First Week in Lima, Peru

Lima, Peru has many similarities to San Jose, Costa Rica.  Besides the traffic.  I thought San Jose had crazy drivers but in Lima it is a different story.  There are stop signs but no one stops.  There are intersections with no stop signs.  Hardly any stoplights.  I have never really been scared riding in a taxi before but every morning we have to take a taxi over to the office.  Since there are few stop signs the taxi driver pretty much has to play chicken with the on coming traffic.  The drivers switch lanes often and fast.  No one ever really stops.  They will drive down the middle of two lanes in order to go around a car that is trying to turn.  If there are two lanes going in one direction many times the car will make a left turn while they are in the right lane just cutting of the other driver.  This is common.  There are no rules.

My room is upstairs on a rooftop.  We are living with a host family in Lima until we move to our different locations.  I guess we live in a "bad" neighborhood.  My host mom wont let me run by myself she wants me to run with a Peruvian.  I have someone to run with but I really dont care to run in the city with all the traffic and cars so I think I'm taking a small break.  Riding the buses hear are fun.  They are really small.  They are like large VW buses in a way.  Some day we might be able to ride the bus more but for now we have to take a taxi to the office were we meet to learn about the organization we work under and Peru in general.  I usually have a good since of direction but each taxi driver has taken a different way to the office or to our house.  Even if they took one way the streets with all the turns and traffic would make it difficult to remember.

 It is winter here.  People dress up for the cold.  Many look like they are prepared for a winter in Minnesota and it is only in the low 60's.  So Dad you would fit in well.  There is no central heat in any of the buildings.  None.  And I forgot my sweatshirt.  My warmest thing I have is a long sleeve shirt but I wont have to be in the weather for long.  The one thing that my Mom told me to pack was a belt.  I had it on my bed ready to be packed away (along with my sweatshirt) and some how I forgot that too.

I leave sept 11 for Moyobamba.  I here the weather there is nice and hot.  Since it is a warmer climate they can grow more over there so I hear there is a lot of fruit to eat.  So I guess that is better than potatoes and rice all the time which I was expecting.

The spanish is coming along well.  I have retained more than I thought from costa rica but I have a lot to learn.  I am trying to learn 20 new words a day.