Day 1!!

Hey everyone, I´m at an internet cafe here in Lima. We finally made it to our hotel at about midnight last night (which would be 1am at home) and we will be there tonight as well, then we fly out to Cuzco tomorrow morning (leaving at 545 am to be exact). On the 5 hour flight from Miami, I sat beside a man from Spain. I knew he was spanish and I knew that my mom would be really happy if I talked to him, so I struck up a spanish conversation with him. We talked about where I was going, what I was doing, etc, and I was really excited. Half of it I couldn´t understand though sometimes so I just nodded and smiled. and some of it he wrote out for me if I couldn´t understand a word. He would randomly talk to me through out the flight, and when I told him my name was Rachel, he said ¨Rachel like from Friends¨? and it made me laugh. He had asked if I could read in spanish and if I liked novels, then later he got out a book from his bag and gave it to me. He said he bought it for himself for his trip but wanted me to have it! His name was Angel. But enough about him already...
Today we had an orientation meeting and got lectured on how to tell real soles from counterfeit soles, and learned about being safe in Taxis, about drugs in the area, etc. Then we went to the bank to exchange our money.. but the line took so long that we had to leave to eat lunch, then exchange money after lunch. For lunch, it was preordered because it is included in the trip, so they just brought all the food out to us. It was a cafe on the ocean (Lima is on the Pacific Ocean). First they brought us some kind of yummy cheese crepes with a mini salad. I ate all of it and was satisfied, then they cleared the table and brought us new forks and knives. We all forgot that lunch is the main meal here. So then we had potatoes and meat, and then ice cream for dessert. I don´t know what we will do for dinner but today is a free afternoon.
We can´t drink the water here, and you aren´t supposed to put toilet paper in the toilet, you put it in the trash can beside it. The keyboard is different with spanish keys, so some of the stuff is hard to figure out how to type. I am going to try to find a phone today to get so that John will be able to call me.. also mom was just asking me if there was food and coffee in internet cafes, but no, there are only computers!

The people in charge of us are really nice. There are the 2 married professors from NC State, then a man Carlos who lives here, and a man Jose who also lives here. All the people I have met so far have been nice. There are 47 students I beleive, and only 6 or 7 guys I think. So its basically a bunch of girls.

I keep thinking of random things to add, and I just was looking and I think that it will be easy for me to upload pictures on this computer and then post them. So I can do that when I get the chance, probably after the hike! My cell phone has service here but neither Kathryn or I can figure out how to make calls.. so I just turned it off.

Well I will be back on here as soon as I can!! Might be tomorrow, might be after the hike.. not real sure!
Talk to everyone soon!