So as you all know, my school is a private navy and Catholic school.
Well yesterday there was a true testament to the Catholic aspect!
The Bishop of Peru came to visit our school, which was a big deal. So we all (we being eeryone in the school) went out in our tidy lines by gender and class, and stood outside because there is no space in the school for everyone! And there was alot of ceremonial entrance with some flag marchers, band, mini choir singing the national song of Peru, lifting the flag of Peru, introduction, ect.
Then he spoke! Which I am ashamed to say, was incredibly easy to zone out of... especially in spanish! Then some kids had the honor to say a thanks infront of everyone to him- the speakers and principal and some other teachers where seperated from us up above the area where we all stand. Then he walked around to each grade class and I think he blessed everyone or just said hello... as I'm tall I'm at the back of the official line!
Then later in the day we had Mass. Catholic mass is incredibly ornate!
There is also alot of standing, sitting, standing, sitting, and so on. Accompanied with alot of songs thrown into the mix. There was also.. ooh, I can't remeber what it's called, where those who have recently confessed can accept the wafer and wine as the blood and body of Christ. And I got really scared that I was gonna have to get into the line and do the same, but luckily not everyone went up, so I could just sit and watch (pheew)! It was also very long, it lasted an hour and a half, but there was alot to see!
Also related to church and school, as I am in fourth year I have to deal with the issue that everyone is going throgh confirmation, but I can't take part in everything that they are doing because I'm not catholic- though trying to explain what Unitarian Universalist is is incredibly difficult- and I was never baptized, which kinda rocked the boat. And everyones confirmation is somehow linked directly to school and so there are certain things and days that occur because everyone in my grade is doing Confirmation soon (in September).
Saturday, August 28, 2010
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!
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!
Of Rotary Meetings
My host club is Salamanca de Monterrico
And this club is very very different than the Portland Pearl and any that I have visited in Oregon and Washington, atleast in its meetings and size.
My club is tiny-tiney. At the meetings we all sit around two tables that have been placed together. Including guests there have been about sixteen people at each meeting. Very small, though the club isn't considered super small here.
The meetings are also very different because they begin at nine in the evening and I havn't been to a meeting yet that hasn't ended before midnight. We are also served a three cours meal which is always tasty. Defintly an improvement right there! haha
The meetings are "catered", meaning that there is always a woman who has set up the meeting place, the table with a table cloth, place settings, ect. And she brings out the food from an undisclosed location (meaning its outside of the room and I have no idea where it is) and takes away the empty plates as people finish and brings the next cours.
As for the form of the meeting it really depends on what is happening and what people have chosen to talk about. The president speaks and then there is an order for others to speak- the person who is in charge of certain things speaks about their responsibility, if they have anything to discuss. Then if everything has been covered and we are still eating it goes to "open session" where we all just chat.
Then at the end of the night there is a Raffle.
Word for the wise, Peruvians LOVE raffles. I've already been apart of about five and witnessed more. They are a very popular part of this culture.
So every night, at the end of the Rotary meeting, there is a raffle, it becomes the responsibility of different members to bring something for the raffle, it goes around.
And then we all say ciao and go home (which is about a half hour to forty five minute drive from where I live)!
And this club is very very different than the Portland Pearl and any that I have visited in Oregon and Washington, atleast in its meetings and size.
My club is tiny-tiney. At the meetings we all sit around two tables that have been placed together. Including guests there have been about sixteen people at each meeting. Very small, though the club isn't considered super small here.
The meetings are also very different because they begin at nine in the evening and I havn't been to a meeting yet that hasn't ended before midnight. We are also served a three cours meal which is always tasty. Defintly an improvement right there! haha
The meetings are "catered", meaning that there is always a woman who has set up the meeting place, the table with a table cloth, place settings, ect. And she brings out the food from an undisclosed location (meaning its outside of the room and I have no idea where it is) and takes away the empty plates as people finish and brings the next cours.
As for the form of the meeting it really depends on what is happening and what people have chosen to talk about. The president speaks and then there is an order for others to speak- the person who is in charge of certain things speaks about their responsibility, if they have anything to discuss. Then if everything has been covered and we are still eating it goes to "open session" where we all just chat.
Then at the end of the night there is a Raffle.
Word for the wise, Peruvians LOVE raffles. I've already been apart of about five and witnessed more. They are a very popular part of this culture.
So every night, at the end of the Rotary meeting, there is a raffle, it becomes the responsibility of different members to bring something for the raffle, it goes around.
And then we all say ciao and go home (which is about a half hour to forty five minute drive from where I live)!
Sunday, August 15, 2010
School
Liceo Naval Almirante Guise
This is the school that I attend here, located in San Borja, which on the bus route ends up being an hour ride in the morning and in the afternoon.
It is a private Navy Catholic school complete with uniforms, students from different countries and who have lived in different countries because of parents in the navy and a nun. And not to mention a combined school student body much larger than Lincoln!
So differences:
~The teacchers move
You stay in the same room with the same students all day (until english when it is divided by skill level)
~Schedual
So I take seven clases at Lincoln (which was a huge deal last year when we jumped fom six to seven) and here everyone takes like...twelve. It's a really odd schedual where you have a class for either an hour or two in a row and then another teacher comes in and you start soemthing else.
~the breaks and stuff are all different too because the eating schedual here is totally different. So instead of having a lunch break we have to recesses, where people eat and buy snacks. So we have about four classes and then like a twenty minute break and then we have more classes and then a longer break and then three more classes. Then I return home and eat lunch- which is equivolent to dinner in the U.S.
~Uniforms
All right so there is the athletic uniform you wear the day that you have P.E. (which everyone has every year and the girls and boys get seperated for) which makes me feel like a fat lemon. Yellow t-shirt, then navy athletic pants (with a yellow stripe down the side) and a zip up jacket as well. Important side note. I am really tall here. So clothes that fit me come in really large sizes soooo everything is length wise good but just llllaarge.
And for the rest of the days we have the catholic girl skirt but in navy and green. Then there is the white button up blouse and the other collard white blouse (you get to choose what day you wear which-oooooh!). Knee high navy blue socks with a green stripe at the top matched with black shoes. And then for a jacket a "knitted" button up which in the U.S. would be cute and are in fashion to wear with normal clothes, but here just scream uniform! So I'm kinda happy to bring it home and wear it with my school sign on it and feel trendy, just have to wait for that moment.
And what "private navy-catholic" school has meant so far: before some classes we say a prayer or three... I can't tell because they are very long and everyone just sort of mumbles them. Also we had a school wide gathering one morning and there are these comands that are used to indicate what stance and so forth we should be in.
I will post pictures of my uniform soon enough!
This is the school that I attend here, located in San Borja, which on the bus route ends up being an hour ride in the morning and in the afternoon.
It is a private Navy Catholic school complete with uniforms, students from different countries and who have lived in different countries because of parents in the navy and a nun. And not to mention a combined school student body much larger than Lincoln!
So differences:
~The teacchers move
You stay in the same room with the same students all day (until english when it is divided by skill level)
~Schedual
So I take seven clases at Lincoln (which was a huge deal last year when we jumped fom six to seven) and here everyone takes like...twelve. It's a really odd schedual where you have a class for either an hour or two in a row and then another teacher comes in and you start soemthing else.
~the breaks and stuff are all different too because the eating schedual here is totally different. So instead of having a lunch break we have to recesses, where people eat and buy snacks. So we have about four classes and then like a twenty minute break and then we have more classes and then a longer break and then three more classes. Then I return home and eat lunch- which is equivolent to dinner in the U.S.
~Uniforms
All right so there is the athletic uniform you wear the day that you have P.E. (which everyone has every year and the girls and boys get seperated for) which makes me feel like a fat lemon. Yellow t-shirt, then navy athletic pants (with a yellow stripe down the side) and a zip up jacket as well. Important side note. I am really tall here. So clothes that fit me come in really large sizes soooo everything is length wise good but just llllaarge.
And for the rest of the days we have the catholic girl skirt but in navy and green. Then there is the white button up blouse and the other collard white blouse (you get to choose what day you wear which-oooooh!). Knee high navy blue socks with a green stripe at the top matched with black shoes. And then for a jacket a "knitted" button up which in the U.S. would be cute and are in fashion to wear with normal clothes, but here just scream uniform! So I'm kinda happy to bring it home and wear it with my school sign on it and feel trendy, just have to wait for that moment.
And what "private navy-catholic" school has meant so far: before some classes we say a prayer or three... I can't tell because they are very long and everyone just sort of mumbles them. Also we had a school wide gathering one morning and there are these comands that are used to indicate what stance and so forth we should be in.
I will post pictures of my uniform soon enough!
Friday, August 6, 2010
Signs of School
This is just a short update, because its the first dissapointing news.
I was under the impression that I would be attending school as a fifth year student (the last in the high school) because that is what matches my age and what the previous exchange students I have talked to have done. And then I would have graduated and gone to the University for a few months after summer break, as it is free to exchange students. And I was really really excited to be able to experiance both high school and university in a different country!
But instead I will be put in a year younger, in the fourth year. And then come back after the break and go to fifth year for a few months before I come back.
I am really dissapointed. Especially since my host sister, who is my age, is in the fifth year and people have added me on the facebook and chated with me (ect) who would all be in my grade. But now I not know anyone and I will be a year older.
I'm super bumed.
But we'll just see how everything goes on Monday...
I was under the impression that I would be attending school as a fifth year student (the last in the high school) because that is what matches my age and what the previous exchange students I have talked to have done. And then I would have graduated and gone to the University for a few months after summer break, as it is free to exchange students. And I was really really excited to be able to experiance both high school and university in a different country!
But instead I will be put in a year younger, in the fourth year. And then come back after the break and go to fifth year for a few months before I come back.
I am really dissapointed. Especially since my host sister, who is my age, is in the fifth year and people have added me on the facebook and chated with me (ect) who would all be in my grade. But now I not know anyone and I will be a year older.
I'm super bumed.
But we'll just see how everything goes on Monday...
Sunday, August 1, 2010
Most Importantly
The toilets flush backwards and the faucets turn the other way.
My host family has a vicious chihuahua named orejas (ears) who hates me (hahaha)
And it´s winter here-overcast and semi gloomy
The most important basics haha
love you all!
My host family has a vicious chihuahua named orejas (ears) who hates me (hahaha)
And it´s winter here-overcast and semi gloomy
The most important basics haha
love you all!
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