Pisco sours

I suppose most people feel this way upon first viewing their new home, but Lima must be the most beautiful city in the world. After a horrendous twenty five and a half hours of traveling, and a total of two days with no sleep, all I had time to take in on the first day was the spectacular colors characteristic of most Latin American countries, and the smell. Lima does not smell like American cities. Ocean air, mist, every food you can think of, and flowers saturate the heavy, fog-laden air for a completely unexpected sensory experience. The second thing I noticed was the traffic.

I am amazed that there are any side-view mirrors left on these cars. The driving is the definition of insanity. Streets labeled "One Way" usually adhere to their definition, but not necessarily. Spacious sidewalks provide convenient parking or, when there are no such obstructions, an additional traffic lane for especially anxious drivers. Cars do not stop at four-way intersections unless there is a significant and visible stream of perpendicular traffic; pedestrians only merit a mild tap on the brake pedal and a series of short bursts on the horn. Lanes have little meaning, and those merging onto the highways and the already moving traffic cannot seem to agree on who has the responsibility to yield.

The first evening  I spent in a youth hostel with the other program students. We are fourteen in number: three chicos, eleven chicas. Five of us banded together and walked down to the beach for what happened to be my first (legal) drink: pisco sours, the "drink of Lima." It consists of pisco, a fairly strong grape brandy, flavored with lemon juice and various flavor syrups and topped with an inch of foaming, beaten egg whites. They are pretty tasty but two or three would definitely compromise most people, which can be problematic: since they are so popular, they often have very good prices. After our round of drinks last night, we went to dinner in an open air restaurant and were served another round on the house with our purchase of dinner. I didn't finish mine. As soon as we returned to the hotel I passed out, which unfortunately I must do now as another day of completely exhausting language immersion and culture shock is fast approaching.