Final Month Reflections Part 2: USA!

Alright, the much delayed Part 2 of my final reflections. With just two weeks to go in Peru, I am thinking about all the wonderful and not-so-wonderful parts of my home country. In honor of point one of my "looking forward to" list, the names of the categories will be... book titles.


GREAT EXPECTATIONS

   1. Books and libraries: The nerd in me is excited to have a school library in which I can loan a book for longer than 4 days. I have read over 5 novels here, but being in Spanish, its much less relaxing than my usual reading. Up next on my reading list- The Bride Quartet series by Nora Roberts, Madam Bovary, Theater of the Oppressed by Augusto Boal, and A Hundred Years of Solitude.
   2. Broccoli: Representative of my desire to see a fiber-filled plate of greens. I am so ready to control my own diet once again.
   3. Transportation: I would love to have a grand total 15 minutes in  the car to get to some location. It would also be nice to have traffic laws which are actually obeyed and drivers who know they don't possess that squeezing-car charm in the Harry Potter movies. No, you are not the Night Bus and you will not fit through a 2 foot gap, sorry.
   4. American concepts of time: I'm a product of my society and would gladly return to a place where things are expected to begin on time, end on time, and, umm, actually happen when scheduled.
   5. Seeing my family and friends! I miss them all like crazy and can't wait to spend some quality time with them for the first time in over 5 months.

HEART OF DARKNESS (Joseph Conrad- if you haven't read this book, do yourself a favor and don't)

   1. Winter wear: The temperate temperature of Peru means that there is rarely a need for drastic wardrobe changes. Not looking forward to whipping out the clunky snow boots and winter jacket at all.
   2. Large lecture halls: I've gone soft and gotten accustomed to small classes, active discussion, and personal attention from teachers.
   3. Prices: It's going to be a huge shock to buy any food when I return, mostly because it's all ridiculously cheap here.
  4. Lack of corny, whole-hearted affection: You just don't have guys saying "My dear friend Catalina" to you in the US, like my friend Miguel does. They also say "mi enamorada" to describe their partners, and how much better does "my beloved" sound than "boyfriend/girlfriend"?

Alright, that's it for now! Tomorrow morning I leave for Cusco for 3 days, and then I'll be returning home! Expect a nice, picture-laden post on Saturday or Sunday.