School is a bit different here...

Have you ever traveled to another country and started to realize that what you are accustomed to isn't necessarily the norm? I have been in Lima, Peru now for about a month and since starting school three weeks ago I have begun to notice there are a number of differences when studying in a foreign country. First off if you have ever wanted to be treated like royalty at school and you have never known the key to getting those special treatments, well I have one easy solution for you...GO STUDY ABROAD! While I wasn't seeking to attain special privileges and break the rules I have been realizing that international students get a nice break as international students or "intercambios."

As an intercambio the first thing I noticed that I get slack on is where I enter the school. I do not go to a private school in the United States so I am not used to needing an ID to get into the gated university, but here in Peru all students must show ID to get into school. I, however, get by with being a "gringo" from the US so I don't need an ID. On top of not needing an ID to get into the university I just realized that I have been entering an exiting at the teacher and visitors entrance where Peruvian students are not allowed to use. Since I want to blend in as much as possible I will now take the other entrance and exit in order to follow along with the school policies that were not told to me.

Along with the being treated like royalty and not needing to abide by all the rules I have noticed that time here in Peru is pretty relative. By relative I do not mean we are talking about physics and all, I mean when class starts at 9:00 AM don't expect the teacher or all the students to be there. In the US if the teacher is more than 15 minutes late class is officially canceled, here in Peru I think we have to stay at least half an hour before it is okay to leave. The same goes for a business meeting, don't expect your meeting to have a hard starting or ending time, just go with the flow.

Besides clocks being meaningless and having extra privileges around school there are a number of other things that are a bit different which include:

• Printer paper is not 8.5" by 11" rather it is A4 which technically is 8.25" by 11.69". Since the paper size is bigger that means you have to write more and all your papers will not fit in a normal binder or folder brought from the US.

• Page alignment on a typed paper is also different here. In the US we normally align everything to the left, but here they use "justify text" so that both the left and the right are flush with the page.

• Freshman at the university are also younger, they check in at around 16 to 17 years old compared to the typical 18 years old in the US. While that is not bad it does mean that all the Freshman are still very eager to volunteer to answer questions in class...while we may call those people the teacher's pet in the US, here it is the norm for ALL the younger students.
• Buying books is also very different because rather than buying new books the teacher takes a copy to the copier and they proceed to copy the full text and sell it for very cheap. Here I paid 50 soles which equals about $20 for a full text for my International Business class which has about 800 pages. On top of that all materials given for the class can be copied at the various copy centers around the nearby "copiadoras."

• Assigning homework can also be done over email after class without any forewarning so I have to be prepared to go from having no homework to being swamped with just one email.
• The final thing I will mention is that class attendance is taken daily but you are able to miss 30% of the classes from the semester without any negative affect on your grade besides not getting the material.

All in all I am really loving life here in Lima and I am excited to continue to learn more about the Peruvian culture and the Spanish language!

After reading this post is there anything you have noticed when traveling abroad that is different from your home country's customs?

Islas Palominos: Penguins and Swimming with Sea Lions

Humbolt Penguins!

Birds chilling at port.

Can you see me now?

I was playing with the sea lions!

Huge Jellyfish...a bit scary.

Luckily this wasn't our boat.

Wow words cannot express how excited I was to get out on the ocean and go hangout with some penguins and sea lions. Coming from Alaska you would think I have had my fair share of penguins but I have to warn you that they are not actually that common in Alaska...but it really depends on who you are asking and how far from the truth you are willing to stretch you imagination. That being said I "have" a penguin back home in Alaska named Clyde and this past weekend when I went to Islas Palominos I was dead set to find him a lady friend. Unfortunately I haven't spent much time with female penguins so it was much harder than expected to find Clyde a companion. That being said I might just have to bring him down to Peru where he can do some babe watching himself. Anyhow, last Sunday I was able to go out on a sea adventure that included learning about some historic pirating stories, taking pictures of some amazing animals, and swimming alongside sea lions.

Just in case anyone is reading this that may be heading to Lima I am going to share a little bit of extra info. First of all the port for this amazing adventure is in Callao, located just north of Lima. Callao is a story in and of itself because it is actually not a part of Lima, it has it's own governing body and is not associated with the Lima governing system, even though it is attached to Lima. That being said Callao is the largest port in Peru and it has been known as one of the world's largest cocaine exporting ports. Since cocaine is an illegal drug you can imagen that some of the people in Callao mean business, so if you are traveling in the area keep your bags close and be sure to keep a low profile. While we were in Callao the police would actually stop to tell our group of gringos to be careful and watch our backs. Although it isn't the safest area of Peru it does provide a nice outlet to the wildlife of the sea.

In order to share a little bit of what the scenic view was I have added a few pictures of the various birds, penguins, and sea lions. Also there is a picture of an overturned boat. The significance of this boat is that there was a company that was going bankrupt and they were trying to sell the boat but due to economic issues nobody bought it. Over time the boat took on water and eventually it capsized and rolled. Today people are still coming back to the boat in order to harvest some precious medals from the innards of the ship in order to make a few extra bucks.

When we got to go swimming with the sea lions we were all a little bit scared due to the large numbers of jellyfish surrounding the area we were in. While a bit daunting to jump into jellyfish infested waters, I was up for a fun time so I jumped right into the mix. Since I was preoccupied with the fear of jellyfish I didn't even think to prepare myself for frigid ocean waters. Between having a loose wetsuit and the cold temperatures of the sea I must say I felt like I was back in Alaska swimming in the glacial fed waters. Despite the cold, however, it was invigorating to swim with the sea lions and join them in some fun. Although the sea lions didn't get quite close enough to wrestle with I did have fun breeching the water like they were and participating in a stand off against their impenetrable wall of sea lions.

Overall the excursion was a pretty amazing because it combined site seeing of wildlife, hanging with friends, swimming with creatures of the sea, and enjoying a relaxing Sunday.

Historical Center of Lima

I made it to Paris!

Click on this photo and see if you can find what business doesn't belong.

We made it to China Town!

Does this picture remind you of any specific movie?

Yesterday I spent the day touring around Lima's Historical Center with my group of fellow international students from ISA (International Studies Abroad). Throughout the day we were able to see many beautiful buildings, parks, and important statues that helped to provide background about Lima's rich history.

Our journey started by walking through a series of parks that contained abstract art along with nice areas for families to play sports, hang at the pool, and get some delicious food to eat. One of the pieces of artwork I took a picture with was the Eiffel Tower. While I have never been to Paris I figured it would be fun to see how many international flavors I would see throughout the day so Paris, France was added to that list.

As we continued our walk to the Main Square (Plaza Mayor) we saw many intricate statues that represented historical figures of Lima along with many religious figures. Throughout our walk I loved the architecture of the buildings because they had an Old European feel to them. Although many of the buildings had very beautiful architecture, it was somewhat funny to see what sorts of businesses now occupied these older styled buildings. Can you pick out a business that seems a little out of place in the second photo picture?

Our next international stopping point was in China Town. For those of you who love Chinese Food like I do you might be pleasantly surprised to find out that Lima actually has a Chinese restaurant on almost every street. Before traveling to Peru I figured I was going to need to eat my final meal of Chinese food but then after doing some research I found out that Chifa (chinese food) was a very common food in Lima.

The final stop of the day was at the San Francisco Church and Convent which is now a museum. While I would love to share photos of the museum, they did not allow photography within the exhibits. That being said I would highly suggest a visit because there was some amazing architectural designs, paintings, and history packed into the museum. One of my favorite paintings was a Peruvian version of "The Last Supper" where the main meat on the table for dinner was cuy (guinea pig). Also if you dare to adventure under the building and go through the tunnels you will see many skeletons and remains from people who were buried at the church. If you are not to comfortable with bones then feel free to go outside and feed the birds and wait for the rest of your group.

All in all the Historical Center of Lima provided a fun and educational view on the city of Lima!

Hot and Happy

Midday Sun

Lucy's delicious soup!

My schedule at the university

Wow time just seems to fly by here in Peru. Today was another hot day in Lima, Peru with clear skies and temperatures maxing out around 84 degrees. While I am enjoying the hot weather of Peru, however, all my friends back at Washington State University are enjoying what looks to be a snowy winter day. Furthermore my friends and family in Alaska are enjoying frigid temperatures in the teens. Either way I am soaking up the sun and enjoying life!

Even though it was a scorcher today I was more than content to eat piping hot soup made by the fabulous Lucy. For those of you that don't know, Lucy is the wonderful lady at my host family's house that cooks meals fit for a king and takes great care of me! While I would normally stray away from hot soups on a day with temperatures in the 80's, Lucy can pretty easily change my mind by sitting me down, putting food in front of me, turning on some tunes, and leaving me to drift off as I enjoy the rich flavors of her delectable cooking. Just to add a bit of a spoiler, I am actually planning some cooking tutorials where I can learn some of Lucy's magic and then share it with you all.

Finally I figured I should share a bit about my classes. I am taking 5 classes in total: 3 classes in Spanish and 2 in English. I am taking Intermediate Spanish, International Business in Spanish, and Culture and Popular Art in Spanish. On the English side I am taking General Administration and Political Science. All in all classes are going pretty great although it is a bit difficult when all the examples for business and politics are based on Peru so I definitely need to start reading the newspapers here! Although I wouldn't say my Spanish skills are amazing, they have definitely been progressing a lot to the point where I actually feel like I am understanding the majority of the things that I hear. That does not mean I can respond in a spoken or written response but I am definitely getting there.

I know everyone back in the states just got done with Spring Break so I would love to hear what people were up to. What did you do for Spring Break? Did you travel anywhere and eat any exotic or amazing foods?

How many types of fruit can you identify?

The cuy is the meat in the upper left of the left plate...what is cuy? Answer in a comment.

This past weekend I enjoyed a very laid back weekend consisting of going to the beach and visiting my host family's relatives! Since I had learned my lesson from the previous weekend at the beach, I made sure to put on sunscreen and surprisingly enough I only ended up with a slight burn on my back after two days at the beach!

Saturday was the first time in about 5 years that I had really been to a nice sandy beach and gone skipping into the ocean, I have to say I missed it a lot! Splashing in the waves and getting the taste of salt water in my mouth sealed the deal to a great day at the beach, not to mention I was with a bunch of friends!

On Sunday I joined my host family as they ventured up north to visit part of the extended family. Before seeing the family, however, we hit the beach for about an hour to soak up some sun and enjoy the relaxing sound of the waves crashing onto the shore. After a short time at the beach we went to the house to see all the family and I was warmly welcomed with kisses all around and a nice hardy snack of choclo (big corn on the cob) and freshly squeezed orange juice! When we finished our snack we headed off to pick up our lunch which consisted of lamb, cuy, ceviche, rice, and an assortment of other foods. Sunday was my first time trying cuy...Who knows what cuy is? If you know comment below with the answer.

To finish off the adventures with the family I got to accompany my host parents to a market where we bought a copious amount of fruits and vegetables. I have to say the market was definitely my favorite part because we were warmly welcomed by mountains of fresh fruits and taste tests all around! Not only was there tons of fruit, which all tasted fantastic, but it was also as cheap as can be! I don't know if I will ever be able to bring myself to purchase fruit from a super market ever again in the United States. Above you will see a picture of just a small part of the market...Who can guess all the types of fruits? Comment below with all the ones you know, I am still trying to try them all!

As the weekend came to a close I packed my bags for school, got some sleep, and started the week off rested and ready for a full week of classes!

Water Park in Lima

This week marks my second full week in Peru as well as my first week of classes. While I am primarily in Peru for studying and learning Spanish, I also love the added fun of learning about Peru’s culture and visiting interesting sites in Peru. Yesterday we were able to walk through a lovely set of exhibits at the Circuito Magico del Agua, which is a large park with beautiful fountains, a lighted water show, and other artistic pieces.

Going back to the roots of this blog I wanted to infuse my blog today with a few more photos than normal just to show a little more of the artsy side of what I have been looking at. I hope you enjoy the added photos! Which photo do you enjoy the most from today’s blog?

When we first entered the waterpark there was a beautiful teacup fountain that was very appealing, but unfortunately for me the marvel of the image was tattered with my childhood fear of the movie Alice and Wonder Land. That being said, it was a pretty!

Further on in the park I really enjoyed the statue of Optimus Prime because not only was it a cool looking sculpture, but also in a way it was a transformer because it was made out of all recycled bricks.

This image is actually a close up of one of the fountains where I used an extended shutter and twisted the camera during the shot to get a curvy look to the photo.

As it started to get late at the park things went from beautiful to absolutely breathtaking. The added lights shining through the fountains and the new highlights on other exhibits really added a rich look to the artistry! The flowerpot and house was a flattering image that highlights the important use of angles when shooting photos. This particular photo would not have been near as pleasing to the eye if it weren’t for a view looking up from the path that followed along the house.

The final three pictures were a lovely example of the enhancement the lights had on the fountains. The fountains in this picture were part of a music and light show presentation with elaborate color schemes and dancing lights! I am hoping to put together a short video of the park so stay tuned for an update letting you know when that video is posted.

Overall the whole park provided for a very enjoyable Friday afternoon with my new friends from my ISA program and my many new Peruvian friends!

National Museum in Lima

Golden Octopus (I believe this is a God)

Llamas

I believe this is a musician

Makeshift weapons

Machete wound

Yesterday our ISA group went on an interesting cultural tour through the National Museum (Museo de la Nacion) of Lima, Peru. While I am not always super excited to see a bunch of ceramics and textiles, this museum presented a lot of history about the Peruvian culture, which I enjoyed very much. Overall the museum presented an in-depth depiction of the Peruvian lifestyles from the pre-Incan socialization up through modern Peru.

At the beginning of our tour we were able to see artifacts highlighting the types of weapons and culinary tools used by the Peruvian people during 2000 BC. It was pretty amazing to see the extreme detail in the designs that was used in the ceramics, my favorites I have posted above. The tour was in Spanish so I may not have understood all that was said but I do know that many of the ceramics were modeled after prominent figures in the Peruvian culture. The God’s have always been a large part of the ancient civilization and it was fascinating to see the intricate designs that they made out of gold. Other important figures included hunters, musicians, and animals like the llama.

Llamas in general have played a big role in Peru’s history because they have been used for transporting goods, making clothing, and many other things. Here I must digress a little bit…the day before I left for Peru I was out eating with friends at TGI Fridays and one of my friends, Kaitlyn, decided to show me a video about llamas and so I couldn’t help but include the link to the video. It is bizarre video and I don’t in any way condone the llama’s actions but I told her I would mention it at some point on my trip. Now I just need to find live llamas that I can try to put hats on for a quick picture. Check out the video here, be aware that Carl is a malicious llama and I suggest not trying any stunts Carl does.

For me the most fascinating exhibit had to be the one on the terrorism movement in Peru. The exhibit included hundreds of photos that documented the extreme sadness of this time period in Peru, which lasted from the 1960’s through the last 1990’s. In light of sparing readers from some of the graphic imagery I am only adding two photos from the gallery and giving just a small bit of background. The Shining Path terrorist organization was the main group that caused the increase in terrorism in Peru. In reaction to the growing movement of terrorism President Fujimori lead the government into taking extreme actions against the Shining Path and anyone thought to be involved in terrorism. While his methods may have been unethical at times, many people in Peru still praise him for pulling them out of that dark period in their history. The Shining Path had grown from being in rural areas to having a strong presence in Lima, which caused many people to flee the country and still many of them have not returned. Today Peru is a very safe place and the tourism industry is starting to greatly increase, much thanks to the suppression of terrorism. The first of the two photos is of a group of villagers who were given makeshift guns in order to protect their community from the devastating attacks from the Shining Path and other terrorism units. The other photo is a very famous photo that is of a peasant who was attacked with machetes by the Shining Path. To read more about the terrorism movement in Peru click here.

All in all the museum was a great experience and I look forward to learning more about Peruvian culture and art through my Popular Art and Culture of Peru class!

Hitting the surf in Lima, Peru

ISA Students 2012

My first surfing experience

Pukana Escuela Peruana de Surfing

There’s nothing like starting off the morning with the potent smell of the salty sea and the anticipation of jumping in the water for your first-ever surfing lesson. Today I joined a group of 7 other new surfers in an excursion in Lima, Peru to test our luck at surfing. Although a few of us had experience with snowboarding, boogy boarding, or other balanced-focused sports, we were all excited to hit the surf and get out on the ocean (océano)!

To start off our adventure we picked up by the awesome staff of the Pukana Escuela Peruana de Surfing (a local Peruvian business that offers quality surfing lessons for individuals and groups) and taken to the beach. After suiting up in our wetsuits we began promptly with some running, stretching, and a technique orientation on land (tierra). After roasting in the hot sun, while learning the basics of surfing, we were able to start (empezar) our lesson in the water and test our listening skills as we put our training to the test. The whole time we had three amazing guides that were with us on the water with keeping us safe and making sure we were all enjoying ourselves.

After just about 30 minutes we were all able to catch a wave and experience the thrill of surfing. I personally got the hang of things pretty quick and realized that the limiting factor when learning to surf is your arm strength. While I find myself to be fit, I would definitely warn everyone going out for their first surfing lesson to be prepared with a good nights sleep and a healthy breakfast!

During out time at the beach I know we all caught the surfing bug so now it is time for me to schedule my next class and start doing a little research on surfing. Feel free to take a look at a few of the links I have found about surfing in Peru and maybe you will decide to come hit the surf for your first time as well!

Check out these sites:

• http://www.perusurfguides.com/
• http://www.wavehunters.com/peru-surfing/Nperu.asp
• http://www.expatperu.com/surfing-in-lima-surfing.php