Some examples of Peruvian Food

As we visit various supermarkets and street markets, we are learning how to eat in Peru. We drink bottled water and are careful to wash all the fruits and vegetables. That said, the food is delicious and so full of flavor! The lettuces and vegetables are often organic and some so unusual, I have to look up methods to prepare them. Our Spanish class will have a "field trip" lesson this week on the fruits. I will share what I learn. These pictures record treats we have enjoyed this week. At the top is a fruit tart purchased from the Cafe Amor down the street from Spanish School. The stuffed pepper is a Rocoto Relleno, a very hot pepper stuffed with meat, hardboiled egg, olives and spices. We bought it at the market today and picniced with it and the next photo, Papa Rellena, stuffed potato. Potatoes reign in Peru; there are at least 13 varieties! Maybe that is why they are called "papas." Papa Relleno was an oval lump of mashed potato stuffed with olives and hardboiled egg and chopped vegetables. It had been deep fried.
We laughed at the Bimbo Bars! We bought these for our mid-morning snack during Spanish Class. They are diet bars with some grains and dried fruits. The name makes us laugh! Is this irony, we ask?

Saturday at the Ecological Market in Lima, Peru.

Ian and I went to a local market today, Saturday, March 28th. Our friend Rachel Hill had told us about it, so we decided today was the day; it was our reward after studing Spanish and cleaning the apartment. We walked down the street and across the bridge and there it was--a long line of well staffed tables filled with vegetables, breads, woven materials, toys, honey, grains, food for take out, and many shoppers. The displays were colorful, artfully arranged and staffed with friendly helpers ready to answer questions and serve customers. A great place to practice our Spanish.
We bought lunch to go: papas rellenos (stuffed potatoes) and rocoto rellenos (stuffed spicy rocoto peppers). I could not resist the long scarves: an azure blue cotton one and a tweedy green alpaca scarf woven by women out in the hills. Ian bought a batik black and rusty brown table cloth that will be great for Vermont. In the meantime, it drapes our sofa and brightens the living room. We also bought a sourdough bread that is tasty and dense; it will complement local cheeses. We will make this a Saturday routine!

Clergy Wife Tea

Today I attended a delightful clergy wife tea with the local Lima Anglican Clergy Wives. This photo depicts some of them. Our hostess, Judith Godfrey, is taking photos. We shared our names and a bit about ourselves. I showed pictures from my computer and spoke sentences I had carefully crafted in Spanish. I slaughtered the pronunciations in my anxiety, but at least I was trying out my new language. After our time of sharing, we had iced tea and lemonade along with delicious quiche, bread pudding and chocolates. The backdrop was Judith's lovely garden filled with flowering shrubs.

Central Lima Photos

We had a field trip from Spanish Class and went to the center of Lima. Here are some photos Ian took last Thursday afternoon, March 19th. One of staff members of the school drove us around. Lots of traffic and honking horns It was crowded and bustling with buyers and sellers, all surviving in a tough environment. Men, women and children of all ages. Everyone moving.
Ian wrote an interesting piece on his blog about what he sees here.

Off to the Beach in Lima

Ian and I walked down a path to the rocky shore of the Pacific. It was misty and very humid on Saturday, so we took breaks along the way to watch the surfers. Most were in wet suits, and they caught the waves really well. It was fun watching the young kids head out, too. Quite the social scene, it seems. I dipped my toes into the water, but the incline was steep and the rocks tricky to walk on. We then walked up the steps and roadway to another part of town and explored the little shops and stopped for a Coke. Coke Zero is delicious here--even lukewarm!

Poem from The Writers Almanac

Poem on a Line by Anne Sexton, 'We are All Writing God's Poem'
by Barbara Crooker

Today, the sky's the soft blue of a work shirt washed
a thousand times. The journey of a thousand miles
begins with a single step. On the interstate listening
to NPR, I heard a Hubble scientist
say, "The universe is not only stranger than we
think, it's stranger than we can think." I think
I've driven into spring, as the woods revive
with a loud shout, redbud trees, their gaudy
scarves flung over bark's bare limbs. Barely doing
sixty, I pass a tractor trailer called Glory Bound,
and aren't we just? Just yesterday,
I read Li Po: "There is no end of things
in the heart," but it seems like things
are always ending—vacation or childhood,
relationships, stores going out of business,
like the one that sold jeans that really fit—
And where do we fit in? How can we get up
in the morning, knowing what we do? But we do,
put one foot after the other, open the window,
make coffee, watch the steam curl up
and disappear. At night, the scent of phlox curls
in the open window, while the sky turns red violet,
lavender, thistle, a box of spilled crayons.
The moon spills its milk on the black tabletop
for the thousandth time.
"Poem on a Line by Anne Sexton, 'We are All Writing God's Poem'" by Barbara Crooker, from Line Dance. © Word Press, 2008. Reprinted

I love the way she wrote this. This spring I will be here in Lima and miss the amazing changes that bring such hope after a long snowy winter in the north. Rejoice in those changes! They are such colorful metaphors for life.
Polly

Spanish Class March 12th

We enjoyed a lesson in ceviche preparation after class today. The raw fish is "cooked" with fresh lemon juice and salt. Thinly sliced red onion is stirred in, and bits of cilantro add flavor and garnish. The chef suggested any fresh white fish, but they often use tilapia. Ian and I will try making it, but I want to be sure the fish is fresh.

Our classroom is upstairs with a large open window to keep us alert. Our teacher Carmen paces the class well with speaking, games and writing for four hours. The school provides water, coffee and snacks at 11 for a much needed break. Ian and Steve (from Canada) are sitting at the table with Carmen while I snap the photo. Today we worked on regular verbs, how to use them and how to conjugate them. We also worked on pronunciation. I am learning to roll my "r's" with the best of them! Our sentences are simple at this point: Yo trabajo en mi espanol y yo hablo con mi esposo en espanol. Adding in all the adverbs and adjectives will take a bit more time, and yet I think of E.B White and Mark Twain who admonish us to write simply. Yo escribo sencillimente. What a great adverb! We will drop the pronouns such as "Yo" when we have our conjugations down pat because the verb indicates the person.

Our other "firsts" today were visiting the laundromat: la lavanderia and the hair salon: la peluqueria. Ian's haircut turned out great and the chicas fawned all over him trimming his eyebrows etc. He balked at a nose hair trim. El es guapo (handsome). Next week I'll try out the mani/pedi--both for $10! I will work on some phrases to say so that I don't have to use pictures and gestures all the time. At least I can say my name: Me llamo Polly and how much does it cost--Cuanto cuesta? and of course, gracias. We'll call this a field trip...

Every day is a new adventure. Just this evening we returned to the apartment only to find a sign that says the water will be turned off due to some cause we could not translate. So far, it is still on. We drink bottled water, so that is fine, but showers could be tricky in the morning.

Birthay Dinner March 7

Ian and I had a wonderful birthday dinner on the coast of Lima. After dinner we looked out at the coastline and watched the waves. The city at night is lovely, especially when there is a full moon. It is fun getting older together!

Lima Apartment and Area

Here are some pictures to help you see where we are going to be spending our time. This is our new apartment--furnished. We will add a few touches! I will take pictures of the language school soon.

Early Days In Peru

Ian and I are now in Peru. We visited our language school today, took the entrance test, and passed into the beginners' class. That will be a comfortable start and provide a reassuring foundation.
Tonight is the World Day of Prayer service in the cathedral, so off we go! Our immersion begins.
Here are some pictures of our time in Lima as we check out an apartment, shop at a fancy grocery store, and visit the parks. This is the "high end" of Lima, not the Shanty Towns. Those will come later when we visit around on the weekends. Our main task these three months is to learn Spanish and the culture. This will take all of my energy, so having hot water, decent food and some walks in the park will keep me going in this foreign culture. Ian and I pray every
day for patience and the ability to learn Spanish so that we can communicate with our new acquaintances.
The next post will include a few words I have learned in Monday's class. For now- Adios!

March 1, 2009 Vermont

Ian and I are preparing to head to Peru March 3rd-- stopping the mail, cleaning the house and packing our suitcases with books and clothes. We will be in language school in Lima, Peru, for three months staying in an apartment, studying each weekday and visiting local churches on the weekends.

Catching one of those perfect clear Vermont days, we got in some cross country skiing on a beautiful Saturday in Saxton's River. Joe and Virginia drove up from NYC to join us for the weekend. We first watched the ski races at Vermont Academy where we were daunted by the ski jump and amused by the ski outfit of one of the skiers. Guided by our friends John and Mary Shepard, we skied on the trails behind the Academy. A perfect day! After a number of falls, we are fully aware of our fallibility. This prepares us well for learning a new language and facing challenges which may cause us to land face first and need a helping hand to get up off the ground. Here we go!