Well, I am in good spirits today because it is the beginning of my weekend! I am going to start writing more on my blog than I have been, because I figure thats a good idea. Its easier to remember everything when you write it down, and I want to remember my time here.

I am currently without access to any of my money, neither checking nor credit account. I have never had this problem, and frankly, I don't like it because I cannot freely spend like I have grown accostumed to doing in my comfortable lifestyle. I don't mean that to sound like I'm spoiled, but its true, so maybe I will learn something from this experience... :) Anyways, yesterday, at an ATM (the same one I have used many times now), the machine decided to eat my card "for security purposes." Now, I would understand this under certain circumstances (incorrect PIN, something like that...), but I was in the middle of a transaction, and afterwards the machine refused to give my card back. Pretty funny in retrospect, seeing as I exert tons of energy looking after my credit cards, passport, etc. making sure they don't get stolen, but then when I am actually using my card, a machine destroys it. Ironic.

Despite the bank situation, I had a great day! Some family from the states visited the house yesterday and it was a great excuse for all of us foreigners to speak English (there were some people who couldn't speak Spanish). Although, I think the best part was not being the most ignorant person in the room as far as languages go. That was really nice, becasue usually I am the one who is unaware of what's going on!

Nancy (Peruvian mother) taught me how to make rice pudding yesterday, and I helped make it for the family fiesta. I also got tricked into eat a few cow heart shish kabobs, which were not my favorite even before I knew what I was eating. After I knew what I was eating, it was even worse. I have also come to appreciate all eight million different kinds of potatoes they have here in Peru. Eight million is just an estimate, but I think I have tried them all, as I eat my fair share of potatoes everyday. My favorite potatoes are small, yellow, and they have bright pink spots. They are really cute, but I can't remember what they are called.

The weather is beginning to get a bit sunnier. The sun is really intense here, so when it is out, its very warm. What I love is that here I am during the day, in my tank top and sandals (because its 75 degrees, at least), and all the Peruvians are still head to toe in winter apparel, boots, heavy coats, scarves, etc. I know its technically winter and all, but its 75 degrees and sunny... To each their own.

I am travelling to Huaraz, Peru this weekend. Huaraz is a decet sized city up in the Andes. Really popular for hiking, backpaking, biking, altitude sickness, etc. This is Huaraz...

I am really excited because,

1. I love the mountains.

2. It will be really sunny and warm.

3. The air won't be polluted and I will be able to breathe.

4. On the 29th (two days from now), the moon and Mars are going to appear the same size in the sky (both really big near the equator!) and I will hopefully be able to see it really well from up in the mountains. (I'm not sure if this is happening in the northern hemisphere, too. Maybe!)

5. There will probably be llamas.

I will be travelling with Tito (Peruvian father), Eli (Peruvian sister), Reina (Japanese sister), and Kevin (fellow hooiser!). We are leaving tonight on a bus around 11pm, and we will arrive in Huaraz tomorrow morning around 6am. We will then have to rest and get acclimated to the altitude (10,000+ feet) for awhile before doing anything, especially hiking, biking, etc. I'm really looking forward to it, and I will take lots of pictures.

Finally, I can still see my Spanish really improving. Its becoming more natural. Today, I wrote an email to a friend in Spanish, and I hardly had to think about it. I'm still not exceptional by any means, but the best thing is that it seems like the times where it is most important to be able to communicate are the times where my Spanish is really good (like at the bank yesterday or when taking a taxi). That is a great feeling! However, the bad news is when I say something wrong, rather than my words just being wrong, they always seem to be wrong AND they translate as some innappropriate slang that I don't know... Of course! Luckily, its usually just around my family and they just laugh and correct me.

Here is a neat picture of a neighborhood in Lima. The Peruvian flag (red and white) is at the top, right by the cross. I took this picture from a park in the downtown area of Lima.

And just in case anyone wants to send me something... Feel free :)

Alison DenOtter

Francisco Ribalta 118

San Borja

Lima 41, Peru

It is a great day. Its sunny in Lima, and I got into all the classes that I wanted to take this semester. My class schedule had a way of becoming less and less strenuous each day as I was deciding which courses to take... Go figure. So, I am currently enrolled in the following...

Cine. We watch a bunch of international independent films and then analyze them. No reading homework, and Spanish subtitles (usually) as opposed to listening to lectures in Spanish :)

Literatura de Teatro. Just reading a bunch of plays, and although I have read some of them already, I figure that this is a good, enjoyable way to improve my Spanish.

Danza Moderna. We dance and choreograph. Usually not my thing, but I'm trying to work the other side of my brain. Plus, no lectures.

Ethnicidad y Mestizaje en Perú. I love sociology, it counts for both my majors, and its specific to Peru. I'm killing four birds with one stone.

This weekend I went with some friends down to el centro (the very downtown of Lima), and saw the Plaza de Armas and some famous cathedrals. While we were there we also saw the changing of the guard in front of the president's mansion. I'm not exactly sure what the actual name of the building is, but its old and beautiful.

My favorite place was the San Francisco cathedral. There are some very unique murals, and paintings. There is a huge painting of the famous "Last Supper" except with some traditional Peruvian influences. For example, Jesus is serving cuy (guinea pig) to all his disciples. I thought that was funny. I also saw tons of bones, as there are thousands of people buried in the catacombs under the church. It was really cool. I wasn't allowed to take pictures anywhere inside the cathedral, but I'm sure there are pictures online if anyone is interested.

Some of the girls I live with wanted to purchase some board games to play at the house with all of our brothers and sisters. We got pictionary (in Spanish, obviously) and it was a blast! Its also a really fun way to learn new words in Spanish. We had to evenly divide the native Spanish speakers onto teams to be fair :) Afterwards, we played charades. My Peruvian brother and all of his friends are amazing at charades, despite acting out movies with English titles, some that they had never seen. It was ridiculous. I was very impressed.

I heard that the country of Peru holds a record for having the widest variety of desserts out of any other country. This doesn't really surprise me, and I hope I can try them all. So far, my favorite, rice pudding. Least favorite, flan. Flan is gross.

In response to the desserts, I have been running. I finally figured out the significance of the huge building that I have been jogging around, which always has a ton of security guards, barbed wire, etc. They call it the "pentagonita," (little pentagon) after our big pentagon government building. The building is actually Peru's central intelligence center. All of their FBI/CIA people work there. That makes me feel better, because for awhile I thought I was jogging around a jail or something. Its only four blocks from my house. Nice, safe place to do my jogging I figure.

Part of the family. Left to right, Julia and Colleen from Wisconsin, Benjamin (Peruvian brother), Nancy (Peruvian mother), Me, and Regina from Texas.

The president of Peru lives here.

Catedral de San Francisco. Catacombs underneath.

I like the yellow buildings.
More buildings in the Plaza de Armas.

One more thing, I've really come to enjoy this type of music called cumbia. Its super popular here. I hear this song on the combi (little bus) at least three times a day...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hTVOBBvSQ5A

Its called "Lárgate" by Los Hermanos Yaipén. Judging by the content of their songs (and the name of their band!), I thought they were going to be like the Jonas Brothers of Peru or something, but they are actually really old men. I guess they sound old, now that I am listening closer. Anyways, I like the song. It sounds really happy, but the words are actually kind of mean and angry, so its better to just pretend its a happy song if you don't know Spanish :)

Other than the presence and affects of e.coli in my body this evening, I'm having a great day. I love shopping in Lima. Its ridiculously cheap. I enjoy the markets where you can barter. Its funny how my Spanish is great when I am shopping and negotiating prices, but when I try to comment in class, you would think I have never even studied this language at all. Also funny, I have become so accustomed to low prices that I find myself arguing over two soles ($0.60) at markets and for taxis. Vendors are pretty stiff (especially with foreigners), but when you say no and start to walk away, they almost always compromise.

I went running this morning. There is the best path through San Borja, my barrio. The entire path is a Gatorade advertisment, but its perfect because there are these little signs every 250 meters that have encouraging phrases. At the end of the path, there is a little outdoor gym. The whole thing is so nice and positive, I actually can't wait to go back! It is only about four blocks away from the house, so I am planning on going often.

I still love the family I am staying with. They are absolutely wonderful, so nice and so much fun. Tito, Peruvian papí, always has hilariously random stories. Today, he told me all about how his neighbor stole his pet parrot a few years ago. I didn't believe him at first, but this story was actually true.

Well, not feeling that great so thats all. Here is a picture of Regina and I waiting for our pizza and drinking bubble tea (one of which made me sick)! To be honest though, I've had this crazy craving for pizza and bubble tea for awhile, so it was worth it, almost! :D

Today, I learned that sitting through a three hour class lecture in Spanish is difficult. Actually, sitting through any three hour lecture is difficult, but I still have to concentrate to understand everything in Spanish. I also learned that being the only "gringa" in class is intimidating... especially when you are singled out for your opinion just because you're a "gringa." It makes sense though, and the good news is that I will expect that in class, and everywhere, from now on!

I really like the campus at the University. It is completely fenced in from the street, and there are tons of well-kept lawns, beautiful trees and flowers. It is a total escape from the city, and it is very nice to have that sometimes. There are also a ton of deer that just roam around the campus. Its cool because they aren't too scared of people anymore, so they like to just hang out wherever. I was wondering where the deer came from... they definitely didn't come from the city... some kid told me that they escaped from the zoo, and the zoo didn't want them back. I actually believed him at first. People are starting to catch on to my being gullible, especially Tito my host father. He tells me the most ridiculous things about Peru, and then he laughs at me when I actually believe them. Although, just for the record, this place can be pretty crazy and random, so its not totally dumb that I actually believe this stuff.

This morning I went to take a shower, and the water didn't turn. I went downstairs to ask about the problem, and my host mother calmly told me that none of the house was getting water for some reason. I asked why, and she said she wasn't sure. It was no big deal. I guess everybody that lives here is used to the semi-poor infrastructure. I am getting used to it. It is just a little unpredictable!

One more unpredictable thing in Lima (and most of Latin America from what I've heard) is time. I noticed today that most of the clocks at the university show different times (one clock showed that I was late for class, another showed that I was ten minutes early). Maybe that explains why professors are sometimes a half hour late to class? Its pretty amusing, however, there are other professors who are very punctual and who are mad if students aren't so punctual. Very unpredictable! The inconsistant time thing can be great though, I am used to being on such a schedule, and it has been very nice to not constantly worry about what time it is. Nobody really cares, and its easy for us students to stay up talking to our family past midnight. We learn a lot, and practice our Spanish a lot, for hours!

I'll post pictures of the university soon.

Also, RIP to my first, and favorite, cat Lacey Jo. This picture is a tribute to our good times together :)

I went on my first expedition this weekend to a couple towns, Pisco and Ica, that are about four hours south of Lima. Myself and ten other foreigners arrived in Pisco on Friday afternoon, we found a great hostel and then hung out in the city for the evening. What we knew upon visiting Pisco was that it was almost completely destroyed by a massive earthquake two years ago, and the entire town is still pretty devastated. What we did NOT know was that the day we got there was the two year anniversary of the earthquake... that would have been nice to know! There were quite a few riots and protestors (the people of the city are mad because the government began to rebuild everything, and then abandoned the project). Anyways, I didn't really sleep at all due to the drums, megaphones, and screaming in the streets. Luckily, we were staying at a very secure hostel, so there weren't any safety issues for the most part.

The next day we took a boat out around the Islas Ballestras, AKA "The Poor Man's Galapagos," which are some beautiful islands just off the coast in the Pacific. We saw tons of different birds, seals, baby seals, penguins, and dolphins. Afterwards, we went to the Reserva Nacional de Paracas, an arrid national park right on the ocean. Other than some cool fossils, cliffs, and a few flamingos, there wasn't anything in the national park, but I guess that is how it is supposed to be. Very beautiful and serene. For lunch, we ate fish that had been caught the same day, that's how Peruvians like their seafood. Its delicious!

Later, we took a bus from Pisco to Ica and found another hostel. In the morning, we went to two different vineyards, took tours, and tasted tons of different wines and piscos. Pisco is a hard liquor only made in Peru (I'm pretty sure its only made in Peru...). They are very proud of their pisco. The town Pisco gets its name from the alcohol. I am not a huge fan of pisco, I liked the sweet wine the best :) Both the vineyards were beautiful, but very small and local. The owner of one has a huge collection of ancient Peruvian stuff, including shrunken human heads, which ancient tribes used to make after they sacrificed people or something. I'm not exactly sure, but the shrunken heads were creepy and they were just sitting there on the bookshelf.

The last stop we made before heading back to Lima was a desert town called Huacachina. It looked like we were driving through the sahara desert. There were tons of huge sand dunes, and there was a tiny town with a lake and tons of palm trees right in the middle of the desert. It was very pretty, and it was very warm and sunny. It was the first day I have seen the sun since being in Peru, and it was a little sad to go back home to Lima underneath all the winter clouds.

Tomorrow I begin my classes (all in Spanish!) at the university. I am planning on taking a theater literature class, Quechua (the ancient Incan language...it counts toward my Spanish major, I don't know why), and a few sociology classes that are specific to Peru. I am really looking forward to class, although I'm sure they will be very difficult at first.

I'm still not totally used to the air and all the pollution here, and I am coughing all the time. I am also still getting accostumed to the food, especially fruits and vegetables. There are tons of great fruits here that I have never even heard of! Although, the few new fruits that I've tried haven't really been my favorite... I am guessing maybe its not only me, and that is why they don't export a ton to the US. Maybe I am wrong about that though!

One more thing, we have a maid in the house who does all of our laundry and cleans our rooms and bathrooms for us. I feel a little bit bad about the whole situation, although it hasn't taken long to get used to. Its very nice.

Below are some pictures from my weekend trip.

Pisco, Peru. Mostly destroyed by an earthquake in August, 2007. We still visited. The red building was our hostel.

Lake oasis in Huacachina, Peru. Sandboarding and dune buggying is very popular.

These clay bottles are full of wine and pisco.

La policia closed down all the roads out of Pisco, Peru due to riots... So we hung out in the Plaza de Armas. Little girls thought it would be a good idea to put flowers in my hair.

Inga and I at Reserva Nacional de Paracas.
The group in front of the ocean.

Mama seal climbing up to see baby seal on Las Islas Ballestras.
This is some ancient candelabra looking thing on the side on a stone mountain. There are a lot of theories about what it is, and how it got there. My theory is that the ancient Peruvians liked IU :)

Lima is an awesome city! Although, it is completely different than what I expected. The city is very crowded, and very dirty. Its cold, too. I guess I should have expected those things, especially the cold since it is technically winter. I guess when cold is 65 degrees, I can't complain! There are also not tons of tall buildings like cities in the US, it is much more sprawling. The city is huge though, and there are over thirty districts, maybe even forty.

I absolutely love the family here. There are six other international students living in the house, along with Nancy and Tito (los padres) and their three children (17, 21, 22). It is so much fun! Nancy cooks a lot, but for the first week she is cooking "mild food" so it doesn't upset our stomaches because we aren't used to all the food yet. Today, Nancy made homemade passion fruit juice. It was the best! They have been awesome about showing us around town, explaining everything, and dealing with our semi-broken Spanish. Although, my Spanish isn't great, it has been much easier than I thought it would be.

The house is great. All the houses in Lima have huge gates around the them (complete with barbed wire in some cases), and then once you are inside the gates, everything is unlocked and open, and its like a nice, little sanctuary away from the city (although I can always still hear all the cars honking on the street). There is a courtyard with a big BBQ area, a waterfall and koi pond, and palm trees. A lot of the walls in the house are made out of glass, and most of the hallways/staircases are outside. It is nice because we can keep our doors open, and it feels like we are outside with so much fresh air. My room, along with one other room (Julia's from WI), is upstairs away from the rest of the house. It is like a little balcony with two rooms that overlook the courtyard. Definitely the best rooms in the house!

I have had a cough for awhile now, and I still have it. I had to suppress it through customs so they would let me into the counrty. Not that long ago, all the public areas in Lima (movies theaters, clubs, etc.) were closed for twenty days due to the swine flu outbreak, so they are still worried about it. Although Tito has been making me hot eucalyptus leaf tea, which is supposed to help... maybe it is? :) Although now I have a bit of a grudge against the tea, I spilled some of it on my computer (completely my fault...!). My computer still works totally fine, but there are little, darker spots on the screen (looks wet under the screen?). I think it might dry up, and as long as my computer works, I don't really care. However, if anyone knows how to fix this, let me know!

Tonight, we are going out to a jazz club. I don't really know what to expect from Peruvian jazz, but it should be fun!

I haven't taken too many pictures yet, but I will post some soon! For now, this is Tito and the koi pond. He has to cover it when the pigeons get out of control, the pigeons eat the fish.