Lima!

Yesterday our group went to Lima in our language groups as part of a cultural excursion. I had a pretty stressful week but that was the farthest thing from my mind, I had such a nice day. I didn’t really know what to expect about Lima, I had heard a lot of different things. For the most part, Lima is a big, dirty, crowded, dangerous city. But of course we only visited the nice parts of it. Driving into the city from where we live is down right intimidating. The sprawling barrios that stretch out from the center of lima are composed of shanties and ugly cement blocks that barely pass for buildings. I saw two things I have never seen before on my trip into Lima: the first was a group of boys that ran out into the middle of the intersection during a red light and started to doing acrobatics on the pavement. Doing back flips on cement is dangerous enough, but doing it in a Peruvian intersection is a death wish, but it was entertaining non the less. The second thing I saw was a lady walking around completely naked. It was about 8 in the morning and she was just walking down the side walk like it was perfectly normal.
We were put onto two different buses and each group went to different a area of Lima. One of the married couples got split up for this excursion and the guy was complaining about how mad he was that he never got to do anything with his wife. Unfortunately for him, since it was so early in the morning and also because many of us left a significant other back in the states, he didn’t get much sympathy out of us. My group went to the part of Lima called Mira Flores. It was a nice area right on the beach. We split into our language groups and since Mike was sick there were only three of us. We walked down to the beach, the whole time talking about Lima and the area. We actually ended up at the Marriott right on the ocean which was cool cause that’s where my parents are going to stay when they come. I’ve been a little hesitant about my parents coming because Peru is a developing country and I just don’t see my mom and dad enjoying much here. But the Marriott is located in a great place and there’s a mall that goes down the side of a cliff right in front of it. We went to this mall and got Starbucks. The Starbucks was definitely the high light of my whole day. I’ve been really good since I’ve been here, in not indulging in comfort food aka chocolate, soda and chips, the things that remind us all of home. I’m kind of a health nut as it is, and I don’t think it’s emotionally that healthy to leave it up to junk food to make me feel happy. So, Starbucks was the first time I really treated myself here. I got a vanilla latte and an orange muffin with chocolate chunks. Words do not describe how freakin awesome it was. The combo cost me 16 soles (about 5 American dollars), considering I only get 8 soles a day as my living allowance, it was kind of a splurge, but well worth it. At Starbucks, our teacher gave us our missions for the morning. We had to interview 5 people in Mira Flores and ask them all these questions. I really hate going up to complete strangers, but luckily I was with Tom and he has no problem with it. We interviewed a group of 20 something year old chefs that were lounging around Starbucks. They were really receptive to us and had just as many questions for us as we did them. We counted that one group interview as the 5 different people we were supposed to talk with, so Tom dragged me to an arcade for the rest of the time. That was actually really fun. A bunch of kids in the arcade came up to us and asked to take their picture with us. In total, I was asked by 3 different groups of people yesterday to take photos with them. Weird. The next assignment we had to do was practice negotiating with taxi drivers. We had to learn to tell the safer taxis from the sketchier ones. The taxi’s here don’t have meters, you have to set the price with the driver before you go, so lot’s of gringos get taken for way more than they should because they don’t know any better. Bargaining and negotiating is another something I’m not good at, but I’m glad I was made to do the exercise, because I ended up getting most taxi drivers to lower the price to half of what they initially said. We also had to ask how long and what route they were gonna take to make sure they don´t take some crazy route and charge us more money. A lot of robberies happen in taxi cabs, it’s pretty scary. After we were done with all of our exercises, we were taken to the center of Lima and met up with the rest of the group. We all had lunch and walked around, I had my first pisco sour, the national drink. It was good, it’s tastes just like a margarita. My face hurt at the end of the day cause I was smiling so much. We took the bus back, but there was no one in my group from Huascaran so I walked from the bus to my house alone, and my mom was mad. Then all the other moms from Huascaran came over and wanted to know why their kids hadn’t come home too, and then they all got mad. I told my host mom that I was going to one of the other neighborhoods that evening for a BBQ and she was even more mad cause she didn’t want me to go. The only way I got to go was that Jamar and his host brother came too, but they left early and went to chosica to go to club, so I got Jah to take me home. I told my host mom I’d be home by 11 but I got home at 11:20 and she was mad again. The BBQ ended up being super fun. It was in the really nice neighborhood were all the houses are bigger than the ones we live in back in the states. Most of these people have warm water and internet in their houses, and it’s the only neighborhood that has paved roads. I met the families of the people that lived there and they seem so much more chill than all the families where I live. A lot of people are jealous of the group members that live here, but I try not to be. Just cause they have a few more luxuries than other’s doesn’t mean they are having an easier time adjusting to the culture or not missing home. I’m feeling a little overwhelmed with the host family situation. My host mother does not like the fact that I am very independent and like to do things my way. I know she may not be too happy, but she needs to learn that I can’t have my hand held every step of the way. I have explained to her that I understand she wants to make sure I am safe, but I am moving to some place very far from here and I am going to have to do the vast majority of things alone when I am there, so I need to start figuring out how to take of myself alone. There’s this weird fraise they say here about being in love with your boyfriend, which is supposed to mean you are a forgetful person. I’m not sure if it’s an insult or endearing. My host mom doesn’t like the fact that I am so forgetful and she lets me know. It’s hard for me, cause I don’t like to forget things, I don’t like to feel stupid, but it’s who I am and as hard as I try I will always be a little forgetful. She makes me feel really bad about it. I knew when I found out I had to live in a home stay, it was going to be a big adjustment and cultural compromises, but I don’t think my host mom was really expecting she was going to have cultural adjusting to do too. But even when I get frustrated it doesn´t last very long. I was a little aggrivated with her this morning, but tonight she sewed my pants for me and sat and watched TV with me. She always lets me pick the channel I want to watch. My happiness is very important to her, and that´s the main reason I feel at home in her house.
Today I went with Adriane’s family to this private sports/camping park. It was nice cause it was green. I miss grass and trees and flowers. They had a pool too, it was freezing cold but I’m getting used to freezing cold water. I taught Adriane’s little host sister how to swim, that was pretty cool. We had a picnic lunch and they fed me next to nothing. Adriane said that was pretty normal, and I realized how lucky I am cause I get such great food. When my family took Adriane and her little brother to the zoo last week, my family paid for everything, even the souvenir photos. The other people in my neighborhood said they’re families have a little animosity towards my family because we have a little more money than they do and because my mother is a know it all. Anyways, we stayed at the park all day and I took a nap on my towel on the grass in the sun. That was probably the highlight of my day. I’m pretty warn out tonight so I’m looking forward to eating and going to bed. My host sister and I are becoming good friends. She´s only 13 but we really get along. We go to the internet cafe a lot together, and we always walk arm in arm. She told me that I´m the only sister she´s ever had.
I’m gonna call my family tonight, and tomorrow is Eric’s birthday so I’m gonna call him too. I’m pretty sad I’m missing his birthday, one of many occasions in the next 27 months that I’m gonna miss. Well, happy birthday Eric, sorry I can’t be there for it and I miss you!