Missing home!!

Ah I cant wait to get home! I dont like going to class and learning about poetry in Spanish, when I know its hot and summertime at home!! haha. A week from tomorrow Jimmy and Mom will be here, then I will go home that Wed/Thurs!

So every day the topic of conversation always drifts to things we miss at home, mostly food. Dont get me wrong, I love all the new food I have been trying and what not, but when you dont have all the same things available, it makes you crave it so much more!! haha.. If you are wondering what foods I miss, I miss... Olive Garden, Red Robin , Noodles & Co, Panera Bread, good milk, chips and salsa, good cereal, going to the grocery store period,100 calorie packs, wheat thins, Mi Pueblito, and there is more but those are just the first that come to mind. I do love the rice and potatoes with every meal here though. and all the bread. and a lot of the new dishes I have tried!

there has not been much going on here, just going to class and hanging out, trying new foods. Yesterday we had some kind of shredded chicken that ended up looking like tuna, but it was really delicious. It kind of had a taste like chicken pot pie. We had potatoes and rice with it. The night before we had a meal kind of like baked beans. She said it was with ¨red beans¨ and she baked them with onions and bacon, topped with an egg. It tasted like baked beans and it was really good! Then tonight we actually repeated a meal for the first time, we had tamales again tonight. They arent my favorite, they are a cornmeal type thing and its kind of plain and dry.

Pilar saw my chips and salsa and asked me what the salsa was, because she had never had it. So yesterday I left the chips on the counter for her to try, but later she said that she didnt know how to eat it! So I had to show her how to eat it, but she liked it a lot. Then today she was asking us what a casserole was because she thought all casseroles were the same recipe, it was chicken and something else. So we explained casseroles to her. Also today I had a really good sandwich, then tried a ¨churro¨. but I think they have those other places but they are popular here. They are long and skinny and look like a fried donut. They are filled with chocolate, vanilla, or caramel, and served warm. The donut part of it is not quite as expected though, as most desserts here and Peru. Thats another thing I miss, is sweet desserts. The ice cream and everything is really good but I dont even try to get cakes or pastries or anything because I know it wont be enough for my sweet tooth !! haha

The other day Kathryn and I were watching ¨the girls next door¨ (the playboy mansion with hugh hefner), because there is not too much good american stuff on tv, and Pilar walks in and looked at the tv, and immediately says ¨kendra! kendra is my favorite!¨.... so apparently she watches it. I thought that was really funny!

One thing I have learned here is that Peruvians are really anal about their sidewalks and driveways. Every morning and day they sweep and mop their sidewalks and drive ways. Weird. and the park outside our classroom, they are seriously raking leaves and doing stuff to the park allll day. Its funny.

For anyone that is wondering, or just assuming that I am fluent, or whatever you may think, I will tell.! I am no where near fluent. Being here makes me realize how far from it I am. Its amazing how many people here know English, all the young people I have met are completely fluent, and a lot of them know German too. Its embarassing how they hardly teach it in the states! Hopefully one day I will be fluent, but I only have one more class to take at State in order to have my minor in Spanish, so I definitely will need to take a lot more classes than that! Or travel a lot more :)

We are going Saturday to help out at an orphanage. I am going to be with the 3-6 year old girls. there are about 700 kids at the orphanage, and 50 of us going. It will be interesting to see and do, I am looking forward to it! Other than that, I have to write a paper that is due for the end of class, and start studying for my final that is on Thursday!