After two weeks of packing up my place in Chicago, unpacking
in Sewickley, and then repacking for my move to Peru, I was ready just in time
for my 6 am flight today! I’ve felt amazingly calm about this move, though a
bit more moody lately as the day came closer. I’ve thought about an international
move for quite some time though, and have had since December to wrap my brain
around the reality of my decision, so I suppose time has helped. One of the
strangest feelings I’ve had lately was heading to the airport without a set of
keys- no school keys, no apartment keys, no car keys... Perhaps it was the
sense of finality of all of this, leaving without keys… that, and the 3 bags
that I was actually able to pack, all weighing just under the allowable 50 lb.
limit (thanks, dad!). Somehow, I managed
to do it without having to wear too many layers or that extra pair of heels
that I really wanted to take with me, despite the other few pairs already
packed. (Really, I don’t know how/why women wear heels when flying!)
I flew from Pittsburgh to Houston, to Panama City, and then
to Lima today, and shockingly without too much trouble. I had to hustle in the
Houston Airport, with a 45 minute time frame to de-board a plane, change
terminals, and board another plane- this whole “least expensive flight” plan
doesn’t always make the best sense. I arrived in Lima at 7:00 pm, got through
Immigrations with a bit of confusion about my residency (I’m here on a resident
visa) and a bit of an extra check from customs, but made it through all the
lines in less than 30 minutes. Not bad! I met another new staff member in the
airport who is originally from Chicago, as well as a staff member from the Housing
Department of the school; we loaded our bags into a school minivan and headed on
the 30-minute drive to our respective apartments. Surprisingly, some of the
streets looked familiar from my trip to Lima two years ago, as did a park in
San Isidro that was across the street from the apartment we stayed in for two
or three nights.
There were two staff members in my apartment to greet me and
to show me around a bit. The earlier pictures probably don’t do my apartment
justice. There are actually three bedrooms and two and a half bathrooms, and a
maid’s bedroom plus bathroom as well. Plenty of room for any of you who would like to visit! Everything is
bigger than what I thought the pictures portrayed, though some of the fixtures
are a bit dated or are a bit more “Peruvian” than my tastes. However, the
school did such a great job of providing some start-up items- drinking water,
food in the refrigerator, coffee, towels, new dishes and silverware, and fresh
flowers and candles. My Internet service and phone were already set up too! I
have been so impressed with how smoothly the apartment/housing pieces have
gone. I hope the rest of my life here goes as smoothly!
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| Living Room |
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