Ica, Nazca, and the General Adventures

My group in the sand dunes.

Oasis of Huacachina

My second week of classes is over, and I am using my long weekend to rest and recuperate.  This week has been an exciting, yet tiring week.  To start off, last weekend I decided to go on a road trip to southern Peru to Ica and Nazca with friends from my study abroad group.  It was a blast!  We woke up at 4:30 AM on Friday morning to catch the early bus out of Lima.  The bus was very nice, but the ride was definitely long.  Around noon we arrived in Ica where we had made reservations to go sandboarding.  When I first heard about sandboarding I thought that it was just going to be on some random small dunes in the desert, but oh how I was wrong!  After dropping our stuff off at our hostel in Ica, the group drove to Huacachina where we were going to meet the dune buggy for our excursion.  The landscape immediately changed from a flat, rocky desert floor to humongous sand dunes that made you feel as if you had been transported to the middle east.  Then after we round one of the sand dunes, we suddenly come upon an oasis.  It was one of the coolest sites of the trip.  We quickly got connected with our buggy and once everyone had gotten strapped in, the driver took us up into the sand dunes. I feel like a more appropriate name for the is the sand mountain range.  The ride was crazy, like the Indiana Jones ride at Disneyland, only more intense and real.  We would careen up to the top of the dunes, and then there was the moment where it looked like you were about to drop of the edge of a cliff before you went rocketing down the other side!  After about 15 minutes of the dune buggy, we stopped to sandboard.  There are two ways to sandboard, one is like snow boarding and the other, which is way more fun, is to sled down on your belly.  What an experience!

The Miradors

The next day we left Ica headed in a less touristy bus to Nazca.  Nazca is famous for huge 2000 year old lines which depict things like monkeys, cranes, and the ancient royal families.  They have lasted so long because the climate is so dry and also because they are magnetic, which helps to keep the sand and dust off of them. When we arrived in Nazca we came to our hostel, which was called Hospedaje Brabant.  It was a nice hostel with a terrace on the roof, but the cool surprise was that the owners are Christians.  When I walked in the door, I heard praise music in Spanish, and asked one of the women there about it.  She then told me that they were Christians and that have a small Bible study (church) in their homes every Saturday night and invited me to come that evening.  I was so stoked.  It is amazing how God brings people to encourage you in places and in ways that you never expect.  I love it how fellowship with brothers and sisters in Christ is so strong no matter where you go.  There is a special connection that you feel when you come in contact with another believer that makes you feel at home, even when those brothers and sister live a continent away from you and are people you have never met.    I can't express how blessed I felt to be able to join them for that Bible study that night.

This picture was taken of the view outside our front
 windshield during the sand storm

The following day my group woke up and went to the local street side market before we went out to view the lines on the desert floor.  It was another experience that I have never had before.  The street was lined with vendors selling just about everything from crabs that are still moving in their boxes, to full chickens lined up on tables, to mounds of fresh fruit.  I have been to third world countries before, but had never gotten the chance to see something like that.  After the market we decided to use the miradors to view the Nazca lines.  A mirador is a tower that is several stories tall, that was built to allow people to view the lines (because you can only see the lines when you are above them).  I was able to get some pictures from the first mirador we went to, but then after that a sand storm hit and I didn't want to damage my camera.  The sand storm, while unfortunate for the purpose of viewing the lines, was actually pretty cool.  The desert floor around us  whited out, or I should say tanned out.  You could only see 10 to 20 yards ahead of you, and the wind was also super strong.  If you jumped straight up, it would push you backwards!  In the middle of the sand storm, we took refuge in a museum dedicated to the lines.  It  talked some about the history of the lines and the story of how they were preserved, but the most interesting part was a mummy that they had on display.  The mummy was over 2000 years old and still had hair, skin and its tattoos.    Talk about tattoos lasting forever!  That night (Sunday) we boarded the bus and made the long trip back to Lima where we arrived just after midnight.  We loved the sun, the blue sky, and fresh air, but we were ready to be back in our own beds.

The next day we all had to get up early (the late night made this hard, but we struggled through it)  for matriculation.  I got all the classes I was hoping for, but the process was long and a little inefficient.
The last week has been amazing, but to give my self some time to recuperate, I staying in Lima this weekend.  Tomorrow is the festival of Santa Rosa of Lima.  I am interested to see what that is all about.  I will try to give my next update in the next couple of days.  My goal is to do at least 2 a week.

Classes and Trips

This week has certainly been interesting.  To start, last Sunday was El Día del Niño or in English Kid's Day.  This meant that church was way different than normal.  To make things even more interesting, I chose this Sunday to bring someone to church. I think it was a little bit of a shock.  Instead of a sermon, we had a puppet show (it was a lot more like VBS than a Sunday service).   Then, later in the afternoon I got to hang out with a fellow Will Ricer, Linda!  She had been in Peru for the summer, and happened to be in Lima.  It was super fun to get to hang out with another Rice kid.

On Monday the real work started.  Visiting and figuring out classes.  I have discovered two very important things about taking classes in Spanish. 1) Don't expect things to necessarily start or end on time.  (the Peruvian conception of time is a lot looser than the American conception). 2) Always sit close to the middle and front of the class.  If you do not, you run the risk of not being able to hear the professor and missing out on what he/she is saying.  (American are much louder than Peruvians)  Another interesting difference between the Peruvian academic system and the American system, is that group work is much more valued in Peru.  It is really common for students to break up reading assignments and to work collaboratively on projects.

Another encouraging development is that I feel that I am starting to break through and make some Peruvian friends.  This is one of the things I was really looking forward to when I decided to study abroad in a Spanish speaking country, and I am excited to see how things pan out, and who I meet. One thing I want to try to do is to make a point to have lunch with the different classmates.  I feel like this will give me the chance to get to know them better and open up conversations.

This weekend there is a large group of people from my study abroad group that has decided to go see the Nazca lines several hours south of Lima.  The Nazca lines are huge pictographs that the ancient cultures constructed on the desert floor between Ica and Nazca.  The interesting thing about them is that you can only see the picture if you are up in the air!  The lines are a mystery kind of like a Peruvian version of Stonehenge.  This will be my first trip via bus in Peru.  I am excited to experience the country outside of Lima and to see the sun!

At the end of my last post, I had said that I wasn't sure quite yet sure why God has given me the opportunity to be here in Peru.  The conclusion I have come to so far is this: I am here to not only learn about another culture and improve my Spanish, but to also engage with the people around me about the things which matter most.  Among the site seeing and new experiences, I want to invest in things that will make a difference in my life and the lives of others.

Eyes Wide Open

I am over half way through week two of my experience in Lima, and I feel like the city is becoming a lot more familiar to me... at least in my immediate area.  I am starting to be able to recognize important street names and navigate my way through the city blocks.  The combis are also a lot less daunting than they used to be (I actually prefer them now because they are cheap and accessible).

The Bridge of Sighs

This week I spent a  lot of time at PUCP or as it is commonly called La Católica.  As a group we had our official orientation for the university and today I went to an open house to get a better feel for the course offerings for this semester.  I am going to primarily focus on the social sciences while I am here to help fulfill some of Rice's general education requirements.  Some of the ones I have been looking at include Amazonian Ethnography and the Culture and Language of Quechua.  We officially sign up for classes this next week.  Hopefully they don't fill up too fast!

I also got to explore the beach and a nearby town called Barranco when my group went to eat lunch there on Tuesday.  It is a beautiful, classic South American town with lots of bright colors and colonial architecture.  One interesting site we went to is called the Bridge of Sighs.  The tradition is that if you think of a wish, and then can hold your breath while walking the entire way across the bridge, then your wish will come true. After that a group of us walked along the beach back to Miraflores.  The coast is lined with huge ivy covered cliffs.  They are breath taking!

Looking out at sea from the cliffs

On another note, I also began my hunt for a church here in Lima last Sunday.  I went to a church located near the beach.  I really liked the worship that it had, but was a little surprised at how "American" the church felt.  Everything was in Spanish, but the format and atmosphere of the service made me feel like I had stepped into a US church.  I haven't come in contact with many other strong Christians while I have been here, but a couple of days ago I learned that the house keeper who works at my home is a Christian.  I was super stoked! I think that I might try out her church in the next couple of Sundays.  It is amazing how God provides by putting people in your life in ways you least expect.  One thing that has stayed with my mind is a piece of advice that I received when I graduated from high school, "to those to whom much is given, much will be expected."  I am still convinced that God has a purpose for me here, but I am not sure what it is quite yet.  My hope is that I keep my eyes wide open so that I can be apart of all that He has in store.

Figuring Out Peruvian Life

A lot has happened in the last couple of days!  For one thing, we finally got our cell phones.  It is so much easier to connect with other people to go places. On Thursday we got to tour a bit of central Lima.  We saw the Cathedral of Lima, the Museum of the Convent and Catacombs of Lima, and China town.  It was a lot of fun.  Especially impressive were the catacombs.  They are very extensive and also have very short ceilings.  That is one thing about living Lima that is problematic, nothing and I mean NOTHING is made for people my size (6'1"). Our visit to the center of Lima, was also my first chance to ride a combi.  Combis are the main public transport here in Lima and are very cheap (about $0.30 per ride).  They are buses that range from the size of a city bus, to just a little bit bigger than the short bus.  Combis are also a little haphazard.  Anyone can flag down a combi at any point along the street, and when they do a man hops off and starts yelling the direction the combi is taking. It is definitely an experience!  I will be riding these everyday to school which is a commute of 1 hour each way.

On Wednesday we visited la Católica ( the abbreviated name of my school).   It is a beautiful campus, but the biggest surprise is that there are deer that freely roam the campus.  Please keep in mind that this a huge city and that there is no wild life here whatsoever.  The deer are super tame and allow you to get as close as you want, quite the novelty!  Today and tomorrow are free days.  The next thing my program has scheduled is the university's orientation on Monday. Today, I got up went to the nearest lavanderia with my dirty clothes, and then met up with some friends to visit a famous museum/ arboretum called the Rafael Larco Herrera Museum which has an impressive collection of Incan artifacts.  I feel like I have learned a lot so far, and I can't wait to start school.  Well that's all for my update. Until next time!

El Inicio

Wow what a day!  I have been here now for 3 days and all ready I can feel my Spanish improving.  Like I thought it would be, it is tiring to speak only Spanish, but I love it!  I moved in with my host family yesterday, and I can see that this will be a great semester.  One of the sons even goes to the same school that I will!  The schedule for eating here in Peru is very typical of a Spanish speaking country, but so different from the U.S.  Breakfast is around 8 AM, Lunch happens around 1-2 PM and Dinner starts at 8:30 PM!  Breakfast in Peru is also more like a lunch.  For example, today I had a smoothie, an egg, and a ham and cheese sandwich.
Today during orientation the first thing we went over was the slang of Peru (La jerga).  It was interesting, but difficult to remember all of the words.  It is good to know so that I can fit better into the culture, but some of them I think I am going to avoid none the less.  We were supposed to get cell phones today, but the store was closed!  Bummer.  I think we are going to go get them tomorrow. We also talked about phones.  Something that was really interesting is that it is free for us to receive calls here (even from the U.S.!).  Also sending text messages is super cheap. It is only 0.1 soles or $0.04 per message.  I am excited to figure out my way around the city and to get to know not only the students at PUCP, but also those in my program.  Anyway, that is all for now!

Sandwiches and Interviews

My roommate and I eating lunch

The kids who interviewed me.

I arrived safely in Peru last night around 1 AM.  Wow, what a long day!  I was picked up by the director of IFSA-Butler, who everyone calls Mama Laura.  Suddenly, I went from the world of English to the world of Spanish!  It was fun to have to rely on my Spanish to communicate, but I could definitely tell that my long

 day made my focus a little less than par.  We drove from the airport to the hostel that I stayed in last night, and the entire way Mama Laura was telling me about the city and the area that we were driving through. Once we got to the hostel my roommate, Connor, was very gracious even though I came into the room so late. After I got settled in, we both were out and slept very well.
The weather here in Lima is very much like the weather in San Diego: temperate, overcast close to the beach, dry, etc.  The area that I am living in is a nice section of the city called Miraflores.  This morning Connor and I overslept breakfast, so we decided to go out for an early lunch at a local restaurant and then headed toward the beach to scope out the city a little.  While we were there, a group of kids came up to me and asked if I spoke English (I guess my blonde hair tipped them off because they didn't ask Connor).  They were supposed to interview an English speaker for school and asked if I would help them.  The questions they asked were super broad including everything from "What is you name?" to "Are you married?" and "Do you believe in God?"  It will be interesting to see what other types of reactions I will get from people when they see my blonde hair and blue eyes.   That is all I have for you guys today.  Today is just a rest day, and tomorrow I will start the orientation for IFSA-Butler.  ¡Hasta luego!

Take Off

The day is finally here!  The adventure is beginning.  I started this morning by waking up early to see my some of my family off to the airport, and now a few hours later I am hear myself, ready to take off. The goodbyes are always a mixture of sadness and excitement.  The people in my family are some of my closest friends and confidants.  That is why I am very thankful for technology as it will help me to keep up with them and their lives.
 I can't believe that by this time tomorrow I will be speaking entirely Spanish, but for now I am just soaking up the reality that I get to live in Peru for the next four months.  I have been asked a lot about my trip, and most of the questions boil down to one of two categories: excitement questions and nervousness questions.   I have given different answers at different times, but right now for the excitement question, I would say I am most excited about the chance to be able to live and work among the Peruvians. I am excited to see what classes I have, what types of people I will meet, and to see how God uses this trip.  I am certain that He has some unique things for me to learn and do. After people ask me the excitement question, then I am usually asked about what am I most nervous.  Hands down that is operating completely in Spanish.  It is not that I am nervous about being able to function, I know that it not going to be a problem, it is more about the amount of focus that it takes.  Listening and speaking in Spanish takes a little more concentration for me than in English (which I know is normal).  I would appreciate any and all prayer that I would not feel tired from the continuous increased concentration.  That is all for my update right now.  I will post again when I arrive in Lima!