For today, a cute video. Enjoy!

The blog post for today is a video that we were shown on registration day. It's about the city Peru, Nebraska. If you have 15 minutes, check it out. It's super cute.

La Selva Central

Three weekends ago, some friends and I took a trip to San Ramón and La Merced, Chanchamayo, Perú.

It's about an 8 hour drive from Lima in bus, not because the area is actually 8 hours away, but because you have to climb mountains for about five of those hours. Also, there is only one road that leads out from Lima in this direction, and although it is supposedly wide enough for one vehicle to go in one direction and another vehicle in another, it sure doesn't feel like that. With only one road, all sorts of vehicles - busses, cars, motor-taxis, trucks, semis - use the same road. And with only one lane in each direction, the only way to go faster is to pass the cars in your lane by driving in the other, opposite direction lane until you pass them, and then transfer back to your original lane. Now this might seem fairly normal, but in a two-story full size bus, on a road originally created for human and animal traffic, with Peruvian drivers....phew.

I was totally egging on our driver. From my perch in the front of the second story, I was telling the driver to take all of the dangerous and probably ill-advised passes, sliding in between open-sided semi trucks filled with fruit, dodging other full-size busses, pushing the bus so that the wheels hadn't yet fallen off the cliff, but just barely. When I was a little girl, I wanted to be a NASCAR driver. I've outgrown that ambition (although I could rock the suit better than Danica Patrick), but I still dig the danger and speed aspects.

We arrived in La Merced at five in the morning after a hasty and startling wake-up call that we had one minute to be off the bus before it started driving farther into the jungle. Woah! Here we were, seven foreign females, in some small town in the middle of Perú, before dawn. We grabbed a taxi and headed up to our hotel in San Ramón, about 20 minutes away. The hotel was absolutely amazing - a little jungle paradise with a pool. Our rooms are pictured below in the view from the pathway.

The district of Chanchamayo is located at the beginning of what is called the Selva Central. Basically, it is the last city area before you start getting deep into the Amazon. Because of this, we got to experience a great mix of rural Perú and the jungle. 

We spent a lot of time walking through the town of San Ramón. In addition to 15 city blocks, the town also has a large central plaza, which is the site of any town gatherings. Some folks that we met on the first day told us that there was a carnival going on in the plaza that night. What luck! Just like that, we got to go to a carnival in small town Perú. There was traditional music, dancing and food, as well as a game area for a form of air hockey, and an old ferris wheel. My friend Kendra and I braved the rusty base of the ferris wheel for the chance to say we rode a carnival ride in the jungle of Perú. 

Unfortunately, we didn't take any pictures of the carnival, but pictures of San Ramón and La Merced are below.

We took two tours while in San Ramón, one of tourist spots in the district, and one for trekking and hiking. While the first tour was a wonderful opportunity to see more of the district (we probably covered 150km of the region), the second tour was much more satisfying. We were five girls plus a guide on a path through jungle mountains. Amazing. 

The area is known for its waterfalls, or cataratas as they are known in the region (cascadas in other areas). Two rivers run from the top of the mountains all the way down to ground level, many districts away. As such, the area is filled with beautiful waterfalls, many of which we climbed through and swam in. Two waterfalls are pictured below.

As part of the trek we climbed through the river, up, around and through waterfalls.

In addition to climbing and hiking, we took a few moment to admire the vistas we encountered. Wow.

Running

My first week in Perú I went for a run through my neighborhood. I was running along some residential and commercial streets next to my house, when all of a sudden, the vista opened up to a glorious view of the ocean. I returned this past weekend to take some pictures.

After passing through my neighborhood, Barranco, and the beginnings of the commercial area, the path crosses this highway (actually malecón, or street running along the coast). In the background are some high-rise hotels, all fighting to offer the best ocean view to their customers.

The path continued to take me around and above the malecón. To my right rested green areas with palm trees and other tropical flora of whose names I have no clue. 

To the left stood Miami-style condos and apartment buildings. This area is one of the most expensive in Lima, and the design and construction of these buildings reflects it.

On my way, I passed a sculpture with this sign. I guess when they say Rotary Club International, they really mean Rotary Club International. Since I passed this sign, I've also noticed Rotary Club signs in many of the other neighborhoods of Lima.

In the end, the trees dropped away, and I was left only with a clear shot of the ocean.

The experience reminded me of an article by Peter Sagal, host of NPR's "Wait Wait Don't Tell Me," while sitting in a doctor's waiting room last year (waiting, coincidentally, to see the doctor for a running injury). Check it out if you have the time. He can describe much more eloquently than I the freedom that running brings.

Shopping List

Items that are really cheap in Lima:
1. most produce
2. beer
3. events, restaurants (courtesy of the exchange rate)
4. pirated movies/music
5. chocolate
6. lunch at school: S/. 3.60 (approx. $1.30) for a meal
7. busses
8. haircuts

Items that are really expensive in Lima:
1. school supplies: pencils, pens, folders, notebooks
2. nuts, trail mix
3. anything imported, especially chips and snack food
4. make-up
5. toiletries

Items that are really hard to find in Lima:
1. re-usable plastic or tin water bottles
2. books
3. reeds, instrument supplies

Mistura! Todos ReUnidos

 If there is one thing that Peruvians are proud of, it is their food. The second most common question I get (after "where are you from?") is "what do you think of Peruvian food?" The required answer is, of course, "qué rico!" (literally "how rich!")


This week is Mistura, a huge food festival in el Centro de Lima. I went to the festival this past weekend with some friends. This is all of us at the entrance of the fair.

The most famous Peruvian dish is ceviche, a base of raw fish covered with bitter orange or lime juice, different types of peppers, onions, salt and pepper. The dish is considered part of the national identity and heritage of Perú, which means we of course had to try some of it.

Each booth at the fair is hosted by a restaurant, chef or indigenous group. There is food from many of the different regions of Perú, including the coast, selva central, selva sur, Arequipa and more. There also is a grand market with fruits and products from around the country and a stage for cultural performances. One of the really enjoyable and somewhat surprising aspects of Perú is how present the indigenous culture is in everyday life. It is entirely normal for there to be indigenous people walking the streets, selling goods, performing traditional dance or music, cooking, etc. throughout Lima. Unlike in the US, where Native American culture is reserved mainly for exhibitions, the indigenous culture of Perú is alive and present in the country and in Lima.

One more indigenous food that I tried was humita, a tortilla style wrap made of corn and cooked in oil. Mine was stuffed with apple flavoring. Yum!

We passed the band pictured below playing some Peruvian love songs outside a fish restaurant's booth.

We also saw this traditional style of making bread, although I didn't get a chance to try it:

I was ordering thai-Peruvian spring rolls from Bravo, a restaurant owned and run by the famous Peruvian chef Christian Bravo, and who showed up but Chef Bravo himself! To be honest, I didn't recognize him until he stepped out of the booth and got bombarded by people asking for pictures. Luckily, one of my friends snapped this shot on the sly. Here I am waiting for my order with Bravo giving instructions in the background.

Evidence of Peruvian pride was all over the festival. For example, Oxfam set up a booth where people could write messages to the farmers who continue to provide Perú with fresh ingredients for their world-famous food. The message below reads thanks to you "who continue to cultivate the best of our delicious products. Thanks to you we have tasted the best of these products."

The message below reads "to be talented, it is enough to be Peruvian". 

Peruvians also pride themselves on wonderful, fresh chocolate and coffee. The cup below reads "our coffee...another reason to for us to proud"

I have to say I've picked up some of that Peruvian pride. After a day chowing down on seriously delicious Peruvian food, I don't know how I couldn't feel proud of my adopted country. 

El Centro - fotos!

Phew. Time for a touristy blog. I've visited El Centro four times since I've been in Lima. Here's a few recaps and pics.

El Centro ("downtown") is home to much of Lima's colonial architecture. This area was the center of Lima during the Spanish rule, and as such it houses the Presidential Palace (Palacio de Gobierno), the Supreme Court (Palacio Justicia), the Cathedral of Lima (Catedral de Lima), and other administrative and religious buildings.

Pictures of the Spanish - Baroque style architecture below. Also, note the palm trees!

Photo credits to Jeremy La Che

My housemate Jeremy and I in front of the central fountain in the Plaza de Armas.

One of the neat traditions of El Centro is the changing of the guards in front of El Palacio de Gobernio. The process happens every day at 12 noon and 6pm. First, a marching band comes out playing traditional Peruvian marches (pictured below). Then, from both sides of the entrance comes a block of guards marching leg straight and lifted to 90 degrees, arms swinging. The blocks meet, salute, and change places, thus marking the changing of the guards. The marching band and "old" guard then proceed outside of the gate and down the street still playing and marching.

The streets branching off from El Centro house stores of all types and sizes. People flock to buy both imported and local goods, traditional Peruvian food, electronics, clothes, and much more.

The mountain San Cristobal overlooks the central area of Perú. Recently created slums line the mountain, housing Andean immigrants who migrated both to look for more opportunity and to flee the Shining Path. In this picture, the mountain overlooks the shops and restaurants that branch off from El Centro.

Some traditional dancers perform in a pavilion near El Centro

I also visited Parque de la Exposicion, a park near El Centro that features a large outdoor concert venue, a Japanese flower garden, and MALI, the Mueso Arte de Lima. This weekend the park will be home to Mistura, a huge Peruvian food festival. Expect some great food pictures in an upcoming post!

The inside of MALI

Culture and Community

I was told at many study abroad orientations and meetings that I would experience pretty severe culture shock. This is true. I am constantly comparing how things operate here in Lima to how they function in the US.

But “culture shock” doesn’t do justice to the complicated mixture of emotions from my first weeks here. Not only am I living in a different culture, but I am also trying to relocate my life to a new location, no matter that the new location is in a different country. Along with any relocation comes attempts to meet new people, make new friends, establish a routine, and create a community. Along with this particular relocation also comes attempts to accomplish all of the above in a different language, and to balance American, international, and Peruvian friends.

With the intersection of both culture shock and relocation, my emotions change at the drop of a hat. One minute I am triumphant that I successfully found and bought chapstick at the grocery store, and then the next, frustrated when I have trouble understanding the Spanish of my Peruvian friends. I am excited to explore Perú, but worried that I’m only hitting the tourist spots. I am always wanting to meet new people, but am mentally exhausted from so many interactions in a new language and culture.

My first three weeks in Lima have been some of the most stressful, challenging, and frustrating weeks I have ever experienced. The main lesson I've discovered about myself in these three weeks? I value community. I seek a sense of support, of comfort with my surroundings, and a feeling of normalcy. The hardest part of this study abroad experience so far has been a feeling of floating. I'm not sure where I can go and who I can turn to. I don't know the most efficient route to Parque Kenedy or where the best bar to watch sports games is. I can't just call up a new Peruvian friend to come over and watch a movie any time I want.

I think that some people, the real adventure types, find this part of the experience exciting - thrilling, even. And that's not to say that I don't like to adventure. I do. I'm just looking forward to when I can adventure to new parts of Lima and Perú and feel as though I am returning to a strong base and a sense of comfort with myself and my surroundings.