the amazonas

And this one is for Krista K, possibly the only one of my gfs who reads my blogs.. and likes it J lol.

Right now I am in bed recovering from the Amazon. We left on Thursday night and took a plane to Iquitos. I feel pretty much pro at taking planes now… I have taken like.. 6 since I’ve been here, and my fear is pretty much gone. I do think the plane will crash only like once a trip now (Mandy) not every 5 min :), although there was some discomforting turbulence which gave me good reason this time.. along with engine problems. Man I love getting on planes with engine problems. But all is well and here I am back in Lima! We stayed in Iquitos for the night, my most mom told me the town was feisima! – which is true, it’s a very very ugly town, with old run down buildings and such.. we couldn’t figure out if they were poor or of that’s just how the lived.. given they of course aren’t as well to do as well, ‘normal’ in the states, but ‘normal’ for Peru, we couldn’t figure out. Anyway we got on a boat early Friday morning to start our trek to the jungle.. and we boated on the Amazon to the Sinchicuy Lodge, our lodge for the weekend which was quite outdoorsy.. no electricity and basically outside with just mosquito like net/walls to protect us from the night. Then we dropped our stuff off then boated down the Amazon again to a tribe called Yague, that wore no shoes and grass like outfits, like you see in the movies, and they spoke their own tribe-like language, along with Castellano so they can trade. We were trying to figure out if they really lived like that.. and we think they do, we don’t think it’s just for show. They had very different mannerisms. After that we met a doctor, like a jungle doctor. His name was Marley or Marlo and he used elements, seeds, flowers, and other natural things from the jungle to heal the town and we got to try a few of his concoctions, except for one we weren’t allowed to try by ISA that makes you hallucinate, but it’s supposed to be their ‘mother-plant’, that heals major things or something. Then we went to another place and trade pure sugar cane this other plant from the area, tasted like cotton and sugar mixed together around this plant. I think it was camu-camu, or maybe cocona, not sure. Then we got back for the night, had supper, then got back in the canoe again to go on a night ride to listen to all the selva sounds and look at the stars, which are amazing amazing, and we saw the southern cross and it’s sooo pretty and sooo bright. Then the next day we went out on the amazon and went dolphin watching. Like normal dolphins, and then these pink dolphins – they’re really pretty and really pink too. It was mating season so they were all over the place. Then we walked through the jungle with our guide for the week, Jorge, basically George of the Jungle… he was crazy, a true jungle man, and a very good guide. Anyway, we walked through the jungle… hottest experience of my life! Soooooo soo hot and humid, almost unbearable, and we saw the biggest ants in the world… that are quite harmful if they touch you, good thing we were a whole foot away! Huge termite nests, pretty butterflies, huge huge huge trees – they were so cool, big gross tarantula’s, and with my luck, a snake – that I almost stepped on, freaked out, and Jorge to the rescue, ran back and caught it. It was actually a harmless snake, one of 3 in the jungle, it was the rainbow snake and it changed colors in the sun – was really pretty, I was just glad it wasn’t a boa constrictor, which is another of the 3 that are in the jungle! Later we went fishing for piranhas! Weird huh! I was the only one to catch one, showed you proud, dad, and all my years Wisconsin fishing! Was the only fish caught of the day, and the hook ruined his teeth or something so we had him for lunch, and he was quite tasty. Then we went swimming in the Amazon! The river in the part we swam in was bright black, except clear when we looked under water – it’s not because of pollution, unlike every river in Iowa, it’s because of all the erosion around the river. The next day we went to an island and we saw monkey’s that came up to us and played with us, baby ant-eaters, a crocodile, a toucan, a tarantula (ick!), and a boa constrictor, where they keep orphaned animals and put them back into the jungle after a time – it was neat. The trip was fun and intense and HOT, and I got really really sick the last night and didn’t sleep at all I was so sick and laid with a towel by my side for when I threw up.. so the last day of traveling was absolutely miserable, by boat for about two hours, by bus, and by plane, but I am feeling better so I am hoping that it’s not some jungle disease or malaria! And.. I’ve decided.. Peruanos have very different remedies.. you should hear the list of things I’m not allowed to eat… like.. juice.. fruit or vegetables, milk, cheese, bread, butter.. basically anything except this weird concocted soup my Elisabeth whipped up for me. When I had a cold and couldn’t talk I wasn’t allowed to touch anything room temperature or cold, and especially ice, that was “deadly”. I could only eat.. warm and hot things. I’ve been recovering today and watching a lot of Peruvian TV, I lovvve tv here. I normally don’t watch it at all at home. But here I love it! It’s like a learning experience, I’m such a nerd I know lol, but if something is in English (a lot is – sometimes it’s hard to find stuff in Spanish!) they have subtitles, which I’ve learned to read, and the other times they have really good dubbed movies. And they have cool channels too like Cosmo and actual Channels with music videos on all day long. Anyway – hope everything is well with everyone. I heard Pres babe rolled over all the way! Yay! Lol, Hope the IC formal trip was fun girlsies, can’t wait to do it next year! This blog was kinda boring Krista :P I’ll post a new one soon for you! Update me on your lives! I love and miss you all sooo much!

Besos!

KISS

So, Im just trying to get some homework done before I have class later today, just sitting in Starbucks in Larcomar ... and two of the members of KISS have to come in and start a commotion and it's clearly impossible to study now... lol. Life in Lima = never normal.

la selva!

Hey, it’s been a while since I’ve written! I think the last time was Máncora... and Máncora was, for kack of better words, amazing. So relaxing.. we laid on the beach alllll day, best beaches in South America, I guess it’s the vacation hot spot, and we’d see people riding horses and sometimes we’d get in and body surf and catch the big beautiful waves. We’d all cook breakfast together and buy coconuts to make piña coladas and pisco sours, we’d squeeze our own orange juice to make fresh juice each morning and basically just lay in the sun all day, then go into town at night to eat, fresh fresh fish and lobster and crab, soo good, and stay out. Soooo relaxing and our house was amzing – our living room was outside and it was about 2 and a half stories. It was sooo awesome, but while laying on the beach I couldn’t help but get excited for our time at the lake this summer, eating fresh caught fish, bluegill and bass, (that I hate catching, but always get suckered into going somehow), and playing Farkle and that one omish people card game, renting a pontoon and jumping in with our clothes on (Grams!), and going with PRESTON this year!! Oooooh I can’t wait. And he looked so comfortable in that life jacket dad got him, lol, he looked miserable! But he’ll be so good at being in the water now that he is taking baby swim lessons and can go under water! Yay for Preston! Lol.
Anyway, the next week after we got back from Máncora was basically like finals week, and I had a couple papers due along with a pretty dang hard exam, so that was fun to come back to, and then we went out.. Wednesday.. Thursday.. Friday… and Saturday. Lol. So we studied... then partied. We basically just started to explore. We are getting away from the normal places, Calle de las Pizzas in Miraflores and the normal hot spots and Barranco and going to new restaurants and little bars that are like holes in the wall and it’s so much fun! This weekend, for Easter, I got away because it’s my faaaaaaaaavorite holiday back at home – with all the pretty colors and beautiful church music, Easter egg hunt at moms (which we will never be too old for!) and going to Grams and having our Easter egg hunt there with the whole family and of course now we get Pres babe! Our Easter surprise. So I went to Hauncayo this weekend – la selva, the jungle, and to get there took a 13 hour train ride, really beautiful and they pride themselves in passing 70 tunnels, 58 bridges, and 6 switchbacks (I was highly drugged during this, so I endured it al! Lol, took some 8 hour pill my host mom told me about, and I was good for the ride!) and it’s the highest train ride in America, and second in the world, so the altitude was intense, and we got out at a few spots and it was snowing! But it was really beautiful in the mountains and all the rivers and scenery. So after our 13 hour train ride (26 hours total between the two days!!), we find a hostel, and then of course go out! We went to a discoteca for just a couple hours at 12 because we had to get up at 4am to catch a bus to the jungle, fun stuff. We toured the jungle all day and ate fresh oranges from the trees and drank coconut juice and swam under waterfalls, then we got to another hostel, showered, then went to a discoteca, then got up and did it all over again the next day, except a little bit more intense. We were gone all day in the jungle, through trails, and we climbed about… 6 or 7 waterfalls, was crazy! When the trail ended, we were like, "Where do we go?" and the guide pointed up at the waterfall and we were like.. no way! We climbed these crazy strong waterfalls when the trail would end, then hike up some more soaking wet, then do it again, then run into a cliff.. the tour guide would throw a rope onto the tope - then we'd pull ourselves up - was scary!! Then we got back and took a 2 hour bus ride back to Tarma, where they have a huge Easter celebration. The Easter celebrations in Peru are like carnivals. We got there and it was crazy – tons and tons of people outside, caramel apples, selling stuff everywehre, we left our stuff at a hostel, and then made a deal for them to pick us up at the carnival at 4am so we could get to the train station at 6am for our train at 7am.. so sleeping wasn’t in the game that night, but well worth it. They have bands all over the street… about 8 of them, all playing loudly with people dancing and drinking in the street. We got this really strong hot drink called Calentito with Pisco and herbs in it, and passed it around and took shots of it until it was gone.., and then we did it over again. Then we danced in the street for a while, then they had an amazing fireworks display for about an hour. Then we went into the street to eat… all this amazing food, for one sol! Crazy. Food made right in front of you, hot sandwiches with fresh pavo and pollo, cornbread, panqueqes, yuccas, caramel apples, anticuchos, papas, hot chocolate, coffee, soup with choclo and herbs, basically all the Peruvian food you can think of, and all ridiculously for one sole. One sole is about 30 cents. That is really cheap – it’s different in Peru, they don’t jack up the prices when they know that’s the only place you can get it. Like the prices of stuff on the train, it’s the only place you can buy water, but it’s still cheap. Then after we ate – we went and danced some more, then it started raining, and we danced in the rain. At about 3am we went to a discoteca until 4am for when our hostel was taking us to the train station. Then… I basically slept the whole train ride, woke up and was miserable, so then I fell asleep again. Cold, wet, and tired. Longest train ride of my life. Then I went to the internet café to call my beloved fam when I got home at 9pm and it was closed. Whatevs. I miss you all very much I hope you know that! It feels good to be back in Lima tho, I miss the city when I’m gone. Especially.. staying in cheap hostels with sick sick showers. I felt cleaner when I chose NOT to shower. One thing I won’t be able to get used to is the prices in the states. Everything is ridiculous cheap. A sandwich can be from 4 soles to 10 soles, usually not more than that. So, about $1.20 to $3.00. One sol is equal to about 30 cents. Crazy! Usually a nice meal, 20 soles, $6.00, combi ride 1 sol, nails done – 10 soles, internet – 1 sol, copies or printing – about 10 centimos, hostels - 8 - 20 soles, candy - 1 sol, water and pop too, 1 to 2 soles – 30 – 60 cents, ice cream too, taxi ride, depends, 8 soles – 20 soles, never more. Clothes, cheaper, shoes cheaper, movie about 8 soles, basically everything. School is hard, the night life is good, people are great. Miss you all love you all! I’ll blog soon! We go to Iquitos this weekend (back to la selva!) and I’m gone from Thursday to Sunday – my whole life here is a vacation for real! I know. Blog soon tho!! love you!

class, then mancora!

Just another weekend in el Perú. Thursday after class we headed to our hostel in San Bartolo for the night, took a couple taxis there … bought our supply of drinks for the night, and started playing cards. The boys of the group decided we would play Circle of Death, Peruvian style, and they made up their own version.. which was completely ridiculous and funny.. and long story short we started at 9pm and we were all toast by 9:30pm. We were about the only ones in San Bartolo it seemed like and… well we were really loud and quite a sight and entertainment for the hostel owners. And we wonder why Americans have the name they do – we weren’t loud and obnoxious at all! Lol. A few hours later, after a cruise down to the beach, and after one of us was done for the night after throwing up (not me!!!), we were hungry of course after our hard night of drinking, so we asked the hostel owners if they’d cook as food and they made us all chicken breast meals (except I wasn’t there when they served it!!) lol. It was quite a night and we all got up the next morning for our free breakfast and hunt for the beach. I woke up with a huge slash across my foot – about 2 inches and ouch it hurts when I walk!! So the beach in Santa Maria didn’t do my cut any good (which is now infected!), but oh the beach was beautiful. We laid out all day in the sun then grabbed a late lunch of mariscos, ceviche, lomo saltado, and pescado. Then we headed back to Lima for our intercambio. Last night most of us went to Peter’s host dad’s concert, Ruben Florez, which was quite entertaining and interesting. We all got formal invitations and the concert was in a castle in Castallao. Then we went out for Kelly’s birthday to a club in Barranco and today I laid around and studied. My life is so hard I know! Lol. The life here is so rich. This coming week, after class, we are going to Mancora, a city in the north with the richest beaches in Peru! For our spring break. Here is the site of where we are staying and what there’s to do in Mancora.. if the sun, sand, and ocean breeze isn’t enough for you. http://www.mancoraperulosalgarrobos.com/condo/index.html
vivamancora.com
Pretty excited!! Spraaaaaaaang breaaaaaak baby – Mancora 09’. Very excited, but I have a lot of reading to do while I’m there! (after you see this place you will see exactly how much reading I’ll get done……….!!) Miss and love you all! I hope everyone has a good week!! Have fun on spring break gfs, - have fun in cali grams! – visiting Pres dad – in DC ma - and at work everyone else :P – and Presy with his new teefers!! :)
Besos de Peru!!

busy busy - beach nite!

It’s been a while! Sorry everyone! I’ve been super busy non-stop, trying to find time to rest lately! Last week Paige and Carly came to visit – it was AWESOME! We did well, umm…. Everything! We did a LOT! Lot lot! They got the historical view, el Congreso, la Inquisición, la Catedral de Lima, la Iglesia de San Pedro, changing of the guards, Chifa (Peruvian Chinese), chichi morada (purple corn drink, they weren’t too fond of it!), we visited Pachacamac – ancient ruins that we made up stories to because we were without a guide, they met an ex congressman during Fuijimori’s era, and the first indigenous congress woman of Peru – Paulina Arpasi Velásquez, they got the night life, Barancco, Calle de las Pizzas, Larcomar, we went to a club with one of my new Peruvian friends, Alessandra, which was a ‘baller’ time, we danced on a couple bars and got on stage at the club with Alessandra, lol. We drank and got into clubs free almost every night. We met people from England and US Southern Command Military. We ate at almost every restaurant ever in Miraflores – it felt like anyway – we basically didn’t stop eating! Lomo saltado, ceviche on the beach, inka cola, amazing peru juices, lucuma ice cream, pisco sour ice cream, pisco sours!! Cusqueña beer... they got the taxi experience, combi experience, the broken down combi experience on the highway!, the crazy peru traffic and la hora punta (rush hour), we met the good, and we met the dangerous J lol. Oh and we also went hang gliding! Really hung over too… and Carly and I both got really sick.. but still awesome! They got the fam experience and met my host mom, Pilar, and sweet Elisabeth, and Carly got made fun of in the street for being white and American a lot.. lol, and so did Paige for that matter. Was a good time. And now I have a mountain of homework to catch up on! But it was def worth it! I was really sick this weekend, probably from all my going, and I couldn’t even get a word out, but now I am better and about 98% and going at it again. School is still.. hard. Tonight after class we are going to San Bartolo, a cheap beach resort the boys stayed at the other weekend and loved it! So we are going to be out on the beach tonight, then lay out in the sun tomorrow – then come home and get ready for our weekend all over again! I love it here, I love Peru. I have a really amazing group from Luther, we all get along really well and.. we are all here for the same reason – we want to learn and explore and have the time of our lives! Which we are doing. Last night I got to watch my Presy babe roll over on Mandy’s blog! Oh he’s so big! I miss him and everyone! I love your calls and your letters, although the letters aren’t necessary you know! I’m known as the girl who has gotten the most mail in ISA history.. so thank you for all your love! J Time is flying, I can’t believe it’s almost the end of March, it just turned March! I love it here, and I think of you all very often! It’s sort of like a double negative… I miss you tho!

Besos de Peru

i dont think you'd know me anymore!

First, I can't believe it's March and then some already! How fast that time went by!! Wow!
If you saw what I was eating you wouldn’t know me. You wouldn’t believe it. I eat so many weird random things.. every single day. From my not eating any of the main meals, rarely touch meat, and pick at everything at home, to just my salads and sweets at school and never the main dish, none of you would think I was the same person! Many times I have no idea, not a clue, what I’m eating. I don’t know if it’s a fruit, a vegetable, a meat. I just open my mouth, close my eyes, and hope that it’s not a hot dog and that I can swallow it. A lot of times it’s good lol. I mostly eat the meat I am presented with (I know rents – can you believe that!), or at least try it if I must. I will not try cuy tho (guinea pig!! ick! i wouldnt even eat that if you cooked it dad!!). But I did just agree to Pilar that I will try cow heart.. what!! Lol. Some of the stuff I eat looks so weird.. I had a salad for a while with bright pink and purple stuff on it, no idea what it was. The stuff I eat can be green, yellow, pink, purple, orange, any color, and any texture. I ate the other day like corn mush with spaghetti sauce on it, I actually loved it, but for the longest time had no idea what I was eating. And nothing has the nutrition facts on it – I know I’m a nutrition facts freak! But – ya just go with it here. And I can’t not try something that Elisabeth gives me, she’s so so so so sweet. And if I don’t like it, she just laughs. I try my best to cut it into tiny pieces and move it around, and hide it under rice, but Elisabeth always knows. Some other people’s maids will get mad if they don’t like something, so I am very lucky that I have Elisabeth. I also get a fresh salad every day before meals with palta (avocado) sooo yum! Which I’m very lucky too because some people don’t see vegetables at all or not-fried food, and I rarely have fried food (except for fried bananas that are pink with egg and rice, my host mom’s favorite meal – I know right?) I eat ice cream now too (everyone does every day.. it’s to die for! Sooo so so so good! And it’s so hot here too, it’s def necessary.) and I drink juice. The juice they have is amazing!! And Elisabeth will put it in a shake with sugar milk and sugar and it’s sooo yum. And they don’t drink milk here, so I don’t either – only the sweet leche in my coffee in the morning (I know ma – we are going to go through like a gallon a day when I get back!) So you wouldn’t think I was the same person if you saw my eating habits from now and before!
One thing that is just really different is how we are treated here. We talked about racism and discrimination here in Peru the other day in Ethics class and.. it’s kind of harder to tell and see, but the lighter skin you have the better you’re treated. Of course, that’s everywhere, but there are so so so so many different shades of skin here, and it’s not like.. obvious how people are treated? There are different class levels that everyone knows, that I can’t even see. We also have to interview people on the street for class (I hate doing that!! It’s so embarrassing!) and they said that it’s definitely evident, if you have too dark of skin you can’t get into certain places and clubs – I had no idea! The other night, in Barranco, we weren’t even on the list and we got in before the whole line did, I’m assuming just because we are white. It’s weird too, people just want to take pics with us sometimes. If we are at a club people will just be like, “Can I have a pic with you?” or they will be like, “Can you take a pic for me? Thanks, now you get in it too!” It’s like – what?? I don’t know you! One time in a taxi cab that we were sharing, a the taxi cab driver said, “Omg you are Americans! My wife loves Americans!” then he proceeded to call her and awkwardly handed the phone to us to talk to his wife who loved Americans, then after he got done telling his wife how he was driving Americans, he started to take a video of us with his phone! Completely harmless, but weird! There are so many instances where.. we get to go first or free or get free drinks. We are going to a dance club tonight where everyone in our group get in free (YES!) and the girls get to drink for free! How cool is that? We are taking private salsa lessons, had our first one last night, and it was awesome! Tonight we are going bowling (I don’t know why that’s considered a fun thing to do, I really don’t!) and then out to the dance club. Paige and Carly are coming next week and I’m excited! I live in a small apartment so we are basically going to be sleeping and breathing on top of each other for the week, but it will be fun! As for before then.. I have ‘un montón,’ as my host mom, Pilar, would say, of homework to do!!
Love and miss you all sooo soo much!
besos!!

just a weekend at the beach..

Right now I’m in my apartment with internet! Yes! It’s completely random and always chance on and off and never on of course when I need to look up things for homework, oh well tho! I live in Larcomar! This weekend was really really fun. Friday we actually just chilled out, we don’t have class on Fridays, and we went shopping (uhhh.. yeah I need to stop that pretty quick here!) and had a girls day and ice cream.. you know. Then we got together that night for a ‘baby shower’ for Michelle from the ISA staff. They call it a ‘baby shower’ here, there’s not translation lol! Weird I know. And the baby shower.. well it’s kind of a big deal! There was a commentator, a singer, background music, dancing, games, professional dancing of the National Dance, and sooooo soo many balloons and then all the food you can think of too, with their mini palta (avocado – they love avocado here, and so do I so I’m thinking I’m in the right place!) sandwiches, wafers, the best fruit you’ve had, mini potatoes, and Inka Cola of course! (It for real tastes exactly like bubble gum and even adults drink it and like it! :P) Then we just went to Mango’s, a bar in Larcomar, and had drinks outside overlooking the ocean (I def need to stop that too – drinks are expensive! But we like to buy really pretty ones just because we can J) And I talked to my gfs at Luther on Skype!! Oh I was so excited you don’t even know girlsies! Everyone was like, “What’s your deal Molly, why are you so happy?” and I was like, “I just saw my gfs!!!” Ooo I hope we can soon too! That was soo amazing! Saturday Amanda and I spent the day at the beach in Barancco. Oh I loved it. So soo so relaxing, beautiful. There’s people selling everything, we got ice cream (lucuma of course!) and I bought these really beautiful hand made earrings from 2 kids about my age. I should have bargained for them for less, but they were so nice and they made them themselves! Only 20 soles, which is $6 for really beautiful earrings, I think that’s ok! And.. I am soooo soo burnt. It’s so painful I can’t wear a bra today and it hurts to move. You’d have thought I would have learned my lesson from last time, and I did, but the tiniest parts I didn’t put sunscreen on are crisped right now – like my legs and like my armpit area? Totally random I know, but the rest of me is ok because I put sunscreen on every 20 min! Except for those parts of course and now I’m paying for it! Ouch! Then I was super tired and got ready for the evening out and got to talk to the Ma and Paige – who is coming not next week but the next!! Excited! Then we went to a club where Peter’s host brother and a couple bands sang acoustic for a benefit concert.. was soooo sooo soo good, and we got front row cause we just know the right people (aka Peter’s fam lol) – then we met up with our Peruvian friends and went to this club in Barancco that had a list to get in – but we got in and danced til about.. 4am. We always go in a big group (sometimes it causes a lot of attention, but we are always with Peruvians who know what’s going on) and I always call my host mom at 2am to tell her what I’m doing for the night, so you don’t have to worry rents (you will, you always do!). I called Pilar at 2am last night and my Castellano was a little less than perfect to say the least lol. It consisted of me saying, “Kelly, I have no idea how to say this in Spanish right now – help me!” “Ok Molly, just tell her…” lol. And now I’m here in my apartment awaiting to do alllllllllllll the homework I have for this week. I love everyone’s messages, notes, calls and skypes!! Even if I don’t reply right away, I always take time to take a big breath, relax, and read them. I just got done watching vids of Presy.. 3 times! Oh I miss him so - I can't believe how much he is moving Mandy!! I need to hear my baby talk soon, and his jungle molly monkey better be his fav toy!! :) This week should be busy.. we are hopefully going salsa dancing 3 times this week.. along with all the mountains of homework. I love and miss you all!! I think of you often!
Besos