This weekend I went to Lunahuaná with about 20 other exchange students. It was a lot of fun, although most of our activities were fairly short do to a lack of time and also because as the tourism industry goes, they gave us enough of each thing to enjoy the activity, but not enough for those who really don't like certain activities to detest them. I was so happy to be in the country, to breath fresh air, and to see and hear sounds of nature rather traffic.
Lunahuaná is located to the south of Lima in vinyard country. It is actually very interesting because the village is located in a valley near a river and is a stark contrast to the desert around it. In the valley everything is green and lush, but all around is a difinitive line where between desert and vegetation. In the desert literally nothing grows...there are no cacti, nothing. I am in awe that so much land (mountains) can be so naked. We got to visit 2 family own businesses where they grew their own grapes, smashed them, and turned them into wines and piscos without adding any preservatives or other flavors. It was very interesting.
My favorite activities included going white water rafting, going hiking, and going mountain biking, although...the latter seemed much more fun when it was over than while I was doing it. The white water rafting took place in the river on whose banks our hotel was situated. We hiked to some pre-columbian ruins 2 different times and also saw 4 ancient pathways. On one of the hikes, we got to cross the river on a rickety board connected to a zip-line. That was fun...kind of reminded me of an Indianna Jones escapade.
The biking was just rediculous...not because it was physically strenuous, but because it was terrifying. I didn't care about having to ride the bike up the side of a mountain, but some of the narrow paths we took the bikes on should not be used for anything but walking. (Only 2 of us went mountain biking because we preferred not to ride horses). Some of the paths were barely wide enough for the handle bars if one did not want to be clutched by grape vines or drive over the edge to 5-10 foot drop-off or fall into a river. There were hole that bike tires could get stuck in and also narrow rocks or boards that we were supposed to carefully maneuver our bikes across. Needless to say, Maya and I walked our bikes in a few places and definitely laughed a lot at the end of the journey out of sheer relief that we were done and that we survived. That is one thing that is funny looking back on, but I wouldn't do again.
All in all, it was an enjoyable and refreshing weekend. We're back at classes now, but only until tomorrow :)
Tuesday, March 30, 2010
Monday, March 22, 2010
Matriculation for classes
Monday I matriculated for classes. It was quite the ordeal. Regular semester classes began at "La Católica" last week on Monday. They have an interesting method of registration for foreigners. There are aproximately 250 foreign students who study at La Catolica. We could not register at the same time as the other students. During the first week of classes we had to go to classes, but were not registered.
Because there are a limited number of spots available in various classes, we had to attend many classes that were possibly interesting in order to find classes that we thought we would like to take. That is where it becomes tricky. After observing some classes, it becomes immediately apparent whether or not one wishes to continue with it.
On Monday we had to register. If we didn't get into the classes that we visited, then we had to choose other classes and were automatically a week behind... which would be hard enough in the USA but becomes increasingly more difficult here. Spots in classes are given on a first-come first-serve basis.
Registration was supposed to begin at 9:00 am, but like most things it began 15 minutes late. I went to wait for registration at 6:45 am in hopes that I could get into classes that I wanted to take. I was #36. There were students who went at 5:30 am! Rediculous...that there isn't a different method.
I got into only one class that I hoped for. My classes include Spanish, Peruvian Social Reality, Film, and Anthropology of Language and Society. As the weeks go on, I'm sure I'll come to understanding more about how the university works. Right now, it is still a bit confusing as the method of teaching, of learning, and definitely using the library are different.
Because there are a limited number of spots available in various classes, we had to attend many classes that were possibly interesting in order to find classes that we thought we would like to take. That is where it becomes tricky. After observing some classes, it becomes immediately apparent whether or not one wishes to continue with it.
On Monday we had to register. If we didn't get into the classes that we visited, then we had to choose other classes and were automatically a week behind... which would be hard enough in the USA but becomes increasingly more difficult here. Spots in classes are given on a first-come first-serve basis.
Registration was supposed to begin at 9:00 am, but like most things it began 15 minutes late. I went to wait for registration at 6:45 am in hopes that I could get into classes that I wanted to take. I was #36. There were students who went at 5:30 am! Rediculous...that there isn't a different method.
I got into only one class that I hoped for. My classes include Spanish, Peruvian Social Reality, Film, and Anthropology of Language and Society. As the weeks go on, I'm sure I'll come to understanding more about how the university works. Right now, it is still a bit confusing as the method of teaching, of learning, and definitely using the library are different.
Villa El Salvador
On Saturday, I had the opportunity to go on a tour to a "pueblo joven" named Villa El Salvador. Los pueblo jovenes are the shanty towns that have sprung up around Lima. Villa El Salvador has won many awards an city's world-wide have used its methods of organization as models for their own.
This town began in 1971 when people invaded unoccupied land near Lima after being left with nothing due to an earthquake. There was absolutely nothing on the land before just barren desert. They claimed the land and built homes on it. It now has a population of 400,000 people after only 39 years!
Though remarkable changes have occured in Villa El Salvador, it is still a very impoverished place. There is a little bit of landscaping, but not much. Water is extremely expensive and scarce. The majority of the roads are sand. Actually our bus got stuck in the sand, and some children helped to shovel us out. Communal living is definitely a way of life there.
The tour was extremely intereting and gave me another perspective on Lima.
This town began in 1971 when people invaded unoccupied land near Lima after being left with nothing due to an earthquake. There was absolutely nothing on the land before just barren desert. They claimed the land and built homes on it. It now has a population of 400,000 people after only 39 years!
Though remarkable changes have occured in Villa El Salvador, it is still a very impoverished place. There is a little bit of landscaping, but not much. Water is extremely expensive and scarce. The majority of the roads are sand. Actually our bus got stuck in the sand, and some children helped to shovel us out. Communal living is definitely a way of life there.
The tour was extremely intereting and gave me another perspective on Lima.
Monday, March 8, 2010
Wedding
This weekend I returned to Chiclayo for Ruben (my former host cousin)'s wedding. The bus ride there and back each were a little over 12 and a half hours. The bus ride along the Pan-American Highway has far-from-exciting scenery. During the hours of light, much of what I saw was desert...baren brown dirt flat as far as the eye can see, or brown dunes. Nevertheless, it was definitely worth the ride, because it was a lot of fun seeing everyone from my last host family again.
Typical clothing for weddings here are similar to prom or homecoming clothing, so I went with my host cousins to the market where we rented dresses, bought shoes, and got pedicures and manicures. It was quite the ordeal. I am continually amazed at what the markets have to offer.
After the church wedding at 8 pm on Saturday, we all went to the reception. At the reception we awaited the bride and grooms arrival. They were greeted with a bell of rose petals (similar to a piñata) opening up and falling gently on them. It was lovely. Apparently it is also often tradition to have a bell of small coins shower them with monetary luck/blessing.
They paraded around the hall a few times. Then they danced a waltz together before each member of the family danced with them. Then various family members wished them the best. There was a live band playing the music for dancing (mostly merengue, cumbia, and salsa music). We began to eat. During the meal, a man announced each guest giving a short biographical description.
We danced all night until five am. It was a lot of fun. From 2:30-3:30 am was the Hora Loca ("crazy hour"). During this time, it really was crazy. People had balloons, whistles, crazy hats, large foam-like ties, glow sticks, and other such things. The music played without stopping and there were two people on stilts dressed as a bride and groom who came danced and kept things riled up.
Afterwards, many people went to my host family's house to sleep. After very few hours we got up and ate all day. In the evening I left on my bus ride to make it back for class in Lima this (Monday) morning.
Typical clothing for weddings here are similar to prom or homecoming clothing, so I went with my host cousins to the market where we rented dresses, bought shoes, and got pedicures and manicures. It was quite the ordeal. I am continually amazed at what the markets have to offer.
After the church wedding at 8 pm on Saturday, we all went to the reception. At the reception we awaited the bride and grooms arrival. They were greeted with a bell of rose petals (similar to a piñata) opening up and falling gently on them. It was lovely. Apparently it is also often tradition to have a bell of small coins shower them with monetary luck/blessing.
They paraded around the hall a few times. Then they danced a waltz together before each member of the family danced with them. Then various family members wished them the best. There was a live band playing the music for dancing (mostly merengue, cumbia, and salsa music). We began to eat. During the meal, a man announced each guest giving a short biographical description.
We danced all night until five am. It was a lot of fun. From 2:30-3:30 am was the Hora Loca ("crazy hour"). During this time, it really was crazy. People had balloons, whistles, crazy hats, large foam-like ties, glow sticks, and other such things. The music played without stopping and there were two people on stilts dressed as a bride and groom who came danced and kept things riled up.
Afterwards, many people went to my host family's house to sleep. After very few hours we got up and ate all day. In the evening I left on my bus ride to make it back for class in Lima this (Monday) morning.
Tuesday, March 2, 2010
Lima
On Thursday evening I left Chiclayo for Lima. It was a long trip since my flight was delayed twice and then I had to take a taxi for more than one and a half hours to the hotel from the airport. We (approximately 20 US students) had orientation at a hotel in Miraflores until Sunday. On Sunday, we met our host families.
I am living with a really sweet woman named Blanca in Miraflores. Each day I must take the combis or micros to and from school. It takes about an hour in each direction. I'm pretty excited that I've managed to navigate the system without getting lost. The combis are crazy because there is no space and they pack everyone in like sardines and have certain people who they pay on the streets to tell them if they should speed even more or slow down to get more passengers so that they can outdo their competitors and also these people warn them where the police are stationed. In both the combis and the micros, it is necessary to hold onto something tightly in order to maintain balance and not knock anyone else over and also to prevent oneself or someone else from falling out of the often open door. They are crazy! I'm so thankful I'm not any taller, so that at least I can stand in the micros without having to crouch the whole time.
We started intensive Spanish classes yesterday. They will last for 2 weeks. Then we will begin our regular semester. It is really hard to sit through classes all day....I don't know how I did it in elementary and high school!
So far, Lima seems much to be much better than I had imagined.
I am living with a really sweet woman named Blanca in Miraflores. Each day I must take the combis or micros to and from school. It takes about an hour in each direction. I'm pretty excited that I've managed to navigate the system without getting lost. The combis are crazy because there is no space and they pack everyone in like sardines and have certain people who they pay on the streets to tell them if they should speed even more or slow down to get more passengers so that they can outdo their competitors and also these people warn them where the police are stationed. In both the combis and the micros, it is necessary to hold onto something tightly in order to maintain balance and not knock anyone else over and also to prevent oneself or someone else from falling out of the often open door. They are crazy! I'm so thankful I'm not any taller, so that at least I can stand in the micros without having to crouch the whole time.
We started intensive Spanish classes yesterday. They will last for 2 weeks. Then we will begin our regular semester. It is really hard to sit through classes all day....I don't know how I did it in elementary and high school!
So far, Lima seems much to be much better than I had imagined.
Monday, February 15, 2010
Pyramids
Last week on Wednesday, I took a tour to visit the Tombs of the Mochica including a priest and the Lord of Sipán, a few museums, Lambayeque, and Tucume- the site of 26 adobe pyramids on about 50 acres of land. It was a great tour. Our group was 16 made up of five Chileans, 1 Spaniard, 2 Limeños, 3 people from Arequipa, and some Ecuadorans plus the guide and the driver.
We first went to Huaca Rajada, the site of 9 layers of Tombs. It was very interesting seeing the work that was done to excavate the tombs and the discoveries they made. The guide did an excellent job of explaining what was in the tombs and why and how it was possible to identify certain things. A tomb with a skeleton and a chalice in the right hand means that the tomb belongs to a priest. The Lords were buried with their prime wife, 1 or 2 concubines, a dog, soldiers, a llama, jewels, and decorative pots. the oldest lord was found with more than 2000 clay pots shaped like men and much ornate jewelry. His riches were mostly of copper, while the more recent lord was buried with gold and silver.
Afterwards we went to the city of Lambayeque, where we ate at a very nice restaurant, and I ordered something without rice, since we eat rice for every other meal. We then saw the cathedral and visited Tumbes Reales museum where we learned more about the Mochica and their history.
We then departed towards Tucume to see the pyramids. Along the way we were slowed up by a procession of people for one of the Virgins, highly regarded in this region. Once at Tucume we visited another museum, saw many large poisonous spiders on some cacti, and then got to hike half-way up one of the pyramids. This was my favorite part of the tour. The view from the pyramid was incredible. Pictures do not do it justice. It was so peaceful and the breeze was welcome. From the pyramid we could see many of the other pyramids as well as sugar cane fields, palm trees, banana trees, and rice fields for miles around.
On the way back, it took us 3 hours for what should have taken less than 45 minutes because of the chaos caused by people not abiding by the rules of the road and creating massive traffic jams in attempts to get around the people who were part of the procession. Oh the joys of traffic here =)
We first went to Huaca Rajada, the site of 9 layers of Tombs. It was very interesting seeing the work that was done to excavate the tombs and the discoveries they made. The guide did an excellent job of explaining what was in the tombs and why and how it was possible to identify certain things. A tomb with a skeleton and a chalice in the right hand means that the tomb belongs to a priest. The Lords were buried with their prime wife, 1 or 2 concubines, a dog, soldiers, a llama, jewels, and decorative pots. the oldest lord was found with more than 2000 clay pots shaped like men and much ornate jewelry. His riches were mostly of copper, while the more recent lord was buried with gold and silver.
Afterwards we went to the city of Lambayeque, where we ate at a very nice restaurant, and I ordered something without rice, since we eat rice for every other meal. We then saw the cathedral and visited Tumbes Reales museum where we learned more about the Mochica and their history.
We then departed towards Tucume to see the pyramids. Along the way we were slowed up by a procession of people for one of the Virgins, highly regarded in this region. Once at Tucume we visited another museum, saw many large poisonous spiders on some cacti, and then got to hike half-way up one of the pyramids. This was my favorite part of the tour. The view from the pyramid was incredible. Pictures do not do it justice. It was so peaceful and the breeze was welcome. From the pyramid we could see many of the other pyramids as well as sugar cane fields, palm trees, banana trees, and rice fields for miles around.
On the way back, it took us 3 hours for what should have taken less than 45 minutes because of the chaos caused by people not abiding by the rules of the road and creating massive traffic jams in attempts to get around the people who were part of the procession. Oh the joys of traffic here =)
Monday, February 8, 2010
Rain...
Thursday night it rained for the first time...but not very much. I think it was almost a mist because water was not sitting anywhere, everything was just damp and the sidewalked were extremely slick like ice. Everyone was talking about how much it had rained and I was thinking to myself, ¨Wow! This is great, if this is what it´s like when it rains, I can definitely live with this¨...but then I found out otherwise.
On Friday night it began to rain and it rained all day on Saturday and into the night. Now, this was not a heavy, pouring-cats-and-dogs kind of rain; it was a light rain. In Nebraska, it would have been a welcomed rain in the summer, but I hope I don't see rain again here. Since Chiclayo, is in the desert and it rarely rains, the city is not prepared for any rain. The city is flat and almost no earth can be found because buildings and pavement are everywhere. There are no gutters and everyone has flat roofs. To make things worse, homes are open in the center without roofs, and there is dust blowing everyday that it doesn't rain.
Needless to say the city flooded, even though it was probably only 1/2 inch of rain. We spent the day and part of the night sweeping rain into pitchers and a dust pan, pouring them into a tub and siphening the water down onto the already flooded streets off of the roof/top floor of the house, and also out of the main floor where water came because of a lack of a roof. Quite frankly it was disgusting sloshing through the dirty water, running our hands along the grainy cement. I really hope it doesn't rain again. The stench is awful. Who would have thought that so little rain could become such a problem!
On Friday night it began to rain and it rained all day on Saturday and into the night. Now, this was not a heavy, pouring-cats-and-dogs kind of rain; it was a light rain. In Nebraska, it would have been a welcomed rain in the summer, but I hope I don't see rain again here. Since Chiclayo, is in the desert and it rarely rains, the city is not prepared for any rain. The city is flat and almost no earth can be found because buildings and pavement are everywhere. There are no gutters and everyone has flat roofs. To make things worse, homes are open in the center without roofs, and there is dust blowing everyday that it doesn't rain.
Needless to say the city flooded, even though it was probably only 1/2 inch of rain. We spent the day and part of the night sweeping rain into pitchers and a dust pan, pouring them into a tub and siphening the water down onto the already flooded streets off of the roof/top floor of the house, and also out of the main floor where water came because of a lack of a roof. Quite frankly it was disgusting sloshing through the dirty water, running our hands along the grainy cement. I really hope it doesn't rain again. The stench is awful. Who would have thought that so little rain could become such a problem!
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