adventures

well a few days ago we went to Miraflores and went to what I considered a boardwalk/plaza type thing. Miraflores is on the coast and is considered one of the nicest districts of lima-- there's tons of old, beautiful houses and buildings. I didn't bring my camera which was the dumbest decision ever because once it got dark, the coast of lima lit up with all the lights on the buildings and it was sooo beautiful against the ocean.

We also went to the center of lima, maybe the next day i dont remember, and it was super cool.  the center of lima is where the government building is (where the president lives) and its really cool. theres also tons of spots to get food and buy peruvian stuff like bags, sweaters, panpipes, etc lol. We walked around all afternoon, checking out little shops and admiring alpaca wool sweaters.  here's some pics from our afternoon in the center of lima:

my awesome host sister and I

a cool guy who was doing caricatures and portraits

all lit up at night

Eating picarones with my host mom! Picarones are kind of like doughnuts

tried on an alpaca wool sweater=love at first sight.  would have bought it but i havent been able to use an ATM yet

the woman at the stand making the picarones

this is a map of lima with all the districts.  i live in san isidro (yellow) but more at the top, very close to san borja.  miraflores (on the coast) is a popular meeting spot

today I went to the super market with my host dad and my host sister.  something different in the super markets here is that occasionally there is a person promoting a specific brand, for example, Pampers, wearing clothes that promote the brand and holding the item while they stand in the aisle where it resides. after we bought a ton of groceries, I thought we were returning home, but instead we stopped at a small market at the side of the road, and I will try to explain it in as much detail as possible.

There were crates and baskets of fruits and vegetables stacked on the sidewalks, a woman chopping bloodied chickens with a cleaver at a counter while dozens of plucked, naked chickens hung above her, a surprising amount of illegally copied DVDs available for purchase, what appeared to be a sleeping/dying stray dog lying on the sidewalk next to the fruit, and a sickening odor that only intensified my fear of food poisoning.

After we left, we returned home.  I never know what we are going to be doing in advance here--I was sitting on the couch and my sister was like "come on" and i was like "we're leaving?" and she was like "yeah they're down, waiting in the car" and I was like "oh" and so we went and ate lunch at a sketchy, hole-in-the-wall restaurant, and I didn't bring my camera because i thought we were just going to eat, but then me, my host mom, and my older twin host brothers Jim and Bruno went to a park in Lima that has tons of fountains and water displays.  Its called Parque de las Aguas .  and at first it seemed kind of dinky and not what I expected, but once it got dark, they turned the lights on and the fountains seemed to spray rainbow colored water, and there was also a projected light show in one of the bigger fountains which was quite cool, and I was kicking myself the whole time for not having my camera.  and now Im at home!

also something funny is that chicken and rice is a very common meal here. ive eaten chicken and rice almost every day in my week here.

well I' m going to go!!  I start school tomorrow so I'll soon post about that.  bye!

Hello!

Here's some differences I've noticed in Lima, Peru:

• Shoes are worn inside the house (the floors get pretty dirty)
• Different meal times
• Lunch is the bigger meal of the day and is eaten at around 2 or 3
• Supper is eaten quite late, at around 8 or 9

• No drinking from the tap: the water isn't safe
• People drink soda and bottled water

• Pedestrians do not have the right of way
• You have to be very careful crossing the street; people drive fast and crazy and everyone honks a lot.

• Lunch isn't served at school
• At least, not at my school.  There are snacks available for purchase, but lunch is eaten when you get home, at about 3 
• Houses are small and compact
•  Most people don't have yards of any kind, some have small courtyards
• Different transportation
• Lots of taxis
• Micros are buses. You can wave them down I think...and hop on when they are stopped.  Lots of people can be jammed inside.
• Condiments typically come in bags
• Milk comes in bags or boxes (from what I've seen)
• Tons of advertisements everywhere (especially along the highway, ENORMOUS signs, specifically for Coca Cola)
• Inca Kola is just as popular as Coca Cola:  its a yellow soda that kind of tastes like bubble gum.  its very popular here.

There's probably 7 thousand more but I'm tired so I'm done now =)

an update

Alright so i've been in Lima for about 2 days! (this is my second)

Let me think... I'm going to have a hard time remembering all I've done (my memory's bad)

We went to the super market yesterday and picked up some groceries.  When we returned, I'm not quite sure what I did, probably went on my computer for a little bit, watched TV maybe (they like That 70's Show, which is awesome).  Then my host mom and I went to a birthday party of her cousin or something...not quite sure, I think they were related haha and I was super tired so I was like sitting in an arm chair and I actually fell asleep. Then we went home and I was really tired so at about 8 PM or so I showered, brushed my teeth and started getting ready to go to bed.  Just as I was about to curl up on the couch, my host mom was like "come on, we're going to get something to eat!"  because apparently dinner is served significantly later here, like 8 or 9 PM.  So we went out and ended up at a Chinese restaurant ( they call it Chifa -- peruvian chinese food).  Well, I hadn't been  feeling very well since I arrived (stomach ache, and I just dont feel hungry at all, occasionally nauseous), so I didn't really eat anything, my, host mom just ordered me a hot tea.  My host family was kind of concerned about how little I had eaten in the day and a half I'd been here but I just didn't feel like eating, and the smell of the food in that restaurant made me nauseous.  Well the food came and the tea did not, so my older host brother called over the waiter and reminded him about the tea.  (the waiter also brought more food than we actually ordered so we went home quite a bit of leftovers) . The waiter said he didn't hear us order a tea but gave us the impression he would get it.  My host family finished eating and we waited for the waiter to return with the tea and the check.   We waited for a while (it was pretty busy) and when he finally came with the check, he did not have the tea.  And my host mom was like "you forgot the tea, she can't eat and all she ordered was tea" and he didn't even reply hahaha my host mom was kind of mad he didn't even say sorry or anything.  So they didn't tip him very much hahaha.  So that was an interesting experience.

Then we went home (I was so exhausted at this point) and my host mom made me a tea but it didn't help much, and I went to bed.  so I didnt end up in bed until about midnight and I was kinda annoyed because I began spanish classes the next morning, but it was ok.

The classes began at 9 the next morning.  I got up and still felt sick so I turned away the sandwich my mom offered (I felt bad but I seriously was going to throw up if I ate that, or at least thats what it felt like haha) and I had tea but it didn't help much.  I looked at the clock and saw it was about 5 minutes to 9, which was concerning because it takes a while to get to places in lima because its so big!!  So we left at about 9 and arrived a little late but it was fine (WE TOOK A TAXI.  kinda scary. no seatbelts in most, which is apparently normal here, it seems like most people dont even wear them), I arrived just as all the exchange students were going into the classroom, and a few arrived even later than me.  After we all introduced ourselves, we were split into groups (when we applied for exchange, we indicated our level of competency in spanish-- does that sentence make sense?? idk) I was in the most advanced group with 3 others, 2 of which had lived in Spain so yeah... haha.  Anyways, our teacher never showed up so we ended up in the group below us.  Not much learning was done hahaha we did have a teacher, but she was young, and also a few peruvian students who are outbounds (they live in peru and will be leaving for exchange in other countries within weeks) helped teach us.  We had a break, everyone had a chance to kind of get to know eachother, and we finished at 1. 

Then my host mom and I walked directly to the grocery store and picked up some things for dinner. then we walked home.  she showed me the route I will walk home after school.  It's kind of a long walk, like probably more than 6 blocks, and its scary because theres always a lot of traffic and people. 

At home, I uploaded some photos to facebook, and then we had lunch.  I am FINALLY feeling a bit better and I could actually eat some things.  Chicken, rice, green beans, and corn.  It was a good lunch.  We ate at about 3, a bit later than in the US.  I'
ve noticed here that even if you say you're not hungry, people will still give you food.  And I try to choke it down even if I hate it haha.

 Here are some pics.  The one below is taken from my bedroom window. That's the view from my house.

 

Below are just a few of the many balloons I was presented with at the airport and me with my host sister and mom.

 

They're big on security here.  Barbed wire and broken glass bottles cemented on top of the concrete fence.

Me by the street by the house

Inca Kola is a popular soda here.  Above is a stand featuring Inca Kola (people stand in these and direct traffic apparently)

Large buildings all over Lima

Condiments in bags. Some in plastic bottles like back home

In the supermarket, fish for sale sit on ice

Many kinds of bread available

We began our spanish class today!  Above are other exchange students waiting to begin

This was hilarious.  We had to write a word or phrase we didn't know how to say and someone else had to translate it (or attempt to translate it)  The result was this:  A girl named Brooke wrote "giving birth in taxi" (I have no idea why she wrote that, it was getting kind of crazy in there haha) and the girl that tried to translate it wrote "to make a baby in a taxi" instead of 'to have a baby in a taxi"hahaha it was so funny and she was embarrassed.  I laughed so hard and just HAD to take a picture.

A group of exchange students!  Everyone is so great.  From left:  Moritz (Germany), Erika (Finland), Emilie (Denmark -- she's in my club and school), Sascha (Denmark), Felisa (Germany)

Felisa and Benjamin (both from Germany)

Benjamin (Germany), Simon (France), and Felisa (Germany).  Simon is extremely tall.

Okay so I think thats pretty much it.  I hope youre enjoying reading!  I have spanish class again tomorrow (through saturday I think, but I like it because I get to spend time with the other exchange students).  Byeee!

PS:  a lot of the words in spanish are different here (like, different from what ive learned in the US in spanish class)  specifically clothing. 

in english--->what i learned in US----> what it is here

Shirt---> Camisa ---> Polo
Light/lightbulb ---> bombilla ---> foco

Also my family points out things and teaches me vocabulary but I pretty much immediately forget the words haha.

i'm hereee

ok I dont want to be rude by spending a lot of time on my laptop so I'll try to make this quick.

Flights were good, felt a little sick during them though.  And during each descent my ears hurt so bad, even though I was chewing gum.  The first plane was cramped and super ghetto.  The second one was better, it had little TVs so you could watch movies or listen to music. And I sat by a 22 year old german girl going to study in Lima at the university.  Had pasta for dinner, and it was surprisingly edible. 

Arrived in the lima airport at about 11 PM and met a huge group of rotary members, family, students, tons of balloons and signs, and a stuffed animal (hippopotamus). 

After many photos, we left and me, my host mom, and my host sister Grace were dropped off at home about a half hour or so away.  They live like in an apartment kind of... its really hard to explain.  Its more like several levels of houses, and they live on like the third level. 

Something that was super funny was right as we walked in, I saw one of my host brothers, Jim, sitting with his laptop playing league of legends.  It was so hilarious to me because that's exactly like my real brother. 

Anywho, right away we left to go visit a birthday party of one of my host mom's friends down the street.  We only stayed for like a half hour or so.  By this point I was exhausted and feeling kind of sick, so we left and I attempted to unpack.  then I sleep.

This morning I woke up very sad. Its strange because I am soo happy to be here and dont want to leave, but at the same time I feel quite homesick.  And then just as I was getting up I got a nosebleed.  My host mom was quite concerned haha, I guess that doesn't really happen here...?  She called a rotarian member who was a doctor even though I explained that it happens occasionally and it would stop in a few minutes. 

Then we had breakfast.  orange juice and they had bread, ham, cheese (so essentially sandwiches haha) and I had bread with manjar (like a thick caramel).  My stomach has felt upset since I arrived, and I don't feel hungry at all even though I didn't eat much yesterday.  I hope this sick feeling goes away soon. 

And I gave my family their gifts (they were all quite impressed with the hat I knit for Grace haha) and now they we are watching a movie although I'm not quite sure what it is.

The spanish isnt terrible, a bit difficult to understand, but manageable.  And my host family is quite patient and understanding and they know a little english. 

Lima is very dirty.  That is the first thing I noticed.  Bags of trash lying on the sidewalks, garbage littering the streets, stray dogs roaming.  And on the drive home I literally saw a man toss a bag of trash out his apartment window onto the street below.  It's kind of a scary place from what I've seen so far haha, lots of graffitti but also some nice murals, interesting trees and plants, and huge, old buildings. 

Well I should go now.  Pictures later.

Leaving Tomorrow

I don't really feel nervous.  Maybe a little jittery and hyper, but mostly I'm just feeling tons of anticipation.  I have everything packed and ready to go (one checked bag, one duffel to carry-on, and my backpack as a personal item).  I'm not worried about arriving in Peru or meeting my family.  At this point I'm more concerned about getting through the airport.  I'm worried something will be wrong with my bags or that I lose something important.  But I won't be alone for any leg of my journey, because I will be accompanied by Laura, plus meeting several others in Atlanta.  I'm just really, really looking forward to starting my adventure.

My next post will either come from in the airport, or from Peru (probably the latter). I'll probably be pretty busy my first few weeks but I'll try to post often.  I'll have Spanish classes starting 2 days after I arrive and I'll begin school in the beginning of August. 

Pictures to come soon, hopefully!

-Ginger

HOURS TO PERU:  13 (well, technically that's how many hours until we depart for the airport)

Ⓛⓔⓐⓥⓘⓝⓖ Ⓢⓞⓞⓝ

I practice-packed yesterday!  I am going to be checking one large suitcase, and hopefully only carrying on a backpack.  However, the weight of my bag was slightly concerning haha

First Weighing:  47.3 lbs
Second Weighing:  47.1 lbs

The max weight for checked bags through Delta is 50 lbs, so I was alarmingly close to the max.  And I had a few small things to add in yet.  Plus I wanted to bring quite a bit of candy to give away to my classmates and friends and I'm thinking that that might put me over the max 50 lbs.  Hopefully I'll stay underweight.  If not, there are a few items I could consider removing from my packing list/shoving into my backpack.

Well, after a slight incident in miscommunication, my flights have been confirmed! My first flight leaves Minneapolis at 10:25 AM.  Here is a tentative schedule:

3:45 AM:  Wake up and shower
4:15 AM:  Eat something (if my stomach will allow it) and get ready
5:15 AM:  Load up stuff and depart Rice Lake for Minneapolis
7:45 AM: Arrive at airport
7:50 AM: Check in, check bags
 *This is where it gets sketchy because I don't actually have any idea what will happen after this point*
8:00 AM: More confusing airport stuff/security/waiting
10:25 AM:  Depart Minneapolis
*flying*
1:50 PM:  Arrive in Atlanta
2:10 PM:  Meet Lara (from North Carolina) and Connor (from Florida) in Atlanta yaaayy
*more airport stuff I don't understand*
*waiting at gate or something*
5:10 PM: Depart Atlanta
*flying*
10:45 PM:  Arrive in Lima
10:55 PM:  Get bag(s)
*not quite sure here/immigration stuff maybe? idk*
11:10 PM:  Meet familyyyy
11:15 PM:  Drive to San Isidro, Lima
12:30 PM:  Sleep for 14 hours

I quite enjoyed making that itinerary. 

Also, I got my yellow fever vaccine yesterday.  I had planned on getting it in Peru, but then I discovered that we are supposed to get it before we arrive.  So we hurriedly made an appointment in one of the closest places that actually have the yellow fever vaccine (one hour away).  After I got the shot, I had to wait a little while to make sure I wasn't one of the one in 55,000 that have a severe allergic reaction.  I was not. 

I"M LEAVING SOON.  I'M VERY EXCITED TO ARRIVE, MEET MY FAMILY AND ALL THE EXCHANGE STUDENTS, AND GO TO MY SCHOOL.

-Ginger

Days to Peru: 9

Tres Semanas

I don't really have a purpose for this post, other than to say how quickly the days are passing now. When I had a lot of time left, like 6 months ago, it seemed like this month would never get here and everything was going sooo slowly.  But now I'm finally here and in 3 weeks I'll be flying to Lima.  I don't mean to offend my family and act like I just can't wait to get out of here, but I have been waiting for this for a good two years now and I can't wait to be in Peru.  I have 2 more shifts of work, a short camping trip with my family and grandparents, and then about a week after that I'll be off.

Still waiting on my plane tickets-- my travel agent is on vacation but hopefully I'll hear back from her tomorrow.

Oh and also, my grandparents were looking to support a child through a program (I don't really know how it works, they send money every so often for food/school supplies or something). Anyways, they decided upon Yampier from Peru.  He lives in the northern Sierra, much closer to Ecuador than to Lima.

He wrote "I want to tell you that I like to play soccer and also I like to paint"

And this was just a nice sunset from the 4th of July I thought I'd throw in there haha

-Ginger

DAYS TO PERU: 20