Trip #1: Huacachina and Nazca

Wow. Where to even begin to tell about the past week! Monday was class registration-- it was hectic and crazy, but worked out for the best! I'm taking Peruvian Social Reality, an advanced Spanish literature class, Andean Ethnography, and International Relations. Best of all, I have Thursdays and Fridays free!! The rest of the week involved going to classes, squeezing in a run here and there, a few errands, etc. One important lesson learned: I've been calling Andy my "novio," which I have always learned as the word for boyfriend. Then my host aunt asked when we were getting married... now he is just my "enamorado" (which feels funny since the literal translation is "lover"!) 

 On Thursday evening, Veronica, Kaylie, Kaylie's host sister Cathy, and I went to see "The Hunger Games" in the theater! It was good although I felt like it focused on the negative qualities of human nature while I prefer to look for all the good that is out there. Friday morning I slept in a bit, went for a run, and got ready to leave for our first Peruvian side trip! At 2:30, we hopped on a Cruz del Sur bus and headed for Ica!

My bus buddy Carina, a German student who's in one of my classes at PUCP.

We arrived in Ica around 7:30 and caught a cab to Huacachina, a desert oasis of about 100 people 3 miles from Ica. We checked in at our hostel, explored a bit, and had a drink to celebrate our arrival! Our waiter sat and chatted with us for a long time till we eventually turned in for the night.

The IFSA-Butler girls in front of our hostel, Desert Nights.


 The next morning, we woke up, got ready, and headed out to tour some local bodegas/wineries!  At the first bodega we visited, El Catador, we got to see the entire wine and pisco making process. First the grapes are stomped, then smooshed by a giant wooden press. The juice runs into an area where it is collected in ceramic containers and allowed to ferment. In order to turn it into pisco, a grape brandy, it goes into a special device where it is heated into an alcoholic vapor and then condensed in a series of pipes under water! Pretty interesting! We got to sample some of the different wines and piscos they make at El Catador and then moved on to our next bodega where we actually got to help stomp the grapes! It was such a neat, and unexpected, experience!

After our visits to the bodegas, we returned to Huacachina to relax, grab some lunch, and do a bit of shopping in the local market. I bought a handmade bracelet from a man at the market and was chatting with him a bit, when he suddenly decided to make me a pendant necklace with a lucky huayruro bead right in front of me! It was so nice-- definitely something I'll treasure!

At 4:30, our group climbed aboard a dune buggy and took off into the desert! The dune buggy ride was completely exhilarating! There were definitely times when I thought I was about to die as we careened over the tops of mountainous sand dunes, but it was SO FUN! The dune buggy stopped at last and we were told it was time to try sandboarding. My friends and I thought at first that our guide was joking-- the hill we were standing atop was incredibly tall and steep-- but when they pushed the first brave man off, we realized that it was no joke! Soon, we got brave and flew down the dune ourselves and, of course, it was amazing! We sandboarded (on our stomachs, sled-style) down two more hills-- I was even brave enough to be the very first person down the last dune! As an end to our desert adventure, we parked and watched the sunset over the desert. It was one of the most beautiful things I've ever seen. 

We spent the evening eating dinner (and some fabulous dessert!) and went to bed semi-early. We woke up bright and early and, after dealing with a bedbug issue, returned to Ica to catch a bus to Nazca! After a beautiful 2 hour bus ride, we arrived in the dusty little town of Nazca where Kaylie, Megan, and I made our way to the airport to find a flight over the Nazca Lines! We climbed into the smallest plane I have ever been in-- 2 pilots, 4 passengers, and not an inch to spare!-- and headed up into the sky! The view was incredible and seeing the mysterious Nazca Lines was amazing. Unfortunately, I got pretty motion sick, but I am still so happy I went along! It was definitely a once-in-a-lifetime experience and seeing the Lines is ranked #2 in my guidebook-- something not to be missed! 

Once we got out of the plane, and I started feeling better, we went back into town for a quick and delicious lunch. We realized we had about an hour and a half before we needed to meet up with our group and board a bus back to Lima-- just enough time to squeeze in one last adventure! We found a cab driver who gave us a pretty good price for a drive out to Chauchilla Cemetery-- 30 kilometers south of Nazca. The Cemetery was a burial ground for the Nazca culture, was destroyed by grave robbers, and was later reconstructed by archaeologists. It was fascinating in an eerie sort of way. It's so interesting to see what past cultures have left behind-- some mysterious drawings in the sand and mummies of their dead-- and to think about what might be left of us in a thousand years.

It was such an incredible weekend. If I'm not able to do one more thing while in Peru, I think I would be satisfied, but the good news is that I get to do SO MUCH MORE!! I'm already done with classes for the week and will be heading to Caral, the oldest known civilization in the Americas, on Saturday! Next week is Ayacucho for Semana Santa, then Cusco, and then-- drumroll please-- Andy is visiting me! It was a semi-surprise and just about the best one ever! He'll be here in the beginning of May and I think that we're going to go to Huaraz, a beautiful mountain town, together! I was thinking the other day about luck. I always say that I'm not "lucky" and it's true in the sense that I don't usually win prizes, find money on the ground, or have rich relatives magically turn up. In reality, though, I am the luckiest girl in the entire world. I am so, so blessed to have such amazing opportunities, such amazing people supporting me, and so much love in my life! Thank you to everybody who is a part of making me feel so incredibly lucky! 

Excited

This week has gone by in a blur and, unfortunately, I haven't been very good at taking pictures! I completed my first week of classes at PUCP! That in itself feels like an accomplishment. I got myself to and from the university on combi four days in a row and sat through more classes than I have ever sat through in one week because it was "shopping week" when we got to give classes a trial run before registering. Another big accomplishment this week: I finally made the decision and committed to being an RA next year! Not a Nobel Prize or an ultramarathon, maybe, but it feels like a successful week to me! 

PUCP!

Classes were: intimidating, interesting, overwhelming, intriguing, and boring all at the same time. I narrowed down my choices and know which classes I'm going to attempt to register for tomorrow. Unfortunately, I have to leave for the university at 6 a.m.-- yikes! 


Thursday afternoon, I arrived home from classes and shortly after relatives began arriving for a birthday party for my Peruvian dad Ramón! We had cake and ice cream and sang "Happy Birthday" to him! My "host sister" Paige also arrived. She lived with the Vargas-Murillo's a year ago and was back for a few days to visit! It was nice meeting her and having a tour guide/trip advisor for a few days! 

The whole family celebrating the "santo" for Ramón! 

Thursday evening, Paige and I walked to Parque Kennedy to visit a native artisan market and then strolled through some other markets nearby. I bought a few little things and got some ideas for the future! Friday, after a morning run, Paige, Ignacio, and I headed to the beach to swim and relax! After dinner with the family, I headed out for my first experience of Lima nightlife with a bunch of the other IFSA students! We didn't go too crazy-- just had a drink at a bar called "El Tayta" near Parque Kennedy, but it was fun to hang out and meet some Peruvians as well! I tried a "Chilcano"-- the famous Peruvian Pisco with ginger ale and lemon! It was pretty tasty and I got to cross off one more "Peruvian to-do"! 


Saturday morning meant getting up early to head out with six other students to the port of Callao where we boarded a boat to tour the Islas Palominos! I wasn't sure if the tour would be worth the money, but it was way better than I expected! First of all, we had the most beautiful day-- there was literally not a cloud in the sky for most of it, quite unusual in Lima! We not only got to see zillions of sea lions (lobos del mar) and penguins, but as we were cruising through the islands, five or six dolphins decided to come swim alongside our boat! That was pretty incredible! The islands were beautiful-- desert-like, rocky, and almost other-worldly. If you're ever in Lima, I definitely recommend taking a day to do experience these islands! 

Sea lions, or lobos del mar, on the Islas Palominos. 

I thought the rocky islands were incredibly beautiful! They're covered in guano, which used to be one of Peru's top exports! Hooray for bird poo! 

Humboldt penguins, the only type of penguins in Peru.

I also got to meet with two NGOs this weekend: Building Dignity and Casa de Panchita. They both seem like incredible organizations, but I'm leaning towards working with Building Dignity in Villa El Salvador. I have a few ideas for projects I might do with them... more to come soon! 


I'm so excited for all of the upcoming events, trips, and fun! Next weekend, we're planning to head to Huacachina, a desert oasis, then it's Caral, Ayacucho, Huaca Pucllana, and Cusco back to back! On top of that, I'll start work with an NGO, start training for a half-marathon, and am going to be cooking for my host family in a couple weeks! It's going to be so busy and fun! I just have to squeeze in a little schoolwork too! 

Magical Fountains, Movies, and More

I'm beginning to feel a little more settled in this place. This will be my 4th day here for the second time around! And it has, of course, been a busy 4 days! 

Thursday was my first day back after my travels. Luckily, I didn't have to be anywhere until a 4:00 orientation for Political Science students at PUCP. My host brother, Ignacio, rode the combi with me to make sure I could find my way. The orientation was fairly short and I returned home briefly to grab a few things I needed before heading to a night tour of Lima in a double decker bus! The tour was neat-- we got to see Huaca Pucllana (ruins) in Miraflores, the financial district of San Isidro, and many historical buildings in downtown Lima (churches, the presidential palace, etc.) We also stopped at Parque de la Reserva aka the Magical Circuit of Water. The park is full of fountains and we got to play in the labyrinth fountain for a while, getting completely soaked! 

Kaylie, Veronica, and I in front of the labyrinth 

The whole group in front of the Rainbow Fountain

Friday morning began with meetings with our Resident Director and Housing Coordinator (Lali and Mama Laura). Then, Veronica and I went and purchased tickets for Semana Santa, Holy Week during Easter! A group of six of us are going to Ayacucho, a town in the Andes known for having the most elaborate Easter processions in Peru! I'm pretty excited! We then ate lunch  on the Calle de Pizzas (Pizza Street) to celebrate one of the IFSA student's birthdays! 

After lunch, we had a fairly long Spanish class. In the evening, Kaylie, Veronica, and I went to the movies at Larcomar with Kaylie's two host sisters. We watched "Hugo". Fortunately, it was in English with Spanish subtitles so I didn't have to work too hard to understand it! After the movie, we went back to Kaylie's apartment and played Apples to Apples with her host sisters! 

Larcomar, a mall built into the cliffs above the ocean! 

Saturday morning I got up and went for a run with Ava, another IFSA student. It was a beautiful morning, but pretty hot! After showering and eating with my family, I headed to the beach with most of the other study abroad students. We walked to a beach in Barranco where it was a little more sandy than rocky. We had a good time although the waves were fairly big and we had to keep a close eye on our things! In the evening, I just relaxed, picked up my laundry from the lavanderia, and ate dinner with my family! Today is all about relaxing, getting ready for classes to start tomorrow, and Skyping with Andy and my family! 

Megan, Martha, and I on the playa! 

An absolutely adorable little boy! 

Fog rolling in over the hills

The Gringa Returns from Gringoland

After a long overnight flight, a very busy few days, a cancelled return flight, and, at last, another long flight, I am back in Peru! Thanks for all the thoughts, prayers, well wishes, and phone calls!


The end of last week was busy (of course!) Thursday included a trip to the Museo Metropolitano-- an interactive museum about the history of Lima! It was a very cool experience with photographs, 3D videos, models, and even 4D experiences with shaking chairs during an earthquake! I would definitely recommend it if you decide to visit Lima and have a little knowledge of Spanish! In the evening, a couple of friends and I visited the local supermarket and then I took a long walk with my aunt Frida to see various important spots in the neighborhood (the laundromat, church, parks, etc.)

Surco, a little park right next to my house in Miraflores

Friday was another full day. We took our first ever combi (crazy, teeny tiny buses) to La Catolica-- the university I'll be attending. The campus is beautiful! It's very green and spacious and there are small deer that roam around freely! We also stumbled across some pre-Incan ruins-- very cool! We toured the campus, got our ID cards, and ate a very nice lunch in a cafeteria. In the afternoon, we took Spanish placement tests for our Spanish class... ugh. Last but not least, we had a lesson about "surviving Lima"-- all the scary things that could possibly happen to us and how to avoid them! We rode the combis home, I ate a super fast dinner, and then I took a taxi to the airport!

The huaca, ruins, at La Católica

I was hoping I would be able to get a lot of sleep on the overnight flight, but unfortunately Delta decided it would be a good idea to serve dinner at 2:30 a.m., drinks throughout the night, and breakfast around 5:30! All in all, not the most restful night. When I finally got into my hotel in Kansas City around 2:00, I slept and relaxed most of the day!


Sunday, my family arrived! It was so nice to see them. It's funny: no matter how long I'm gone, it feels like forever, but whenever I am back with them, it's like no time has passed. I guess that's the great thing about family. We had a nice day together, walking around and exploring the area. In the evening, I went to dinner with the other Truman finalists at a local Thai restaurant. Afterwards, my mom helped me prep for my interview and I tried to get some sleep!

Awkward picture of me by myself pre interview

I got to the District Courthouse a little before 8:30 on Monday morning. The other finalists and I spent the day together in one room while we were called out for interviews in another room. My interview wasn't until 2:00 so I spent most of the day just trying to stay relaxed and getting to know the other finalists. It was really awesome to meet so many passionate, interesting, and intelligent people! I feel like my interview went pretty well, too, so now we'll just have to wait until March 30 to hear the results!


Monday evening, my family and I headed to Johnny's Barbeque. The food was really good and I loved spending the evening with my family! I was really sad when I had to say goodbye to them Tuesday morning in the airport. 

I l-o-v-e my family! 

Then my flight was cancelled due to electrical problems! I got put up in a local hotel overnight and, at last, left on Wednesday afternoon, a full day late! The return was fairly uneventful and I met my nice taxi driver at the airport, got to my host family's home, and slept! I'm so grateful that I had the opportunity to make it to the Truman finalist interview and see my family a bit more. Now on to more Peruvian adventures...