How's the food?

One of the most common questions people from back home seem to ask us is: "how's the food?" To which we all reply, "SO GOOD! You HAVE to try the bread here. It's amazing!"

I have to say, when I signed up for the trip, I was not expecting this to be the case. I even noted in my interview that one of the most challenging things here for me was going to be the food. I don't like vegetables or potatoes, staples in a Peruvian meal. However, I have been pleasantly surprised by the delicious bread, cheap pastries, amazing amounts of caramel, juicy fruit, and the unusual but tasty types of meat.

So... what do I eat on a typical day? I wake up to a glass of freshly made fruit juice and a warm oatmeal-like drink awaiting me. I also eat some bread with "mermelada" (jelly) or "manjar" (caramel). Then when I get home from school, I eat lunch. Lunch here is the biggest meal of the day so it is a big deal to make it home for lunch, rather than just buying something in the street. My lunch begins with first plate, which is usually soup with noodles or creamed vegetables. After first plate, I have my second plate which usually consists of some type of meat, a variation of potatoes, and rice. I drink freshly made lemonade or chicha morada, which is a drink made out of purple corn. Sounds strange, right? However, it's actually really good! Finally, I finish my meal with fruit, usually a banana or apple, but sometimes I get to try something new. I end the day with my dinner of tea and more bread with "mermelada" or "manjar." Every family has their own variations of every meal, but the majority are very similar to my meals. The only big difference is that many families also eat a lot of yogurt, and my family does not.

So, earlier I mentioned that we have tried some "unusual but tasty types of meat". What exactly does that consist of? In our houses we commonly eat chicken, pork, or beef, just like at home. However, many of us have been daring and have tried some of the other popular types of meat here. For example, on our excursions, we love to eat alpaca meat. In the streets, they sell "anticuchos" which is a skewer of cow hearts. Finally, for a one-time experience, many of us have tried the delicacy of "cuy," or guinea pig. I have not been fortunate enough yet to partake of cuy, but I can guarantee you it is an experience I am not planning on missing before we leave.

Alpaca, rice, and potatoes

Finally, when we're having a bad day, or a good day, or have free time, or are bored, or come up with any sort of excuse, we LOVE to buy snacks, pastries, and ice cream. Although it is hard to find very rich chocolate or things made with peanut butter, there is no lack of caramel. Nearly every pastry here is a different variation of a desert with caramel. We have eaten unhealthy amounts of caramel. If you are lucky enough, maybe you can convince your loved one here to bring some back for you. We also eat a lot of ice cream. At McDonald's a large ice cream cone is only 2 soles (which right now is equivalent to 73 cents). As well, something well-known in Arequipa is "queso helado." This literally means "cheese ice cream," but I can guarantee you it tastes nothing like cheese. It simply shares it's color with cheese.

A pastry with caramel inside

Our favorite snack: pan y manjar (bread and carmel)

Basically, we are loving the food here. It is difficult not to constantly be snacking on something or another. However, we also miss the food in the United States and are excited to have rich chocolatey desserts, peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, and pizza with lots of sauce. All in all, the food was not something that I should have been worried about.

Some of the things here are just too strange to try...

A Wondrous Wedding

This past weekend, I had the wonderful opportunity to attend a friend's wedding here in Arequipa! The venue was the founder's mansion, so I'm pretty sure they paid top dollar for this occasion. It was a Catholic wedding, which is the religion of  the majority here in Arequipa. The wedding began with the bride, Claudia, walking down the red-carpeted aisle with her father. Many weddings here including this one don't have a procession with the maid of honor, bridesmaids, groomsmen, etc. Only the sisters get special matching dresses, and everyone else is just a guest. After mass we threw rice as the walked out (illegal in the US).

Cocktail hour was spent in the garden with waiters bringing around drinks like papaya juice, pina colada, and coca cola. I also had the opportunity to try a dish here called ceviche, which is raw fish in a sometimes spicy sauce. It was actually delicious, and I'm pretty sure I don't have mercury poisoning or anything :).

After sitting awhile, we were welcomed into the reception room, which had beautiful centerpieces of peach and white roses, a rose chandelier, and a fountain covered in roses as well. Another difference I noticed was that after the couple entered, there was no speech (because there was no maid of honor or best man). We simply had a toast of champagne with them to wish them good luck and to say congratulations. Dinner was probably one of the best meals I've ever tasted! We had shrimp cocktail in a special sauce with avocados, and the main dish was a mushroom, turkey, and cheese stromboli type dish, sort of like chicken cordon bleu. Dessert was a maracuya cheesecake, and maracuya is a fruit common here but not in the US. There was also a beautiful cake on display, but when they passed out slices, there wasn't a scratch on the display.....hmm....not sure what happened there.

Soon the dancing started with the father daughter dance, and then later the first dance. The first dance was to a fairly upbeat song which kind of threw me off at first, but it ended up being very sweet. If you're interested in hearing a popular song here amongst adults and young people, the song was called "Quiero casarme contigo" by Carlos Vives. It's very sweet and endearing, and the title means "I want to marry you." For awhile, most of the dancing was to a salsa/latin beat, but still very fun to dance to. And my family and friends are pretty much around the ages of 40 and up, so it was funny and very sweet for them to ask to dance with me (even though I hardly know what I'm doing!)

A little later, they switched from a DJ to a traditional band, and two young men in jester costumes lead the dancing. We were in a circle, and they danced around the middle. Ashamedly, I was pulled in for a good humiliating two minutes, not having a clue what to do! Peru has humbled me once again. After the band left, they started playing oldies music from the US, like Footloose, Staying Alive, and more John Travolta. And they all seemed to know the songs! But my favorite part of the night was when they passed out colored clown hair afros, crazy glasses, sequin ties, glow sticks, stick balloons, and all sorts of crazy stuff. We all put it on (even my host parents and friends) and continued dancing to more juvenile music. It was such a fun way to end the night as everyone was winding down.

I had an amazing time, and I am personally so incredibly grateful for my host family experience here. I was able to go on a 4 day trip with them to celebrate my host brother's birthday, and also this wedding of their dear friend. I feel so blessed to have this chance to grow closer to them and really get to know them as family.

~Hanna Silvey

Throwing rice

My lovely host parents

Host brother and friends

It's not a wedding without a few mischievous kids

A toast

Shrimp cocktail

Father/Daughter

SO yummy!

They concocted their own Pisco, a traditional Peruvian drink

Dessert

Learning to Drive in Arequipa

"They say that if you can drive in Arequipa, you can drive in any part of the world." This is how my host mom responded when I once asked her about the traffic in Arequipa and if there are many crashes.  Not surprisingly, her answer was "yes". The streets here are highly congested due to the recent population explosion, and to the eye of the foreigner, the rules of the road often appear to be replaced by pure anarchy.  Lane markings are ignored (cars often travel three abreast on a two-lane highway), stop signs appear to be optional, and merging onto the street usually becomes a game of chicken between multiple drivers.

We have now officially crossed the half-way point of our time here in Arequipa, and looking back on past experiences, I cannot help but notice how what we often see in the streets is similar to how we have felt while learning a new culture.  When we first arrived, many aspects of life were new and confusing.  We cautiously tried to maneuver around without making any serious mistakes or forcing "crashes" between cultures.  Despite our best efforts, we have often found adjusting to our new lives here difficult, confusing, awkward, and...well...hilarious and embarrassing.

a fairly typical looking combi during the morning commute

When I first arrived at the house where I am living this semester, my host mom showed me the bathroom I use and told me to turn the knob to the left for the hot water for in shower.  The mornings here at a high altitude are quite cold, and I spent the first week showering in what felt like ice water.  I gradually developed a workout routine before showering just to raise my body temperature enough to be able to stand under the water for a few seconds. One day I decided to see just how cold the water could actually get if I turned the knob the other direction and ... yup... you guessed it. I nearly burned myself because the water was so hot.

Many of us have noticed that public displays of affection between couples is fairly common here.  This can be awkward enough in parks and street corners, but it reaches a whole new level on the combis, which are the van/bus combination public transport.  As you can see in the picture above, these vehicles are often completely filled so that there is literally no room to move.  One great night I had the privilege of being plastered directly up against a peruvian girl...who decided that this commute was the perfect time to cuddle with and kiss her boyfriend.  I was stuck in this position for about 30 minutes...

Because embarrassment and awkward loves company, I asked some other members of our group for their own examples, and here are some of their stories:

Megan:  I went to go do some volunteer work at an elderly women's home with some other Calvin students. When I asked where the other students were a nice woman told me they were in the living room. When I walked into the living room there were not 20 Calvin students awaiting me but rather 20 toothless grinning old women. I was paralyzed, but put up with the "Que liiiiiiiinnnnddddaaaaas" (how beautiful) and listened for a while before I decided to leave. I had apparently gone to the wrong old women's home after calling my professor.

-Talking to friends, "Soy Paruta" instead of "Soy Bruta" ("Soy Paruta" does not mean anything at all. Soy Bruta means I am an airhead. I think the point was clear)

-Talking to friends, "Tengo novio" instead of "Tengo enamorado" In the United States we were taught that "novio" means boyfriend, but in Peru it means fiance. So everyone was asking why we were getting married so young and where our rings were. 

Carmen B: I think my music professor is really funny, because he always seems to make the rest of the class laugh. I never catch on to his jokes and always end up just sitting there with an awkward, clueless smile on my face.

Hannah K: One time in the Plaza de Armas, I got swept up in a war protest which was targeted at the United States just after the Syrian Crisis. There were torches and shouting and paintings of President Obama in devils horns. Of course, I happened to be the only person in the crowd with blond hair, and someone promptly asked me which country I was from. Uuuuummmm… United States? Awkward. 

I told my cousin that I liked his fart (pedo) instead of that I liked his hair (pelo). 

I told a peruvian she was naked (desvestida) instead of that she was divided (dividida) from the group. I still have no idea how I did that.

In addition to these stories, multiple people have asked store workers if they have colored eyes (ojos) instead of sheets of paper (hojas).  Many of us have accidentally gotten on the wrong combi and ended up in unfamiliar parts of the city, and we have all experienced the awkward stare-down when we forget to greet someone withe the customary kiss or handshake.  At least two of us have had bird . . . excrement fall on us while calmly minding our own business in the plaza. We have also learned how to pretend we follow conversations we do not understand and are able to laugh at the appropriate times, which works well until someone asks our opinion on what was said.

cuy

ceviche

Despite these challenges, we continue learning and growing through new experiences, and what was once strange and foreign is gradually becoming familiar and comfortable.  We have eaten (and occasionally enjoyed) new foods such as cuy (guinea pig) and ceviche (raw fish).

We are used to wearing long pants even as the temperature increases for summer, and we often find ourselves staring at tourists in shorts and sandals and find ourselves thinking "hehe, gringos."  We are no longer confused when a class requires us to make a photocopy of an article with a front page that states: "the total or partial reproduction of this book is not permitted... electronic or photocopy..."
We are also able to order in the school café or photocopier station without waiting an hour trying to figure out where the line is of people ends - there isn't a line. We can also cross the busy streets without feeling like we are playing a human version of the old video game "frogger".  It is becoming more common for tourists on the street stop us to ask for directions, and occasionally they even ask us first if we speak English. Although we occasionally stand out, we are learning how to blend into the culture.  We are also meeting many new people and forming a number of meaningful friendships.

It is clear that we have all grown in our short two months hear.  We have gained a deeper understanding of who God is and how he relates to His creation, and have seen how others relate back to Him.  We are learning more about who we are and who we are becoming.  While thinking about how much we have grown in just half a semester, we are excited to see where we will be and what we will have leaned after the next two months.  Although there are still bumps along the road, it is slowly but surely becoming clear that we are learning how to drive through the culture of Arequipa.

Getting High in Peru: Studying the pre-Incan World of Peru and Relaxing in the Plaza de Armas

        [Submitted by Neal Bierling] Since my schedule differs from that of the students, I have been able to have different experiences in and around Arequipa. For example, during our first weeks in Arequipa, and since I am an archaeologist (in the Middle East but I have taught the Incas while I was a history teacher), I checked out the archaeology museums. The Incas were the final powerful peoples in this region before the Spanish Conquest and the events that followed the conquest of South America. However, from the museums in Arequipa, I am learning about the rich cultural heritage of Peru BEFORE the Incas. 

Examples of pre-Incan ceramics

Feathered Cape

       I am beginning to write this blog while in and around Trujillo, in northern Peru, where, within the past hour, I was in Trujillo’s National Archaeological Museum. Here, they too have on display beautiful artifacts recovered from the pre-Incan excavations around Trujillo. Arequipa has collections on the important pre-Incan civilizations, which, in some cases go back centuries before Jesus walked the streets of Jerusalem.  Peruvians have a right to be proud of their Incan heritage, but now I’m learning that they have a right to be proud of their pre-Incan heritage.  The ruins of dozens (100s?) of mudbrick pyramids and other complexes exist in northern Peru; each pyramid required millions of mudbricks. The tombs and complexes that the Spanish conquistadors thankfully missed reveal beautiful ceramics and other artifacts. I have viewed (and photographed) Pharaoh Tutankhamen’s gold in Egypt countless times over the decades, yet here in Peru I have now seen more gold and silver artifacts than recovered from King Tut’s tomb. The pre-Incan peoples were highly skilled in metallurgy and other crafts. Alas, they did not write, and writing, speaking as an archaeologist, finding an archive of writing is more important than the pretty and shiny gold. The artistic artifacts on display here in Arequipa and now viewed in northern Peru are important, but if they had written about their society and if this archive had been recovered by archaeologists, this would tell us so much more about the intriguing pre-Incan heritage.

Pre-Incan Gold Mask

       While exploring Arequipa, I witnessed parades on its streets while the Calvin students were in classes. I’ve taken the time to just sit in the Plaza de Armas and watch the activity of its residents and visitors. Arequipa is peaceful and has much to be appreciated. The traffic around the university and the Plaza de Armas can be very busy. This city has grown too fast for its so many narrow streets. Profe Bierling worries about all of us as we cross streets by weaving between taxis, combis, and buses. This too can be an adventure. There are more taxis in Arequipa than personal cars and perhaps it is safe to say that the majority of its population travel across the city by taxis, combis (small buses), and buses.

Arequipa Parade

Activities in Arequipa’s Plaza de Armas

       Now that we are temporarily in the Trujillo area for a week, I am even more appreciative of Arequipa’s sunny, cool to warm and low humidity days. I love waking up, opening the blinds to consistently sunny sunrises, looking at the decreasing amounts of snow on Mt. Misti, and then not wearing a light jacket until sunset.

Paz y Shalom,

Neal Bierling

Traveling Peru!!

The Nazca Lines!

This past week, the majority of students took a rain check on their midterm exams and headed out to explore different parts of the country and city of Arequipa. Peru is an incredibly diverse country, hosting three distinct regions: the coast, mountains, and jungle. Different groups of students headed to each of these regions, taking in incredible scenery and meeting other travelers from around the world. Enjoy a few snapshots of the beautiful locations we visited!

The Dunes of Huachina

These voyages put to the test everything that we have learned thus far about the language and culture here in South America as we traveled independently from our professor and in many cases without our Peruvian families as well. This may have been a week of vacation, but I would dare say that we each learned more about the geography and people of Peru and about ourselves than we could have ever learned from sitting in a classroom.

Harbor in Paracas, Peru

Paracas National Reserve

Throughout our trips, we prided ourselves in not being your typical tourists. We enjoyed exploring the marketplaces and striking up deals with the vendors with ease, being confident and familiar with the custom of bartering. We cherished the opportunity to act as the facilitator between those who spoke broken Spanish and those who spoke broken English in our lodges and hostels. We rejoiced when a waiter in Cusco asked us if we were from Lima, confused as to why a group of gringos were speaking Spanish in a highly populated tourist café. We praised God when our Spanish-speaking guide asked us what religion we were and when we replied, “Christian” he replied, “I knew there was something different about you guys”.

I think I can speak for all in saying that there have been sometimes through this semester in Peru where I think I can physically feel my brain growing and being stretched to think in new ways. This past week of travel was no exception. I now know just two languages and a handful of countries and already my understanding of the world has increased exponentially. I realize even more and more every day how big the world is and how little I know about it. I realize that there are conversations and relationships happening around the world in languages that I will probably never understand. It overwhelms me even more to realize that God knows and created it all. He knows every creature in the Amazon Jungle, each grain of sand in the dunes of Huachina, and every penguin on the Ballestas Islands. Moreover, he is the God of all people, of every nation and every tongue.

Sea Lions on the Ballestas Islands, Paracas National Reserve

Tambopata National Reserve, Puerto Maldonado, Peru

Cruising the Madre de Dios River in the Amazon

Green Macaw outside of Puerto Maldonado

Trekking through the mountains above Cusco