Four Months of Fame

This week was the start of classes, which we have from 4-7 on Mondays and Wednesdays and 10-1 on Tuesdays and Thursdays.  All of my classes went fairly well, especially the two classes that are taught by our professor, Rob.  He is really good about speaking slowly and clearly and I understood about 80% of what was said during his classes.  Our literature class is taught by another professor named Josué, and saying that I understood 30% of what he said might even be stretching the truth.  That class might be a little rough to say the least.

Besides going to classes this week I spent my time sitting by my pool and reading, walking around and looking at shops, eating out with the girls, applying sunscreen every 5 minutes, and sweating off my sunscreen.  I will not complain about the heat or sun here though because I would much rather be here than in Nebraska right now.

On Friday we had our first "fieldtrip" with Rob to Matucana, which entailed hiking up a mountain made of rocks, gravel, and dirt to get to a waterfall.  The bus ride was only supposed to take 2 hours, but we had to stop a few times for our driver to pour water on the brakes to cool them off (which made me feel really good about our safety).  The ride was a little scary and very jerky, but we managed to make it there in one piece.  The hike up the mountain was pretty difficult and we had to stop every few minutes to catch our breaths.  I'm sure our guide wondered if any of us had ever exercised before, but he was a good sport and talked to us in Spanish as we struggled on.  Once we made it to the waterfall we took a million pictures, which seems to be a requirement of being a girl, and then grilled some hamburgers on a tiny grill that we carried up with us.  The hike down went much faster than going up, but it was a lot more dangerous due to the lose gravel that made everyone slip and slide.  I only halfway fell one time but some of the other girls were not as lucky.  I also almost slid into the back of our professor, which would have caused a domino effect and knocked someone off the mountain.  I'm very happy I was able to avoid that disaster.  Throughout the day I managed to sunburn the back of my calves pretty good so I have been struggling to bend my knees for the last couple of days.  I am happy to say that I am already much tanner than I was when we arrived just over a week ago.

Speeding around in traffic and through the mountains

Our little campsite for grilling by the waterfall

Representing.

These dogs came all the way down the mountain back to the town with us

The town was very colorful and artistic

This is a tuna fruit plant, which I have yet to try

We almost tipped the bridge over to get this picture

The view on our hike

Saturday was another great day filled with new adventures.  I was told my some locals that Barranco (another district) is a great place to go because it is kind of touristy and well kept.  So in the morning we all met up at UPC and took our first public bus and then a taxi to get there.  It took us over an hour to finally arrive, but it only cost me 5 soles (less than $2) so I was pretty happy.  We ate lunch at a little burrito bar that was filled with other foreigners.  It was kind of nice to fit in for once and not be whistled and yelled at for being white.  I almost feel like I am famous here because EVERY SINGLE GUY that I walk by stares/tries to talk to me/whistles/takes pictures of me.  I have definitely heard some disgusting comments that I ignore.  We walked by a wedding in Barranco and the camera man moved his camera from the bride and groom to watch the stream of white girls walk by, which shows their dedication to making us feel out of place.  I do feel uncomfortable at times but I'm starting to get used to standing out.  Anyway, after lunch we walked down to the beach and stood with our feet in the waves and relaxed while we watched the little kids run around.  We then went and ate dinner at a nice restaurant on the beach and watched the sun sink behind the ocean.  After dinner we went to the Gringo Bar (we figured we belonged here) for a couple of hours and ordered drinks before going to a disco.  We made a few friends at that bar and they joined us at the discos.  I finally got to salsa dance, which is pretty much what I came here for, and it was a very fun night.

Chilcanos have become one of my favorite pisco drinks

All of the ladies at the beach

Our view from the restaurant

Loving the ocean and the sunshine :)

My taco and margarita at El Burrito

Feet in the water at last

Throughout the week I have become accustom to eating bread with jelly and a fruit smoothie for breakfast, an apple or some kind of snack for lunch, and a huge meal made by my host mom for dinner.  I am typically hungry during the day, but after dinner I am so full that my stomach hurts.  If I don't finish everything my mom serves me she asks me if I don't like it, so I do my best to clean my plate.  This is definitely a different eating schedule than I am used to, but I am getting used to it and I love the food here.

I have also become accustom to my mom coming in my room every day while I am at school and cleaning my bathroom, doing my laundry, and picking up after me.  I do my best to make my bed every morning, which I have not done since middle school, and keep my room clean so that she doesn't have to work as hard.  She definitely spoils me, and I appreciate everything that my host parents have done for me so far.

One thing that I find crazy here is that everyone wears jeans during the day and don't seem bothered by the heat at all.  Women wear jeans and high heels to walk around in the sun and run errands.  It makes me feel claustrophobic just thinking about trying to squeeze my constantly sweaty legs into some skinny jeans.  Also, the sidewalks are really slick here, so I'm not sure how none of them ever slip and fall in their heels.  I think I'll stick to my shorts and tank-tops for the time being.

Overall it was another crazy and interesting week here in Peru.  I have enjoyed every minute of it and I am learning so much every single day.  I still have yet to become homesick because it is difficult to dwell on the things I miss when I am so busy and trying so many new things.  I can't wait for another week of exploring with my girls and making new friends!!

Sending besitos (kisses) to everyone at home!