Hey all,

well, I had my spanish interview last Firday. Aparently it went really well. I jumped up three levels, and now am at intermediate low. I just have to pass one more level to be able to go to my site. So it shouldnt really be a problem. Though I still have to study my butt off in order to understand anything anyone says.
Last weekend was pretty slow. I didnt go to any fiestas. Though I did go to Lima for Peace Corps lessons at a University. They had lots of examples of sustainable energy and green houses. It was pretty cool. Alot of it we can do in our sites. I also saw a ram pump for the first time. Pretty cool! I will definitely look into those more. Maybe I can make on in my site. I also went to La Punta in Lima and had cebiche. La Punta aparently is very well known for its cebiche, which is a traditional Peruvian dish. Its basically raw crab, fish, muscles, clams, etc. But they serilize it, or "cook" it by putting it in lots and lots of lime juice. Aparently the acidity does something to it, so its not toxic. Still, we are eating something raw in Peru. Lots of people got sick from it. My stomich has been holding strong, however. I have only been sick(meaning having troubles in the bathroom) one day since I have been here. Where as lots of volunteers have been sick many times. Some even had to skip school because they couldnt leave the bathroom. Pretty gross.
La Punta as also a great and beautiful view! I was pleasantly suprised looking over the ugly, concrete wall.

Last night was the aniversary of Chosica, the nearest big town. Its about 20 minutes on a combi from here. (A combi is a small bus taxi that only costs 1 sol, 33 cents, to take to Chosica. You can take it to Lima, 2 hours away, for 2.5 soles, almost $1. Though combi's are cheap, they are very dangerous! You have to decide which driver you are going to trust when you get on.) I went with my host mom. One of my sisters was there selling hotdogs and other things. She is trying to make money for a trip that her class is taking after school gets out. This is her senior year of school, and the last trip she can take. It would be sad if she didnt have enough money to go. So I got a few of the Peace Corps volunteers to buy something from her. I think its for a good cause. They are going to cuzco, which she has never been to. And they are going to Machu Piccu, which she has never seen either. So this is a great thing! Its definitely a reality check. Being from the US has all sorts of advantages that we dont even think about. Like having 5 soles ($1.5) is a big deal here.

Alas, at the Chosica concert, the enevitable happened.....I got robbed. It was my cell phone too. So that really sucks. But its not so bad because it was free (got it from my friend Anita who bought it in Peru a few months ago when she was doing volunteer work. Thanks Anita!) and the Peace Corps is going to give all of the volunteers a phone in a few weeks. I'll be sure not to have this one taken. It was crazy too, because Matt and Pete, two other volunteers, had their wallets stolen from their front pockets, and I had my cell phone taken from my front pocket too. These Peruvian theives are good. I am definitely going to watch my stuff more carefully from now on. I just am shocked that they grabbed something out of my front pocket without me knowing. We werent in a big croud of people either. I was talking with my host sister in the open, and was facing her! Well, lesson learned. I also learned that you cant get hung up on things like this. I'm in Peru. My stuff is going to be stolen. For sure, at one point or another. I'll just be very careful, and not to trust anyone! My host mom said that the children are the worst. They are so short and small, that even if you saw them take something, they just run into a crowd and they are impossible to find.

on a lighter note, yesterday, the peace corps also gave us a cook book that current and passed volunteers made. They are all homemade recipies with ingredience that are found in Peru. I saw a recipe for peanut butter, and tried it out this afternoon. Its great! It cost me half the price as buying a crappy jar of peanut butter, and tastes ten times better. I'll probably end up making my own peanut butter when I return to the states as well. It tastes so good. I am going to look in the book some more for more easy recipes. Today, Kate, another volunteer, and I are going to try and make onion rings. We bought all of the ingredience already. I'll let you know how things go! Hopefully we can make cookies some time this week as well, and share them with our families!

Hope things are going well!
Happy Trails,
Teigan