What My Eyes See

My time in Lima is almost over and I wanted to post some things that are common here. Our days start out and we hear salsa music as early as 7:00am that comes from a class being taught near by. We play with Cailyn outside in their backyard which is really a luxury because most homes do not have backyards. When we head anywhere we go through the front door and on to an outer door. The front yard is between these two doors and it is all private. Our two guards are out front. Yes, every street has a guard with a guard house. No guns or anything, not real sure what they would do if there were any problems. We have enjoyed watching Cailyn socializing with Pedro and Jose, our street guards. We head down to the end of the street, take a right and then a left and we are at the main road where we usually get a taxi to go ALL places. We have seen much of Lima through the taxi window.




We have enjoyed going to the grocery store and seeing how things are here in Lima. I have joked about all of the types of milk. There seems to be whole aisles that are milk. The silver and red bag (that is the milk) - in order to get 2 gallons of milk you have to purchase 8 of these bags. You then pour the milk in a larger pitcher when you get home. Water comes in only those large bottles and you buy 6 at a time, again you pour that into a smaller pitcher when you get home. There is only about 3 rows of canned goods. Most of the fruit and veggies come fresh. The avacados are huge. We like that!! I am a big fan of animal crackers or graham crackers. When you purchase crackers of this sort, they come in a package with 9 "snack packets". All portions are very small. I keep thinking i want a WHOLE box of crackers not 10-12 crackers!! Alison did a wonderful job of planning her meals and it has been a pleasant part of our day. Justin runs to the corner for bread and that is another thing -- so many bakeries!!!






You will also notice little stands that sell fruit, veggies, candy, soda, nuts, bread.....People sell all kinds of things on the street. Very few are just beggars. Lots of people, many of them young, sell nuts, cigarettes, magazines, or tupperware while you are sitting at a light. They also juggle, do acrobatics and wash your windows, all for money. When you park at Starbucks they are there to wash your car while you are gone. These are just some of the glimpses I have of Lima. Cleaning is another thing you notice - you will notice a lady at the park washing the inside of the trash can. They have very pretty parks and workers are constantly sweeping up dirt, trash and leaves from their area. They are constantly washing their house windows and sweeping off the area in front of their stores.



Most importantly I wanted to be with Alison and Justin and share in their second child being born. It has been a JOY and a birth I will not forget. So very different from Cailyn and how fun to have a new story. If you really want the "mother details" read them on alison/justin's blog. There is just something about "mom's view" of the whole birth event!!!