Lima, what a city

Well, it's sunday evening and I just came back from Lima. Since Wednesday I was there and was able to get to knowlittle a bit of this big city. Actually I only was in Lima to get my „Carné de Extranjeria“, but that was done real quick. Thursday morning, after 1,5 hours everything was done. So I had time to explore Lima. But I only saw the rich and great parts of it. As I was alone in Lima people told me it would be better not to go to poor parts without someone who knows the circumstances. It would be too dangerous, it'd be easy to get robbed or something like that. That's why I mainly can tell of three places I got to know.

First of all Jockey Plaza. That place is really nuts. I have never been to a bigger shopping center ever. I would estimate 6 times as big as the Brückencenter in Ansbach and 5 times as big as the Lago in Constance. I was really knocked over and sometimes I felt lost in this big complex of a building. And it was hard on the one side to know of all the poverty in Peru and on the other hand to see this pomp and wealth.
Here are some impressions:





On Friday I took a lot of time for the Larcomar. Basicly it also is a shopping center, but with a lot of restaurants and cafes and - and that's the important bit - it's built directly at the sea with an absolutely great view.
Some pictures here:






On Saturday I was able to meet a young peruvian. Jorge, who was in Arequipa for one month. He lived at my house and was helping the YMCA Arequipa in its summer-program. At First he showed me the YMCA-Center. They have a lot of sport-oportunities. Quite professional. This is meant to be a point of contact to reach peruvians with the gospel. And with the money they earn here, the Y finances its christian-social projects in Lima.



Afterwards we visited the monastry San Franzisko.

Unfortunately we were not allowed to take pictures. If so, you would see fotos of the catacombs with sculls and a lot of bones.

On sunday I flew back to Arequipa. As Margo Morrow, a student from Northern Ireland at the same intitute as I am, was in Lima too, we flew back together. It was really funny. We have a similar sense of humor and get along really well.
Well, that was my first bigger impression of the 8-milion-city Lima.

Die Carné

Well, now it's gonna happen. Tomorrow I'm off to Lima to get my "Carné de Extranjería". That will be my peruvian ID, kind of. So then I'm official and I only will have to go to Lima once a year to extend for another year.
Actually I only need to be in Lima for one day and I could be back in Arequipa the same day. But then the week is just done and so I take the chance and try to explore Lima a little. And I hope to meet a young peruvian, Jorge, who was here in Arequipa for one month and worked with the YMCA Arequipa.
I will have my Camera with me, so hopefully there will be fotos of Lima on my website soon.

Frustrated

My new start at the language-school wasn't really good.
The first days were nice, just some repeating. But on Thursday Karen did a written test with me and two other students. And compared to those two I was really bad. I don't know why, usually I don't take it that serious, but this time, I was really frustrated. Before everything was so easy and good, but this really got my down. But it also motivated me to work on the things who are not that good.
The next day, Friday, yesterday, Karen asked me some questions just to make me talk and that she can hear where my weaknesses are.
So I just talked, once in a while Karen took some notes, and I felt quite good and secure. But then she told me everything that's wrong and what's not good in my language. And that really knocked me out. Of course this is just to make me better, I know that, but I was really down then. And she felt that. I felt stupid, unable and - I admit - I felt like crying (but I'm a man, and men don't cry... (at least not in public)).
But Karen was really nice then. We talked about it and she encouraged me, but also tod me clearly that I'd have to worl on it.

I just came back from playing football, and I really spent me (doen't mean much), and I have to say that this was good for me. I feel better now and I'm motivated to learn again.
But although thanks a lot for praying for it!