Bienvenido a Perú

Everymorning I still have to remind myself I am here; picture a map of South America and place a red ¨you are here¨ dot over Huancayo. Who would have thought that I would end up here in South American in a country were I don´t speak the language... yet. It´s all very unHeather-like but I´m taking a leap of faith. Not only is this an opportunity to experience a culture so different from my own and get an international view of world events but this is also a chance to test myself; see if I have what it takes to thrive in a place that is so different from the life I was leading in Chicago. I have been given the opportunity of a lifetime and in return I´m hoping there will be something I too can give. So here I am, six month in Perú.

As this is blog number one, let me start off with the basics. The family I´m staying with is composed of Iris (pronounced E-Reese) who is the matriarch of the family and Victor (pronounced Bictor) who is the patriarch. They have two children, Fabiola and Richard who are 19 and 18 and are away at school in Lima for an undetermined amount of time. There is one other person who lives here, Vicki (pronounced Bee-Key). She is the family´s housekeeper and is practically part of the family just as Alice was to the Brady´s. I couldn´t have asked for a more giving and understanding family.

Together the four of live in a three-story, one bathroom home that is somewhat reminisant of the house I lived at in France or the house your college boyfriend may have owned with four other guys his senior year. The house is old and charming with a lot of potential but contains a hodge podge of worn out furniture and appliances. It is a house that has been lived in for a long time and at times makes me miss the steril environment of my white walled, white carpeted apartment back home. A mattress rests against the stairs on the ground floor for no apparent reason. Close by is a white board and exercise bike in the dining room and a magnificent stereo system in the living room that could rival any gadget geek´s. I live on the second floor in a brightly painted room the color of cantelope. There is a picture of a tiger on my bedspread; not exactly my taste but it works just fine. Iris, Victor and Vicki also have their bedrooms on the second floor. The bathroom with its testy water heater that I just got to work this morning for the first time sits between us. To be honest, I´m not sure what´s on the third floor but I believe a large dog is living up there. I´m not sure if it lives alone or with others but I can hear his ferocious bark everytime someone knocks at our front door. Ahh... this is home.

In the upcoming weeks I´m very much looking forward to learning Spanish. So far my contribution to any conversation tends to be things like, ¨Flowers. Purple. Pretty.¨ ¨The door... ding dong.¨and ¨Fish and vegetables.... me like!¨ Luckily my understanding of the language is a little more sophisticated so hopefully my speaking will catch up soon. Exploring the city, meeting its people and making connections in the micro-lending world should be equally enjoyable. This is a beautiful city with a lot to see and I will definitely keep you posted on my upcoming adventures.