Ok, wow! I feel like I've already been here a week and it's only been a few days! After 8 hours in a bus--first class no less--and a short cab ride after, I finally arrived in Huanchaco!! And to my relief it's way cuter than I would have expected, having already experienced Lima and the surrounding areas. This place is very touristy and there are TONS of volunteers all over the place, many American and all of them in their early twenties. Perfect.
I've already met lots of people and had to really brush up on my Spanish quick! There are very few locals here who speak English, so any interaction with a peruano is a Spanish lesson in action. I still haven't had my first lesson at the restuarant, but hopefully by Friday I will know my hours and what exactly I will be doing. I was supposed to have my introduction yesterday, but in classic Peruvian fashion, the main cook there forgot we were having a meeting and went out of town. According to locals, that's quite normal and I should not take offense. Getting used to "Peruvian time" will be interesting.
The volunteer house is... good. Different, I guess is a better word. It's interesting to live in a house where everything is done differently and takes a bit more effort. For example, showers. First you turn on the water, if you have enough water pressure, then turn on the heating filament in the shower head, take your shower (keeping it as short as possible), dry off your hand, turn off the electricity then turn off the water. If the heating element is on without water passing over it, it will burn out.
And that's just the showers. Everything is like that! I'm definitely not complaining, but it is just different. I'm living with 4 other volunteers, all really awesome, two of which are Americans. Last night we went to a local bar here, called My Friend, had some drinks and got to watch the election results come in. It was really great to be able to do that while I'm here. This morning I bought a local paper with Barack Obama on it (since every paper in the world seems to have the same thing on the cover this morning!) as a little keepsake of this historical event.
Well, today is the first day I've seen sun since I've been here. For the past two days it's been foggy and a bit chilly, which I guess is very unusual. It's usually never-ending summer weather here and I'm finally experiencing that today! I'm going to live it up and put on some shorts!
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4 comments:
Did you see Obama's acceptance speech? Man, that was killer. I am so glad he won. I bet there were many other similar parties to the one we attended last night. Champagne, cheers and relief. Obamanos!
(Careful with that shower, eeek.)
Oh boy, the fun starts now! Do you have your own room or are you sharing? Are your roommates girls or guys? (If they are guys, you be sure to tell them you're already spoken for, ok? : )
Hey, do you have a physical address and can you accept mail there? If so, please post your address!
Can't wait to see pictures of the cuteness. Maybe we will all hop in a plane and come join you!
It's so cool that you know spanish enough to be able to talk to people. Yes, you should be proud of yourself! Learning Spanish is on my list of things to do and I think, I'll start a class the beginning of 09. Spanish is a great language to know.
I still won't be able to vote in this country for 8 more years until I have become a US citizen, but nonetheless, I am totally proud to have Obama become our new president. I saw him on TV at the gym the other day and found myself smiling at the screen.. .
I guess, the blogger email is me, Grit :-/
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