For those of you who know Spanish, you know what the title of this blog is and you know that I have una pregunta para ustedes (a question for you all). What is this question you might ask? The question is this... What should I do with this blog once I am back in the states? I have been thinking about this a lot lately. I purposely titled this blog "Don't Miss Out" rather than something to do with Peru because I knew there would be a possibility that I would keep writing this blog after my semester was over. Well now that my time here is almost up and I have to figure out where this blog is going. And that's where you come in!
I would say that I have an average of 20 readers a day, so I would like it if at least half of you commented on this blog post with your opinions. That means I should have 10 comments within the next couple of days. :) So here are all my questions for you. You obviously don't have to answer all of them one by one, but please tell me your opinion.
Where do you see this blog going?
Would you like it to end?
If you don't want it to end, what should I write about?
Should I continue trying to post everyday or should I do it once/twice a week or should I only do it when something semi-exciting happens?
Do you feel like you have benefited by reading my blog?
I have really enjoyed writing this blog and I hope you have enjoyed reading it just as much, but like I said, I just need some guidance from you all on where this blog should go. Thank you in advance for your comments. :)
Tuesday, November 29, 2011
La Cena Final
Today, was a day with a couple of "lasts," but it still went really well, starting with my last ballet class. Like I've said before, I am so happy that I have been able to take ballet this semester! It's been a really fun class and I like everyone in the class. Well, for memory purposes, I asked the class to take a picture with me. Everybody wasn't in class today so the picture isn't complete, but it's still a good memory. Also, our instructor made us do this silly pose so we were all laughing about that. :)
Anyway, my next 'last' was seeing the nice older man in the library. It was the last time I'll be in there to check out and return books. :( Sad day, but not really, because I don't like the library system at PUCP, but the librarian was also pleasant. :) Anyway, since I didn't have Cine today, I went home really early and I got off in Parque Kennedy mostly because I had a few errands to run. The first being to take a picture of the Christmas tree that is FINALLY up. It took over a week to get it up, but it's finally up. I saw it tonight again all lit up, but I haven't been able to snap a night shot yet, but here's the day picture. :)
Anyway, then I had to recharge my cell phone with minutes (this is something I won't miss). Everytime you run out of minutes you have to go to a pharmarcy or some places on the street do it, in order to put minutes on your phone. Then, I had to go to the store to pick up something for class tomorrow because we're having fun discussion in Living and Learning with snacks. I got animal crackers because they were super cheap and you can never go wrong with crackers that are shaped like animals. :) My last errand (which actually didn't get done) was to find a place to change the battery in my watch. The battery died in my watch earlier this morning and I really didn't realize how much I've been using my watch until it's not there. I look down at the time and it's just a blank screen. It throws me off a little, so I'm definitely taking care of that before I leave for my last trip on Thursday morning.
I had an interesting afternoon. I had planned on spending it writing my Peruvian Social Reality paper, but I found out we don't have to write the paper anymore. Had I been in class yesterday, I would've known this. I'm just glad that I didn't write it all and then find that out. :) We still have to turn in an outline and do a presentation, but that's so much easier. :) Tonisha and I are going to work on it tomorrow night, because obviously I didn't work on the presentation/outline this afternoon. Why would I do that? I still have a whole day to procrastinate. :) So what did I do instead this afternoon? I started packing for this coming week and for home. Surprisingly, my suitcase is already half full just with souvenirs. Whoops. I have a plan for coming back/packing though. We'll see if it works. Also, I should tell you that I did finish my cine paper! Six pages. I'd say that's a pretty good micro-analysis of the movie. :) I still have to revise it, but I'm just glad it's all written.
Anyway, tonight was the final dinner with just the CIEE students and our two directors. Tomorrow night we have a cocktail with all the host families as well, but tonight it was just us. We went to La Bistecca, which was a very nice buffet-style restaurant. The food was delicious. My main dish was surprisingly not lomo saltado, but pasta with huancaina sauce..yum. AND they had a chocolate fountain! It was delicious food and the company of all the students that I have come to be great friends with was amazing! I then walked home with Jacey and Steven. It was a fairly far walk, but since it was us three together, it seemed to go fast. Plus, I felt pretty good about walking after all the food I devoured at the restaurant. :)
My day was pretty good and it was amazing outside today, too! The weather is gorgeous! Even though I missed out on some U.S. summer, I'm excited that I'm getting to experience some of the Peruvian summer, rather than always just seeing the clouds here.
Also, one more day left for voting for ILS! We're still at #23, so I think that a miracle would need to happen tomorrow for us to get in the top 15, but I still hope that you vote and share tomorrow! Thanks to those of you who have been voting everyday! I really appreciate it! :)
VOTE at http://www.refresheverything.com/illinoisleadershipseminars and TEXT 109528 to 73774!!!!
Finally, it's Music Martes! Today's song is Pa'Romper la Discoteca (To break the discoteca) by Farruko feat. Daddy Yankee y Yomo.
Buenas noches y dulces sueños!
I had an interesting afternoon. I had planned on spending it writing my Peruvian Social Reality paper, but I found out we don't have to write the paper anymore. Had I been in class yesterday, I would've known this. I'm just glad that I didn't write it all and then find that out. :) We still have to turn in an outline and do a presentation, but that's so much easier. :) Tonisha and I are going to work on it tomorrow night, because obviously I didn't work on the presentation/outline this afternoon. Why would I do that? I still have a whole day to procrastinate. :) So what did I do instead this afternoon? I started packing for this coming week and for home. Surprisingly, my suitcase is already half full just with souvenirs. Whoops. I have a plan for coming back/packing though. We'll see if it works. Also, I should tell you that I did finish my cine paper! Six pages. I'd say that's a pretty good micro-analysis of the movie. :) I still have to revise it, but I'm just glad it's all written.
Anyway, tonight was the final dinner with just the CIEE students and our two directors. Tomorrow night we have a cocktail with all the host families as well, but tonight it was just us. We went to La Bistecca, which was a very nice buffet-style restaurant. The food was delicious. My main dish was surprisingly not lomo saltado, but pasta with huancaina sauce..yum. AND they had a chocolate fountain! It was delicious food and the company of all the students that I have come to be great friends with was amazing! I then walked home with Jacey and Steven. It was a fairly far walk, but since it was us three together, it seemed to go fast. Plus, I felt pretty good about walking after all the food I devoured at the restaurant. :)
My day was pretty good and it was amazing outside today, too! The weather is gorgeous! Even though I missed out on some U.S. summer, I'm excited that I'm getting to experience some of the Peruvian summer, rather than always just seeing the clouds here.
Also, one more day left for voting for ILS! We're still at #23, so I think that a miracle would need to happen tomorrow for us to get in the top 15, but I still hope that you vote and share tomorrow! Thanks to those of you who have been voting everyday! I really appreciate it! :)
VOTE at http://www.refresheverything.com/illinoisleadershipseminars and TEXT 109528 to 73774!!!!
Finally, it's Music Martes! Today's song is Pa'Romper la Discoteca (To break the discoteca) by Farruko feat. Daddy Yankee y Yomo.
Buenas noches y dulces sueños!
Monday, November 28, 2011
Hace 4 meses
So it's been four months today since I've been here and I now have less than two weeks left. July 28th seems like so far away, but at the same time, it feels like just yesterday that I got here. The time has flown and I know that these next two weeks are going to fly by as well.
Anyway, I did nothing today. I'm actually embarassed to tell you about my day, mostly because I missed class again today. The class starts at 10 a.m. and I woke up at 10:30 p.m. Normally, I wouldn't care about missing a class, but since I technically only have two classes left and also since I have to tell the whole world (a.k.a. you, my blog readers), I do care a little bit. Since, I was so angry with myself for missing class, I got to work right away on my Cine paper. I was determined to finish it today, so that the day wasn't a total waste. I spent several hours at Café Z working on my paper, drinking frozen de fresa, and chatting with Tonisha. It has been a very productive day, but also relaxing.
This blog is going to be really short considering I really didn't do much besides sit on the computer all day. Of course, I still haven't finished my paper because it's hard to write without distractions, especially when things like Facebook and StumbleUpon are right at your fingertips, but I am not going to bed without my paper being finished because I still have one more paper to write by Wednesday, so I don't have time to waste writing my cine paper tomorrow. I have a lot of other stuff to do, but I'll get it done...I mean, I have no other choice. :)
Also, last thing... ILS has two more days to get to the top 15 and we're still only at 23! We have a way to go, but with your help we can do it! Tell your friends and vote tomorrow and Wednesday!!!
VOTE at http://www.refresheverything.com/illinoisleadershipseminars and TEXT 109528 to 73774!!!!
Anyway, I did nothing today. I'm actually embarassed to tell you about my day, mostly because I missed class again today. The class starts at 10 a.m. and I woke up at 10:30 p.m. Normally, I wouldn't care about missing a class, but since I technically only have two classes left and also since I have to tell the whole world (a.k.a. you, my blog readers), I do care a little bit. Since, I was so angry with myself for missing class, I got to work right away on my Cine paper. I was determined to finish it today, so that the day wasn't a total waste. I spent several hours at Café Z working on my paper, drinking frozen de fresa, and chatting with Tonisha. It has been a very productive day, but also relaxing.
This blog is going to be really short considering I really didn't do much besides sit on the computer all day. Of course, I still haven't finished my paper because it's hard to write without distractions, especially when things like Facebook and StumbleUpon are right at your fingertips, but I am not going to bed without my paper being finished because I still have one more paper to write by Wednesday, so I don't have time to waste writing my cine paper tomorrow. I have a lot of other stuff to do, but I'll get it done...I mean, I have no other choice. :)
Also, last thing... ILS has two more days to get to the top 15 and we're still only at 23! We have a way to go, but with your help we can do it! Tell your friends and vote tomorrow and Wednesday!!!
VOTE at http://www.refresheverything.com/illinoisleadershipseminars and TEXT 109528 to 73774!!!!
Sunday, November 27, 2011
Falta dos semanas
So, today was my last Sunday with my host mom because next Sunday I will be in Arequipa and the Sunday after that I will be on my way home! That's crazy! Anyway, I got up this morning and started working on some homework, since I didn't finish my Ethnography paper last night. I did end up joining my host mom and her guests last night for two hours, so I didn't get the homework done that I wanted to, but I had a good time. I just sat in and listened as they spoke medicine, insurance, politics. Those subjects don't interest me too much, but I did still enjoy it and I was happy that I could keep up with the conversation even though they were complex subjects. One couple that was there goes to Chicago every single year for some conference because the husband is an oncologist. It was a nice night and great Spanish practice.
Anyway, this morning I tried finishing my paper but of course that's not all I was doing because I couldn't focus on just that, but I did get some done. I finally decided to listen to some Christmas music, too, Bing Crosby, of course. I had mixed feelings about listening to it because it just feels funny seeing summer outside of my window and listening to it. Anyway, after that then my host mom and I walked to San Antonio for lunch. It was beautiful out today. It's definitely summer now here in Peru. We sat down to eat and shared a salad, sandwich, and ice cream. :) We had nice conversation, too. We talked about me leaving, Christmas, summer, etc. Then, we walked back to the house and I finally finished my Ethnography paper. Two papers down, two to go in three days! Wish me luck. Anyway, after that Tonisha came over because she wanted to get out of her house and we both had homework to do. I actually get more done when she's here surprisingly. Although we do talk occasionally, when we're not talking we're both doing homework.
I then started my cine movie, Dioses, for the third time and while watching it, I googled "How to write a movie analysis." I actually found some pretty helpful sites so once this movie is over (because it's still playing - there's about 15 minutes left in it) I'm ready to start writing the movie analysis. We'll see how it goes for me. I've written a dance analysis before so I'm hoping that it's similar and that I can get everything out that I want to say.
I hope you all had fabulous weekends. I should probably get to writing some.
Also, please don't forget to vote for ILS! We finally moved down to 23, but we only have three days left to get to 15. I know that voting may not be that important to you, but I would really appreciate it if you did it for me. :) And I would appreciate it even more if you told all your friends and family about it! Thanks!!
VOTE at http://www.refresheverything.com/illinoisleadershipseminars
TEXT to 109528 to 73774!!!!
Anyway, this morning I tried finishing my paper but of course that's not all I was doing because I couldn't focus on just that, but I did get some done. I finally decided to listen to some Christmas music, too, Bing Crosby, of course. I had mixed feelings about listening to it because it just feels funny seeing summer outside of my window and listening to it. Anyway, after that then my host mom and I walked to San Antonio for lunch. It was beautiful out today. It's definitely summer now here in Peru. We sat down to eat and shared a salad, sandwich, and ice cream. :) We had nice conversation, too. We talked about me leaving, Christmas, summer, etc. Then, we walked back to the house and I finally finished my Ethnography paper. Two papers down, two to go in three days! Wish me luck. Anyway, after that Tonisha came over because she wanted to get out of her house and we both had homework to do. I actually get more done when she's here surprisingly. Although we do talk occasionally, when we're not talking we're both doing homework.
I then started my cine movie, Dioses, for the third time and while watching it, I googled "How to write a movie analysis." I actually found some pretty helpful sites so once this movie is over (because it's still playing - there's about 15 minutes left in it) I'm ready to start writing the movie analysis. We'll see how it goes for me. I've written a dance analysis before so I'm hoping that it's similar and that I can get everything out that I want to say.
I hope you all had fabulous weekends. I should probably get to writing some.
Also, please don't forget to vote for ILS! We finally moved down to 23, but we only have three days left to get to 15. I know that voting may not be that important to you, but I would really appreciate it if you did it for me. :) And I would appreciate it even more if you told all your friends and family about it! Thanks!!
VOTE at http://www.refresheverything.com/illinoisleadershipseminars
TEXT to 109528 to 73774!!!!
Saturday, November 26, 2011
Lobos marinos
Okay, so I'm going to put yesterday's and today's blog all in one post since not much happened yesterday anyway. :)
Starting with yesterday (Friday), I slept in later than I should have and then did absolutely nothing all day. Okay, now on to today. :) Just kidding, kind of. Yesterday I did sleep in, but I was fairly productive in the morning. I took a final assessment for my Living and Learning class and sent in that final paper. Then, I watched the movie, The Proposal, which is a good one. If you want a good romantic comedy I would suggest watching it. :) Then, I tried doing some homework and I was going to start and finish my Ethnography paper, but we both know that didn't happen. I think I got a sentence and a half written and then Tonisha came over and we watched the movie Dioses. Dioses is the movie that I watched in Cine on Tuesday and the movie that my final paper is on, so I'm sure I will watch it at least one more time this weekend so that I can write a good review. After that, Tonisha left and I laid down for bed and not soon after, I felt a tremor. This one was shorter than all the other ones I have felt here, but it was a little bit scarier because I was laying in my lofted bed thinking how would I even begin to get down if there was a strong earthquake that hit Lima. Luckily, I didn't have to find out what I would do though. :) So, of course, I had to look up the earthquake on the internet when I woke up this morning. I'm sure the Peruvians think nothing of it but I'm still not used to them so I like knowing where the tremors come from. It came from about 120 miles north of Lima and it was a 5.0 earthquake. Anyway, I went to sleep after that and then as soon as I knew it my Saturday was starting.
On la Isla San Lorenzo, there was a center for the Peruvian Navy as well as another house for the President. :) The ride to las Islas Palominos was pretty good. I've never been on a boat in the ocean before for a long period of time, so I took a Dramamine before for precautionary measures, but I still had a headache for the first part of the trip. We saw penguins and some jelly fish on the way to see the sea lions and when we got to the island everybody pointed out the sea lions. I looked at the water and I was so impressed by all the sea lions, then I looked up to the island and there, sitting on the island, were SOOO many more sea lions that were blending into the island's terrain!! Look!
Anyway, we stayed in the water for awhile and it was such a curiousity show. They were staring at us and we were staring at them. It was funny. We then boarded the boat and went around the island back to Callao. When we were on the boat, they gave us CocaCola/IncaKola and a bowl of chips and pretzels sticks. I'm pretty sure we ate about 5 or 6 bowls of snacks. Then, as we were pulling into the bay to get back on boat #1, they gave us a small glass of Pisco Sour, too. It was really nice. I'm glad they fed us because I was hungry. Anyway, after we got back on land, we headed back to Miraflroes and I took a short nap on the bus and since then, I have done nothing. Now, I REALLY have to start and finish my Ethnography paper and then maybe watch Dioses for the third time, so that I can watch that tomorrow. :) I hope you all had wonderful Saturdays. I can't believe my time here is winding down sooo fast! Soon enough, I will be back in Illinois/Wisconsin celebrathing Christmas. Yay!
So, I just had to take a break from writing this blog because my host mom hollered up to me saying that she needed my help. Guess what she needed? She needed me to make pickle roll-ups for her get-together she's having tonight! :) Haha, how fun is that? Anyway, now who knows if I'll get my paper done because I might have to join in on the fun! :)
Okay, now the usual vote for ILS! Please, vote! It's really not that hard nor does it take a lot of time out of your day! Thanks for the support!!
Vote online: http://www.refresheverything.com/illinoisleadershipseminars
Vote by texting: 109528 to 73774
Starting with yesterday (Friday), I slept in later than I should have and then did absolutely nothing all day. Okay, now on to today. :) Just kidding, kind of. Yesterday I did sleep in, but I was fairly productive in the morning. I took a final assessment for my Living and Learning class and sent in that final paper. Then, I watched the movie, The Proposal, which is a good one. If you want a good romantic comedy I would suggest watching it. :) Then, I tried doing some homework and I was going to start and finish my Ethnography paper, but we both know that didn't happen. I think I got a sentence and a half written and then Tonisha came over and we watched the movie Dioses. Dioses is the movie that I watched in Cine on Tuesday and the movie that my final paper is on, so I'm sure I will watch it at least one more time this weekend so that I can write a good review. After that, Tonisha left and I laid down for bed and not soon after, I felt a tremor. This one was shorter than all the other ones I have felt here, but it was a little bit scarier because I was laying in my lofted bed thinking how would I even begin to get down if there was a strong earthquake that hit Lima. Luckily, I didn't have to find out what I would do though. :) So, of course, I had to look up the earthquake on the internet when I woke up this morning. I'm sure the Peruvians think nothing of it but I'm still not used to them so I like knowing where the tremors come from. It came from about 120 miles north of Lima and it was a 5.0 earthquake. Anyway, I went to sleep after that and then as soon as I knew it my Saturday was starting.
So, moving onto today. :) I woke up early (well, early for a Saturday) and headed out to meet all the CIEE students for our last Cultural Activity. Today's activity? Swimming with sealions (lobos marinos, literally translated marine wolves). We took a bus to the port of Callao and boarded boat #1, which then took us to boat #2 called the Estrella (Star) and we headed out on our tour. We saw the islands of Callao.
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| La Isla San Lorenzo, la Isla El Frontón, la Isla Cavinzas y las Islas Palominos |
 |
| What you see at first glance |
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| What you see at second glance |
There were so many sea lions! It was crazy! And it smelled of a hog confinement, but more sea-y. The stench was horrible, but it didn't take too long to get used to. We put on our wetsuits (well, some of us had them and some of us didn't) and our lifejackets and jumped into the cold Pacific Ocean! And boy, was it cold. I had a wetsuit, but it didn't do too much good because it was way too big. I didn't even want to move in the water because everytime I did the water would go streaming inside my wetsuit. Brrr. But it was really fun! The sea lions wouldn't let us get too close because they would dive whenever we did, but one did pop up about three feet away from me and I may or may not have let out a small scream. It was fun!
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| See..the wetsuit is a tad big |
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| In the water with the sea lions. |
Anyway, we stayed in the water for awhile and it was such a curiousity show. They were staring at us and we were staring at them. It was funny. We then boarded the boat and went around the island back to Callao. When we were on the boat, they gave us CocaCola/IncaKola and a bowl of chips and pretzels sticks. I'm pretty sure we ate about 5 or 6 bowls of snacks. Then, as we were pulling into the bay to get back on boat #1, they gave us a small glass of Pisco Sour, too. It was really nice. I'm glad they fed us because I was hungry. Anyway, after we got back on land, we headed back to Miraflroes and I took a short nap on the bus and since then, I have done nothing. Now, I REALLY have to start and finish my Ethnography paper and then maybe watch Dioses for the third time, so that I can watch that tomorrow. :) I hope you all had wonderful Saturdays. I can't believe my time here is winding down sooo fast! Soon enough, I will be back in Illinois/Wisconsin celebrathing Christmas. Yay!
So, I just had to take a break from writing this blog because my host mom hollered up to me saying that she needed my help. Guess what she needed? She needed me to make pickle roll-ups for her get-together she's having tonight! :) Haha, how fun is that? Anyway, now who knows if I'll get my paper done because I might have to join in on the fun! :)
Okay, now the usual vote for ILS! Please, vote! It's really not that hard nor does it take a lot of time out of your day! Thanks for the support!!
Vote online: http://www.refresheverything.com/illinoisleadershipseminars
Vote by texting: 109528 to 73774
Friday, November 25, 2011
Día de Acción de Gracias
First off, I'll say Feliz Dia de Acción de Gracias a.k.a Happy Thanksgiving, but we'll talk more about Thanksgiving later on.
I have to start with telling you the beginning of the day first. Yesterday was the first and probably only Thanksgiving that I had to have class. Luckily, it was only ballet, so I was thankful to have it! Although, had it been another class, I probably wouldn't have been too thankful. :) Ballet was awesome of course. Everytime we do jumping in the class though I realize just how out of shape I am and it's depressing. Oh well. I will be doing A TON of dancing next semester so I should get in dancer shape fairly quickly. Today was my second to last ballet class, it's kind of sad. :( It's been such a great semester in that class. :) But, also I'm soo excited to get back to the Carthage dance program, like I said I'll be dancing a lot next semester. I will be in three dances for the Spring dance show and I am in one dance that is going to a conference! I'm pretty excited!
Anyway, after class, I had to run a few errands. I stopped by the School of Dance office, because I have to get a letter confirming that I took the class so that I can get credits towards my dance minor. :) Then, I took a trip to the library to get my books for my Ethnography final paper. When I was there, the same guy who always asks, asked me about my last name again. Then, he asked me where I was from and I obviously answered the United States. Then he commented on the tank top I was wearing and said, "In this age, people don't wear that" and all I said was I know. I definitely was not dressed inappropriately and it was hot so I took off my cardigan. I figure I am going to stick out no matter what so I would rather be comfortable and stick out. :) I felt kind of bad at first, but then as I walked down the sidewalk, I saw several Peruvians who had on tank tops. I actually saw a Peruvian that I know and she had on a spaghetti strap shirt, so I feel that what I was wearing was okay. :)
Anyway, I walked to Wong (a bigger supermarket than Metro and Vivanda) to look for garlic salt there. My mom said that Wong was my best shot at finding it and she was right! There it was on the shelf, Sal de Ajo. Then, I got the pickles and cream cheese, and then, I had to pick out the ham. Do you know how many types of ham there are? A LOT!! And Peru doesn't have a lot of packaged ham so I stood there in front of the deli trying to choose what kind of ham I wanted and I finally chose something called Jamón Inglés San Francisco blah blah blah.. I don't remember the name, but then a whole other question came up after taking 10 minutes to choose the ham. How much would you like? Oh jeez, I have no idea, but we finally got it figured out together. :) So, I bought my food and headed out. I debated on taking a micro back, but then I decided that I wanted to take a taxi home so that it would save time. I decided to take the opportunity to practice my Spanish and I started a conversation with the taxi driver. It was the usual conversation that always happens: where are you from, how long are you here, where have you been in Peru, do you like the food?
Once I got home, I had the pleasure of skyping my family while they were all at Thanksgiving dinner. :) I think they enjoyed playing "Let's pass the phone and make Andrea guess who it is." I think I passed. :) I had a really good time skyping everyone and I'm sorry I couldn't be there, but I was definitely thinking about them. Also, I was able to skype my boyfriend and his family while they were having Thanksgiving dinner, so I kind of experience a regular Thanksgiving. :) After my skype sessions, I headed to Jen's house and here is where the adventure begins.
I got there around 4 p.m. and started making my pickle roll-ups. Also, the potatoes were cooking for the mashed potatoes and the turkey was at the bakery. Here in Peru, you can take your turkey to the local bakery and they cook it for you! Apparently that happens a lot during Christmas time here. I wasn't there when they dropped the turkey off, but apparently they had to do some convincing because #1 It's not the season and #2 They had bread to bake. :) But luckily, they were kind enough to take it. Anyway, as I was making the pickle roll-ups, I started worrying about whether I should've chose something not as strange. Pickles aren't very common here and not everyone likes them. "I mean I guess if people don't like them I can eat them all" is what I started thinking, but I was still worried. Also, I had to go get more pickles because I ran out, but then I had the perfect amount of everything! The dinner really kicked into high gear once more people started showing up. Food was being made and reheated and there were several people in the kitchen. :)
Anyway, once people started showing up (We invited all the CIEE students plus one person - most of us brought our host moms), I got out my pickle roll-ups. It was the moment of truth. Not to be arrogant or anything, but the host moms loved them. :) They all asked me how to make them and I even saw one mom snap a picture of them! Also, clearly garlic salt is not a big thing here because when I said that, none of them understood what that was. They were just like, what is that because salt and garlic are two different things. I had to show them the bottle so that they understood. Anyway, it made me feel really good that I could share something with them that comes from my own family. Last night, overall, was a really good time! All the food was delicious and the company was awesome, but still never once did it feel like Thanksgiving to me. Yes, we had a delicious turkey and mashed potatoes, but it just wasn't the same. Some of us students were talking about how, yes, we did have all the right food, but it wasn't our families food, which I think is exactly right. Where was my dad's deep fried turkey, the sweet corn, my aunt's ice cream cake, and even though I'm not a fan of them, why were my grandma's oysters not on the table? Plus, where was my family? Don't get me wrong, I had an amazing time celebrating Thanksgiving with my Peruvian and CIEE families, but it just wasn't the same. I'm still so thankful for everything in my life though!
I hope you all had wonderful Thanksgivings and if you are shopping today, I hope you survive. :)
Finally, don't forget to vote for ILS at http://www.refresheverything.com/illinoisleadershipseminars and vote by texting 109528 to 73774! Make sure you vote using both methods everyday! And please tell your friends and family. We're still at 24 and we only have 5 days to get to 15. Please help us out!
I have to start with telling you the beginning of the day first. Yesterday was the first and probably only Thanksgiving that I had to have class. Luckily, it was only ballet, so I was thankful to have it! Although, had it been another class, I probably wouldn't have been too thankful. :) Ballet was awesome of course. Everytime we do jumping in the class though I realize just how out of shape I am and it's depressing. Oh well. I will be doing A TON of dancing next semester so I should get in dancer shape fairly quickly. Today was my second to last ballet class, it's kind of sad. :( It's been such a great semester in that class. :) But, also I'm soo excited to get back to the Carthage dance program, like I said I'll be dancing a lot next semester. I will be in three dances for the Spring dance show and I am in one dance that is going to a conference! I'm pretty excited!
Anyway, after class, I had to run a few errands. I stopped by the School of Dance office, because I have to get a letter confirming that I took the class so that I can get credits towards my dance minor. :) Then, I took a trip to the library to get my books for my Ethnography final paper. When I was there, the same guy who always asks, asked me about my last name again. Then, he asked me where I was from and I obviously answered the United States. Then he commented on the tank top I was wearing and said, "In this age, people don't wear that" and all I said was I know. I definitely was not dressed inappropriately and it was hot so I took off my cardigan. I figure I am going to stick out no matter what so I would rather be comfortable and stick out. :) I felt kind of bad at first, but then as I walked down the sidewalk, I saw several Peruvians who had on tank tops. I actually saw a Peruvian that I know and she had on a spaghetti strap shirt, so I feel that what I was wearing was okay. :)
Anyway, I walked to Wong (a bigger supermarket than Metro and Vivanda) to look for garlic salt there. My mom said that Wong was my best shot at finding it and she was right! There it was on the shelf, Sal de Ajo. Then, I got the pickles and cream cheese, and then, I had to pick out the ham. Do you know how many types of ham there are? A LOT!! And Peru doesn't have a lot of packaged ham so I stood there in front of the deli trying to choose what kind of ham I wanted and I finally chose something called Jamón Inglés San Francisco blah blah blah.. I don't remember the name, but then a whole other question came up after taking 10 minutes to choose the ham. How much would you like? Oh jeez, I have no idea, but we finally got it figured out together. :) So, I bought my food and headed out. I debated on taking a micro back, but then I decided that I wanted to take a taxi home so that it would save time. I decided to take the opportunity to practice my Spanish and I started a conversation with the taxi driver. It was the usual conversation that always happens: where are you from, how long are you here, where have you been in Peru, do you like the food?
Once I got home, I had the pleasure of skyping my family while they were all at Thanksgiving dinner. :) I think they enjoyed playing "Let's pass the phone and make Andrea guess who it is." I think I passed. :) I had a really good time skyping everyone and I'm sorry I couldn't be there, but I was definitely thinking about them. Also, I was able to skype my boyfriend and his family while they were having Thanksgiving dinner, so I kind of experience a regular Thanksgiving. :) After my skype sessions, I headed to Jen's house and here is where the adventure begins.
I got there around 4 p.m. and started making my pickle roll-ups. Also, the potatoes were cooking for the mashed potatoes and the turkey was at the bakery. Here in Peru, you can take your turkey to the local bakery and they cook it for you! Apparently that happens a lot during Christmas time here. I wasn't there when they dropped the turkey off, but apparently they had to do some convincing because #1 It's not the season and #2 They had bread to bake. :) But luckily, they were kind enough to take it. Anyway, as I was making the pickle roll-ups, I started worrying about whether I should've chose something not as strange. Pickles aren't very common here and not everyone likes them. "I mean I guess if people don't like them I can eat them all" is what I started thinking, but I was still worried. Also, I had to go get more pickles because I ran out, but then I had the perfect amount of everything! The dinner really kicked into high gear once more people started showing up. Food was being made and reheated and there were several people in the kitchen. :)
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| Me, Sheila, Jacey, Jen, and Emily baking in the kitchen |
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| The turkey after we picked it up from the bakery |
I hope you all had wonderful Thanksgivings and if you are shopping today, I hope you survive. :)
Finally, don't forget to vote for ILS at http://www.refresheverything.com/illinoisleadershipseminars and vote by texting 109528 to 73774! Make sure you vote using both methods everyday! And please tell your friends and family. We're still at 24 and we only have 5 days to get to 15. Please help us out!
Wednesday, November 23, 2011
El fin de algunas clases
Oh, where do I even start. I've had such a long night that I've forgotten about my day, but I'll try to remember. I started my day with Peruvian Social Reality. We talked about gender today, like machismo. I'll give you the wikipedia definition of machismo..."describes prominently exhibited or excessive masculinity. As an attitude, machismo ranges from a personal sense of virility to a more extreme male chauvinsim. Characteristics include domineering, fierceness, bravado, etc., in ways that are showily and histrionically tough." Anyway, yea that's machismo and we actually talked about how some of the characteristics of machismo today used to be characteristics of patriarchy back in the day. After that, we had Living and Learning. Today, we did mock interviews for our future jobs and worked on ways to plug the study abroad experience. It was actually really helpful! I'm so excited for future job opportunities and I know that study abroad will definitely boost my resume!
After lunch, I had my Spanish Writing Workshop. It was our last actual class today. We worked on simplifying writing again. It was actually kind of difficult. We're always taught to elaborate and write more, but in class today we were doing the opposite. It was an interesting exercise. We also revised each other's short written paragraphs so we got some practice in revising papers. Then, after that, I had my last Ethnography class for the semester! It was such a weird feeling. This semester has flown by. It feels like just yesterday that I was starting my classes. Anyway, I still have a final paper to write for that class along with two others, but I should be good. Here pretty soon I will be spending all my time writing papers (not really, but I should be). I have three papers to write this week. I would have two weeks to write them, but since I am going on one last trip, I have to finish them all before I leave.
Anyway, once I got back to Miraflores, I walked to Metro and Vivanda (two grocery stores) to look for the ingredients for pickle-roll ups, which is what I'm bringing to our Thanksgiving dinner that we are having tomorrow! I'm so excited! I didn't have to much trouble finding the ingredients. Peru does have pickles, cream cheese, and ham. However, garlic salt...I'm not sure. They have something that translates as garlic dust, which I'm assuming is garlic powder. :/ Luckily, there's the internet that is able to tell me that garlic salt is 1/8 tsp. garlic powder and 7/8 tsp. salt. So tomorrow, I am going to get the so-called garlic dust and test my skills. I hope they turn out okay. Anyway, also I passed Ripley's (store equivalent to Macy's) and it looks like Christmas threw up in there and also, in Parque Kennedy they have been putting up a Christmas tree all week. I'm not sure what's taking so long, but they started on Monday and it's still only halfway done. I will say that it is going to be beautiful when it's done though.
Anyway, tonight has been so long without having really done anything. I wanted to work on some of my papers, but that of course didn't happen. I spent the whole night trying to buy bus and plane tickets for the trip to Puno and Arequipa. It was pretty much a disater and I was getting really frustrated, but finally, I got it done, so I at least have a plan ticket to Juliaca and a bus ticket from Arequipa back to Lima. Everything else in between is planned as well, but we just have to make the reservations for our tours and stuff. I'm soooo excited for this last trip! The two major tours were doing is one on Lake Titicaca, which is the highest commercially navigable lake in the world and were actually staying on an island with a host family for one night there and then the other major tour is to Colca Canyon, outside of Arequipa, which is supposedly the world's deepest canyon! Looking back on my experience in Peru I have experienced so many of these world's deepest, highest, farthest, longest, etc., it's crazy, but I'll probably reminisce about all that stuff as the clock winds down and as I am packing my bags.
Finally, my usually ILS plug...you know the drill:
http://refresheverything.com/illinoisleadershipseminars
Text: 109528 to 73774!
Dulces sueños!
After lunch, I had my Spanish Writing Workshop. It was our last actual class today. We worked on simplifying writing again. It was actually kind of difficult. We're always taught to elaborate and write more, but in class today we were doing the opposite. It was an interesting exercise. We also revised each other's short written paragraphs so we got some practice in revising papers. Then, after that, I had my last Ethnography class for the semester! It was such a weird feeling. This semester has flown by. It feels like just yesterday that I was starting my classes. Anyway, I still have a final paper to write for that class along with two others, but I should be good. Here pretty soon I will be spending all my time writing papers (not really, but I should be). I have three papers to write this week. I would have two weeks to write them, but since I am going on one last trip, I have to finish them all before I leave.
Anyway, once I got back to Miraflores, I walked to Metro and Vivanda (two grocery stores) to look for the ingredients for pickle-roll ups, which is what I'm bringing to our Thanksgiving dinner that we are having tomorrow! I'm so excited! I didn't have to much trouble finding the ingredients. Peru does have pickles, cream cheese, and ham. However, garlic salt...I'm not sure. They have something that translates as garlic dust, which I'm assuming is garlic powder. :/ Luckily, there's the internet that is able to tell me that garlic salt is 1/8 tsp. garlic powder and 7/8 tsp. salt. So tomorrow, I am going to get the so-called garlic dust and test my skills. I hope they turn out okay. Anyway, also I passed Ripley's (store equivalent to Macy's) and it looks like Christmas threw up in there and also, in Parque Kennedy they have been putting up a Christmas tree all week. I'm not sure what's taking so long, but they started on Monday and it's still only halfway done. I will say that it is going to be beautiful when it's done though.
Anyway, tonight has been so long without having really done anything. I wanted to work on some of my papers, but that of course didn't happen. I spent the whole night trying to buy bus and plane tickets for the trip to Puno and Arequipa. It was pretty much a disater and I was getting really frustrated, but finally, I got it done, so I at least have a plan ticket to Juliaca and a bus ticket from Arequipa back to Lima. Everything else in between is planned as well, but we just have to make the reservations for our tours and stuff. I'm soooo excited for this last trip! The two major tours were doing is one on Lake Titicaca, which is the highest commercially navigable lake in the world and were actually staying on an island with a host family for one night there and then the other major tour is to Colca Canyon, outside of Arequipa, which is supposedly the world's deepest canyon! Looking back on my experience in Peru I have experienced so many of these world's deepest, highest, farthest, longest, etc., it's crazy, but I'll probably reminisce about all that stuff as the clock winds down and as I am packing my bags.
Finally, my usually ILS plug...you know the drill:
http://refresheverything.com/illinoisleadershipseminars
Text: 109528 to 73774!
Dulces sueños!
Tuesday, November 22, 2011
Dioses
So, I woke up this morning to my mom yelling upstairs to me. She was making sure I was feeling okay. In my head I was thinking, "why is she asking me if I'm feeling okay?" and then, I looked at the clock. It was 10:30 a.m.! I have to get on the micro by at least 10:15 to make it to class on time! I was really upset that I missed class today! I'm upset just writing about it. I only have like three ballet classes left, but anyway, enough about being upset about missing class, I still made the most of my day. I still headed to school early because I had to print off a paper for my Cine class and do a couple other things. As I was walking on campus, there was a tent up and coming from the tent was Christmas music! Don't get me wrong, I love Christmas, but when I'm in jeans and a cardigan and I'm sweating in the sun while hearing Christmas music, it's just not the same! I mean I hate being cold, too, but it's Christmas, it's supposed to be cold. Peruvians go to the beach on Christmas day! I'm going to be really sad to leave, but I think it's right to spend Christmas wrapped in a blanket next to a fireplace with hot chocolate.
Anyway, next up was Cine. I was really worried about this last class because whatever movie we watched is what our final paper is on and this paper is going to be a very detailed review. I was worried that the movie would be boring or that I wouldn't like (Ha, who am I kidding, I like all movies). Of course, I did like it. I'm actually really excited to write about the movie. So much happened in it and it dealt with different issues. Plus, it was the first and only Peruvian movie that we have watched. I guess I should tell you that the movie was called Dioses (Gods). Our professor reccommended that we watched the movie at least three times in order to write a good review and actually, I really do want to watch it more, but I haven't figured out how yet. My wonderful website that I have been watching movies on lately has been down for the past couple of days and Family Videos don't exist here (I'm assuming because of the large pirating business). I'll figure it out. I'm interested to see how my paper turns out because we literally have to analyze everything about the movie! Composition, lighting, actors, sounds/music, themes, etc. Plus, the movie deals with some issues that I have really been interested in while here, such as the empleada vs. "boss" relationship.
Anyway, tonight was pretty relaxed. I did some homework, skyped my parents (love you! :)), and went to Café Z with Tonisha and of course got a frozen de fresa. I am now going to listen to the signs of getting up late two days in a row and I'm going to consult my pillow early tonight. I hope you all had wonderful days!
Also, don't forget to keep voting for ILS!!!
Vote online at: http://www.refresheverything.com/illinoisleadershipseminars!!
Vote by texting: 109528 to 73774!!
Only one more week of me bothering you with this! :)
You thought I was done? Nope, not quite...because it's Musis Martes!!!!
Today's song is La Melodía (The Melody) by Joey Montana
Anyway, next up was Cine. I was really worried about this last class because whatever movie we watched is what our final paper is on and this paper is going to be a very detailed review. I was worried that the movie would be boring or that I wouldn't like (Ha, who am I kidding, I like all movies). Of course, I did like it. I'm actually really excited to write about the movie. So much happened in it and it dealt with different issues. Plus, it was the first and only Peruvian movie that we have watched. I guess I should tell you that the movie was called Dioses (Gods). Our professor reccommended that we watched the movie at least three times in order to write a good review and actually, I really do want to watch it more, but I haven't figured out how yet. My wonderful website that I have been watching movies on lately has been down for the past couple of days and Family Videos don't exist here (I'm assuming because of the large pirating business). I'll figure it out. I'm interested to see how my paper turns out because we literally have to analyze everything about the movie! Composition, lighting, actors, sounds/music, themes, etc. Plus, the movie deals with some issues that I have really been interested in while here, such as the empleada vs. "boss" relationship.
Anyway, tonight was pretty relaxed. I did some homework, skyped my parents (love you! :)), and went to Café Z with Tonisha and of course got a frozen de fresa. I am now going to listen to the signs of getting up late two days in a row and I'm going to consult my pillow early tonight. I hope you all had wonderful days!
Also, don't forget to keep voting for ILS!!!
Vote online at: http://www.refresheverything.com/illinoisleadershipseminars!!
Vote by texting: 109528 to 73774!!
Only one more week of me bothering you with this! :)
You thought I was done? Nope, not quite...because it's Musis Martes!!!!
Today's song is La Melodía (The Melody) by Joey Montana
Monday, November 21, 2011
Un choque de carro
So, I woke up late today..surprise surprise, but I still made it to class on (Peruvian) time so all is well. In Peruvian Social Reality today we finished talking about Alberto Fujimori and his presidency. It was interesting. It's amazing to learn about how many people actually supported Fujimori and his dictatorship. It's mostly because he is the one who stopped the Sendero Luminoso (terrorist organization) and he brought order to the country, although it was brought to order using guards with guns. :/ Anyway, also it would be great if you could keep praying for my professor's son. His son is not doing that will and still has a lot of pain. I know that they need and would really appreciate the continued prayers!
Anyway, after class, I ate lunch and relaxed in the sun with my amigos. Also, I spent some time looking into the Arequipa/Puno trip which will be next week!!! That's crazy because that means the week after I am leaving! Time is flying! I'm so excited for the coming weeks here and I'm excited to head back to the states. It's going to be so bittersweet. By the way, thanks for sticking with me through all of my adventures that I have been on.
During my Spanish Writing Workshop class, we worked on simplifying/identifying sentences with metaphors and figurative language. It was kind of tough. It was difficult to understand the content of some of the paragraphs with all of the ridiculous metaphors and figurative language, but I tried. We're also still working on our final papers in that class and that is going pretty well. Finally, my last class of the day was Ethnography. We watched a video and then talked about leadership in the Amazon. We also got our second paper back! I did really good on it! Woo! :) Also, we got our last paper prompt today. It should be fairly easy so I'm excited to get that out of the way. :)
Finally, it's time for a micro/only in Lima story. Tonisha and I were on the micro ride home and we came across an accident on our side of the road. There was a truck tipped over and there were firefighters there. The traffic from our side of the road was going to the other side of the street so that it would be only a two-way street. Well, now of this traffic nonsense was being directed and it was crazy. We got part way down the street and there were cars coming at us so everyone in our lane started crossing over the median. It was funny and Tonisha and I were talking about how that would probably never happy in the states! :)
Anyway, I'm planning on finishing paper #1 for the week tonight, so I'm going to get to work. :) I hope you all have wonderful nights! Also, don't forget to vote for ILS at http://www.refresheverything.com/illinoisleadershipseminars!!! We finally moved to spot 24, but we need to keep moving up! Thanks!
Anyway, after class, I ate lunch and relaxed in the sun with my amigos. Also, I spent some time looking into the Arequipa/Puno trip which will be next week!!! That's crazy because that means the week after I am leaving! Time is flying! I'm so excited for the coming weeks here and I'm excited to head back to the states. It's going to be so bittersweet. By the way, thanks for sticking with me through all of my adventures that I have been on.
During my Spanish Writing Workshop class, we worked on simplifying/identifying sentences with metaphors and figurative language. It was kind of tough. It was difficult to understand the content of some of the paragraphs with all of the ridiculous metaphors and figurative language, but I tried. We're also still working on our final papers in that class and that is going pretty well. Finally, my last class of the day was Ethnography. We watched a video and then talked about leadership in the Amazon. We also got our second paper back! I did really good on it! Woo! :) Also, we got our last paper prompt today. It should be fairly easy so I'm excited to get that out of the way. :)
Finally, it's time for a micro/only in Lima story. Tonisha and I were on the micro ride home and we came across an accident on our side of the road. There was a truck tipped over and there were firefighters there. The traffic from our side of the road was going to the other side of the street so that it would be only a two-way street. Well, now of this traffic nonsense was being directed and it was crazy. We got part way down the street and there were cars coming at us so everyone in our lane started crossing over the median. It was funny and Tonisha and I were talking about how that would probably never happy in the states! :)
Anyway, I'm planning on finishing paper #1 for the week tonight, so I'm going to get to work. :) I hope you all have wonderful nights! Also, don't forget to vote for ILS at http://www.refresheverything.com/illinoisleadershipseminars!!! We finally moved to spot 24, but we need to keep moving up! Thanks!
Sunday, November 20, 2011
El primer santo
So of course I slept in again today. I wasn't exactly planning on it, but since I stayed out late last night at Jen's house, I needed the extra sleep. Anyway, the past two days I've woken up and my abs feel like I did 1000 sit-ups the day before. It's from surfing! I would've thought just my arms and legs would hurt, but my legs haven't been sore at all and my shoulders are slightly sore, but really it's just my abs. The abs really are the core of your body and I'm assuming mine are sore from getting up on the board and from trying to balance. Crazy! People always say that ab strength is key, I'd believe it!
Anyway, I really didn't have much time to do anything this morning, except for write yesterday's blog, before I headed out with my mom for lunch. Today was the first birthday of my host mom's granddaughter, Paula, so we went out to eat with her daughter's family at San Antonio, which was a good time. Her grandson, Tomás, is so energetic and he was definitely keeping us all entertained during lunch. He wants to come live with me because he wants to be in a place where there is snow, wind, and rain. I told him I lived in a place like that and then he said he would come live with me. :) He would not stop talking about the snow. It was so cute.
After lunch, we went to my host mom's daughter's house and we hung out there for awhile before all the guests arrived for Paula's birthday party. While we waited, I played with legos with Tomás, his mom, and my host mom. Then, the guests arrived and we just hung out and talked. I talked with a woman who grew up with Vanessa (my host mom's daughter) and she just came back to Peru two months ago. She's been in the United States for 20 years studying and working! Isn't that crazy! I love Peru, but I couldn't imagine being here for 20 years and then heading back to the U.S. We talked about how much Peru has changed since she's been here last so that was a very interesting conversation. She said that she feels like she's in a totally different country. Also, I asked her about the American food question to see what she thought and the very first thing out of her mouth was that we have SO many different influences, which is true, but nobody ever understands that when I say it. :) She likes Peruvian food better, but she loves the informality of the U.S. in comparison to Peru. I had a good time. :)
But, of course, I was out for six/seven hours, so now I have a lot to do! I have to get to work on all the things I have to do within this next week. It should be very interesting. I can't believe the day is almost here. It's kind of freaky. :/
Also, please don't forget to vote for Illinois Leadership Seminar at http://www.refresheverything.com/illinoisleadershipseminars
We've been at #25 for a solid three days, but we need to get to under #15 in a little over a week! Please keep voting and please keep reminding your friends. Also, don't forget to text, too. Every vote counts! Pick up your phone right now, because I know it's sitting right next to you and text 109528 to Pepsi (73774)! It's easy, try it and you'll see! Thanks! Buenas noches!
Anyway, I really didn't have much time to do anything this morning, except for write yesterday's blog, before I headed out with my mom for lunch. Today was the first birthday of my host mom's granddaughter, Paula, so we went out to eat with her daughter's family at San Antonio, which was a good time. Her grandson, Tomás, is so energetic and he was definitely keeping us all entertained during lunch. He wants to come live with me because he wants to be in a place where there is snow, wind, and rain. I told him I lived in a place like that and then he said he would come live with me. :) He would not stop talking about the snow. It was so cute.
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| The beautiful birthday girl, Paula |
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| Tomás ready for some cake. :) |
But, of course, I was out for six/seven hours, so now I have a lot to do! I have to get to work on all the things I have to do within this next week. It should be very interesting. I can't believe the day is almost here. It's kind of freaky. :/
Also, please don't forget to vote for Illinois Leadership Seminar at http://www.refresheverything.com/illinoisleadershipseminars
We've been at #25 for a solid three days, but we need to get to under #15 in a little over a week! Please keep voting and please keep reminding your friends. Also, don't forget to text, too. Every vote counts! Pick up your phone right now, because I know it's sitting right next to you and text 109528 to Pepsi (73774)! It's easy, try it and you'll see! Thanks! Buenas noches!
Christmas at Larcomar
So obviously I'm late again on my blog post. I think that this should just be expected on the weekends. :) Anyway, yesterday I slept in, but then when I got up, I was somewhat productive! I actually did homework on a Saturday, can you believe it? I came to the realization that I have seven days of class left and about a week to write four papers while also trying to plan our final trip to Arequipa and Puno! It's going to be a quite interesting week, but I'm ready to tackle it. Anyway, I did get some stuff done yesterday and although I was being productive, I couldn't pass up my Saturday movie time. I watched the movie, Memento, which was really good. I'm pretty sure it's on the Top 100 Thriller Movies list so you should probably watch it to. It was pretty interesting, it's another psychological thriller movie, like Psycho and the way it was filmed is very cool.
Anyway, after that I did some more homework and kind of watched the movie, Río. It's an animated film and I'm sure it was really good, but like I said, I didn't pay attention to it a lot. Anyway, that's pretty much my day, I didn't leave the house until around 10 p.m. I walked to Larcomar to get some ice cream, which I got mint chocolate chip. It was the weirdest feeling because the mint chocolate chip tasted like peppermint ice cream and there were Christmas trees and lights up all over Larcomar, so I definitely had a taste of Christmas last night.
Then, I got on a micro to head to Jen's house (a girl in my program) in Barranco and I definitely got ripped off on the micro. It was probably the worst rip off since I've been here and I'm still bitter about it. I didn't know exactly where I was going, but I knew it was close and I knew the street name, so I gave him 50 cents and told him the street name. He told me it was a sol and I did question it, but he said no, that it was a sol, but he had this nasty grin on his face. I shouldn't have given him another 50 cents, but since I really wasn't sure I couldn't dispute it. Well what do you know, two stops later was where I need to get off...it was SOOO close and I was NOT happy. He had definitely just ripped me off and if I could go back in time, I would have demanded for my 50 cents back or just not given it to him in the first place. Plus, his grimace is tattooed in my mind. I may have not so gracefully said something to him as I got off the bus, too, and it may have been in Spanglish, but I think he got the point.
Anyway, I was luckily put in a better mood when I got to Jen's house. There were six of us that just hung out all night. It was fun to just sit, relax, and chat. Oh and Jen's house is extravegant. It has four floors, five including the roof, and an awesome view of the ocean. It's just amazing! The fourth floor is a huge open art studio and then you slide this door and it's Jen's room. It's like she's Cinderella hidden in the upstairs closet. So cool! And they have tons of birds! Like over one hundred! Just birds in cages everywhere! It's awesome! Anyway, it was a great night! I had a lot of fun! I hope you had a fun Saturday night as well!
Anyway, after that I did some more homework and kind of watched the movie, Río. It's an animated film and I'm sure it was really good, but like I said, I didn't pay attention to it a lot. Anyway, that's pretty much my day, I didn't leave the house until around 10 p.m. I walked to Larcomar to get some ice cream, which I got mint chocolate chip. It was the weirdest feeling because the mint chocolate chip tasted like peppermint ice cream and there were Christmas trees and lights up all over Larcomar, so I definitely had a taste of Christmas last night.
Then, I got on a micro to head to Jen's house (a girl in my program) in Barranco and I definitely got ripped off on the micro. It was probably the worst rip off since I've been here and I'm still bitter about it. I didn't know exactly where I was going, but I knew it was close and I knew the street name, so I gave him 50 cents and told him the street name. He told me it was a sol and I did question it, but he said no, that it was a sol, but he had this nasty grin on his face. I shouldn't have given him another 50 cents, but since I really wasn't sure I couldn't dispute it. Well what do you know, two stops later was where I need to get off...it was SOOO close and I was NOT happy. He had definitely just ripped me off and if I could go back in time, I would have demanded for my 50 cents back or just not given it to him in the first place. Plus, his grimace is tattooed in my mind. I may have not so gracefully said something to him as I got off the bus, too, and it may have been in Spanglish, but I think he got the point.
Anyway, I was luckily put in a better mood when I got to Jen's house. There were six of us that just hung out all night. It was fun to just sit, relax, and chat. Oh and Jen's house is extravegant. It has four floors, five including the roof, and an awesome view of the ocean. It's just amazing! The fourth floor is a huge open art studio and then you slide this door and it's Jen's room. It's like she's Cinderella hidden in the upstairs closet. So cool! And they have tons of birds! Like over one hundred! Just birds in cages everywhere! It's awesome! Anyway, it was a great night! I had a lot of fun! I hope you had a fun Saturday night as well!
Friday, November 18, 2011
Correr la tabla
So, this morning I didn't do much, like every weekend. I always save my homework for Sunday, who knows why? I pretty much just relaxed until 2 p.m. and what did I did at 2 p.m. do you ask? I went surfing for the first time ever! It was crazy. A group of 7 of us went. Three of the girls go all the time, one girl had been once, and then it was the first time for the rest of us. When we got to the beach, we met our instructors. We had three guys helping us: Javier, Carlos, and Daniel. Then, we got to take on the challenge of putting on a wet suit. Ever put one on? It's more difficult then it seems.
Once we got pictures out of the way, four of us started our correr la tabla (aka surfing, literally translating "running the board") lesson. First, I had to learn what foot I steer with. I stood there with my feet together and arms out and someone pushed me from behind and whatever foot I put out first to catch my fall is my front foot on the board. Well, I must be the minority because I was one of four that put out the right foot. The second reason why I know I'm the minority...they called my position "goofy" and the other group was "regular." So whenever the instructors asked which way I surf, I got to say I was "goofy." :) Then, we watched Javier as he explained how to stand up on the board and then we got to take a stab at it. It was easy on land, not so much on water. :) But still, before the water, we had to warm up. We jogged down the sidewalk and back and did some stretching before going out into the water. Soon enough, we were off and the four of us were in the water with Carlos and Daniel. We went to the side of the beach, where the waves were smaller and it was closer to shore. Apparently, it's harder to surf on small waves, but I'm okay with that considering it was my first time.
Tonight, as soon as I got home, I only had about an hour or so before I left again. Tonisha and I went to the movies and saw Amanecer Parte I, otherwise known as Breaking Dawn Part I (the last book in the Twilight series). It was really good! I have only read the first book, so I didn't know what was going to happen in this movie, but I liked it. It was crazy. Tonisha said the book was better, but what's new? It was still a good movie, though, and I'm excited for the last movie to come out. Tonisha says that I need to just read the books, but we'll see about that.
Anyway, that was my day in a nutshell! It went well and I did a really good job in avoiding homework. :) Now, I'm heading to bed. I have no clue what adventure awaits me tomorrow, but I'm sure no matter what it will be exciting!
And remember, it's still November, so I'm going to keep bugging you about voting for ILS at http://www.refresheverything.com/illinoisleadershipseminars! Please keep reminding your friends as well. We're at spot number 25, but we need to get to 15. We need to keep pushing forward! Thanks for all your help.
Dulces sueños!
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| Attractive, huh? |
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| The group! |
Anyway, we paddle out and we were surfing in no time. We went one by one and Carlos told us when to take waves, when to start paddling, and when to stand up. Funny thing is that everytime they said to paddle, I swear I didn't move until the wave was actually there pushing me. :) My first time around, I couldn't stand up. I went to my knees, but couldn't stand the rest of the way up. Every time after that, though, I stood up. Granted, I fell every single time, too, but still I stood up! That's progress! We keep going one by one and I lost track of how many waves I actually took, but it was fun. I would do it again in the future. By the end of it, I was standing up for longer, but I still went crashing down at some point. The falling wasn't so bad. I didn't get hurt once. You want to know what did happen though... I got salt water in my mouth, up my nose, in my ears, in my eyes, etc. Salt water sucks! I despise it! Why can't the ocean just be fresh water? It would be so much more enjoyable. There were a couple of times where I just wanted to take a break because my eyes were killing me or because I thought I was going to get sick from tasting the water, but I didn't. We were only out on the water for about an hour I think, but it felt like forever. People literally can surf all day and I think that's crazy! I was satisfied with our one hour trip out to the water.
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| After surfing :) Not any more attractive than the first picture. ha |
Once we got back into shore, we had the second challenge of taking our wet suit off. :) I actually found it to be easier than putting it on. Just in case you every find yourself in a wet suit... the key is to roll it off. :) Anyway, then of course we got some ice cream which was being sold nearby and we sat down waited for the sun to set. Some of the girls went back out into the water to watch, but I just stayed on shore and then I headed out when it was done. I would like to thank our instructors from Pukana Surf School for a great day. Again, if you ever find yourself in a wet suit and in Lima look up Pukana Surf at http://www.pukanasurf.com/. Also, I would like to thank Meghan, a girl from my program, who is a New York surfer herself and she organized today's festivities. :)
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| Sunset on the beach |
Anyway, that was my day in a nutshell! It went well and I did a really good job in avoiding homework. :) Now, I'm heading to bed. I have no clue what adventure awaits me tomorrow, but I'm sure no matter what it will be exciting!
And remember, it's still November, so I'm going to keep bugging you about voting for ILS at http://www.refresheverything.com/illinoisleadershipseminars! Please keep reminding your friends as well. We're at spot number 25, but we need to get to 15. We need to keep pushing forward! Thanks for all your help.
Dulces sueños!
Eclipse
Yesterday (since I'm late on my blog post), I had ballet! Yay :) I love it. I'm so thankful that I have been able to take it this semester. Dancing makes me smile and I can't wait to get back to Carthage and continue dancing there as well! Anyway, I don't have too much to say about ballet, except some of the combinations we do are really pretty, so I might have to steal parts of them to put in my choreography someday. :)
After ballet, I had a half hour in between class and leaving for Deporte y Vida to get everything I wanted to done. I went to the library and got an article copied for my Afro-Peruvian paper and I picked up a book for it. The central library is hard to make your way around. I know that there is some sort of systerm, however, I haven't figured it out yet. You go to find a book and then they tell you it's on a different floor or in a different room. So that took up some time, but I got it done and I technically wasn't late for meeting the taxi for DyV because the taxi driver himself was late. :)
Anyway, once I got to Deporte y Vida, I really didn't help out too much. I think the only homework I did was teaching a girl how to divide, which is pretty difficult. I give credit to all those Math teachers out there (actually ALL teachers), but really, it's hard to explain why division works and why that's just the way it is. Anyway, after that, I did nothing except get lessons from a girl on how to make an origami lily, which are actually kind of pretty. If you had construction paper rather than newspaper they would be awesome. :) So, I made a couple of those and then I did a word search, too. It was a pretty relaxed day at DyV. I can't believe it's almost one of the last times I'll be there. :(
Anyway, because I'm writing this late, I really can't tell you what I did when I got home last night. I know I ate lomo saltado for dinner and I know that Tonisha came over, but that's all I know. Tonisha and I watched Eclipse last night because Breaking Dawn came out last night at midnight. I bet that you could guess what we did tonight, but you'll hear about that in the next post. :) Anyway, I hope that you had a great Thursday. Sorry, I was late on my blog. I wish I could say it won't happen again, but I can't promise that.
Don't forget to vote for ILS at http://www.refresheverything.com/illinoisleadershipseminars! Thanks!
After ballet, I had a half hour in between class and leaving for Deporte y Vida to get everything I wanted to done. I went to the library and got an article copied for my Afro-Peruvian paper and I picked up a book for it. The central library is hard to make your way around. I know that there is some sort of systerm, however, I haven't figured it out yet. You go to find a book and then they tell you it's on a different floor or in a different room. So that took up some time, but I got it done and I technically wasn't late for meeting the taxi for DyV because the taxi driver himself was late. :)
Anyway, once I got to Deporte y Vida, I really didn't help out too much. I think the only homework I did was teaching a girl how to divide, which is pretty difficult. I give credit to all those Math teachers out there (actually ALL teachers), but really, it's hard to explain why division works and why that's just the way it is. Anyway, after that, I did nothing except get lessons from a girl on how to make an origami lily, which are actually kind of pretty. If you had construction paper rather than newspaper they would be awesome. :) So, I made a couple of those and then I did a word search, too. It was a pretty relaxed day at DyV. I can't believe it's almost one of the last times I'll be there. :(
Anyway, because I'm writing this late, I really can't tell you what I did when I got home last night. I know I ate lomo saltado for dinner and I know that Tonisha came over, but that's all I know. Tonisha and I watched Eclipse last night because Breaking Dawn came out last night at midnight. I bet that you could guess what we did tonight, but you'll hear about that in the next post. :) Anyway, I hope that you had a great Thursday. Sorry, I was late on my blog. I wish I could say it won't happen again, but I can't promise that.
Don't forget to vote for ILS at http://www.refresheverything.com/illinoisleadershipseminars! Thanks!
Wednesday, November 16, 2011
Enredados
So, we didn't have Peruvian Social Reality because obviously my professor is still staying with his son in the hospital, but his son is recovering from what I've heard so that's great. But, I hope that you keep praying. :) Anyway, since we didn't have that class, I started out my day in Living and Learning. In Living and Learning we worked on critical incidents. Critical incidents are essentially cultural misunderstandings that have happened throughout the semester. It was actually a pretty cool activity. We each got to share our critical incident and then we had to break them down and see the situation from both perspectives in order to better understand the Peruvian culture.
In Spanish today, of course, we did more subjunctive and we also started making an outline for our final papers. We've (Tonisha and I) finally figured out what our paper is going to be on. We are going to discuss the history of Afro-Peruvians in Peru (slavery, discrimination, etc) and then we're going to explain how their culture (music/dance) has become a part of Peru's national identity even though they have been discriminated against. It should be pretty interesting to research, however, we're running out of time! I'm done with classes in two weeks! That's crazy! I can't believe it!!
Anyway, next on my class list was Ethnography. We talked about Shamanism and Ayahuasca today. I think I've already told you about these, but I'll remind you that Shamanism refers to a group of beliefs and practices that deal with the communication between the human and spiritual world (Thank you Wikipedia). :) Anyway, Ayahuasca is a hallucinogenic drug that is used in Shamanism and also for religious purposes in the Amazon. We also turned in our third papers and we will be starting our last ones next week. They are going to be on myths and rituals in the Amazon from the books that we read earlier in the semester. It should be fairly easy and I'm sure I will end up writing about Shamanism.
I'm sorry, but nothing exciting happened on the micro today except for sitting in the passenger seat. And tonight...well I watched the movie Enredados (Tangled). Yep, it's a Disney movie and yes it was amazing, like all Disney movies! :) Anyway, my host mom won't be here until Sunday. She's on some sort of retreat, so it's just me and the empleada this weekend. I'm planning a huge party...just kidding! I have nothing planned for the weekend, except I am going surfing! I'm quite scared, but it should be a blast, but I'm not looking forward to the salt water or falling several times, but I'm still excited.
Anyway, I hope you all had wonderful days and nights! I will talk to you tomorrow! :)
And just in case you've forgotten... http://www.refresheverything.com/illinoisleadershipseminars
Vote ILS and tell your friends! We're at 26 now! If we keep moving up one spot a day, we can get to the top 15 by November 30th! :) Keep telling your friends and remember you can vote online and text everyday!
In Spanish today, of course, we did more subjunctive and we also started making an outline for our final papers. We've (Tonisha and I) finally figured out what our paper is going to be on. We are going to discuss the history of Afro-Peruvians in Peru (slavery, discrimination, etc) and then we're going to explain how their culture (music/dance) has become a part of Peru's national identity even though they have been discriminated against. It should be pretty interesting to research, however, we're running out of time! I'm done with classes in two weeks! That's crazy! I can't believe it!!
Anyway, next on my class list was Ethnography. We talked about Shamanism and Ayahuasca today. I think I've already told you about these, but I'll remind you that Shamanism refers to a group of beliefs and practices that deal with the communication between the human and spiritual world (Thank you Wikipedia). :) Anyway, Ayahuasca is a hallucinogenic drug that is used in Shamanism and also for religious purposes in the Amazon. We also turned in our third papers and we will be starting our last ones next week. They are going to be on myths and rituals in the Amazon from the books that we read earlier in the semester. It should be fairly easy and I'm sure I will end up writing about Shamanism.
I'm sorry, but nothing exciting happened on the micro today except for sitting in the passenger seat. And tonight...well I watched the movie Enredados (Tangled). Yep, it's a Disney movie and yes it was amazing, like all Disney movies! :) Anyway, my host mom won't be here until Sunday. She's on some sort of retreat, so it's just me and the empleada this weekend. I'm planning a huge party...just kidding! I have nothing planned for the weekend, except I am going surfing! I'm quite scared, but it should be a blast, but I'm not looking forward to the salt water or falling several times, but I'm still excited.
Anyway, I hope you all had wonderful days and nights! I will talk to you tomorrow! :)
And just in case you've forgotten... http://www.refresheverything.com/illinoisleadershipseminars
Vote ILS and tell your friends! We're at 26 now! If we keep moving up one spot a day, we can get to the top 15 by November 30th! :) Keep telling your friends and remember you can vote online and text everyday!
Tuesday, November 15, 2011
Psicosis
So, I saw a PeruFail this morning on the micro. I didn't have time to take a picture or else I would have, but I'll try to give you a mental picture: male riding a motorcycle in Lima traffic with a helmet on, but the shield on the helmet was up...resting on his helmet in front of his mouth is a cell phone...he was talking on it while driving a motorcycle. PeruFail.
Anyway, ballet was great today. We've only been having about an hour of class rather than an hour and a half since my professor is choreographing for a show in December. It's kind of unfortunate for me because that gives me a half hour less of class time, but at least it's been fun watching the choreography develop. After ballet, I ate lunch and then got to work on researching for my Peruvian Social Reality paper. I'm still not quite sure what it's going to be on, but I'm starting to narrow it down. Also, just so you have an update on my professor's son. He's 14 years old and he was conscious today. His parents and family were finally able to talk to him and there appears to be no neurological damage, which is great, but they still have to figure out what to do with his fractured skull and nose. So keep praying. :)
Anyway, in Cine tonight we watched Alfred Hitchcock's Psycho (Psicosis). If you haven't seen it, it's a classic so you need to. I've seen it before, but something that I learned tonight that I didn't know was that the movie was filmed in 28 days and that it was extremely inexpensive. It was filmed in black and white by choice because it was cheaper. We had an interesting discussion and I liked it because most of the students (even the other gringos) hadn't seen the movie before so I was getting to hear their first time reactions. By the way, thanks Mom for letting us watch some classics when we were younger. :)
On the way home tonight, I was in a packed micro! I wish I could help you fully understand just exactly what a packed micro, but there's no way. You just have to experience it, but again, I'm going to give you a mental picture: every single seat is taken and there are 20 people standing butt to butt and shoulder to shoulder (literally, 20 people..I counted). Oh and don't forget the cobrador who keeps telling people to move back so that more people can get on. It was fun. :) Tonight, I haven't really done too much. I watched the movie No Strings Attached, which was okay, but not great. I need to type an assignment still so I'm going to do that, but otherwise, I'm good on homework. Classes are ending in 2ish weeks so all of the important papers are due soon, so I'm probably going to be stressing soon, but that's normal. :) I can't believe classes are almost over though! Crazy!!
Anyway, don't forget to vote for ILS! We're at 28 right now! Also, make sure you vote by texting, too, and tell your amigos!
http://www.refresheverything.com/illinoisleadershipseminars
Buenas noches y dulces sueños!
I almost forgot...it's Music Martes! Today's song is El Poeta (The poet) by Chino & Nacho. I liked this song a lot! It makes me smile. :)
Anyway, ballet was great today. We've only been having about an hour of class rather than an hour and a half since my professor is choreographing for a show in December. It's kind of unfortunate for me because that gives me a half hour less of class time, but at least it's been fun watching the choreography develop. After ballet, I ate lunch and then got to work on researching for my Peruvian Social Reality paper. I'm still not quite sure what it's going to be on, but I'm starting to narrow it down. Also, just so you have an update on my professor's son. He's 14 years old and he was conscious today. His parents and family were finally able to talk to him and there appears to be no neurological damage, which is great, but they still have to figure out what to do with his fractured skull and nose. So keep praying. :)
Anyway, in Cine tonight we watched Alfred Hitchcock's Psycho (Psicosis). If you haven't seen it, it's a classic so you need to. I've seen it before, but something that I learned tonight that I didn't know was that the movie was filmed in 28 days and that it was extremely inexpensive. It was filmed in black and white by choice because it was cheaper. We had an interesting discussion and I liked it because most of the students (even the other gringos) hadn't seen the movie before so I was getting to hear their first time reactions. By the way, thanks Mom for letting us watch some classics when we were younger. :)
On the way home tonight, I was in a packed micro! I wish I could help you fully understand just exactly what a packed micro, but there's no way. You just have to experience it, but again, I'm going to give you a mental picture: every single seat is taken and there are 20 people standing butt to butt and shoulder to shoulder (literally, 20 people..I counted). Oh and don't forget the cobrador who keeps telling people to move back so that more people can get on. It was fun. :) Tonight, I haven't really done too much. I watched the movie No Strings Attached, which was okay, but not great. I need to type an assignment still so I'm going to do that, but otherwise, I'm good on homework. Classes are ending in 2ish weeks so all of the important papers are due soon, so I'm probably going to be stressing soon, but that's normal. :) I can't believe classes are almost over though! Crazy!!
Anyway, don't forget to vote for ILS! We're at 28 right now! Also, make sure you vote by texting, too, and tell your amigos!
http://www.refresheverything.com/illinoisleadershipseminars
Buenas noches y dulces sueños!
I almost forgot...it's Music Martes! Today's song is El Poeta (The poet) by Chino & Nacho. I liked this song a lot! It makes me smile. :)
Monday, November 14, 2011
ILS
So I have a favor to ask you all and it's important: stop reading this blog right this second and say a short prayer for my professor's youngest son. He was hit by a car last week and is in serious condition. I don't know a ton of the details, but you don't need the details in order to pray.
Anyway, needless to say, we didn't have Peruvian Social Reality today. Our professor has been with his heavily-sedated son for five days straight and they are waiting for him to get a metal plate put in his head they are praying that there is no neurological damage. Please pray for their family. I know they would appreciate it.
Anyway, since we didn't have class, I took the opportunity to do some Cine homework and just relax and then I spent lunchtime relaxing as well. It got soo hot during lunch. I almost couldn't breathe because of the heat, but it got better in the afternoon. It actually "rained" (aka sprinkled) this evening. In Spanish Writing Workshop, we spent more time on subjunctive. Subjunctive has a plethora of uses. It's quite annoying actually, but I feel like I'm starting to grasp it more and more every week. We also are starting to research for our final papers. We are able to use papers from other classes for our final paper in the Spanish Writing Workshop and I think I'm going to use what will be my final paper for Peruvian Social Reality. I think I am going to do my paper on Afro-Peruvians and their culture/identity. It should be interesting, hopefully, because I am planning on it being the basis for my Senior thesis that I will be doing next semester.
After Spanish, I had Etnografía Amazónica. We discussed more rituals in the Amazon, like the rituals for when girls and boys become men and women, funerals, body modifications, and we talked about shrunken heads. :) And like I said in my last blog, our papers are due on Wednesday, so I have time to tweak mine if I want.
Anyway, on the micro home, the cobrador tried asking for more money and I started my usual argument, but then it was unnecessary because the girl next to me defended me. Of course in order to defend me all you have to say is "She's foreign," which is exactly what she said like three times. Then, the cobrador just walked away and I turned to the girl and said, "Gracias" (Thank you). It was cute. Other than that nothing happened tonight. I have just been relaxing like I do most nights.
And now, it's time for my vote for ILS blurb... VOTE FOR ILS!! It's really important to me! We are currently ranked at 30, but we still need to get to 15 or lower. Apparently, the top 29 spots have been promoting their projects by telling people to text in everywhere they go. Now, I can't really do that so I'm counting on you guys to tell everyone that you know to text and vote online everyday! I'm expecting you to make an announcement to everyone in your regular coffee shop. I'm expecting you to send annoying chain e-mails everyday to everyone. I'm expecting you to bride your friends with pixie sticks so that they vote. Okay, obviously, I'm not actually expecting you to do any of this, but if you do...GOOD FOR YOU!!! AND THANK YOU! And if you don't do any of those things, I still want to say thank you. Every vote counts. http://www.refresheverything.com/illinoisleadershipseminars
Okay, if my little blurb above doesn't help you to vote then watch this video. If this video doesn't cause you to get people to vote, then I wish that I could show you the smile that comes across my face when I watch it because it truly is an amazing cause and it really is everything this video shows and more!
Okay, if my little blurb above doesn't help you to vote then watch this video. If this video doesn't cause you to get people to vote, then I wish that I could show you the smile that comes across my face when I watch it because it truly is an amazing cause and it really is everything this video shows and more!
El espíritu de Navidad
First of all, I would like to apologize for the late blog post. I've already heard some complaints from some of you. ;) In all fairness to me though, I warned you. I pretty much told you that it was highly likely that there would be no Sunday blog. Sorry. :/
Anyway, yesterday morning, I slept in and then started my day by finishing the movie, Just Go With It which I had started the night before. By the way, Larry Crowne was a cute movie, but not the best. However, Just Go With It was very funny! If you want to laughed, I suggest you watch that movie. It's a good romantic comedy.
For Sunday lunch, my host mom and I went out as always, but rather than going to a restaurant, her church was having a dinner/fundraiser. It was nice. There was music (a man playing his flute), dance (of course, the marinera norteña), and they were drawing for prizes. Unfortunately, I didn't win anything, but I really wanted to. I figure my number was called as soon as we left. Besides the entertainment, there was of course food. We had seco con frijoles. Seco is cabrita. Cabrita is baby goat. :) Yum. Actually, it tasted and looked like roast to me. Anyway, of course, there were rice and beans on the side. Sorry, there's no picture. It was pretty good though and it was nice to have a typical Peruvian dish that I haven't had already. It was a nice time and it was pretty outside. Also, the church was doing a very cool charity project. They were selling boxes. Yes, I know selling boxes doesn't sound charity-like, but it is, trust me. Each box has a number and each number corresponds to a family in poverty. It's a Christmas project. People can buy the boxes and they find out how many family members there are and their ages. The people then filled the boxes with food and presents for the families and the families are given these boxes at Christmas. It really put me in the Christmas spirit Yes, I know that there is a "rule" that you can't start Christmas until after Thanksgiving, but there is no Thanksgiving here meaning that Christmas is in full swing here. If you think about it though, shouldn't you have the Christmas spirit all year long? Just something for you to think about. :) While I'm on the subject, Thanksgiving is a great time of year, too, but again, make sure that you are thankful all year round.
Anyway, after lunch, I avoided starting my paper until about 9 p.m. It really didn't take me too long to do it either and I knew it wouldn't, but why must I always wait. If I just sat down and did it right when I woke up, I wouldn't have had to worry about it doing it for the whole day. It's really not stressful or anything to wait, but I just don't know why I do it. It's quite odd. I think that's what the average college student does anyway, so I guess I'm not alone and I'm sure there is some philosophical reason why people procrastinate, but I don't have that answer right now. Anyway, I did get it done and it's actually not due until Wednesday, so now I'm ahead of the game. :) So technically, I wasn't procrastinating at all. I knew that there was a huge possibility that it was due Wednesday and not Monday, but I just wanted to get it done. I guess I didn't wait after all. :)
Anyway, I hope you all had amazing weekends! And I hope you have a wonderful week!
Saturday, November 12, 2011
Día de las películas
So Tonisha and I's sleepover was last night and it was wonderful. And of course we were smart enough last night to save enough Cinnamon Toast Crunch so that we could each have a bowl for breakfast. We savored every last bite of it, but we were both really sad when it was gone.
Anyway, after breakfast, we watched Just Like Heaven and Despicable Me. Both are really good movies. :) Before I tell you the rest of my day, know that it is only filled with movies. Today, I dedicated my day to doing nothing. I do have a paper that is due this week that I should be working on, but that's what Sundays are for. So if there's no blog tomorrow, you can blame it on my paper and the fact that I spent my Saturday in movie land. Anyway, after Tonisha and I watched those two movies it was already the afternoon and we were both starving. We went to Crepes & Waffles for lunch where we both got the most unhealthy waffes in the world. I got waffles that had strawberry jam spread over them, plus real strawberries, plus whipped cream, plus vanilla and strawberry ice cream! See what I'm saying...unhealthy! Tonisha's also had ice cream, but substitute all of my "strawberries" for manjarblanco. They were so good. We then walked back to my house and she grabbed her things and headed out. :( That was a sad moment. Probably not as sad as it will be when we say goodbye in a month, but still sad. ;)
Anyway, I have watched two more movies this afternoon/tonight...Charlie St. Cloud and Fireproof. Both of these are good movies, too. And right now I'm getting ready to watch Larry Crowne. We'll see if I watch another one after that. :) I do have some exciting news that doesn't involve movies. My mom had two friends over tonight and the one man went to school at University of Illinois at Champaign-Urbana. I thought that was cool because then he knew where Peoria was! That's the closest someone has known my area. Most people just know Chicago, Illinois. It made me happy. :) Anyway, I hope you all had Saturdays. I hope it was productive if you needed it to be and/or I hope it was relaxed (like mine) if that's what you needed. :) Have a good night and Sunday!
Also, don't forget to vote for ILS online and through text everyday! And don't forget to tell your friends! It would mean a lot to me! We're at 32, but we need to keep moving down in rank!
http://www.refresheverything.com/illinoisleadershipseminars
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| Sad that the Cinnamon Toast Crunch is gone. |
Anyway, I have watched two more movies this afternoon/tonight...Charlie St. Cloud and Fireproof. Both of these are good movies, too. And right now I'm getting ready to watch Larry Crowne. We'll see if I watch another one after that. :) I do have some exciting news that doesn't involve movies. My mom had two friends over tonight and the one man went to school at University of Illinois at Champaign-Urbana. I thought that was cool because then he knew where Peoria was! That's the closest someone has known my area. Most people just know Chicago, Illinois. It made me happy. :) Anyway, I hope you all had Saturdays. I hope it was productive if you needed it to be and/or I hope it was relaxed (like mine) if that's what you needed. :) Have a good night and Sunday!
Also, don't forget to vote for ILS online and through text everyday! And don't forget to tell your friends! It would mean a lot to me! We're at 32, but we need to keep moving down in rank!
http://www.refresheverything.com/illinoisleadershipseminars
Falta un mes
So this morning (yesterday morning), our program had a cultural activity. We went on a tour of Villa El Salvador, a district here in Lima and the district where Deporte y Vida is. We started out by picking up our guide, Pedro, who has lived in Villa El Salvador his whole life and he was there when it was first being organized as a community. We went to a parroquia (parish). While there, we learned about a project that helps elderly that are in extreme poverty. Some people live there (it's like an assisted living place), but some people just go and "hang out." There are classes there where they can learn to read and write and they also have craft workshops. The elderly make crafts and sell them in order to raise money for the project. We didn't stay there long, but I would've loved to sit down and talk with them all. They were all so cute and friendly. They were so happy to have all of us there and I got several kisses from little old ladies. :) It was adorable.
Anyway, then we went to a park that is in Villa El Salvador, Parque Zonal Huascar. The park was a very nice. I've heard the kids at Deporte y Vida talk about the park several times and you can see it at the bottom of the hill from Deporte y Vida. I didn't know what to expect going to the park, but it's actually really nice! There are a lot of jungle gyms and even a few carnival rides. There's a small zoo and there's a lake that you can ride swan boats on. :) We actually saw a few of the Deporte y Vida kids there with their schools. They were happy to see us and I'm sure they felt cool in front of their classmates because they knew the gringos. :)
Anyway, needless to say, the park was pretty fun. After the park, we went to Deporte y Vida, but not the one we go to. There are actually three sites for Deporte y Vida and we went to the first site that was opened in 2000. Gerri, the woman who started Deporte y Vida, talked about the project for a little bit. She obviously believes in education a lot and she started to talk about public funding for education, etc. Well, Pedro, our guide and a political figure, was there while we she was discussing all of this and they got in a long debate about politics and education. It was interesting, but also hard to follow. It got a little long winded in my opinion, but it was still good. After the debate, we drove through the industrial park of Villa El Salvador. Villa El Salvador constructs the majority of the furniture that is sold in Lima and by the looks of it, I believe it. Every other shop on the street was a shop for furniture. Also, the factories for Saga Falabella and Ripley's (two major department stores) are in Villa El Salvador. Villa El Salvador is actually a very organized district and it has been since it's beginnings. Other districts have modeled themselves after Villa El Salvador. Also, on a side note, did you know that in 2007 Peru had the fastest growing economy. They are still growing today, too, but not as rapidly.
After the tour, Tonisha and I went grocery shopping for the ingredients that we needed to make this banana/peanut butter dessert. Just so you know, peanut butter is really expensive in Peru and also, they don't have Reese's Pieces (or at least there weren't any at the stores we went to). After that I came home and just relaxed until Tonisha came over!! We had a sleepover and it was the best thing ever! Her grandma came and visited last week and she was so kind to bring us Cinnamon Toast Crunch from the states. We started out the night by making our delicious dessert. It contained peanut butter, banana, chocolate ice cream, Reese's Pieces (we substituted those for Chin Chin, which are essentially M&Ms). While we put that in the freezer, we started watching Las Locuras del Emperador (Emperor's New Groove) in Spanish, we opened the box of Cinnamon Toast Crunch and started eating it dry. We both haven't seen the movie in a long time so it was nice to watch it. We stopped it halfway through in order to have a dinner break. And what did we eat for dinner? Cinnamon Toast Crunch with milk!!!! We didn't even take the time to sit at the table before we started chowing down on it. We stood there in the kitchen and ate pretty much the whole box! Also, we gave some to my host mom and I told her it was the best cereal in the world. She did like it a lot and she agreed that it was the best in the world. I don't know if she was just playing along with the fact that it was the best, but she did like it. Tonisha and I then watched the rest of Emperor's New Groove and then watch Crazy, Stupid, Love. I love that movie and it just reminded me of how Mark and I saw it in the theaters and laughed when noone else did. After the movies, Tonisha and I ate our dessert (let's just say we didn't have a healthy eating night) and it, too, was delicious. We started the movie Just Like Heaven after that, but then both of us got REALLY sleepy, so we went to bed. Overall, it was an amazing night and for your entertainment, here are some pictures: =)
Sorry for the late post! Also, I hope you all enjoyed your 11/11/11 and Veteran's Day yesterday!! Also, yesterday was the "I have one month left in Peru" day! So, technically, now I have less than a month left! Crazy! Time has flown!
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| Playground |
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| Parrots! There were some birds that could say "Hola" to us. It was cool. |
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| Peacock |
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| Turtles |
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| Monkeys |
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| Llama |
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| The lake in the park |
After the tour, Tonisha and I went grocery shopping for the ingredients that we needed to make this banana/peanut butter dessert. Just so you know, peanut butter is really expensive in Peru and also, they don't have Reese's Pieces (or at least there weren't any at the stores we went to). After that I came home and just relaxed until Tonisha came over!! We had a sleepover and it was the best thing ever! Her grandma came and visited last week and she was so kind to bring us Cinnamon Toast Crunch from the states. We started out the night by making our delicious dessert. It contained peanut butter, banana, chocolate ice cream, Reese's Pieces (we substituted those for Chin Chin, which are essentially M&Ms). While we put that in the freezer, we started watching Las Locuras del Emperador (Emperor's New Groove) in Spanish, we opened the box of Cinnamon Toast Crunch and started eating it dry. We both haven't seen the movie in a long time so it was nice to watch it. We stopped it halfway through in order to have a dinner break. And what did we eat for dinner? Cinnamon Toast Crunch with milk!!!! We didn't even take the time to sit at the table before we started chowing down on it. We stood there in the kitchen and ate pretty much the whole box! Also, we gave some to my host mom and I told her it was the best cereal in the world. She did like it a lot and she agreed that it was the best in the world. I don't know if she was just playing along with the fact that it was the best, but she did like it. Tonisha and I then watched the rest of Emperor's New Groove and then watch Crazy, Stupid, Love. I love that movie and it just reminded me of how Mark and I saw it in the theaters and laughed when noone else did. After the movies, Tonisha and I ate our dessert (let's just say we didn't have a healthy eating night) and it, too, was delicious. We started the movie Just Like Heaven after that, but then both of us got REALLY sleepy, so we went to bed. Overall, it was an amazing night and for your entertainment, here are some pictures: =)
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| Tonisha using the blender :) |
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| Yay for Cinnamon Toast Crunch!! |
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| Our nastily delicious dessert! |
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