The First Days

All the goodbyes had been said and I was ready to get on a plane to Lima, Peru. I knew that I would miss the friends, family and familiarity of Kearney, but I was very excited to go. The flights went very smoothly and I landed in Lima safely on last night. I made it through immigration and customs without a hiccup and was greeted by the smiling face of my new Peruvian roommate. We arrived at his home later that night. The condominium is in a little gated neighborhood with a man always at the entrance. I don't like the necessity for a gate and I guard, but I understand and definitely feel safe. It is a nice place with a location close to UPC. I have plenty of room and a bed to sleep on and that is all I ask for.
Today I met his mother and grandmother. They are very nice people and cooked us a very tasty meal of chicken, rice, and potatoes. I can't remember the name, but it is a traditional dish from Huancayo, which is a city in the central highlands of Peru.

We took a bus to downtown today and that was an adventure in itself. The traffic was insane. The rule was get to where you were going as fast as possible, regardless of other drivers.The attendant on the bus leaned out the widow yelling out destinations. The bus would stop for an instant for people to load then would take off again before the door was shut. There were children selling candy and another man preaching politics for money as far as I could understand. All that said however, I did find myself enjoying the ride. We walked around downtown and looked at some shops. We got to the coast and I got a nice view of the ocean.

If the remainder of the trip goes half as well as the first two days, it will be a great semester here in Lima.