Tuesday, January 29, 2013

Semana Cuatro

It has been a crazy week! I have been so busy with homework and activities/trips I've taken with my class. It's been exhausting, but totally worth it! The rest of last week consisted of homework, homework, and more homework. And a little sleep, too. Haha :) With 2 online classes and 4 three-hour classes here in Peru, I am always busy doing something. On Friday, we took a trip as a class to Centro de Lima and visited La Iglesia de San Francisco. It was so beautiful! Unfortunately we couldn't take any pictures on our tour inside, but we managed to take a few in front of the beautiful architecture before we left. I also took a few pictures of other cool buildings we saw. It was VERY hot outside and most of us got pretty sunburned no matter how much sunscreen we put on. :(





When we arrived back home around 7 on Friday night, I finished some last minute homework and went to bed early to prepare for our trip to Matucana at 7:30am on Saturday. This trip was by far my favorite thing I've experienced in Peru the whole month I've been here. It was a very hard climb, as I am not in shape whatsoever, but the waterfall at the top of the mountain made it all worthwhile. Once again, it was very sunny and warm outside, so most of us got sunburned pretty bad again. We had a blast climbing up the mountain, through a "rock forest", and walking through the freezing cold stream of the waterfall. It was definitely a day that I will never forget. How many times do you get to say that you climbed a mountain to a waterfall in South America? Now I can officially say that I have and it is a memory I will cherish forever. We also got to meet the mayor who represents quite a few districts around Matucana. She gave each of us a book that talks about the history and culture of Matucana, so that was pretty awesome too! 








It looks like the rest of this week with consist of more homework and catching up on some sleep. Still trying to recover from the long hike this weekend too. It's been nice keeping myself busy because homesickness is definitely starting to kick in. Also, it doesn't help that EVERYONE has a dog here in Lima. And for those who don't have one, there are plenty of strays. Makes me miss my puppies like crazy! Also starting to miss my mommy and daddy like a little baby. (maybe my sister...only a little) ;) and of course my boy and all of my friends back home. The only disadvantage of having such a wonderful support system of friends and family...having to miss them all so much when I'm gone this long! Hoping this homesickness will start to wear-off after a while. 

Anywho, I better get ready to head to the university for my Advanced Grammar class. Thanks for checking in on me! ¡Chau!

Wednesday, January 23, 2013

¡Ay Dios Mio!

Well, I can't believe that I am almost done with my third week of classes in Peru! Last week, I woke up everyday and had to remind myself where I was. It was the weirdest feeling. I am now finally remembering that I am in another country! Sounds so strange, but true. I'm at that stage where I ask myself..."am I really studying in Lima, Peru right now?" What in the world am I doing here? But it isn't a bad or sad feeling. It's just hard for me to believe that this is actually happening! It is like a dream.

Along with the joys and fun I've had during this 3rd week in Peru has come an overload of homework. I have been staying up very late into the morning every night studying and writing and reading and trying to understand what will go on in class the next day. Sometimes it is enjoyable, while other times my head hurts so bad I want to smash it into the wall. Haha :) To make matters worse, we were having troubles with our internet at the apartment last weekend so I wasn't able to work on my homework for my two online classes. It was a nightmare trying to catch up with the assignments I missed, but I am finally back on track and the wifi is up and running smoothly. (Cross your fingers it will stay that way!)

It is kind-of hard for me to think all the way back to last Tuesday and update everyone on what I've experienced since then, so I will try my best. Here goes nothing: Classes went pretty smoothly last week. On Thursday evening, I went out with some friends to Miraflores at a discoteca and had a blast. Then on Friday it was EXTREMELY hot outside. But, besides me and Haley's best efforts, we couldn't find a place to swim! The pool at my apartment and our friend Sam's apartment both were closed for the day. Just our luck. :) Saturday, Haley and I went South of Lima with Fabricio and his friends to a discoteca and it was a lot of fun. We danced until our (my) feet hurt and spent most of Sunday sleeping and trying to catch up on some last minute homework. One memorable moment from Saturday/Sunday was the fact that there was somewhat of a chicken/rooster farm right next to our hotel room. Needless to say, we didn't get much sleep do to the very loud, annoying noises of those dang chickens!




Monday, I unfortunately didn't make it to my class at 2pm. I have been dealing with a lot of stomach issues and was pretty miserable all day. But I did, however, HAVE to get some homework done, so I went to Starbucks so I could use their wifi. I'm pretty sure I'm the only "gringa" that goes to this Starbucks frequently, and I think they know I live with Fabio as well. They know my name is "Whitney" but they write it different on my cup every single time. This one was my personal favorite. :)



Monday evening, Haley and I went to TGI Friday's with Fabio and friends to celebrate our friend Hector's birthday. His birthday was actually on Tuesday, but in Peru it is common to celebrate the birthday at 9 or 10pm until midnight so you can sing happy birthday to your friend right as their birthday begins. We learned that this celebration was called "quema." It was so awesome to have some familiar food, as well!



Well, the rest of the week looks like it should be pretty eventful for me! On Friday, I am going with my classmates and our grammar teacher to downtown Lima for the day to sight-see and visit churches/museums/other fun stuff. Then, on Saturday we are going hiking at 7am (Yikes) with our grammar professor as well! I am so excited to finally be able to witness the beauty of the nature here in Peru. Should be a great weekend. On that note, better keep on keepin-on with my homework.  ¡Adios!

Tuesday, January 15, 2013

My First Week in Lima! (and then some)

I can't believe its been a week since I've updated my blog. It feels like so much has happened since then! I keep telling myself I should write things down after they happen so I can remember what to put in my blog, but I haven't followed through, so here it goes!

I have survived my first week of Spanish classes at Peru...yay! It was very intimidating at first, considering we only have one 3 hour class every day, but the time seems to go pretty fast. I think the most difficult thing right now is the fact that you HAVE to stay focused for the entire 3 hour period. It is very hard to write down what a teacher is saying while they are saying it because you want to try and translate it and make sure you understand it. My brain usually feels pretty fried after class is over, which makes it very hard to come home and work on homework and online classes. But, I'm surviving!

I have ate some pretty awesome food here so far. The chicken here is so fantastic and flavorful! There are lots of different types of potatoes, and sweet potatoes are very popular here too. I had an awesome pork sandwich with onions and a sweet potato on the sandwich. It was so good! Also, Peruvians make the BEST smoothies. I have already decided that they are the number one food/drink item I will miss when I go back to the states. There are also a lot of really interesting fruits in the markets. Earlier this week, Fabricio and I went to the market and got some fruit for the apartment--one of them is in the picture below. It is called "granadilla" and it is muy delicioso! It reminds me of a pomegranate. The texture of the seeds like jello-like and then as you eat them it is crunchy. Very hard to explain, but very good.



We don't have class on Fridays, so a group of us students from Nebraska decided to go out on Thursday night to Miraflores. We packed 7 (yes, SEVEN) people in a taxi and had a very uncomfortable 15-20 minute drive, but it was a very fun place to go with lots of restaurants, shops, and bars. First, we stopped at this restaurant and ate some good ole' cheese pizza. Then, we walked around for a while to try to find a "disco" (club) to go to. We ran into a guy that told us a fun disco to go to and offered us a free "pisco" drink when we got there. Pisco is a very popular drink that is traditional here in Peru. Not my favorite, but it is ok. The club we went to was called "Sabor Peruana VIP" and we all had a blast dancing and hanging out! Below is a picture of Sam begging (yes...on his knees) Haley to dance with him. I think it is pretty known that our goal by the end of the trip is to get Haley to dance! Hopefully it will be a success. :)




Later that weekend me, Haley, Fabricio, and a bunch of his friends went to this exclusive club called "Bach." It was about 30 minutes away and you have to have your name on a list to get in. There had to have been nearly 1000 people waiting in line to get into this club at 11pm. That's when it opened! It was so crazy! After a little over an hour, we finally got in and had a great night dancing and talking with new Peruvian friends. I have blisters on my feet from dancing so much, so I will take that as a sign of a very fun night! On the way home from Bach (at 6am) we had the unfortunate opportunity to see a very bad car accident and a dead body on the side of the road. We couldn't see the entire body because it was covered up, but the feet were sticking out. To make matters worse, the man's intestines were scattered all over the road as well. Yiiikes, I keep trying to get this image out of my mind. So sad and so scary!

One more exciting thing that I've been doing in Peru is....driving! Fabricio has taken me on the roads a few times and showed me the ropes. (Even though there really aren't any rules.) I told myself I'd never in a million years want to drive in Lima, but I said "what the heck!" It isn't too bad, just a little stressful when traffic is high. (I don't think I've told my parents about this experience, so surprise mom and dad!) Crazy driving is definitely something I'm having to get used to here. Slowly but surely...

I am very excited that the students from Nebraska, and myself, are going hiking with our grammar teacher, Roberto, on Saturday! My first adventure in the nature of Peru! The only downer is the fact that we are leaving at 6am. Ahh! I haven't been up that early in forever (unless I am out on the weekends until that early in the morning, of course.) But I am still anxious to experience my first hiking adventure.

Maybe I should start updating my blog more than once a week so they don't blabber on and on and on...? Thanks to everyone who is keeping tabs on me and reading this! Hopefully my blogs in the future will be more organized and not so all-over-the-place. Adios!

Tuesday, January 8, 2013

Well, I'm here…and I'm alive! I survived my first crazy weekend in Lima and had a blast. It still hasn't sunk in that I am actually in Peru. It seems like it was only last week when I was getting my passport and filling out paperwork. I'm finally here…and it's like a dream!

First of all, the trip here was much more of a breeze than I thought. The only problem that I had was the fact that I am not a patient person. It seemed like it took forever to get my luggage! But, before I knew it, I met Fabricio and his friend Hector at the airport. They kissed me, handed me some beautiful yellow flowers and we were gone! 

We got back to the apartment and I was pretty tired, so I went to bed right away. The next day, Fabricio took me around the city and showed me how to get to the university. It is about a 5-10 walk so it isn't bad at all. 

After giving me the grand tour, Fabricio told me that we would be going to a party "a la playa" with his good friends Hector and Erick. It was a great time, but I had absolutely no idea what I was getting myself into! We left the apartment at 8ish and went to South Lima. There were lots of restaurants and shops, and quite a few bars/clubs as well. At about 1am, we went to the actual party at a really fun dance club. I was already yawning, and everyone laughed at me! They said it was too early to be tired…so I downed a couple of Red Bulls to wake up. I had absolutely NO idea that I would be up until 8:30am the next morning! Ahhh…I thought I was going to die. Aparently, this is a normal weekend in Lima. There were even people much older than me at the club, dancing their butts off all night long. Es muy loco!




Needless to say, Sunday was dedicated to sleep and getting ready for orientation on Monday. It was very nice and the campus is very beautiful. It isn't too big, either, so it is easy to get around. I have one class every day for 3 hours…except Fridays. Monday-Wednesday I go to class from 2-5 and Thursday is from 4-7. (Each day is a different class) Today we had our class with Marta Moorman (the professor from UNK that traveled with us) so it was nice to catch up with the other UNK students and share stories from our first adventures. We also decided to go to Jockey Plaza so some of us could shop and get cell phones. It was quite an adventure getting there, as it was my first ride on the crazy combis. 






Today I have my first real Spanish class at the university, and I am very nervous! It is a grammar class, and I have a feeling it isn't going to be easy. On that note, I better start mentally preparing myself for that! Adios!