1st international trip

     Something you have to know about me is that my family is peruvian; so, when my parents told me I was going to Peru I felt really excited because I'd never went to another country. I still remembered it like it happened yesterday (yeah, cliché). It was August 1st, 2012 when I arrived in Peru, my family was there to receive us and it was a very special moment because I had like 10 or 11 years without see them. When we went out the airport and the wind hit me I noticed the weather was a little cooler than I expected, but I didn't take care of that; my first mistake, I didn't bring the clothes suited to the peruvian weather (in case you didn't notice i went in winter). I stayed all month, 15 days in my dad's family house and 15 days in my mom's family house.

     Everything about that trip was superb. For example, My grandma took us to a beautiful place called "Parque de las Aguas", there were plenty of fountains of different sizes and designs. People were having fun, there were families with kids running and playing with the water, couples walking, we were having a really good time. I was stuck with the amazing view I had in front of my eyes.

     Another cool place we went was "Plaza de Armas". What I liked about that place is that it keeps its colonial structure; for example, you can see colonial balconies made in the Baroque style, stone walkways and it's a very special place because in 1821 Jose de San Martin proclaimed the independence of Peru there. I visited several museums and catacombs, it was an appalling and a little bit scary experience; I've heard a lot of stories about people getting trapped in those catacombs, I'm a fearful person, but at the same time I like to hear scary stories.



     My relationship with my relatives in Peru was good. We had fun when my cousins, my sister and me played games where we had to dance, we did a little spa in my uncle's house, I even had fun when we did the chores. I remember one time when my aunt told me to go with her to buy pizza for supper, she didn't let me change my clothes, so I went out in my pijamas; that was an embarrasing situation (thanks god no one knows me). When we got the pizza, I went to the car straight away. There was another embarrasing moments in my trip; when I said words that here in Venezuela mean something, but in Peru mean something completely different, my half-sister always told me off because I was saying bad words or something like that, but I didn't know.

     What I noticed when I was on the streets is that life is completely different depending on the country, the culture, the people, it doesn't matter if it's in the same continent, there'll be something that distinguish it from the others. For example, the cinemas are different, how they use money (they can get dollars from a cashpoint), their clothes. That's when I realized how incredible and different I felt being in my parent's country as a sightseer, even though I never sounded like one because I pick up any accent quickly. Beside my family, people never thought I was venezuelan until I said words like "perro caliente", "refresco", "conchale" and more; that was something really interesting to live. I think you'll never be the same person you were after traveling.

It's a funny thing coming home. Nothing changes. Everything looks the same, feels the same, even smells the same. You realize what's changed is you." — F. Scott Fitzgerald.