Sunday, September 25, 2005
Over the river and through the mountains
7 Packs of plain cookies eaten in the last two days
2 Showers taken since arrival one week ago, both in the last 35 hours
2 Cases of food poisoning in the last three days
1 High altitude run
1 Earthquake today
1 Peruvian Birthday Party in the mountains today
1 Car crash to get there
2 Unsturdy bridges crossed to get there
1 Turn up the mountain in which all people in the back of the van were told to get out to get there
1 Bug visitor up my pants
It is hard to imagine that the last few days have only been a few days. On Friday afternoon we went to a party in the afternoon at the orphanage to celebrate El dia de la juventud. There we witnessed an espectulo of games consisting of parter dancing while holding an orange in between chins, feeding a partner and eating a whole plate of a disgusting looking purple jello like jam with raisins while blindfolded, and a bobbing for pepinos (cucumbers) contest. We left as the games were ending, before the cake was cut and more odd looking jello passed around, to attend our first meeting of the Club de Liones, which was eye opener in itself. Later that night we delt with the first round of food poisoning in our bathroom that randomly has working water. Mike Don rushed to the bathroom to find a flood because we didnt know we had left the sink on, when no water was running earlier.
Saturday morning we took a bus 6km out of the city to Los Baños del Inca, natural hotsprings. In our private hotsprings room we were finally able to run a hot tub and get clean. we spent the night eating cookies and apartment hunting.
Today started off early with a short run and the opportunity to shower! We stopped to explore the University on the way back to the city. Following the music and in search of the gym we were welcomed into a huge evangelic prayer group inside the gimnasio. This was just the beginning of our dia muy loca. We returned to Cajamarca in time to leave for a birthday party in the country with Alejandro (who has been helping us settle and job searching) and 80 others. The ride began with a small car crash in a city with no driving order. All was settled after going in cirlces, literally, and paying the other driver $100. It continued on a dirt road through the country, past farms of cows, pigs, sheep and horses, over very unsturdy bridges, up and through los Andes. The peruvians know how to party! From their own bar brought from Cajamarca, to two platos principales consisting of 4 different kinds of meat, sweet potatoes, an undistinguishable vegetable salad, rice and potatoes. The afternoon quickly turned into 60 drunk peruanos, surrounded by their kids, toasting to VIDA, SALUD, AMIGOS, and chanting DE LA CORAZON, DE LA CORAZON. It was no "the hills are alive with the sound of music" experience as this meal quickly did not agree with my stomach. It is back to a diet of cookies, bread, and plain cake. The party would not have been complete with out a visit to the family´s church built off their house. And of course birthday cake. The ride back was just as bit as exciting with 4 drunk, smoking men in the back. The most rowdy past out, only to awake and scream at the radio ´´VOLUMEN"
Tomorrow we start work and an apartment hunt and continue the diet of cookies with a side of asodophilus.
MY CONTACT PAGE GOT ERASED SO PLEASE EMAIL ME SO THAT I HAVE YOUR EMAIL ADDRESS.
DE LA CORAZON,
Becca
2 Showers taken since arrival one week ago, both in the last 35 hours
2 Cases of food poisoning in the last three days
1 High altitude run
1 Earthquake today
1 Peruvian Birthday Party in the mountains today
1 Car crash to get there
2 Unsturdy bridges crossed to get there
1 Turn up the mountain in which all people in the back of the van were told to get out to get there
1 Bug visitor up my pants
It is hard to imagine that the last few days have only been a few days. On Friday afternoon we went to a party in the afternoon at the orphanage to celebrate El dia de la juventud. There we witnessed an espectulo of games consisting of parter dancing while holding an orange in between chins, feeding a partner and eating a whole plate of a disgusting looking purple jello like jam with raisins while blindfolded, and a bobbing for pepinos (cucumbers) contest. We left as the games were ending, before the cake was cut and more odd looking jello passed around, to attend our first meeting of the Club de Liones, which was eye opener in itself. Later that night we delt with the first round of food poisoning in our bathroom that randomly has working water. Mike Don rushed to the bathroom to find a flood because we didnt know we had left the sink on, when no water was running earlier.
Saturday morning we took a bus 6km out of the city to Los Baños del Inca, natural hotsprings. In our private hotsprings room we were finally able to run a hot tub and get clean. we spent the night eating cookies and apartment hunting.
Today started off early with a short run and the opportunity to shower! We stopped to explore the University on the way back to the city. Following the music and in search of the gym we were welcomed into a huge evangelic prayer group inside the gimnasio. This was just the beginning of our dia muy loca. We returned to Cajamarca in time to leave for a birthday party in the country with Alejandro (who has been helping us settle and job searching) and 80 others. The ride began with a small car crash in a city with no driving order. All was settled after going in cirlces, literally, and paying the other driver $100. It continued on a dirt road through the country, past farms of cows, pigs, sheep and horses, over very unsturdy bridges, up and through los Andes. The peruvians know how to party! From their own bar brought from Cajamarca, to two platos principales consisting of 4 different kinds of meat, sweet potatoes, an undistinguishable vegetable salad, rice and potatoes. The afternoon quickly turned into 60 drunk peruanos, surrounded by their kids, toasting to VIDA, SALUD, AMIGOS, and chanting DE LA CORAZON, DE LA CORAZON. It was no "the hills are alive with the sound of music" experience as this meal quickly did not agree with my stomach. It is back to a diet of cookies, bread, and plain cake. The party would not have been complete with out a visit to the family´s church built off their house. And of course birthday cake. The ride back was just as bit as exciting with 4 drunk, smoking men in the back. The most rowdy past out, only to awake and scream at the radio ´´VOLUMEN"
Tomorrow we start work and an apartment hunt and continue the diet of cookies with a side of asodophilus.
MY CONTACT PAGE GOT ERASED SO PLEASE EMAIL ME SO THAT I HAVE YOUR EMAIL ADDRESS.
DE LA CORAZON,
Becca
// posted by Becca @ 7:55 PM 
