I miss toilet seats. That’s not a sentence I ever thought I would say, but public restrooms here generally do not have toilet seats, and I miss them. There are actually a lot of differences between American public restrooms and Peruvian public restrooms. For example, the other day I had to pay to use a bathroom in public. It cost me S/.50 centimos (which would be
I actually really enjoy living in Lima. Yes, I consider Lima my home (for now). I live with a lovely family, I am a student at one of the universities, men in El Centro have whistled me at, I have a taste for ceviche (a Peruvian, raw fish meal), and I’ve taken every form of public transportation available in Lima City. I’m a genuine Limanite (if that’s what they’re called anyway). Of course, every day throws a new curve ball my way. I can tell people that I feel like I have adjusted to the city, but the truth is that there is too much for me to absorb while I’m here for that to even be remotely true. Some days I feel adventurous and I want to see everything, while other days I’m too frustrated with my limited language abilities to concentrate on anything else. For as many times as I have honestly felt like throwing the towel in during these first few weeks, I can also say that my nagging desire to learn the language and experience the culture here is like an itch that I cannot reach. It stays with me.
Last week was full of many adventures, from taking a class field trip to an art museum, to tasting Peruvian wines and cooking Peruvian food. The art museum that the class visited was much smaller than we anticipated, but the exhibit was still well worth the trip. The last time I had found myself at an art museum was in October 2014 at the Joslyn Art Museum in Omaha. My boyfriend and I were in town, and we decided to visit the Joslyn to see the Andy Warhol exhibit that had been in town at the time. We both loved our experience at the Joslyn that day because we got to enjoy wonderful, colorful works of art, all of which were inspired by some sort of political or social issue. Therefore, my disappointment at the Lima art museum in not completely understanding all of the description of the Picasso and Picasso-like works was great. I was standing feet away from a Picasso painting, yet I still had no idea what I was really looking at.
On Friday, the group went on a local wine tour. We were allowed to try five different wines, and we were all given a Pisco Sour (the official “drink” of Perú) at the end of the tour. Some of the wines were incredibly dry, others were incredibly sweet, but the best part about the experience was getting to see Lima for the city that it truly is. The wine tour was off the beaten path of regular tourist activities. I prefer these types of activities to others because I think that they offer us a more well rounded experience in the city.
As I am writing this, I am preparing to travel to Matucana, Peru with the rest of the Nebraska group. We are going on a day hike through the mountains of Matucana, and I expect to take some good pictures to share on this blog while I am there! iChao!
about $0.17). I was handed a neatly, folded stack of toilet paper, and pointed in the direction of what will probably come to be known as the smallest bathroom stall I have ever used and will ever use. My knees touched the door when it was closed. However, this is a trend I am getting used to in Perú. Although there are people here of all shapes and sizes, the stereotype that Peruvians are small people is generally true, and most public ANYTHING (restrooms, transportation, etc.), are not built to accommodate someone of a taller stature. Mostly this just makes me feel like I can finally relate to Gandalf hanging out with hobbits and dwarves all the time, but it does not make me feel uncomfortable in any way. I actually really enjoy living in Lima. Yes, I consider Lima my home (for now). I live with a lovely family, I am a student at one of the universities, men in El Centro have whistled me at, I have a taste for ceviche (a Peruvian, raw fish meal), and I’ve taken every form of public transportation available in Lima City. I’m a genuine Limanite (if that’s what they’re called anyway). Of course, every day throws a new curve ball my way. I can tell people that I feel like I have adjusted to the city, but the truth is that there is too much for me to absorb while I’m here for that to even be remotely true. Some days I feel adventurous and I want to see everything, while other days I’m too frustrated with my limited language abilities to concentrate on anything else. For as many times as I have honestly felt like throwing the towel in during these first few weeks, I can also say that my nagging desire to learn the language and experience the culture here is like an itch that I cannot reach. It stays with me.
Last week was full of many adventures, from taking a class field trip to an art museum, to tasting Peruvian wines and cooking Peruvian food. The art museum that the class visited was much smaller than we anticipated, but the exhibit was still well worth the trip. The last time I had found myself at an art museum was in October 2014 at the Joslyn Art Museum in Omaha. My boyfriend and I were in town, and we decided to visit the Joslyn to see the Andy Warhol exhibit that had been in town at the time. We both loved our experience at the Joslyn that day because we got to enjoy wonderful, colorful works of art, all of which were inspired by some sort of political or social issue. Therefore, my disappointment at the Lima art museum in not completely understanding all of the description of the Picasso and Picasso-like works was great. I was standing feet away from a Picasso painting, yet I still had no idea what I was really looking at.
On Friday, the group went on a local wine tour. We were allowed to try five different wines, and we were all given a Pisco Sour (the official “drink” of Perú) at the end of the tour. Some of the wines were incredibly dry, others were incredibly sweet, but the best part about the experience was getting to see Lima for the city that it truly is. The wine tour was off the beaten path of regular tourist activities. I prefer these types of activities to others because I think that they offer us a more well rounded experience in the city.
As I am writing this, I am preparing to travel to Matucana, Peru with the rest of the Nebraska group. We are going on a day hike through the mountains of Matucana, and I expect to take some good pictures to share on this blog while I am there! iChao!