He llegado en Perú

Hey everyone!

I have arrived safe and sound in Peru! In fact, it's already been five full days that I've been here and I am loving every second of it!

I am living in a quaint district of Lima, Peru called Magdalena del Mar. As the name implies we are very close to the "mar" or sea. Instead of sand though the beaches here consist of rocks of all shapes and sizes. It is incredibly refreshing to leave the city and walk down to the beach. The air is so fresh and the sea breeze is incredible. I definitely could get used to living near the sea!

The climate is a bit cooler than I expected (rather, what I hoped.) Note to self: packing summer clothes does not make the temperature of your final destination warmer! But hey, if this is winter weather I'm not complaining. It is nothing compared to a winter in Wisconsin! The cold weather has also prompted me to buy my first peruvian sweater! And as my peruvian mom would say "Qué lindo".

My Peruvian family is very nice and accommodating. Pictured below are Enrique, Ceci, and Cecilia Castro who are replacing Dad, Emma, and Mom for the next five months as my parents and sister. Just kidding, but they have been incredibly welcoming. I feel I have a new home away from home.

A huge part of my adjusting so fast is all of the other exchange students whom are living in the Castro house with me. There are a total of nine students living with the Castro family. I feel very welcomed into the house and those who have been here longer have taken it upon themselves to teach the most recent arrivals like myself everything there is to know about Lima. Here's a picture of a few of these wonderful people I've been talking about...

In the picture above, we are headed (in microbus) to the university where we'll be taking classes starting Monday. The campus is a very safe and beautiful area contained surrounded by brick walls.

The campus appears as a green oasis located within a bustling city... random prancing deer included. And that's no joke! Apparently, some time ago a few deer found their way into campus and have stayed and sense then multiplied. To think that in Wisconsin some people put fake deer in their lawns, but in Peru it's the real deal on PUCP campus!

Before I finish my first blog ever I thought I'd share some spanish knowledge with you all, because that is the reason I'm here in Peru after all! So here's the first spanish word of the week (or as often as I can blog!)

 el ciervo/ el venado = deer 

Until the next post,

Katie☺