For all of you completely non-Spanish speakers that’s so long/ see you later =)
We’ve made it! We’re in the Barranco district of Lima, Peru!! Matthew and I left Pennsylvania on June 1st on a road trip to visit family. I’ll keep this part brief so I can get to the Peru stuff =).
Matthew’s Mom/ South Carolina
We had a great visit with my mother-in-law/ Matthew’s mom in Hilton Head, SC. She is very excited about us learning to speak Spanish fluently because she actually teaches high school Spanish. Hilton Head a quiet place not much to do but eat and play golf, but it is relaxing and a great place for family time without distractions.
The first night there Matt’s mom made us her famous Cincinnati Chili, that stuff is delicious! No, this is not your regular Tex-Mex Chili, it has a different flavor and is served on spaghetti noodles. It was great to have down home familiar food before going to a foreign country. The second night her good friend Joyce P. took us out for dinner and drinks at WiseGuys. Joyce was very nice, we truly enjoyed dinner and it was a great send off. If you’re ever in Hilton Head its a swanky NYC style lounge that you can wear casual clothes or even shorts to because you’re in Hilton Head. My favorite drink was the Hibiscus Margarita -YUMMMM.
The next night we went to the club house for dinner and had amazing fresh pasta with an Sherry Alfredo sauce (more yumm). This was just the three of us and our waiter Slick -lol.. Slick is an awesome character full of stories. This was a great time to just sit and talk about our plans and enjoy each others company. Oh did I mention the carved beef tenderloin. The last night there we went to see Water for Elephants – which is an OK movie about a guy who joins the circus and has a few issues with the owner and falls in love with the owners wife. Then mom’s friend Rebeca took us to this great Mexican restaurant (sorry can’t remember the name – too much Mango Margarita lol). Another great dinner and send off. The next morning we packed and were off.
Over all it was a fabulous trip- great mom, delicious food, and amazing company =).
Getting to Know the World 
And that’s as it should be…family is everything. Good family conversation and connection is vital especially when you are about to embark on a new life away from them, and not knowing how long it’ll be when you see them again. This is one good reason that your posts are so explicit and forthcoming. They can read them to and follow you guys. Peace, Erica!!!