"We are not in Cusco anymore"

Cusco was the tourist capital of Peru. Trujillo is just a normal, crazy, coastal city! So where to begin? First, it's hot, very hot. Second, a horn honks every 3-4 seconds because driving around here is what I can only describe as a video game or Atlanta on steroids. For perspective... there is a white line indicating two lanes... but 3 (maybe 4) taxis manage to squeeze in. However, there are apparently less accidents here than in the states because everyone is driving defensively and not as rapido? Somewhat comforting. Third, it's not as "tourist friendly." We went from potential customers to gringos with two flights. But honestly, that is only out in the streets. Every single Peruvian we've meet has been AWESOME! They greet you with a quick kiss on the check and smile. We all feel so appreciated, important, and welcomed. The university is so excited to have us solely because they have such warm hearts!

It's actually crazy to try and remember all of the things we've done since we've been here. The welcome dinner was amazing! It was at a very nice restaurant till late in the night where we had about 12 extremely important people from the school host us. At the end of dinner (past midnight), we headed back to our family. Our padre is protective and insures our safety. He said that we are now part of the family :) 

The next morning we were beyond exhausted and slept in. After breakfast, we played go fish with the kids and had a blast! Our little brother insists that I am Hannah Montanta and put a white knitted baby blanket on my head to make his point. So precious! We sang songs and hung out until we got picked up because a VIP of the university invited the group to the country club for the afternoon. One last day of spoiling before the work set in! We layed by the pool, played soccer with some peruvian kids, and relaxed until sunset. 

Back with the fam, we ate dinner, shared pictures, and told stories! Each day we get to know our family more and more. They are so sweet! The kids hug us and get so excited for us to come back. We play games and hang out! The dad is stay at home and great. Our food, especially compared to the other groups, is marvelous: fresh fruit and veggies with every meal and everything else gourmet. The mom is so cute and sweet and makes us feel like one of the kids. Did I mention the madres name is Hannah, too? :) Her family is from Japan but his is from Peru. We "world travelers" are in good company! Finally came bed time once again. 

Must add in... Bless Kayla! She woke up insanely early with me this morning so I could run! There is a 'park' right by our house with a sidewalk that loops around and is about the size of a football field. She sat on a bench and read and I jogged and we both kept an eye out for each other. Thanks Kay! And I am SO EXCITED because they told me tonight I can run with the bull mastiff :D They also have stairs up to a statue so I pulled out a little Rocky towards the end of my run!

Then we got to have our WHITE COAT CEREMONY! So fun and it was filmed and all. I of course got called first and had to make the executive decision of who and who not to kiss because... well… not really sure yet. But it went great! Then we got to go tour the hospital. Apparently a lot of doctors are on strike because, as he put it in Spanish, the government has some rare condition where they can't open their fists and let go of their money, haha. But once again, we were warmly welcomed and can't wait to go back and dive right in. 

Then we came back for lunch and siesta only to quickly leave again for class. Our professor is tremendous. We have class for 3 hours on MWF and 7 on TR. School plus hospital will for sure mean some deep sleep. Once again, wouldn't change it. I love everything about this program (except maybe that I can't drink my excessive amounts of coffee and agua)! 

On that note, waking up in 5 hours for class! 

Buenas noches mis amigos!

H