LIMA, Spanish, and turning towards home

Peruvian ceviche - raw fish, corn, sweet potato, served with Pisco Sour.

LIMA

I have been back from Lima for a bit now - actually Monday is the 2nd test for my class (2/4) so I have been back for about weeks.  Lima was great - it was a week of ceviche and Spanish.  I stayed in a very upscale neighborhood - Miraflores -and the apartment I rented  a room in was two blocks from my Spanish school.  The Spanish school was really, really good - and I believe I did make some progress.  At this school we studied in classes- with no more than five people to a class.  I had only one classmate - a young (22-23) German woman who knew German, English, French and was learning Spanish.  Her English was so good when I first heard her talk I thought she was from the USA.  Whether it was because she was young, had already learned many languages, or she was just smarter than me - she was pretty amazing.  We would learn a new tense, the teacher would put the conjugation on the board, and within five minutes she never had to check her notes again.  I, on  the other hand, remained very slow and I still have to use cheat sheets for conjugations l learned several years ago.  Added to this we did a lot of speaking and listening (which I asked for) and this is where I am really weak.  Her exasperation with me was palpable across the room. 

I rented a room in an apartment which was very nice - but by the end of the week I was getting some strange vibes. One morning the woman ( from whom I never understood a word and she never understood me. This was an odd thing - for the first two days I was in Lima I never understood a single word of Spanish - )  ) asked me to pay her right away.I did have the cash but was in the middle of breakfast.  She went in the living room and sat with her coat on until I gave her the money. It was lucky I even had the cash as the payment wasn't due for 4 days.  I was scheduled to leave her apartment at 6:00 on Sunday night -transportation, etc. was arranged. On Saturday she came to my room with her telephone and she had a friend who spoke English on the line.  She asked me to speak to her friend, who friend then asked me if I would leave Sunday at noon. I responded I had paid and had no where to go from 12-6 with my luggage -but I would do what I could do. While I was bit put off - the reality is there's no fun huddling in your room in a house where they wish you were gone.  I had already planned a tourist trip for Sunday morning and was unwilling to cancel that but was able to change my transport to much earlier.  My flight was at 10 and I arrived at the airport at 4.  Generally, I have no problem hanging around an airport so I was ok with this - BUT I had not anticipated the LIMA airport. The Lima metro area has a population of around 10 million but the airport is somewhat small.  While there are plenty of restaurants, etc.  there are not enough seats for passengers and people before the security gates.  My Ecuadorian  airline - TAME - did not open its counter until 7:30 p.m. so I was unable to check in for 2.5 hours. While there were no seats to be had in the waiting area (remember I can not get to the gates) I miraculously managed to find a seat and room for my luggage at a very nice QUIET restaurant so I hung out there for a few hours. Finally I was able to check in, ,check my luggage and hangout past security in relative calm.

Lima was interesting - but sooooo big.  I spent all of my time -except when on tours - in Miraflores.  It was very nice, clean, safe, and touristy.  It was a six block walk to see the ocean. The two highlights for me was Punto Azul and the LUM museum.

LUM MUSEUM- LIMA - Memorial for Remembeance.

I went to the LUM museum (http://limacitykings.com/lugar-de-la-memoria-museum-in-miraflores/) as a trip from my school.  It is a memorial to the victims of the terrorist period during Peru - when there was armed confict and around 70,000 people died or disappeared.  This happened between the years 1980-2000.To be honest, I still don't understand exactly what it was all about and all the various groups.  I know one of the main armed groups -The Shining Path, a communist group, (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shining_Path)modeled themselves after Mao and used his methods -particularly of fighting in the small villages and rural areas instead of large cities and eventually squeezing the cities.  Because of this, the conflict was more catastrophic for the indigenous.   Gays and transgender people were also "special" targets The museum is excellent, but what amazed me the most was that I have no memory of this.  Perhaps I was extra ignorant during these years, perhaps I have forgotten - but it was all new to me.

My other highlight, Punto Azul, is on a much happier note - abeit somewhat decadent.

Punto Azul - my Lima hangout

 Peru is known for its cuisine - and I  was like a laser looking for ceviche. Peruvian ceviche, unlike Ecuadorian ceviche, is raw. The Peruvian ceviche is a lot like sashimi.    I love them both - but the ceviche I had always eaten before Quito was raw.  (I suspect what I eat in the States is similar to Mexican ceviche but that is a hunch).  I tried several different types of ceviche in Peru -just to try - but really preferred just the fish.  Octopus is the local favorite and while I like octopus in sushi - I didn't like it all that well as ceviche.  

Either happily or sadly for me, right next door to my apartment was one of the best ceviche restaurants in Lima.   I ate there about 4 times for dinner.  I was greatly aided by local customs. It turns out that in Lina (Peru?) ceviche is a lunch food.  It really just isn't done for dinner.  So from 12-4 the restaurant had a long line out the door.  But after 5 or 6 - it was very easy to get a good table for one.

And that is my Lima trip -

I am finally i  the month I am coming home.  I am really ready to return -and get on with the next thing - once I figure out what that is. I will be home the morning of August 1.