Here I am....

Here I am in Lima, Peru on day 44. I have come to the conclusion after a lot of time thinking, I am going to miss it here when I leave in April. At the beginning, I never thought I was going to say that but it's gonna be so crazy. One day I'll wake up in South America in my cute room in my family's apartment, and the next morning, I'll be waking up in my bed in Ashton, NE. It is so crazy, exciting, sad, surreal, and all those other things at the same time. But for right now, I'm gonna take each day as a new adventure. So here was my last week....

Monday: Just conversation class. Nothing too exciting happened, it was just a normal Monday. Don't worry, even in a foreign country, no one likes Mondays.

Tuesday: Today we had our first midterm in our psychology class. Oh boy, this could be rough! I go to school at 8, trying to fill my brain with as much psychology information as I could. My brain was hurting after that. We then also agreed and set up a conversation table with our grammar teacher with Peruvian students. The Peruvian students want to work on their English, and us Americans want to work on our Spanish. So we had conversation that afternoon. Some of us then decided we wanted to go to Parque de La Reserva, which is a beautiful park in Lima with beautiful fountains. Missy, Adam, Marina, and I jump in a taxi to get to the park. Clearly our taxi driver had no idea where this park was. So after getting out of that taxi and into a different taxi we finally made it!! We met Jorge, Nikki, and Amber there and were ready to be amazed.

There were so many beautiful fountains with music playing, and so many pretty colors. There was even a fountain you could walk through. I think the point was not to get wet, but there was a kiddo that was out to get Nikki, Missy, and I because we walked out a little damp. Oh well, it was so worth it! 

Obviously really excited!

So amazing!! Right before we got a little wet! :)

Wednesday: Just lit class. Nothing to crazy.

Thursday: We had our normal grammar class. Well I guess I shouldn't say normal since we had 2 quizzes in class but we all made it through. 

Friday: After our busy week of school, we were all craving Mexican, spicyness so Amber, Jorge, Nikki, and I decide to go to the district of Barranco to find the infamous Burrito Bar. Once we get to Barranco, we  really don't know where it is and all we know is there is no sign and it is a little nook in a building. Perfect! We are asking people, no one knows, we walk, and walk, and decide to give up when Nikki yells and runs across the street "I think I just saw the word burrito..." And she did!! We finally found it!

That night ended with us celebrating our midterm at Nikki's then went to a discoteca in Miraflores which of course was a blast! Dancing the night away is okay with me.

Saturday: I spent most of the morning relaxing. This consisted of reading on my kindle and watching Grey's Anatomy on Netflix. Rough life I know. I don't know what to do with all of this free time. While relaxing, I was talking to my mom and trying to figure out where in the heck is my package she sent me 3.5 weeks ago. We track it, and find out it is in Chimbote, Peru...which is in the northern part of Peru. I think to myself, I'm never gonna get it. But I am still hopeful. That night, Missy and I were going to go with her host sister Karla to a discoteca in Barranco. As I am getting ready to walk out of the apartment, the guy (one of the many guards at my apartment) that I have asked 7x if my package has arrived says "Hay un paquete aqui." He didn't need to say anymore, I was so excited I couldn't even speak Spanish and started crying happy tears. I am sure they are all thinking, geez crazy gringa! :) I run upstairs and tear it open. Inside is chocolate, candy and pictures of my family but also presents for my host family. My family is seriously the best! Andrea, Heidi, and Victor loved their gifts. I then called mom & skped with her and dad for a bit. Dad was talking to grandma so I was able to talk to her through skype and the phone at home! BEST DAY EVER! I then meet up with Missy and Karla and we head to Barranco to dance the night away again.

Best Mail in my life!

Missy is the sweetest girl I know!

Sunday: Today has been a good day. I've done a lot of catching up on homework. Heidi and Victor had a couple friends over so we went out to lunch. I had my first taste of Leche del Tigre which is a fancy way of saying the juice in ceviche. It was okay. But hey I tried it :). The rest of the day has been committed to homework and hanging out with my family.

Leche del Tigre con Gisselle y Heidi

So here I am... in Lima, Peru finally getting adjusted to life. I have come to know one thing here and that is arriving home at 4 is not only accepted but also expected!! Welcome to the crazy life of Peru! 

Love & Miss you all!! Keep reading! Adios!! 

...Cuando en el Perú... :)

So I have now bee in Lima, Peru for 1 month and 7 days. It's kind of hard for me to believe that I have lived, eaten, slept, and traveled in a South American country for that many days... and yes survived!! After our crazy week of traveling (in which my body thought it was a month the way it felt), this past week has been pretty chill and relaxing. Nothing too crazy has happened don't you worry because if it did... I would definitely be posting it. Here are a few hightlights of the past week.....

School. School. and more school. Yes, I know this is the reason for me to come to Lima, Peru for 4 months but after many days of traveling and having NO school, getting back into it was a little rough. But like always we had to do it and we had to be ready for it because in the week we came back we had 2 grammar quizzes (advanced grammar may I remind you), read and understand more Peruvian lit, and prepare ourselves for the scary midterm coming up in our Psychology class. Not to remind myself, I also have tests and homework in my online class.... I had to keep telling myself the wonderful, inspiring saying from my dad which is "Fin, if you work hard...then you can play hard!!" I hope all this working hard leads to the beach this weekend :) 

Last Thursday, Jorge's family hosted us a BBQ and it was amazing!! The sound of a BBQ was like heaven in my ears. All I could think of was good food!! :) How pathetic right? But like I said it was amazing. There was so much good food including, chicken wings, hamburgers, hot dogs, chips, and of course some refreshments. Most of the group was there and it was so much fun hanging out with all of them. We danced or tried to dance and even tried to learn a little Bachata and Salsa thanks to Marina.  As I have said in previous blogs, they are my family and I am so blessed! All in all it was a fabulous night! :) 

Friday was a new and exciting day. We were going to go to a discoteca and a concert in Punta Hermosa. Tego Calderon was who we were going to see. Jorge was getting everything lined up and I was more than excited to go and dance the night away. The plan was to meet at Vivandas at 8 and then head to Daniel's house and then to the concert. As I am getting ready, Jorge calls me and says they are running a little late, so it's going to be closer to 9. Alright no big deal, I meet up with Missy and we go to her house to wait. Jorge then calls me again and says they are getting their haircuts and it's gonna be closer to 10! I think Jorge and Daniel are getting accustomed to Peruvian time. Oh and not to mention, Missy and I are waiting on boys...yes boys!! I thought it was supposed to be the other way around :). Oh well, we head to the club around 11. With only a few shananigans and dancing the night away, we returned home around 4 am. Maybe by the time I head back, I may be a good dancer... not!! :)

Some of our new Peruvian friends. :)

Saturday, we were all exhausted form our busy week at school and I was exhausted from going to the discoteca the night before. We decided on keeping it chill and relaxing by doing what we call "The American Night". Some of the group and I went to Papa Johns ate pizza, and came back to my apartment and watched a movie. It was relaxing but fun.

I spent Sunday with my family. My grandma (aka Heidi's mom) was visiting from Guardas. She was such a sweetheart and was so interested in my life in Nebraska. So of course I talked Nebraska and Ashton up like it was my job. She said she'd love to come visit. We had a great lunch and then had a few refreshments the rest of the day. My family is so great. They told me numerous times how lucky they are to have me as their first exchange student and that's great to hear when you are living 1,000s of miles away. I am so lucky!

Nothing too crazy has happened this past week but I would just say a normal week in Lima. Of course, the homesickness has set in and the things I miss the most are my family, my friends, my car, my house, the wonderful wonderful American food, my bed, and many  many other things. But I am doing okay thanks to my host family and the people I am here with. 

Here are a list of some memories I'll never want to forget....

**We (as in Americans) are all Gold members at Vivandas.

**The wonderful phrases by Nikki West- Yo soy una cocina! :)

        "I think it's a pretty universal sign! (flipping off someone)"

**Sometimes Peruvians like to take Sunday Funday to a whole new level.

**It's never cool when someone steals your glasses at a discoteca.

**When riding in a combi, sometimes you have to take lessons on how to hold the door closed, on the hinges, while going down the road. :) I was a bit nervous.

That's all for now but I'll be back soon!! Adios!! 

Sunsets never get old. 

..Hot, Cold, Jungle, Rain, Fog... In 7 days I saw it all!.

This may or may not be my longest blog ever since I haven't done it for 9 days. But hey give me a break, I have been to the jungle and back to Lima, to a wonder of the world, and back to Lima in 7 days. That's a lot for a person to take in but every minute was worth it. So here we go.

Our trip to Iquitos started on the morning of February 2nd. We had to be at the airport at 4 am so due to me living in the boonies in Lima, I stayed the night at Nikki's house the night before so Missy, Nikki, Adam, and I could all take a taxi to the airport. Let's just say getting sleep before traveling to the Amazon did not happen. We arrive to the airport 2 hours ahead of our scheduled flight time. We wait... and wait... and wait... and wait even more and we're still in line for Peruvian airlines!! Holy crap, we're gonna miss our flight I thought to myself but no worries due to Peruvian time, our flight left at 7:55 instead of 6:20. We arrive safely to Iquitos.

We then jump on a bus with our trusty tour guide Neil and our bus driver named Jason. Yes I know we heard the names and were all a little unsure ourselves! They were very nice. We were taken to a local market where they had all kinds of different things like fruit, a lot of fish, turtle soup, and roasted worms. Yes roasted worms. I was too nervous and freaked out to try them but Nikki was a champ and ate 2 of them. You go girl!! :) 

We then left the market and went to a port to get on our boat that would take us to our lodge. We get all of our belongings and hop on our boat. We take off and we think YES Amazon River Lodge here we come....until our boat shuts off!! Missy, Nikki, Adam, and I look at each other and think well here goes nothing. Our trusty tour guide Neil says, "It will only be 8 minutes. We just have to clean the spark plugs!" And seriously when this guy gave you a time limit or a specific time, he wasn't kidding. In 8 minutes we were on our way. We arrived to the lodge safely and it is beautiful. We unpack our things, get an orientation of the place and it is now time for Paranha fishing. What??? Is this real life?? Yep!

We finished the day with seeing some pink dolphins in the Amazon River, and then the jungle night walk. This was something very cool, but at the same time extremely hot. We were all drenched in sweat within minutes and saw a lot of tarantulas. Cool but scary and gross at the same time. 

Day 2 of the Amazon:

We are woken up with a 5:30 wake up call from Neil to go bird watching. It was very early but it was still cool to see. After we were informed we would do this for 1 hr and 15 mins on the dot, we had breakfast and then a day jungle walk. After the night walk, we weren't to sure but we went ahead anyways because after this we were going to visit a local village with a sloth and a monkey. We were beyond excited obviously. I think after the night jungle walk, we had all had our fill of Amazon jungleness. We even got to play a little Tarzan and Jane with the vines. :)

When we arrived to the village, we had the cutest welcoming committee that were so excited to see us. This is when all my dreams came true and I held a sloth and a monkey. Once in a lifetime experience I'll never forget. 

We then were able to see a local tribe and they performed music and dance for us. It was amazing. What wasn't so amazing. was after the sloth and monkey, Missy got extremely sick and then Mama Jen came out. We headed back to the lodge and I was ready to help her get better. That night we went on a night boat ride.

Day 3 of the Amazon:

WE got to sleep in..until 7:30 today!! Woohoo!! Missy was still not feeling the best and due to the mosquitoes loving me on the night boat ride the night before, I had 2,000+ bug bites on my legs. Yep I counted! So I stayed with Missy at the lodge while the rest of the group went to a sugar can distillery nearby. After all of our wonderful activities and experiencing the jungle, we were on our flight back to Lima. We arrived back to Lima, and had to be at Dr. Miller's the next morning at 6 for our trip to Cusco. Exhausted doesn't even explain it. 

 **fun facts from the jungle**

- Nikki aka Jane, found her love Neil aka Tarzan in the jungle. She may become a resident of the jungle. :)

- No matter how many times you shower in the jungle, you're still sweating.

- Bathing in sun block and bug spray is not always a bad thing.

- Full body mosquito suits would not be looked down upon.

-Seeing 4 tarantulas in a matter of 10 minutes is enough for me. 

- Missy gained some dang good ab muscles. 

- An experience of a lifetime!!!

On to the trip to Cusco

Day 1 of Cusco:

We left at 8:50 from the Lima airport and landed safely in Cusco. I have 2 bags and don't even know what I packed due to being delirious when packing. Hopefully I packed warm clothes because it is chilly. Not only is it chilly, the altitude level is way high and I ask myself, dang Jen are you that out of shape that you are gasping for air? Then I realize, nope it's the altitude. We drop our bags off at the hotel and they tell us you have 2 hours to get acclimatized... oh but you have to go eat lunch yet too and be back in time for the city tour. Well so much for getting acclimatized. A group of us go eat lunch then on to the city tour. On the city tour we see many things like Qoricancha, The Cathedral, Sacsayhuaman, Q'enqo, Puka Pukara and Tambomachay. Of course they are all beautiful. Here are a few pictures... 

At the Cathedral. So beautiful. 

View of Cusco city. 

After we had visited all of the wonderful places, we were ready to head back to the hotel, eat and relax. Due to the altitude and going non stop all day, we were tired. Oh and the fact that we were leaving for Machu Picchu the next day at 3:45 but I knew it was gonna be amazing so I didn't even care. 

Day 2 of Cusco:

My alarm goes off at 3:00 am and I ask myself what is going on. This has to be a dream... nope but today is a day a dream comes true. I am going to Machu Picchu!! We eat breakfast and we are on our way. Some of us still may have been sleeping. We arrive to the train station. I am even more excited because this is my first train ride ever! It was so exciting!! 

Our train stops at Cusco and guess what?! One step closer to Machu Picchu. We hop on a bus that takes us to the start of our hike up to Machu Picchu. The views are of course spectacular and something you would only see in movies or on the internet. When we see Machu Picchu, we are beyond excited and cannot believe us. Our guide, Roger, has to keep telling us, I will give you time for pictures...or there is a better view up ahead but we are all too busy taking pictures already. He then took us to places for a better view and we were even lucky enough for the fog to lift to get really good pictures. He then told us the history while we walked through the Inca Ruins. 

Machu Picchu was by far the most amazing thing I have ever seen in my life. It is a wonder of the world and there is a reason for that. The history behind it is amazing and so interesting and being there in the same spot the Incas were in many many years ago was something not explainable by words. Below are a few pictures.

It was so beautiful. This is our signature pose!

There it is! Machu Picchu

The whole group!

We like to have fun!

We got done walking and exploring Machu Picchu just in time because it started raining. We then waited and waited for our train to arrive and finally we were on our way back to Cusco for some much needed sleep. 

Day 3 of Cusco:

After our much needed sleep we are ready for a new day in Cusco with new experiences. We first traveled to the Sacred Valley of the Incas which of course was awesome. Then we traveled to a town called Pisac and went to a market there to buy some souvenirs. Of course we were allowed to barter which is always fun. Our final stop was Ollantaytambo which is a famous Inca sun temple. After exploring for a while, we left to go back to Cusco to pack up and get ready to leave the next morning.

Day 4 of Cusco:

This was our last day in Cusco. It was bittersweet because the weather and everything we saw was absolutely beautiful there but also the altitude was still kicking my butt so I was not feeling so well. But who knows maybe it was being in two completely different climates in a matter of days with minimal sleep. Maybe my body was just sending me some signals. I was ready to return home... which in this case was Lima! How crazy right. We arrived back in Lima around 2:00ish in the afternoon, and the rest of the day consisted of.....nothing for me!! I was relieved.

Some of the fun/ side notes while traveling:

-Adam forgetting his backpack with EVERYTHING in McDonalds--> definition of heart attack

-The group named me Mama Jen- due to my pharmacy kit, and always looking out for everyone

- The cheap North Face coats- they were a steal

-waiting, and waiting, and waiting for our train "I'm so sad!" (giggles)- Emily

-"Can I please give you a double wet willy?"- Me

   "Yes!! Please!! I'll give you a reverse wet willy!"- Jorge

-waiting, waiting, and waiting for our flight "I hate Peruvian airline!"- Missy

-Dan not wearing shoes after walking in the cold rain...in a public train station. Enough said.

-Getting whistled at numerous times for being places we should not be...

   "I'm gonna lose my job!"- Roger (our guide)

This last week of traveling was exhausting but at the same time exhilarating. I saw things I would have only seen on TV, on the internet, or in books. I am so thankful for this experience and I cannot believe it's already been a month since I'be been in Peru. Time is now flying by and before I know it, it will be April, and I'll look back and have no regrets!! So sorry for the very very lengthy blog, but it was much needed!! Keep reading..if I didn't bore you!! Adios!! Love and miss you all :)

Memories...Memories.. & More Crazy Memories

So of course being in a foreign country for 4 months is scary…okay not only scary, a rush of emotions, culture shock, being here with 11 strangers that you know nothing about, a bit overwhelming or a lot overwhelming but of course we are having fun! Since the other students and I are so dependent on each other for these 4 months, I consider us a huge family. So with there being so many people in our family, it is bound to happen that there is going to be a lot of laughter and some pretty funny moments. I am going to list only a few we have had so far so we can look back and reminisce in the future. But don’t you worry, I’m sure there will be many more.

-Airport arrival on Jan 10^th, and already changing flights. Oh boy… this could be interesting. I’m sure the look on my face when Missy told me said it all.

- Before our 1^st deadly grammar test

                “The homework was like so hard… all of it was in Spanish!” –Emily

-Must at all times be prepared… & that means pack toilet paper!

-1^st combi ride- (we were scared as it is) Lady and driver start fighting… no yelling J we survived

- “USA, USA” (pronouncing it as usa) –Jorge

                “Where’s that?” – Nikki… tons of laughter

-“Next time, the signal is, I’m throwing up the Lopes!”- Amber

-I forgot my sunglasses. “What are you gonna do?”- Missy

                “Walk with my eyes closed.” –Me

-“I really wish you were going on the Amazon trip with us.” –Me

                “No, like I’m a Prissy *****. If I’m gonna pay for something, I better enjoy it!”- Amber

-Cracker & Oreo jokes with Jorge

-McDonalds meal-à life changing experience

- The struggle is real… the food, the combis, the taxis, where the heck am I?, where the heck do I go?, speaking/understanding Spanish… all like the turtle at the zoo J

-Titanic poses… cough..cough.. Adam & Jorge aka Jack & Rose Dawson

-“…Joaquin Phoenix.”-Missy

                “Oh I’ve never seen that one!”-Nikki

-“Setting a cat on fire by it’s tail.”-Me

                Laughing hysterically. “Oh my gosh, that’s awesome!”- Jorge

- The two common phrases in our totally American group:

                Get it Girl.

                It’s beast.

Thats all for now!! I'm sure there will be more! Adios :)  

Parque de las Leyendas.. Lions, Tigers, & Bears, Oh My!!! :)

Another week has gone by and yet again, it consisted of a lot of fun experiences. This week we had school and I loved every second of it.. said no college student ever.. even if I am in a foreign country, school is no bueno! :) Our conversation class consisted of our teacher getting a bit defensive and angry because we call ourselves Americans (well we do life in the United States of AMERICA :) ) but oh well. Everyday is a new day right. Peruvian Lit still may be the death of me but I can't get to made or frustrated because our teacher's explanations with hand/arm gestures make it worthwhile, and then the experience of possibly not passing my first grammar test. :) So all in all a good week right? :) I will get adjusted to school, it may just take a little more time :)

One of the most amazing discoveries we have had in Peru is movies!!! Like good, new, still in theaters, brand spanking new movies!! They sell them! For cheap!! And if anyone reading this has seen my movie collection it is pretty darn impressive!! So these movies..okay okay they may not be totally legal but they are still movies and they work great and they are cheap! Did I already say they were cheap because guess what, these things are cheap!! Yesterday, we went to the market on la calle Primavera, and I bought 3 movies for 10 soles. In American money, 10 soles= $3.54. Yeah read it again because thats exactly right!! :) As you can tell, I may or may not be a little excited.

Yesterday, the group and I went to the zoo in Lima called Parques de las Leyendas. This zoo was beautiful and had a lot of different kinds of animals. A lot of llamas, and monkeys which I was completely okay with. We all met at UPC at 9 and left for the zoo. It was about an 1 1/2 hour taxi ride to the zoo but totally worth it. We spent the whole day roaming, wandering, looking, Jorge & Daniel playing with bubbles, and loving the zoo. By the end of the day we were sunburnt and exhausted. 

This weekend on Sunday, Nikki, Missy, Adam, I, Dr. Miller and his family will be heading to Iquitos which is gonna be a once in a lifetime Amazon experience. We fly out on Sunday morning and return Tuesday evening. I am more excited than ever! It may not be appealing to some people (cough..cough Amber) but the mosquitos, heat, humidity, will all be worth it. Can't wait to tell you about it.