It may seem like I am starting out strong here by posting pictures or writing an entry every day, but for now I know I have the free time and am seeing more new cool and interesting things than I will see once classes start. Entonces, disfrútalo! (Enjoy). 

        Today was the welcome session for international students to PUCP (Pronounced affectionately by faculty and students like "poop" but with a "c" before the "p"). There are 247 international students studying at PUCP this semester and we come from all corners of the world-- the US, South America, Canada, various parts of Europe and Asia, and I think there is even a student from Australia! La Pontifica Universidad Católica del Perú was established in 1917 and now is home to 25,000 students and over 1,000 professors. It is a very well-respected university and international students can remedy their lowly tourist status a bit by boasting that they attend "La Católica." Not only is PUCP an excellent university, but it also has one of the most beautiful campuses I have ever seen. There are flowering plants everywhere and expansive green spaces that are a much welcomed solace from the thick urban smog residue that seems to cover just about everything else in Lima. There are even deer that call PUCP their home (I have yet to see any yet, but I have been warned that they like to steal food if you get too friendly) I am super excited to start attending classes and spend my weekdays in this beautiful place. Tomorrow is our academic orientation and Monday we start attending classes to "preview" them before we make our final decisions about which ones we want to take. 

       The last session of our welcome session today was a safety talk to help international students navigate Lima. There is lots to take into consideration when living and commuting in a developing city with over 8 million inhabitants. A lot of it was a bit scary but they armed us with tools to avoid dangerous situations and to avoid theft. A more lighthearted topic we addressed was a phenomenon the Limeños call "Los brincheros." Bricheros are men or women (Bricheras) that seduce Gringos in order to be invited into their home country and get a green card. It was more or less a joking topic to lighten the mood but I thought many of you would appreciate it because the most common warning I received before my departure is that I shouldn't "fall in love with some Peruvian and stay down there."

       I am also amazed at how quickly my spanish speaking has improved since I got here. My host family requires that spanish be the only language spoken in the house, so despite living with 5 other english-speaking students, I have had lots of practice and am learning so much every day. If I am not a fluent speaker by the time I return in December,  you will all know that I must have left Peru and lived in a van in California for the duration of the semester or something. I am actually having a hard time coming up with english words as I am writing this, because the spanish ones are the first to pop into my head. 

      Also tomorrow I will be leaving to visit our housemate Cristal's home in Pozuzo which is about a thumb width's east of Lima on my Lonely Planet Travel Guide's map of Peru. It doesn't seem like far but it will take us 14 hours to travel by bus. The bus ride promises lots of quality bonding time (sleep) with my housemates. It should be a BEAUTIFUL weekend, so get ready to see lots of pictures!

Hasta mi regreso, Adios!

 Peruvian Dance that was performed at the welcome session. I didn't catch the name of this :( 

 Necessary university shot

 Cool tree on campus with ginormous hanging flowers. My compañera told me that this is a hallucinogenic plant and can poison you if you take it in too large of quantities. I looked it up when I got home and found out it is called "Angel's Trumpet"

Just a closer look at those cool flowers

(PS) If you just can't get enough of all this Peru stuff, check out my friend Dani's blog. Dani is another student from UW in my program and lives with the same host family as me: http://daniday237.blogspot.com