know this, but the Peruvians actually found the plant that could cure malaria, which eventually allowed the British and the French to essentially take over Africa. It was very cold in there though, so i was happy to travel on to dinner by the river. We ate at a really cute restaurant literally on the river where we could enjoy delicious trout, potatoes and cheese, those amazing corn nuts, and of course chicha (purple drink... sort of like wine). We spent the rest of the time traveling to other cities in the area looking at the differences and similarities. My favorite place was Huancayo which had a really nice market. I bought a lot of warmer knit items, like scarves, gloves, socks, hat, etc. (Side note... at this point I thought that I would be able to go on the trek that I had initially been disinvited from because I didnt speak Spanish. It turned out that enough people were sick that that restriction was lowered. I bought a bunch of stuff to go on the three day hike with 8 hours of walking in the Andes a day, but that night I felt really bad. I thought I was getting altitude sickness late, but I actually just was dehydrated. I chugged a 2.5 liter bottle of water and felt fine (it was under 1 american dollar for that!), but by then they didnt want me to go because they thought i was going to get sick on teh trek. All in all, I could have gone on the trek, but its all good.
Monday June 14
Today was Kaitlins birthday! She, Liz and Ginny all went on the trek, so they left early this morning. i got up with them, but decided not to go because I felt awful the previous night and didnt want to get sick at the top of the Andes and have nowhere to go. I went to the meeting about the trek though, and they said that we would only have 2 bottles of water a day. Turns out that they got one bottle of water in the morning and a bottle of inca cola at night, which definitely would nto have been enough for me. You also couldnt carry additional snacks of water really because you had to carry other thingsin your backpack, so it was probably a good thing that I decided not to go, though I think it would have been incredibly cool. I got to sleep in a little bit today though since about 18 people went on the trek. We left around 1015 to see Incan ruins. By the time we got there some people had already dropped out of the trek because they werent feeling well! In Tarmatambo we listened to stories about the Inca ruins around us, natural herbs that could be used for medicine, myths from the natives and finally a soccer field (high in the Andes it is the women who are known for soccer!). We also saw the national flower of Peru and an escape route for slaves. We went back to the hacienda la florida for lunch (at 4...), walked around Tarma at night, hung out.
Tuesday June 15
We had to get up early to go to Cement Andino, the highest cement factory in the world. We got a tour, listened to how they are now environmentally friendly, and learned that if you have a baby that high in the Andes and raise them there for 3 months they will have exponentially better lung capacities. haha I thought that was really interesting. Then we stopped at a museum about the Incans... it was really popular to have a cone shaped head back in the day, so they used to tie bands around baby foreheads to make them elongated. After that we went to a textile market. The people were incredibly nice, but it was very hot and very crowded. So many people would crowd around us and take pictures haha. We ate lunch again around 4... lomo saltado, which I have had a lot here. Its beef, onions and pepper, then a side of rice and french fries. We went into downtown Tarma afterwards to get more snacks for the long period of time between breakfast and lunch haha. 3 more people joined us that night from the trek who had to come back. Everyone was just getting really dehydrated. That night after dinner we taught our Peruvian professors (and children) how to play beer pong. haha
WednesdayJune 16
We went to a school in Tarma that specialized in trades like electricity and woodwork. The students were very welcoming and proud of their work. Around 11 we were served breakfast and then were off to a cave! It was about an hour away and we walked around in it. I cant remember the name of it, but I have it down somewhere haha. Then we had picnic lunches, and I finally got to play soccer while we were waiting for the trekers to meet us. I was on the Peruvians from the towns team because only 2 girls would play so they wanted to split us up. haha I ended up having a hat trick that game and the peruvians nicknamed me the conqueror haha. Finally the trekers came back! They looked exhausted and extrmeely hungry. They were very thirsty too, so they got to enjoy a nice lunch in a nearby restaurant while we went back.
We actually had about 3 hours of free time before a meeting at 9 and dinner at 10. Jorge brought us manjar blanco and natilla, 2 popular desserts in Peru. I had the natilla before, but everything was delicious. I caught up with my roommates that night... I had missed them so much while they were gone!
ThursdayJune 17
We left for the jungle town today! Got on the bus around 7 to get to Pichanaki about 4 or 5 hours later. It was crazy how much the landscape changed. One minute it was dry mountains then within 15 minutes it was a tropical jungle! So much fruit everywhere! and Coffee beans! The town we stayed in itself isnt probably the safest. Lots of drug trafficking, but they escorted us everwhere. We ate lunch at a Chifa (Peruvian Chinese food) in Satipo, but it wasnt very good haha. Everyone got ice cream afterward... adn then we wlaked around the town market! It was very cute haha. We finally got to our hostals back in Pichanaki, and I was lucky enough to have the nicest one. Some others had a room where the toilet was in the shower, but I was lucky enough to have it separated. There was no hot water, but it was so hot and humid that you were freezing in there but then it was hot once you got out so it wasnt that bad. that night we didnt have dinner... there is only one place they trust in Pichanaki (a german pizza place), but we figured out that its closed on Thursdays. We had crackers for dinner haha.
Friday June 18
Very hot and humid day (nice change!)
We went to a school in this jungle town, which was very interesting. We were treated like celebrities. I always had to be with someone who spoke better Spanish of course, but the students asked some really tough questions... about abortion, Obama, Arizona immigrant laws etc. Afterward they all wanted us to sign our names, so that took quite some time too. It was really cool coming to this school though because a lot of these people dont really understand what the United States is. They have no idea what the difference is between Lima and the US. It was interesting to see this side of Peru, and everyone was incredibly welcoming.
We ate jungle food for lunch! We waited a very long time because no place is used to accomodating over 30 people at once... we did get to see the beautiful river though! It was incredibly beautiful, though very hot and buggy. I never get bug bites, but I definitely got some (even after lathering myself with bug spray!) Good thing Im taking malaria meds haha.
Jungle food was very good... had 2 different types of jungle rodent, plantains, rice, salad, fish sticks, incredibly good fruit juice. Ended up not getting very much food though, but it was still good to try a bunch of different things. We went back to the central area of Pichanaki (Plaza de las Amas) and went to a meeting with the mayors assistant because the mayor had already gone home (we were 2 hours late haha surprise surprise) We got back to our hostal at about 6 and felt really sick... from lack of food and water I think. Watched some of my classmates go on regional TV, which was cool. We were supposed to get dinner at 8, but we didnt end up getting dinner until 1030 that night.. i had two small pieces of pizza from that German pizza place and ice cream haha. Still was very hungry that night... made up for it the next day though! Went to a discotec with everyone that night! haha its funny when your professors are dancing next to you!
Saturday June 19
This was my favorite day! We went to a banana plantation in the jungle. The owner was a recovering alcoholic and drug addict who changed his life and grew citris fruits and bananas for all of Peru. The plantation was HUGE. We ate chicken a la brasa for lunch and got a tour of the plantation. After that we saw a soccer field with Peruvians playing, so of course we pulled together a team of 6 of us to challenge them. So. much. fun. It was incredibly incredibly sweaty, and I hadnt run in a long time, but it was so much fun to play them! Haha the two girls on our team ended up being the best probably haha which the Peruvians found funny, but it was fun. Jorge didnt like me really until this game. He called me the champion, and actually acknowledged me after it. We ended up losing, but I had our only goal. For the first time I felt like I could actually communicate or something of the sort in Peru. I was the one who was able to do something without having to rely on others... who knew soccer would make me feel that way for the first time. Sometimes I get very frustrated because I literally always have to depend on others to help me out, but playing soccer was different. Sounds silly, but it was a great feeling. After losing, taking pics with the people who we played against, and being drenched in sweat, some of us went to swim in the river. It felt good, but I refused to go underwater haha Im scared of parasites! There are 3 people who are on antiobiotics right now because of parasites they have picked up! Geez. Im trying to avoid that haha. We met back up with the plantation owner to ask him more questions and then finally headed home. Forgot to mention taht to get to the plantation we had to ride on a raft thing across a river and then take a 30 minute mototaxi ride. Mototaxis are fast, but incredibly bumpy and dusty. When youre already sweating and dust is flying everwhere, you become caked in brown dust... haha. Since teh sun was already going down, Jorge didnt wnat girls to just ride in these mototaxis alone, so about 20 of us piled into the back of a pickup truck haha. This was the wildest ride of my life, but so much fun! Finally we made it back and across the river. We went straight to the German pizza place again! SO GOOD. this time instead of getting a family style dinner, I opted to get my own personal pizza, which allowed me to become full (and i still paid less than I had the day before when we split it across the table.) My pizza had ham, peach, mango and pineapple on it. Sounds gross but was delicious.
Went back and showered. We all went out and ended up getting about 1 hour of sleep that night haha totally worth it though!
Left at 4 45 on Sunday. On the bus all day... got into Lima around 930 or 10. Very tiring day. Happy fathers day though! We stopped in Tarma again at the hacienda to eating Pichamanka, which is something that most peruvians only eat 3 or 4 times in their lives. It was the best meal ever. THey cook everything underground... chicken, potatoes, tamales, veggies. SOOOO GOOD. we were all very tired though. Ready to get back on teh road!
Ok sorry for the abridged version of this! Getting hungry though haha. Overall, it was a very wonderful trip! I became even closer to a lot of people, and it was nice to get back to Lima despite teh rainy misty weather and white skies. I took my first hot shower in 10 days, which was actually marvelous! I have a lot of work to do though unforutnatley...
Hope youre all doing well! Sorry for my typos, poor sentence structure and grammar haha, but I just tried to type this as fast as possible!
I actually convinced my professor to let me out early today. Normally we get out at 1 30, but the other girl is sick today so he let me leave at 11 30. 4 hours is way too long to sit down anyway! Plus, I have 3 papers to write haha. I would rather do this... and we have to watch a 4 hour movie tonight too (in Spanish...), so I will have to stay at school all day. It just is a very long day today in general, so he took pity on me I think. Heart of gold.
Anyways... back to June 10!
Class went by incredibly slowly... I had to pack up everything the night before (I am INCREDIBLY grateful that I ended up buying that hiking backpack. Its the best for quickly carrying everything in a large back and then still having both arms to carry things!) I had to bring all of my stuff to school because we were leaving at 330 and I would literally have gone home and then come back a very short time afterward... a group of us went to the grocery store to stock up on water and snacks. We were told to eat very lightly all day because we were going up so high (the 2nd highest railway pass in the world... China beats us.) In my opinion, they were really trying to scare us about altitude sickness. We stopped 2 times within the first 2 hours haha... They handed out puke bags which freaked me out more than anything and I ended up becoming so hungry that I scarfed down a bunch at the highest alititude anyway. haha I was completely fine though. I never felt the effects of altitude sickness though we were very high at some points. i never took pills for it either. Some people got it really bad though... sick to their stomachs, fevers, massive headaches. Its like the lottery though... you never really know who is going to get it! After a very long bus ride (we ended up leaving about an hour and a half late... one thing I have definitely learned is Peruvian time... add about 2 hours to everything we do!) we finally made it to the hacienda. We got there around 1 and had a bowl of soup then went straight to bed. The hacienda is gorgeous. Its located on a farm with mountains everywhere. At night the skies were incredibly clear... more stars than I have ever seen in my life. It was absolutely gorgeous... but FREEZING. We knew it would be cold, but I havent been that cold in a long time. There is of course no heat or hot water, so taking a shower was very interesting. I took the strategy of just going all in like a band aid, but a lot of people either skipped showers or just washed their hair. Haha.
Friday June 11
We got to sleep in until 830! During the day Tarma gets to be very hot, so its really hard to dress. The key is to dress in layers! Hacienda La Florida is a plantation where food is grown for sustainable living, but it is also used as a hotel for friends. There were 2 German girls who helped out with the farm, and there were so many dogs, sheep, cows and llamas. After a delicious breakfast of fresh bread and really fresh cheese, homemade jam, eggs, and coffee we had a 2 hour introduction meeting about Tarma. The most famous anthropologist in Peru joined us in Tarma because he is a friend of Jorge, and he talked to us several times throughout the trip about the incans, peruvian lifestyle, coca leaves etc. Very interesting. After exploring the hacienda more...(i really wish i could upload pics... it is INCREDIDBLY beautiful. Bright blue skies, the Andes mountains surroudning us, old timey feeling... very cute!) We ate fresh fish straight out of the river for lunch and then we went off to another hacienda to hike. There was a slighty miscommunication though... We had to take two different buses to get there, and Jorge was in the other bus. He didnt wait for our bus, so we were told to meet up with them ourselves. Turns out we couldnt quite find them though we had other professors with them. We kept walking and walking pretty much straight uphill (this was really hard for some because of the alititude I think), but we just got lost in the Andes. Haha I found this really funny because we got to the top right as the sun was setting adn then we realized that we had no flashlights and we didnt quite know where we were. Some people freaked out, but I thought it was incredibly cool... we were in the middle of the Andes somwhere, but I never felt unsafe. I was actually more scared the one time Jon and I heard a bear (I swear it was a bear) when we went hiking and were lost. The hardest part was navigating down the mountains again in the dark, but we were cmpletely fine. nobody was hurt, though many freaked out more than necessary haha. We stopped downtown Tarma for the best dulce de leche around! So delicious, and I was starving by this point. When I say downtown Tarma, its probably different than youre thinking. Tarma is deifnitley not a tourist destination. Its in a valley of the Andes, but its still higher in altitude than most places. There are no white people. We were stared at no matter where we went, but it was a lot of fun to explore. We were just always supposed to be in groups, but Tarma was probably one of the safer areas we went... the worst that would happen was pick pocketers they said. I dont really remember what we did after this, but it was late... I know we had really good chicken for dinner though haha.
Saturday June 12
We had to wake up at 615, take freezing showers, and have wonderful breakfasts.
Then we loaded up the buses for 2 hours and went to the butter factory! We were the only foreigners to ever step foot there. They have the absolute best butter in the world. Its more expensive than even the best butter sold in the states, but the owners refuse to sell it commercially. Everything was taught in Spanish, but I had a friend translate the parts I couldnt understand, which I was very thankful for. The butter plantation also had thousands of sheep and 400 alpacas. The sky was once again incredibly blue and wonderful. After the butter plantation we went to the site of the Battle of Judin. I honestly didnt get that much out of this because it was once again all in Spanish, and it was harder for me to get a translation.
After that we ate boxed lunches and stopped at a small place to watch the US vs. England game!
I also switched haciendas this day. Long story. But I was actually very happy to switch since the other hacienda was where most of my friends were. Hacienda San Martin is also in Tarma but it is about 10 minutes away by bus. We could walk downtown within 15 minutes though, which we definitely took advantage of, and this hacienda ended up being nicer! It was much smaller, but they heated up water bottles to put in your bed at night to keep you warm. Definitely helped! The food was also better! And the wallpaper in the dining room was made especially in France for this hacienda. It was attacked by the Shining Path, the communist group that is the cause for the violent news coverage, about 10 years ago too. There were new born puppies here! And pet guinea pigs (theyre actually not there anymore... I think we ate them yesterday... sorry Mr. Piggy!) And a room with a fire place and a tv that was brought in for us so that we could watch the World Cup haha. Had rum and coke with the professors and just hung out before going to bed.
Sunday June 13
Another early day. Went to a convent. It was interesting to hear both sides of the story... first from the natives perspective and then to hear the side of the Spanish. It was called Convento de Ocapa. Afterward we listened to the anthropologist for about an hour talk about the Spanish influence on the natives. I didnt know this, but the Peruvians actually found the plant that could cure malaria, which eventually allowed the British and the French to essentially take over Africa. It was very cold in there though, so i was happy to travel on to dinner by the river. We ate at a really cute restaurant literally on the river where we could enjoy delicious trout, potatoes and cheese, those amazing corn nuts, and of course chicha (purple drink... sort of like wine). We spent the rest of the time traveling to other cities in the area looking at the differences and similarities. My favorite place was Huancayo which had a really nice market. I bought a lot of warmer knit items, like scarves, gloves, socks, hat, etc. (Side note... at this point I thought that I would be able to go on the trek that I had initially been disinvited from because I didnt speak Spanish. It turned out that enough people were sick that that restriction was lowered. I bought a bunch of stuff to go on the three day hike with 8 hours of walking in the Andes a day, but that night I felt really bad. I thought I was getting altitude sickness late, but I actually just was dehydrated. I chugged a 2.5 liter bottle of water and felt fine (it was under 1 american dollar for that!), but by then they didnt want me to go because they thought i was going to get sick on teh trek. All in all, I could have gone on the trek, but its all good.
Monday June 14
Today was Kaitlins birthday! She, Liz and Ginny all went on the trek, so they left early this morning. i got up with them, but decided not to go because I felt awful the previous night and didnt want to get sick at the top of the Andes and have nowhere to go. I went to the meeting about the trek though, and they said that we would only have 2 bottles of water a day. Turns out that they got one bottle of water in the morning and a bottle of inca cola at night, which definitely would nto have been enough for me. You also couldnt carry additional snacks of water really because you had to carry other thingsin your backpack, so it was probably a good thing that I decided not to go, though I think it would have been incredibly cool. I got to sleep in a little bit today though since about 18 people went on the trek. We left around 1015 to see Incan ruins. By the time we got there some people had already dropped out of the trek because they werent feeling well! In Tarmatambo we listened to stories about the Inca ruins around us, natural herbs that could be used for medicine, myths from the natives and finally a soccer field (high in the Andes it is the women who are known for soccer!). We also saw the national flower of Peru and an escape route for slaves. We went back to the hacienda la florida for lunch (at 4...), walked around Tarma at night, hung out.
Tuesday June 15
We had to get up early to go to Cement Andino, the highest cement factory in the world. We got a tour, listened to how they are now environmentally friendly, and learned that if you have a baby that high in the Andes and raise them there for 3 months they will have exponentially better lung capacities. haha I thought that was really interesting. Then we stopped at a museum about the Incans... it was really popular to have a cone shaped head back in the day, so they used to tie bands around baby foreheads to make them elongated. After that we went to a textile market. The people were incredibly nice, but it was very hot and very crowded. So many people would crowd around us and take pictures haha. We ate lunch again around 4... lomo saltado, which I have had a lot here. Its beef, onions and pepper, then a side of rice and french fries. We went into downtown Tarma afterwards to get more snacks for the long period of time between breakfast and lunch haha. 3 more people joined us that night from the trek who had to come back. Everyone was just getting really dehydrated. That night after dinner we taught our Peruvian professors (and children) how to play beer pong. haha
WednesdayJune 16
We went to a school in Tarma that specialized in trades like electricity and woodwork. The students were very welcoming and proud of their work. Around 11 we were served breakfast and then were off to a cave! It was about an hour away and we walked around in it. I cant remember the name of it, but I have it down somewhere haha. Then we had picnic lunches, and I finally got to play soccer while we were waiting for the trekers to meet us. I was on the Peruvians from the towns team because only 2 girls would play so they wanted to split us up. haha I ended up having a hat trick that game and the peruvians nicknamed me the conqueror haha. Finally the trekers came back! They looked exhausted and extrmeely hungry. They were very thirsty too, so they got to enjoy a nice lunch in a nearby restaurant while we went back.
We actually had about 3 hours of free time before a meeting at 9 and dinner at 10. Jorge brought us manjar blanco and natilla, 2 popular desserts in Peru. I had the natilla before, but everything was delicious. I caught up with my roommates that night... I had missed them so much while they were gone!
ThursdayJune 17
We left for the jungle town today! Got on the bus around 7 to get to Pichanaki about 4 or 5 hours later. It was crazy how much the landscape changed. One minute it was dry mountains then within 15 minutes it was a tropical jungle! So much fruit everywhere! and Coffee beans! The town we stayed in itself isnt probably the safest. Lots of drug trafficking, but they escorted us everwhere. We ate lunch at a Chifa (Peruvian Chinese food) in Satipo, but it wasnt very good haha. Everyone got ice cream afterward... adn then we wlaked around the town market! It was very cute haha. We finally got to our hostals back in Pichanaki, and I was lucky enough to have the nicest one. Some others had a room where the toilet was in the shower, but I was lucky enough to have it separated. There was no hot water, but it was so hot and humid that you were freezing in there but then it was hot once you got out so it wasnt that bad. that night we didnt have dinner... there is only one place they trust in Pichanaki (a german pizza place), but we figured out that its closed on Thursdays. We had crackers for dinner haha.
Friday June 18
Very hot and humid day (nice change!)
We went to a school in this jungle town, which was very interesting. We were treated like celebrities. I always had to be with someone who spoke better Spanish of course, but the students asked some really tough questions... about abortion, Obama, Arizona immigrant laws etc. Afterward they all wanted us to sign our names, so that took quite some time too. It was really cool coming to this school though because a lot of these people dont really understand what the United States is. They have no idea what the difference is between Lima and the US. It was interesting to see this side of Peru, and everyone was incredibly welcoming.
We ate jungle food for lunch! We waited a very long time because no place is used to accomodating over 30 people at once... we did get to see the beautiful river though! It was incredibly beautiful, though very hot and buggy. I never get bug bites, but I definitely got some (even after lathering myself with bug spray!) Good thing Im taking malaria meds haha.
Jungle food was very good... had 2 different types of jungle rodent, plantains, rice, salad, fish sticks, incredibly good fruit juice. Ended up not getting very much food though, but it was still good to try a bunch of different things. We went back to the central area of Pichanaki (Plaza de las Amas) and went to a meeting with the mayors assistant because the mayor had already gone home (we were 2 hours late haha surprise surprise) We got back to our hostal at about 6 and felt really sick... from lack of food and water I think. Watched some of my classmates go on regional TV, which was cool. We were supposed to get dinner at 8, but we didnt end up getting dinner until 1030 that night.. i had two small pieces of pizza from that German pizza place and ice cream haha. Still was very hungry that night... made up for it the next day though! Went to a discotec with everyone that night! haha its funny when your professors are dancing next to you!
Saturday June 19
This was my favorite day! We went to a banana plantation in the jungle. The owner was a recovering alcoholic and drug addict who changed his life and grew citris fruits and bananas for all of Peru. The plantation was HUGE. We ate chicken a la brasa for lunch and got a tour of the plantation. After that we saw a soccer field with Peruvians playing, so of course we pulled together a team of 6 of us to challenge them. So. much. fun. It was incredibly incredibly sweaty, and I hadnt run in a long time, but it was so much fun to play them! Haha the two girls on our team ended up being the best probably haha which the Peruvians found funny, but it was fun. Jorge didnt like me really until this game. He called me the champion, and actually acknowledged me after it. We ended up losing, but I had our only goal. For the first time I felt like I could actually communicate or something of the sort in Peru. I was the one who was able to do something without having to rely on others... who knew soccer would make me feel that way for the first time. Sometimes I get very frustrated because I literally always have to depend on others to help me out, but playing soccer was different. Sounds silly, but it was a great feeling. After losing, taking pics with the people who we played against, and being drenched in sweat, some of us went to swim in the river. It felt good, but I refused to go underwater haha Im scared of parasites! There are 3 people who are on antiobiotics right now because of parasites they have picked up! Geez. Im trying to avoid that haha. We met back up with the plantation owner to ask him more questions and then finally headed home. Forgot to mention taht to get to the plantation we had to ride on a raft thing across a river and then take a 30 minute mototaxi ride. Mototaxis are fast, but incredibly bumpy and dusty. When youre already sweating and dust is flying everwhere, you become caked in brown dust... haha. Since teh sun was already going down, Jorge didnt wnat girls to just ride in these mototaxis alone, so about 20 of us piled into the back of a pickup truck haha. This was the wildest ride of my life, but so much fun! Finally we made it back and across the river. We went straight to the German pizza place again! SO GOOD. this time instead of getting a family style dinner, I opted to get my own personal pizza, which allowed me to become full (and i still paid less than I had the day before when we split it across the table.) My pizza had ham, peach, mango and pineapple on it. Sounds gross but was delicious.
Went back and showered. We all went out and ended up getting about 1 hour of sleep that night haha totally worth it though!
Left at 4 45 on Sunday. On the bus all day... got into Lima around 930 or 10. Very tiring day. Happy fathers day though! We stopped in Tarma again at the hacienda to eating Pichamanka, which is something that most peruvians only eat 3 or 4 times in their lives. It was the best meal ever. THey cook everything underground... chicken, potatoes, tamales, veggies. SOOOO GOOD. we were all very tired though. Ready to get back on teh road!
Ok sorry for the abridged version of this! Getting hungry though haha. Overall, it was a very wonderful trip! I became even closer to a lot of people, and it was nice to get back to Lima despite teh rainy misty weather and white skies. I took my first hot shower in 10 days, which was actually marvelous! I have a lot of work to do though unforutnatley...
Hope youre all doing well! Sorry for my typos, poor sentence structure and grammar haha, but I just tried to type this as fast as possible!
jueves, 10 de junio de 2010
about to start my travels...
but im currently sweating! im wearing 2 jackets and a scarf because i ran out of room in my huge hiking backpack, but i look so legit!
i just ran into Jorge, and i asked him about dinner. He told me we are fasting today... uhhhhhh no! I cannot do that! We are going on an 8 hour bus ride winding in and out along a mountain. I guess the normal person wouldnt want to eat, but I definitely need something in my poor tummy!
Morena was laughing at how much water I drank this morning... Im just trying to stay hydrated. She also has been making us heartier breakfasts! So that was a nice surprise this morning!
I have a test in 4 minutes... oops should have studied more! I am just so excited to get traveling! It sounds like we will have something really exciting to do every day! And I realized in perfect timing last night that I hadnt started taking my malaria pills, but it works out perfectly that they will be effective when we get into the jungle! I actually probably dont even need to take them, but I suppose its better to be safe than sorry.
I hope you all have a wonderful 10 days! Talk to ya lataaa aligaytasss
i just ran into Jorge, and i asked him about dinner. He told me we are fasting today... uhhhhhh no! I cannot do that! We are going on an 8 hour bus ride winding in and out along a mountain. I guess the normal person wouldnt want to eat, but I definitely need something in my poor tummy!
Morena was laughing at how much water I drank this morning... Im just trying to stay hydrated. She also has been making us heartier breakfasts! So that was a nice surprise this morning!
I have a test in 4 minutes... oops should have studied more! I am just so excited to get traveling! It sounds like we will have something really exciting to do every day! And I realized in perfect timing last night that I hadnt started taking my malaria pills, but it works out perfectly that they will be effective when we get into the jungle! I actually probably dont even need to take them, but I suppose its better to be safe than sorry.
I hope you all have a wonderful 10 days! Talk to ya lataaa aligaytasss
miércoles, 9 de junio de 2010
TUMMY DOESNT HURT
... and Im so excited about it! Except for after breakfast yesterday, I didnt have one single stomach pain!! First time in a week! I have coca tea every night, which really helps! It does wonders actually... and since I could eat I went all out yesterday! Our school sells these really amazing truffles for 70 cents (so about 30 cents in American money), and wow they are so amazing! Chocolate outside covering with gooey, chocolate cake ish or cookie dough inside. WOW THEY ARE HEAVEN. I also have decided to just eat the vegetarian option while Im at school... so once again, a lot of rice, but its definitely worth it in the end! I also bought a couple of bananas.. yummmm
After school I went shopping with 2 of my Peruvian friends, Gabby, Liz and Kaitlin in a market. I accidentally bought a lot of stuff.. haha but so cheap! I finally found a woven duffel bag that I can use to transport all my goodies in when I return home... it was 25 soles! I was beyond excited because its really nice, and that is under 10 dollars in American money!
Then we shared a taxi home... haha somehow I always end up riding in someones lap! Gabby and i went to the grocery store to buy snacks and the pharmacy to buy even more alititude sickness pills. Gabby didnt understand how Tarma was situated really even though we had an entire meeting about it, so I tried my best to get across that we are going to be traveling to high altitudes but not staying there... it was very interested. I drew many pictures. I wish I were better at drawing! haha. I did buy some hard candies for teh bus ride though.. we were told not to eat much at all tomorrow because the road is winding and people get sick... but Im also the person who ate a lot before I went skydiving and before I run... haha so I dont really know what to do about the eating situation! I just wont have anything dairy I know that! After we got back and ate dinner (cauliflower balls I think is the best way to describe it... with ketchup! I actually lik ethe ketchup better here. Morena tried to get me to put mayo on it too, but I just couldnt handle that haha). Then we walked over to the Parque in Miraflores to meet up with Liz and Kaitlin who took a taxi from San Isidro. We shared a taxi to Pueblo Libre to go to a small get together for Carlins birthday (a girl on the trip! she actually went to woodbridge high school). Her mom IS SO CUTE. Wow. Shes like a grandma, and she wears chucks! She made us all sandwiches and the best cake I have ever had. It was a weird combination... sort of like carrot cake, but not exactly with really really sweet icing that sort of tasted like caramel. She told us that its the same stuff they put in Churros. It took us an hour to get to Pueblo Libre, but there are about 10 people who are lucky enough to literally live right next door to each other. Im sort of jealous of them, but then again Miraflores has a lot to do. We then headed out to a cute tavern! We bought Carlin a birthday beer and we all also got fun drinks! I got pisco sour again, which was a little too tart this time, but its the Peruvian national drink so I had to get it! We also ordered picarrones (fried sweet potatoes with syrup on them). I just had one because they were greasy and I was trying to avoid stomach pains again haha. Finally it was midnight so we shared a taxi again and headed home... then I had to write a paper for Spanish. oopsie! Its finished so thats all that matters.
This morning for breakfast Morena went to the bakery again to get us fresh rolls and we had an avocado sandwich. She also gave me an extra roll with jelly and butter because she said Im too skinny haha. I didnt complain though because I have been getting hungry again! She also gave me a banana for the road. How nice is she! We have a bartending class today after school! We are going to learn how to make 5 Peruvian drinks for just 20 soles! Im excited! I also have a midterm tomorrow in Spanish... hopefully its not hard! haha
Class has been going by really really really slowly lately! My professor forgot to give us our quiz yesterday haha so we got to take it home, which is fine, but I honestly dont have much time to do it at home (meaning I dont make time to do it at home!) Yesterday we got out of class at 1 (half hour early!) because we had to talk about our trip to Tarma! I am beyond excited. I am not going on the trek to live with the native shepherds because I dont qualify at all (1. i dont speak spanish 2. its not for my major 3. i will probably get altitude sickness.) They will be trekking for 3 days, sleeping on the ground in 30 degree weather at night, and eating whatever the locals give them to eat. That is really exciting, but I am not eligible... HOWEVER we get to see more of the jungle wildlife, and still barely anyone gets to go to this part of Peru. We just get to go because Professor Secada has known a native since he was 5 and went into the jungle with his father. So we sort of have an in. I decided to take an anthropology class because the person who is helping teach it is a world renowned anthropologist and the best in Peru. We will be concentrating on the different cultures within Peru and how they fuse together. We will be living in 2 different haciendas in Tarma, but unfortunately I will not be in the same hacienda as any of the people who I am closest friends with. But that just means I will get to know others better hopefully!
We leave tomorrow after school, and were told to pack lightly (ah!) haha. I will pack everything in my super cool hiking backpack! WOOO i love that thing so much.
The itinerary for Tarma is still up in the air, but I wrote down a couple of things that we are definitely doing...
going to the highlands to explore wildlife
going to see where the battle of ? (a really important battle that i wont even try to spell!) took place
Visiting two cooperatives run by peasants who produce the best dairy products in Peru (their specialty is butter)
Going to see a 16th century library
Going to an agroindustrial company and comparing it to others we will be seeing
Going to the San Pedro textile center that has been there since the time of the Incas
Going to see Inca and Pre Inca remains (Jorge wants us to see these remains before we travel to Cusco at the end of the trip)
Going into the jungle to see more wildlife with the anthropologist
meeting with a congressman of Peru
Eating jungle food by the river
visit another farm
Going to a concert
This trip will be extremely interesting I think. I probably wont be able to put check email or write entries during the 10 days (June 10 to 20) but I will keep a journal hopefully!
Dad... we wont be traveling to the area where terrorists are... he doesnt think its safe haha. That makes sense. But just so you know... i forget the name of the area, but were not even getting close to it anymore.
We are also meeting up with a director of documentary about the Peruvian culture along with the terrorists groups. He focused some of his documentary on the UVA in Peru program from last summer and even taped in Charlottesville! We will be watching this film on the Monday when we return.
So that is a brief summary of what we will be doing! Sounds good!
i know this was extremely disorganized, but i rush to just type as quickly as i can. I have interent at home now, but I have just used it that one night... dont relaly have much time at home haha.
Talk to you all soon!
After school I went shopping with 2 of my Peruvian friends, Gabby, Liz and Kaitlin in a market. I accidentally bought a lot of stuff.. haha but so cheap! I finally found a woven duffel bag that I can use to transport all my goodies in when I return home... it was 25 soles! I was beyond excited because its really nice, and that is under 10 dollars in American money!
Then we shared a taxi home... haha somehow I always end up riding in someones lap! Gabby and i went to the grocery store to buy snacks and the pharmacy to buy even more alititude sickness pills. Gabby didnt understand how Tarma was situated really even though we had an entire meeting about it, so I tried my best to get across that we are going to be traveling to high altitudes but not staying there... it was very interested. I drew many pictures. I wish I were better at drawing! haha. I did buy some hard candies for teh bus ride though.. we were told not to eat much at all tomorrow because the road is winding and people get sick... but Im also the person who ate a lot before I went skydiving and before I run... haha so I dont really know what to do about the eating situation! I just wont have anything dairy I know that! After we got back and ate dinner (cauliflower balls I think is the best way to describe it... with ketchup! I actually lik ethe ketchup better here. Morena tried to get me to put mayo on it too, but I just couldnt handle that haha). Then we walked over to the Parque in Miraflores to meet up with Liz and Kaitlin who took a taxi from San Isidro. We shared a taxi to Pueblo Libre to go to a small get together for Carlins birthday (a girl on the trip! she actually went to woodbridge high school). Her mom IS SO CUTE. Wow. Shes like a grandma, and she wears chucks! She made us all sandwiches and the best cake I have ever had. It was a weird combination... sort of like carrot cake, but not exactly with really really sweet icing that sort of tasted like caramel. She told us that its the same stuff they put in Churros. It took us an hour to get to Pueblo Libre, but there are about 10 people who are lucky enough to literally live right next door to each other. Im sort of jealous of them, but then again Miraflores has a lot to do. We then headed out to a cute tavern! We bought Carlin a birthday beer and we all also got fun drinks! I got pisco sour again, which was a little too tart this time, but its the Peruvian national drink so I had to get it! We also ordered picarrones (fried sweet potatoes with syrup on them). I just had one because they were greasy and I was trying to avoid stomach pains again haha. Finally it was midnight so we shared a taxi again and headed home... then I had to write a paper for Spanish. oopsie! Its finished so thats all that matters.
This morning for breakfast Morena went to the bakery again to get us fresh rolls and we had an avocado sandwich. She also gave me an extra roll with jelly and butter because she said Im too skinny haha. I didnt complain though because I have been getting hungry again! She also gave me a banana for the road. How nice is she! We have a bartending class today after school! We are going to learn how to make 5 Peruvian drinks for just 20 soles! Im excited! I also have a midterm tomorrow in Spanish... hopefully its not hard! haha
Class has been going by really really really slowly lately! My professor forgot to give us our quiz yesterday haha so we got to take it home, which is fine, but I honestly dont have much time to do it at home (meaning I dont make time to do it at home!) Yesterday we got out of class at 1 (half hour early!) because we had to talk about our trip to Tarma! I am beyond excited. I am not going on the trek to live with the native shepherds because I dont qualify at all (1. i dont speak spanish 2. its not for my major 3. i will probably get altitude sickness.) They will be trekking for 3 days, sleeping on the ground in 30 degree weather at night, and eating whatever the locals give them to eat. That is really exciting, but I am not eligible... HOWEVER we get to see more of the jungle wildlife, and still barely anyone gets to go to this part of Peru. We just get to go because Professor Secada has known a native since he was 5 and went into the jungle with his father. So we sort of have an in. I decided to take an anthropology class because the person who is helping teach it is a world renowned anthropologist and the best in Peru. We will be concentrating on the different cultures within Peru and how they fuse together. We will be living in 2 different haciendas in Tarma, but unfortunately I will not be in the same hacienda as any of the people who I am closest friends with. But that just means I will get to know others better hopefully!
We leave tomorrow after school, and were told to pack lightly (ah!) haha. I will pack everything in my super cool hiking backpack! WOOO i love that thing so much.
The itinerary for Tarma is still up in the air, but I wrote down a couple of things that we are definitely doing...
going to the highlands to explore wildlife
going to see where the battle of ? (a really important battle that i wont even try to spell!) took place
Visiting two cooperatives run by peasants who produce the best dairy products in Peru (their specialty is butter)
Going to see a 16th century library
Going to an agroindustrial company and comparing it to others we will be seeing
Going to the San Pedro textile center that has been there since the time of the Incas
Going to see Inca and Pre Inca remains (Jorge wants us to see these remains before we travel to Cusco at the end of the trip)
Going into the jungle to see more wildlife with the anthropologist
meeting with a congressman of Peru
Eating jungle food by the river
visit another farm
Going to a concert
This trip will be extremely interesting I think. I probably wont be able to put check email or write entries during the 10 days (June 10 to 20) but I will keep a journal hopefully!
Dad... we wont be traveling to the area where terrorists are... he doesnt think its safe haha. That makes sense. But just so you know... i forget the name of the area, but were not even getting close to it anymore.
We are also meeting up with a director of documentary about the Peruvian culture along with the terrorists groups. He focused some of his documentary on the UVA in Peru program from last summer and even taped in Charlottesville! We will be watching this film on the Monday when we return.
So that is a brief summary of what we will be doing! Sounds good!
i know this was extremely disorganized, but i rush to just type as quickly as i can. I have interent at home now, but I have just used it that one night... dont relaly have much time at home haha.
Talk to you all soon!
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