time flys

Well, a few days I wrote an entry that was pretty boring and was going to send it pretty much every day this week, but something always got in the way. I either ran out of time, or the internet café I like the most was full of people and I didn’t have time to wait for a spot. But, luckily, now I have a LOT more interesting things to say and pictures to share!

This week was a little stressful for all of us because it was leading up to our Spanish entrevistas (interviews) out of which we will be places in a new Spanish class that focuses more on our programs. So in my case, I’ll be learning more vocab about the environment and things like that. Also, we were all seemed to have low energy because the repetition of 9-10 hour days of constant information was wearing all of us thing. But, luckily, interesting things happened to keep us stimulated! For example, another birthday! This time, the party planning committee had the birthday boy sit in front of our entire training class while someone in a giant chicken suit came in and danced for him. Always interesting with Peru 14! As for my interview, I was lucky to have a very sweet teacher that I love as my interviewer. However, right before I got really nervous. But I think I did pretty well, I talked a lot faster and a lost more fluid than the first one, with a few mistakes for sure, but I guess that is to be expected. However, I was mad at myself afterwards for not using a specific tense that we learned in my level class that I know really well that I should have demonstrated to my interviewer.

Thursday night my host Mom and I went to a get together at another family’s house with a volunteer. The Mom of that volunteer was making us hamburgers, fries and a traditional Peruvian dessert. The hamburgers were great! They had the fries in the bun, and 5 different types of sauces to put on the burger, including ketchup and mayonnaise. It was actually the first hamburger I have eaten in…. probably 5 or 6 years. It was good! And I didn’t get sick!

This Saturday, I had Peru’s famous ceviche for the first time. Because we are changing Spanish classes, a few of the teachers organized an outing to try it with a bunch of us after our classes in La Universidad de Agraria (because we would already be in Lima). If you don’t know what it is, it is raw fish on a plate covered in lemon/lime juices with slices on onion all around. I thought it would be weird or interesting and I was scared I wouldn’t like it, but fortunately, it was delicious! I actually really enjoyed it and tonight my host Mom is making it again. And, shockingly, I still have not had any major stomach problems. I will admit to minor ones, but nothing so serious that I had to stay home or had to talk to get medical help. But the best part of the day was getting to hang out with the Spanish teachers. It was great having them to find us ways home without getting ripped off and to argue with combi drivers for us.

Also this week, my host Mom showed me how to make my favorite dish, the beet and fish salad. Turns out it is REALLY simple and the only thing that requires cooking is the rice and boiling the vegetables. If you are interested I’d be happy to send you the recipe. Also with my host Mom this morning we went to the market. I have gone before, but this time I tried to take it in more instead of being overwhelmed. Markets in the outskirts of Lima are beautiful. There are colorful fruits everywhere, a million different kinds of potatoes. There are whole dead chickens hanging at every other corner and fish stands where the skin and shop up the fish right in front of you with bare hands. I watched with my host Mom as a little old woman expertly skinned, chopped, and gutted two entire fish for us… beginning with shopping off their heads. I also played with the live crabs sitting on the table with the fish. All the while, as usual, there are dogs wondering around in the market drawn to the smell of raw meat trying to find scraps on the ground. At one point today, a man stopped me and asked if I spoke English. I had my guard up at first, but felt ok cause my host family was around, but all he wanted was for me to help him translate a sheet of paper he had in English. It was actually fun and good practice for me to try to explain English phrases to him. It was difficult to explain the phrase “that’s far out!,” so I just told him it was slang and is about the equivalent to “chevre” or “cool” in Spanish.

I guess I will end with a party story. Last night there was a party across the street at my friend’s house. All the volunteers came from the other towns and we had a bonfire with s’mores, etc. Even better, my family didn’t give me a curfew because I was going to be so close! They said they would leave the door open for me! Being excited, I decided I didn’t really need to put the lock on my door that night because nothing every happens in my town (there is a guard at the entrance of the town) and I figured I didn’t want to misplace my key. So I put the lock on my door without latching it and, low and behold, my family noticed that right away. So when I got home around midnight (a whole hour later then I usually have to come home!) after having a great time, both of my host parents were still awake which was very unusual. I greeted them and asked them what was going on and they proceeded to tell me that they couldn’t sleep because I hadn’t locked my door and they were worried someone would break in and steal my computer or something and it would be their fault for not warning me. I felt SOOOO bad you wouldn’t even believe. I went to bed full of guilt.

Finally, next weekend I plan on making a traditional breakfast for my family! At first I was thinking of making my favorite combo of bread, cream cheese, avocado and scrambled eggs but someone recommended that I should make bacon. If any of you have recommendations for what to make, please let me know! I want to cook other meals for them at least a couple more times. Also, as usual, please send me updates about everything! I miss you all and looooove hearing from you every time!