Some of my First Impressions
There are a lot of fun happenings and things I am learning about here in Peru. I thought I´d write more and share some of this. Before I do, let me give you a quick description of my day and environment. Arequipa is smack dead in the middle of the desert. Yes there is green, but if it is green, it is irrigated. I can see huge mountain peaks from about anywhere here, two with snow (don´t ask me how it got there b/c I haven´t seen a cloud for a week). I walk to my school (ha! That´ll be fun to annoy my kids with: when I lived in the desert, I had to walk to and from school, uphill, downhill.....). My classes are from 8:30-12 each day with one-on-one instruction (love that!). And my afternoons are filled with homework and trying to communicate with the family I am living with.
I have begun to embrace the familiar in my environment of the unknown. (Now some things are universal, such as Coca-cola, so I won´t write about those). Some fun familiar things (and other stuff) I have embraced are as follows:
1) Cotton Eye Joe- For all my Ridge Haven friends (and those who were at the rockin´awesome going away party and saw us dance) this song is so near and dear to my heart! I have heard this song now TWICE here in Peru, and no, not on my IPOD or on my computer, but out in public!! The first time in a restaurant in Cusco that unfortunately was too cramped and my 32-step moves were restricted to the space beneath my seat. The second time was here in Arequipa at a gym I just joined. I was waiting for my spinning class (bicycle aerobics) to start and the other class before mine was spinning to it before they ended. In this case I did have room to show off my best dance moves, but you know... I am still learning the culture and don´t want to offend if someone else can´t dance the cotton eye joe as well as me!
2) Movies- I knew once I got to Lima I would be able to go to the theater every now and then, but I wasn´t sure how many would be in English and how soon they would be released. Before I left for Peru I was determined to watch Charlie and the Chocolate Factory for fear that I wouldn´t see it in Peru. So maybe I was worried for nothing! Last Friday I went to the movies with a new friend and we saw Sahara, in English (with Spanish subtitles), and right next door to our theater Charlie and the Chocolate Factory was playing. Now granted not all the movies will be making it down here, but the good ones will! (PS Whit--- I still loved going to see Charlie with you!!)
3) Radio: Right now there are only a few words every now and then that I understand on the radio, but there are many tunes that I know. For example the other day I was in a taxi and an advertisement had the Macarena music in the background. (yes, it is annoying here as well, to me anyways). The funniest thing I heard on the radio in a taxi last week was Latin rap. Watch out Eminem!!!
4) Call of a ¨bird¨ : Now granted this certain sound/whistle I have heard in the states, but not quite as frequently as I have heard it here. This call seems to come from certain male ¨birds¨ that always seem to be at construction sites for some reason, and is heard whenever I or another female walks by. I have also heard this call from taxis or combis (minibuses) passing by. Something else I am not too comfortable with but am needing to embrace about the culture.
5) Today I went to a huge celebration and parade here in Arequipa. It is its like 462nd birthday. I saw the Peruvian SUAT team (that was cool).
It was quite chaotic, with so many people, but highly entertaining! Some of the randomness in the parade was hilarious!!! There would be some brightly colored costumes that people were dancing in, then after they passed, so did Barnie. I mean, I know that he is a bright purple, but where did he fit in????
There are so many more small funny things that have taken place, but maybe that will come another time. I have enjoyed other parts of the culture. It is a serving culture. Daily my house mother straightens my bed or folds my clothes. My t-shirts were even ironed!!!!!! I am having fun along with my studies. Language school here is like my Spanish class in high school multiplied by 20! Immersion is the way baby(well as far as learning a language, baptism is another debate! )
I have begun to embrace the familiar in my environment of the unknown. (Now some things are universal, such as Coca-cola, so I won´t write about those). Some fun familiar things (and other stuff) I have embraced are as follows:
1) Cotton Eye Joe- For all my Ridge Haven friends (and those who were at the rockin´awesome going away party and saw us dance) this song is so near and dear to my heart! I have heard this song now TWICE here in Peru, and no, not on my IPOD or on my computer, but out in public!! The first time in a restaurant in Cusco that unfortunately was too cramped and my 32-step moves were restricted to the space beneath my seat. The second time was here in Arequipa at a gym I just joined. I was waiting for my spinning class (bicycle aerobics) to start and the other class before mine was spinning to it before they ended. In this case I did have room to show off my best dance moves, but you know... I am still learning the culture and don´t want to offend if someone else can´t dance the cotton eye joe as well as me!
2) Movies- I knew once I got to Lima I would be able to go to the theater every now and then, but I wasn´t sure how many would be in English and how soon they would be released. Before I left for Peru I was determined to watch Charlie and the Chocolate Factory for fear that I wouldn´t see it in Peru. So maybe I was worried for nothing! Last Friday I went to the movies with a new friend and we saw Sahara, in English (with Spanish subtitles), and right next door to our theater Charlie and the Chocolate Factory was playing. Now granted not all the movies will be making it down here, but the good ones will! (PS Whit--- I still loved going to see Charlie with you!!)
3) Radio: Right now there are only a few words every now and then that I understand on the radio, but there are many tunes that I know. For example the other day I was in a taxi and an advertisement had the Macarena music in the background. (yes, it is annoying here as well, to me anyways). The funniest thing I heard on the radio in a taxi last week was Latin rap. Watch out Eminem!!!
4) Call of a ¨bird¨ : Now granted this certain sound/whistle I have heard in the states, but not quite as frequently as I have heard it here. This call seems to come from certain male ¨birds¨ that always seem to be at construction sites for some reason, and is heard whenever I or another female walks by. I have also heard this call from taxis or combis (minibuses) passing by. Something else I am not too comfortable with but am needing to embrace about the culture.
5) Today I went to a huge celebration and parade here in Arequipa. It is its like 462nd birthday. I saw the Peruvian SUAT team (that was cool).
It was quite chaotic, with so many people, but highly entertaining! Some of the randomness in the parade was hilarious!!! There would be some brightly colored costumes that people were dancing in, then after they passed, so did Barnie. I mean, I know that he is a bright purple, but where did he fit in????
There are so many more small funny things that have taken place, but maybe that will come another time. I have enjoyed other parts of the culture. It is a serving culture. Daily my house mother straightens my bed or folds my clothes. My t-shirts were even ironed!!!!!! I am having fun along with my studies. Language school here is like my Spanish class in high school multiplied by 20! Immersion is the way baby(well as far as learning a language, baptism is another debate! )
posted by Becca @ 12:18 PM
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