Macaroni and Cheese

A few days ago I had a rotary dinner at a chicken restaurant called Dallas.  Me and Emilie (and Chachi for a few moments) took a bunch of selfies.

That day, Chachi found out he is going to go to Michigan for his exchange!  We're both excited that he isn't placed too far away and so maybe we'll be able to see eachother.

And today I went over to my friend Andre's house and me, Andre, and Eduardo enjoyed an american lunch that I prepared.  We had Kraft Mac and cheese, grilled cheese sandwiches, grape soda, bugles (those cone shaped chips) and I made cookie dough from a mix before we found out the oven didn't work.  We actually spent like 30 minutes going through the kitchen trying to find something flat and metal we could use as a cookie sheet before we figured out the oven didn't work, oops (people don't make cookies here). So we ate a bit of the raw cookie dough afterwards haha. 

Andre and Eduardo

Look Mom, I cooked!

haha

Then after we ate we were all sleepy haha.

Also Eduardo got me a cool new t-shirt:

Caution: Llama Crossing

Also I tried this thing where you put photos on top of each other (in this case I just used two photos) and they aren't lined up completely right but I like how it looks:

Tomorrow I am changing to my third host family.  Supposedly.  I say supposedly because the plans have been jumbled and somehow not known by both parties (and by that I mean that the family I'm going to tomorrow did not know I would be coming tomorrow until I called them tonight).  I thought I'd be changing earlier in the month but then it never happened and a few days ago I found out I'd be changing tomorrow.  So I packed up my stuff yesterday.  I'm happy because I'll be moving back into the general area where I used to live (kind of) close to my old school and where my friends live.  And I'll be living closer to my university (35 minutes compared to 90 minutes). 

Oh yeah, speaking of university, I actually went to my first class a few days ago and was surprised (and confused) to find out that it was in English!  The class was Introduccion a las ciencias sociales = Introduction to Social Sciences.  And the teacher spoke and taught in english and the peruvian students in the class discussed and answered questions in english and everything on the board was english.  I did not understand why it was taught in english but I was pretty impressed by the students' ability to discuss topics in english and that everyone pretty much understood.  And it turns out another one of my classes (Marketing de Alimentos y Bebidas = Marketing of Foods and Drinks) is also taught in English!  I do not know why rotary has put us in classes that are in English...we had to take a spanish test to be placed in the university and now we are attending classes that are taught in English.  Where is the logic in that? Oh well. 

And speaking of that spanish test, I think I mentioned taking it but I don't think I ever talked about the results.  Out of all the students in Lima (30 ish I think) I am one of the 6 that was placed in the Advanced spanish level!  So I'm happy about that :)

Oh and another quick thing!  I rode on the train for the first time here a few days ago.  Here they have a train but it's not very extensive, it's just one route and doesn't go that far.  I'd only ever used the buses here before but then a few days ago Eduardo and I took the train to go to a market.  I think it was kind of like a subway train but it was above ground, it was on an elevated concrete track thing that actually goes above the streets, kind of hard to explain.  Anyways, it was really nice because it's air conditioned and it arrives WAY quicker than going by car or bus because there is no traffic whatsoever.  And it's only slightly more expensive than taking the bus (for the train it's 1.50 soles no matter how far you go, which is still dirt cheap when looked at in american dollars = 53 cents USD).  I enjoyed taking the train, it seemed like a miracle to have arrived in such quick time.  I've gotten used to spending 2-3 hours a day on the bus.

Let me see....anything else I can talk about...hmm a few days ago I went to the movie theater with Eduardo, and we saw this weird creepy terror movie that was preeeeetty scary.

That's the cover...so as you can imagine, it was horrifying hahaha.  It was about this lady who got pregnant on her honeymoon and on the last night of her honeymoon the natives did this ceremony thing to her and I think her baby was demented or turned into the devil or something and the lady got demented too..anyways, the movie ended with her killing her sister and cutting open her own stomach to let out the baby and it was creeeeepy.

So far here in Peru, I have seen the following movies in theater:

• Percy Jackson and the Sea of Monsters (I think)(it was the very beginning of the year and it was in spanish with no subtitles so I didn't understand very much)
• Instructions not Included (in spanish the title is No Se Aceptan Devoluciones) which was a super cute movie which I suggest seeing.

• Carrie (a horror movie which wasn't very scary)(later found out that it's been remade throughout the years like 3 times)
• We're the Millers (pretty funny)
• Devil's Due (weird)
• Paranormal Activity 5 (it was really good! the best of the paranormal activity movies)

I think that's all of them...I think I'll go to the movies tomorrow too!

Okay that's everything I can think of haha :)
Bye!
-Ginger

Party

It's been a while since I've posted. It's weird, I'm really busy and go out pretty much every day, but then I sit down to write a blog post and can't remember a darn thing I did before today.  It's hard enough remembering yesterday!  I do remember that a few days ago, I went out to dinner with a bunch of exchange students, a few peruvians, and Connor's family (real family) who had come to visit him from Florida.  We had pollo a la brasa.  

And a few days ago I got invited to a party (well, my friends got invited and were told I could come hahaha) and I wanted to go but it was a bit far from where I live so I wasn't sure how I would get home afterwards.  So I ended up staying the night at Chachi's house! hahaha.  So yesterday late afternoon I got all my stuff together and took my normal bus route and then walked to Chachi's house.  A little later we headed off to the party with another girl that we went to school with.  We ended up getting there around 10 I think.  At first I was a bit bored but later in the night, a bunch of our friends from school came and even another exchange student came and it was a lot more fun after that.  So me and my friends from school (Me, Chachi, Andre, Vannia, Eduardo, Ian, Yllen, maybe some others I'm forgetting) were sitting around in a chair circle just laughing and having a good time, it was nice.  I didn't know anyone else at the party really, because it was thrown by a friend of a friend haha.  Teenagers here seem to be more social smokers than anything.  I don't know any teen here (none that I've met at least) that smokes regularly, but a lot of my friends do smoke at parties.  A few choose not to smoke at all, however.  I have not indulged in any smoking or drinking, just throwing that out there lol.  At 2 the party started to end and they started cleaning up, we were hanging outside until about 2:30 and left around then.  I stayed the night at Chachi's house (this was confirmed beforehand up by my host mother and Chachi's mom just so that's clear lol)(and in different rooms (different floors of the house actually)) and so we ended up going to bed around 3.  Then if you can believe it, we got up at 7 (they were a comfortable 4 hours of sleep) to get ready to go to a rotary event at my old school, Colegio Santa Rosa de Lima.  The event was to inform all of the peruvian students here in Lima that will be going on exchange at the end of this summer about exchange and about the countries they'd be going to.  So each country group had a table set up with decorations, flags, some food, music, and info about their countries.  I haven't gotten the photos off my camera yet so I'll talk more about that and add the pictures in my next post.

Byeeeee
-Ginga

University!

16 and already off to college, I must be a genius.  Or a Rotary exchange student in Lima hehe.  I had my first day of 'college' on Monday.  I only found out which university I'd be attending about 3 days beforehand.  The night before my first day, I finally discovered where the university was located.  Understandably, I was a bit nervous about how to get there, because my college, which will now be referred to as USIL (University San Ignacio de Loyola) is located in La Molina, a district of Lima quite far from where I live.  Here's a map to show you the route:

https://www.google.com/maps/dir/Universidad+San+Ignacio+De+Loyola,+Av+La+Fontana,+Lima,+Peru/Residencial+Santa+Cruz,+Lima,+Peru/@-12.0438718,-77.0357733,12z/data=!4m13!4m12!1m5!1m1!1s0x9105c6fadcaf64a7:0x91a8066253ed53de!2m2!1d-76.951703!2d-12.073026!1m5!1m1!1s0x9105c849a55992c7:0xe993eedaa15fe83c!2m2!1d-77.048171!2d-12.1062661

Maybe it doesn't look that long, but keep in mind, Lima is BIG.  It takes a looong time to get places, especially when there's traffic (pretty much always).  The first day my host mom and I took one route to get there and yesterday we took a different route and got there faster (by like 20 minutes maybe haha).
Here's my routine to get to university:

Let's say class starts at 9:

1. Get up at 6:15
2. Get all my stuff together and eat breakfast
3. Leave house at 7:30
4. Walk to Ejercito (a street about 3 blocks from my house)
5. Wait a few minutes for a blue bus that says ATE ATE on the front.
6. Board bus, ride bus for about 50 minutes, get off bus at the intersection of Javier Prado and Aviacion.
7. Walk less than a block to the nearest bus stop on Javier Prado.
8. Wait a few minutes for a bus that says CIENEGUILLA.
9. Board bus, ride for about 30 minutes, get off bus at Av. La Fontana or around there.
10. Walk 3 blocks to arrive at University.
11. You have reached your final destination.

 So, leaving my house at 7:30, I end up arriving at about 8:50.  That's right.  It takes me 1 1/2 to get to my college.  ONE WAY.  This means I'll be spending at least 3 hours a day traveling to and from college (or most days, I don't know if I'll have class every day).  I haven't got my schedule yet, or any information on classes at all really (the organization here is ridiculous) but god forbid I get scheduled with some nonsense like one class in the morning and one at night/late afternoon.  I will not let that happen hahaha.

Anyways, our first day was Monday and we were supposed to be there at 9.  Most of us got there a bit before 9 or around 9.  Nothing started until around 10.  That's Peru for ya.  That day was like an orientation day with presentations and stuff.  It was very pointless for us and here's why:

Along with the rotary students, there are many college exchange students from universities in other countries who recently arrived in Peru and will be studying at USIL and actually gaining credit and stuff.  So this day was more for them than for us.  The presentations covered topics such as culture shock, information about Lima, safety tips, tourist destinations in Peru, etc.  All of it was information was had already learned and already experienced.  It was good info for these new students who had just arrived, but for us (having been in Peru 7 months already) it was a waste of time.

When we were released (after about 5 hours of repetitive information and lots of wasted time) me, Emilie, Connor (from Florida), and Ian (also from Wisconsin!) went and had lunch at this sandwich shop.  And I had a chicken sandwich and I was at the counter directing the dude what I wanted on it.  Here's the conversation translated to English:

Me: I'd like some aji* on that please.
Him: Are you sure?
Me: Yes.
Him: .....why don't you try it first.
Me: Okay.
Him: *hands me little plastic spoon of aji*
Me: *stupidly* sticks whole spoon in mouth.
Me: *dying from extremely spicy and hot aji*
Him: *laughing* *hands me cup of water*
Me: Oh my god.  Emilie, how red is my face?
Emilie: Like a tomato.

Aji* = spicy chili pepper that comes in many forms (salsa, powder, creams/sauces, etc) some versions are milder than others.

After that we went to Starbucks and did a little practice for our spanish test the next day.

Tuesday (yesterday) was our second day.  This day we would be taking a spanish test (written and oral).  We were, again, directed to arrive at 9.  I arrived about 20 minutes early (but only with a bit of luck, because I'd decided to take a different route that day to see if it was quicker) and at 9:00 on the dot, we were ushered into a classroom to take the test.  By we I mean the 7 of us out of 22 that had shown up by that point.  And so we were in this classroom taking the test (which was actually kind of challenging, I didn't know some stuff and I'm one of the few exchange students who was placed in the advanced spanish group when we arrived in Peru...so I had to imagine it was kind of difficult for those who had no spanish knowledge when they arrived).  And at about 15 minutes in, a group of about 7 other exchange students arrived at the door and the teacher was like "you're late" and they're like "we've been here since 9 but we didn't know which classroom to go to" and so she let them in.  And then about 20 minutes in some more came in, and about a half hour in, the last student came in.  And we only had until 10 so those that came in late didn't have enough time to finish the test.  I myself barely finished and I'd had the whole hour.  I think it was a little unfair/misleading of them to tell us one day to come at 9 but then keep us sitting around and not start until after 10, and then the next day say 9 and of course everyone thinks 'well yesterday they didn't start until late so if I'm a little late it'll be okay' but actually start at 9...anyways, that's how it went.  Then after the oral section of the test, we were allowed to go.

These last couple of days I've been very tired from having to get up at 6 AM to go to college and from spending 3+ hours a day on the bus, so last night I slept pretty hard and woke up today at around 10:30.  I ate breakfast, and today I am planning on doing laundry, finishing this blog post, aaaaaaand I don't know what else. 

Goodbyeeeee :)

Random Things

• It rained here today for the first time in months (I don't remember the last time I saw rain!)
• School began again for the majority of Lima's youth on Monday (here their summer break is mid-December to end of February) and I've been seeing lots of kids walking home from school in their uniforms.
• Now that it's summer, I see tons of cockroaches in the streets and sidewalks, and mostly at night.  They are so disgusting and huge.  I'd never seen one before coming to Lima.
• I have now been in 4 countries: USA, Peru, Chile, and Ecuador.
• In Ecuador they use the US dollar; and when I visited, I learned they use Sacajawea (not sure if I spelled that right) dollar coins and those big 50 cent pieces.
• I'm still learning jerga (slang)! 
• Tono = fiesta = party
• Gilear = coqueatear = to flirt
• Taffin = poser (that ones hard to explain...my friend explained it to me like this:  you see a guy wearing skate shoes, skate apparel, and carrying a skate board.  But he doesn't know how to skate.  That's 'taffin')
• Jato = casa = house
• Jatear = dormir = to sleep 
• Calet/caleta= secret
• I feel very mature because yesterday I went grocery shopping and to the bank.  At the bank I paid for my cell phone for the month.  Then I went and bought the following:
• Shampoo
• Soap
• Apple flavored iced tea
• Haribo gummy peaches
• A large package of cookies
• I don't know if I've ever mentioned this, but in Lima there is a very well-known (and very tourist/gringo filled) park called Parque Kennedy.  This park is known for being filled with cats.  Literally, there are just a ton of cats and kittens hanging around.  It's really cool.  I've been there a ton of times but have never brought my camera with.
• My host mom and host sister recently went on a trip to Pucallpa (a city in the jungle).  They brought back a suit case filled with jungle bananas.  We have been eating fried bananas everyday.  They're delicious.
• I started drawing again a few weeks ago (just before I went on my trip).  I finished my first drawing (I'm pretty proud of it):

Left: Photo I took.  Right:  Drawing of photo I took

Back in Limaaaa

So I am finally back from our Rotary trip to Northern Peru and Ecuador!  It was a good time with lots of heat and beaches.

We traveled to the following cities (and maybe others that I don't remember): Trujillo, Chiclayo, Tumbes, Guayaquil (Ecuador), Las Salinas (Ecuador), and Piura .

Enjoying the pool in our first hotel

We saw lots of ruins/archeological sites.  These tours were terrible with the heat and sun.

There were like tombs and from what I understood, when someone of royalty died (naturally) they killed his favorite servants and wives (and occasionally pets/animals) and placed them around him in the tomb so that he would have people to serve him in the next life.

Some artifacts in a museum

City plaza in Tumbes

Don't remember if this was in Ecuador or Peru...pretty place we took a boat ride, there were tons of birds.

On an island there was like...a crocodile reserve/farm/I don't really know hahaha

In Guayaquil, Ecuador

In this park/plaza in Guayaquil, there were tons of iguanas like this one.

A street in Guayaquil

I really liked Guayaquil; it was cleaner and better looking than Lima.  But I'm still happy to be in Lima.

And there was a spot in Guayaquil where they had some Galapagos tortoises (turtles) not exactly sure about the correct name haha

Came across dollar coins and 50 Cent coins.

In Ecuador they use American dollars (a fact that I knew deep down but for some reason it didn't get through my head that my peruvian soles would be useless there--I had little money to spend in Ecuador haha).  But with a few exceptions: the dollar coins in my picture above, I also got a 50 cent piece (really large) and some of the coins said Republica de Ecuador on them.  In Ecuador prices were cheaper than in the United States, but more expensive than in Peru.  Go Peru!!

Here was a nice beach we visited in Ecuador

At this beach, a bunch of people got cuts from like, we don't really know what they were, little sharp fish? haha there were also jellyfish and some people stepped on urchins and stuff like that. 

Add caption

Some of the students going on a banana boat

boat with the ecuadorian flag

Our last hotel was in a great location right by the beach!

The sky one evening at a previous hotel

Emilie and I at one of the many beach stops

Jump shots on the beach

And we visited an ostrich/emu farm at one point

Dead jellyfish on the beach.  Apparently sometimes they can still sting you after they're dead (thats what someone told me)

And I don't know what this was but it looked cool hahaha

At one particularly cloudy, boring day on the beach, some students had the idea to draw a large circle in the sand and have sumo wrestling matches. Hahahahaha so many people gathered around to watch, tons of Peruvians even!

So yeah, that was our trip!  My favorite parts: 

• I really liked visiting Guayaquil, it was a very nice city.  I guess I can't really fairly compare it to Lima because Lima is a capital city with a much larger population, but Guayaquil did seem nicer and cleaner.
• In our last hotel we were essentially ON the beach, so the two nights we stayed there we had bonfires and it was pretty nice.

We had a bit of bad luck on this trip.  Bad things that happened:

•  At one point we visited an ostrich/emu farm.  While we were inside the gates of this farm (which was just kind of out in the country, very little traffic on the road that passed by it) the tour bus was left outside, most of our belongings left inside it (because we had always been told we could leave our things on the bus, unless we were changing buses).  Anyways, when we got back, we were just about to pull out when we came to the realization that 3 backpacks were missing.  Everyone panicked and began checking their things, everyone was thinking 'The bus was broken into!' but wait a second, if the bus had been broken into, why would they have only taken 3 bags?  Also, the bus driver was in the front of the bus (sleeping, but still present haha)...so it hadn't been broken into...What seems to have happened is this:  Unfortunately, the students in the back row of seats (which were higher up than the rest of the seats, and were nearly level with the windows) had left a side window open.  Someone looking for some stuff to steal probably came by, and not only saw the open window but saw three backpacks sitting in plain sight on the seat, just within reachable distance.  And so that is how those three students lost their cell phones, all their money, and for two of them, their passports.
• One student received a phone call one morning with news that her mother, who had been fighting with cancer for over a year, had passed away.  She will return to her home country today.
• One day on the beach, some play-fighting (aka a large boy attempting to push/throw a girl into the water) resulted in a broken foot.
• Lots of people got sick.  I was stomach sick for just a day.  Many people got diarrhea or were throwing up at some point during the trip.

I think that's all the major bad stuff haha.

So we got back to Lima at night on the 28th.  Last night I had dinner with my friend Andre and we went to Papa Johns, where our friend Eduardo works.  It was so great, this picture makes me laugh so hard.

And this morning I woke up and went to take my clothes out of the washer to hang them up to dry to find that a red t-shirt has left various red and pink splotches and stains on several articles of my clothing, including one of my nicer and better fitting pairs of jeans.  What a bummer :(