Mi primero Lunes. (My first Monday.)

Hello again. It’s day two in Cusco, Monday, the 15th. By the way, I know it can be confusing cause of the way this gets posted and everything, but it’s because I can’t post it until the next day after I write it. Like how I was only able to post Sunday’s blog today, which is Monday. And you’ll be seeing my Monday blog on Tuesday. It’s because I write it on my laptop, which doesn’t get wireless in the house. Which means I have to upload my blog at Maximo Nivel, which is about a fifteen minute walk away, which I don’t really feel like bustin out every night. So you can wait a day. =]

Well, I woke up at uhh...8:30ish. I know I know…shame on me. I set my alarm for 7 but I was just so warm! Getting out of bed will most definitely be my greatest challenge here. So I got ready and headed down for breakfast, happy that I still had an hour to eat. It’s great here, they begin serving breakfast at 7 and close it off at 9. Luckily I wasn’t the only one who had woken up late. I wasn’t too worried though, because I knew we didn’t have to be at Maximo Nivel until 10:15 for orientation. So I had some bread and jam with fried eggs for breakfast. I later heard I should be careful about the eggs though, so I’m not quite sure if I’m gonna repeat this meal. Still, it tasted fine nonetheless. I waited around a bit, used the computer, and we headed off at around 9:30.

It’s not too bad of a walk , but I think I’m still adjusting to the altitude and closeness of the sun, because you can be sure I was panting like no other. The fact it was only fifteen minutes didn’t matter, I was out of breath. Thank God for the café they have there, because then I was able to buy a water and feel a little bit better.

So orientation ran well, although it started late, which I’ve now come to known as Peruvian time. Which is basically Filipino time, but much better. =] Peruvian time is like fifteen minutes late, every single time. So during orientation, we learned a little about the company , travel tips and safety tips, our responsibilities, and our placements. So I will be working at…

A day care center that focuses on preventing malnutrition in babies!

After finding out our placements, it was time for the Spanish placement test. Oh my goodness was it not easy. Well, the grammar part wasn’t bad actually, but the listening portion was kind of tough. Also the fact that they would only say the question one time, so if you missed it you were out of luck. The three other parts were the reading comprehension (which seemed not too difficult…though I was lazy at this point and basically skimmed ;]) a part where they gave you a prompt in Spanish and you had to write a paragraph, and an oral interview. I felt like the oral interview wasn’t too bad, though I felt kind of lame when the interviewer asked me if I had studied past tense a lot. When I was done, I was told I would find out my results later in the day when they called the house.

So afterwards, I uploaded my blogs quickly using the wireless, and then went out to lunch with some of the other volunteers. We went to this place called Jack’s Café which is a total place made for tourists because they have a lot of American and European food to make you feel at home. Plus the staff is Caucasian as well so no language barriers.

I ordered a creamy porridge with cinnamon apples because everyone who knows me knows I absolutely love breakfast foods. It was so amazing, and once again, the portion was HUMONGOUS. It basically tasted like sweetened oatmeal with cinnamon soaked apples and apple cider sauce on top. LOVED IT. I also had a strawberry smoothie on the side which made me feel at home a bit.

After lunch, one of the other volunteers and I walked down Avenida el Sol to find a Claro store where we could find a SIM card. We were lucky enough to be hit by rain, which no native Peruvians seem to notice at all. They walk around without hoods like it’s nothing. I don’t know if I can ever get to that level. When we finally got there, we were told we needed to take a ticket and wait for our number to be called. Ten minutes later, we went through a crazy process of going back and forth between the counterperson and cashier to show passports, get the card, pay for prepaid minutes, etc. Finally, it worked out and we were successfully owners of a Claro SIM card!

We walked back home, and then remembered we still had to buy some water for brushing our teeth. The store right next to our house was closed, so we walked further down and found this place about two or three blocks away. But on the way it was like we had crossed into a whole other street because there were all these nice apartment complexes that looked like they belonged somewhere back in the Sunset area of back home… So I bought two huge 2.5 liters of water and one small 650 mL bottle all for 6 soles! Which is like 2 dollars! AND TO THINK WE HAVE TO PAY THAT FOR A SMALL BOTTLE BACK HOME. Maybe I should smuggle in water bottles???

Anyways, after getting back home, I checked my email on the house computer, and chilled downstairs for a bit. I met my new roommate for the next two weeks, who’s an OBGYN 3rd year resident somewhere in Boston, but she went to Stanford for undergrad and loves Norcal. She is so great to talk to. She’s been recommending all of these books to me that I should read that revolve around the medical world but aren’t too technical. She’s also told me tips about getting through med school interviews and all of those things I have four years to worry about. ;] She says that she thinks its great I want to be a child psychiatrist, because there’s a huge opening for them. Apparently a lot of parents aren’t too trusting of general psychiatrists because they’re not sure they understand children enough and are afraid of having their child overmedicated. Of course I don’t know how I’ll be at that either, as I’m on Pepto Bismol, my altitude sickness pill, and Tylenol right now. Talk about overmedicated.

I went back up to my room for a bit and took a quick one hour siesta. I found a note on my door that said my Spanish classes were from 4-6 and would be in room 14. I have no idea what level that is, but I do know it means I’ll be taking the taxi back home for sure. 6-ish is way too dark for me to be walking back home alone. Before my nap, I got to text back and forth with Maddie a bit, which is always fun. =] And I got to be jealous of the awesome purple fish tank we have back at home that has a nightlight. Two months of waiting before I can see it seems like way too long. =] I also did a quick Sudoku to calm myself, before finally resting my head. Boy do I love my naps, I feel l even more tired than I do back home, which is saying a lot, because we all know how much I love my sleep, which is basically almost as much as I love my food.

I woke up just a few minutes before dinner, greeted my housemates with an “Oh my God! It’s alive!” Yup, definitely feels like home. (That’s right Daddy, I’m talking about you. =]) I met two of the guys who are self-proclaimed veterans and have been here about two weeks. They just got back from a trek to Machu Picchu which is why I hadn’t met them before. They’re both funny and likeable. One’s from Norway and the other is from Sydney.

For dinner we had a broccoli soup, followed by a hamburger with rice and vegetables, and chocolate pudding for dessert. Thank goodness it was only 3 dishes instead of 4 like the night before. I don’t know how I would have made it. =] We stayed around the dinner table for a bit longer and talked, but split after about 30 minutes to go back and do our own things.

I took a hot shower, which you have to wait about 3 to 5 minutes for, but it was relaxing. Of course, after a couple of minutes, it started to get cold again, so I rinsed off and jumped out as soon as possible. Perhaps it was just telling me I was taking too long? Or maybe I had jumped in too long after it had turned hot. Whatever the reason, I still had a hot shower, which was quite nice. I then started changed into jammies, (sweats plus long johns, plus wool socks, plus long sleeve under fleece) and jumped into bed with my laptop. Which is where I now am, typing up my blog.

I have my guided bus ride to my placement tomorrow so I’m going to try and sleep. Good night, and wish me the best of luck in waking up, because I am…well, a log when I am warm and comfortable and asleep. Buenos noches.