Last Saturday the whole ISA group went on a day excursion to a beach that is about an hour south of Lima. We weren't just dropped off at some patch of sand by the water or anything, this was a fancy private beach club. There were umbrellas and chairs out on the sand, various restaurants with waiters walking around the beach bringing you food and drinks, a pool (if you're too good for the ocean), and a little water park. The beach was beautiful, with white sand and some of the biggest waves I've ever seen in the ocean. I know that isn't saying much due to the fact that I'm not a big ocean-goer, but these were some powerful waves! The water was freezing, but we braved it, slowly submerging ourselves one inch at a time. That is, until a big wave would come and douse our whole bodies in the freezing salt water. But anyway, it was a blast. Occasionally, we could even see dolphins swimming by in the distance! (No, they weren't sharks.) I'm glad we got to visit a beach in the south because most of the coast near Lima is very rocky and doesn't quite have that charm of a white sandy beach. In case you were wondering, yes, I did use sunscreen, and yes, I still got sunburnt.
Check out those waves!
We spent pretty much the whole day there, swimming in the pools and the ocean, digging in the sand, drinking fruity drinks, and eating merrily. It was good bonding time for our study abroad group. But speaking of eating, I wanted to order something from a restaurant while I was there, but I wasn't sure what to get. So, when the waitress came over I asked for her recommendation. "Baby chicken," she said (in English) and pointed to the menu. Sure enough, listed on the menu was "baby chicken." I do not know why this was the only item on the menu that they felt the need to list in English. And I do not know who thought that "baby chicken" would sound appetizing to customers. But yes, I bought it. Don't worry, it wasn't a bunch of little chicks fried up like nuggets or anything. It was more like the cornish hens that my mom cooks on special occasions. It was delicious.
My next topic is slightly less exciting than the beach, but still fun. Classes! I've now had two full weeks of classes and I am finally getting into the swing of things. Mondays and Wednesdays I have history of Peru and Quechua. Tuesdays and Thursdays I have Peruvian literature and Linguistics. I'd have to say that Tuesdays and Thursdays are my more stressful days mainly because of the literature class. It is very difficult to stay focused on what the professor is saying...in Spanish...for two hours...about literary criticism. Next week he is going to start picking out people specifically to answer questions for part of our participation grade, so I'm going to try very hard to understand the large amount of readings I have for this weekend. Luckily, tutors are included in our program fee so the U.S. students in the class will probably get together with a Peruvian student in the class once a week to make sure we aren't completely lost. But hey, all my classes will transfer as pass/fail credits! And for some of these classes, I will consider a passing as a great accomplishment.
Ok, last topic! This one isn't as fun as the beach or classes, but still slightly interesting. Also, a warning. This paragraph may or may not address the topics of illness and bodily fluids, so if there are any children reading, prepare to giggle inappropriately. That being said, I was told by someone recently that you haven't really had the full Latin American experience until you have vomited and had diarrhea at the same time. When I heard this, I laughed uncomfortably and thought, "that's a silly stereotype; it can't happen to people that often; it definitely won't happen to me, with my immune system of STEEL!" Think again, Alice. Think again. I did get sick. It was awful, it was scary, and I wanted to run home crying. But alas, I survived. I had been feeling down in the dumps all day, but once I started getting a relentless fever and throwing up, my host mom decided to take me to the hospital at about 10pm, just to be safe. I really don't know much at all about the healthcare system here in Peru, so I will just tell you about my specific experience in the hospital. It was a very small clinic, so there weren't many people waiting when I got there. Once I proved that I had insurance I was immediately taken back into an exam room where I was poked and prodded and, well, examined. I thought it was interesting that I didn't have to fill out any paper work or give my life history to the doctors before they started messing with me. I don't think doctors in the U.S. will get near a patient unless they know the complete medical history of that person and everyone in their immediate family. They did, however, ask me if I was allergic to anything, so I guess that's the most important part. They gave me IVs of three different fluids. I know one was full of electrolytes, one was antibiotics, and the other one was probably full of Pisco or something, who knows. I was too out of it to ask. I was out of there by about 1:30 in the morning and only racked up about a $400 dollar bill, including the medicine I had to get from the pharmacy for the following week. Not bad! All in all, everyone was really nice and I got tons of support from my host mom and site director.
At least I can now say that I have had the full Latin American experience.
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