A Run, Mistura, and Registry Fun

Sunday was a jam packed day. It started with Marco leaving the house at 6:30 am and heading to the center of Lima for a run down the via expresa ending on Javier Prado. It was a run for Dia de las Fuerzas Armadas or Day of the Armed Forces. It was fun seeing different groups run together. There were other people invited to run as well so in between the blocks of military personnel there were random runners. Marco ran with his classmates from War School. 

Where's Marco?

After watching the run Marco and I headed to Mistura. Mistura is Lima's annual food festival started by Gaston Acurio. He is Peru's claim to fame when it comes to promoting Peruvian gourmet around the world. I think he might have just opened a new restaurant in Chicago. I should look that up. I liked eating at Chicha in Cusco and I am going to be trying out Tanta here in Lima next week.

Mistura was packed but what was more daunting than anything was the line to get in! Marco and I would probably have waited a good 45 minutes just to get into the festival if we hadn't decided to walk around to the other side. We were a part of a group of people who had the same idea. There was no way there was only one entrance. Sure enough, there was no line on the other side! Huzzah! We didn't want to spend too much time in lines so we steered clear of the cilindrada (barbeque section). Peruvians love their roasted everything. I found a recoto relleno stand. It is a stuffed pepper with meat and veggies inside. It was accompanied by a cheesy potato dish. Marco found arroz con pato (duck and rice) and we shared mazamorra (a syrup made of purple corn) with arroz con leche (milky rice). We weren't full so we headed over to the limeño section and shared a causa (mashed yellow potatoe stuffed with chicken and avocado). To finish off our gluttonous afternoon we ate picarones (sweet potato funnel cake/donut).

The line extended back at least a half kilometer.

We found the secret entrance on the other side!

This is the first time both Marco and myself went to Mistura and we were impressed with the layout. It wasn't well advertised that there were two entrances but once inside we had relatively little wait time in lines. We did choose things that were less popular but overall we were happy with the outcome. There was a ticket system and tickets were sold in 13, 7, 3, and 1 sol increments. Most portions were 13 soles and with any food festival the consumer tends to get a taste of what the vendor has to offer instead of a regular sized plate. Granted, regular sized plates in restaurants here tend to be quite large (mostly filled with white rice though). That is to be expected at a fair though. I think of Taste of Chicago and that really is a perfect name for a food festival. You get a taste of things. That's what makes it fun though. Also, there were restaurants represented that sell plates from 40 to 50 soles a plate so getting a sample for 13 is a steal. We weren't so interested in finding those restaurants as much as we were interested in finding the food that suited our desires in the moment. I have a feeling that Mistura will only continue to grow in the years to come. It is a relatively new event. It stared in 2008 under the name "Peru Mucho Gusto" and then the following year it was renamed Mistura. I am interested to see how many people went through over the course of the 15 day event. It has to be in the 300,000s.

After leaving Mistura and taking a quick nap in the grass outside (with sun! Hurray for spring! Let there be more sun in Lima!) we headed over to Saga Falabella where we got our hands on a scanner and registered all the things we would like for our place. It was really fun picking things out with Marco. The custom in Peru is that you drop off a wedding gift at the residence of the couple before or after the wedding. People don't bring their gifts to the reception like they do in the States. I think that is kind of nice. It means that people have to take time out of their day to make a trip to personally deliver a gift. We also have to personally deliver our wedding invitations. That, on the other hand, is not so much fun. Fortunately, Marco is the one doing most of the delivering since many of the guests are in the military so he has more contact with them. I am sure that this is the custom because the mail system is not completely reliable here.

I hope everyone has a great week!

Cañete: Cuna y Capital del Arte Negro

This is a statue of a girl dancing Festejo, a traditional Afro-Peruvian dance.

Marco and I had a great time this weekend. We made a trip out to Cañete, Marco's birth place and home to his Dad's side of the family. We decided to take a bus instead of risking the car breaking down on us and it took us three hours to get there. It is typically a two hour ride. Granted we had to go to the center of Lima to pick up our bus and it is a company that stops and picks people up along the way. There are three types of omnibus options. The nicest ones don't stop anywhere except the final destination. The second rate ones are like the one we took called Soyus. They have a terminal where you can buy your ticket and get the seats you want but it stops every once in a while to pick people up at certain bus stops. There is a person who comes around and asks for ID and charges you for your seat if you get picked up later on. The final type of bus is the one that stops at every bus stop and will pack people on until there is no more room. They are the worst and the slowest of course.

Anyway, we got to Cañete and immediately hopped in a taxi that took us out to Marco's aunt and uncles' house. We chatted for a bit. Marco's aunt was very emotional about seeing Marco. He hadn't been back to visit in almost 15 years! That's nuts. I am happy that he is getting back into touch with his family. We dropped off wedding invites and then headed over to Marco's dad's place. His sister and brother in law are in the process of constructing a house on the same lot as his father's. It is a bit of a squeeze but slowly and surely they will have their house completely constructed. Lizett, Marco's sister, is a doll and her two daughters are so adorable. One of them reminds me so much of myself. She is super outgoing and sings and dances around. She was curious and she was constantly showing us things. When we got home last night she said while half asleep "buenas noches tia amy." It was so cute! She didn't want us to leave the following day. I didn't really want to leave either. I would have loved to stay a few more days to hang out with the fam!

I really enjoyed getting to know Lizett better and it was great seeing how she and Marco interacted. It reminded me a lot of me and my brother. I am excited to have a relationship with a new sister and I am pretty sure she is too!

Marco and I had a blast. After drinking a chela (Peruvianism for beer) Peruvian style with his brother and dad (meaning you pass around one cup and one beer bottle and each person pours what they want and then passes it to the next person when he or she is done. Neither Marco nor I are huge fans of the custom.) we headed out and stopped by the birthday party the girls went to. Oriana dragged me inside to dance and I was happy to oblige. All the kids were fascinated and happy to have an adult dancing with them. They gave me a bag full of sweets when we left. I ate so much food and sugar Saturday night. It was worth it though.

Marco and I went to the feria. Cañete was celebrating it's 457th birthday. Something I love about carnivals and fairs in Peru is that it isn't just fair rides and games. You will find people selling random stuff, lots of food stands, and live music. We tried our hand at a few games. My gun skills are not as great with a cork rifle as opposed to a real pistol but Marco informed me that they are meant to shoot the cork as a bad angle no matter what. I won a rubik's cube and I gave it to a kid who was standing beside me the entire time. He asked me where I was from and I told him to guess. He said the United States and I nodded. His response in English was "Oh my God!" It was super cute. I knew he would get more out of a rubik's cube than I would. He was super happy to receive it. Did I perpetuate the idea that foreigners will give you things if you hang around them long enough? Maybe. I might also have brightened the kids day. I like to think it was the second.

Meat on a stick. We didn't eat this but we did eat a lot of anticucho (cow heart) at the dance contest.

We went to the stadium to buy our tickets only to find out that the festejo contest wasn't going to start until 10:30pm even though it said 8pm on the sign. That's typical. We headed to the main plaza and found ourselves a cute little place called La Esquina de Pisco and had ourselves 5 sole pisco sours. They were strong and decently sized. Next time we go back we will definitely be hitting up La Esquina. 30 soles and you have yourself a night! I saw that there was a karaoke bar so we went inside. It wasn't too full so I got my fair share of singing in. Meanwhile, Lizett met up with us at the bar before we headed over to the stadium. Marco and I could not stop raving about how cheap going out there was. It's nice to get away from the city every once and a while not only for a change of scenery but also for a change in the price of things!

The festejo conest was awesome. Cañete is known in Peru as the birthplace and capital of arte negro. Festejo is a type of dance and music that is a mixture of Peruvian and African dance and music. It is super fun and really catchy. The groups that danced were great and then individual ladies got out and danced. All the while Lizett, Marco and I had a ball drinking chelas and eating anticucho and papa rellena. We ended the night by heading to a discoteca called Anubis. It was really packed but still fun. We got home around 4am! It's been a while since we have been out that late.

I wrote about festejo after going to Rompe y Raja here in Lima if you are interested in seeing some videos. You can also plug in festejo to youtube and see what comes up.

It was a great weekend and I am really glad that we were able to get out of Lima for a bit. It was relaxing and fun. I am happy to say that I had a great two days at work as well. This week I have lots of wedding things to do and we have the first of two meetings at the church for couples counseling. It is a requirement to get married in the Catholic church. Both Marco and I are very intrigued by what we are going to learn about marriage from a priest. I will definitely be blogging about it. 

That's it for now! Have a great week everyone!

Socializing

I had a full day yesterday! I started out by getting up nice and early to finish up cleaning the house and getting everything set for the brunch for expats married to Peruvians. It is a group that I became a member of after getting an email from a woman who is married to a colonel in the Peruvian Airforce because my name was passed on to her from a woman whom I met at the American Women's Literary Club back in February. (Phew!) The group is comprised of ladies from all different countries. Out of those who came to the brunch, Ireland, Australia, Spain, The UK, The Netherlands, and the States were all represented. It was really great and everyone is so laid back. We ate lots of sweet cakes and bread and there were lots of leftovers which means Marco and I are set for our bread and sweet snacks for days! I like being a part of this group because we are more long term expats and being married to a Peruvian is different that being an expat married to another expat living in Peru or an expat in a relationship with a Peruvian. Most of the ladies have kids too which is nice. Support systems are wonderful things to have whether you live in your country of origin or abroad.

Something I find interesting about hosting events and get-togethers here in Peru is how formal they are. It is pretty typical that even when you invite friends over, you don't let them do anything. Marco told me I should buy wine glasses for a toast and I told him that it wasn't that kind of gathering. We all bring food and chat and drink tea and coffee. I went to my friend Julie's later in the evening and her boyfriend was quick to apologize profusely for the lack of wine glasses. I responded by saying that it was no problem. Julie and I are good friends. I didn't need any formalities. Julie was super happy to be hosting American friends because she knew that we would just make ourselves at home. That is exactly what her friend Mia did by entering and greeting us holding a pot in one hand and a bag of food in the other asking "Who's ready to eat?". We went to the kitchen to chat, drink wine and cook food. It was glorious! Mia heard the story of how Julie and I met and later we chatted about classroom management because we are all teachers. I really look forward to hanging out with both of them soon.

I have been able to do a decent amount of socializing lately. I hung out with my yoga instructor and a friend of hers last weekend. There is nothing like wine and conversation with lady friends. We are headed out to listen to some Jazz with them tonight.

So to finish with the rest of what I did yesterday, after cleaning up and prepping for a violin lesson, I headed to Magdalena to give one of my students her lesson. We are working with a real violin now! I can't say I enjoy the commute but I really enjoy teaching her and spreading music in the small way that I can. After that I headed to Benavides where I played in a funeral mass. I only played a few songs because the couple that sings and plays piano (who have been doing it for 25 years in the same church!) were 20 minutes late. Lima traffic is a nightmare. Seriously. There was a Discovery Channel video that was just aired called "Don't Drive Here: Lima". While the host makes some good points, he also drives a bit crazy himself. Either way, there are way to many cars so more than accidents causing you harm, it will most likely be anxiety and impatience that will get to you if you drive around Lima during rush hour.

Marco and I are headed to Cañete tomorrow for a festival and to give wedding invitations to the family that lives there. I am super excited to see some afro-Peruvian dancing, listen to criollo music and eat good food.

Surrounded by Music

Last night I went to choir practice and it was awesome. I had such a great time and I really feel like I am becoming a full member. Our choir director Monica just got back from the States where she studied Jazz studies. She has all sorts of awesome information about singing technique. It is obvious that she is super happy and excited to be back as well. She has lots of plans for the choir and I am so pumped to be a part of it. She told me when I auditioned that she has plans to get us involved in some competitions. That would be fantastic and it could mean that we could be traveling in the future. I am also super excited because Claudia said that some of the girls would be able to sing at our wedding! I am excited that my family will be able to hear the choir I am a part of. We also celebrated the choir's 17th birthday with a cake and a very harmonic rendition of Happy Birthday. This choir reminds me so much of my a cappella group in college and the energy of the girls is fantastic.

I am feeling motivated and excited these days. I feel like my days are more packed with things to do but I am surrounding myself with music. I went to the Gil Shaham concert on Tuesday night. He played the Bach Sonata No. 1 in G Minor and Bach's Partita No. 1 in B minor. They are both completely unaccompanied violin pieces that were great for demonstrating his beautiful technique. He was accompanied by the youth orchestra of Peru in the second part. They played Tchaikovsky's Concerto for Violin and Orchestra in D Major. Even though the acoustics were not that great in the Teatro Nacional, the energy was felt and they did a really good job. It helped that I had binoculars from my 4th floor back row seat so I could see all of the players. The first chair violist is a colleague of mine who teaches violin where I teach music. We actually met playing a gig together in Lurin in March. I am very happy that Lima is becoming a city in which more and more international artists want to come and perform. There are big bands and popular artists as well orchestras and classical musicians. Andrea Boccelli is going to be performing at the end of this month.

I went to an orchestra practice for a youth orchestra last Sunday. It is mostly comprised of conservatory students and since it is not a paid orchestra (like the one that played on Tuesday night with Gil Shaham) the members don't come to practice consistently. That makes things difficult for cohesion and musicality. There is also only one practice a week on Sundays. That is great for me but it means more personal practice to get things sounding great. I feel like this orchestra is a good opportunity for me but it means I need to be on my game and practice a decent amount. I am not the best sight reader and I need some time to develop and practice my part. The other issue is that it takes up 5 hours on Sunday afternoon/evening including transportation. We will see how it goes. There is a concert on Sept 17th. There are 5 more rehearsals before then. I also like that Ximena is my stand partner. I really like spending time with her!

Off to practice!

Artwork, Some Bus Dancing, A Move, Family, Food and Excitement

Today I had to go pick up the form for the dispensa de disparidad de culto (so we can get married in the Catholic church even though I am not Catholic) and on my way I got off at the Domingo Orue stop. I walked over to Arequipa Ave. and during the transfer I noticed that there was artwork on a lot of the buildings. It turns out that it is called El Museo de los Vecinos and a lot of property owners have permitted the front of their buildings to be converted into public galleries. It is super cool and while I didn't a camera on me, if you look up Museo de los Vecinos Domingo Orue, you will find pictures of it.

I was on the bus today and there was an upbeat song playing. This guy next to me started seat dancing and smiling. I couldn't help but crack a smile as well and move my head along to the beat. It was an excellent moment.

The South American Explorers Clubhouse is moving to a new location. The lady who was helping with the move said they are going to be on Larco. Sounds good to me. As long as they are still around and I can still get access to their awesome book exchange I will be content. Oh and of course their mailing address makes life a lot easier for me when it comes to getting mail and packages. My dad sent a magazine over 6 weeks ago and I have received no word of it getting to Lima. However, given that SAE is in the process of moving, a notice might have come but they weren't able to send me an email. I will have to check into it. I don't want to loose all faith in the mail system here. It is peculiar that I received everything that was ever sent to me in Cusco but there have been two things that never got to me since I have been in Lima. You think it would be the other way around.

We have been so spoiled these past couple of days. Jesus, Marco's brother has had vacation and he has spent a fair amount of time hanging and playing video games with his nephew. He has also made some delicious food including cuy (guinea pig) and pollo estofado (chicken with a tomato sauce). I was going to make lasagna for everyone this past weekend but ended up only making it for my mother and law and myself since Marco and Gabriel got sick from the McDonalds they ate the night before. And everybody worries that they will get sick in Peru because of the water or the food not being cleaned well. It doesn't surprise me one bit that McDonalds made them sick. Fast food is pretty toxic.

Anyway, I am thinking of making eggplant parmesan. It's been a while since I made it and I think it would be good for Gabriel to eat more vegetables. Look at me going into mom mode. I can't guarantee that he will like it but I can guarantee that he has never been served it before.

Something that I have been doing lately is reading news that it published via Peru This Week. I love that it is not just about the atrocities and horrific things that have happened during the week but cool thins like a man giving 14,000 dollars back to a Chinese tourist in Nazca. I think that people really want to get more news about exciting and positive things that happen in the world, not just the scary and sad things. Of course, the more sensational a story, the more people will eat it up right?

I am getting more and more excited about everyone coming Peru. I cannot wait to do some sightseeing and hanging with the family. This weekend we are headed to the reception hall to have a tasting and get the final decisions made and paid. Marco and I have decided that we are going to have everything we can possibly get done by the end of this month. So far so good!

Family Reunion

Marco's family is here! It's super exciting and there is nothing better than to see the huge ear to ear grin that is constantly spread across his face as he interacts with his son, mother and brother. We are excited to have Gabriel and grandma here for the week. I like having the house filled with people. It feels great! Spending time with people you like and family is one of the best ways to spend time. I never feel like it is wasted time and when my family and friends are here in October for the wedding I will be spending as much time as possible with all of them.

Even though not all of Marco's immediate family is here, since Marco's mother got here we have skyped a lot with Gamaniel who lives in Spain. We also do it when his brother and sister-in-law come over with our niece. It is super cute to see how the cousins (Who are 7 months and almost 1 year old) react to one another and the computer. Ah technology. I love that we can keep in touch with everyone. This picture sums it up pretty nicely.

"Family isn't always blood. It's the people in your life that want you in theirs; the ones who accept you for who you are, the ones who would do anything to see you smile and who love you no matter what." (I found this quote on pinterest)

Grateful

It is always good to give thanks for all the wonderful things we have in our lives. There are definitely more things I am grateful for but here is my list today. It starts with things from my day but then evolves into a random list in no particular order of things that I am grateful for in general.


I woke up to find my hubby working at the dining room table. I thought he had already left and was a bit sad that I didn't get a good-bye kiss. It was a pleasant surprise to see him in his sweatshirt and patagonia hat that makes him look like a hipster. I gave him a big good morning kiss on the eyes.

I got a ride to the metropolitano from Marco and I got a seat on the javier prado bus and on the combi that drops me off two blocks from school. I had time to chat with Allison before class.

My 2nd grade classes this week were marvelous! I didn't have to give any warnings on the board and we were completely occupied the entire class with songs and games and activities. It was a great way to start the semester and I plan on keeping it that way. I also played the piano and accompanied them as they learned the song "Oh When the Saints go marching in". I really wish I could accompany every song I teach them with a guitar or a piano. I am learning more songs to play on the piano though.

I am grateful for the kids that really try in class even though they have a tendency to get distracted and not follow the rules. I am especially proud of Diego who was quite the behavioral problem last semester. (Now, to get to work on his two buddies who like to play the drums all the time.)

I am so unbelievably grateful for all the help and mentoring that Cristina has given me this year. She is a gem and deserves a really awesome gift. I know just the thing!

I appreciate having A to talk to in the teacher's lounge. She is fantastic and I am going to lend her daughter my Harry Potter books. Huzzah! I am so happy that they are going to be put to good use and that I am going to make her daughter super happy. I am going to be the library lady for her. I haven't actually met her yet but I have a feeling that will happen soon.

I am also super happy to have V at work who is hilarious and full of really good advice/anecdotes/randomness to make the day fun.

I am grateful for my doggy who is always so excited to see me when I get home.

I am grateful for my amazing and loving husband who works his butt off but always finds time for us.

I am grateful for my parents because who and where would I be without them having raised me and my brother?

I am grateful for Peru and all that it has given me and all that it still has to offer.

I am grateful for my super comfy bed, our apartment and the neighborhood that we live in that is within walking distance to the Metropolitano.

I am so grateful for the internet keeping me connected to everyone I love back in the States and around the world. It also allows me to listen to public radio.

I am grateful to have found a play to do yoga cheaply in Barranco where the teacher only charges 15 soles a class. I always go on Monday nights no matter how tired I am from work.

I am grateful for hot showers and alfajors (a delicious treat made of carmel and cookies).

That's it for now. Post something you are grateful for below. Spread the good energy. I would love to hear about it.