Some pictures from France:
Merry Christmas! Frohe Weihnachten! ¡Feliz navidad!
Monday, December 20, 2010
Journey home...then home sweet home
I've been home for about 3 weeks now. I left Munich and went to France for a few days where I stayed with a friend before flying home. He showed me around Paris and around his town. Since then I've been home a lot of the time and am enjoying time spent with my family before I head back to college at the beginning of January. As much as I love being home, I must say it has been an adjustment and there are things I miss about Germany and Peru.
Some pictures from France:
Merry Christmas! Frohe Weihnachten! ¡Feliz navidad!
Some pictures from France:
Merry Christmas! Frohe Weihnachten! ¡Feliz navidad!
Thursday, November 18, 2010
Recent realizations...
...I've spent more time out of the States since my high school graduation than in the USA.
...By the time I get home, I will have traveled with all of my luggage 10 times! That's a lot of work, and 10 seems like a good place to stop.
...Over this year, I've lived in 4 different cities.
...By the time I get home, I will can say that I have visited 5 countries since I was last in the US.
...Weather here is even more unpredictable than at home.
...It isn't very long till I go home!
...By the time I get home, I will have traveled with all of my luggage 10 times! That's a lot of work, and 10 seems like a good place to stop.
...Over this year, I've lived in 4 different cities.
...By the time I get home, I will can say that I have visited 5 countries since I was last in the US.
...Weather here is even more unpredictable than at home.
...It isn't very long till I go home!
Monday, November 15, 2010
lately...
It’s been a long time since I’ve taken the time to update you on what I’ve been doing. Here’s a brief overview of my last month here in Munich. Besides for the everyday things like running, going to class, reading, and attempting to keep my room free from the fruit fly infestation (primarily in the kitchen, but throughout the apartment), I was able to do a number of cultural activities.
My fruitfly trap
Some of the museums that I visited include two technical and automotive museums, the Munich city museum, and 4 art museums. I’ve come to realize that most things can be interesting if approached in the right way. Art never really interested me before, but I found the museums here as well as the architecture of several buildings, especially churches fascinating. When combined with historical anecdotes and being able to see things first-hand, it all makes a lot more sense. I can now better appreciate the different art movements. One thing, that catches my attention each time that I hear or read it, is that the reason that Munich so much artwork has, even though 80% of the city was completely destroyed in WWII, is that they knew the bombs would come and because Hitler loved artwork, he saw to it that all most of the artwork was removed from the city and stored in safer places.
I visited Schloss Neuschwanstein (the castle that looks like the Disney castle) and Schloss Nymphenburg. The first of those two was neat to learn about and see, but had way to much decoration and ornamentation for my tastes. The surrounding landscape with the autumn leaves was gorgeous.
Many days were rainy and dreary, but there were a few days on which we had gorgeous weather, such as those this weekend. I took full advantage of the sunny days spending my entire time outdoors going for walks along the Starnberger See, in the Englischer Garten and in the garden belonging to Nymphenburg Palace.
This past Saturday, I spent attempting avoiding city center, yet having a difficult time getting around the city because of protests that were being held. A group of about 1000 neo-Nazis were demonstrating in the city’s center. Their actions were condemned by the mayor as well as numerous others here. An anti-protest was held by about 5000 people and police from several large cities in Germany were here to enforce safety and crowd control.
I also watched a theatrical production of a book by a Swiss author that I read a few years ago and got to see a ballet. Both were excellent.
Oh, and I’ve seen two shops with names about as close to mine as they come: “April April” and “Aprilia”
My fruitfly trapSome of the museums that I visited include two technical and automotive museums, the Munich city museum, and 4 art museums. I’ve come to realize that most things can be interesting if approached in the right way. Art never really interested me before, but I found the museums here as well as the architecture of several buildings, especially churches fascinating. When combined with historical anecdotes and being able to see things first-hand, it all makes a lot more sense. I can now better appreciate the different art movements. One thing, that catches my attention each time that I hear or read it, is that the reason that Munich so much artwork has, even though 80% of the city was completely destroyed in WWII, is that they knew the bombs would come and because Hitler loved artwork, he saw to it that all most of the artwork was removed from the city and stored in safer places.
I visited Schloss Neuschwanstein (the castle that looks like the Disney castle) and Schloss Nymphenburg. The first of those two was neat to learn about and see, but had way to much decoration and ornamentation for my tastes. The surrounding landscape with the autumn leaves was gorgeous.
Many days were rainy and dreary, but there were a few days on which we had gorgeous weather, such as those this weekend. I took full advantage of the sunny days spending my entire time outdoors going for walks along the Starnberger See, in the Englischer Garten and in the garden belonging to Nymphenburg Palace.
This past Saturday, I spent attempting avoiding city center, yet having a difficult time getting around the city because of protests that were being held. A group of about 1000 neo-Nazis were demonstrating in the city’s center. Their actions were condemned by the mayor as well as numerous others here. An anti-protest was held by about 5000 people and police from several large cities in Germany were here to enforce safety and crowd control.
I also watched a theatrical production of a book by a Swiss author that I read a few years ago and got to see a ballet. Both were excellent.
Oh, and I’ve seen two shops with names about as close to mine as they come: “April April” and “Aprilia”
Monday, November 8, 2010
Being American...
Being American…
As my time abroad draws to an end I’ve been doing a lot of thinking about personal growth…who I was, who I’ve become and who I want to become.
Of course our personal image of ourselves is influenced by comments from others and by the way in which they interact with us, but we see ourselves in a different light. It may be similar. It may not be.
For example, I never considered myself to have blond hair before I went to Peru, but there I was always described as having “pelo rubio.” I thought of myself as average in stature, but in Peru I was tall. Here in Germany I am short.
I asked myself with which categories I would identify myself.
The first first things that came to my mind were: Christian, young, Bodlak, and grew up on a farm.
-Christian because my faith in Christ as my savior is important to me.
-young because statistically speaking, I still have a lot of life to live and am always thinking about all my opportunities for the future.
-Bodlak because my family is a huge part of my life and the person I am.
-Grew up on a farm because the more I encounter people who have only lived in a city, the more I realize I tend to have different values than them, and the more time I spend living in cities, the more I realize how much I need the chance to escape to calm, quiet, wide-open, green spaces.
I would say that the number one category I’ve been placed into throughout this year is the category “American.” When I think about this, thoughts rush through my head, so quickly that I cannot even begin to write them all down—random thoughts, silly things, serious topics, misconceptions, and blessings. Sometimes I’m thankful to be an American; other times I hate it.
I am blessed that English is my first language. What others study for and try to master, I simply know and don’t have to work at. But on the other side of things, it how can I be proud of that? It wasn’t by my choice that I was born in the United States, that I would grow up speaking a language with many irregularities that others must struggle to learn. Sometimes it is frustration when I want to learn another language, because everyone around me speaks English and sometimes it would be easier to just speak English with them. Sometimes I can’t understand them. Sometimes I get frustrated, because they have mastered two or more languages and speaking English is practice for them, but for me it is not.
I am blessed. At home, I can expect warm water to flow out of the faucet when I turn it on. Even though I don’t like going outside by myself at night, I can do that safely. I don’t need to live in fear. I can trust my neighbors. I can trust the officials. Bars are not necessary on the doors and windows of my home. I am respected and treated as another human being regardless of my hair, skin, or eye color. I’m so blessed to have been born in the United States, a land truly full of opportunities. Opportunities on some level for everyone, not just for the elite. I could go to and complete elementary and high school. I have the chance to be a part of that tiny percentage of the world’s population who get continue their beyond the high school level. I admittedly forget that sometimes when I have a lot of homework or have to study for an exam and just feel like complaining. But I am blessed. I do not have to worry about where food or water will come from. Quality medical attention is available. I have clothes for every season of the year. I am blessed. I’ve had the opportunity to be exposed to a variety of cultures and values- an opportunity not available everywhere.
Being American. Sometimes it is nice to be able to see or hear things in English, to see stores and restaurants from back home, to be able to say things like “ok” because it has become a globally recognized and accepted word. Sometimes people think it’s cool. Sometimes people want to know if I’ve been to Hollywood and New York City.
Being American. Sometimes it’s super frustrating. Everyone knows something about my country. Many think they know it all. Being American. Am I that? I don’t know everything about the United States. I haven’t seen that much of it myself. I grew up in Nebraska and study there. Why does that have to make me "American?" I feel like even though I don’t know everything about the USA, I do know more than most people who have never lived there. Can I be both American and Nebraskan? I think so, but here, only the American part of me can be recognized by the people who I meet. Most have never even heard of Nebraska. So…as an “American,” I must face the questions and the statements; whether truth or misconceptions.
Sometimes when someone approaches me to talk about my country, the American in me asks:
Why does my government always get involved in other nations’ business? Are we heroes or are we villains? Do we even have a culture? Well, certainly we do. But how can I explain it? All Americans are not superficial, in fact most aren’t. We just have different values and different ways of expressing ourselves. Yes, on the whole we are very wasteful and we don’t recognize the many blessings that we have.
The American in me cries out:
All Americans are not ignorant. The entire United States is not just like everything that one sees in the movies and on shows. No, just because I come from the United States does not mean that I should be familiar with every single movie, show, singer, and song that comes from or is produced in the United States.
We need a new name for ourselves…why do we call ourselves “Americans” when the inhabitants of an entire 2 continents are really “Americans?”
Other things I have found funny:
-Do American kids really ride big yellow buses to school? Can I drive? And the question while talking to an 11th grade class about the United States and after asking which part of the US I lived in, one kid asked, “Since you live so far away from civilization, do you have TV’s?” Or one thing that I have experienced a few times and find really humorous, when someone wants to hold my jacket and help me put it on, and I kindly tell them, thanks but that it is not necessary and I can do it for myself. All the while, thoughts like this are running through my head, “Haha. Ok, that was kind of nice, but strange. I am a capable human being. Yes, I am a woman, but I can put on my own jacket.” Other such instances, where I felt like my independence was being restricted although, that was by no means the intent, have included the offer to carry super light things for me, to help me step out of a train, and to bring me a chair to sit, even though everyone else was standing! Oh, and the German idea of Line Dancing and their fascination with cowboys and the “Wild West.”
This past year I’ve seen and experienced many things that I had not expected. I have learned many things about others, academically, and about myself. But I can also confirm the statement, that the more you know, the more you know, you know, you don’t know.
As my time abroad draws to an end I’ve been doing a lot of thinking about personal growth…who I was, who I’ve become and who I want to become.
Of course our personal image of ourselves is influenced by comments from others and by the way in which they interact with us, but we see ourselves in a different light. It may be similar. It may not be.
For example, I never considered myself to have blond hair before I went to Peru, but there I was always described as having “pelo rubio.” I thought of myself as average in stature, but in Peru I was tall. Here in Germany I am short.
I asked myself with which categories I would identify myself.
The first first things that came to my mind were: Christian, young, Bodlak, and grew up on a farm.
-Christian because my faith in Christ as my savior is important to me.
-young because statistically speaking, I still have a lot of life to live and am always thinking about all my opportunities for the future.
-Bodlak because my family is a huge part of my life and the person I am.
-Grew up on a farm because the more I encounter people who have only lived in a city, the more I realize I tend to have different values than them, and the more time I spend living in cities, the more I realize how much I need the chance to escape to calm, quiet, wide-open, green spaces.
I would say that the number one category I’ve been placed into throughout this year is the category “American.” When I think about this, thoughts rush through my head, so quickly that I cannot even begin to write them all down—random thoughts, silly things, serious topics, misconceptions, and blessings. Sometimes I’m thankful to be an American; other times I hate it.
I am blessed that English is my first language. What others study for and try to master, I simply know and don’t have to work at. But on the other side of things, it how can I be proud of that? It wasn’t by my choice that I was born in the United States, that I would grow up speaking a language with many irregularities that others must struggle to learn. Sometimes it is frustration when I want to learn another language, because everyone around me speaks English and sometimes it would be easier to just speak English with them. Sometimes I can’t understand them. Sometimes I get frustrated, because they have mastered two or more languages and speaking English is practice for them, but for me it is not.
I am blessed. At home, I can expect warm water to flow out of the faucet when I turn it on. Even though I don’t like going outside by myself at night, I can do that safely. I don’t need to live in fear. I can trust my neighbors. I can trust the officials. Bars are not necessary on the doors and windows of my home. I am respected and treated as another human being regardless of my hair, skin, or eye color. I’m so blessed to have been born in the United States, a land truly full of opportunities. Opportunities on some level for everyone, not just for the elite. I could go to and complete elementary and high school. I have the chance to be a part of that tiny percentage of the world’s population who get continue their beyond the high school level. I admittedly forget that sometimes when I have a lot of homework or have to study for an exam and just feel like complaining. But I am blessed. I do not have to worry about where food or water will come from. Quality medical attention is available. I have clothes for every season of the year. I am blessed. I’ve had the opportunity to be exposed to a variety of cultures and values- an opportunity not available everywhere.
Being American. Sometimes it is nice to be able to see or hear things in English, to see stores and restaurants from back home, to be able to say things like “ok” because it has become a globally recognized and accepted word. Sometimes people think it’s cool. Sometimes people want to know if I’ve been to Hollywood and New York City.
Being American. Sometimes it’s super frustrating. Everyone knows something about my country. Many think they know it all. Being American. Am I that? I don’t know everything about the United States. I haven’t seen that much of it myself. I grew up in Nebraska and study there. Why does that have to make me "American?" I feel like even though I don’t know everything about the USA, I do know more than most people who have never lived there. Can I be both American and Nebraskan? I think so, but here, only the American part of me can be recognized by the people who I meet. Most have never even heard of Nebraska. So…as an “American,” I must face the questions and the statements; whether truth or misconceptions.
Sometimes when someone approaches me to talk about my country, the American in me asks:
Why does my government always get involved in other nations’ business? Are we heroes or are we villains? Do we even have a culture? Well, certainly we do. But how can I explain it? All Americans are not superficial, in fact most aren’t. We just have different values and different ways of expressing ourselves. Yes, on the whole we are very wasteful and we don’t recognize the many blessings that we have.
The American in me cries out:
All Americans are not ignorant. The entire United States is not just like everything that one sees in the movies and on shows. No, just because I come from the United States does not mean that I should be familiar with every single movie, show, singer, and song that comes from or is produced in the United States.
We need a new name for ourselves…why do we call ourselves “Americans” when the inhabitants of an entire 2 continents are really “Americans?”
Other things I have found funny:
-Do American kids really ride big yellow buses to school? Can I drive? And the question while talking to an 11th grade class about the United States and after asking which part of the US I lived in, one kid asked, “Since you live so far away from civilization, do you have TV’s?” Or one thing that I have experienced a few times and find really humorous, when someone wants to hold my jacket and help me put it on, and I kindly tell them, thanks but that it is not necessary and I can do it for myself. All the while, thoughts like this are running through my head, “Haha. Ok, that was kind of nice, but strange. I am a capable human being. Yes, I am a woman, but I can put on my own jacket.” Other such instances, where I felt like my independence was being restricted although, that was by no means the intent, have included the offer to carry super light things for me, to help me step out of a train, and to bring me a chair to sit, even though everyone else was standing! Oh, and the German idea of Line Dancing and their fascination with cowboys and the “Wild West.”
This past year I’ve seen and experienced many things that I had not expected. I have learned many things about others, academically, and about myself. But I can also confirm the statement, that the more you know, the more you know, you know, you don’t know.
Thursday, October 14, 2010
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Should people visit Dachau?
This thought crossed my mind while visiting the Dachau Conentration Camp, when our guide told us that it is mandatory for a students in Bavaria to visit the camp. Dachau was one of the first concentration camps and at some level had every form of prisoner and method of torture. Pastors and priest who spoke out against the National Socialist German Worker's Party were held here. Jews, physically handicapped, mentally handicapped, Roma and Sinti were held here. Political protestors including Georg Elser, the man with the most ingenious and earliest assasination attempt on the Führer, was also held here. Tens of thousands of people died in Dachau because of it's conditions, yet it was not an extermination/death camp. It's primary goal was to make the lives of it's captives miserable, but to get work out of them.
The land on which the camp was located is now a site for historical learning and remembrance. Stories of individuals who were tortured in Dachau can be heard and read there. A few of the original buildings that housed the prisoners still stand. The others no longer stand, but their foundations can still be seen. The cells where the victims were tortured, the crematoriums, the gas chamber (which was primarily used for experimental purposes) the door claiming "Arbeit Macht Frei" and the gloominess of the place remain. Besides for a blue sky and the colorful leaves of the trees outside of Dachau's enfenced area, nearly everything was colorless- grey, white, light shades of brown.
Learning about the past is important, but events such as those that occured at Dachau are overwhelming. Seeing this enormous concentration camp, learning about the lives of individuals who suffered there as well as those who carried out the deeds, was truly overwhelming, but I am glad I was there. It allows me to better understand the reality of the situation and put it into a more acurate perspective. With basic background knowledge of the history of this camp, I think it is a good thing for students and others to visit the camp.
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The land on which the camp was located is now a site for historical learning and remembrance. Stories of individuals who were tortured in Dachau can be heard and read there. A few of the original buildings that housed the prisoners still stand. The others no longer stand, but their foundations can still be seen. The cells where the victims were tortured, the crematoriums, the gas chamber (which was primarily used for experimental purposes) the door claiming "Arbeit Macht Frei" and the gloominess of the place remain. Besides for a blue sky and the colorful leaves of the trees outside of Dachau's enfenced area, nearly everything was colorless- grey, white, light shades of brown.
Learning about the past is important, but events such as those that occured at Dachau are overwhelming. Seeing this enormous concentration camp, learning about the lives of individuals who suffered there as well as those who carried out the deeds, was truly overwhelming, but I am glad I was there. It allows me to better understand the reality of the situation and put it into a more acurate perspective. With basic background knowledge of the history of this camp, I think it is a good thing for students and others to visit the camp.
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Bureaucracy...
According to Webster's Dictionary, the third definition under "bureaucracy" is "a system of administration marked by officialism, red tape, and proliferation."
Officialism: Paper. Request. Paper. Wait. Take a number. Wait. New room. Paper. Photo. Paper. Wait. Take a number. Wait. New room. Interrogation. Paper review. Please come back another time. ... Wait. Take a number. Wait. Paper. Paper. Paper.
Red Tape: The papers appear to be correct and ready. Oh wait! You've been here before. You are in the system. Wait. Wait. Pay. Come back another day.
Proliferation: Stand in line. Take a number. Wait in a lounge. Sit in an office. Have papers examined. Fill out more papers. Repeat. Stand in line. Take a number. Wait in a lounge. Sit in an office. Have papers examined. Fill out more papers. Repeat. Stand in line. Take a number. Wait in a lounge. Sit in an office. Have papers examined. Fill out more papers. Repeat. Stand in line. Take a number. Wait in a lounge. Sit in an office. Have papers examined. Fill out more papers. Please come back again.
I am most certainly not a fan, especially when all I want is a visa for an extra month.
Officialism: Paper. Request. Paper. Wait. Take a number. Wait. New room. Paper. Photo. Paper. Wait. Take a number. Wait. New room. Interrogation. Paper review. Please come back another time. ... Wait. Take a number. Wait. Paper. Paper. Paper.
Red Tape: The papers appear to be correct and ready. Oh wait! You've been here before. You are in the system. Wait. Wait. Pay. Come back another day.
Proliferation: Stand in line. Take a number. Wait in a lounge. Sit in an office. Have papers examined. Fill out more papers. Repeat. Stand in line. Take a number. Wait in a lounge. Sit in an office. Have papers examined. Fill out more papers. Repeat. Stand in line. Take a number. Wait in a lounge. Sit in an office. Have papers examined. Fill out more papers. Repeat. Stand in line. Take a number. Wait in a lounge. Sit in an office. Have papers examined. Fill out more papers. Please come back again.
I am most certainly not a fan, especially when all I want is a visa for an extra month.
Wednesday, October 13, 2010
I enjoy...
I enjoy going for walks though Munich especially through the Englischer Garten, which is beautiful with the fall leaves.
I enjoy going to the city center in the evenings and listening to mini-concerts in the streets.
I enjoy running along the Isar (river).
I enjoy my class.
I enjoy reading in the cemetery, so quiet and beautiful.
I enjoy cooking.
I enjoy exploring new parts of the city.
I enjoy seeing theatrical productions.
I enjoy getting mail.
I enjoy going to the city center in the evenings and listening to mini-concerts in the streets.
I enjoy running along the Isar (river).
I enjoy my class.
I enjoy reading in the cemetery, so quiet and beautiful.
I enjoy cooking.
I enjoy exploring new parts of the city.
I enjoy seeing theatrical productions.
I enjoy getting mail.
Friday, October 8, 2010
Munich...
I was a bit bewildered when I arrived in Munich’s enormous train station, with so many people and so many options for transportation. I had the address of the apartment in which I would be staying, but couldn’t quite remember how the public transportation system here worked, so wasn’t sure where I needed to purchase a ticket. In the meantime, I saw an unbelievable number of women in dirndl dresses and men in lederhosen and wondered if that was merely because of Oktoberfest or if that really was slightly normal. Eventually I took the S-Bahn and Straßenbahn and found the apartment. By that point I was tired and sweaty and wanted nothing more than to do nothing. I didn’t feel like talking to anyone or going anywhere or even like unpacking my things. I did, however; do all three of those things. I spoke with the owner of the apartment briefly, unpacked my things, showered and headed off to the nearest S-Bahn stop to go to the Theresien-Wiese to see the second-to-last evening of Oktoberfest.
Oktoberfest was very different from how I had imagined it to be. The beer tents were much larger, fancier and colorful than I had pictured them and I had also not counted on so many rides such as at a fair or carnival. Wandering around and observing many of the people there in their traditional outfits, with their beer, pretzels and sausages made for an amusing first evening in Munich.
I have my own room here in an apartment and share the kitchen and bathroom with a woman and her son. My room is really comfortable and it is nice to be able to have peace and quiet when I want it, but it feels like an awkward situation. I live here, but there is really no contact with either of the other two people. There is no living room and they are never in the kitchen when I am around. I scarcely see them and am lucky to exchange 2 words with them throughout a day.
I enjoy my class at the Goethe Institut here in Munich much more. I have an excellent teacher, so although I have afternoon class rather than in the mornings, it is much more bearable. I wish I would have had a teacher like him in Göttingen. I truly believe that I learned more in the first one or two days here than I did during my entire previous two months.
On Tuesday morning I decided to register myself with my new address here in Munich and to try to get my visa, but after spending 4 hours going from office to office I was told to come back in a week, with a paper saying how many hours a week I am taking classes. That was kind of frustrating, but it makes me understand all the more clearly how frustrating it is for some people trying to get US visas, which can be much more difficult to come by and much more time consuming.
This morning I went to the Deutsches Museum, which is the largest technical museum in the world. I found the musical area with one of the world’s first Jupeboxes, which is really like an enormous music box that plucks tiny keys and while gears and propellers spin, and the aeronautics section with many of the first successful flying machines.
There is so much to see here. Little by little, I shall see more of this city.
Oktoberfest was very different from how I had imagined it to be. The beer tents were much larger, fancier and colorful than I had pictured them and I had also not counted on so many rides such as at a fair or carnival. Wandering around and observing many of the people there in their traditional outfits, with their beer, pretzels and sausages made for an amusing first evening in Munich.
I have my own room here in an apartment and share the kitchen and bathroom with a woman and her son. My room is really comfortable and it is nice to be able to have peace and quiet when I want it, but it feels like an awkward situation. I live here, but there is really no contact with either of the other two people. There is no living room and they are never in the kitchen when I am around. I scarcely see them and am lucky to exchange 2 words with them throughout a day.
I enjoy my class at the Goethe Institut here in Munich much more. I have an excellent teacher, so although I have afternoon class rather than in the mornings, it is much more bearable. I wish I would have had a teacher like him in Göttingen. I truly believe that I learned more in the first one or two days here than I did during my entire previous two months.
On Tuesday morning I decided to register myself with my new address here in Munich and to try to get my visa, but after spending 4 hours going from office to office I was told to come back in a week, with a paper saying how many hours a week I am taking classes. That was kind of frustrating, but it makes me understand all the more clearly how frustrating it is for some people trying to get US visas, which can be much more difficult to come by and much more time consuming.
This morning I went to the Deutsches Museum, which is the largest technical museum in the world. I found the musical area with one of the world’s first Jupeboxes, which is really like an enormous music box that plucks tiny keys and while gears and propellers spin, and the aeronautics section with many of the first successful flying machines.
There is so much to see here. Little by little, I shall see more of this city.
Between train stations…
I left Göttingen on the morning of Wednesday September 29, with far too much luggage. Funny how things accumulate over the course of a year- luxury items, such as books, and necessary things such as laundry detergent, cooking supplies, and shampoo. Fortunately morning and mid-day trains in the middle of the week in Lower Saxony are not in high demand, so I did not had no problem maneuvering in the train stations or in the trains.
I arrived in Cloppenburg and waited for my former host family to come pick me up, since they were taking my host cousin to that same train station a few hours after my arrival. I spent a few enjoyable days in Spahnharrenstätte. I was able to go running on fairly flat terrain in familiar territory and to stop by the flower shop where I had done a practicum nearly three years earlier. I spent my evenings with friends drinking tea and eating ice-cream as well as one evening with my host sisters and their current Finnish exchange student watching movies. One of my sisters and I delivered newspapers on Saturday afternoon. It was kind of a strange feeling placing the newspapers in the same newspaper mail boxes that I used to put them in every Sunday morning 3 years ago.
Sunday morning, on the day of German Unification, my host mother took me took me to the train station in Lathen, from which I departed for Munich. I was a little nervous about making all of my connections, because I had little time, but everything worked out. I am so thankful that I had reserved seats in the ICE and EC trains because it made life so much easier, just finding my seat, sitting down, and not having anyone come along and tell me that I needed to move and find a new seat. On my final train, I had my first encounter with a Bayrisch-speaker. Very difficult to understand, but doable with a lot of concentration!
I arrived in Cloppenburg and waited for my former host family to come pick me up, since they were taking my host cousin to that same train station a few hours after my arrival. I spent a few enjoyable days in Spahnharrenstätte. I was able to go running on fairly flat terrain in familiar territory and to stop by the flower shop where I had done a practicum nearly three years earlier. I spent my evenings with friends drinking tea and eating ice-cream as well as one evening with my host sisters and their current Finnish exchange student watching movies. One of my sisters and I delivered newspapers on Saturday afternoon. It was kind of a strange feeling placing the newspapers in the same newspaper mail boxes that I used to put them in every Sunday morning 3 years ago.
Sunday morning, on the day of German Unification, my host mother took me took me to the train station in Lathen, from which I departed for Munich. I was a little nervous about making all of my connections, because I had little time, but everything worked out. I am so thankful that I had reserved seats in the ICE and EC trains because it made life so much easier, just finding my seat, sitting down, and not having anyone come along and tell me that I needed to move and find a new seat. On my final train, I had my first encounter with a Bayrisch-speaker. Very difficult to understand, but doable with a lot of concentration!
Sunday, September 26, 2010
مساء الخير
Good evening! On Friday eveing, my roommate from Minnesota and I went over to the apartment of two men from Iraq who are also studying here on the Goethe Institut. Both men are named Mohammad, and one of them is in our class. They invited us over for supper and wanted to share their traditional food with us.
We had accepted their invitation, but were not sure how comfortable the meal would be, especially because the one in our class had been somewhat hostile towards us as "Americans" in class. It actually turned out to be wonderful. We spent five hours preparing the delicious food, eating and talking. It meant a lot to both of them, but especially to Mohammad from our class, that we actually came to his home. He was really friendly and even said that we should have done that before, but he didn't think that Americans would ever accept an invitation from and Iraqi. We all had a lot of fun spending much of the evening laughing and joking around. I'm really glad that we had the opportunity to get to know each other better and eliminate the tension caused by political conflict between our homelands.
We had accepted their invitation, but were not sure how comfortable the meal would be, especially because the one in our class had been somewhat hostile towards us as "Americans" in class. It actually turned out to be wonderful. We spent five hours preparing the delicious food, eating and talking. It meant a lot to both of them, but especially to Mohammad from our class, that we actually came to his home. He was really friendly and even said that we should have done that before, but he didn't think that Americans would ever accept an invitation from and Iraqi. We all had a lot of fun spending much of the evening laughing and joking around. I'm really glad that we had the opportunity to get to know each other better and eliminate the tension caused by political conflict between our homelands.
Saturday, September 25, 2010
Relaxing in the Ruhrgebiet
After several weeks here in Göttingen, I was finally able to travel a little on my own and go visit some friends (from my exchange year) in the Ruhrgebiet. It was a wonderful break from Göttingen. My train ride was quite long, lasting nearly 5 hours with 4 changes of trains, and one stop as short as 3 minutes. I was picked up by two friends at the train station in Duisburg and we went to eat a delicious meal, but way too much food. After finishing an enormous plate full of pasta and soup we decided to have tea and crepes as well. After supper, we went to a small but elegant movie theater with red carpet and walls and theater lights. The commercials before the movie were quite amusing.
On Saturday we went for a long walk around Voerde through the forest and then eventually looped back around to purchase groceries. But since we hadn't thought of doing that before returning to their house we had no grocery sacks/bags so divied up the groceries amoung ourselves and carried them all in our arms to avoid purchasing a 15 cent sack. I realized that they had the same thoughts as me... It is simply the principle of paying for a sack. I refuse to do it either. Later in the day we ate and then went to a dance class in Wesel. It was a lot of fun learning the basic steps to Rumba, Tango, Waltz, Disco Fox, Fox Trot, and Cha Cha Cha. The others had been taking the class for a few weeks, but my friends had asked if I could participate that one day, and the teacher had even been kind enough to make sure that there was a partner for me. It was a ton of fun. Afterwards we attended the Dance Party which was by far more to my liking than a disco because it was people who actually know how to dance... classy dances rather than just "Jump Style" and other such things, it was smoke free, and the music was not at an unreasonably high volume. We met a few other young people there that we were able to visit with. After we got home, we decided to watch a movie- Gegen die Wand. It was an interesting movie that focused on social problems such as the issues that Turkish immigrants and their children face in Germany, not fitting in here, but not in Turke either.
After very few hours of sleep, I got up on Sunday morning and walked to the train station to go to Recklinghausen. There I was able to spend the day with my first German host family, with whom I spent one month for orientation in July/August 2007. It was wonderful to see them again. Food was of course a major part of our day as was our walk to an art exhibit. My host father and one of my host sisters are quite interested in art, but the other host sister is not. We went for a long walk up a giant hill to see the exhibit, known as "Der Schwarze Kugel" ("The Black Ball"). And that is precisely what it was. A black ball, which had a diameter of about 1.5 meters, according to my estimation. I found it amusing to listen to the discussion between my host sisters, one saying it was interesting because of its symbolism (although she didn't know what they might be) and the other wondering why we had walked so far just to see a black ball. We then continued to walk to the highest point overlooking Recklinghausen, from which one can also see Dortmund and the Schalke soccer stadium in Gelsenkirchen. My trip back with the train was kind of interesting because I had to change trains in Gelsenkirchen, shortly after the end of the Dortmund-Schalke soccer game.
Inga, Birthe, and me
On Tuesday, I visited a Realschule near Duisburg and got to talk to several English classes, answering questions about the United States and helping them with some assignments. I returned that evening to Göttingen in high spirits after a splendid weekend with friends whom I had not seen for quite some time.
On Saturday we went for a long walk around Voerde through the forest and then eventually looped back around to purchase groceries. But since we hadn't thought of doing that before returning to their house we had no grocery sacks/bags so divied up the groceries amoung ourselves and carried them all in our arms to avoid purchasing a 15 cent sack. I realized that they had the same thoughts as me... It is simply the principle of paying for a sack. I refuse to do it either. Later in the day we ate and then went to a dance class in Wesel. It was a lot of fun learning the basic steps to Rumba, Tango, Waltz, Disco Fox, Fox Trot, and Cha Cha Cha. The others had been taking the class for a few weeks, but my friends had asked if I could participate that one day, and the teacher had even been kind enough to make sure that there was a partner for me. It was a ton of fun. Afterwards we attended the Dance Party which was by far more to my liking than a disco because it was people who actually know how to dance... classy dances rather than just "Jump Style" and other such things, it was smoke free, and the music was not at an unreasonably high volume. We met a few other young people there that we were able to visit with. After we got home, we decided to watch a movie- Gegen die Wand. It was an interesting movie that focused on social problems such as the issues that Turkish immigrants and their children face in Germany, not fitting in here, but not in Turke either.
After very few hours of sleep, I got up on Sunday morning and walked to the train station to go to Recklinghausen. There I was able to spend the day with my first German host family, with whom I spent one month for orientation in July/August 2007. It was wonderful to see them again. Food was of course a major part of our day as was our walk to an art exhibit. My host father and one of my host sisters are quite interested in art, but the other host sister is not. We went for a long walk up a giant hill to see the exhibit, known as "Der Schwarze Kugel" ("The Black Ball"). And that is precisely what it was. A black ball, which had a diameter of about 1.5 meters, according to my estimation. I found it amusing to listen to the discussion between my host sisters, one saying it was interesting because of its symbolism (although she didn't know what they might be) and the other wondering why we had walked so far just to see a black ball. We then continued to walk to the highest point overlooking Recklinghausen, from which one can also see Dortmund and the Schalke soccer stadium in Gelsenkirchen. My trip back with the train was kind of interesting because I had to change trains in Gelsenkirchen, shortly after the end of the Dortmund-Schalke soccer game.
Inga, Birthe, and me
On Tuesday, I visited a Realschule near Duisburg and got to talk to several English classes, answering questions about the United States and helping them with some assignments. I returned that evening to Göttingen in high spirits after a splendid weekend with friends whom I had not seen for quite some time.
Sunday, September 12, 2010
Die Sonne scheint!... The sun is shining!
Today has been a gorgeous day. It's been one whole rainless day of sunshine. I woke up and had a great hour-long run through the forest and discovered a gorgeous meadow. When one runs along the perimeter it is possible to gaze down on forest and villages below. The last of summers flowers covered in dew and colorful trees showing signs of autumn were a sight. One my way back I was able to see the tiny little black doorway where the trees parted for the trail, other than that, it was not evident that a trail even existed.
I then went to the church on Albani Platz where I got to listen to some beautiful organ music and of course Luther's famous "A Mighty Fortress..."
This afternoon, Steffi, a German lady, who I met a few weeks ago who was interested in practicing her English, invited me over to her house for cake and tea. I met her husband and we chatted for a while. then we went to a little lake or pond nearby and went for a walk. The weather was perfect and it was so nice to go for a walk in a new place.
I've barely spent anytime indoors. Who knows if there will be any more days of nice weather. I sure enjoyed it!
I then went to the church on Albani Platz where I got to listen to some beautiful organ music and of course Luther's famous "A Mighty Fortress..."
This afternoon, Steffi, a German lady, who I met a few weeks ago who was interested in practicing her English, invited me over to her house for cake and tea. I met her husband and we chatted for a while. then we went to a little lake or pond nearby and went for a walk. The weather was perfect and it was so nice to go for a walk in a new place.
I've barely spent anytime indoors. Who knows if there will be any more days of nice weather. I sure enjoyed it!
Saturday, September 11, 2010
a day in the life of "Ah-preel"
A typical day goes something like this...
6:30 alarm clock rings. I decide I'm not ready to get out of bed, so I hit snooze, but can't really even doze because I don't want it to actually ring again because my roommate is still sleeping. Then I stumble out of bed, find a ponytail holder, my keys, glasses and running clothes. Then I head out of my room, down the hallway and out the door with high hopes that it will not be raining. But either way, I'm already outside, so I begin my run. "Where to?" That is the question. If it has rained a substantial amount, I decide I will run around Göttingen. If not, I head off towards the forest...all uphill. When running in the forest, I like to explore different paths (which sometimes leads to a longer run than previously planned).
One such instance would be last Sunday evening, when I went running with a guy from my floor. We planned to run for about a half and hour. It took us probably about 20-25 minutes to get to the Biergarten in the forest and we decided we could go a little further, since the whole way back would be down hill. As it turned out of course, we did not choose all the correct paths and ended up at an opening in the forest where we had a gorgeous view of all the surrounding areas and a small town far below in the valley. We ran on a little further and saw someone cycling on another forest path. Ram, my friend, sprinted up a hill and caught up the the biker and asked for directions. What we had found was another lost person also searching for Göttingen. We were finally able to find our way back and arrived back in Göttingen after 1 hour and fifteen minutes, then walked the rest of the way back the the Goethe Institut.
I then return, get ready for class, read a little, make breakfast and always end up grabbing my things at 8:29 and hurrying out the door to make it to class in the Pavilion by 8:30. The good thing is when I arrive then, I arrive on punctually but not early enough to listen to our abnoxious class song, which is supposed to get us ready for the day. None of us quite understand the purpose of listening to it. It's a tecno song, so fine for a disco, but not the thing I'd like to listen to at 8:30 in the morning.
Then I have class until 1 o'clock with 2 twenty minute breaks. We (my classmates and I) usually play table tennis or stand around and talk and then make tea in the last 2 minutes before class resumes.
After class, I make dinner and then usually go for a walk with my roommate, take a walk in the forest, or wander around town. Then I read until it is time to make supper and other people finally exit their rooms and become sociable. We then usually eat together and have interesting conversations covering a wide range of topics. Then I return to my room and try to convince myself to get my homework done so I can either have free time, make some tea,and go to sleep with the sounds of tecno music playing from somewhere in the building.
6:30 alarm clock rings. I decide I'm not ready to get out of bed, so I hit snooze, but can't really even doze because I don't want it to actually ring again because my roommate is still sleeping. Then I stumble out of bed, find a ponytail holder, my keys, glasses and running clothes. Then I head out of my room, down the hallway and out the door with high hopes that it will not be raining. But either way, I'm already outside, so I begin my run. "Where to?" That is the question. If it has rained a substantial amount, I decide I will run around Göttingen. If not, I head off towards the forest...all uphill. When running in the forest, I like to explore different paths (which sometimes leads to a longer run than previously planned).
One such instance would be last Sunday evening, when I went running with a guy from my floor. We planned to run for about a half and hour. It took us probably about 20-25 minutes to get to the Biergarten in the forest and we decided we could go a little further, since the whole way back would be down hill. As it turned out of course, we did not choose all the correct paths and ended up at an opening in the forest where we had a gorgeous view of all the surrounding areas and a small town far below in the valley. We ran on a little further and saw someone cycling on another forest path. Ram, my friend, sprinted up a hill and caught up the the biker and asked for directions. What we had found was another lost person also searching for Göttingen. We were finally able to find our way back and arrived back in Göttingen after 1 hour and fifteen minutes, then walked the rest of the way back the the Goethe Institut.
I then return, get ready for class, read a little, make breakfast and always end up grabbing my things at 8:29 and hurrying out the door to make it to class in the Pavilion by 8:30. The good thing is when I arrive then, I arrive on punctually but not early enough to listen to our abnoxious class song, which is supposed to get us ready for the day. None of us quite understand the purpose of listening to it. It's a tecno song, so fine for a disco, but not the thing I'd like to listen to at 8:30 in the morning.
Then I have class until 1 o'clock with 2 twenty minute breaks. We (my classmates and I) usually play table tennis or stand around and talk and then make tea in the last 2 minutes before class resumes.
After class, I make dinner and then usually go for a walk with my roommate, take a walk in the forest, or wander around town. Then I read until it is time to make supper and other people finally exit their rooms and become sociable. We then usually eat together and have interesting conversations covering a wide range of topics. Then I return to my room and try to convince myself to get my homework done so I can either have free time, make some tea,and go to sleep with the sounds of tecno music playing from somewhere in the building.
Sunday, September 5, 2010
Erfurt
This week on Thursday we had our Projekttag...Project Day, which means we took a field trip. We traveled to Erfurt, a city in Thüringen, one of the former East German states. There we were able to see several historical sites and museums, including the Kaisersaal- a meeting place for famous people such as Goethe, Schiller, Napleon, and Czar Alexander I. In 1808, Erfurt was the important city in Europe.
The Rathaus (city hall) is filled with beautiful paintings depicting scenes from German epics and also many paintings of Luther. Luther began his studies in Erfurt in 1501 and later became a monk in the Augustiner-Eremiten Monestery there. We visited both enormous churches in the city, a catholic church (Marienkirche) and the Lutheran church (Sewerinkirche) which are side by side, with a Biergarten just off of their steps, which I found a bit humerous.
The Zidelle Petersberg was interesting in that we were able to learn about the different changes of who was incontrol of the region at different points inhistory including the meeting of the French and Russians there. We walked through 2 km of underground zigzagging tunnels that were built for combatting the enemy and hiding.
It was a nice day to spend with the class, especially to be outside of the classroom.
My roommate and me in Erfurt
The Rathaus (city hall) is filled with beautiful paintings depicting scenes from German epics and also many paintings of Luther. Luther began his studies in Erfurt in 1501 and later became a monk in the Augustiner-Eremiten Monestery there. We visited both enormous churches in the city, a catholic church (Marienkirche) and the Lutheran church (Sewerinkirche) which are side by side, with a Biergarten just off of their steps, which I found a bit humerous.
The Zidelle Petersberg was interesting in that we were able to learn about the different changes of who was incontrol of the region at different points inhistory including the meeting of the French and Russians there. We walked through 2 km of underground zigzagging tunnels that were built for combatting the enemy and hiding.
It was a nice day to spend with the class, especially to be outside of the classroom.
My roommate and me in Erfurt
Saturday, August 28, 2010
Göttingen
Nestled in a valley in southern Lower Saxony and surrounded by forest lies the small city of Göttingen. It is in Göttingen that I am spending my first 8 weeks of studies. I've been here on the Goethe Institute for nearly 3 weeks now. We've been having German classes every day in the afternoons until 6 pm. That was a bit difficult because all of the other classes here met during the mornings, so were were not really able to meet anyone else or do much with our days. I'm excited that our schedule is changing (beginning on Monday) to have classes from mornings until early afternoons. Our class is composed of 16 people from many different countries- one who is a month younger than me and the rest are older, with the oldest having celebrated his 75th birthday 2weeks ago. The others come from Russia, Uzbekestan, Kyrgestan, Iraq, Egypt, Poland, Venezuela, Colombia, Equador, Switzerland, Georgia, Kazakstan, Turkey, Kenya, and one other from the USA. It is quite interesting learning about different people's cultures and customs.
While living at the Goethe Institut I have met several other people who live on my floor. Occasionally we cook and eat together. The most interesting of these experiences has been partaking in the Ramadan meal with my roommate (from Minnesota), and Israeli, and several men from Libya and Morocco. It is really nice to be able to have a diplomatic cultural exchange of beliefs, foods and customs especially between citizens of countries whose governments do not see eye-to-eye.
Sevral times, classmates and I have gone for walks in the forest or in parks together, had picnics or grilled, and we went to a lake last weekend to go swimming. However, I have also spent quite a bit of time indoors as the weather has not been the most convenient for outdoor activities, as it has rained much of the time. Just in the last week the bright green colors of the trees have begun to change colors. Autumn will soon be here.
Goethe Institut
While living at the Goethe Institut I have met several other people who live on my floor. Occasionally we cook and eat together. The most interesting of these experiences has been partaking in the Ramadan meal with my roommate (from Minnesota), and Israeli, and several men from Libya and Morocco. It is really nice to be able to have a diplomatic cultural exchange of beliefs, foods and customs especially between citizens of countries whose governments do not see eye-to-eye.
Sevral times, classmates and I have gone for walks in the forest or in parks together, had picnics or grilled, and we went to a lake last weekend to go swimming. However, I have also spent quite a bit of time indoors as the weather has not been the most convenient for outdoor activities, as it has rained much of the time. Just in the last week the bright green colors of the trees have begun to change colors. Autumn will soon be here.
Goethe Institut
Tuesday, August 3, 2010
Arrival and culture shock...
I arrived at midnight in Dusseldorf, Germany after a few long days of travel. On Sunday morning, July 25, I flew from Arequipa back to Lima where I spent the day collecting my belongings, reorganizing them, sewing up my bag which had a giant whole in it from the morning's flight, and resting a wee bit. That evening at 2 am a taxi picked me up and took me to the airport.
In the airport I checked my luggage and then before I went through security I really wanted an icecream and decided that I was willing to pay the airport price for a McDonalds ice cream but then they had none, so I was simply out of luck. I continued towards my gate going through security and then through emigration and paid my fine- which was a little frustrating because they did not want to accept soles (their own money) but rather wanted American Dollars. Finally after discussing payment with two somewhat crabby emigration officers, I was able to pay in soles and proceed to my gate.
The first flight to Colombia went smoothly, but upon arrival in the airport in Bogotá, Colombia, I saw that my flight to Barcelona, Spain had ben delayed... a lot! I would have had to spend more than 12 hours in the airport and after about 15 minutes I decided that I was going crazy enough that I needed to leave. There was no exit to be seen, and I was becoming frustrated, so after asking a few people how to get out, I was escorted out of the gate-area by a police officer to immigration where I was thoroughly questioned and beginning to wonder if leaving the airport was worth it. Finally I was granted permission to leav, but not given a paper that I apparently needed, because then I had to explain to and plead permission from the next 3 officers that I encountered to finally exit. I changed a few of my soles into Colombian Pesos and left the airport with less than $10 worth of money. I decided that I would try to go to the cities center near the Plaza de Bolivar or the musium district.
Colombia used public transportation somewhat similar to that of Peru, so I kind of understood how it worked. I fligged down a vehicle full of people that said city center on it and headed that way. I got off when I thought that I was maybe there or near there because I had been riding for a while, the buildings looked like they could possibly be museums and most of the other passengers were getting off. As it turned out, I was not at the center rather in an area where there were colleges, hospitals, and oher institutions. I may (or may not) have been near a US embassy or consolate because on the other side of a viaduct was an enormous flag of the USA. I didn't head over there because I didn't feel like attempting to cross the busy viaduct. I ended up spending much of the day just exploring the area around where I had gotten off. I walked quite a bit, sat in a park and read a book, admired the greenery and the beautiful mountains that surround the city, and ate some delicious and cheap fruit salads and icecream and also purchased some affordable water on the street before deciding to find transportation back to the airport. With the help of a friendly lady, from whom I asked advice on getting back, I made it without any problems. It was nice to have been out of the airport, but the drizzle was not all that pleasant so I was pleased to be under a roof again. Bogotá seemed a bit more organized and also multicultural to me than Lima (at least that is my impression from the few hours that I got to see of it).
Back in the airport, security was the most unpleasant that I have ever experienced. It wasn't too difficult to get back into the area with the gates... similar to US security, I would say. Then, it took us over 3 hours to board the plane, because we (the passengers) had to remove any baggy clothing and accessories, were patted down by the 5 police officers standing there, many were even asked to remove their pants. They then took out and felt most of the items in our carry-ons and we were questioned about why we were leaving while they examined our passports. They were particularly befuddled by my case, having come from Lima and heading for Barcelona, but having neither Spanish or Peruvian citizenship and not having a return ticket to the USA. What an experience!
After an 11 hour flight, I made it to Barcelona where I checked in my bags at the airport and then went to find a hostal for the night. I took a bus to Placa Catalunya and spent the evening wandering the area, watching the street performers, tasting tapas, icecream, and lasagne. It was so wonderful to shower in the hostal, even though the water was cold.
The next morning I went for a walk, visited the cathedral and got myself some breakfast/lunch from the grocery store. I then took the metro to the Temple of the Sacred Family. The line to get in was quite long, but the church was gorgeous and the museum below it was super interesting. I would have loved to have seen more of Gaudí's works in Barcelona had I had more time. I was excited to get to take the elevator and a few steps to the top of the building to see the city from up above. I experienced a clean and pleasant Barcelona with sunshine.
In Dusseldorf, Germany, I was met by 2 friends with whom I stayed a few days and now I am visiting my host family from 2 years ago. At first, I had no problem understanding Germany, struggled to use the proper grammitacal structures and also to use only German vocabulary and not insert Spanish words into my sentences. After only 2 days, that was much better. It is really nice to see familiar faces and places again, but at the same time some things seem strange. I realize this is a part of culture shock and something that I will soon get over if I continue to look at these things from the perspective that they are what they are rather than critically and wishing things to be different, because it simply doesn't work that way. Some of the things that I have specifically noticed as differences are (yes, these are stereotypes, but in general it is what I am percieving):
*In Germany, doors in homes are shut all the time... in Peru, all the doors and windows are open.
*In Germany there are no bars on the windows, nor high bars and walls around schools, yards, or other complexes... in Lima there were many bars.
*In Germany people have large personal bubbles, do not touch often, and greet with a hand shake... in Peru personal space is much smaller and greetings and salutations are very important and always include kisses and usually hugs.
*Germans plan a LOT and are concerned about punctuality... Peruvians tend to be more spontaneous, run late, and are not concerned about the time- having a mentality that what doesn't get done today can be taken care of tomorrow or at some other time in the future.
*Germans are environmentally conscious... Peruvians- not so much.
*Germans don't eat rice every day... Limeños do.
*Germans abide by rules such as not walking across a street when the pedestrian light is red, even if there is no traffic coming... Peruvians cross on red lights even when there is heavy traffic.
*Things in Germany seem so much larger, more spacious and cleaner than they did in Lima.
...I'm beginning to think that everyone who has grown up in a rich nation should go and experience life in a third world country in order to cease to be so finicky and learn to take the little things for granted. Those of us who live in rich countries such as the USA and Germany have so much to be thankful for. My time in Peru made me realize how many things I had taken for granted... warm water, wash machines, food, soap, clean air, medicine, the oportunity to get an education, uncontaminated water, writing utensils, and toilet paper.
I'll be visiting our exchange student Ole over the next few days and then begin taking classes on Monday, August 9.
In the airport I checked my luggage and then before I went through security I really wanted an icecream and decided that I was willing to pay the airport price for a McDonalds ice cream but then they had none, so I was simply out of luck. I continued towards my gate going through security and then through emigration and paid my fine- which was a little frustrating because they did not want to accept soles (their own money) but rather wanted American Dollars. Finally after discussing payment with two somewhat crabby emigration officers, I was able to pay in soles and proceed to my gate.
The first flight to Colombia went smoothly, but upon arrival in the airport in Bogotá, Colombia, I saw that my flight to Barcelona, Spain had ben delayed... a lot! I would have had to spend more than 12 hours in the airport and after about 15 minutes I decided that I was going crazy enough that I needed to leave. There was no exit to be seen, and I was becoming frustrated, so after asking a few people how to get out, I was escorted out of the gate-area by a police officer to immigration where I was thoroughly questioned and beginning to wonder if leaving the airport was worth it. Finally I was granted permission to leav, but not given a paper that I apparently needed, because then I had to explain to and plead permission from the next 3 officers that I encountered to finally exit. I changed a few of my soles into Colombian Pesos and left the airport with less than $10 worth of money. I decided that I would try to go to the cities center near the Plaza de Bolivar or the musium district.
Colombia used public transportation somewhat similar to that of Peru, so I kind of understood how it worked. I fligged down a vehicle full of people that said city center on it and headed that way. I got off when I thought that I was maybe there or near there because I had been riding for a while, the buildings looked like they could possibly be museums and most of the other passengers were getting off. As it turned out, I was not at the center rather in an area where there were colleges, hospitals, and oher institutions. I may (or may not) have been near a US embassy or consolate because on the other side of a viaduct was an enormous flag of the USA. I didn't head over there because I didn't feel like attempting to cross the busy viaduct. I ended up spending much of the day just exploring the area around where I had gotten off. I walked quite a bit, sat in a park and read a book, admired the greenery and the beautiful mountains that surround the city, and ate some delicious and cheap fruit salads and icecream and also purchased some affordable water on the street before deciding to find transportation back to the airport. With the help of a friendly lady, from whom I asked advice on getting back, I made it without any problems. It was nice to have been out of the airport, but the drizzle was not all that pleasant so I was pleased to be under a roof again. Bogotá seemed a bit more organized and also multicultural to me than Lima (at least that is my impression from the few hours that I got to see of it).
Back in the airport, security was the most unpleasant that I have ever experienced. It wasn't too difficult to get back into the area with the gates... similar to US security, I would say. Then, it took us over 3 hours to board the plane, because we (the passengers) had to remove any baggy clothing and accessories, were patted down by the 5 police officers standing there, many were even asked to remove their pants. They then took out and felt most of the items in our carry-ons and we were questioned about why we were leaving while they examined our passports. They were particularly befuddled by my case, having come from Lima and heading for Barcelona, but having neither Spanish or Peruvian citizenship and not having a return ticket to the USA. What an experience!
After an 11 hour flight, I made it to Barcelona where I checked in my bags at the airport and then went to find a hostal for the night. I took a bus to Placa Catalunya and spent the evening wandering the area, watching the street performers, tasting tapas, icecream, and lasagne. It was so wonderful to shower in the hostal, even though the water was cold.
The next morning I went for a walk, visited the cathedral and got myself some breakfast/lunch from the grocery store. I then took the metro to the Temple of the Sacred Family. The line to get in was quite long, but the church was gorgeous and the museum below it was super interesting. I would have loved to have seen more of Gaudí's works in Barcelona had I had more time. I was excited to get to take the elevator and a few steps to the top of the building to see the city from up above. I experienced a clean and pleasant Barcelona with sunshine.
In Dusseldorf, Germany, I was met by 2 friends with whom I stayed a few days and now I am visiting my host family from 2 years ago. At first, I had no problem understanding Germany, struggled to use the proper grammitacal structures and also to use only German vocabulary and not insert Spanish words into my sentences. After only 2 days, that was much better. It is really nice to see familiar faces and places again, but at the same time some things seem strange. I realize this is a part of culture shock and something that I will soon get over if I continue to look at these things from the perspective that they are what they are rather than critically and wishing things to be different, because it simply doesn't work that way. Some of the things that I have specifically noticed as differences are (yes, these are stereotypes, but in general it is what I am percieving):
*In Germany, doors in homes are shut all the time... in Peru, all the doors and windows are open.
*In Germany there are no bars on the windows, nor high bars and walls around schools, yards, or other complexes... in Lima there were many bars.
*In Germany people have large personal bubbles, do not touch often, and greet with a hand shake... in Peru personal space is much smaller and greetings and salutations are very important and always include kisses and usually hugs.
*Germans plan a LOT and are concerned about punctuality... Peruvians tend to be more spontaneous, run late, and are not concerned about the time- having a mentality that what doesn't get done today can be taken care of tomorrow or at some other time in the future.
*Germans are environmentally conscious... Peruvians- not so much.
*Germans don't eat rice every day... Limeños do.
*Germans abide by rules such as not walking across a street when the pedestrian light is red, even if there is no traffic coming... Peruvians cross on red lights even when there is heavy traffic.
*Things in Germany seem so much larger, more spacious and cleaner than they did in Lima.
...I'm beginning to think that everyone who has grown up in a rich nation should go and experience life in a third world country in order to cease to be so finicky and learn to take the little things for granted. Those of us who live in rich countries such as the USA and Germany have so much to be thankful for. My time in Peru made me realize how many things I had taken for granted... warm water, wash machines, food, soap, clean air, medicine, the oportunity to get an education, uncontaminated water, writing utensils, and toilet paper.
I'll be visiting our exchange student Ole over the next few days and then begin taking classes on Monday, August 9.
Thursday, July 29, 2010
Two Weeks and a Backpack
After spending 75 hours in transit by motorized vehicles including taxis, mototaxis, buses, shuttle vans, boats and an airplane over the course of two weeks, while traveling with my friend, Annie, and each with a backpack, I have many things to share…the good, the bad, and the simply befuddling.
To begin with something that reminded me that I was still in Peru, I will tell you of my first attempt at purchasing a pair of hiking boots. It was Friday, the day before we were to embark on our adventure, when I decided that perhaps hiking boots would be a good thing to have for our upcoming adventure. Since planning is not an important thing in Peruvian culture, I didn’t even think that I was doing last minute shopping. I figured I could find a pair of hiking boots in a market without any problem. Because I was pressed for time that day with many other things to do before leaving, I decided to go to a smaller market, which I didn’t know that well. As it turns out while wandering the streets there, I could have saved myself time by going to the larger market a little further away, because I had a hard time finding hiking boots my size. (They don’t seem to sell many for women, so typically, the men’s shoes were a little too big. Just as I was giving up and thinking I’d try to get to the market in Magdalena the next day, I saw a pair of shoes that I decided would work. They weren’t spectacular, but would have been better than my every-day shoes. I the right shoe on and it fit. I asked about the price and decided $12 for a pair of hiking boots wasn’t too bad, so told the señora that I would take them. Then she told me, “How wonderful, señorita! Come back tomorrow between 9 and 11 am. I’ll be waiting for you. The other shoe is at my house. I’ll bring it tomorrow.” I decided then that I didn’t want that pair of boots.
PART 1: HUARAZ
We began our adventure on Saturday July 10 by taking a taxi to the bus station where we were supposed to take our highly recommended and reliable bus, from the company Ormeño. As the night went on we were to become more and more disappointed by them. The bus station was not their usual station, as they told us to go to Lima, Lima since the buses to Huaraz left from a different place. Our first tip-off was the shady station. We entered and a man from behind bars, who looked like he was in a prison, looked at our ticket and told us to wait in the lounge- comprised of dirty plastic lawn chairs on a concrete floor by door number four. We watched the other buses come and go from the station and from the outside they looked respectable. As it turned out, when our bus arrived we boarded with only 4 other people and our bags were placed underneath the bus without tickets. The bus was dark, without so much as security lights and the seats were thread bare. We were a bit confused, but decided we had no other choice but to depart, especially since we were in a sketchy part of the city. Annie was hopefully that we would change buses but that did not occur. Our supposedly comfortable 8 hour ride turned out to be an awful 9 hour ride in our fleece jackets. We stopped numerous times letting other people onto the bus and saw chickens loaded underneath with our backpacks. When the other passengers boarded we thought to ourselves, “They know something that we do not!” as they zipped up their winter coats, put on their gloves and hats and pulled blankets up over themselves. As it turned out we were accompanied by brisk Andean breeze as we climbed higher into the mountains, because of some opening towards the front of the bus. Even more unpleasant but also in a way humorous was the “bathroom.” After probably about 5 hours of driving, the bus driver pulled over at the side of the road, walked partway down the aisle and announced “el baño.” Wonderful! All the passengers began to exit the bus so Annie, who was seated next to the aisle got up as well, barely got off and returned to tell me that the bathroom was not indeed a room, but rather the open side of the road next to the bus and all the passengers were squatted there. We decided to wait until we arrived in Huaraz. Since it was going to be dark when we arrived, we decided that the best thing to do would be wait at the bus station until it got light and then go look for a hostel. This idea was also crushed when we pulled into a dark lot of dirt and not only that were harassed by 2 men who jumped onto the bus before we could even exit. They were trying to get us to do one of their tours and we were the only “gringas” who had arrived on the bus. It was frightening and maddening that they would not leave us in peace, move out of our way, or allow us to get our bags from underneath of the bus. “Me or him?” they shouted at us. Finally we just picked one, because we felt as though we had no other choice and at least then we could get out of the dark lot surrounded by a brick wall. The man we chose took us to a hostel where we ended up accepting his 4 day tour offer, paid him, and then crawled into the only bed available- a twin bed to sleep until we could each have our own bed. We later realized that he had conned us out of about $10 each because we had been to tired and cold from our miserable night to properly think about the conversion rate- since he made the offer In dollars and we paid in soles. That made us upset. To top things off with that man, then next morning he called us out of a café to give us an obviously fake 100 soles bill (we are well acquainted with examining money to see whether or not it is counterfeit) and claimed that we gave it to him the day before. We did not fall for his scheme refusing the money, knowing that it was fake and that #1) we had given him all real bills and #2) even if we hadn’t it would have been his fault for accepting a false bill, and to return the next day, is unacceptable.
Our tour turned out to be amazing. At first we were leery, after dealing with this shady fellow, leaving 1.5 hours after the scheduled time, and then when I got a meat sandwich after I had requested vegetarian meals for the tour, and the guide told me, “Oh, sorry. Tomorrow. You can eat tomorrow.”! She did however get me a jelly sandwich about 5 minutes later, bless her heart. Both of our guides were really helpful throughout the entire 4 days and were very helpful. They made great food for breakfasts and suppers and were willing to answer any and all questions. The people on our tour were also wonderful. I believe everyone was between the ages of 19 and 30 with the majority being in their later 20s. Surprisingly to us, we were the only US Americans. The majority of the others were from Austrailia and the UK.
Some of the highlights of the Santa Cruz trek were seeing the turquoise colored lagoons, hiking all the way up and over a mountain range, seeing the exact mountain that is pictured at the beginning of every Paramount video production, witnessing an avalanche, and just getting to spend so much time outside each day (since we hiked between 5-9 hours a day and camped in tents) and seeing the sunrises and sunsets. It really is not possible to describe the beauty of la Cordillera Blanca and how wonderful of a time we had, so although photographs do not do it justice, they will have to take the place of words.
PART 2: AREEQUIPA
We spent some time in Arequipa, a lovely and well-organized city in southern Peru. Its organization was already apparent when we arrived in the bus terminal which seemed almost like an airport, with its various gates and shops inside. We stopped at iPeru, a helpful tourist booth, who actually asked us what we were looking for in a hostal, and then called ahead and got us a room. This was nice on their part, and the hostal, Bolognesi Haus, seemed nice at first, but turned out to not be quite so nice that night when were cold and could not shut the window but also did not wish to sleep under the dirty covers. Fortunately we left for a hike of the Colca Canyon around 3 am so did not have to sleep there the whole night.
Also during the day we visited the Santa Catalina convent which was almost like a city inside its tall red-painted walls. We spent nearly 3 hours walking around inside the monastery which had been made from volcanic rock. There were many bedrooms which each contained some sort of closet, arch, and alter. The kitchens with their old utensils and giant stone ovens were a sight to see!
PART 3: CAÑON DEL COLCA (THE COLCA CANYON)
The Colca Canyon is the 2nd deepest canyon in the world and barely shallower than the deepest which is very nearby. We spent 3 days hiking this canyon. Annie and I took one backpack along and took turns carrying it. Fortunately it got lighter and lighter, as we used up our water. We had 6.5 liters of water in the bag to begin our hike. The trail was extremely dusty, rocky and rugged, and as can be imagined, fairly steep. We descended to the bottom of the canyon and partway up on the first day. On the second day, we hiked around in the canyon visiting some villages there and getting the chance to see a little museum and learn about some of the plants and returned to the very bottom of the canyon where we stayed in an oasis. Also, our guide painted our faces with the juices of crushed insects. On the final day, we had the choice to rent a donkey or hike up on our own two feet. I decided to hike up and completed the climb just under 2 hours. We began our ascent just before six which was wonderful because those of us who were quick enough we able to hike most of the way in the shade but got to see the light of dawn as it painted the canyon walls. The colors of parts of the canyon and the agricultural terraces in its fingers were gorgeous with a large variety of colors.
PART 4: AREQUIPA (again)
When we arrived back from our canyon hike, we immediately began our search for a new hostel. We asked a police officer for advice specifying that we wanted a somewhat cheap hostel but that it must be clean and have heating. She pointed us off to one side of the plaza. With that, we walked along and every time we came to a hostel, we stopped inside and inquired about it. Finally we happened upon Hostal Regis (which was located only 2.5 blocks off of the Plaza de Armas). As we were climbing the marble staircase, with ornately carved wooden walls, I suggested to Annie that we not even continue going up them because it was surely out of our price range and with a little hesitation, we decided to proceed, because we were already there. As it turned out, their prices were quite reasonable, it was warm and clean . We were so excited to shower for the first time in several days and to get to sleep in clean and warm beds!
We decided to eat breakfast in the hostel and were sucked into the Peruvian Time Warp. Once again, as has happened many times throughout this semester, it did not seem as though much time had passed, when I checked the time and we realized we should have already been at the bus station. We grabbed our things, and hurredly paid the the woman working at the hostel and checked in our large bags. The we rushed down the stairs to catch a cab. Fortunately one drove by nearly immediately and offered us a fair price to the station. As we arrived and were getting out of the cab, we heard them announce that our bus was leaving. We raced to the counter, and panicked inside when the man, to whom we tried to give our tickets, told us that we would have to get our paper converted into proper tickets in order to get on the bus. Fortunately everyone was really helpful and kind and they helped us right away, while that man detained the bus so that we could make it. Close call! We love you, Cruz del Sur.
PART 5: LAGO TITICACA (LAKE TITICACA)
We also were able to travel to Lake Titicaca, the world’s highest navegable lake which forms a small part of the border between Peru and Bolivia. We were actually able to see snow-capped mountains belonging to Bolivia. The lake is supposedly the shape of a puma chasing a rabbit, which one can see with some imagination, but I don’t think it strongly resembles this shape.
Our tour of the lake and 3 islands took two days. First we went to the Floating Islands of the Uros, which have a neat history and it is pretty incredible that people live on islands made of reeds by adding a layer of reeds to the island every 3 weeks during the dry season and every 10 days during the wet season to ensure that the islands do not disappear. There are more than 50 floating islands which are anchored down by stones but can decide to cut their ties and relocate whenever they choose. I am impressed at how the islands were made, the amount of work to maintain them, and their history, but I didn’t enjoy them that much because they were so touristy and truth be told, if it weren’t for tourism they wouldn’t be around anymore and the people wouldn’t be there. Boats go to the city of Puno which is 0.5 hours away daily to bring supplies.
Isla Amantaní was the next island that we visited. It was formed many years ago by a volcano and its 5000 inhabitants continue to live a very traditional lifestyle. There is no computer on the island, nor are there any vehicles. The only way to go anywhere is to walk on the island, which is home to 10 communities and several dirt/rocky paths. We were able to stay with a host family on the island overnight. Our hostess, Ana, cooked for us. We had quinua soup and also a grain soup as well as different types of potatoes. During the afternoon we climbed to the center of the island where we were able to peak at the temple ruins and also were able to watch the sun go down on the lake. That evening we were surprised by a fiesta prepared by the local community for our group of tourists. They loaned us traditional outfits and some high school students played traditional instruments including the zampoña. It was incredible, absolutely beautiful. As we danced the room because a swirl of brilliant colors and the music gave it a mystic atmosphere, we even went outside and continued dancing around a bonfire, before returning to the warmth of the hall that we had previously been in.
The final island that we visited was Taquile. All the people on the island are known for their textile skills- the men for knitting and the women for weaving. The neat things about visiting this island is that we happened to get to see the children preparing for the independence day parade (July 28) and also we started ascending the island on one side and then got to descend the 530 steps to the port on the other side.
We then took another not so pleasant, excruciatingly hot and stuffy 6-hour bus ride back to Arequipa.
PART 6: AREQUIPA (once again)
We were able to spend our last 2 nights in Hostal Regis. It was lovely. The first night we paid for a room with a private bathroom, which also happened to have 4 beds (but they were just for us), wooden shutters for the windows and doors, and a balcony!
During our last day, we went to a museum about 4 mummies that were found in the Andes in Peru, the most famous of which is called “Juanita the Ice Princess.” It was really cool.
It was a great two-week trip and I can’t believe it’s over all ready.
To begin with something that reminded me that I was still in Peru, I will tell you of my first attempt at purchasing a pair of hiking boots. It was Friday, the day before we were to embark on our adventure, when I decided that perhaps hiking boots would be a good thing to have for our upcoming adventure. Since planning is not an important thing in Peruvian culture, I didn’t even think that I was doing last minute shopping. I figured I could find a pair of hiking boots in a market without any problem. Because I was pressed for time that day with many other things to do before leaving, I decided to go to a smaller market, which I didn’t know that well. As it turns out while wandering the streets there, I could have saved myself time by going to the larger market a little further away, because I had a hard time finding hiking boots my size. (They don’t seem to sell many for women, so typically, the men’s shoes were a little too big. Just as I was giving up and thinking I’d try to get to the market in Magdalena the next day, I saw a pair of shoes that I decided would work. They weren’t spectacular, but would have been better than my every-day shoes. I the right shoe on and it fit. I asked about the price and decided $12 for a pair of hiking boots wasn’t too bad, so told the señora that I would take them. Then she told me, “How wonderful, señorita! Come back tomorrow between 9 and 11 am. I’ll be waiting for you. The other shoe is at my house. I’ll bring it tomorrow.” I decided then that I didn’t want that pair of boots.
PART 1: HUARAZ
We began our adventure on Saturday July 10 by taking a taxi to the bus station where we were supposed to take our highly recommended and reliable bus, from the company Ormeño. As the night went on we were to become more and more disappointed by them. The bus station was not their usual station, as they told us to go to Lima, Lima since the buses to Huaraz left from a different place. Our first tip-off was the shady station. We entered and a man from behind bars, who looked like he was in a prison, looked at our ticket and told us to wait in the lounge- comprised of dirty plastic lawn chairs on a concrete floor by door number four. We watched the other buses come and go from the station and from the outside they looked respectable. As it turned out, when our bus arrived we boarded with only 4 other people and our bags were placed underneath the bus without tickets. The bus was dark, without so much as security lights and the seats were thread bare. We were a bit confused, but decided we had no other choice but to depart, especially since we were in a sketchy part of the city. Annie was hopefully that we would change buses but that did not occur. Our supposedly comfortable 8 hour ride turned out to be an awful 9 hour ride in our fleece jackets. We stopped numerous times letting other people onto the bus and saw chickens loaded underneath with our backpacks. When the other passengers boarded we thought to ourselves, “They know something that we do not!” as they zipped up their winter coats, put on their gloves and hats and pulled blankets up over themselves. As it turned out we were accompanied by brisk Andean breeze as we climbed higher into the mountains, because of some opening towards the front of the bus. Even more unpleasant but also in a way humorous was the “bathroom.” After probably about 5 hours of driving, the bus driver pulled over at the side of the road, walked partway down the aisle and announced “el baño.” Wonderful! All the passengers began to exit the bus so Annie, who was seated next to the aisle got up as well, barely got off and returned to tell me that the bathroom was not indeed a room, but rather the open side of the road next to the bus and all the passengers were squatted there. We decided to wait until we arrived in Huaraz. Since it was going to be dark when we arrived, we decided that the best thing to do would be wait at the bus station until it got light and then go look for a hostel. This idea was also crushed when we pulled into a dark lot of dirt and not only that were harassed by 2 men who jumped onto the bus before we could even exit. They were trying to get us to do one of their tours and we were the only “gringas” who had arrived on the bus. It was frightening and maddening that they would not leave us in peace, move out of our way, or allow us to get our bags from underneath of the bus. “Me or him?” they shouted at us. Finally we just picked one, because we felt as though we had no other choice and at least then we could get out of the dark lot surrounded by a brick wall. The man we chose took us to a hostel where we ended up accepting his 4 day tour offer, paid him, and then crawled into the only bed available- a twin bed to sleep until we could each have our own bed. We later realized that he had conned us out of about $10 each because we had been to tired and cold from our miserable night to properly think about the conversion rate- since he made the offer In dollars and we paid in soles. That made us upset. To top things off with that man, then next morning he called us out of a café to give us an obviously fake 100 soles bill (we are well acquainted with examining money to see whether or not it is counterfeit) and claimed that we gave it to him the day before. We did not fall for his scheme refusing the money, knowing that it was fake and that #1) we had given him all real bills and #2) even if we hadn’t it would have been his fault for accepting a false bill, and to return the next day, is unacceptable.
Our tour turned out to be amazing. At first we were leery, after dealing with this shady fellow, leaving 1.5 hours after the scheduled time, and then when I got a meat sandwich after I had requested vegetarian meals for the tour, and the guide told me, “Oh, sorry. Tomorrow. You can eat tomorrow.”! She did however get me a jelly sandwich about 5 minutes later, bless her heart. Both of our guides were really helpful throughout the entire 4 days and were very helpful. They made great food for breakfasts and suppers and were willing to answer any and all questions. The people on our tour were also wonderful. I believe everyone was between the ages of 19 and 30 with the majority being in their later 20s. Surprisingly to us, we were the only US Americans. The majority of the others were from Austrailia and the UK.
Some of the highlights of the Santa Cruz trek were seeing the turquoise colored lagoons, hiking all the way up and over a mountain range, seeing the exact mountain that is pictured at the beginning of every Paramount video production, witnessing an avalanche, and just getting to spend so much time outside each day (since we hiked between 5-9 hours a day and camped in tents) and seeing the sunrises and sunsets. It really is not possible to describe the beauty of la Cordillera Blanca and how wonderful of a time we had, so although photographs do not do it justice, they will have to take the place of words.
PART 2: AREEQUIPA
We spent some time in Arequipa, a lovely and well-organized city in southern Peru. Its organization was already apparent when we arrived in the bus terminal which seemed almost like an airport, with its various gates and shops inside. We stopped at iPeru, a helpful tourist booth, who actually asked us what we were looking for in a hostal, and then called ahead and got us a room. This was nice on their part, and the hostal, Bolognesi Haus, seemed nice at first, but turned out to not be quite so nice that night when were cold and could not shut the window but also did not wish to sleep under the dirty covers. Fortunately we left for a hike of the Colca Canyon around 3 am so did not have to sleep there the whole night.
Also during the day we visited the Santa Catalina convent which was almost like a city inside its tall red-painted walls. We spent nearly 3 hours walking around inside the monastery which had been made from volcanic rock. There were many bedrooms which each contained some sort of closet, arch, and alter. The kitchens with their old utensils and giant stone ovens were a sight to see!
PART 3: CAÑON DEL COLCA (THE COLCA CANYON)
The Colca Canyon is the 2nd deepest canyon in the world and barely shallower than the deepest which is very nearby. We spent 3 days hiking this canyon. Annie and I took one backpack along and took turns carrying it. Fortunately it got lighter and lighter, as we used up our water. We had 6.5 liters of water in the bag to begin our hike. The trail was extremely dusty, rocky and rugged, and as can be imagined, fairly steep. We descended to the bottom of the canyon and partway up on the first day. On the second day, we hiked around in the canyon visiting some villages there and getting the chance to see a little museum and learn about some of the plants and returned to the very bottom of the canyon where we stayed in an oasis. Also, our guide painted our faces with the juices of crushed insects. On the final day, we had the choice to rent a donkey or hike up on our own two feet. I decided to hike up and completed the climb just under 2 hours. We began our ascent just before six which was wonderful because those of us who were quick enough we able to hike most of the way in the shade but got to see the light of dawn as it painted the canyon walls. The colors of parts of the canyon and the agricultural terraces in its fingers were gorgeous with a large variety of colors.
PART 4: AREQUIPA (again)
When we arrived back from our canyon hike, we immediately began our search for a new hostel. We asked a police officer for advice specifying that we wanted a somewhat cheap hostel but that it must be clean and have heating. She pointed us off to one side of the plaza. With that, we walked along and every time we came to a hostel, we stopped inside and inquired about it. Finally we happened upon Hostal Regis (which was located only 2.5 blocks off of the Plaza de Armas). As we were climbing the marble staircase, with ornately carved wooden walls, I suggested to Annie that we not even continue going up them because it was surely out of our price range and with a little hesitation, we decided to proceed, because we were already there. As it turned out, their prices were quite reasonable, it was warm and clean . We were so excited to shower for the first time in several days and to get to sleep in clean and warm beds!
We decided to eat breakfast in the hostel and were sucked into the Peruvian Time Warp. Once again, as has happened many times throughout this semester, it did not seem as though much time had passed, when I checked the time and we realized we should have already been at the bus station. We grabbed our things, and hurredly paid the the woman working at the hostel and checked in our large bags. The we rushed down the stairs to catch a cab. Fortunately one drove by nearly immediately and offered us a fair price to the station. As we arrived and were getting out of the cab, we heard them announce that our bus was leaving. We raced to the counter, and panicked inside when the man, to whom we tried to give our tickets, told us that we would have to get our paper converted into proper tickets in order to get on the bus. Fortunately everyone was really helpful and kind and they helped us right away, while that man detained the bus so that we could make it. Close call! We love you, Cruz del Sur.
PART 5: LAGO TITICACA (LAKE TITICACA)
We also were able to travel to Lake Titicaca, the world’s highest navegable lake which forms a small part of the border between Peru and Bolivia. We were actually able to see snow-capped mountains belonging to Bolivia. The lake is supposedly the shape of a puma chasing a rabbit, which one can see with some imagination, but I don’t think it strongly resembles this shape.
Our tour of the lake and 3 islands took two days. First we went to the Floating Islands of the Uros, which have a neat history and it is pretty incredible that people live on islands made of reeds by adding a layer of reeds to the island every 3 weeks during the dry season and every 10 days during the wet season to ensure that the islands do not disappear. There are more than 50 floating islands which are anchored down by stones but can decide to cut their ties and relocate whenever they choose. I am impressed at how the islands were made, the amount of work to maintain them, and their history, but I didn’t enjoy them that much because they were so touristy and truth be told, if it weren’t for tourism they wouldn’t be around anymore and the people wouldn’t be there. Boats go to the city of Puno which is 0.5 hours away daily to bring supplies.
Isla Amantaní was the next island that we visited. It was formed many years ago by a volcano and its 5000 inhabitants continue to live a very traditional lifestyle. There is no computer on the island, nor are there any vehicles. The only way to go anywhere is to walk on the island, which is home to 10 communities and several dirt/rocky paths. We were able to stay with a host family on the island overnight. Our hostess, Ana, cooked for us. We had quinua soup and also a grain soup as well as different types of potatoes. During the afternoon we climbed to the center of the island where we were able to peak at the temple ruins and also were able to watch the sun go down on the lake. That evening we were surprised by a fiesta prepared by the local community for our group of tourists. They loaned us traditional outfits and some high school students played traditional instruments including the zampoña. It was incredible, absolutely beautiful. As we danced the room because a swirl of brilliant colors and the music gave it a mystic atmosphere, we even went outside and continued dancing around a bonfire, before returning to the warmth of the hall that we had previously been in.
The final island that we visited was Taquile. All the people on the island are known for their textile skills- the men for knitting and the women for weaving. The neat things about visiting this island is that we happened to get to see the children preparing for the independence day parade (July 28) and also we started ascending the island on one side and then got to descend the 530 steps to the port on the other side.
We then took another not so pleasant, excruciatingly hot and stuffy 6-hour bus ride back to Arequipa.
PART 6: AREQUIPA (once again)
We were able to spend our last 2 nights in Hostal Regis. It was lovely. The first night we paid for a room with a private bathroom, which also happened to have 4 beds (but they were just for us), wooden shutters for the windows and doors, and a balcony!
During our last day, we went to a museum about 4 mummies that were found in the Andes in Peru, the most famous of which is called “Juanita the Ice Princess.” It was really cool.
It was a great two-week trip and I can’t believe it’s over all ready.
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