My Peruvian Home Life

Things have been going really well down here in Lima. I've been here a week and I've got no complaints. However, just about everything is different than what I am used to; particularly my time in the home.

The main thing that's different for me is having maids living in the house. My host family right now has two maids staying with us full time because there are a lot of things to do to prepare for my host sister's wedding. They cook, clean, and wash the clothes. They are very polite, but seem a bit impersonal. My host brother Toño, whom I spend most of my time with, never formally introduced me to them like he did with his friends and family. When we have our meals it is in traditional European Peruvian style. We eat lunch and breakfast together at the dining room table. The maids bring out the plates to one person at a time and once everyone has been served they return to the kitchen and eat there meals there. I smile and say thank you, but rarely get any noticeable response from them. There is a bit of a language barrier but my Spanish is good enough to converse with other members of the family. Perhaps it is seen as a bit unprofessional to talk with house guests. I suppose hired help is just something I'll need to get used to.

With the wedding coming up I have had the pleasure of being with the entire Duarte family. There have been many aunts, uncles, nieces, and nephews coming in and out of the house throughout the week. The men introduce themselves with hand shakes and the women with kisses on the cheek. All have been very nice and I have tried to talk to just about all of them with my broken Spanish. The conversation usually turns to Peru, Nebraska when I tell them where I'm from. The small town is pretty famous down here due to a video of some Peruvian celebrities visiting it. The video is on you tube and the title is "Peru visits Peru" if you want to take a look at it.

Going back to the family, the children are nice to have around and keep the place lively. They are actually the easiest ones for me to speak Spanish with because they talk a little slower and have a more basic vocabulary. Elementary schools are also starting to teach in English half the day so one of the girls likes to throw an English word into the conversation when ever possible.     

Dancing. There were more people but I was late taking photos.

Earlier my host mother, Mari, had a big celebration for her birthday. Unfortunately I had class for the first two hours, but when I got back there were people drinking and dancing to salsa music. I made my way around the party and had some drinks and a little conversation. I did make it out to the dance floor for a song or two, but felt outclassed watching people three times my age moving their feet with more rhythm than I could.


Towards the end of the night we brought out the cake and sang the Spanish equivalent of "Happy Birthday." Afterwards there was more music, dancing, and conversation until about 1:00 a.m. It was definitely different than any birthday party I had been to before and I enjoyed the experience.

Toño and I (Daniel in middle)

I like the position that I am in with my hosts. I think that my family here is a good fit for keeping me out of culture shock, but at the same time having me try new things. I hope to get to know them and their traditions better as we make our way through this semester.