Pedro y el Lobo

Where to start?  Last night didn't turn out exactly as planned, but it was still fun.  Unfortunately the nights are so long so today definitely called for a nap.  :)  The night started at a little cafe called Cafe Z (pronounced Cafe Zeta).  It's the usual little cafe..obviously there was cafe (coffee), but also tea, sandwiches, breakfast, cookies,... and tragos (shots)?  Okay, well maybe it wasn't the usually cafe, but it had character.  So another girl and I started out the night there at 8 p.m. and I don't drink coffee, but I thought I would give it a go.  Yep..still not a coffee person, but that's okay, I'd rather not be addicted to coffee anyway.  I tried the Moka (Mocha), the mix of coffee and chocolate was just not right.  I did however try the other girl's Cafe Hawai and it was great, so maybe I'll probably try that next time I go.  Apparently coffee and chocolate isn't right for me, but coffee and coco (coconut) is?  Que extraño!  Anyway, guess how long we were there for?  Nope, longer...no, 3 hours!  We were just relaxing there on the patio waiting for everyone to meet up.  Apparently some of us gringos are learning what Peruvian time is. :)  Our "guide"/new Peruvian friend, Indira, and her friend Daniel came out, too.  They both attend PUCP also and obviously we get to practice our Spanish with them!  It's the perfect match!  They lead us to a pretty popular discoteca, but there was a huge line and past a certain time you have to pay a cover so we decided to go to a different one.  It was a pretty small discoteca, but was still fun.  Obviously I got tired as the night went on, but it's safer to leave when everyone else leaves rather than leaving alone, so you just have to stick the night out (hence starting the night with coffee).  After some dancing and a trip to McDonald's (the McNuggets taste the same) I arrived home at around 4:30 a.m.  I don't know about you, but that is a late night for me.  It's crazy though, on the way home there were still SEVERAL people out and about. 

Me with 3 other CIEE students (Tonisha, Steven, & Jacey)
& our new friends Indy and Daniel

Moving on to today.  Today was pretty long and eventful as well.  I started the morning out going to see Pedro y el Lobo (Peter and the Wolf) at El Museo de la Nacion.  I didn't get to see any of the actual museum, but that's okay because I am going there with the program at some point in time.  I went with my host mom as well as her daughter (Vanessa), her daughter's husband (Melvin, the CIEE Resident director), and her two grandchildren, Tomas y Paula.  Pedro y el Lobo, for those of you who don't is a children's story written and composed by Sergei Prokofiev.  It consists of a narrador and an orchestra.  Each caracter in the story is represented by a different instrument, like the bird is a flute.  It was pretty enjoyable and the music was wonderful.  Also, the orchestra was the Orquesta Sinfonica Nacional Juvenil, which means the National Youth Symphony Orchestra so it was a bunch of talented high school and college students!

After the concert, I went to el campo of Peru.  Which is still a part of Lima, but it is closer to the mountatins and there's sun!!!!  I was so excited!  I like Lima, but if I ever actually lived here I would without a doubt live in the outskirts of the city.  Everything is just so much better when the sun is out.  I felt like it was summer again.  I met several family members and we relaxed on the patio just eating and talking.  The whole visit was actually much needed.  Although it wasn't my family, it was still nice to visit, laugh, and sit in the sun.  I have realized though that children and the elderly are hard to understand in Spanish. :)  After the great family gathering, I successfully took a much needed nap and just relaxed the rest of the day.

I start classes tomorrow and let's just say I'm excited about them but at the same time I am NOT ready for school/homework at all!!  It is way too early to be starting school, but it's okay because I'm ready to take on tomorrow at full speed!  Wish me luck!  Buenas noches!!

*Sidenote:  I just read through this again and noticed some mispellings in English (but not in Spanish).  I was going to change them (y, narrador, caracter) to English, but then I thought they added character.  Plus, it has to be a good sign that I am halfway thinking in Spanish, right?