Paradise



This is the hotel that my sister, mom and I are staying at in California! You can't see, but it's right on the beach. It's beautiful! Almost like paradise. I've been told that being in Peru will be like paradise... If it's anything like this, it will be! We will be traveling to Las Vegas for New Year's and since we don't get into the city very often, it will be exciting to see all the crazy people that partake in the festivities of Las Vegas. I hope that it can help me prepare for the hustle and bustle of Lima, Peru. Happy New Year!

Why?

Why? That is the question I get asked most when I first told people that I was going to Peru. My first response was, "I don't know, I just want to." Thank inconclusive response has evolved into a 10 minute discussion. Here's the skinny... I'm going to Peru because when I grow up I'm going to be a nurse. I know from experience that nurses that are bilingual make more money and can get jobs much easier than a nurse that is not. They are a key factor in a functioning hospital. Being immersed in a different language forces you to learn the language and learn it well. I'll be fluent in Spanish in a year. I've seen the students we've hosted grow into completely new people in so short a period... It's amazing! Next year, I'll be spending my Christmas in Peru!! Feliz navidad!

Finals Week

Tonight has been dedicated to studying for my Spanish final... A comprehensive monster that is probably going to steal a soul or two. I decided that maybe if I sleep with Spanish music playing then I'll just wake up fluent... I wish!!! I studied my booty off and now it's time to pray for a good memory and a bunch of luck!

This vs. That

So a few minutes ago, my pet rat was chewing on the bars of his cage, so I gave him a piece of paper to chew on instead... Well, that made almost as much noise and I realized that I had to pick the lesser of two evils. Me going to Peru is the lesser evil of growing up! Sure, leaving is going to be hard, but at least I won't have to spend one of my most angst filled years surrounded by intolerant punks that are racist, sexist, and against anything that they don't understand. Being a bit frightened and having to learn another language is a walk in the park compared to fighting the urge to teach the kids at my school a lesson or two. Now that I'm done ranting, I'd like to explain that I'm writing this for my own benefit mostly and I just need to type something to seem productive. If my topics seem repetitve, you aren't going crazy, my topics are very repetitive.

Did you know?

Did you know that even though potatoes are traditionally thought to have originated in Ireland, they actually were first discovered in Peru? Peru is an awesome country! I mean they even have llamas!

Fears?

As I sit here listening to my Glen Miller playlist on Pandora, I begin to ponder the subject of fears. As I do this, I realize that I'm being totally overanalytical and somewhat cliche, but I don't care... I think that the beginning of resolving fears is to face them head on like an angry grizzly! A perfect example of this is a person with  hippopotomonstrosesquippedaliophobia,  or the fear of long words. When they just tell their closet coherts about this totally cracked fear, they are officially having an old west stand-off with Hippopotomonstrosesquippedaliophobia! And I think they are winning! Maybe if I type what I distress about, then it'll be easier for me to come to terms with the fact that I'm leaving the country next year. Maybe I'll be able to say, "Goddamn it! I'm gonna do well no matter what my petrified mind says!" So over the next 7 months, I'll be spilling my heart and soul so that I can make that angry grizzly that is my fears run like a 10 year old running from his ol' Aunt Olga!! Get used to my craziness! We've got a bit to go!

Lima, Peru

Because this is my first entry in my blog, I feel it should be a monumental occasion... But I realize that it's just a blog created about 7 months in advance of my trip to Peru. I'm going to Lima, Peru in July through the Rotary Youth Exchange program and even though that is a whole 7 months away... I'm scared crapless! I mean, I'm so excited to go, but it's a whole year away from my family in a different country that speaks a different language. I'm only 16!! Hopefully I can keep my sanity for my 7 months of waiting... I'll let you know.