April 6, 2012 by xandreax
I´m in Lima right now. I´ve been here for almost a year (one year exactly on April 27th). I have fallen in love with Jaime Bayly´s literature, learned a lot of uniquely Peruvian words and eaten a lot of uniquely Peruvian food.
It´s an interesting city to visit. When I arrived here a year ago, my boyfriend offered me some potato and I was amazed that a potato could taste that good. Peru is the king of potatoes. I´ve also enjoyed chicha, the way people make rice here, causa, lomo saltado… The one thing I don´t like at all is ceviche.
I think this is a good place to visit but not to live for a long time, to be honest. After a while, when the novelty of being in a new place wore off I started really seeing the sad stuff that goes on – people trying to sell gum at intersections to get a little bit of money, even kids and older people, dirty stray cats and dogs in the streets, people driving crazily and dangerously in their old air-polluting cars, the lack of security. It´s a lot different than what I´m used to in Winnipeg.
I also miss the variety of food that Winnipeg has compared to Lima. It´s also harder to get things here – you have to travel a long ways sometimes to get things that are much more convienent and available in Canada.
But oh well. I have learned a lot being here and I think that´s the best thing about coming here – having the experience – taking everything in. It wasn´t only a good idea just so I could practice my Spanish or be with my boyfriend – it was also an eye-opener to really see what poverty is as well as how a culture can differ from my own.
about 1 year ago
Lima is the capital and largest city of Peru. It is located in the valleys of the Chillón, Rímac and Lurín rivers, on a coast overlooking the Pacific Ocean. It forms a contiguous urban area with the seaport of Callao.
