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Published: July 18th 2007
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I gotta say I am really enjoying being here in Chiclayo! The weather is beautiful - 70´s most of the time, clean, fresh air and clean streets too! And they have mototaxis here! Yippy! Not nearly as many as there were in Iquitos, but I still get to enjoy riding. More taxis here though, but less air pollution then in Lima. I would also like to add that the "hombres" in Chiclayo are better-looking overall then all of the other places we have visited in Perú!
Soooo, today we began our observations at the military academy, Colegio Militar Elias Aguirre. Had to dress a little nicer for this visit- couldn´t get away with the new cargo pants I bought last night! I will probably wear them for most of the next couple weeks though- soooo comfortable! Would have been extremely useful for our jungle weekend. Especially with those damn boots! Speaking of which, for those of you who have expressed concern, my leg is healing nicely and feeling a lot better. Antibiotics helping a lot. Curious as to how many people dared to visit the pics in the gallery...
Back to the observations. We took a tour of
the academy first, which was really cool; I have never been to a military school before. Very nice facilities. All of the students were in uniform- army fatigue coats, khaki pants, and very shiny black shoes. They all carried briefcases. There were a few females, although not many.
We had a short observation of a social studies class, where the students were discussing the repercussions of World War II on Perú. The next visit was a little longer, to an English class. The professor was teaching a lesson on the verb "to be" in the past tense. His first examples focused on the days of the week. "Today is __________. Yesterday was __________." The six of us in the room were a bit confused when the students volunteered the answers for the first few examples, and the professor wrote on the board: "Today is Tuesday. Yesterday was Wednesday. Today is Friday, yesterday was Saturday." I looked at Natalie, then at Fiore, María and Lauren, and Charles, and everyone had the same baffled look. After a few more examples, the professor realized his mistakes and corrected them with the students, attributing the errors to his excitement about having visitors from
the United States.
The last 30 minutes or so of class were dedicated to a Q&A about life in the USA, and how it differs from what the students here are used to. They were very curious as to how many years of education post high school is standard, cost of education, school schedules, and a few expressed an interest in what kind of discrimination exists in the states. A few of them are looking to study in the US, and were wondering if they would face any racism. Our group agreed that this particular interaction with the students was probably the most interesting and beneficial that we have had to date. An intriguing observation I made during this class- when raising their hands to volunteer an answer, they raise a closed fist, as opposed to an open hand. They also refer to their professor as "Sir."
From the school we went to lunch at El Cantaro, where I had papa a la huancaina and chicken. Again. Getting a little tired of chicken. Potatoes I can eat at every meal, which is good since they are served at every meal. But I think I am starting to grow
wings... maybe just a side effect of the antibiotics?
After lunch we took a trip to El Mercado del Brujo, a local market that sells all sorts of natural medicines and herbs, along with fruit and other miscellaneous items. Natalie and I both purchased "amuletos," small viles filled with different herbs and seeds, that are carried in one´s pocket for protection and eradification of any surrounding negativity.
The last stop before returning to the hotel was the Plaza Prinicpal, where the Iglesia Santa Maria is located, a beautiful cathedral here in Chiclayo.
After returning to the hotel for a change of clothes and a bit of rest, Natalie and I went to the local market to pick up some basic necessities- oreos, pringles, chips ahoy... oh yeah and we got water and yogurts too. 😊
Small group for dinner tonight, as a few of the group members wanted to do their own thing. Went to a beautiful restaurant, so fancy that we thought we had entered a banquet hall for a wedding! Silk tablecloths and napkins, gorgeous crystal chandeliers, and I swear I could hear Hava Nagila in the background! Ok, maybe it wasn´t Hava Nagila....
but I definitely felt like I was at a wedding!
Sick as it may sound, I am starting to enjoy the ordering process at each restaurant we visit. The servers can never seem to get the orders right, even when we pre-order our meals! A simple request such as "4 aguas sin gas" (4 non-carbonated bottled waters) creates havoc amongst the waitstaff. I don´t think our laughing at their expense is very amiable to them, however, but hey- what good is getting irritated going to do? Laugh it off, burns more calories. Speaking of calories, gonna have to unfreeze my gym membership when I get back to the states....
Buenas noches, y hasta mañana
Alyssa
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Kathy McKenna
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Enjoying your blog
Hello I'm Erin McKenna's mom, sounds like a great adventure. I'm enjoying your daily journal. I know it takes alot of time to enter this travel blog, but we all back at home are enjoying reading it. Hope you all continue to have fun and be safe.