I am finally getting into a routine here that makes everything feel a bit more real. This past week definitely went by a lot faster. Listening to and speaking Spanish is also getting easier. I find myself talking AND thinking in Spanish, which is a good sign for really integrating myself into life here. I have been watching the news with my host family and listening to the radio on the way to and from school each day, which is really improving my ability to listen to and comprehend the language at a normal pace. I will start by going over what I did last weekend (not two days ago, but the weekend before since this is a little late) and then get into school from last week.
I decided that it would be best to stay around the house and get to know my host family and the area a little more last weekend. On Saturday, my host mom and brother had some appointments so after breakfast together, I got caught up on some emails and worked on some school stuff. I also went for a walk to a park near the house. My host mom had showed me around the area when we went to get my phone working here a while ago. It was a beautiful day, so I went to the park and just sat for a while. I returned to the house for lunch. My host family returned for dinner and my host mom’s sister and her daughter also came to spend the night with us. The next morning, we all had a late breakfast and went to mass around 1pm. I had asked my host mom the day before if there was a mass nearby I could go too. She took me to a beautiful church fairly close to the house called Jesús María. After mass, we went out for lunch, which I will get to in just a second. We then returned to the house. I discovered that there are actually multiple parks within walking distance of the house when I went to a different park with a playground for my host brother. Overall, it was a nice relaxing weekend.
Now I want to share a little more about the food I have been eating here, which is why I said I’d get to my lunch on Sunday later. It is different from what I would normally eat in the US, but still delicious. Most of the meals I eat at home include rice and either some kind of meat or fish. Other common foods include bread, soup, yogurt at breakfast. They don’t drink a lot of just plain water here, which is an adjustment for me since that’s pretty much all I drink when I’m at home. My host mom was prepared since she previously had two St. Norbert students and provided me with a lot of bottled water. At meals, there is always hot tea or coffee and usually some kind of cold drink. I’ve had a mixture of teas and a mango drink, both of which are pretty amazing. I like tea, so I have been drinking some of that, but I also wanted to try the coffee. They make it by mixing pure essence of coffee with hot water and a little sugar. While I don’t think I will become an avid coffee drinker, I enjoy a cup every now and then. I like that I can control how much coffee flavor I put into the water. I have also eaten out a few times with my host family, including Sunday. I already shared that I tried cuy in the first blog, but I was told I could not leave Peru without trying ceviche. My host mom helped me order a combo plate of ceviche and chicharrón de pescado. Ceviche is fish in citrus juice and chicharrón de pescado is lightly fried fish. They were both delicious! I also had chicha morrada for the first time. I had seen other people drink it before, but I had not idea what it was. I asked and did some research to find out exactly what I was trying. Chicha morada is a very popular drink in Peru made from purple corn. There are other types of chicha, but this is the most common one that I have seen. The flavor is a little strange at first, but I do like it! Continuing with the corn theme, there is often a snack called cancha on the table at restaurants. It tastes like a crunchier popcorn and is just as easy to snack on. You can also buy it at the supermarket in different flavors, like spicy and cheese.
As for school this week, 6th grade moved to a new classroom and got a new teacher due to splitting 5th grade up into two classes. The classroom is quite tiny for 25 students and two teachers, but the desks are nicer. We continued to talk about changes during adolescence in personal social, the structure of cells in science, and when to use capital letters in communication. Friday the 22nd was also world water day, for which most classes did some kind of project. It is a day to think about and take action to preserve our clean water. Our students made posters, including the date, a title, and a picture. We then covered them in clear tape and the students posted them around the school in bathrooms and near sinks. On Friday, we talked about the importance of taking care of yourself through proper nutrition, exercise, and sleep during the changes adolescence brings. We practiced this by making a big (big) fruit salad. Each student signed up to bring something the day before and we made quite the delicious mess. Their fruit salad entails a lot of different fruits, yogurt, condensed milk, and these crunchy rice things that I can’t remember the name of. The fruits included mango, plantain, grapes, watermelon, pineapple, mandarins, and melon. I usually say I like all fruits, but I actually found a fruit that I don’t care for much: papaya. It was really fun to see all the students working together to create the salad and serve each other before enjoying the fresh salad.
I started writing lesson plans this week, which is a different experience in Spanish. It takes me a little longer since the words I would normally use in English don’t translate directly to Spanish. I am also figuring out how students respond to different activities. I have noticed that they like to say “no I don’t’ want to,” especially when it comes to sharing ideas or work out loud. I am not used to this since my first graders were usually eager to participate. I plan to try my ideas and make adjustments accordingly to engage the sixth graders. Stay tuned to see how my lessons on Greek and Latin roots of words and the definition of literature goes this coming week. ¡Ciao!
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