dance dance!

Saturday Adela took Sarah and me to visit her niece, Laura, in San Isidrio for lunch. Of course lunch didn't happen until about 4pm but it was worth the wait. I had lomo saltado since I'm not a big fan of ceviche. Afterward Laura showed Sarah and me her music collection. It was almost completely in English. She has the lyrics memorized but she doesn't know what they mean. She asked us to listen to the song she had as her wedding song. It was Diana King "Do you really want to hurt me." I think she had thought the lyrics were more romantic since the music is pretty upbeat. As we listened to more of her CDs the 3 of us ended up dancing while the others talked about "adult" things. We didn't get back to the apartment until almost 10pm. That is one intense lunch outing.

Of course one key advantage to living in Latin America is that the guys here know how to dance . . . well! I was feeling bummed about not being able to go to the hockey banquet. A couple of friends from Peru offered to take Sarah and me out dancing. I guess I didn't get enough dancing at Laura's place. This is Latin America where supper is served at 10pm so we didn't head out until almost 1am. Luis and Sergio took us to a salsa club and I got to practice my salsa and merengue. I think the guys were a little surprised that I knew the words to the songs that were playing (gracias ELDB!). It was a ton of fun even if I wasn't one of the greatest dancers ever. It's hard to compete with those who have grown up learning these dances, I started when I was 15. At least I have a entire semester to practice!

La comida: breakfast

Since this week has been pretty uneventful I thought I would take this opportunity to do a little segment on the ridiculously yummy Peruvian food. The kinds of food as well as how they are eaten are so different from that of the U.S. that I can't do it all in one entry. No better place to start than from the top. On to breakfast!



This is a typical Peruvian breakfast. I don't think I've had anything else in the morning since I got here. There is also a specific order to eating said breakfast which I found out can be slightly complicated if you show up to breakfast still half asleep. First step is to drink the fresh squeezed juice. I've never had so many different flavors of juice in my life. Apparently boxed juices don't exist in Peru, and I'm okay with that. Once done with the juice, you can tackle the hot milk. You're supposed to put sugar in it. At Nini's they have brown sugar and mixed with the milk it tasted really good. Here it's plain sugar but its still good, just very different from what I'm used to. Coffee or tea can be substituted for the milk. But there is always something warm to drink. There is always bread, with meat and cheese or Nutella. It's a very filling breakfast, much different from the chewy bar or poptarts that I'm used to grabbing as I rush out to my first class.

PIJAMADA!

Yesterday was Saturday which meant I got to hang out with Nini and her family. Even though Nini had a cold, she still wanted to go forward with the sleepover. I don't think anything can stop her :) Sarah came with as well to meet Nini's daughters and husband. We first tried to find this cafe that sells alfajores in Miraflores that Celeste told us about. The adventure part came in at the fact that she couldn't remember the name of the cafe. One minor detail . . . we were saving the alfajores for Sunday morning, after the sleepover . . . and completely forgot about them! Oops, maybe next weekend :) Doraliz, Nini's daughter, had to work until 11pm so the pijamada started without her, but Anabelen and her friend Maria Pia were there so the 4 of us were able to do enough damage early on. It was really nice to be able to hang out with other girls my age for the night and still be able to practice Spanish. Around 2am I broke out a little culture lesson and made Smores in the microwave for everyone. Peru apparently doesn't have graham crackers (I looked everywhere!!) so I settled for these vanilla flavored ones. Chocolate bars are also hard to come by so a bag of Hershey kisses stood in. Max, Nini's husband, as well as all the girls had never heard of Smores before. They all loves the makeshift version and were quite astounded when I explained how they are normally made, over a campfire. And I must say, I didn't blow up a single marshmallow, talent, I know.

Of course we all slept maybe 4 hours so by morning we were very tired. After breakfast we were trying to figure out what to do. Somehow our boredom turned into a full fledged pillow and blanket war. I wouldn't call it a pillow fight because we weren't just hitting each other with them, we were launching them across the room, and diving behind couches. Even managed to break a glass (Maria Pia!!), not to name names. :) All in all, it was a night full of movies, sugar coated snacks, laughter, Nini taking a ton of photos, and of course no boys allowed!!

Campus

I finally took some photos on campus. There are lots of tagged deer running around campus. They've gotten so used to the students that you can actually pet them. That's Sarah, my roommate.

sexist gyms

My class today wasn't until 3pm so I went to the gym in the morning. After arguing with the guy at the front desk for 5 minutes about how I didn't need a trainer to help me, I lost. Not my native language okay! Anyways, so Paulo was to help me out. First it's 15 minutes in the treadmill. He set it at 4.5 km per hour which he said was standard walking speed. I was not about to walk for 15 minutes so I asked if I could run, you know, actually get some exercise in. I think I took him by surprise that a girl would actually not care about ruining her hair and makeup but at least he said yes. So as I'm running I get a little bored. People watching seems like a fine way to pass the time. I'm noticing that most of the women there (meaning everyone but me) has on very tight spandex shorts and tops, many of which are just shy of being long enough to reach the top of the spandex. To each their own so I didn't really think much of it. What I did find amusing were a couple of them had their hair down, make up on, and were talking on their cell phones while "working out".

So after my 15 minutes I'm told we're doing upper body lifting. Bypass all the free weights and head straight to the machines. For the first one Paulo put 5 Kg (11 lbs) on for each arm. Um . . . I know I don't have the strongest arms in the world but really?? A couple machines later I made a comment that I wasn't used to using the machines, I use free weights at home. Paulo responded "No, las mujeres no les gustan las pesas" meaning, "No, the women don't like the free weights". EXCUSE ME! Wow, not like you're not talking to a woman right now or anything. Maybe this trainer thing wasn't such a good idea.

Some of the lifts were ones I've never done before so when I didn't get the form correct the first time Paulo kept wanting to take wight off. What weight? You've got me doing maybe 20 lbs. oh, and let's not forget the ab workout he had planned. 30 crunches. Okay Paulo and then what?? "no, es todo" Yea right, at least I was able to add in some other abs when he wasn't looking. Back to 15 more minutes on the treadmill, not before asking me if I was up to it, heaven forbid the workout makes you tired!! That is the last 5 minute argument I ever lose in Spanish.

First day of school!

So today was the first day of classes and I was very fortunate to have one at 8am. I left early and walked the mile and a half to school to make sure I had plenty of time to find the "aula" so as to not be late. First was History of America: precolonial and colonial. In Spanish the word "America" refers to all the countries in North, Central, and South America so that is a lot of history to cover. The professor is from Peru but has studied in Miami so after class he called over the international students to let us know that if we want to take the tests or write the papers in English we can. The 3 of us declined the offer politely which he understood so he went on to say that we won't take points off for mistakes at the fault of Spanish nto being our native language. In other words I'm greatly looking forward to the class, even if it is as 8am.

When class got over at 10am, I had 4 hours before my next class. I was too much of a floja to walk back to the apartment only to have to go back for another class so I mostly walked around campus and sat under a tree to read my book. At one point there were 3 guys sitting on the bench next to me. I was engrossed in my book but I overheard the word "gringa" more than once from them. HEY GUYS, GUESS WHAT? IF I'M HERE STUDYING IT MEANS THAT I CAN UNDERSTAND THAT YOU'RE TALKING ABOUT ME! I decided to let it go but we'll see how long that lasts. I did run into Maggie, another international student. She showed me this little place just outside of campus where one can get a 3 course meal for 6.5 soles, under $3! Getting off campus was it's own adventure. Dad and Eric, you never said that engineers get special treatment! I might have stuck with my physics major if I would have known :P Apparently the entrance farthest south (the direction we needed to go to get to the restaurant) is only for engineering students. We couldn't even leave from it!

The second class was at 2pm, the state and politics of Peru. We started with an overview of 19th century Peruvian history which I'm not very strong on. I was able to put in my two cents when the professor wanted to put the important dates in context. "And what was going on in France at the time?" . . . silence, the guy from the Czech Republic and I were waiting for someone else to answer. "Napoleon was ruling most of Europe" Score 1 for the exchange students! A little while later: "And what country was the second country in the Americas, after the U.S., to break off from colonial rule?" . . . more silence . . . "Haiti" Score 2! The lecture was hard to pay attention to but the professor is only filling in for 2 weeks until the actual one returns.

After all that, I waited the hour until Sarah was done with her last class and we headed for the plaza. There's a Lifetime Fitness look-a-like there and I wanted to check out prices so I can work out while I'm here. The trainers (all wearing muscle shirts) had a hard time understanding that I would not be needed a trainer here. I have one in Minnesota and I'm getting a workout plan from him. All I need is access to the weight room and such.

el sabado con Nini

Today is Saturday which means hanging out with Nini! Mi mama peruana :) One of our coworkers from Spanish camp had a friend coming to Peru for a teachers' seminar, Mariam. So today we went to a couple museums so that she could take photos for her students. Before we got going though we had to stop by Movistar and now I finally have a working cell phone! But I only have 19 minutes left so no one call me :) I saw way more that I could possibly take in and remember but I did learn quite a bit about the Shinning Path era. It was even more interesting because afterward at supper Nini and her husband Max told us about it from their perspectives. It was so hot out that we stopped by Larcomar, which is a lot like la plaza de San Miguel but it's right on the ocean. The breeze was marvelous! We also went to la Plaza Mayor where the cathedral and the president's house are.

Of course we had to go shopping. First we stopped by a small jewelry store to get necklaces and earrings for Spanish camp. The guy who was helping us seemed nice but I couldn't understand him what so ever. I don't think he thought I spoke Spanish because he would try to speak in English but that was even harder to understand. We got all the Spanish interns gifts. Nini said we should get Mateo and Javier the same shirt so that they don't fight over them, los ninos! y no te preocupes Adry, ya tenemos una camiseta de Inca Kola para ti! At one point a woman came over the loud speaker to say that a child had been found wandering and would Brian's mom please come to the Pisco bar to claim him!! I'm not sure, but I might have been the only one who found that entertaining. :) Supper was comprised of empanadas and Inca Kola. It was amazing, especially after a full day of tromping all throughout the city! Next Saturday will be the second pijamada at Nini's house. Only this one will be planned . . . not that the first sleepover wasn't fun, just a bit unexpected. And there are plans to hunt down Lima's best made alfajor which apparently lies in Miraflores next to the Casa Andina. Don't worry Celeste, Nini and I are on it!

discotecas!

So yesterday's hang out was actually organized by APU, a series of houses that international students can rent out and live with people from all over the world. They basically rented out an entire bar in Miraflores for us. Getting there was quite the adventure. We called a cab (you don't want to take one off of the street) and told him to take us to calle Berlin and Libertad. Apparently he heard calle Belen. My bargaining skills got a chance to practice. Eventually we got there and there were over 100 people at the bar! This is not a big place. Take my hockey lockerroom, and you throw in a bar, tables and chairs and a dance floor, it was packed. Chad, a guy from Madison had stayed in the hostel that was right next door before moving in to his APU house. There was a bar on the roof with cheap drinks so a bunch of us went over there. I think I've found the best (and decently cheap) pisco sour in Lima! 10 soles (about $3.50) and it was much better than the ones I tried when I was here a couple of years ago. While I didn't take them up on it, there are entire streets that give away free 1st drinks just to get you into their discoteca. After people started going off in their different groups I ended up hanging out with my roommate Sarah, Chad, a girl from Germany, Julian from Colombia, and Peter and Jesus from Lima. The discotecas have pretty good music, Spanish music! And I held my own during the salsa and merengue songs. Sarah and I left early so that we wouldn't be completely dead today but the rest stayed out. I think it helps that most of them live in Miraflores so they could walk home. We had to make sure to head out before the taxis stopped running (at least the safe ones) I think today we are going back to the university to figure out where all our class rooms are, and then hanging out at la Plaza San Miguel which is on the way home. Think Mall of America only half the size and everything is outdoors. They even have a Camp Snoopy! but it's called el Parque Coney, like the Island :)

Vete a . . .

I officially have the route from my apartment to the university down. Now if only I could figure out this whole combi thing. Sarah and I took our first combi ride without our host mom and survived!! I'm pretty proud of us. Today we had the seminar on safety in Lima. A lot of the information was good, but it was mostly on blending in so that we don't look like gringos . . . not sure how I'm supposed to pull that one off. Maybe cut my legs off at the knees? But I do know how to not get pick pocketed and she told all the women to make sure we know how to say a few choice words in Spanish to guys who are a little too forward on the streets. Gracias Sra. Cutter!! I've known quite a few since Honors 4/5 Spanish junior year in high school. :) There was an entire class period dedicated to swear words. The Colombian sitting next to me also offered to improve my vocabulary so I should be set.

I went to see the sports pavilion today too. Apparently chess is a sport because it has it's own room in the center. The other lucky hobbies that have their own rooms are karate, dance, and ping pong. When I went into the main part of the gym, they had students target practicing with air soft rifles, and volleyball practice and a ping pong tournament. I couldn't find a weight room or locker rooms. But there are like 100 soccer fields!

I'm not sure if Lima also celebrates thirsty Thursdays or if it is something we gringos have brought down with us but tonight Sarah and I are venturing out to Miraflores to met up with a group of international students. It will be my first time back in Miraflores since I went to visit Mama Olga 2 years ago. But I'm prepared, I know where to sit in the taxi, and to leave the window open. I also know that if the driver wants more than 12 soles for the ride, he thinks I'm stupid gringa who won't know that I would be paying too much. Yay for knowing how to barter :) Hasta luego!

Orientación

Today was the first day of orientation. I knew it was going to be fun since all the international students would be there. Of course as soon as I sit down I find out I'm sitting with a group of Badgers. (mom and dad, you should be proud) Apparently there are 15 of them here so there's no escape!! The first thing one of them said to me when I said hello was "Pura vida mae!" Just imagine the most pale Irish American you know, with natural bleach blond hair, and I'm thinking . . . there's no way you're from Costa Rica. Of course it was one of the people from Madison. After the introduction session we had about an hour and a half before the next one so I met up with the Costa Rican Badger, a girl from the Netherlands, a guy from Colombia, and another from Peru. I was cool to hear the different accents. Sarah joined us at one point and we all went to the next orientation thing. We went into an auditorium so that one of the organizers could tell us to go back outside so we could meet our "compañeros PUCP", students that are supposed to help us out during our time here. I guess we were supposed to be telepathic and instantly know who our buddy was because there was no system after that. There was free Inca Kola!! Always a plus. I finally found my compañera. Her name is Manuela and she's really nice. She's studying law so we had something to talk about. For some reason I have a hard time understanding her. I'm not sure why since I really haven't had that problem since I've gotten here.

Ok, so a recap of what I learned:
1. We will pick our classes tomorrow.
2. We will have a seminar on safety in Lima tomorrow.
3. Classes start Monday.
4. The international student houses throw the best parties, starting Thursday nights (many of them are from Madison so go figure).
5. Have an Inca kola!

1, 2, and 3 were on the calender we got in the mail but hey I'd do it all over again for an Inca Kola :) A side note, on the walk back home, apparently tall blonde girls shouldn't wear dresses, must be too much for the locals to handle.

oh the simple things

So I've been in Lima for almost a week now but I'm just getting around to setting up this blog, sorry guys. I'm so glad I've got a Peruvian mama, Nini! We already had our first pijamada and I actually helped her cook arroz con pollo and it was edible! Today proved interesting if a bit frustrating. The other student whose living in the apartment with me (Sarah) and I went to la Plaza de San Miguel. I was trying to call another student who was going to meet us there only to find out I couldn't make calls. There's a Movistar store in the plaza so I went with Sarah and we got our number (140) to wait for someone to help us. Every time the next number was called and someone didn't immediately get up, the worker would always look over at us. "136 . . . 136!" "No tengo 136, tengo 140, puedo contar" I was very tempted to tape my ticket to my forehead so that they would realize it wasn't my turn yet just to show them that there are gringas who can speak Spanish. I found out that my Movistar phone was never activated so I have to wait until the weekend to go back to the store and have them activate it. I never realized simple things like making a phone call would be so complicated.

I also realized just how many people have never seen a 6 ft, pale, blond girl before. Especially when I'm walking around with Rossy, the woman who cleans and cooks for us. I swear she is the shortest, full grown person I've ever seen. Her head comes up to the bottom of my ribcage so walking around San Miguel with her makes me look even more out of place. The staring and whistling started to get quite annoying, especially when the guys are 5 ft tall. I don't mind when the kids point or say something because I now have three friends who have invited me to play soccer with them in one of the parking lots around the complex. I'm getting lots of practice with Spanish, although a couple people have commented that I use too many Mexican words! At least orientation starts tomorrow so I can't get into too much trouble since I won't have as much free time. My other huge accomplishment is that I have yet to get lost!! We'll see how well that goes.