2/10 2009 16:30
Now I have finished my first week of Spanish lessons and I am surprised at how much I am learning. I already find that I understand many things and can start to say some things.
This week I have had single classes but next week I should get group classes. According to the others you do not learn as much from group lessons but it is also more relaxing and you meet more new people that way. Whensday night I went out for a beer or two with Magnus, my norwegian flatmate, but we ended up coming home at 3 in the morning so I was a bit tired yesterday and slept the whole afternoon. However, it was nice to see some of the nightlife of Lima and try the local drink speciiality called pisco sour. We spent most os the evening at a rather touristy bar in a shopping complex built on the cliffs leading down to the beach of the pacific. I think it must be a great view during the day and at sunset. The beach here is also popular with surfers, but is a bit cold this time of year. Surprisingly it turns out that spring is the coldest time of the year here. People say it should be getting warmer this month, but Magnus says that people have told him that for several months now and it has only gotten colder.
At lunch today I also got to try the local speciality Ceviche for the first time. It consists of raw fish with lime juice and chili served with corn. I am also found that they use many different types of corn here, that we see in europe. The ones served with the ceviche for example were fresh corn seeds but each seed was 1-1.5 cm in diameter and more white than what we have. They also have a dark red almost black type of corn called maiz moranda, which is used to make a juice called chicha moranda that is served everywhere and tastes a little like blackberry juice. The moranda is also used to make a jelly which is served as desert.
I eat quite well here, especially at night where the mother of the family cooks a three course dinner, with soup a main course and desert every night. I have to be carefull that I do not eat too heavily at lunch or I will not be able to finish my dinner.
I have not had time to see much of Lima yet, but I will take some walks in the weekend and see some more of Miraflores and when I get to know the busses better I will then see some more of the rest of Lima.