City Review

So about Lima!
I decided I'd just mention some observations about the city and the culture here!

Traffic and cars--
yes there is some crazy traffic and driving! There are tons of cars on the roads; lots of personal vehicals but even more taxis and buses, which are a completly different story for another time! There are stop lights every blue moon, at more challenging intersections, where there is a curve and five lane crossing. Being a passanger is different too, in the back seats no on ever uses seat belts, and often everyone piles in on top of each other to get everyone to fit, its normal and expected! However they take some things very seriously. If you are seated in the front seats you have to wear your seat belt. Everyone does! They take it very seriously, along with only one grown person in the front. It's an interesting combination of practices.

There city is very large and expansive, so it can take along time to get anywhere, especially matched with the heavy traffic. The tallest building is being built right now, and will be a hotel Westin.

Some bad news of the city- there is no recycling system what so ever. Which is rather painful especially since the tap water is not something you can drink, so everyone buys water bottles... and then just throws them away.
Another thing that is getting kinda rough is that there is a national glue that sticks everyone to television. Peru is also the third most connected country to youTube. Basically this means that there is a tv in almost every room. Down stairs there is a tv in the kitchen, the dinning/living room, my room and my host parents room. That would only leave the bathroom and the extra room that isn't used... And they are always turned on. I wake up in the morning and the tv is on, in the kitchen if my mom is making breakfast or eating. I go to sleep and one is on in my host parents room or in the living/dinning room and sometimes mine.
Worse than that is that this country dosn't really read. at all... Books are sold wrapped in plastic, and I've only seen one small, small book store...

In other news, the city is very interesting.
There is a huge video pirating pull here. Infact pirated movies are the only ones that I have seen for sale... It's totally normal and really cheap!
There are people who walk about selling stuff everywhere, ranging from candies, and nuts to maps of Peru. There is alot of poverty, but there are no pan handlers- in essence that is what they are, but all of them 'sell' something for their money: Candies or mints; kids who go about usually have a bag of mints or something and you buy something not because you want it, and not for what its really worth. But there are no people who sit around with cardboard signs asking or begging for money. It's an interesting switch over for me from Portland to Peru!
There is alot of pride here. The majority of the buildings have Peruvian flags, our house does for one thing! They also take national disputes very seriously...
Even though alot of times the kids ask me why I wanted to come Peru, it may be a break between generations.
Ohh and everyone believes every american stereotype that has been impressed upon them by movies and tv shows. We only eat hamburgers and we eat french fries all the time. We only eat fast food. All my friends are pregnant (sixteen and pregnant, thanks MTV). There are bullies in everey school. There are huge cafeterias where the kids eat divided by "social class". We are very cold and we never hug or give kisses and lack any form of affection, which really does bug me. ect, ect. It's kinda funny but makes explaining differences really hard because everyone already has a very set impression.
The english that the kids know and are learning is also completly impressed upon them by media. So it's pretty vulgar. There is alot of rap and pop songs so no one hesitates to use fowl words and phrases and alot of the N word (in refrence to race), because they are very common in the songs... But I don't know if they realize how bad it is. But there is alot of racism in Peru, so it may no faze them much.
In regards to racism it also extends to gay rights. In general I would say that there is just alot of hatred or misunderstanding towards Gays, or the idea I suppose of them because I don't know any peruvian's who have come out of the closet. It's considered bad here for the majority, and even those who don't think it's bad just think its odd, and I don't really think they know how to deal with that sort of presence (there are a couple exchange students who are gay).
But all the kids are really nice, and super outgoing in general. Hahha, class is crazy and for the majority alot of noise, funny stuff...

I'll give some more general updates later!