It has been close to 2 weeks since I arrived in Peru. I finally found time and motivation to post on my blog. So much to share that it is overwhelming, so I will try to start with two general observations:
I have been playing a (practically) nonstop game of Taboo. For those of you who don´t know, my Spanish skills are a bit lacking to say the least and living with my host family has been interesting as a result. Every night we chat and find the most round about ways to teach me new vocabulary. When in doubt it is easy to just add the occasional "sí" or laugh. But in all seriousness, it has been going great. My host family is amazing - incredibly patient and we joke around all the time, surprisingly I can communicate and understand jokes with my limited Spanish ability. Tiring at times, but I do think I am starting to pick it up fairly quickly considering it has been less than 2 weeks.
Training is like a strange mix of elementary school (the first day my host mom picked up and dropped me off at the training center and packs me lunch everyday), college study abroad experience in a foreign speaking country (living with a host family and "classes" from 8am-5pm every day), and fun real life experiences (learning my way around the area, learning practical skills like details on how to compost). All in all, I have been enjoying it but will not cover up the fact that the conditions at my training center are much different than previously imagined...and extremely different than how it will be at the site I will be placed at for the 2 years.
Hasta luego,
Lauren
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Hi Lauren, Your fan base is excitedly awaiting some pictures of your familia and your ciudad por favor! Thanks for the great update - when I am missing you I have more to read to make me smile! :) By the way, when we were gmail chatting and you were trying to send a smile face, you were getting an n with a ~ over it instead of a : so it's obvious you are using a Spanish language typewriter!!Mom
ReplyDeleteHey Lauren, this is Josh from STEER! Weirdly enough, at the end of the summer, this idea for a Fulbright Grant proposal popped into my head -- one that I'd like to implement in a Latin American country, partly with the hope that I'll remaster Spanish. If you hear good things going on at certain South American universities as far as field studies with indigenous peoples and/or about their biochemistry research laboratories or, on the other hand, awful things about the political tension in certain areas, any eye-opening tidbits would be immensely appreciated as I embark on a year-long journey of harrassing professionals about my proposal via email! Deseo que te divierta y que todo sea chevere (acento en el primero e).
ReplyDeleteBest,
Josh