Thanks Friends :)

I have the day off of training today, hence the many posts here. Yesterday I had a delicious churro and got stung by a bee. Today I'm going to a birthday party. Not much news otherwise. I realized today the kind of traffic I'm getting on the blog and feel very loved. Come on back. Hope you are all doing well.

Joe's Birthday!

Here you have a testament of how lame/ awesome I am. Yesterday was Joe's birthday, so I got 'him' a cupcake and jazzed up our Skype date. I love birthdays.

For Grant

So that Grant can see where I am, I wanted to share this shot from Lima last Saturday in front of the Pacific Ocean. Rachel, let me know what he thinks :)

Arturo!

In his first appearance on my blog, I present, Arturo at the "Platos Tipicos" event he accompanied me to. This was his Chocoteja treat ;)

Weekend Yin and Yang

Last weekend's events was a perfect split of Peruvian and American. 

Saturday: Trip to Lima including lunch at Chili's, Starbucks treats, and a trip to The North Face store. Dancing with the gringos in the evening. 

Sunday: "Platos Tipicos" event with Arturo and a full afternoon of Peruvian festivities. Dancing with Peruvians.

The weekend began with a trip to Lima on Saturday with the gang. We were divided in our language groups and assigned activities. When this was finished, we were set free in Lima. I had 2 priorities for the Lima trip, aside from what was planned for us: Starbucks and The North Face. To my great surprise/ relief/ affirmed love for Peru, I found them situated RIGHT next to each other. Win! Yeah, I was in a super-duper American tourist trap. However, I have no shame. My loyalty to the backpack that I toted around through most of college, Spain, many a road trip, etc. for the past 5 years or so blinded me to the fact that it had been sprouting a few holes prior to my departure. After a couple weeks of combi commutes and binder/ lunchbox bearing, my backpack decided to quit me. The holes made it unusable. To find a new bag that would last the next 2 years and treat me the way my little Jansport pack did, I needed a miracle... or a North Face ;) I know it's not cool to drool over big US-esque shopping centers in South America, but this was travel perfection in it's finest form. In about 10 minutes time I was outfitted with a beautiful new bag and a delicious soy latte. Nom! 

Following this little joy, as well as a nice lunch and an ocean view, we headed back to Yanacoto in a taxi. I believe this ride was the closest I will ever come to experiencing real live Mario Kart. Seriously, things were zipping around and we were flying through lanes/ vehicles so quickly that I was wondering where my bullet was so I could make it to the finish sooner. 

That night a bunch of us got together to relax and have some fun. While dancing with my new American friends I felt a little guilty about my American binge that day. I had eaten a cheese quesadilla for lunch, drank S-bucks, made a 'big' purchase at a chain store, drank Orange Crush soda, then finished it all off by dancing to Lady Gaga and Michael Jackson. Little did I know that less than 24 hours later I would be dancing with a group of Peruvians older than my parents to folkloric music while being videotaped... 

Sunday. The school immediately above my host home was having an event called "platos tipicos" in which each grade prepared food, information, decorations, and a parade presentation for each department (state or province) of Peru. My host mom works at the school and was at the event in the morning, and most of my friends had other plans, so Arturo ( 5 year old host brother) somehow got convinced to go with me. We took the dog, Benji, too. My friend Amanda was there and we tried some food from Puno. I bought Arturo a chocolate for hanging out with me. He was a fan of the chocolate and was generally enjoying himself, so he asked to stay for the parade. It was really cute and I learned a few more things to add to my tiny pile of Peru knowledge that is slowly getting bigger. My favorite part of this event was the real-live monkey they had to represent the jungle region of Loreto. They also had a parrot and, wait for it... a turrrtttllle! Awesomeness. 

When I returned from above, my host mom was dressed very nicely and ready to go somewhere. When I asked where, she explained that she was going to a "meeting" but didn't really explain much further. She asked if I wanted to go and I sat on the invite for about 12 minutes. I had planned on updating the blog/ uploading pictures and running that afternoon. But I really wanted to accept an invitation, so that I get more in the future. Also, I wanted to spend some time with Elena and was very curious about this meeting she spoke of. I told her I would like to go and we were off. It's a rather liberating feeling going somewhere when you have no idea what is in store for you- no watch, no phone, nothing; just a few soles and a host mom. After a rather long combi ride on the main highway, a pretty long walk, and a taxi ride, Elena and I arrived at a very small town where a very large party was happening. This was our meeting. My 3 soles were paid for the entrance fee and soon we were huddled around 2 large wax floats with the Virgin Mary mounted on the top. We prayed around Mary for a bit, then the floats were moved aside. Next Elena took me in a shrine to pray and show me pictures of where she grew up. All the while this was happening, we were greeted by friends and relatives of hers that were very happy to see her. After this we settled into a spot where we spent the afternoon watching folkloric dances and eating potatoes, rice, and the other treats that were distributed to all in attendance. There was live music, super impressive dancing, and lots for me to watch. I would say the average age of those in attendance was around 58. I stood out... I'm getting used to that. Directly in front of me was this group of men who reminded me of Dad, Hammy, Marty, etc. They kept offering me beer, cigarettes, soda, a dance, food, etc. At first Elena was watching out for me and warding them off alright. Then when she started chatting with them and realized they were harmless and sort of fun, she was all like, "hija, dance! Dance!" So as the dancing for everyone began, dancing with the gringa became the thing to do.  I'm cool with this, because I love to dance. The problem, though, is that there were actual steps to the songs that were playing and I was the only one who knew neither the songs nor the steps. My confusion was apparent immediately, which may be why the man with the video camera came zipping over immediately. I made it through the first dance after much fun and many stares from the crowd. The next dance turned out to be very long, but it was fun because I was in a dancing circle, which is something I am farily accustomed to after many cousin weddings. My partner was an 84 year old man who asked me to dance with him and was very sweet. He took me to the circle where turns were taken dancing in the middle and where the camera made a return appearance anytime I was in the middle. The people there were all really nice and caught on quickly to the fact that I like to dance, but needed a little help. As usual, I was glad to be dancing and happy the viejito got me out there. Elena and I left shortly after that to begin our trip home. As we were leaving, apparatuses were being set up for the fireworks display that followed in the evening. Overall, it was a really enjoyable day and I was glad to have gone, rather than sticking to my familiar habits. Unfortunately, I had forgotten my camera and have no photos of this event :( Sorry! 

Sunday turned out to be enough of a Peruvian day to balance out the incredibly American Saturday that I had had. Gotta love a good healthy balance. 

Gringa WIN!!!

Flaming Tails, Guinea Pig Bets, and a Machete

Regarding Last Friday, 6/24/11

Delayed Post. Boyfriend has been stealing all of my internet time ;)

Starting to get excited. 

Last Thursday, we had our first school visit. Seeing the kids here and getting a chance to interact with them in a school setting was really great. 

Last Friday, training was a bit of a free day and was easily the most fun we have had at training since our arrival. In the morning we played traditional games in the US like red light/ green light, musical chairs, etc. In the afternoon, the staff here shared with us some events and games that are common in Peru. 

These activities began with our tech trainers demonstrating a dance in which ladies wearing paper tails are chased by men with lit candles. The men try to light the tails up while the women shake their butts to prevent their tails from catching the flame... all the while dancing very well. Some of us took part in this after we learned what it was. I did not volunteer for this one, but it was really funny to watch ;) 

Next, they moved us to an area in the grass where a curious looking set-up had been arranged. As the photo in this post shows, there where little cardboard houses situated in a circle around an upside down box. We quickly learned that under the box sat a cuy, or guinea pig. Even in English I prefer calling them cuy because it's shorter than 'guinea pig' and, well, cuter. Cuy are everywhere here. Not to have as pets though, to eat. Anyway, the situation at hand can best be described by comparing it to the one and only Chicken Drop game, as made famous by Grand Marsh, WI as the showcase event at the annual corn 'n tater fest. Ok, so I know it's not the only chicken drop, but it's surely the best. Back to the cuy. The way it works is that bets are placed on the houses surrounding our little man. Each house has a number on it and players pay 20 centimos per house. After putting in your 20 centimos, you get a number. If Mr. Cuy chooses your number/ house, you win the prize sitting on top of that house. We played several times and he never chose my number :( I could have continued this for hours though. I hope this game is popular wherever I am going. 

Last, the pinata tree. This is called a Yunza. A small-ish tree was placed in the ground and covered in fun things. Presents, balloons, streamers, toys, candy, mandarins, etc. We danced around the tree for awhile throwing flour and confetti at each other, swinging around partners by the elbow, and drinking some juice that was a substitute for what is normally chicha (I'm too lazy to give you a link. Type of beer-ish drink). A pair of our language/ cultural facilitators was dressed up as the 'godparents' and eventually began passing around a machete for us to each take turns trying to knock down the tree. As none of us knows how to use a machete, this took awhile. After several whacks and pushes, we gave up and knocked it over. I came out of the deal with a yo-yo and a little yellow dinosaur I named Connie, who is a male. 

It was a really great way to finish out the week and begin our weekend, also a nice way to learn some fun stuff about what lies ahead of us. Until next time :)

Fun Facts: Week 2

On Food-

Love: Arroz Cubano

Like: Copious amounts of avocado, aka palta. Nom! Palta sandwiches for breakfast. Paltas in my lunchbox everyday. Paltas everywhere. Thanks Peru :)

Growing On Me: Inca Kola. What can only be described as liquid bubble gum. If Dr. Meer knew that this was passing through my mouth, he would surely blacklist me from the Forward Dental patient list. 

On Being a Gringa-

Number of times I have been asked to pose for a photo with a local or their children- 4

Number of times I have been asked if I am from Canada- 3

Number of times I have vehemently denied being from Canada- 3

Number of times I have heard "Viva Obama" or "¡Si Se Puede!"- At least 5 

On What I learned this week-

Peruvians like food, music, dancing, dressing up in costumes, and lighting things on fire. I'm totally in the right country. 

Arroz Cubano

The first of my hills. This is one of the little guys ;)

From Marathon Runner to Mountain Runner

So I know the last entry was runner-centric, but I'm sorry, I have to share another running entry tonight as well. 

Background: I live on the side of a small mountain/ large hill. The only running routes available to me are hilly, on dirt roads, and short. I live in a lovely little community called Yanacoto, about 35 minutes from our training center and a short combi ride away from the nearest town with any sort of flat running options. Also, by the time I get home from training at night, I usually don't have a ton of daylight time, much less time to go home, change, and take a combi back to a town where I could run. 

My only real, feasible running option is uphill. At first, I was worried about losing my running fitness and not having ample time or opportunity to keep up all that I had just built up in terms of running skill and endurance. As I can't stay away from running for too long, I decided to brave the hills, rocky roads, and street dogs of Yanacoto, just to see what I was up against. I went for it and trucked up the hills for the first time last Friday night. I can't adequately explain how great it felt to take on a mountain. It was my only option. It felt so good to just do it and quit worrying about it. Determination: something I can take with me when I get my site assignment and feel that same pang of worry and fear. I can do it, it is my only option (it's actually a pretty awesome option). I just have to get out there, put my head down, and do work. This is good. 

Initially, I was discouraged and daunted. The majority of the route was uphill and in an altitude I'm not quite used to yet. I had to take it in intervals. This made me feel out of shape at first, but then I realized I was running up a frickin' mountain. I'm not out of shape, I just ran a marathon. I'm totally equipped for this, just not yet acclimated. I will be living here for 10 weeks...eventually, the hills will get easier and the walking intervals will decrease. It's ok to take it slow. Walking here and there is better than staying in my room and eating caramelos while waiting for a delicious pile of rice for dinner. Intervals are not a bad thing. Rome wasn't built in a day. I wasn't born on a mountain. This will take some getting used to. And that is ok. I'm equipped for my assignment here, just not yet acclimated. That is why I have 10 weeks in training. Everything will be fine. Patience: something I will need when working with children, and also in talking myself down when I get all fired up, as I know I will. I already got into a Combi argument when I got swindled last week. If you want to tell me I don't understand Spanish, just wait until you see what I can understand... Anyway, yes, patience--- something I can always use more of ;)

Here comes the fun part- downhill running! Making it to the trail's end, maybe about halfway-ish up the mountain, is a feeling so exhilarating and addicting that I can't quite explain it. Staring at Yanacoto from above at sundown is kind of like staring at Spider Lake when I can make it there in the summer. It's so calm and naturally gorgeous that you could get lost in thought, just staring off into the distance. I love it. After my little break on my plateau, I get to careen down the trail at lightening speed to make up for my gradual/ intermittent running climb. This is tough though, because I'm navigating rocky roads. During my downhill spurts, I fear a broken ankle. Here's where I need to remember control. Focus: catch the sharp decline with your heel* breathe*forefoot strike*breathe*lengthen your stride*breathe*watch your step*breathe*relax. Control: something I forgot I would need. Control your patience; control your reactions; control the situation as best as you can. Thanks Mountain. You're turning out to be a lot cooler than I thought. 

This mountain running isn't so bad. Hill running may be a better term? Or trail running? I think it's all three rolled into one. I managed to run 3.5 miles last Friday night and 5 miles last night by repeating my route and following up the mountain trekking with some laps around the neighborhood. It's not the 10 or 12 mile run I was used to running at home during training, but that's alright. I've decided that that kind of distance is just not feasible and probably not advisable during training. Now that I'm here, my priorities must be the task at hand and my safety. So as it turns out, the mountain is helping me to improve my running. If they must be short runs, they may as well be hard runs. Thank you, running gods, for keeping me in check. After all, I came here looking for new opportunities and skills. I'm glad that Peru is already holding up it's part of this deal. Mountains= big win. I hope to leave Yanacoto a stronger and more versatile runner. As long as I can stick to that mountain rather than exploring Peruvian snacks and ice cream, I think that goal is something I can handle. 

I know this all probably sounds cheesy, but this is the best way I have found to center myself after a really overwhelming day. Running keeps me sane and keeps me in love. I am in love with the mountains, in love with my Mizuno Wave Elixir shoes, and in love with the opportunity that lies ahead of me. Yeah, it can be overwhelming, but I'm pretty sure it's also going to be awesome. Stayed tuned... ;)

One Mile At A Time

Lately when I turn my running Garmin on, it asks me, "Have you moved 100 miles or more since your last use?" Why yes, Garmin, I have. Thanks for noticing. I mention this because I feel that it is about time for a blog entry on my running. 

As most of you probably know, I ran my first marathon about a week and half before I left for Peru. As far as Peace Corps planning and preparation goes, I think running a marathon was the best thing I could have done for myself. At first I was hesitant to take on such a physical challenge so close to my departure date. I was nervous an injury may prevent my leaving. I almost let this fear stand in the way of choosing to undertake the marathon. After some thought, I realized that sitting around waiting to leave while letting my thoughts/ hopes/ anxieties get the best of me was a very bad idea. Joe agreed that it would be best for both of us to focus on the present and throw our efforts and energies into marathon training, rather than worrying about the future and dwelling on my leaving. Best decision ever. After running a marathon, I feel like I can do anything. And when I don't feel that way, Joe reminds me I can... which is awesome. Everyone deserves to/ should have a Joe ;)

I say this, in part, because Joe is the one who gave me the fabulous analogy I am about to share. Before I left, he reminded me that my 27 month commitment is much like a 26.2 mile commitment. If you begin a long run thinking, I only have 26.2 miles to go, you're going to have a long road ahead of you, literally. The trick of the marathon, in my experience, is to take it one mile, one step, at a time. Anything I'm handling now is small potatoes when you think of it like that. One mile at a time can be applied to my Peace Corps service, it's just that now I will think in terms of 1 month at a time, rather than in miles.

For example, mile one- It's an exciting and nervous time of the marathon, filled with anxieties and also a little bit of relief. You have so much anxiety, pent-up energy, and excitement that sometimes you jump off running at too fast of a pace only leading to trouble later in the race. But the trick is to take it easy, relax, take in the scenery and enjoy what is happening around you since there are plenty more miles that are going to require more energy later in the race, and the excitement/novelty of mile one will go by faster than you think. The same can be said for month one. Take it all in, get your footing, focus on breathing and not getting ahead of yourself. Worry about catching a stride later on when you've established a pace and are comfortable where you are. This analogy has been in the back of my mind since my arrival and will stay with me. This has been wonderful advice. Thanks Joe :)

¡Feliz Dia del Padre!

Warning: Very long post. Sorry for the blog purge. I write in my host home, then post when I am at the internet cafe. So today, you get three posts- starting with this very long one. Enjoy :)

Happy Fathers Day! Here in Peru, Father's Day is a big deal, as all holidays are, from what I understand. The events of my weekend revolved around the holiday and my 'homework' for the weekend which was to participate in community activities while spending time w/ the host family. Yesterday, I went to an outdoor father's day activity of a local grade school with the an Olympic theme titled "Daddy is My Champion." My friend Ali invited me to attend with her, as the children she lives with go to this school and her host family was there all day participating in the events. The event was a "day of sports" to honor the fathers of the students in the school. It was adorable. The day began with members of each grade taking turns running around the track w/ a lighted torch and a parent. After the torch went around and the national anthem was sung, each grade took part in a short parade, then performed a dance. Each class had a country and a value that they represented. Ali and I walked with grades 1 and 4, as this is where her host sister and brother fall. First grade was Peru with the value of honesty while 4th grade was Spain with the value of love. If I had to choose a value for Spain, it would be pride, but that's just me ;) Anyway, it was really fun to walk and dance with the kids. There was a group of 4th grade girls who were glad to meet some gringas and we spent much of the day playing with them and answering random "how do you say this in English?" questions. Two of our friends/ fellow trainees joined us for the 4th grade parade/ dance and stayed for the afternoon of sports. The whole day was really fun and a great thing to be a part of. All the children and their parents had matching uniforms specific to their class and the country they were representing in the "Olympics." The kids were adorable and the activities were really fun to watch. After the parade/ dances, each class lined up on the volleyball court across from their parents. An announcer counted down and when she said 'Go,' the kids ran to hug their dads and wish them a happy father's day. Soooooo cute! After all of this, the Olympics began. The sporting events were games of soccer and volleyball played by the parents and the students. Games were fathers vs. fathers (organized by the grades of their children) in soccer, then the little boys followed with soccer games grade vs. grade. Volleyball games were held in the same fashion. I played on the 4th grade mom team with the moms of that grade and my friend Katherine, who is really good at volleyball. I am not. Our team lost. It was fun anyway. The 4th grade girls were very good, especially a little doll whose name was also Brittney. Their team won. It was fun to practice with them and cheer them on. After the sports wrapped up, we had some lunch. I had my first taste of Papa a la Hunaina, which will definitely be a repeat treat. I also had my first Coca Cola in South America, which, at least to me, is way better than Coke in the States. They don't use corn syrup here in soda or chocolate, and the difference is detectable. Also, Coke is in a glass bottle here so I feel less guilty about it because I'm not using a glass bottle :) The afternoon of the Olympics included prizes for the winners of the events and also a large game of Bingo. Given my Nigon upbringing, I was all about playing Bingo. Unfortunately though, I couldn't stay to play as my own little host brother also had a Father's Day program last night. In order to see his program as well, I had to leave before Bingo took place. 

I returned to my host home and practically begged my host mother to show me how they wash clothes by hand here. I feel a need to contribute. At this point, they are treating me like a princess. Which is nice, but I can't keep this up. I feel too guilty. If there is anything I can help with, I want to know how. So... Elena agreed to let me help wash my clothes. As it turns out, she can wash about 4 items to my 1. But I got to watch at the very least. Elena and I had a nice conversation while we washed my stuff. It felt good to do some manual labor, even if I didn't do much. After this, I helped my host sister, Grecia, hang my clothes on the line, then I went to Arturo's father's day program with his mom, my other host sister, and with Grecia. 

Arturo goes to school just up the road so we walked the 2 minutes or so it takes to get to his school. He is in the 5 year old kindergarten class. Here, kindergarten classes begin at age 3 and go through age 5. He sang a few songs and did a really cute little dance. It was fun taking in a school program in another language. It was very similar to the school programs I've seen in the US.The school was cute, the children again were adorable, and the fathers they were honoring were really fun to watch. As with the other program, the event began with a presentation of the flag and the national anthem. Each class sang, danced, and/ or read some poems. The 3 year olds dressed like bunnies and sang a really cute song while jumping around. They made some of the dads play musical chairs in front of everyone. Then they raffled off door prizes to some of the dads as well. Very cute. 

At both programs, food was served. At the first one they had ceviche, Papa a la Huanaina, anticucho, ice cream, soda, etc. At Arturo's program the hot ticket item seemed to be hot dogs on sticks with a strip of mayonnaise down the side. They also had a full concession stand complete with papas de Lays, aka Lays Potato Chips, and Crush orange soda. It's really fun to people-watch and find out what's popular, what's normal, and what isn't. It's also strange to see so much influence from the US here, like the Lay's Potato Chips. At the end of the day, my head was full of new words and concepts. Good day. 

One more thing on Saturday- I met a baby named Walter. I'm not very discreet when I see a cute baby. So as soon as his mother saw me making faces at him, she asked me to hold him so she could take a picture of Walter with the gringa. It was great. His cheeks were almost as fat as Hailey's were when she was 6 months old, that's how old Walter was. I love that his name was Walter too. There are more American names here than I was expecting. Anyway, I had to toss that in because it is something I want to remember. 

Today's father's day activities are much more chill. A big breakfast of tuna, onions, and potatoes was followed by some solo time, a walk around Yanacoto with the little brothers (hermanitos), more laundry watching/ collecting my dry clothes, an hour and a half of Monopoly with the hermanitos, then some gossip of Lady Gaga, Justin Beiber, etc. with the host sisters and their cousin. Lunch of cow heart with corn, rice, and potatoes was served around 2ish with some other family members in attendance. I was given a full plate of veggies in place of the heart (anticucho) :) I had cow heart once as a child and wasn't a huge fan, so I don't feel too bad about not trying it here. They made it over an open fire and I hear it was good. We had ice cream for dessert which was delicious. Then I watched some American TV w/ Grecia. She's a fan of Ace of Cakes, which I had never even seen before, so that was fun. 

Anyway, I should wrap this up. Apologies for the long entry. The weekend brought with it time for me to keep you all updated on what's going on here. They keep us fairly busy during the week which I enjoy. I hope you are all enjoying father's day and I hope the weather was nice in the Midwest this weekend! Excited for week 2. Stop back soon :)

Anticucho

How I Almost Lost My Hair

Arturo, my 5 year old host brother, is obsessed with a popular Peruvian game show called, "El Ultimo Pasajero," or "The Last Passenger." The show consists of high school aged children competing in a bunch of random events for an all-expense paid trip to Colombia. In each episode, there is a segment in which 5 team members must cut their hair in a crazy fashion based on the random hairstyle or amount of hair they select by spinning a wheel for a style or selecting something at random that gives them the weight or length they must cut off in order to get on the bus and get their team that much closer to winning. 

Anyway, as I said, Arturo is obsessed with this show. There are 3 teams, blue, red, and green. Green is his favorite and when they win, he wins. When they lose, he is very sad. The first day I met Arturo, he told me that his cat had a mustache, but did not anymore. I didn't get it at all, but I thought it was cute and thought that he must have a vast imagination, or perhaps my Spanish was rustier than I thought. 

One night this past week, Arturo and I were watching his show when his little hand came from nowhere with a pair of scissors that went zipping straight to my head. Out of fear and concern for the hair I've just recently grown back from my mullet days, I grabbed the scissors and asked him not to play with them like that, por favor. He giggled and muttered something I didn't quite understand at the time about wanting to have all 5 of his passengers get on the bus. 

Well, last night at dinner, my host dad asked me if I knew why the cat didn't have any whiskers. I answered about Arturo saying something about the cat's mustache and Nestor went on to explain that, the week prior, Arturo had cut off the cat's whiskers in order to have 5 passengers on the bus. He also got some hair from his brother's head while he was sleeping, and managed to chop off some of his own curls. When I told my host parents about my close call with the scissors, they laughed and told me to be careful, as I may be next. They were sure that if I hadn't have grabbed the scissors, I would have been in the same boat as the cat. 

Adventures On The Combi

I live about 35 minutes from our training center by combi. What is a combi? See photo above. A combi is like a cross between a short bus and a large van. Here they are perhaps the most common form of transportation and the only way I travel, other than on foot. As I am not used to public transportation and haven't ridden many busses since childhood, you can imagine I may have many adventures on my new daily commute. To fully appreciate my awkwardness here, there are some things you should know about the combis. 

First of all, they are usually very full and seats are tough to come by. This means that I must quickly find something to hold on to, or I will not remain standing. Next, you must keep in mind that driving here is not like it is in the States, so remaining standing on a combi is not an easy feat. Most days I feel like my commute is an upper body workout. Finally, I would like to remind you that I am a white girl. A very obvious white girl who stands out in a crowded little bus in Peru. So here you have them, my adventures on the combi, week one. 

The Day I Lost My Sol- Soles in denominations less than 10 are in coins here, which means I often spend my coins on candy, because it feels like I'm only spending quarters. This behavior will need to be adjusted soon... Anyway, I lost a sol on the combi last week and spent easily 5 minutes squatting, bending, and scraping for it. A nice Peruvian man even helped me in my thinly-veiled frantic search. It was under my foot the whole time. Awesome. 

Paparazzi- While riding home from training the other night, 2 amigas and I were chatting when we realized that the young man next to us was trying to take our picture. Trying to employ some of the skills we are learning, one of my new friends advised him he could take a picture of us if he got up and did a dance for the whole combi crowd to watch. He declined. We let him take our picture anyway. 

The Fall- I knew it would happen sooner or later. I fell over on the combi. And it wasn't a little trip either. What happened is that I inadvertently sat on two men's laps/ totally crash landed on two unsuspecting men/ lost all balance and flailed like a starfish with my arms and feet in the air while making noises like a cow in heat. I apologized profusely while the witnesses laughed and tried not to watch. The men I sat on were as cool about it as they could be. If some random person with a ghetto booty like mine landed in my lap, I don't think I would have been as composed as they were. One example of why I am a fan of the people of Peru.  

Fun Facts

Biggest challenge in Peru so far: Rationing the pouch of Peanut Butter M&M's Lisa/ Joe sent me.
Favorite hobbies: Playing 'Go Fish' and watching Disney Junior with mi hermanito.
Best food discovery: Las Chirimoyas
Host family: Awesome.

Until next time.
~B

View from the retreat center we were at over the weekend :)

First Few Days

Hello again,

Sorry for the lack of posts in recent days. It has been one week since I bid adieu to my beloved Yosef and the parents, then took off for DC, then Lima a few days later. So much has happened in the past week that it is tough to decide exactly what is blog worthy. Last week was a blur of travel and informational sessions. It has been great getting to know the people in my group. Their personalities, experiences, and overall awesomeness are great to experience and be a part of. After a few very long days, we arrived and began our journey at a charming retreat center outside of Lima. Situated in a valley, we quickly realized how beautiful Peru is. The scenery, combined with the support and enthusiasm of the staff here, reminded me of how very lucky I am to be here. I feel fortunate to be a part of such a strong program in one of the most beautiful places I have ever seen. The food here is very good so far. I am getting spoiled as a vegetarian, as I did in Spain. This morning my breakfast was a whole avocado, bread, and a glass of fresh pineapple juice. Nom. I got lucky with an awesome host family for the first couple of moths during training. I have little host brothers who I really enjoy spending time with. My first day included about 2 hours of go fish and sine then I've watched 'Los Simpson' every night at 8 and 8:30 ;) Too bad Sal isn't here with me to enjoy that. 'Los Simpson' seems to follow me to every Spanish speaking country I go. lol. Tonight I went for my first run here and I have to say I am not sure what is scarier, navigating rocky dirt roads on the side of the mountain where I live, or trying not to get attacked by a dog. For those of you who know me, you'll know that dogs don't like me. I have no problem with them, but they don't like me. Anyway, I should wrap this up for tonight. I'll try to update this more frequently with less ramblings and more focussed thoughts. Thanks for stopping by.

~B

New to this...

Hi friends, 


I'm new to this whole blog thing. Not sure how I feel about the mass communication that is a blog. Welcome! Thanks for stopping by. I have a ton of stuff to do and my time at home is winding down. I hope to strike a balance in the next 48 hours between preparing for what is to come and spending the precious last days with those at home. I also hope to strike a balance with this blog to keep you all informed while not bragging or whining. I'm a talker, as you all know, so no chatting and only typing will take some getting used to. Thanks for being patient. Leave a comment. I like comments. Until I write again- peace. Haha. Wonder how long it will take for the 'peace' jokes to get old. Suggestions are welcome and encouraged. 


Also, if anyone can tell me how to make my Marilyn quote bigger, please do so. Right now it's tiny. Thanks in advance. Until next time.