The End of my First Month in Peru

El Parque del Amor in Miraflores

Las Huacas

El Parque del Agua

El Parque del Agua

Tomorrow marks the final day in January and so far I feel like I have learned enormous amounts since I arrived here in Surco. Just this past week was filled with a whirlwind of activities. I still really haven’t been able to grasp the concept that life is still going on in Kearney while I am in Peru. Sometimes I can’t help but think what I would be doing right now in this moment if I was at UNK. Then, there’s nights like this past Saturday when I realize that if I wouldn’t have studied abroad I would have never gotten to experience and learn all about Peruvian culture.

This past Thursday was the first day I acted as a volunteer Teaching Assistant in a second level English class at the university I attend here. The experience was awesome and I can’t wait to go again this next Thursday. I feel like as an education major I picked up on a lot of the little aspects of the classroom that others might now have noticed. It amazed me how much time the students spent actually speaking in English. The majority of the class was spent going over a new topic, such as reflexive pronouns. After the given topic was introduced and explained, the students then partnered up and put into practice what they learned. In my Spanish classes back home the teacher lectures the majority of the time and we are not actually given time to practice the new skills we have acquired.

Saturday morning we had a class field trip to Miraflores to learn about the history behind the district. I was thinking of my dad and Paul throughout the whole experience because I know they would have found it very interesting. For instance, the houses here are built in a very specific way according to climate and other factors. The roofs are actually flat because in Miraflores they only receive 7 millimeters of rain per year. After walking around Lima we then received a tour of “Las Huacas.” The Huacas are sacred places that serve as a ceremonial center. Within the Huacas are tombs of human sacrifices.

Saturday evening the UNK students and a few students from UPC went to El Parque del Agua. It was so much fun. The park is filled with huge fountains that you can run through. Each fountain is unique in its own way in regards to the colors it gives off and the structure. At night time they also have this awesome show of fountains that shoot off water in all different colors and shapes and in the middle of it all you can see a man and a woman dancing together. A video was actually filmed of the UNK students running through the fountains. You can find it at:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zf9ySi5Nuuw&feature=youtu.be

I’m the one in a blue shirt and gray shorts that comes running in about 20 seconds after the video starts!

I know I have blogged before about the famous Peru, Nebraska video, but I have decided to attach the video to this blog. It’s unbelievable how famous the video is here. This past Friday a cousin of my host mom was over and she asked where I was from. I told her Nebraska and then the conversation moved on. Roughly thirty minutes later in mid-sentence the whole Peru, Nebraska idea dawned on her and she of course asked if I lived close to Peru and if I had seen the video. My professor for my Conversation and Culture class even showed the video during class and for homework we are now reading articles from two different authors about the video. In one article the author really loved the idea of the trip these famous Peruvian people made to Nebraska and in the other article the author was not a huge fan of the idea. The video is in Spanish but it does have English subtitles. In the video the people from Nebraska try lots of foods I have had hear. Do you remember when I blogged about how Inca Kola tastes like bubblegum? In the video a man from Nebraska tries Inca Kola and right afterwards he says, “that tastes like bubblegum.” Here’s the link to the video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r_xBZcVEH1I

Last night my host family and I attended a church I had never been to so far. The Eucharist and whole celebration still amazes me every time I go. I have found it odd the entire time I have been here in Peru that only about half the church receives Communion. I finally got up the courage to ask my host sister what that was all about. She said that people here only receive the Eucharist if they are free of sins. That also explains the huge lines for reconciliation you can find before mass. Another really awesome aspect of church is how the Eucharist is put away in the sacristy. After communion the whole congregation is sitting. Then, when the priest goes to put away the remaining Body of Christ the entire congregation stands up and bows. The whole celebration is awe-inspiring.

Before I start to study I thought I would share this little tidbit from Sister Rosy, the director of the Newman Center at UNK. I know that all our lives are extremely busy and it would be impossible for all of us to call each other or e-mail on a daily basis. However, in the words of Sister Rosy, “we can stayed connected through our prayers.” My thoughts and prayers go out to all of you. I hope you have a GREAT week! J

<3 Mary