Mis Inesperadas Fortunas

Buenos Dias everyone!!!! 

I am currently in Lima, Peru, on the second half of my study abroad adventure. AND I think I’m in love! <3 I love everything about Lima! Well…not everything, but about everything! From the minute I arrived, I could tell that my two months in Peru were going to be completely different from Buenos Aires! 

This is a breakdown of my first week here in Peru. 

Saturday, March 31: Traveled all day, and arrived in Lima, Peru. Met host mom and roommates. They’re great!!

Sunday: Free Day with the host family. Our host mom invited us out to lunch and had Peruvian Ceviche (a typical Peruvian dish, raw fish and seafood in a lemon sauce). 

My roommates and I :D

Monday: Tour of Lima, Peru. Visited Huaca Pucllana (pre-Incan ancient ruins inside the city of Lima), Parque Kennedy, and Larcomar (along the Pacific Coast). Watched the sun set on the Pacific Ocean.

Tuesday: Visited the Historical Center of Lima, the Palace of Justice and watched the changing of the guards at noon, and ate Chinese food in China Town. 

Wednesday: walked through Miraflores, the shopping district, and walked along the Pacific Coast, watched surfers while drinking fresh frozen lemonade. 

Thursday: Left for Cusco and Machu Picchu!!!

If I have learned anything from my first week here, it is that I LOVE LIMA!!! Here in Peru, we have the coast (the Pacific Ocean), mountains (the Andes), and the jungle (the Amazon Rain Forest). This city is full of culture and happiness, but without the big-city feel. I can honestly say I could live here for a whole semester, or more, or at least visit Peru again! Can’t wait to see what other unexpected fortunes I have in the next two months! 

Chau for now!

Karina <3 

Well, my time here in Buenos Aires has come to an end, and I am ready to say good-bye. I definitely met a lot of really amazing people, and I’m sad to leave them. As for the city of Buenos Aires, two months was enough time for me!

I finished my second class in Argentina, and I got an A+! Later, we had a farewell dinner with ISA, my study abroad program. It was a very nice end to my two months in Argentina, but I am definitely ready to move on to the next half of my trip…LIMA, PERU!!!! 

Looking back at my stay in Buenos Aires: 

Things I’ll Miss…..

1. My host mom. She is one of the nicest, most caring persons I have ever met. Maria was really like a mom while I was here. 

2. The friends I have made. I’ve met a lot of people from around the world, and have learned something valuable from each one of them. 

3. The endless entertainment….there is always something to do in the third largest city in the world. 

4. Soccer is not just a sport here. It’s a religion. Sad I never had the chance to go to a soccer game in Argentina. 

5. Getting lost with my friend, Liz, EVENTUALLY finding our way, but laughing the whole time. 

Really? Did I just see/hear that? Well, that was awkward…..

1. The random breast-feeding. On the bus. On the street. 

2. The constant honking, cat calls, whistles, or dirty comments from guys, either on foot or in cars. 

Things I won’t miss but definitely an experience 

1. Crowded subtes (subways) and colectivos (buses). Being my clumsy self, I always managed to trip or fall and step on someone’s toe, or elbow them in a rib. Fun times. Also, the unreliability of the buses. 

2. Constant paranoia of being robbed. AND Actually getting robbed. 

3. PDA EVERYWHERE

4. Traffic. Endless traffic. And pedestrians DO NOT have the right of way. 

5. The vocab. They have a different word for everything it seems like. Just shows that no two countries who speak the same language are the same. Weird right? 

Interesting and Random things I noticed: 

1. People drink bottled beverages with straws. They have straws at all the corner stores. 

2. When someone is trying to sell a car, they put a water bottle on top of the car to let others know. 

3. Many many more. Too many to write down. 

And now on to the next exciting part of my trip!

Good-bye Buenos Aires. Hello Lima, Peru!!!!

Chau! 

“The most important thing is to laugh. The world may go to hell in a handbasket, but nothing lightens the load like a little laughter”. 

This quote could not be more true, especially when you are in another country. Over the past two months, I have enough funny, embarrassing, and crazy stories to keep many entertained for a while. 

BUT…..the wonderful thing about it is that I can laugh at my stories, and at myself, too! To me, it seemed like I was having a long case of really bad luck. But I have realized that there has to be a balance between good luck and bad luck. And I have had A LOT of very good luck for which I am very grateful. So maybe getting on the wrong bus and having to ride 3 more to get home two hours later, getting caught in the rain and walking home 10 blocks, or completely failing at keeping plans isn’t so bad after all…

Still, these moments have shown me that every thing you do and every thing you experience make memories. So take the good and cherish them, take the embarrassing and laugh at them, and take the bad and learn from them. 

Chau! Besos from Argentina.