Week 2: Finding Our Groove

I’m happy to report, things are looking up at Spanish school. I only say that because a new batch of students arrived on Monday, which means I’m not the worst Spanish speaker anymore. I know, the ego is a terrible thing. It’s easy to spot new students by their apprehensive faces, pretending to be on their phones to avoid the awkwardness of small talk in an unknown language. At least, that was my strategy last week. This week I made small talk in Spanish for at least 15 seconds before retreating to my phone. It’s taken 40 hours of intense immersion (the teachers rarely use English, but sometimes I beg) for my confidence to build ever so slightly. And for me, it really is all about confidence and getting over the fact that I’m going to make mistakes. Lots of them. 

Things are also looking up in the transportation department. We’ve been using Lima’s fancy new Metropolitano bus system to get around. It’s nice for several reasons: one ride costs 2.5 soles ($0.75), the buses are frequent, on time, and have their very own lane so traffic is never an issue. The issue, however, is getting on one and avoiding suffocation until you reach your destination. I really can’t put in to words how many people cram in to these buses, but I’m sure if you turned the whole thing upside down and shook it, no one would fall out.

I’ve never experienced so much body contact with strangers. Usually, several full buses go by before we’re desperate enough to squish our bodies into the wall of passengers. Each time someone pushes on, the whole bus moans in unison as more elbows and shoulders get crammed in to stomachs and faces. We reached our breaking point this week and started using Lima’s microbuses, or combis. They’re rugged, cute and only cost 1 sole ($0.30), but they have to battle Lima’s traffic. At this point, it’s a trade-off we’re happy to make.

Our first holiday in this country has come and gone. I knew Thanksgiving was approaching by looking at the calendar, but otherwise there were no signs of it; no aisle in the supermarket dedicated to pumpkin pie baking, and no cozy sweaters in sight. It’s summer here – a sticky 74 degrees all day everyday – so no crunchy fall leaves either. I was starting to feel a little down about it, but then we saw a sign at Spanish school for a Thanksgiving get-together. Bringing food was optional, but there was no way this Southern girl was showing up to a potluck empty handed. With our limited kitchen and groceries, the dish had to be something no-bake and super simple. It took me all of 5 seconds to think of an obvious crowd-pleaser: deviled eggs. You’re welcome, Peru.

Tons of people showed up, and only a few were American. After everyone made their plates, we went around the table and said something we were thankful for, in Spanish of course. I said I was thankful for my little sobrino, Nathan, who is muy bonito. Charlie said he was thankful to be on this trip with me, and I had to blink away a tear. Not only did we have a good meal, we were surrounded by friendly new faces, laughter, and thankful hearts. It was perfect, and the eggs were a hit.

We spent much of this past week planning for our next destination, which up until recently was Bolivia. We’re unable to go now due to the level 4 security warning. We also found out the bus system we’ve been planning to use is non-operational for several weeks at the end of the year, which ruled out more places. And so, we’ve decided to head straight to Cusco, Peru and knock out Machu Picchu, Rainbow Mountain, and spend a few days exploring the city. We’ll be doing a 5-day, 4-night trek with guides on the Salkantay trail, which is an alternative to the classic, heavily trafficked Inca Trail. It’s described as being the tougher route of the two, but more beautiful and with less people. We’ll be going in the rainy season which isn’t ideal, but the rain only gets heavier from now until March, so it’s kind of now or never. I’m not too worried about it; I’ve heard the ruins can look even more stunning in the fog. Our hike begins on December 15th!

Things we’re missing most: Charlie said it’s varied forms of exercise. He’s used to playing tennis, running to the gym, hot yoga, cycling up Lookout Mountain and trying every new workout class around. He does something for exercise every single day (just another reason I love this guy), but it’s come to an abrupt stop in our new environment. I feel it too. I miss spin class and relaxing runs. So far, the best solution we’ve found is running from town down to the beach and back. It’s only 3 miles, but since Lima sits on top of cliffs over the ocean, it’s straight down and straight back up. The path does run along the beach, but so does the highway. It’s not exactly relaxing, but for now it will do. (Charlie is out scoping out the tennis club at this very moment).

Funniest thing this week: For two weeks now, since the day we arrived I’ve been hearing the strangest sound. It sounds like a bird, but it’s so loud I question how any animal could make such a noise. The first time I heard it I ran outside looking up in the trees, expecting to see some monster-sized amazon creature, but nothing was there. I hear it random times of the day, always trying to imagine what this bird could possibly look like. Then the other day we saw a man in a bright yellow shirt and red hat riding a bicycle with a cart on the back – the neighborhood ice cream man. He reached in his pocket, pulled out a little horn, and proceed to make the deafening noise. I’ve never seen Charlie laugh so hard. Mystery solved.

Craziest thing we’ve seen this week: We’ve taken to walking during our 20 minute breaks from class to stretch our legs and clear our heads. On one of these walks, we witnessed quite a commotion. Charlie was already running to the corner for a better look by the time I saw a guy trying to jump on the back of a speeding motorcycle. The driver had apparently tried to swipe his cell phone on a drive-by and speed away. He picked the wrong guy, because the “victim” lunged at the bike, threw his arm around the thief’s neck and wrested him and the motorcycle to the ground. He kept the guy in a headlock while dragging him back to where the phone was lying in the street and forced him to pick it up. He then pinned the thief to a tree with the help of several pedestrians and waited for the police. On the whole walk back, we practiced recounting the scene in Spanish so we could tell Fabricio, our teacher.

Something we’re looking forward to next week: We’re hosting our first visitor on Monday – our friend Dave, the tennis pro from Denver. He’s coming through Lima on his way to go mountain biking in Huaraz, which sits at 10,000′ and has the highest mountain in Peru. Dave’s not just a tennis pro, he’s also run 100 mile races and hiked the entire AT on his own. He’s a total badass and nearly 7′ tall. I can’t wait to walk through the streets with him surrounded by Peruvians, who aren’t exactly known for their height. It’s the only area where Charlie and I blend in.