I figured it was about time to update this thing, as I have been slacking off as of lately. I'll just give a general update on my time here, and I'll more than likely end up repeating things that I have already written about in previous posts, but maybe they are just so important that you guys need to read about them twice!
To start off, I would like to say that I love my colegio (school)! Everyone there is great and so nice. The teachers are very accommodating and the students are very friendly. I feel right at home there. All of the kids have been together since they started primary for the most part, so they are all really close. And, it took me no time to feel like I'm being included in their family. Gerry, an intercambio from Australia, made the offhanded remark that I've been spending a lot of time with my friends from colegio. And, I realized that he's right. I have been spending a lot of time outside of school with them, but that's because I have found a great group of friends that include me in everything they do. They were a group of three friends before I started hanging out with them, and then they told me one day, "we are the new group, us four." They made my day, because I realized that I really did have great friends here in Peru. Before I came here, I was worried that no one would want to be my friend, but now that is long forgotten. Also, the kids are good at understanding my broken spanish. I've been told on multiple occasions that I talk like a little kid, and I don't doubt that. One day at Track practice, one of the kids had to bring his little brother and I was put in charge of watching him. We played tag and just played around and entertained him, and we could communicate perfectly, we have the same level of vocabulary, except his is larger than mine, sadly.
I love my Intercambio friends so much. From the very first day, we all immediately got along perfectly. We share secrets with each other without thinking twice, we laugh all the time, we are always there for each other, we can talk seriously with each other, we can talk about everything. We can fight, but we never truly get mad at each other. After All, we have to spend 9 more months with each other (that's long enough for a woman to get impregnated and give birth). When I just say 9 months, it seems like no time at all. But when I put it in terms of pregnancy, it seems like a lot longer. So, that's what I prefer to use. Us intercambios come from 9 different countries; USA(11), Canada(2), Germany(4), France(7), Belgium(5), Denmark(2), Finland(1), Taiwan(2), and Australia(2). We are a group of 36 students all together.All of us live in either Lima or Callao. Callao is basically Lima, but it isn't. So, we all hang out all the time. We have gotten so close in such a short amount of time, so imagine what out friendships will be like once we have to go home. It will be impossible to say goodbye to them, they are already my family and my best friends.
My family is wonderful. My mom does everything for me that my actual mom would do, but of course in her own way. My brother and sisters are all wonderful and so nice. I feel really close with all of them. My sisters take me out shopping and to go to eat. They take me out with their friends as well. My brother and I hang out together on weekday nights. We watch TV together, or, like tonight, we walked to KFC for dinner. My dad is great as well, but he doesn't really talk that much in general. I really feel apart of this family. My mom calls me her daughter, and my siblings call me their sister. I called my mom "mama" to her face the other day for the first time, and I kinda liked it. They all sacrifice a little for me, and they all look out for me. They are my teachers for how to survive in Peru, and they have done a pretty swell job so far! With their help, my Spanish has improved tremendously since I arrived here. It's not so much that my vocab has increased (it has increased tenfold) but I am also used to hearing and listening to Spanish and I'm used to having to translate really quickly in my head. I don't have time to think of how to say something, I just wing it. Usually I'm either spot on or pretty close. But, occasionally, I've said something completely wrong. But, that's life, yeah?
Today was the first day that I felt really homesick. Before, it was just little thoughts like, "Oh, I kinda miss the States, but I'm having a better time here." It started because my friend asked me to tell her about when I said goodbye to my parents before boarding the plane. I couldn't even get passed, "When the plane rolled up..." without tearing up. So, I stopped the story and I was homesick for the rest of the day. I came home and talked with my sister which pushed it to the side a bit. I was trying on some of her dresses for a party that I have, when she looked out the window and said, "are you expecting a package?" It just so happens that I was. I ran to the window where she was, and squealed like a little kid. I ran out of her room, fell as I turned the corner, down the stairs, and to the window in the kitchen. My mom was down at the gate signing papers for the package. I ran down the stairs and stood by my mom until the mailman gave me my package. I said, "gracias!" before running up the stairs holding my package like a newborn baby. I impatiently cut the tape off, and once I have it open, I was in shock. I did not expect my parents to send me as much as they did, but I'm very happy they did it. I love my parents so much, and receiving the package was definitely great timing.
On the 26th of this month, I will be leaving for a trip with all of the exchange students in Rotary District 4455, there are 48 of us. So, I will be meeting 12 new people! We are going to southern Peru and crossing the border into Chile. The places we are going are; Arequipa, Tacna, Colca Canyon, and Arica. Arica is the town in Chile that we are going to. We will be returning on the 4th of October. On the 8th of October, I will be going to Pucallpa with my mom and brother. Pucallpa is in the rain forest. We are visiting family that lives there. We are going to be there until the 12th. So, I will be traveling a lot here soon! I'm not complaining at all!
Lima in general is fantastic. Last week, there was the biggest food festival in South America, Mistura. It is held in Lima right on the coast. It is a showcase of all the Peruvian dishes. There was food from the coast, mountains, jungle, and traditional dishes. There was also a tent dedicated to chocolate. Guess where I spent most of my time.. I only went to Mistura once, and I didn't eat that much. But, I figured that since I will be going to the jungle and the mountains and I live on the coast, I will be able to try all of the types of foods this year. One weird thing that I did have to Mistura was cow heart. It was good, but I felt bad for liking it. If I didn't think about the fact that it was the heart of a cow, I could actually eat it without any problem.
I now know how to take the Micro completely by myself. I know how to return to my house from my school, I know how to go to the closest mall, I know how to go to the closest Metro (equivalent to WalMart), I know how to go to Miraflores (most popular part of Lima), I know how to go to my closest friend's house, and I know how to figure out where I am if I'm lost. Yes, I have been lost in Lima twice now. But, it's okay because both times it didn't take me long at all to figure out where I was and how to get to where I wanted to go.
One thing that I don't like is that people always speak to me in English. I need to learn Spanish more than they need to practice their English! I have to tell some people, "Espanol!" for them to actually speak to my in Spanish.
I've been sitting up in my bed typing this for so long now that my butt has gone numb, so I believe that's a sign saying I should end this and go to bed.
Until Next Time!
Emily
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