This afternoon 2 of my housemates (1 German and 1 from Spain) invited me to go with them to "el centro". I agreed, not knowing what or where "el centro" was, and it was a GREAT decision.
We headed to the main road (Avenida Universitaria) and waited for a bus to arrive that was headed down la Ave. Eventually one came and we hopped on, squeezing ourselves into the tiny seats. Several minutes later, we disembarked and hopped on another bus that we found coming down a side street that was headed to downtown. This ride was much longer, and I had to stand, but we passed through so many areas of Lima that it was worth it! We passed through richer neighborhoods, poor slums, through districts selling only doors or dental products.
Before I go on, let me tell you about the bus system in Lima. Most limeños use the small buses that are privately operated. They would better be described as glorified vans that zip around the city through chaotic traffic and through gaps in the cars/buses that seem WAY to small. The destinations are written on the sides of the buses and are also called out by an employee who spends half his/her time hanging out of the bus trying to attract customers. So there is not a dull moment on the bus.
In downtown, we got off and headed for La Plaza de San Martin. In the center of the plaza is a huge statue and memorial to San Martin and Bolivar for the independence of Peru. Surrounding it are colonial-era buildings that are VERY impressive. In the plaza, there were so many things to see people-wise -- kids selling candy and offering to shine your shoes, tourists, locals, and PIGEONS PIGEONS PIGEONS. There were also these groups of people crowded around speakers who were talking about something but I couldn't hear what was being said....they seemed pretty excited though judging from all the clapping...
Then we walked around in the shops around the Plaza looking for boots for Ana -- she is very tall, maybe 6 feet, and therefore is having a hard time finding shoes big enough in Lima where most people are very short.
From there we went to La Plaza de Armas, where the Cathedral and government palace are located. It was just after sunset when we arrived and the square was all lit up and illuminating the old buildings. It was very beautiful. I hope to come back soon to explore the buildings more....I have heard that there are really impressive crypts in the cathedrals of Lima so I will have to check out the one in La Plaza de Armas.
FINALLY it was time for dinner -- being vegetarian is actually REALLY hard in Lima. Everywhere you look, on every corner, there are chicken restaurants. Every restaurant pretty much serves different variations of meat. But we managed to find a place with 2 vegetarian options....french fries (papas fritas) and yuquitas (some delicious combination of potato and cheese in a ball). We also had Inca Cola which is good but weirdly tastes like bubblegum...?
The hardest thing so far has been the language, which is to be expected. However, hanging out with Ana and Clara today really has helped me warm up a little. I still am having a lot of trouble SPEAKING but I am getting better at understanding. Ana and Clara have been really great bout understanding that I am not fluent and that I don't understand everything. We have had some funny moments -- Clara thought that I was from "California del Norte" instead of "Carolina del Norte"; I tried to say gloves but didn't know the word and called them "calcetines para los manos" (socks for your hands) and we had a good laugh about that. Also Ana is really into Harry Potter and The Hunger Games....hopefully she will still be here in Lima when the new Hunger Games movie comes out in November!! I have learned that Harry Potter can literally unite people across the world -- if you both have read it you can talk about it and bam conversation is happening.
Anyway gotta go to sleep....I have orientation at la Universidad Catolica tomorrow at 9 am! Super nervous but also excited!
We headed to the main road (Avenida Universitaria) and waited for a bus to arrive that was headed down la Ave. Eventually one came and we hopped on, squeezing ourselves into the tiny seats. Several minutes later, we disembarked and hopped on another bus that we found coming down a side street that was headed to downtown. This ride was much longer, and I had to stand, but we passed through so many areas of Lima that it was worth it! We passed through richer neighborhoods, poor slums, through districts selling only doors or dental products.
Before I go on, let me tell you about the bus system in Lima. Most limeños use the small buses that are privately operated. They would better be described as glorified vans that zip around the city through chaotic traffic and through gaps in the cars/buses that seem WAY to small. The destinations are written on the sides of the buses and are also called out by an employee who spends half his/her time hanging out of the bus trying to attract customers. So there is not a dull moment on the bus.
In downtown, we got off and headed for La Plaza de San Martin. In the center of the plaza is a huge statue and memorial to San Martin and Bolivar for the independence of Peru. Surrounding it are colonial-era buildings that are VERY impressive. In the plaza, there were so many things to see people-wise -- kids selling candy and offering to shine your shoes, tourists, locals, and PIGEONS PIGEONS PIGEONS. There were also these groups of people crowded around speakers who were talking about something but I couldn't hear what was being said....they seemed pretty excited though judging from all the clapping...
Then we walked around in the shops around the Plaza looking for boots for Ana -- she is very tall, maybe 6 feet, and therefore is having a hard time finding shoes big enough in Lima where most people are very short.
From there we went to La Plaza de Armas, where the Cathedral and government palace are located. It was just after sunset when we arrived and the square was all lit up and illuminating the old buildings. It was very beautiful. I hope to come back soon to explore the buildings more....I have heard that there are really impressive crypts in the cathedrals of Lima so I will have to check out the one in La Plaza de Armas.
FINALLY it was time for dinner -- being vegetarian is actually REALLY hard in Lima. Everywhere you look, on every corner, there are chicken restaurants. Every restaurant pretty much serves different variations of meat. But we managed to find a place with 2 vegetarian options....french fries (papas fritas) and yuquitas (some delicious combination of potato and cheese in a ball). We also had Inca Cola which is good but weirdly tastes like bubblegum...?
The hardest thing so far has been the language, which is to be expected. However, hanging out with Ana and Clara today really has helped me warm up a little. I still am having a lot of trouble SPEAKING but I am getting better at understanding. Ana and Clara have been really great bout understanding that I am not fluent and that I don't understand everything. We have had some funny moments -- Clara thought that I was from "California del Norte" instead of "Carolina del Norte"; I tried to say gloves but didn't know the word and called them "calcetines para los manos" (socks for your hands) and we had a good laugh about that. Also Ana is really into Harry Potter and The Hunger Games....hopefully she will still be here in Lima when the new Hunger Games movie comes out in November!! I have learned that Harry Potter can literally unite people across the world -- if you both have read it you can talk about it and bam conversation is happening.
Anyway gotta go to sleep....I have orientation at la Universidad Catolica tomorrow at 9 am! Super nervous but also excited!
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