El Centro

El Centro is what it sounds like, the center of Lima. As I was writing the title, I realized it was one of the areas in my mission! That El Centro, however, is in the middle of the desert, not a big city.
Well! Yesterday we went to El Centro and did some exploring! We started at the catacombs but weren't allowed to take pictures. I really loved being in there and being the music major that I am, loved the choir seats and the music book they read from. It was really cool going under the church and seeing the catacombs and the secret hallways.

 These birds randomly all started flying in circles. It was slightly scary.

 These balconies are all over Lima. They are in the Spanish section of Lima (when Spain was in charge) dating back to the late 17th century.

 Cathedral.

 What's a day in Lima without a jumping picture!

 Cute Incan dolls!

The best part of the day? It was SUNNY! Por fin! It was a really really fun day. We also went to Chinatown, but I didn't take pictures there.

templo de Lima

Afew weeks ago Silvana and I went to the temple! We went by bus, which was a first for her. I'm not gonna lie, I was pretty frightened to be on the bus, being a gringa and all. But all was well. 

 It's one of the smallest temples I have been in but beautiful nonetheless. Everyone is very patient with me and my lack of spanish still.

 After entering, we went to a restaurant across the street. We sat by the window to have this great view!

 Delicious frozen chicha!

fooooood

Here's a fun fact about me! I hate to cook. More specifically, I hate raw meat. Last semester I was basically a vegetarian because of that and I just don't like the flavor of most meats.
With that being said, let me tell you about Peruvian food.

MEAT.

It has been quite a difficult transition from hardly eating any meat to eating it at every meal. After a month of being here, I think I'm used to it.
There is a restaurant here called Pardos. Its famous dish is "pollo a la brasa". It's like rotisserie chicken A very popular dish in Peru in general. It's like rotisserie chicken. So what you do is you order a full, half, or quarter chicken for the table. Simple as that. Comes with fries. 
But like I said, everything has meat with it. I ordered fettucini alfredo the other day, and it had ham in it. Steak is also very popular. 


Some drinks that they drink often are unique only to Peru. The first is called "chicha". It is made from corn that only grows in Peru because they have such fertile ground. Sounds gross. Actually pretty tasty. 

 Ahhh IncaKola. Soda from heaven. It's tastes like a mix of cream soda and bubblegum. Sounds gross. But again, pretty tasty.

It's not all Peruvian food though! I've eaten pizza hut a few times, DUNKIN DONUTS<3, KFC, you know the norm. They also have McDonalds and Burger King, but I pass on those. They do have their own fastfood restaurant se llama "Bembos"

So there you have it. Ready to eat peruvian style??

Pueblo Libre

 Here is a park that is a half a block from where I live.
Parque de las Americas.

 I went with some friends to knit!

Here is the view from my window in the house.

And where I live!

birthday party

On Wednesday one of the three year olds had a birthday! I remember when I was in elementary school and we brought in cupcakes for the class and that was that. But oooh boy. It was a full on party. A piñata was present. Dancing was had. Musical chairs was played. The mom came in with animal crackers, jello, popcorn, candy, and a full cake with Cars as the design. All of the cups and tablecloth and plates were Cars themed. All of the students had presents for the birthday boy. It was the best birthday party I have been to. I'm assuming they don't have another birthday party. Apparently this is how all birthdays are done. Sweet. Everyone got a goodiebag, including the teachers. They also took home a piece of cake and a globo (balloon). Here I am in my school uniform and goodiebag. I love school! (Of course two days before in the same class someone wet his pants and I had to clean everything up. Gross)