Lima oh Lima

Two days of adventuring before my flight to Cusco... I've walked all over the Miraflores district of Lima and its cute and very well-to-do compared to the other parts of the city I've seen. I'm still getting used to not being able to use my phone.....fjsdklfjsdklfjsdkljf (Oh the perils of getting used to crackberries...). Things are strangely cheap/expensive, everything (esp food) is Americanized in the most painful way ever (everyone here loves the US it seems, which makes me cringe-- we export fast food, pop culture, coca cola, and American Eagle. Why is destroying the authenticity of other cultures what the US is known for?) There is a TON of construction in the area (is it really growing that fast?), and every time I cross the street I'm sure I'm going to be run over by a buscar or a taxi is going to stop on the cross walk to ask me if I need a ride. NO I REALLY DO LIKE TO WALK THANKYOU! However, now that I'm getting used to the pace and flow of things I really do love it here. The weather is humid-cool (it is winter after all), hostels are the most awesome things ever, and it's Beautiful (even the gritty parts). I don't think it's possible to take a bad picture of Peru. And I'm unbelievably excited to get to Cusco tomorrow!!

Now that my rambling is done, here's what I've been up to the last few days:

Miercoles (Wednesday)

I got to go to the Commission for International Education for orientation and setting up my bank account.... Everyone was supremely friendly and helpful, reassuring me that I'll get the language in no time, that Cusco is easier because more people speak English, and simultaneously harder because the Spanish up there is a bit of a Quechua hybrid. They gave me a brief safety lecture, basically saying "Don't take any buses to the middle of nowhere overnight, you'll get kidnapped." And "Use your common sense." They want us to travel, to make friends with local people, act as cultural ambassadors to the US, and also complete our projects. It's the experience and connections that will be important, not necessarily the quantity of work I make (however, I will not de-prioritize the making of awesome things for anything, no matter what they say. I want to dye everything!!!) The bank was a rather awful experience, as our signature had to match our passport exactly and mine is never the same twice. I had to sit and practice the signature in my passport for almost 40min before they said it was a good match and let me sign the paperwork. I was basically in tears at the end of it-- it's kinda scary when they're lecturing you in Spanish about something you feel you should be able to do, that doesn't have a whole lot of importance where you're from but is massively important where you are. But it's sorted out now and I have an account at a Peruvian cuenta bancaria!
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After this, I decided it was time for a walking adventure. I stopped at the French Bakery down the street from my hostel, because it was 2:30 and I hadn't had lunch. Most delicious chocolate croissant ever. Then I headed for the Ocean. The Pacific Ocean in the Southern Hemisphere, where you have to watch out for Sharks and stinging jellyfish in the summer and seagulls and surfers in the winter. It was so very beautiful. When I approached the coast, the land just dropped off into these rounded cliffs, with pebbly faces and viney ground cover. There was a zig-zagging winding path down the cliff-side, down to a bridge that crossed a highway, and then down more stairs to the beach path. I made up my mind and the first thing I did was run up to the water in between waves and touch the water. I had to run right back away from it to avoid getting splashed. I'm sure I had a gigantic smile on my face and was laughing like a crazy person, but it didn't matter (looking ridiculous doesn't matter a whole lot when nobody speaks your language, they just assume you're nuts to begin with). I took something like 90 pictures... they're on my flicker. Wandered through the downtown for a while, looking for sweaters (found one) before heading home. Didn't find any traditional peruvian food (strangest thing ever) but did find veggies for dinner. Collapsed when I finally got back to my room around 9pm (walking for long stints like that is exhausting).

Jueves (Thrusday)

Today (hoy) I got up at a decent hour and headed for the post office!! Found a crepe resturant that will definitely be dinner this evening, and then headed for Huaca Pucllana, an archeological site about 2 blocks from my hostel. It's a Lima Culture pyramid temple and they've been excavating and restoring it for 30 years and expect to be working another 20. It used to be 18 Hectares and is now just 6, because the construction of the area began before the archeologists knew what the site was-- it just looked like a big dirt mountain, and was then used for soccer, motorcross bike ramping, and other damaging things.... I got to tour what they have excavated, take lots of pictures, and look at some adorable Alpacas!!! (Alpacas have such cute faces!!!)



Then it was off to find lunch (finally traditional Peruvian food at this PACKED little cafe-- I had Lomo Saltado ie. salted beef and veggies) and the "Indian" district, which to me meant India Market and to the people here means Inca Descendents. I am now the proud owner of an insanely brightly colored purse, a cheap pair of slouchy boots, and some probably off the back of a truck old navy v-neck shirts! Walked back to the hostel for a break before dinner (the dinner rush is closer to 8pm here??). Mmm crepes.