I don't care about money, I just want to BE WONDERFUL- Marilyn Monroe: The Lima Diaries

NOTE: This post is very long. Perhaps it will make up for the lack of updates in the month of May? Sorry and sorry.

I have bad teeth. Always have, always will. It's in my genes. My teeth are soft and the spoils of Peru are sweet. Long story short, I spent 10 days of May in Lima for my crap teeth to be tended to. The following are a series of random thought bursts that I clacked into the Mac sporadically throughout my week and a half in the "strangest, saddest city." I'll start us off with that quote...

-In the book, "Moby Dick," Herman Melville wrote that Lima is 'the strangest saddest city thou can'st see... For Lima has taken the white veil; and their is a higher horror in this whiteness of her woe.' This, of course, refers to the mystic fog that positions itself above the city and stays there for all of winter (April - October). Another author calls the Lima sky a 'dirty cotton ceiling.' All of these things are true, and I don't mind. Summer days in Lima are beautiful with blue skies and that same Peruvian heat I bake under up North. That said, the brisk winter weather is refreshing and a little more familiar to me, so I really enjoy it. When I first met Lima about a year ago, it was wearing it's fog hat. So for me, that sad strange ceiling is just a part of the city's character which adds to the ironic charm and unique feel of a place I have really come to appreciate. Maybe Lima is sad for a reason. Maybe it's not sad at all, but just likes wearing gray. I can relate. Whatever the case, that 'dirty cotton' makes Lima, Lima- a city unlike any other I have spent time in. Gray sky or not, I'm a fan.

-And regarding that crisp and brilliant weather...I can run splits in under 10 minutes here! Good things happen when you remove that awful running variable that is excessive heat. First day in Lima and I just put down 6 miles at around a 9:30 pace. Sure that doesn't sound fast, but when you live in the desert and can't seem to run a mile in less than 10 minutes, and then end up dehydrated and covered in a prickly heat rash if you try to push yourself to go faster, 9:30 feels Kenyan! There is no feeling that matches the high of a good run. So happy.

-There is a wide world of breakfast options waiting for me in Lima. Good coffee, croissants (hau hau hau), baguettes, cream cheese... the possibilities are endless. The fact that there is a bakery right across the street from where I am staying makes this situation even better.

-Bird of paradise flowers are everywhere in Miraflores, and they are so cool. Also, their name in Spanish, 'Aves de Paraiso,' sounds so much more exotic :)

-I get a kick out of these Limeñas wearing Ugg boots and long sleeves. The easiest way to tell the difference between the locals and the tourists is by their footwear. Tourists wear flip flops and shorts, locals wear cute boots and long sleeves.

-Miraflores is the district of Lima where I stay when in the city. Of the many things I love about it, it's name tops the list. Literally it means to "look at flowers." City names in Spanish-speaking countries charm my little socks off. Nerd alert: I like to look at maps in Spanish just to read the names of the cities. Miraflores is one of the best ones. Finesteria in Spain is also on my list. Bonus points for anyone (besides Sal) who knows what that means and why it is the name of a city on the Northwest coast of Spain ;)

-Tina, a fellow Peru 17 volunteer, is also in town this week. Big win for me. This means a bus buddy, lunch dates, and a qualified city guide. Due to her own unfortunate dental luck earlier in our service, Tina also spent a good chunk of time in Lima for the chompers to be fixed up. She knows so much about this city, she could be a gringo guide. This is good news for me because it means she knows where the good stuff is- like cheap falafel and tofu kebabs! Had a nice afternoon with her today (this was written on Monday) and am looking forward to spending more time with her this week.

-Dental appointments + Peruvian tardiness = hours of reading Spanish magazines in chic Lima waiting rooms with comfy couches and fancy floors. I am all caught up on Principe Guillermo and La Duquesa Katerina (William & Kate). They have a puppy and she's 30. That' seems to be pretty much all that has happened in their first year of marriage, yet there are literally hundreds of magazine pages dedicated to reporting such ground-breaking developments. Sure don't envy that girl. I also stumbled upon a National Geographic in English from 2008 and the cover story talked a lot about Wisconsin Farm Technology Days. How small our world really is.

-I love wandering around Miraflores. I love ducking down random streets and figuring out where I am. Sticking my head into shoe stores and cafes. Sneaking through Parque Kennedy to buy fresh popcorn- I go for half salty/ half sweet. I love getting lost and then stumbling upon new places. Miraflores is like Peru's trapdoor into the US. It's a strange transition, but also a nice little retreat.

-Because of this impromptu Lima visit, I am unable to take teen girls from Ascope to the leadership camp our department is holding next weekend, Camp ALMA. This is a pretty big disappointment for me. I was really looking forward to giving some girls in my site the awesome opportunity that these camps are, and I have a handful of girls who I know well enough to take, whose parents would probably trust me to take them to a weekend camp a few hours away. I just don't have the time in Ascope to make it happen right now. So that's a bummer. But while being in Lima robbed me of the time I need to set up the girls' trips and get their parents' / principal's permission to go, it does offer me the opportunity to help out for the camp in ways that I otherwise could not. I've been printing documents and certificates for Camp ALMA plus selling rubber bracelets to make money for the next camp, VALOR (for teen boys), that we will hold at the end of June. All is not lost, and it's nice to have something to keep me busy while I'm here.

-About those rubber bracelets... they are very trendy in Lima right now. I sold 30 of them in 2 hours at the Peace Corps office. Not a bad situation. Starbucks is selling a similar product for "Enseña Perú," the Peruvian equivalent of "Teach for America." So if Starbucks is selling them, you know they're cool.

-Dental visits in Lima are almost identical to dental appointments in the States. Same office set-up, same smell, same magazines -only here it's "People en Español!"-, same weird orange light-gun when you get fillings, same bad jokes made by dentists, and my dentist in Lima even has the same 80's/ 90's soft-rock/ new wave music playing every time I am there. Hard to be upset about being supine and drilled on when you get to hear the song "Africa" right after "Karma Chameleon," right?

-While here, I've been whining a lot about this damn tooth problem, being away from site, and missing meetings/ classes that took me months to set up. That is not an exaggeration. Months. For real. But I also realize that am totally spoiled this week. Yeah, going to the dentist all the time definitely sucks. And letting down community members in Ascope by being away is weighing on me... buuuuttttttt, I saw the Avengers in 3D (Tres-Day!) the other night and ate copious amounts of popcorn while wearing ridiculous glasses. I am running along a gorgeous coastline complimented by cliffs and flowers. I have eaten Honey Nut Philadelphia Cream Cheese for the past 3 breakfasts. I have been able to Skype with several wonderful people this week without dropping the call 14 times a pop. I am planning to run in a huge half marathon a few days from today. I've been hanging out with volunteer friends I haven't seen in months. I am fortunate, and yes, spoiled. My life is awesome, even if I do have shit luck when it comes to teeth and a godawful headache right now to prove it. In 3 years, I will remember all of the things I just mentioned, except for the headache :)

-La Lucha sandwich shop is a necessary splurge- both in terms of calories and soles. So worth it. Food coma happens NOW.

-I miss Piere and I wonder if he lost that second front tooth yet. (Note: he lost said tooth a few days after I got back from Lima, but I was at the youth camp and missed it. It was the first thing I heard about when I got back. Those teeth are just falling right out of his mouth these days. And none of his friends have teeth either. So cute.)

-My host-mom's birthday was two days ago and I didn't have credit on my phone to call her, nor money to buy credit, then I forgot to borrow someone else's phone to give her a birthday call... long story short, host-daughter FAIL. Feel so bad. Going to catch hell for this one...

-The Lima Marathon sponsored by Adidas had the BEST race expo I have seen yet. I got free Powerade and got to play Wii Fit! Free stuff, random games, lots of sponsors, cool location (fountain park), and a great vibe. Makes me really excited for tomorrow's race! It will be my slowest Half Marathon to date, but will a good race, I can already tell. This will be my fourth half marathon, so I'm not looking for a PR (personal record, for those of you who aren't running nerds. AKA everyone- unless my uncle Ray is reading this ;) I'm just out to maintain fitness and enjoy a good ol' fashioned race day, Lima style. I realized the other day that I've never run a race in a big city. Something to add to my running resume ;) Excited!

-Saturday afternoon. Sitting in Cafe Z, Miraflores' biggest hipster watering hole. I like the coffee, don't judge. Just read "El Comercio," -think the New York Times, but in Spanish and about Peru- while waiting for my sammich. Apparently Batman is gay. Who knew?

-Half Marathon in the morning. I have that stir-crazy anxiety that only comes on the eve of race day. Everything is ready for tomorrow. Electronics are charged. Playlist has been updated. Cookies & Cream Power Bar has been procured and preserved for my customary pre-race breakfast, along with the traditional banana. Safety pins have been counted and placed on race bib. Gu flavors have been chosen. I even wrote motivational Sharpie notes on my wrists. The only thing left to do is sleep, which is coincidentally the only thing I am currently unable to do. Sigh. Race day. You'd think I'd get over this. Not my first rodeo... (Post-script side note- Despite/ because of my restless sleep and crazy nerves, I managed to forget my race bib at the hostel and had to get a cab to take me back to the hostel from the starting line, a S/. 20 mistake... good thing I left for the race way earlier than anyone ever needs to. Ah, running.)

-Lima 21K (Half Marathon): Complete. Awesome race. Slowest Half time for me so far, 2:20:30, but we knew that would happen. I'm actually kind of proud of myself for guessing my time so accurately. I guessed it would be 2:20 and some odd seconds. Makes me happy that I know my body, abilities, and race behavior well enough to know how it would go. I pushed myself, enjoyed myself, and cursed myself for doing this in the first place... my typical behavior in a race. All par for the course. This was far and away the most organization I have ever seen in a marathon, and for that fact, the most organization I have seen so far in Peru. I'm really glad I did it and am proud to be a part of such a great event. My race highlights? I showed up to the starting area in a police truck and made a running friend from miles 4-7ish who shared a chocolate wafer with me for "energy." More on each in a different post. Runners high has taken hold. Time for some binge eating, cold beer, and waddling around like I'm 90. I love race day! I just ran a half marathon :)

-The grocery stores here have real beer. MGD, Corona, and more. This is something that will be taken advantage of.

-It's now Monday on my second week here. I had some facebook magic today. Just when I was starting to feel the onset of one of those anti-facebook phases, something spectacular happened. This morning, I noticed that the status of a Greenwood friend positioned him in Miraflores, Lima. What are the odds? He and his wife are returned Peace Corps volunteers, and really cool, so I figured it would be worth a shot to try to meet up with him if facebook were correct and if they actually were just a few blocks away in MIraflores. I messaged him to ask if he'd want to try to meet up for lunch. A couple hours later, he called my cell from Skype and lunch was confirmed. A few hours after that I was enjoying sushi in the company of familiar faces and their family members. I can't explain the value of a familiar face here, even if it is someone I see maybe once a year. Talking with them about Peace Corps and Peru and just life in general was so wonderful. Thanks facebook for making that happen.

-I get to go back to site! If all goes well, I will be on a bus Wednesday night. It's been great Lima, but I'm ready to bounce.

-Came back to site for about 4 hours to drop off some stuff and see the host fam before leaving for Camp ALMA. I got tackle hugged about 3 different times. Piere waited to give me a real hug until his friends were gone, typical, and Farid gave me a surprisingly large hug and warm greeting... but then about an hour later he said that I must have eaten well in Lima because I had gotten fat. Home, sweet home. It's good to be back.