momentitos de la semana

Currently watching the dubbed Spanish version of Matilda with mi prima. Today was Matias' 12th birthday! Toda la familia and his group of amigos from school all came over to eat tiny pollo sandwiches, caramellos, drink chicha and vino and ron con coke, and just chat and laugh and enjoy good company. Feliz día a mi hermano Matías! 

todos mis primos lindos

haciendo galletas con Micaela

Yesterday, Friday, viernes, was the Peru vs Paraguay fútbol match! Oh yeah, we won, ganamos, oooh yeah. We play Chile on Tuesday, who beat Argentina yesterday. I went with mi amiga Cinthia to a friend's house to watch the game, yell "vamos vamos! aye pucha! viva Peru!" drink beer, and wave the Peru flag around. Following the emotional victory, Cinthia and I headed out to meet up with friends at Indy's place. Couldn't find the door to the gate, had to shimmy through the bars! The doorman found that odd I think. The night was about the spirit of Peru and excitement of winning, pretty cool to be a part of it. 

viva el Perú

En jueves Sarah and I ventured to Barranco, one of the coolest districts in Lima. Beautiful architecture, bohemian vibes, sits on a coastal cliff (as do all the coastal Lima districts, pretty kewl.) I found a few homes that I wouldn't mind nestling into when I open up my coffee shop here. Hey I can dream. 

 scooo ducks

Thursday night the group had a "cultural event" at La Dama Juana, a touristy restaurant buffet show, dancers perform traditional Peruvian dances while you eat. Bien chevere.   

Below is one of the dances called El Alcatraz. Yes, he is attempting to light her tailfeather on fire as she wiggles about. And yes, I was called on stage to participate. Booty on fire, ¿por que no?

Miercoles I woke up early and an awesome surf day with Sarah, we went out in the water with a pair of our amigos, laughed and caught some good waves. That night I went to my first tango class at Cholas Bravas, and I'm absolutely in love. I can't wait to tango again. 

Tangoloco

When I got home, I hung out with Adet in her room for a while, chatting and helping her with her English homework. I'm going to start volunteering at the trabajadoras syndicate she is a part of, check back later for updates on that. Elva and I also had a nice heart-to-heart, as we sometimes do when it's late and we're the only ones up. She is so wonderful and I feel so lucky to be a part of this family. 

A few nuggets: there's a husky dog that lives in a house that I pass on my way to school every day. He's usually sitting on the roof with his paws over the ledge. I think it's so damn cute, I always say hi to him, I think he likes me. He's my little amigo. 

Going to Iquitos right after my historia midterm on thursday! Jungle here we come!

Micaela, my sweet younger cousin, drew a picture called "La Naturaleza" (nature) and gave it to me. It's her watering plants, and cute scenery. She said that there's nothing else but nature, and that's why it's so happy. Que linda es. 

Besitos cariños!

smella

ser una chola brava

Well examenes parciales, midterms, are rapidly approaching. The fact that I have to pay strict attention to what my professors are saying in order to understand is turning me into a better student. I've really been able to immerse myself in what I'm learning, especially in my class on literatura hispanoamericana contemporánea. My profesora is very engaging, adorable, and approachable. We recently finished reading Cien Anos de Soleadad de Gabriel Garcia Marquez. Lo realismo magico opens up a lot of doors in literature that I'd never truly explored, maybe because I had never understood the context from where it originates. Now in the homeland of the concept I find it to be quite a captivating experience. Also, my profesora has a cool grasp on the links between art and literature, and always shows us examples of how latinamericana literature has extended its roots into the world and modern culture.

Friday I went to a place called Cholas Bravas. A quick walk from my house, it's an independent art space run by a group of women in the district of Magdalena, right near the ocean. A friend heard about it and suggested we go, so I really didn't know what to expect. I absolutely fell in love with the place. It was tango night, and we got to watch the dancers swoon the night away, while we had delicious Argentine wine and homemade pizza. A few of the women who I met who run the place, Estrella, Camu, Sharon, told me kind of how the place works, how they do events and artists show their work there for free and have dancing and eating and fiestaing or you can go read and have a cup of tea during the afternoon. I have a feeling I'll be going back often. A wonderful night, my heart felt full. So great to meet new people and connect across a different language. It's hard to explain the environment, watch the video and you'll understand why it's so...warm.

Saturday a few friends and I tried to go to Cerro Azul, beach in the south, to surf. The micro adventure dropped us off in a quaint, unknown fishing town. Not the surf we were searching for, but we had a nice lunch on the water. We backtracked a little to a playa se llama Punta Hermosa, laid in the sun, splashed about in the ocean, and headed back to Lima where me acosté so quick like a little baby happy as a clam.