How the other half lives

David is at a conference in Lima today and tomorrow so, feeling the pang of guilt for leaving me here alone, he suggested we go early and bring the kids for a getaway. I had one thought in my head - tortillas, I can buy tortillas in Lima! Followed by several thoughts like - wow, the weather will not be hot, I could buy some books in English, there will be less bugs, there will be new and interesting things to do, I adore the friends we have there... ok, You had me at tortillas - I am in! So somewhat last minute we packed up the kids and headed to the big city!

Nine million big to be exact - which like many cities, the infrastructure is not prepared for. The traffic can be insane - I'm talking Los Angeles type nutso. And a lot of Lima is not what you would call 'easy on the eyes'. In fact, anything within 20 minutes of the airport (to me) looks no better than Pucallpa. But there are nice parts and we saw those in spades this past weekend. The trick to anywhere is obviously knowing the locals. Our friend, Mariana, who is a month away from also completing her PhD at UT, said David was one of the first people in Austin to befriend her when she arrived. I can tell she will never forget this and she has returned this kindness on many occasions. Heck - if someone KNOWS you have a two year old and they invite you to their house ANYWAY....well, safe to say their karmic bank overfloweth.

Mariana lives with her husband, mother, 2 children and a housekeeper in the upscale La Molina neighborhood of Lima. The first thing you notice is the heavy, New York City-heavy security precautions in place and security guards for every 4-5 clumps of houses. But you also notice the step forward in time with completely modern ammenities, cars, grocery stores (central market-ish) and cafe's. The streets are spotless and well landscaped. Our friends brought us to their country club to play on the playground and watch their son play soccer. The children had an amazing time and I got a kick out of watching the standard issue ballboys on the tennis court, the 50+ soccer match, and the floton (like racquetball with 1 wall) games that were going on.

Our friend's country club entrance

Ruby watching the tennis

That evening we went to Larco Mar, which is an upscale shopping center overlooking the ocean and a no brainer for international travelers to Lima. They have a slew of American stores and restaurants including Chilli's. When david suggested we eat there, my jaw dropped since he is not usually a chain restaurant guy even in the States. But I was happy to have my burger and even chips and queso. We don't eat beef or pork in Pucallpa so it was especially nice to have something different. I found the portions overwhelming and Felix was running AMOK but it was a great treat just the same.

Felix at Larco Mar overlooking the ocean, just after sunset

Finally a burger!

Felix the fireman

Felix and Mikaela

News flash - traveling with a 2 year old ain't easy. He is such a happy go lucky, free flowing guy that he really doesn't like to be pinned in by any of these pesky parental constraints. Security line? not for me. Sprinting down the street as a chase game? why not. Felix's thought process 'wait, what are you doing? all i have to do is flash my cute smile and i can do whatever i want, excuse me, you have seen my cute smile right?' The big bonus of being there is that the kids played so hard on our 'playground tour' of a weekend with our host family that they slept 10 hours straight both nights in Lima. In Pucallpa, that is not the case - the noise, the bugs, the heat - something inevitably wakes them several times a night.

It might shock you to know I'm not always irresistibly sweet

Sunday we headed to an area inland from Lima called Cieneguilla. There is a river and several large restaurants that line it with pools and huge playgrounds for kids - the type of place you could go and spend all day. Even though the river bed was dry this time of year and it was too cold for the pools, the kids enjoyed bouncing themselves silly. We rounded out the weekend by heading back to the country club for a lovely cookout with their friends. They grilled beef, sausage, and chicken. People brought salads, beer, cheese, potato pie and flan. It was perfect for families to have the kids playing while the adults were able to socialize and eat. I only wish there were this type of place in Richmond.

Cieneguilla - dry river bed

Cieneguilla - view from bridge

Cieneguilla - one of the many restaurants/play areas

We were sad to leave - not only our dear friends and David but also Lima, the cooler temps, the ability to wear long sleeves, HOT showers, and the bugless atmosphere. Typical that we arrived home and there was a power outage in Pucallpa. And it felt warm, real warm. Here's to readjusting soon.

dog pile at the final cookout

Best flan I've ever had!

School Show!

Prep for the big show!

Ruby with her class (Notice her lack of sparkle, whoops mom's fault - it was hard enough for me to just buy the material and have the dress made. But i probably would have fared about as well in the States.)

Donut making

Felix on Stage




The big kids (playing Christopher Columbus et al)

Ruby on stage


Ruby and Felix attend a private school that has students from age 2 all the way through high school. It seems like a good school with wonderful people in it - students, teachers and administrators. We knew the school's anniversary was coming up and that there was 2 weeks worth of special functions but I don't think we realized just how grand of an occasion the big performance would be. They have a multi-purpose area that works as outdoor stage and they had hundreds of chairs lined up in the soccer/basketball court below. There was an incredible food scene off to the side with freshly made donuts (pictured), grilled meats and homemade cakes. It all smelled delicious.

The costumes were elaborate. The preparation was pretty intense. Not only because the teachers (bless their hearts) are hearding cats and dealing with intermittent rain and power problems. But also because of Ruby's attention garnering factor. It is overwhelming for me to be around and I can't imagine how she feels. The children and some moms want to speak to her and tell her how beautiful she is. I can tell it is too much for her and sometimes she just wants to blend. I think her attempts to shy away just make it worse - we need to figure out something to deal with this. But she was excited to try her first makeup, which lasted all of 3 seconds when she made me wipe it off.

The theme was migrations so it talked about people that have migrated all over the world. Ruby's class was in Israel and she was a slave. But, if you are going to be a slave, why not wear your favorite color pink? She did great and took time out her class parade in the performance to give us a wave - as we were encouraging her to keep moving, keep moving. She has some performer in her too. It was really impressive to see an entire class of 5 year olds tell a choreographed story of Moses with no teachers on stage. That voice recording ahead of time was a wise move.

I'm still not quite sure what Felix was but he was sooo darn cute, it really didn't matter. And the best of all - he was very well behaved and followed along with the program. He was obviously targeted by the teachers beforehand as a potential wildcard. But I think when he got up there and saw so many people watching, he's just enough of a ham to want to have a good performance. I don't know when I have laughed harder seeing him up there - just this adorable, blonde, mop-headed smiler wearing some Egyptian, sparkly garb. David joked with our friends as we watched - guess which kids are ours! It was pretty obvious.

We had a wonderful time and got a further glimpse into the culture here, which is very family oriented. A friend we were sitting with mentioned how much she missed her son who had left for college - and how much we need to enjoy this time of them being little. I have been told this so many times but it is always a good reminder. Sometimes when you are knee deep in diapers and tantrums you forget. But I think about Felix being 13 and not wanting to be the 'kissing bandit' that he is now, and I know she is right.

And then, there was a lull

Around the house


Before coming on the trip, we knew there would be some rough patches and true enough we had one. Nothing very unusual - just a series of illnesses and hot days. The power outage really kicked it over the edge. And when we lost water on top of that - some real doubt (temporarily) trickled in to my mind about what exactly we were doing here.

Interestingly enough, I don't think any of the illness was jungle related. Felix and David developed a cough and bronchitis. The problem was, like with any 2 year old, getting the medicine in him. He didn't seem to be reacting that well to the medicine in terms of loss of appetite and uh, diaper-related issues. And it seemed to linger for quite some time. I think he is on the mend now, as well as David. Diapers are no fun for kids or the adults who change them - no matter where you live. But when it is hitting 90-100 consistently, it is just extra layers of heat on your body.

Ruby was sick a few weeks ago, briefly. And again the last few days with something different, a cold. Sunday I had some kind of issue that laid me flat on my back. Sickness here though is doubly stressful - wondering, worrying about dengue or any other tropical issue. We are all feeling better now and they were luckily run-of-the-mill type things. Plus the power is back on, which makes a huge difference even though we don't have air conditioning. I never knew how married I was to the fan before but it helps dramatically. And as I mentioned, it also keeps mosquitos off at night so when you don't have a fan and are already warmer - you have to sleep under a sheet to make sure mosquitos don't get you. Even if you can accomplish this, it is impossible to get the kids to buy in.

No wonder I have money in my pocket

The currency here is soles with a 3:1 ratio with the dollar. For some perspective these are the costs of certain items (in dollars):

Groceries
0.33 Big Bunch Bananas
1.00 Pineapple
5.00 Fish - Doncella (several meals)
0.33 Coconut
0.16 Aji (spice)
0.33 Avocado
1.20 2kg Potatoes
8.15 12 pack Gatorade
0.33 Bread (10 small squares)
0.11 ea Eggs

Eating out
9.00 Large Pizza for the family
10.00 Chinese Food for the family
3.00 Ice Cream for the family

Utilities
3.85 electricity monthly
33.00 internet monthly
50.00 cell phones monthly (we have 3 for different plans)
35.00 cable tv monthly

Transportation
1.00 motocarro downtown (for shopping, eating out)
1.16 motocarro roundtrip to take kids to school
80.00 rough estimate of monthly transportation expense

Exercise
30.00 swim class monthly for 3 hours a week

I've been working on this post for a while and it is so hard because things just don't translate. The things available are different and the options available are extremely limited comparatively. David has suggested when shopping I just think of 1 sol as being 1 dollar. That works pretty well for the most part, because I used to be pretty lenient about how much I would pay for things. If someone said it was 3 soles to go pick up the kids rather than 2, I'd say ok thinking 'I'm not going to argue over 33 cents'. But at the same time it is important to not be taken advantage of and thinking of it in terms of $1 or a gringo upcharge of 1/3 of the price - then I will protest, if only half-heartedly.

The thing that I find the most curious is my actual disdain for paper money. I feel like it does me no good whatsoever. For things I need - like picking up the kids from school or running an errand, people will only want coins. They will take paper but it can sometimes be a huge ordeal to get change. So I find myself using any opportunity to get change and really reveling when I've got a pocket full. I told David my dream is a huge 'pot of gold' (read: bowl of change) so I never have to worry about making change again. Oh, it's the little things.

Overall, it is safe to say things are 1/3 of the cost in the US, but housing is probably 1/4 and childcare is more like 1/10. Since we really weren't expecting to be able to rent out our house in Richmond, we will end up coming out ahead, even with all the travel. And that feels good. but... what I wouldn't pay for some of the things I miss right now! I'm looking at you juicy hamburger.

Pool, party and visitors

Our big news is that we finally got cable! I was able to catch the last few games of the US Open, which made me feel like part of the human race again. Interestingly enough David went to all the trouble of waiting in line, signing contracts, paying and setting up the cable install date. After the appointment came and went, their phone service called and informed us they would not be allowing us to sign up for cable since we weren't locals - and were therefore a potential flight-risk on payment. Frustration ensued and David even attempted to argue our case but we ended up being set up by our internet guy and all is well.

And better than that is that we had the pleasure of meeting our internet guy's children - one in particular was such a bright light. Her name is Liz, she is 13 and is perfectly sweet, respectful, intelligent - basically everything you want your kids to be around. She came over Sunday (during our hell no-power day) and saved our lives by entertaining the kids. I asked her to come back in the afternoons when she has time to play with Ruby for a few hours after school. She came by yesterday and confirmed our outstanding first impression. Ruby is thrilled to have a big sister type companion and they made fairy arts and crafts all day (thanks Kim!). Most importantly Ruby busted out her Spanish with Liz and never looked back. David and I looked at each other in shock as our child spoke nothing but Spanish for hours, with no qualms or hesitation. This matching could be huge.

Piscina Bosque



We did hit up a new pool this week called Piscina Bosque. This is in our top 3 favorite pools now since there is a huge area where Felix can stand up on his own. We were fortunate to meet a great group of high schoolers who were having their swim class there at the same time.

Getting Measured for School Function's Dress

Ruby also is a recording artist now...well, not exactly but she did have her voice and her friends voices recorded for their school's anniversary celebration which takes place this weekend. We had to have a dress made for her too - so it is a substantial production and I'm curious to see how it turns out this upcoming weekend.

Neighborhood Birthday Party



We had the honor of being invited to a child's birthday party - I was thrilled and saw this as a real sign we are becoming a part of the neighborhood instead of just the weird, tall gringos. And I was proud that Felix was the one who really initiated the dancing action to get the party started!

Our buddy Chris


Another few bonuses of our week. We had another great visit with David's college buddy, Chris, who passed back through town on his way home from the jungle. And we had lunch with another man who heads a Peruvian NGO that is a proponent for indigenous people. He has worked in Peru for 25+ years and held some real insight into the way locals think of indigenous rights. Again, this is not my field so David knows more but from what I can gather - the heart of the matter is to help the indigenous people maintain their rights and their lifestyle against business (and therefore political) interests. This in itself is a worthwhile endeavor but in so doing, you will end up conserving the Amazon region because when left alone the indigenous people will use the land wisely and take from it only what they need.

In closing, our thoughts are going out to our dear friends, Tal and Jenna, who are going to have twins any minute! We miss you and wish we could be there to help!

Rain brings cooler temps

Enjoying her favorite treat - helado

the kids on our street

Playground

Jose in a tree

The kids garnering a lot of attention

Parque Natural






Felix is crazy for goggles

Leigh and Mirela


We broke down and bought a TV this weekend and I will attempt to get cable although a little daunted by the Spanish needed for that transaction. We were doing ok without TV but went to some friends house Saturday night and it was so exciting to see actual current events. Plus, it rained all day Sunday and it was challenging to keep the kids entertained. I'm starting to get nervous about the rainy season, which starts in November. Considering we live on a dirt road, I'm trying to envision how it will all work with the motocarros. When asking an expat he said 'It doesn't' and the locals say 'It's fine'. We had our first taste of the rain Sunday and it made me more nervous. The cooler temps that the rain brought were welcome though!

We had a visit from David's college friend, Chris, who also does work in the area. It was great to have this contact with the states. And we are hoping for a few more visitors in October and November - our sisters families and friend, Luisa. David's sister wants to come to Pucallpa but the others want to do the Cusco/Machu Picchu trip. I can't blame them and am thankful that they do!

We went back to Parque Natural and took a few of our neighborhood buddies (the trick is to just get a few). A fun time was had by all. Ruby and Felix (Especially Felix) get so much attention from people, it is almost uncomfortable. People are always sweet and complimentary but it seems funny to have them taking pictures of them when there are incredible pumas, cayman and tapirs in our midst. It made us laugh when Kevin said his favorite animal was the squirrel! I guess what you don't have is always more interesting.

We also tried to participate in the kid's school parade (but was rained out), had dinner with friends, and found out Felix and David have bronchitis! They didn't seem that sick but had been coughing for over a week. Needless to say Felix is categorically opposed to taking the medicine. It feels like we are resorting to mid-century insane asylum tactics to get it down. Hopefully he'll be on the mend soon, for all of our sakes.