So I am in my third country of the semester... 5th of the year (if you count the U.S... I don't know if that is cheating or not). And things change radically from country to country. How I pass time, the types of classes, the universities, the ISA staff, my home, the weather, the accents (esp. in B.A.)... and so I learn. I don't think once on this trip I've felt like I've woken up any day and was able to fully check out. Everything I do and everywhere I go... I am thinking hard and trying to figure out constantly whats going on. In some ways I am exhausted from this... it has proved to be a difficult transition week from all the exhaustion, time change, decision making, etc. This is a long post... read what you want.
A: Public Transportation
1: Mexico
2: Peru
3: Argentina
B: Homestays
1: Mexico
2: Peru
3: Argentina
4: In general
C: Random Observations:
1: Mexico
2: Peru
3: Argentina
A: Public Transportation:
1: Mexico: I hardly took it and when I did it was a taxi. You would wave the taxi down and bargain a price... typically about $2-3 for getting most places in the city.
2: Peru: wow... experience. Let's just say there are things that I forgo talking about in order to remove fear from the lives of family and friends at the time I am having to experience them. There are things in foreign countries that have to be done... like use public transportation. And you do it with caution and wisdom... always. The bus system in Peru is crazy. There are either huge old school buses called micros or smaller Toyota-like vans called combis. The micros I took to and from school everyday. The cost was 50 centavos or about $0.17. These old, rickety buses would pull up (after you flagged them down) and they would almost stop, note that I say almost. You would jump on usually with the man who collects the money standing in the door and helping make sure you get fully on. You would tell him where you were going, and typically have to repeat the name in different accents til he fully understood. One day a lovely person had thrown up in the floor and it wasn't cleaned up. :) That ride I sat close to the opposing window and breathed little.
A combi experience (where people PACK into these little vans to get to their destination, typically far away) I only got to have once. Note: there is no map for this bus system, thus in order to use it well you had to know the city well or know a Peruvian to teach you how to use it correctly. Therefore, I only used one or two micros. But one day I had to go pick up my package from the post office (an experience in itself) and so I took a combi to Serpost and it was hilarious. I was sitting facing all the Peruvians in the very front (similar to Grandmommy's former station wagon). It was a fun 20 minute ride being stared at by Peruvians.
3: Argentina: Well there is a subway system (the Subte) which is awesome. The bus system is also so much easier to learn because there are actually things listed on the bus signs. And I've heard there is a map, though I don't have one yet. I also have a bike here!! Yes a bike. So my public transportation typically consists of the bike to and from school. I love it because I get to actually experience the awesome weather for long periods of time. I usually take my time to and from school and just ride on side streets with few cars and cool shops and cafes.
B: Homestay:
1: Mexico: I shared a room with Teryn in Mexico. We lived with an older woman Gloria and her daughter Claudia. We still don't know where her husband lived. (one of many mysteries). Our laundry there was washed in big basins and hung dry. Needless to say, our clothes were always very stiff and stretched out afterwards. The family was nice though... I did cry when I left them just because they were very helpful and welcoming... and loved when I baked cookies for them.
2: Peru: I lived with the best family I think possible. Nancy was my host mom and she was the bomb! She cooked really healthy food. I had a roommate but we had our own rooms. She let me join her country club's gym for the month, would take me shopping, gave us snacks and did all sorts of things for us. She was awesome and we had a host sister there, Ketty, who was so nice as well. I loved that family. It was a free-standing home and was really nice. They washed our clothes in a washing machine and then would hang dry them. Sometimes stiff but never stretched out.
3: Argentina: I am living with Teryn again but we have separate rooms. It is a four bedroom apartment with a single woman named Susanna. She works all day (different from my other moms who stayed home all day). It's the first time I don't have internet but that's working out fine... We live in an apartment building and all share a shower though I have a small toilet and sink off of my room. My room... hm... it is small, very small. But it's working out, and I'm not living there forever, and with no internet, I'm not there a whole lot. Our laundry gets done in a lavanderia where they wash and DRY it. A dryer... who knew!? And a HUGE DEAL... we can flush the toilet paper!! I had been waiting for the day when I could flush toilet paper again! It is finally here. And we can drink water from the tap. It's luxury!
4: All the countries: I have not had air conditioning in my home since the States. None of the homes have air conditioning and some getter much hotter than others. In Mexico and Argentina it is much hotter and so I have had a fan in my room. In Peru it was colder so we didn't need a fan. But man... some days here in Argentina, I am DYING for a good crisp, cold room.
C: Random Observations:
1: Mexico: In Mexico there were stray dogs everywhere. The city we were in though had a really good sanitation and there were always people sweeping the streets and picking up trash. A great thing because in many places that is definitely not the case. Everything was painted in bright beautiful colors. We ate a lot of tortillas.
2: Peru: Also had great sanitation. Everything was very closed off from other places, with high walls and gates. Safety first. It was Lima so there were a ton of things mixed together that exemplified its growing economy. The general population is very petite, like very petite and clothes are generally sold for one size. We ate a lot of rice. The pollution was felt. People were ALWAYS honking. Honk. Honk. Honk... ahh. It was crazy.
3: Argentina: There is a lot of dog poop on the sidewalks. Its just everywhere. People don't have a real respect for the law, in regards to smoking or driving. There is a ton of different people here. The typical Argentine has a much lighter skin tone. It's much easier to get places and this city is much more developed than any other place we have been. Definitely has a big city feel and a European twist to things. We have been eating a lot of Italian food... and empanadas and tortas (like quiche).
Wow... that was a lot. Oh my.... Melissa comes in 6 days!!
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