Friday, March 5, 2010

Details






Ok, first off, i need to apologize for being long-winded. Combine my being an English major with the fact that my family says i didn't write enough last summer and you'll probably get some long posts....






Here goes some of the details that i didn't put in the last one. Sunday was basically a rest day. We took Austin to Cruz del Sur where he caught a bus for southern Peru before crossing into Chile. (He has since arrived safely even with all of the confusion from the earthquake). Trip to the supermarket gave me an idea of some of the foods of Peru. They have some strange stuff here, but i haven't had the opportunity to try too many different things. We haven't really eaten out much, and Senorita Marlene doesn't cook. She works most of the day, so Rita and i are typically on our own. That means fruits and vegetables... and rice. Fine though, i'm not complaining.






Monday we walked to La Catolica and saw the campus. It's beautiful!! Much bigger than Grove City, but that shouldn't be a problem. We basically roamed around for an hour before deciding that we had no idea which buildings our classes will be in. We did stumble upon the bookstore, from which i had a hard time leaving. Surrounded by Spanish books, the only thing i could think of was how many it would take before my suitcase would be too heavy on the way home. Since then, i've been to the campus every day to see Maria Elena, the coordinator of all the ISA stuff here at La Catolica. She is incredible! She has taken us to a few places, arranged meetings with families, and answered more questions than i can count. She's been incredibly helpful during this first week.




Tuesday Maria Elena treated Rita and i to lunch at the university. Wow, less than two dollars and more food than i could eat! There was a nice sized piece of chicken served with a potato and an entire plate of rice. There was also bread, a salad, and a dessert. Basically, Peruvians eat their biggest meal early (well, not early, more like 2)then dinner is much smaller around 9 or 10. She went with us to Miraflores... specifically Larcomar. Absolutely gorgeous!


The view, obviously, was incredible! Larcomar is filled with touristy restaurants and shops, all expensive. But there are also numerous parks along the shoreline... or above the shoreline is more like it. Maria Elena treated us again, this time to ice cream. Two flavors and it was no surprise what i chose. They had this wonderful stuff called coconut ice cream... pretty much awesome. Then they had even more wonderful stuff called pineapple ice cream. It doesn't get much better!
I also got to meet my host family yesterday. I don't think there will be any problems! Senor Maldonado and his son Daniel came to La Catolica and took Rita and I back to their home. Let's just say the house in huge! My room, (i have a choice of two, but haven't yet decided which one to take) is bigger than my room at home. And definitely bigger than a dorm room at GCC. To top it off, i don't have to share it with anyone, so i'm wondering what in the world to do with all the the space. Unfortunately, i don't have pictures yet, but i'll put some up on Sunday hopefully, when i move in. Back to the family... They are all so very willing to do anything i need... help me in any way. They speak at about 100 miles an hour so after three hours with them, my brain felt like it had taken in enough Spanish to last for months! The Maldonado family has another son(i have yet to meet him) and a daughter Denisse. She's 18 and i'm sure we're going to get along great! The mother is currently stuck in Spain... long story, but she won't be able to return until April 15. We had lunch with the Maldonado family (prepared by the maid... yeah, i have a maid for the next five months...). in truth, i will NOT go hungry, ever, in this house. There was sooo much food. I'm ridiculously excited for Sunday!!!!

3 comments:

  1. Sounds like you'll be making lots of great memories. Now don't get too used to having a maid. . . as you know, that's not how most of the world lives! Great hearing about your adventures. I hope you have fun, learn lots, and make an impact on those around you!

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  2. You have filled my mind with wonderful images. I could almost feel the ocean breeze and taste the sweet creaminess of the coconut and mango ice cream on my tongue. Isn't it amazing how far the dollar goes. Again you have made me envious of all the fruits and vegetables you will get to sample. I read your blog to Philip and Nathan as they played COD. They are happy that the "facilities" or el bano does not consist of a grocery bag:) I will give you updates on the happenings here on Sunday on the blog dedicated to you our Dear Raquel...

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  3. Hey Rachel!
    It sounds like you have a great set up there! The pictures are Beautiful! I'm so happy for you! :-)

    Mandy Reedy

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