My Friday class gets over around 6pm, the perfect time to walk back to the apartment (departamento or depto for short in Spanish). The sun is in the process of setting, the air has cooled off, and rush hour traffic is horrible, making the journey much more enjoyable by foot rather than bus. I decided to try and be as observant as humanly possible during my walk so as to best describe it for those of you who have never had the privilege of visiting Lima:
To start off with, it is a 17 block journey
I heard 347 horn honks,
3 car alarms,
saw 4 different colors of jeans: neon blue, purple, yellow, and hot pink,
was on the receiving end of 7 catcalls (in English and Spanish),
as well as numerous weird looks for being tall and blond.
8 taxis stopped or slowed down to see if I needed a ride,
3 buses from the line that I use passed by,
I was almost run over by one dump truck while trying to cross the street
as well as 2 mototaxis (I will try to take and put up a photo of one later but it's basically a 3 wheeled golf cart) who were driving on the sidewalks.
The total time taken was 38 minutes including the time I took to stop at Wongs (basically a Peruvian version of Cub) and the minute or so that I had to wait while trying to get the attention of the security guard to open the gate so I could get to my apartment building.
With all the craziness, walking still beats waiting at the paradero and standing in a packed (and I mean packed!!) bus while stuck in rush hour, and it saved me half of a sol :)
Friday, April 30, 2010
Sunday, April 25, 2010
Almuerzo with Mama Olga
Today was a pretty lazy Sunday (to round out the weekend). Mama Olga invited me to lunch so I had to be there at 1pm. I didn't have a problem finding the right combi, but apparently gas prices went up overnight (confirmed by Mama Olga when I asked) so the trip that is normally 1.40 soles turned into a 2 soles ride. While I didn't have an issue with the pay jump, many of my fellow commuters did. I tried not to let their constant screaming at the cobrador detract from my favorite bus ride pastime of watching out the window. I arrived at Mama Olga's door with 4 minutes to spare. It was so nice to be able to see her after 2 years.
Mama Olga on my last trip to Peru in '08 (I didn't bring my camera with today).
We went to a Chifa (a type of Chinese meets Peruvian rice) restaurant and talked for awhile. Back in her home she confessed her weakness for ice cream so the conversation continued over a bowl of helado de Lucuma. Mama Olga always treats me like one of her granddaughters, and today was no exception. Even though we can't visit again for a couple of weeks (her schedule is crazier than mine!) I'm excited to go back. Oh, and thanks for the vote of confidence Juls, for your information I got to her house in 40 minutes and didn't get lost!
On a compete side note: Nini has found a space for her glass store and is busily working to get it ready to open for Mother's Day.
This is just a sample of her work (it's actually the piece she gave to me!).
Mama Olga on my last trip to Peru in '08 (I didn't bring my camera with today).
We went to a Chifa (a type of Chinese meets Peruvian rice) restaurant and talked for awhile. Back in her home she confessed her weakness for ice cream so the conversation continued over a bowl of helado de Lucuma. Mama Olga always treats me like one of her granddaughters, and today was no exception. Even though we can't visit again for a couple of weeks (her schedule is crazier than mine!) I'm excited to go back. Oh, and thanks for the vote of confidence Juls, for your information I got to her house in 40 minutes and didn't get lost!
On a compete side note: Nini has found a space for her glass store and is busily working to get it ready to open for Mother's Day.
This is just a sample of her work (it's actually the piece she gave to me!).
Saturday, April 24, 2010
Miraflores
Today was a pretty chill day. Sarah and I wanted to go to Miraflores to see Marianna's showroom. While our time in Miraflores was quite relaxing, that leading up to it was definitely not. We couldn't even leave the condo complex without me first wiping out (I guess running in flip flops isn't the brightest idea ever) and skinning my entire shin. Luckily I am fulling qualified and certified to take care of such an injury. About 20 minutes later, Sarah, my skillfully bandaged leg, and I set out once again. I would include a photo of my lovely leg but I have a feeling my mom would not approve . . .
The taxi is the next eventful step to arriving in Miraflores. I specifically asked the drivers if they knew where the address was that we were trying to get to. The first one said no, but the second taxi driver said he knew the street. I think he must have been having a very bad day because he kept ranting about how he should be studying instead of working right then. It also turned out that he didn't know where the street was so I had to call Marianna for directions, not the easiest thing to do over the phone and in Spanish.
We finally found the apartment and all of the pieces were so colorful. There were a couple of other students who were also showing their work, mostly hair pins, bags, and clothes. I bought a few clips, 2 from Marianna.
The student showroom.
Sarah had yet to see the ocean from Peru so I wanted to take her to Larcomar, a shopping center that is built into the cliff that overlooks the sea. After getting some really good ice cream (it was easier to realize that they use the same system as the movie theater), we walked around a bit and enjoyed the ocean air. It was nice to be able to just relax instead of running all over the city which is what we end up doing most weekends. I found the micro that goes down Benavides in Miraflores as well as La Marina, which is 5 blocks from my apartment. That will come in handy since I am going to Mama Olga's house tomorrow for lunch!
Sarah and me at Larcomar.
Tonight will be as equally chill as the day. A couple of friends are coming over to hang out, and hopefully help me with my chronicle written in Old Spanish that I have to read for Tuesday (gracias Luis!!). There might even be a full cultural exchange taking place since it is my turn to pick the movie and I have a feeling I'm going with "Miracle" (if only I had "The Mighty Ducks" on DVD).
The taxi is the next eventful step to arriving in Miraflores. I specifically asked the drivers if they knew where the address was that we were trying to get to. The first one said no, but the second taxi driver said he knew the street. I think he must have been having a very bad day because he kept ranting about how he should be studying instead of working right then. It also turned out that he didn't know where the street was so I had to call Marianna for directions, not the easiest thing to do over the phone and in Spanish.
We finally found the apartment and all of the pieces were so colorful. There were a couple of other students who were also showing their work, mostly hair pins, bags, and clothes. I bought a few clips, 2 from Marianna.
The student showroom.
Sarah had yet to see the ocean from Peru so I wanted to take her to Larcomar, a shopping center that is built into the cliff that overlooks the sea. After getting some really good ice cream (it was easier to realize that they use the same system as the movie theater), we walked around a bit and enjoyed the ocean air. It was nice to be able to just relax instead of running all over the city which is what we end up doing most weekends. I found the micro that goes down Benavides in Miraflores as well as La Marina, which is 5 blocks from my apartment. That will come in handy since I am going to Mama Olga's house tomorrow for lunch!
Sarah and me at Larcomar.
Tonight will be as equally chill as the day. A couple of friends are coming over to hang out, and hopefully help me with my chronicle written in Old Spanish that I have to read for Tuesday (gracias Luis!!). There might even be a full cultural exchange taking place since it is my turn to pick the movie and I have a feeling I'm going with "Miracle" (if only I had "The Mighty Ducks" on DVD).
Vamos al cine!
Last night Sarah and I decided to trade in our normal Friday night routine of going out for a quieter one at the movies. The Plaza has a huge movie theater. While the process of going to see a movie might seem simple . . . it was anything but. Before we could even look at the movie times to see what we wanted to watch, a transvestite clown approached us, wanting to sell us candy. We finally decided on "Dear John" with subtitles in Spanish. Movie tickets were 13 soles (about $5). Then it was on to get some popcorn (we had already hit up the grocery store for candy and drinks). We ended up getting in the wrong line. Apparently you first order your food from one line, then are handed a receipt with your order on it to give to the worker in charge of the second line, duh! Doesn't everyone know that's how it works? Um, nope. We then walked up to the 3rd floor, sala 13, for the show. I gathered that even though they ask you to turn off your cellphones, in Peru it's optional? There were phones ringing and being answered throughout the entire movie. It was fun, and it was nice to go out and relax a little, especially since midterms are coming up in a week.
Just another example of how the simplest things can turnout to be very different (and complicated) gracias a cultural exchange.
Just another example of how the simplest things can turnout to be very different (and complicated) gracias a cultural exchange.
Thursday, April 15, 2010
tarea . . .
I guess the semester is finally getting well underway. On Tuesday, my professor for History of Peru: Prehispanic, gave us an assignment to read a chronicle by Thursday (today). Minor detail: The book is written in 16th century Old Spanish! Wow, this should be fun. After about 3 hours in, I was beginning to get the hang of it.
u can be u,v, or b . . . y, i, e and g, j are interchangeable . . .h may or may not exist . . . v is sometimes u . . . and z, c, and s are all messed up!
Not to mention it is Spain Spanish, so that adds an entire new set of vocabulary to the mix. Oh, did I forget to mention . . . I have to present on the book today in class. That should be interesting. Apart from being difficult to read, the book is actually quite interesting. Reading about the Incas from someone who was there, witnessing their day to day lives first hand is exciting.
On a plus side, there is a birthday party tomorrow night for Chad, one of the international students from Madison, so at least there is the weekend to look forward too.
u can be u,v, or b . . . y, i, e and g, j are interchangeable . . .h may or may not exist . . . v is sometimes u . . . and z, c, and s are all messed up!
Not to mention it is Spain Spanish, so that adds an entire new set of vocabulary to the mix. Oh, did I forget to mention . . . I have to present on the book today in class. That should be interesting. Apart from being difficult to read, the book is actually quite interesting. Reading about the Incas from someone who was there, witnessing their day to day lives first hand is exciting.
On a plus side, there is a birthday party tomorrow night for Chad, one of the international students from Madison, so at least there is the weekend to look forward too.
Sunday, April 11, 2010
Mobile
Last Saturday my compañera, from the buddy program at PUCP, Mariana, took me and Sarah around Lima. Here's the very Minnesota meets Lima photo:
The view is of the entire city of Lima from the Cerro San Cristóbol.
Here we have Gabi( Mariana's sister), me, Sarah, Mariana, and Silvana (Mariana's other sister) at the base of the cruz de San Cristóbol. The weekends here have proven to be just as crazy as the week. One thing that was confirmed for me that day is that I cannot go to the changing of the guards at the Presidential palace without getting sunburnt (I was wearing sunblock I swear!). Maybe if it wasn't at noon everyday, it would be a different story but as of now it is Sun: 2, Sara: 0
Leading to yesterday . . .
Gold star for me, I have finally figured out the public transportation enough so that I can get around most parts of the city on my own. Yesterday I met up with Mariana, her sister Silvana, and a friend from school. We went to see her boyfriend, Gabriel, perform in a version of The Lord of the Flies (El Señor de las Moscas) at the Biblioteca Nacional. The library is right on Javier Prado, the main street in Lima so I had no problem finding a micro. I did have a problem with the fact that my cellphone subscription decided to choose that night to end so I couldn't call Mariana but I found my way. (it was also an interesting journey since I was wearing a dress, which gave me even more weird looks than normal) The play was very good, and I understood most of what was said. Afterward we all went to the casa of Mariana's grandma for a birthday party for her other sister, Gabi. I didn't know anyone besides the family and a couple of friends but it was lots of fun. Mariana was on a mission to get everyone dancing so there were about 5 of us that were required to dance so that more people would start.
Me, Gabriel, and Mariana.
Of course with so much going on yesterday, I wasn't able to get a ton of homework done . . . meaning that most of the 200 pages I need to read for my control (test) tomorrow, have been left for today. At least this reading is in English! Como se dice "procrastination" en español?
The view is of the entire city of Lima from the Cerro San Cristóbol.
Here we have Gabi( Mariana's sister), me, Sarah, Mariana, and Silvana (Mariana's other sister) at the base of the cruz de San Cristóbol. The weekends here have proven to be just as crazy as the week. One thing that was confirmed for me that day is that I cannot go to the changing of the guards at the Presidential palace without getting sunburnt (I was wearing sunblock I swear!). Maybe if it wasn't at noon everyday, it would be a different story but as of now it is Sun: 2, Sara: 0
Leading to yesterday . . .
Gold star for me, I have finally figured out the public transportation enough so that I can get around most parts of the city on my own. Yesterday I met up with Mariana, her sister Silvana, and a friend from school. We went to see her boyfriend, Gabriel, perform in a version of The Lord of the Flies (El Señor de las Moscas) at the Biblioteca Nacional. The library is right on Javier Prado, the main street in Lima so I had no problem finding a micro. I did have a problem with the fact that my cellphone subscription decided to choose that night to end so I couldn't call Mariana but I found my way. (it was also an interesting journey since I was wearing a dress, which gave me even more weird looks than normal) The play was very good, and I understood most of what was said. Afterward we all went to the casa of Mariana's grandma for a birthday party for her other sister, Gabi. I didn't know anyone besides the family and a couple of friends but it was lots of fun. Mariana was on a mission to get everyone dancing so there were about 5 of us that were required to dance so that more people would start.
Me, Gabriel, and Mariana.
Of course with so much going on yesterday, I wasn't able to get a ton of homework done . . . meaning that most of the 200 pages I need to read for my control (test) tomorrow, have been left for today. At least this reading is in English! Como se dice "procrastination" en español?
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