pineapple and cheese empanadas. mm-mm.

It's been odd and wonderful adjusting to life in Jesus Maria.

Everything is at a slower pace here...to me it feels lazy.

In Madison I would be up early, running errands, making my own food, cleaning up after myself, doing my own laundry (and the laundry of many of my old roommates at 525...) etc.

Here, we get up for breakfast which our maid Mariluki makes and clears for us at 8, then normally go back to bed for a bit. We slowly get ready and decide what beach to go to. We drop our clothes off at the Lavanderia, which for about $6, people wash, dry, fold, and fix rips/tears in your laundry. Then we stroll home for dinner which Mariluki has ready for us, we chat with our host family about our day, get dressed up, go out dancing, come home around 2:30 am, and then do it all over again.

Jealous yet?

Now, this is not every day, but definitely a typical weekend day.

New Things:
-I've been learning to salsa dance, which of course I look like a complete fool doing.

-We learned there are cockroaches EVERYWHERE on the streets at night.

-Evidently Pontificia Universidad Catolica is the best school in Peru. We found this out by the fact locals CLAP for us when we tell them we are going there. Awesome.

- People don't go running here. Katie and I went for a run the other morning and people looked at us like we absolutely crazy.

-Since I am so tan, my host mother calls me "negrita". Yikes.

-The ladies and I went to our first Chifa (chinese restaurant). It was heaven.

The other day the roommates and I ventured to Miraflores to visit the beach and El Parque De Amor. Let me tell you, being at the park of love when you're single is quite the treat. There are people selling roses to the couples cuddling in the shade and mosaic benches with famous love quotes in Spanish. At the park we met a Peruvian named Rafael, who ended up showing us around Miraflores and Barranco. That night we met up with him and his friend Eric in Barranco and danced the night away at the crazy packed Discotecas. The dancing is interesting, because unlike the glued-to-each-other-grinding that occurs in night clubs in the States, they actually DANCE. Sure, there is still plenty of sexuality if one so chooses, but the people dance salsa, cumbia, and more.

Next to my love for being picked up when someone hugs me is my love for being spun around while dancing. Hands. Down.

And now, a few pictures...

Orientation at PUCP includes penguins! YES!! Beautiful artwork in Parque Kennedy Another day at the beach in Miraflores...
One of the mosaics in El Parque de Amor...

Free balloons thrown out during dancing at Hakuna. Random much?

Salsa dancing with an old man in the plaza in Jesus Maria. In athletic shorts. Definition of classy. It was a dance with a band for senior citizens...and somehow Katie and I got pulled into it. We got plenty of "dumb Gringas" looks. Shocking.

Besos y Abrazos!