Hi all, as I mentioned a few posts back, I would make one post about volunteering, and then make a collection about my adventures in Peru. I already discussed my first weekend in one of the two posts I actually wrote in Peru. The first weekend we spent exploring Lima, getting acquainted with Peru, and just enjoying a bunch of free time.
During our second weekend, we (Marissa, Skylar, Tresia, and I) took a 4-hour bus ride south to the city of Ica, Peru. We then taxied to Huacachina, a small oasis surrounded by miles and miles of sand. There we checked into our hostel, the Wild Olive, booked a dune buggy tour and settled in to our room.
When 330 approached, we made our way to the travel agency we booked through and found our dune buggy and buggy guide, where we buckled in and waited for the rest of our group to arrive.
I’d never been on a dune buggy, and I’d never seen so much sand in my life. Dune buggying is absolutely exhilarating and sand is nice until it gets into every nook and cranny on your body. Our very attractive Peruvian driver weaved in and out of dunes, going back and forth across the sand; it was like the best roller coaster I’d ever been on.
We made a stop at the top of a dune to take photos of the oasis before piling back into the buggy to continue our ride. After a few more minutes of riding the dunes, we made another stop at the top of an even higher dune. From there, our guide pulled 10 boards from the back of the buggy and told us we were going to sandboard. I’d never done any sort of boarding before, so to say I was terrified was an understatement, however, I mounted my board, kept my legs up, arms in, and cascaded down the dune with ease (and a mouthful of sand) along with the rest of my group.
After a few more dunes we made our way to the perfect sunset spot, where we were able to bask in all that the earth has to offer. Seeing the sunset in Ica was by far one of the most breathtaking moments of my life.
Sadly, all good things must come to an end, so we boarded our buggy one final time and were dropped off at our hostel, where we were able to empty our clothes and shoes of sand and hop in the shower.
The following morning we enjoyed a yummy breakfast with the oasis as our view and then laid out by the pool until we had to catch the bus back to Lima. By the time we arrived home, we were all exhausted, sandy, and I was as red as a lobster.
Hi everyone. Last year, I posted my 17 goals for 2017, and since we are a little over halfway through the year, I figured I’d update it. Check out the original post here.
Blog consistently: Before Peru I was on top of things, however upon returning… not so much. I’m doing better right now and I have some posts planned out for the next few months so let’s get back in the swing of things
End the year with at least double the amount of posts I have now. I have written 56 posts this year (not including this one) so I have 87 more to go. I will be participating in #NaBloPoMo and Blogmas again so that is at least 55 posts, so as long as I can get 32 posts in by Halloween, I should be good to go.
Connect with more Bloggers: Since I’ve visited wordpress maybe 10 times in the past 3 months, I can say I’ve struggled with this.
Take quality pictures: I haven’t posted many posts involving pictures, but when I do, I will be budgeting my time and taking pictures before hand.
Read: Being a single mother (my dog) I haven’t been reading as much as I would like, but I have been a bit.
Learn something new: I’m taking Italian at school this fall so, I’m hoping to learn Italian.
Move into the basement: This never happened and will not be happening
Volunteer: I DID IT
Create a budget for myself: I never made a set budget but I have been saving money for school and am trying to not spend money unless I have to.
Choose a college: OU OH YEAH baby.
Get a job: I have been nannying this summer, however, I need a real job at school.
Clean: My room has stayed decently clean, except now because I’m in college and puppy world, but I make my bed most days, do my laundry, keep up with the dishes and living room most times.
Get on a solid sleep schedule: I have to wake up every day from 6-7 for either work or my dog, so the latest I’ve gone to bed all summer is midnight.
Exercise: I’ve been working out every day for the past month or so and my dorm is right next to the rec center so I’ll have no excuse not to get a workout in.
Create a skincare routine: I use lush products for my face which is working pretty well (it’s also pretty expensive but I’m dealing)
Be one of ‘those vegans’: This year I’ve learned balance is key. I have my spinach smoothies and beans and lentils, but I also eat Oreos and ice cream. I can be one of ‘those vegans’ and still indulge.
Drink more water: I am still struggling with this. Some days I excel and some days I’ve had 2 glasses by 10 pm. How do you get all of your daily water in??
Hi all, as I continue with my long awaited Peru series, I wanted to discuss the house dynamic. Living in a house with up to 24 other people at one time can get a bit hectic, especially when everyone is so different, culturally, emotionally, and otherwise. I’ll start with the people who live in the house and then start with the volunteers in the order I met them. I have also decided to not put every volunteer in (it was over 4 pages long) so here are a few highlights.
Lidia- The owner of the home we stayed in. She also runs the volunteer program in Lima. We didn’t really see her too much. On our first day, last day, and whenever she left and returned to the house
Lidia’s husband- He was sort of creepy and always touched the girls in a friendly (?) way but I hate being touched so no no.
Abu- Lidia’s mother. She lived on the first floor and would open the door for people if they came home later. She loves talking to the volunteers but she only speaks Spanish so it was a struggle for some of the volunteers.
Sole- The house chef. Sole speaks only spanish and always wears fun patterns on her clothes. Was always very supportive of my vegan needs and always made sure I had enough to eat
Carla + Rudy- They took us to placement every day and they were always there to answer questions we had
Marissa- The first person I met because we had connected on facebook through the IVHQ page. We were also on the same flight from Panama to Lima (she is from New York). She was there for 6 weeks, her boyfriend came for a weekend (yes flew to Peru for literally 2 days) and she ended up being kind of a bitch. More on that later.
Martina- The one who opened the door for us when we arrived at the volunteer house, and who also became one of my favorite people I met while in Peru. She is from Italy and is one of the funniest people I had ever met. I wished I had stayed longer mainly to spend time with her. I’ve already told her that when I study abroad I will make sure to visit her for a weekend.
Clara- 18 year old Clara, from Maryland, was one of my roommates. She had been living in Nepal helping with hikers and was now volunteering in Peru. She was such a sweet girl and I obtained a Maryland sweatshirt from her that she couldn’t fit anywhere, and I actually met up with her in Cusco.
Skylar- Originally from Texas (oh yes politics were an interesting subject) she had been to 3 countries in her gap year before starting at UT Austin. She has a sweet exterior but she, just like Marissa became pretty bitchy. But like I said, I’ll get to that later.
Annie- Annie was only here for a week, because that’s all she could get off from work. However, during her first week, Skylar, Marissa, Tresia, her and I spent most of our time together. She is also from New York and works at a hotel. She was super sweet from the time I did get to know her.
Tresia- There is so much to say about Tresia. She is a 30 year old dietician from South Africa and is one of the sweetest, kindest, most hilarious people I have never encountered. She was by far one of my favorite people I met in Peru and I can’t wait to give her a visit.
Paola- Another one of my roommates. She is from Cancun and is like so beautiful ??? She turned 20 while in Peru so we had a cute party for her and another girl. She makes phenomenal videos of her travels, I could watch them all day.
The Canadians- Shaunna, Maxine, Kalen, Natalia, Brittney, Kelsee- The 6 of them were here for college credit during the last 2 weeks I was volunteering. Natalie annoyed the shit out of me and all she ever talked about was Brazil (she’s never been), Kalen was like very very attractive, and Kelsee was (in my opinion) the nicest of them.
Sylvia- My final roommate. Sylvia, was also from Italy, and works for Revlon. She lives in Milan and while her English isn’t tremendous, she tried so hard and really improved during her two weeks. She told me that when I study abroad, her and I can roadtrip down to visit Martina.
Kandi- One of the kindest ladies I’ve ever met. Kandi is from Jamaica and she loved her coloring books. Her and I helped Malley (next) try to get over a conflict with her roommate (Ana) and the three of us bonded because of that.
Malley- Malley is from Michigan and I literally love her. We both hate Donald Trump and conservative assholes and the education system in America. She had a lot going on medically and took like 12 pills (not an exaggeration) each day and people got mad at her for it (why ????) which caused quite a bit of unneeded conflict in the house. She is going to a school in Chicago in the fall so hopefully I can see her a few times when I’m home.
Ana- Ana was from Canada (not part of the Canadians) and all she did was bitch about Malley. I’m one who can be down to talk shit on occasion, however, when you devote all of your time talking about how much you hate one person, it gets really obnoxious.
Okay, that was still most of the people I met, but a lot of people left a mark on me and I wanted to share who they are with you all.
Buenos dias, like many of you may know I have been shitty at posting since returning home from Peru. I had gotten myself into such a routine of writing and coming up with ideas and when I came home, I had gotten out of that routine that I just didn;t write, at all. However, my 5 weeks in Peru were some of the best weeks of my life and I really do want to share what I did while I was there.
This post is going to be centered around the volunteer aspect of the trip (why I went) but since it was basically the same every day, I’m not going to make post after post about it. So, enjoy a brief intro into volunteer life in Lima
In Lima, there are 4 different volunteer programs; Child care, Teaching, Medical, Construction (summer only). I, and most of the others volunteering were part of the childcare program. I wasn’t really educated on the other 3 programs, however, within the childcare program, there are 5 different orphanages, Divinos Jesus (‘functioning’ children ages 0-9), Esperanza (special needs 0-9), San Migitas (special needs 9-18), Renacer (special needs 18-65), and Vidas (teen mothers and their babies).
At Divinos Jesus (my placement), Esperanza, and San Migitas, people are given some children to look after (at Divinos Jesus it is consistent but at the other two it can change depending on the needs that day). At Divinos Jesus, you play with the children, feed them, put them to sleep, etc. I was in the room with babies ages 0-6 months, we were giving bottles, working on motor skills, and putting them down for naps. At Esperanza and San Migitas, there was quite a bit of physical and hydro therapies, along with feeding. At Vidas, it’s mainly talking to the mothers and then taking care of their children so they can have classes and try to be normal teenagers. And finally at Renacer; all of the childcare volunteers go there at the end of the month for a big fiesta to celebrate all of the birthdays from the month.
I love babies so being in that room was so much fun (yes even when I got thrown up all over). I loved all 6 of the babies and I give so much credit to moms of multiple children and moms in general. I definitely got too attached to the kids, one in particular, so I do miss Roberto, Fredy, Valentina, Estrella, and Galeska, but I miss Belen the most. I am not allowed to post photos of the babies or anyone at any of the orphanages because it is a government owned facility, but trust me, babies are SO CUTE.
We did that everyday from about 8-1, so most afternoons we had free. However, on Monday and Wednesday afternoons we would head out to La Punta to volunteer at a halfway house for girls from ages 12-17. We would do a daily game, english lesson, and craft. I loved seeing how the girls progressed from the time they got to La Punta to when I left and seeing the girls leave was bittersweet because I loved them and it was so nice getting to know them, but on the other hand it was amazing because they were making progress in their lives. Some of the girls were so funny, some more reserved, but all of them were genuine, sweet girls who just got mixed up in the wrong crowd. While I loved the babies, these girls were the highlight of volunteering and when I left, tears were shed from both the girls and I, and I really hope they all get out and make progress to live their best lives they can.
Hi everyone, look at me posting two days in a row. I’m working on planning out some more posts for July (life and some Peru since I suck) and then some back to school posts in August. Once I start school, I’m not going to guarantee too many posts (especially in September) with getting acclimated to a new place and homework and I’m not going to clack off like I somewhat did in San Diego, but I am going to try.
Okay, enough for an intro, let’s get into this award.
A few weeks back Jewish Thoughts nominated me for this Liebster Award. Thank you so much for the nomination! I love doing these 🙂
Rules
Acknowledge the blog who nominated you and display the award.
Answer the 11 questions the blogger gives you.
Give 11 random facts about yourself.
Nominate 11 blogs.
Notify those blogs of the nomination.
Give them 11 questions to answer.
11 Answers
When did you start blogging?
June 2012 I think
Why do you write?
It’s my way of getting what I’m thinking out of my brain so I can process it
What is your favourite holiday or festival?
Christmas
What is your greatest ambition?
Graduate college
If you could have any one thing what would it be?
A stable decently paying job
What was the best day of your life?
The day I was able to see Machu Picchu
What is your favourite season?
Fall
Do you enjoy reading?
Yes!!
What is your job?
Student/Nanny
What is your favourite recipe?
Cinnamon roll pancakes (100% vegan of course)
What makes you want to wake up each morning?
Work ($$)
11 Facts
I miss Peru with every ounce of my being
I cannot wait to go to Ohio
I love back to school shopping
I don’t want kids but I think I would have them just to take them back to school shopping
I want to learn French, Italian, Japanese/ Swedish
I dyed my hair again
My dog is laying next to me and being adorable right now
I don’t leave for Ohio for 4 weeks but I’ve already started packing
Febreze and car heaters give me headaches
I have always wanted a chameleon
My only motivation for getting a job is so that I can travel and go to concerts
No.. I’m not pregnant but my family did recently adopt a puppy! A little over two months ago, we adopted Kizzee (now Poppy), a one year old Border Collie Spaniel mix from Second City Kanine Rescue. She is the sweetest little pup who has taken my whole heart.
A little bit about this sweet baby; she is all black with some salt and pepper on her stomach and paws (the Border Collie) and has the fluffiest ears and tail in the world. She looks like a fox and she already has too many nicknames to mention. She’s got a bit of a barking problem but with some training and lots of cookies I’m sure that’ll be fixed in no time.
We adopted her from a rescue here in Illinois but she came up from Alabama, after spending over 6 months locked away in a kennel (wonder how that barking started), where she also contracted heartworm. For now, we have to restrict tiny dog’s activity (heartworm treatment) and we have a dog pharmacy on our counter(also heart worm treatment), but once she is heartworn negative this little dog will be bounding all over dog parks, beaches, and people.
Now, while Poppy and I sit here patiently waiting to get that dang blood test, please enjoy a plethora of pictures of this sweet, cute, and tiny pup.
This has been a word that has taken up a big part of my vocabulary recently, and for more reasons than one, some which I’d rather not admit.
The reason I’ve chosen this word out of any other is because in all of many babysitting gigs that I have, the one thing that I’ve learned it’s that children get angry and throw tantrums because they are frustrated.
They are frustrated because they think they aren’t being listened to or aren’t being understood or for a variety of other reasons.
This summer I have found myself relating to a 3 year old more than I’d like to. What Ella can get accomplished in kicking and screaming, I cannot. That in itself is frustrating
When I was in Peru, I was happy, generally happy, and that is something I haven’t felt in a while. Since returning from Peru, I haven’t felt happy whatsoever. That is frustrating.
My family adopted a dog (more on that later) and I’m virtually the only one who cares for her. I feed her every day, take her out every other hour, play with her, make sure she takes her pills, everything. My mom pays for it yeah, but that’s the easy part. My dad usually takes her out before he goes to bed and my sister only takes her out if no one else is home. I love my dog but she isn’t ‘my dog’ and when I call her mine everyone gets pissed off but when I say that I’m the only one who takes care of her, everyone still gets pissed off. That is frustrating.
My dog has heartworm. If she gets too excited or excited at all really, she could die, and no one seems to care. That is frustrating.
I had secured a job paying $18 an hour (I would have made $4000 by the time I went back to school) for the next 6 weeks and then it was taken right out from under my feet. That is frustrating.
My sister has some mental stuff going on and is getting treated for it (I’m not saying that’s bad at all, yay for getting help) but my parents seem to only care about her and not me whatsoever. No matter what I do or say nothing matters except my sister. They get mad at me for speaking my mind or for things I didn’t do. That is frustrating.
After writing all of these things down on virtual paper, they seem so miniscule, but as I sit here with damp cheeks it’s so freeing to get everything out.
Well, I have to go make my bed on the kitchen floor (also more about that later) so here’s to blotchy cheeks and bad backs.
Hello friends. Sorry for my terrible posting habits I have created since returning from Peru. I sort of forgot about time management and my blog in general. However, over the coming weeks I do have quite a bit to share with you all about what has been going on in my life since returning from Peru and becoming reacquainted with my old routine.The first thing I want to discuss is college. As I mentioned a few posts back, I committed to Ohio University, in Athens Ohio. No, not Ohio State, just Ohio. Anyway, last week was my orientation (June 19th and 20th) so Sunday morning, bright and early, my dad and I made the 7 hour drive to Athens.
The first thing I want to discuss is college. As I mentioned a few posts back, I committed to Ohio University, in Athens Ohio. No, not Ohio State, just Ohio. Anyway, last week was my orientation (June 19th and 20th) so Sunday morning, bright and early, my dad and I made the 7 hour drive to Athens.
Upon arriving that afternoon, we checked into the dorm room we would be staying in, grabbed dinner, made a Walmart run to get some breakfast for the next morning, and tried to avoid being soaked by the pouring rain. The dorm we stayed in was quite large, about twice the size of my dorm in San Diego, it even included a sink so I could brush my teeth and wash my face without leaving the room.We went to bed super early because we had to wake up just as early as we had the day before to be ready for orientation (and my two placement tests).
We went to bed super early because we had to wake up just as early as we had the day before to be ready for orientation (and my two placement tests).
5:30 Monday morning (4:30 Chicago time) I hopped right out of bed, showered, ate breakfast, and headed out to check in and then made my way over to 2 different buildings to take my Spanish and Chemistry tests. I ended up scoring in the highest possible grouping for Chemistry and was 1 point away from getting to the highest possible Spanish placement. I won’t have to take anymore Chem classes (I hope) but I will be taking a bunch of Spanish.
After I completed both exams, I met back up with my dad who spent his free time walking around a resource fair. The rest of the morning was a blur, with so many speakers I couldn’t keep up. We were then separated from our parents and took a campus tour (my third), listened to more speakers, and then finally got a break for lunch where we were reunited with our parents. The food selection at Ohio is vast and they have tons of vegan options (the campus is ranked in the top 10 vegan friendly universities in the US). However, all good things must come to an end and the next 8 hours were torturous. We were placed in rooms that were far too cold, and then rooms that were far too hot, being forced to participate in group activities that we had all already done at our prior institutions (it was a full transfer student admissions day so no incoming freshmen were there to questions shower shoes and communal bathrooms), and we had to socialize. The socializing wasn’t horrible and I met some pretty nice girls who I hope I’ll be seeing more of in the fall.
Once we finally finished all of these mandatory (if we didn’t attend we would be unable to register for classes the next day) informational sessions, we had the opportunity to meet with our academic advisors. My academic advisor was less than helpful but it’s a good thing I’m self sufficient and can plan classes on my own (the rest of my group wasn’t as lucky).
When we were finally released for dinner I was able to reunite with my dad and we discussed all of the sessions from the long and tiring day.We retired for bed early again that night because we had to be out of our dorm by 7 the next morning, so after planning out my schedule and reading the piles and piles of information I was given that day, I called it a night.
The following morning, we showered, packed everything up, checked out of the dorm room, and then made our way over to the Union for another couple information sessions and then to register for classes. I had an hour between the sessions and my registration time so my dad and I used the free time to explore downtown Athens.
At around 9:45 I had to trek across campus to my advising session and my dad stayed back to write a letter to me and talk to the campus doctor. When I arrived at McCracken Hall, the home of the college of Education, I saw a sea of people all waiting to have their meetings. There were two people ahead of me still so I had a seat and talked to some of the girls I had met the day before for the next 45 minutes.
At 1030 (my appointment was at 10 but the company was nice so I couldn’t complain) I was able to schedule my classes. I am taking 6 classes: an intro to Psychology, Calculus, Spanish, Teacher Technology, Teacher Education, and a transfer course. I am pleased with my schedule and I have no classes on Thursday so hopefully I can get a job and work that day.
During my advising meeting, my advisor notified me that Ohio didn’t have my AP scores and the credits I completed simply weren’t there, so instead of graduating in 2.5 more years it could be as long as 3.5, so my dad and I rushed over to the admissions office to discuss this issue, only to find out my scores never sent, so I had to resend them. We then walked around campus a bit more, checked out my dorm, before finally making our way back to the car and returning to Illinois.
Now, there are about 2 months until I move in, and I have made a list of what I need to bring, contacted my suitemates, and am more than ready to start this new chapter in my life. OU Oh yeah!
A year ago, I posted something about how turning 19 was irrelevant. That the 19th revolution around the sun was a pointless one separating the enticing year of becoming an adult and getting out of your teenage years.
If a year ago I told you that 19 would have been the best year of my life so far, I would have laughed in your face. But here I am, a whole year later, reflecting on my 19th year on this earth.
A year ago I thought I would be attending Arizona State University, majoring in chemical engineering, and living with my aunt.
But here I am, after taking a gap year, getting ready to start school at Ohio University, going to school for secondary education.
This year I did a lot of things, but if there’s one thing I did that I’m most proud of, it’s making my own decisions. I had always been a go with the flow kind of girl, always trying to please. In July, however, I made a tremendous decision to not return to school in the fall, something that recieved a bit of backlash for, people saying I would never return to college after my break. After I chose to take a break, I was able to leave a toxic job that I wasn’t comfortable with. Normally I would’ve continued with both of these things because that’s what was expected of me, but I did what was right for me and that alone made my entire year.
After convincing my entire family, I was able to volunteer in Peru for over a month, working in an orphanage with some of the cutest babies I had ever seen, and travelling and marvelling at the country as a whole.
This year for me has been the best so far, and I hope it only goes up from here. Now, as I continue to get ready for a new school and a new year, I hope you all continue to live life as I am, pulchritudinously.
Well, well, well. I’m alive and well and back in my cozy home, perched on the couch in my living room, writing for the first time in forever.
My initial goal was to blog 10 times while I was in Peru, and only ended up blogging twice. I will discuss Peru in later posts and share photos and all of that jazz, but now I just wanted to write. I wanted to share a bit of a life update (sans Peru) and talk about my summer, my college decision and just how life has been thus far.
Let’s get started with college. After another visit to Ohio University, I finally decided to make myself a part of the Patton College of Education at Ohio University. I am extremely excited to start school and become a teacher. I have orientation in 2 weeks and then I wait until the end of August for move in. I am living in the dorm I wanted and have already found out who my roommate and suitemates are. I haven’t been in contact with them yet but I have stalked the ones I found on Facebook and Instagram, which is basically the same thing. Go Bobcats!
Now onto my summer. Can we talk about babysitting? I am sitting for one family on Tuesdays and Thursdays and then another family on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays. I am also walking the Tuesday/Thursday family’s dog on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays when I’m done with babysitting. Also, I’m walking everywhere, so my new Fitbit and my body are going to love me at the end of the summer.
That’s it for now, I’ll talk about college, Peru, and my summer antics a bit more in the coming post, but since it is June 1st (and the start if my birthday month AND Marilyn Monroe’s birthday) I figured I would get back in the swing of things since I hadn’t posted once in May.
Interesting title I know… but bear with me until I get to that story.
Whenever I am not at home, ie. college, vacation, a friend’s house, I always wake up super super early the first few days I am there. This was no exception. I woke up at around 6:30 or 7 (I don’t remember). I didn’t get up though, mainly because I didn’t want to wake any of my three roommates nor did I know how to get out of my bed.
Once my roommates had gotten up and gone downstairs, I basically cannonballed off of my bed (which really hurt) tumbled on the ground and made my way downstairs as well.
The view from my room
Breakfast that day (and every day) consists of bread and marmalade (Peru is known for their Marmalade and it’s amazing!), and a variety of exotic fruits.
After Breakfast, all of the new girls (Marissa, Annie, Skylar, Tressia, and myself) along with Leo and Clara made our way to Plaza San Miguel to exchange money and make ourselves acquainted with the plaza since we would spend quite a bit of time and money there.
We made it back just in time for lunch which was a really yummy pasta salad, rice, and a salad. If you think that’s a ton of carbs you should wait for every other meal (everyone always complains and I just think it’s annoying).
just a bathroom mirror selfie of a sleepy, peruvian gal
After lunch, all of the new girls squeezed ourselves into a taxi and headed to Miraflores (a very touristy area on a cliff displaying the Pacific Ocean in all of its glory). In Miraflores, we walked along Parque Kennedy, which is named after President JFK. This park is full of stray cats just walking around and doing their thing. The urge to pet them was so real, yet we didn’t because A. who knows what they had on/in them and B. they were quite skiddish around humans (no doubt due to some little kids trying to yank their tails).
A very pretty bull
Una Catedral
gato
gato
By this time, the five of us had all opened up about being nervous the night before and for the same reasons. We had talked about families, friends, past trips, so many things and we were really getting comfortable around each other.
By the time we had finished telling stories, we were at Larcomar, a shopping center with about the same sorts of stores that the Panama airport had. There we walked around, took pictures of the coast, talked with some locals etc.
View of the Ocean from LarcoMar
Some of the other girls in the house had told us about this Incan Market that was by Miraflores. Marissa wanted a bag, I wanted to look around and see the colors, and the other girls didn’t have a preference of what we were doing so… after a 25-minute walk or so we made it to the Incan market. The market was full of colored bracelets, bags, sweatshirts and more, alpaca blankets were displayed on every wall, and so many hand-carved trinkets. It was such a sight to see and while I didn’t buy anything that day (I didn’t want to lose anything) I will definitely make my way back to the Incan Market later in my trip to get some goodies.
After Marissa bartered for a bag and we had scanned the entire market, we hailed a taxi and were on our way back to the volunteer house.
The Incan Market
After dinner, seven of the eight people who hadn’t gone out of town for the weekend decided to go to Miraflores to go clubbing. Well, the three older people (the 4 new girls were exhausted but we wanted to see what clubbing in Peru would be like… so we tagged along). Apparently buying alcohol in bars and clubs in Peru is just as expensive as the States, but buying bottled liquor is much cheaper so we walked to a local grocery store and came out with 2 bottles of $4 vodka, a knock off orange juice, and plastic cups.
We took a cab to Miraflores(where most of the nightlife happens) and started passing out the mixed drinks. (PS I am legal here so it’s all good). When our drinks were being poured and distributed, I had the pleasure of being the first sip. It tasted like cough medicine that your parents have to force down your throat when you’re little. But we had a lot of it to drink so we shoved it down our throats.
We had a man from Cusco take this.
After we finished our drinks (well Marisa hid the vodka bottle in a bush), we got to the club. At the club, they played a variety of English and Spanish music and had an insane amount of flashing strobes. it was nothing too fancy, but it was nice to be able to check out the party scene of Peru.
I got home with 2 of the other girls at around 230 that morning and immediately passed out in bed, and the other 4 didn’t get home until 5. Nevertheless, we were up at 730 to explore Lima some more.
Sunday was a lot more laid back. We took a taxi to Barranco, a less touristy, more local city by the ocean. There we found a cute cafe and Skylar had her first acai bowl, and there was a very very cute Colombian barista who complimented my Spanish speaking abilities.
We got lunch in Barranco after walking along the beach for a bit. For lunch, I got grilled veggies and rice, and tried Sangria for the first time. It was good but definitely not my favorite drink in the world.
Cafe with acai bowl and frozen coffee
After lunch, we went to this little sort of Farmer’s Market, called Feria, which had clothes, food, soaps, cosmetic products, and just anything you could think of. We didn’t buy anything there but looking around was really nice. A few of the booths even had fake Kylie lip kits, which I thought was rather funny.
After walking around all day in the scorching heat, we needed something sweet. We found this little gelateria called Blu, which had a line wrapped around the entire block, which made us sure it had to be good. They also had sorbet (vegan!) so I was able to indulge in an amazing banana mango mixture that was absolutely heavenly.
Gelateria
We ate our gelato/sorbet in a park in Barranco which was filled with cute puppies and live music, an A+ on all ends if you ask me.
We finally made it back to the volunteer house, ate dinner, showered, and promptly fell asleep, awaiting what was to come n the following four weeks.
¡Hola a todos! I am officially in Peru!! Sorry that I have been a bit MIA lately but this is the first time I have unzipped my laptop since arriving. I figured I would give a bit of a rundown of the first day for this post and then write about my first weekend for another post.
Basically, I woke up at 4:30 Friday morning, got dressed, did my final packing of chargers, books, Fitbits, and phones, downed a Dunkin Donuts iced mocha with almond milk and made it to the airport. I was there 3 hours before my flight(recommended) however, passed through baggage checking and security in about 20 minutes so I had ample time to fill my water bottle, buy some plane snacks and magazines, and use the bathroom.
Upon boarding the flight, I made my way to my window seat (that didn’t have a window) and waited patiently for the girl in front of me to open hers (she didn’t). I spent the 5-hour flight to Panama with on and off naps, watching friends, reading one page of my book and playing Sudoku on my phone, you know… the typical traveling things.
breakfast
Upon arriving in Panama, I had to walk the entire length of the airport to find my connecting terminal (which is fine since I’ll be doing the same on my flight back with an8-hourr layover). The Panama airport was nothing like I had expected. It was oozing in glitz and glam. The walkways adorned with Pandora, Rolex, and Louis Vuitton shops and the shoppers matching the ritzy ways of the entire airport.
I took a seat at my terminal, while I awaited the arrival of Marissa, the girl I had spoken to on Facebook. I had only ever seen her in a full face of makeup (profile photos) so there was a girl who resembled her in the airport but I didn’t approach her just in case I would have made a fool of myself.
My window seat on this flight did have a window (which made me a very happy gal) so I was able to see Panama and Peru in all of their glory during my flight. We finally arrived in Peru at about 730pm, to which we made it through a very simple cutstoms process and made our way to baggage claim. After getting all of our bags, seeing quite a few dogs, and exchanging $20 we found our driver and we headed to San Miguel.
Our driver was a very sweet man who spoke little to no Engliah and really likes Salsa music. Speaking decent Spanish myself, I was able to communicate with him pretty seamlessly.
I immediately fell in love with Peru. The cool breeze (which I can now say is not always there), the Palm trees, the colorful houses, and so much more made me really feel like Peru was definitely the place for me. The insane driving, however, I can live without.
Marissa and I arrived at our volunteer house, unloaded our baggage, and were immediately welcomed by Martina, an Italian girl who had already been volunteering in Peru for 3 months, and has three more months to go. She knows the house, rules, bus stops, everything really, inside and out and she was very informative and helpful for any qualm we may have. She gave us a tour of the house, gave us a rundown of all of the rules, and showed us to our rooms. After somewhat settling in..AKA shoving all of my belongings into the small closet and drawer i was alotted, I made my way back downstairs to get acquainted with the space, girls, and wait up to meet 2 more new people.
I tried to stay up with the other girls, but all of us newbies were so exhausted, that I went right up to bed. My bed, doesn’t have a ladder so I basically have to do some aerobics to get up there. It’s not too bad, especially since I am one of the tallest people here, I have definitely gotten used to it. the first 2 days were actually hell though, especially trying to get down.
Once I finally made my way into my bed, I got really nervous. The girls who had already been here were best friends. They talk about everything and they do it with such ease. I sort of felt as if I were intruding on their friendships. I really thought I was making a huge mistake coming to Peru. Trying to put those negative thoughts behind me, I shut off my phone, pulled up my covers, and went right to sleep.
Alicia
Also, If you want to follow my journey more frequently, follow my Instagram: @aliciaheninger
Happy Thursday to you all. In a matter of 12 or so hours I will be on my plane to Peru. I wanted to make one last post prior to leaving just to be like ‘hey, I’m leaving’ and so on and so forth.
For those of you who are new or simply don’t pay attention to my blog posts… I will be in Lima, Peru for the next 4 weeks volunteering in an orphanage(s). Basically, in regards to posting, I am hoping to post 10 posts at the most over the next 4 weeks (but expect a ton of Peru related posts when I get back home). I am not going to say that I will have any consistency in my posting whatsoever (and I really don’t care) and I just really wanted to get that out there.
Yes, I will have down time, however, I may want to nap or explore and do other things besides blogging. I’m not gone, I’m not dead, I’m just out here, enjoying life.
I am super excited for this experience and the next 4 weeks of my life. Until I get to Peru (or my plane) I must logoff because I have to shove this computer into my backpack, along with so many other things. So, hasta pronto mis personas favoritas y hasta pronto Lima
Hi everyone. The other day, Kate, nominated me for the Blogger Recognition Award. Thank you so much to Kate for this nomination. I would definitely recommend everyone goes and checks out her blog. Let’s get started with the award.
Rules
* Thank the blogger who nominated you and provide a link to their blog.
* Give a brief story of how your blog started.
* Give two pieces of advice to new bloggers.
* Select 10 other bloggers you want to give this award to.
* Comment on each blog and let them know you have nominated them and provide the link to the post you created.
How I started blogging
I have been blogging since I was 14. I stumbled upon someone’s summer bucket list blog and I decided that I wanted to make one as well. So, that summer and the summer after, my friend Molly and I made a summer bucket list blog. We are no longer friends, however, I wanted to continue blogging so I have made a few blogs over my lifetime to continue blogging, mainly just random writings and a bit of food tracking. However, last October, I decided that I wanted to document my time in college so that’s how I started this blog 🙂
Advice
Write about what you want- This one may seem pretty self-explanatory, however, it may not be. With so many lifestyle blogs about fashion and the latest hair hack, you may seem pressured to post about these. Yes, it may get you some traffic but if you don’t necessarily like what you’re posting… why blog? I will post a review here and there because I want to and I think other people might want to see it. I post things for me, because I like them, not to get a certain amount of views in a day and I recommend you all do the same.
Don’t stress- I’m all about trying to be consistent, it’s what readers like and it gets views. However, if I’m sick or had a long day or was out with friends, I’m not going to worry about my blog. Blogging can wait, your life can’t. I blog during downtime, on plane rides, in bed, etc. I make sure I love my life how I want to and make sure that blogging comes second. Make sure you do that as well.
I nominate
I have done this award quite a bit and I don’t want to nominate the same 10 people over and over. So, if you want to do this award, by all means, go for it. 🙂
Hi everyone. 3 days until I leave for Peru!! A few weeks ago, Alana made a vision board out of magazines, newspaper clippings, and other written media. After reading the story behind hers (and seeing the process of making her vision board), I flashbacked to middle school and high school when I would clip pictures of Harry Styles, and quotes saying ‘you’re beautiful’ and would litter them on my closet door. I realized that it had been so long since I’d done that and how fun they were to make, so I decided to make my own.
After scouring my entire house for magazines, and only ending up with a few minor ones and a Target catalogue, I got to work on my vision board. I paged through all of them, ripping out pages with cool and warm colors, long quote, short quotes, photographs, etc and laid them aside to cut up.
All of my pages ready to be cut up
After that, I began cutting all of the quotes and photos out from the pages and aligning them on my bulletin board. I had quotes ranging from “happy” to “bitch it out” and photos of kids running up stairs and greenery on tables. After i complied them all together on the board, I put my push pins in each clipping and hung it on my bedroom wall, so whenever I need a bit of motivation or just to know I’m worth it, I can check that board.
Living off Leesh 