So for the past couple of days I have been sick. I had to go to the doctors cause every time I swallowed my throat would hurt really badly. So if I wanted to eat or drink or simply swallow it was really hard. But the doctor gave me some pills and now I´m better. I still have to stay home from school, which actually sucks.... a lot. I am at the point where people are starting to talk to me a bit, and I´m getting invited to things. A friend at school named Matias invited me to hang out with him and some friends on Saturday. That would be the first time that I have hung out with kids from my class. The only thing is that I have been sick for a few days and I dont know if my mother will let me.... figures.
So I have been staying home for the past couple of days, and today I got to spend a little time with my little sister. It has been a while since I have had a small child in the house. At first she was all nice and cute, but now I am really getting to know that she is just like any other little kid. Cute, but devious. Today I was sitting and doing my spanish work right? She was using her water color paints to make a green heart on a piece of paper towel. So I turned, and she whipped the brush through the air and sprayed me and my sweatshirt with green water color paint. I didn´t think that was very funny. Then she proceeded to try to mash the finished water color creation into my face. It was funny but not at the same time.
Ok so then a little later we were watching TV together on the couch. She went into the pantry, and came back with a few little chocolate cookies. We ate them, two each, and then a few minutes later she asked if I wanted some more. So I said "sure, if its alright". Then her face changed just a little bit... like she was contemplating something.... and then she said. "Ven" (Come) Mother wasn´t home so I figured she was up to no good, but I followed her nonetheless. We went into the pantry and she climbed up on a stool and brought down the bag of cookies. She took a little handful and told me to do the same. So I did.
So we are sitting on the couch, and the bell rings to notify you that someone is at the door. Both of us still have a small handful of cookies in our hands... ¡What to do! So our heads shoot around and we look at each other... and we SHOVE the rest of the cookies into our mouths and chew as fast as we can!! So there is a phone on the wall which is how you communicate with whomever is outside the door. So i´m chewing and chewing and chewing, and the I answer the phone ¿Sí? And it is the dog cleaner bringing the dog back from its bath....
But it was nice to have a little bit of fun with my little sister today anyway.
Thursday, September 27, 2007
Sunday, September 23, 2007
Pictures Sept 23 `07
This is the city center. There are lots of little shops and things around the Plaza. 
Just some random shots around the center.
See what I mean about the "wall"?
I love my bed. It is a double, I can finally spraaawwwlll. There is also a televion with cable at the foot of the bed, you can see a little bit of it at the left of the photo.
My closet. :)
The view from my window.
The church in the Plaza de Armas. (City Center)
Some cool views on the way to my orientation camp.
This is the landscape I live in! Complete desert.
Again on the way to my orientation camp. 
The place that we stayed at for our orientation.
This and the following two are a traditional horse dance. We were having lunch during the show.
The place that we stayed at for our orientation.
This and the following two are a traditional horse dance. We were having lunch during the show.
Cactus farm?
My host sister Lorena.
Thursday, September 20, 2007
Pics from house
The volcano Misti
Chachani
Grandparents house Chachani backroundChachani again, very pretty
and yet again
My Blog!
September 20 `07
Finally I have got a blog up. Took a while but it is finally here. Things in Peru are alright, getting better all the time. It is very hard to make friends here. Its not just in school, it is Peruvian people in general. They are very groupy. Not that they are unfriendly, its just that instead of the group of friends coming up to you to see where you are from and if you speak spanish and all, it is me having to approach them. Its hard, but happening slowly. My host mom says that I should go to the university. I am going there after the summer, but she thinks that maybe I should go there sooner. There I would be with people my own age, and I would probably learn more too, and have a choice of classes.
Alright, here is some general info. Ill try to post some pictures soon to go along with the info too.
So my host family consists of my mother and father, Olga and Roberto, three host brothers, Manuel, Esteban, and Andres, and a sister, Lorena. Manuel is 18 and is currently in Germany. He did an exchange there last year, and I believe that he is attending university there now. Esteban is 17 and is currently in North Carolina on an exchange. Andres is 16 and is planning on going to France on an exchange. Lorena is 6 years old and attends a school where they teach German. The language learning process is much better here. Every school has a language. The school that I am currently attending, Prescott, teaches English. Lorena´s is German, and the school that Andres attends is a French based school. He speaks bits and pieces of English too. There are a lot of TV programs in other languages here, including Portuguese, Chinese, and English. I think over the years thats where he got most of his English. My family also had a girl here last year, I believe from Oregon.
My house is nice, I have a room to myself with a twin bed and a nice few of one of the various mountain ranges surrounding Arequipa. Im not quite sure how to explain it, but the wall that separates my room and another room is like a folding screen, so instead of closing a door at night I take the handles on each side of my "wall" and slide them together. Just outside my "wall" is a little bathroom with a shower, sink, and laundry bin. Im still not quite sure how the laundry system works here, all I know is that every once in a while the cloths are gone from the bin and a couple days later there are folded and laundered cloths on my bed. Im not quite sure how often the maid does it... ill have to ask soon. Ive encountered the dilemma of wearing a pair of socks a couple of times, or going to school without underwear.
(kidding)
The view of the mountains and of the volcano Misti is amazing from my house. Today and yesterday I went up on the roof with my little sister and took a few pictures of the hills and of the house next to mine. My grandparents live in the house next to me. Its nice having them around. Every once in a while we go over there for dinner or I see him in the street waiting for a taxi. They are very friendly; they always let me know that their house is my house and to come over whenever I like.
When I chose the countries that I wanted to go to months and months ago for rotary, I tried to leave any expectations behind, because all of the country that I chose had large sections that were and still are the epitome of third world. But still, when I learned that I would be in a city images and plans began to formulate in my mind. And, as I thought would happen, I was surprised to see what "city" meant in Peru. Picture New York City. Enormous buildings, bright lights, stores, malls, yellow taxis everywhere, all that stuff. Ok, that is nothing like it is here. City here is a nice center with a nice fountain in the center, lots of small shops, and a bajillion "tico´s" (ridiculously small taxis that cost about a dollar for every 5 minutes you go) nearly running you over every half second. Im pretty sure that they are illegal in about every other country other than Peru. There are a thousand different companies of ticos, which sucks because you have to understand that there a few in that horde that are waiting for the gringo to get in that has had a few beers, waiting to take them somewhere quiet to beat the shit out of them then take their wallet and get back to work. Dont get me wrong, there are many good companies that we are taught to look for, even ones that you call from your house that are guaranteed safe but you have to be careful and be smart.
The streets are alright, because there are in the center, but get steadily worse as you travel from the Plaza de Armas. There are many poor people asking for money, many vendors who only sell candy or chewing gum, and a few people that are scouting for the foreigner. Without a thourough understanding of the language and customs the only way to stay safe is to stay alert and to be with a few other people.
There are no skyscrapers, no bright neon lights, and come to think of it ive probably seen about 2 traffic lights in my nearly 3 week stay here. Traffic is insane. The lines in the rode dont mean anything. If the car in front of you is slow, you pass them, where ever, whenever. The ride to school is actually a little frightening. People use their horns here like you wouldnt believe. If the car in front is going a little slow, beap, if you are coming to an intersection in which you cant see whats coming from the other directions, beap, if you see a person on the side of the road, beap.
Alright, I think that is enough for now. I get tired really early here. I went from sunset at 9 in the States to sunset at 6 every single day here. At about 7 I start feeling ready for bed. Im getting used to it but im still not completely accustomed. Ill try to get some pictures up asap.
Finally I have got a blog up. Took a while but it is finally here. Things in Peru are alright, getting better all the time. It is very hard to make friends here. Its not just in school, it is Peruvian people in general. They are very groupy. Not that they are unfriendly, its just that instead of the group of friends coming up to you to see where you are from and if you speak spanish and all, it is me having to approach them. Its hard, but happening slowly. My host mom says that I should go to the university. I am going there after the summer, but she thinks that maybe I should go there sooner. There I would be with people my own age, and I would probably learn more too, and have a choice of classes.
Alright, here is some general info. Ill try to post some pictures soon to go along with the info too.
So my host family consists of my mother and father, Olga and Roberto, three host brothers, Manuel, Esteban, and Andres, and a sister, Lorena. Manuel is 18 and is currently in Germany. He did an exchange there last year, and I believe that he is attending university there now. Esteban is 17 and is currently in North Carolina on an exchange. Andres is 16 and is planning on going to France on an exchange. Lorena is 6 years old and attends a school where they teach German. The language learning process is much better here. Every school has a language. The school that I am currently attending, Prescott, teaches English. Lorena´s is German, and the school that Andres attends is a French based school. He speaks bits and pieces of English too. There are a lot of TV programs in other languages here, including Portuguese, Chinese, and English. I think over the years thats where he got most of his English. My family also had a girl here last year, I believe from Oregon.
My house is nice, I have a room to myself with a twin bed and a nice few of one of the various mountain ranges surrounding Arequipa. Im not quite sure how to explain it, but the wall that separates my room and another room is like a folding screen, so instead of closing a door at night I take the handles on each side of my "wall" and slide them together. Just outside my "wall" is a little bathroom with a shower, sink, and laundry bin. Im still not quite sure how the laundry system works here, all I know is that every once in a while the cloths are gone from the bin and a couple days later there are folded and laundered cloths on my bed. Im not quite sure how often the maid does it... ill have to ask soon. Ive encountered the dilemma of wearing a pair of socks a couple of times, or going to school without underwear.
(kidding)
The view of the mountains and of the volcano Misti is amazing from my house. Today and yesterday I went up on the roof with my little sister and took a few pictures of the hills and of the house next to mine. My grandparents live in the house next to me. Its nice having them around. Every once in a while we go over there for dinner or I see him in the street waiting for a taxi. They are very friendly; they always let me know that their house is my house and to come over whenever I like.
When I chose the countries that I wanted to go to months and months ago for rotary, I tried to leave any expectations behind, because all of the country that I chose had large sections that were and still are the epitome of third world. But still, when I learned that I would be in a city images and plans began to formulate in my mind. And, as I thought would happen, I was surprised to see what "city" meant in Peru. Picture New York City. Enormous buildings, bright lights, stores, malls, yellow taxis everywhere, all that stuff. Ok, that is nothing like it is here. City here is a nice center with a nice fountain in the center, lots of small shops, and a bajillion "tico´s" (ridiculously small taxis that cost about a dollar for every 5 minutes you go) nearly running you over every half second. Im pretty sure that they are illegal in about every other country other than Peru. There are a thousand different companies of ticos, which sucks because you have to understand that there a few in that horde that are waiting for the gringo to get in that has had a few beers, waiting to take them somewhere quiet to beat the shit out of them then take their wallet and get back to work. Dont get me wrong, there are many good companies that we are taught to look for, even ones that you call from your house that are guaranteed safe but you have to be careful and be smart.
The streets are alright, because there are in the center, but get steadily worse as you travel from the Plaza de Armas. There are many poor people asking for money, many vendors who only sell candy or chewing gum, and a few people that are scouting for the foreigner. Without a thourough understanding of the language and customs the only way to stay safe is to stay alert and to be with a few other people.
There are no skyscrapers, no bright neon lights, and come to think of it ive probably seen about 2 traffic lights in my nearly 3 week stay here. Traffic is insane. The lines in the rode dont mean anything. If the car in front of you is slow, you pass them, where ever, whenever. The ride to school is actually a little frightening. People use their horns here like you wouldnt believe. If the car in front is going a little slow, beap, if you are coming to an intersection in which you cant see whats coming from the other directions, beap, if you see a person on the side of the road, beap.
Alright, I think that is enough for now. I get tired really early here. I went from sunset at 9 in the States to sunset at 6 every single day here. At about 7 I start feeling ready for bed. Im getting used to it but im still not completely accustomed. Ill try to get some pictures up asap.
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