Hello everyone!
Okay I´m in an internet cafe in Satipo, which is in the Peruvian higher jungle. There´s so much that has been going on that I probably cant write it all in this entry. Some highlights...

The main highlight was of course the earthquake. We had been in Peru two days, and we went that morning to Callao which is a GORGEOUS relaxed seaport adjacent to Lima. Professor Secada told us a story about when he was teaching in Callao in 1974 and there was a big earthquake (there was more to the story but I dont have the energy or memory to write it all). My friend Meghan said, sounds like we´re due for another one. THAT VERY NIGHT was this recent earthquake, which was higher on the Richter scale than the one in 1974, and the first big earthquake since then. Does that count as irony? In any case it was crazy and we couldnt believe we had just been talking about it. I was in a nice restaurant in Miraflores with two of my programmates and we felt the ground move back and forth. Many people were getting pretty nervous about the situation. Anyway, LIma was not hit hard although the province of Ica was the hardest hit with about 500 dead. We are all completely fine.

Yesterday we headed out to Tarma which is a small town in the Andes. Because of the earthquake there had been two landslides and trucks were blocked on this road through the Andes for miles. We were on our bus from 7am and didnt arrive in Tarma until 2am! I also had a bout of altitude sickness (over two miles above sea level) but was OK and had some mate de coca (coca leaves!) which was probably the best tea Ive ever had. This morning we went to Pichanaki which is a small town int he Peruvian high jungle and talked to some 14 year old kids at a colegio in the town. They were so curious and asked some serious questions about America (and not so serious ones), from what do I think about George Bush to do we have problems with sexual abuse in the U.S. like they do here in Peru to whether I watch wrestling. Now we are in Satipo which is also the high jungle. We had chifa tonight which is Peruvian Chinese food...it was good. We´re staying the night here and the shower has warm water so Im excited. We go back to Pichanaki tomorrow, then back through the Andes and back to Lima on Sunday. Then classes start Monday! Whirlwind...exciting and disorienting at the same time. In the past two days Ive been in 65 degree Lima weather then hot Andes day weather then really really really cold Andes night weather and now jungle weather. So many ´microclimas´ as they call them. Also many altitudes. My body is very confused I think.

Okay, hasta luego,
Suzy