Now I’ll finally try to write a summary of my time in Peru, the first five weeks I’ve been living here. That’s not an easy thing to do, but I’ll try my best to give an impression of how life is here and what I’ve been doing.
When I left Austria at the end of August, I only knew that I was going to go to Lima first. But I didn’t know where I would stay, and I had no idea of how Lima was and what I’d have to expect.
Fortunately, when I was waiting for my connecting flight in Panama City, it turned out that Julia (AUFWIND’s “mama peruana”) could pick me up at the airport and that I could stay at her house in Lima before we would go to Huaraz together.
So after I got my luggage and went through immigration (I was glad everything went well), I was happy to find her waiting at the airport and we took a taxi to her house. My first impression of Lima was incredible – first you have to negotiate about the price of the taxi, and then we drove on a gigantic, dusty street with huge holes in it, everybody in old cars where you would think that they fall apart every second. And they drive like crazy, honk all the time and it’s just like the stronger one wins. I was tired and overwhelmed, had no idea where we were going and Julia kept talking to me in Spanish.
When we got to the house, I went to sleep (which I did a lot in the following days) and after a while Patrick, the other volunteer, arrived in Lima too. Luckily his Spanish was better than mine and he knew Julia because he’d been here for two months already. Together with Julia we had a big dinner – she’s a great cook and plates are always stuffed with food, but I don’t think she’s too happy about me being a vegetarian.
I also managed to go to an “internet station” (thanks to Patrick haha) – a mostly dark place with a bunch of computers where you pay per half an hour. In Peru they are at every corner and you always see kids playing games because only few people have a computer or internet at home.
On my second day in Lima I already went to my first Peruvian fiesta. I could barely get out of bed, but I’m glad I didn’t miss it, because it’s quite different than in Austria (I don’t know what isn’t).
It was the baptism of a son off some relatives of Julia. After church we went to a place they rented (it was a rather rich family) – I felt like the decoration was totally out of place compared to what’s going on on the streets. We waited until everybody was here and I thought then we would finally eat (it was getting quite late). But no, now only people started to do speeches and I didn’t understand a word. Only some snacks were given to us and when they were finally done with the speeches every woman (yes, me too) had to dance with the baptized baby (yes, in front of everybody that was there) and pictures were taken in every family and non-family constellation possible.
More snacks and beer, and everybody started dancing. Every table got bottles of beer, but for drinking there is only one glass. One person drinks, and then the next and so on. And the music was a very interesting mix between Peruvian rythms and Gangnam Style.
The actual dinner came a few hours later and, how could it be different, it was cuy (guinea pig). A whole one, on a plate next to potatoes – definitely a thing you have to get used to.
The next days in Lima were calm, I didn’t do very much because I was tired and every time I left the house I came back exhausted. Like taking a bus to a place – you wait at the side of the street and the first challenge is to find out which bus is the right one. Destinations are yelled by the conductor and written on the side of the bus, but you have to be fast. The bus stops wherever people want to get on or off, and they can’t be stuffed enough. In Lima it can also happen that people try to sell sweets or other things on the bus, or play music. The streets are crazy, big, loud and dusty and just looking out the window and seeing the poor neighbourhoods full of people, and then suddenly skyscrapers of American companies or nicer neighbourhoods with restaurants and tourists overwhelmed me with impressions.
Fortunately, when I was waiting for my connecting flight in Panama City, it turned out that Julia (AUFWIND’s “mama peruana”) could pick me up at the airport and that I could stay at her house in Lima before we would go to Huaraz together.
So after I got my luggage and went through immigration (I was glad everything went well), I was happy to find her waiting at the airport and we took a taxi to her house. My first impression of Lima was incredible – first you have to negotiate about the price of the taxi, and then we drove on a gigantic, dusty street with huge holes in it, everybody in old cars where you would think that they fall apart every second. And they drive like crazy, honk all the time and it’s just like the stronger one wins. I was tired and overwhelmed, had no idea where we were going and Julia kept talking to me in Spanish.
When we got to the house, I went to sleep (which I did a lot in the following days) and after a while Patrick, the other volunteer, arrived in Lima too. Luckily his Spanish was better than mine and he knew Julia because he’d been here for two months already. Together with Julia we had a big dinner – she’s a great cook and plates are always stuffed with food, but I don’t think she’s too happy about me being a vegetarian.
I also managed to go to an “internet station” (thanks to Patrick haha) – a mostly dark place with a bunch of computers where you pay per half an hour. In Peru they are at every corner and you always see kids playing games because only few people have a computer or internet at home.
On my second day in Lima I already went to my first Peruvian fiesta. I could barely get out of bed, but I’m glad I didn’t miss it, because it’s quite different than in Austria (I don’t know what isn’t).
It was the baptism of a son off some relatives of Julia. After church we went to a place they rented (it was a rather rich family) – I felt like the decoration was totally out of place compared to what’s going on on the streets. We waited until everybody was here and I thought then we would finally eat (it was getting quite late). But no, now only people started to do speeches and I didn’t understand a word. Only some snacks were given to us and when they were finally done with the speeches every woman (yes, me too) had to dance with the baptized baby (yes, in front of everybody that was there) and pictures were taken in every family and non-family constellation possible.
More snacks and beer, and everybody started dancing. Every table got bottles of beer, but for drinking there is only one glass. One person drinks, and then the next and so on. And the music was a very interesting mix between Peruvian rythms and Gangnam Style.
The actual dinner came a few hours later and, how could it be different, it was cuy (guinea pig). A whole one, on a plate next to potatoes – definitely a thing you have to get used to.
The next days in Lima were calm, I didn’t do very much because I was tired and every time I left the house I came back exhausted. Like taking a bus to a place – you wait at the side of the street and the first challenge is to find out which bus is the right one. Destinations are yelled by the conductor and written on the side of the bus, but you have to be fast. The bus stops wherever people want to get on or off, and they can’t be stuffed enough. In Lima it can also happen that people try to sell sweets or other things on the bus, or play music. The streets are crazy, big, loud and dusty and just looking out the window and seeing the poor neighbourhoods full of people, and then suddenly skyscrapers of American companies or nicer neighbourhoods with restaurants and tourists overwhelmed me with impressions.
Everything was new, everything was different, and I didn't know anything.
Patrick left for Cusco after two days, so I was alone with Julia and my little knowledge of the Spanish language. But it’s the best way to learn, and in those days I my Spanish got a lot better. It’s still pretty basic, but compared to how it was when I arrived it’s great ;)
Patrick left for Cusco after two days, so I was alone with Julia and my little knowledge of the Spanish language. But it’s the best way to learn, and in those days I my Spanish got a lot better. It’s still pretty basic, but compared to how it was when I arrived it’s great ;)
But still, I was happy when we left for Huaraz after four days in Lima – it was just enough for the beginning.
We took a bus, one of the cheap one’s that are used by locals, and started our eight-hour-journey up into the Andes. The bus was a little rusty and sometimes I was scared it wouldn’t make it, but the scenery is amazing. First along the coast, then to the east, through villages and cities and a lot of farmland. And then up, mountain roads, only small villages with few houses, animals on the streets, long distances with no houses and a whole different vegetation.
Huaraz is at an altitude of a little over 3000m, and you can feel that. When we arrived, I was tired, had a headache and felt like my whole body was aching. But from the first moment I kinda liked the city, maybe also because it’s a lot smaller than Lima and not as crazy. We could walk from the bus to the house, which has a nice little courtyard and a roof-deck with a great view, especially at sunset. Julia showed me the house, which is very basic but enough to live, and my room is nice too.
Since the sun was already going down when we arrived, it was time to go to bed for me, filled with the curiosity of how everything here would be like.
We took a bus, one of the cheap one’s that are used by locals, and started our eight-hour-journey up into the Andes. The bus was a little rusty and sometimes I was scared it wouldn’t make it, but the scenery is amazing. First along the coast, then to the east, through villages and cities and a lot of farmland. And then up, mountain roads, only small villages with few houses, animals on the streets, long distances with no houses and a whole different vegetation.
Huaraz is at an altitude of a little over 3000m, and you can feel that. When we arrived, I was tired, had a headache and felt like my whole body was aching. But from the first moment I kinda liked the city, maybe also because it’s a lot smaller than Lima and not as crazy. We could walk from the bus to the house, which has a nice little courtyard and a roof-deck with a great view, especially at sunset. Julia showed me the house, which is very basic but enough to live, and my room is nice too.
Since the sun was already going down when we arrived, it was time to go to bed for me, filled with the curiosity of how everything here would be like.
More will be on here soon
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