Birthday!

Our 1st graders wear birthday crowns, so why can't I?
I wore my crown with pride the whole day. 

My recent birthday showed me just how much I love Peru.

Last year on my birthday, I was four weeks removed from a disastrous, five month visa seeking process. I was mentally exhausted. One week prior, I miraculously landed my job at school, but was working 70-80 hours per week. Between my new elementary school job and teaching at the language institute, I barely had the time to notice my birthday. I was still working through issues of culture shock, financial instability, language insecurities and thinking "Can I really do this?" My birthday passed calmly and quietly, with very little fuss.

As my birthday approached this year, I noticed one thing that was different: I was ecstatic. I couldn't wait to celebrate my birthday with all the people that are near and dear to me. The peace and joy that I felt with this birthday were completely opposite my feelings this time last year. When I noticed how differently I felt, I realized how much has changed in my life in Peru. I have worked through my culture shock, I'm financially stable, I feel comfortable in the language and I finally know that I indeed can and will continue to do this.

It was the birthday to top all birthdays, I had not one, not two but FIVE birthday cakes. How can you beat that?

1. Birthday cake with all the teachers at school
2. Another cake with my kids in the afternoon
3. That evening, the third cake in 12 hours at my fabulous surprise party pulled off by Alvaro and my friends
4. The next day, another cake with Alvaro's family
5. And finally, cake on Sunday morning at church

Alvaro pulled off the most amazing surprise party. Not once did I have the slightest suspicion regarding our plans for the evening. Up until the moment that the elevator door opened, I was convinced that we were simply stopping to pick up forgotten sunglasses and then on our way to dinner. When the door opened and everyone yelled "Surprise!" I was speechless. Well played, dear Alvaro, well played.

It was the perfect birthday. I felt loved and cared for in every aspect of my life. This milestone was the ideal way for me to see the progress that I have made in the year. That too was the best gift I could have gotten.

Apartment #3

There are a few events that make me really, really miss the States. Obviously, holidays are at the top of the list. But surprisingly at a close second are midnight movie premieres. I miss the culture of staying up to the wee hours of the night and going to a packed theatre where everyone is ecstatic about the film. My dad, the movie buff, always took us to midnight showings and it's a cultural thing that I truly miss. So when The Hunger Games recently released and my Facebook feed exploded with, "THE HUNGER GAMMMEEESSSSS!!!!" status updates, I got a case of the homesick blues.

Sometime in February, I saw a advertisement for The Hunger Games and saw that it would be a worldwide release, which meant that for the second time (first being Harry Potter), I wouldn't have to wait several painstaking weeks to see a blockbuster that all my North American friends were raving about. I promptly told Alvaro, "Make no plans for that weekend, we're going."

A new cultural experience I have had since moving into my new place is shopping for furniture. It's an unfurnished apartment, so I have had the luxury of picking out the perfect bed just for me. We found a bed from some furniture market and negotiated with a salesman named Freddy (pronounced in Spanish). We set the delivery for 3pm on the Saturday of our Hunger Games viewing.

Freddy called Saturday morning and said he would be a little later and would be at the apartment at 6pm. We had already purchased movie tickets for 8pm, but I was confident we could make it in time. We were at my apartment at 5:45, no Freddy. 6pm, no Freddy. 6:30, no Freddy. 7pm, no Freddy.

Finally, at 7pm I told Alvaro, we are leaving now. "What?" he asked, "But what if he comes?"

"I don't care," I said, "I'm not missing The Hunger Games to wait for no show Freddy."

So we left. Freddy finally called on our way to the theatre and told us the bed was "just delivered to the market". He offered to deliver it that evening but under no circumstances was I going to sacrifice The Hunger Games for this bed. We rearranged the delivery for the following afternoon. We continued on to the theatre and I was clearly the most excited person in the theatre. It seems that not many Peruvians had read the book. And unfortunately no one came dressed as Katniss nor Capitol residents. I'll just have to wait for Catching Fire for the real fan experience.

The movie was amazing, meeting all my expectations. That night I happily slept on my mattress on the floor, dreaming of my epic performance as tribute.

I sense a vacation

I am at that point where a vacation is so close that every day is a struggle to do anything but think about my vacation. It's made exponentially worse by three things:

1. I'm going to the States.
2. I'm going to the States for Christmas.
3. I'm going to the States for Christmas for four whole weeks!

All I think about is what restaurants we are going to go to, all the fun activities we have planned (Christmas light viewings, Alvaro's first live NFL game, a basketball game at my Alma Mater, hot chocolate...) the list goes on and on and on.

For all of the above reasons, the past week has been particularly difficult. I have learned a lot about my tolerance level for separation since being here. I used to think I was some tough traveler who could survive for months on end without any form of homesickness. Ladies and gentleman, that's a lie. I have discovered that around the six month mark, I start to become very, very homesick. If I want to be really honest though, I start to lose it. It feels as if a crazy person has inhabited my body for the past week, going from happy to angry to confused to I just want to go home!! in about five seconds flat.

Though I am yearning to leave Peru for a little while, I know I am not ready to leave Peru for good. That's comforting. It's hard to see that on the days when the only thing that will make me happy are law abiding drivers and sweet tea, but when I look around me I know that part of me loves this place.

But just because I love something, doesn't mean I don't need a break. I have two countdowns going: 10 days until we leave and 11 days until we touch down in Nashville. Tomorrow we hit single digits and then the real excitement begins!

Point for Peru: Location, Location

I grew up in West Palm Beach, Florida. For most of my childhood, the ocean was no more then ten minutes away from my house. It became a constant fixture in my life and simply blended in with everything around me. That is, of course, until my family moved to landlocked Tennessee and everyone I knew spent their summers "at the lake". Maybe it's not so bad if you grow up with it, but I think lake water is disgusting. It's murky, dingy and there are mysterious slimy things lurking at the bottom. After my first lake experience I realized the true glories of the South Floridian waters.

It's a treat to be once again living along the coast, albeit a completely different one. Unfortunately, this coast doesn't boast golden beaches or warm waters. The sand is grey and the waters are cold, but I don't need the perfect beach day to enjoy coastal living. All I need is to look out my window and see the ocean off in the distance. To spend lazy Sundays walking along the coastal parks. I like looking out and thinking about the thousands of miles of ocean that separate me from land.

But Peru´s great location isn´t limited to its coastline. Within this one country, you can enjoy beaches, mountains, deserts and the jungle. The Andes Mountains divide Peru into three distinct regions: the coast, the mountains and the jungle. Nearly 60% of the country lies within the Amazon basin. This geographical diversity is a source of great pride for Peruvians. The idea of "the coast, mountains and jungle" resonnates in almost everything: talks of food, regional cultures, national poems and great landscapes. All with good reason, it´s a rare thing that you can experience such great diversity all within the same country.

Kindle Confessions

I love my Kindle. Actually, I more than love my Kindle. I can´t believe I used to read books without one.

Last July when I was visiting the States, my dad offered to buy me a Kindle because he thought it would give me access to more English language books than are readily available in Lima. Before this, I had never thought about having one, in fact, I was wary of switching to ebooks because of the "they aren´t real books" arguement. Yes, they aren´t real books, but that´s the point.

Real books are heavy, real books are bulky. Real books take up precious suitcase space that I would rather reserve for boots. Real books are simply too difficult to transport across continents. Ebooks are slim, lightweight and the perfect solution for any bibliophile traveler.

I can read and store an endless number of books. I have access to thousands of books ranging from  historical fiction to cooking to language study. It has changed the way I read. And in recent news, you can now borrow ebooks from your local library. To my surprise, it even works while out of the country. Now I can read, for free, any book available from the Nashville Public Library.

I am a confessed convert, Kindle has changed my expat experience. It´s now on my must have list for traveling. Number 1. Miss Emmaline  & Number 2. My Kindle.

What are your must have items for traveling?

Routines

I can't find a routine.

Before quitting my language institute job, I daydreamed about how I would spend my newfound free time. I will go to yoga and Skype with my family. I will blog regularly and plan my meals. I will clean frequently and pick up writing again. I will be a über productive, creative machine.

None of that has happened.

During my three week vacation, I accomplished very little. I had all these lofty goals for what I could get done but spent most of those weeks simply enjoying all the freedom. I went from a 70 hour work week to a 0 hour work week and couldn't get enough of doing nothing. Then I felt frustrated by what I perceived as lost time but was comforted by my dads' words that sometimes "it takes a while to be creative again."

I'm back to working and am just now beginning to sort out my normal work week routine. Slowly, very slowly, it feels like I am developing a normal pace of life. Balanced between my job and caring for my apartment, my writing and myself, I can see a glimmer of the "normal" post-grad life I have been seeking since graduating well over a year ago.

The only surprisingly, not very "normal" thing about it is that I happen to be doing all this in Lima, Peru. I sure didn't see that one coming while I was waiting to walk across the stage. But I have learned that normalcy fluctuates and this is where I am. Honestly, I couldn't be happier about my space in this little corner of the world.

An expat first: Reflecting on my first job

It's been one week since my last day at the language institute. I was so excited about leaving that job that I made a countdown chain. Reminiscent of my days in the third grade, I excitedly ripped off one chain per day for one month. Until this, the final chain. Celebration all around!

Here's what I learned from my first Peruvian expat job:

1. Things in Peru take a lllooonnnggg time. It took two and a half months and my boyfriend pretending to be my lawyer in order to get my visa process moving. Finally on day 88 my papers were submitted. I began work in the middle of March. Eight months after first making contact with my employer.

2. Working conditions outside of the US are not the same as inside the US. This I should have expected, and it was my own ignorance that led to my sincere disappointment. That being said, my current full time job is wonderful: I am appreciated, compensated for my time and effort and it feels like a community. So maybe this lesson is about the institute itself. Let's change it to: This anonymous institute fails at employee relations.

3. Students are the reason teachers teach. I've known this my whole life, either from my own teachers or from my dad who is a professor. But since this was my first teaching job, I had never experienced it. It's true. It broke my heart to leave all my students. 

4. Peruvians are incredibly hard workers. My fellow teachers were some of the most hardworking people I have ever met. They worked insane hours and I never heard a complaint. The cleaning lady was there first thing in the morning and didn't leave until well past dark. Everyone was serious about their job and did it well. This is not only true of my former colleagues, but of most Peruvians I have encountered thus far. 

and the last thing I learned...

5. Expat teachers should skip the institutes and go private. It's true that I needed this institute in order to get my visa and they gave me a good jump start. But other than that, I think most native English speakers should skip the institutes and create their own private teaching business. The hours are flexible, you can choose the material and your paycheck will increase by at least five times. 

I'm thankful for the start in Peru and to be holding my work visa, but other than that I say, "Adios!"

Ricky Martin, I heart you.

According to my Twitter feed, Ricky Martin is coming to Lima. This is my earliest memory of his catchy tunes:

In fifth grade, I was sitting in Mr. P's classroom, which happened to be a portable because my South Florida school was well beyond capacity. I sat on the far right side of the room next to a large bookshelf where we kept a stereo. Some afternoons, if we were simply working on individual work, Mr. P would turn on the radio. This is about the time Ricky Martin's Living la Vida Loca first made its way to the American airwaves. We sat listening to his Latin heartthrob lyrics when suddenly: "...she'll make you take your clothes off and go dancin' in the rain, she'll make you go innnssannneee..."

Before any of us could register these scandalous lyrics, Mr. P ran to the stereo and quickly turned it to a classical radio station.  That was it. No more Ricky Martin. From that day forward we never again listened to the Top 40 station, it was classical all the way.

What is it with the teen heartthrobs of my youth coming to play a concert in Lima? The Backstreet Boys came in May, which brought me back to the days of my Sony Discman and tanning by my pool in Florida. And now Ricky Martin. I hope that Hanson and 98 Degrees is next. Then all my girl hood dreams will come true.

And that, ladies and gentlemen, is what I remember from fifth grade. Besides the science experiment making circuits out of aluminum foil and having to swish with fluoride once a week, that's all I've got.

American Sisters

There's this adorable American girl in my class, complete with the cutest blonde bob you have ever seen. From my first day in the class, I have felt like we are kindred spirits, solely based on our mutual Americanness.

She, of course, speaks to me in English which is helpful in a classroom full of Spanish speaking students. Though I understand all of my students, I think of my American friend as an informant. She can quickly replay the latest fight or argument without a language barrier from either party.

During snack time, all the Peruvian students take out what I would consider to be a full fledged lunch. Sandwiches, fruit, yogurt and chips crowd their desks. No wonder these children don't eat their huge school made, Peruvian lunch. Their little tummies have to be stuffed from their oversized snack. The American girl, however, eats more my style. Juice and Chex Mix. Or juice and those delicious, but over processed orange crackers with peanut butter filing. Mm, mmm good. By just looking at her snack you know, "This girl isn't Peruvian."

After a recent trip to the States, she came to school everyday with Gushers, Chex Mix, Goldfish and Cheez-its. I thought, "Where is this jackpot of American goods and how can I get there?" I enthusiastically asked her mom where she buys all those little pieces of America and she told me that everything was brought back from their trip. It's the small things that bring you comfort. Like Gushers and Cheez-its.

What I adore most are her child-like interpretations of Peruvian culture. Last week she told me, "I don't really like it here because people just throw their trash on the ground. That's bad, they shouldn't do that."

I feel like she and I have a unique relationship since together we are exploring this strange language and interesting culture. She's a brave little six year old, speaking Spanish with her friends and struggling through the mistakes. When she is scared and frustrated, she hides behind me in part comforted by our shared cultural heritage. And then I tell her, "It's ok, I'm learning Spanish, too. Let's learn together."

The Countdown

And the countdown begins. 

I have been working too much. It's as simple as that. Quite by accident, I have been working 70+ hours per week since the middle of April. I went to the United States a couple of weeks ago and the night before my return flight, I broke down in my parent's living room. The thought of returning to Lima and working that much crippled me. After a long conversation with my dad (Happy Father's Day!), it was very, very clear that I needed to quit one of my jobs. The exhaustion that I feel from working so much prevents me from exploring Lima. The decision was made: I'm quitting.

I couldn't feel better about it. Peru requires a 30 day notice when leaving a position (which feels like forever). I am, however, six days into that period. Only 24 to go. To help me count the days, I have made a paper chain, reminiscent of my days in the second grade, and I take great satisfaction in removing one each evening. 

Only 24 days until yoga, blogging, reading, cooking, baking, writing and time with Ms. Emmaline. 

Hooray!

The Winter Uniform is back

Winter has finally arrived in Lima. And thank goodness for that. Since I hopped continents last November, I have been in a perpetual state of summer since Nashville's unseasonably warm spring last May. This winter loving girl is ready for a change.

I grew up in South Florida and therefore didn't experience my first real winter until I was sixteen. And I love it. I enjoy summer for the warm days and crisp sunshine, but I only really like summer if I am poolside with a cool drink in hand. I don't want to sweat the minute I walk out the door and unfortunately, that's a big part of summer.

Besides the sweating issue, I simply prefer my winter wardrobe. When I bought my first pair of boots at eighteen, I think my world changed forever. During college, I worked retail and my coworkers used to make fun of me for my "winter uniform". Most everyday during the winter, I wear some combination of a dress, tights, boots and a scarf. It never fails.

When I put on my riding boots for the first time this season, I felt unstoppable. I walked to work with a new air of confidence, a new swagger (can I have that?). I felt like no one could mess with me. When I am wearing my boots I know that if a cowardly Peruvian man were to whistle, kiss or call my way that my boots could do some serious damage.

Finally, my winter in May has arrived and not a moment too soon. Does this mean that it is now acceptable to celebrate Christmas in July?

New Job?!

I have a new job, it's a Peruvian miracle.

I fought for four months to get my work visa. Then I started work at a company for which the word "disappointing" is an understatement. My job was going nowhere and I had started to think that moving home would become a reality.

And then- through a friend of a friend, I was invited for an interview. I went to the interview with zero expectations. After sending out dozens of resumes and sitting through a handful of flop interviews, I was expecting this to be the same. However, before I even left the room, I was offered the job.

It's a real job. With steady hours and decent pay. It's at a school which means I receive an unbelievable amount of paid vacation. I am working with children who though sometimes are beyond aggravating, it's hard to stay mad when you receive a hug from a small, Peruvian child.

After waiting and waiting and waiting and waiting, I have a job. Words can not describe the amount of relief that has washed over me. Recently we had been saying that it was going to take a job being dropped in my lap, in order for this crazy plan to work. And that's exactly what happened.

Feliz Cumple

I almost completely forgot about my birthday. Between starting a new job, working crazy hours, living in a another country and being thousands of miles away from all my birthday traditions, it was Monday afternoon before I realized, "Oh wait, my birthday is Wednesday."

Since I have only been at this job for about a week, I didn't tell anyone it was my birthday. However, the girl who drives me found out Tuesday afternoon and must have told the teacher in my classroom. When I arrived at school this morning, 23 adorable children sang Happy Birthday to me in English and in Spanish.

I had to teach in the evening, but was able to celebrate with Alvaro's family by going to dinner at my favorite restaurant. The best part about my birthday is that all of Peru is on vacation today and tomorrow for Easter. Thank you, Peru, for this fabulous birthday.

I don't exactly feel one year older, but I do feel one year more grown up. I guess that happens when you begin living on your own, trying to pay your own bills and mommy & daddy are a continent away. Hello, adulthood!

Big Day in Lima

Today’s the day. After struggling through language barriers, cultural misinterpretations, unmotivated employees and immigration officials, today I will finally begin working in Lima. And of equal if not greater importance, the yoga studio near my apartment is officially open! With my new teaching schedule and unlimited yoga pass, I have the feeling that the next few weeks are going to be much more active than the last four months. I feel like things are falling into place.

To say that I have been dreading this employment would be an understatement. I want a job, yes. I desperately want a job. However, with this particular Institute I feel like I have been thrown around, mislead and forgotten about. I suppose that some of these setbacks are to be expected and I am trying to be positive about that. I am trying to account for the benefit of the doubt and also leave the past in the past. It’s not the ideal job, but it is a job. It’s not full time, but at least it is part time. It is something. I am learning to accept every small victory as one step closer to making this crazy Peruvian dream a reality.

Last week I had a complete meltdown as I feared that I would never, ever find a job in Peru that would pay enough just to cover my bills. Alvaro and I endured a very difficult conversation in which we both admitted, “Maybe this simply can’t work.” That conversation was enough to scare me into a serious job application mode.

The next morning, I scoured the interest for every language job and administrative position I could find. I have serious limitations when it comes to speaking Spanish and getting around Lima, which makes me job search field even more narrow. But I am determined to not give up. I am not ready to simply pack up and head back to the United States. Though it would be easier, it’s out of the question for me.

Instead of being upset about my half of a job, I am thinking of it as Phase 1 complete of my job search. If I could find another part time position somewhere, being independent in Lima might actually be a possibility. I feel like I am in a constant job search and I am trying to keep my motivation and hopes high, because I am afraid that if I burn out, I really will go home.

Having any sort of job, even this job that I was dreading, is helping me to see some hope in all of this. Perhaps I will progress very quickly, and this part time job will turn full time. Maybe I can make more connections here. Maybe another position will fall out of the sky and all my worries will go away. I have to think that it will happen at some point. I am a strong believer that with continued persistence, something good has to happen at some point. I don’t think the universe is so cruel as to continually throw obstacles and difficulty at someone.

So for today, I am teaching English. Four lessons to be exact. The school where I am teaching releases the schedule on a daily basis, so unfortunately, I am not able to tell how many lessons I will be teaching for the rest of the week, but I am hoping that it will be at least four per day.

Although I really am trying to stay positive about my job search, I attribute most of this positive attitude to the opening of the yoga studio. How could I be upset when a beautiful studio just a few blocks from my apartment is now in business? FInally, some time for namaste.

Sweet Emmaline

After I finally made the decision to move to Peru, the next question was: What will I do with my sweet Ms. Emmaline? At this point, she had been with me for about nine months and yet I couldn’t bear the thought of parting with her. I began to think about bringing her to Peru with me but was scared by the thought of something happening to her during the trip. After weeks of agonizing discussions and research, I decided that she would indeed survive her extended field trip and I began making plans for her to move with me.

Part of my decision to bring her was influenced by my mom. When my parents were first married, they adopted Amanda, their very first cat. She was a faithful member of our family for over a decade. One of my favorite pictures of my parents is a studio portrait taken at Olan Mills circa 1984, you know one of those portraits with a cheesy idyllic pasture scene for the background.  In front of the pasture are my mom, dad and then Amanda sitting on my mom’s lap. Really, mom? A cat in a photo studio?

Emmaline is more like a cat-dog. She plays fetch, comes when you call her, wants to eat everything I am eating and follows me like a shadow. The disinterested cat stereotype doesn't fit her at all.

Since arriving in Peru, she has charmed Alvaro’s entire family. He has never had a pet, neither have any of his close relatives. Several months ago, his Aunt Carmen said she wanted to buy Emmaline some food. I told her what brand and flavor and the next day, I was given two bags of food. She asked me how long each bag would last and I said about three weeks. Five weeks later she asked, “Does Emmaline have food? Because by my calculation, she is almost out of food.” The very next day, she bought her two new bags.

Two weeks ago, his Aunts offered to buy Emmaline a cat bed. When Alvaro and I went to pick it up, they gave us not only a cat bed but also two different toys, catnip spray and a glove for grooming. She is the talk of every family dinner and Alvaro’s mom finally agreed to letting her come visit his house. The only condition is that she must stay only on the tiled floor.

The Grammys Cure

The greatest thing I have learned so far: I need a routine. Without a routine or a schedule my productivity (and attitude) seriously plummets. Unfortunately, I have endured the last 101 days with absolutely no routine. My visa is taking forever, my privates students are unreliable and the glimmer of light- a yoga studio- has mysteriously not opened. My days consist of blogging, reading blogs, reading novels, watching Bones with Spanish subtitles (I am now addicted), searching for recipes, making these recipes, thinking about cleaning and the occasional walk around the block. The multi-tasker, type A personality in me is going crazy.

Everyone (well, mainly Alvaro’s mom) is telling me to be patient. Be patient and things will get better. There’s only so long you can tell yourself to be patient. And when every seemingly good opportunity goes awry, it’s hard not to lose hope. This is how I was feeling yesterday.

I was miserably homesick. I yearned for the winter, my friends, Mexican comfort food, a job, the YMCA, my car, my parents’ warm home, Target, roommates, recycling centers, libraries and washing machines. Generally speaking, I am out of touch with American culture happenings but thanks to Lady Gaga’s egg performance (I never thought I would be thankful for that) and CNN’s live coverage of her strangeness, I realized, “The Grammys! Tonight! America!” I wasn’t sure that my TV would air the show, because only very big events are transmitted live, most everything else is a day or two late. My Peruvian cable provider, Cable Mágico, thought that the Grammys were big enough and they were live.

In the States, I rarely watched big award shows like the Grammys or the Oscars. Mostly because my Sunday nights were reserved for Phi Mu meetings and homework. Every award season I had big plans of finishing my homework early so that I could watch the red carpet guilt free, but that just doesn’t happen in a busy college girl’s schedule. Since in Peru I don’t have a schedule, I watched the show guilt free. If I ignored the Spanish overdub, focused really hard on the English and didn’t look at the buses driving by my apartment, I could pretend that I was in the United States.

For those few short hours, the Grammys cured my homesickness. I could pretend like all the celebrities were my friends. Nicole Kidman- I saw her at Bongo Java! Dierks Bentley- I met him! Martina McBride- She shops at Banana Republic! I grabbed on to every connection I could find, anything to let me experience some of the Americanness that I so desperately missed. I didn’t recognize some of the performers or winners and thought, “Have I really been out the States for that long?” Thankfully, the blogging world told me that I wasn’t alone: Esperanza who? I followed Facebook and Twitter feeds to soak up every bit of American commentary I could get my hands on.

Now I am post- Grammys. It’s another week in Lima and since all my students are “too busy” my schedule consists of the above mentioned activities with a Valentine’s date and coffee with a friend thrown into the mix. How long until the Oscars?

Peruvian Food

In all of my travels, I have never before been in a city that takes such pride in their food. And Limeans aren’t the only ones noticing the terrific variety of tastes available in Lima, but Food & Wine magazine recently named Lima one of the Three Food Cities to Watch.

Lima sits on the coast of Peru and receives a cold water current that provides delicious fresh fish. Seafood restaurants are scattered throughout Lima, serving dishes such as rice and mixed seafood, fried fish with potatoes and the Peruvian icon ceviche. Traditionally, ceviche is made of raw fish, onions and peppers that then “cooks” in lime juice. A true ceviche is also served with corn and a side of sweet potatoes to help cut the tartness of the fish. Though the raw fish can be unsettling, I have never before had such a light, crisp meal of a hot summer day.

Peru is almost twice the size of Texas and within its boarders contains three distinct climates: the coast, the Andes and the Amazon. Not only does this make for breathtaking sightseeing, one can visit the ocean, endless sand dunes, giant mountains and a lush jungle, all in one country, these different climates also create an array of unique produce. One small part of this variety is that Peru is home to over 400 different varieties of potatoes, which explains why potatoes of all sorts show up in almost every traditional Peruvian meal. Young Peruvian chefs are experimenting with flavors from different climates in order to give Peruvian food a truly unique taste.

When people ask me how I am adjusting to my new life in Lima, I usually respond by telling them that I like the food. This answer then garners a very excited, “Yes, the food! The food is wonderful!” They then go on to ask if I have tried a variety of Peruvian dishes for example: antichucos (cow heart, yes I’ve tried it but now if I eat it with every bite all I can think of is: “heart, heart, heart, heart, heart”), cuy (guinea pig, I won’t be trying this), lomo saltado (beef with onions, pepper and tomatoes in soy sauce, my favorite!) and the list goes on and on. Peruvians have a national pride when it comes to their food and now this reputation has become international.

Over the past few years, several magazines and new organizations have announced that Peru is a new hot spot for “gastronomical tourism,” a fancy term to say “tourism based on food”. Nearly every tour organization has some sort of tour package that brings tourists to the best restaurants in the city, all the way from a five star restaurant down to a hole-in-wall with the best potatoes. When in Peru, there is no shortage of amazing dishes which could keep these foodie tourists occupied for weeks.

The only warning is this: with rice and potatoes served during traditional meals, everyone needs to watch out for the Peruvian 15.

Pinkberry in Peru

What a glorious day. Last week, while driving through the most chaotic round about in Lima, Óvalo Guiterrez, I noticed the familiar looking logo of Pinkberry affixed to a remodeled store front. Could it be true? Is Pinkberry really coming to Lima? I let out a small shrill of excitement and then in my best very excited Spanish, I tried to explain to Alvaro’s mom why I was so excited. Either my Spanish isn’t good enough or she doesn’t share my love for frozen yogurt, but somehow we weren’t clicking.

I must admit, I have actually never had Pinkberry before (that is until yesterday). I’ve heard of it and know its reputation for being absolutely delicious but unfortunately have never lived in a city with a store. Nashville recently opened its first Pinkberry but unfortunately, I was already in Lima. There is delicious ice cream here, ice cream made of  fresh Peruvian fruits that are absolutely heavenly, but I always, always prefer frozen yogurt. Now that Pinkberry has arrived, I am able to get my fix.

Óvalo Guiterrez is the reason I don’t drive in Peru. The picture here makes the area look like a peaceful, Peruvian paradise. Don’t be deceived. Instead of the calm scenario you see below, it’s a disorganized sea of pedestrians and kamikaze taxi drivers. Every time I’m driven through the round about, I unknowingly hold my breath and send up a little prayer to make it through the chaos. Though there are pedestrian crosswalks at each cross street, we take tunnels underneath the round about if we need to walk from one side to another. Cars speed through the round about, without any regard for lanes or right of ways, and no pedestrian is safe from their hurried exit.

This round about is a a prime location for any number of leisurely activities, housing a park, movie theatre, mall, Starbucks, church, grocery store and a number of restaurants. Despite this appeal, I only go there out of necessity, the chaos of Peruvian driving isn’t worth the convenience of one stop shopping, that is, until now. PInkberry is going to help me conquer my fears of the dreaded Óvalo Guiterrez.

Found: One Yoga Studio

After two months of searching, I have finally found a yoga studio. This is one of those small triumphs.

Shortly after arriving in Lima, I found the studio and was overjoyed that it was just a few short blocks from my apartment. Great news! The only problem was that I couldn’t find any information about the studio. Their website wouldn’t load, every time I walked by it was locked and I was unable to find a telephone number. Recently I had just settled on the idea that the studio closed several months ago and is no longer in business.

Last week I decided to try one last time and to my surprise, found the door open. Construction workers invited us in and told us that the studio was set to open this week. That solved the mystery of the studio.

Today was supposed to be opening day and I stopped by the studio on my way home from training. I walked into the lobby and found three young women speaking incredibly fast Spanish. My terrified look must have given me away because one of the women looked at me and said, “Do you speak English?” Relieved I replied, “Yes, please...”

She informed me that the studio’s opening had to be postponed because the heating system being used for their hot yoga classes wasn’t working correctly. We chatted for a few minutes, she gave me a small tour of their beautiful studio and she even mentioned that they might be getting a couple teachers to teach solely in English. Before I left, I inquired about their hot yoga classes. I have never tried one but my dear friend Erin is a huge fan, so I think it’s worth at least one try.

Finally, a little bit of success in a city that so far has been filled only with setbacks

Feliz Navidad from Peru

I grew up in South Florida and as a result, most of my Christmas memories do not revolve around sitting by the fire or going sledding. It wasn’t until I was sixteen years old that I realized that 60º is in fact quite warm and not “freezing” as I would proclaim. It wasn’t until I was sixteen that I could no longer where flip-flops year round.

In Peru, Christmas occurs during summer. Unlike Florida which just happens to have a warmer winter, here Christmas is surrounded by summer vacation, beach houses, pool supplies lining the store aisles and much warmers days.

For most Peruvians “Christmas” occurs on the evening on Christmas Eve, beginning with Mass around 6pm then followed by an evening with family. Alvaro’s family eats Christmas dinner at 10:30pm. A big meal complete with turkey, apple sauce, rice, fruit salad and limeade. At midnight we toasted to Jesus’s birthday while listening to the fireworks outside. We opened presents and by 1am, while Santa was still circling the globe, Christmas in Peru was over.

The next morning, I had my mini- American Christmas. I Skyped with my parents while opening my presents and then left for a Christmas morning brunch with Alvaro. We then spent most of the morning walking around several parks that are located right next to the beach. We passed the time watching children with their new toys, paragliders and eating ice cream.

To finish the night we watched Alvaro’s favorite Christmas movie: Jingle all the Way, while eating traditional Peruvian Christmas bread, panetón.