We spent our first few weeks in a bit of a stupor. We were warned not to drink the water, not eat fresh food, not to take taxis, not take the bus, not to walk alone, not to walk at all after dark, not to wear jewelry, to beware of pick-pockets, to be careful at the ATM, etc, etc… I felt like I had to be cautious in every everlasting moment. And to top it off, I couldn’t understand or speak to save my life, in the event that I’d actually have to save my life.
It turns out though, that we can brush our teeth with tap water, we can eat salad, we can take taxis, we can take the bus (though we haven’t yet- mostly because we can walk almost everywhere we need to go). Bad things have happened to people in Lima, but seriously, we just moved here from Baltimore- how much worse could it be? We think that people warned us to be overly cautious because in the past the water was more contaminated, but it’s better now. There used to be more crime, but if you are street smart you know how to avoid it.
By now things are starting to speed back up again. We are finally settled into a routine. We have made some friends that we see somewhat regularly. Morgan is working and I am painting. And our Spanish is improving, Gracias a dios! I actually read a full-page article yesterday in El Comercio, the major newspaper here. I had to look up a few words, but I read it, and I understood it! It feels kind of miraculous to understand when people are speaking to you, and to be able to respond is even better.
We’re getting there.
We are finding our niches as well. I spent a few days last week volunteering for Noche de Arte (Night of Art), an event organized by the U.S. Embassy Association. The event is an exhibition of works by artists living in Peru and 40% of the proceeds go to funding cross-cultural embassy programming through out the year. I worked for two evenings making gift bags and then labeling the works in the show, with a group of women that didn’t speak much English. But we had a great time working together anyway. The embassy will begin planning for next year’s event in about a month, so I’m hoping to volunteer more in the future.
Morgan is getting busier with work. He has met lots of interesting public health people down here, and there are some promising projects on the horizon. He’ll fill you in on all the details as things sure up.
We’re getting comfortable in our new neighborhood, finding the nice restaurants, the cozy cafes, the beautiful parks. There are a lot of cute little parks in our part of Lima. You can stumble upon one every few blocks. And we’ve been doing a lot of walking. Here’s to being carless! I don’t ever want to go back. But don’t quote me on that.
It has been an adjustment. Still, we both know that in 8 months, time will be racing by and we'll be thinking, "where did it go?"
So, happy anniversary to us and Lima! Here's to changing tempo. ¡Saludos!
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