Hiking, Hiking, & more hiking :)

Okay so I when our grammer teacher told us that he is going to take us on a hike on Sunday, up the mountains, it will take us 2 hours, and it is a little less than 2 miles... Oh and that we were leaving at 6 am and mountains are huge!... I thought to myself, oh my gosh. this is not the definition of a good time. But I put on my happy face and decided to roll with the punches. We left Lima at 6 am on the dot which means my alarm went off at 4:30. I'm pretty sure the only time people in Peru see 4:30 on their clocks is because that is what time they are getting home from the night before. We arrive to Matucana 2 hours later and meet our guide and we're off on our hike. Thank goodness we took breaks because at some point my legs felt like jello, and the sun beating down, I had to ask myself...Jen, seriously are you going to make it? Or should you lay down and have them pick you up on the way down??.. but I decided I could do it and we made it to the waterfalls!! They of course were beautiful and the whole trek, hike up the mountains was definitely worth it. This was something I would have never experienced before and I am so glad I did it. The way back down was much better but at the same time you were still scared for your life with the steep drop and loose rocks didn't help so much!! We made it back down to Matucana, and we were then on our way back home. Let's just say I think everyone went home, showered, and laid in their beds all afternoon. Or at least I did. :)

On Saturday, the night before, some of the girls and I went to a BBQ with Amber. The BBQ was at a families house for La Ciudad's church family BBQ. It was a great experience and everyone there was so nice. They treated us just like family which is nice to have. They spoke English which was another plus and said anytime we need anything, to not hesitate to call. 

I of course have hit day number 17, and I am starting to get homesick and miss my family and friends like crazy. Not only that, but just the normal daily living style of NE and the not so craziness of a small town. What keeps me going? Sometimes I just sit back and think, it is only 4 months, the people I am here with are great, it's an experience of a lifetime, and I am able to talk to my family. Does talking to my family help? Yes of course, but also sometimes it makes it worse because I'd give anything to give them a hug or be there to help my dad open up gates. But I will be able to do that soon. I love them all so much. As I have said, the people I am here with started out as my friends and now they are my family. We look out for each other, we care for each other and they are my family because we depend on each other for so much and for 4 months of our lives. Thank you everyone for your support! It means the world! Keep reading :) Adios!! 

2nd Week as a Peruvian

It has now been week number 2 here in Peru and it has already been a great experience. This week consisted of many different activities including Dr. Miller's class, trying to recover from the foreign country sickness :), Peruvian Lit (which may be the death of me), movie theater, our first discoteca experience, grammer class, combi rides, taxi rides, and hanging out with the group. It has been a week of laughs, jokes, and becoming a bit more comfortable with this culture.

School. It is going good. I love my conversation class that I have on Mondays. We talk about the most interesting topics and it doesn't matter if you have no idea what you are saying, our teacher is so willing to help us out. Now Jorge (who is a native Spanish speaker), on the other hand, finds us not so well Spanish speakers entertaining. But we are all trying to improve. Dr. Miller's psychology class is interesting and is in English so there is definitely nothing wrong with that. Our Peruvian Lit class is rough. It is hard and our poor teacher is trying to help us understand Peruvian literature. But as we all may know, English literature is hard so throwing us into a foreign literature is worse! And our last class grammer is a good class as well. Our teacher, Roberto, has worked with UNK students before and does a great job with us. Classes are going good its just that after the 3 hours of nothing but pure Spanish, my brain may or not be like jelly! :)

On Tuesday, Nikki, Amber, Missy, Adam, and I went to the movie "No Se Aceptan Devoluciones" and it was such a great movie!! I definitely recommend it to all! It is all in Spanish but I'm sure the subtitles would work out great. On Thursday, we had our first night out on the town experience. We went to the discoteca called "Aura" and it was so much fun! It consisted of dancing, dancing, and more dancing. Everyone in our group is so great and so protective. We all look our for each other and at the same time all know how to have a great time. We returned home by taxi about 3:00ish which to a lot of Peruvians that is early! WHAT? :)

 On Friday, we all decided to take it easy so Nikki, Amber, Missy, and I ordered in Domino's Pizza (everything delivers here, even McDonalds!) and watched the movie, The Wold of Wall Street. It was a very good movie but very long movie! When we all got home, we soon went to bed!

As I said, I have survived 2 weeks in Peru and talking to people that have gone in the past, they said that the first 2 weeks are the worst. This is because of homesickness, huge culture shock, and overall a rush of different emotions. I have experienced a lot of different emotions ranging from happy, fun, --> sad, and down in the dumps. But everyday is a new day and being with these people here from UNK, it makes this whole trip worthwhile. When I say I am with the best group, that's not even close to exaggerating! :) Adios

Things to look forward to:
--February 2nd-4th: Going to the Amazon :) ahhhh so excited
--February 5th-8th: Going to Machu Picchu :) one of the 7 wonders... Yes I am excited! :)
--Countless memories & great experiences: priceless :)

I'm a sucker for beautiful sunsets! 

This is my wonderful Peruvian family, Heidi, Victor, & Andrea. 

Weekend Getaway :)

Earlier this week, Heidi my host mom said that we would be going to the beach for the weekend and for person that has lived in NE her whole life, going to the beach sounds amazing!! And the fact that I had just gone to one the day before, going to the beach 2 days in a row sounds pretty good! So after my day on Friday of being in the sun, I was exhausted. I slept clear until 10:00 which in Lima is hard to do with the sun rise so early, the commotion of construction right outside my window, the numerous car horns ALWAYS going off, the hustle and bustle of people, and these really loud birds. I don't know what kind they are but they are so loud, but I'm probably lucky they haven't flown in my window yet (windows in Peru don't have screens). Heidi & Victor said we would leave around 2 which is okay by me. I do some homework and I get ready for my weekend getaway.

As 2 o'clock rolls around, I have all of my things packed, and I am ready to go so I am anxiously waiting us leaving. Soon enough I realize its 2:30 and Heidi, Victor, and Andrea are napping so I think well maybe they are packed and we're leaving at 3 instead. So I look on Facebook, check my email, check my hair & make-up, check Facebook again, and still no movement. I then proceed to lay down and read for a little and at 3:30 I hear movement and I think YES! we are leaving to go to the beach. Heidi comes in and says we're going to leave in 5 minutes. Needless to say, we walk out of the apartment door at 4:05. :) It has become apparent to me that Peruvian time always means at least an hour late or in this case 2 hours! :) But i can't complain we are on our way to the beach.

We are headed to the beach with Betsy (family friend) and her two little girls Fatima (7 years old) and Romina (3 years old). The drive is a little over a half hour but going through Peru traffic, you best be believing you'll need a stiff drink after! It is crazy. I'm really not sure if they have a posted speed limit or for that matter any laws when driving! :) After about 30 minutes, we arrive to our destination: Playas Las Lagunas. Betsy and her husband have a beach house so that is where we stayed for the weekend. It was very exciting and of course very nice. The beach was absolutely beautiful. The sand was darker but not rocky and the water was perfect. The weekend consisted of reading, relaxing, laying out, eating some Peruvian food (I even tried Ceviche which is fish and I hate fish! I really did not like Ceviche), and drinking their well known drink which is Pisco sours. (These were delicious as well) One thing I do know...Peruvians do know how to party.

Monday morning, we eat breakfast at about 11 and then leave around noon. We are headed back to reality...aka Lima. This time it takes a little over an hour to get back to Lima due to the traffic being so crazy and busy. Since this is their summer, it is very common for most of the people to go to the beach for the weekend and then return on Sunday or Monday. As we are driving, we get stuck in a traffic jam... not only is this a traffic jam but a Peruvian traffic jam. The definition of this is the people don't care how they drive, if they cut you off, or even slightly graze your bumper that's completely normal. I think to myself holy crap, am I ever gonna get back. Soon enough, after the craziness, we pull up to the apartment and we are home. I quickly unpack my things and then time for class. I meet up with the other students at Starbucks and then off to class. This weekend was very relaxing, and I understand how different some cultures are compared to the fast American culture. I miss everyone like crazy, and sometimes I have a meltdown but thanks to my wonderful friends and family, I am doing just fine!
More things about Peru:
     -Meal times are much different: Breakfast varies 9 am-11 am, a HUGE lunch at 2pm-4pm, and coffee & bread for supper at 8pm-10pm
     -Peruvians are very nice people :)
Adios!

7 Days down... many to go :)

I made it!!  Which I am sure many of you must already know but I left the big ole state of Nebraska on Jan 10^th to start one of the craziest adventures of my life. I will be living, studying, sleeping, eating and much more in Peru for the next 4 months. Yes this is by far the craziest thing I have ever done in my life but as I have been here for 7 whole days, I am more excited than ever that I chose to do this. Where to begin with my adventure? Well let’s start with the eve of January 3rd when my wonderful family threw me a surprise going away party. All of my wonderful friends and family came and helped me celebrate me leaving! (I don’t know if that s a good thing or bad thing J) It was by far one of the best nights of my life. I am so blessed with how many people care about me and believe me I cannot wait to get home and give you a big hug and a kiss on the cheek!! One of the many things I have to get use to in Peru! On January 10^th, this was going to be the day my life changed and all I could say was…”Wow I am really doing this.” My wonderful family and I went down and stayed in Omaha the night before and then my flight was the next morning at 10. I got to the airport with all my luggage (& yes surprisingly enough I made the weight limit) and was waiting for the girls I was flying with to arrive. Missy, another UNK student, arrives and gets checked in and next thing I know she is telling me that due to crazy NE weather, our original flight might be delayed but this guy at United Airlines can work his magic and get us on an earlier flight so I say lets go for it. So needless to say with some calling, and finding the other 3 girls we all get checked in for the earlier flight. After a very tearful goodbye to mom, dad, grandma, April, Liz, and Kate, I am going up the escalator ready for this adventure.. I think . J

                After traveling on a plane for 14 hours, I am in Lima, Peru! Holy crap I am in South America!! While going through customs, (with not so happy people working) I get told my Visa is only good for 90 days and I say WHHHATT?? I have to be here for 4 months which equals 120 days!! All in all, all of us UNK students have to go and get our Visas fixed for the right amount of days but I was thinking to myself… Oh my gosh..how am I going to get home? Or leave this country? J My wonderful family of Victor and Heidi are waiting for me with a sign that said my name! I was more than relieved to see them. They take me to their car and we drive 30 minutes to my house/apartment. I am exhausted from traveling all day and fall right asleep.

                Within the next couple days, it’s weird for me when I open my eyes and realize I am not in my room, or my bed, there is so much commotion outside..Oh yeah I am in Lima, Peru. My family has been nothing but nice to me but I feel for them because my Spanish is so broken and bad that I talk Spanglish a lot J. My family consists of Victor, Heidi, and Andrea who is 8. On Saturday, Heidi told me we were going to have lunch with Victor’s mom and when we arrived, they are actually housing a UNK student, Daniel, which was awesome to see! We spent the day at Jockey Plaza (huge mall) and walking around with his host sister and brother. I met up with the girls on Sunday and it was so nice being able to talk English again and not have to rack your brain on what you are going to say next! J Also it was just nice seeing familiar faces. On Monday we started school at UPC and it is a very nice college. It is also very secure when we enter which is nice too. I had class with the UNK professor and other UNK students and I am excited for my classes. The classes I will be taking are Conversation, Peruvian Lit (Yikes!), Psychology & Culture, and a Grammer class. Yesterday, the whole group and I did some exploring and were determined to find the beach. We took a combi (a little bus thing that will hold way over the amount of people it should J ) to Mira Flores and walked to the beach. We had lunch together and then did some browsing. It was a great day and when we returned we were all exhausted and ready to relax.  And guess what… today is already Saturday! I am so lucky to be able to travel to this country with the other wonderful UNK students. I am already getting to know them so much and they are all great people. Of course I miss everyone back home so much and sometimes think, what in the world am I doing? But when I get a message from them or get to hear their voices, everything is okay.

Some things I’ve learned in Peru:

                -Kissing on the cheek when I greet them! How cool!

                - The mountains are not covered in trees but rather dirt!

                - Bembos is the Peruvian McDonalds J

                - Combis are these crazy small buses that fit so many people in them !

                - I cannot wait to improve my Spanish & continue this adventure

 I have been here a week and it has flown by so I can only imagine how the next 14 weeks are going to go! Adiós!