So Peru is really awesome and I love it. It's warm every day, I kind of can't help it. I am still staying with Greg's brother Peter's friend Angela's friend Jorge and his family. They are super sweet and keeping me from getting homesick. They live in a district called la Molina. I am seeing a lot of Lima. I will talk about all the cool stuff I've done and put up pictures later. I just thought I'd start this blog before it gets too late. Here is some information on Peru for you, in no particular order.
bands that are coming to Peru:
Marc Anthony
Iron Maiden
Peter Gabriel
the B-52's
The Village People (!)
Oasis
The Jonas Brothers
Kiss

Peru, like any guidebook will tell you and Jorge keeps reminding me, is "a city of contrasts." Gorgeous old cathedrals and mansions next to barefoot children selling flowers in the street. Thick, blanketing pollution next to swaths of grass and so many different kinds of trees. Even in cities, there is green everywhere. Palm trees, huge trees, cacti, evergreens, so many different kinds of trees next to each other.
People make out everywhere. Especially in parks, but also on buses, on sidewalks waiting for buses, sitting down, standing up. Not just kids, either. Adults.
Traffic is really interesting here. Just because there three lanes painted on the road doesn't mean some huge bus won't decide that there really should be 4 and create his own lane. People drive fast, fast, fast and thisclosetoeachother. I've only seen a few accidents so far, though. There are taxis, little buses and big buses. And private cars, of course. People keep piling in even after all the seats are filled. Even on the little buses, where if you don't have a seat, you can't stand up all the way but have to grab onto a rail hunched over.
Ketchup, mayonaise, mustard and milk are sold in bags.
People really like to wear uniforms here. Not just cops, but sanitation workers, grocery store security guards, secretaries, and guards outside museums, libraries, universities.
I am getting tan. I'm going to take Spanish classes at a university that start at the beginning of April. They are two hours a day. I took a placement test and was placed in the second level class! I don't know exactly what that means, only that they were obviously impressed with my vast knowledge of Spanish. Tonight we are going to the beach for a barbeque with Jorge and his sister Georgina at their cousin's house. I just got skpe. My name is josebob2.