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.
