A Day at the Beach, A Day Waiting

So Saturday my household decided the next day we were going to go to a small town outside of Lima to catch some sun, and maybe some fresh air. All full of hope and dreams we went to ask our host parents how to get there. We were immediately told it was a bad idea. I guess all the limenos (people from Lima) like to get out of the city and catch sun too. On Sunday. The traffic is thus so terrible that it would take at least double the time to go there and back. Panic ensued. We weren't going to have anything to do for one whole day!! After a flurry of guide books and google searches we discovered Punta Hermosa, a beach south of Lima with a forecast of 74 degrees! We left at 8:00 the next morning.

The ride took a little over an hour, and passed through a lot of poorer areas of Lima and its outskirts. Here, it looked as if houses were built upon houses, upon garbage, on these steep sand hills. For the first time, I was reminded that Lima is a desert. After some of the places we passed, I was becoming a little concerned about the beach. However we finally arrived in a cute-ish little town, where everything was closed and we were the only tourists. We got off the bus and started following a lady, hoping she was heading toward the beach.

The beach was beautiful, and we had it all to ourselves! I took a nap. When I woke up, everyone was ready for lunch so we walked back toward the main street and found a great, small Peruvian style restaurant. I had tequeños and Chaufa--like fried rice. After, we walked along the beach for awhile past all the boarded up summer homes. Things we discovered on the walk: crabs, seastars, surfers, a couple bird skeletons, and no bathrooms.

One thing that has been really hard here is the constant worry of muggings. Although it has yet to happen to anyone in my house, we attract so much attention as foreigners it is probably bound to happen sooner or later. And while the crimes are not violent, so many people here are so poor that stealing is extremely prevalent.  When we arrived in this little town as a huge group of gringas and without too many other people around, it was a little hard to feel comfortable at first. This persistent worry is something I won't miss!

The return home was successful in that we took the right buses and a peruvian boy in front of me was rocking out to Ke$ha.

After this we had to wake up extremely early to register for classes the next day. At Católica all the exchange students have to register in person, on a first come first serve basis. We arrived 2 hours before registration opened and were in the 50s. Thus commenced the waiting. Our numbers didn't start registering until about 11:00. We were there at 7:00. This was one of the worst systems I have ever dealt with. And I am also not that patient. By the time I was through I was on the verge of losing my head. Literally. But, I got all the classes I wanted and hope that they all go well!

After this, Mari and I had to wait even longer to get copies for our classes. Here, instead of buying books, Professors send copies to a little room in the school and you have to go wait in line and have them make you a copy of the copy and buy that. It is a little complicated, but cost efficient. It also has long lines and an inefficient system. I think my whole day could of taken 30 minutes, but with waiting it was 6 HOURS.

Side Note: A trend in Peru seems to be multiple lines for things that could take one. For copies, you first ask to see the copies, then you tell them you want them, then you receive the price, then you go pay the price at the cash register, then you bring your receipt back and get your copy. For lunch, you wait in one line to purchase a ticket and then a second to pick up your food with the ticket. And I won't even explain registering because that was about 5 different lines. I'm not sure I have sufficient patience to survive in Peru.

Now, I am attempting to read 50 pages in Spanish for homework. It is going slowly at best. Which is why I am writing in my blog.

What's on the Lettuce?

Today, everyone in my house decided to go to an organic market in a nearby district of Lima. Rebecca, who had been there before, told us it was pretty small, so I wasn't expecting much. When we arrived we walked into a beautiful park, in a cute neighborhood with great colonial style architecture. There, we found the cutest best little market! I think it maybe the best thing I have encountered in Lima yet. 

There were soo many vegetables (all organic!) and things like organic perfume, homemade jewelry, picture frames, cakes, etc. I was in heaven. Everything is so cheap too! I got a beautiful bracelet for 5 soles, made out of seeds that are red and black. It is supposed to offer protection. Hopefully, it protects me from getting sick because I ate a wrap from one of the vendors that was delicious! You're not supposed to eat anything from the street here and especially not vegetables because the water here has some bacteria that foreign stomachs often cannot handle.

I also bought some delicious goat cheese and lettuce (to wash at home) for 7 soles!!! That is like $2.50! I can't get over it. Mari and Rachel then bought tamales from some nuns and we sat in the park eating them, contemplating profit margins.

Later, we walked back to Parque Kennedy looking a little again for shoes and stopped in a La Quinta. La Quinta is kind of like bargain barrel. There are piles and piles of clothes and you just have to search for what you want. Here, it is all new and they have a ton of different brands. I don't know if they are extras from the factory, or knock-offs but they are CHEAP. I only bought yoga pants, because this many clothes turned out to be a little intimidating. Upon entering, I immediately felt the urge to run. But, if you have more patience then I do it could be a great store.

Next, we decided ice cream and some french fries were necessary to regain energy lost in all the shopping. While eating our ice cream, Erin leans forward and asks what is on our lettuce. It is then that we notice, THERE IS A SNAIL IN OUR LETTUCE. Now that's organic. I personally, was completed freaked out, because it was gooshy, and moist and vaguely reminiscent of a leech. But Mari saved the day ripping off the plastic and putting him in the empty fry container. We then preceded to transport him to a nearby flower pot. Only gringas would do this.

His name is bembo (after the restaurant we were in) and I didn't like him at all.

After the snail, the day was pretty uneventful.

People Here Have Small Feet

So when I decided to come to Peru, I decided I needed a hiking backpack. Thus, my lovely parents bought one for me for my birthday in June. Once I had my hiking backpack I decided that this was the ONLY bag I was going to pack for Peru. Now, normally I am not a light packer. For a two day trip I might bring the biggest duffel bag I have so that I can have outfit "options" and all possible medical and entertainment supplies. I cannot explain why the first time I decided to pack light was when I was going to Peru for a YEAR. So please, don't ask.

As a direct result of my packing extremely light, I don't have that many clothes here. And a lot of the clothes I brought are summer-ish. It is winter here. It hasn't been warmer than 65, max. For shoes I only brought running shoes, my beloved red sneakers, and sandals. I have been wearing the red sneakers everyday. So today, Mari and I (who has a similar shoe problem) decided to go to Miraflores and find us some comfortable, affordable, everyday type of shoes. Easier said then done.

Now, I'm 5'9, close to 5'10 so I like to think that my size 10 feet are appropriate for my height. But here, I would say I'm taller than 80% of the population (including males). And apparently no one has size 10 feet. Mari and I discovered this quickly as every store we went into (which all seem to carry the same shoes!) told us the largest size was an 8 at each shoe we pointed to. 

Finally, after about the 15th shoe store (because there are an incredible amount of shoe stores in Lima!) I found TWO pairs of boots that were in size 10. I bought one. They are alright. At least they fit! Mari found some super cute slip-ons that I am jealous about because she has size 8 feet. Moral of the story: If you have large feet, pack plenty of shoes.

The Trial Run

I have finally started some classes! This week the exchange students have the opportunity to attend whatever classes they want. For me, this means I'm going to as many as possible to see which Professors I can understand and if they give special treatment to gringos (gringos = tourists/white people in South America). 

Attending classes has been... interesting. No, really I have like most of my classes. I am probably going to take most of them in the general (i.e. easy) college. Peruvians start University a lot earlier than in the states, thus I am taking classes with 16 and 17 year olds. It's a little weird, but I'm too busy trying to figure out what the Professor just wrote on the board to really think about it.

I also met my very own first Peruvian friend! His name is either Jose or Juan. I can't quite remember. But he is in my Archaeology class and after class, when I had to ask what the books we passed around earlier were for he took a very confused me to the library and tried to explain. Later, we got to have an equally confusing lunch where he ate and I didn't, filled in with some awkward silences because I can't really keep an interesting conversation going in Spanish yet. Potential for lifelong friendship? Yes.

Other than that, mostly other exchange students talk to me in class. This will probably change after we all stop looking so scared and nervous. But, it is interesting to meet people from other countries too! There are a lot of people from France and Germany here too.

I'm trying not to have classes on Mondays or Fridays in order to travel on the weekends, so far I think that is going to work. I'm going to try a few more classes tomorrow and then decide this weekend what my schedule should be! 

Other things equally important as classes that happened:

1) Walking down the street to catch a combi this morning with two of my friends a man looked at us and said " Los angeles de Charlie" or, Charlie's Angels. We all have the same color hair more or less.

2) Mari and I spent 2 hours in Radio Shack with her computer. They played music from Oasis to "My Sharona". The radio shack-man said he doesn't choose the music. Mari asked me whether she should buy them cookies.

3) I had the BEST dessert twice. It is called an alfajore and is delicious! It is two pastries with manjarblanco in between. I don't know how to describe it, but google it.

This Day Would Have Been Perfect With Some Sun

Today everyone in mi casa went to el centro de Lima to look at pretty buildings and see the changing of guards. Morgan, the girl from France who lives in my house, managed to get everyone out of the house by 10:30 (impressive!) in order to be in at the centro by 12:00.

Note: I failed to describe earlier in my blog how I transport myself everywhere. Lima is not small. This is an understatement. Lima is HUGE. We can walk some places, but usually we take the private bus system in Lima. This sounds fancy but there is no public transportation. In reality, the buses are called combis and micros and consist of rundown vans and buses with a driver and another person hanging out the door or window yelling where they are going. You rush on and off a combi. They rush everywhere too. I'm actually quite impressed by the drivers ability to weave in and out of traffic with a packed bus and stop at a moments notice to pick up someone. I also feel like praying every time I get on one. But, they only cost 1 sole (about 50 cents).

Back to today. After we survived yet another combi trip we arrived in the centro. We walked rapidly through parque de universitario and a street with lots of stores in colonial style building, finally arriving in the Plaza de Armas. Where, we were greeted with a surprise parade of traditional style music and dancers. If you are my facebook friend, you can view the video I am going to post after this. Otherwise, I guess you won't.

After this parade, the changing of guards was a little disappointing. Mostly a bunch of men in uniform doing a silly walk to music. But I guess I am more cultured because of it.

We also had the chance to enter the Cathedral across the square at the end of Mass to see the recessional and take some photos before getting yelled at that we shouldn't be using flash and that there are guided tours Monday-Saturday. Opps.

                            This is one of the beautiful sculpture "rooms" they had in the Cathedral. 

                                               You can't tell, but I'm peering through bars.

After a short walk which included discovering a park with some ruins in it, we were STARVING. We satisfied this hunger at Wallys. Wallys only has chicken. So first we had a soup with some chicken feet in it (which I ate around), then pollo de brasa and fries which was very good. All this washed down with the famouse Inca Cola, the premier soda of Peru. Which happens to taste exactly like bubblegum and is overwhelmingly sweet. All this for only 8.50 soles! And we had a waiter who told us his name is Luis and he works every Sunday if we want to come back.

After lunch some went home, and some of us (me) went on a little walk around the centro with ice cream. There were a bunch of different street performers and we discovered the spectacular China town they have here.

Finally, we took another combi home on which we got a little lost. But, just as soon as we were lost we asked directions and found ourselves a new combi which dropped off a block from the house. All's well that ends well.

La Universidad--Or the Reason I am Supposed to be Here

Thursday I had the opportunity to see my new school for the first time. The campus is very pretty, and very safe, with a wall all around it and guards at the doors. Inside, there is a lot of green space, some nice buildings and some not so nice (if you know the UW campus think of a mix like Humanities and Bascom). 

The strangest thing on campus are the small deers, called Venados which roam around campus. They run through the sidewalks and are fed daily by the University. My compañero de PUCP said that the legend is two escaped from the zoo which is close by years ago and since then have multiplied. I think this may be more legend than truth.

             This is a Venado on the PUCP campus, but I didn't take this picture.

There are four cafeterias on campus and a couple cafes where I can buy lunch, which is a large plate of food, for only 3 soles. This is equivalent to about $1.25, so it is very cheap!

Right now, I'm trying to decide on my classes.. Whether to take easier classes in the more general faculty or harder ones in the Anthropology college. I also would like to only have classes during the middle of the week if possible so I can travel on the weekends. But I think I might have to take some classes on Monday. We have a week to go to classes and see which ones we would like to take. Then, on August 22nd we have to arrive early to register for the ones we want to take.

All together, I think I will like my school a lot. All of the Peruvians I met there have been really nice, and the international students too.

Mis Primeros Dias (My First Days)

Hola a todos! (I'm still figuring out how to do spanish accents on this website, so please excuse the mistakes!) 

I am safely in Lima! The flights went well, Mari (my friend from WI and current roommate!) started feeling sick but we slept in the Miami airport for awhile, because we had an 8 hour layover there. The flight from Miami to Peru was about 6 hours, and was very nice. We had an on-flight dinner, each seat had a pillow, blanket, and its own T.V., with different movies and shows to choose from. The best flight I've had! Go LAN airlines! (O.K., enough free advertising)

Our host family, Cecilia and Luis, picked us up from the airport and took us back to their house. We went to sleep immediately! In the morning, Mari was feeling worse and Cecilia took her to the doctor who said she had un infecion fuerte (strong infection). She spent the rest of the day in bed, feeling miserable :(

I met the rest of the house-mates and we went to Miraflores, a richer district of Peru. There was a lot of shops, and a pretty park with a lot of stray cats! There are a surprising amount of "american" stores here... Starbucks, Payless Shoes, KFC, Burger King, Pizza Hut, etc. So far I have avoided them! 

Finally, today I went and saw my school for the year, Universidad Catolica. It is really pretty, with a lot of green space. There are also a type of deer that wander around campus. It is very strange because the campus is in the middle of the city, and has walls all around it. I'm not sure why they are there.. A peruvian friend tried to explain but I didn't really understand. When my spanish is better I will ask again!

That has been the hardest thing so far. My spanish is definitely not good enough to understand all of what those from Peru say. I can understand most of what my american friends say because they talk slower, and with an american accent. I can't wait for my language skills to improve! It's difficult to not understand things, and I'm tired of asking "que?".

But, all else is well. Mari is feeling better, and with each day I get a little bit more comfortable with my surroundings. I'm excited to see how the next few months go!