Authentic Travel from Start to Finish: Settling In

We've only been in Lima for a little over a week. Several of those days included work-related academic conferences. But at this point I'd say we're pretty much completely settled in. That includes a school for the Little Lady, a full complement of groceries that are restocked on a regular basis, a work routine, and finding our bearings around the neighborhood. Here is where things stand and how we were able to set things up so quickly.

One of the first things that has to be sorted out when traveling for an extended period is school for the Little Lady. On this trip things were somewhat simplified because we had arranged prior to arrival for her to re-enroll at the pre-school she attended in Lima when we were here a couple years ago. We liked the school last time, but it was really stressful for the Little Lady, so we planned to go slow on getting her back into class at Nido Mami y Yo (which we would recommend to anyone setting up shop in Miraflores with a baby through pre-K).

We arrived on a Wednesday afternoon. The conferences we were attending ran from Thursday through Monday. Our plan was to start getting her reacquainted with school starting that Tuesday, May 2. This was not going to make for a very easy conference since we both had responsibilities (though Jana more than me) including one panel on Monday where we both had to be actively participating at the same time.

By Wednesday evening of our arrival, however, the Little Lady was asking about school. She wanted to check it out as soon as possible. So, we sent the folks at the school a message to see if we could at least stop by on Thursday. They let us do that and what we thought was going to be a 30 minute getting comfortable session turned into over 2 hours. The Little Lady is really excited about school this time, and it brought a smile to my face that the same guard/parking attendant was still working there and the Little Lady gave him a high five as soon as she saw him. It took her a month to do that last time. When we got home on Thursday she asked if she could go again for the full time on Friday. We figured out how to make that happen, and she has been enjoying school this week. On Monday, there was a national holiday, so school was closed and we still had to sort out how to both be in a panel at the same time. But it turns out that went ok:

She is making friends and getting re-introduced to some of her old friends from our last trip. She tells us that while she cannot always say everything she wants to say, she is trying and she understands most everything of what is going on. She always has lots to tell us about her day when she gets home from school. Unlike our last trip to Lima, the Little Lady is already sleeping pretty well, taking more rather than fewer naps than usual, and seems to be truly excited to be here. That is all a great relief.

Other aspects of settling into life here are going well. The conference was enjoyable, but it is nice to have it in the rear-view mirror. We are fortunate to be living just a couple of blocks from the apartment we lived in last time. The street we are on this time is much calmer than last time, but we know the neighborhood very well. Initially, we went back to the same grocery store as last time, but this time around we have also tried out the grocery delivery service from Wong, a major chain here in Peru. It is a high-quality supermarket, with a wide selection and decent (if not the cheapest) prices on most items. It turns out it is simple to register on their website for online ordering, even without a Peruvian ID card. I made a smallish order this week and it went flawlessly. You make the order online, select a delivery window, emails let you know how the order is progressing including when it is on the truck and en route, and then you pay when it arrives (or you can pre-pay). There was one item that was out of stock, so I did not get that but it was removed from the bill automatically. It is so nice to not have to lug water back from the grocery store, and so nice to just click around on a website to order groceries. It's nice that Lima has a store with this service, which is now so common back in the U.S. I'm sure we'll use similar services when living in New York next year. It is a great convenience when without a car. And that is especially so when you have to be drinking bottled water all the time.

Jana registered at the gym that is just about 6 blocks away at the Marriott Hotel. It is a super gym with a view of the Pacific. It is not cheap, but it is nice to be able to keep up the exercise routine while away. I prefer to jog and walk along the malecon (ocean-view biking/jogging trail), and am trying to do that every morning. So far, so good.

We've also gotten back to some of our favorite restaurants and even tried some new ones. Today, for instance, we walked to the next major neighborhood over (Barranco) and ate at Isolina for lunch. It was delicious, Peruvian comfort food. It's also a restaurant listed as one of the best 50 in all of South America. For a place serving comfort food to make that list, it has to be good. And it did not disappoint. We ordered two items, and if we had ordered more we would have been very sorry. The food is family-style and each main dish serves at least two very hungry people. The three of us brought enough home for another meal having ordered one appetizer and one entree: