This last weekend I travelled to La Merced, a city in the central Amazon of Peru, and Huancayo, a city up in the Andes. It was one of my favorite trips yet! I don't have a ton of time to write about everything right this minute, but at this time next week, I will be back in the USA, so I can tell you all the stories then. The pictures are a little out of order... :)

This is actually once I returned to Lima after the weekend.

Huancayo had some of the most beautiful and interesting skies that I have ever seen. This is one of them.

Huancayo, the capitol of the Junin district of Peru. Pretty big city for being all the way up in the Andes.

Torre Torre red rocks.

Plaza de Armas in Huancayo. I took this from the window of my hostel room! Great view, terrible traffic noise.

Swimming in the waterfall was one of my favorite parts of the trip.

We saw huge blue butterflies and parrots on our hike up to this waterfall.

The waterfalls.

Casa in the selva.

A strange, tame Amazon beaver (yes, he is real and alive). I can't remember the name of the animal, I tried to google it but couldn't find anything. He has big teeth.

I was scared of the snake, but thought it would be a good idea to put it around my neck anyways.

Pretty bird.

The spot where the two rivers meet... you can sort of see the difference in the colors of the water.

Climbing some big tree roots.

Bridge over the rio.

Our Thanksgiving in Peru was a huge success! A bunch of us chicas from the US decided to cook a big, traditional dinner for our Peruivan friends and family. It was a little hard finding all the proper ingredients, so we ended up making just about everything from scratch, and in one oven! We had about 25 people over to our house to celebrate, and even then we are still eating the leftovers today! It was super fun to prepare such a meal with friends, and everybody was very appreciative and suprised how great everything turned out. Before eating, we all stood in a circle and discussed what we are thankful for. Everybody had really nice things to say, and us foreigners are especially thankful for new friends, new experiences, and such a welcoming country, culture, and Peruvian family!

Julia and TWO turkeys. Oh wait, thats just Kevin :)

Chicas and Nancy, our host mom. And all of our food!

My Thanksgiving plate. It looks almost exactly like it always does! There aren't any cranberries in Peru though... I can't wait for Christmas cranberries!

The feast in our courtyard.

So much good food!

Julia preparing the pumpkins for pumpkin pie (not available in cans)! They were on sale at the supermercado because Peruvians don't really use pumpkins, we were lucky to find them! The pies turned out great!

The girls at the supermercado.

Friends in literature class.

Hi everybody! Here are a few pictures of some recent adventures in Lima.

A big jungle leaf in the selva (rainforest) section of the Lima zoo. The zoo is divided into four sections: selva, sierra (mountainous areas), costa (coast), and international. The first three sections house specific animals from Peru.

A USA map matching game a few of us made for the global village day at the university.

Our USA booth at the global village. We had peanut butter and jelly sandwiches and s'mores.

The Lima plaza de armas at night.

Humboldt Penguin, they live off the coast of Peru on rocky islands.

Alpaca. Getting pretty good at recognizing the difference between llamas, alpacas, and vicuñas! All Peruvian sierra creatures.

Two-toed sloth. He was moving really, REALLY slow.

Beautiful parrot from the selva.

Ostrich. He was in the international section.

Some type of cute bear. Also international!

My friend Julia has been super sucessful collecting clothing for orphans in Cuzco, Peru. We were sorting through some of the stuff. So awesome!

I have officially lived in Peru three months, and I have definitely grown to love this country more than I ever thought I would. Not only have I become completely used to the culture and my surroundings (nothing really surprises me anymore), but I also really appreciate the culture, and even accept it as my own... to the point where I would without a doubt become offended and try to justify Peruvian culture if anybody ever said anything bad about it. I have gotten semi-used to trying to justify actions/culture of the US while living abroad... but for the most part I completely avoid any sort of political/controversial discussion with Peruvians and other foreigners alike (arguing takes a lot of energy, and I'm living the laid back Latinoamerican lifestyle). Although, just for the record, if I were going to argue anything controversial with anybody, it would absolutely be related to or founded in the fact that 95% of Peruvians are Roman Catholic. I actually think the Roman Catholic religion is super interesting, and I have learned so much from living in a society that functions under such different religious influences (not that a lot of people aren't Catholic in the US, it is just totally different). I am not trying to cut down the Catholic church in any way, its the complete opposite actually! I appreciate and understand the entity of the Catholic church better than ever before. Not to mention I love every single baby Jesus or Virgin Mary statue/fountain/shrine/etc. that I come across. All the religious propaganda is actually one of my favorite things about Peru. I have been collecting saint cards, rosaries, etc. When I get home, I think I'll decorate the dashboard of my car in the fashion of a Latin American taxi... just kidding, sort of :)

Like I mentioned before, I am now very accustomed to a more laid back lifestyle. Honestly, I could count on one hand the times I have felt stressed out in the last three months. This is obviously partially due to my easier class schedule, but nonetheless, in the US I can constantly find something to be stressed out about. I think this aspect of the Peruvian culture has changed me the most. The general lack of worrying about time, planning things, and life in general, is something that I love, and I am hoping to maintain a similar dispositon once I come home despite all the stressed out/worried people in the US (we'll see!). I can almost guarantee that this will be one of the biggest reverse culture shock problems for me. Due to the gradual nature of adopting this lifestyle, I haven't noticed huge changes in myself. However, when my mom came to visit me was when I first realized that I have changed a lot (makes sense... a relationship from home coming to visit me in my new, different culture). Anyways, just as a general warning to friends and family, I won't take well to stressful/hurried situations upon my arrival home. I will also be late for everything that is planned at a set time. Additionally, I will probably constantly be telling everyone to chill out and relax. Don't worry though, it won't be anything personal!

Lately I have been hanging out around Lima, exploring and enjoying the city. Now, I understand that Lima is not about to get voted one of the world's most beautiful cities (not in the conventional sense of beauty, anyways). There is a decent amount of pollution, traffic is obnoxious and noisy (and NOT in an organized manner like traffic in the US...), poverty abounds with pueblos jovenes (shanty towns) as far as the eye can see, and there is a ton of graffiti everywhere. On the other hand, this is how I see it... I appreciate fresh, mountain air THAT much more when I get to breathe it, embarking on Javiar Prado (one of the biggest, busiest streets in Lima) is an awesome adrenaline rush just about every single time I experience it (at least twice a day...and it is still a new adventure every time), people suffering from poverty generally never beg (they ALWAYS have something to sell or some service to offer, big difference compared to street people in the US) and there are tons of people that commute from the pueblos jovenes on the outskirts of town into the city to work (usually as maids, or something equivalent) but regardless, they are working and earning, and finally, in all the graffiti there are serious political messages promoting the overall advancement of the country.

Now, I realize that these are not necessarily perfect conditions, especially in respect to the people living in poverty, because many are not lucky enough to have jobs and many people do truly suffer. Not to mention the underclass people of society are terribly discriminated against, employed or unemployed. Some of my peers have said that living in Lima has hardened their hearts to seeing things like this. I understand how this could happen, however for myself, I completely disagree. It is true that I am used to living in this third world society (things don't surprise me), but I definitely feel no less pain when I see people who seem to be honestly suffering (my selfish side wishes I wasn't so affected by seeing the natural cycle of inequality in society). Maybe I just haven't lived here long enough... but I have seen enough poverty in my life, and I honestly just don't believe that my feelings or awareness of it will ever change.

On a lighter note, I recently visited el Circuito Mágico del Agua, a park with lots of beautiful, illuminated fountains in Lima. The park holds the Guinness world record for the most tall fountains in one park... or something like that! They even had water shows to music and lights. Very relaxing and beautiful. Here are some pictures.

Pyramid fuente.

Fuente Arco Iris (Rainbow Fountain). This one was my favorite!

Tunnel fountain.

I also recently went to a popular park, Parque del Amor, in the Miraflores district of Lima (one of the nicer, ritzier districts). The park is right on the ocean, and covered in beautiful tile mosaic artwork and love quotes. Naturally, it is a popular spot for limeño couples, and Peruvians laugh at the idea of going to the park with just friends. Thus, taking a stroll through the park means that one has to endure the sight of public displays of affection between couples (not that I don't endure that all the time in Lima, but that is a whole different story...). Regardless, the park is gorgeous, and contrary to popular Peruvian belief, it is a perfect place to enjoy an ice cream with friends.

Part of the Parque del Amor mosaic wall.

"Fínge corazón - díle que la amas."

"Do it heart - tell her that you love her."

"No desé sitio para un beso más."

"I didn't want room for one more kiss."

Cupid cow.

I have two more weeks of classes, and I am getting really sad to see my time in Peru wrapping up. At first, I thought that I definitely would not want to stay longer than planned. Now, I am beginning to understand why everybody comes back from study abroad experiences and advises you to stay a year. However, I do really miss my friends and family, so that will be the "sweet" in the bittersweet of coming home. I am really looking forward to seeing you all! Lots of love to all.

My mom made it back home safe and sound. We had a really great time, and the week went super fast! It was fun to watch my mom react to the country that, by now, I have gotten completely used to. Amongst the things she noted, "Wow, like ten minutes after I wash my hands, there is dirt under my fingernails again. And I haven't even touched anything!" VERY true. My mom also got a taste of how Peru really functions when our train back from Machu Picchu bypassed the town where all the passengers were supposed to get off because "Oh, they closed down most of the roads in town, so we can't go there anymore." Except nobody said anything about the change of plans until all of us from the train had been standing around outside some random maintenance building in the middle of nowhere, luggage and all, for at least ten minutes. There was much confusion (especially for those lacking Spanish), but luckily, as always, everything got sorted out in its own time and travelers got another lesson in patience.

I haven't gotten a chance to write about Machu Picchu yet, but as one could guess, it was amazing! It even met my extremely high standards for landmarks/historic sites, so that says something! Machu Picchu is definitely out there, and it took quite a few different modes of transportation to reach our destination... plane, taxi, train, bus, and finally foot. Without a doubt, vale la pena (worth it)! Being amongst the ruins really makes you ponder how on earth the Inca people constructed the city, how long it took them, where they got all the rocks, how all the rocks fit together so perfectly, etc. Not knowing the answers makes me a little frustrated to be honest, but there isn't exactly a lot I can do to change that! Thus, I just enjoyed walking around, appreciating the ingenuity of the Incas, and taking in the view of the surroundings. The cloud forests caused by the more tropical climate made the mountains around Machu Picchu some of the most beautiful that I have ever seen. My mom and I arrived at the ruins around six in the morning, which was perfect timing to watch the clouds lift over the next hour.

One of my favorite moments of the day was sitting on the terraced hillside, which the Inca used to grow crops, enjoying the serenity when I heard a mother pleading with her son, age six or so, "Look honey, look at the llamas!" To which the young boy replied in an aggravated six year old voice, "STUPID llamas, STUPID rocks, STUPID mountains!" It was hilarious. I guess they should've just gone to Disneyland. At least my mom and I got a good laugh!

The city of Cusco was also very cool. We toured the cathedral (very baroque and gaudy, I loved it!), shopped in the markets, and people watched in the plaza (my favorite are the children in traditional clothes carrying their baby llamas, too cute, just make sure to tip them when you take photos!).

I only have about five more weeks of school, and seven weeks of Peru, left. Yet, I feel like I just got here!

Miss you all!

A circular rainbow around the sun. It was really cool!

Cathedral in Cusco.

San Blas district, Cusco.

Cute people and their llamas.

Mom and a cute girl.

Flag of Cusco.

Mom, she was really sick from the altitude, but she still looks happy.

Cusco from the balcony of our hotel.

Llama walking through Machu Picchu door.

More llamas!

It looks like we were photoshopped in, right?

Panoramic.

Mom in front of Machu Picchu.

Machu Picchu, its even bigger than it looks!

The three windows. It has some astrological significance... just like every Inca building!

The clouds lifting in the morning.

Wayna Picchu is the mountain in the background.

The ruins.

Aguas Calientes (Machu Picchu Pueblo). Only reachable by train!