Como se dice "overwhelmed"???

Where do I even begin? I have been in Peru for less than one week and it feels like it's been a month. I have already seen so much in such a short amount of time. My plane flew out of Fargo, ND in the morning of February 10th in the midst of an impending blizzard. After a short layover in Chicago and a long delay in Miami, I finally made it to Lima, Peru around 1:00 a.m. the next day.

Adios snow!

Lima was beautiful but the 80 something degree weather and humidity was a little too much for this Minnesota girl to handle. We toured ruins, museums, a cathedral, and walked along the Pacific Ocean. We also went to Chinatown and ate the famous Chifa (Chinese food with a Peruvian influence) that I had been reading so much about--delicioso! A few of us went out one night to check out the Lima nightlife and found that people will basically fight over you to come into their bar, but hey, we got some free pisco sours out of it! As I am writing this now, I can't even think of all of what we did in Lima because we did so much and I was exhausted after a couple days there and ready to head to Cusco.

Pacific Ocean in Lima

Cusco is the most beautiful and unique city I have ever seen, so colorful! I was worried about how the altitude here was going to affect me since it's normal to get some altitude sickness, but luckily I only had a slight headache and felt a little lightheaded the first day or so. Mate de coca and ibuprofen were key!  We arrived on Wednesday and were picked up by our host families at the airport. My host mom, Victoria, couldn't be nicer or more welcoming, and her kids, Octavio(10) and Aldahana(6), are incredibly sweet. The dad, Luis, is out of town but we will meet him later this week. I am staying with two other girls from my program, Diana and Angela, so it's nice to have the comfort of other Americans here even though we primarily speak Spanish in the house. My host family even has a dog...named Bob! He is a traditional Peruvian dog so that means he is hairless except for little patches of hair on his head and tail. He's a funny little guy. 

So far I have explored the Plaza de Armas, a few churches, and resisted buying everything at the different markets we've been to. Everything is extremely inexpensive here! The indigenous culture is prominent among the Spanish influence and this unique blending is evident in the people, art, food, and architecture of the city. It is truly an amazing experience. Still can't really believe I am in Cusco, Peru!

Plaza de Armas

 Look at that view!

Everything has been slightly overwhelming but I am trying to be a sponge a soak everything in. I am looking forward to getting used to the city and being able to navigate my way around better. Communicating in Spanish has been easier than I expected. The Peruvian dialect is very clear and easy to understand. There are times I find myself missing some vocabulary words in a conversation, but I already feel my Spanish improving and my brain working in the language, sometimes I even find myself forgetting simple English words. I have been keeping a small notebook of new words I learn and have already filled up a number of pages! 

Monday I start my volunteer work at San Judas Chico orphanage and I can't wait! It's been fun having a few days free to explore the city but I look forward to getting into more of a routine and becoming more "cusquena" (despite the blonde hair). So far so good though!

Con amor (with love),

Maren

Last Night in the USA

Hello Family and Friends!

I have created this blog to share my experiences in Peru with all of you. I fly out of Fargo tomorrow morning and despite blizzard warnings, a 4 a.m. wake up, and the fact that I am TRAVELING TO PERU TO LIVE FOR THREE MONTHS, I am feeling pretty composed at this moment. I'm guessing it won't really sink in that I'll be living in a foreign country until I'm actually on the plane. While there are a number of things that I am nervous about--language barrier, cultural differences, traveling by myself--I mostly feel ready to go.

I will fly into Lima, Peru late tomorrow night and will spend a few days there before making the trip to Cusco, where I will be living with a host family and a couple other American students. The program I am going on is called Experiential Learning Abroad Programs (ELAP) and I will be working with children at an orphanage in Cusco as well as assisting students in a classroom at a school for girls. Along with my internship work, I plan to do quite a bit of exploring while I'm there and have excursions planned for Puno and Lake Titicaca, Puerto Maldonado in the Amazon forest, the Sacred Valley and, of course, Machu Picchu.

Peru has been at the top of my list of places I'd like to visit for a while now and the more I read about the country, the more excited I get to experience its rich culture while improving my Spanish. As of now, I am going to expect the unexpected and keep an open mind. I can only imagine what kind of rewarding and unforgettable experience I am about to have.

The next time I post (hopefully with pictures) it will be from Peru!

 Buenas noches,
Maren