Crosswalk and Stoplights
At many intersections in downtown Lima the crosswalks and stoplights count down from one minute. You'd think the standard 10-20 seconds we get in the states would be sufficient, but not in Peru. In fact, they count down in green for how much time you still have to pass through the intersection and in red for how much longer you have to wait. I don't know if people in Peru are super impatient or if there's a higher risk of people running a red light if they don't know exactly how much longer they will be waiting or what. Thoughts anyone? All I can think of is how my dad would totally take advantage of this system... "Oh, I only have 5 more seconds before the lights turns red. I better gun it!" He's going to have so much fun driving here. It's quite an adventure. I swear that every day I take the microbus I witness at least ten "almost accidents." It's a bit crazy!
My view as I patiently wait 55 more seconds to cross the street.
TequeñosSlippery Sidewalks
Speaking of crossing the street...I thought that the wet crosswalk lines in Madison were bad, but they are nothing compared to the wet sidewalks in Peru. At least one can avoid a crosswalk, but how does one avoid an entire sidewalk? I just don't understand why Lima would make their sidewalks so smooth that they become deathtraps when wet. It rains A LOT here! At my school they actually put up "Caution: Wet Floor" signs in the outside walkways when it rains! Someone needs to come up with a better solution to this problem. ASAP.
Tequeños are basically a taste of home away from home... They are essentially the Peruvian version of mozzarella sticks! Aka a perfect remedy for any Wisconsinite who is sorely missing all things cheesy and deep fried! They start with a wonton wrapper, fold it around some cheese, and then deep fry it. The main difference is the sauce they are served with. You will find no ranch or marinara sauce here. Instead the Peruvians whip up a tasty guacamole based sauce. Feast your eyes on this...
One of many plates of tequeños I've ordered while in Perú.
Prices
The conversion rate is about 2.70 soles to every US dollar. The majority of everyday items in Peru are cheaper than in the United States. For example, my new favorite cookies (basically the peruvian version of mint oreos) only cost $1 for a pack of 24 cookies! Crazy, right?! Or here's a healthier way to spend a dollar... buy a whole kilogram (2.2 pounds) of carrots at the local farmer's market! Even lunch at PUCP that includes a full plate of rice, meat, bread and juice only costs $1.50! Other ways I like to spend my money have been buying Peruvian artisan crafts. Even though the Peruvians haggle for better prices, the prices I manage are still very reasonable! The exception to this rule is luxury items. Especially those that are imported... I looked into buying some soccer cleats here and noticed a pair that I saw in the states for $50. Here they cost 700 soles or about $250!! I guess I'll be going without cleats... or at least with out that particular pair. I generally try to stay away from imported items, but yesterday I couldn't fight my craving for peanut butter any longer! I caved and bought a $7 jar of peanut butter.
Maid Service
At my house in Lima there is a housekeeper who cleans my room and makes my bed every day. Anna lee and I have become friends though so I keep my room really clean. I hate to have her waste her time organizing my things. However, I do still appreciate when she makes my bed. Every night I feel like I'm at a hotel crawling underneath the pristinely made covers for the first time. I love it!
My room with my freshly made bed.
The Abundance of Parks in Lima
Really, there are way too many parks in Lima than I know what to do with. But hey, what a problem to have in a large city... Too much green space. No. such. thing.
Parque de Reservas is a beautiful park in Lima that features 13 unique water fountains. My favorite fountain was an interactive fountain that consisted of a series of circles (in a target shape) that rise and fall randomly. We (and many other passersby) had a blast trying to make it to the center circle without getting wet! Another cool fountain was a tunnel (pictured below) that you can walk through! To top it off, every hour or so the park puts on a laser show in which images are projected onto a misty water wall created by, you guessed it, more fountains! I'll definitely return to this park in the future!
Parque Acosta is the park very near my house where I go for runs. The peruvians use this park to do a variety of things ranging from walking their little (usually sweater clad) dogs, snogging their significant others on one of the many benches, attending Tai Chi class, playing soccer, or just catching up with friends. It's a gorgeous location and because it's always busy I have something to entertain me while I run. How nice!
Journals with grids
I don't know why, but nearly all of the Peruvian students at PUCP take notes in journals with grids, like the grid paper we use for math class in the states. I wondered why I had a hard time buying lined paper, but didn't really think much of it until I started class. Perhaps, the grid paper is cheaper. Perhaps, it's easier to be neat when writing in grids. All I know is that during the first week of class when I would look around and see only grid paper notebooks I would worry that I was in the wrong classroom!
Being able to blend in as a Peruvian
I was totally surprised by this fact, but twice now I've been mistaken as a Peruvian. This is bittersweet, because after finding out that I'm not Peruvian (aka the second I open my mouth) I am met with mixed responses. One lady repeatedly apologized for apparently asking too hard of a question and another just laughed because she felt foolish for being "tricked" by my appearance! I seriously need to work on my accent. Although getting laughed at sucks, I do benefit from blending in when I'm walking to class by myself. I receive far fewer cat calls and I very rarely get honked at by Taxis which is not the case when I'm walking with my other North-American friends.
So that's just a taste of why Peru is so uniquely awesome! Here's a word that should be pretty easy to remember and maybe you already picked up on what it meant...
el parque= park
Hasta Luego,
Katie
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