Piscos & brujas

*Recapping Friday in Lima; it is now Saturday night as we await the flight from Lima to Bogota, Colombia. Word to your mother, Juan Valdez.

T'was an early morning in Lima. We had to be on the bus by 7:30 this morning to make it to Fulbright. I was up & ready to go, minus one big thing: my huge (71 pound) box of materials was missing. It was supposed to be delivered Thursday night, but never was. So I got up in the morning and made my way to the lobby, grumbling to my fellow Lindeners (yes, it is a word) about it. Well, turns out no one else's boxes made it to them either. Now I can understand mine not making it, because I don't know that many of the baggage boys (Yes, another technical term) are man enough to carry that box.

Anyway, Kathy our Lindener leader put the smack down and got the rest of the boxeses put on the bus before we left. We proceeded to the Fulbright Commission, where I was disappointed to see there was no UM-Flint stuff on file. Yeah, that's likely because UM-Flint had nevere been there before. I'm a pioneer, y'all! Anyway, we had breakfast, a "mock admissions" session with a few counselors and then headed to our next stop.

The majority of the day was spent at the FD Roosevelt school, a school for those who are "rich" as one of my fellow Lindeners said (and she's from Peru). The juniors were exceptional, but the seniors were just so-so. But you figure, by the fall of your senior year, most kids have figured out where they plan to study. We had a typical Peruvian lunch (don't ask me what other than white rice, because I couldn't tell you. Oh and passion fruit pudding) and bought some jewelry (a silver ring for me). Then it was back to the hotel in the early afternoon for another fair.

The fair went well - not as exciting as Guayaquil, but much more comfortable for me, and still a number of inquiry cards. And yes, I'm still behind on getting those in. Tomorrow, I promise.

After the fair, a group of 6 of us went to this faboulous Peruvian restaurant. Gabriela, the Peruvian girl ordered us this fantastic appetizer plate with all kinds of stuff. She asked us to sample the meat & chicken which were on skewers. Again, fantastic. It wasn't until after we all had swallowed those items, that she told us it was COW HEART. Yeah, I ate cow heart. It wasn't bad, but I didn't eat any more of it. I did order this great plate called "El Gran Brujo" or "The Great Sorcerer". It was beef tenderloins, black beans & rice. It was tasty. We washed it down with 2 bottles of wine (Melbac is INCREDIBLE) and the typical Peruvian drink of Pisco. It's this super tart margarita like drink. It was a good night filled with new friends, and lots of laughter.

*TODAY* (Our flight is delayed, so I'll keep going)

Last night, I was SO tired (Erin? Tired? NEVER!) so I wasn't sure if I would be able to get up this morning for the cultural activity: a tour of Pachacmac. The tour left at 9:00, I was up at 8:34 and made it down to the lobby in just enough time. The sight wasn't that phenomenal (pics to follow when I unpack my camera cord) and it was quite a brisk day. I'm glad I went, but I'm also glad that I got back in enough time to take a nap before we had to check out at 3.

At 3, Reesa, Audra and I had lunch in the hotel and then went to the markets downtown to do some shopping. Shopping, we did! I bought some things for myself, Chase, Clara, my dad & a few others. I figure I have 3 more cities to go to, so I didn't want to go overboard! There were so many beautiful Alpaca things! I spent more than planned, but my name is Erin and that is my game.

Finally, we are at the airport. I bought a few more things (including a pair of undies for myself that has a llama on it. For those of you who don't know, I have a bit of obsession with buying underwear. It's like a past time) and am now waiting for our flight which is delayed.

Let me mention, that I am sore as a mother trucker from having to carry that box yesterday - mostly my upper body. And for the record, I left a TON of stuff behind at the hotel when it was time to check out. I had to pack enough to take to Bogota, but the amount I left behind was likely 30-40 pounds. Ay, ay, ay.

I would also give anything to have my back scratcher right now. I could sooooo use a good back scratching.

Paz en Bogota,

Erin