Oeee! Que tal extranjero?

Well, I've done it again. I have managed to put off blogging for a long time again haha! Oops! I have a lot to share! We pretty much have all of December to catch up on!

December went by so quickly, but a lot happened...

December 1-2, I participated in Handicamp with the other exchange students. Handicamp is a two-day camp in which we volunteer to spend time and do activities with people of all ages with mental and physical disabilities. We did activities including sports, art, and a talent show. It was fun! I was in charge of the soccer activities!

December 14, the exchange students and I held a talent show to raise funds to give to an orphanage. I really enjoyed doing the talents show. Plus, it made the exchange students and I even more united! I was in charge of the bake sale for the talent show! I made chocolate chip cookies-- this was a challenge! Why? Because brown sugar does not exist in Peru. Alright, so I tried to make my own brown sugar with molasses and white sugar... molasses is also non-existent in Peru. In place of molasses I had to use Chancaca-- this was a very hard substance. In the end, I didn't really use brwon sugar in my cookies haha! It was an interesting baking experience! Here's one of our acts from the show! Home

December 15, I went to an all-girls orphanage with my host Rotary club's Interact. At this orphanage we served lunch, danced, and gave out Christmas presents.

December 16, Rotary held it's Christmas lunch. All the exchange students went! We did a gift exchange among the students. Three of my friends and I sang "Santa Baby" for our exchange committee's president, too haha!

December 19, I had my school's graduation ceremony and prom dance! Leave it to my luck that on all days the water was turned off on this day!! And of course, I had gone running this morning. I had to bathe myself using a tub of water and a cup haha! Whatever, at least I was clean haha! It was so cool to graduate and have a dance in another country! I was glad that I could graduate here in Peru, too, because I won't be able to in the U.S.

My parents and me!

My date!

My teacher!

December 22, I went to a poor town in Lima to hand out gifts to children! I really enjoyed doing the little activities like this throughout December, it really made me feel the meaning of the Giving Season!

December 24, I stayed up until 3a.m. celebrating Christmas with my family.  In Peru, you start celebrating Christmas on Christmas eve. My family and I went over to my grandma's house around 11pm. At midnight, we ate dinner and opened gifts as a million fireworks went off outside. Afterwards, we stayed up listening to music and dancing. I fell asleep around 3a.m., but the rest of my family stayed up until early morning. Around 10a.m. the next day (Christmas) we got up and had Paneton (a bread with dried fruits) and hot chocolate for breakfast. Then, we went to my aunt's house and had Christmas lunch and opened more gifts. 

At Grandma's! 

December 31, I went to a New Year's Eve party with friends! It was so much fun! We stayed up all night! I was questioned the entire night why I wasn't wearing yellow-- the color of the new year. It's like not wearing green on St. Patty's day haha! Fireworks, were again set off at midnight to celebrate the new year. Although Peruvians do not do new year's resolutions, I still made one for myself-- exercise more!! I could really use it considering how much delicious food I eat here haha!

January 3, I had a dinner with some of my closest friends in Peru! We made my mom's spaghetti! It was so delicious! I really miss her food! 

January 5, I visited the governmental palace with the exchange students. The colonial Spanish architecture was beautiful! After visiting the palace, we roamed around the surrounding area-- Plaza de Armas (in the center of Lima). This part of the center of Lima is so beautiful and interesting for its colonial architecture! I love walking around and just looking! 

I also changed host families on this day (part of the rotation of host families in the Rotary program). Now I live with the Olivares family. I haven't gotten the chance for photos yet though! It was sad leaving my old host family, but that is how exchange works. It's part of the program-- to see how other families live and function. Plus, I can always see my old host family! I get along well with my new family! I can already tell we are going to be very close by the end of my exchange (they are my host family for the rest of my exchange)! In my new host family, I have two sisters that are 15 and 18, a 5-year-old brother, mom and dad, and grandma. 

The flowers I gave my family as a going-away gift!

Today, January 8, my host mom took me to Mercado Central (the central market) in the center of Lima (the most dangerous part of Lima). I loved it! There were so many venders and costumers! Lima's liveliness truly puts me in awe! This is one of the things I have come to love most about Lima-- it's people and their liveliness! Walking down the streets of Mercado Central feeling the sun beats down on your skin, hearing the venders yelling, smelling the food (...and the trash haha), and seeing all the different colors-- is an experience that I feel only Lima can offer. My host mom took me to see just a few of the countless stores in the market! We went to Calle Capon, which is where many Asian products and clothes are sold. Everything was so pretty and cheap! That's one of the great things about Mercado Central-- quality products at a very cheap price! My host mom already bought me pretty bracelets and hair pieces! She's so nice! We also went out for lunch! My host family has also taken me to their country club where we can go swimming, go to the beach, and play soccer, tennis, or volleyball. My host family also told me that there is a women's soccer team that I might be able to join!!! That would be great! I miss soccer so much! My sisters and I are planning on signing up for the gym soon, too! 

I have been on summer vacation since mid-December and I will me until March. I feel like the next couple months will fly by though!! There's a lot to look forward too-- trips, RYLA camp, tours, hanging out with friends and family, visiting more of Lima, etc. In March, I will begin university here at  la Universidad de San Ignacio de Loyola (USIL for short haha). 

One of the cultural customs of Peru that I continue to struggle with is its male chauvinism! I cannot walk anywhere without being whistled, slurped, or looked at! It's revolting! Naturally, I want to give them a piece of my mind, but I can't do that here. The way men work here, you would not want to see how they would react to a woman standing up for herself. I have to adapt to the customs of Peru, but this one has been especially hard to deal with. I'm not sure I will ever become accustomed to it. But have I already, if i don't stand up for myself? If I do things with more caution because of how men are here? 

One custom I have adapted to (more or less haha) it Peruvian time-- how much slower it is here than in the U.S. I have taught myself to relax more, to not always be in a hurry. Peru has taught me to slow down and really enjoy every moment. Hopefully, this will help the second half of my exchange slow down. I am really loving my time here in Peru! My first half already flew by! And I only hear that the second half goes by quicker! 

Well, that's all for now! Until next time, chau and besos!!

Este Fin de Semana Pasado...

This past weekend was quite the eventful one for me!

Friday, November 23, was the Lady Gaga concert! I went with my two host sisters. It was amazing! I loved it! Fortunately, my sisters and I found spots pretty close to the stage.

Saturday, November 24, all the exchange students did a Thanksgiving dinner. Wow, was I stuffed haha!

Sunday, November 25, while hanging clothes on the line on top of the roof, I stepped on the sky-light (it isn't covered with glass) and fell down three floors (about 6 meters, or 20 feet). I knew the sky-light was there, but I just wasn't thinking when I stepped on it. All I remember is stepping on the sky-light, starting my fall, and then being in my host dad's arms. I don't really remember actually falling. At first, after my fall, I couldn't breath! My body went into shock! Once I started breathing again I realized how much pain I was in! My whole right side of my body really hurt. My parents told me they saw how I fell, and that I fell on my right side, but I didn't hit my head. I was glad to be in my dad's arms though, I felt safe! An ambulance rushed me to the hospital where X-rays and a catscan were taken of my body. Luckily, I didn't break anything! Not even a fracture! I just have a lot of contusions. My family was so great to me! How scared and attentive they were to me really showed that my family cares and loves me! Now, I am on bed rest until Wednesday.  I feel so lucky and blessed because 1) Nothing serious happened to me from my fall, and 2) I have such a great host family!

Well, those were the high-lights of my weekend. Until next time, chao and besos!

Hola... Hace Buen Tiempo!

Wow! It's been awhile since I was last on here! A lot has happened since my last blog, so I'll sum it up into words and pictures as best as I can!


Ica
November 2-5, I spent the weekend in Ica with some of my Rotary club members and a few exchange students. Ica is a department below Lima. While in Ica we visited a winery, went sandboarding, and visited the Plaza. We also had some of the best picarones I have ever tasted, and probably will ever taste, in my life! Picarones are fried dough, like funnel cake, drizzled with honey. The picarones that we had in Ica were homemade! The dough was so thick and spongy-- good for soaking up honey! The honey was even homemade! The honey also had fruits and figs in it! Delicious! I'm starting to drool-- better move on haha! When we attempted to come back to Lima Sunday, November 4, our van broke down. We were unable to buy bus tickets until the following Monday morning. We spent another night in Ica and didn't get back home until 3pm on Monday. Here are some pictures from the weekend!

Ice cream in the Plaza!

At the sand dunes! 

Trip to Madre de Dios, Cusco, and Puno
November 8-18, all the exchange students and I went on a trip to Madre de Dios (in the jungle), Cusco (in the mountains), and Puno (in the mountains). We spent the first couple of days in Madre de Dios. It was so hot and humid! It was a lot of fun though! We went zip-lining, tools boats on the river to almost every place we went, and stayed in a lodge right in the jungle. In the jungle there were SO many bugs! Inevitably, I got stung by a wasp. When I'm stung by wasps, hornets, or bees I get celulitis. A group of students ate some bad mangos and got really sick. We had to make a run to the hospital on the second day of the trip-- great start to the trip... I went to the hospital to get medicine for my celulitis, but the doctor misdiagnosed me and only treated me for an allergy. After calls all the way back home to the U.S., I finally got the right prescription of medicine. I went to the pharmacy and got my meds that I took for the rest of the trip.  We spent the next few days in Cusco visiting the ruins of temples made for Incan gods. We also went to Machu Picchu!!! This was an amazing experience! I loved it! When we saw the classic image of the city ruins and Wayna Picchu (mountain), I was in awe. All I could think about was how two years ago in Spanish class we studied Machu Picchu and it meant nothing to me, but now I was here and it was unreal! My friends and I hiked up to "La Puerta del Sol" (The Gate of Sun), a temple for the sun god, Inti. From this location you could see everything-- all the mountains and the city! The view was beautiful! My friends and I sat her for an hour or so just taking it all in! It was such a unforgettable experience! After Cusco, we visited Puno where Lake Titicaca is located. We visited islands on the lake and stayed one night on the Amantani Island. We stayed with families, like host families. I had two younger siblings ( a sister and a brother). We brought gifts for the kids in our families. I gave my little 9-year-old sister a Barbie. When she opened her gift, she was so happy! Even her older brother was happy for her. The smile on her face put a smile on mine. It felt good to know that I could make someone that happy! Before I knew it, the trip came to an end! The trip went by really fast, and I enjoyed every moment of it. As the saying goes, "Time flies, when you're having fun."  Here are some pictures from the trip:

At Machu Picchu!

At Madre de Dios!

At Lake Titicaca in Puno! 

Family Change

Just a few days ago, I changed families. Sometimes things work out and sometimes they don't work out. Things weren't going well with my old host family, so I switched. I now live in Surco with my new host family. My new host family consists of my mom, dad, and three sisters (they're 3, 14, and 15). Our other family members such as cousins, uncles, aunts, grandmas, and great-grandmas from my mom's side all live very close. We see each other almost every day when we go grocery shopping or eat dinner. I love being around so much family! It feels great! I call my host parents "mama" and "papa."My parents call me "hija" (daughter) and my sisters call me "hermana" (sister). I already feel so close to my new family. We all get along really well! This past Thursday we celebrated Thanksgiving. We made a turkey and everything! All the family came, too. I didn't realize just how much I missed being around family until Thursday night when we were all crowded around the dinner table, talking, laughing, and eating together! I am so happy with the switch! 

Well, my family and I are going to eating lunch here very soon! Afterwards, we might play soccer! Until next time, chao y un besito! 

Culture Shock?

I made this blog with the intentions of recording all my adventures in Peru-- a diary in a way. I told myself I would write about the good and the bad. But there has never been anything "bad" to write about. A But alas, I am going through a bit of a rough patch. I think I am going through a little bit of "culture shock" and maybe a touch of "exchange shock." In Peru, the independence is way different than it is in the U.S. In the U.S. I was used to just being able to do what I wanted when I wanted, more or less. I just had to ask my parents and take myself to where I was going in my car. But in Peru, it's way different! Especially, with the rules Rotary has set up for its exchange students. When I first arrived in Peru, I did not go out or hang out with friends much. I have been missing just being able to go out and have fun! A lot of the time, I find myself sitting at home with nothing to do! And I have worked way too hard to just come to Peru to not have fun. Last year I gave up soccer just so I could get a job and save my money for exchange. I also did countless fundraisers with family and friends. Preparation for my exchange took a lot of dedication, hard work, and creativity! I am ready for my preparation to pay off! Recently, I have started going out more with my exchange friends. But sometimes it's still a struggle. Going out with friends can be a struggle because most of the time I have to find my own rides (Rotary doesn't allow exchange students to drive), and host families are concerned about their host children's safety. To resolve the ride situation I am in the process of learning the crazy bus system in Peru. But even this worries my host mom-- she doesn't want me to get robbed or anything. And because I am a girl, my host mom prefers I do things with other people, not alone. I think host parents are concerned about our safety so much because Lima can be a very dangerous place. But Lima truly isn't dangerous if you know how to behave in the streets. One of the most dangerous districts in Lima is Callao, but again, only if you make it dangerous. Just last weekend it was quite the struggle for me to ask if I could hang out at my friend's house in Callao to watch movies for the night. It took some convincing and a lot of money for a safe taxi, but I  was finally given permission! Everything went fine, too! No harm was done! But I couldn't believe how much work it took just to have a relaxed night at a friend's house-- way more work than it would take or even be thought of in the U.S.!! And now, I find myself going through a similar situation-- a sleepover. Yes, a sleepover. One of my exchange friends asked me to spend the night at her house. But this was shut down right away by my host family and Rotary! Apparently, sleepovers are a "no-no", more or less, in Peru. I actually think that this is part of Latino culture in general. Plus, my Rotary club has made a rule stating that the first half of our exchange we aren't allowed to do sleepovers. I honestly do not see the harm in a sleepover! In the U.S., sleepovers are something you start doing in Kindergarten; but, not in Peru. I have been trying very hard to understand everyone's reasoning, but this is just part of the culture that I must accept and respect. So, I believe this is what you would call "culture shock." I am going through a bit of a difficult time because I am not accustomed to this part of Peruvian culture. I am not accustomed to having so little independence; especially, coming from a very liberal place-- the U.S. But as I have been told, it's a process. Little by little, things will get better and I will feel more independent once again. I just have to keep positive and let things take their course!

Mi Primer Viaje al Sur! My First Trip to the South!

Wow! I have not blogged in awhile! Where to start... How about my trip to the south of Peru?! With the other Rotary exchange students (there are nearly 40 of us), I visited Arequipa, Colca, Tacna, and Arica-- all departments/ cities in the south of Peru and in Chile. This trip was absolutely beautiful and fun! Since the trip is the bulk of news I have to share, I will give a day-by-day layout of the trip!

Friday, September 28th
At 5pm we boarded buses to take a 16-hour ride to Arequipa. That was a pretty long night! I felt sick as we winded up mountainsides! My stomach was in my throat and my ears were clogged! I could feel the altitude change! Because Arequipa is located in the Andes Mountains, it has an altitude of 2,335 meters (7,661 ft)! But finally, we arrived in Arequipa! Before my trip I was unsure what to pack because I did not know what to expect. One of the trip supervisors told us what to pack, which included hiking shoes, winter coat with mittens and a hat, swim suits, and mid-year season clothes. Not to mention, we had to bring all of our toiletries including towels and toilet paper. On top of all this, we were told not to pack big suitcases! You should never give a girl a limitation on how much she can pack! My host family told me it would be very cold in the south since we would be in the mountains. So naturally, I packed mostly pants and sweaters, a couple pairs of capris, and one pair of soccer shorts (just in case). The second I stepped of the bus in Arequipa I felt that I had packed incorrectly for the trip. The sun was beating down and it was so hot! I immediately started sweating, of course because I was wearing pants! As the day would go on though it would cool off. By night Arequipa was pretty chilly. Fortunately, we were only in Arequipa for a could days, long enough for my capris to last me! But I found that I changed several times during the day just to feel comfortable according to the weather.

Arequipa!

Saturday, September 29th
We arrived in Arequipa around 9:30 a.m. We didn't waste any of our time! We dropped our things off at a hostel and started our day right away! Here are some snapshots of what we did!

Tour of Santa Catalina Convent!

Plaza de Armas (Downtown)

We also visited the Museum of Juanita's Mummy, but we were not allowed to take pictures. There we saw the remains of an Inca sacrifice to the mountain gods. This sacrifice was a 14-year-old girl whose remains were found on the mountainside of Volcano Misti (Volcano in Arequipa) and have been well-preserved due to the snow and ice of the volcano. The mummy has been named Juanita. I really like visiting the museum. We not only learned about a mummy found in Arequipa, but learned about Inca culture, too! 

Sunday, September 30th

We took a big tour of the city all day! We also got to try queso helado (cheese ice cream). This is a specialty of Arequipa. The ice cream is delicious! It doesn't actually taste like cheese, it only looks like it. I could really feel the altitude this day as we climbed stair after stair. I felt so exhausted after only a flight of 20 steps! I couldn't even take a complete, deep breath! 

These are three of my closest friends from exchange! I love these girls! 

Monday, October 1st

We made our way to Chivay, Colca. I started my day off taking high-altitude sickness pills because I knew it would be worse in Chivay (altitude = 3,635 m or 11,926 ft). We drove to Chivay through the mountains. We got a closer look at three major mountains: Volcano Misti, Chachani, and Pichu Pichu! We even passed through a higher point of altitude of nearly 5,ooo meters! We also got to see many llamas, alpacas, and vicunas (related to the llama). I would say I'm an expert now at distinguishing between the three haha! In Chivay, we swam a naturally heated bath, too! 

Alpacas!

The beautiful mountain landscape! 

Las Termas del Agua Caliente! It was like a big bath haha!

The music from the mountains is so pretty! Guitars, flutes, and drums are incorporated in the music, and an interesting, but beautiful sound and rhythm is produced! We got to listen to this band while we ate dinner. We also saw the traditional dances that went along with the songs!

 Highest point of our travel! We weren't allowed to run around haha! 

 Mate de coca (tea made from cocaine leaves). In the mountains this is drank as a remedy for the high-altitude sickness. 

We saw many stacks of rocks like this on our way to Chivay. These little rock towers are made for the Inca mountain gods as an offering. People often make wishes while constructing the rock towers, too. 

My packing had finally paid off! I was glad I packed cold-weather clothes because it was very cold in the mountains the next couple of days!

Tuesday, October 2nd

We woke up at 4a.m. for breakfast! We had to get up early in time to see condors flying through a canyon in the mountains. After seeing one condor... we got on a bus and drove for 9 hours to our next town, Corire. 

All the American kids at the top of the canyon/ condor crossing!

Wednesday, October 3rd

Oh, Wednesday... I will always remember this day. On Wednesday we went to Majes River (a river in Corire) do to white water rafting. First, we went to a lodge where lunch would be served. The lodge was owned by the company that did white water rafting for tourists. Usually, the tourist company would take groups of eight down a mountainside by vehicle to the river where the rafting was done. The rest of the group would wait at the lodge where water, food, and shade was available. The company created this system because they only had one raft for everyone to use. I am sure they are not used to getting a group of 40 foreigners at once. When we arrived at the lodge, it was very chilly and the sun hadn't even come out. So of course, no one thought to put on sunblock. We had no idea how buggy it would be at the river, so repellent was ever so lightly applied. We were also told to wear sandals since we would be in a raft in a river. Our tour guide (separate from the rafting company) had the bright idea to take all of the students down at once, thinking it would be faster. So here were 40 students without sunblock, bug spray, water, or food descending down a mountainside by foot in flip-flops! As you can imagine, this did not start of my day too well. When we got down to the river our tour guide then realized that there was only one raft. All of us coming down at once was a major mistake! There were five groups of eight kids. And of course, I was in the last group. Every round of rafting took a good hour to hour and a half. As the day went on the sun came out and was shining bright. The amount of bug bites my friends and I had seemed to exponentially increase by the hour too. Long story short. My friends and I had spent a total of 7 HOURS in the sun without sunblock, bug spray, water, or food! I could feel myself getting sick from dehydration. So I finally stepped up and said something to one of the trip supervisors. I demanded that my group get water! At this point, it was just my group down at the river while everyone else who was finished was eating lunch and relaxing in the shade at the lodge. After explaining and arguing many times in Spanish with the tour guide, I finally got water for my group. Many of the other exchange students were very generous in donating money for me to buy water for me and 9 other people as well as providing sun block and bug spray! When I returned with water to the river one of my friends could barely stand she felt so sick! After we rehydrated a little it was finally my group's turn to raft. It was really fun!! But I'm not sure I can say it was worth the wait. This day had many outcomes: sunburn, generosity of friends, and learning how to solve problems (especially in another language). I still look pretty sunburnt to this day haha! All of my classmates continue to ask me what happened!

My group of friends after a very long day in the sun!

Finally getting to raft!

After rafting, we were rushed through eating lunch and barely had time to change out of our wet clothes. We had to get to a bus terminal to make our way to Tacna. We left around 6p.m. and arrived at our hotel at 5a.m. We had to wake up in four hours to start our next day!

Thursday, October 4th

Thursday we had entire morning of free time, so my friends and I checked out the market! We got to see a lot of cool clothes, hats, scarves, bags, and other cool mountain merchandise! Afterwards, we had a city tour. We visited an archaeological museum where we saw ancient inscriptions on rocks!

Friday, October 5th

We spent an entire day in Arica, Chile. Arica is a department that Peru lost to Chile in a border war. For this reason, Peru has a lot of tension towards Chile. While in Arica, we visited the downtown, some churches, and the beach! It was a very beautiful day in Arica! 

Arica!

The beach!

Plaza de Armas! (Downtown)

Saturday, October 6th

We woke up early to head to other small towns (comparable to just communities) in Tacna. We visited Tarata and Ticaco. We got to see how simple life is lived in the Andes mountains. We also hiked an Inca Trail. We stayed the night in Ticaco. Unfortunately, I don't have many photos for this day. 

Sunday, October 7th

We swam in another thermal bath in Ticaco. Afterwards, we headed to another city in Tacna for our bus terminal. We were homebound. 

Monday, October 8th

After 26 hours in the bus, we had finally returned home in Lima at 8p.m. After dinner with my family and unpacking, I went right to sleep! I was exhausted!!

I had an amazing time on the trip! I saw some of the most beautiful landscaping ever! I also made great memories and friends! My next trip is to Cusco, Puno, and Madre de Dios. This is the trip where I will visit Macchu Picchu! This is coming up very soon-- November 8th! I cannot wait! I know it will be a blast!

Well, that's all I have for you for now! Until next time, chaufa! Besitoooos! 

Holas!

Hola chicos! I can't believe it has already been 2 months! It feels like the time is already starting to fly by! I want time to slow down! I love every second I spend here! 

Language

I feel like I'm really getting the hang of Spanish! I can understand people so much better! I can speak more fluidly, too! People here say that my Spanish has improved immensely! It feels great to hear that! However, I know I still have a lot of improving to do! 

I have a funny story! A couple weeks ago I was skyping with my mom. I was telling her about the soccer games that have been going on here (you'll read about them later). I was telling her how I visited the stadium where the soccer games will be taking place. However, I could not remember how to stadium in English, only in Spanish ("estadio")! Haha! It was comical! 

School

At school, I got moved up to the 5th grade!!! Yay!! I was switched last Monday half-way through the day! I really like my new class! Just the atmosphere in the room feels great! I'm still the oldest haha, but I get along with everyone! Everyone is so welcoming and nice! My first day in the 5th grade I was asked so many questions! It was just like my first day of school haha! Now, I get to go to "Promocion" ("Prom" for short). Promocion is not the same as the prom dance in the U.S. Promocion is the graduating ceremony and then party for the graduating class. The party is like a dance, but isn't super formal. Girls wear dresses, but just short ones. And you can have a date if you want! Looks like I have to go dress shopping haha! Because I will be graduating high school, I get to go to university for the second half of my stay in Peru! That will be such a great experience! 

Culture

I have learned some interesting things about Peru's culture. For example, when a woman says "no" to a man, the man still takes her response as a "yes." So how do you really say no to a Peruvian man? You have to offend them. You have to give them a serious look of disinterest, to the point where it is offending and then say "no." 

I have also learned that in the mountains of Peru, domestic violence is common and normal. This means that it's ok for a man to hit his wife. In fact, when a woman hits a man, this means she wants to be hit in return! I may think this is crazy, but in the mountains it's just the culture. 

People here seemed to be pretty laid-back, or at least in my host family. But I feel like Peruvian culture in general is relaxed. People never seem to actually get mad about things; they just laugh them off. I'm hoping this is a quality that rubs off on me! 

Here are some popular songs in Peru that I really enjoy:

Ai Se Eu Te Pego

Inténtalo

Danza Kuduro

Como Tu No Hay Dos

Food

About a week ago, my host family and I went out for dinner at a seafood restaurant. Because we live on the coast, seafood is very popular in Lima. Check out what we had to eat!

My plate is the closet one in the picture with just the fish and rice. I'm not a big seafood person. Can you tell? Haha

Sofia's plate! This is spicy ceviche!

This is Rodrigo's plate (Ro is a family friend). His plate consists of Spanish rice with squid (similar to Paella from Spain), calamari, and ceviche.

This is Veronica's plate! It consisted octopus, ceviche, and causa de cangrejo (cangrejo=crab). Causa de cangrejo is a potato stuffed with a crab cream. 

I bet my dad is drooling with jealousy over the meals I get to eat here! He loves seafood! Haha!

Activities I Have Done

A few weekends ago, my grandma took Sofia and I on a tour of the center of Lima. It was beautiful! We got to see where the president lives! Most of the center is still in it's colonial structure, too! 

Sofia and I posing for the Prez! 

A couple of weeks ago I volunteered with San Borja Sur to fundraise money for La Liga Contra el Cáncer. We walked through the streets, rode on the buses, and sang songs to collect donations for cancer patients. I had fun doing it! Here's the crew!

A couple weeks ago Peru played two games to enter the World Cup. The first game was against Venezuela. We won! The second game was against Argentina. We tied! Our next game isn't for a month or so and is again Bolivia in Bolivia. Viva el Perú! My family and our friends all hung out in my mom's room for the games! Before the game against Argentina, Rodrigo took Sofia, Vero, and I to the stadium (in Lima) where Peru would be playing! It was cool! He also got us jerseys to wear for the game! I have my sweatshirt on, but my jersey looks just like the one Sofia is wearing!

Yesterday, I volunteered with San Borja Sur at Policlinico Japon-Peruano! This is a clinic that offers medical service at a very cheap price. This clinic is for the poor in Lima. For example, it only costs 5 sols (that's almost $2) for a pediatric check-up. We volunteered from 9-12. We colored pictures with kids waiting for their check-ups. I even helped doctors in their offices giving kids check-ups. We also donated more wheel chairs to people at this clinic. After the clinic, we went to an orphanage. We volunteered from 12-1 at the orphanage coloring with the kids and serving them snacks. 

Activities to Look Forward to...

• I'm going to the Lady Gaga concert in Lima!!!!!! Awwwwww! I'm so excited! It's in November! I have my ticket! All I need now is some glitter lipstick!

• I go on my trip to the south of Peru on Friday! We have so many fun things planned! It will be a ten-day trip! I can't wait to tell you all about it!
• There are many English academies in Lima. I really want to help volunteer at them! Hopefully, I can work this out!
• On October 14, I will be running a 5k to fundraise money to construct La Casa Pasitos, a center of rehabilitation and an orphanage for handicap people.

That's all I have for you for now! Until next time, chaofa!! Besitos! 

Viva el Perú!

It's almost been a month and a half in Peru, and I have fallen in love with this place! I haven't even seen all of Peru yet haha! Lima is amazing though! Everyday brings presents me with new experiences and things to learn about!

Language
I've learned that pronunciation in Spanish for English speakers is difficult because there are hardly any diphthongs in Spanish, unlike in Enlgish. Diphthongs are a group of letters that makes the sound of one letter. For example, in the word play, "ay" makes the "e" sound in Spanish. There are hardly any words like this in Spanish. Every letter in a word is pronounced! This can be hard for a speaker whose native tongue is English.

In Spanish, some "r's" sound like "d's" and others are rolled. Usually, double "r's" (rr) is rolled. A good example are the words pero and perro. The "r" in pero (but) is pronounced like a "d." The "rr" in perro is rolled. In Peru, kids like to roll the "r's" at the end of verb infinitives to practice rolling their "r's."

In Spanish, one word can have so many different meanings! It all depends on the context of the word! Here are some examples:

• Ya = already, stop, yes
• Ya pues = I know
• Todavía = still, no
• Normal = normal, yes
• Entonces = then, so, "like" 
• this is a common "sentence filler"
• Tal vez, quizas, de repente = maybe 

I also learned that luka is slang for the Nuevo Sol (Peru's currency). This is just like how buck is used as slang for the U.S. dollar!

Culture

Remember the paradox I spoke of in my last post? Well, I have another interesting piece to had to the puzzling paradox! Peru is considered a "macho country," meaning it is male-dominant. For example, in the household, the father is the head of the house and has the ultimate say in things. Interestingly though, Mother's Day is a bigger deal than Father's Day! Haha!

Last Thursday, August 30th, was el Día de Santa Rosa. This day celebrates Saint Rose, whose actual name is Isabel. They called her Rose because when she was born she was rosy like the red flower. My host mother tried explaining Saint Rose's life story to me, but I didn't quite get it all. But I did understand that Saint Rose suffered a lot of pain. People say the pain she suffered was for the world. And for that, we are thankful! There was no school last Thursday for this holiday. Traditionally, people go to a well that is located in the city where Saint Rose was born. At this well, people write wishes on a piece of paper and toss it into the well. My host mother said we could do this another day though because it would be full of millions of people on Saint Rose's Day. Another tradition is that the police don't work. That's kind of a scary thing to do in Lima haha! Consequently, the banks are also closed that day!

In Lima, everything is negotiable with street venders! I love it! I can get the prettiest hand-made things for cheaper than they were originally priced. For example, I got a scarf, mittens, and a hat (for my trip to the mountains) for only 25 sols. Originally, it would have been about 35 sols. I am going to become quite the bargainer here! 

The true street venders in Lima are the ones that actually walk in the street, weaving through the cars, asking people stopped at a traffic light if they would like to buy candy, a map, a cell phone charger, etc. People also juggle, do flips, dance, and other cool things in front of the cars. After, they walk to each car asking for money. 

School

At my school, grades are very different. Every week, my teachers set goals for the kids to achieve on the E.T.I. test. These goals are always low, like 50%. I found out why they are so low! Here, getting a 70% is like getting an A. This is because on a test, when you answer a question incorrectly, not only are the points not given to you, a point is taken away from the points you've earned from correct questions. Confused? I was at first haha! For example, let's say we have a 5-question quiz with each question being valued at 4 points. The total points possible are 20. If I got a 4 out of 5 (I incorrectly answered question #5), my score would be 15 out of 20. However, if I would have just left question #5 blank, I would get 16 out of 20. I don't really like this concept. Students get docked points for answering a question incorrectly, but are not docked points for trying at all. I think this discourages students' efforts! It's better to have tried and failed than to not have tried at all! But as you can see, it is hard to achieve a high score. Therefore, low percentages are high goals. 

The students at my school, like the rest of people in Lima, are very friendly with each other! Although our seats are very uncomfortable, my butt hurts after sitting for 5 minutes, the students insist on sharing seats to talk to each other. People here like be physically close to each other! When people ask me questions they are right next to my face talking to me! This is very different than what I am used to haha! There isn't really personal space here. In fact, as I was writing down these notes for my blog about no personal space, another student came up and started reading my notes over my shoulder haha! Classic Peruvian behavior! 

A week ago (last monday), I got in trouble for having my nails painted. The weekend before school I got manicures with my host mom and sister. When I went to school that Monday, the principal told my host mom that I needed  to take it off. Whoops! 

I found out that calculators are considered cheating here haha! I still pull out my calculator from time to time though! 

I recently found out that I am supposed to be in the 5th grade of secondary school, not the 4th grade. Right now, my host mom and I are trying to make the switch! I would love to be in the 5th grade! This means I would be able to graduate and go to prom! After summer, I would go to university for a semester! That would be cool to experience two different level of education in Peru!

Recent Activities

A couple weeks ago I got the opportunity to visit a Coca Cola factory/company in Lima to take pictures for my host mother's business Es Tiempo de Creer. Her business gave a big presentation to the company. They are trying to get a job with Coca Cola to help its employees! 

A couple weekends ago, I went to Cine Planet with Sofia. We saw Valiente (Brave)! It was all in Spanish, but I understood most of it haha! 

Two weeks ago, I also went to a student congress. At the congress, the exchange students and I helped teach Peruvians English! It was a nice break from all the Spanish haha!

Last week, I went to Miniaturo Mundo (Mini Mundo). Mini Mundo was a small park with a bunch of models of places in Peru and in other countries. I had a fun time with the host family!

This past weekend I started Spanish classes again with Rotary. I now have Spanish class from 9am-1pm twice a month on Saturdays! Fun! This past weekend I spent the night at another exchange student's house, Kate. Kate's host mom is also my counselor! I had a great time! They live in La Moline, so I got to see a different part of Lima! This past Saturday, Kate and I went to Bembos for lunch. Bembos is like a Peruvian MacDonald's, but way better! The burgers are amazing for being fast food burgers! The burgers were pretty healthy too! They weren't fried, but grilled! On Saturday, we also went to El Parque de Aguas! It was so beautiful! The park consisted of large fountains! They even put on a show. There was one fountain that consisted of rings in the ground that sprayed water out vertically. People skip through the rings to the center trying not to get wet. I did this! Unfortunately, I got soaked haha! I had fun doing it though! I didn't have my camera, so unfortunately, I couldn't take pictures. But my host mom wants to bring me another time with Sofia. I'll be sure to bring my camera next time! On Sunday, Kate and I went to Jockey Plaza! That is one big mall! We didn't even get to see all of the place! But the stores there are amazing! I was so tempted to buy everything haha! After shopping, we went to Pizzu Hut for dinner! Pizza Hut is really fancy here haha! 

This past Monday I helped my host Rotary club, San Borja Sur, donate wheel chairs to disabled people in Lima. In Peru, wheelchairs cost about $90, but many people cannot afford to buy them. So, San Borja Sur purchases them and donates them! I helped assemble the wheelchairs and give them to the people. It was such a great experience to be part of! 

Every Wednesday, I go to my host club's meetings. They usually start at 8:30pm and end around 10:30. They consist of socializing and then talking about the projects they are working on. However, this past Wednesday's meeting was different. Our Rotary district's president visited us! He gave all these big presentations about what we have been doing and what we would like to do! All the exchange students stood up, said their name, age, and what we have done this past week. 

Activities to Look Forward to...

• Museo metropolitano de Lima
• Art Museum
• At the end of September, I am taking a trip to the South for ten days with the Rotary exchange students. We are visiting Arequipa, Colca, Arica, and Tacna!
• I might get to go to the Lady Gaga concert in Lima in November!!! I'm working at getting the tickets right now! 

My mom (from the U.S.) has been asking me when she should change my return date for the U.S. The latest I can return is June 30th. I've decided that I want to come back June 30th, or the latest date possible! I love Peru and don't want to leave it! 

Until next time, Chao! Besito!