Week 12

Easter was this past Sunday but it didn't feel like it. I was really wishing to be home because they don't celebrate Easter like we do and with my host family they don't do anything special. So I really missed spending Easter with my mom this year (but its okay because she bought me a chocolate bunny for when I come home). On Monday a few of us wanted to go to Parque de Aguas ( a cool water and light show) and it was only after we took a cab all the way out there that we realized they are closed on Mondays. So we went to the KFC down the street instead (which I was very much okay with). And the rest of the week was filled with class as usual. But ever since the fall semester has started here there have been so many people on campus (and I thought there were a lot in the summer!) I have to get used to going on campus all over again because now there are many more people that stare as we walk across campus. Anyway, I am very excited for this weekend because this Saturday is World Autism Awareness Day were people all over will be lighting it up blue for autism awareness! So I started searching online to see if I could find a light it up blue event in Lima that I could go to. I found an organization called Soy Autista y Que and they raise awareness for autism and will be having a Luz Azul event at Parque de Aguas this Saturday! I am also excited to say that we will be going to the Amazon in two weeks! We have bought our plane tickets, figured out what tours we will be doing and I am ready to go on another adventure.

I only have one picture this week. UPC before the fall semester started (much better, less people)

Week 11

Not a whole lot happened this past week so this will be a fairly short post. On St. Patrick's day instead of having class we all met up in Central Lima to watch the changing of the guards in the Plaza de Armas. After a very hot, slightly scary, hour and a half taxi ride, we missed the changing of the guard due to all of the traffic that day. So we decided to just walk around the Plaza and found china town. Some of the group stopped to eat Chinese food while the rest of us found some much needed ice cream instead. The next day I woke up and we didn't have any water in our house. And according the my host mom neither did the rest of the neighborhood. They were told it would come back on a four that afternoon. But it didn't, and it didn't come back on Saturday either. Even though I felt gross from not being able to shower I knew I needed to get out of the house for a little while, so I decided to go to the movies with a couple of the girls. Danielle and Ahnika were already at the theater so Shelby and I met up at UPC to take the bus. We asked the driver if he was going where we needed to go and he said yes so we got on. A little while later he took a turn and started to go in the opposite direction of the theater. After panicking for a minute we decided to stay on and see if he would start to make his way around in the right direction. He didn't, he also didn't ever stop to let people off, so we started to get a little irritated. By the time we were able to get off we had managed to make it all the way to Miraflores. And we actually ran into Yurina (what are the odds of that?). Anyway we found a theater in Miraflores and watched our movie there instead and then headed home (needless to say we took a taxi back). It was about one in the morning when I got home and I checked one last time to see if the water had come back on and it finally did! (so of course I took a shower at 1:30 a.m.)  And the rest of the week was filled with lots of sleeping, Netflix, and class. But I am happy to say we are officially going to the Amazon! I bought my tickets for Iquitos and we leave April 13th!

And I only have a few pictures for this week.

China town

 It was very crowded 

 We found lots of puppies in Central Lima :)

Week 10

Wow, I can't believe that I've already been here for 10 weeks. It still feels like I just got here 2 weeks ago. Anyway, I'm going to be honest, after going to Machu Picchu last weekend this weekend was pretty boring. I didn't mind it that much though, it was nice to not have to worry about anything and just relax for awhile. Not a whole lot happen last week so I'll start with Saturday. Instead of having class on Thursday we all went to Central Lima to go to Las Brisas del Titicaca. It was sorta like a lunch and show thing. We were there for four hours in a building with no air conditioning. That part wasn't so much fun but our lunch was pretty good and they played traditional Peruvian music. After we were done eating is when they started the dances. They were so cool to watch, each dance was different, with different clothing and music each from a different part of Peru. In between dances they played music and allowed people to just go up and dance, it was a lot of fun. After the show I went home and relaxed for the rest of the night. On Tuesday night Ahnika and I went to Miraflores to hang out with Danielle and her mom for a while. We found a sandwich shop that is said to have the best milkshakes in Lima (for the record they were amazing and so were their cheeseburgers). Then we went to, one of the many, casinos in Lima (but didn't stay for too long since none of us really knew what we were doing).  After that we wandered around for a bit and went to my favorite place, the cat park, before heading back home. On Wednesday we got the opportunity to visit an elementary school and play games with some of the kids. The school was in a community that was formed by people who are from the Amazon. They didn't have a whole lot but the kids were so happy and sweet. Most of my time was spent giving piggy back rides and running around outside with all the kids. Needless to say I was exhausted after our short visit. Though I wish we would've had more time I had a lot of fun and those kids made my day so I'd say it was a pretty good week!

Machu Picchu

This weekend we got a chance to see one of the seven wonders of the world. We started off early in the morning on Friday for our flight to Cusco. When we landed we explored Cusco and visited a beautiful Cathedral. The next day we took a two hour bus ride to a train which took us another two hours to a town called Aguas Calientes and the ride there was absolutely gorgeous, it still amazes me how beautiful this country is. Anyway the town that we went to is at the bottom of Machu Picchu. We then took another 30 minute bus ride up the mountain to get to Machu Picchu. The view was incredible. I can't even put into words how beautiful it is there. I've seen so many pictures of it but actually being there and seeing it with my own eyes felt unreal. I cannot wait until the day I can go back and climb to the top. On Sunday we went to a couple of smaller towns around Cusco, saw more of the country side, and did some shopping. And then sadly on Monday we had to leave Cusco to go back to the much hotter and much larger city of Lima and get back to classes. But I won't stay sad for too long because I know some day I will find my way back. And I know that this blog post may be a little short for it being about one of the best places I will go to while I am here but I figure my pictures will do it better justice.  

Halfway

Exactly two months from now my time in Peru will be over. I can't decide whether I am excited or disappointed by that. We have been here for almost two months now and it feels like I just got here. It won't be long before I have to go back home but I feel like I need more time here. As much as I am ready to be in a familiar place again I don't want to leave so soon. I need more time to practice speaking Spanish, more time to learn the language, and more time to explore this beautiful country and the ones surrounding it. And as much as I would love to come back speaking fluently in Spanish that just won't happen with the time I get here. So I am making the most of the time I have here and trying to learn as much as I can, though right now it feels like I have not improved at all. But even though I won't come back speaking perfect Spanish I have gained so many other experiences just in the two months that I have been here. Living in a city of 8 million people, traveling without my family, and being away from home for so long have all been huge adjustments for me but they are helping me become so much more independent. So I won't be disappointed that I won't come home fluent in Spanish because my time here was not wasted. I have enjoyed my time here and although some days I feel like I am ready to come home I know that when I finally do go home I will wish I could have stayed longer. Anyway this past weekend wasn't very eventful, celebrated Ahnika's birthday, went to the cat park and bought a book. But this weekend we will be very busy because tomorrow we leave for Cusco to go see Machu Picchu!