Update time!
When we last left off, I was about to embark on a journey to the Desert of Peru, the Atacama Desert, to be exact. It is one of the driest places in the world! (ooo - aaahh)
Well, on the 22nd of May, all of the exchange students in my district (4455) went on a trip together for the last time. We traveled to the cities of Ica, Pisco, Paracas, and Nasca.
We went sand boarding and on dune buggies in the sand dunes right outside of Ica. It was really fun. The dunes we went boarding down were nerve racking. The first dune we went down, was like any normal hill, nothing scary. But, the rest of the dune we went down kept getting steeper and bigger. On the second to last dune, I went down and had miraculously made it with out flipping over (we went down on our bellies). I was just about to stand up when a girl accidentally ran into me. I fell down, and I was in pain. My knee ended up swelling up. Looking back on it, it didn't hurt as much as I thought. It was just the shock that got to me at first. But, the next day I was perfectly fine, just with a sore knee.
The next day, we went to the Rotary District Conference. The exchange students just showed up to parade out blazers and sit. We were there for an hour that morning and nothing more. After, we traveled to Paracas to see some very beautiful islands. On these island, there are Penguins and Sea Lions. It was really an experience to see those animals in their natural habitats.
One night, we went to the Rotary Conference to attend the talent show. Out of the exchange students, there were 5 performances. I was not in any of them, but I did clap as loudly as possible for my friends.
We attended the conference on the second to last day of the trip to put on the part of the conference about Rotary Youth Exchange. In this district, almost none of the clubs want to receive students. We put on the program of the morning to convince them that hosting a student is an enriching experience for all. We were there for most of the morning, then we went to a winery as Ica is known for its wine and pisco. We were able to see how they make it all. The scenery at the winery was beautiful.
The last night of the trip, the night of the 24th, was a very sad night for us all. We had a dance party and then said good bye to the people not coming to Nasca with a group of us. Some of the people that I said good bye to, it was the last time I will see them in Peru.
So, we went on to Nasca. We flew up in tiny, 6 passenger airplanes to see the Nasca Lines. It made me woozy, but I didn't puke. thankfully. Seeing the Lines was amazing. It astounds me just thinking about how the Nasca people could have made those lines in the desert so long ago.
We went on a bus from Nasca to Lima after. What should have been a 7 hour trip, was actually closer to a 10 hour trip, because an accident happened on one of the roads on our way back. We were not involved, but effected by the traffic it caused.
We finally came back to Lima around 2 am and I slept the whole next day.
On the 28th of May, Rotary had a going away party for us students. It was really very lovely and we all appreciated it a lot. It was a sad night, but a good night.
What have I been doing in these days, you may wonder?
Well, I have very little days left. I have been going out with friends every day and making the most of the time I have left here. I don't like to think about going home because it makes me angry and
Sunday, June 22, 2014
Wednesday, May 21, 2014
Ecuadorian Adventures (feat. Birthday)
Hello fellow literate people. It pleases me that you can read.
On the 4th of May, in the wee hours of the morning (8am ugh) I made my way to the International Airport in Lima. I checked in for my flight to Guayaquil, Ecuador which was to leave at 10:30 - ish. There was a line for security; very rare for this Airport. When I finally made it through security and customs, I made my way to the gate to sit and wait rather impatiently for the boarding time. While I waited, I drank my last Inca Kola that I would set eyes on the next couple weeks. I savored the flavor of this florescent yellow drink that I cherish so deeply. While I waited, I made friends with an elderly (but not too elderly) couple. They were also from the States (Florida). They made more than pleasant company during the wait. Once the time to finally board the plane came, we all followed the norm and waited in line and all the shabang. In the plane, the flight attendant decided that I didn't speak a lick of Spanish and talked to me only in English.
After 2 hours, we touched down in Guayaquil, Ecuador. I made my way through customs, where the man stamping my passport looked at me and asked how old I was. I told him, 16. "I saw the stamps in your passport from Machu Picchu and Lake Titicaca. You are traveling on your own? From The States, to all of Peru, and now to Ecuador?" Once I explained I was an exchange student with the ever prestigious Rotary International, he stamped my passport and wished me luck for the remainder of my time as an Exchange Student. I managed to make it through Ecuadorian Customs without drawing any unwanted attention or being accused of being a terrorist. So, successfully. Once I finally walked out to where the people are waiting to pick the travelers up, I scanned the crowd for Ghimel, my friend who I went to visit. I heard someone scream, "Emily!" and I snapped my head in the direction. I saw Ghimel accompanied by her family, waiting for me. I was greeted with hugs all around.
Once we left the airport, the family took me exploring around Guayaquil. Occasionally, we got lost while driving, but only for a second or two. We walked the boardwalk, and climbed up the hill to where the city of Guayaquil took its roots. After 445 steps, we made it to the top. But, then we climbed a lighthouse which I approximate had 60 steps. So, after 505 steps, I made it to the top point of Guayaquil. The view is breathtaking and unlike any other. The landscape of Ecuador is mostly mountainous. Near the coast, the mountains become more like large rolling hills, but, as I come from flat-as-a-pancake-Illinois, they are mountains to me.
After the day of exploring, Ghimel, her little sister, and I stayed in Ghimel's apartment in Guayaquil. Ghimel had classes the next two days, but her sister and I waited for her in the coffee shop on the campus, which had wifi (score!). After a couple days, we ventured to Portoviejo, where Ghimel's family lives. We explored Portoviejo and drove the the nearest beaches for a few days, before Ghimel and I boarded a bus on Thursday night for 7 hours to make the journey to Quito, the capital city of Ecuador.
Quito is located in the Andes Mountains. The altitude is 9,350 ft, and it didn't affect me one bit, thankfully. The weather in Quito consequently is cold. Very cold. It also rains. So, it's cold and wet. We stayed in Quito for only a couple days. We stayed in the house of Ghimel's aunt. Her and her family were very welcoming to us. The first day, we went up the Teleferiqo. the skyline ride of Quito. Sadly, when we went up, it was cloudy so we couldn't see anything. After, we explored Quito. Ghimel and I went to the historical center, and it started to rain right as we arrived. We stayed long enough to take photos, but went to the nearest mall to dry off right after. We realized that we had become lost and were on the opposite side of the city as her aunt's house. So, we walked for what seemed like forever and went on so many trollies through the city. We got off at the wrong stop and become even more lost. We asked taxis to take us where we wanted to go (a mall near her aunt's house) and they didn't want to take us. Also, in a city of about 1.6 million, there are no taxis. NONE. We waiting for a good 10 minutes on a busy street before the first taxi pulled over. And, every time we changed positions on the street, a taxi would pull over to where we were to pick someone up. We just had really bad luck. Finally, we managed to grab a taxi to the mall. When we were at the mall, we forgot the address to her aunt's place. So, we searched on the map an finally we remembered the reference points to tell the taxi driver. Eventually, we managed to hail a taxi and return to the house. All the while, it was raining. Once we returned to the house, we curled up in bed and had a lovely nap until the next morning.
The next day, (Saturday) we left early to go see the equator. The equator is about a 2 hour drive from the city. It's not terribly far. Once we got there, we did the usual picture taking and so on and so forth. I bought my souvenirs and we were off to yet the other location of interest. There is a village that is located in the crater of an inactive volcano. The volcano has been dormant for more than 100 years, but still. IT'S A VOLCANO. Either way, it was cool. and very cold.
That night, we traveled back to Portoviejo in bus, another 7 hour trip.
In Portoviejo, we arrived on mother's day (yes it is celebrated in South America as well). We wen out to eat with all of Ghimel's family; Aunts, Uncles, Cousins, and Grandparents, the whole shabang.
Monday, Ghimel and I took a day trip to Guayaquil. Guayaquil is 3 hours from Portoviejo. We took a bus both ways and were back in Portoviejo in time for dinner.
Tuesday, I turned 17! In the morning, Ghimel and I made pancakes for breakfast. That night, we went out to eat at an American restaurant in Manta, a city an hour away, with her family.
Wednesday, we went back to Guayaquil for a couple days.
Friday, we went to Portoviejo and passed around until Sunday.
Sunday, at noon Ghimel and I got on a bus to go to Guayaquil because I had a ticket to go on the flight that night to go to Lima.
We arrived at the airport at 5:45 and I went to go check in. The lady at the counter looked at my like I was crazy. She told me that the flight was supposed to leave at 6:30 and I had thought it was going to leave at 7:30. I arrived before the plane left, but check in closes an hour before take off. So, I missed it only by 15 minutes. I had, apparently, read the itinerary wrong. I had to wait until the next night to leave for Lima. That night, I went to Ghimel's apartment and slept. The next day at one in the afternoon, I went to the airport and bought a new ticket to go to Lima. I was in the airport for a total of 5 hours, but I eventually made it back to Lima on Monday night.
And here I am, in Lima. Tomorrow all the exchange students are going on a trip. We first have the district Rotary conference and after we are going to see the Nasca Lines. I will be back in Lima on the 25th.
On the 28th of May, we have the Rotary good-bye dinner. Some students from the Lima kids are already going back home and it is a very sad fact that our group is breaking apart. We are all going separate ways. It reminds that I have very little remaining days. I used to count how long I have been in Peru, and now I am counting how long I have left. Twisted around.
anyways
Until Next Time!
Emily
On the 4th of May, in the wee hours of the morning (8am ugh) I made my way to the International Airport in Lima. I checked in for my flight to Guayaquil, Ecuador which was to leave at 10:30 - ish. There was a line for security; very rare for this Airport. When I finally made it through security and customs, I made my way to the gate to sit and wait rather impatiently for the boarding time. While I waited, I drank my last Inca Kola that I would set eyes on the next couple weeks. I savored the flavor of this florescent yellow drink that I cherish so deeply. While I waited, I made friends with an elderly (but not too elderly) couple. They were also from the States (Florida). They made more than pleasant company during the wait. Once the time to finally board the plane came, we all followed the norm and waited in line and all the shabang. In the plane, the flight attendant decided that I didn't speak a lick of Spanish and talked to me only in English.
After 2 hours, we touched down in Guayaquil, Ecuador. I made my way through customs, where the man stamping my passport looked at me and asked how old I was. I told him, 16. "I saw the stamps in your passport from Machu Picchu and Lake Titicaca. You are traveling on your own? From The States, to all of Peru, and now to Ecuador?" Once I explained I was an exchange student with the ever prestigious Rotary International, he stamped my passport and wished me luck for the remainder of my time as an Exchange Student. I managed to make it through Ecuadorian Customs without drawing any unwanted attention or being accused of being a terrorist. So, successfully. Once I finally walked out to where the people are waiting to pick the travelers up, I scanned the crowd for Ghimel, my friend who I went to visit. I heard someone scream, "Emily!" and I snapped my head in the direction. I saw Ghimel accompanied by her family, waiting for me. I was greeted with hugs all around.
Once we left the airport, the family took me exploring around Guayaquil. Occasionally, we got lost while driving, but only for a second or two. We walked the boardwalk, and climbed up the hill to where the city of Guayaquil took its roots. After 445 steps, we made it to the top. But, then we climbed a lighthouse which I approximate had 60 steps. So, after 505 steps, I made it to the top point of Guayaquil. The view is breathtaking and unlike any other. The landscape of Ecuador is mostly mountainous. Near the coast, the mountains become more like large rolling hills, but, as I come from flat-as-a-pancake-Illinois, they are mountains to me.
After the day of exploring, Ghimel, her little sister, and I stayed in Ghimel's apartment in Guayaquil. Ghimel had classes the next two days, but her sister and I waited for her in the coffee shop on the campus, which had wifi (score!). After a couple days, we ventured to Portoviejo, where Ghimel's family lives. We explored Portoviejo and drove the the nearest beaches for a few days, before Ghimel and I boarded a bus on Thursday night for 7 hours to make the journey to Quito, the capital city of Ecuador.
Quito is located in the Andes Mountains. The altitude is 9,350 ft, and it didn't affect me one bit, thankfully. The weather in Quito consequently is cold. Very cold. It also rains. So, it's cold and wet. We stayed in Quito for only a couple days. We stayed in the house of Ghimel's aunt. Her and her family were very welcoming to us. The first day, we went up the Teleferiqo. the skyline ride of Quito. Sadly, when we went up, it was cloudy so we couldn't see anything. After, we explored Quito. Ghimel and I went to the historical center, and it started to rain right as we arrived. We stayed long enough to take photos, but went to the nearest mall to dry off right after. We realized that we had become lost and were on the opposite side of the city as her aunt's house. So, we walked for what seemed like forever and went on so many trollies through the city. We got off at the wrong stop and become even more lost. We asked taxis to take us where we wanted to go (a mall near her aunt's house) and they didn't want to take us. Also, in a city of about 1.6 million, there are no taxis. NONE. We waiting for a good 10 minutes on a busy street before the first taxi pulled over. And, every time we changed positions on the street, a taxi would pull over to where we were to pick someone up. We just had really bad luck. Finally, we managed to grab a taxi to the mall. When we were at the mall, we forgot the address to her aunt's place. So, we searched on the map an finally we remembered the reference points to tell the taxi driver. Eventually, we managed to hail a taxi and return to the house. All the while, it was raining. Once we returned to the house, we curled up in bed and had a lovely nap until the next morning.
The next day, (Saturday) we left early to go see the equator. The equator is about a 2 hour drive from the city. It's not terribly far. Once we got there, we did the usual picture taking and so on and so forth. I bought my souvenirs and we were off to yet the other location of interest. There is a village that is located in the crater of an inactive volcano. The volcano has been dormant for more than 100 years, but still. IT'S A VOLCANO. Either way, it was cool. and very cold.
That night, we traveled back to Portoviejo in bus, another 7 hour trip.
In Portoviejo, we arrived on mother's day (yes it is celebrated in South America as well). We wen out to eat with all of Ghimel's family; Aunts, Uncles, Cousins, and Grandparents, the whole shabang.
Monday, Ghimel and I took a day trip to Guayaquil. Guayaquil is 3 hours from Portoviejo. We took a bus both ways and were back in Portoviejo in time for dinner.
Tuesday, I turned 17! In the morning, Ghimel and I made pancakes for breakfast. That night, we went out to eat at an American restaurant in Manta, a city an hour away, with her family.
Wednesday, we went back to Guayaquil for a couple days.
Friday, we went to Portoviejo and passed around until Sunday.
Sunday, at noon Ghimel and I got on a bus to go to Guayaquil because I had a ticket to go on the flight that night to go to Lima.
We arrived at the airport at 5:45 and I went to go check in. The lady at the counter looked at my like I was crazy. She told me that the flight was supposed to leave at 6:30 and I had thought it was going to leave at 7:30. I arrived before the plane left, but check in closes an hour before take off. So, I missed it only by 15 minutes. I had, apparently, read the itinerary wrong. I had to wait until the next night to leave for Lima. That night, I went to Ghimel's apartment and slept. The next day at one in the afternoon, I went to the airport and bought a new ticket to go to Lima. I was in the airport for a total of 5 hours, but I eventually made it back to Lima on Monday night.
And here I am, in Lima. Tomorrow all the exchange students are going on a trip. We first have the district Rotary conference and after we are going to see the Nasca Lines. I will be back in Lima on the 25th.
On the 28th of May, we have the Rotary good-bye dinner. Some students from the Lima kids are already going back home and it is a very sad fact that our group is breaking apart. We are all going separate ways. It reminds that I have very little remaining days. I used to count how long I have been in Peru, and now I am counting how long I have left. Twisted around.
anyways
Until Next Time!
Emily
Friday, April 25, 2014
68 days and going down
I know I said in my last post that I don't want to be reminded how many days I have left, but that's only because I constantly remind myself. I wake up and immediately do the math. Torturing myself, I suppose. But nevertheless, it's only the truth and inevitable.
A general update was due, so this is it.
My parents came to visit me the days of April 13th-18th. We ambled around Lima and took a quick detour to Cusco and Machu Picchu (detour of 3 days). My parents arrived at midnight of the 13th and 11 hours later, we were back in the airport to head off to Cusco. We spent the night in Cusco, and early in the morning, we headed off on the journey to Machu Picchu. We took a bus from Cusco to the Pachar train station. We boarded the train and went all the way to the little town set up at the bottom of Machu Picchu mountain, MachuPicchu Pueblo (pueblo=town). We arrived at the pueblo around noon. We meandered around the pueblo the rest of the day, and the next morning at 8, we hiked up the Machu Picchu (hiked as in took a bus the the front gate). We (I) searched for a tour guide, and it turned out, he only spoke Spanish, barely anything of English. I translated everything during the tour, a duration of 3 hours. With all of the steps at the ancient city, my parents were showing their age towards the end, and we ended up going back down as soon as the tour was over. We got back to the town around one, and out train didn't leave until 9 that night. So, we had 8 hours to blow. Most of what we did was sleep though. We boarded the train from the town at 9, and arrived in the train station Ollantaytambo at 11. We ordered a taxi to wait for us at the station and take us back to Cusco. We arrived in Cusco at our hotel around 2am. Once we got to our room, I realized I had made a grave mistake. I had left my iPhone in the taxi. I called the number of the company and the boss called the drivver, but the drivere didn't answer. Finally, in the morning, the driver answered and swore that no such iPhone was left in the taxi. I was super upset the night, but the next morning, I realized that it was my fault and worse things could have happened. C'est la vie, no? Our plane back to Lima was at 11:30am the next morning, so we left the hotel around 9. Our plan was delayed until noon, and we touched down in Lima around 2. The rest of the day, we just slacked off. At night, we went out to eat, then to Rotary. After Rotary, we went to the fountain park. We turned in early that night. The next day, we took a taxi to the Center of Lima. Saw the President's Palace (bigger that Buckingham Palace), the cathedral, and other big churches. But, as it was Holy Thursday (in Peru on Thursday of the Holy Week ((week before Easter)) the people try to go to 7 churches. If you go to 7 churches that day, your wishes will come true). We weren't able to go inside all of the churches, as there were lines blocks long to even enter. We stopped to eat lunch at a marvelous restaurant, then headed home. That night, we had lunch with my family. It was nice, and (as usual) we turned in early. The next day, we headed into Miraflores and walked around the district all day. Along the ocean and all that fun stuff. For dinner that night, my friends came to join us, about 9 of them. Then, we went back to my house so they could finish packing and off we were to the airport. My parents went into security around midnight of the 19th, but still the 18th in most people's minds. I had fun during the week, even if I was exhausted from translating every single word spoken.
I have officially bought my tickets to go to Ecuador! I will leave the 4th, and come back the 18th. Two whole weeks! I'm going to visit Ghimel, the girl from Ecuador who was hosted by my sponsor club in the states (shoutout to the Petersburg Rotary Club for everything they have done for us!!).
My time in dwindeling, but I'm not letting that bring my spirits down. May as well enjoy all the time I have left instead of feeling sorry for myself.
With that said, I am going out to hang with friends now.
Until next time!
Emily
A general update was due, so this is it.
My parents came to visit me the days of April 13th-18th. We ambled around Lima and took a quick detour to Cusco and Machu Picchu (detour of 3 days). My parents arrived at midnight of the 13th and 11 hours later, we were back in the airport to head off to Cusco. We spent the night in Cusco, and early in the morning, we headed off on the journey to Machu Picchu. We took a bus from Cusco to the Pachar train station. We boarded the train and went all the way to the little town set up at the bottom of Machu Picchu mountain, MachuPicchu Pueblo (pueblo=town). We arrived at the pueblo around noon. We meandered around the pueblo the rest of the day, and the next morning at 8, we hiked up the Machu Picchu (hiked as in took a bus the the front gate). We (I) searched for a tour guide, and it turned out, he only spoke Spanish, barely anything of English. I translated everything during the tour, a duration of 3 hours. With all of the steps at the ancient city, my parents were showing their age towards the end, and we ended up going back down as soon as the tour was over. We got back to the town around one, and out train didn't leave until 9 that night. So, we had 8 hours to blow. Most of what we did was sleep though. We boarded the train from the town at 9, and arrived in the train station Ollantaytambo at 11. We ordered a taxi to wait for us at the station and take us back to Cusco. We arrived in Cusco at our hotel around 2am. Once we got to our room, I realized I had made a grave mistake. I had left my iPhone in the taxi. I called the number of the company and the boss called the drivver, but the drivere didn't answer. Finally, in the morning, the driver answered and swore that no such iPhone was left in the taxi. I was super upset the night, but the next morning, I realized that it was my fault and worse things could have happened. C'est la vie, no? Our plane back to Lima was at 11:30am the next morning, so we left the hotel around 9. Our plan was delayed until noon, and we touched down in Lima around 2. The rest of the day, we just slacked off. At night, we went out to eat, then to Rotary. After Rotary, we went to the fountain park. We turned in early that night. The next day, we took a taxi to the Center of Lima. Saw the President's Palace (bigger that Buckingham Palace), the cathedral, and other big churches. But, as it was Holy Thursday (in Peru on Thursday of the Holy Week ((week before Easter)) the people try to go to 7 churches. If you go to 7 churches that day, your wishes will come true). We weren't able to go inside all of the churches, as there were lines blocks long to even enter. We stopped to eat lunch at a marvelous restaurant, then headed home. That night, we had lunch with my family. It was nice, and (as usual) we turned in early. The next day, we headed into Miraflores and walked around the district all day. Along the ocean and all that fun stuff. For dinner that night, my friends came to join us, about 9 of them. Then, we went back to my house so they could finish packing and off we were to the airport. My parents went into security around midnight of the 19th, but still the 18th in most people's minds. I had fun during the week, even if I was exhausted from translating every single word spoken.
I have officially bought my tickets to go to Ecuador! I will leave the 4th, and come back the 18th. Two whole weeks! I'm going to visit Ghimel, the girl from Ecuador who was hosted by my sponsor club in the states (shoutout to the Petersburg Rotary Club for everything they have done for us!!).
My time in dwindeling, but I'm not letting that bring my spirits down. May as well enjoy all the time I have left instead of feeling sorry for myself.
With that said, I am going out to hang with friends now.
Until next time!
Emily
Thursday, April 10, 2014
T-minus 82 days :(
Well, my time here in Pru is coming to a halt and eventually I will be made to board that dreaded plane and return to what was once the only thing I knew as life, the only way I knew how to live. Over the course of this year, I have discovered another way to live, a different life style. And, I don't know how I will be able to handle going back to my old life, just acting like this year had never happened. This year will follow me throughout my whole life; I will carry it with me wherever I go.
Before I came here, I only knew how to live like I was. I didn't know how to do my own laundry. I didn't know how to clean my room without my parents yelling at me to do it first. I didn't know how I would ever be able to navigate a city, coming from a small town. I didn't know how to learn a new language. I didn't know how to be the new kid at school. I didn't know how to budget money. I didn't know how to live without my parents. I was very dependent before I arrived in Peru. But now, as I am reflecting back on what my life was like before, I understand now just how independent I really have become.
Throughout this year, I have gained lots of things. I have gained a new family. I have gained best friends. I have gained best friends from all over the world. I have gained a new language. I have gained a new home. I have gained a new city. I have gained a new country. I have gained new knowledge. Most importantly, I have gained an unforgettable experience.
I do not want to go back home. I do not like hearing how much time I have left to live my new life. I simply get angry and upset whenever people mention it to me. The best philosophy for me is to ignore that fact, or ignore the people that mention it. (okay, not ignore them, but I tell them to not talk about it.) Yes, I know my time is dwindling. I would be the first one to know that I have little time left. Please, do NOT mention it.
I know people may not quite understand what I say when I say, I do not want to go back home. To simply put it, I am home. This is my home. Lima is my city, Peru is my country. My friends live here and I have a family that lives here. I know, I have a home, family, and friends back in the states as well. But here is my second home. You cannot tell a person to leave everything she knows and move to a new country, let her start up a new life, and tell her to move away after a year. She will not want to go home that early. Give me another couple of years, and I will probably willingly go home. But at this moment, I will have to be dragged onto the plane (or, rolled with all of the extra weight I have gained). You might not be able to quite comprehend my reasons, but believe me. It's hard to come to reason with the fact that I must leave all of this.
I haven't updated my blog since January, while I was in Pucallpa. So, I will inform of what I have been doing since then.
In Pucallpa, I went out with the other exchange students everyday. We would go to the lake, to my friends house, to the Plaza Mayor (main plaza), or the the movie theaters. One day, we went to a Rotarian's lake house and all the students with their host siblings swam in the lake all day. We went Kayaking and just enjoyed a nice day of relaxing. I was there for 6 days in total. Pucallpa is my favorite city in Peru, and I am not afraid to admit it.
Once i returned to my house in Iquitos after my week in Pucallpa, I was to there for 2 more weeks until I went back to Lima. Within my last two weeks in Iquitos, I walked around the city with the other exchange student that was also in Iquitos, Laura. Her and I took a boat to the floating houses of Belen. Belen is a district in Iquitos. It is also one of the poorest areas in all of the world. The living conditions are dreadfully awful. The houses are either on stilts or floating on the water. Durring the dry season, the houses are in deep, thick mud and the health condition of the area is worse than normal. It was an interesting boat ride. Laura and I also went to the markets of Belen. It is one of the biggest and weirdest markets I have ever seen. It is very easy to get lost in the markets, and I have once or twice. Because it is in Belen, it is very dangerous. Every time I went, I took only my phone and a little bit of money. People rob so often there, without shame. Also, the markets are always packed. So, add the thousands of people with the market in the poorest area in Peru, and you have yourself a recipe for disaster. I, myself, did not get robbed. But, Laura had her backpack with her when we went. Someone had used a knife and cut a slit into her backpack to steal her phone. We did not realize it was missing until we had left the market with all of the items we had bought. Luckily, it was an old phone that she bought for $10. But, it was still equally as frustrating and aggravating. A little bit about the Markets of Belen, they sell normal things, like any other market here in Peru. The main difference? One alley. One alley sells potions and hallucinogens. I did not but the hallucinogens, but I did buy the potions for luck, love, smart, and prosperity. I also bought a powder that you add to food to clean your energy. I do not believe in this stuff, far from. But, while in Iquitos, right?
I also went to many animal reserves in Iquitos with my host mom and Laura. First we went to a Butterfly farm, but it also had other animals there as well. A sloth, a jaguar, monkeys, the smallest monkeys in the world, rodents, and birds. It was very pretty.
During Laura's last few days in Iquitos (she went back to Lima a week before me), we went to a lodge in the middle of the rainforest. Her host dad was the owner, so it was free for us. We went early in the morning to the docks. From there, we went to a local tribe and witnessed dances. After, we had the opportunity to buy from the tribe some things they had made. The tribe had their own language, only the chief of the tribe had extensive knowledge of Spanish, and even that was broken. The other tribal members had the basic, hola, cinco soles, diez, veinte, no gratis. Just enough to sell their items. After the tribe, we went to the actual lodge. It was an hour and a half speed boat ride from Iquitos. So, pretty far. We saw a sign at one point, and it was 50 miles away from Iquitos. The only civilization around us were the tribes. Also, there are little villages that are located along the river. The people speak Spanish and there are schools available to them. While the schooling and living conditions are not the best, these people are living pretty good. Once we were at the lodge, we took a total of 3 tours around the jungle. The first was a fishing trip and river dolphin watching. What were we fishing for? Piranhas, of course! I ended up catching two. The first one I caught, was a little small.
But, after a while, I managed to catch another one, a little bigger.
This one, the tour guide kept for me, and I ate it at dinner that night. The meet on a piranha is very lean and not very abundant. After the fishing trip, we went back to the hotel and ate dinner. After we ate, we took a night walk around the jungle. I saw so many tarantulas, I would be fine not seeing anymore for the rest of my life. The next morning, at 5, we went on a morning river tour. It was to see the sights and sounds of the jungle. The monkeys and all the other animals wake up around 5. So, to see them, you have to get up with them. The tour was really cool, we saw so many animals. But, my favorite was seeing a sloth out in the wild. It was up in a tree and in the process of climbing down. It moved so slow, it was super adorable. After the tour, we ate breakfast. After breakfast, we went on out last tour. We went on an expedition to find the giant lily pads. We had to go to a swampy area of the river to find them. They are really massive.
After that tour, we went back to Iquitos. Laura left the next morning to go back to Lima, and I still had a week left. What I did in that week was just go out with my host mom a lot, and at night i would go to the club with my host family. They all played tennis, and I cannot. So, I would watch or retrieve the balls. My host mom, host brother, and I went to a petting zoo (at least, that's what it pretty much was). There, I was able to hold a tortoise, a turtle, a sloth (!), a parrot, a snake, and a baby crocodile. After the whole tour, I asked the guide if we could return to the sloths, and I was able to hold the sloth again, but this time for longer.
On my last night in Iquitos, my host family took me to the nicest restaurant in Iquitos. It is out floating in the middle of the river. you must take a boat to the restaurant, and back again. But, the food was divine and the whole place was very elegant. I must say, I was impressed and very grateful for everything. The next day, I left Iquitos and went back to Lima.
I was in Lima for a total of 2 days before I packed up again and went on the North Trip with all of the exchange students. We went to Trujillo, Chiclayo, Tumbes, Guayaquil (Ecuador), and Las Salinas (Ecuador). The whole trip was just of beaches. Whether it was rainy or sunny, we went to the beach everyday. This trip, there weren't as many tours as the others, but mostly beaches. And we were all fine with it. We crossed into Ecuador to renew our visas, but we stayed for 3 days instead of only 8 hours like we did for Chile.
Trujillo is a very small town city. It is also a stereotypical beach town. The waves were good for surfing, the water was cold, the sun was hot, and the beach was perfect. Next we went to Chiclayo. There, we went to many different beaches. It was a rainy day, so we didn't do much on the beaches besides walk and lay there. Some did take a dip in the water involuntarily (thrown in). One of the beaches we went to had a fish market, and it drew a mountain of people. After lunch, we were so bored that some of the guys started wrestling. They drew a circle in the sand and challenged each other. I wrestled against my best friend, Alexis. She won, 2-1. We had to stop the wrestling and go back to the hotel once a fight started out on the beach. What I gathered from the tour guide is a man stole something from someone and the lady that the man stole from chased him. We hit him with a fish and another guy hit him with a board. The were running around the beach and the police were there in a flash restraining people. But they continued to yell after.
In Tumbes, we had city tours all day. We finished on an island that had a beach on one side to the river, and the other side to the ocean. The water was really warm and the beach was super soft. It was also shallow until about 100ft out. So, we all swam all day. That night, we took a bus to cross the Ecuadorian boarder (20 mins). From there, we took a 6hr bus ride until Guayaquil. The next 2 days, we toured the city, then we went to Las Salinas around noon of the second day. After a 2 hour bus ride of beautiful landscape, we arived at Las Salinas. It is a very popular beach town. The ocean was perfect temperature, clear, and just amazing. The whole time in Las Salinas, we had free time. So, we just went to the beach all day and swam in the pool at our hotel all night. After 2 days of that, we drove back to Guayaquil, then back to the boarder, then to our hotel in Zorritos. We arrived in Zorritos, Peru around 6 am. The hotel in Zorritos was a beach resort. The hotel was right on the beach, had a privet beach, and was amazing. We had 3 days there to just relax and soak up the beach before we went back to Lima. The trip in total was 13 days.
After I cam back from the trip, I changed host families. I started University the next day. My classes are: Basic Cooking, Baking 1, Advanced Cooking, Bar and Restaurant, and Baking 2. I have classes from Tuesday until Friday. The University is pretty far from my house, about an hour in a bus. I am in the University with 4 other exchange students. We are really learning things and having a good time while doing it.
I changed host families again about 2 weeks ago due to some problems. I am back in my first family again. I love them to death. I changed rooms and am now sharing a room with my host sister. We really enjoy each others company.
I am planning on going to Ecuador to visit Ghimel, the girl from Ecuador that was in Petersburg last year on Exchange, for 2 weeks in May. I have yet to buy my plane tickets, but it will be done soon.
My parents are coming in 2 days! Update will be posted after they are gone.
PS. Alexis is here with me.
Before I came here, I only knew how to live like I was. I didn't know how to do my own laundry. I didn't know how to clean my room without my parents yelling at me to do it first. I didn't know how I would ever be able to navigate a city, coming from a small town. I didn't know how to learn a new language. I didn't know how to be the new kid at school. I didn't know how to budget money. I didn't know how to live without my parents. I was very dependent before I arrived in Peru. But now, as I am reflecting back on what my life was like before, I understand now just how independent I really have become.
Throughout this year, I have gained lots of things. I have gained a new family. I have gained best friends. I have gained best friends from all over the world. I have gained a new language. I have gained a new home. I have gained a new city. I have gained a new country. I have gained new knowledge. Most importantly, I have gained an unforgettable experience.
I do not want to go back home. I do not like hearing how much time I have left to live my new life. I simply get angry and upset whenever people mention it to me. The best philosophy for me is to ignore that fact, or ignore the people that mention it. (okay, not ignore them, but I tell them to not talk about it.) Yes, I know my time is dwindling. I would be the first one to know that I have little time left. Please, do NOT mention it.
I know people may not quite understand what I say when I say, I do not want to go back home. To simply put it, I am home. This is my home. Lima is my city, Peru is my country. My friends live here and I have a family that lives here. I know, I have a home, family, and friends back in the states as well. But here is my second home. You cannot tell a person to leave everything she knows and move to a new country, let her start up a new life, and tell her to move away after a year. She will not want to go home that early. Give me another couple of years, and I will probably willingly go home. But at this moment, I will have to be dragged onto the plane (or, rolled with all of the extra weight I have gained). You might not be able to quite comprehend my reasons, but believe me. It's hard to come to reason with the fact that I must leave all of this.
I haven't updated my blog since January, while I was in Pucallpa. So, I will inform of what I have been doing since then.
In Pucallpa, I went out with the other exchange students everyday. We would go to the lake, to my friends house, to the Plaza Mayor (main plaza), or the the movie theaters. One day, we went to a Rotarian's lake house and all the students with their host siblings swam in the lake all day. We went Kayaking and just enjoyed a nice day of relaxing. I was there for 6 days in total. Pucallpa is my favorite city in Peru, and I am not afraid to admit it.
Once i returned to my house in Iquitos after my week in Pucallpa, I was to there for 2 more weeks until I went back to Lima. Within my last two weeks in Iquitos, I walked around the city with the other exchange student that was also in Iquitos, Laura. Her and I took a boat to the floating houses of Belen. Belen is a district in Iquitos. It is also one of the poorest areas in all of the world. The living conditions are dreadfully awful. The houses are either on stilts or floating on the water. Durring the dry season, the houses are in deep, thick mud and the health condition of the area is worse than normal. It was an interesting boat ride. Laura and I also went to the markets of Belen. It is one of the biggest and weirdest markets I have ever seen. It is very easy to get lost in the markets, and I have once or twice. Because it is in Belen, it is very dangerous. Every time I went, I took only my phone and a little bit of money. People rob so often there, without shame. Also, the markets are always packed. So, add the thousands of people with the market in the poorest area in Peru, and you have yourself a recipe for disaster. I, myself, did not get robbed. But, Laura had her backpack with her when we went. Someone had used a knife and cut a slit into her backpack to steal her phone. We did not realize it was missing until we had left the market with all of the items we had bought. Luckily, it was an old phone that she bought for $10. But, it was still equally as frustrating and aggravating. A little bit about the Markets of Belen, they sell normal things, like any other market here in Peru. The main difference? One alley. One alley sells potions and hallucinogens. I did not but the hallucinogens, but I did buy the potions for luck, love, smart, and prosperity. I also bought a powder that you add to food to clean your energy. I do not believe in this stuff, far from. But, while in Iquitos, right?
I also went to many animal reserves in Iquitos with my host mom and Laura. First we went to a Butterfly farm, but it also had other animals there as well. A sloth, a jaguar, monkeys, the smallest monkeys in the world, rodents, and birds. It was very pretty.
During Laura's last few days in Iquitos (she went back to Lima a week before me), we went to a lodge in the middle of the rainforest. Her host dad was the owner, so it was free for us. We went early in the morning to the docks. From there, we went to a local tribe and witnessed dances. After, we had the opportunity to buy from the tribe some things they had made. The tribe had their own language, only the chief of the tribe had extensive knowledge of Spanish, and even that was broken. The other tribal members had the basic, hola, cinco soles, diez, veinte, no gratis. Just enough to sell their items. After the tribe, we went to the actual lodge. It was an hour and a half speed boat ride from Iquitos. So, pretty far. We saw a sign at one point, and it was 50 miles away from Iquitos. The only civilization around us were the tribes. Also, there are little villages that are located along the river. The people speak Spanish and there are schools available to them. While the schooling and living conditions are not the best, these people are living pretty good. Once we were at the lodge, we took a total of 3 tours around the jungle. The first was a fishing trip and river dolphin watching. What were we fishing for? Piranhas, of course! I ended up catching two. The first one I caught, was a little small.
I was in Lima for a total of 2 days before I packed up again and went on the North Trip with all of the exchange students. We went to Trujillo, Chiclayo, Tumbes, Guayaquil (Ecuador), and Las Salinas (Ecuador). The whole trip was just of beaches. Whether it was rainy or sunny, we went to the beach everyday. This trip, there weren't as many tours as the others, but mostly beaches. And we were all fine with it. We crossed into Ecuador to renew our visas, but we stayed for 3 days instead of only 8 hours like we did for Chile.
Trujillo is a very small town city. It is also a stereotypical beach town. The waves were good for surfing, the water was cold, the sun was hot, and the beach was perfect. Next we went to Chiclayo. There, we went to many different beaches. It was a rainy day, so we didn't do much on the beaches besides walk and lay there. Some did take a dip in the water involuntarily (thrown in). One of the beaches we went to had a fish market, and it drew a mountain of people. After lunch, we were so bored that some of the guys started wrestling. They drew a circle in the sand and challenged each other. I wrestled against my best friend, Alexis. She won, 2-1. We had to stop the wrestling and go back to the hotel once a fight started out on the beach. What I gathered from the tour guide is a man stole something from someone and the lady that the man stole from chased him. We hit him with a fish and another guy hit him with a board. The were running around the beach and the police were there in a flash restraining people. But they continued to yell after.
In Tumbes, we had city tours all day. We finished on an island that had a beach on one side to the river, and the other side to the ocean. The water was really warm and the beach was super soft. It was also shallow until about 100ft out. So, we all swam all day. That night, we took a bus to cross the Ecuadorian boarder (20 mins). From there, we took a 6hr bus ride until Guayaquil. The next 2 days, we toured the city, then we went to Las Salinas around noon of the second day. After a 2 hour bus ride of beautiful landscape, we arived at Las Salinas. It is a very popular beach town. The ocean was perfect temperature, clear, and just amazing. The whole time in Las Salinas, we had free time. So, we just went to the beach all day and swam in the pool at our hotel all night. After 2 days of that, we drove back to Guayaquil, then back to the boarder, then to our hotel in Zorritos. We arrived in Zorritos, Peru around 6 am. The hotel in Zorritos was a beach resort. The hotel was right on the beach, had a privet beach, and was amazing. We had 3 days there to just relax and soak up the beach before we went back to Lima. The trip in total was 13 days.
After I cam back from the trip, I changed host families. I started University the next day. My classes are: Basic Cooking, Baking 1, Advanced Cooking, Bar and Restaurant, and Baking 2. I have classes from Tuesday until Friday. The University is pretty far from my house, about an hour in a bus. I am in the University with 4 other exchange students. We are really learning things and having a good time while doing it.
I changed host families again about 2 weeks ago due to some problems. I am back in my first family again. I love them to death. I changed rooms and am now sharing a room with my host sister. We really enjoy each others company.
I am planning on going to Ecuador to visit Ghimel, the girl from Ecuador that was in Petersburg last year on Exchange, for 2 weeks in May. I have yet to buy my plane tickets, but it will be done soon.
My parents are coming in 2 days! Update will be posted after they are gone.
PS. Alexis is here with me.
Saturday, January 25, 2014
Thoughts and Goodbyes and Iquitos and Pucallpa
I’ve been forced to do some thinking lately and I have
realized something. Going on exchange is torturous and heart-breaking. You go
away from everything you’ve ever known for a year, torn apart from everyone and
sent off to a different country where you aren’t able to communicate with
anyone. Everything you are used to doing is no longer how it should be done.
The culture and atmosphere are all different. You are living in a house with a
family of strangers. You don’t know if you can trust anyone, but you have to.
You have to blindly trust everyone you meet. You are sent to a school where you
don’t know anyone and you aren’t capable of communication with anyone. You
can’t understand any of the lessons in classes. You have to learn how to
navigate a new city, and get hopelessly lost all the time. But, because of all
of these things, you figure other things out. Being sent away from everyone
makes you realize who actually cares about you. Not being able to communicate
with anyone forces you to learn the language. A different culture and
atmosphere opens your mind. Living in a house with a family of strangers is
awkward at first, but eventually that family of strangers will become your
family. Blindly trusting everyone teaches you who is worthwhile to be friends
with and who won’t let you down. Going to a school where you can’t communicate
teaches you who your friends are really because they will help you all the
time, even when it’s inconvenient. Not understanding anything might get you out
of some of the homework if you’re lucky (but not usually) but mostly forces you
to learn more of the language. Getting lost in a new city is the only form of
learning how to navigate the said new city. You are torn away from your life,
and you have to make a new life for yourself. You make best friends, new
friends for life. You have the other exchange students who are all in the same
boat as you, and will become your best friends in the entire world. You have
created a new life for yourself, but it can all only last for a year. Once your
year is up, you must return home. You must go back to what were once your life
and your world. You have to go back to school, and talk with the people who
ignored your existence for a year. You must say goodbye to your new life and
friends. You must go back to talking your native tongue, slowly forgetting your
new language. And, once you arrive home and are back into the groove of things,
you realize that you have changed. You can’t be what everyone expects you to
be, because you have changed. You have best friends that live on the opposite
side of the globe. Going on exchange is torturous because you are dropped off
in a new world, not knowing anyone or anything. Going on exchange is also
heartbreaking because you have to eventually say goodbye to it all; to your
world, your life, your new family, your friends, and your language. The whole
experience is life changing, and though it might be rough, it is something
everyone must experience.
Recently, the two Australian exchange students have returned
home. Both of them have found a special place in my heart. Not everyone can
understand this, but the relationship formed between exchange students and
other exchange students is like none other. They are in the same boat as you
and are really the only people that can relate to your struggles. They become
your family. I suppose on exchange you make at least 2 new families. One is the
other exchange students and the others would be your host families.
As some of you may remember, I was scheduled to go to
Iquitos for a month or so during my year here in Peru. Well, I am here! I
arrived the 17th of Jan. I am living with the family that is my
sponsor family for the whole year. Their daughter is in Minnesota for a year as
an exchange student. My family in Iquitos is awesome and they are really making
me feel a part of the family. I went to the gym with my mom this morning and went
to eat breakfast with her after. I’ve spent most of my time with her so far. My
dad here works during the week, but I see him at night and for lunch. He is
really nice and fatherly to me, which is something that I have kind of missed.
My brother doesn’t talk that much, but isn’t the one to hold back laughing when
I make a silly mistake. He seems sweet and genuine.
About Iquitos: it is a city in the Peruvian Amazon Jungle.
It is right off the coast of the Amazon River (which I saw in the plane as we
neared the city. Breathtaking. And very brown.) Iquitos is a the most touristic
city in the Jungle in Peru. There is a house right off the main square that was
built by the man who built the Eiffel Tower. Iquitos was formed a long time
ago, because the European came and cleared the jungle in this area because it
was a goldmine of some sort of valuable mineral. Not gold though. Some of the
original buildings are still up, and are very pretty. Although Iquitos is a
city of about half a million, it has a small town atmosphere. People are nice
and help strangers a lot more than they do in Lima, and they act towards each
other like people back in Petersburg do. You go for a drive and will see about
5 people you know within 8 minutes. It is just refreshing to have this type of
atmosphere coming from a town of 2,300 people and then moving to a city of
around 10 million. The heat here isn’t as bad as I thought it would. Yes, I do
sweat a lot, but less than I thought it would be. And, I have a AC window unit
in my room, so that helps. The fruit here is delicious.
On Friday I will be going to Pucallpa, another city in the
jungle, for a week. So, yay! I’ve already been to Pucallpa once for 5 days in
October, but I get to go back! Traveling is always fun.
The internet in Iquitos is quite spotty, so I don’t always
have internet and if I do, it is extremely slow. But, it forces me to
communicate with my family more and to watch more TV in Spanish (which helps me
practice my language). Iquitos is pretty awesome and I wouldn’t mind staying
here for the remainder of my year.
I climbed the tower in the church of the main square. It was full of bird crap and spiders. Laura and I screamed multiple times going up, but the view from the top was worth it all. We also went to a museum about the history of Iquitos, including the rubber boom. (which is what the Europeans were getting in the jungle. its from the sap of some tree. ) We also just walked around. It was pretty cool.
The next day I went to the zoo and Manatee reservation in Iquitos. That was cool.
And I've gone to the club with my mom multiple times. It's really cool and I think I'll be swimming there almost everyday.
Right now, I'm in Pucallpa, another city in the Jungle. I'm here with my family from Iquitos visiting their family. There are 8 other exchangers in Pucallpa. I'll be here for a week, so yay!
Oh, my parents are coming to Peru in April to visit me :)
Until Next Time!
Emily
Tuesday, December 24, 2013
December in General
Hello, I seemed to have started to slack on my blog. I plan on picking it up, I promise.
Okay, so I plan on just updating about the month of December in general. For starters, I ran in a 10k December 1st. My time was 1hr and 13 mins. So, pretty slow. I know that I am now out of shape in regards to running. I plan on running more this summer though.
The 5th of Dec. I went to an event that involved Rotary and the military of Peru. Rotary donated wheelchairs to the military members that needed them. The exchange students were invited to the ceremony and they were kind enough to give us food after!
The last week of school, the 9th-13th of Dec, fifth grade didn't have to go to school in uniforms. It felt like school back home :) On the 9th, my class put on a party for our homeroom teacher. Miss Olga was the teacher that was in charge of quinto A (my class). We made a video for her and brought in food, and she had made a video for us too. It was a morning full of memories for everyone. Tears were shed by multiples (but not me). On the 12th, the fourth grade had arranged a going away party for fifth grade. They made a video and everything. It was really nice. On the 13th, Friday, it was the last day of school. We had to go to our first few classes, but we really just sat in the classroom and talked. At 10:30, the time of our first break, we were let out of class. We were able to roam the school and go talk with teachers at our will. The only restriction was we had to stay in the school. I went with my friends to see their old teachers. People took many pictures that day, with friends and with teachers. Many people brought in an old school shirt for friends to sign and I forgot to do that. Instead, I took a piece of poster board and had my friends sign it. It is filled up, front and back. I didn't cry until the last hour. One of my best friends hugged me and told me tat they wouldn't forget about me and that's when the tears came. It was a sad day. Once the final bell rang at 1, signaling that we had to go, people started crying even harder and almost all the boys of the promo circled up and sang the school song at the top of their lungs. They were all crying and hugging each other. I don't think I saw a single person of the promo with dry eyes that day.
14th of Dec. PROM!! There were some mixups with my dress earlier on in the week and the seamstress wouldn't be able to have my dress ready for Saturday, my prom. So my mom and I went out that night on an emergency shopping trip to hunt for a dress that was the same color as the first one. We ended up finding one, but it was very stressful for me considering that I was shopping for a dress 3 days before prom. Okay, on the 14th, I went with my sister to get my hair, nails, and makeup done. After that, I lounged for a few hours before putting on my dress. Around 5 we left the house to go to Parque de Amor (Park of Love) for our pictures. Parque de Amor is right on the ocean and is on a cliff. The cliff is right on the edge of the ocean and it was beautiful. We were there for the sunset, so the pictures had a pretty sky in the background. After the pictures, we went to my friends house to wait for the limo to come pick us up. In the limo, we drove around for about 2 hours. Everyone stuck their head out of the sunroof. One thing I can cross off of my bucket list! At the prom, we ate dinner before the dancing started. I kept my heels on all night, so needless to say my feet were killing me. The party ended around 5:30 and I didn't get home until around 6. I slept all day, until 8pm. I guess I was a little tired. Prom was a blast and I had so much fun and I couldn't have asked to be with a better promo!! :)
Dec. 16th, Birthday Dinner of a dear friend, Gerry from Australia. One of my best friends of the Exchange Students celebrated his birthday with us. About 10 exchangers went out to eat at the fanciest restaurant in Lima, a 5 star restaurant, La Rosa Nautica. The food was great and it was a great night out with friends. Also my first time dining 5 star! Fancy!
Dec. 18th, My Graduation! It wasn't a typical graduation that you would think of. We didn't wear our robes or our caps. Just nice clothes. The teachers talked about what a great class it was and they gave out awards to the top three kids in each classroom. Then they gave out awards to the top ten in the whole grade. They also gave out awards to the outstanding kids in each sport. After, I went out with my friends and it was just a great night in general.
Dec. 20th, President's Palace! The exchange students were invited to go to the President's Palace and have a tour of it! It is just as hard to tour the palace as it is to tour the White House. So, we all felt pretty special! The Palace is very beautiful! After, I went and explored Centro with some friends and bought presents for Christmas!
Dec. 21st, BEACH!!! I went to the beach with my sister and her friends and my cousin. It was so nice, even if the ocean was a little cold. I got used to it after a while!
Dec. 22, Christmas Lunch! The exchange students organized a Christmas Lunch and gift exchange for ourselves. Rotary also organized it, but with the help of us. My secret santa was Henry, the president of Youth Exchange for our district. He gave me a pair of really pretty earrings!
Dec. 23rd, Shopping! I went Christmas shopping for my host family with my friend at the nearest mall. I had a waffle for the first time in 5 months. It was delicious!
Dec. 24th, today! Christmas here is celebrated different. Instead of Christmas being the 25th, here it is the 24th. y family isn't doing anything unit tonight. We will be going to my aunts house and probably stay until late. The tradition is to stay up all night and open presents at midnight, so technically the 25th.
Dec. 25th, Tomorrow!! Christmas!! The plans my family has are; go to the beach house at 6:00am because my dad's side of the family will be there. So, Christmas on the beach. not bad at all!! :)
December has been pretty eventful and awesome so far! There's still 6 days left, and I have a feeling they'll be pretty awesome. Summer is for sure here because the weather is progressively becoming hotter. Life is pretty good here!!
Until next time!
Emily
MERRY CHRISTMAS AND HAPPY NEW YEAR TO EVERYONE!!
Okay, so I plan on just updating about the month of December in general. For starters, I ran in a 10k December 1st. My time was 1hr and 13 mins. So, pretty slow. I know that I am now out of shape in regards to running. I plan on running more this summer though.
The 5th of Dec. I went to an event that involved Rotary and the military of Peru. Rotary donated wheelchairs to the military members that needed them. The exchange students were invited to the ceremony and they were kind enough to give us food after!
The last week of school, the 9th-13th of Dec, fifth grade didn't have to go to school in uniforms. It felt like school back home :) On the 9th, my class put on a party for our homeroom teacher. Miss Olga was the teacher that was in charge of quinto A (my class). We made a video for her and brought in food, and she had made a video for us too. It was a morning full of memories for everyone. Tears were shed by multiples (but not me). On the 12th, the fourth grade had arranged a going away party for fifth grade. They made a video and everything. It was really nice. On the 13th, Friday, it was the last day of school. We had to go to our first few classes, but we really just sat in the classroom and talked. At 10:30, the time of our first break, we were let out of class. We were able to roam the school and go talk with teachers at our will. The only restriction was we had to stay in the school. I went with my friends to see their old teachers. People took many pictures that day, with friends and with teachers. Many people brought in an old school shirt for friends to sign and I forgot to do that. Instead, I took a piece of poster board and had my friends sign it. It is filled up, front and back. I didn't cry until the last hour. One of my best friends hugged me and told me tat they wouldn't forget about me and that's when the tears came. It was a sad day. Once the final bell rang at 1, signaling that we had to go, people started crying even harder and almost all the boys of the promo circled up and sang the school song at the top of their lungs. They were all crying and hugging each other. I don't think I saw a single person of the promo with dry eyes that day.
14th of Dec. PROM!! There were some mixups with my dress earlier on in the week and the seamstress wouldn't be able to have my dress ready for Saturday, my prom. So my mom and I went out that night on an emergency shopping trip to hunt for a dress that was the same color as the first one. We ended up finding one, but it was very stressful for me considering that I was shopping for a dress 3 days before prom. Okay, on the 14th, I went with my sister to get my hair, nails, and makeup done. After that, I lounged for a few hours before putting on my dress. Around 5 we left the house to go to Parque de Amor (Park of Love) for our pictures. Parque de Amor is right on the ocean and is on a cliff. The cliff is right on the edge of the ocean and it was beautiful. We were there for the sunset, so the pictures had a pretty sky in the background. After the pictures, we went to my friends house to wait for the limo to come pick us up. In the limo, we drove around for about 2 hours. Everyone stuck their head out of the sunroof. One thing I can cross off of my bucket list! At the prom, we ate dinner before the dancing started. I kept my heels on all night, so needless to say my feet were killing me. The party ended around 5:30 and I didn't get home until around 6. I slept all day, until 8pm. I guess I was a little tired. Prom was a blast and I had so much fun and I couldn't have asked to be with a better promo!! :)
Dec. 16th, Birthday Dinner of a dear friend, Gerry from Australia. One of my best friends of the Exchange Students celebrated his birthday with us. About 10 exchangers went out to eat at the fanciest restaurant in Lima, a 5 star restaurant, La Rosa Nautica. The food was great and it was a great night out with friends. Also my first time dining 5 star! Fancy!
Dec. 18th, My Graduation! It wasn't a typical graduation that you would think of. We didn't wear our robes or our caps. Just nice clothes. The teachers talked about what a great class it was and they gave out awards to the top three kids in each classroom. Then they gave out awards to the top ten in the whole grade. They also gave out awards to the outstanding kids in each sport. After, I went out with my friends and it was just a great night in general.
Dec. 20th, President's Palace! The exchange students were invited to go to the President's Palace and have a tour of it! It is just as hard to tour the palace as it is to tour the White House. So, we all felt pretty special! The Palace is very beautiful! After, I went and explored Centro with some friends and bought presents for Christmas!
Dec. 21st, BEACH!!! I went to the beach with my sister and her friends and my cousin. It was so nice, even if the ocean was a little cold. I got used to it after a while!
Dec. 22, Christmas Lunch! The exchange students organized a Christmas Lunch and gift exchange for ourselves. Rotary also organized it, but with the help of us. My secret santa was Henry, the president of Youth Exchange for our district. He gave me a pair of really pretty earrings!
Dec. 23rd, Shopping! I went Christmas shopping for my host family with my friend at the nearest mall. I had a waffle for the first time in 5 months. It was delicious!
Dec. 24th, today! Christmas here is celebrated different. Instead of Christmas being the 25th, here it is the 24th. y family isn't doing anything unit tonight. We will be going to my aunts house and probably stay until late. The tradition is to stay up all night and open presents at midnight, so technically the 25th.
Dec. 25th, Tomorrow!! Christmas!! The plans my family has are; go to the beach house at 6:00am because my dad's side of the family will be there. So, Christmas on the beach. not bad at all!! :)
December has been pretty eventful and awesome so far! There's still 6 days left, and I have a feeling they'll be pretty awesome. Summer is for sure here because the weather is progressively becoming hotter. Life is pretty good here!!
Until next time!
Emily
MERRY CHRISTMAS AND HAPPY NEW YEAR TO EVERYONE!!
Saturday, December 7, 2013
Machu Picchu (amongst other places), 4 months, Thanksgiving, school, and everything else
I have been absent from my blog for quite some time now, I realize this. And, I honestly have no excuse for it. I've just been lazy about writing this post, or I've forgotten about it. Even right now I'm having trouble concentrating. One of my favorite songs is playing right now and I can't help but sing along in Spanish; having to write in English and sing in Spanish is difficult. But, the show must go on, right?
Okay, on the 7th of November, exactly a month ago, I left Lima to go to Cusco with the other exchange students. When we got to Cusco, we rested for a bit before going to see the sights of Cusco. That first day, the altitude affected me and I stayed in the bus for a few of the stops (Jesus Blanco and the Alpaca shop). It's probably for the best that I was in the bus for the shop because everything was made of actual Alpaca fur and extremely expensive and soft. I know that I would have bought something, or two or three somethings.
The next day, we had more tours, but this time we went to the Sacred Valley of the Incas. At the end of it all, we didn't return to Cusco, we actual took a train to Machu Picchu Pueblo. There were hot springs there, and they smelled awful, really really awful. And in the hottest spring, there were only couples bonding. So, we couldn't even go in. The next best was filled with people. But, we had fun nonetheless. We might have annoyed a few people in the process, but it was a great time.
3rd day, MACHU PICCHU. We got up really early to catch the bus to go up the mountain. We arrived at the top of Machu Picchu approx. 7:30am. We all went to the bathroom in the one bathroom in all of Machu Picchu. Then we entered through the gates. I was expecting more security, but all we did was present our ticket and passport and we got through. I was thinking people would be inspecting our bags and metal detectors or something along those lines. We started walking up a hill, and we got to a corner. Surprisingly, at that corner, there was a plaque. The plaque happened to be a Rotary plaque. Rotary is everywhere, even on one of the 7 wonders of the world. Okay, so we got to the corner. Once we rounded the corner, we saw the first of Machu Picchu. I'm not sure if it was original or not, but it was the first structures we saw. We walked a little farther on, and it just spread out right before our eyes. It was one of the most beautifully amazing things that I have seen. It was early in the morning and we were up in the mountains, so there was fog hanging around. Not only were the structures themselves amazing, but the view. Oh my gosh, the view. Just looking off at the other mountains in the distance. It was all breathtaking. The region of Peru Machu Picchu is in is technically part of the jungle, but not the rainforest. And, there are mountains of course. So, the mountains were covered in greenery, trees mostly. The mountains I saw that day are my ideal mountains, the prettiest type of mountains. I love pretty mountains, knowing that at one time, it was all flat earth before the crust just shot up. I personally think that nature is amazing. AND SO IS MACHU PICCHU. (sorry, i got a little carried away). So, Machu Picchu (MP) spread out right before my eyes. We kept walking till we were deeper into it. We walked up steps and steps and ever more steps till we got to the classic MP viewpoint and picture spot. We had about 45 minutes for picture taking and then we took a big group photo. Everyone had their flags out and in the middle of our photoshoot, a llama decided to stick it's head right between two peoples' heads. The girl was just like, "Uhm, guys? GUYS! Llama!" and we all laughed. She moved and let the llama pass with it's baby. It just walked off, like it didn't just photobomb us. Unfortunately, no one has the actual picture of the llama photobomb :( So, we continued with our tour. We had the tour until 10am, and I learned some very interesting facts about MP. For instance, Machu Picchu isn't really the name of Machu Picchu. In fact, no one really knows the name. Machu Picchu is really the name of a neighboring mountain. The name is in Quechua, the language of the Incas (the language is still spoken today as the first language in the more traditional parts of Peru) and it means "Old Mountain" (Machu = Old Picchu = Mountain). After the tour, we had free time until 5, when the last buses make their way down the mountain. So, me and my friends walked to La Puerta del Sol (the door of the sun). It was supposed to be a 45 minute hike, but we had it to La Puerta in about 2 hours. We stopped so many times to rest and to just take in the beauty of everything. Once we reached La Puerta, we meet up with almost every other exchange student. We sat and talked for a good hour, hour and a half. I also walked about 100m on the actual Inca Trail. And, when I rounded the corner of La Puerta, I saw MP in the distance, and it almost brought tears to my eyes. I imagined walking that trail for 4 days, then finally turning that one corner and seeing it there, finally seeing what you walked to see for days. That view would definitely be rewarding enough for the hike, let alone the view of it as you get closer. We walked back down the trail to MP and sat on the edge, talking amongst ourselves, listening to music, and just looking and marveling at MP. At 4, we all went down and caught a bus back to Machu Picchu Pueblo. We were all tired, baked from the sun, and our cameras had all died. We ate supper, and then went to go shopping. Everything at Pueblo was really expensive, because gringos (non-latinos) will pay more for things, not knowing that Peru is cheaper. So, I didn't buy a whole bunch, just stuff from shop keepers that I was able to bargain with. I also just wanted things to be able to say that I bought them at MP. We boarded that train to go back to the Cusco area (Sacred Valley) at 6pm. Two hours later, we got off the train and ate super. Then, we had a 2 hour bus trip back to Cusco. We finally got to our beds around 11:30. It was a really long day, but worth it all. Even worth the blister that formed on my pinky toe.
4th day, we had a free day in Cusco. I slept in, and it felt really good after the busy day I had the day before. Then, I went out with a two friends to shop. We found the best prices and loaded up. Then we ate lunch at a rally sketchy place with really bad food. We ate it though. We found other exchangers, and continued shopping with them. At 6, we went back to the hotel for supper. We went right next door of our hotel to a buffet and show. The show was traditional Peruvian dances, with a traditional Peruvian band in between dances. After we were done eating, we would dance while the band played. Then, we started dancing while the dancers danced too, we tried our best to do what they did, but it wasn't very successful. Eventually, the dancers started to include us in their dances, pulled people up on the stage. One dance, after we were tired and weren't dancing anymore, dancers went into the audience and pulled people up to dance. One of the guys picked me to dance with. I am a terrible dancer, and I had no clue what I was doing. But, I still had a blast. Then, every exchange student started to dance, event he Rotarians that came on the trip with us. Everyone was laughing and enjoying themselves. We went back to the hotel and slept.
5th day, We went to Historic Inca sights, well, one. It's called Moray. It's a place where the Incas experimented with agriculture and altitude. After, we went to a restaurant that was in a part of Peru that only spoke Quechua, with maybe 4 people in the little village that spoke Spanish. They served us food, following the traditions. For instance, before we could even sit down, we all blew on leaves and put them in a hole in the ground to bless the ground and to pray to the Gods. (I think) The food we had was traditional too. So, it was an experience! After we ate, we were explained how they make their own yarn and how they make blankets, scarfs, etc. I answered a question right, and the lady said my prize was to stay and finish a blanket, which would take me about 3 months. And, by them, I might have a husband. So, my prize was to basically stay with them (joke, obviously since I am currently in Lima). Everyone made a belt to take home, well, finished the last 3 stitches of a belt to take home. Then we started our trek back to Cusco.
5th day, we packed up our bags and made our way to Puno. 6 hours in a bus, with stops to view Inca and Pre-Inca ruins. Once we got to Puno, we dropped our stuff at the hotel, went to eat, then slept.
6th (and start of 7th) day, woke up early to go in a parade of mototaxies to Lake Titicaca. Once we arrived, I was amazed by the sight I was seeing. The lake is so big that it looks like a ocean, similar to the Great Lakes. We spent about 4 hours in a boat in total that day. 3 hours to get to the first island that we visited and 1 hour from that island to the island that we would be sleeping on. The two islands we visited that day are actual islands, not the floating ones. There is a very different culture and different traditions on the islands. For instance, on the second island we visited for the day, we stayed with host families for the night. There was no electricity or plumbing. There are different types of outfits people wear, depending on their relationship status. At the age of 12, a female is no longer considered a child and is classified as a single lady. At the age of 18, a male is classified as a single male. For males, the difference in the outfit of a single man and a married man is often his hat. I can't quite remember exactly what the difference is, but it is in his hat. In a female, is is in the headscarf, I believe. The way a male attracts the female's attention, or the way he makes her marry him, is by constantly bugging her; from throwing pebbles at her to always talking to her. The typical drink of the islands is a tea made from coca leaves. The food is delicious, and not the type of food that would be served in a western house. But, it was delicious. The kitchen is the main difference between a western house and a house on the islands. As there is not electricity or plumbing, there is no oven, sink, dishwasher, freezer. There is no counter, either. The food is cooked in a pot in the fireplace. The kitchen strongly reminded me of the kitchens in the cabins in New Salem. There is a table in the kitchen, where me, the other exchange student, and the Rotarian that stayed in the same house as me that night ate. Our host parents ate on chairs that were so low that they were essentially on the ground. In our room at night, we had a candle for light, and the rotarian and the other exchange student and I just talked and told stories. We did have an activity that night. All the exchange students dressed up in traditional outfits of the island and attended a dance. It seemed like the whole community was there and it was a very nice experience that I know I unfortunately will probably never experience again. But, it really made me thankful for everything that is available to me. The school system on the islands aren't the greatest, but they are government run. In the morning, we ate our breakfast of pancake type things and jam. It was delicious, like all the food was. One of the Peruvian traditions is to eat all of the food that is served to you, otherwise it comes across as rude and that you didn't like the food. In Lima, that isn't as strong. But on the Islands, I made myself eat everything even if I was full, because they are more traditional. After we were done, we walked back down the island to the shore. I should probably explain the geography of the earth islands on Lake Titicaca. They are all basically a big mountain in the middle of the lake. Each island is a different mountain, pretty much. So, we walked down the mountain of an island to the shore in order to board our boat that will take us to the floating islands.
7th day, floating islands of Lake Titicaca. The islands are made of reeds. They are made up of layers upon layers of reeds. Every week a new layer or two has to be added, because the islands are constantly sinking. The individual islands are small, with maybe 5 families on each. Each family has a small house, about 6ft x 6ft square. In the house is one bed, that the whole family shares. The father of the family goes out each day to fish and bring back food for the family, and the mothers stay at home to care for the children, cook, sew, clean, lay down new reeds when need be, and also make things to be sold to the tourists that visit the island. Me and 7 other exchange students were taken to a lady's house and she showed us where she lives. She then took us to her little store in the collection of the stores from all the families on that particular island. I bought some things from the lady, to say thanks for letting us in her house. And, also because not everyone gets the opportunity to go to the floating islands and I wanted souvenirs. On the islands, the kitchens are out of the house, because the house is made of reeds (everything is made of reeds on the islands, even the beds and other furniture). The kitchens are placed on a big rock, because the floor of the islands is reeds. There is a stand on each island, for communication between the other floating islands (I would estimate that there is about 20-30 in total). The boats that the people use are made of reeds, and look slightly like canoes. The children on the islands are sent into Puno every weekday in order to attend school. The population on the islands, floating and earth, of Lake Titicaca is dwindling because the children go on to university on the mainland (Puno for the Peru side) and don't return. Of the Lake, there are two sides. The Bolivian side and the Peru side. The floating Islands are on the Peru side and are about 20 minutes by boat to Puno. The closest I was to Bolivia was 6 hours, and I was even closer than that to Bolivian waters. After we visited the first floating island, we were to the next door one and ate a traditional lunch. On the islands, you could feel the tide rocking the island. After we were done there, we went back into Puno and had the rest of the day free. I just hung around the hotel with my friends and went out to get ice cream. There really isn't that much touristy things to do in Puno.
8th day, 6 hour bus trip from Puno back to Cusco, where we boarded the airplane and sent flight back home, back to Lima. The trip had ended.
I have passed my 4 months in Peru, which was also conveniently on Thanksgiving! These 4 months in Peru have flown by, and it scares me. I only have 7 months left here and more than likely they will fly by like the first 4 have. Peru is my home now, I consider myself Peruvian. The last thing I want to do is leave. I mean, I realize that I still have 7 amazing months ahead of me in this amazing country. And I am determined to make them all count. I have made so many amazing friends in this time, Peruvians and exchange students. The next 7 months will hold amazing people and memories, I already know. These past 4 months have held amazing people and memories as well. And I hope that the amazing people will stay with me throughout the rest of the year.
On Thanksgiving, I talked with all of my family back home, and it made me happy to know that I was still a slight part of the family celebration. My Thanksgiving meal consisted of going to Bembos and ordering La Francesa (a burger), fries, and a drink. Then, I walked to Starbucks are had a frappuccino, without coffee. (the Christmas flavors are finally in Peru for the first time!) It was a different Thanksgiving, and I spent the whole day alone, minus talking with my family. But, I enjoyed it nonetheless.
My school days are almost over in Peru. Next Friday, the 13th of December, will be my last day of colegio. I love my school. The teachers, administrators, students, and the school building are all so great. I don't think I could have been placed in a better school for me. My class, 5A, is the best ever. I have so many great friends in that class. And then the rest of 5 is great too. I am going to miss them all once school is done.
The prom dance for my promotion class is December 14th, the Sat after school is done. My dress is being made for me and is almost done. My date is a friend from my school. The group I'm going with are my best friends from school and their dates. We are a total of 8 people, and we will be going in a Limo! :)
Last Saturday, the 1st of December, I ran in a 10k with my sister and her work. I wasn't officially entered in the race (as in, I didn't pay). But, I was still able to run. The people at the end were nice enough to give me a goody bag. I ran the whole race with my flag around my shoulders. It got annoying, but made me feel special. I was stopped once by a man asking if he could take a picture with me. So, while I was running, he ran along side me and took our picture. People along the side of the road would scream at me in English, things like, Let's go! Keep Running! Don't give up! No stranger spoke to me in Spanish that day, except the people from my sister's job. They were really nice and gave me a bracelet that allowed me to enter the concert and eat breakfast.
My grandparents have sent me a package a few weeks ago, and I loved receiving it. My family and friends love it too. My house is decorated for Christmas, as of the weekend before Thanksgiving. This year, it will be a very Peruvian Christmas indeed :)
PS. I enjoy receiving letters from back home, whether is be an email or an actual letter. If you're interested, my parents have my address. Also, people can comment on my blog if they wish!
I have to go eat lunch now!
Until next time!
Emily
Okay, on the 7th of November, exactly a month ago, I left Lima to go to Cusco with the other exchange students. When we got to Cusco, we rested for a bit before going to see the sights of Cusco. That first day, the altitude affected me and I stayed in the bus for a few of the stops (Jesus Blanco and the Alpaca shop). It's probably for the best that I was in the bus for the shop because everything was made of actual Alpaca fur and extremely expensive and soft. I know that I would have bought something, or two or three somethings.
The next day, we had more tours, but this time we went to the Sacred Valley of the Incas. At the end of it all, we didn't return to Cusco, we actual took a train to Machu Picchu Pueblo. There were hot springs there, and they smelled awful, really really awful. And in the hottest spring, there were only couples bonding. So, we couldn't even go in. The next best was filled with people. But, we had fun nonetheless. We might have annoyed a few people in the process, but it was a great time.
3rd day, MACHU PICCHU. We got up really early to catch the bus to go up the mountain. We arrived at the top of Machu Picchu approx. 7:30am. We all went to the bathroom in the one bathroom in all of Machu Picchu. Then we entered through the gates. I was expecting more security, but all we did was present our ticket and passport and we got through. I was thinking people would be inspecting our bags and metal detectors or something along those lines. We started walking up a hill, and we got to a corner. Surprisingly, at that corner, there was a plaque. The plaque happened to be a Rotary plaque. Rotary is everywhere, even on one of the 7 wonders of the world. Okay, so we got to the corner. Once we rounded the corner, we saw the first of Machu Picchu. I'm not sure if it was original or not, but it was the first structures we saw. We walked a little farther on, and it just spread out right before our eyes. It was one of the most beautifully amazing things that I have seen. It was early in the morning and we were up in the mountains, so there was fog hanging around. Not only were the structures themselves amazing, but the view. Oh my gosh, the view. Just looking off at the other mountains in the distance. It was all breathtaking. The region of Peru Machu Picchu is in is technically part of the jungle, but not the rainforest. And, there are mountains of course. So, the mountains were covered in greenery, trees mostly. The mountains I saw that day are my ideal mountains, the prettiest type of mountains. I love pretty mountains, knowing that at one time, it was all flat earth before the crust just shot up. I personally think that nature is amazing. AND SO IS MACHU PICCHU. (sorry, i got a little carried away). So, Machu Picchu (MP) spread out right before my eyes. We kept walking till we were deeper into it. We walked up steps and steps and ever more steps till we got to the classic MP viewpoint and picture spot. We had about 45 minutes for picture taking and then we took a big group photo. Everyone had their flags out and in the middle of our photoshoot, a llama decided to stick it's head right between two peoples' heads. The girl was just like, "Uhm, guys? GUYS! Llama!" and we all laughed. She moved and let the llama pass with it's baby. It just walked off, like it didn't just photobomb us. Unfortunately, no one has the actual picture of the llama photobomb :( So, we continued with our tour. We had the tour until 10am, and I learned some very interesting facts about MP. For instance, Machu Picchu isn't really the name of Machu Picchu. In fact, no one really knows the name. Machu Picchu is really the name of a neighboring mountain. The name is in Quechua, the language of the Incas (the language is still spoken today as the first language in the more traditional parts of Peru) and it means "Old Mountain" (Machu = Old Picchu = Mountain). After the tour, we had free time until 5, when the last buses make their way down the mountain. So, me and my friends walked to La Puerta del Sol (the door of the sun). It was supposed to be a 45 minute hike, but we had it to La Puerta in about 2 hours. We stopped so many times to rest and to just take in the beauty of everything. Once we reached La Puerta, we meet up with almost every other exchange student. We sat and talked for a good hour, hour and a half. I also walked about 100m on the actual Inca Trail. And, when I rounded the corner of La Puerta, I saw MP in the distance, and it almost brought tears to my eyes. I imagined walking that trail for 4 days, then finally turning that one corner and seeing it there, finally seeing what you walked to see for days. That view would definitely be rewarding enough for the hike, let alone the view of it as you get closer. We walked back down the trail to MP and sat on the edge, talking amongst ourselves, listening to music, and just looking and marveling at MP. At 4, we all went down and caught a bus back to Machu Picchu Pueblo. We were all tired, baked from the sun, and our cameras had all died. We ate supper, and then went to go shopping. Everything at Pueblo was really expensive, because gringos (non-latinos) will pay more for things, not knowing that Peru is cheaper. So, I didn't buy a whole bunch, just stuff from shop keepers that I was able to bargain with. I also just wanted things to be able to say that I bought them at MP. We boarded that train to go back to the Cusco area (Sacred Valley) at 6pm. Two hours later, we got off the train and ate super. Then, we had a 2 hour bus trip back to Cusco. We finally got to our beds around 11:30. It was a really long day, but worth it all. Even worth the blister that formed on my pinky toe.
4th day, we had a free day in Cusco. I slept in, and it felt really good after the busy day I had the day before. Then, I went out with a two friends to shop. We found the best prices and loaded up. Then we ate lunch at a rally sketchy place with really bad food. We ate it though. We found other exchangers, and continued shopping with them. At 6, we went back to the hotel for supper. We went right next door of our hotel to a buffet and show. The show was traditional Peruvian dances, with a traditional Peruvian band in between dances. After we were done eating, we would dance while the band played. Then, we started dancing while the dancers danced too, we tried our best to do what they did, but it wasn't very successful. Eventually, the dancers started to include us in their dances, pulled people up on the stage. One dance, after we were tired and weren't dancing anymore, dancers went into the audience and pulled people up to dance. One of the guys picked me to dance with. I am a terrible dancer, and I had no clue what I was doing. But, I still had a blast. Then, every exchange student started to dance, event he Rotarians that came on the trip with us. Everyone was laughing and enjoying themselves. We went back to the hotel and slept.
5th day, We went to Historic Inca sights, well, one. It's called Moray. It's a place where the Incas experimented with agriculture and altitude. After, we went to a restaurant that was in a part of Peru that only spoke Quechua, with maybe 4 people in the little village that spoke Spanish. They served us food, following the traditions. For instance, before we could even sit down, we all blew on leaves and put them in a hole in the ground to bless the ground and to pray to the Gods. (I think) The food we had was traditional too. So, it was an experience! After we ate, we were explained how they make their own yarn and how they make blankets, scarfs, etc. I answered a question right, and the lady said my prize was to stay and finish a blanket, which would take me about 3 months. And, by them, I might have a husband. So, my prize was to basically stay with them (joke, obviously since I am currently in Lima). Everyone made a belt to take home, well, finished the last 3 stitches of a belt to take home. Then we started our trek back to Cusco.
5th day, we packed up our bags and made our way to Puno. 6 hours in a bus, with stops to view Inca and Pre-Inca ruins. Once we got to Puno, we dropped our stuff at the hotel, went to eat, then slept.
6th (and start of 7th) day, woke up early to go in a parade of mototaxies to Lake Titicaca. Once we arrived, I was amazed by the sight I was seeing. The lake is so big that it looks like a ocean, similar to the Great Lakes. We spent about 4 hours in a boat in total that day. 3 hours to get to the first island that we visited and 1 hour from that island to the island that we would be sleeping on. The two islands we visited that day are actual islands, not the floating ones. There is a very different culture and different traditions on the islands. For instance, on the second island we visited for the day, we stayed with host families for the night. There was no electricity or plumbing. There are different types of outfits people wear, depending on their relationship status. At the age of 12, a female is no longer considered a child and is classified as a single lady. At the age of 18, a male is classified as a single male. For males, the difference in the outfit of a single man and a married man is often his hat. I can't quite remember exactly what the difference is, but it is in his hat. In a female, is is in the headscarf, I believe. The way a male attracts the female's attention, or the way he makes her marry him, is by constantly bugging her; from throwing pebbles at her to always talking to her. The typical drink of the islands is a tea made from coca leaves. The food is delicious, and not the type of food that would be served in a western house. But, it was delicious. The kitchen is the main difference between a western house and a house on the islands. As there is not electricity or plumbing, there is no oven, sink, dishwasher, freezer. There is no counter, either. The food is cooked in a pot in the fireplace. The kitchen strongly reminded me of the kitchens in the cabins in New Salem. There is a table in the kitchen, where me, the other exchange student, and the Rotarian that stayed in the same house as me that night ate. Our host parents ate on chairs that were so low that they were essentially on the ground. In our room at night, we had a candle for light, and the rotarian and the other exchange student and I just talked and told stories. We did have an activity that night. All the exchange students dressed up in traditional outfits of the island and attended a dance. It seemed like the whole community was there and it was a very nice experience that I know I unfortunately will probably never experience again. But, it really made me thankful for everything that is available to me. The school system on the islands aren't the greatest, but they are government run. In the morning, we ate our breakfast of pancake type things and jam. It was delicious, like all the food was. One of the Peruvian traditions is to eat all of the food that is served to you, otherwise it comes across as rude and that you didn't like the food. In Lima, that isn't as strong. But on the Islands, I made myself eat everything even if I was full, because they are more traditional. After we were done, we walked back down the island to the shore. I should probably explain the geography of the earth islands on Lake Titicaca. They are all basically a big mountain in the middle of the lake. Each island is a different mountain, pretty much. So, we walked down the mountain of an island to the shore in order to board our boat that will take us to the floating islands.
7th day, floating islands of Lake Titicaca. The islands are made of reeds. They are made up of layers upon layers of reeds. Every week a new layer or two has to be added, because the islands are constantly sinking. The individual islands are small, with maybe 5 families on each. Each family has a small house, about 6ft x 6ft square. In the house is one bed, that the whole family shares. The father of the family goes out each day to fish and bring back food for the family, and the mothers stay at home to care for the children, cook, sew, clean, lay down new reeds when need be, and also make things to be sold to the tourists that visit the island. Me and 7 other exchange students were taken to a lady's house and she showed us where she lives. She then took us to her little store in the collection of the stores from all the families on that particular island. I bought some things from the lady, to say thanks for letting us in her house. And, also because not everyone gets the opportunity to go to the floating islands and I wanted souvenirs. On the islands, the kitchens are out of the house, because the house is made of reeds (everything is made of reeds on the islands, even the beds and other furniture). The kitchens are placed on a big rock, because the floor of the islands is reeds. There is a stand on each island, for communication between the other floating islands (I would estimate that there is about 20-30 in total). The boats that the people use are made of reeds, and look slightly like canoes. The children on the islands are sent into Puno every weekday in order to attend school. The population on the islands, floating and earth, of Lake Titicaca is dwindling because the children go on to university on the mainland (Puno for the Peru side) and don't return. Of the Lake, there are two sides. The Bolivian side and the Peru side. The floating Islands are on the Peru side and are about 20 minutes by boat to Puno. The closest I was to Bolivia was 6 hours, and I was even closer than that to Bolivian waters. After we visited the first floating island, we were to the next door one and ate a traditional lunch. On the islands, you could feel the tide rocking the island. After we were done there, we went back into Puno and had the rest of the day free. I just hung around the hotel with my friends and went out to get ice cream. There really isn't that much touristy things to do in Puno.
8th day, 6 hour bus trip from Puno back to Cusco, where we boarded the airplane and sent flight back home, back to Lima. The trip had ended.
I have passed my 4 months in Peru, which was also conveniently on Thanksgiving! These 4 months in Peru have flown by, and it scares me. I only have 7 months left here and more than likely they will fly by like the first 4 have. Peru is my home now, I consider myself Peruvian. The last thing I want to do is leave. I mean, I realize that I still have 7 amazing months ahead of me in this amazing country. And I am determined to make them all count. I have made so many amazing friends in this time, Peruvians and exchange students. The next 7 months will hold amazing people and memories, I already know. These past 4 months have held amazing people and memories as well. And I hope that the amazing people will stay with me throughout the rest of the year.
On Thanksgiving, I talked with all of my family back home, and it made me happy to know that I was still a slight part of the family celebration. My Thanksgiving meal consisted of going to Bembos and ordering La Francesa (a burger), fries, and a drink. Then, I walked to Starbucks are had a frappuccino, without coffee. (the Christmas flavors are finally in Peru for the first time!) It was a different Thanksgiving, and I spent the whole day alone, minus talking with my family. But, I enjoyed it nonetheless.
My school days are almost over in Peru. Next Friday, the 13th of December, will be my last day of colegio. I love my school. The teachers, administrators, students, and the school building are all so great. I don't think I could have been placed in a better school for me. My class, 5A, is the best ever. I have so many great friends in that class. And then the rest of 5 is great too. I am going to miss them all once school is done.
The prom dance for my promotion class is December 14th, the Sat after school is done. My dress is being made for me and is almost done. My date is a friend from my school. The group I'm going with are my best friends from school and their dates. We are a total of 8 people, and we will be going in a Limo! :)
Last Saturday, the 1st of December, I ran in a 10k with my sister and her work. I wasn't officially entered in the race (as in, I didn't pay). But, I was still able to run. The people at the end were nice enough to give me a goody bag. I ran the whole race with my flag around my shoulders. It got annoying, but made me feel special. I was stopped once by a man asking if he could take a picture with me. So, while I was running, he ran along side me and took our picture. People along the side of the road would scream at me in English, things like, Let's go! Keep Running! Don't give up! No stranger spoke to me in Spanish that day, except the people from my sister's job. They were really nice and gave me a bracelet that allowed me to enter the concert and eat breakfast.
My grandparents have sent me a package a few weeks ago, and I loved receiving it. My family and friends love it too. My house is decorated for Christmas, as of the weekend before Thanksgiving. This year, it will be a very Peruvian Christmas indeed :)
PS. I enjoy receiving letters from back home, whether is be an email or an actual letter. If you're interested, my parents have my address. Also, people can comment on my blog if they wish!
I have to go eat lunch now!
Until next time!
Emily
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)