A Little Trivia

Well, I know that I promised you all that I would write about my Colca Canyon experience this weekend and since I've noticed that there are actually a few of you who are logging onto the site I thought I should at least put something out here since I didn't get around to the trip report as I had an entire host of things to do this weekend. See below for details...

Friday night I spent the evening with Renato, my host brother, telling him about the wonders of American music...in spanish of course. I brought along my laptop so I have lots of completely amazing hit songs which I shared with him. I explain why Dave Matthews Band is probably one of the most incredible bands of all time, why The Hooters were popular in the 80's, and introduced him to lesser known artists such as Griffin House and legends such as Elvis and Frank Sinatra. Needless to say, his computer was working overtime the rest of the night downloading music from the internet. I will also have to say that he shared some interesting Peruvian music with me...some of which I really liked.

Saturday morning I got up early so I could take my 30 minute walk to school. So as not to disappoint the street pups, I packed several treats and was busy along the way handing them out to wayward strays. After my four hours of class, during which I learned the past tense...yahoo!!! Yes, in two weeks time I am now in my American equivalent of my third semester of spanish classes. Amazing! As usual, when I returned, I needed to take my afternoon nap. I've finally decided that it's not only my brain working really hard that's making me tired, it's also because I'm sitting outside in the sun for four hours each day. We're under an umbrella but the material isn't very thick so a lot of light is filtering through. I could really give Sherlock Holmes a run for his money...it only took me two weeks to notice.

So after my re-energizing nap I got up to take a semi-warm shower (by this time it was past the 3 o'clock cut off for agua caliente) and got ready to go out. I had a wonderful dinner with my host family and when I didn't hear back from my Scottish friend, Craig, another student at the school, Renato said he'd go out with me so I wouldn't have to go by myself. My friends, Anna and Ines, were apparently near death on their Misti hike, one of the three mountains that surrounds Arequipa at a mere 19,000 feet. (I decided after developing a sinus infection last weekend at Colca that it was probably best that I not go until I had that under control. Boy am I glad I played it smart.) So, Renato and I left the house for an evening of dancing. My dance teacher, Edwardo, said I needed to practice and where else better to practice that at the discoteques? I enjoyed an evening of very bad karaoke singing, live music, and DJ played American and Latin America music collections all in the same club. I had fun trying out my new salsa and merengue moves though. Like they say, practice makes perfect.

Today, because of all my practice last night I didn't crawl out of bed until 11:00. This is proof I'm sure of my desire to only be the very best at everything I do. So after eating breakfast at 11:00, then lunch at 1:00, it was time to start studying. I took at break at 5:00 to head out with Ines to meet Anna at Cusco Coffee near the Plaza. Anna is leaving tomorrow for Puno, Peru, then on to La Paz, Bolivia, then back to Cusco, Peru where we all three hope to meet up to hike Machu Pichu in mid-October. Upon returning, I began my studies where I left off and just now decided to take a break to share with you some more of my incredibly interesting life. :o)

So, now you can understand why I haven't had any time to write about my Colca Canyon adventure. But...the title to this blog is "A Little Trivia" and no, I haven't written anything concerning trivia have I? Nope...but here goes. I've seen this twice since I've been here. The first time I didn't have my camera and the second time (this weekend) I had it but I felt a little bad about taking the picture. The next time I see this I promise I'll take a picture and post it because it's the answer after all! So, here goes....

Question: What has two wheels, a set of pedals, a platform, a rack for stacking things, lots of pots and pans, and a hardworking Peruvian?

Living an Ordinary Life in Arequipa

Today is my 35th birthday. I will spend most of my day either at school or studying which at this point in my life makes me completely happy. I’m still worn out from my weekend excursion to Colca Canyon and have decided that I’m either really getting old or I’m much more out of shape than I thought.

I woke up early this morning and opened some birthday cards from some friends that I had taken with me from home. What lovely surprises…thank you all for the smiles. I then decided that since it was my birthday that I should go back to sleep. That worked for a little while but now I am ancy again and ready to do something but not something that includes leaving my warm bed.

I was going to write about my Colca Canyon experience first but I think I’ll save the really exciting stories for later in the week…perhaps this weekend. Although weekend excursions to canyons and mountains are exciting there is plenty here in daily life that amuses me. So, I thought I’d share that with you; a little glimpse of my kooky life in Peru. These are just a few of the things I’ve experienced in the short week and half that I have been here…

· I walk to school every morning. It’s a good 30 minute walk so I’m figuring it’s almost two miles. (I’m not trying to set any land speed records, okay.) But on the way to school I pass several interesting things. Dogs on the roofs of houses looking down into the street to see what or who they can harass. I pass by my favorite sign every morning about half way into my walk; hot dogs. It makes me laugh every time. Just before I get to school, I have to cross the street where there is a manual traffic signal i.e. a little policeman in a little house. At night he has a glow stick similar to the ones they use at the airport at night to help the pilot know where to park the plane.

· You all know I’m a big fan of animals. So it shouldn’t surprise you that within my first week I went to the supermarket (don’t think Wal-Mart here, it’s not that glamorous) and bought some dog treats. There are more dogs running the street here than I could count in a lifetime. In the mornings generally you can find them foraging for food. You might think that the sight of puppies running the streets would break your heart on a daily basis but sometimes it makes me smile. (Like I said, it’s a kooky little world I live in.) There are times when I’ll pass a “family” of dogs because that’s how they act. They hang out together and it’s clear to me that they watch out for each other. Frequently I’ll pass a group of four or five dogs who look like they’ve never even dreamed of a bath and all but one, the lookout dog, will be taking a nap. I can only imagine the loyalty in the group. Hey guys…looks like there’s trouble up ahead, we better get outta here.

· Every day I eat breakfast, lunch, and dinner with my host family. You would think that mealtimes would be peaceful times where one could relax. And sometimes I do. But most of the time my brain is in overdrive trying to keep up with and stay involved in the conversation. It’s always a glorious moment when I say something that was intended to be funny and everyone laughs. I’m just always praying it’s because I said what I was trying to say. The meals are delicious though. Lunch is definitely the biggest meal here and is always three courses. The first course is generally soup. Before arriving here I’d only had one type of soup in my life and pretty much would veto anything other than homemade potato soup. Not anymore. I eat whatever it is they put in front of me. I’ve been told that people in the larger cities don’t fix cuy (guinea pig) or gato (cat). Yep…that’s right, those cute little fuzzy pets of yours are dinnertime chow for an entire country. The second course is generally some type of meat and rice. They also fix a lot of vegetables, which I’ve never been really good at eating. The third course is generally some kind of fruit dish. My favorite…fresh pineapple, sautéed in butter, sugar, and fresh orange juice. You talk about yummy.

(This is my school.)

· I think the only reason I’m able to eat all the fruit and veggies here is because they are so fresh. I have never had fruit so juicy in my life. I don’t know that I’ll be able to eat it anymore when I return home. Serena said the same thing when we were in Miami, that she couldn’t eat it when I offered her some grapes. At the time I didn’t understand but now I totally get it. There is a difference. And it’s huge. One of my favorite fruits is something that grows on a tree, looks similar to an orange but has a shell like an egg. You have to crack it to eat it. It looks totally disgusting. It reminds me of something out of Alien verses Predators…slimy clear liquid with nasty green colored seeds. You shouldn’t have an edible picture in your head at this point, because it doesn’t look edible but it is out of this world delicious. You just don’t want to chew, just swallow. It’s very dulce…Spanish for sweet.

· Going to the bathroom is always a fun adventure around here. It’s not that you can’t find one but generally when you do come across one there is never any toilet paper. So, I’ve gotten used to carrying around my own. And the tricky part is if you do have some then you have to remember to put it in the trash can afterwards. I have to really think about it to remember…no multitasking for me in the bathroom any more! The shower is another thing I’m figuring out. At home, I’d always take a shower in the morning while some people take showers in the evening right before going to bed. Here, I quickly learned that if I want a hot shower I have to take one between 2 and 4 o’clock in the afternoon. The water is solar heated which basically means it sits in a black tank on top of the house which warms the water when the sun beats down during the day. I am fortunate to have an electric heater shower head but it’s no match for the cold water in the morning or at night. You can only imagine how crazy my hair is every day from 8:00 am until mid-afternoon. I’m glad I brought plenty of ponytail holders.

· Another interesting thing I’ve noticed is that they ration napkins here. They have the corner on the market for the world smallest napkins. They are the same size as ours but only one sheet. So where ours is like an 18x18 inch square of paper folded multiple times theirs is just one little sheet. So if you’re going to spill anything on your lap you better be good at strategically placing food.

(This is my apartment.)

· The transportation around town is quite interesting as well. Most of the buses here resemble VW vans and are commonly packed with 50 people. It’s quite a sight and an experience. I haven’t taken the bus that many times because I’m not really sure where they all go just yet. They all have signs on the front but by the time I have figured out which one I should be on it’s already passed me. You’d think that the guy hired to yell at people to get on the bus and who tells everyone where it’s going would help but my Spanish isn’t that good just yet. So generally I either walk to the Plaza de Armas (the city center) or I take a taxi. The problem with taxis for me is that I look like a foreigner…blonde hair (at least half of it…that irresponsible hair thing I’ve got going on) and blue eyes make me a target for every freakazoid out there. Anywhere I’m going a taxi should cost 3 soles which translates to $1.00 American…pretty cheap transportation when you figure it takes me about 40 minutes to walk from my apartment to the Plaza…about 2.75 miles, one-way. But commonly this is how the conversation goes…”A la Avenida San Martín…cuesta es?” And I commonly here “cinco soles” or worse “siete soles” to which I reply “es muy caro, no gracias” and then go look for another taxi. Yesterday was the first day that the first taxi driver I asked replied “tres soles” – Yahoo! No walking for me! I think it might have something to do with my Spanish getting better, I’m not sure. Maybe I just got lucky and got an honest driver.

(This is my teacher, Elivra.)

· I’m also working on my whole “being assertive thing”. Regardless of whether it’s standing in a line or walking down the sidewalk if you don’t take charge you’re not going to get anywhere. So, I’m learning basically how not to be as polite as I used to be. I am also learning how to disregard constant horn beeping telling me that I need to hurry up as I cross the street. This place would be a nightmare for a third grader…they’d never get across the street.

So that’s pretty much what I’m up to these days…passing out treats to the pups who live on the streets, studying Spanish about 6-7 hours a day, and mixing in some fun with my new friends. I was originally thinking about staying here 3 weeks then traveling for a few weeks but I really like my Spanish teacher, Elvira, and things are going well and I’m enjoying being able to speak the language. It’s amazing at this pace what a difference a day can make…so I don’t know. I suppose I’ll leave it up to chance at this point and see which way the wind blows. Isn’t that what Mary Poppins does?

(These are my friends, Ines (Germany) and Anna (Poland).

Author's note: I was unable to publish this blog until the following day due to the fact that all of South America was without internet service. My birthday has and will continue to be celebrated on September 24th.

Bienvenido a Perú

My first day in Peru started early Friday at 6:15 when my plane touched down in Lima. Antonio, my driver, was very gracious and pointed out interesting sights along the way to La Posada del Parque, the hotel where I stayed while in Lima. It’s a relatively quite place and the only reason I say relatively is that I am sure that I will hear the incessant beeping of car horns all night long. I don’t think the drivers honk at anything in particular. I think they either like the sound of their horn (some are quite entertaining, on the first toot anyway) or perhaps they just get bored and it gives them something to do in the traffic while they’re waiting.

Speaking of traffic, I had heard and read that it is some of the worst in the world. And I will have to say that I agree. I have only seen driving like this one other time in my life. It was when I was in Barcelona and I remember thinking back then that anyone who got in a car had a death wish. I am happy to report that I have not been involved in any automobile accidents as of yet nor have I witnessed any. I did, however see numerous near misses and close calls. There are two things that are perplexing me at this moment about things I saw while being strategically driven through the city. The first is how many people can actually fit in a minibus? These small buses look like a sardine cannery attendant packed them. They are similar to VW vans and apparently have a capacity of 50. The second question is what in the world are these people who walk down the middle of the road thinking? In America, it is common to see window washers or people with flowers weaving in and out of traffic near an intersection. I’m okay with this and although I think it’s dangerous it makes more sense than what I’ve seen so far. I’ve seen old women, young men, and children, all walking the white lines in the middle of the road peddling whatever it is they think will sell. This wouldn’t be too much of a stretch from what you see in America if not for a few things. 1) There are three lanes of traffic but cars are five lanes thick and 2) In between the cars is where the motorcycles zip by which also happens to be the street peddlers’ lanes. I really don’t understand how there aren’t more accidents and deaths. Fortunately, I haven’t witnessed anyone driving on the sidewalk as I did when I was in Puerto Rico; always proof that things can get worse.

While in Lima, I walked around the city, one thing the guide book says you really shouldn’t do. However, my new Peruvian friend, Eulo, from the hotel wanted to practice his English so he went along with me. We first headed to the Museo de la Archeological and then on to the Plaza Mejor and the Cathedral. I also had a local dish, ceviche which was very yummy. In the evening, I had dinner with a new friend from England, Rachel. It was her last night in Lima and she gave me several pointers on things to see in Peru. She’s a very sweet girl and I’m looking forward to traveling to England and visiting my new friend. On Saturday afternoon I ventured out on my own and visited the Museo de la San Francisco y Catacombes. The San Francisco Monastery was one of the most important churches in Lima in the 17th century which also served as the local cemetery. During the 17th and 18th centuries there were over 200 monks that lived at the convent. Today, there are a total of 35. Although the church was absolutely unforgettable it was easily surpasses by the catacombs which served as the burial grounds for over 75,000 people for over two centuries. I think it would be a little creepy to go to church on Sunday knowing that there were dead people right under the pews but apparently that was life back then.

Now, I am sitting in my apartment in Arequipa which is in Southern Peru. I’ve met a whole host of interesting people on my trip. Serena, from Milan, who loves to salsa dance. Katharina, originally from Germany, who now lives in Paris. Brenda, who lives in North Carolina but was born in Peru. Rachel, who is a vet who lives in England and my newest friend, Ines, who is from Hamburg, Germany. She is staying with the same host family as I am. She’s a great girl and took me out today to the supermarket so I could pick up some things and showed me around some of Arequipa…mainly the beautiful Plaza de Armas.

My host family, the Paz-Cornejo’s are amazing. They speak slowly and use exaggerated hand gestures so most of the time I am able, even with my limited ability, to keep up with the conversation. As I said before, I am actually in a small apartment above the main house, which is a little bigger than my cabin at the lake. There are two bedrooms, one bathroom, a living room, and a full kitchen. I think at some point I will probably have a roommate which will be fine with me. Ines has a room in the main house. Although I haven’t met everyone, apparently the grandmother, and a sister with her children also live here. It kind of reminds me of a small apartment complex.

Last night while I was sleeping I awoke to what sounded like gunshots and lots of them. I lay there in bed thinking “Boy am I in the wrong place. It’s not safe to go out at all at night.” I asked Henry, the father, in the morning, in completely broken Spanish what the noise was last night. He said that it was the church setting off fireworks in a celebration. I can’t tell you how relieved I was. It is much calmer here than in Lima. Not near as many people and much less traffic, although no one here knows how to drive either.

I start school tomorrow at 9:00 a.m. Ines says it will take us 30 minutes to walk there. I’m looking forward to it. She says that she’s only been in school a week and had never taken Spanish before and she speaks so much better than me. She has been in country for three weeks now though and in a few weeks she’ll start volunteering at a local orphanage. We’ve already talked about taking a few trips together, although at this point I’m sad to report that I might not be able to make it to Bolivia…political unrest. Apparently the Presidents of both Bolivia and Venezuela have kicked out the U.S. Ambassadors. We’ll see though…the most dangerous road in the world is in Bolivia and I was really looking forward to riding a bike on it. So maybe things will calm down before too long.

Of course, being a quick learner, there are some things I’ve already figured out…
1) When you ride in the taxi always make sure to keep your bags in the center of the car as someone walking down the street will take them from you if they are near the door when you are stopped.
2) Traffic signals and signs mean absolutely nothing…to anyone.
3) No one will speak to you (or heckle you) if you have a male escort and the exact opposite is true…no escort, you better get ready!
4) Don’t even think about trying to pass off an old or torn bill…American or Sol. No one will take them…period.
5) Unless you want to constantly be at the end of the line you better get ready to be pushy. It’s time to learn to be assertive.

I’ve already had great fun and am looking forward to school this week. I already know my mind is going to be worn out. Translating the dinner conversations has been fun yet exhausting. I’m ready for this to get a little easier. But number one…it’s been great fun!

The Outer Bands of Ike

Welcome to sunny Miami! Wait, scratch that. Welcome to…cloudy, steamy Miami! Yep! That’s more like it. I arrived in Ft. Lauderdale yesterday afternoon and was enjoying the sights inside the chic airport; lots of turquoise, funky carpeting, starfish and seashells, even a rum bar complete with mast and main sail from a real sailboat, thinking that this was another city I’d add to my list of possible homes. Then it hit me. As soon as I took one step outside, the humidity combined with heat. The next thing I did was set down my bags and knot up my hair. By the time I made it to the rental car I was sopping wet. I had also decided that I packed way too much.


The plane ride wasn’t too bad if you consider that we were flying into the outer bands of a hurricane. The pilot informed us that we would be encountering 35 mph winds and to make sure to stay seated and that the flight attendants would be doing the same. As we got closer to the ground and I was able to see the highways lined with palm trees I wondered if the people in the cars below could see our plane bouncing around in the air. At one point, another passenger let out a shriek and the next thing I thought of was being at the county fair watching little children wearing crash helmets riding bronco sheep. If you’ve never seen anything like that you really should. It’s similar to a cowboy riding a bronco but much cuter. Anyway, that’s what I felt like, one of those little cowgirls on a crazy sheep.

I also got a chuckle when one of my friends, who apparently has been chasing around his four children instead of watching the weather channel, replied to one of my emails where I was commenting on the possibility of missing my friend Ike. He was telling me not to worry, that more than likely I’d make other friends. I wish I could have been there to see his face when he finally realized that Ike was a hurricane and not a boy. I was also glad to know that it’s not just me that tends to check out on the world occasionally. But he is right…I am going to make other friends and very quickly.

I made it to South Beach without any problems and checked into the Clay Hotel/Hostel which is a place my Uncle Raymond recommended. It’s a very pink, white trimmed, Latin style building located in none other than the Historic Spanish district. How’s that for an omen? I’ve already had great fun. I have three roommates, all from Europe…Germany, Italy, and I’m not sure where, as she hasn’t really spoken yet. The first thing that Katharina, the German asked, is if I had an Oklahoma coin. Her brother asked her to help him finish his coin collection. Of course, that wasn’t on my list of things I needed so I’ve promised to mail her a quarter when I return.

I don’t have any pictures to post yet but I thought I would officially kick off my blog today. So far, I’ve just been wandering around South Beach which kind of reminds me of Venice Beach. The people watching is great and eavesdropping on conversations is equally entertaining. Miami is definitely a melting pot. You’re just as likely to hear any language in the world here as you would be to hear English. I love to see cultures mixed. On the corner you can hear Spanish (of course), Italian (ciao Bella…my favorite Italian phrase), Russian, French, Greek, and anything else you can imagine. It makes me want to learn them all. Spanish is first on my agenda though.

That’s it for now. The next time you hear from me I will be a temporary resident of South America. How exciting!

Author's note: At press time, the unknown roommate had a name...Nicola. She's from England, she just worked a summer camp in New York for disadvantaged children (her third year) and will head home on Monday to find a nine-month job so she can return next year. I knew I'd make friends...