Agua, Agua, y Mas Agua

   Thursday was our last day of classes for the week and we learned a little bit about when phrases or "cuando frases" ins Spanish. I found them to be pretty difficult because we had to switch between tenses depending on what tense the the verb was in following the "cuando". I didn't really get it the first time but when I do the homework over the weekend I will check my answers online and hopefully figure it out or ask Andres on Tuesday. In culture we continued on with the Incan civilization and learned a lot about their economy and how they conducted trade.  A lot of their economy was based on trading of favors nothing was ever done for free. Also there society was run by a pyramidal hierarchy with the Inca or king on top and the workers in the different groups called allyus on the bottom with advisors relay information in the middle.
   After class we spent our last day in the classes of the Air Force School. Today we did the same where we broke up into groups and talked with the kids this time it started with shoplifting in America but that was hard to talk about and we had a shy group so me and Jessie moved on to another topic. We mainly talked about sports with the kids because we had a group of boys and they loved talking about soccer but shockingly enough I found a boy who didn't like soccer that much and preferred to play volleyball like me! Even though they were quite it was still a great experience and I think it really helps both us and the kids even if its just a little bit.
   After classes today we had a fun trip to the Magic Circuit Water Show in the center of Lima. It was a really cool place that had fountains all over this huge park. We were taken there in a Mirabus and had tour of the park with them too but the best part of the night was the actual water show. Using lasers that were able to make all sorts of shapes in the water including these really cool videos showing all the amazing styles of Peruvian dances from the coast to the jungle. It was a really cool experience that I was glad I went on.

Miercoles al colegio

Wednesday in class with Andres we learned a lot about agreeing with opinions and how we need to use different phrases of agreement depending on how the original opinion was presented. For if the opinion started with "Creo que" then you could respond with "Yo tambien lo creo". It was a little strange at first because I was having trouble relating it to how we speak in the English language but then I realized that it is the same because if someone stated their opinion saying "I believe" or "I think" you would return with a response matching the way they presented their opinion. After I figured that out it was a little easier for me. In culture class Wednesday we finally started on the Incan civilization. We on;y had time to just start on the topic but during that time we learned mainly the geography of the Incan empire and how they spread from Chile to Ecuador but were never able to spread into the jungle because they didn't have the resources to survive there. Also I learned how the king of the empire was called the "Inca" and the people of the Incan culture believed that he was closer to the gods.

  After classes we once again headed to the Air Force School and got to talk to the kids and teach them in English . Many of the kids were really interested in fast food of America because they thought that fast food is all we have to eat which is a little sad but true. I told them that we do have some different things depending on where you live like clam chowder in New England but when in came to Buffalo talking about chicken wings didn't help my case against fast food in America. After teaching English we headed back to the library to learn about the Independence of Peru. We got to do all types of activities with the kids like making a flag and a word scramble. It was a really fun way to learn and a nice change of pace.

 After the lesson came the fun part. We had some free time to go play sports with the kids. There were two groups the soccer group and a volleyball group. I went to the volleyball group because I'm not a huge fan of soccer which is crazy in Peru. But we still had a lot of fun and we got to teach our professor how to throw a frisbee it was great! I hope we get another time to do this this because its a once in a life time experience that was great fun!

Ellos quieren me ensenar Ingles!?

Back at El Sol today we learned another completely new topic in our grammar class with Andres. Today we learned about using llever + gerund phrases to express a duration of time that you've been doing an action. It sounds complicated but it's not that bad because all you really have to do is conjugate llevar in the present tense and then add then gerund of the action verb you are using. For example llevo trabajando means "I have been working". I think that it will come in very handy in conversation because Andres actually said that this phrasing is actually very common in the streets of Peru. Then Romeo came in and we had culture class where we learned a lot about the culture of Huari or Wari. This culture is considered to have built the first Empire in Peru spreading outwards to Pachacamac and the area of Tiahuanaco near Lake Titicaca. The Huari were influenced by a lot of the cultures they had conquered and had a very mixed culture because of it. The Huari were also a very military based with those in the military being higher up in the class system and not the priests which was more common in the other cultures.
 After classes I had a delicious lunch from the restaurant next to the school. I got " Bistec a la pobre" which essentially just a piece of steak with a fried egg on top and its delicious. The meal also came with a fried caramelized plantain which was delicious as well. But with the days packed as they are I was actually eating that on the bus to the Air Force School . Today was the first day we were suppose to teach English. My group was given the lesson plan of food and traditions but we didn't really know what to expect when we got to the class. When we got there though it was set up really nicely with the kids all separated into groups of desks and then each one of the people in my group was sent to a group to meet with the kids and get to know them all. This time it was a lot easier for me at least because it was in English. I was so much fun getting to know all the and I got to talk about my favorite food, chicken wings! I also learned from them and found out a new dessert to try called picarones which is kind of like a doughnut with honey drizzled over the top so I'm really excited to try those.

  After teaching the class we went back to the library to talk with the second group of  kids from yesterday. The one girl whose name is Cindy doesn't speak much English but loved talking with us and she even taught us a new word for cool, "fluye"  and apparently it always has to be done with a wave type hand movement haha. Again it was a great time at the school I can't wait to go back tomorrow!

Revuelve a la escuela

Today we were back at school and learning a new topic. It was the direct and indirect styles of writing which was a new topic for me. Basically these styles of language are common in interviews with direct being what the interviewee says themselves and then indirect being used when someone is repeating what they said later in the day. It was a little complicated because you have to change tenses depending on what tense the direct sentence was in. But once you memorize which tense goes with which in the indirect style it's not too bad. Then after grammar class we started back with preincan cultures and the cultures of Tiahuanaco and Chimu which were both coastal cultures. The culture of Tiahuanaco was actually very influential on the much bigger Huari culture that came a little bit later on in history.  The Chimu civilization was best known for their beautiful metal work and monochromatic art. Tiahuanaco has very famous architecture like the "Gate of the Sun"
   Later that day we had our first day at the Air Force School where we met our student partners and they gave us a tour of the school. The school was a lot bigger than I expected with over 2 thousand students and multiple buildings for classes it was basically a small college. It was much different than my high school that's for sure because at my high school there was no going outside for different classes there was too much snow in the winter. So that alone shows how the climate can change the way schools work here. After our tour we changed partners and got to talk to a new group of students. The girl I was talking to was 15 and she really liked books so she told me how she wanted to see The Fault in Our Stars and how her favorite movie right now is Divergent. It was very interesting and I had a lot of fun. We then had just a little bit of free time and were able to go play volleyball with the students which was a lot of fun because volleyball is one of my favorite sports. We played for a half hour during which I was able to teach one of the girls how to serve overhand she didn't like it though because she said it was easier underhand. We have a planned time to play with them on Wednesday so I can;t wait for that!

Paracas y Pinguinos

 So after that very long day before in the desert and Cachiche we had to wake up early one more time for our trip to Paracas the place where an ancient civilization thrived. We took a boat ride thorugh the "Islas de Ballestas" and saw penguins and sea lions which was really cool because it isn't too often you get to see such marine life in the wild while on a beautiful boat ride. We also saw the candelabra a mysterious marking in one of the islands of Paracas. It looked very similar to the Nazca lines just to the south of Ica but no one actually knows how it got there or what it represents.
    
 During the tour of the islands we also saw many other animals such as different types of birds and a specific type of crab native to the region. After our morning in Paracas we had to return to Miraflores. To our surprise though we made one more stop on the way back in Chincha. In Chincha there is a very large Afro-Peruvian population and its here where we were able to witness the  most amazing cultural experience. The Ballumbrosio family is a very famous family of Zapoteros dancers that put on on a show for us with their amazing dancing. I was amazing to watch how even the little kids moved so well with the music like they were born to dance zapoteros. One of the best parts was when the family grabbed us all and taught us to dance. It was a unique experience that I was glad to have because its not everyday something like that happens.

 After the show we returned home to Miraflores for a much needed good night's sleep. It was an amazing weekend but we had school in the morning on Monday!

El Desierto Divertido

After a long night dancing and singing at Karaoke we all had to wake up early for our trip to Huacachina the oasis in the middle of the desert in Ica. We were a little surprised in the morning because it was so cold but thankfully I listened to my host mother and had brought a few sweaters for the weekend. So we arrive in Huacachina and first we see the dune buggys and as we all strap in we are really excited. The engine starts and and we are of climbing the mountains of sand until we reach the top of one of the bigger dunes and the buggy stops to let us out and see our surroundings. Honestly I can look back on this and say it was one of the coolest moments of my life to be standing on top of the world it seems just surrounded by sand with civilization off in the distance.

After a little while on top of the world we got back in the buggys and went riding off into the dunes where we stopped again at the top of a different dune this time to sandboard. Now I have been snowboarding for awhile now and I can tell you that they are very different sand boarding is a lot harder to turn with but nonetheless it was a great time and I would love to go again. Sadly our trip in the desert did have to end but it ended with the beautiful oasis of Huacachina below us I was able to take a really cool picture of my friend while here.

 After returning to the town of Huacachina we got a brief tour where we learned a little about the history of Huacachina and the legend of the princess of the oasis and her mirror. Then back on the bus went to take a really cool and interesting tour of the sites of the witches of Ica in Cachiche. Here we heard the tale of the seven headed palm tree and then were able to see the tree for ourselves also we were able to visit the park of Julia the good witch, the most famous of the witches of Cachiche. I even tried the drink "Orgasmo de Bruja" which despite the name was very good. After all this we went back to the hotel and got dinner. Me and my friends returned to Plaza 125 because it was so good the night before. But then later that night we got to experience an authentic discoteca in the heart of Huacachina. Again this was si much fun to be able to dance with all of my friends in the group and just relax for a little.

Un Viaje A Ica

Friday was the beginning of our weekend trip to Ica. We had to get up really early to catch the bus and get there without hitting too much traffic. The trip from Lima to Ica is about 6 hours. The trip wasn't too bad and along the way we were able to make a stop a an amazing little restaurant where they actually made Pisco themselves. We were able to tour the refinery and see how it was made and then after we got to to taste some of the types the restaurant had to offer. My favorite pisco was the Pisco de Crema which tasted like a chocolate dessert. Then for I was able to try and authentic Creole dish called Carapulcra. It was a pork and pasta dish with sopa seca which is a spicy but delicious bean and pork mix. It was so good I forgot to take a picture before eating it.

   After lunch we got back on the bus for a few hours until finally arriving in Ica. After moving into our hotel me and a few friends got dinner at Plaza 125 based on the recommendation of our Professor, Monica. She did not disappoint. The food was delicious as usual which seems to be a trend in Peru. I got a sandwich mixto which is basically a ham and cheese sandwich with avocado. Then finally after a long night we got the chance to go to Karaoke with the entire group. We got a private room and it was so much fun dancing with my professor and friends I was unsure about the karaoke at first but I have no regrets what so ever now.

A Pachacamac

Day 4 of classes today started with review of the Imperative forms and after reviewing I found that I was better at it than I thought. In using it yesterday in conversation it must have helped because the forms came much more naturally. Andres then moved on to our next topic which is Pluperfect in the the past. I learned that this tense is used when there are two actions actions in the past and you're talking about the firt action that happened already and from this I learned the word "ya" is generally used with this tense because it translates to "already". I found this tense surprisingly easy because you really only need to remember the imperfect conjugations of haber and then for most verbs just the endings -ido for ir and er verbs and -ado for ar verbs.  By the way I took a picture of the school so that everyone can see.

Anyways  for the next part of class Romeo led a conversation about things we had done before coming to Peru which made us use the Past Pluperfect. But the most interesting part of todays class was the culture class. We learned about the cultures of Paracas and Nazca. I found Paracas particularly interesting as we talked about how the Paracan peopl buried their deads in budles of many types of cloths and when someone really wealthy or important died they believe that they killed that person's servants as well and buried them with him so they could serve him in the afterlife. Also we learned that Paracas was a Pre-Incan culture that found a way to basically do brain surgery with obsidian blades which was really fascinating for me being a Health Science major.

   Then came today's excursion to Pachacamac the ruins in Lima where ancient people from all around came to see the oracle. Pachacamac was an incredible place where we were able to see how three different cultures from different time periods (Huari, Ischma, and the Incans) were able to influence these sacred grouds. Matching with the three different groups were three temples with the largest and highest up being the Incan Temple of the Sun which was actually built by the Ischma. The story behind that is that when the Incans came to conquer them instead of fighting they said that under their new Incan rule the Ischma people could keep their religion and live as they did but in order to do that they also needed to build a new temple for the Incans. So instead of fighting the Incans the Ischma built the Templo del Sol. THe view from the top was amazing you could see everything for miles even with it being cloudy. It truly makes me excited for Machu Picchu.

     

Lima Historica y mas

   Day three of classes began today with a new subject from Andres. Today instead of the subjunctive we began working on the imperative or command forms. I had done this topic once before in my earlier classes of Spanish but this refresher was very informative and helpful because I forgot most of the information and wasn't comfortable enough to use it in conversation until today. Andres helped us by presenting it in a different way giving us tags to place all over the room where the words could be used. I liked this way of moving into the topic because it allowed us to not only learn a few new verbs but got us up and moving while showing us the forms in a fun way. I still wouldn't say I'm a professional at the form but hopefully after doing my homework and working on it in class again tomorrow I will feel more solidified with the form. 

    Then after our two hours with Andres Romeo came in and to his surprise we had to leave at 12 o clock today. I guess there was a bit of an issue with the schedule because he thought we were leaving early next week but it wasn't a problem. So instead of having both conversation and culture class today we just had the conversation class today where we talked a little about food and about jobs. Again this class was one I really enjoyed because of the challenge that speaking presents. I was a little sad that we didn't get to do the culture class today because I really enjoy history and culture but it was ok because the reason I missed it was because I had to go experience it first-hand.

    So after class we headed to historic Lima located more towards the center of the city and our first stop on this trip was the House of Congress. In the Limenan congress there are 130 representatives from 8 different political parties. Our guide also told us that the congress only meets on two days and the other days the work in there offices at the House of Congress. The one big difference, I learned, between Americas congress and theirs is unicameral meaning they only have one house unlike the US which has two, the Senate and the House of Representatives.

  After visiting Congress we went to the Museo De Inquisicion. This museum was very interesting as it showed how the Inquisition was conducted in Peru. For example the indigenous people were not prosecuted in Peru during this time. The museum we went to which was just down the street from the House of Congress had actually held trials and we visited the torture chambers where we saw how they tortured people to get them to bend to the will of the church. Also I learned that the Auto de fe was a term for the public demonstration of the punishments from the Inquisition trials. After the Inquisition museum we had one final museum for the day. El museo de Sitio Bodega y Cuadra  was a republican era house that had been built over the top of a colonial house and know one knew until they tried to expand the house and the construction workers found the ruins of the colonial house beneath.

El Museo de Sitio Bodega y Cuadra

  At the time when they discovered the ruins there was actually a river running right behind where the owners wanted to expand but now there is a street and houses which shows how the city has grown and changed. But back when the the river was still there they built a 2 kilometer long wall to stop the site of the ruins from flooding. I loved this museum because I showed a really different view of both the colonial and republican time periods. Lastly on our way to the bus we got to see Plaza Mayor quickly and even a quick view made me want to return.

 Back at my host family's home my host mother made me a delicious dinner with a classic Peruvian side dish called "Papas a la Huacaina" which come from a part of the sierras of  Peru. Another great day hasta luego.

                                         

Lima Antigua en El Dia Moderno

  Today was the second day of classes at El Sol. Our lesson today for the grammar class was continuing with the subjunctive using needs, desires and wants. The class was very informative and Andres did an activity where one student would describe a picture and then another student will say what they think the subjects are saying. Then after both students went he reveals how the conversation would have gone in the in subjunctive. I learned  a lot more words today too using Andres' technique. For example I learned the prestado means loans for college and the best part was that I used the word later in the day while talking to my host brother Alvaro about how his college works here in Peru. For conversation class we talked about giving advice to others. We did an activity pretending that we were writing to a magazine for help and then someone had to be the advice column writer and give advice for problems such as trying to avoid stress or trying to learn Spanish. Again this class was challenging but I fell it getting easier everyday as I continue to immerse myself in the language. I can see the combination of the immersion and the classes greatly increasing my speaking and language abilities as a whole. I also am really enjoying the culture classes at the school. Today we learned about the PreIncan cultures, Caral and Chavin. Caral, we found out is the third oldest city in  the world dating back to 2900 BC. Caral was a sacred site that many different peoples traveled to from far away to see. In a way it united some of the tribes at the time. After Caral we learned about the CHavin who appeared in 1400 BC and they were famous for the stone monoliths and clay pottery. I specifically enjoyed learning about the La Estela Raimondi. La Estela Raimondi is a beautiful piece of stonework with an pictogram of a man with many animal features such as a snake belt and jaguar teeth. La Estela Raimondi is a large stone tablet and Romeo told us that the chileans tried to use the carved side as atable at first bu then flipped the beautiful art over because the other side was flat and a much better surface. The best part of learning about that today was that only a few hours later I got to see La Estela Raimondi in person at El Museo Nacional de Arquelogia y Anthropologia y historia del Peru.

 At the museum too I really enjoyed learning about the burial rituals at Cerro Colorado and the Necropolis. The "mummies" that they found were all wrapped in bundles of cloth depending on who they were in their past life. The guide showed a diagram of one and made a joke saying that whoever was the person in the diagram much have been really important because they had 16 wrappings and usually they had no more than three and sometimes less if you're less important. The tour then continued through the history of Peru up to colonial times when the museum was actually Simon Bolivar's house and before him Jose San Martin's. The tour was extremely informative and the guide Julio as very fun. I'm excited for tomorrow as my host mother said Historic Lima is extremely beautiful and that city hall is built on destroyed ruins. Como chevere!

Back to School

  Today was our first day of classes at the Spanish Language School of Peru called El Sol. The walk to school from my host family's apartment is about 25 minutes so me and 6 of my friends from the group walk together to classes because we all live near each other. Since we live so far away we left really early leaving around 8:15 and arrived at El Sol 20 minutes early! It was better this way because then we got to speak a little to one of the director of the school (have to practice as much as you can!) and she quickly explained how our program would work.

    She then split us up into our specific level classes and I am in an higher level intermediate class. My class has eight students and each day we start with 2 hours of Spanish grammar with our professor Andres. Andres is extremely patient and a great teacher. One of the things I like most about Andres' class is that on the top of the whiteboard he puts sections for regular verbs, irregular verbs, reflexive verbs, nouns and adjectives and then whenever we don't know a word he writes it down so we know what words we need to work on. It's kind of like a growing vocabulary list and its really helpful.So after grammar class we have a 20 minute break where we can go to the bathroom, get some delicious coffee in the cafeteria or just rest before we have 1 hour of conversation  class and 1 hour of Peruvian culture with Romeo (pronounced Row-May-O). Romeo is another great professor and I really enjoy our conversation class with him. It's challenging but fun because he talks to us about topics that we relate to. For example all 8 of us had to try and explain co-op to someone who had no idea what that meant in Spanish. It was a great time though.

   After class we went to el museo de Ricardo Palma where the famous Peruvian national hero lived. Ricardo Palma was a writer and government figure that became a national hero after he rebuilt the National Library. But before all that he started as a writer becoming famous for his book Tradiciones Peruanas.  He also wrote over 500 other books during his lifetime. His big role with the National Library came after the Chileans invaded Lima during the Pacific War and destroyed most of the library. After the Chileans departed Palma became the director of the National Library and began on the amazing feat of rebuilding the Library to its glory before the war. Unfortunately all his work was destroyed when the library burned down in 1943.After the tour I returned home and had a delicious dinner and very nice conversation with my host mother Nora. She made me a Peruvian dish called Rocoto Relleno.

     

Rocoto Relleno is basically a stuffed pimiento pepper that my host mother said is prepared to be less spicy. The stuffing is usually meat and cheese and in mine she had a hard boiled egg. I normally don't like peppers at all but I want to try everything here so I tried it and loved it. I ate every last bite. The side dish that is in the picture is just a simple vegetable mix but my host family has an olive farm in the south of Peru and they make that most delicious olive oil I have ever had and that was mixed in with the vegetables. Also for a drink I had Chicha which is purple corn juice. I has a strange taste but I like it and I often have it with meals here but I still would like to try Inca Kola.