I've been here one week now. Overall, things are going spectacularly well. The language barrier is challenging and can feel isolating at times but I'm learning more and more each day and making new friends. Here are all the details so far:
Upon my arrival last Wednesday, I was promptly whisked away to a very fancy private anniversary party at a very upscale shopping mall. They actually had two live mermaids (well models with floor length blond curly hair and fish bodies) in a fountain, champagne and cocktails everywhere, passed hors d'oerves and a very chic crowd....pretty amazing for my first hour in Peru and South America. Sergio sure knows how to welcome a guy to his country!!!
Miraflores is the area I'm in and want to stay in. It is very safe.....like the West Village in NY. Very upscale, lots of people around, even late at night. ..it's not at all sketchy feeling, but I still am being aware of my surroundings, of course. There are also large, fancy upscale casinos.....LOTS of them!
The architecture throughout the city is absolutely STUNNING. There is such a wide and rich variety of architecture, from Spanish and Italian colonial to Gothic churches, to art deco, to Bauhaus, Victorian to ultra modern, etc....sometimes, all on the same block! I had no idea how gorgeous the buildings were here...It's a very old city with beautiful buildings EVERYWHERE. and the parks......they are EVERYWHERE, too.....It's a beautfiul and very clean city....even the downtown area! Lots of traffic (and CRAZY taxi drivers everywhere), but still clean (at least everywhere I've been). In fact, it really doesn't feel at all like a third world country. I haven't seen any rats or cockroaches, feral animals, etc. although, I am sure they are lurking about.
I've only had about three people ask me for money, although people will occasionally try to sell you things, but not nearly as much or as aggressively as in Bali or Mexico. Honestly, I was prepared for a much harsher reality than life seems to be here. Of course, that's if I stay in the wealthier neighborhoods where I have been.
I've now been here one week and my time has been spent first finding my temporary hotel, now finding a more permanent apartment, studying Spanish at least 2 hours a day (just Rosetta Stone for now, until April 2...see #5 below), getting my cell phone (I swear, it was a 2 1/2 day process (don't ask - one snafu after another), checking out the fashion and language schools and enrolling in both (yay!), working at Sergio's stores 2 days, meeting Sergio's friends, and learning the city (well, a few areas of the city, I should say).
I am sooooo excited because just moments ago I got work that I got the apartmnet that I wanted REALLY badly. My new roommates were going to get back to me by the end of the weekend to let me me know if I got it, but they just called and they want me!!! It's $350/month, which is only $50/month more than my current hotel situation, which is decent, but nearly as nice as my new place. It's got a modern kitchen, washer/dryer, 1 block from the beach, a HUGE gorgeous rooftop terrace overlooking the ocean, 2/week maid service included. Share with Marie (German/Peruvian) and Jimmy (Peruvian). They are both fluent in English/Spanish. We all have our own rooms. I will share the bathroom with Marie only. It's the top floor of a six story building wth security, modern, wood floors, gorgeous. Maria, it turs out, is also starting fashion school at my school, CEAM, in April, as well. They also have two super cute puppies, Dumbo and Anna. Totally safe, very upscale neighborhood. Close to everything. It's PERFECT for me, so I'm thrilled! I move in on April 1. I will be able to walk to my fashion school and my language school so transportation costs will be minimal.
In general, most things are 1/3 of the cost of what I'm used to. Of course, there are lots of restuarants that cost about the same as what we are used to, but they are very upscale. There are hundreds of nice restaurants where I can get a meal for $3-5. Good thing I'm not a big drinker, becuase drinks at the clubs are close to what you'd pay in the U.S. maybe $7 for a cocktail.
I'm supposed to have a job interview with a foreign exchange program that places Peruvian students in American jobs. I set it up before I got to Lima, but I still haven't been able to reach my contact here, which is frustrating. I'm going to physically just go there today and see if I can get anywhere. But, my new roommate Maria is going to get me in touch with a guy who has been teaching English for over 20 years here. Through him, she makes 55 soles/hour, which is over $15/ hour, which would be amazing and allow me to actually save some money while I'm here. So, I'm REALLY excited about that opportunity. She says there should be ample work for me and my lack of Spanish should not be an issue. I'm all over that opportunity!!!!
Working with Sergio will be great, but I need to learn more Spanish and get some fashion coursework under my belt before we really dive in to things. He said in about a month, once my Spanish is improved, he will take me to the factories where they manufacture his clothes and such. I ended up working in his stores a couple days, because he was short staffed. Althouugh that's not what I'm here fore, it was a very good way to get to know his clothing and his merchandising techniques better and he even paid me a modest sum, but I can make much more doing the teaching thing....Sergio said we will definitely work together on designing some custom gowns, but that will be later after I have some of the fashion course work under my belt. Sergio has been an amazing host.....he really looks after me. It's really cute, actually , because he's a little overprotective. It's very nice and comforting to have a good friend that cares about me close by.
At Sergio's strong urging (he didn't have to twist my arm, because I agree with him) , I enrolled in Spanish classes two hours a day five days a week from 8:45-10:45am. cost is only $100/month. Unfortunately, they don't start until April 2, so I've been doing Rosetta Stone Spanish classes on my computer a couple hours every day, in the meantime. The language barrier has been challenging, but as with everything, I'm just trying to accept where I'm at and not get frustrated.
I go through periods where I feel isolated because I've gone from living in a city where I know pretty much everybody and know where to go anytime for social support to a city of nine million where I know just a handful of people and I don't know anywhere to go for socializing. Being a hypersocial person, this has been hard for me, but I realize that literally every day I'm here, things will get better in this aspect....as I continue to improve my Spanish, discover new places in Lima, and, of course, make more friends. So, I keep reminding myself of that.
My occasional periods of loneliness sometimes get trumped by sheer fabulousness. For example, the other night, I was supposed to go out with a new friend, Javier, that I made through Sergio,who had invited me to a big art opening show. I touched base with him in the early evening and he said he'd call me around 8 pm. By 10:30 pm I still hadn't heard from him and couldn't reach him or Sergio to find out where the art show was. I looked online and couldn't find anything about the art show. It was a Tuesday night and I checked online and the one club I know about and it was not open that night. So, basically, I was all dressed up in a sharp art gallery opening outfit with absolutely nowhere to go....I felt really lonely and sad.
The next thing I know, Sergio called me back and asked where I was. I told him the situation and he said him and his boyfriend Ryan (also American and staying down here too) were on their way to take me to a party. They showed up and we jumped into a cab to San Isidro (the Beverly Hills of Lima....just next to Miraflores). The party was AMAZING. Ultra modern, GORGEOUS house, but the whole party was on the grounds, which were unbelievably gorgeous, swimming pool, bars, catered BBQ station (I even ate a hot dog.....the first meat item that first led me down the road to vegetarianism at age 10), fountains. The party was at this artist's house. He and his girlfriend were the sweetest hosts (she is a fashion designer and had the most stunning outfit on). Everyone was very stylish, if not ultra chic, and they all spoke English (more or less fluently), there were LOTS of familiar faces from the epic party Sergio took me to my first night (the one with the live mermaid models in the fountains at the fancy shopping mall). My AWOL friend Javier was there, too, and he apologized profusely for not calling (he had ended up staying late at work and then his phone died).
One of the many new friends I made at this fabulous party is this ultra chic Peruvian woman, Adriana. She is best childhood friends with the hosts (the artist and his girlfriend). Adriana told me she just filed papers to open her own fashion business and she told me her aesthetic is upscale, but dark Gothic couture. I nearly choked on my hot dog, as that is how I often describe my aesthetic. Needless to say, we became fast friends and I showed her my portfolio on another friend's iphone, and she was kind of blown away by my creations. We met for coffee the next day (yesterday) and poured over fashion inspiration images, fabric swatches, fashion blogs and websites and books. I think it's pretty much a done deal that we'll be collaborating in the future. She is going to have a showroom at her home in San Isidro and said she would love to feature some of my feather headpieces in her showroom....
I also confirmed a fashion photo shoot with one of the top makeup artists in Peru, Claudia (she's American/Peruvian) and her Brazilian photographer boyfriend, Vinnie, for this Friday for some of my fashions and styling collaborations. Just a fun shoot for our portfolios where we can be creative and not be limited by editorial or advertising guideline concerns.
Not a bad way to end a sad and lonely night of being all dressed up with no where to go, eh? :)
As far as my fashion school....I'm SOOOO excited. I ended up checking out a couple of the fashion schools with Sergio and the obvious choice was CEAM (Centro de Altos Estudios de la Moda)...www.ceam.edu.pe It's housed in a brand new, ultra modern, 5 story buildng that is all white and immaculate with windows and balconies everywhere....and a gorgeous grassy back courtyard. EACH floor has one or more large rooms with at least 30-40 brand spanking new sewing machines. It's GORGEOUS!!! Sergio and I had to pick our jaws up off the floor and all he could say was, "I'm so proud of my country!" It's in cental Miraflores and the academic director, Carola, is very nice and speaks English fluently...She said she'll look after me.
The 2 classes I'm starting off with (a pattern making & basic construction class and a styling class (the styling instructor just got back from spending time in Milan) don't start until April 16, which is a blessing, because that gives me almost a month to improve my Spanish. The first two classes are 7 weeks long and end June 9. They cost about $150 each which is considerably less expensive than the other schools we looked into. They haven't released the next round of courses yet after these courses, so it's hard to say what my schedule will be come June. I may end up taking classes at one of the other schools in June (Sergio is still working on a scholarship or partial scholarship for me - things like that take forever here)....That part is still up in the air. So, mid-June could be a good time for friends to visit, but I'm just not sure until I know about what classes I'll want to take in Fashion and where. There is also a big 3 day festival in Cusco (near Machu Piccu) starting June 22 (my birthday is June 23!), which is supposed to be just a wee bit like Burning Man(ish). A bunch of Brazillians and costumes and dancing, party, etc. Sounds like a blast! Could also be a good time for a visit if that's your thing. I have a ticket to New York for Fashion Week with Sergio on Sept. 7, so you have plenty of time if you want to visit. Firends are welcome anytime!!!
Some other miscellanous thoughts....
One thing I am remembering from past travels and re-learning is that you have to be patient and you have to be ok with uncertainty. We are quite spoiled in America...we expect to have and know everything immediately. Things don't really work that way down here. For instance, getting the cell phone to happen, restaurant service, trying to get a hold of the Foreign Exchange program lady for my job interview, people getting back to you in a timely fashion, knowing the course load for the following semester......it's all a lesson in patience and going with the flow. I find the more I let go of preconceived notions and American expectations of service and timing, the happier and more relaxed I become.
Ok, now I'm off to continue another day as my adventure in Peru continues........Primary goal for the day: Secure employment in teaching English and/or with the interviewer position with the Foreign Exchange program (or at least get further along in the process).
My schedule at this point once classes start:
mon - fri - 8:45 - 10:45 am - Spanish lessons
Mon & Fri - 7:45 pm - 9:45 pm - styling class
Satudays - 10 am - 1 pm - pattern making & construction class
So, as you can see, I pretty much have every week day from 11:30 am - 7 pm available to work a teaching job and/or apprentice with Sergio.
I hope all that wasn't too much information. I adapted it from my answers to a long list of questions my father had for me.
Hasta luego,
xoxoxo,
Eric
p.s. I'm so bad about taking pictures, as I tend to be very presently focused, but I'll try to include some pictures with my next posting!
