Exercising While Abroad: Machu Picchu Workout

While studying abroad it is hard enough to try and juggle a new culture, new cuisine, new school atmosphere, and new set of friends, yet alone try to fit in a workout now and then. That being said I have done my best to make do with what I have.

Since the first day of being in Lima I quickly realized that all floors here are rock solid, thus there is not really a good place within the house to do a workout on the floor. While I have not actively been searching for an athletic store, that is something that has been and will continue to be on my list of places to go, in order to get a yoga mat or something to exercise on. Despite not having a cushy floor to workout on I have started to do a 100 Push Ups in 8 Weeks workout plan in order to keep my body active. While I have not always been a push up guy I would highly suggest this to anyone who doesn't have a lot of time or space to workout and they want to stay fit. Whether guys or gals this workout is set up to give everyone a good workout! Here is the link for the workout if you would like to follow along!

• 100 Push Ups

Along with doing some upper body work I have enjoyed going on evening runs in the park here near my house. The first week or two I was running regularly every other day but then I got to a point where I was having extreme pains in my right knee, being so young I was a bit concerned but I ended up realizing that the major cause seemed to be wearing flip flops all the time. While I am not a doctor and can't confirm 100% that flip flops added to my running struggles I would say that due to the lackage of support in the back of flip flops I started to compensate how I walked and ended up readjusting my step. Now that I have assumed flip flops to be the culprit of my pain I have decided wearing regular shoes more often is an easy enough compromise and it has allowed me to hit the streets again and get in some good cardio workouts!

If anyone out there has suggestions of other good workout to do at home with minimal to no equipment or if you live in Lima and have a suggestion of where to go to buy sporting goods stuff please let me know!

I hope you enjoy the video of me and my friend Evelyn doing some push ups at Machu Picchu. We were inspired by seeing some other Americans busting out some push ups so we decided we would join in the fun, get a workout in, and get some awesome footage of Machu Picchu at the same time!

Thanks for reading and please leave comments below!

The Beauty of Machu Picchu

The beautiful Machu Picchu with the Cougar Flag!

Machu Picchu in the morning!

Housing on the side of the hill.

More housing.

Momma and baby llama kissing.

Golden Hour as the sun goes down around Machu Picchu.

After several days visiting Cuzco and the neighboring towns I was already overwhelmed with the beauty I was seeing and all of that was just a glimpse of what was to come...Machu Picchu was definitely the icing on the cake that took my breath away! Our journey to Machu Picchu started Saturday night when we took the train from Ollantaytambo to Aguas Calientes.

While on the train I met some ladies from Colorado and we were able to talk about different cultural things we had noticed through our travels as well as talk about our plans for the next day. Since the train ride is scheduled to be two hours I should have done some sleeping but there was no way I could sleep because I was counting down the hours until arriving at Machu Picchu. After finally making it to Aguas Calientes we put our things in the hotel and quickly went off to find some food for dinner. For those traveling to Aguas Calientes you should know that they do often charge a tax so be aware that it may be a little more expensive than you see on the menu. That being said I was able to get a plate of Pollo a la Brasa, which is fried chicken with rice and french fries, for only 8 soles or just over $3. A typical plate that I saw in Aguas Calientes at a decent restaurant was about 8-15 soles, so if you are being charged more then you should look somewhere else.

After finishing up dinner it was time to hit the hay because the first bus to Machu Picchu leaves at 5:30 AM so the lines for the buses start to get pretty long starting as early as 4:30 AM. Luckily we were heading up to Machu Picchu on Easter Sunday so there weren't as many people, but in general it is good to try to get in line thirty minutes to an hour before you plan on getting on the bus. In addition to taking the bus up the mountain there is also an option to hike up to the entrance which takes about an hour to an hour and a half from the main city of Aguas Calientes. If you do choose to hike to the entrance be sure to have your tickets and passports handy because they will ask for them at the bottom of the hill.

After a fairly quick ride up the mountain we were finally at the main entrance of Machu Picchu. At that moment in time I have to admit I was pretty excited to finally get a glimpse of the Ancient Incan Ruins. After getting our tickets and our passports ready we entered into the main park. Shortly after entering the park you reach the first terrace of Machu Picchu which is where you can take the iconic Machu Picchu picture that you see in so many books and magazines when you are preparing your trip. Since I am a die hard Washing State Cougar I took the opportunity to take my picture with a Cougar flag while also capturing the beauty of the ruins.

Following a photo shoot with people from my program we split up our group and headed on our respective hikes. Since Huayna Picchu only has a limited amount of people that can hike the mountain at all times our group was only able to get enough tickets for about two thirds of our group to climb it. I was one of the ones who didn't get a ticket for Huayna Picchu so I actually got to climb Machu Picchu which is a taller but a bit less steep of a mountain and it is located directly across from Huayna Picchu on the other side of the ruins. Seeing how the elevation of Machu Picchu is over 7,000 feet I would highly suggest buying coca leaves or candies in order to help combat the altitude. Even though there was less oxygen where we were I realized that once I started hiking and kept going for more than two or three minutes I started to get into a grove and my heart beat would even out to the point where it didn't sound like I was dying. After an hour and fifteen minutes I was summiting the top of Machu Picchu and I was able to see the abounding beauty of the ruins, the mountains, the clouds, and everything around.

After our hike of Machu Picchu we regrouped and headed on a tour around the ruins. I would definitely suggest having a tour guide when walking through the ruins because there are a lot of things that would not totally make sense without knowing the significance of the architecture and layout of the city. Since I am here in Peru studying Spanish my tour was in Spanish but there are many tour guides that speak a variety of languages so it is fairly easy to find someone who can speak your language and lead you through the ruins.

Since walking around all day will definitely cause you to get hungry I highly suggest that when traveling to Machu Picchu you bring your own snacks. While it may be a bit more of a hassel to bring your own food it is highly worth it in the long run. Once up at the entrance of Machu Picchu all prices for food and drinks have a multiplier of about 5 times as expensive as their retail would be in Aguas Calientes. For instance a normal water bottle in the city may cost around 1.50 or 2.00 soles but on the mountain it costs 8 soles. For this reason a lunch at the food court on Machu Picchu can easily cost 40-100 soles per person and that doesn't guarantee a yummy filling meal either. So in general bringing in water and food is a far superior way to feed your tired body while up at the ruins.

After a long day at Machu Picchu I finished of my day by going to Los Baños which are hot springs located in Aguas Calientes. It costs 10 soles to get into Los Baños but it is highly worth it at the end of the day. The hot water combined with the pebbles that line the bottom of the pools combine to make the end of the day very relaxing!

All in all my trip to Cuzco, the surrounding areas, and Machu Picchu proved to be by far one of the most beautiful and enriching experiences in my life! For anyone who is a lover of history, nature, and a good time I would highly suggest taking this trip! For those planning on making the adventure these sites add a little more detail on the opportunities at Machu Picchu:

• Machu Picchu
• Aguas Calientes
• Wiki Travel Guide

On the way to Machu Picchu!

Peruvian boys loving the job of ripping off tourists by taking photos.

Two woman weaving at Nelly's house.

Preparing yarn for later.

Colorful thread.

Natural coloring supplies.

On the left is a single girl with many braids and on the right is a married woman with two braids.

Beautiful landscape looking out behind the Chicha Brewery.

After a day and a half in Cuzco our group loaded up in the bus and headed to our next location which was Chinchero, a beautiful town with some ancient ruins and amazing weavers. The day before going to Chinchero I had bought a few hats, two sweater, and some gloves so I had a taste of the exquisit designs and the softness of the clothing, but I had no clue that the process behind the whole thing was so complex.

While visiting the town of Chinchero we were able to go to a woman's house named Nelly where she, along with other women, showed us how to prepare cloth and weave traditional Peruvian clothing. After being warmly welcomed with fresh mint tea, we were directed to sit down in order to watch and listen as Nelly took us step by step through the process of weaving. It was fascinating to see how much time and effort goes in to making the thread, yet alone how to weave the thread into an amazing masterpiece! Nelly first described the difference between the wool of lambs, llamas, and baby llamas and the process by which thread is made. After seeing some of the ladies spin their wool into spindles we were able to watch how the yarn gets colored. Since the there is not a convenient place to buy cloth dye Nelly showed us the traditional means by which yarn is colored. The vibrant colors that Nelly produced were not only used for the yarn, but she also put some of the red coloring on her lips and kissed three guys on the cheek. Nelly told us that the natural colors lasted for about 24 so the three guys were expected to have big kiss marks on their cheeks for the next day.

Besides showing us how to prepare thread and weave a beautiful masterpiece, Nelly shared some additional things including how to tell if a woman in their society is married or single. Nelly is married so she has only two braids in her hair and in contrast someone who is young and not married must have tons of braids. For the men in the community they had to wear a hat and depending on where you wore your tassels that indicated whether or not you were single.

After being taught the ways of weaving and identifying the relationship status of those around us we were able to check out the many tables of scarves, hats, gloves, purses, and other beautiful creations before heading a bit further to our next location, Ollantaytambo. While en route to Ollantaytambo we were able to stop off at a local brewery and learn how the Peruvians make a special corn beer. While I am not a drinker it was interesting to hear about the process used to process and ferment corn and turn it into chica, an alcoholic corn beverage.

After learning about the fermentation process of chica we continued on our way to Ollantaytambo and we were informed that we were going to need to walk down the rest of the mountain in order to bypass the avalanche that was blocking the normal road. While not everyone was excited to do some walking it was definitely an exciting walk! While in Ollantaytambo we were able to climb the Incan ruins that surrounded the city. As we climbed the ruins we experienced our first real run in with altitude affects. Many of the people in our group could feel the intensity of not having and air so some decided not to hike the ruins. As I was climbing down off the mountain I actually saw a cactus that had "WSU" etched into it. If you are unfamiliar with WSU that is the acronym for my University in the United State, Washington State University.

As the day wound to a close we dropped our larger luggage off at a local hotel and headed to the train station to board our train to Aguas Calientes, the area where travelers stay before heading up to Machu Picchu. Overall our day at the ruins, learning about weaving, and learning about making an alcoholic corn drink proved to be a very fun and productive day!

If you too are going to be traveling in this area I would highly suggest stopping off in Chincharo in order to get some historical perspective of Peruvian clothing as well as take a stop in Ollantaytambo for the ruins. Above all I would suggest that if traveling to Aguas Calientes be sure to buy your snacks before the train station or wait until you are in Aguas Calientes to find some good priced snacks and water. Rather than learning the hard way and paying $20+ dollars for a small lunch at Machu Picchu I highly suggest buying a variety of snacks in order to tide you over while at Machu Picchu and save your wallet and bank account the sorrow of kissing your money goodbye.

In order to learn more about these areas feel free to click on these links!

• Ollantaytambo
• Chinchero
• Agua Calientes

Trip to Cuzco

Me with some local Peruvians and a cute little lamb...they got me to get in a picture and pay for it...so sneaky.

Second day at Sacsayhuaman with clear skies!

First day at Sacsayhuaman with the overcast skies.

Cougar Pride running deep!

Beautiful statue of Jesus.

Crosses on the hill.

The group of adventures who trekked all over Cuzco!

For the last 5 days I have been traveling through the beautiful city of Cuzco, the neighboring ruins, and the amazing Machu Picchu. Since I was not able to blog throughout the trip I am going to break up the trip into three smaller blogs so I can add more information and more photos.

The first two days of the trip I spent traveling mainly within the city of Cuzco and in the ruins that were located within a half hour of my hotel. When we first got into the city of Cuzco we were nicely welcomed by a line of locals trying to sell us both coca leaves and a variety of woven hats, gloves, and sweaters. While we were all excited to get some beautiful gifts for friends and family, we kept it simple at first and bought the coca leaves which are meant to help with altitude sickness. To put it in context Cuzco is at about 3400 meters above sea level (11200 ft.) which is about twice the elevation of Denver, CO, which is known for giving people some difficulties with their breathing. That being said, we were all willing to do our best at avoiding the sickness by chewing coca leaves and drinking lots of mate de coca, a tea that is made from the coca leaves. Overall I would say these methods really did do a great deal to minimize the side effects of the altitude.

After getting settled in our hotel and eating some food we ventured up to Sacsayhuaman (Sexy Woman) which is a stunning collection of ancient ruins located within a 30 minute hike from the main plaza. Since I wanted to fully experience the area around Cuzco I actually went up to Sacsayhuaman with a tour guide on our first day and then went again the second day to dig a little deeper into the beauty of the area. The second day we were also able to go further on our hike and see a statue of Jesus and a replica of the three crosses that symbolized the crucifixion of Jesus. This past week was Semana Santa (also known as Holy Week) so being able to see such beautiful artistry within the exquisit scenery around Cuzco was really an emotional experience.

Besides being able to see the ruins around Cuzco I was also able to venture around the city and see the fascinating architecture of the city while aslo getting a taste of what the local economy was like. From the moment we stepped out of the airport to the moment we were getting back on the plane we were being confronted by locals who all wanted to sell us their handiwork. Whether it was paintings, hats, gloves, ponchos, sweaters, or the opportunity to take a picture with a sheep or llama, there was always an opportunity to buy souvenirs. Since I have already lived in Peru for a month now I know that the closer you get to a tourist attraction the higher the prices go and the more apt you are to get swindled for all you are worth, although that might just mean paying a typical American price for a souvenir rather than a very cheap price that a local Peruvian would get. That being said I was all for bartering and making sure the Peruvians were treating me more like one of their own rather than the typical American tourist walking through the market.

Just a few tips for those possibly traveling to Cuzco I would suggest that you learn how to say no thank you "No gracias" and learn your numbers in Spanish. When you are looking to buy some gifts it is good to know a base for what you "should" be paying for things so always feel free to ask someone who works at your hotel or any other person that you think has the knowledge of how the market works. Another good thing to know is that for every additional item you buy the price goes down a great deal. For example if you buy one hat they might charge you 12 soles, but if you buy 2 it will be 20, 3 for 26, and 4 for 28 or 30. For this reason always try to think of what you want so that you can buy items in pairs or more so you get a better price. Also when hiking be sure to wear sunscreen because the sun is very intense. Buying coca leaves and coca candies also are a good addition when walking around the town. But most of all be sure to be drinking lots of water so that you don't get hit hard with the altitude sickness.

All in all the time in and around Cuzco really provided for a rich cultural experience of what the ancient Incan society was like and how the culture has developed over time. Be sure to check back and read more about other neighboring areas and Machu Picchu. And if you are looking for more info about Cuzco click on the links below:

• Sacsayhuaman
• Cuzco and neighboring areas
• Tips to prevent altitude sickness

So you think you can dance...

Beautiful costumes covering dancers head to toe.

Skit of ancient King.

Not the greatest picture but I am the one in the middle in blue.

I don't know about you but I am definitely not the world's greatest dancer, nor would I consider myself even an okay dance, but in Peru I would consider myself a horrible dancer. Why would I make such a comment, well growing up in the United States there are not many cultural dances that are being taught to my generation so in general I would say people my age are not that great at dancing and in Peru I am even farther separated from the dancing elite because there are so many intricate cultural dances. I do however make an exception to my assumption of my general of Americans being bad dancers if you consider "dirty dancing" to be an impressive style of dance. While I think many people my age have lost their dancing sense I am totally blown away by people who can step dance, break dance, and do other sorts of modern dances that I could never fathom of being good at. That being said it has been refreshing for me to see the different culture of dance here in Peru.

This past weekend I got to attend a folklore show that included skits and cultural dances native to Peru. Throughout the evening we were able to see a variety of different dances, with names that I cannot recall, that highlighted many different cultures across Peru. My favorite of all the dances was the Alcatraz Dance, which "is danced in couples with a paper tied at the back of the waist. The dancers play with a lit candle trying to ignite the paper. Agile waist movements are used that draw loving encounters." I was going to follow up the description of this dance by saying I really want to learn it, but I want to clarify that I want to learn it as a style of dance...I have not at this point found a "Peruvian Princess" that I am looking to "draw loving encounters" with. Anyways, this dance was very hysterical because the man and woman would go back in forth trying to ignite each other on fire. I do have some videos of these dances I will put together soon but as of now you can look at these descriptions if you want to learn more about the cultural dances.

While I went into the night expecting a fabulous dinner and some great entertainment, I was gradually warmed up to the idea of making a fool of myself in front of the whole audience. After watching a number of dances a few people in our group had the idea of trying to jump up on stage and since I was at the right place at the wrong time I was one of the people who got volunteered to get up on stage. Just minutes after we got the go ahead that we were going to dance I had a pretty "Peruvian Princess" come grab me from my seat and bring me up onto the stage. Since I am not a dancer she graciously showed me what to do and we were able to have a fun time dancing around for the rest of the audience.

Now that I have experienced firsthand the fun that can be had to dance traditional Peruvian dances I will definitely need to get some more lessons and see if I can go back to the US a little more cultured in the dance department.

If any dance savvy Peruvian is reading this and can teach me to do the Alcatraz dance please let me know!

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!