Just Kidding. Just in case anyone wants to know, you don't actually GET an 'introduction' to anything about Lima. I wasn't going to start posting about my travel experiences so soon because I figured it would take a few days to have enough to make it worthwhile...but I was way wrong. So here she goes.
While stuck in Mexico waiting on a delayed flight, I wondered about all of the things that might go wrong, things I needed to remember, etc. for when I actually got here - but I realized extremely quickly that's not how Lima works. When you first get to Lima, the very first thing you encounter is pure chaos. From the greeting you get at the airport from hundreds of strangers all trying to get your attention (and your mulah), to the lack of understanding of anything anyone is actually saying, to the driving, and the walking, you don't actually have time to think about what it is you're doing, never mind anticipating in fear what you plan to do next.
Oh yeah, and if you think you know enough Spanish to get by, you're probably like me. I knew simple phrases and most of the basics, and I thought that meant it would be easy enough to get the point. And I was right, except at the beginning in all of the chaos that you could really only expect if you experienced it, you're so overwhelmed that you suddenly don't remember a single word of the Spanish language, and you have to try and figure out how to communicate important things.
Next, the driving. I will never in my life feel the necessity to complain about Edmonton drivers again. If they even have rules of the road here, not a single person follows them. People merge and cut each other off by basically just driving within an inch of the vehicle beside them, but hey, at least they have their signal lights on! There aren't speed limits, so basically cars just drive super fast until the person in front of them stops, at which point they slam on their brakes. And there is ALWAYS traffic. All day, at all times, on all the roads. There is always honking - it's CONSTANT.
And the pedestrians are basically vehicles, but on the sidewalks - they're EVERYWHERE, all the time, and they don't wait to cross roads, they just walk into the middle of the road and somehow avoid the cars, unless there is a car right in front of them, then they'll walk around it. The streets are filled with people, vendors selling amazing foodie things, and anything else you could possibly ever need. There is constant entertainment, from buskers playing the saxophone to mimes in costume acting out historic scenes, to bands that randomly practice in the square so people can bust out their amazing dance moves (because they can seriously dance).
In my life, I've never been somewhere that has given me such strong, simultaneously conflicting, extreme first impressions. Everything about this place is backwards from home. There's such a fast learning curve to get the hang of the place that you really have no time to worry about what you need to improve, because there's always something else in front of you to deal with.
The really confusing part, is that even though it's chaotic, no one is actually in a rush. People drive like maniacs, and they honk like crazy, but no one is ever offended or gets mad - they just honk because "Hey, I'm here, probably wait a second before you merge". And the people - I've never witnessed people be so determined and purposeful in their walking, while really not being in a hurry. It's almost like things are just in a constant state of moving, but no one is stressed, and when something comes up and blocks the path, they're more than content to just chill out. Which is interesting, because I'm basically exactly the opposite in all of those things: I drive slow, but when someone blocks me or cuts me off, I get SUPER offended. And when I'm walking, I'll wait, but I'm not happy about it at all, and then when I can go again it's me in a hurry fearing the consequences of being late.
The people are confident in their culture, they love their city and their heritage, and are SO HELPFUL and humble and kind - I met a whole bunch of people today. The first guy, was the person I was buying a new phone card from. It was only 5 sols, but I had pulled a 'Brandi' and accidentally put my cash in my suitcase back at the hostel. And where people at home probably would have been super annoyed, this guy just told me to come. He left his work, walked me down like 5 blocks to a bank so I he could wait for me to wait in line for like a half hour to get out cash and make change. And when I let him keep the other 5 because I super appreciated it, (which is basically 1$CAD) he was so humble about it because to him it had been no big deal. Another guy was a man I prayed for. His name is Pedro, and he walks with a cane. I know approximately 1% of the things he said but I do know His name is Pedro and his last name is the Spanish word for 'heart' and his leg is really, really badly bruised and swollen. He asked for money, so I prayed with him, and he was concerned for my safety (I was wandering alone in a not-the-greatest area) so he called his friend, a police officer, to walk with me back to my avenue, which was like, a half hour away.
One thing though that caught me really off-guard, is how much I feel God's love for His people here. I know He loves us all, and I have felt His love for Edmonton for sure. But there's something about this city that I can just see that He loves - a people who are willing to move without anxiety, to wait without complaining, and to love people and go BLOCKS AND BLOCKS out of their way without a second thought. I feel incredibly humbled by today, like I have a lot to learn from being here and encountering people. So here I stay! Also, it's beautiful. A little smoggy and smelly- but there is something about the fact that there can be a beautiful park in the middle of an area of buildings that are legitimately falling apart. Also Lima doesn't believe in doors- mostly gates that are open.
And last but not least, THE FOOD. I have no idea what I ate today - there was meat that looked like chicken but was NOT chicken, and vegetables that looked like sweet potatoes but were not sweet potatoes (on a sandwich, it was amazing), sauces that looked like mustard and mayo but were definitely not either of those things, and another kind of meat that I can't explain.
It was all amazing, so I'm okay not knowing where it came from. Fresh pineapple juice, pureed fresh mango mixed with ice (which is necessary because I sweat out my full body weight in the humidity today) and a really, really fantastic black coffee, topped everything off. I'm stoked for tomorrow, even though I'm pretty sure my legs might fall off after the hours, and hours and hours of walking. Happy as a clam!
Love you guys!
-B <3