Site Visits- The Real Fun Begins

So as many of you already know, this past week we Peru 15ers ventured our separate ways for a week of exciting site visits. First stop, the Lima bus station where I met my group of 4 fellow volunteers heading up to the beautiful Lambayeque.

I´ve gotten many-a location question (Dad, most of those were from you) so, once and for all, my site is called Bolivar. It is a very tiny town that may or may not be found on a map. Just a heads up, it is not the Bolivar that is apparently in Loreto, an eastern department of Peru. This Bolivar is located in Cajamarca but take not that I am not near the regional capital of Cajamarca which is Cajamarca City. Instead I am near Chiclayo. So, check out this map...

http://www.gotoperu.com/map-of-peru/

Find Region #3 (numbered in red), that is Lambayeque. Find Lambayeque´s regional capital, Chiclayo (in bold). From Lima, I took a bus to Chiclayo. This will be where I have regional meetings, meet up with volunteers when I´m lonely, run errands, use internet, etc. etc. I will likely visit Chiclayo every 2 weeks or so.

My site, however, is actually in Cajamarca so find region #4. That is Cajamarca. If you look at the map, start at Chiclayo and go east right over the border with Cajamarca that is, more or else, where Bolivar is located. Northwestern Peru, not super far from the coast but technically considered more like a sierra or foothills town.

Now that location is out of the way, let me get to the visit. Like I said, from Lima we took another 12 hour overnight busride up to Chiclayo where we met our PCVLs (Peace Corps Volunteer Leader), Susan and Mike. We got to know the city a little bit, had lunch together, and, as a night time treat went to see Inception in English. So good.

The next day we had our Dia de los Socios! or Counterpart Day. For this event two or three of the Peruvian locals that we will likely be working with in our sites, came to Chiclayo to meet us, have lunch together, and hear a little bit about what Peace Corps is and what they can expect from working with us. It was a little awkward and boring but overall nice to get to know my counterparts Jorge Luis and Julio. Got to get chat with them a little more that evening when I joined them and Mike, the volunteer I´m replacing, for pollo a la brasa. Amazing.

My fellow volunteers actually headed right out to their sites after Socio Day because they were all within half an hour to an hour of Chiclayo. I, on the other hand, had to wait for the following day to catch the one bus a day that drives the four hours up to Bolivar. So after enjoying a hot shower, an Earl Gray from Starbucks, and (would you believe it!?) Real Housewives of Atlanta on cable, I met Jorge Luis and we headed to the busstop.

So they said it was a long ride to Bolivar and, yes, that´s what I wanted but they really weren´t kidding. It is a LONG ride. Four and a half hours slammed into a passenger van like we´d take to field hockey games at Stone Ridge up a very windy, rocky, unpaved road to Bolivar. Considering that the cobrador (who takes your money) had to ride on the roof, however, I had a pretty comfy seat. They certainly do not do long voyages Vassallo style though. At least we are efficient. When the cobrador got out of the bus to help a lady carry her giant squashes right to her door, I knew I was in trouble...not to mention the fact that apparently Peruvians never have to pee because there were no, and I mean zero, bathroom breaks.

Anyways, after a long journey, a short nap, and a quick run to the bathroom, I was in Bolivar! I met Dave, my sitemate, who will be in Bolivar 6 more months finishing up his fishfarm. He was really helpful and introduced me to everyone. My new host family also seems very nice. A mother, father, two daughters, who were in Chiclayo so I haven´t met, and a son named Erwin who I hear will get annoying once he gets over being terrified to talk to me.

My new bedroom is huge but pretty much empty, paved floor, hay mattress, lotsss of dust, and, (Dad, you´ll love this!) a hammock. Around the corner from my bedroom is a bathroom with a real toilet that flushes and a shower. The rest of the family lives upstairs where there´s a big living room set up much like our living room was in the old day. Chairs, table, tv, all pressed against the walls with lots of room in the middle to play ¨Dodge the Beanie Baby!!!!!!!¨(said in a very dramatic announcery kinda voice.) The house is nice and clean, as clean as anything can be in dusty Bolivar, but very very simple. We have a small stove top and a spout with running water but the sink is just a plastic bucket. After washing dishes Rosa, my new host mom, dumps the water out the window.

There´s lots more about Bolivar that will be better explained in my pictures which I´ll put up on Facebook as soon as I can but while it´s still fresh in my mind I´ll give you a quick rundown of my first full day in Bolivar....

6:30am My alarm clock goes off so I can milk a cow with Rosa. I ignore it and go back to sleep.

6:45am My host mom apparently yells down to see if I´m coming to milk the cow. I change quickly and head down the hill with her and her sister and watch from afar while they milk two cows. They´re surprised when I tell them I like milk because other volunteers have said they don´t. When I realize they might make me drink the warm bucket of milk they´re carrying up the hill, I change my mind and say milk´s okay but I drink very little.

7:30am Breakfast with the fam- Rosa, host mom (40), Chito, host dad (45ish), Erwin, host brother (13), and Dave, my site mate. Fried eggs, boiled sweet potatoes, and coffee. Not bad.

8-10am Dave takes me on the rounds, meeting everyone who walks by. We also stop by the health post and meet the doctor, obstretician and nurse. We go to the municipality and meet the nice old ladies who work there. Visit the Instituto, a huge building that was made for college or continuing ed. classes but is, for now, almost completely empty and unused. We also visited the small zoo that was funded by a Peruvian university for no one is sure what purpose.

11-12pm I headed out on my own to explore a little, buy a yogurt, hang the family that Mike (the guy i´m replacing) used to live with. They have three girls who seem pretty pumped to have a female volunteer around.

12:30pm Headed back home and helped Rosa a little bit with lunch by chopping onions. For lunch we ate tons of rice, lentils, and chicken only about half of which I could eat. Chilled with the fam for a bit and tried to understand their very different and slightly mumbled accents.

1pm Walked with Dave up to the cemetary which is about 30 minutes away. There´s an amazing view of all of Bolivar from up there...you´ll have to wait for those pics for my next trip since I didn´t bring my camera on that walk. On the walk back met a woman and her daughter and helped them lug corn and sticks back from their chakra (or piece of farm land).

3pm Got back to Bolivar and went with Dave to open up the library where kids essentially only play video games on the computers.

3:30-5:30pm An unexpected but very much needed naptime!!!!

6pm Met up with a group of ladies who work in the Municipality who were heading down the hill to feed a pig. haha. Yup. We went out back of some lady´s house, fed the pigs for a few minutes, and then all sat on the ground and ate ¨sweet lemons¨...lemons that grow in her backyard but taste more like tasteless oranges than anything else. We chatted about Peace Corps, they talked a little bit about work and their pregnant bellies (2 of them have babies on the way), and we ate lots of lemons.

7:30pm Dinner with the fam. They don´t eat much dinner: rolls with some kind of cheese from Cajamarca. Pretty good. And cups of coffee (--Wait, Have I told you guys I drink coffee now?!?!?)

8:30pm Chatted and sat with the fam in the living room watching a Jackie Chan movie. Haha. I was trying to integrate.

9:30pm Said my goodnights then headed to my room where I sat in my hammock and tried to get as much of my day as possible into my journal.

10:30pm Zonked out. Day one in Bolivar complete!!

Well, that´s all for now! Enjoy the pics everyone! I´d love to hear from you all while I still have good internet access so keep the emails coming. Also, I´ll be changing my mailing address so if, by some chance, a care package is in the making save it until I send out the new address.

Anyway, I love you all and miss more you!!!! Thinking of you all the time!

Site Placements : )

So lots has happened since the last time I posted! First of all, a little shout out to the wonderful Lauren, artsy brainiac and technological whiz, who revamped my blog! Thanks, Laur! I literally could not have done that without you…literally.

Besides my new blog design, the big news is my site placement! Yes, I have been in Peru for two months and have only just figured out where I’ll be living for the next two years. So where will all you world travelers be visiting me this Christmas, you ask? The beautiful Bolívar, Cajamarca!

I am actually super lucky because, unlike most volunteers, I got the chance to visit my site during our Field Based Training two weeks ago. That means I’ve seen the town, met the volunteer I’m replacing and my new site mate, and even have some pics on facebook. The picture above shows some students from Bolívar’s only elementary school. If you want to see a couple more, check my facebook album “Field Based Ridiculousness” and I’ve commented on most of the pics of Bolívar.

So here’s the lowdown on Bolívar…

Location: Cajamarca, Peru which is a department in northern Peru. The closest city is actually Chiclayo, the regional capital of Lambayeque, a coastal department northeastern Peru. (Again, you guys might need a map.) By “closest city” I actually mean it’s four hours away in public transportation but possibly as little as 2½ hours in a taxi…Keep in mind, however, that there is a Starbucks in Chiclayo so after a few months of loneliness up in the sierra, that 4 hours may be worth the ride.

Size: Bolívar itself has a population of 550 which is made up of about 100 families. Super small but exactly what I asked for.

Amenities: I will have electricity, plumbing, and running water though it won’t be hot. There is, sadly, no cell service but there’s a community payphone that I can use and there is some kind of semi-reliable internet in town which means we’ll be skypin’ away, I hope!

The Volunteer Situation: I am actually Bolívar’s 4th volunteer (though allegedly communities can’t have more than 3 volunteers ever). The one I’m replacing is named Michael and he used a grant from the US army to build a library…a little intimidating? Yes. Michael just finished in Bolívar but there is also a volunteer named Dave who is building a fish farm and has six more months to finish up his project. So, at least while I’m settling in, I’ll have a site mate around who knows the lay of the land and speaks English and can help me figure out how to bring furniture from the regional capital. All of that I’m pretty excited about.

So that’s that. Bolívar is the place and tomorrow evening I’ll be heading off for a week long site visit to meet my community counterparts, get to know my host family, and start wrapping my mind around 2 years here in Peru. Then we’re back to Chaclacayo for a week of final language interviews, practice community diagnostic presentations, and, at last, our swearing in ceremony. Craziness!!!!!!

And while all that is going on here, be sure that I am wondering about all that’s going on at home too! Ah, to be crammed in the middle of a Penske truck’s front seat with Dad and Laur during the long trek up to Boston! Or to share a six-pack of cold beer with Mom while we sprawl out in the sweltering heat of NYC, putting together Ikea furniture piece by piece! Or, even better, to be chasing the Brennan children around Italy, a pastry in my hand, a latte in Megan’s!

So much amazingness! I know I’m missing plenty so please keep emailing! And posting ridiculous pictures of your daily lives on facebook. Those really make me feel at home and give me a good out loud laugh in my crowded internet café…gotta love the stares you get just for being a gringa!

Well, I love you all so so so much! And am exciting to bring back LOTS of pictures from my site visit. Thanks for reading, everyone!

Much love!!

Field Based Ridiculousness

So I´ve heard from a few select sources ( ahem...Megs and Laur) that the blog´s a hit but it just may be lacking a certain degree of comedy. I´m gonna try, my friends, but I assure you it is no easy task to make potatoes and guinea pigs funny over and over again. With that said, I´ll keep your requests in mind. Tone down the sap and pump up the humor. Anything for a laugh, right Laur?

For now, though, I´ll cover the basics. Here we are, mid 7th week in Peru (or Pay-rooo if your name is Annabelle Brennan), recently retruned from our first glimpse of the next 2 years, Field Based Training! Youth Development split into 3 groups of 11 or 12 trainees and with those groups we traveled to either (have your maps handy?) Cajamarca, Piura, or Lambayeque. There we visited the regional capitols and various volunteers in their sites.

I had the good fortune (maybe it was good) to visit Lambayeque with, as I said before, a comical grouping of Youth Development´s finest. Now I must admit that I had my reservations about many of my ¨campaneros.¨ In fact, many of these reservations may or may not have come out in arage during our long drive (if sitting completely still in a taxi for over an hour can be called a ¨drive¨) tothe bus station in Lima. But the mere sight of our luxury bus...I´m not kidding, this bus could have rivaled Megan´s 1st class flight to Italy...made me put my preoccupations aside and enjoy a sublime con galleta, an American movie dubbed in Spanish, and a few hours of sleep.

Once in Lambayeque we really had an amazing time. First to Chiclayo, the regional capital, where we went on a scavenger hunt to get to know the city, firmly grasping our purses all the time! With an Earl Gray tea from Starbucks, ceviche for dinner, and a hot shower (my 1st in Peru!) we got things off to the right start.

From there we were off to Puerto Eten and Cuidad Eten, coastal towns where we visited Elizabeth, our future Peace Corps Volunteer Coordinator. She introduced us to her high schoolers who were ¨going green¨in science class! Their clothes made from recycled materials could have easily been showcased in the WashU Fashion Show this fall!

Along the way we visited a few healthposts that would have amazed (or maybe horrified) Mom and Dad. We seriously have more prescription drugs in our house than these people have in their hospitals. Bring on the Z-packs.

From there we were on to Cayalti and ZaÑa, two more coastal sites where Peace Corps volunteers are working with special education, AIDS education, and lots more. In ZaÑa we visited Nicole, a volunteer who has started a tourist industry with a group of really impressive teenaged tour guides who led us through the first Afroperuvian Museum in the country and thenthrough the remains of historical churches and buildings all over town.

At last we visited my personal fave, Bolivar, a 4 hour drive from the regional capital along a rocky dirt road past fields of sugar cane and more greenery than I´ve seen yet in Peru. It was a beautiful drive tarnished only by my poor friend Kim barfing out the window along the way. Yikes.

In this town of a couple hundred we taught some elementary schoolers rock, paper, scissors, and visited the library that Mike, the Peace Corps volunteer finishing up his service there, built with a grant from the US Army. A really great project that has so much potential to get bigger and better with the help of Mike´s replacement volunteer.

Here they said that most elementary school teachers have only finished high school, if that! To think that Megs is going to teach Kindergarten with a bachelors in ed., 2 years of teaching experience, and a masters from Harvard! Meggsies, I know it´s gonna be tough but those kids are so crazy lucky to have you!!!! Believe it.

At Mike´s house I think we saw the most stereotypical Peace Corps living situation we´ve seen so far...except for that giant mural of the Disney princesses in the dining room. Not sure what that was about. But when a chicken walked past our table and right out to the door during lunch I think I breathed a sigh of relief. ¨So this is the Peace Corps!¨

All in all it was a great trip. Despite several people´s attempts to completely alienate the Peruvians around us with questions about ice for our drinks or heat during the winters (two things almost completely nonexistent in Peru), things went well. And despite my many somewhat judgemental reservations, I certainly came back really liking and appreciating everyone in my group for their many strengths.

I must say though that on my return to Chaclacayo I was ready for some me time and you know what that means (or at least Megs, Lu, and Dana do!)- a shopping spree! Sadly in Peru that means a visit to Plaza Veia and, Dad would love this, a total bill of $44. So after a month and a half in Peru what does a Peace Corps volunteer splurge on, you might ask? I´ll tell you:

A bottle of Dove shampoo, a notebook with a pig on the cover, a bottel of body wash, and a shower sponge with a rubber ducky on top. A bottle of drinkable yogurt, 10 slices of cheese, wheat crackers, and the luxury to beat all luxuries, a box of cereal.

Yes, I lead a wild and luxurious existence here in Peru but even that has not kept me from catching a cold. Nothing big- runny nose and cough which my host mom has assured me comes from the cold yogurt I drink in the morning. When you keep in mind that she also says corn flakes look and taste like dog food, however, you realize we have completely different understandings of food in general.

Anyways, I am now off to celebrate Fiestas Patrias!- Independence Day here in Peru which happens to coincide with the birthday of a certain party maniac who recently sent me a jar of peanut butter (thanks again for that!). Happy Birthday Mom!!!!!!!! Hope you have an amazing day!

I told Mom she should move to Peru so that she can always have a day off on her birthday to totally rage. She said she was gonna rage anyway and I believe her!

Have an extra margarita for me, Mama! I love you tons! Until next time, so much love to everyone!

Yesterday we made our first visit to the Peace Corps office in Lima. It was nice to switch up our schedule for the day and spend a little extra cash on a large fry from McDonald's (they really do taste just like they do at home!).

More importantly though we talked with the Youth Development director about our site preferences and needs. I think, like most people, I've always had a pretty set idea of what the Peace Corps would be - living in a shack with lots of alone time, no running water, and little or no contact with the "outside world."

During the past 5 weeks of training, they've pounded into our heads that there is no "right" way to rough it in the Peace Corps. At least in Peru there are urban sites and rural ones, sites with a hole for a toilet and sites with wifi. But yesterday we had our moment to give our two cents- a nice change from Peace Corps' usual "wait and see!" attitude.

So what did I ask for? Well basically I asked to be way out there working with teachers and schools in a small community. When I also tried to ask for a homestay without pets, my director laughed at me. "When you're all the way out there, the animals live right in the house with you," she said. And when she said animals she wasn't talking labrador retrievers, she was talking chickens and roosters, rabbits and, you guessed it, guinea pigs.

Not sure if I've mentioned this to anyone yet but no, it's not a stereotype or urban myth about Peruvians- they really do eat guinea pigs. The Avancenas would be outraged! Remember the pen of guinea pigs they used to have in their basement??

Anyways, they still can't (or won't) tell us just how much how preferences will be taken into account but, for better or for worse, that's what i asked for! I definitely had a moment afterward...maybe I'm still having it...of doubt. What did I just do to my next 2 years?

Living "way out there" in Peru isn't like renting an apartment in Brookline. Will there be running water? Will I be okay peeing in a hole? Will I get sick of listening to my own inner monologue and little else?

Maybe it won't matter what I asked for- maybe there's some swank inner city site already picked out for me. But, while I worry the Peace Corps will ignore my requests, I worry even more that they'll listen to them! This could be a wild two years.

For now though, we're off tomorrow to field based training in Lambayeque. There we'll visit volunteers in their sites and get a feel for Peace Corps life! Youth development is split into 3 groups for these trips and, God knows how, but I have ended up with a group of Peru 15's most notorious troublemakers, complainers, and pests. One big disfunctional family we will be! Add to that one 13 hour overnight bus ride, many possible trips to the beach, and lots of sublimes con galletas (the most amazing Peruvian candy bar out there) and there you have it- our 1st week in the field.

I'll try to call or post while I'm there but keep me in your thoughts and prayers! Watch out Lambayeque, here we come!

One Month Complete- The Many Nuances of Life in Peru

Well, it is official. It has been just over a month since I landed in Peru and in that time I have learned to love...and then hate...potatoes. I've discovered the joy of pollo a la brasa, learned to grab on quick on the bus so I don't fall out, and succeeded in keeping my host brother out of my bags. It has been a month jam packed Spanglish misunderstandings, cultural stereotypes (on all sides), 30 cent ice cream cones and pack after pack of galletas (cookies)! Yes it's true, slowly but surely I am encountering the many nuances of Peruvian life.

Nuance #1: No cold drinks.

Ice is nowhere to be found here in Peru which is lucky because, as Mom so kindly reminded me (Liz, I am a nurse!), I can’t drink the water here! But the ice shortage is more than a water issue. A few mornings ago I poured myself a bowl of cereal and topped it off with some cold milk from a box.

“You eat it like that?” my host mom asked mortified. “Won’t you get sick?”

No, I explained, in a lifetime of drinking cold beverages I have never gotten sick because of them. While it may not be true throughout the country, at least some Peruvians really do think cold drinks make you sick.

Nuance #2: The Formality of Solicitudes

It seems nothing gets done here in Peru unless you put it in writing! A solicitud it’s called- a formal letter requesting anything from space in the local community center to thirty minutes of a teacher’s time during the school day.

As part of training here, the youth development volunteers are running a mini-youth group mostly because it’s great practice. For our youth group, we needed to ask our neighborhood leader if we could use the community center or “local.” So I wrote up an old-fashioned solicitud filled with formalities and I prepared to meet with the neighborhood leader to plead my case.

My host mom came with me to hand over my solicitud and what I thought would be a sit down meeting with this man became a battle with 7 to 10 sccarey watchdogs outside his house.

“Angel!” my host mom yelled. “Angel!

When Senor Angel finally came out in his pajamas he took my solicitud, barely read it, and quickly passed over the keys to the local for me to copy. And just like that we were welcomed into the local where we happily found a whiteboard, desks, school supplies, and more.

Nuance #3: (And this may be exclusive not to life in Peru but to life with a 9 year old brother) Mario’s obsession with my love life.

Let's begin in the shower. Yes, the shower. So my entire host family is convinced that "a mi me gusta" (I like...) a neighboring male volunteer who shall remain nameless...okay, it's Rob. We're not actually in love so no need for discretion. Either way, my little brother Mario asks me 5 times a day who I like in our neighborhood and despite my protests he inevitably answers his own question- "Roberto!!!"- with a devilish smile.

Now the other evening, I was in the bathroom bathing myself with ice cold water from a bucket and what do I hear but Mario banging on the bathroom door.

"Liz! Liz!"

"Mario, I'm taking a bath," I said.

"Oh, you're taking a bath?" There was a pause. And then, "And Roberto? Where's he?"

Needless to say it's been a very interesting four weeks here in Peru and for the most part I am loving every bit of it. Hope you are all enjoying my facebook pics. I'll try to keep posting more! And calling when I can but I love you all! Thanks for the emails!

Congratulations, Ruthie! and Happy Birthday, Auntie Lorraine!

This past Saturday we Youth Development volunteers gathered early at our training center in preparation for our first trip to Lima. While we waited for the buses to arrive we chatted about all sorts of things: the wild rager I knew my Aunt Lorraine was preparing for at that very moment, the Starbucks in Lima we had heard so much about, and the pitiful six soles (cerca $2) they gave us for our trip into the city.

Well somehow we got to dogbites and I started talking about my friend from high school who had been bit in the face by a dog not once but twice! The dog bit right through her lip the one time, I said, but to this day she still loves dogs. ¨Pretty unbelievable,¨ I said before slowly realizing, ¨Actually, she´s getting married today.¨

It made me cry to think of Ruthie´s wedding day. (Ruth, if you´re reading this, Congratulations! I love you so much and am so so thrilled for you and Sean.) To imagine her waking up early to begin a day full of nail and hair appointments, rituals, and toasts and tears. I cried mostly because I always cry at weddings and I was just so thrilled for her to finally be marrying Sean. But I cried too because, for a second, I realized everything that´s going on back at home that I´m missing.

Things here are so busy. We have hours of language class, followed by hours of training workshops followed by hours devoted to following the crazy lives of my host family. After an episode of Glee enjoyed in the comfort of my bed and layers and layers of clothing, I´m exhausted! It´s a total blessing that we´re so busy because there´s hardly time to imagine everything that´s happening at home...Ruthie´s wedding, Aunt Lorrainie´s bash, even just late-night chips and queso after Molly´s inevitably belated arrival to the Cape.

There´s so much to miss! But so much to enjoy here too. Today, a day off for the festival of St. Peter and St. Paul, I woke up early, snuck out of my house and went hiking with a whole bunch of great volunteers. After sweating it out, we reached a spot way up high from which you could see below a design carved right into the ground that looked like a snake. A design supposedly made by the Incas however many thousands of years ago.

After apples and water we climbed back down, hopped on a combi, and made it back home safe and sound. The second I walked into the door of my Peruvian home, ready to lay down and take a nap, I could tell my family had an entirely different idea. ¨Vamos, Liz!¨ they said. We were off to Chosica, who knows why. So I quickly showered, and I use that term loosely, changed into the only skirt I brought to Peru, and all six of us slammed into the family´s little Volkswagen Bug.

Packed in the back with the three little brothers I never had, I watched as we passed dry rocky mountains, a bridge they call Los Angeles and a town they call California on our way to Chosica. There we found a two story restaurant selling Pollo a la Brasa aka heaven on earth- Peru´s answer to Whole Food´s rotisserie chicken. For just about $20, we shared an entire rotisserie chicken, an enormous bottle of Inca Cola (yes, it´s called Inca Cola), two salads, a huge basket of amazingly greasy french fries and, don´t forget, four pieces of cake.

If there is anything we will have to do when you all come to visit me here in Peru it is most definitely eat Pollo a la Brasa. I know that seems a ways off but before you know it, we´ll all be together again! And I´ll have so much more than just chicken to share with you all.

So much love everyone! Congratulations, Ruth! Happy Birthday, Aunt Lorraine! And Congratulations Aunt Lorraine and Uncle Anthony!

Enjoy the cape kiddies...enjoy an extra jar of queso for me and don´t go to bed until your teeth are purple! XOXOXO

Ceviche, Pollo, and Cereal, Oh my!

Sunday I had my first plate of ceviche! (Told ya so, Mom!) My host parents, Susan and Cesar, drove me in their little Volkswagon Bug to Chosica, one of the biggest towns in the area. There we met Susana's father, two younger sisters, brother-in-law, and nephew. Together we made our way through a market packed with people selling everything from cheap plastic flip flops, to cell phones to every kind of vegetable and fruit you have ever sen and many you have not.

After a short walk we came to a small restuarant (I don't think I would have known it was a restaurant on my own) set up more like a bar with stolls full of people eating what I called lunch and Susana called breakfast because it was so early (11:30am). After Cesar ordered us seven plates of ceviche and seven glasses of chica morada, we went up a small staircase to an arrow dining room lined with stools. Seated together in a row on the side of the restuarant overlooking the market, we could see through the gaps in the tin roofs below, below moving busily from one shop to the next.

The ceviche was delicious although I was a bit concerned about how my stomach would take it considering the million reminders we've received that we can and will get sick at some point during our time in Peru. The chicha morada was also pretty good- a drink made with choclo morado, a kind of corn with big purple kernels. A mix between gingerale and grape soda, it eased the sting when I accidentally ate a tin piece of super hot pepper. "Se pica," they say of anything spicy.

After lunch, we went to Plaza Veia which is something like a Kmart selling clothes, shoes, electronics, and food of all kinds. Sunday must be a big shopping day in Peru...like payday at the Walmart in Gallop, New Mexico. "Un mar de gente," they say - a sea of people. There was standing room only in this mega-grocery store, not to mention (Lu, I knew you would appreciate this!) a line of maybe 50 people waiting for pre-cooked rotisserie chicken. It seems that some things are the same worldwide. Yum.

I myself did a little shopping hoping to supplement my current diet full of bologna sandwiches for breakfast and potatoes and more potatoes for lunch and dinner. I bought some fruit, some veggies, a few yogurt drinks, and yes, cereal!! Keep in mind that cereal here costs about as much as it does in the US which, in comparison to the prices of every other food here, is completely unheard of! Ceviche for all seven of us cost about $20 so a $5 box of cereal is a bit excessive. Everyone teased me that I must have tons of money to buy a box of cereal but it'll be worth it if I don' t gain 20 pounds like I did in Chile...and South Africa. haha.

Anyways, I'm off to bed. I have hours of Spanish class and tons of potatoes awaiting me tomorrow. But I hope everyone's enjoying my little blog! I'll try to keep it interesting!

I miss you all sooo sooo much and hope to talk to you soon. Dad, Happy Father's Day again! Hope you had a great day.

So much love!