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!