el principio

I have had a love-hate relationship with blogs. My original perceptions of these so called “online journals” were nothing but disgust and horror at the thought of someone broadcasting themselves—thought and emotions—on the internet. I have often thought I had “nothing to blog about” but after more rumination, gosh darnit, I have an interesting story to tell, and especially one for this summer! So here’s my humble attempt at a blog:

Ten years ago, I embarked on my first “big trip” on an airplane by myself to visit my aunt in California. I find it ironic that ten years later, I must call upon that ten-year old independent traveler, and adventure in a land just as unknown as California had been to me then. Gory details: I arrived at the RIC airport at approximately 5:30 AM on Monday morning and all went smoothly. After a ten hour layover in Atlanta, I boarded my next flight to Lima. Lack of sleep overcame me when I departed the flight and realized I had another long layover ahead of me. I went through customs, etc. and waited in front of my gate, striving to keep my eyes open and just read my book. Thankfully I checked my e-mail the first minute I arrived in Lima to learn that my friend Sara’s flight (which was supposed to arrive in Lima a few hours after mine) was cancelled and she wouldn’t be joining me until Wednesday morning! ARGH I’m stuck in this airport, and finally fears of being alone overwhelmed me. But “bastante” complaining.

After calming myself down with the comfort of Starbucks, I felt much better with every interaction I had with a Peruvian. They are all smiles and warm hearts—some o f the nicest people I’ve ever met! My taxi driver regaled me with stories of his life travels and the seňora at my hostel did nothing but take care of me, understanding that it was scary to be alone.

After a good nap, I headed toward the Plaza de las Armas and took care of some business at our travel agency, and sat, for the first time EVER, by myself in a restaurant and drank café, ate CHICKEN (for the first time in four years), and relaxed while I people-watched. After a brisk walk up a very steep hill (the air is SO THIN here—I was so out of breath!), I had one of the most gorgeous views—of the mountains and casa-covered hills. I passed an alpaca on the road and shopped in a few stores. All in all, WHAT a crazy few days it’s been, but it excites me that this is just the start of my adventures!

I’ll have you know, in no way, shape, or form, do I expect ANYONE to read all of this—I’ve been that girl to delete my friends’ study abroad e-mails, etc. But it is exciting to document one’s travels in this new, hip blog-fashion.