To celebrate my first year in Peru, I am looking back at the past year. I am recalling the complicated journey that brought me here and seeing how things have changed over the last twelve months.
August
In August, we began the second half of the school year, while my northern hemisphere friends went back for a new year. I'm not quite sure I will even get used to this seasonal flip.
I learned that pet stores in Lima, unfortunately, do not offer the grand variety available in most US stores so I resorted to making a scratcher for dear Emmaline. On the "to buy" for my next trip to the States: cardboard cat scratcher refills. Going to the US has turned into a shopping trip, I'm turning into a Peruvian.
I experienced frustrations with the traffic in Lima and struggled to find a productive routine. Most noteworthy is that I experienced my first earthquake tremor. Long gone are the days of hurricanes and tornado warnings. I am now a pro at earthquake evacuation.
 |
| We celebrated Alvaro's dad's birthday with a mariachi band! |
Sometimes living on a different continent than my family and closest friends is just. plain. hard. I usually try to be pretty brave and put on a tough face. I'm stubborn, which helps me to push through the times when it is hard and tell myself, "No, you live here. There is no going home." For some reasons, the first week of September was particularly tough. Two days in a row, I started crying on the way to work. Uncontrollably crying as I was overwhelmed about my life in Lima and where do I go from here and wouldn't it just be easier in the States. One day was especially hard, because try as I might, I couldn't pull myself together. My kids noticed and then another teacher noticed. I felt utterly pathetic. That is until, one of my kids vomited right next to me and that unexpected event turned my whole day around. Thankfully, whatever caused those days of emotionally insecurity passed rather quickly and I once again felt certain in my time here.
The sun finally started to come out, which probably helped me have a better attitude about Lima. I began to ride the bus like a Peruvian and realized my true, pure love for my Kindle.
October
The month of apartment searching! I saw the good, the bad and the really ugly before settling on a large apartment with the perfect location. Through my apartment search, I learned an array of new vocabulary. Alvaro's family graciously accepted to help me through the process and through them I learned a lot. My first big apartment search was an international search and I did it!
