Settling In

Wednesday April 15, 2009 11 AM
Playa Wikiki, Miraflores, Lima

Yesterday was our first day of Spanish Conversation and Composition, which was fantastic. We read articles to learn new vocabulary and then worked on translating jokes from Spanish to English and vice versa. It really made us think about how so many things don’t translate – like knock knock jokes (especially ones that rely on word play). My International Trade and Negotiation Policy class is going fine, we are currently focusing on the makeup of Perú and Latin American economies and we have a case study on the WTO Brazil vs. US cotton case. I’m enjoying my Arte y Cultura del Perú class a lot more than I thought too. So, overall, classes are going well.

Last night 8 of us went to the movies because we were determined to see a Peruvian film. Due to unforeseen circumstances, we ended up seeing El Padre Poderoso ("the powerful father") since it sounded like it would at least be in Spanish. Oh, were we wrong. We discovered that not only was it not in Spanish, it was originally called Swing Vote in English. Though not what we expected, we enjoyed the movie. It was new perspective to watching an American election movie with a lot of cultural humor, I kept wondering what our fellow Peruvians in the theater thought.

And now this morning we all came down to the beach to surf and relax since our class doesn’t start till 2 pm. I know, I don’t mean to rub it in. Behind us rise the dirt cliffs with grassy tops and the classy buildings of the Miraflores coast. The entire beach we are lying on is composed of small and medium sized pebbles that sound like a roaring crowd in a stadium as the powerful green-grey waves drag them back into the sea. The pebbles are all different colors which are especially brilliant when wet, I’m having a hard time limiting myself to a few rocks for my collection because they are so pretty. The sea breeze and mist that teases our faces every so often feels refreshing in contrast to the powerful sun and burning stones underneath us. To the left, we can make out the tiny back surf bodysuits of our friends as they struggle to paddle out and remain upright on their boards (that was me last week).

Well, time to head back for class! Coli

TIP OF THE DAY: Wear sunscreen. My skin is so on fire that it feels like it has consumed the spiciest ají sauce in Peru. In fact, my back has probably radiated enough heat to single-handedly create a hole in the ozone layer above Lima.