Jinxed and Blessed
9.2.2015 Wednesday
People, you can jinx yourself. Beware.
As fate would have it, though I predicted my Peruvian life to be routine and mellow, the last week has proven it to be the opposite, in a very good way.
Last Friday, we had the opportunity to visit downtown Lima with Daniel for the first time. Though we weren't there very long, it was still great to get our first glimpse of the world's second largest desert city (the largest: Cairo, Egypt). We walked through the plazas, saw the Palacio del Gobierno, and even tried Emoliente, a traditional medicinal Peruvian drink served hot that dates back to the colonial times. It's basically fancy tea served in a plastic cup from street vendors. I approve.
While walking, Daniel explained to us that in the "tourist zones" we need to be cautious as many vendors will try to sell us drugs as they expect that is what all white people want. So that was fun. I mean, it's not like we don't have those things in Colorado... not that I would know. Obviously.
On Saturday, we went to La Punta with Irvin, one of the other English teachers at the school. This was our second time there, but it was still gorgeous and fun to spend the day walking along the beach getting to know a new friend.
Later in the day, we hopped on a bus to go to Irvin's house to cook some Peruvian cuisine. It was a long and sometimes messy process (I won't name names, but someone may have burnt some of the fries because they got distracted picking out music... Ahem. Irvin. Ahem.) but all-in-all I'd say it was a pretty good first attempt at Peruvian cooking. I mean, the final product looks yummy right?!
Irvin rode in a taxi with us back to our apartment and, not long after, Daniel picked Kelsey and I up to head to his friend's house. This, was Snap Chat worthy. Our first night out!
We spent the night eating, drinking wine, and talking with some of Daniel's friends that he's known since high school. After our long day, Kelsey and I were tired which made it even more difficult to understand all of the friends' quick banter, but it was very comical and fun and we even egged them on a bit as they made fun of Daniel. We're such lovely and kind guests.
Sunday was relaxing and more routine. We went to church, relaxed in the afternoon, and then enjoyed dinner out with the family in the evening.
This week, Colegio B, the school, is operating on a shortened schedule because the students are currently taking exams. This worked out in our favor as we didn't go to school neither yesterday nor on Monday. Instead, Kelsey and I enjoyed both of our days off at the mall.
On Monday, we were dropped off at the mall in the morning and spent our time exploring. Though there are slight differences between the Peruvian mall and the good old Orchard Town Center back home, malls are malls. However, I did buy a skateboard (for $8! - Like, wow.) and am thrilled, though mostly nervous, to attempt to check another item off of my bucket list! Let's just hope that I didn't fly all the way to Peru just to break my arm.
Tuesday, we wound up back at the mall, this time with Daniel's family, doing the monthly grocery store run. When you're feeding upwards of twelve people for almost every meal, the shopping list is lengthy. We filled six carts and spent around $600 when all was said and done. And that's not including meats and fruits!
"We gon' eat all dis?" asked Kelsey's face.
Today, we finally went back to school, but not until 10:00 a.m. Sleeping in is oh so nice. I highly recommend it.
At school, we worked on lesson plans for the third trimester (Yup, you read that right. School's operate on a trimester system here.) and attended a presentation on possible new English workbooks. Kelsey and I both really like the suggested workbooks and hope that the school will buy them, though I don't think we would begin using them for several months even if they were purchased. The current workbooks aren't the best and Kelsey and I aren't exactly fans of the current lesson plan models and methods... but we'll learn to work with it.
After our work was done (Well, kinda. We left the presentation early.), we went with Berli, Daniel's niece, to Minka, another mall/marketplace (We're not addicted to shopping. Promise!) to buy office supplies. This, is one of life's greatest joys as teachers. Just look at our faces!
Unfortunately, while there, we saw a fight between a man and his girlfriend or wife. Honestly, I don't know what happened, but I heard yelling and looked over to see this guy with his hands on this lady's head. Whether he was pulling her hair or hurting her, I genuinely don't know. Thankfully, police intervened immediately and the plaza had quieted again in less than a minute. Kelsey and I were relieved to hear from the vendor that we were buying from that this type of occurrence is not normal. Still, so disturbing to see...
But other than that chaos, things are good! Sometimes, there are awkward moments, like at the dinner table when the language barrier makes it difficult to hold a conversation or to know what to say, but that's part of the experience! We're still enjoying it, even if some things are strange to us and even if we cringe as we crawl through the uncomfortable situations.
I cannot express how thankful I am to have Kelsey here to chime in when I can't think of the words I want to say in Spanish, to be the other gringa in the room full of Peruvians, to watch Netflix with me snuggled up under blankets on one of our beds, to give me a weird look that makes us both bust out laughing, to be my workout buddy, and to discover a whole new world with me.
It's one thing to travel somewhere for a week. It's a completely different thing to live there.
I'm so blessed that I get to live here with my Travel Buddy.
People, you can jinx yourself. Beware.
As fate would have it, though I predicted my Peruvian life to be routine and mellow, the last week has proven it to be the opposite, in a very good way.
Last Friday, we had the opportunity to visit downtown Lima with Daniel for the first time. Though we weren't there very long, it was still great to get our first glimpse of the world's second largest desert city (the largest: Cairo, Egypt). We walked through the plazas, saw the Palacio del Gobierno, and even tried Emoliente, a traditional medicinal Peruvian drink served hot that dates back to the colonial times. It's basically fancy tea served in a plastic cup from street vendors. I approve.
On Saturday, we went to La Punta with Irvin, one of the other English teachers at the school. This was our second time there, but it was still gorgeous and fun to spend the day walking along the beach getting to know a new friend.
The #followmeto project continues.
Plus, I got to show off my new mirror. Fancy, huh?
Sunday was relaxing and more routine. We went to church, relaxed in the afternoon, and then enjoyed dinner out with the family in the evening.
This week, Colegio B, the school, is operating on a shortened schedule because the students are currently taking exams. This worked out in our favor as we didn't go to school neither yesterday nor on Monday. Instead, Kelsey and I enjoyed both of our days off at the mall.
On Monday, we were dropped off at the mall in the morning and spent our time exploring. Though there are slight differences between the Peruvian mall and the good old Orchard Town Center back home, malls are malls. However, I did buy a skateboard (for $8! - Like, wow.) and am thrilled, though mostly nervous, to attempt to check another item off of my bucket list! Let's just hope that I didn't fly all the way to Peru just to break my arm.
Eight bucks and it's even cute.
At school, we worked on lesson plans for the third trimester (Yup, you read that right. School's operate on a trimester system here.) and attended a presentation on possible new English workbooks. Kelsey and I both really like the suggested workbooks and hope that the school will buy them, though I don't think we would begin using them for several months even if they were purchased. The current workbooks aren't the best and Kelsey and I aren't exactly fans of the current lesson plan models and methods... but we'll learn to work with it.
After our work was done (Well, kinda. We left the presentation early.), we went with Berli, Daniel's niece, to Minka, another mall/marketplace (We're not addicted to shopping. Promise!) to buy office supplies. This, is one of life's greatest joys as teachers. Just look at our faces!
Sheer joy.
But other than that chaos, things are good! Sometimes, there are awkward moments, like at the dinner table when the language barrier makes it difficult to hold a conversation or to know what to say, but that's part of the experience! We're still enjoying it, even if some things are strange to us and even if we cringe as we crawl through the uncomfortable situations.
I cannot express how thankful I am to have Kelsey here to chime in when I can't think of the words I want to say in Spanish, to be the other gringa in the room full of Peruvians, to watch Netflix with me snuggled up under blankets on one of our beds, to give me a weird look that makes us both bust out laughing, to be my workout buddy, and to discover a whole new world with me.
It's one thing to travel somewhere for a week. It's a completely different thing to live there.
I'm so blessed that I get to live here with my Travel Buddy.
Ciao!
"As with any journey, who you travel with can be more important than your destination."
.
Una aventura es más divertido cuando se comparte con una amiga.
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