Introdpucption to the PUCP

That’s right, it’s time for the old classic – the ‘settling in to a foreign university’ post. If you’re planning on becoming a foreign exchange student, this is for you! If not, feel free to stop reading now and just leave me a generic comment about how much you ‘loved the new blog post Alex, keep it up xox’. I understand.

Of course I’ve probably just alienated my entire reader base because since I severed ties with the GOC there aren’t all that many prospective year abroaders who are going to read my blog. No doubt they could have all greatly benefitted from the wisdom I sporadically impart upon these hallowed pages but hey, sucks to be them. It’s not my fault all the current second-year students are going to suffer miserable experiences because they have no idea how to adapt to their foreign cultures; that one falls squarely on the shoulders of the GOC, and I can’t wait for the day realise their mistake and send me an email telling me how much they regret their decision to take down my blog. I’ve held grudges waaaay longer than two years before, and will spend the rest of my time here quietly seething with indignation, trying to think of a suitably cutting comeback.

Me poised to begin sandboarding down the dunes of Paracas, quietly seething with indignation, trying to think of a suitably cutting comeback

 

Me standing triumphantly at the very peak of the Lomas de Lucumo, quietly seething with indignation, trying to think of a suitably cutting comeback.

Me gazing out at the breathtaking ancient Incan citadel of Machu Picchu, quietly seething with indignation, trying to think of a suitably cutting comeback.

I am, of course, joking. I don’t hope anyone has a terrible time on their year abroad, and given my own experience I don’t see how they could. Not when you consider how easy it is to get drugs over here.

Eyoooo! What you gonna do, GOC?

Anyone who ever tried to read my first two blogs more than twelve hours after their initial publication will get this one.

Anyway I believe I made a promise in my last post not to go mad with the power of freedom of expression, so I will get back to my point – initiation into the university.

I arrived for the welcome day at the university – the Pontificia Universidad Catolica del Peru – on the 10th of August. I knew very little about Peru prior to my arrival and wasn’t sure what to expect, but it couldn’t have been better organised. There was a nice welcome talk, I met a few other international students and we all got free PUCP backpacks, a free PUCP file, a map of the PUCP campus and most importantly a big pack of paper with information, times and dates of all the meetings and deadlines, all of which I was late to. I could try and pin this on the university but there’s little I can expect them to do to change who I am as a person. In seriousness, I had no complaints– there was a great welcome talk, an unexpectedly hilarious security briefing, much free food and many interesting people. I’ve heard many stories of people on years abroad in other places having problems getting started at their universities, so if ‘efficient administration’ really gets your pulse racing then the PUCP may well be the place for you.

Does this count as an elaborate floral display? I don’t know much about floral displays but they made it into writing, that’s got to count as elaborate

The campus is also a very nice place to be, particularly now we’re entering summer (yeah I don’t like to brag, European friends, but as you embark upon your annual slow descent into wintery hell things are getting pre-tty balmy over here). It’s like a safe haven in the midst of Lima’s relentless noise and traffic – there’s elaborate floral displays, trees beneath which you can sit and read, and wildlife ranging from hummingbirds to deer. It’s also about a kilometre long, which means I’m often late for classes because I’ll lull myself into thinking ‘I’m already at uni there’s no need to worry about anything’ and then remember it still takes almost ten minutes to walk from the library to my Spanish class. But that also means there’s room for three canteens, at least two libraries (apparently there’s more but I haven’t found them yet), and enough little coffee shops to ensure that you can always snack and work in a different place every day.

 

Dad no matter how many birdfeeders you put out in the garden you’re probably never going to top this – but hey, sparrows are cool too

Most important though – the people. I appreciate more than most the attraction of spending a few days living in my bedroom watching cartoons and eating only Butterkist Toffee Popcorn, but if you want to actually make the most of your year abroad, you’re going to need friends. Well, to be honest I only really made friends because it turns out they don’t sell Butterkist Toffee Popcorn here, but looking back I barely regret that decision at all. And when it came to meeting people the university excelled itself. They run a program called the Compañero PUCP (PUCP companion) whereby each incoming international student is assigned a Peruvian student from the PUCP to accompany them and help them settle into their new life in Lima.

Straight Outta Companero

What a great idea! is exactly what my past self didn’t think, because I didn’t sign up for it. But fortunately most of these compañeros are more than happy to befriend any and every international student, myself included. It’s fantastic because I now have a great balance of friends from Peru along with a variety of other countries across the world. As I mentioned above, most people are also very nice, and the Peruvians are always happy to share everything about their country with us foreigners.

Me with some of the many chevere people I’ve met

I also recommend joining as many event-themed social media groups as possible. In the first few weeks there was always something going on. Picnics in the park, football matches, nights out, trips to other cities – so many that it was sometimes hard to keep track, and having Facebook there telling me exactly when I had to be there, where I had to be and who else would be there when I arrived saved me a lot of stress. Plus if I hadn’t joined them I might never have known about these events, and I would probably have spent all those evenings and weekends doing something really boring like working or furthering my degree or some other such pointless activity. (Mum this was a joke I do work I promise).

Me not doing work

I think that’s just about everything with regards to the immediate settling-in period. I’ll come back some other time with a bit more about my classes, which again should be of absolutely no interest whatsoever to anyone not going on a year abroad, so have those generic comments primed. Actually I tell a lie – my matriculation was far more eventful than it should have been, and as I know lots of you like stories about me being an idiot and creating hugely stressful situations for myself I’ll be sure to post that soon.

Any questions, qualms or queries let me know by leaving a comment or a message. Thanks for perusing!

Estudiantes de Intercambio PUCP. You might be able to see me in the foreground, quietly seething with indignation, trying to think of a suitably cutting comeback.

Estudiantes de Intercambio PUCP. You might be able to see me in the foreground, quietly seething with indignation, trying to think of a suitably cutting comeback