En la Ciudad de los Reyes

Tomorrow is my last day of classes. My time here has flown by. I've met so many great people, and had some experiences that changed my perspective on the life I live. Very busy last couple of days, here's an update:

Tuesday night I went to the National Stadium here in Lima to watch a charity soccer game. The game featured Lionel Messi, Neymar, Sergio Aguero, and some of the other premier soccer players in the world. The game was certainly a high scoring affair, ending 8-5. 

On wednesday evening one of the host families invited us over for a dinner fiesta! We enjoyed Civiche, Pisco sours (the national cocktail of Perú), and great company. We were able to go up the roof of their building and take some great photos! I even was able to play the guitar they had and led the group in some sing-a-long numbers. Felt great to pay again after a month of missing my guitar. 

My best friend here, Michelle. She's Peruvian! (but actually from New Hampshire)

Tonight was the Fourth of July/ Farewell dinner for my study abroad program. It was great to see everyone together for one last time, but sad to know this will be te last time I see some of these new friends. We were entertained by some fantastic musicians and dancers who demonstrated some of the traditional dances for us.

Doing America proud in Perú with my buckeye friend Nate.

Kelly and I. Kelly is one of the nicest individuals i've ever met. She's the one who lent me the camera.

Tomorrow will be a busy day as well. Tomorrow I will be presenting my final project for my marketing class. The assignment is to take a product that isn't currently available in Perú and go through the process of bringing that product to and marketing that product here in Perú. I chose the music streaming service Spotify for my project. Check out this add I created for my Spotify Perú Project:

The ad translates: "You share moments with your friends. Now share music also. With Spotify, it's easy to share your favorite music. Try it for free today." Spotify has been successful largely thanks to its connection with facebook, and the ease with which the program allows users to share songs with their friends. Community is a large part of Peruvian culture. This can be observed through the closeness of families, and the intimacy of their friendships. My project is focused on emphasizing the community aspect of Spotify, hoping to get users and their friends onboard.

Tomorrow after classes end, my friends Nate, Eron, and I will be setting off for Huaraz, Peru. Huaraz is a town out in the Andes mountains. From there, we will be hiking the Santa Cruz trail. This is a 4 day 3 night trek through the Cordillera Blanca mountain range. This will easily be the highest altitude i've ever reached, topping off at around 15,580 feet high. This hike is rated as one of the top 20 trails in the world by National Geographic. Here's a link if you'd like to read a brief write up about the trail:

http://adventure.nationalgeographic.com/adventure/trips/best-trails/worlds-best-grail-trails/#/cordillera-blanca-santa-cruz-trek_56333_600x450.jpg

I will be returning to the US on July, 16th. Check back for mountain pictures sometime around the 15th. That was a long one, but so much has happened these past few days. Hope to see you all when I get back to the states! God Bless America on this 4th of July.

What i'm listening to (click the artist/album name to be directed to spotify to listen):

Spoon - Gimme Fiction

I have really been touched at how generous people are here. From my host mom having a cellphone ready for me, to Rosa Maria over feeding me everyday, people here love to give. Today the Peruvian spirit of giving touched me again. My uncle John works as a photographer. He very generously offered to send a camera to me down here to use (americans can be generous too :D ). The camera should have arrived last week or the beginning of this week but for some reason it was being held at the DHL location in Lima. As I am somewhat timid to talk to people on the phone in spanish, I went to the study abroad office for help.

Kelly, a peruvian girl who works there called DHL many times for me inquiring about the package. They told us that the package would arrive today(friday). This was perfect timing as the group leaves tomorrow at 5am for Cusco and Macu Picchu tomorrow(saturday) at 5am. When I went by the office this evening after classes to see if the package had arrived, the package unfortunately was not there, and Kelly had left for the evening. I sent Kelly an email telling her what had happened but thanking her for all of her help.

As I was packing this evening, the doorbell rang. Pepe, my host mother's adult nephew, answered the door and then came to my room telling me it was a girl down stairs for me. This was very strange as I don't really get visitors here out of the blue, we americans like to plan when we're going to see each other. I came downstairs, and was surprised to find Kelly waiting in the living room, holding a camera case in her hands. She told me how sad she was that the camera had not arrived, and how it would be a shame to not be able to take photos during this exciting part of my trip. She then offered me the camera case which contained her personal camera. She told me she wanted me to have it for the weekend and to fill the rest of the memory card with photos of my friends and I at Machu Picchu.

This is part of why i've fallen in love with the people here. The people are not afraid to give all they have to you. To Kelly I am probably just one of many students her office works with here in Peru. But to me, her actions and the actions of the other people in my life( John, Austry my host mom, Rosa Maria, my peruvian friend Victor) have spoken volumes about how generous people can be to one other. Adios amigos y familia, voy a Machu Picchu!

note: I should be in bed as I leave for Cusco and Machu Picchu tomorrow at 5am but I wanted to send out one more post before the weekend.

This weekend Lima showed me what seafood is all about. If you think you know good seafood, but have never been to Lima, you simply don't know good seafood. My new friend Victor and my host family introduced my palate to a multitude of new flavors. Here are some photos from a weekend of culinary excellence. Happy Fathers day to all of the dads out there! A special happy fathers day to the awesome David Johnson! Love you! Shout out to Nancy Nguyen who has been asking for more pictures of food. 

Ceviche

Ceviche with more Leche Del Tigre. The marinade that cures the seafood in ceviche is called Leche del Tigre(in english, tiger's milk)

Granadilla. Looks like frog eggs on the inside, but is undeniably delicious.

What i'm listening to:

The Crane Wives - Fool in Her wedding Gown

Today I helped Rosa Maria, the house keeper here, to make a big lunch. We made Ají de caiguas y pavita. This is a stew type dish made with chicken, and caiguas, a vegetable I had never seen before. With this we made a salad flavored with lima and salt. The end result turned out quite delicious!