Apr 29, 2012
Mar 25, 2012
Universidad
By now I have been to all of my classes. I ended up dropping the drawing class due to the large list of supplies I was required to purchase. I only wanted to take the class for the chance to hear more Spanish, but did not want to spend a lot of money on supplies. I attempted to trade the class for another easy class in Spanish but I was unable to. Once classes begins the school does not allow students to switch any classes. Therefore, my only option was to drop the class. I am now left with 4 classes/14 credits. This is still more than my usual 12 credits I take a semester. I do not know if the credits at all of the Universities equal the same in the United States, but it does at USIL.
The school consists of 2 campuses (our apartment is on the street in between both campuses). Both campuses are small compared to what we are use to. Campus 1 contains 6 buildings compacted together and Campus 2 has 1 building for classes and many small offices, a book store, cafeteria, and an office for Junior Achievements. JA is a worldwide nonprofit that impacts the lives of young (high school students) by showing them what they are capable of in varies ways.
Most of the rooms do not have air conditioning. The only class that had a unit did not utilize it. Rather, the rooms have 2-3 fans installed on the wall and the windows are kept open. The temperature can get warm but for the most part it is not too bad. For me, it is actually comfortable most times. Surprisingly, the only students that complain about the temperature are the Peruvian students.
The only books I must buy are for Spanish class (/S. 94,00 for both books = $35.30). Most other classes do not require the purchase of a text book. Instead you check one out from the library. Most students make copies of the books; the professors do not condone, but they are aware of how it is done.
There is a school wide attendance policy. A student can miss 30% of class and still be allowed to take the final exam. If you miss more than 30% then there is no possible way to take the exam. Language classes meet 2 hours more a week and only allow 20% of class to be missed.
USIL is a growing school and very reputable. Just within the last few months we have seen a new building appear and I hear they are planning on building another building on Campus 2. Almost everything is and/or appears new. It is very clean and well maintained.
My organized One-On-One Language Exchange meetings are going very well. I am in awe of all of the interest I get from people trying to do the same. Today we will have 8 groups (I had two cancels last minute so I had to adjust the count), this will be the largest number thus far. I have been watching more TV in Spanish and find that I am able to pick up words and understand a little more. However the speed on TV seems to be slower than the speed locals speak, so I am still having a hard time with that. This is a challenge that is more frustrating than I had anticipated, but I am not stepping down to the challenge. The end result will be filled with accomplishment and that is what I am seeking. Corban on the other hand is able to understand approximately 80-90% of what he hears. His speaking is also improving and he continues to study and learn.
Off topic, Corban and I went to the Zoo yesterday called Parque de Las Leyendas. It is a huge park of ruins and animals around. It was the best zoo either of us have ever been too. I posted a few pictures you can view here.
Mar 23, 2012
Limelight
I read in the local paper that there was a showing of a Charles Chaplin (1889-1977) movie called Limelight playing in Parque Central de Miraflores Ingreso Libre (Free Entrace) playing 23 of March. We were excited since we enjoyed Choplin movies when we were younger. Neither of us had seen Limelight so we were excited to be able to see a new Choplin movie in Peru.
When we first arrived in Miraflores it was sprinkling and continued for the first 30 minutes into the movie. We walked around the park searching for the screen. We came across this mini amphitheater (but was a complete circle) with a projector and screen. The screen was the same size used in classrooms or for presentations. We found a good place to sit and in the next minute the movie started.
We were immediately shocked when we heard Choplin speaking. Corban joked he didn't even know Choplin could speak. I could barely recognize him since this movie took place in his later years in 1952. Limelight is about a comedian whose career is quickly diminishing. He finds a girl in his building trying to commit suicide and helps her restore her confidence and life. I won't go into more details just in case you want to watch it. Half way through the movie Corban bought us popcorn from a vendor conveniently near us.
We finished the evening off with an ice cream cone from KFC for (S/. 1.50 = $0.56) and walked slowly to the bus stop. Unfortunately, we had to wait 45 minutes for a bus to get back to La Molina. I posted some pictures from the evening click here to view.
When we first arrived in Miraflores it was sprinkling and continued for the first 30 minutes into the movie. We walked around the park searching for the screen. We came across this mini amphitheater (but was a complete circle) with a projector and screen. The screen was the same size used in classrooms or for presentations. We found a good place to sit and in the next minute the movie started.
We were immediately shocked when we heard Choplin speaking. Corban joked he didn't even know Choplin could speak. I could barely recognize him since this movie took place in his later years in 1952. Limelight is about a comedian whose career is quickly diminishing. He finds a girl in his building trying to commit suicide and helps her restore her confidence and life. I won't go into more details just in case you want to watch it. Half way through the movie Corban bought us popcorn from a vendor conveniently near us.
We finished the evening off with an ice cream cone from KFC for (S/. 1.50 = $0.56) and walked slowly to the bus stop. Unfortunately, we had to wait 45 minutes for a bus to get back to La Molina. I posted some pictures from the evening click here to view.
Mar 20, 2012
Manu Chao
Corban and I was invited by our friend Jean Sebastian to go to a Manu Chao concert on March 17th. I had not heard of Manu Chao before so I looked him up and listened to some of his music on youtube. We decided to buy our tickets since they were cheaper to buy in Febuary (77 S/. (Soles) for Corban and 25 S/. for me with my student ID = $38 apx.). After we purchased our tickets we started to hear a lot more about the concert which was actually a Music Festival starting at 1pm at Parque de la Exposicion de Lima.
Manu Chao is a French singer of Spanish roots. He sings in French, Spanish, English, Italian, Galician, Arabic and Portuguese, so you can imagine his fan base. He is currently touring with his band Radio Bemba. Their style is enthusiastic and extremely energetic. The music has many influences and is a combination of punk, rock, salsa, reggae and other types.
Like many others, we decided to arrive later in the day since Manu Chao was not performing until 10pm. The festival had an attendance of 10,000 young, energetic, free spirited people. When we walked into the park we can feel the energy of the music. Everyone had this unspoken respect and care for each other. There were many vendors selling different foods such as anticuchos, pizza slice rolled up, hamburger, vegetarian, and many others. After a few hours of listening to other bands it was finally time for Manu Chao. We found a great spot on the left side of the stage to watch up close.
Manu Chao started at 10:30pm and after many encores they stopped at 1am. I spent the entire 2.5 hours dancing, jumping and simply letting loose. It was amazing and full of so much energy. I felt like I was 18 years old again dancing all night. At some point my moves were determined by what wasn't soar at the moment and I felt great. Thousands of fans were jumping up and down, throwing their hands in the air and singing along. Several times in the evening it drizzled which felt great and cooled everyone down. It hardly rains this time of year so the drizzle seemed to be intended for the evening concert in the park. Towards the end of their performance the band threw water bottles to the audience before a some songs. I had never seen such a thing before and was completely shocked and impressed. All in all, I had the time of my life and hope that if you ever have a chance to see Manu Chao live you take the opportunity and go!
I recorded video of a few of his songs and will hopefully be able to upload to youtube. Until then check out this live performance I found on youtube.
Manu Chao is a French singer of Spanish roots. He sings in French, Spanish, English, Italian, Galician, Arabic and Portuguese, so you can imagine his fan base. He is currently touring with his band Radio Bemba. Their style is enthusiastic and extremely energetic. The music has many influences and is a combination of punk, rock, salsa, reggae and other types.
Like many others, we decided to arrive later in the day since Manu Chao was not performing until 10pm. The festival had an attendance of 10,000 young, energetic, free spirited people. When we walked into the park we can feel the energy of the music. Everyone had this unspoken respect and care for each other. There were many vendors selling different foods such as anticuchos, pizza slice rolled up, hamburger, vegetarian, and many others. After a few hours of listening to other bands it was finally time for Manu Chao. We found a great spot on the left side of the stage to watch up close.
Manu Chao started at 10:30pm and after many encores they stopped at 1am. I spent the entire 2.5 hours dancing, jumping and simply letting loose. It was amazing and full of so much energy. I felt like I was 18 years old again dancing all night. At some point my moves were determined by what wasn't soar at the moment and I felt great. Thousands of fans were jumping up and down, throwing their hands in the air and singing along. Several times in the evening it drizzled which felt great and cooled everyone down. It hardly rains this time of year so the drizzle seemed to be intended for the evening concert in the park. Towards the end of their performance the band threw water bottles to the audience before a some songs. I had never seen such a thing before and was completely shocked and impressed. All in all, I had the time of my life and hope that if you ever have a chance to see Manu Chao live you take the opportunity and go!
I recorded video of a few of his songs and will hopefully be able to upload to youtube. Until then check out this live performance I found on youtube.
Mar 16, 2012
Español, Español, Español
The past week we have been studying Spanish and trying to immerse ourselves with locals. I organized a One-On-One Language Exchange on Couchsurfing. There was a total of 3 Peruvians with Corban, I and our roommate. We met at a coffee shop in Miraflores where each of us sat with a local. For the first hour we spoke Spanish and the second hour was English. It was such a great experience and excellent learning experience. I asked the girl I was sitting with to speak slowly. Unlike many people I have met here that are learning Spanish, I can not understand Spanish easily. When locals speak at their normal pace, there is no chance of me understanding since I do not know where the words starts and ends. She was so kind to take her time speaking and teach me new words. The event was such a success that I decided to hold a meeting weekly. For this Sunday I have 6 Peruvians confirmed, which allowed me to invite other students who are eager to practice their Spanish.
One of the Peruvians invited us to hear a local jazz band play that night in Barranco. We decided to join and took a taxi immediately after the language exchange. The club was called La Noche. The stage was lit up and ready for the band to start. The club was slowly getting more and more packed with patrons ready to hear the music. The band was called Andres Prado and they were great. In some of the songs the used a Peruvian Incan flute called a pan flute. Their sounds were unique and full of energy. It was a great night full of language, music and new friends!
At home we try to speak Spanish to each other, but I admit that does not always stick. My latest lesson is learning past and future tense. I understand it and have my notes but have not memorized it to be able to use it when speaking. We each have a small notebook that we use for notes, vocabulary, phrases, questions, etc. that we carry around with us. I like having it on me so I can study while on a bus.
School started yesterday and the neighborhood shows it. It feels like UNCG when all of the students come back from summer break. The streets were crowded and our little pathway shortcut was jammed with students. Most of the students look like they are no more than 18 years old. In Peru they start college when they are 16/17 years old. The classes are long, anywhere from 2-4 hours. Each hour is considered 50 minutes and we get a 10 minute break. Therefore when my class was on break so was all of the other classes. It reminded me of high school, recess at the same time. I started the day off with a 2 hour Spanish class. Unfortunately I scored at a beginners level so I am in a basic level class. This class meets 3 times a week for a total of 6 hours a week. Next I had a 4 hour drawing class that is taught in Spanish. I thought this would be another way to immerse myself with the language and people. The remaining 3 classes are all business classes and taught in English. Now that school has started I greatly appreciate the location of our apartment. It takes a quick 3 minutes to get to class. The campus is completely blocked off from the public with security guards standing at every entrance and exit. In order to enter the school you must have proper identification or check in with security for a visitor's badge.
One of the Peruvians invited us to hear a local jazz band play that night in Barranco. We decided to join and took a taxi immediately after the language exchange. The club was called La Noche. The stage was lit up and ready for the band to start. The club was slowly getting more and more packed with patrons ready to hear the music. The band was called Andres Prado and they were great. In some of the songs the used a Peruvian Incan flute called a pan flute. Their sounds were unique and full of energy. It was a great night full of language, music and new friends!
At home we try to speak Spanish to each other, but I admit that does not always stick. My latest lesson is learning past and future tense. I understand it and have my notes but have not memorized it to be able to use it when speaking. We each have a small notebook that we use for notes, vocabulary, phrases, questions, etc. that we carry around with us. I like having it on me so I can study while on a bus.
School started yesterday and the neighborhood shows it. It feels like UNCG when all of the students come back from summer break. The streets were crowded and our little pathway shortcut was jammed with students. Most of the students look like they are no more than 18 years old. In Peru they start college when they are 16/17 years old. The classes are long, anywhere from 2-4 hours. Each hour is considered 50 minutes and we get a 10 minute break. Therefore when my class was on break so was all of the other classes. It reminded me of high school, recess at the same time. I started the day off with a 2 hour Spanish class. Unfortunately I scored at a beginners level so I am in a basic level class. This class meets 3 times a week for a total of 6 hours a week. Next I had a 4 hour drawing class that is taught in Spanish. I thought this would be another way to immerse myself with the language and people. The remaining 3 classes are all business classes and taught in English. Now that school has started I greatly appreciate the location of our apartment. It takes a quick 3 minutes to get to class. The campus is completely blocked off from the public with security guards standing at every entrance and exit. In order to enter the school you must have proper identification or check in with security for a visitor's badge.
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