Random!

I have some random things about Peru that I want to share!


Peru has three regions (I'm sure I've mentioned this before): the coast (Costa), the mountains (Sierra--the Andes), and the jungle (Selva). These regions are split up into "departments." Departments in Peru are comparable to states in the U.S. Lima is known as the capital city, but it should really be titled as the "capital department." Within the departments, are districts. I live in the Miraflores district. So technically, there aren't really cities. In Lima, it could take a couple hours to get from one district to another, and maybe even longer if traffic is bad. Here is a map of Peru's departments.

A saying in Peru is "Dé algo, pero con el amor." This means "Give anything, but with love." I love this saying! It really reveals the passion Peru has!


That concludes the random things! Haha!

Chao!

Casi un Mes en Perú!

I have be in Peru for almost a month and I continue to learn more and more each day! Lima continues to amaze me, too! For example, one of my favorite ways to see Lima is driving around at night! This is when the most people are out and about and everything is lit. It is absolutely beautiful! I've been learning more about the language, school, culture, and food. I have been doing some fun things, too!

Language
Spanish is very phonetic, meaning how it sounds it how it is spelled. I love that Spanish is phonetic! It makes learning the language a little bit easier! However, the way it sounds does not always give you the correct spelling. In Spanish, "b's" and "v's" are pronounced the same way "b" is pronounced in "bay." Moreover, "c's, (only in certain words)" "s's," and "z's" are pronounced the same way "s" is pronounced in "say." For example, I thought "chevere" (which means cool in Peruvian-Spanish) was spelled with a "b" not a "v." You would not believe how many times I have seen ceviche spelled as both "ceviche" and "cebiche" at restaurants haha! I guess Peru can't make up its mind either haha! The first week I was here I had Spanish classes. When I asked my teachers how we were supposed to know how to spell a word when so many letters sound the same, I was told to just memorize!

Peruvians like to shorten their words. Because of this, I have found myself suddenly lost in a conversation because I have know idea what a word means. For example, they shorten "colegio" to just "cole." More examples include shortening "vamos" to "vao." Students also call their "profesores" "profe."

I have able to understand Spanish a lot better. I know there is still a lot of room for improvement, but I don't have to ask people to repeat themselves as much! Speaking is getting easier, too! I have been told by Peruvians that I have very good Spanish. But I have been warned that people will just say that to be nice without really meaning it haha! However, my host mom has bragged to other people about how I understand just about everything and my speaking is sufficient! I have been able to even understand my teachers a little better at school! Well enough that I am getting 100%'s on quizzes. But then again, the quizzes I do really well on are in math and science!

School
At school, in every class, there is a certain routine we follow. At the beginning of class the teacher writes down all the notes on the chalkboard while students talk. When the teachers is finished with writing, students are given a few minutes to copy the notes. Then, the teacher begins the lecture. Some teachers even ask students to close their notebooks while they are lecturing so they know they have the students' full attention. However, full attention is never given! Most of the students talk during the lecture! One of my biggest pet peeves is when people are talking when they shouldn't be. So, you can imagine how frustrating and annoying class can be sometimes. Especially, when I want to hear the teacher so I can learn the language. Don't get me wrong though, there are students that pay attention and participate as well. I can tell the students don't like sitting in the same classroom for periods of 3 hours sometimes because they like to get up and switch seats a lot. The teachers usually tell the students to be quiet or return to their seats, but nothing more.

The teachers at my school are strict in the oddest ways. For example, our notebooks have to look a certain way-- certain color of cover, notes are the same as the teacher has written them on the board, the notes are colorful and maybe even include pictures, and the quizzes have been pasted into the notebooks. Not following this criteria can mean a bad mark on your grade. Moreover, the teachers are to be applauded every time they walk into the classroom. Another thing I find odd is the openness of grades in the classroom. Being raised in an American educational system has made me very confidential about my grades. In Peru, however, the grades of students are for everyone to know. For instance, the grades the students get on their E.T.I. tests every Monday are announced out loud in class. In every class, teachers call the students who have scored low to the front of the classroom. The teacher than asks questions over what they learned the week before. When the student fails to answer the question the teacher usually gives a look of disappointment and the rest of the classroom laughs. The teacher doesn't really stop the laughing because he/she kind of uses this as a punishment.

Students in Peru have their similarities and differences than those in the U.S. For example, Peruvian students like to play with their pencils and pens on the desk like they're drummers (just like in the U.S.)! However, there are differences. In my school, no one uses calculators. I do not know if they don't use calculators because it is prohibited or they are just too expensive to buy. In chemistry class a couple days ago, we were using decimals when calculating some equations. The teacher had to get out her calculator. So I did, too! I'm so used to using it anyway! When I pulled out my calculator everyone looked at me with curious faces while they said, "Ooooo! Calculadora!" They were in aw. I never thought a calculator could get such a reaction! The students also like to ask me to do a British accent! They love it! I don't have a good British accent, but apparently it's the best they have heard haha!

Culture
This past weekend I had Rotary camp (I will get into more detail about this later). While at camp we learned many important things such as the culture and customs of Peru. One of the customs includes kissing everyone on the cheek when you're greeting or saying good bye to people. If you don't kiss everyone on the cheek, they take it as an offense. I learned a very interesting "paradox" about Peru, too.  The camp staff very straight-forwardly told us that Peru is a discriminating country. For example, the official language of Peru is Spanish, however, it is supposed to be Quechua (a native language). When people speak Spanish with a Quechuan accent they are disowned by other people. But the interesting thing that makes this situation a paradox is that Peru is very proud of it's heritage and diverse culture. It's a very odd dynamic that I am still trying to understand! But you can tell how proud Peru is! For example, Peru is known for its gastronomy and they are very proud of it! If you don't eat something that is prepared for you at the dinner table, the chef will be offended!

I have come to learn, but I'm still trying to accept, the low sense of urgency and time in Peru. In the U.S., it's always GO! GO! GO! But in Peru, things happen at a much slower rate. For example, when people say an event is going to happen at 7p.m., that means it will actually start at 9p.m.  I have experienced this time and time again. For instance, my host family will say we are going somewhere right now. They say, "Ya, vamos." But we end up sitting around talking or doing something else for 10 minutes. Then you hear again, "Vamos!" But we still hang around for a few minutes. Fifteen minutes (or more) after we have said we are going to leave, we are actually leaving. I think Peruvians are very aware of how the country's inner-clock work, too! When I have done Rotary activities, people will say to be there at 9:30 a.m. This time is chosen because they know everyone won't show up until 10a.m., the actual time they wanted the activity to begin at.

Peru: Alienated or Americanized?
I have realized that Lima not only has American chain restaurants and stores, but local businesses whose titles are in English. When I ask people here why a lot of things are in Enlgish, and not Spanish, they tell me it's because Peru is alienated. When I ask them to explain what they mean by "alienated," they say it means Peru likes foreign things. English is a foreign language and therefore makes everything more interesting-- cooler. So... this brings me to wonder, "Does Peru have American businesses because they are alienated? Or because America is that imperialistic?" This is a cultural topic that I will just have to learn more about on my stay here!

Although most Peruvians won't admit it, a norm here is to date/ flirt with people with great age difference. Peru is a very passionate and loving country. Sometimes this makes it difficult to know whether a person is being nice or flirting with you!

Fun Activities
Recently I have been to Kennedy Park and Larcomar. I went to Larcomar with friends last week. On our walk there we meet a group of college students raising funds to build houses in other countries. These students were dressed wildly, dancing, and playing the cajon. One of my friends just happened to have his cajon, too! So we decided to play cajon and dance with them in Kennedy Park. We did this for about 45 minutes. It was totally unexpected, but fun! We were just living in the moment-- one of the best ways to define Peru! Kennedy Park is so beautiful! There were venders everywhere! You'll never guess what else was everywhere... CATS! Awhile ago, the park had problems with rats, so they brought in cats to take care of the problem. After the cats had rid of all the rats, they began to reproduce. Now, there are tons and tons of cats! People just feed them, too haha! Other exchange students and I have nicknamed Kennedy Park "El Parque de los Gatos." I'm sure we aren't the first ones though!

This past weekend I had Rotary camp in Curayacu, San Bortolo. It was along the coast south of Lima. Here is a picture to give you an idea of the view we had!

While at camp, we learned a lot about Peruvian culture and about the threat of earthquakes and tsunamis. We learned a lot of valuable information! We also learned Peruvian dances such as the Salsa and pop culture dances such as the Balada Boa.

Peruvian Salsa!

Balada Boa

We also had a talent show! We got to see some people play guitar, dance, and do card tricks! I also got the chance to swim in the ocean! It was so cold, but I had fun! Definitely worth it!

We watched this video at camp, too! It's awesome! It can give you a taste of Peruvian culture, too!
Peru in Peru

This past week I also bake "Galletas de Blufy" (Blufy's cookies) with Sofia! I really like cooking with her! It gives us the opportunity to have fun and get to know each other! Plus, I learn new Spanish vocabulary!

Yesterday, I did a Food Drive with Rotary Interact as a service project! We donated food to a daycare for children with young parents!

Upcoming activities I have to look forward to include going to the water park, learning the cajon, and learning to surf (in September)!

Food
I have a few more Peruvian foods and drinks to share!

This is sauco! A Peruvian fruit grown in the mountains! I love it! I've had it on cheesecake and in gelato! So delicious!

This is Chicha Morada! It's a juice made from purple corn. I'm not a big fan of it, but Peruvians love it!

These are Churros con Manjar Blanco! They are like fried donuts stuffed with manjar blanco. YUMMY! Now I'm craving one haha!

These are picorones! They are similar to funnel cake and are topped with honey! So good!


Mmmmmm! All the food here is sooooooo good! Good thing I got a membership to the gym! I'm so happy about that! I haven't been able to exercise while here, but now I can again! In fact, I have a physical I have to get ready to do at the gym! So until next time, chao! Mwuaaa (*my kiss)!

Más de Perú!

I have been in Peru for two weeks!!

My Spanish is getting better! Often times I have to ask people to repeat what they said, but slower haha! Thankfully, people are patient and understanding! It's been a lot easier to understand what people are saying to me. However, forming complete sentences to speak is still a little challenging. So I just realized that in my last post I said they use "para" for "amigo." That was a typo! They actually use "pata!" I continue to learn new words and slang in Spanish everyday! I was told by my Peruvian Rotary Youth Exchange Officer that I would be fluent in two months, more or less. I can't wait to be fluent! I just want to be able to completely understand everyone and communicate with them haha! I'll be honest, it's frustrating that I cannot communicate with people as easily as I could only a couple weeks ago! But I am getting better everyday! Just something to look forward to!

I have learned a lot about where I am living, Miraflores! Miraflores is one of the safest, prettiest, most convenient, and expensive districts in Lima. Lima is known for its "pickpockets" (thieves). Pickpockets steal items from people walking on the streets or riding the bus. These items include purses and wallets. In Miraflores, however, pickpockets aren't much of a worry because this district is so safe! Miraflores is so beautiful and lively! The streets are always full with people walking or riding their bikes! The district has several places to shop and eat at! In fact, my family and I went shopping for clothes about a week ago at a large store (comparable to a mall) called Saga Falabella! This store had four floors of clothes, home appliances, furniture, cosmetics, beauty supplies, home decor, etc! It was great! I had a fun time shopping!

Saga Falabella! It's beautiful!

I got more cold-weather clothes because it has been pretty chilly here! It has been around 60 degrees Fahrenheit. Unfortunately, I mostly packed warm-weather clothes such as shorts and flip-flops haha! Other beautiful places in  Miraflores include La Costa Verde (the Green Coast) and Larcomar (a mall on the beach)! This past week my host mother and sister took me walking along La Costa Verde! It was so pretty! It is called La Costa Verde because there is green vegetation along the coast!

This is a path along La Costa Verde!

This is a sculpture on La Costa Verde. There are other artistic displays as well as parks and sitting areas!

Larcomar is a pretty mall on the beach! I have not been there yet, but my friends want to take me soon!

Larcomar! Can't wait!!

 I also want to visit El Faro while I'm here. El Faro is Spanish for lighthouse! El Faro is a popular tourist site in Miraflores!

El Faro!

Another pretty site in Miraflores La Cruz. La Cruz is a lighted cross along the coast of Miraflores.

La Cruz!

While walking along La Costa Verde, my host mother pointed out La Cruz in the distance. It was pretty! She then told me the story of how it was created. And now I'll share it with you! During the 1990s a terrorist group existed in Lima that wanted to politically reform the city. This terrorist group, as indicated by the title, had very violent ways of making their point clear. They would bomb buildings and shopping centers in Lima. After a bomb explosion in Miraflores one day, someone picked up all the metal pieces. These pieces were then used to make a cross on the coast! This cross represented "paz" (peace). Eventually, the terrorist group was rid of and everyone lived in peace again! Miraflores is a convenient district because of all the readily-available stores and restaurants! Plus, the beach is only a few blocks away! Everything in Miraflores is within walking-distance! Because Miraflores is so convenient many people want to live here! Miraflores is an expensive place to live because it is in high demand! For example, very small apartments near the coast that consist of only a kitchen, bathroom, and bedroom can cost $500,000!



I have continued to try Peruvian foods! Some of the new foods I have tried include Pollo la Brasa, Anticuchos, Ceviche, Alfajores, and Crema de Voltear! Pollo la Brasa is similar to rotisserie chicken in the U.S. But it is made with different spices. It is served with papa fritas (french fries) and aji (a mild chile sauce). It is very delicious!

Pollo la Brasa! 

Aji! 

Anticuchos consist of fried cow heart on a stick! I was hesitant to try these at first, but they actually aren't bad! Cow heart tastes just like meat! However, it is softer/chewier and saltier. 

Anticuchos!

Ceviche is raw white fish marinated with lemons and spices. I think it is comparable to sushi. This dish I did not like very much haha! But it was interesting to try! 

Ceviche!

ALFAJORES!!!! I love alfajores haha! Alfajores are cookies with manjar blanco in the middle and are covered with powdered sugar! Manjar blanco is a sort of cream made from milk and sugar. It is very delicious! 

Alfajor! YUM!

Crema de Voltear is a cream made from honey, milk, eggs, and sugar! It is very sweet and good! Voltear is Spanish for turn over. After this dish has been baked, it is turned over so that it comes out of the bowl it was baked in and onto a plate!

Crema de Voltear!

Some popular drinks in Peru include Inca Kola and Gloria milk. Inca Kola is the "national soda" of Peru. It is similar to Coca Cola, but is sweeter. It also tastes like bubble gum haha!

Inca Kola!

Gloria milk is the popular brand of milk in Peru!

Gloria Milk!

Speaking of food... Sofia (my host sister) and I made dinner for our mom and some of her friends a couple of nights ago! Sofia made mushrooms and I made spaghetti pie (a pasta dish from home). I had a fun time cooking with Sofia! It was a good way to bond and get to know each other more! The dinner was great! Everyone kept saying, "Que rico!" In English, this means "so delicious!" I can't wait to make dinner with Sofia again!

The chefs!

This past Tuesday I started school!! I am attending school at El Colegio Pamer de Barranco (Pamer for short)! School in Peru is very different from school in the U.S. But that is alright! It's all part of the cultural experience! At Pamer, I am in secondary school (the equivalent of U.S. high school). There are five years of secondary school. I am in the fourth year right now. Pamer goes by bimesters, which are similar to quarters in the U.S. Each bimester consists of eight weeks. The school year here runs from April-December. I came to Peru in the middle of the school year, so I am finishing the last two bimesters of the fourth grade right now. Then, I will have about three months for summer break. After break, I will start my fifth grade year, but I will have to leave in the middle of it to return home. I have school every day from 7:40a.m.-3:30p.m. Every Monday all the students take an exam called the E.T.I. The E.T.I. is over all the courses the students take. It is part of the students grades and it gives the school an idea of how well its students are learning. The students also take tests for each class, too! Moreover, everyday in every class students take pop quizzes that consist of five questions about what they learned the week before. I have 16 classes at Pamer! 16! These classes include geography, trigonometry, arithmetic, linguistic competence, chemistry, mathematical reasoning, psychology and philosophy, geometry, biology, English, algebra, literature, Peruvian history, world history, physics, and verbal aptitude. Classes run on a sort of block scheduling system. I only have three or four classes a day, but each class is 1.5-3 hours long. It seems that most of my math and science classes are longer than any other class. The entire class is a lecture! I am not sure if they do labs or any hands-on things. So far we have not. I only have four books for school. One book is for my math and sciences classes, another book is for my communication and social studies classes, another book is for English, and the last book is for homework (it has problems already in it). These books aren't very big! But that is because new books are handed out each bimester! So each book only contains the lessons that will be taught for that bimester. I have 16 different notebooks for school. In Peru, the teachers, not the students, switch rooms per class. On top of my 16 teachers, I have a tutor named Teresa (she is similar to a homeroom teacher). My teachers are very specific about how your notebooks look. For example, our notebooks must be a certain color, notes must be taken the way the teacher writes them, and each bimester must be labeled every time a new one starts. Notebooks are also part of students' grades. Another component of grades is homework! Each teacher assigns homework for the students to do out of the homework book. Many of the students have told me that Pamer is a very serious school because there grades are very important. And in order to get good grades you must study a lot. Fortunately, I do not have to worry about this. Why??? Because I am a "free student!" This means that I technically don't have grades! Therefore, I don't have to do homework, I don't have study, and I don't have to take tests! What a relief! However, I am still going to pay attention in class and take notes! This will keep me academically prepared for college-- hopefully haha! Plus, it will help me learn the language quicker! All the students at Pamer are very nice! Everyone has been so welcoming! It's great! I am making friends very easily! Haha, on my first day someone even bought me an Inca Kola during break! Every day we have a break in the middle of the morning for 15 minutes! We also have lunch at 12:45 for 30 minutes! The school is pretty cold because it doesn't have a roof and is completely exposed to the outdoors! Burrrrr! I'll just have to dress warmly haha! In fact, it sounds like I will be wearing pants/capris for every season at school because girls are not allowed to wear shorts or skirts! Too distracting I guess haha! I enjoy all of my math and science classes because they are easy to understand! Classes like that have a "universal language." That language is numbers! My other classes, however, are harder to understand! English class is easy haha! My favorite class by far is chemistry!! Thanks to two years of chemistry with Mrs. Reed in the U.S. the class is still fun and easy to understand! 

A couple days ago, I went to the zoo with Veronica (host mom), Sofia, Alex (friend), and Maite (friend). It was fun! We went to El Parque de Leyendas (Park of Legends)! The zoo was divided into three sections according to Peru's geography-- the coast, the mountains, and the jungle! Each section had animals native to the region. Some of the animals we saw included llamas, condors, monkeys, penguins, etc! I really enjoyed seeing all the different animals of Peru! It was a blast! 

Just hanging out with some llamas!

The climate here is different than what I am used too! Consequently, I have caught a cold! I actually wrote this post while resting in bed haha! Hopefully, I get well soon because next weekend I have camp on the beach with other Rotary exchange students! I can't wait! I am so excited! I know it will be a lot of fun!

Well, until next time, see ya! 

My first week!

Hoooooooolaaaa!

In a couple of days, I will have been in Lima for a week! Yay! I am adapting pretty well.

I get a better grasp on Spanish more and more each day! I took four years of Spanish before coming Peru, which is very helpful! However, the dialect is different from what I learned in the states. For example, they say "para" for friend instead of "amigo." Moreover, Peruvians talk really fast!! On top of that, they shorten and blend words haha! Some of my new friends have told me that they have traveled to other Spanish-speaking countries in South America and people in those countries don't always understand them because of how fast they talk haha! Imagine how I feel haha!! But I am told I should be fluent in 2 months. Yay!

Peruvians are so friendly and welcoming! They are very affectionate, too haha! You can tell they are when they greet you by kissing you, even if you are a complete stranger! What we would consider "flirting" in the U.S. is simply the typical behavior of a Peruvian haha! Although Peruvians are very nice in person, they are not in the streets when driving! Traffic here is crazy! People only care about themselves when they are driving. Everyone speeds up really fast only to slam on the brakes a second later. You will also hear a horn being honked every 5 seconds. In Peru, if you want to drive in the middle of a two-lane street, go for it! If you want to cut someone off, go for it! If you want to turn in front of on-coming traffic that is 5 feet away, go for it! Whenever Peruvians do something, they do it slowly or as long as they want because they live in the moment! However, when it comes to driving, people are always in a rush. I mean for crying out loud, they have clocks on the traffic lights that counts down the seconds until the red light turns to green right away! On Thursday morning when heading to Spanish class, a couple of traffic lights were not working. OMG! What a mess! It took us like 15 minutes just to drive two blocks haha!

The Rotary dinner was great! We had to wear blue blazers, the international symbol of Rotary. All the exchange kids exchanged pins from their countries as well as business cards. Here is a before-and-after picture of my blazer haha:

The other girls are my my host sister (left) and mother (middle).

The dinner was great! We did a presentation of flags where someone from each country carries in the country's flag. Then we all sang our national anthems! We then had Brochetta (chicken, tomatoes, and onions on a stick) for an appetizer, pollo filet con arroz (chicken fillet with rice) for a main course, and cheese cake con sauce (a fruit grown in the Andes in Peru). Peru is truly the expert in gastronomy! Everything was delicious!

Language class has been great! We do fun games to practice Spanish! Plus, were learn interesting things concerning Peru's history and geography. For example, Peru has three different geographical regions: the coast (la costa), the mountains (las sierras), and the jungle (la selva). Moreover, Peru has different climates due to it geography and the Andes mountains, El Nino, and the Humboldt current. Lima is locate on the coast of Peru. Right now it is winter! The temperature has been a steady 60 degrees Fahrenheit. Although that seems warm compared to Iowan winters, it is still pretty chilly! I did not pack much "winter" clothes. So I am going to go shopping soon! YAY! Miraflores has a lot of awesome shops! In my Spanish classes, I have learned that Peru has a sad history in reference to border wars it had with Chile. Peru lost some cities in the south to Chile a while ago. I have been told that many older people still hold grudges. I have also learned cool traditions such as the Marinera dance. Traditionally, the girl dances barefoot while the boy rides around on a horse. Yikes! I can see where that would go really wrong! Here are some pictures and video to give you an idea:

Check out this Marinera video!

I can't wait to dance here!! It looks so fun! Another dance they do here is the Bachata. I already know how to do the Bachata, as well as the Merengue (which they also do in Peru)! The Bachata is the "slow dance" of Latin music, it is very romantic. In Peru, however, the dance is much more intimate than how I learned it!

Bachata!

Peru has very beautiful music. It is an interesting blend of Latino, African, and Incan beats. A popular percussion instrument in Peru is El Cajon. The Cajon is from the African culture. Peru adopted this instrument when they enslaved Africans to work on plantations long ago.

El Cajon! 

My host uncle, Michel, plays the cajon! Que chebere! (How cool!)

Ok, that is enough history and geography today! I have a funny story for you! The apartment building I live in is old. Consequently, we have to turn on a knob on the toilet to fill it with water so that it may flush. My host mother demonstrated for me how it works. I thought I understood. I followed her directions, but the toilet never seemed to work correctly. Finally, I asked my younger sister to help me while the rest of the family was out. While we were looking at the toilet and turning the water on, all of a sudden the toilet flooded onto the bathroom floor! YUCK! When my mother finally returned home Sofia and I told her what happened. She just laughed at us and said it was fine and could be repaired. Apparently, because the building is old it has small pipes. Pipes so small, you cannot flush paper down them. The toilet paper must simply be thrown away in the trash can haha. My mother apologized for forgetting to tell me something so small! Haha! I guess that was like the first "big situation" that I had to deal with with my new family! I am glad we could resolve it so easily! My host family is great!

Later on tonight I have a dinner at my host grandparents house! That should be fun! And delicious!

I start school next Tuesday. I'll be honest, I am little nervous. I want to get along with everyone. I am sure everyone will be friendly like they have been. I am also scared I won't be able to keep up in class due to the language barrier. But I can only go about the situation by being confident and willing to try! 

Being away from home is getting easier and easier each day. However, I still miss my friends and family!

Until next time, chao!