I have been living in Trujillo for about 2 months now and I can say that I love it here. My day to day life in Trujillo is very different than my life in the States. The culture is different in many ways. Like for example, lunch is around 3 in the afternoon and it is generally the bigger meal of the day where it is eaten with the whole family. So every day I have lunch with my host family, and we talk about our day and what we plan to do for the rest of the afternoon. Lunch is generally home-cooked and very delicious. I love the food here and my favorite dish that my host mom makes is tortilla de patata. She even showed me one night how to make it so I can go home and make it for my mother!

There are many cultural differences that I have noticed while being here. One, for example, is how there is no concept of time. People here aren’t in a rush and they like being in the moment. I had to adjust to this because I am used to always doing something back at home. Whether that is going to class or going to work, I am always out and about. I have learned to slow things down and enjoy the moment. This is honestly very relaxing and a nice change to the monochronic culture in the U.S.

Classes in Trujillo are much different than at the College. We have our classes in an old Convent called La Coria. It is a beautiful building with a lot of history. One thing that I probably will not miss is the walk up to La Coria! Even though I only have to go to class 2 days a week, I have to walk up the hill 2 times both days. The walk has its perks like helping me burn my calories and getting my leg muscles toned, but I am just not a very active person, so it takes me a minute to go up. Since it is up the hill, you can see the whole town while walking up and the views from the top make the walk worth it.