Ica/Independence Day

My mama woke me up around 8 am and handed me a glass of something. I had gone to bed the previous night around 3 am (blogging btw). I was asleep standing up so I had no idea what she handed me, but I just took it and got ready for the day (thinking we were leaving for Ica). I ended up drinking what mama had handed me (I think it was a strawberry smoothie of sorts) and I went to eat breakfast (it is important to eat breakfast in Peru). Next, I waited...and waited... Angye and Nati were still sleeping (they wouldn't get up). I don't really blame them, they stayed up late (part of the culture) and both are sick so I can see why their bodies needed a little extra sleep. I took the time and continues to update my blog. Around 6pm we ended up leaving for Ica.

After finally leaving the house, we got in a taxi and went to the bus station. This wasn’t the city bus station, but an out of Lima station (if you want to get on a bus in Lima, you just flag the bus down and get on before the bus starts moving again). We all waited for the bus to get there, and after boarding, I fell asleep. The bus trip was around 5 hours and I didn’t bring my laptop (Angye said it was best if it stayed Lima). I didn’t feel like I was missing out on the views, as by the time we left, night had fallen. Eventually, we went arrived in Ica. I experienced the “cold” I had been warned about (it was around 40 degrees Fahrenheit). I also got my first look at the city despite the darkness. I really enjoyed my trip to Ica (don’t get it twisted), and while the tourism things I saw were simply amazing, the trip to the city for me was very eye opening. I had thought in Lima it was odd that people left their trash in bags near the road (I think its a system I haven’t figured out yet). In Ica, however, people simply throw their trash on the ground. As explained by Naty and Angye, there is no system of trash removal (because the government doesn’t feel it is important). Ica was a beautiful city, but the trash everywhere not only made the city less beautiful, but made it look dirty. Around ten years ago, Ica wasn’t filled with trash on the ground, but the times have changed (whether this is due to tourism or not, I am not sure). Nonetheless, we dragged our luggage through the streets so we could book our tickets for the bus ride home. We went to one place, and they had no available seats, so we ended up going to another bus company. Eventually (after long rapid conversations I didn’t understand) we walked to the house of my host aunt (not sure if that is the proper way of saying it but oh well). I had been told that there was a party going on and when we arrived I was a surprised to see a group of men/boys disassembling a giant tower made of something (I honestly don’t know what to call it, kinda like straw but not straw because it was strong). Beyond the tower, was a group of people in a circle dancing a traditional dance (I believe the dance was of the mountains because I was told that many people fled the mountains after terrorists made them dangerous). After watching the dance, I kissed some host family members and we went inside the house of my family. The house was very large (for the standards I had seen in Peru) and inside was many family members. We all met and ate muffins (mine was mango) before I left with Angye, Naty, and my host cousin Darley. We all walked around Ica and ended up getting food. I wasn’t hungry but I tried a bit. The first dish we ordered was a chaufa. It was a giant plate of rice with chicken, chicarron, egg. I liked it a lot (the rice in Peru is much better than the rice in the states). The second dish was soup called caldo de gallina. It had a chicken leg in it, a boiled egg, and noodles. It was okay (I was told it tastes better in Lima). We needed up talking and not getting back to the my host aunt’s house until later. After that, we all said goodbye and we walked to our house with the luggage (my host family is from Ica and they have lots of family there, so Mamita and the family still have a house there). After arriving, we all settled in and went to bed (it was fairly late at this point, around midnight). I had wanted to take a shower, but Angye explained that everyone showered mid day because there was no hot water in Ica. With that said, we all went to bed. 

The next day was the 28th of July, Peru’s Independence Day. Angye and I were woken up around 11. We ate breakfast, and then Angye, Mama, Darley (host cousin age 8) all got around to leave. I didn’t know how to communicate with Darley so I just did her hair for her to bond with her (it worked). The previous night I had met her and she had asked me “Tu hablas ingles” (it was pretty cute). After I did Darley’s hair, we all left for the town center. 

Angye, Darley, and I before the parade

The town center was beautiful and clean, but more importantly there was a parade going on. To our dismay, the parade had already attracted a giant crowd. We wandered around trying to find a spot to stand but we kinda failed (so instead we got ice cream). Next, all I know is that Angye had talked with someone and had went up a stairs so we all followed suit (later realized this was so we could book our tour of Ica for the next day). Once going up the stairs, the sounds of the parade got louder, and after walking around the corner, I discovered a window that looked straight out into the street. Just our luck, the window not only didn’t have a screen or glass, but it had the perfect view of the parade. Darley went to go get some stools from the tourist office and we both climbed on to watch the parade. Mama and Angye soon joined. It ended up working out splendidly, we got the perfect view of the show…

After the parade, we walked back down to the stage that was set up and watched a performance with rifles... 

We then headed to the center park so we could get some pictures. I forgot to mention that I was wearing my Peruvian flag as a cape. Not only did this peg me as an obvious tourist/gringa, but it got a few chuckles, stares, and compliments from Peruvians (not sure what they said but Angye said they appreciated my patriotism). We took pictures with the flag

In the town center, had to use the Peruvian flag!

And then headed back to our original place. A group of women approached me and asked if they could borrow my flag for a picture (Angye translated because all I understood was bandera). After getting my flag back, we continued walking until again I was asked if someone could borrow my flag for a picture (I guess the Peruvians were depending on this prepared American). Eventually, we took a motortaxi (we don’t have them in Lima, pictures later) to our house, where I met another cousin. Angye, Darley, the new cousin, and I all walked to Darley’s house so that we could drop her off. I met some more family, and then Mama (who had come after us) took Angye and I to a shopping center. We went inside and bought a cake (our next stop was a birthday party for another family member). Before buying the cake, we bought Pisco from a local vendor and Angye and I got Pisco popsicles (Pisco explanation later). After, with our cake, we went my motor taxi to the birthday party (it was inside a funeral place because the front of the family’s home was a gravestone place). Once entering, I kissed about 20 cheeks and gave about 25 smiles. I sat down, and Angye began talking in rapid Spanish. I had a few family members approach me and ask me questions in English to practice. Before I knew it, a plate of food had been given to me along with a drink. I ate my food, was pressured into singing for some little girls and I listened to speeches. After a while, Lucia (Host cousin) outbound going to Denmark, fluent in English) arrived with Jeanne (French girl hosted my Rotary club, host sister of Lucia). I moved over to sit with them and we all talked. Eventually there were more speeches and then Jeanne and I were asked to say something (we both opted to have Lucia say stuff for us, I’m okay with sounding crazy in front of my host family, not so ready for the extended family). Afterwards, we took pictures (once again used my Peruvian flag), and lit the candles for the birthday boy (his face ended up getting shoved into one of his three cakes).

Birthday boy is in the blue plaid

We ate cake, and eventually Mama left (Angye and I were going to hang out with Lucia and Jeanne). Eventually I had to use the bathroom, I couldn’t hold it any longer, I had to go to the second floor (there wasn’t water in the bathroom on the first floor). After using the restroom in the dark (the light didn’t work), we all left in a different cousin’s car. Night had fallen at this point, and we headed toward the dunes of Ica. We started walking traffic was very bad, when Angye asked one of the dune cars how much it was to ride. Next thing I know, we are all getting into the dune car. After getting out of traffic, we went on my first ride into the dunes. It was dark, thrilling, and so much fun. We went sand boarding down a large dune (I stood up and didn’t fall going down, I’m proud of myself). 

Lucia and I before the ride :)

Ica from the top of a dune

Group photo!

Jeanne and I 

Another group photo with Ica :)

The lake from the Dune

After our spontaneous ride, we went back to the car and went and got Papa John’s pizza (it tastes the same in Peru) with the rest of the family. Afterwards we got dropped off and we all went home. We were going to go out dancing, but decided against it and went to sleep (we had a giant tour of Ica the next day).

Miraflores/First Rotary Meeting

July 26, 2017

I woke up around 8 am because the previous day Naty and I had gone to the bank too late (I had to pay for my first Rotary conference). Naty had to take me because you must be 18+ to go to the bank in Peru. After a quick breakfast of bread with some kind of cheese, Naty, Angye and I rushed out the door. Our trip to the bank was successful, and afterwards, we headed to San Borja so I could get my school uniform. Once getting to my school, I tried my uniform (which is awesome, post coming later). I met Angye's best friend and we stayed at the school a bit longer so that Angye and her friend could wander around. Eventually, we all left by taxi for Miraflores.

We went to Angye's therapist first, and while she had her session, Naty, Valery, and I all talked. Valery studied in Ohio (near Columbus) last year, so it made conversing a little easier. Once Angye got done, we all walked to through the infamous cat park in Miraflores (which doesn't have many cats anymore because people didn't like them). We all got chicharron for lunch and I tried Inca Cola for the first time. Inca Cola is a Peruvian soda that tastes similar to Big Red (not the same though) or to bubble gum. In Miraflores, I saw my first American tourists (there were many). After lunch, we walked and took the bus to a different part of Miraflores, near the ocean. We walked across a famous bridge known as The Bridge of Sighs. They say that if you hold your breath and walk accross the bridge without breathing, you will get engaged (sighing because you haven't found the one yet). We took photos on the bridge, and walked by little vendors selling crafts. Next, we continued to walk but closer to the beaches. We stopped inside a tourist office and got a pamphlet of things to see in Ica and Lima. Angye got a Arroz con Leche (Rice with Milk) and Naty got Mazamorra Morada (this was a purple gel with apple, peach and pineapple). We then got one a bus and headed towards home. We all talked about random things and Angye got embarrassed when a fellow Peruvian heard something she said in English. 

Lunch! I was mid chew :D

Once we got home, we all got changed and ready for our first Rotary meeting. We all sang and danced to Latin songs and discussed Brazilian dancing (which I concluded was a little too hard for me). While I can appreciate the skill level of the dancers, I felt that the dancing was purely sexual and it wasn't beautiful (reasons I appreciate dance).  Nonetheless, we all got ready and waited for Mama to come home.

Before the Rotary meeting :)

Our Rotary meeting started at 8 o'clock but we had to wait (I'm not really sure why, this was in Spanish and I still don't understand any more than 10% of the conversation ), but we ended up not leaving until around 8:25. While I was a little horrified (this was my first meeting, I wanted a good impression), Angye explained that in Peru, people are late all the time, and that people would still be arriving when we arrived. She ended up being right (although most of the people were there when we got there). Once we arrived, I immediately saw some large differences between my sponsor and host club. My sponsor club meets in the public library, my host club has its own building that it meets in. My rotary club in Butler is pretty informal, we sit around the table when discussing problems. In Club Pueblo Libre, there was a podium and table, and anyone talking used a microphone. 

I first met some outbounds that Angye went to first, then I sat around the table with the other inbounds (still kinda weird/exciting to know I am an inbound). I already knew Dominik (Germany) and Malin (CSRYE) but I hadn't met the French girls being hosted and there was another American living in Arequipa that was there (all of the kids that are going somewhere besides Lima have temporary host families because they all have to be here for our first conference). At the beginning of the meeting all of the exchange students were talking about random things, differences we had found this far or other random thins. However, we all quieted down once the Rotarians began to talk. I really don't know what the man at the podium was saying, but all of a sudden, everyone was staring at me and a Rotarian was gesturing at me to stand up. I was super confused and I questioned why me, but Dominik told me the speaker had said my name (somehow missed that, Delaney isn't the easiest name for Peruvians). After being a little embarrassed, I stood up and everyone was clapping (realized the speaker was probably welcoming us to the club). After all the other kids stood up we got to sit down. Now I was fully listening/trying to understand what was going on because I didn't want to look like an idiot again. My name was called again, and I took my flag up to the table to present it to the President. All of the other students followed suit (still a little confused why I am always going first), we took photos and then we got to return to our seats. After returning, I realized my mistake of not bringing the banner from my host club, but my flag. I kinda realized I probably wasn't getting that back unless I said something, so when I got the chance I approached Naty (Mama, tia, and Angye had all arrived midway through the meeting). Before that, we listened to a powering and speech that was talking about Peru. I honestly didn't understand any of it, with exception to when the speaker talked about the meaning behind the flag (I had read something on Wikipedia and Angye had explained it earlier in the day because there are currently Peruvian flags everywhere for Independence Day (28th of July). The speech was over 20 minutes long, and it was a little frustrating to have no idea what was going on during it. 

My Rotary setup, peep my American flag on the table (folded properly)

Still not really sure what was happening in the meeting here.

Group photo of everyone!

After the speech, I approached Naty, who signaled Angye. I explained that I had only brought one flag, and that I had a banner (Bandera in Spanish, the same word for flag, so I am blaming it on the lack of language). Angye told me she would explain the situation to the President of the club and I went back to my table. We were then served wine (which I ended up not drinking all of, I gave it to Dominik because I wasn't sure if it was rude not to drink/eat everything). I got my food, but since I had joined the table I didn't have silverware. I used my not so stellar language skills to ask for a spoon, knife, and fork. According to Angye and Nati, my pronunciation of Spanish is stellar, all of which I attribute to my vocal lessons. The vowel sounds in Spanish are identical to the vowels you use when singing (see mom, you were paying for a two in one language/vocal lesson). I think maybe they are right because the Peruvian boys at the table congratulated my use of Spanish. During dinner, Angye explained to the President what was going on and he went and got my flag for me. I thanked him and he was very nice (he told me it was my flag not his, so of course I could have it). I promised to bring the proper Bandera to the next meeting. I returned to my table triumphant and finished my dinner and desert. Afterwards we all kept talking and we said goodbye (this Rotary meeting didn't end until around 11:30 p.m.). Naty was very concerned when I casually said goodbye to Dominik and I didn't kiss his cheeks goodbye. I honestly didn't think about it because I have only kissed Peruvians since it is their culture and not ours. I tried to explain this to Angye but I'm to sure if it made sense. Nonetheless, I kissed everyone else goodbye (none of the other exchange students though). I'm actually pretty fond of the whole kissing thing, it makes everyone seem more personable, happy, and like they are your friend (although it different the other night when I kissed Naty's boyfriend and his friend hello in my pajamas with wet hair). 

Afterwards we all headed home. I took a shower (a warm one, I finally explained to Angye that the water was confusing). After getting out, Angye told me we were leaving for Ica in two hours (My host family has a lot of family in Ica). I was little shocked but I just said okay (because what else was I supposed to say). Later, Nati and Angye told me that we were actually leaving for Ica at 6 the next morning. A little early considering it was 1 at this point but I just went with it. I told them both goodnight and I went to bed. 

First Day in Lima!

July 24, 2017

I woke up pretty late the next day, not only had I traveled all day, but I had stayed up late. After waking up, I got dressed, made my bed, and went to go eat breakfast. For breakfast/lunch I had chicken with rice (it was very good). Ange had told me the previous night that she would take me to my school the next day if I wanted (I of course said yes). So after breakfast, we headed out to my school. I knew that I needed to get on the blue bus, so after a while, we spotted one and we got on. To ride the bus is around 1 sole (3.3 soles = 1 dollar). This was my first time on the bus and it was interesting. Peruvians come on the bus to sell things or beg for money. Ange and I sat near the back of the bus and we were talking about the locations of districts in Lima, so Ange pulled up google maps. We then realized that we were headed the wrong direction and we promptly got off the bus. Then we looked around for a new bus that would take us in the right direction. It didn't take long to find one and we quickly got on. When the man that collects the money approached us, he asked where I was from (because I don't look Peruvian) and asked if I was Venezuelan (maybe I look like a Latina...? jk). Many Venezuelans have fled to Peru because it is close and Venezuela isn't doing too great. Angye explained that I was from the United States. We paid the man and waited until we got closer to the school before we got off. Once we got off and walked a little bit, I saw my school for the first time in person.

The school is small, and after walking in I realized Catholic (I was unsure before). I met the director of my school (who is a Rotarian in my Rotary Club). She was very nice and she directed us to the office lady. I don't know exactly what was discussed, but it involved my uniform and the sizes/prices. I also had to give the lady my passport for a form of the school. After we got all the school stuff sorted out, Ange and I left so we could go to the shopping mall.

My first night, I discovered that in Peru, shoes are worn in the house at all times. Additionally, I needed a pair of sandals for the shower because when showering, you wear flip flops. The first night I used Angye's but I needed my own so we went around and looked for a pair. We found them, bought them, and left the mall. While the mall has stores I am unfamiliar with, many of the stores are American.

After we returned home, Ange and I went to the family car and met the mechanic there. After being introduced, they poked around with the car. After a while, I grew more tired and fell asleep in the car while they kept working on it (it wouldn't start). Afterwards, we went home and I took a real nap. Once I woke up, Ange, Mama, and I all went over the first night questions. These were very useful and I would recommend them to all outbounds. In fact, Angye requested them for herself, and to her delight, I was able to send her a copy of questions in Spanish and in French.

That night, I talked more with Nati and Angye about America and politics. I took another cold shower but I didn't make a mess (one loss, one win). And I crashed again in bed because I was still tired.

Traveling to Peru!

Sunday July 23, 2017

I woke up at 4 am to get ready for my flight. I actually got out of bed at 4:17 when I decided that I really had to get up. After I got up, I quickly got around. It was strange, I knew that I wouldn’t be returning to my bed for my while (Mason don’t mess up my bed). After that, I shoved a few last things in my toiletries, and headed out the door. 

The car ride to the airport was pretty calm. I talked with my parents a bit, until we arrived at the Fort Wayne airport. Once there, I weighed both my bags (one around 30 pounds the other around 40) and I got my tickets. I said a final goodbye to my parents, took some pictures, and walked through security. A giant perk of having your first flight being out of Fort Wayne is that security is very relaxed, which sets the tone for your whole day of travel. After walking through security, I went to the bathroom, filled my water bottle, and headed toward my gate. I waited around 20-40 minutes (this whole day has been a blur) before boarding. The plane was small so I had to stow my carry on suitcase underneath the plane. I had a window seat on the plane, so I was able to take some photos of Indiana from air. One of the flight attendants was very impressed with my Rotary jacket and asked me questions about where it was from.  After taking off I did what I do best, and took a snooze (lucky me had an empty seat next to me). I don’t really know if I ever fell asleep but I did doze. The plane ride went by very quickly (yay), and I soon landed in Charlotte. 

My last Indiana sunrise for a while :)

One last view of Indiana's fields 

After I got my bag from underneath the plane, I followed the signs to my gate. I made a bathroom stop and dropped one of my more important pins (it is one of the Disney castle that was horribly overpriced). I grabbed the pin but didn’t see the back of it. Sometimes you gotta take a loss, and I wasn’t searching the bathroom for the back of a pin (I stole one from a less important pin on my jacket). Then I made my way to the gate, which was clearly full.

I stood around for a while looking for a seat, and I ended up asking a couple who was staring at all of the pins on my jacket if the seat next to them was free. It was, and the couple and I struck up a conversation about me being a Rotary exchange student, Lima, Miami (they were headed to Miami for their honeymoon cruise), clogging, and life in small towns. The man’s church had good connections with Peru and his church had done lots of mission work/build churches in Peru so it was a good topic. A Rotary jacket is needless to say, a good conversation starter.

Our flight from Charlotte to Miami was actually delayed (not too badly) because the plane we were taking was coming from Miami to Charlotte, and it had been delayed. I felt bad for the people that got off the plane before us and started sprinting for other gates. Made me a little thankful that it wasn’t me and I had a decent layover. 

The flight from Charlotte to Miami was a little less enjoyable just because I had someone sitting next to me and had less space. It wasn’t really a big deal though (perks of being a small person). The man next to me was really nice but he didn’t speak much or any English, so it was more difficult to have a conversation (I think he was speaking Swahili, not really sure though). This however, gave me time to finish my Calvin blog post. The flight was smooth and everything was good. 

I got off the plane and went to the screens that have the gates and flight numbers because my ticket and boarding pass didn’t have a gate for me to go to. To my surprise and delight, my gate was right next to where I had just got off (convenient, right?). I sat down and rearranged myself. I went online and updated people on my flights. I talked with Maggie Blackwell and her Peruvian friends that live in Lima (that have offered to help me if I ever need it) and answered a question incorrectly in Spanish (it’s only the beginning). After I had talked with everyone, I got a baguette for lunch at a Cuban place (When in Miami go Cuban) and sat down at my gate to eat lunch and do whatever else. I scored a seat near the charging station and recharged my laptop (wasn’t really dead but I figured take the chance when you have it). I just surfed the web, updated my blog, and listened to all the conversations around me in Spanish. I look forward to being able to understand what is going on. After a while, as boarding got closer, they changed our gate and everyone had to move. I felt proud of myself when I understood the joke between family members in Spanish (it was simple but I am going to take what I can). 

After waiting a bit longer at that gate, we all began to board. The flight to Lima was obviously my longest (but it is still not too long) flight. I once again struck up a conversation with the woman next to me (she is Argentinian and very nice). I feel bad for her because she is in the middle (my seat isn’t ideal but at least it is the aisle). I got to eat a delicious meal of pasta, 3 pieces of lettuce, fake cheese on bread, and a dense roll..yum. Not complaining, I was still pretty full from lunch. I watched a movie in Spanish about a brother and his new baby brother. I didn’t really understand much of the dialogue but that was to be expected. I didn’t really realize the movie was in English until later on but that’s okay. The flight attendants all spoke to me in Spanish (I’m going to pretend it’s because they think I look hispanic and not because everyone was hispanic on my flight). I listened to the Spanish radio station available on the plane, I didn't recognize any songs which means they aren’t necessarily current (but everything sounds more beautiful in Spanish so…). I am also watching old episodes of This Is Us (sadly not available in Spanish, I might have known what was going on).  

Eventually (our flight went around the airport and then came back), we landed in Peru. I didn't really know what I was doing once I got off the plane but I just read the signs and followed the rest of my plane. I first had to go through customs, which was very easy, but the line took forever. However, as soon as I got to the front, I simply handed the lady the letter Henry had wrote for me, said "Si" to everything the lady said, got my stamp and moved on. I next had to go to the baggage claim. However, customs had taken so long for me to go through that my flight's luggage was no longer on the thing. So it resulted in me walking around with a cart for a bit trying to figure out what was going on. After a while of walking, I spotted my luggage by a counter of sorts. I began to load it onto my cart, and a nice Peruvian airport employee did the rest for me. Then I walked around confused and dazed to what I thought I had to do next (them scanning my luggage). I walked over and stared with a confused expression for a bit, until a Peruvian employee started asking me questions in Spanish (none of which I understood). Finally he just looked at me and said "Miami?, meaning had I just come from Miami. I said "Si" and he had a different airport employee load my bags into the scanner. After that, everything went smoothly. The airport employee loaded my luggage back onto the cart, I said "Gracias" and I walked through an airport shop hoping I would find my host family. Luckily, I did. It was not hard to spot my family, as they had balloons, flowers, and huge smiles for me. I gave Angye a big hug, and then followed suit with the rest of my new family. My mama was not with everyone at first because she had gone to buy me a orange Fanta and a snack. But she got to us quickly and I was able to greet her with a huge smile and hug (because let's be real my Spanish is lacking). 

L to R: My luggage, Nati, Me, and Angye :)

Tia (Aunt) y Mama

We then all rushed outside and I got my first look at my new home. I would describe it as beautifully chaotic. Everyone was bustling around and talking in Spanish I couldn't understand. We walked in confusion with Angye on her phone to try and communicate with our driver. Eventually he got to us, and we all rushed to the car because it was a crazy scene with cars honking everywhere. After getting into the car, my family began asking me questions that I couldn't answer very well, and poor Angle and Natalie had to translate as best they could. I couldn't stop looking out the window at my city however, because there was so much to take in. One of those things is the crazy drivers in Lima. There is no way I would be getting behind the wheel in this city. There are so many people that cross the street when they shouldn't (as Angye says they have no respect). The traffic is exciting, new, crazy, chaotic, and slightly terrifying. As we continued to drive home, my family pointed out important landmarks around Lima (Angye also pointed out a prostitute on the street). Lima is an endlesss city, I don't think anyone could every see it all. Eventually, we got to my new home. We unloaded everything and I walked inside.

Once entering, you go straight into the living room. First I saw the couches but next I saw my Mamita (my grandmother who doesn't like the name Abuela). She got very emotional upon seeing me and started to cry a little bit. I didn't really know what to say to her so I just gave her multiple hugs (Angye later explained to me that my family is very close and Mamita was very excited to have another member in their happy family. After meeting Mamita, I met my family's helper. His name is Luis and Angye explained that he cooks for the family. Once I dropped my things in my room and returned to the kitchen, my family had pulled out a cake for me. They lit a candle, I blew it out, and we all sat down for our first dinner. Mamita couldn't have any cake because she is a diabetic.  I cut the cake for everyone, and then I took my first bite. The cake was chocolate, but the frosting was made of lucuma. The frosting was very light and fluffy, lucuma is a fruit that is special in Peru. 

My beautiful and delicious cake!

After we ate the cake, I went to my bedroom and unpacked some of my clothes. I ended up trying to take a shower but its didn't go so great. In the shower there are two knobs for water, one is hot and one is cold. My host sister Nati explained to me which was hot and cold, but she got her left and rights mixed up, which resulted in me messing with the water, and never actually getting it hot. So my first night I got a cold shower. Not only did I get a cold shower, but I made a mess on the floor from messing with the water. When I got out of the shower, I was horrified to see the entire bathroom floor was a giant puddle, and the water was now flowing into the hallway. I quickly dried off and got dressed so I could go find Nati. Not knowing how to explain what had happened, I simply said "ayúdame" and she quickly followed me with concern. Upon seeing my giant mess, she began to help me and explained that it was important we dried it up so that Mamita didn't slip and all. Eventually, we got it cleaned up. That night, I ended up staying up late with my sisters talking (or attempting to talk). 

Late night/early morning selfie w/Ange <3