This week marks the one month mark of our stay here in Peru and we are finally able to feel like we actually live here and are not just visiting. We have really taken advantage of the ability to walk everywhere and use it to add exercise to our day. We feel like we know our way around, can converse with most people and kind of blend in....as much as 2 white people do in this place...not to mention, I am at least a foot taller than most women here and 6 inches taller than most men...haha!
Sunday, my translator, Stephanie, was dying to take us to her favorite ceviche restaurant, Cebillano, so Vince, Stephanie, Carl (her boyfriend), and I went and had a feast of raw fish. I know it doesn't sound that appetizing but let me tell you, it was SO good. Vince and I shared a dish they call the Americano—most likely because it is a huge portion....I think they are trying to tell us something! It had a variety of ways to prepare ceviche...raw octopus in an olive sauce, tilapia in this orange sauce (my favorite), another fish in an onion and vinegar sauce, and then fried fish. The rice had squid and other types of fish in it as well. We washed it all down with a cold beer and were so stuffed we didn't eat for the rest of the day. Side-note on the beer here….it’s terrible! They have one company here in the country, Cusquena, that makes the beer and there are 3 different levels of “quality”—Premium (resembles Busch Lt.), Pilsner (resembles Keystone Lt.) and Crystal (resembles PBR). Now, I don’t want to go offending anyone on their beer of choice, but seriously, we need something else to drink here! Unfortunately, Peruvians are very loyal so I don’t think it’s going to change much before we leave but I still have hope that we might walk into a bar some night and be able to order a good ale or lager.
After our food coma on Sunday, we decided we needed a good walk on Monday. We’d been planning to see the new Harry Potter movie and now that I was done watching all six that I’d missed (thanks to Vince’s great downloading skills) we decided to walk to the theatre it was playing at. We had such a great experience. First of all, movies here are SOOOO cheap. It cost us $7 for 2 movie tickets. We, of course, needed popcorn and soda so we ordered the only combo that had 2 drinks and popcorn. We were so surprised with what we got for another $7…the drinks were pretty normal in size but the popcorn tub was AT LEAST 3 gallons, possibly 4! I don’t know how anyone could ever eat that much popcorn in one sitting but apparently they thought we could! Vince and I made about a 1-2 inch dent in it and couldn’t stomach another piece. The movie was good and we had a nice night together. On Tuesdays here they offer even cheaper movies…who knew they could get cheaper!...so we decided to walk to the other movie theatre and see something else. It is really far away and we didn’t know exactly how to get there, just the general direction to head, but we were determined to make it on foot. After stopping at this outdoor market to get hangers, we finally made it. It took us about an hour but it was nice seeing that part of the city. We saw a movie that has been out in the U.S. for about a year called The Jones. However, it was called something totally different here, For Love or Contract???? It was an alright movie…good concept we thought.
Wednesday, we were able to watch Arsenal win another game…now if only they can win tomorrow against Manchester United! Thursday and Friday were long days. I had to work both shifts at the office since by boss had to leave town for the weekend. It was great because I was able to see double the patients and continue connecting with those patients who can’t always come to my morning hours. Wednesday Vince and I went to the main square and handed out a ton of fliers for the office. It’s really funny here because TONS of people just go to the square and sit all day. Plus, they ALL wanted to have a flier no matter what was on it. Most didn’t know why this white girl was handing them something but there were a few that inquired about what we were doing. In the final group of people I passed them out to was this man who just kept saying to me “My love! My love!” I told him I was Dr. Andrea and to come to the clinic…I have a feeling he might just come but probably not for the purpose of healthcare…lol!
Yesterday was quite the day for Vince. My translator’s boyfriend had invited him to come play soccer with him and his friends so we of course, took him up on his offer. They play 5 vs. 5 on courts that resemble basketball courts minus the hoops, add goals. They have 3 teams playing together. Two teams start, whoever scores first, stays on and plays the third team until someone scores…and it keeps going until one team wins 5 times. Whoever wins, wins the pot which was 2 soles per player (about $.80 per player). Vince had a ball and looked great. He was nervous about what the competition would be like and how he would fit in but it ended up being not terrible. He had a bunch of goals…of course…and even more assists. After less than a minute into the first game…maybe 34 seconds in he tells me…he scored the first goal (8 seconds longer than it took him to score against UCLA setting the record for 2nd fastest goal scored in Creighton history…but who’s keeping tract ;)) The other guys on his team were pleasantly surprised and from then on, he had their respect. They ended up playing for 2.5 hours and by the end of it, they all walked away with 4 Soles each. They won every game except 2…one was a fluke goal, the other they had a sub come in for goalie and he just sucked! He was really tired for the rest of the night and today is complaining of sore muscles but he had a blast. I think it’s a mixture of the lack of oxygen from the high altitude and him being a tad bit out of shape since he hadn’t played a game in 10 months…hehe…but a few more Saturdays of this and he’ll be back to normal.
Well, that was basically our week. We are looking forward to Christmas here. By the sounds of the weather reports from Omaha, we’ll be missing a white Christmas. As sad as that is, we aren’t complaining about the lack of snow here. It’s different but I think we’ll survive! We are sitting today at Starbucks, a new addition to their newest mall. As I reflect on this past week, I can't help but say how thankful I am that I get to share this experience with someone who is as amazing as Vince. Its been pretty great. We hope you all stay warm and safe…until next post!
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