Tara is a 2006 graduate of Mountain Home High School and a junior at the University of Idaho. She is spending a semester studying in Chile and will blog frequently about her experiences there.

Home, Sweet Home

Posted Saturday, January 3, 2009, at 9:26 AM

Sorry I have neglected to blog for so long, the last couple weeks have gone by in a blur. Robert and I split paths in Cuzco and went our separate ways, which I am VERY glad of.

The next part of my journey I spent in Lima. The day I checked into my hostel I immediately made a couple friends and we went out to lunch and to the beach. I was sitting on a levee with Rachel, a Canadian just ending her round the world trip, when we met a surfer who offered to let us borrow his gear and teach us how to surf. After that I got hooked and surfed every single day in Lima except Christmas.

Christmas eve the family of a friend, the Morenos, invited me to come to their house. Christmas is celebrated quite differently in Peru. We drank Pisco Sour(a traditional drink) and set of fireworks until midnight when all the big fireworks went off and we ate dinner. Dinner was apples fixed prepared like mashed potatoes, turkey, and a type of bread similar to fruit cake. Then the relatives came over to great each other. There were only presents for the very little kids.

Christmas morning everyone slept after a late night. I went to my hostel and checked out, then came back and slept a little more. The Moreno family was so kind to me and welcomed me into their home like a long lost cousin. Later I went to the city center with David and to a disco for a while which was nearly empty because of the holidays.

I surfed one more day, then headed back to Chile. It was so good seeing my friends once more. The boys I lived with had a tea for me because Ester, the mom, was feeling sick. I went to the Valparaiso carnival with Alan. At night there was nothing official, but the streets with packed for blocks with young people, drinking, playing music, and having a good time. It felt somewhat like Mardi Gras. During the day there were people on stilts, silly costumes, bands, and floats. I was there a little early, so I didnt get to see the full show before I left for my long flight home.

My flight was just fine without any delays or problems. It was great to see my family again and very strange to be back on North American soil. I could probably write another blog about reverse culture shock and the excesses of American society, but with how sick I have been for the past week and how busy I will be trying to get "the real life" back in order, I do not feel like I will have time.

Thank you to everyone who has been following my blog.

Tara Brandenburg

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Mmmmm .... the expression "have gone by in a blur" is difficult to understand for me, no estoy claro si es: que las ultimas 2 semanas han sido algo borrosas o las ultimas 2 semanas han sido oscuras... creo que la primera es mas correcta.

Then: "which I am VERY glad of." ż"De lo cual estoy MUY contenta"? O_O Estoy confuso...

Rachel "a Canadian just ending her trip round the world" ... wooow .. interesting life.

I am still confused if the Pisco is Peruvian or Chilean ... there is a problem with that :). In several places in the world deliver gifts at New Year, but it is something I have never done ... it is interesting to know.

I understand that Carnival and New Year in Valparaiso were very entertaining. Actually I was not in Valparaiso, because I made a trip on December 21 and returned on January 3 recently.

It is nice that you are in the US with your family. The adventure in South America is over, I hope you feel that the experience has been wonderful at the end (despite the bad things as the situation with luggage in Buenos Aires), and I hope you have learned about different cultures, different ways of thinking ...

I am a little bit sad because your adventure is over, then this blog is over too. It was interesting to know about each situation, but I knew that your blog would end when you come back to US. I knew since I started following the blog after seeing the news in the newspaper of my country.

Well, now we must continue with "the real life"... I guess... :(

Thanks for sharing each of your experiences in this blog, thanks for the time to write. For me it was very interesting to see South America through different eyes, through your eyes.

I hope you have a good life now in the United States. As a last message I want to say: help if anyone needs it, say no to war, caring nature, live every day as if they were the last, when you take decisions not only think about yourself also in others. Hey! ... Maybe I will be vegetarian, I am thinking that makes sense to stop eating animals, but I think I am not prepared yet... I need to evolve first :-)

Volveré a saber de ti algun dia?... Yo no conozco el futuro.

Hasta siempre Tara

pero es mejor decir: ˇHasta Pronto!

-- Posted by aferreir on Sun, Jan 4, 2009, at 8:53 AM

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