The First Week

So before I begin this very lengthy post, I will apologize for not Posting since last Tuesday....It has been an amazing week, and sorry Mom and Dad for not reply to your emails more, but (and this is for everyone) If I live in the Cyber world, I won't learn Spanish.

Anyways, I arrived in Lima last Friday at 00:15 (I am getting used to the 24 hour clock, although both are used) I got a warm reception from my host Mom and Dad at the airport, although I understood almost none of it, and all I really said was "HOLA, COMO ESTAS?... BIEN GRACIAS) We went back to the house and I was intruduced to my siblings, Edson, my Brother, and my sisters Fiorella and Nathaly. I also met Luis, another exchange student who is from Peru and going to France, and Sofianne who is from France and now living in Peru. These 5 have been my friends for the past week. Life in the family is great. Mom and Dad are working by the time I wake up, and sometimes Edson and Fiorella are gone to university. They are done around 12:00 and mom comes home around 14:00 (2:00 PM). Dad doesnt return until arround 18:00 or 19:00. My Mom is a Dentist and my dad is a colonel in the Peruvian army. We eat breakfast, usually just me and Nathaly around 10:00 and we eat Dinner/Lunch at 3:00 or 4:00, we usually don't eat a meal after that. Usually we just have tea or soup and a sandwich around 21:00.

In the last week I have been in many different parts or "districts" of Lima, the are 43 in total, and even my host brother hasen't been to them all. Imagine the GTA but three times bigger, that is Lima. Lima's population is 9 million, by the way. I live in Santigo de Surco, which is a very safe and almost residential district of Lima. I will be going to school in Chorrillos, where my mom works. The rotary club I am in is from the San Isidro District (where I have never been) and they meet in Miraflores which is a very beautiful district, and considered part of downtown. I have also visited El Centre De Lima, which is the Old Lima, and it is also very historic and beautiful, although there is a lot of crime.
Finally I have also went to "El Marcatto: (The Market) to buy Fruit and Bond with my Mom. Oh also, When I get back to Canada I am never eating fruit again, it doesn't even compare to the non chemicalized fruit of Peru.


A Manana (Tomorrow) I am going back to miraflores hopefully to go shopping with the gang and finally eat Chebiche, which is a way of preparing fish. We are also going to go get Nathaly's passport. Odia (today) I met all of the other rotary students in my district, and of the (around) 12 of us 8 were from the US, the other 4 of us are from France (Sofianne), Germany, Switzerland and CANADA!!!!
So I made some new friends, who speak english....which isn't good haha.

So Some more interesting fact about Peru.... We are in a cold wave.....now to a Canadian you probably think "big deal" (I know I did) well....in Canada winter is usually dry is our isolated house, to keep out the cold of winter, In Peru it is a humid cold.....which is evil....it goes in your clothes and makes everything moist AND cold......and thus I have caught a cold. Fact number 2, Peruvian moms freak out about colds...especially when they warned you, and told you to put on more clothes, and you ignored them saying "I'm Canadian, this isn't cold!" Fact # 3, You must wear shoes inside, or your cold will get WORSE.... Fact # 4 After eating certain Peruvian foods (thats names escape me) drinking water will cause diarrhea, where as carbondioxide from Pop will prevent it, as will one Peruvian hard liquor shot, I went with the pop... Fact # 5 THERE IS NO SALES TAX :D. Fact # 6 , when you have no sales tax, roads are much less funded, as is the liscening system. Fact # 7 half osf the populatinon of Lima drives taxis.....ya if you though New York City was bad.....and there are more facts to come :)

Anyways I think that is all for tonight, picture are coming soon! My next post will be rather philosophical, on Lima Peru as an identity, it should prove interesting for all of you :)

I hope you are all enjoying life in Canada and in el Mundo I know I am :D


CIAO