Week One

The first week here has been a whirlwind of activity! We spent the first morning in the Interpol office to begin the process of getting our resident visas. A group of eight of us spent about 3 hours getting our teeth checked, getting fingerprints, etc. for identification purposes. On Wednesday morning, we spent another 4 hours at the immigration office to complete the process. I’m now officially a Peruvian resident!

The group of new staff members has had a chance to get to know each other well already The school shuttled us around town in taxis, minivans, and mini buses all week, taking us to meetings at the school each morning, shopping and sightseeing in the afternoons, and then out to dinners each night.

One of the places we went was called La Dama Juana, where we ate traditional Peruvian food and watched traditional dancing. It was quite entertaining, and they even had a bit of audience participation.

Pisco Sour is a traditional adult beverage of Peru

This afternoon, the school had a short ceremony to celebrate Peru’s Independence Day (Fiestas Patrias), a two-day celebration similar to the 4th of July. A singing of the National Anthem and a Peruvian Flag Ceremony took place, followed by more traditional food and dancing. I politely said “no” to the beef hearts on a skewer!

Anticuchos- no thank you!

The Peruvian Flag
The colors symbolize the Incas and their lasting impact on the country. The coat of arms (not shown on the national flag) features a llama and chichona tree, important symbols of Peru, and a cornucopia representing prosperity. 

The Teachers Association took the new staff to a private club on the ocean for dinner this evening. It was a fun-filled night and the Chifa (like Chinese food) was delicious. A group of us went out afterwards to listen to live music at La Noche in an adjoining part of town called Barranco. It has really been a great first week!