PICTURES!!!!!

I am finally putting up some pictures! The first one is from my pole dancing classes. The next one is me in the tradition clothing from the city of Lamas in the Jungle. Then I have two from the beach when I went to Lima, I am with my host sister from Lima Jimena. And the last two are from my prom! the picture with all the people are all of the AFS students in Huancayo and the other is me, my friend Nele, and our friend José.

What a crazy few days! Well on the 14th I went over to talk to one of the AFS volenteers. She somehow convinced me to return to my first host family that same day! I was amazed that she wanted me to change that fast! So I went back to my house and I packed up all my stuff (close to 11 bags!) and I was in the other house in under 2 hours! Things were going great until the night time. I don´t know what happened but I just broke down crying for about 3 hours. I felt so bad because I just got to their house and the family had no idea what to do. I was just so stressed and I missed my family so much, I actually wrote an e-mail to my mom telling her that I wanted to come home in March. I went to bed hoping that a good nights sleep would help me out.
It did! I woke up on the morning of my birthday feeling great! I got up kinda early and I got ready. I put on my special outfit that I had picked out and then I went to my friend Johanna´s house and she did my hair and make-up. I came back to the house and I cleaned and set up the livinf room for my "get together" (not a party) that I would have that night. Then I went back to the family that I had just left because they had prepared something special for my birthday. We ate cake and hot chocolate and they gave me an adorable doll. But I soon had to go. So I said my goodbyes and I returned to my house. I called my mom so that I could talk to her a little bit for my birthday, but not to long because I had to set everything up.
And soon, people started showing up! So many more people came then what I expected! It was so much fun. I showed everyone my clothes fromt he jungle and we ate cake ( Prilu, my sister, shoved my face in it) and we danced for hours. By the end of the night I was so exhausted! I helped clean up a little bit and then I went to bed and fell asleep so fast!
I can´t believe that I am 17. I remember when I was 10 saying that I would never be 16 because that is so old. Well just look at me now! 17 years old. I guess that I am growing up whether I like it or not. But like someone famous once said, growing old is manditory, growing up is optional.

I love you all and I miss you all so much!

Lots of Love,
Lindsey

My new normal

It would be very hard for me to say that what I considered to be normal is now very weird. I also realize that I now consider things to be normal that you all might think is crazy. Allow me to explain myself.
1. Washing my clothes. I hand-wash all of my clothes, we do not have a washing machine; it is very rare that families have washing machines. And none, I mean NONE of the families have dryers. I asked about a dryer, they did not know what it was.
2. Washing dishes. People here do not know what a dishwasher is, they think that it is a person that comes to the house to wash the dishes.
3. Taking a shower. Most families here do not have a shower, they dump water on them or they go to a public sauna. I am very lucky, I have a shower in my house.
4. Water. A lot of people don´t have running water. I do. But no one has hot water. If you are very lucky you have hot water in only your shower. Well hot water means kinda warm sometimes.
5. We do not have a refrigerator. We buy all of our food for the days meals and we use it that day.
6. We drink some type of hot beverage 3 times a day. Sometimes its hot chocolate, sometimes its coffee, or tea, but we always drink something hot.
7. Transportation. I can not imagine not being able to call a taxi to my house if I want to go out. Or not being able to pay 30 cents to ride a combi to my friend´s house.
Those are just a few things, to me they are completely normal. I would not even think twice about these things, they are my life now.

*I can not think of a title for this one*

I was wrong. I was so sure that things were going to get better with my sisters, but as I have learned things do not always go the way that I planned. My older sister has made it very clear that she does not want me to live here anymore. So I have talked to AFS and they are in the process of finding me a new family. I know that I only have a few months left to make this the best experience of my life, and that is what I am going to do. I need to stop relying on other people to make this great for me and start making it great for myself.
I would like to apologize. I know that this blog is the only contact that some of you have with me and I have not been updating it very much. Like I said, I have been stressed and very busy, I will try to get a new post up at least twice week (please don´t hold me to that).
Right now I understand what it is like to be an adult. I am having a few money issues. I left my camera out in the rain. I was so sure that it was broken beyond repair. So I kept taking the battery out so it could dry out. And then it started getting better, and one morning I woke up just knowing that it was fixed and all dried out. Then I tried to put the battery in. I had been taking it out and putting it in so much that the little spring broke, how ironic is that. I had to buy a new camera. I now have to start saving my money for the trip to Manchu Pichu in the summer (we can´t go now because Cuzco is underwater). That should be super fun.

I miss you all so much. Los extraño bastante. Yo quiero regresar a mi casa y mi collegio. Es asi, yo quiero regresar a Estados Unidos, pero yo no quiero irme de Perù.

Con mucho amor (Lots of Love),
-Lindsey

Carnival

We are going to do what!? That was my first response when my sisters explained the "carnival" to me. The carnival is the whole month of February and it consists of dumping water on other people. This is not just done in the family or with friends; everytime that you walk on the street you are in danger of being soaked wether you like it or not. Now I imagine that on the coast or in the jungle where it is really hot that this game is a refreshing cool down. I live in the mountains, it never gets above 70 degrees. At first I refused to participate for the fear of dying of hypothermia. But I somehow ended up on my roof with my sisters and a friend trying as hard as I could to soak them; and it worked. I did not die, I did not get frostbite, in fact, I had fun. A lot of fun. Yes, I was freezing, but I felt like a part of the family and not some forgein girl that is forced to live here.

After my trip to Lima I expected to come home to warm hugs and a changed family. That however was not the case. My sisters were treating me worse then ever, they had even rearanged the room so my bed as all alone in the corner. But I was determined to make this work. So I did as much housework as I could think of so I could make a good impression, showing that I really do want to be here. And my hardwork did pay off. My sisters actually started being nice to me. Everything began to look just a little bit brighter then before. Now I am not sure if it will always be as good as today playing carnival, but I know that things will in fact be better.

XOXOXO
Lindsey

Lima

I have been in Lima for just over a week now and I LOVE it. My host family is great, just really amazing! I will tell you all what I have been doing for the past week and my plans for this week. Monday was so much fun! I got to sleep in until whenever I wanted and then Jimena and I swam in her pool and layed out in the sun. But then in the evening was the best part, I had my first pole dancing lesson! Now I know what you all must be thinking about pole dancing, but it is not at all what you would expect. I am learning the sport, not how to be a stripper, and it is actually really really hard. I was so surprised at how much strength it takes, and after i was beyond sore!
I dont remember what happened on Wednesday. On Thursday we had pole dancing again, i am so proud that I can do some of the crazy hard hanging upside down stuff that only the insturctor can do. Of course i will post pictures as soon as I get back to Huancayo.
Then on Friday we backed up our stuff and headed out to the beach house for the weekend again. And of course, I am sick. I don´t understand how its possible that I am not sick when I am 11,000 feet in the mountains in the freezing cold and constant rain, but I get sick on sea level where it is BEAUTIFUL.
Well, now it is Sunday, I am feeling much better. Last night we had a fire on the beach, it was a lot of fun. Then I slept in until about 12 this morning. I got up and I drank my fresh strawberry juice... OH YEAH, I dont remember if I told you guys. They dont really sell juice here in Peru because everyone makes it fresh. I have had papaya, orange, strawberry (my favorite), maracuya, banana, and so many different mixes that I cant remember.
I am really looking forward to this next week. Its my last week in Lima so my friends are going to take me clubbing on Tuesday and on Thursday. On Tuesday I am going to go to salsa class, that should be super fun, nad I already promised my mom that I would teach her when i get back, she wants me to have a group class, how funny would that be!

I am in love with the city of Lima. It is such an amazing city and the district that I am in is REALLY nice. It actually reminds me of the USA. But I have started to realize that the people that live here dont really travel in their country. I have been talking with all of my friends and asking them what other parts of the country that they know, and I am always surprised that I know more parts then them.

Well I am sorry, but I am going to go now. I am sure that I could sit here for another 3 hours and write, but it is sunny outside and I am at a beach house. So I am going to go lay out in the sun because it is never sunny here, the sky is always covered by clouds.

I love you guys!!!!

XOXOXOXOXO
Lindsey

more traveling

Wow, I have not written a new post in so long, I am so sorry, I have just been so busy. On the 11th i had to pack up all of my things and take the 8 hour bus ride to Lima. I got to Lima at about 6 in the morning. I went to a youth hostal to sleep for a little while and to eat breakfast. I stayed there until about 9 then I headed off to the office of AFS. I just waited for the whole day until about 4. Then we went to the bus station because I had to go to the city of Tumbes for my Visa. The city of Tumbes is partly in Peru and partly in Ecuador. So what I did was I got permisson to leave Peru, then I went and I got a stamp that says that I was in ecuador. Then I got permission to leave Ecuador, then I went back and I got my new visa to be in Peru, all of this in under an hour. But the boarder was really cool, there was this really long market with a bridge in the middle. On one side of the bridge was Peru and on the other side was Ecuador, I still have no idea where the part in the middle belongs.

So then the next day I packed up my things and I took the 22 hour bus ride back to Lima, yes i did say 22 hours in a bus.

Luckily I do not have to go back to Huancayo right away, I get to spend 2 weeks in Lima with a host family here. It is a chance for me to get to know a different part of Peru, all of the exchange students are going to a different city for these 2 weeks. My familt here is wonderful, I have 2 sisters Jimena and Isabella. Jimena is 16 and Isabella is 18. They are both so nice and i know that i am going to have an amazing time. I have already been here for 3 days, 2 of those three were spent at their beach house.
I am going to enjoy myself very much.


I love you all so much and as soon as I get back to Huancayo I am going to post more pictures.


XOXOXOXOXOXOXO,
Lindsey