ya he pasado navidad ..

BUEEEENNNOOOO , my christmas was DEFINATELY not what i was expecting . all i can really say was it wasnt good or bad it was just different . i was just in my house with my family like a normal day except we has WAYYYY more food than usual . my mom made a turkey and fruit salad and chicken and well , alot more . i bought a cake for my family .. kind of my gift to them in the form of fooood . uhhh , we had a secret santa thing going on so everyone only got one present but i had my mom in the US send a package to me and it had all sorts of things for each of my family members in it so they were all happy . earlier in the night i talked to all of my family back home and it made me cry . i didnt realize how much i missed them ( ALOTTTTTT ) i cant wait to see them all again <3 . today i have my 'prom' at around 7 and all my family is coming :) well , recently i hace kind of been having doubts about staying here but i figure , what the heck i only have 6 months left so why not . itll be over before you know it . i will write more after prom and new years ! love you all :)

<3

mi viaje a ecuador ^-^

have you ever had a surprise trip that you had to go on ? well , i had one of those this past week !! i all the sudden found out that i had to exit peru and enter ecuador so i could enter peru again to renew my visa !! ok so it sounds difficult but really it was no problem . i had to take a bus all the way to a place called tumbes , it took 13 hours to get there from chimbote ( not counting the hour and a half i had to wait for the bus! ) i left chimbote at about 12:3O at night and got there at about 2 in the afternoon ! nobody from AFS could figure out that it was me they were looking because apparantly , i " pass for a latina " .. which isnt the first time ive heard that . anyways , 1O people (students) from AFS were also there so it was fun ! we took a picture while we were crossing from peru into ecuador=D it was fun with them , we went around to kind of get to know tumbes and we were kind of in a nature area , it was so fun i had a great time with my friends .!!!

on my way back to chimbote , i had to take a bus from tumbes to trujillo (where i go all the time) and then in trujillo i bought another ticket to go from trujillo to chimbote and then a taxi from the bus station to my house ! this experience was interesting .. i must say ! but i had a great time overall !

<3>

WELL , alot of things are coming up like christmas and my promocion from school so there will be interesting posts soon :)))) !!

oooh ahhh , xmas spirit :]

TWO DAYS UNTIL DECEMBER !!! it`s getting close to christmas time and im so excited ! it will be my first christmas that i`m away from home and won`t get to see any of my family .. not even my mom or dad ! woooo ! that makes me excited :) . There is a picture of my PANETON ! it`s a traditional sweet that we eat in Peru . . sad to say , i dont like it very much . but it`s ok because there are alotttt more sweets here ! i also found out that i will be going to chiclayo ( LOOK IT UP ! ) for my short term exchange ! which also makes me excited because that means SCHOOOL IS ALMOST OUT FOR THE SUMMER ! :DDD !!

also , i cut my hair short .. if you didn`t already know that ? and dyed it back to my natural color ! woo . . muuuuch better . im getting tan too ! ^^ yay ! my sister vanessa and i put up the christmas tree yesterday which was fun because that means christmas .. im really really excited . my ' familia peruana ' is the best :) . ill post more after Lima . CHAUUU !! :):):D

como es un dia en mi vida ?!

im sure you have probably been wondering what a normal day in the life of kimberly is . well , i will explain it to you :-) well , on a school day , i wake up at 6 :3O ( 6: OO on mondays ) and go to the bathroom to brush my teeth and wash my face. then , i go put on my uniform for school . then , i go to the table and eat breakfast with my mom and dad and brother. i have to be at school by 7: 3O , and i walk there from my house. i get to school and go to my class to hangout for a few minutes until the bell rings . then , when my teacher enters the class , we all stand up to show him / her respect and then sit when they tell us we can . then , there is 3/4 classes each day . here , ill type them out :

monday :
1] EPET 2] EPET 3] comunicacion 4] comunicacion 5] matematica 6] matematica 7] matematica

tuesday:
1] historia 2] historia 3] historia 4]PFRH 5] PFRH 6] ingles 7] ingles

wednesday :
1] comunicacion 2] comunicacion 3] fisica elem. 4] fisica elemental 5] fisica elemental 6] fisica 7] fisica

thursday :
1] matematica 2] matematica 3] matematica 4] civica 5] civica 6] arte 7] arte

friday :
1] fisica elemental 2] fisica elemental 3] EPET 4] EPET 5] tutoria 6] religion 7] religion

those are my classes . its like blocked scheduling in the united states . just so you know , EPET is like computer / training for your future class . math is trigonometry . PFRH is about family and healthy choices . fisica elemental is physics . and tutoria is when whats like my home room teacher comes in and talks to us about important things that we should know about .

after school , i walk home with my friends and my lunch is waiting for me there. i eat with my mom, dad , brother and then later on my sisters come home from their work to eat . everyone goes back to work around 3:30 and then im at home with my mom and brother for the rest of the day until everyone comes back home in the evening . unless im outside with my friends or go to chimbote with one of my family members :)


so now , you know about a day in the life of me , lil miss peru !! :D

noviembre :)

Hey everyone . life has been pretty good over on this side of the world . ive been a little sick with a cold / flu type of thing, but its over now . i went to trujillo again with my mom and sister and went shopping like usual . its getting to be closer and closer to summer which means going to the beach and pool !! im really excited because with a change of season comes a new way of life . types of clothes change, activities change , more being outside , etc . also , that means less computer which is something im really excited about ! im also REALLY excited about navidad ( christmas ) from what i can tell so far , its about the same but there are a few things that are different . we are going to put up our christmas tree and decorations the first week of december so i am counting down! things with school are great , yes , now there is homework but i am understanding things by myself without my friends help . i know there will be alot of work to do when i qet home , but thats ok because this experience is worth it . daily life here is different than i thought it would be , i thought my attitude towards things would be different . for example , when i was in the US i never wanted to help around the house or anything , but here i ask what i can do to help or i do things when im first asked to do them .. i hope these customs stay with me when i come back because they are great traits to posess . well , until next time ! heres a picture of me sweeping the front sidewalk ! :) :) :)

^^ my beautiful familyyy :) !! so,
things here have been pretty normal, i went to Trujillo with my mom and my
sister, it was really great. we went shopping and i met my uncle marco; the
brother of my mom and his family.. they are very nice and they treat me like im
just another part of their family. i am so happy here and as of right now, i
feel like i could never have a problem here. i can already talk to my parents
and my siblings about ANYTHING. im not sure if i could be any happier. anyways,
school is getting better.. everybody knows me now and im pretty much normal now.
my friends call me "morena" which is like.. a name for people with darker skin
(as a joke, of course) haha.. i think its funny. and im starting to go out and
do more things after school with my friends. about a week ago, it was my
friend bryans birthday and we all put in money to buy him a cake and we
all just hung out at his house, it was fun. and two days ago me and my
friend shirley went to the "center" in chimbote... it was fun then we went to
her cousins house so we could do some homework. so im happy that im getting more
friends. i looooooooove my peru <3 VIVA PERU! ill update more when more
happens :)

ect...!!

There are a lot of things I didn’t mention in my previous posts because I didn’t have the time at that moment so I’ll take the time to fill you in now. The picture of me and the two guys, which is my brother and my dad! We were all in the front of the house at 11 in the morning with my sisters Melissa and Fiorella and their boyfriends Gustavo and Jorge. Sad to say, Melissa and Jorge aren’t together anymore L it was sad to see her after the break up, she was crying... I am coming to the conclusion that my family here is actually really different than my family in the US. At first I thought they were a lot alike. There are still some similarities but not as much as I thought. There are more rules here, but there are rules about different things. Things I had rules about in the US I don’t have here... and vice versa. My parents in the US pretty much have restrictions on where I can go, with whom, and what time I will be back (also, grades.) Here they are different because I don’t really have a time I need to be home; when I go out with my sister, we usually leave around 10:30 or 11:00 (that would NEVER happen in the US, believe me.) and come home around 4 or 5 in the morning, which, again, would NEVER happen in the US. Another thing, everyone here has a Nextel. I have one but I never use it. I never thought I would have a cell phone and not use it! Another thing, I really miss baking! I have grown to appreciate supermarkets in the US because there are not really any here… just in the bigger cities like Trujillo and Lima and it’s hard to find things like chocolate chips for making cookies! About school, I understand nothing about Trigonometry J haha… I guess I will figure it out eventually. I am doing better and better with my Spanish. Now, I can almost understand everything without asking them to repeat it or anything! I also found that it is hard when people are having a bad day because they seem to get annoyed with me easily because I ask a lot of questions all the time (not just in Spanish, I used to ask a lot of questions in English also) I am really learning a lot of things here. Things that I didn’t even think I needed to learn before I came here. I know this year is going to be full of excitement; both good and bad. I MISS RUSSELL!!! I’m sorry if you don’t know who that is, he is my ex boyfriend in the US L I listen to music here a lot to get my mind off things if I need to… well, I will try and take more pictures of my city and the places I go so you can get a glimpse of the life I live here in Peru! Peru is actually really pretty! The structure of the streets is confusing, though. For example: I live off the main street of Argentina in the Urb. of Santa Cristina. Most of the stores in Nuevo Chimbote are on the main street of Pacifico. That street is walking distance from my house, so I got lucky! I didn’t realize how much I hadn’t said! Well, until next time J

Kimberly Milner-Loli Vargas

colegio y mucho mas!

school has been going very well for me, despite the math classes i have to take (trigonometry & physics) !! i have made friends with every person in my class and i also have found a boy (YES, already) i recently went to a party at school for " Dia De La Joventud" and it was so much fun! it was definately an ice breaker for me and people at school because my friends made me dance with people i didnt know, eventually, Gerson (my boy) showed up and i danced with him the rest of the time. The day after, everyone went on a school trip to a city called Trujillo, Peru with my class and some other classes in the school, also for "Dia De La Joventud" it was really fun and i talked to alot of people. i was not even shy to dance in front of them anymore!! (that is how i knew i was now completely comfortable with myself in peru). I am definately adjusting to the customs of peru. i know i will have a lot of new found habits once i get back to the United States because my mom here is very much a perfectionist. Today i cleaned my room, swept the floor in my room & living room, and also helped do laundry! This is also because right now, my momma peruana is sick :/ she has a doctors appointment tomorrow so we will see how that goes. I am finding my spanish to get alot better because the other day, i was in the center of Chimbote ( i live in Nuevo Chimbote) with my sister and i got upset.. you should've heard me go! you wouldve thought i was a native :) i was proud of myself.. Also i found out that i am allergic to this kind of sweet called "Beso De Moza" which is sad because i really like those things :( i have a rash on my arm right now because i ate one last night before i went to bed. haha! Anyways, im still having problems adjusting to the food.. i find i dont eat much and when i do, its things like "pollo a la brasa" or things that i had in the US because those are the things i am used to. The good thing is, i WANT to adjust so things will get better.. after all, its only been a month!! And i am going to try to post more often on here.. i know i keep saying that but i will eventually. I know you would like to stay posted on what is happening over here in PERUU!!!!

mi primero dia en colegio :)

well, my first day in peruvian high school was today and i was scaaaared out of my mind. i totally did not want to wake up this morning but as soon as i got into my class i was FINE! i made a group of friends and i think they are really good people. i can tell that i will learn spanish very fast when i hang out with them. the majority of their names are segundo, adreina, mano, and gerron. they are sooo nice and whenever i need to do something or when i dont understand something they have no problem explaning it to me.. ahhh im happy now. school here is also very very different from the united states. for example, in the united states, the kids switch classes and the teachers stay in their rooms. in peru, the kids stay in their class and the teachers switch.. i think thats kinda smart, but that might be just me. :) ahhhh today was a good day! <3333

mas!

things in peru are SO SO SO SO different from the united states.. like, you just wouldnt believe. yesterday i went out with my sister and her friend evelyn.. we were trying to find something to do because we were sooo bored.. surprising on a saturday night in peru huh? yeah, well we ended up just walking around and i was hungry so i bought a hanburguesa (hamburger). it made me miss home because their american food is not good.. ill just stick to the delicious peruvian food..yummm.. but when i go to the mercado (market) it makes me sick because theres dead chickens and guinea pigs and everything you could imagine.. ughhhh and i hate looking at that stuff.. and i feel bad sometimes because i am very picky so when my family asks me "kim eat this.. kim do you want this .." i always say no because i dont like it :( .. also, my mom (there is a picture of me and her on the right) made fish the other day and i didnt eat any because frakly, i dont really like fish. especially WITH THE SKIN STILL ON IT AND BONES STILL IN IT. seee... its so different from the united states.. when my mom there cooks fish, she fillets it and takes all the bones out.. i guess these are just things i will have to get used to.. and also, we dont have a car here so i have to take motortaxis or taxis, but theyre cheap like 1 or 2 soles which is not even a dollar.. i have sooo much to say, :P i am glad to be here but i also miss the united states (something i thought id NEVER say; ask my parents, theyll tell you) but i start school tomorrow so i guess we will see how that goes.. ill keep you posted :D

okay its been a while since ive posted a blog and i figured people would want to know what i have been doing. so, i went to Miami first on Sept 3rd. i had to stay there for like two days for orientations and things like that but it was actually not that bad. there were only two other americans going to peru so it was a nice little group. i left for Lima, Peru on what...? the 5th i think that sounds right. Anyways, when i got into lima i had to go throught customs which was scary because i had to do it all by myself in spanish.. you gotta remember i am not in the united states anymore! So, i got through customs and everything and then i found the person who was supposed to pick me up. I was thinking that my host family was going to be waiting for me somewhere or something but nopeee.. i had to go to ANOTHER orientation but it was in chaclacayo, which is a small town i believe but it was nice where i stayed. it was really boring but it was important things that i need to know so it was useful.. but on to the exciting part :) Then i got to take a 6 hour bus trip from Lima to Chimbote.. it was long and i was nervous the whole time because i knew for a fact that my family would be there waiting for me.. and they were! surprisingly my spanish isnt that bad.. i expected to do much worse. anyways, i am in my new house now and i start school on monday. i LOVE.. ABSOLUTELY LOVE my family. they are absolutely amazing and i am so comfortable here.. AFS could not have placed me with a better family. i have 3 sisters and a brother and a mom and dad and i already love them all very much :) well, i am about to go shopping with my sister for some things and to my colegio for my chumpa (jacket for school) !! ill write another post soon :)

Love, Kim!

familia !

WOWWWW!!! I finally got my HOST FAMILY!!! yay! wow, im so happy about this. I will be living in a city called "Chimbote, Peru"! It is a coastal city and it looks very pretty from the pictures. I also had to call my host family and speak to my host mom and brother IN SPANISH!! Scary.. anyways, im just keeping you updated. ONLY 12 MORE DAYS!!!!!!!!!!! WOO HOOO!!!

- kimberly

HEY EVERYONE! So im counting down the days until i go to peru!!! I have 23 more days to go, and BOY AM I EXCITED! I got three shots the other day.. Hepatitus A, Typhoid, & Yellow Fever... Ouch! But that just means im getting closer to really being there :) I still dont have my host family yet which is sad but, hopefully i get them soon!!! For now, im about to get off but keep checking for more posts !

<3 Kimberly

THANK YOU SO MUCH EVERYONE!

i would really love to thank everyone who has made contributions, i cannot tell you how grateful i am. i would like to ask that if you do contribute, please let me know. you can email my mom at tjnoonan61@aol.com.. i would personally like to send you a thank you note :)

while im writing, i would like to tell you some cool facts about peru that i have looked up!!

FACTS:

the lima bean is peruvian

the tomato was taken to europe by the spaniards, but its peruvian!

the finest cotton in the world is peruvian (pima & tanguis)

the weeping willow tree is peruvian (theyre soooo cool!)

the University of San Marcos is the oldest university in the Americas!

28 different climates develop in peru!

=====================================================

ARENT THOSE SOME COOL FACTS?! I THINK SO :)

Fundraiser!

Welll..! I had a fundraiser on Saturday, June 6th and it was a BIG success..! I raised 1,900.00! It was a rummage sale and basket raffle. Im really excited, i leave for peru at the very beginning of September and its coming up sooo fast! wow..Im so thankful of the people that are helping me because without them i really wouldnt be going to peru at all and this is my dream. Well, im going now but ill keep you posted!

Love, Kimberly :)

Intro :)

HOLA! Me llamo Kim. I'm from Missouri in the USA and hopefully I'll be going to Peru in September of 2009 as an exchange student with the AFS program.

The total tuition is $9000 and I need $5000 more to meet that goal. If you are able to help fund my experience, please click on the "Chipin" button on the right hand side of this page. Thank you sooo much if you can.

I'm so excited! This is a dream come true!! I've been a volunteer with AFS for about 4 years now, helping the students coming to the U.S.A. from all parts of the world and now it's my turn! Yey!!