First day of classes and already improving
Coming to Lima has been overwhelming, to say the least. My expectations have been exceeded in every possible way. There is no comparison to reading about how green and lush the area is, about the beautiful flowers and gardens, the “temperate” climate and the coastal area and then actually seeing it in person. I find myself often mesmerized by how bright and colorful everything is. There are flowers cropping up everywhere in picturesque parks and even just trailing down the walls of buildings as I walk down the streets with my classmates. The contrast of the plants with the colorful buildings is beautiful. The view of the Pacific Ocean is absolutely breathtaking and it only takes 15 minutes for me to get to the coast.
The restaurants and the service we’ve received in them have been hit or miss, but overall we’ve been delighted to experience all they have to offer. Our server today even came up to us and asked if we wanted a picture together. There is something more authentic and romantic about the restaurants here, in my opinion. Maybe it’s the decoration or the abundance of plant life or just the newness of it all.
Tonight, we took the Mirabus to Barranco and Chorrillios. Exploring this area made me realize that Miraflores seems a lot more Americanized than other places in Lima and Peru. I was originally surprised to see places like Pizza Hut, Chili’s and Burger King in Miraflores and after touring other areas, I felt like there were many more authentic Peruvian places in other districts. I’ve been fascinated by the architecture and the parks which are nothing like I’ve seen in my home of Boston. The appreciation for the history and culture seems to be much greater here in some ways.
Today we had our first day of classes and I will admit, I was nervous going into it. It’s one thing taking classes at Northeastern but a completely new level of anxiety and excitement taking classes in another country for the first time. First, everyone in the school is so helpful and sincere as they communicate with us. At first, I found myself overwhelmed in the grammar class by how little English the teacher chose to spoke but as I kept asking questions I found that I was catching up just fine.
Then, I noticed it helped me to write my notes for classes in Spanish, which I had never done before. I’ve even started thinking in Spanish and speaking it in response to my friends without realizing! Being forced to be more alert in the classes due to the immersion into the language is ultimately so beneficial.
I came home tonight after the tour and found that after just one day of classes, I was able to engage in conversation with my host, Anita, with much more ease. I’ve been asking her a lot of questions just about her life and what she likes to do, eat and drink, and telling her about me more as well. I can’t wait until my Spanish improves even more and we can talk about the topics that are truly relevant and important to her.
