Jun

3

Day 4: Wonderful Wednesdays in Peru

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A review of Wednesday, June 2, 2010

I went to bed at 1:30 a.m.; woke up at 7. I am so sore from walking everywhere, but I’m getting toned! Our host family served us Peruvian-style sausage,  paté and fresh bread from the bakery. The weather is cool (high 50s) in the mornings, but so nice compared to hot Oklahoma summers!

I have shin splints from climbing ancient civilization sites and dodging crazy Peruvian traffic. Traffic regulations don’t really exist here: a stop sign is basically a suggestive yield sign, and drivers do NOT yield to pedestrians…or anything.

We learned about politics in the republic and had a quick overview of Peru’s political history until 2000.

We found tables outside today and ate chicken and rice, yucca (tastes like potatoes, but it’s a root), Peruvian salad and flan for lunch.

We played with the friendly deer–I counted eight on campus! The weather is beautiful here in the 60s. It’s funny to see Peruvians wear boots and scarves in what we’d consider spring weather in Oklahoma.

We went to the Museum of Inquisition and Congress, the Congress building and the Memorial of the Unknown Soldier. We taught a group of elementary students to make “OU” with their arms. Boomer Sooner from Peru!

Our host family, as usual, cooked us an amazing meal for dinner: Peruvian-style spaghetti with beef strips, tomatoes, onions and carrots in a seasoned oil-based sauce and rice pudding sprinkled with cinnamon on top.

After dinner, we chatted with Dr. Kenney and our “host father,” Ricardo, about Chinese food and pizza in Peru. Then Kim and I headed to Larcomar, a mall overlooking the sea. Larcomar is located in Miraflores, a commercial district visited by many. It is beautiful!

Kim and I walked around, took pictures and ate. I had a pork empanada, Kim had a sprinkled cookie, and we both ate strawberry gelato.

We weren’t able to do much shopping because the stores close at 10 p.m., and I was sad because I saw the Sanrio store just at that moment. Hopefully I will find another Hello Kitty store before the end of this trip!

I withdrew money for the first time in Peru using an ATM, and I felt safe because there was a security guard in the area.

We met the rest of the study abroad crew and the two other OU students studying in Peru (who spoke to our class Monday) at a restaurant and had a great time talking about the adventures we had so far.

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