Rotten tomatoes, skater boys, and cough drops.

Oh goodness. Where to begin with writing about this unconventional Wednesday! Hump day is always our busiest day, given the three classes starting at 8am and ending at 7 at night, but somehow this one seemed extra...special.

Class one: We have an internal struggle each week when that dreaded alarm rings to wake up for our first language class at eight in the morning twice a week.  Within three months, I'm proud to say we've only skipped it twice, but this particular morning made us seriously question what exactly we are getting out of this school situation.  Everything starts out fine, the professor takes attendance and discusses next week's homework assignment, then proceeds to teach an entire two hour lesson on how to write about "cause and effect."  Please. I won't even get into how much of a time-waster topic this was to begin with.  Things got really bizarre when we watched a nine minute video on "the life span of a tomato."  Oh no, it doesn't end there. The professor that I'm practically in love with asked us to write an entire paragraph about said tomato. Major points lost today, Erika. Major points

Class two: In our other language class, which is detested slightly more than the first course, we watched another Youtube clip about inclusive education in Peru.  I was legitimately fascinated by the topic until the unthinkable flashed across the screen. One of the teachers at one of the schools being interviewed was wearing a shirt that read: "I <3 boys, I <3 jocks, I <3 skaters, I <3 music."  Brianna and I did our best to stifle outright laughter, but to no avail.  I was cracking up for the remainder of the clip, which apparently prompted our professor to direct his first question to me, asking what my opinion was regarding inclusive education.  I somehow pulled it together well enough to respectfully share my thoughts, but I am extremely perplexed as to why respectable Peruvians seem to be enticed to wear clothing with such tacky American phrases.  I also apparently influenced a Peruvian version of "Ugly Betty" (Brianna's nickname) from our class to get her nose pierced.  She rushed in about half an hour late (the usual for her) and ran straight to me, pointing her finger at her nose and shaking her wild hair all over my desk.  She said something about how she'd seen my nose and wanted one just like me, but it wasn't worth it because she was still in so much pain. I suppose I was flattered...

Class three:  Originally dubbed as "the crazy lady," our professor for our Society and Women in the World class sauntered in after we had taken our seats wearing bright blue leggings, Hello Kitty converse, a yellow skin tight long sleeved t-shirt, and a black vest she most definitely had on backwards.  Not that we expected anything less, but Brianna and I exchanged a quick glance and a giggle as the woman whom has won over our hearts and quickly came to be our favorite professor began her teachings on women in politics.  Not ten minutes past the start of class, a boy who typically sits kitty-corner from us poked his head in and motioned for the professor's attention.  He announced to her and the entire class that he was simply too sad to go to class, and asked if he could be excused.  I'm not quite sure what he was thinking, because she never takes attendance, and most certainly is not one to put up with any needless crap. She ridiculed him for a good two minutes, then dismissed him like nothing happened.  It was a sight. 

Other noteworthy Peruvianisms:
- During elections here, everyone is required to vote.  If you don't show up on election day, they fine you close to $300.  Also, in attempts to prevent voters for returning to the polls and voting twice, they have this really advanced system of sticking one of their middle fingertips in blue ink, that takes well over two weeks to completely rub off.
- There's really no such thing as a postal service here.  There is a place that you can send and receive packages, but they do not deliver daily mail.  If you have a water bill, the actual water bill company will come deliver the bill to your mailbox, not a mailman.  Therefore, none of you will be getting post cards until I return home, it's just too complicated.
- The McDonald's menu is relatively the same, but I wasn't surprised to see that the meal sizes are drastically different.  A small soda would be what I consider a kiddie cup, while a large is about the size of a medium.  Other than that, I don't know how Peruvians stay so skinny because they eat so well here!
- People eat Halls cough drops like they are candy. huh.

My apologies if this post seems completely sarcastic...it is.  I'm trying to schedule courses for next semester at Nazareth and it's proving to be quite the challenge to even get any answers from professors there.  Oh well, it will all be over on Monday at 1:30 when I can register for good.

Halloween in Another Country

Happy Halloween!     
       At the stroke of midnight on Halloween morning, Brianna and I ran around the apartment giving people celebratory hugs, all the while plastering our faces with some pumpkin and candy corn stickers from home.  We were certainly well prepared for the coming of this holiday, complete with spider and skeleton headbands, lots of candy from home, and a witch splat door decoration!

       One week past the arrival of our suitcase from home and our immense stash of Halloween candy is seeing it's final days.  What can I say? We have an itch for any type of food reminiscent of home, and that includes homemade white chocolate covered pretzels, cinnamon sugar poptarts, lightly salted pumpkin seeds, and what looked like a box of Lucky Charms big enough to satisfy three grown men.  I am proud to say that my GIANT jar of peanut butter should be able to last me until December, unless there's a jelly and bread surplus in the apartment that we have to devour before they go bad. I think the biggest things I'm craving now are Taco Bell crunchwrap supremes, Bdubs Parmesan and garlic boneless wings, and a hearty pint of mint and cookies Ben & Jerry's ice cream.

      Our festivities were minimal, as any type of party that may have been going on cost big bucks just to enter.  Our roommate went out dressed as a jedi from Star Wars and said it was well worth it, but that's just not really my thing to begin with, so I was content staying in. Brianna and I both agreed that the hype before Halloween is more exciting than the event itself, so we settled for curling up on the couch with hot spiced apple cider my mom so graciously sent us, and watched Vicky Cristina Barcelona. (A GREAT movie I would highly recommend!) Around 5pm, screeches of laughter and giggling drifted up from the courtyard as all the children gathered in their costumes to go trick or treating.  We really had front row seats to the adorableness as we stood in the window of our room for a good half an hour watching Buzz Lightyear, a princess, Mickey Mouse, and Spiderman race around on little self-propelled scooters.

     I may change my mind before this actually happens, but for some reason I really want to go see Paranormal Activity 2 when it comes out here on November 4th.  Yes, you heard me correctly.  This coming from the girl that ran out screaming after 5 minutes of watching Zodiac with all the senior girls in the sorority freshman year,  who had to go to bed early when everyone wanted to watch The Exorcism of Emily Rose during a visit to Ashland last Fall, and who covered her eyes and cried during the final scenes of Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets.  Something is seriously compelling me to go buy a ticket on a Tuesday night when going to the movies is half price here, and I may just suck up my childlike behavior when it comes to ghosts and demons just to watch it.  Maybe it's like the acquired taste of coffee. It's been a while since I've tried to watch any sort of horror film, this could be my time.

        All in all, experiencing Halloween in Peru was nothing terrifically special, but it did make me appreciate the festivities we hold dear back home.  I do plan to be in Mexico for the last week in October and beginning of November to experience dia de los muertos at some point in my lifetime. That I'm sure would be a most unforgettable experience!