Routines

This last week I’ve been getting used to living in Lima and finding a bit of my “routine” here. Routines can sometimes get boring, but in a foreign country where literally everything is different and new, finding a routine can be surprisingly comforting: taking the combi (bus) to work in the morning without getting lost; learning how to use my cell phone and Skype, getting internet in my apartment!; finding running paths through the city and along the ocean; familiarizing myself with the local cafes, farmacias, postal office; getting sick from the food and water here and then feeling better; and of course, speaking, reading, listening, researching, and writing in espanol. I often find myself exhausted at the end of the day just trying to communicate and understand the world around me!

(Top left: Main meeting room at IEP, where researchers give lectures that are open to the public, also where staff convene for meetings and discussions; Top right: Me, Cristina (my roommate), and her cousin Andrea at a cevicheria on Sunday).

Today is Yom Kippur, so I went to the local synagogue in Miraflores for services in the morning. I had gone to this same synagogue for Rosh Hashanah with some friends (4 of my friends here are Jews…which is pretty unbelievable considering how small the Jewish population is here in Lima). It was nice to see how some traditions and songs are the same (in Hebrew) no matter where you are in the world, although it did make me miss being with family during the high holidays. Tonight I’m looking forward to going to dinner in San Isidro (neighborhood next to Miraflores) to “break the fast” with 2 of my Seattle friends who are also in Lima. More soon!