The Adventures of Abby : Beaches, Burritos, and Brats.

Another week of exploring and encountering more of Peru is in the books, and I'm happy to have established somewhat of a routine here. Everyday I'm discovering something new about myself, which sounds very cliché but it couldn't be more true. I'm feel like I'm figuring out who I am as a person and the direction God has me going in life. Everyday I'm making an effort to be mindful, and more aware and engaged with those around me. Now I'm done being a hippy because... that was like, really, totally far-out, dude.

The adventures of this previous week have been nothing but spectacular. On Thursday night, I tried chifa for the first time. Chifa is basically the Peruvian's spin on Chinese food, or in other words God's gift to Peru. Seriously it was scrumptious. Although most of the menu was not comprehendible, I managed to order a great chicken?? dish.

Friday was my favorite day of the trip by far. We started the day early, meeting the entire group on campus to load the bus and head off to Matucana. The ride there was quite interesting, as we were told to close the windows so people can't reach in and steal our stuff. Comforting. We also had to make several pit stops to cool down the brakes. Cue the nervous sweats. We finally arrived safely in the town square of Matucana, where several of the locals were hanging out, looking at the lot of us like some sort of circus act. Before we started the hike, we bought some toilet paper and paid our entrance fee for the bathroom (yes, you read that correctly). When we were finally ready to begin the trek, we took off towards the mountain. The ascent was fun and challenging, filled with all sorts of different views (see pictures below). When we finally reached the waterfall, we took lots of pictures, and made some burgers for lunch. We hung out for a while, made some new four-legged friends, and then made our way back down. The descent proved to be challenging due to lots of loose gravel, causing a "holy shi...mokes!" moment every now and then. Once we arrived back in Lima, a few of us treated ourselves to a milkshake.

All of Saturday was spent in the hippyish district of Barranco. When we arrived it was like a whole different city filled with tourists, a beautiful park and a great ocean view. We were told we couldn't leave Barranco without trying The Burrito Bar, which turned out to be the best little hole-in-the-wall restaurant I've ever been to. We waited outside until it opened, around 1:20. (Another thing I have yet to get used to: lunch is late, supper is even later). I had a burrito the size of a newborn baby, and the best margarita I've ever had. The Burrito Bar is definitely going to be revisited. The rest of the day was spent walking around all sides of the district, and down to the ocean. By the ocean, we met the brattiest little girls. They told me I was fea AKA ugly AKA get-out-of-my-face-you-little-snot-nose. Just kidding, they weren't that bad, I was just hungry. After the beach we had supper and some sangria at a restaurant right on the coast. We were there for probably four hours, and stayed to watch the sunset over the ocean. We ended the night at El Gringo Bar (we felt inclined to go), and had a great night of dancing.

Monday came along, and I woke up early to finally try the CrossFit gym here. I'm so glad I've found a place that feels a little like home. It's a great way for me to not only continue training, but also to practice my Spanish and surround myself with like-minded people. I've gone everyday since and I'm so happy I've reestablished a routine of some sort. My first day there I was not-so-gently humbled by the fact that training in 78 degrees is a lot different than the "bring your layers and warm up for 20 minutes" theme of Nebraska. Also, taking two weeks off is never ideal.

The rest of the week has been pretty laid back, although our classes are starting to pick up the pace. I've spent the week battling a cold (how does that happen?), but I'm finally feeling better today. We spent yesterday in the district of Miraflores, where I finally saw cat park, found a cute little coffee shop, and had some Burger King chicken nuggets which I had been craving for a while. The next couple weeks are busy, as we're planning a trip to the Andes and our spring break, which will be spent in a beach house on the white sand of Mancora. I heard Nebraska is getting some snow, so I'll be thinking about ya ;) Stay tuned for more adventures and as always, lots of love! Mwuah!