The Quiz Master!

Tonight our event was the monthly Pub Quiz (aka: Trivia Night). There were a few interns and volunteers that collaborated on the quiz questions, but in the end I presented them. And I'd say I did pretty good :) It was a lot of fun and I think all the participants had a good time...from what I could tell.

Here is a little sample of questions to get your brain ticking. Hope everyone is having a good week. I know I am!

1.) Harry Coover, the inventor of WHAT PRODUCT, died on Monday at age 94. What product did he invent?

2.) What does the 'B' stand for in SCUBA diving?

3.) Name one team that is in the Cricket World Cup Championship game on April 2nd?

4.) Colgate had trouble marketing their toothpaste in Spanish speaking countries, why?

5.) And from the picture round....

What famous sporting event do these trophies belong to?

...Answers to come in the next blog post! :)

“Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our Light, not our Darkness, that most frightens us. We ask ourselves, who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, fabulous? Actually, who are you NOT to be? You are a child of God. Your playing small does not serve the world. There is nothing enlightening about shrinking so that other people won't feel unsure around you. We were born to make manifest the glory of God that is within us. It is not just in some of us; it is in everyone. As we let our own Light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same. As we are liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others." --Marianne Williamson

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Sunday Lovin': Volume 5

Another Sunday is here! and I am loving it :)

Woke up and went to church. Ate at Longhorn Steakhouse (I AM SO FULL!), took a nap, watched VCU kick some Kansas butt, had a Skype sesh with Kyle, and next on the list...baking cookies! Yum! We'll see how they turn out, considering I am lacking some ingredients that aren't available here. But I can improvise...right?!

What am I loving recently? Here's your answer:

• Selling 7 memberships: On Friday I sold 7 memberships in 2 hours! IT. WAS. AWESOME. We have a goal to beat last month's numbers for new members and that helped our numbers immensely! We were getting a little worried that we wouldn't quite make the cut because the month is soon ending. But there we were on Friday gaining 7 new members. AWESOME!
  

Here's the lovely interns/volunteers that work at the clubhouse with me. We are all about the same age which is a lot of fun! We went to a variety/music show last night. I guess, it was kind of a celebration of a great month at the clubhouse. It was a lot of fun!

• Butler: Love, love, love watching Butler play and win! I have especially been impressed with Brad Stevens and what a class act he is. It makes me want to be a coach someday. Other than Butler, I am generally enjoying letting basketball take up some of my time here. It keeps me from getting too bored on weekends and has really taught me a lot about the game. I played (I use this term lightly....) in high school. But never really understood the game. Heck, the first day I went to basketball practice my sophomore year I had to learn what pivoting was. Yikes! So watching so much basketball has allowed me to learn more and really appreciate the strategy and intricacies of the game. I am loving it! :)

Go Dawgs!!

• Stickers on my mirror from mom: After a month and half of being here I have finally decorated my room a bit. I put up some photos of friends and family that I brought along and my mom sent me some awesome removable stickers for the walls and mirrors. It makes my room feel more like "mine" and also reminds me of my mom every time I look in the mirror in the morning! Love you, momma! Also, she sent brand new socks in my care package, too. New socks are honestly one of my favorite things. Not sure why. But I LOVE putting new socks on. Ahhh. I am going to go put a pair on right now!
  

Awesome Stickers on my mirror in my bathroom! lovely!

• Skype: Dear Skype, I will NEVER stop singing your praises. First, some recognition needs to go to whoever invented the internet, because Skype wouldn't even exist if it wasn't for the internet. I love you, Skype! So thanks for existing :)
  

• "Let's GO!": Every morning my host dad drives me half-way to work (to the metro stop) and every morning after we eat breakfast he goes upstairs to collect his stuff. On his way down, he yells "Let's Go!" in his best English accent. I love it. And it puts an instant smile on my face which makes me ready to face my day. I really love the time that I get to drive with him because we get to chat a bit, sometimes just listen to music. But it's a good time just to be together. He has been through a lot in his life and is such a kind, caring, and wonderful person. I am thankful for such a WONDERFUL host family! :)

My host dad with my host sister (left) and cousin (right)

That's what I am loving these days! I am excited for another good week. Can you believe that April starts this week?! What? Where is this time going. I am looking forward to some great events coming up in April and hoping to get stuff planned and organized before my internship is done.

As always, thanks for reading about my adventures here in Peru :) I appreciate everyone's support, prayers and love! Miss you all. Much love.

Lovely sunset outside my window last week!

"The future belongs to those who believe in the beauty of their dreams"
--Eleanor Roosevelt

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I'm Moving On

Welp, it's time to blog about something other than things that are frustrating me. Such as my commute and my iPod getting stolen and the fact that I want to go back in time, run off the bus, grab the man who stole my iPod, throw him to the ground by the collar of his shirt, and take my iPod back! Ugh. Yes, I am still upset and get a sick feeling in my stomach thinking about all the things I could have done differently, but it's time to move on. Nothing can be done about it now. So I'll move forward and be thankful that it was only my iPod and I didn't get beat up in the process. Whew.

So, I'm blogging at half time of the Butler/Wisconsin game. Watching online has been a little sketchy, but CBS sports is doing great at keeping the stats and scores up to date. Have you seen the "Boss Button" on the CBSsports march madness video player. It's hilarious! You should check it out even if you are watching March Madness on a TV. Go. Now. Do it! Anyway, it's a Great game so far, hoping for a win for Butler. Go Dawgs!

So here's a few things that have been going on with me recently:

• At work, I am working on a internship manual for incoming interns. Basically outlining all that interns do and then specifically what the event intern does, step-by-step. That is going well so far. I am hoping that I will be having a meeting with headquarters soon to discuss my Facebook proposal that I wrote a few weeks ago. I am hoping they like my ideas and I can move forward with the project. We'll see how that shapes up the coming weeks. But it's definitely becoming a reality that my time at SAE is short so I am trying to get stuff planned and in order so that transition to the next intern (or lack of intern) is smooth as possible.

• Personally, I am trying to tie up all the loose ends of Kyle and I's trip to Machu Picchu in May. Buying tickets and paying for the trip package from Peru for Less...I am ready to just be done so I know that everything is booked and good to go. Hopefully, by next week it will be done! Thanks to the best travel advisor ever, Hannah Groff. If you are looking to book a trip anywhere in South America Hannah Groff is your girl! Just look up Peru for Less and request Hannah. She rocks! :)

• My one-on-one Spanish classes are going REALLY well. I am learning a lot and trying really hard not to be lazy with my Spanish. It is taking a lot of energy, but I am glad I am learning all the rules of the language. It feels good! I am picking up on a lot more and expect to learn tons more over the next 4 weeks. My teacher is so funny and nice we always end up just conversing (with her correcting me along the way) this has been an excellent way for me to learn. However, we also follow along in a book and I am learning (mostly re-learning) verb conjugations, past, present, future verbs, pronouns, how to use por and para, and my least favorite IRREGULAR VERBS...the list goes on and on.

• I am definitely looking forward to the weekend. This week was one that seemed to go extremely slow. The first week to seem like that. So this makes me way more excited for the weekend. Tomorrow, tomorrow, I LOVE YOU, TOMORROW!

• I am thinking about making cookies, probably monster ones, this weekend. That's exciting!

Alright, back to the game.
Sunday Lovin' will be coming your way this weekend.

"Don't let what you can't do stop you from doing what you can do."
--John Wooden

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Seriously @#%(&#(

My iPod touch was stolen on my commute home today...it was taken right out of my hands as I was sitting there. I can't believe.

But I just wanted to post real quick and let you know that if you see anything weird from me on Facebook or through email please let me know and hopefully I can get my iPod locked or erased.
Thanks, friends.

UPDATED: I changed all of my account passwords that I can think of. Bye, bye iPod :(

$!@%#^&*

If you want a good laugh go ahead and look at my route to work on GoogleMaps.

1.) Go to this link: GoogleMaps--Alli's Route

2.) Look at how many miles it is (it's about 7 miles in case you don't know how to convert kilometers to miles...I had to google it! ha)

3.) Tell me how it takes 1 hour and 15 minutes to get to work.

Then you can laugh because it really does take THAT LONG!

The first few weeks of the commute I was just thinking “hm…this really won’t be too bad. It’s just a commute”. But day after day, 2x a day will eventually start eating away at your patience. Even if you aren’t going to be late—in fact, I am on average an hour early to work because my host dad’s start time and mine are about an hour different—you can still feel your patience dwindling. It STINKS sitting in traffic for that long and just inching ahead. If you’ve ever had to commute by car in a big city I am sure you understand. Maybe you love it? But I am not cut out for this stuff!!

On top of just the general waiting, you have idiot drivers (particularly the bus drivers) that are trying to get all around the traffic. Dodging in and out and trying to get the best position. “Um excuse me, sir, but you aren’t going anywhere. NO ONE IS because we are in a traffic jam that is 10 miles long!”

If you want a really good laugh, you can think about me cursing in my head; first, at the traffic that is stopped and then at the idiot bus drivers who are about to take my side of the car with them. AND then you can imagine me rolling my eyes and cursing in my head to all the guys that look at me like I am from some other planet while I’m walking to the metro. “Hey people! I am a human. I have feelings, too, and I don’t appreciate being looked at like I don’t belong here. Thanks”. Maybe when my tourist visa runs out 3 days before I am supposed to leave the country (oops? details, details...) THEN you can look at me like I don't belong here!

Honestly, I am not a big “curser”. I don’t let a lot of bad words slip from my mouth…but in my head, sometimes the words just fly! :) and for now that’s okay because I have to do something to release my pent up rage. Okay, rage is a strong word. But you get my point! Haha.

So there ya go. There’s some good laughs for you on this sunny Tuesday. Straight from Lima, Peru!

But honestly, I am enjoying my time here 110%. The commute is NOT fun, but the trade-off is that I fall asleep in a safe and quiet part of town. This I am thankful for. So it definitely balances out. Today was just one of those days that you want to be mad and impatient, but you know there is nothing you can do about it so you just laugh. I like laughing, so I’m cool with that.

Have a great Tuesday everyone! Miss and love you all.

"Laugh as much as your breathe and love as long as you live"

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Sunday Lovin'

Just another relaxing Sunday in the Barta household. Probably going to eat some food, do some reading, and catch some rays. Pretty perfect Sunday if you ask me! Want to know what I have been loving recently? Read on...

1.) Twin Finder: Something I always catch myself doing is finding twins. I am the ULTIMATE twin finder. Now I don't mean two people standing together that are brothers or sisters. I am talking about people who I am friends with from home who I "think" I see everywhere. Someone walks by and I say, "Oh my word, that looks like Jocelyn" or "That girl has the exact same eyes as Liz Naf" or "I didn't know Luke and Brittany were down here surfing?!" or "That taxi driver looks like my dad" I see all of you everywhere. If you are reading this I have probably found your peruvian twin. I need to start taking pictures of these things...but most people just think I am crazy when I show them their twin that I found so it's probably not worth it :) Just know that I am probably thinking of you when I see your twin. Nice, right?!
Oh I did find one twin from Goshen College and I insisted we take a picture together....Meet Hannah Groff's twin :)

Just kidding, of course. That's the 100% original Hannah!
(Photo cred: Groff)

2.) March Madness: The Madness has begun and the madness bug made it all the way down to Peru to bite me! Ouch.This is the first year that I haven't filled out a bracket since probably freshmen year of high school. A little bummed about that! It's a little harder to find games on TV down here so mostly I have been watching all the biggest shots and craziest endings of games online. So I get all the good stuff without the whole game. Which is okay with me, because between Spanish classes and working it would be tough to sit through a whole game. I am hoping to go to the Corner Sports Bar and Grille, which is a huge expat hangout, to watch the championship game. But only If I can find friends to go with me. I'm not one to just walk into a bar all by myself. ha. After watching Butler's last two games I would love to see them back in the championship game. Go dawgs!

3.) Conversations on the combi: My commute back home every night has been getting kind of old. I do it everyday so after a while there is nothing new to look at from the window and nothing new to hold my attention. So I turn my ipod on and listen to music the whole way home. But recently, I have been meeting some nice people on the bus. I my way home on Friday There was a family sitting across from me. A mom, dad, and little boy and girl. The boy kept saying "Hola!" and then hiding his face. So after a few times, I said "Hola" back and asked what his name was. We ended up talking for the rest of the way home and his older sister even practiced her English with me. It was too cute! And made the commute go much faster. It always makes the city feel a little smaller, too, which is always a nice change.

4.) Drinkable yogurt: People who had been in Peru for their SST told me that I would fall in love with the yogurt here. I have! It is so delicious. It's like go-gurt I guess? But way better! Sometimes I even put some in a cup and freeze it for a frozen yogurt treat. My fave flavor right now is fresa (strawberry).

5.) Silly YouTube vidoes: Sometimes you just need a good laugh. And these are some youtube videos that NEVER fail to put a smile on my face.
Neature walk
Aicha
Kittens

That's all for this week! :) What are you loving this week? Post a comment and let me know.
Chau.

"Be who you are and say what you feel, because, those who mind don't matter and those who matter don't mind." –Dr. Seuss

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Work=Wine Tasting?

If you ever hear me complain about my internship, just remind me that last night part of my job was to attend a wine tasting. You can't really beat that!! :) I have been so blessed to do so many amazing things through this internship.

I have hosted events that are interesting and informative. Some events I learned everything right there on the spot. For example, this week we hosted an archaeology event where one of our members who is working on the PhD came in presented information about archaeology and her thesis research here in Peru. It was awesome! I never thought that history could be so interesting.

Through these events I also get to meet really cool and interesting people. Everyone that comes through our clubhouse has a different reason for being in Peru whether it's travelling or for work or they've fallen in love with the country and decided to retire here. It is such an diverse blend of people and life stories that it keeps me daily interactions very interesting.

I am also developing important skills that will be needed in a future job. Communication, planning, organization, deadlines, have all become a key part of what I do for SAE. These skills will translate over into whatever I find myself doing in the future.

Not only am I seeing the personal benefits from my internship at SAE, but I am currently working on planning an event about children in Peru who are living in poverty as well as a TOMS shoes event where we will screen their documentary. I am hoping to raise awareness through these events and maybe we can even raise some money. We also host events on sustainability and other important topics that people need to be informed about.

So, about the wine tasting. We had the "Wine Guy" come to our clubhouse and teach us all about the fine art of tasting wine. It was so cool! The tasting was focused on Peruvian wines (which have never really been that great) but this guy knew his stuff and brought in all the best. Along the way we learned about using our eyes, nose and mouth to tell the story behind a wine. We also learned proper etiquette for wining and dining :) I must say, it was a good way to kick-off my weekend and when I got home I went right to sleep.

I was able to sleep in today which was nice. I read outside in the sun, ate a mango, took a nap, wrote this blog post, worked out and it's only 3:30pm! :) Later, I plan to meet up with Hannah for dinner and a movie which will be a perfect end to my day.

The start of the new week means I am half way through my time here in Peru. That is just CRAZY talk. Like I alluded to in my previous posts time is flying. I will be starting in on some more projects at work, as well, so that will make time go event faster and keep me busy.

I am so looking forward to my last week here when Kyle is coming to visit and we are taking a trip to Machu Picchu. But I also am trying to not wish my time away here. I am learning so much about myself, about work, about this new culture and Spanish! I want to keep learning more. So for the second half of my time here I am going to SOAK IT UP as much as I can.
I hope you, my reader, can do that, as well. Soak up your experiences like you would soak up the sun! No matter where you are, your everyday experiences are in some way shaping who you are. SOAK IT UP! :)

Alright, gotta go jump in the shower. Sunday Lovin' tomorrow. Meet ya there :)
Chau.

"Don't ask what the world needs. Ask what makes you come alive and go do it. Because what the world needs is more people that have come alive."
--Howard Thurman

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