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!