Today concludes the first week of my trip to study abroad in Peru. A little less than a year ago I decided to apply to spend six months here in Lima studying at La Pontificia Universidad Católica del Peru. Last Saturday the group of five other Holy Cross students and I spent the entire day flying to Lima, and here we are! The official start of the semester, which is PUCP's second semester and the equivalent of Holy Cross's first, is in the middle of August. Right now we are in the orientation period, where we spend four weeks taking a Spanish language course and two weeks traveling through Peru.
During the entire flight last Saturday I was a mix of emotions: nervous to be speaking in Spanish and trying to fit into a new culture, excited for the upcoming opportunity, and sad to say goodbye to my family and friends for six months. As soon as I met the family, however, a lot of my worries went away. Meredith, a fellow Holy Cross student, and I are both living with the de Elías family here in a small middle class section of Lima. Our Señora and the rest of the family are so welcoming and told us they will be our new "familia" for the next six months.
This week has been full of new experiences, as we have been getting to know Lima and our families. Our group, along with our two cultural directors, have been touring the city and the University and enjoying some of the typical Peruvian food. On Tuesday I was able to try Ceviche, a very popular seafood dish, and I loved it! I have really enjoyed all of the food that we've tried so far and it's been nice to try foods that are very different from what I'm used to. I even tried a taste of a dish called cau cau, which is actually cow intestines. I want to experience life here with a very open mind, and I guess trying new foods is a start!
Later in the week our Holy Cross group traveled to Ica, Nazca, and Paracas. All three of the sites were amazing! We were able to go sand boarding in the desert in Ica, where a sand buggy drove us into the dunes and we got to stand in the middle of miles and miles of desert! Standing there I felt so small, and it was probably the most beautiful view I have seen in my life. After a museum in Ica and Nazca, we took a flight over the ancient Nazca lines. The Nazca lines are a stretch of enormous designs carved into the rock on the ground, and the only way to see them is by plane. Little is known for sure about the lines, but many scientists believe that they are from the Nazca culture sometime around the birth of Christ and they served an astronomical purpose. After Nazca we drove to Paracas, where we took a boat ride to see an ancient geoglyph carving called the Candelabra as well as the Islas Ballestas. The trip gave me a glimpse of the diverse beauty housed in this country and excited me for future adventures here in Peru!
The other Holy Cross students and I are getting ready to begin our first language class at the University tomorrow. I'm excited to start a routine and this class should be very helpful for improving our communication skills.
¡Hasta luego!
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