This is a Day Late (Sorry Dad)

Yesterday (May 29th) was a very busy day, so I didn't have time to write this. But better late than never, right?

I went to class and probably paid attention a little more so than usual because it was my last day of classes for the week.

After school, we went to the Air Force school for our last day as teachers. I worked with the Upper Level Plus students. They are 14-year olds who are very advanced at English. Most of them are fluent or very close to being fluent, so we had a great time. These students were more open than my other classes and we got to talk about everything. Most of them actually are trying to go to college in the United States, so we talked a lot about the differences between universities in the states and in Peru. In the US, you take the SATs or ACTs and every college accepts those scores. In Peru, you have to take a different entrance exam for every college to which you apply. It's very time consuming and tedious, so most students only apply to one or two schools. And it's rare that they go away to school. Most kids live at home during their university years and commute. Sorry mom and dad, I did not want to do that!

After our lessons, we had a lecture on the Peruvian economy which I found very interesting. Then, we left school and had about an hour and a half to kill before our night time activity. I went and got pizza and beer with some friends. For you bargainers, happy hour dinners here are pretty great. For 7.50 soles, (about $2.70 USD) we got two slices of pizza and two beers. As a college student (kind of) on a budget, I'm all about those deals.

Anyway, we ate and headed to a fountain show which occurs in a park near central Lima. It's an area with a bunch of different fountains that light up at night and just look pretty awesome. Every hour there is a 20 minute show with lights, music and water which is also pretty cool. Some of the students did get a little wet, but I'm smart and kept my distance.

Final thoughts...

After last night and a nice chat with my host mom this morning, I've come to realize how lucky I am to be living in Miraflores. There are many parts of Lima that are unsafe and target foreigners. With my red hair and fair complexion, I don't exactly blend in. Last night at the fountain show, the tour guides urged us to stay together and wear our backpacks or purses in front of us. In Miraflores, that's not an issue. I also feel completely comfortable walking around the area. It's so safe and so pretty and the people are so friendly and I'm very lucky to be living here.