I'm Starting to Miss Some Things

It is crazy to think that I have already been here for 3 weeks! They have gone by really fast and I’ve realized that I am starting to miss some things about Nebraska. I am really missing Nebraskan beef. We had steaks at the beach last weekend and they were decent, but I told my host family they have to come to Nebraska just for the steak if they thought that T-Bone they ate was good. I miss Walmart. There, I said it. I miss country music so much! I tried to teach Fatima to swing dance the other day, but I don’t know if she liked it or not.  We played some country music for our Literature teacher Tuesday and I think he wants to hear more because he wants us to make a playlist for each class! Most of all I miss my family and friends. With my birthday coming up, I wish I could spend it with them. My host family wants to do something for me because I think they know I am missing home a little bit. For my birthday they are going to take me to a water show at Parque de Agua and they want to make cupcakes too! We’ll see what happens!

I am so blessed to have such an amazing, welcoming, and caring host family. They are really trying to make sure my experience here in Peru is the best it can be. Making me try new foods, taking me places, and helping me with my homework are just a few of the things they have done to be so great. I don’t know how I can ever thank them enough.

Is there anything interesting I have done in the last week? Let me think…hmm… oh yeah! I got to go see the 400 year old Catacombs under the San Francisco church. Over 25,000 people were buried underneath this church and the bones have been sorted into the strongest and the weakest. The bones were placed in different patterns in holes and rooms underneath the church. I don’t have any pictures because it is prohibited and disrespectful. You’ll just have to come to Lima to see it for yourself!

Tuesday night Jenny and Martín took me to a show in Miraflores at a place called Cocodrilo Verde (Green Crocodile) to watch their cousin play percussion in a band. The music was all Peruvian and I was really impressed with the flute and saxophone players. They could play notes and make music I didn’t know was possible to come out of those instruments. The show was awesome and I got to try more Peruvian food!

Alejandro completing his daily crossword.
He asks me questions sometimes because
the answers are in English for some reason.

Here I am at Cocodrilo Verde for the music show!

Small rant about the music: they play the same 3 songs over and over on the radio! There are 7 different remixes to each song to try to make you feel like you are listening to something new, but it’s the same song! I have heard Hello, Sorry, and Cheerleader more times in the last 3 weeks than I have before I left the United States! I had a little girl freak out when they switched it up and put on This is Me by Demi Lovato and Joe Jonas from Disney Channel. I told my host family about 3 times that the song was from Disney. I couldn’t believe they were playing it on the radio between Adele and Justin Bieber. Rant over.

My host family took me to the beach again! I had a test over vocabulary words so they all helped me go through my flashcards and explained each word to me. Jenny even went over my flashcards with me at the beach! The waves were really big this time so I was in the water for 2 hours one day. I was holding onto a noodle for dear life and laughing so hard with Martín because we kept getting water in our mouths and up our noses but didn’t want to leave the water because the waves were so fun! It was cloudy, a little chilly, and the water was freezing but we were the only people to tough it out that long without wetsuits! Martín stepped on a sea urchin at one point and pulled some spikes out of his water shoe. I stayed in starfish mode after that. My feet were not about to be filled with sea urchin spikes.

   

A beautiful starfish one of the relatives caught
near the water at the beach. 

Alejandro, my host dad, put his hat on me and
made me stir the ceviche for a picture to
send to my mom. Here you go mom! 

That’s all for now folks. I’ll keep trying do something fun every week so you know I’m not boring!

Mariah

Random Things

• It is normal to eat Halls cough drops here like they are candy. They sell them at the store to little kids. Fabrizio bought some at the beach and offered them to me. When I told him I didn't have a cold he looked at me like I was crazy. 
• Popsicles called "chups" are the thing to eat here. 
• They always say how great the food, beach, water, day, etc. is here. They are so grateful for everything and it's really opening my eyes.  
•  The cashier just didn't give me the right amount of money back today at the store. Of course I realized she took 15 soles from me after I left and was in a taxi on the way home. 
• AlgarroBina is the best drink I've ever had. It's like a chocolate milkshake from heaven. Except it is the syrup from a tree here in Peru. 
• Either potatoes or rice are always on the menu. 
• The fruit here is absolutely outstanding. I don't want to leave it behind. 

This is some Peruvian/Ican corn. The kernels
are huge and they pick them off to eat. 

Tuna fruit: the yummy fruit I get to eat almost
every morning at breakfast!

Time, How Does it Work?

Buenos días (good morning), buenas tardes (good afternoon), buenas noches (good night); whatever time you are reading this, I hope you are having a great day!

I can’t believe another week has flown by in Peru. Sometimes it feels like the days drag on and other times it feels like they are over in a blink of an eye! Time is such an interesting thing here. Most people seem to be awake by 7:30 at the latest and eat breakfast right away. Then they don’t eat lunch until about 2. If a family eats dinner here, it’s usually around 7:30 or 8. One day this last week some of the girls and I wanted to go get some lunch around 12:30, average lunch time for us, and not a single restaurant was open. I don’t think they open until 1:30 or 2. I still can’t figure out what time stores are open here. People walk really slow here but drive really fast and crazy. I don’t understand why they don’t just walk slow and drive slow or walk fast and drive fast. Two girls were out power walking yesterday with weights in their hands and I passed them. I wasn’t even walking fast!

Friday we took a class trip 2 hours away to a town called Matucana. We hiked 2 hours to go see some waterfalls there. I have never hiked before so it was a little difficult for me to figure out how to put my feet on the loose gravel at first. These hiking trails to the waterfall had no rails of any sort, so if I would’ve stepped wrong on the 4 foot wide trail, I would have fallen vertically off of the mountain! Finally we made it to the beautiful waterfalls. I was the only one to get under the waterfall; no way was I hiking all the way there and not standing underneath the waterfall! I ended up warming myself by the grill while we made our hamburgers because the sun was starting to go behind the mountain. On the way to Matucana, the bus driver stopped 3 times to put some water on the brakes because they were becoming overheated going up a mountain. On the way down we did not stop once to cool the brakes which I found slightly suspicious. I recited the Prayer for Protection about 37 times. Not kidding.

We had to cross this bridge to get to the waterfall and I was
a little afraid it was not going to hold us all!

This last weekend most of us UNK students went to the district of Barranco about 30 minutes away from our district of Surco. Barranco is right on the coast and it is a very touristy area. We were told by the UNK students from last year that we needed to go to a place called El Burrito Bar. It is a small restaurant with no sign indicating that we had arrived. The only sign was the one on the menu, other than that we had basically walked into a hole in the wall. We got there at 12:40 and they told us it didn’t open until 1 for lunch. So we walked around a little bit and showed up at about 1:10; it still wasn’t open. So we waited outside until they let us in around 1:20. Peruvian time is real. When we were walking around town we were getting lots of whistles from the guys there. One guy stopped in the middle of the road to say wow. A group of grandpas told us, "Hey pretty ladies, thank you for walking." That was all said in Spanish of course. It's weird that guys can do that here and it's normal. In the United States we would just call them creeps, in Peru it's your average Joe. We decided it's because we were a group of 8 gringas walking around. Probably not something they see every day. 

Classes this week started getting a little bit harder. They gave us vocabulary words to study for a test, a reading assignment in Literature, and we had a group test in Grammar. Who do they think they are giving us homework? 

The calluses started peeling off my fingers from not being able to play guitar for so long. I decided that could not happen because it’s so hard to build them up again. So I talked to my parents and they told me they would help me buy a guitar here. Today Shelby, Abby, and I went to Miraflores (another district of Lima) to look for a guitar. Finally I found one for 170 soles. I was prepared to spend about 200 dollars on a guitar and I ended up getting one for 50 dollars! You’re welcome mom and dad! The sound is a little twangy but I can live with that! So not to worry everyone, my calluses will not be leaving my fingers anytime soon.

The famous mural in Matucana! With the dogs we met at
 the top of the mountain that followed us down.

Tomorrow I’m going to the beach again with my family and I hope to get some homework done there!

Have a good day, afternoon, or night! Besos








Random Things

• A baby shower is still said "baby shower" in English
• They say a lot of English words here (laptop, clip, baby shower)
• People have soccer goals set up on cement and play on the cement
• I've determined the motto here is: "Show up late, drive fast"
• They pass on blind curves! 
• There don't seem to be many driving laws here. They make their own lanes, go through stop lights that are on red, and don't follow the speed limit. 
• Stop is actually written in the subjunctive tense here which means it may or may not happen. I don't want my stop to be optional!!!

Different Country, Different Language, Different Culture

I apologize in advance for the length this blog post is about to be. I promise they will not all be like this. There are just so many things at first!

I can't believe I've already been in Peru for 1 whole week! It has gone fast and slow at the same time and I don't even know how that works. Part of me feels like I've only been here 2 days while the other part of me feels like I've been here 2 months. When I left home, I didn't really know if this is what I should be doing. I thought maybe I should wait another year just to get some more Spanish classes in. But now that I'm here I know it's exactly where I am supposed to be at this point in my life. I was freaking out a little bit when the plane flew into Lima, but my host mom, Carmen, and her son-in-law, Martín, were there to pick me up and were so welcoming. They did not know how to say my name so they were holding out Martín's phone with my picture on it asking everyone that walked by, "Marian? Marian?" I did not understand at first, but when I saw my picture I knew what they were trying to say. When we got to their apartment my host sister, Carla, was there to greet me at 1:30 in the morning! They showed me to my room and I got right to sleep because I had been up for 21 hours! 

In the car ride to the apartment I only understood about 30% of what they were asking and telling me. I hoped it was because I was tired, but I found out the next day it was just because I only understood 30%. Naturally I was scared for my life and started debating my major right away. The first morning I woke up I was so scared to leave my room and have to speak Spanish, so I stayed in my room for about an hour and a half before I got the courage to go brush my teeth in the bathroom right across the hall. Carmen made me breakfast: pineapple on a cabob, fresh bread, and chocolatada. It was the best pineapple I've ever had and I still don't know what chocolatada is, but I will be making it in the United States if I ever figure it out!

My first breakfast in Peru. That pineapple is the
most delicious fruit I have ever tasted. 

After breakfast we went to one of the daughter's house, Patty, so Carmen could make everyone lunch. I went upstairs and watched cartoons in Spanish so I could maybe get a little better ear for it. I don't think it helped. When it was time to eat I met Patty and her husband, their kids Fatima (10 years old) and Joaquin (6 years old), and my host dad Alejandro. They started talking and when they would ask me a question, I had no idea they were talking to me. Everybody talks so fast here! The words I use most in conversation are "Huh? Como? Oh sí" one time I actually said "What?" in English... whoops. 

This is with Carmen after my first day in Lima. She and Carla
took me to the mall near their house, El Polo. The Christmas tree
looked a little weird without snow around it! 

The second day I was here I woke up to the sound of my host mom and dad practicing my name. Marian is as close as they are getting to Mariah. I think it's kind of funny and I told them they could call me Riah, Ry Ry, or Ry but I think those might be hard too. Alejandro eventually gave up and started calling me Ma. I had orientation at the college of UPC where I found out Peruvian time is a real thing. We were supposed to start at 9:30 and we did not start until 10:15. I like to be at least 5 minutes early to things so I think I might be waiting around a lot here for things to start on Peruvian time. When we toured the campus I was surprised at how beautiful it is. There is a "river" that runs right through the middle of campus, turf everywhere because grass doesn't really grow here, one building completely covered in plants, and an outdoor lounge of beanbag chairs. Yes, you read that right: beanbag chairs. 

One of the buildings at UPC. 

After orientation Carmen picked up my friend Abby and me to go to their house on the beach at San Bartolo for the weekend. As soon as we got there we took a nap because thinking in Spanish all the time just wears me down. When I woke up I met another daughter of my host parents. Her name is Jenny and her husband Martín was the one that picked me up at the airport. I also met their two kids, Fabrizio (8 years old) and Rafaela (3 years old). All 4 grandkids are so cute!

Throughout the weekend at the beach we tried many different foods like ceviche, fish that marinates in lime juice and that's what cooks it. I don't know how that works and I still don't know if I like it. Martín and Jenny took us back into town, after the kids were asleep, to eat anticucho. They wouldn't tell us what it was until we ate a few bites. Cow heart. We ate cow heart. I’m from Nebraska and I have never eaten cow heart before. It was interesting and I can't say it's the best thing I've had here. I had to wash it down with some Inca Kola which is a pop that tastes like bubble gum. Martín and Jenny took us around San Bartolo the next night. They wanted us to see a Discoteca, but it wasn't open yet or something (I didn’t understand…nothing new) so they wouldn't let us in. We got some ice cream instead and sat in a restaurant to listen to some live music. So far, they are some of the easiest people for me to understand. 

The first time we tried ceviche. 

The days spent at the beach were great! I learned a cangrejo is a crab, erizo is a sea urchin, and SPF 50 is the minimum sunscreen you should use. One day for lunch Carmen fed us real real real good. I thought all we were eating was potatoes with cheese, but that was just the appetizer. We then got a huge plate (bigger than San Pedros) of rice, beans, and beef.

Sunday at San Bartolo I woke up and played catch with Fabrizio, my new little best friend. Then I went to the market with Martín to get groceries for the day. He bought about 30 limes, several potatoes, peppers, and a few other fruits and veggies for a grand total of 3 American dollars! When I told him it probably would cost about 20-30 dollars in the United States he could not believe it. He told me the market we went to was even a little more expensive for Peru! 

One of the lookout points at San Bartolo

I started class on Monday at 4 p.m. All day Monday I kind of got my things organized, I went to El Polo mall with UNK people/English speakers, ate some lunch, and went to class. Our teacher for our conversation and grammar class is by far the easiest person to understand here. I probably understand about 80-90% of what he says because he talks slow, articulates his words, and repeats himself when he can tell we do not understand. Our literature professor, on the other hand, is a little more difficult to understand because he talks really fast. I am not really interested in literature other than Harry Potter so Tuesday’s are going to be a little rough.

These are the four little kids. Left to right:
Rafaela, Fabrizio, Fatima, and Joaquin

Today the grandchildren were over at the house because two of them have tennis lessons nearby. It is also summer here so the kids don’t start school again until March. After their lessons were over we went to Patty’s house so Carmen could make lunch for everybody. Us kids (yes I still consider myself a kid) played monkey in the middle with about 8 people. Then they tried to teach me a game called encantada. I did not understand in Spanish, so they explained it to me in English and I still did not understand very well. Maybe that means I am growing up. Anyway, the one week that I have been in Peru has been great and I can feel that I am understanding more every day!

I have been keeping a list of some random things I make note of so here they are:

·        My name is very hard for almost anyone here to say

·        They put the sheet you pull over yourself on the bed facing down. The print does not face up, it faces down.

·        There are not as many bugs as I thought there would be. Nebraska definitely has more bugs than Lima.

·        I love kissing everyone on the cheek to greet them! I don’t have to use as much hand sanitizer!

·        There are lots of stray dogs here that are so skinny. I just want to feed them all.  

·        Peruvians wear sunscreen to walk to the store… I wear sunscreen now to sit by my window. I am definitely a gringa.

·        Nobody knows how to drive here. There is constant honking. They honk when they go up hills to make sure somebody on the other side doesn’t run into them.

·        Speaking is really formal here. The other morning Fatima asked me if she could accompany me while I ate breakfast.

·        Toilet paper is thrown away, not flushed…

·        I saw a trailer of bricks with nothing holding them down or together. We drove by that and I thought I was going to die if that truck hit a bump all of those bricks were going to come tumbling down. 

Not Afraid

It is 5 days before I leave for Peru and I am trying to mentally prepare myself and pack for the upcoming trip. Since I have received the news that I would be going to Peru I have heard and come up with many "what if's".  "What if I get malaria?" "What if somebody gets hurt while I am abroad?" "What if I meet my future husband?" (Although my dad said that is definitely not allowed.) "What if I get taken?" "What if I get everything stolen from me?" "What if, for some reason, I don't come back to the good ol' U.S. of A?" "What if my little sister grows 4 feet while I am gone?"

All of these "what if's" eventually started to overwhelm me. Then, I remembered the best thing my grandma could have ever said to my family, "Fear just comes from a thought and I am not afraid of a thought."  As I sit here and let her words resonate within me, I know worrying is not going to do anything for me. I am going to have the experience of a lifetime down there and I should not be afraid of the thoughts I am having and allow them to create discomfort for me. That doesn't mean that I am not going to be cautious, it just means that I am not going to let my thoughts control me. I have the opportunity to learn a language and culture that will impact me for the rest of my life. 

I embrace this opportunity!  So Peru, here I come!! I am ready now... I think. :)