Home at last

There are a few things running through my mind at this moment:
1) Whoa. I'm here.
2) It's really cold.
3) Am I really here?
4) I can't believe I'm here.
As redundant as that sounds, I have been drifting in and out of shock every day I have woken up in South America. I just cannot believe where I am right now!!
But yes, I arrived safe and sound to Peru Sunday morning. My flight from Miami to Lima was wonderful. As soon as I published my last entry, people in my terminal began to stand in line for boarding- even though it was an hour before takeoff- so I lugged my things and claimed my throne. We boarded 20 minutes later, and I was seated by the window (the prime spot for pictures, of course!) next to a Peruvian woman who seemed pretty annoyed with how far back her husband was pushing his seat right in front of her. Airplane problems. The flight was smooth, and I slept for a while. However, the adrenaline from the excitement of it all got to me around 2 am, so I decided to indulge my insomnia with a free flight movie. I chose Life of Pi, which I thoroughly enjoyed- and by "enjoyed", I mean I sat glued to the screen from 2 to 4 am without even drifting off, and I even let myself get all sappy and emotional when Pi began to bond with his new best friend, the scary tiger. I eventually fell asleep again just in time for our landing, woke up, got my things, made it through immigration (I only got slightly lost and, well, super confused), baggage claim, and customs. A coordinator from VivePeru was waiting with a trusty taxi driver who took my hefty bags (even with the language barrier, I could tell he was shocked that a young woman could handle so many heavy things!) and drove me over to our hostel in Lima. I snuck into the room the owner pointed to and promptly fell asleep with no regrets. When I woke up a few hours later, I met my three roommates: two girls who are traveling with the Peace Corps, and a girl from North Carolina who is backpacking through Peru on her own for two months. They were all super nice and interested in what I was also doing in Peru! I then got my lovely prepaid cellphone and yet another information packet about my schedule with VivePeru (I've begun a little collection) and met some other volunteers. All I can say is, my excitement level was already annoyingly-high when I landed in Peru, but it went through the roof once I met the other people I will be working with. I'm obviously very ecstatic and am loving everyone and everything so far. I met a group of great girls, and we decided to give ourselves a little tour around Lima yesterday- not only did we get to stick our feet in the ocean and walk around a cute Peruvian market with souvenirs, but we also did not get lost at all! Win. I ate many delicious meals while in Lima, including a burger with bacon and eggs in it, a lot of chicken, some squid, and a LOT of rice...and potatoes. Rice and potatoes= every meal. It's not as bad as I thought it would be!...then again, this is only day three. ;) We then boarded a bus at 9 pm last night and took it overnight to Trujillo, the city in which I will be working! I slept almost the entire way and woke up at 6:30 am to hear the bus driver welcoming us to Trujillo in her all-too-soothing voice. It made me want to go back to sleep. But once the bus stopped, we all got off, grabbed our things, and went to meet our host families inside the station. However, the three other girls assigned to my homestay and I were approached by one of the coordinators to hear that the husband of our host mother- our host father- had unexpectedly passed away from a heart attack just this past Saturday night, and because of that our host mother was still at home and we would meet her there. I had been told when I arrived on Sunday about my host father's death, but it is still a shock and is very, very sad. It's so difficult to imagine how quickly things can change in just a day, or even 30 minutes. So the four of us piled into one taxi, stuffing all our bags into another taxi- apparently I'm not the only one who overpacks!- and were dropped off 10 minutes later to the door of our host mother's home. We rang the bell, and after unlocking the intense plethora of locks on the front door, she welcomed us with teary eyes and kisses on our cheeks. My host mother, Elsa, is an extremely kind, affectionate, light-hearted, beautiful woman. Although her heart is broken- which she told us as soon as we sat down to talk- her spirit is infectious and insuppressible. She is one amazing mother, wife, and grandmother, and I already love her. She helped us to our rooms, showed us her absolutely stunning three-floor house and roof, and she made us breakfast. After we all took much-needed showers, ate, and gave thank-you presents to our mamá and received more kisses and hugs in return, we walked around the neighborhood, La Merced, with Elsa, accompanied by two protective neighborhood watchmen. Elsa told us many things about the stores, the streets, the people, safety, etc.; she speaks only a little English, so my Spanish is quickly coming back to me as she speaks to us with exaggerated gestures and a slow tongue! We went to the Peruvian version of Costco/ Target, called Metro, and bought toilet paper and handsoap- it's what all the cool tourists buy (or maybe just just the clean ones). In Peru, most public restrooms and even bathrooms in the house don't have toilet paper or soap. You're expected to provide your own whenever you use one! You usually have to pay to use public bathrooms as well- if you're cheap like me and want to spend money on souvenirs and not toilet fees, that's a good incentive to wait and only use the bathroom at home! I like what I've seen of Trujillo so far, and we begin our first orientation in Trujillo in an hour (after lunch- the biggest meal of the day!). Lima was so beautiful, with the ocean, the gardens and parks, and the clean streets. Trujillo is slightly warmer, although it's still between 50-70 degrees most days and it has more smog. I've loved meeting the Peruvian people so far, and they are always very surprised to see such pale people walking their streets! I am called a "gringa" (white girl) here, and I've already gotten used to being referred to that way. Several Peruvian people have asked if my friends and I are from California (and, of course, they say it slowly and excitedly: "Call-ee-FOUR-nee-yuh?!") or New York; when I said, "No, soy de Michigan" to a taxi driver, he just stared blankly. Poor Michigan- no love here.
So far, I love everything I have learned about Peru: I love its customs, its bright colors, its emphasis on family time and eating. I love how animals are just everywhere (But my life will not be complete until I lay my eyes upon the majestic llama!) and how people interact with one other here. Everyone talks so intimately with one another, like the person they are speaking with is the most special being they have ever met. I love looking out the window and seeing laundry hung up on the rooftops. I like how I've even seen DOGS on the rooftops! I actually really enjoy observing and hearing the busy streets that are packed full with drivers who would have gotten their licenses revoked in about two days in the States. I love all of it! And tonight for our orientation, we will learn more about Peruvian culture and way of life, receive more Spanish-speaking classes (praise the Lord!), and we will learn to cook our own Peruvian dishes- and, of course, eat them. This place is just a dream.