the weekend and then some!!

Ok! Sorry sorry sorry it’s been a while!! I’ve been busier than busy the last few days!! Where did I leave off? Oh yeah – I think Wednesday – hard hard hard day of class. I was just like – “Nevermind, I’d like to go home please, this is harder than I expected,” and I was just at a low point, and the group had made plans to go salsa dancing that night, but I didn’t want to, I just wanted to be miserable at home, but I told everyone I was going, so I went and.. it was amazing!! I love it! We are going to take classes weekly – hopefully more than once a week – and then go to the clubs on the weekend. We went to a salsa club on Friday after karaoke (yep, karaoke bar – first time – was hilarious), and the salsa dancing was amazing… amazing! The way they can move is incredible, oh I want to learn, but to be that good is of course impossible, it’s the coolest thing ever. We had class on Thursday, we went to a market to look at corruption in Peru, and looked at all these things for super super super cheap – like everything black marketed and.. it’s just different! Then Friday the girls in the group all went shopping in Miraflores.. super fun. I tried on like 10 pairs of shoes for super cheap in Saga Fallabella, but didn’t get any (I know ma – you wouldn’t believe it!), but did get some other things! A curling iron – cause if I use the one from the US, which I don’t know if it’s dual converter whatever, it will shut down all the electricity in my whole apartment building, which wasn’t a risk I wanted to take. I figured I could spend 100 soles on a curling iron, instead of a few loans to pay for the re-wiring of my apartment building! Shopping was fun, followed by ice cream (lucuma of course, a fruit here with super super rich ice cream, a def must try when you’re here), and then went home to get ready for the night of karaoke for an intercambio with other Peruanos, and it was so funny. We had drinks before all together (mojitos!), then walked to the karaoke bar (all in Miraflores, right where I live, super convenient for me!) and we sang karaoke for 3 hours! Lol – it was kinda weird at first, but it’s super fun! And funny!! It’s really chill cause no one cares if you’re really bad – like me, lol. Then we went to the Cuban salsa club – o m g amazing, you for real wouldn’t believe these dancers! I like to just sit there and watch, but sometimes someone will make me get up and dance, even tho I tell them I’m a gringa and can’t, but they say it’s the only way to learn – which is true!! So I give it my best shot and it’s always fun, lol, I’m sure you can imagine. Then the next morning went to Amanda’s to go to the beach in Santa Maria with her host sister and her friend, and laid out on the beach alllll day – was amazing…. And hot.. and I am no longer white, I’m pure red!! Ouch it hurts! Sunscreen 5 times I swear!! The ocean was so strong and beautiful, and we had ceviche for lunch on the beach (it’s supposed to be super good there) – a must have while in Peru! – I really like it too, and Chicha Morada – their purple corn drink, that’s quite good! (you need to try all this when you come Pagina!) Then, we got back to Amanda’s, I went home to get ready for the night, I got lost (to give you the PG 13 version.. rents J ) lol, and then we went out again! We went and got drinks in Café Café, a restaurant in Larcomar that over looks the ocean, yes – we can buy our own drinks! But it’s expensive… it’s like the same price, which is not too fun! And then we went to Barancco – kind of a sketch part of Lima, but where all the discotecas are, and danced for the night! Our Peruano friends had to go and ask for the price first before they saw all of us Americans, because they said they’d super over charge us if they saw us – so they got the price and paid before they even saw that all us Americans were coming in. It was – a weird bar kinda, girls danced on the table and – was weird lol, but fun! I’m learning to keep it chill – not everyone is out to get me, there are watchful eyes everywhere, and every taxi driver doesn’t have the same idea. I got my first fake money the other day! Luckily it was only 50 centimos, and the combi girl on the bus just handed it back to me and said no, it’s not real. And so I gave her another one – I was just glad it was 50 soles or 100! That would not be fun.. but it will probably happen! I asked the mom-like woman beside me if it was fake and how and she explained it to me. Then before she left, she kissed me and told me to be careful in Lima. So don’t worry rents, for every one sketch person, there are two good ones, I’m sure of it. One weird thing about being here is that.. I really don’t know the music besides some random stuff in clubs and the salsa – because everywhere everywhere they listen to American music! In the malls, in restaurants, in combis and taxis sometimes, everywhere! Like.. not now music tho – like 80 & 90’s music lol. Oh.. speaking of the good ole’ 90’s – we bought tickets for the Backstreet Boys in Lima for Wednesday! Lol – super pumped. (yes santh – I’ll do the dance we made up for dance camp to, ‘I want you back,’ don’t worry!)
I feel comfortable where I live – I get along well with my host mom and my maid – they are both super sweet. Pilar is my host mom and Elisabeth is the maid. Elisabeth makes everything – last night she made homemade lucuma ice cream! Was good – but really really rich! And I had spaghetti! I get excited every time I don’t have rice for a meal. I think I may never eat rice again after these next few months. It’s with everything! I don’t even wanna go out for Chinese, even tho it’s really good here, just cause I don’t wanna eat rice! And I still don’t know what I’m eating.. my maid will tell me but I won’t know what the heck the new words are so I try it.. and sometimes I like it and sometimes I don’t and she always knows lol. I’m just afraid that one of these times it’s going to be cuy – which is hamster!!! Which I have made it a point to NOT try! I don’t know if I could sleep well after knowing I have a rat in my stomach. Ick! I have at least 6 pieces of silverware for every meal, and everything comes on a little saucer – even the jam. Very proper or something here. Sometimes there’s mayo on my salads too.. it’s different. But the mayo here isn’t like the stuff we have, it’s a lot lighter and made with more milk, and I haven’t the heart to tell Elisabeth yet that I don’t want it, all my stuff is laid out waiting for me before I can see it. They also have amazing juice drinks here too – maracuya, banana leche, peach, strawberry, papaya, sooo good!
Right now I’m in my room watching Jon and Kate plus 8 in Spanish, love it (you would too Mandy, I know it! Lol)! Except Kate’s spanish voice-over is waaay too nice! It’s totally not the strict, bossy Kate that we love! So glad I got to listen to baby Presy talk for a little bit today! Oh I miss him so and all his little movements. I miss everyone and think of you often, I’ve hung up pictures and my little notes and so my room is more like my own with you all here with me! I haven’t put up pics yet – I know I know I need to! – but I don’t have internet in my house so when I am on the net I like to talk to people and email back and stalk everyone’s facebook (they call it fa-SAY-book here, funny!) real quick! I’ll get them up sometime tho! Hope everyone is doing well and to hear from you soon!
Sylv – Happy Birthday babe! Sorry I missed it, I was thinking of you tho! And trying to think of your birthday last year…. And I can’t. Why is that? I don’t think that’s a good thing – must have been fun! Lol ;)
- un beso de Peru