June 18th, 2014

June 18th, 2014

Today is the last day I will be posting on my blog. It is Wednesday and tomorrow we will be flying out to America. Today we got to relax a little bit and watch some of the World Cup games. We also got to have some great food for our last day mess around a little and buy gifts for our family. We went to eat lunch at a restaurant and got an amazing deal. 15 soles person person and we got an appetizer, dinner, drink, and desert. You can't beat that!!

After lunch, Henry and I roamed the town a little and found the San Pedro Market where we bought a lot of gifts for friends and family since it was so cheap. 

At the end of it all, I can sincerely say that the trip was an incredible experience and I can't believe how fast it went. I got to practice my Spanish, make new friends, and most importantly take on Peru. 

June 17th, 2014

June 17th, 2014 

MACCU PICCHU!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Today started at 4am.. We all got out of bed had breakfast and got on the bus for our 2 hour ride to Cusco. Once at Cusco, we had to get on a train for about and hour and half to get to the top of where Maccu Picchu is. After arriving at the top this was the first thing I saw.....

It was truly the most remarkable thing I have ever saw. It literally caught me so off guard that when I turned and saw the beautiful untouched city, I almost fell backwards in astonishment. It was truly an unreal sight and can't believe I got to experience it. From the moment I got up to the top I was so fascinated to learn about this unknown mystery. It was said that the area was used for a few different things. Although all are just theories, many say that this area was used as a vacation spot, other say it was used to flee too in midst of war, some say it was an ancient city just high up in the mountains, and the non-believers say it was just built by aliens. Amazingly enough, whatever it was used for...I got to see it and live it first hand. 

Once inside, I got to see some of the amazing architecture. 

I also got to make a few friends..

The alpacas up on the top are a special type of breed. They are used as what the locals describe as natural grass cutters. They help trim the grass and keep it fertile. Essentially the alpacas just get to live their whole lives in one of the 7 wonders in the world. Truly amazing. 

Next, we were allowed to tour the area for several hours so we decided to head up to the Sun Gate. Up on top, the view was indescribable...the hike up was about 30 minutes and when I got on top almost the whole group was already up there. We decided to take some funny pictures, relax, and just soak in this wonderful place. 

 All in all, it was a magnificent day with tons of remarkable memories that I will never be able to forget.

June 16th, 2014

June 16th, 2014

 Today we went to Scared Valley!!

It was an unreal experience!! Sacred Valley is the area in between Cusco and Maccu Picchu. It was originally named Scared Vally by the Inca's. They named it this because of the river that flows through the area, creating a fertile land for farming and life. Henry and I explored the whole mountain and Later Luke joined us and we found some really cool caves.

Henry also found himself today...He got real spiritual on me

June 13th-15th, 2014

June 13th-15th, 2014

June 13th

It's Friday!! It is officially our last day in Lima. We will be going to classes at El Sol to celebrate our last day there, followed by UNIFE, and then ending the night by heading to the most luxurious restaurant in Lima, La Rosa Nautica.

At El Sol, I had a test in the morning which was not fun at all. After the exam, we got to have some fun playing games in Spanish. We took a gigantic group picture outside of El Sol when we finished the day and then we went to UNIFE. At UNIFE the day was shorter because the students there were having a little party for us. After UNIFE we went to the famous restaurant called La Rosa Nautica.

At the restaurant I had some amazing food. I got octopus and then Lomo Saltado which was amazing. For desert I had Maracuya. 

June 14th

Today we woke up at 6am to head to the airport to go to Cuzco where we would be spending our last week in Peru before heading back to the states. 

After arriving at the hotel we had the day off and we got to watch the World Cup games. I got to watch my team Italy win 2-1 against England, it was fantastic. 

June 12th, 2014

June 12th, 2014

Today is Thursday the start of the 2014 FIFA WORLD CUP, "The Copa Mundial". Today Brazil was playing against Croatia. After classes at El Sol, Monica cancelled our trip to UNIFE to be able to participate in a culture changing experience in South America! The group was allowed to watch the game in the Park Kennedy where there was supposed to be a giant big screen with a projector. It didn't happen though.

Instead, some of the group and I decided to watch the game in a restaurant in the Calle de las Pizzas.

The game was incredible!!! Brazil won 3-1. What an experience it was!!

June 11th, 2014

June 11th, 2014

Half way through my last week in Lima!!

In school today we discussed some new topics. We got to learn a little bit about the Peruvian government. Today's class was interesting because I got to hear everyone's side or view on their political stance.

After class, we went to UNIFE. Today we had to do our presentations on the topics that were given to our designated groups. My topic was on the Shanty Towns of Peru. This topic was quite fascinating because I got to learn about the ridiculous divide between the rich and the poor in Peru. In these Shanty Towns, almost all of them have no electricity, sewage, or running water. I was truly struck by this and really enjoyed giving my presentation. The best part about the presentation was that it was in Spanish. I really enjoyed this. 

June 10th, 2014

June 10th, 2014

Tuesday was one of the slower days here in Lima. Today at school we worked on some new grammar and got to learn about the battle between Incan ruler Atahualpa. Atahualpa was the Incan Emperor of Tawantinsuyo before the Spanish took over. Atahualpa was defeated in battle by his half brother Huascar in a civil war between the Inca's. This civil war is what made it easy for the Spanish to conquest the large Incan Empire.

Atahualpa 

Huascar

After class, we went to UNIFE. At UNIFE today we had a shorter amount of time to hang out and discuss things with the girls. Today we were leaving early and going to the Museo De Oro, which is the Gold Museum in Lima. It's a very historical museum that has tons of old armor and artifacts of the conquistadors. It also has a lot of the gold that was buried by Incan and pre-Incan societies. The most fascinating part about this museum, was that the gold on display was the gold the Spaniards couldn't find. During the colonization by the Spanish, all the gold that was found was sent back to Spain so that the Spaniards country could gain more wealth. Everyone that wasn't found and turned into Spanish treasure, was buried by the Inca's in remote places. 

June 9th, 2014

June 9th, 2014

It was down to our last week in Lima! I couldn't believe how fast the past 3 weeks went! Being the last week in Lima I decided to go out and explore with some friends I made and get to really know the city. Today after classes at Escuela Del Sol, we once again went to UNIFE where we got to work with a different group of girls by teaching them some English.

After classes at UNIFE I went back home to my host families house. I had some dinner

After dinner, I went out to the movies in Lima with some friends. We went to the movie theater in Larcomar where we watched "Live, Die, Repeat" in 3D with Tom Cruise. It was fantastic!

June 6th - 8th, 2014

June 6th, 2014

Today was the first day all week that I got to play some real soccer on a field. We hung out at UNIFE for a few hours and got to take a class on all the traditional food of Peru. During this class, I was dying of hunger because of all the delicious food that was being put up on the screen. I now knew what my favorite foods where and could not wait to try some more of them!

During the soccer match, my team lost I think. Although we lost, we were the better team and I really enjoyed putting the ball throughs Elan's and Luke's legs. Elan even fell when I put it through his so it was fantastic! I wore my fresh red hat from Jose Quinones today!

After the long day today, I decided to not go out friday night.

June 7th, 2014

It's Saturday! Today we will be going to the Center of Lima again for the second time to go to some new museums and the Presidents House! While waiting to get into the Presidents House, a few of us in the group including myself had a little bit of a hard time getting into the building. The ones that had a hard time getting in were not in pants because we didn't know that was a rule, so we had to buy traditional Peru pajamas to go into the Presidents House. It was funny because we all looked ridiculous now but they still let us in. Inside, we got to watch the guards of the house to some funky walking patterns and also got to learn a little bit about the building itself.

After the Presidents house we went to a cathedral. This cathedral was literally breathtaking. I couldn't believe the spiritual presence I felt inside that place. It's been a long time since I went to mass, but wow was I amazed.

After the cathedral, we went to the Catacombs. Unfortunately, we were not allowed to take any pictures in this building but I snagged this one real quick!

The catacombs were amazing. The tunnels that led to them were so creepy but so cool at the same time. Definitely, a great spot Monica!

Next was out last museum for the day and it was the house of a family who has been living there for 16 generations. The house was unreal. It had a tree right in the middle of it with a little decorative water fountain, a chapel, and breathtaking antique furniture. 

Elan laying on the antique bed (not supposed to do this)

After the museums, Elan and I went home had dinner and then went out with some of the other in the group to Calle de las Pizzas, where we had some drinks and then went to this club Mokka. The music in Mokka was unreal. The atmosphere I didn't really like though, because everyone was just standing around. It was a blast though!

June 8th, 2014

Today was not one of the best starts to my day. I woke up feeling really sick and didn't get out of bed. Although I missed the trip today to Lunahuana, I hope everyone who did go had fun!!