I <3 Lima

Lima is the best city ever. I'm convinced : ) This weekend has been amazing.

My host family is AWESOME. I couldn't ask for a better or more welcoming family. They constantly make sure I have everything I need, and I'm so grateful for that. At the same time, they let me have as much independence as I want which is also very nice : ) My host siblings are so much fun and yesterday was the day of the national drink, pisco sour, so we all made drinks and had them together...some good sibling bonding!

Thursday was the first day of classes, and I'll admit, I was wondering "why the heck did I come here? I can't understand anything." I had absolutely no idea what was going on for about 75% of the time. I know it will get better, but it was just a little frustrating. After class, we all went to get cell phones together, so we can finally make calls to each other! Then we had our first experiences in a "combi" by ourselves. I don't exactly know how to explain the combi situation...but they are basically these vans that scrunch TONS of people in them, go really really fast and follow absolutely no traffic rules. So...they're pretty fun! HA. I was just happy I made it home alive!

On Friday, my friends and I decided to Larcomar, which is right on the beach. They have nice stores with some BEAUTIFUL shoes...my heart is content! And, I got some Starbucks which also made my life a lot better. Ha. After shopping, Starbucks, and the beach, we all went to a casino for some food, drinks, and dancing! It was definitely a good time : ) I love all the other students on this trip and am SO grateful to have them here. Doing this alone would be much too scary for me!

Here, I'm learning that life doesn't always have to be so fast-paced. People are in general much more laid-back here. They don't seem to stress about anything. Which is quite a change from life in the U.S. In Lima, people walk slower, eat slower, and just seem to take more time savoring every bit of life without worrying and stressing about what's coming next. I think that's a good philosophy for me to adopt: enjoy each moment and don't stress about the future...it will happen, and I think that's all I really need to know right now. Tomorrow I start my first full week of classes...wish me luck!

Love and miss you all! Besos y abrazos (hugs and kisses)!!!
Chelsea