The Feast of Nino Jesus

Quite often, I want to update my blog, but stuff always gets in my way. Oh well, right now I have the opportunity, so I might as well take it :)

Not much has happened since my last post, I caught the Flu for one, that was great. I have now been sick twice in the three weeks I have been here. Apart from that most of last week was just school. Now I'm sure I made school sound great in my last post. I was lying. It is very long. and very boring. And I figure that is primarily because I don't understand. What makes me really mad though, are the teachers. There are 2 that I REALLY like. The tutora, who looks after everyone in my grade, and my Spanish teacher, who I have just begun to have conversations with. Her class is likely the most boring though, as It is alot of spanish spoken very fast. Apart from that I can only say that I like the religion, the math, the civics and the art teacher, because they are the ones that understand what I am going through. Apart from that I dislike the other 7 teachers because the yell a lot, and they expect me to fully participate in all homework and projects. Now I might sound lazy to you, but when they don't even come up to me to explain it to me apart from everyone else you could imagine how frustrated you would get. I have a whole bunch of projects right now, including a chart retelling the reconstruction of the Soviet Union, a project on the holocaust, for which I must make a video, a ton of business homework, AND a project on The principles discovered by Archimedes. My least favourite teacher, ironically is the english teacher, who is quite rude. Probably because I know more than her.

On the bright side my spanish is getting better due to school, I have actually had small phone conversations with people. which is really cool for me. And I have been making friends at school, everyone wants to befriends with the white kid from north America :P so as for that area I'm doing well, I have also been making friends with the other exchange students which is really nice :) and this weekend I might be hanging out in Miraflores with some friends from school at a artsy cafe, very cool ;P. Hopefully I can also hang with some rotary friends? haha.

I also have hit the party trek again. 2 Fiestas this weekend, might hit one on saturday night too lol. Fiestas as I metioned are interesting, usually I dance for 10-20 minutes and then go outside for some fresh air, because in the house it is a fog of second hand smoke. The first fiesta was at my friend Luis and Sofiane's house, celebrating his trip to france, and the second was in my casa for nathaly.

Another fun thing that happened last week was the raising of my flag at school. It is amazing how patriotic I really am, and never knew it. I guess it takes living in another country for you to really notice how much you care about your own. I like Peru! Thats for sure, but Canada is always going to be my home, I have no doubt about that.

I have also hung out a lot this week with people. On Saturday Renzo and Ivonne came over to do a project, they are both very good friends at colegio, and on Monday I went with Nathaly, Adriana and Brenda for Sushi, it was sooooooo good :D how I had missed it :) <3. Also hung out in Miraflores last night, even more fun, but tonight I am just relaxing at home :)

Oh here is something else interesting that has happened to me. My Realization, that I am in fact a minority group. It is very strange living your life as a white man, and then going to Peru and becoming a gringo (the slang and somewhat racist term for North Americans and Europeans) There really aren't many white people in Lima, although it is likely the largest minority group in the city. Racism is very common however in Peru, and if you are of Asian descent you are called a chino, and if you are black you are a negro, or the other "N word." You can imagine how taken aback I am quite often by the talk they use, after all, I am a Canadian (likely the least racist country on the planet) who is considering applying for a degree in Social Inequality Studies. I However do not get the full front of Peruvian racism, as white people are usually very well liked in the city, especially because it is assumed they have money. Most people want pictures of me, or to be my friend at school, there is a project on me for the grade 9 equivalent and all the primary school kids stare at me. I have only ever been treated negatively by two people, a cab driver, and the boyfriend of a friend's sibling. Oh well, most people like me, can't please everyone right? Interestingly enough I went to Starbucks the other day, and (I'm not joking) almost everyone in the building was white haha. I think their will also be many more white people in the summer, because Peru is a great tourist destination, because apart from Nazca and Macchu Pichu we also have some of the best waves in the world.

Before I begin, I just want you all to know, that I am a practicing Catholic and believer. Anyways, Yesterday was also a very interesting day. The Feast of Nino Jesus (pronounced Kneen-yo Hay-zeus) or baby Jesus. We had mass at school, basiclly all 2-3 thousand of us stood in rows in the courtyard as the priest said mass, I said the our father in English, i is easier that way, because I haven't learned Padre Nuestro yet (but I'm halfway done the peruvian national anthem). The weirdest part was at communion when two students walked around to all of the teachers whit a plastic baby doll, and the teachers held it and prayed to it then kissed it, I know us catholics are kind of in to the idolatry and we embrace our latin-pagan roots, but the plastic jesus was pushing it a bit... Interestingly the Catholic Church is much different here. I am not allowed to eat communion unless I confess that day. So I have now went to two masses, neither of which I have eaten communion at, which is weird for me as I have eaten host at every mass I have ever went to since I was in Grade 2, and I likely won't eat it for a while because confession requires advanced spanish. It is also a sin to miss church here. So I have a number of sins that need repenting. I myself am not an avid believer in confession, but when in Peru, do as the Peruvians I guess.

Apart from that I haven't been up to much maybe it would be a good time for some facts?
Fact.1 Peruvians only eat their eggs sunny side up, I hasve now blown my mama's mind with scrambled eggs and an omlette (my real parents are reading this think, he knows how to make that?)
Fact.2 Peruvian culture is made up of three main areas, The Incas, The Military and the Catholic Church
Fact.3 Latin America generally doesn't like each other, with the exception of Brazil, Suriname and Guyana and French Guiana. When Spain finally got kicked out of latin america, all of the spanish countries began to fight for supremacy, Peru has been conquered by Chile in the past, and has had conflicts with its too main enemies Ecuador and Chile. I personally have become to dislike chile, because it is very mean to Peru.
Fact.4 Alpaca fur is very soft. I bought a scarf :)
Fact.5 Chocolate, junk food and condements all come in small packets here, because the climate in peru mixed with the sugar and fat leads to a lot of acne. (fortunately I learned this before I went and got junkfood)
Fact.6 Their are terrorist in Peru, tens of thousands, and their are multiple groups, some that are trying to over throw the governement and install a communist regime, and others in the jungle trying to secure their drug trade ruits. It is kind of scary, but they don't do anything in Lima ever.

Well I think that sums up life for now, more to come Later
Hope you enjoyed :)