In an effort to not get fat, like I have every other time I've had an extended stay in a foreign country, I decided to go for a jog this morning. I was a little nervous about it, since I have completely no idea where anything is in Lima and could easily got lost. On top of that, people here drive like madmen, so I could also easily get run over by a taxi. But I decided to brave it, and my hostmama told me which street to go down. I made it about 3 blocks, to the Avenida San Felipe. Then I waited until there were no cars, so I could cross. And I waited. And I waited. And then I gave up, because I did not have the courage to attempt to cross this street. Mind you, crosswalks mean nothing to the drivers in this city. So I turned, taking careful note of the surroundings so that I could find my way back. As I breathed in the exhaust from the buses and listened to the noise of car horns, I realized that there's something to be said for living in Nebraska. I've been having headaches pretty much since I got here and I'm pretty sure it has a lot to do with the pollution, so it will be nice to get out in the rural areas of the country on our excursions (the first of which is this weekend!)
At 11, all the int'l students met at the ISA office for a lesson on how to play the cajones. A cajon is a wooden box with a hole in the back that you sit on. You bang the front of it like a drum. It has a really cool sound and it was a fun lesson. After we played the cajones, we got to learn some dance moves. It was a lot of fun. Reminded me of Zumba class!
Then Maria Elena, who's in charge of the ELAP volunteer program, stayed to tell us a little more about that. I decided to do ELAP and was placed in an elementary school. There's another girl here from Hastings, NE (NE is well-represented, there's another girl from UNL, too) who is here for 4 months doing just the ELAP program, and she'll be working at the school every day, so I'll be with her. I'm not sure exactly what we're going to be doing, but I think we'll be helping with English classes and activities. Once I register for classes at the university and get my schedule, I'll be able to start at the school.
In the evening I went with Raquel (another American student living at my house) and Ashleigh (a student that lives a couple blocks away) to one of the shopping centers in the city. I bought a prepaid cell phone, so I feel a lot more comfortable having a means of communication when I'm out. I also bought a scarf so I feel a lot more comfortable going outside in the cold. Did I mention it's really really cold here? I'm laying in bed right now wearing a pair of knee socks, a pair of thick house socks w/ the grips on bottom, leggings, pj pants, a cam, a t-shirt, and a fleece jacket, and I'm underneath a sheet and a comforter.
After we went shopping, the whole family and some friends went out to dinner at an Italian restaurant called Romana because it's my host papa's birthday. It was really yummy, but we were there late, so now it's definitely time for bed!
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