I am staying with a host family in Lima. My host parents, Nancy and Tito Patiño, have three children, two of whom live at home. My home here can best be described as a labyrinth. The Patiños have expanded their home outwards and upwards to accommodate more students over the years. At present, there are four Americans, one Brazilian, one Columbian, and three Peruvians in the student quarters, with an additional student set to arrive later this week. There are three different staircases to access the bedrooms; and a single door may reveal one bedroom, or to a three-bedroom suite. Several bedrooms have their own bathrooms, and some their own kitchens. That I have seen, there are 17 bedrooms, 8 refrigerators of varying sizes, 9 bathrooms, and 2 sitting areas. I haven’t explored the family’s private bedrooms, so I’m confident that there are more bathrooms (and probably refrigerators) than I know of. In short, the house is a massive maze. To get to my bedroom, I climb two flights of stairs, a half flight outdoors, cross a common room, and finally walk down a narrow hallway to my bedroom.
My labyrinth of a home is located in San Borja, one of Lima’s many districts. San Borja borders Miraflores and Barranco (the popular tourist districts of Lima) in the west, and la Molina (my university’s district) in the east. I really like my location because I have a short commute to school, and a reasonable commute to bars and clubs on the weekend. Furthermore, because San Borja is not a tourist district, I get to see and experience a more authentic side of Lima.
I’ve had a pretty easy time meeting people here in Lima, since I live with so many students. Two American girls that I live with spent the first week with me on my orientation, so it was easy for us to become friends. I’ve since met many more people at my university’s orientation, including students from America, Germany, France, Austria, China, and, of course, Peru. Most other students came to Peru not knowing anyone, so everyone is eager to meet new people and socialize. It’s been a lot of fun exploring Lima with these students because we are so multicultural–everyone has a different opinion about life here.
