Raighne again,
Apologies for the lateness if this happened to be the one and only blog post you were desperately waiting for :)
The other Sunday (almost a week and a half ago now), our host family threw a back yard barbecue. The guests (cousins, nieces, nephews, and a few whose relations we couldn't quite figure out) were friendly, the pisco plentiful, and the sausages (although not brats or summer sausage), corn on the cob, and watermelon reminded me so much of a beautiful Wisconsin summer that seems like a long long time ago. All this combined, it was a shock to go from winter to idyllic summer scene without even so much as a single day of spring in between.
The other Sunday (almost a week and a half ago now), our host family threw a back yard barbecue. The guests (cousins, nieces, nephews, and a few whose relations we couldn't quite figure out) were friendly, the pisco plentiful, and the sausages (although not brats or summer sausage), corn on the cob, and watermelon reminded me so much of a beautiful Wisconsin summer that seems like a long long time ago. All this combined, it was a shock to go from winter to idyllic summer scene without even so much as a single day of spring in between.
It was a great summer day with a great sunny food coma nap :)
Anyways, on to some brief introductions of the folks we live with:
Myriam: 60 something mother of the house and boss of it all. Great human being! We found out the other day that her father was born to a Jewish family in what is now present-day Ukraine and immigrated (by way of a series of Latin American countries) to Peru following WWI. I wish I knew more of the history of this region (Eastern Europe AND Latin America that is) and time period. So interesting to me nonetheless, especially considering that my Dad's grandma's first language was German and Myriam shares a similar story as he does of being part of the first generation following immigration unable to speak the language of its ancestors.
Lucía: daughter of Myriam. archeologist (studied and "TA'ed" at the university we now attend). adventurer (recently heard her accounts of helicopter rides through remote jungle canyons above raging rivers). Lucía is a member of the first generation of Peruvian archeologists to capitalize on a law that mandates that any large construction project in Peru must employ a team of archeologists to check for artifacts.
Lidia: The woman who does the cooking and cleaning and lives in the house with us. SO nice. Always willing to show us and explain the variety of fruits and vegetables we've come across so far in Lima (no. small. task.). Her pesto is the best I've ever had. I so so want to get to know her more and am frustrated that this is all I can say so far.
Ryo: Japanese exchange student starting his second of two semesters studying Spanish at PUCP and sharing the third floor of the house with Jean, Tom, and I. Before he left for a week-long trip to Bolivia, we had all just started to get out of the awkward "getting to know your roommates stage." Can't wait til he gets back!
and last but not least.....
Juaquín: son of Lucía. 2.5 years old. super lindo! The first and only 2.5 year old I've ever met who's asked me, "y tú... cómo estás?"
It's a good crowd and I'm very thankful to get to share their home.
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