Reader Mail - Round Three

The highlight of my day was hearing "Man! I Feel Like A Woman!" by Shania Twain while doing curls (for the girls!) at the Master Gym. This was the highlight, mind you, so I think I'll address other topics for this entry. I was swamped at work during August, and I unfortunately left the piles of readers' questions and queries unattended. To the thousands of curious fans out there I send my sincerest apologies, and I hope that my responses today will help to make up for my negligence. On that note, let's dive in to some questions!
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Christine,

Let your mind start a journey,
Through a strange new world,
Leave all thoughts
Of the world you knew before,
Let your soul take you where you long to be,
Only then can you belong to me.

Erik
Paris Opera House
Paris, France


Erik,

Despite the fact that you addressed me as Christine, you didn't actually have a question in your email (sent from 'Misunderstood_Opera_Lover@gmail.com'), and you seem to have quoted lyrics verbatim from "The Music of the Night" in Andrew Lloyd Webber's delightful Broadway musical "The Phantom of the Opera," I will endeavor to respond to you. While I don't believe the final 4 lines are applicable to my situation, your suggestion to let my mind start a journey through a strange new world certainly rings true. I wouldn't say Lima qualifies as a strange new world, but there are certainly lots of interesting things I have seen and have mentioned in this blog. And as you probably know, I rarely refuse an opportunity to discuss more surprising aspects of living in Peru.
- When I ran the half marathon I saw a runner participating with his Dachshund. The little fella might have had tremendous endurance, but that seems cruel to me. Also, they gave out bananas at some of hydration points along the route. Because the trash cans were placed on the far side of the road, many people ended up throwing their banana peels right on the road way. Good intentions, but I'm not convinced that was the best idea.
- Croissants are gigantic in the bakeries here. Take a croissant, double it, double it again, and you have a "cachito," the Peruvian equivalent of a croissant. I like croissants as much as the next guy (unless we're talking about a French guy, and trust me, I have experience talking about them), but a quad-croissant just strikes me as too much of a good thing.
- In the Metro supermarket here I can find roughly 15 varieties of hot dog. When Peruvians make fun of American food and say all we eat is hamburgers and hot dogs, I promptly pull out my travel mirror and ask them to look into it. He/she then thanks me for the service of my mirror, and we go our separate ways.
- There are mountains and mountains of limes, but not a lemon in sight.
Thanks for the letter, Erik, and I will forgive your etiquette transgressions because I enjoy "The Phantom of the Opera" so much.
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Andrew,

Now that you have traveled outside of Lima and seen some other parts of Peru, have you caught the travel bug? Are you planning many more trips in the future?

Cordially,
Phyllis
Manteca, CA


Phyllis,

First, let me say how sad I am that Manteca no longer has the wonderful water slide park I enjoyed so much as a child. Though I know you feel the pain much more acutely, I want to let you know that we mourn together. Secondly, in response to your question, I would venture to say that I haven't caught the travel bug entirely, and I'm taking some antibiotics just to make sure. For the remaining 2.5 months I have a 2 week vacation in October planned with my friend Julie from high school. We will be exploring the southern parts of Peru including: Arequipa, Colca Canyon, Puno, Lake Titicaca, Cusco, Urubamba, and Machu Picchu. Besides that big expedition, I would like to do 2 or 3 additional weekend trips to the rain forest (Iquitos), a beach to the north (Trujillo possibly), and the mountainous region to the northeast of Lima (Huaraz). I don't know if I will be able to fit it all in, but from hearing other travelers' stories here in the hostel I realize that it's impossible to see everything. There is so much to do in Peru, and South America, that I don't want to spread myself too thin trying to see it all. Speaking of spreading things thin, my dear mother kindly found me two bottles of Vegemite which are now en route to Lima. I tell you, that devilish spread is instantly addictive (I am confident that only Australians readers would agree with me while everyone else probably things I'm dealing with less than a full deck.). On the weekends when I won't be traveling I will continue to enjoy the sights and amazing tastes here in Lima. Even though there is a lot I want to see in rest of Peru I still have many outstanding visits (yes, mostly to restaurants) to make here in Lima. Thanks for the letter, Phyllis.
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Andrew,

You have now been in Peru, speaking Spanish I presume, for over three months. Are you fluent? Can you carry on a conversation with anyone you encounter? Do you find Shakira and Penelope Cruz more attractive? Should I buy term life insurance?


Thank you,
Wilson
La Crosse, Wisconsin


Wilson,

Thanks for taking the time to write in. I know very little about Wisconsin so I looked up some information about the state. Turns out the state fossil is the Trilobite. That tidbit just might come in handy some day. In regard to your questions, I wouldn't call myself fluent. Far from it, actually. However, I find that I am able to easily carry on conversations with most people, express my feelings and thoughts accurately, and speak without hesitation or anxiety. I know that I have many grammatical errors in my speech, but fortunately the Peruvians understand me and I am able to understand them. The most noticeable difference for me is that I can switch to Spanish and pick up a conversation without thinking consciously about it. It's very rewarding to be able to transition smoothly into another language, and I hope to brush up on my Italian (maybe spend some time there too) so I can get to the same point with that language as well. I find Shakira and Penelop Cruz just as attractive as before I left. Emmy Rossum, on the other hand, has rapidly ascended the Andrew Popularity Chart during my stay here. And I don't precisely know how term life insurance differs from regular life insurance, but I prefer not to take chances. So yes, you should buy term life insurance. Possibly the Gerber Grow-Up Plan as well. Good stuff, Wilson.
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On a serious and factual note, I'd like to thank everyone for their continued support of my writing in this blog. All your feedback has been terrific and tremendously motivating. I hope to keep the content interesting, and if there is anything you'd like to see please let me know.