Martes - Música

Since Tuesday is a short day for us trainees, having only one class in the morning, we were able to have some extra hangout time. After class, we went to a fro-yo place in Chosica (yes, the fro-yo craze has reached Perú). But, we got there, and it looked sketchy. It wasn't the actual place that looked sketchy but the fro-yo. I'm not sure if it even was fro-yo. Anyways, we ditched the fro-yo idea and stopped at an ice cream cart instead. Mmmmm helado. Delicious! At lunch yesterday, I ate helado called "Secretos del Bosque" (Secrets of the Forest). It was absolutely delicious. I'm pretty sure it was a mix of vanilla ice cream, strawberries, blueberries, and blackberries. Well, whatever it was, I would like some more of it! Jaja. Anyways, after ice cream, it was back to Dante's for work. Which, I must say, it seems like we work a lot, but we are really productive for only half of the time. But hey, we get the work done. 

After lunch, we reconveined again to work on something a little different. This Friday, there is a Father's Day celebration at the school. Dante, our boss, thinks we should perform something for the faculty and staff, the kids, and all of their families.  We were going to dance to a mix of 60s, 70s, and 80s. But today, it was decided that we change from dancing to playing a song. And what song? Well, Pearl Jam's version of "Last Kiss." I cry everytime I hear the song because it's so sad. So, why this song? Isn't Father's Day a happy thing? Well, yes, the song is originally American. Wayne Cochran and friends actually first recorded it in Athens, Georgia. Go Dawgs, Sic 'em. It was covered a lot, most famously in the US by Pearl Jam in the 90s. But, in the 60s, a Peruvian band named Los Daltons translated the song into Spanish, and it was a huge hit. Also, it's even sadder in Spanish. http://www.musica.com/letras.asp?letra=1227405 So, it's kind of a fusion of the States and Perú. The fact that it was written in Georgia is pretty cool too, since the like half of the trainees are from Georgia. 

While in "band practice," I also decided to start learning guitar today. So far, I know 3 chords and nothing else. This will be interesting! And, I mean both the performance and me learning the guitar. 

...Qué? No sé. Pero, todo está bien.

So, with the arrival of 3 new trainees (2 from Colombia and 1 from Venezuela), the Educa360 2012 trainees comes to a total of 11. 6 on English Impact and 6 on Change Agent Project. 6 + 6 = 12, not 11. But, one trainee works with both projects. Though only half of us are gringos now, we still get ridiculous looks walking around Chosica and riding on combis. 

Now, though it may seem like working abroad for a summer is 150% awesome, and though most of the time that is true, it's still a lie. It's extremely frustrating. Not being able to understanding anybody all the time is the most aggravating thing I've ever experienced. And here, that's about 50% of the time I am conscious. I never know if the combi drivers are actually going to stop where I tell them to, I never know exactly what's in my food (which is extremely scary for me), and I never know if someone is talking to me on the street or not. Back home, I love making small talk with random people. You can find out the most interesting things. But here, I can't do that. Even teaching the children, though I'm teaching them my language, it's hard teaching somebody you can't very well verbally communicate with -- it's hard to make personal relationships with them. Every time I think I'm getting better at Spanish, something comes and knocks me back down. 

That all sounds depressing, but one more thing: I'm still here, and I'm not dead. I'm still in this game, and there's no giving up now. 7 more weeks of frustration, confusion, vagueness, a whole lot of crazy, and the time of my life. For anyone that knows me, I'm never satisfied with my actions and I'm always thinking about or looking for something. Well, I'm only 18 years old. I gave up my summer by choice to come to Perú and impact children's lives. Though I'm way in over my head, I'm still doing it. I came across a quote once, and it said,

"There's nothing like biting off more than you can chew, and then chewing it anyway." -Mark Burnett

I think it's a perfect description of my life right now as well as my life at the dinner table. It feels like I've been gone a year, so that just means it's like 2 more years until I leave. 

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!

Twain

As a tribute to trainee number 4 to get sick, I've been stalking her blog. You should check it out. It's super detailed: http://niluniconnu.blogspot.com/ 
But I'm going to steal the quote on her page:

“Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things you didn’t do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines, sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover.” – Mark Twain 

It's been not even 3 weeks since I arrived in Perú, and I've had an adventure of a lifetime. I can't wait to see what else is in store for me! So, listen to Twain. He was a pretty smart man after all. So, go do something spontaneous. What's the worst that could happen? Well, you'll have a ridiculous story to tell. And, that comes in handy at parties. May the odds be ever in your favor. This is the Hunger Games.

I - III

Well, once again, I apologize for no updates for a week. I only hope my excuses are valid enough. 

Also, there is lot's to say, so this post will be in 3 parts.

Part 1 - Clases

So, this was our first week teaching. And, for the first week, I'd say it went pretty well! For the most part, the kids love having us in class, and the teachers are also a blessing to work with. For the most part, all the classes were just "syllabus day" classes, so it was just basic English that most of them already knew. Also, these kids really like the Avengers. One boy asked for all of our autographs, and I was invited over to another boy's house to play Nintendo Wii. Nbd.

Part 2 - Excuses

So, the main reason why I was a little MIA last week was because I had too much Peruvian food my body just wasn't capable of handling. So, after a lot of sleep, I felt a little better. And, I've been eating nothing but rice, chicken soup, and plain chicken since then. And, so far, so good. But, I am lucky, most of the other trainees have gotten much sicker than I have. 

Random complaint - Today, on my combi ride to the school, the bus driver decided to skip my stop just because he couldn't understand me but just because he didn't want to. Thanks, thanks so much. #gringoproblems

Part 3 - NatCo

So, this past weekend was AIESEC Perú's NatCo, and I didn't have internet access (another excuse).  But, basicallly, the entirety of AIESEC Perú got together at a hotel by the beach and had a huge weekend long party. There were seminars and such during the day, but there were parties all night. So, the weekend started off with a talent show. All of the LCs (different AIESEC committees) performed. And, us trainees being the crazy people that we are did one of our own. It was to that song "Rasputin." It was absolutely ridiculous and the Peruvians loved it. So, after a dinner of Inca Korn and Tampico (a Peruvian drink that is essentially pixie sticks dissolved in water) we dressed up like pirates and went to party number one. After about 2 hours of sleep, we awoke to get to breakfast on time. But, Peruvians are never on time, so we were all just waiting there for a while until they let us inside. After breakfast, we spent the morning trying desperately to stay awake during the meeting, and then we hiked up the large hill right off the coast to see the light house. The name of that hill is "Poop Mountain" to us. I have never smelled anything so bad in my life. Bird poop everywhere! But it was a pretty view. After that, we chilled on the beach for a while, got attacked by a wave, and then ate lunch. After lunch, it was nap time. We were already super delirious. Except, nap time turned into trainee bonding time. We eventually fell asleep, but then had to wake up to go to the Gala, which was eventful in so many ways. It involved a trainee going to the hospital (she's ok), lots of laughter, lots of worries, and AIESEC Pacífico winning an award for putting together the project I am working on! After party #2 and two hours of talking with Tatí and Alé, we slept for about 2 hours. It was a crazy night. Then, since we decided not to dress up for the party on Saturday night, us trainees being the ridiculous people we are dressed up in Roman soldier costumes for breakfast. We got the craziest looks and lots of pictures. People either saw us and laughed, ignored us, or thought "what the heck? Am I still drunk from last night?" I promise, we were all absolutely sober, which made it even greater. Every time someone would come up to us, we'd respond "Tócame que soy realidad," which some conceited Peruvian soccer player said a while back. It translates to "Touch me because I am real." And, when people asked us why we were wearing costumes, I'd simply respond, "Why not?" The funny thing was, the theme of the weekend was building a legacy for yourself. I think the trainees pretty much accomplished that. 

I am pretty tired still, so this probably makes no sense. I will explain more shortly. Now, time for bed. Chaufa!

Lima a El Primer Día de Clases

What a long, sleep-less weekend it has been! It began with an early start on Saturday morning with a trip to Lima. And by early, I mean us trainees haven't quite adapted to the Peruvian time schedule - 7:00am means about 8:00am. So, early as in earlier than it needed to be. After a bus ride to Lima full of laughter, we started our 10 hour long AIESEC "Youth Leading the Change" conference at El Museo de Nación. 

From what I could pick up, there were some very interesting people that spoke who had neat stories and backgrounds. My favorite presentations probably had to be the clown and a lady from Google. The clown seminar was full of jokes, but also explained the foundation and purpose of an organization named Bola Roja. The Google lecture described more in depth what Google strives to be as well as other features that are in the process of development. These include Google ebooks, the Google Art Project, and Google Drive. I highly suggest looking into them if you have not heard of them. But, with an hour long chaufa (Peruvian-Chinese chicken fried rice) lunch break that turned into a two hour long lunch break, my brain was fried by the end of the conference. 

So, after a quick reuniting with my buddy, Susy, and some other friends, we headed to our friend Tatí's house for a while for "English lesson" and of course some goofing off. Then, we went to an AIESECer's birthday party. And well, it was kind of the equivalent of some GA Tech parties. If you are from Tech and are reading this, I'm not hating on you. There were 3 Tech kids at this party with me, and they all agreed. 

So, after a short 4 hour nights sleep, Donovan, Binita and I headed to church. It was very small, held basically in somebody's house. There is also a mission trip being led to this church from a group of students from Harding University in Arkansas. Though it was small, you could still see how devoted the people are to God and the overwhelming amount of love that comes with Him. It's definitely pretty cool.

So, after church, we headed to El Museo de Nación (where the Youth Leading the Change Conference was). Basically, we danced roll calls (AIESEC dances) for an hour. Woo! The museum seems like a really cool place, so I hope to be able to see the actual exhibits one day if I have time before I leave. Then, we left to meet some other Trainees and Dante for lunch. But, there were a lot of us, and we decided to fit in one cab. So, I got to ride in the trunk with Mathilde, another trainee. Sitting on a tire, nbd. Maybe the scariest thing I've done since I got here? Either that or the first time I rode a "combi" (bus) by myself. But anyways, I survived! The driver was also pretty cool. When Adele came on the radio and we started belting the lyrics as loud as we could, we turned up the radio. Also, another random side note about Perú. Most of them know more about American pop culture than I do. I mean pop culture only in the sense of celebrities and Top 40 songs. 

So, after a long wait for lunch and a quick coffee break, we ate the best Cheviche I have ever had at "Punto Azul." We basically got one of all the best dishes, and everything was so good. My favorite dish was sliced fish (cured with the best lemon sauce, of course)covered in Parmesan cheese. Mmmm. Then, it was back the mall for an ice cream trip, which was also delicious. Here, the ice cream is more like gelato (my absolute favorite), so I was a big fan of the mint chocolate chip ice cream we had. 

Then we all traveled back to Chosica and went right to our host homes and right to bed. Very fun, but very tiring. 

Then, this morning was our first class! We taught English to Primary 5th graders, and it was awesome. They were very hyper, but also very excited to learn from us. It was a little intimidating at first walking into a classroom full of loud kids right before snack time. But, after introductions, we split up into groups of advanced, intermediate, and beginners, and Binita and I worked with the advanced group. Since it was "get to know you" day, we just did basic English stuff with a few games of Simon Says and a few rounds of Heads, Shoulders, Knees, and Toes (In English and Español). Overall, it went pretty well. So, after our daily trip to Plaza Vea (the supermarket), we went our separate was to our families for lunch. And that, my friends, brings me to now. 

Though I'm missing a lot back in the States this summer, I'm so thankful for this opportunity in Perú. I've only been here a week, and there are so many memories and new experiences already! I can't wait to see how the rest of the summer is going to play out. 

El Proyecto - The Project

So, what exactly am I doing here in Perú? Well, let me explain it to you the best I can. I'm working with an organization called Educa360 here in Chosica, Lima, Perú (Lima is a section of Perú as well as a city, and Chosica is in the region named Lima). There are two main projects in Chosica: The Change Agent Project and English Impact. Both projects work with children who attend El Colegio de San Carlos in Chosica. There are 4 trainees on the Change Agent Project, which focuses on teaching leadership skills and sustainability. They work mainly with older children. I am one of 5 trainees working on the English Impact project, which is brand new this year at the school. During the week, we work with children ages 10-16 (Secondary School) teaching English. But, it's not just any regular old class. Our job is to make it fun as well as giving the kids exposure to native English speakers to practice with. There are not many foreigners in Chosica, especially those who are from the States, England, or Australia, and it is our goal that interacting with us will help the children improve their English in a way they wouldn't be able to while in their regular classroom. 

But, there is also a part two to our project. On Saturdays, we teach four different classes solely to   the older children at the school. These classes focus on different themes taken from the YouthXChange project. The YouthXChange Project was created by UNESCO (United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization) and UNEP (United Nations Environment Programme) in order to promote the "Culture of the Future" around the world. It promotes awareness of the environmental, psychological, and physiological problems in the world to the younger generation. This is in hope that they become ignited with a drive to make a difference and live a sustainable lifestyle. There are 9 different themes we are focusing on:

1. Respecting Our Bodies 

2. Packaging Yourself

3. Awakening Your Soul

4. Looking for a Place

5. Carrying the Torch

6. Clean Up Your Fun

7. Social Belonging

8. Pay The Right Price

9. Looking Ahead

I will continue to update y'all in greater detail as my team and I dive deeper into each theme. For now, we have explored the first two more carefully, and this is what we have come up with:

1. Respecting Our Bodies

Beauty is a feeling within us, and we need drift away from society's skewed definition of beauty and  recognize and practice the things that make us feel beautiful. This theme also includes proper diet and exercise. We should be aware of how we treat our bodies. After all, we only get one in this life, and it is important that we take care of it.

2. Packaging Yourself

Most of us don't think about were all of the material things in our lives actually come from. More particularly, our food and our clothes. For this theme, our goal is to get the students thinking about where things come from in the world. With that, problems with pollution, human rights, animal rights, and food sustainability arise. So, the question becomes, where do you want the things in your life to come from? And also, who is at fault for the mistreatment of humans, animals and the environment in our world? Us or the corporations? What effort can we make to fix these problems.

--

Our goal is to educate the students of El Colegio de San Carlos about world issues, and encourage them to make a difference in their own lives, their community, and their country in order to keep the future as bright as it has the capability of being. In this short two months we have, I pray that we do make an impact on their lives and ignite a burning passion inside of them. 

If you have any questions or interest, feel free to ask me and/or visit the YouthXChange website: http://www.youthxchange.net/main/home.asp

And how did I get involved with this? Well, it's an organization named AIESEC, which is a non-profit student run organization found at many college campuses around the world. For anyone in college or heading to college, they are an awesome program to get involved with. Basically, it's a program that promotes global citizenship and sends students around the world to work and play. There is a ton of stuff they do, but that's a story for another time.