Final Trip to Ica

05 January 2017

We (My host family, Gracie, and I) left early that morning from Lima so that we could arrive at a decent time. Before we had left for Ica, I had warned Gracie that it would be terribly hot and sunny (Ica is the city of sun). However when we arrived, the sun wasn't in sight, something I found a little disheartening. The sun ended up being absent for the majority of our visit (sadly). Despite the sun, we arrived exhausted to out house in Ica. Upon our arrival, everyone went to lie down and take a break, as the journey from Lima to Ica had been early (that is for Peruvian standards).

But, before Gracie and I could catch some shut eye, we had already made plans with the exchange students in Ica to meet up. This meant that Gracie and I collapsed on the bed in exhaustion before we had to muster the energy to go eat and later leave. So after a lunch of chicken and rice (the normal) Gracie and I left my house and got into a moto-taxi from the street and got ourselves to a mall so that we could see all our friends. We first saw Anna (USA) and her Peruvian friend. Before long we had gone up to the food court where we set our sights on Pia (Germany) and Victor (Denmark). We all sat there catching up while Pia and Anna ate their lunches. Afterwards we made a quick stop in the grocery store before we all left for Huancachina, or the oasis in Ica.

We all ended up clambering out of a taxi and heading for the lake (which Gracie had never seen). Once we got there, Anna told us the story of the lake/pond in the desert which I think had been told to me in Spanish my first time there (all of which I didn't understand). According to legend a princess or siren was bathing. She looked into her mirror, and she saw a man approaching. She thought that the man was trying to kill her (or he was trying not really sure) so she transformed. Her dress became the dunes and her mirror became the lake. And now her spirit haunts the lake, she drowns men because she is afraid that they will kill her. Or it was something like that. Anyways, after story time, we all hiked up a small dune to sit, admire the view, listen to music and catch up a little bit more. We ended up sitting down and taking pictures for around an hour. After about an hour had passed, we all decided to walk back towards the lake so that we could find a car to take us up into the dunes. It didn't take long, and before we knew it we had boarded a dune buggy. While we thought we had gotten a deal on our cart, we were then slapped in the face with a "tax" which bumped the cost back up to what it had been prior (roughly). While none of us were particularly happy about this, we all stayed in the buggy and went for the ride. The ride was awesome and exhilarating. While the majority  had gone once, it was Gracie's first ride. She compared it to a roller coaster, which I find to be a little accurate.

After the ride Pia, Victor, Gracie, and I all squeezed into a moto-taxi (I was sitting on laps) and went to a random place so that Gracie and I could get some tacos. Now, the place was simply a window and a menu, but the Mexican food I had here was the best I had encountered in Perú, hands down. Gracie and I were so overjoyed we forgot our exhaustion and happily chowed down in Burritos, tacos, and quesadillas. It would have been the end to a perfect night except it wasn't the end, and there was a turn of events.

While we were eating, Gracie got a text message from a random number from a friend of our good friend Elsbeth. The text was that Elsbeth and a friend of hers had been robbed at gunpoint. Of course Gracie and I were now worried and we started communicating back in forth with Els, who had to get a hold of her parents so that the family could block her cards from being used. Elsbeth was able to remain calm in the situation (something I'm not surprised of) and we got everything under control as best we could seeing as we were Ica and not with Elsbeth. Overall, I am just thankful that she is okay and that nothing bad happened (minus the fact that all of her possessions are now gone).

After getting Elsbeth all the help we could, we set back off to my house via moto. Having not really lived in Ica, it was needless to say, a little difficult to direct a moto taxi to my house in the dark when I really didn't know where we were going (the moto taxi took a different path). It didn't help that my Ica friends had told me that I lived in one of the unsafer parts of Ica. A ter taking a sketchy path through a dirt road, Gracie and I safely arrived by moto to our house. We paid the kind man, walked upstairs, and then realized that no one was home. Calling my host mom several times resulted in nothing, although banging on the door did. Our neighbor who lived downstairs came out to see what all the ruckus was. We then talked to him and he allowed us up and into the house. Knowing we had a quinceañero to attend to, Gracie and I decided to shower while we waited for my host family to get home.

Eventually my host mom called us, and later my family all arrived home so that Gracie and I were able to fully get ready (alongside them). We all got around and left an hourish later. I personally thought that we were going to be very late for the party, as we were supposed to have left around an hour or two in advance. After finding the quinceanero, I realized that we were nowhere near late. We were in fact, early. We first saw Jeanne and Marguerite, who had unfortunately been at the party for two hours waiting for it to start. This came as a shock to me, as Jeanne's family has a larger reputation for being late.

Eventually the ceremony started. It was fairly grand, with a troop of young teenage boys in suits with swords. There were speeches (of course), dances (obviously), and tears shed (not surprised). After the ceremony, the party began. I was surprised to see that as large as the venue was, there were not many people there. Nonetheless, we all got the party started. Jeanne (France), Marguerite (France, brought by Jeanne), Gracie (USA, brought by me), Naty (my host sister), all of my cute little cousins, and I, got the party going in our little separate room for the "kids". I say kids because thats what it felt like, somehow my mind didn't connect that all the people of a quinceanera would be 15 or a bit younger. Nonetheless we had fun dancing by ourselves and with all my younger cousins that have all wiggled their way into my American heart.

Entry Way

One of the Dance Floors

The pool

During the ceremony. 

In all honesty, the exhaustion had hit Gracie and I quite hard at this point, and our group soon all dispersed and went back to the table. We ate the food they brought (which included some delicious vegetables! No sarcasm here) and continued to steal food from the snack table. We ended up going back and forth for the rest of the night, before exhaustion finally took over  and we all started to take naps at the table. We ended up getting to leave around 4 am, although my host mom and aunt stayed until 6 :)
















   

The New Year

My New Year in Perú was definitely very different from my normal New Year in the U.S. In the U.S. my family will maybe set off some fireworks (that is if my family stays up). However here in Perú, there is no way that we would pass up the opportunity to celebrate.

The evening started after I had gotten changed and ready for my later plans the evening. Perú has many traditions for New Years. One is to receive new pairs of underwear for the year. You could receive just one pair of underwear, or you could receive three (in the colors red, yellow, and green). The yellow represents luck, the red represents love, and the green represents wealth. Personally, I received two pairs of yellow underwear (one from my host mom, the other from my host aunt). Another popular tradition in Perú is to eat 12 grapes at midnight, to represent luck in every month. While I did partake in this tradition as well, I ate my grapes before midnight, as I went out with friends before midnight/into the night to celebrate some more. While a few other traditions exist (burning dolls wearing old clothing), my family only partook in these few. We also decorated the house with yellow balloons, ribbons, and garland. My host family and I all sat down for a dinner, before we went around toasting and making speeches (a normal occurrence in Perú).

As for the New Year/what I would like out of 2018, I can only hope that my year abroad continues to be amazing and that my arrival back home/adjusting isn't too hard. I hope that my Spanish continues to improve and that my English can somehow be recovered (its gotten pretty bad). I hope that going back to the U.S. I am not only able to remember everything that Perú has taught me, but am able to spread the knowledge I have gained.

As for a little reflexion back on 2017, I can honestly say the end of the year and the summer were some of the best months of my life. While the beginning of the year definitely had some struggles, the end of my year made it all worth it. Being able to move to another country for 11 months has made me a stronger person, and in some ways a smarter one (just don't ask me about math). I have always been hard on myself and had very high expectations, but I can honestly say that my Spanish has improved. It is no way close to where I want it to be, but I can't pretend that it hasn't improved. When I arrived I could say pretty much nothing and understood nothing. Now I can explain some basics, have a conversation, and understand some of a sentence (sometimes all!).

And of course, one last resolution, I'M GOING TO DO MY BEST AND BLOG MORE!

I hope everyone had a happy New Year!

Xmas in Ica (Day 3/4)

Xmas in Ica (Day 3)

Sunday, December 24, 2017

After our late birthday celebration we were all a little late to start the next day. However, eventually we all got around and started with our day. We ended up going to lunch at my Aunt’s house, where all of the family soon gathered to eat and talk. To every exchange student that has ever come to my family, I now understand you. Having countless members introduce themselves one after the other was definitely a bit overwhelming. Before too long, we all got into our cousin’s car to go enjoy the next part of our day, visiting the cemetery.

We first went to Mamita’s deceased husband’s grave. I had visited this cemetery before when we had a funeral in Ica. We decorated the grave before we moved on and went to a different cemetery. This cemetery was closer to an American cemetery, with the gravestones in the ground instead of above ground. We once again decorated the graves, and happened to run into Jeanne (France) and her family in the cemetery. We talked a bit with them before we returned back to our house with Mamita. We all then rested for the rest of day in the house, with having random friends and family in and out of the house all day. 

The part of the night that got exciting was of course midnight. We all gathered around the giant nativity scene that we had assembled and at midnight, we all put in the missing Jesuses in the various scenes. After that, I gave my host family their gifts (which they all thoroughly loved). After this, we called my host sister on Skype and talked to her and gave little speeches talking about how we felt about one another. We then watched all the fireworks rain across Ica. A little while later, we walked back to my aunt’s house to have another celebration. We only stayed a little while however, as we were all exhausted and Naty didn’t feel that well. 

Monday, December 25, 2017

The next morning, we all woke up a bit earlier so that we could go around to the remaining family members and give out some presents and say some farewells. We ended up going to some people I had yet to meet’s houses and having some refreshments, before we went to a small famous (in Ica that is) sweet/food shop. My host family bought some sweets for me to indulge in (all of which I didn’t find very impressive).  We then sat and relaxed for a little bit, before we quickly returned to the house so that we could finish packing. While I was done packing, my host family was not and so I ended up chilling with my host cousin while we waited on my family to get done. We ended up being very very very late (typical Perú). Mamita and I were both ready, so we both ended up going to the car to wait for the rest of our family. Not too long after, they ended up scurrying down the staircase and into the car. We then booked it to my aunt’s house and quickly said some goodbyes. After then we broke the speed limit, barely caught our bus, and got back to Lima. 

Xmas in Ica (Day 2)

Saturday 23rd of December

We all woke up fairly early so that we could hit the road and get to the bus station to get tickets for Paracas. It ended up that there were no buses, so we ended up getting in a car with a tour guide who would taking us around Paracas. After a car ride of an hour and some, we arrived at the beach in Paracas. While this beach was beautiful and sunny and sandy, it wasn’t for swimming, but for leaving on a boat to see the wildlife. 

After booking our tour, we go in line to board our boat. After a little mix up we were able to board the bus. Alongside us was a giant group of Americans. It was very odd to be surrounded by a group of people speaking your own language while you are speaking a language that is not your own. It also makes you feel pretty proud of yourself and like you have a little secret, being able to fully understand a language and kinda understand another is an awesome thing. On the boat ride the Americans were playing music from a speakers, and good music if you ask me. They were playing Latin music (which is pretty much all I listen to). This meant not only the Americans were having a good time on the boat, but all the Peruvians. At one point my host mom was dancing with one of the Peruvians on a moving boat. This was not only a bit comical for me, but it was made better as the American was saying encouraging things in English that she couldn’t understand. 

Eventually we arrived at the places around the tour (after getting very wet). The wildlife was beautiful, once again Perú was showcasing it’s natural beauty. There was also another aspect of history left from ancient peoples. 

Sea Lions!

Peruvian Penguins!

My spirit animals :)

After the boat tour we returned back to shore and bought a few souvenirs before we headed to a nearby museum so that we could further learn about the wildlife. After that we went to Playa Roja, which gets its name from the red sand. 

  Afterwards we went to a beach where we could actually swim. It was perfect, warm and sandy. I however hadn’t  brought my swimsuit (as there had been some confusion as to what was going on) so I ended up swimming in my clothes (wasn’t going to miss this opportunity). My host mom seemed very concerned about the fact that I was actually swimming and not just wading. I had explained many times that Indiana has tons of lakes, meaning I have been swimming my entire life, but she seemed surprise nonetheless. After a while, we had to go back to shore and after the car ride, back to Ica.

Once we arrived, we all showered and changed our clothes. It was fairly late at this point, and we all sat down and rested. Eventually, we went back to decorating the house for Christmas, meaning that we went and bought some more lights. After the decorating, I went to change and get my butt to bed. Not only were we bone tired, but tomorrow was Christmas Eve, meaning it would be a big day. 

However as soon as my host sister saw me in my jammies, she told me that I probably should go change, as lots of the family would be over to celebrate my aunt’s birthday (which was the same day as Christmas Eve). My host mom then informed me that not only would some family members be over, but a mariachi band would also be coming. 

So I went to go change, ended up greeting a few family members, and before a knew it, the sounds of a mariachi band could be hear down the street. Before I knew it they were outside the house, and a moment later they were up the staircase and in the house. We were then dancing and clapping and singing and giving speeches and of course drinking (not me). The night was definitely interesting as at one point I was getting serenaded and had no clue what he was singing about. After the band left, we sat around and gave speeches. Eventually everyone tired out enough and we went to bed on Christmas (at 3 am). 

Xmas in Ica (Day 1)

Friday 22nd of December

I woke up very late in the day as I hadn’t been able to go to sleep until around 3:30 the previous morning (late bus ride in). I was awoken to my host mom telling me we were leaving for lunch. I quickly got around and we all headed out in a Moto taxi to the city center. We sought out a restaurant that seemed fitting for the family and chowed down on typical Peruvian foods (Causa, Papa huancaina, etc). By this point in the day, It was fairly hot. I thought that I would be the one dying from the heat and the Peruvians would be fine. And while I was thinking it was toasty, so did my host mom, which meant we had a sufficient flow of iced drinks throughout the lunch. After lunch, we all left to chill in the city center for a little bit. My host mom bought me ice cream, along with one for herself, and we consumed our scrumptious and cold snacks to cool off. 

After our time in the city center, we returned back to the house with some serious intentions, get this place ready for Christmas. We dug out the Christmas decorations we did have and got to town. The tree was definitely very tricky, as the majority of the stands were broken. My crafty aunt that lives in Ica ended up coming over and we ended up wrapping wire around where the branches would go so that the branches would stay in place. I then thoroughly confused my host sister when I began doing the lights and was putting them inside the tree branches.

After we somehow figured out the tree, the family started on a decoration I had no idea how to help with. They had all started on a giant sort of something (very descriptive I know). But I honestly had no idea what they were making and was of no use. Turns out they were making a giant nativity scene (And by giant I mean humongous). 

After they got the nativity scene assembled we put up a few remaining lights around the house before we called it a day (for the decorating). We knew that we would have to buy a few more lights before we would be done decorating officially, but we all decided that we were exhausted and had a big day ahead of us, Paracas!