5/31

Today after our classes at "El Sol," a few us us walked to a bakery near by called "San Antonio's." San Antonio's also sells sandwiches, and I got one with ham, cheese, egg, and bacon. The desserts there looked amazing. Hopefully next time I go I'll be able to get one.
After we got our lunch we caught the bus to go back to UNIFE. Today we had a lecture about Peruvian literature. We learned about the authors such as Ricardo Palma, César Vallejo, and Edgardo Rivera Martínez. We spoke the most about Ricardo Palma who wrote very sarcastically mostly about life in Lima. César Vallejo was a Peruvian poet, writer, playwright, and journalist. Edgardo Rivera Martínez was a contemporary writer and university teacher.
After the lecture we went and saw the Museo "Oro del Perú" which translates to the "Gold of Peru Museum." There was not only gold in this museum but a large collection of silver, and weapons from all over the world as well as ceramics and ancient mummies from ancient Peruvian civilizations. The museum was very cool, but they did not let us take any photos so I only have pictures of the outside of the museum. But, here is a link to the museum's website incase you want to look: http://www.banrepcultural.org/museo-del-oro

Our class at UNIFE

Museo Oro del Peru

Museo Oro del Peru

5/30

Today after classes at El Sol we went to UNIFE which stands for Universidad Feminina Del Sagrado Corazón for the first time. At this university we will be helping the students who are there practicing to be translators, translate from Spanish to English. They welcomed us with some speeches, and then we broke out into groups, two from Northeastern, and three from UNIFE and spoke in English with them for 10 minutes, then in Spanish for 10 minutes. Their English was much better than our Spanish. The girls I was speaking to were all in their fifth year at the university and about to graduate. We spoke about the differences between the cultures.
After that we went outside for a dance performance. The students  performed traditional Peruvian dances, and at the end welcomed us up on the stage to join them. The performance was very nice, and when they tried to teach the dances to us, they spoke in English which was good, considering that I don't think I know enough Spanish vocabulary to learn dance steps.
That was all we had for today, but tomorrow when we go back to the University, we will be lectured on Peruvian literature by one of their professors.

Them welcoming us to their University

A picture of our team plus theirs

The symbol of the University that was on the side of a building

A performance of the traditional Peruvian dance called Ballinera

5/29

Today we didn't have to do anything until 10 am! It was such a treat!
At 10 we took a 7 hour "Mirabus" tour around Callao which is the major seaport of Peru.  We drove around in a double decker bus and had a beautiful view of the ocean on our way to two museums. The first museum was called Museo Naval Del Peru and it was all about the Peruvian Navy. There was a lengthly section in the museum talking about the importance of the Navy when Peru gained independence from Spain.
The next museum was just down the block and it was called Museo de Sitio - Submarino Abtao. At this museum we watched a video and then went down into an old submarine and had a tour of the it. The submarine was cool, but I didn't really like it because it smelt bad and was very claustrophobic. The machine however was very cool and they had many mannequins set up demonstrating what life inside of a submarine would be like.
After that we got swordfish at the restaurant that had a beautiful view of the ocean and continued on our tour. Our next stop was Fortaleza Real Felipe. This fortress protected Peruvians from pirates during the colonial times. The fortress had many soldiers present as well as many tourists. They had a small museum which we went into and saw busts of important soldiers. After that we walked around the fortress and went into one of the towers. The view from the top was very cool and you could see the port of Callao.
After that we went back to Miraflores and had the rest of the night off, which was good considering we had been busy all weekend.

A painting of the battle of Dos de Mayo at Museo Naval Del Peru which was the last battle between Peru and Spain

A model of a ship at Museo Naval Del Peru

Anna at Museo Naval Del Peru

A picture of the Peruvian flag from standing on top of the submarine at Museo de Sitio - Submarine Abtao

The inside of the submarine at Museo de Sitio - Submarine Abtao

A statue at the entrance of Fortaleza Real Felipe

The busts of the important soldiers in the museum at Fortaleza Real Felipe

The flag at the top of the tower at Fortaleza Real Felipe

5/28

Today we got up early and caught the bus to Caral! Caral is an ancient civilization, the oldest civilization in the Americas. It is located in the Supe Valley which is north of Lima.  Caral was built around 2000 years before the birth of Christ, and parts of it still exist today. It was discovered by Ruth Shady in 1994, so there is still a lot about the people of Caral we do not know. The tour guide took us around the grounds of Caral and explained the purpose of the existing monuments. Some has been reconstructed to add to the effect of the civilization. The part that I thought was the coolest was the sun dial which still stands tall today and very accurately told the time (there is a picture of it down below).
The trip took about 4 hours each way, but we hit a lot of traffic on the way back so it easily could have been more like 5. We got back to Miraflores around 8 pm. Then we had about 4 hours to eat, shower, and get ready to go out to "La Peña," which is a bar in Barranco (a district right next to Miraflores). We met at the bar around 12 pm. The bar had a dane floor that we all could dance on sometimes, but at other times we had to get off to watch Peruvian dancers, or Peruvian singers. It was a very interactive bar, and it was a lot of fun.
We didn't end up leaving until about 3/3:30 am but all fell asleep right away because we had gotten up around 5 am.

A view of the mountains from Caral

A temple of Caral

Another temple of Caral

Another view of the mountains from Caral

The steps up to a temple of Caral

Another temple of Caral

The sundial in Caral

The bases of the houses of Caral

The last beautiful view of the mountains from Caral

Some goats we saw while leaving Caral

Me and Anna at "La Peña!"

5/27

Today after our classes at El Sol we had the afternoon off! Eleven of us walked a little ways down the street from the school and went to a seafood restaurant called "Punto Azul." Many of us ordered drinks, and I ordered a drink with pisco in it called Mango Alcoholado. The drinks were good, but had a very strong aftertaste. Then the entrees came. Everyone ordered something different! I ordered a pesto pasta with fried fish. A few people ordered Ceviche, a popular latin dish made with fish cooked in a citric marinade with onions. Many of us tried each other's food, so I got to try the Ceviche. It was good, the fish was very fresh and the flavor was more mild than I would have thought. I then split a dessert with two other people. We ordered a milk chocolate mousse that was delicious! Peru has a famous dessert called tres leches cake, and a few other people ordered that and I tried it too! The cake was very moist and practically melted in my mouth. Punto Azul was a very nice restaurant, and I ended up only paying a little less than $20 for my drink, entree, and splitting a dessert with 2 other people!
After lunch, we went to the cliffs on the beach a played frisbee for a while. A few people went paragliding above the ocean. I'm not sure yet if I want to go. It costs 270 soles which is about $75 - $80, so I'm trying to figure out if it's something I want to spend that much money on. I went back to my house at about 6pm to do some work and rest. Our bus leaves at 6am tomorrow for our day trip to Caral, so I'm planning on staying in for the rest of the night.

The dessert options!

Drinks!

All of us at lunch at Punto Azul!

5/26

Today after class we traveled to the Air Force School for the last time! We visited the classes like we had on Wednesday. This time I was with 14 year olds. They were much more attentive than the older kids I had been with on Wednesday. They welcomed us with presentations about their culture and gave us traditional foods to try.
After their presentations we split up, each with about 3 students. I was in a group with three boys. Their english was very limited, so I mostly spoke Spanish to them, and they tried to respond in English. We spoke about their lives in Peru and how they differ from my life growing up in the U.S. Then they wanted to talk about politics because they have heard a lot about our upcoming presidential election and Donald Trump. I spoke to them about Trump and they expressed to me their dislike for him. When I asked them why, they all had passionate answers explaining how he has offended so many latinos.
That is something I've noticed time and time again when talking to Peruvians. They all seem so confused and concerned that Donald Trump could be the next president. So many of them have asked me how he could be the next president and why he doesn't like Latinos, and I have no answer to their questions. It's hard for me to even understand how he has gotten so far, I can't imagine what they must be thinking.
The boys I were talking to knew a lot about Trump, but nothing about Hilary Clinton, they didn't even know her name. Trump has already become the face of the United States from many Peruvian's perspective.
I asked the boys about the upcoming presidential election in Peru which will take place on June 5th. Voting here is an obligation, so the boys I talked to knew a lot and were very interested in politics. The presidential election here is between two candidates, Keiko, and PPK. I don't know much about the candidates, but what they boys told me is that the majority of Lima supports PPK, and everywhere else supports Keiko. The boys all liked Keiko.
Once the class was over and we were walking towards our history lecture, we got bombarded by students asking us for pictures and our signatures! I don't know why, but the kids treated us like we were famous! It was very sweet, and so many of the kids, especially the younger ones were very excited to meet us.

Me and the boys I spoke with during class today

5/25

Today after our classes we went back to the Air Force School and participated in Physical Education classes with the students. Their were multiple classes going on at once in the same field and the classes were separated by gender. I was in a boy's gym class with other students from Northeastern. We started by racing 100 meters and then continued with a game a freeze tag. The instructor of the class did not speak any english, so we had two older students from the Air Force School who helped translate the rules of the games to us. The games were fun! But the field they we were playing on was a bit hazardous. There were water hoses and pieces of brick on the field as well as someone cutting the grass with a weed-wacker while all the kids were playing around him.

The kids really seemed to enjoy the gym class. A few of the boys spoke a little english, and they would ask us where we were from, our age, our favorite sport, etc. Whenever we asked any of them their favorite sport, the answer was always soccer!

After the class, we had a Peruvian history lecture by one of the teachers at the school, and after that we played a soccer match with the school's soccer team! The match was a lot of fun! First there was a girl's game and then a boy's. Most people subbed in and out so everyone who wanted to play got a chance! I played for a little bit, but I wasn't that good which makes sense considering the only soccer experience I have is from physical education in high school. Both our boy's and girl's teams lost to the Air Force School's teams, but I assume that was to be expected!

The Physical Education Class

The Girl's Soccer Match

5/24

Today after our classes we traveled back to the Air Force School to teach the students. Today we had a lot more time than yesterday and were allowed to break into smaller groups with the students. The students were supposed to talk in English, and we were supposed to talk in Spanish, but most of my students, especially the boys were too shy to speak in English in front of me so we spoke in Spanish. We talked about the differences between the cultures. Most of the students were 16 and they told me that 18 years old is the cut-off age for everything in Peru (driving, drinking, piercings, tattoos, etc.) and I told them how the United States has different ages for different things (16 to drive, 21 to drink, 18 for piercings and tattoos, etc.). We also talked about American music. I showed them Selena Gomez on my phone and then they started showing me some music on their phones.
They began asking me if I knew things about Peru. For example, popular authors, popular books, how to dance the salsa, etc. It was embarrassing to answer no to all of their questions because they knew a lot more about my culture than I did theirs. So I asked them to teach me how to salsa, and one of the students did! Soon all the other students from Northeastern in my class were being taught to salsa by students from the Air Force School!
The students at the Air Force School also seemed to be obsessed with taking selfies. I'm not sure why, but often a student who we've never met before will come up to us and just ask to take a picture.
When the time to end class came, I was sad that I had to leave. Talking with the students was so fun and it was nice to learn about their lives growing up and compare theirs to ours. The kids were so excited and sweet. I think they had a really fun time too!
After returning to Miraflores, I went out to get my nails done with some other girls on the trip. It was a lot of fun and we giggled the whole time! The only reason I'm mentioning this here though is because I can't get over the price! A pedicure was 25 soles, that's about $7.62! Wow!

A selfie! Me, Bree, and a student at the Air Force School

5/23

Today was our first day of teaching the students at the Air Force School. We went there directly after our classes at El Sol. The students welcomed us with food, drink, gifts, and dancing. First the younger girls came out and performed traditional Peruvian dance in colorful costumes. Then the older boys and girls came out and preformed a dance for us. At the end of their dance, they welcomed us all to get up and dance with them.
We then broke up into our groups. However, we unfortunately got to the school late and missed most of the time we had to teach the students. Also, the teacher of the class we were assigned to did not seem that interested in having us speak to the students and just had us sit in the back of the class while one student timidly stood in front and none of the other students paid any attention. It was pretty disappointing, and hopefully tomorrow we will have more time and the experience will be better.
After the classes we all gathered together and were lectured on the Spanish Conquest of Peru by a teacher from the Air Force School. We then had about half an hour extra to play on the grounds of the school, which was actually a lot of fun since it was like having recess for the first time in years.
The experience the school was nothing like I expected it to be, hopefully tomorrow will be better.

The girls dancing at the Air Force School

The boys and girls dancing at the Air Force School

5/22

Today was our last day in Ica! First we traveled to the coast and got on boats to go and see Paracas, Peru's version of the Galapagos Islands! Paracas is a series of islands off the coast of Ica and is home to a lot of different wildlife. On the tour we saw dolphins, seals, many different types of birds and even penguins! The amount of birds was overwhelming, and I got pooped on twice! We also went by something that looked like a trident drawn into the sand in a similar way the Nazca lines were. The tour guide said that no one knowns who drew that in the sand but it is about 2000 years old and has survived for that long because the area rarely if ever receives rain. Some people believe it is from the Nazca people, but no one can be sure.
After the boat ride, we traveled to go and see an Afroperuano concert. About 95,000 Africans were brought as slaves to Peru from about 1520 to 1850. Since slavery was abolished in Peru in 1856, African-peruvians have created and thrived in their own culture. The music and dancing we saw was all part of the Afroperuano culture. The men played percussion instruments while one boy played the violin, and the women and some men would dance to the music. The women wore bright beautiful colors and looked so happy when dancing. Even the little girls of the community got up and danced! The men got up too and did some dancing that represented tap dancing but without tap shoes. It was very cool! Then at the end we all got up and the dancers taught us some of their moves!

The trident design at Paracas

Standing at the top of the rocks, right in the middle is a penguin! Can you see it? (at Paracas)

If you look through the cave, it looks like there is a human face looking down at the water! Can you see it? (at Paracas)

The amount of birds at Paracas was overwhelming!

One of the seals we saw at Paracas!

More birds at Paracas!

A family of seals at Paracas

The Afroperuano musicians

The women dancing to the Afroperuano music

The men doing their "tap dancing" to the Afroperuano music

A couple's dance to the Afroperuano music

The little girls dancing to the Afroperuano music! So cute!

5/21

Today started very early again! We packed into vans and went to go and see the Nazca lines! The Nazca lines were created about 2000 years ago, and still exist today thanks to the fact that Peru rarely recieves rain. It is believed that the Nazca people drew these designs in the desert to speak to God. Seeing these designs in the sand was incredibly cool! We drove to about 3 different locations to see the different Nazca lines as well as to go and see the irrigation system of the Nazca people.
As well as seeing the Nazca lines, we visited a potter and a goldsmith in Nazca. The potter showed us how she and previous generations of her family have created all sorts of things with clay. Her shop had all sorts of cool pottery in it for sale, from windpipes, to bowls, to little statues, and much else. Down the street from the potter was the goldsmith who demonstrated to us his process for polishing gold and using it to make jewelry.
After those activities we ate a meal and headed back to the hotel. The Nazca lines took up most of the day, and we were all pretty tired by the time we got back to the hotel.

The Spiral Nazca Lines

Ancient Nazcan Construction

The view from the hike we made to see the Nazcan lines

Another view from the hike we made to see the Nazcan lines!

More ancient Nazcan construction

More Nazcan Lines!