June 27, 2016

Day 1

            Not really the most auspicious start to the month. My original flight was delayed by a whole day so I couldn’t leave until the day I was supposed to arrive. Oh well, these things do happen. So here I am, in Peru a day late but nevertheless here. The altitude sickness everyone warns me about hasn’t really hit yet, but I expect it will at some point while I am here. I got to meet my host family and go to the school in the same day, immediately after my plane landed. My Familia (what I’m going to call my Peruvian family) is absolutely wonderful and I couldn’t have found a more welcoming family. Edwin, his wife Claudia, his younger sister Ruth and their baby son Esteban were so kind. I don’t think I’ve ever been kissed on the cheek so often in a single hour. Maybe it’s a cultural thing. They were really excited when I gave them their gifts. It’s really lucky that they like Disney. The baby they had is just the cutest thing, but I think he’s a little alarmed by me, maybe because he’s never seen someone with natural red hair. Who knows? Anyway, immediately after I was shown around the apartment and given the chance to drop my luggage, I went straight to the school. I’m probably going to walk, just so that I don’t have to spend money on bus or cab fare. It’s sort of a long walk but it’ll help me get used to the altitude, and walking is good for the body anyway. Once Edwin took me to the school, the people at Ecela (ES) took me right up to begin my learning. Dorian was my teacher, and he was pretty understanding of me not being able to understand him all the time. I won’t bore you with the details of the lesson itself, but it was similar to how I learned last year, but with about twice the amount of writing. I’m pretty wiped from the day of flying, but traveler’s high still hasn’t worn off. I’m going to crash hard when it wears off. Either way, I’m excited for the beginning of this brilliant new adventure.