Year Abroad in Peru- Part III, Lima

Although sad to leave Arequipa, Lima was by far the best half of my time in Peru, having settled into Peruvian life, gotten a hold of the language, and grown in confidence overall. I was to have two placements in Lima, both lasting around a month, in very different schools. Lima in general is not very pretty, but it does have park full of cute kitties, and a redeeming coastline. I also had to buy lots of winter clothes as, when I arrived, the weather was cold and wet. But it soon became a place I loved, and brought out the small part of me that is a city girl. Its crazy public transport and busy streets soon became exhilarating rather than terrifying, and I loved the fact that there was always something to do, at any point of the day or night. Lima has so much to offer, but do trying going when it's summertime there as the constant clouded sky and drizzle of wintertime can be a real dampener (pun intended).

La plaza de armas

I was now working at a smaller school in Miraflores, and assisted in classes where the children were aged from 8-14 years old. I soon made friends with the teachers and it didn't take long before they took me out for churros y chocolate in an awesome restaurant called Manolo's, deemed to have the best churros in Lima. It was delicious and I was thoroughly stuffed afterwards. The atmosphere at the school was very friendly, with all the kids and teachers, including those not in my classes, saying hi and smiling whenever they saw me. One of my younger students walked up to me during a class, not saying anything, and shyly handed me a loom band bracelet that she'd made for me. So cute! When I eventually left the school, they got me a cake and even threw me a party. The students in one of my classes stood up one after the other and thanked me personally for my help and said some really lovely things- which did bring me to tears!

Halfway through my time in Lima, I made a trip to Tarapoto, a city in the Peruvian jungle. Life there seemed to be completely different to Lima. Firstly, people rarely use cars, opting for motorbikes or tuk tuks, called 'motokares', and some of the roads are more like dirt tracks. Secondly, the weather was wonderful, sunny and hot, with one rainstorm that definitely trumps those that happen in England. It's a truly beautiful part of the country, with its abundance of palm trees and nearby waterfalls. I took various trips to the waterfalls, a blue lagoon, and a village with a castle and a traditional Quechua-speaking community. The other Peruvians on the tour (I was the only gringa on all of the trips) decided I was the princess of the castle and took photos with me. The advantages (?) of having blue eyes and, apparently, 'blonde' hair. I went out at night to an outdoor nightclub called Anaconda, which was packed each night and great fun. Peruvians really know how to party!

Princess Charlotte

Peruvian Jungle

Palm trees and motokars

On returning to Lima, I decided that I needed to make the most of the thriving night-life whilst I still could. I went on lots of nights out with the other volunteers, and my Peruvian host sister, who helped me to pick out more appropriate clothes for nightclubs there. Apparently the dresses that I had picked out were more suitable for prom or dinner parties... Clubbing in Peru is something I really miss now, so I'm glad I went out as much as I could when I was there. Dancing 'til the early hours of the morning is also a great workout for those like me who want to do anything else other than running at 6am!

My third placement was again a very different experience. It was at bilingual primary school located in the same area as the previous school. This time I took on the role of drama teacher, helping the kids rehearse for their Christmas performances, which were all in English. I may be wrong, but I think I had a flair for it! According to the the head of the English department, the performances were brilliant, it's just a shame that I never got to see them as I had already returned back to England by then. I worked alongside another volunteer, Louis, who all the students thought was my boyfriend/husband/brother, just because we are both from the UK... One rehearsal we had to choreograph a dance for Belle and the Beast to dance at the end of their performance. The two students told us that dancing with the other gender was disgusting and would only do it if Louis and I slowed danced first. So we did, and they all burst out in giggles.

I stayed in Peru until just before Christmas, so got to participate in some of the festivities. I had been volunteering (also with VolunTeach Peru) in charity English lessons in a poorer area of Lima, called Pamplona. As part of the project, there was Christmas event in which there would be a chocolatada, a party where people drink hot chocolate, with performances from the children. Unfortunately, I couldn't attend because it would take place once I had already gone, but I did participate in being a madrina for one of the children, which meant buying a gift consisting of an article of clothing and a toy for my ahijada. I wish I had been there to see her opening her present but, hopefully, it made her happy at Christmastime. I actually participated in a Christmas tradition with my host family, in which we drank hot chocolate, which is much thicker than normal hot chocolate, and ate panettone. I also helped decorate the house, setting up the Christmas tree and a little model Christmas village in the living room. A home away from home.

Ay, ay, Cap'in