Monday, June 7, 2010

OU Travel Study blog moved

Hello faithful followers, readers and travelers,

I am now blogging for my travel study trip through the OU Education Abroad blog website. If you wish, you made find my blog at http://oublogabroad.com/category/journey-to-latin-america/

I hope you enjoy learning about Peru with me!

Tuesday, June 1, 2010

3rd day in Peru

Tuesday, June 1, 2010

Kim and I went to bed at 11 p.m. after blogging and editing photos, but we were still super sleepy!

Our schedule: We wake up at 7 a.m., eat breakfast at 8 and walk to class at 8:30 to be at Pontificia Universidad Catolica del Peru by 9 for class. Lunch is at noon, and we ate in the cafeteria with other students for the first time today!

We learned about Peru’s diverse geography and how it affects the development of politics, economy, people and many others. We also learned about the ancient cultures.

We ate lunch earlier than most students, but the cafeteria was still very crowded, and all the tables were taken. Being innovative, I suggested we sit outside using benches as tables, so that's what we did. We had a Peruvian lunch (pear juice, rolls, avocado salad, fish, rice and beans) Asian style on the ground outside!

After lunch, we went to the ancient ruins of Pachacamac and drove by the beach, Charrillos and Shantytown. The view on top of El Templo del Sol is beautiful!

The "South Oval" of our university (PUCP) here is just as nice except there is deer instead of squirrels--so cool!

We had a Peruvian-style egg drop soup with homemade croutons and cheese, corn on the cob (SO sweet and the best I've ever had), mashed potatoes and fish and avocados for dinner. Our host and hostess are the best cooks!

All but one of the girls (that's 14 gals) went out on the town for the first time tonight! Our sweet Peruvian guide, Luis, arranged for taxis to pick us up at our host homes, and all the taxis drove together to "Atlantic City"–apparently Peru's biggest casino–on top of a cliff overlooking the beach. Although I didn't win anything, I had a blast!

Time to bed! Good night everyone!

Monday, May 31, 2010

Chinh's first two days in Peru

***This is where I will be updating and blogging. Everyone is welcome to subscribe to this blog (so my updates will be e-mailed to you) to keep up with our adventures!***

Sunday, May 30, 2010

Both of our flights (from OKC to Houston, Houston to Lima) were smooth. I sat between Kim, “Proomie,” and Lily, a Peruvian native from Lima. Kim and I had an opportunity to bond, and I practiced Spanish with Lily.

I didn’t want to sleep because I wanted to be able to sleep tonight. Plus, I managed to watch “When in Rome,” “Book of Eli” and “The Tooth Fairy” and read 12 magazines.

We had chicken pasta, a Caesar salad and Milano cookies on the flight. We were later given snack sandwiches and Kit Kat bars for a snack. I enjoyed airplane food, and I was very hungry.

Our plane landed around 11 p.m., but we did not get out of the airport until about 1 a.m. because of customs and the wait for everyone else. The Peruvians were nice and welcoming as soon as we stepped out of the plane. One woman had a 15-minute conversation with me completely in Spanish, and I actually understood most of everything she said.

We arrived to our host home around 1:30 a.m., and went to bed around 2:30 a.m. after packing. Jane, Carley, Kim and I are staying at the same host home as Dr. Kenney. It’s pretty nice to have him around to help us. Our host family consists of a man who owns a travel agency, his wife who is a dentist and two boys ages 7 and 4.

Our host home is five stories high with chairs and a hammock on rooftop. Imagine getting luggage up four tiny flights of stairs at 1 a.m. Let’s just say I’m sore…


Monday, May 31, 2010

Our host home has Internet, and our college campus has WIFI!

Kim and I woke up around 7 a.m. to get ready. I struggled to stay awake this morning because I slept a total of 6 hours the past two nights.

But I made it through orientation. Three students from OU who have been studying in Peru and other friendly Peruvians gave us advice. Thanks for your thoughts and prayers!

We learned how fancy Pontificia Universidad Catolica del Peru (PUCP) is because our lunch consisted of a reserved table, two private servers and a three-course meal. And we also learned it's not a wet campus because at every placemat was a "Pisco Sour" (Peru's version of a margarita with egg whites).

Our appetizer was a type of egg soufflĂ© with peppers, carrots and broccoli. Our entrĂ©e was rice, beef and fries (pappas fritas). Our desert was “tres leche” cake. It all was so delicious!

The campus is very beautiful--modern architecture with outdoor art!

After lunch, we visited Huaca Pucllana, Municipalidad de Miraflores, ancient ruins built in 1600 A.D. It was built as a place of worship, but got buried under dirt and wasn’t discovered again until the 1980s.

It’s amazing how ancient cultures were able to build such elaborate architecture without the use of technology such as bulldozers and electricity!

Next, we visited the Museo Larco, which showcases work of the pre-Columbian history. It was founded in 1926 by Peruvian archaeologist, Rafael Larco Hoyle. I’ve never seen so many artifacts. The museum is inside a vice-royal mansion of 18th century. Gorgeous scenery!

The we went to a shopping center, Wong, to buy water, personal hygiene products and snacks.

Our last event of today was dinner prepared by our host family. Dinner consisted of real mashed potatoes, rice and roast. I got to have rice dishes two nights in a row! Peruvian food is nothing like Mexican food, but just as (if not more) tasty!

I am going to shower and call it a night. What a great first Peruvian day it’s been!