It's not right, it's not wrong, it's just different . . .

Life in Arequipa has proved interesting.  Henry was playing propane tank delivery man today, something he never would have played in the states but has experienced twice in 2 weeks here.  (Our hot water and stove are gas which are run from propane tanks similar to those of a gas grill.  They are delivered (up 4 flights of stairs) and installed within about 20 minutes of calling for around $10.  Josh and the kids have enjoyed observing life from our 20ft glass wall across our dining and living rooms.  Here are some of our observations in no particular order.

1.  The trash men come 3 times a week.  You know they're close because they play a little song (similar to the ice cream man!) so that if you haven't gotten your trash out you know to run it down quickly.  This is very exciting for our kids (not new to Peru, they loved when the trash man came in Indiana too and often knew what day of the week it was by his arrival).  The kids can watch them from our wall of windows.  The men sort through all of the trash and separate out what we assume to be recycling.  This is especially noteworthy since all of our used toilet paper goes into the trash.  Not a job I would want.

2.  Eggs are not refrigerated here.  Neither is milk which is sold in a box.  However milk sold in a bag (difficult to handle yes) is refrigerated.  I'm not sure how I feel about milk that doesn't expire for 6 months.

3.  It is currently what is supposed to be the rainy season here right now (January - March).  However, last year during the rainy season it forgot to rain.  So far this year there hasn't been any rain either.  It literally hasn't rain here in over a year.  It is sunny and around 70 degrees everyday.  People here think it is cold.  They often wear coats and hats.  I'm frequently told that I need to put more clothes on Maggie.  Many people here complain that the weather is always the same.  I think it'll take awhile for me to get tired of it!

4.  Maggie is an anomaly.  They love her blue eyes.  Most women and even some men swoon over her.  I am often wearing her in the carrier on my chest but that doesn't stop anyone from kissing her.  She has been kissed by more strangers than I can count and if I were charging for photos taken of her we wouldn't need financial support from the US!  Of note, Lucy and I also have blue eyes but no one is swooning over us so there must be more to it than that. 

5.  We have a security man who patrols our neighborhood.  Most neighborhoods in our area do.  He blows his whistle several times hourly at what appears to us to be random intervals.  Trust me, Josh and the kids have tried to figure it out but to no avail.  While Josh was trying to determine when and why he would ask what time it was each time the whistle blew.  Now Josh has given up on figuring out any rational to it but every time the whistle blows (which is often) Henry yells, "what time is it?".

6.  We asked the kids when we arrived in Lima to look for things that stood out to them as different in this new culture.  Lucy immediately noticed the car horn honking and asked why they honk so much.  Here are just a few meanings of a car honk:  get out of my way, go faster, I'm passing you, do you want a ride, hello, notice me and what I'm supporting (presidential race is currently in full swing), or I just feel like it for no apparent reason!

7.  It seems there is a park around every corner.  Some are just grass.  Some have equipment. Some have a soccer field.  A few interesting things about parks.  Most are locked.  You have to ask the security guard from that block to unlock it if you want to enter.  Also, for the most part, grass is not meant to be walked on, just looked at.  (I guess they do have a lot invested in it since they have to irrigate to keep it green - and by irrigate I mean literally flood the area with a hose every so often.  This of course is a great breeding ground for mosquitoes which love to bite Lucy and I.  Since I didn't know this the first time went to the park I wore capris and had 48 bites on just 1 of my legs.  Needless to say, we now wear long pants and long sleeves when we go to the park and we tend to choose parks that allow you to walk on the grass,not just look at it.

 ~ Jennifer