Journal Entry One in Peru - 07/02/10

Highlight of "the day": National Pisco Day
Discovery of the day : Peruvian tv broadcasts "The Big Bang Theory" - nerd genes are happy-galloping.
Over-riding emotion: Sleepiness, as a result of a delicious lunch (of meat, sweet potato and rice) and the overcast 'heavy' heat of Lima.
Nooooo.... : Shown up by a 16-year-old American kid. Sigh.


It seems I have perfect timing, arriving in Lima on National Pisco Day; technically a weekend but you'd probably be too drunk to know or care. Pisco Sour is the national cocktail of Peru, and they have a national holiday dedicated to it. This fact has been blowing my mind since last night, although this could be largely due to the glass of Pisco Sour I imbibed. It's a nice drink: a mixture of Pisco (a grape-based liqueur), lime juice, sugar syrup and egg-white blended with crushed ice. The general opinion was that the maker of the drink last night, the jovial son-in-law of my host, got carried away with the ratio of Pisco to everything else. Yet, as the alcohol flowed so did the conversation which, generously translated for me, was along the lines of vampire bats, eating rats and the snobbish rich and their beach-front houses in the South.

Those of you who know me, and have tried to get me drunk, will know that alcohol only ever makes me very sleepy, which was just what I needed to fall asleep despite the apparently never-ending traffic on my 'window-step', apparently payback for complaining about the deathly silence of English nights. And so, on to my present abode and other tidbits. Nice little room with my own tv and a small paper cutting of the Hindu god Ganesh considerately stuck on the back of the door by the son of the household, who I gather has converted to Hinduism and was rather disappointed to find out that I am not a Hindu. He is a full-time artist, which appears to be a viable career over here, his uncle being an artist as well, with a disconcerting obssession of unicorns. My host is lovely, although her slight grasp of English will propel me to learn Spanish that much faster, although I have managed to slip in that I don't like lettuce! Kudos are welcome...

Her food is great and she may have found the way to make me eat vegetables - boil them until there is no 'crunch' left and smother with mayo. Why did no one think of this before?!? Potatoes and rice in the same meal seems to be the norm, but as the main meal is lunch and dinner is a luxury left to those who stay up late, this will be a nice change as I will be joining the ranks of people waking up at 6am from tomorrow.

My boss is lovely and, apparently, quite fascinated by British culture. Her journalist daughter has already given me a couple of impromptu hugs for saying something funny and will be arriving soon to show me around Lima and get me that all-important sim card.

Before I forget, I must dish on the teen from Oregon who put me in the shade with her impressive Spanish-speaking ability. Talk about stomping on that stereotype of ignorant Americans who know of nothing besides their own world. For those of you who thought I was brave doing this, think about this girl: she's 16 and has come across to Peru all on her own and is staying with a host family she does not know for 6 months to experience a culture which "intrigued" her. I wish I had guts like that when I was 16...

This entry will be uploaded on to various internet sites when I get access to the internet, which should be tomorrow; my first day at school.

Hasta Luego!


...Update...

Just had anticucho de corazon - ox heart kebabs (pieces on a stick, not the Britich kebab) - which was tasty. Not such a fan of the bovine intestine though... too chewy. I also saw the Pacific Ocean for the first time! From afar, but a visit to the beach is not far off...