Day 1 I get off the plane at 2am. It's a little muggy. Not the weather I'm used to. I had just been flying for over eleven hours. I hate planes, and I couldn't sleep due to my fear of turbulence and terrorists. We take a taxi to Old Lima and stay in a hostel that night. Day 2 We do some shopping in the marketplace near a 500 year old church. I meet Al's family for the first time. They're real cute. I am in serious cultural shock since I don't know the language, and the air is different. Al's family invites us to go to the Larco Mar outdoor mall at Costa Verde. I discover most drivers are men and that all people drive like maniacs. Day 3 Yesterday I enjoyed a tour of the Jockey Plaza {Metro Centro} mall. It’s called the Jockey Plaza because it’s right next to a horseracing track. Alvaro, Katia and I all walked up and down the two story mall for about three hours. There are a lot of American stores and a lot of Italian stores. {Davide, I tried to grab a cool Fey poster for you, but the darn Peruvian CD store owner wouldn’t let it go!} The pet store was interesting because a lot of birds come from the jungle. They even had a hedgehog for sale! I hope to go back tomarrow and buy presents for everyone. I didn’t have enough time to go to the museum. Al’s Aunt Blanca came all the way from afar to see me. She is a charming energetic woman, who was pleasant to be around. My Spanish is getting better! Today Fernando’s wife, Elizabeth and I had a conversation at the mall. I told her that I can draw, so she wants me to add to the drawings that she and her family have done, on the dining room wall. In the dining room, Elizabeth has drawn a tree, and Alvaro and George draw band logos for the Deftones and Korn. Day 4 This evening was the National Soccer Finals, and the stadium where it took place is about a mile from here. We were across town visiting Al’s uncle when the game was over, and we left shortly after to avoid traffic. It was scary driving home! I was with Al, Fernando {his brother} and Elilzabeth {Fernando’s wife.} There are a bunch of kids that thrash cars, and we were headed straight for them! We had to turn down a one way street to avoid going their way. Down the street, other people saw them coming and tried to turn around. Keep in mind that I described Lima as the ultimate driving test. There were no lines on the streets and all the cops were by the stadium. This incident really freaked me out. I’m still en route to find a place to ride horses. We tried asking all of Al’s relatives, and finally his Uncle Ricardo reserved me a spot on his friend’s farm. I hope to go soon. We visited Al’s Uncle Ricardo, who has a collection of over 10,000 shot, hi-ball, and whiskey glasses. He also has all sorts of cups, mugs and including one beautiful mug from Israel. I got several pictures, and I wanna put them up on my website soon. Day 5 Al and I went shopping at Saga Fallabella this afternoon. It was real expensive. Clothes are very expensive here in Peru too. There are no secondhand stores, so everyone has to buy the expensive clothes or make their own. I am having a blue suit and a white shirt made for me by a seamstress down the block. I bought a bikini top to wear with my shorts at the beach. Christmas is real crazy here! Everyone sets off fireworks all night long. Al and I toured the Presidential square t his morning at 3am, but there are always a lot of people walking around in Lima. The buildings here are very detailed, and look very much like the detailed buildings of San Francisco. Every few blocks there is a square built around a small park with a statue of a Peruvian hero. Some are war heroes and some are even writers. I think I saw one that was even a minister. In Lima, there are always tons of cops around, especially near the presidential palace. When we parked to visit the presidential palace we even saw cops passed out drunk! There are always police for each three-block radius. Al said it was because five years ago there was a lot of terrorism. I want to visit the American Embassy tomorrow, but the weather has all of a sudden turned out nice, so I think we will go the beach. We have to go all the way to Miraflores on the Costa Verde to ride horses though, and I hear the ocean is warm. I went shopping this evening at a street market, and bought some more goat sculptures {yes, for you, Marylisa!} and even more angels. Again, I found another sculpture that looks like me. It was a ceramic shepherdess. I am getting along pleasantly with everyone. Katia has taken to calling me her Barbie doll. She doesn’t have any sisters, so she looks up to me. She rides in the front seat with me on outings, and ate Christmas Eve dinner with me. On Christmas Eve, everyone stays up late to eat turkey at midnight. I had the best turkey! It was marinated in ginger and cinnamon I think. Most of the foods and drinks here taste very different. The pineapples are more watery; the potatoes are denser and even animal products taste different. I feel good about the food I eat because I eat almost no fat. Most foods are eaten with vegetables, and fruit for dessert. Sometimes there is Jell-O for dessert, and that has no fat in it. So with that, I am gladly losing a bit of weight! Breakfast is light. I usually join Elizabeth {Fernando’s wife} in the kitchen for coffee each morning, and eat bread with avocado on it. Elizabeth usually cooks me huevos con dulce {eggs with flour and sugar} for breakfast, and I never leave the table hungry. We then have a second meal around four o’clock, and then dinner at eight or nine. The children never eat with us. It is always me, Fernando, Elizabeth and Al. Day 6 - Christmas Yesterday Elizabeth, Fernando, Alvaro, Katia, Al and I all went to southern Lima to visit the beach. I was a little nervous having woke up to a 5.0 earthquake that day. I was roughly awakened to the building shaking. It was really scary since I had never been in an earthquake before. Nobody was hurt though, and there was little damage. A few minutes later people were laughing and playing in the streets again. The city is safe because all of the structures are made from cement, and not sheetrock. We had a lovely Christmas dinner of leftover turkey, and duck. Duck is cheaper down here, so we can eat it often. Everyone had a nice time, and afterwards we all played soccer in the street. On Christmas afternoon, we found a place at the beach, for riding horses. It was sorta expensive, so just Alvaro {Fernando’s son} and I went. It was great exercise, and I plan to go again. Also, Al’s friend offered us his beachfront apartment for a few weeks, so we will be moving there after the first of the year. Al says that the New Year is really crazy here. All year long people accumulate things on top of their houses, and then on New Years’ night, they burn it in the street. I’ll bet that will smell real yummy. So far I have visited many different relatives. The families are so close, that some live right next to each other, and you can even visit cousins of grandparents {like Al’s Uncle Ricardo.} Day 7 Today I started to work on the Gremco homepage. It is a lot of work, but it is easy. My deadline is this Monday. Al and I also went with Fernando and Elizabeth to the Eye District downtown so that I could see an eye specialist. I saw the doctor and had my eyes tested. She said that there was nothing seriously wrong, and that my overall vision was good. She did recommend that I get reading glasses though, so I went to the lens store, and picked out my frames. Now on Monday my eye problems are over! I am now able to read with comfort! I know that in the US, glasses cost about $150 - $200, but I got my set for $70. I also visited a black market computer district. Each stall has a list of computer games and applications for dirt cheap prices. I use PhotoShop to make the Gremco homepage, but it is in Spanish, so it is confusing at times. The black market was cool though. I saw a keyboard brand new for $13. There are tons of mice for $10, and video cards for $30 {normally $200.} Al and I plan to go dancing tonight at the discotec, but cover charges can range from $25 per person to $45 per person. I think we’ll just go to the casino instead. Day 8 Last night Al and I went to a club in Barranco. There is a block that is entirely bars and discotecs. We went to a club called Barlovino. It was cool, but it had bad ventilation. The club played a lot of American rock music, along with Peruvian rap and salsa. It was weird. Also the bouncers never card you, so the drinking age here is like, 15. I slept a lot today. I was real tired. My stomach is on haitus from all this new food. I live off a diet of Peruvian cuisine and Pepto Bismol. I’m still working on the page for Gremco. Day 9 I got some serious sleeping done last night. I get to go to the office in San Borja {Al’s work} to work on the Gremco homepage. I’ll also get to do some CD burning. I also have to get online to do the Gremco page at Geocities, and to check my email. These diaries are also building up on this computer, so I guess I better mail em’. I’m happy cause today I get my glasses. Before Christmas I also bought a box of hair dye to make my hair lighter. I plan to go to the salon soon to get it put in. The weather here is nice. It is overcast all the time, but really warm. Very tropical. A couple nights ago I tried this real nifty fruit called a guanabana. It tastes like strawberry yogurt. I’ve been trying all sorts of new fruits down here. Yesterday I tried a fruit that doubles as a laxative if you eat a lot of them. It’s red and tastes real yucky. I also tried another fruit that grows in the desert called “tuna.” That one was good, and it tasted like an orange. For lunch yesterday, Elizabeth made us this one soup from a gourd that looks like a green pumpkin. I forgot the name. Day 10 I get my first visit to Miraflores! It's gorgeous. I'm taken in by the Brazilian cafe. I buy stuff to celebrate. (I'm still ME, you know!) Gremco likes their homepage, and wants Al and I to sell the stadium Palco Suites in the US. Al and I go party in Barranco. Day 11 I finally got my glasses! They fit great and they take a lot of stress off my eyes when working. I look pretty good in them too. I got such a great deal for them too ($70.) Al and I plan to go to Cuzco and Maccu Piccu at the end of this week. It's about 400 miles away, so we have to fly again. We still plan to sell the soccer stadium seats for Gremco, so Al and I will be taking minimum level classes at school so we have time to sell. We are also flying back with an economist who will be helping us sell the Palco Suites. We finally got a chance to show our tape of our trip to Southern California and Las Vegas to the family. It is such a contrast here, that everyone was real amazed. Someday (preferable when I'm 21) I'd like to go back and take a few of my friends. I plan to get my hair done soon. I bought a box of blonde hair dye, but it is only going to make my hair lighter, not platinum blonde. My perm is holding up nicely as well. Day 12 Tonight is New Years', so of course we were invited to a party. For New Years', every makes a life size doll out of old clothes, and then burns it in the street, along with old furniture and clothing that has been accumulated throughout the old year. Katia and Gonzalo and I built a doll out of an old shirt and nylons. The children have taken an interest in my talking Taco Bell dog. I brought the one that says, "Yo Quiero Taco Bell." The day I showed it to them, I wore my black Taco Bell dog shirt too. I still have to answer the question, "What is Taco Bell?" I desire to find a Taco Bell claimed to be in the Limeain area of San Miguel. For lunch today I had a great dish made from potatoes, chicken and lime. I think I will write down many recipes before I leave here. I want to get the recipes for chicha morada and for ceviche. The river of Pepto Bismol runs deep. A guy who works for Gremco shows us the only place in Lima where there was ever a Taco Bell. The building is abandoned and is being re-made into a car dealership. There is no God. Day 13 Today was a good day, but last night was pretty good too. We saw lots of people burning things up in the street, and even a police officer who was playing taxi that night. Today we went to visit Elizabeth's family in San Juan de Miraflores. The family were nice and I got to sample more new foods. We took Al's aunt Blanca back to Miraflores with us to take more pictures with the digital camera. We had some great ice cream from D'Anafria the Peruvian ice cream company, and then headed back to San Juan de Miraflores. After dinner, Fernanado, his wife, Gonzalo, Al and I all went back to Miraflores to see some movies. Fernando is a Woody Allen fan so he and Elizabeth went to see Bullets Over Broadway. Al and I took Gonzalo to see the Prince of Egypt. It was in Spanish, but I was able to understand most of it. Al helped me out a little. Peru has all the movies we have, but some old ones like the Truman Show are still in the theater. Tomorrow Al and I are going back to Barranco to party again. I liked this one club I mentioned awhile ago called Barlovento. I think we'll go back there. I wore my glasses all day so that I could get used to them. They are working out real good, and I feel better. The gold ring that my mom gave me that I always wear is being repaired as I type this. It was crooked so I gave it to Al's uncle who is a jeweler, to fix. I am also pleased to announce that I no longer have to rely on Pepto Bismol anymore, and that my stomach has totally gotten used to Peruvian food. Day 14 On Saturday night Al and I went back to Barlovento in Barranco. It was great, but the ventilation was even worse. It was like being in a sauna! Today was Alvaro's birthday so Al and I went shopping at Saga Fallabella and bought him a Nintendo game (Killer Instinct.) A lot of family members gathered at the house and made ce viche (multiple sea creatures marinated in lime.) I got to try sea snail and starfish. I got the recipe so I can make it at home. It is cooked with a seaweed called yuyo, which is loaded with iron. Ceviche is served with a sweet potato and corn. Al's aunt Blanca also showed me how to make chicha morada, a purple corn drink. We celebrate Alvaro’s birthday tonight. Day 15 Today we want to go to Miraflores. I didn't get to go the other day. Our plans to go to Macchu Picchu are off due to bad pricing. I’m cool with it though. Day 16 I got my ring back! It’s beautifully round again. Al’s uncle is a genius. We went to a casino in San Miguel tonight after visiting a gorgeous town called La Punta. I don’t win squat at the casino. La Punta was great at night. Before, we went to Callao to visit Al’s cousin’s family. We see a cop who is giving driving lessons his son in the cop car. Day 17 Al and I went to a casino called Atlantic City in Miraflores. I lost $20, but we found out that this casino gives you free food while you are playing the slots. I discovered that when I was leaving. Day 18 Just errands today. Al went back to conference at Gremco, and I had real bad cramps so I stayed here. Clara (Al’s cousin’s wife) gave me some great medicine called Ponstan. It works like a charm. Day 19 I cleaned house today and finished up the work on these Peruvian pages. Al is doing survey work across town. I still haven't got a chance to visit the bridal shop in Miraflores. Days are slow now and really hot. The temps must be reaching 90F here. I don't know since everything is in centegrade. The only exiting thing that has happened today is that the shoe polisher came. Day 20 Well yesterday did end up being a good day. I got my Peruvian trip presentation up on the Web, and I got to go to Miraflores. Yesterday Al and I went to the casino Atlantic City again, but there were a lot of people there, so I didn't have much of a choice for slots. There is one slot machine in the whole place called Casino Night which has a slight malfunction, so it gives you coins even if you don't win sometimes. I love this slot machine. It was a bad night, but we only lost $12. We play dime slots in soles, so it's real cheap. We actually got the free food this time. I wasn't hungry so I didn't try any of the fish or casino chicken, but I did try a flan. This casino is real nice and gives you tons of free stuff like food and drinks. Today Soledad our housekeeper came back and totally cleaned the house. The laundry is finished and I am preparing for my trip home. Tonight I wanna go back to La Punta, a city near Callao, and take some pictures. I found a few more souvenirs that I bought the first day I came here. I forgot that I bought a beret and a llama letter opener. I also found the small bad of corn that people were selling near the 500 year-old church in old Lima. I saved it to remind me how many pigeons were at the church. I'm gonna miss this place when I leave. The people were wonderful, and there were always new places to visit. I think Al said something about coming back here in year. I surely hope I return also. Day 21 The family and I went to the Chorillos for a grand day at the beach. Walked on the beach and watched the sun set for the first time over the water. Day 22 I plan to fly back on Saturday. Went to Surco to visit people today. Clara, and Katia and I all toured The Peruvian congressional buildings and the museum of inquisition today. It was very fruitful. Met some people from Georgia and took a ride with them up to the San Cristobal mountain where you can see all of Lima. We went to Rimac where Clara grew up, and saw a great church. I went to Gremco and 9am, and they don't want my homepage since they cannot let Americans buy the Palco Suites. I'm real tired. I took some killer pics today with the digital camera. They will be up soon. Will have a busy day tomarrow. It will be Blanca's birthday. Day 23 This night we went back to San Juan de Miraflores to see Blanca. We took her a birthday cake with a question mark candle since she's shy about her age. Afterwards we all sat around and listened to each other's stories. I am understanding everyone pretty good now. Today I went to visit a company called Odebrecht, from Brazil. Day 24 I am preparing for my trip home on Saturday. I'm digging out old souvenirs and packing them up, and straightening up the room. I said some last good-byes to some reletives last night, and grabbing up a few last souvenirs. I wanna bring back some Peruvian items from Miraflores, so I guess I'll head back there. Al's aunt Victoria said that she would dye my hair for me if I wanted, but this time I think I want my hair to be black. I'm gonna redo my perm too before I leave. Day 25 I am at the airport and ready to leave. We must get out now since the Brazilian Stock Market has crashed, and the value of Peruvian soles has gone up. If we miss our flight, we are stuck here. Al and I arrive extra early to pay fines, and only have to wait in line for about 30 minutes. The airport lady asks me if I had purchased anything from people around the airport. I walk through the terminal waiting area and get my passport stamped. I'm on my way home. Day 26 I'm flying in the air over Central America. I am unable to sleep because I don't have a first class pillow. I wish I had gotten a seat on the other side of the plane so that I could have watched the beautiful sunrise. I watch the sunrise from the left side of the plane heading north. The clouds sparkle and appear to be made of glass. How strange everything looks from above! I manage to sleep for about two hours and awaken to the stewardess serving omelets and pancakes. An hour later we hit bad turbulance and I'm sick from my omelet. We finally land in Dallas at 10am. The cheerful airport customs man clears my passport and promptly says, "Welcome back to America." Our plane to San Francisco is delayed due to fog. We wait an extra hour to fly, but because of fog we get to San Francisco in four hours instead of three. I step off the plane and wait for Al to bring the car back from Mission Street. I say goodbye to my traveling crossroads as I gaze back at San Francisco over the Bay bridge. I am home.

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