Arrival

I am now writing to you from Lima! Traveling went smoothly enough, I'm still recovering from such little sleep, but I'm very glad to be here. 24 hours ago, Julian and I were flying over Cuba, eating a typical plane meal while sharing glances of excitement with one another from across the plane. Its hard to believe how much has happened since then. Our professor picked us up from the airport with his brother-in-law and drove us to a hostel near his house. There is also a Carleton alum (Alex) staying here until tomorrow. He's going to Cusco for June to shadow doctors before he starts his medical residency in July.

In the morning, Julian and I went to exchange money so that we could pay the hostel and also got some breakfast at a restaurant near by. We were planning on going to the beach, but our professor emailed and picked us up to get cellphones so we can contact each other. We had a nice lunch and conversation with Jose and Alex about Spanish,Peru, our program, and other things. Afterward we did some more walking and went back to Jose's house. He fed us again, and eventually we left with Alex to see Miraflores, an area of the city that is very popular in the evenings. Today I tried Chirimoyas, a very sweet fruit native of Peru. I like it a lot!

Tomorrow we're going to visit the university with Jose and explore the city more. Speaking Spanish today has been easier than I thought it would be. I understand almost everything people have said to me. The hard part is knowing how to respond. That being said, I've found myself making silly mistakes typing this entry, switching my brain back and forth between the two languages. Still being tired from traveling doesn't help! Good night!