My journey began with a long arduous day of airport adventure (as I am sure many of you can relate). My flight left the Salt Lake City airport around 6:30 a.m., placing me in the Atlantic Georgia airport at noon. I had a five hour layover in which I spent most of the time curled up in a ball sleeping. I then boarded my plane for a grueling seven hour flight to Lima Peru. Getting off of the flight and going though customs and immigrations was quite possibly the most taxing part of my day. Customs itself took over an hour to get through, teaching me my first lesson of Peru. Peruvians take their time! I had received a message from my brother prior to boarding my flight indicating that he would be sending an Embassy car to pick me up. I would be able to recognize the driver because he should be holding a sign holding my name. I naively expected to walk out of the airport and see my driver immediately. After all, how many signs could there be? Hundreds is the answer! I walked out to a frenzy of sign holders, people asking me if I needed a taxi, others seemingly beckoning me in Spanish (that of which I don’t speak or understand). Luckily, after standing there confused and dazed for a moment, my brother popped up. He was a welcoming sight for the weary.
My initial impression of Lima was not what I had expected. I had been preparing myself for a very poor country with dirt roads and kids on the street corner begging. I later learned that I was not entirely wrong, in fact mostly correct according to the majority of Peru. The area in which we drove and my brother lives however was very modern. There were clubs, casinos, restaurants (Chili’s), and modern cars. The driving was something to be hold however. Driving in Peru is not unlike most underdeveloped countries I suppose; unsafe and crazy! Driving in Peru demands that you be on your toes at all times and you must be both an offensive and defensive driver. Another striking observation was that Peruvians will not stop for pedestrians. They will run you over, this is no exaggeration. After what I deemed a miracle, we arrived at my brother’s home safe and sound.
I woke to a beautiful sun filled day and my nephew staring at me. Being the responsible one that my brother is, he was at work. My sister in-law had a meeting that she was at. Thus, it was Caleb, Aurora (the maid), and I. My brother’s house is located only a few moments walk from a spectacular view of the ocean. Not being able to contain my excitement of being in a new place and only moments away from the Ocean I told Aurora (in as many words as I could because she only speaks Spanish) that I was going to take a walk and find the Ocean. I asked her how to say Coffee in Spanish and I was on my way. I was greeted along the way by random pedestrians with “Hola, Buenos Dias,” hello, and good morning. After a few moments I had my first phrase in Spanish down. Next was the obstacle of ordering Coffee. I never imagined doing something as simple as ordering coffee could be so nerve racking. I understood for the first time what it must be like for people living in the US without knowing English. I went to a corner café and listened politely to the cashier greet me and then politely replied with the only phrase I knew, “Hola, Buenos dias. Café con leche?” She quickly understood that I was a dumb American that could barely spit out the phrase, “hello, and good morning. Coffee with milk? She politely smiled and gave me some coffee. First goal accomplished!
I continued my stroll toward the ocean with my “café con leche” in hand. Along the way I was sure to be careful while crossing the street. As aforementioned; Peruvian driving is chaotic at minimum. Aside from the virtual game of hopscotch that I skillfully participated in with the thousands of cars while crossing an intersection; I was solicited a myriad of times by buses appearing shanty at best resembling somewhat of a clown car by way of dangerously overcrowding itself with people. Having declined risking my life in any of the shanty clown buses, I finally arrived at my destination. The view itself was somewhat of a distance from the ocean. There was a boardwalk streaming across the city of Lima, I don’t know how far it reached. Along the board walk were beautiful purple flowers and trees. I sat on a brick fence for a moment pondering the surreal reality that I was in a different country and at the moment alone in a city of people that I could not communicate with. The feeling was one of enthusiasm, excitement, and curiosity.
As I gazed at the ocean and the city below me, I felt a tap on my shoulder. A man of short stature and an aged face murmured something directed at me. I politely informed him that I did not speak Spanish. He smiled in a welcoming manner and pointed to the brick wall. I replied with a smile and hand gesture indicating that he was welcome to sit next to me. He began talking to me as if we had long been friends. I did not understand what he was saying apart from a few muddled words I was able to distinguish from my Spanish I class in high school. Although little was understood language wise, we had a marvelous conversation using facial expressions, body language, and hand gestures. I understood that he was a student with hopes to move to the United States sometime in the future. I explained to him that I had a brother living here and I was on vacation. As he continued to speak I glanced at my watch and realized that my sister in-law would be home shortly. Being that it was my first day in Peru I thought she would probably be worried about me if I was not home when she returned. I thanked the man for a delightful time and expressed that I had to leave. He gave me a kiss on the cheek and we parted.
I arrived at my brother’s home to be greeted by Aurora. She informed me that Seniora Linsey had called and was on her way home. When Linsey arrived Caleb and I were in the living room reading Cat in the Hat or some sort of like book. She asked if I would be interested in going to lunch with her and an American friend. I excitedly agreed. We walked to the street corner and hailed a cab. I was taught another important lesson at this moment. When getting a taxi, always negotiate. She gave me the run down of average prices. The first taxi we hailed attempted to give us an above average price because we were two white girls. He assumed we were tourists and didn’t know better. He was half correct; I was a tourist and would not have known any better had I not been informed moments earlier. Linsey on the other hand had been in Lima for close to 9 months and was very well aware of how things are run in Peru.
We met her friend outside of her apartment complex. We decided being that it was my first day in Peru that we would walk. The area we walked in was also a very nice part of Peru. There were Peruvians dressed in business attire walking around in the bustling city. We stopped at a small sandwich shop not far from where we began. Although Lima itself is not known for its sight seeing, the food is something to be admired. Generally speaking the food I encountered in Lima exploded with orgasmic flavors, not excluding this meal! Linsey ordered a traditional drink for me. She explained that Peruvians love this drink called “Chicha.” It looked like grape juice, but tasted nothing of the like. It is made of corn. Although my sister in-law adamantly discarded it as gross, I remained neutral. I wouldn’t order it again, but I did not dislike it. Peruvians however LOVE it; along with Inca Cola (to be discussed later). After lunch we took a taxi back to the house in which we arrived home shortly before my brother. We spent the remainder of the evening catching up and just hanging out. I took a small stroll with my brother to the corner café in which I had visited earlier that day for dinner. We ordered some empanada’s that of which were delightfully delicious and chatted about nonchalant items. I retired to bed that evening having been pleased with my relaxed yet exciting day in Peru.
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