Entonces, adelante.

Obviously I can't begin to catch up on time between my last blog and this one.
Entonces, adelante.
I am now in the last week of orientation and about to embark on my first week of classes, next monday. I'm taking "Drogas y Sociedad", "Etnicidad, Identidad, y Nacion", and "Ilustracion". I figured taking a class about drugs would be necessary here in Peru where it's such a big problem and always on everyone's lips. You can go to any tourist shop and pick up a shirt that says "Coca no es un droga" (which I totally plan to buy before I leave, along with an Inca Kola shirt). I also think I need to take a class that focuses on the problem of identity, which is also another hot topic here in Lima. Most people are mezclado, mixed with some kind of heritage of European/Spanish white, indigenous indian, or African black. Most people, however, only want to relate to their blanco side. It's an amazing phenomenon that as I'm learning about first hand every single day.
What are my days like now?
I wake up to the sounds of the morning traffic. Here in Peru, central heating/air isn't common, so the temperature of outside is what the temperature will be inside. Thankfully, Peru is always amazingly beautiful so I haven't had a problem with that. (Forgive me, my knowledge of English is literally diminishing) Anyway, the door to my balcony is always open and my blinds are always up. I wake up to the sounds of convis and other cars making a right turn along the second ovalo on Avenido Jose Pardo, a very popular and big street in Miraflores. It's starting to be comforting--right around 7, I hear the sound of the convi guy going "Abajo, abajo!", signaling the passenger to get the hell out of the van. It's soothing. What are convis? Maybe the worst/best form of public transportation I've ever experienced. Teeny vans that SHOULD fit only about 15-20 people but at times fit 30 or more. Crammed. Hundreds of them on the streets of Lima, going every way possible. Only for, at most, 1 sol a ride. That's about 30 cents. Super cheap and safe (?) but super hectic and overwhelming. It's starting to be just a part of my day now. :)
I wake up, take a shower in my private bathroom (which is amazing, let me tell you), come out to the living room to face my wonderful Peruvian family, Alicia and Ivan (my padres) and Ayrton and Nicolas (my hermanitos) and Veloz, the family poodle, trying to sneak a bite at the fresh baked bread on the table. It's straight up out of a movie. I don't know how I got such a great family, but as I compare my situation to the other students' and my other friends', I can't help but to think God had something to do with it. I don't know how I'd feel about Lima if I didn't live with such a great family in such a perfect location. I eat a breakfast of bread, cereal, the best and freshest fruits you could imagine (some you even couldn't) and a cup of coffee (which i'm finding doesn't really do the trick for me here), and in 20 mins, I'm out the door to catch one of the infamous convis. 2 convis and 25 mins later, I'm at PUCP, my new school for a Spanish class. Typically after that, there's some kind of orientation activity all day and by the end of the day i'm ABSOLUTELY wiped out. I can't wait for school to start to have a chiller schedule. Oh, and all of that is in SPANISH.
My Spanish?
Let me be the first to tell you how surprised I am that I'm not absolutely dying. Once you're forced to speak another language, it comes more easily to you. I can't wait for the end of the program to actually be able to say I speak Spanish. It's a wonderful thing, this study abroad.
What else to say? There's so much, and then again, nothing at all. My life is fabulous; I'm starting to explore a little bit of my explorative and independent side. I've taken up walking to most places, because the streets here have little parks in the center of them where people can walk through, and it's just so beautiful during the day that I can't stand to waste it in a convi. I've also taken up reading (in Spanish!) at parks. Obvs, haven't forgotten my love of the nightlife, but honestly, (and this is very different than most people abroad) I'm finding that that's one of the last things on my list. Of course I'm a college student, and all that good stuff will be involved, but to be surrounded by so much culture and so many new things, why think about the activities you do regularly? Wow, does that make sense? I'm losing my English and dying of tiredness, Perdon.
I love Lima. I have a sneaking suspicion some flight plans will have to be changed.
Tomorrow? Vamos al centro de Lima, y el barrio Chino. (Oh yeah, there's a good sized population of Chinese people here. Imagine Chinese food with a stronger, better flavor? For like 3 dollars? Chifas are the bomb.com.)
Adios, I hope to continue this soon. But if I don't, I don't.