Karao-kay

So, another eventful weekend in Lima!

But first, Saturday morning was the premiere of our classes following the YouthXChange themes: Respecting Our Bodies (see earlier post: http://overthehillsnow.blogspot.com/2012/05/el-proyecto-project.html). It definitely got harder to teach as the levels digressed from Advanced to Pre-Beginners, but we still seemed able to get our point across. Teaching these classes definitely take much more planning effort and teaching effort than our classes during the week. All in all, it was a pretty successful first class.

Now, after class and a delicious lunch, the trainees headed to Lima. And, it was a milestone - nobody was there to take care of us. We got on a combi, rode to Santa Anita, and took two taxis to get to our destination. We didn't die, and didn't get ripped off. But, we did get the cab driver a little lost. And, the cab rides involved us being extremely squished in the back. So, our first stop in Lima was our friend Tati's house for balloon craziness. Essentially, we braided each other's hair (if possible) and tied balloons to the end in order to make our hair stand up. I must say, it was pretty successful but even more entertaining. Then, we took pictures and ate gummy bears. And, there was also some helium voices in the mix of this. Wee! 

Then, it was off to Karaoke. 6 gringos attempting to sing Hispanic music with Peruvians, and there was also some belting to American music **cough cough Adele**, which was just as interesting in it's own way. Very memorable, very hilarious, very crazy. 

This morning, after minimal hours of rest, Donovan, Tatí, and I went to church. While it was great, it was hard for all three of us to keep our eyes open. Still though, I enjoyed the sermon. Though I doubt myself, it's getting easier and easier for me  to understand Spanish each day!

Well, after church, Susy took Donovan and I to lunch with her family at a restaurant called Oceanka. It was so delicious. I ate causa (the potato, crab, avocado sandwich thing) and Chaufa with veggies and a shrimp omelet on top. With lunch, we watched Peru v. Uruguay, in Uruguay. What an exciting, depressing game. Peruvians have a saying to describe their football team: "Juega para nunca, pierde como siempre." It doesn't translate to English exactly, but it essentially means "Peru plays their hearts out each game, but they always lose." Though the score was 4-2, I honestly think it was much closer than that. Uruguay just managed to pull a goal in the 94th minute is all... very depressing. But, that was fun!

After the game, we joined the other trainees to watch a movie, but we decided to ditch that idea and went to get ice cream instead. On the way to the "geladeria," we drove though some very pretty parts of Miraflores. There is a huge park, which Susy calls "Central Park" because it is so big. There are olive trees all throughout the park, and gorgeous, expensive, huge houses lying in the middle. It's pretty incredible. Also, there was graffiti on the wall, which read "Jimi Hendrix Experience." That made me really happy - it's crazy to see how much of an impact music has on the world. Usually, we only see it in the country we live in. Anyways, back to ice cream. Here, ice cream is much more similar to Italian gelato than American ice cream. That's perfectly okay with me because I find gelato much more delicious. Anyways, we ate fancy gelato sundays for a while and goofed around as well as watching people pass by on the sidewalk.  

Before we headed back to Chosica, we stopped in a bookstore, where I bought my first Spanish book, "El viaje a la ficción" by Peruvian author Mario Vargas Llosa. Hopefully, it will take me less than a year to read and understand. If all goes well, I might finish a chapter by the time I leave Perú! Jaja. Anyways, after our short eventful Lima adventure, it was back to Chosica for another 6 days of work. 

More updates to come!

Keep in touch!