Visit from Rachael!

Last week my sister (and best friend) Rachael came to visit me in Lima. She stayed with my host family and me for 8 days, and we had a blast. We spent 5 out of the 8 days in Lima (the other 3 in Ica, a city further south), and it was my job to show her the city. I picked a bunch of my favorite spots and we managed to go to almost every one of them in such a short period of time, which was great. She got to meet almost all of my best friends and my Peruvian host families. It was a very strange experience, having her here. I almost felt like I was back in the states, which is a feeling that I haven't had in a very long time. It was a bit strange at times, but it was a blast nonetheless!

One thing that I really enjoyed while she was here was seeing her initial reactions to the city and the culture of Lima. There are many parts of the culture that I am already so adjusted to that I barely even notice them anymore. I've found myself recently noticing logos or stores and forgetting if I've known them all my life or only since I've been in Peru. It's a weird feeling, being so familiar with a culture other than the one which you've lived in for your entire life. After some time, lines start to blur- the cultures begin to mix together in your mind. Having Rachael here helped me distinguish the two cultures and remind me how different they really are. Many of the things that she noticed or did reminded me so much of me during my first couple of weeks here. Little things like how the traffic scared her half to death, or her reaction to the cheek kisses that Peruvians do to say hello or goodbye reminded me of how accustomed I have become to this new culture. My ears have adapted to the constant honking of car horns on the street, and giving besitos (cheek kisses) now comes out of habit for me. I never even notice these things anymore!

Another thing that I noticed was her Spanish. I loved watching her speak Spanish, and I noticed that she often used words that are almost NEVER said here, but that we learned in Spanish class at home. Of course, everyone understood her when she said them, but most Peruvians wouldn't use them. An example of this would be the word "shirt". In Spanish class, we are taught to use either the word "camisa" or "camiseta", but in Peru those words are very rarely used. Instead, we use the word "polo". At the beginning of my exchange I was always messing up simple words like this, because I didn't know the Peruvian dialect. My sister's Spanish was the same! It was very impressive, but it was all based on what she learned in Spanish class back in the states. I loved hearing how much her Spanish improved in just the short amount of time that she was here. If given a few more months, I'm positive she would have been fluent ;)

Being reunited with my sister was such an amazing feeling. We talked for hours on end, and I truly felt like I was home, even though we were still thousands of miles away. I am so grateful to have had her visit me. It was a really amazing time.

I love you sister, see you in July!