Glass World

During lunch they were introduced to some peruvians. They were executives working in multinational companies in Lima. At that point they started realizing the great controversy in Peru. On the one hand you had the very poor people, that represented nearly the 80% of the population and on the other hand you had the rest of the population, living comfortable or even luxurious lives. Very soon they would find out that in Peru, like in all L. America, it is possible to live in a glass world. You could have the illusion of a comfortable life, with nice cars, restaurants, houses, clubs, cheap asistance at home, etc. At the same time a family not very far from the nice areas in Lima, could be living with 150 dollars or less per month.

Peruvian Food

On this first day the weather was very sunny. This was strange for August, because for Lima this is the heart of winter and during that time the weather is usually very cloudy. Anyway, they went to a restaurant named Tanta to have lunch before they started shopping. This is a very famous restaurant in Lima, especially for Lunch. It is not vey luxurious, but the food is excellent. Peruvian food is a unique experience. It has many influences and produces an extraordinary result. Whoever eats in Lima will never forget it. There was also a pleasant surprise when the bill came. The prices were very low. Compared to Greece they were about 50% cheaper.

Lunch Break

During this first day our hero found out something that was totally strange to him, but absolutely common in Latin America: Lunch Break. At about 1 o’ clock almost everybody that could afford it would go out to a restaurant to have lunch. That was strange for our hero because in Greece this was not the case. He was very surprised to see so many people in the restaurants. He imagined that the companies would be empty at this time. Later he would see that he was right.

Two Greeks in Peru

After a few minutes the CEO came to pick them up. He was very pleasant and was clearly happy to see them. He had arranged for them to meet an English speaking house broker immediately. We want a house in San Isidro our hero said. Good idea said the CEO. The broker has already found 4-5 in this area. Let’s go meet here. Two Greeks in Peru looking for an apartment. This could be interesting, our hero told his wife. For the next couple of hours they were looking at houses. However they were lucky. They liked the first house they saw. It was a large apartment in San Isidro, very near the golf court. It had three bed rooms and an office. It was perfect. They made the arrangements and booked the house immediately. The next step was harder. They had to find furniture and appliances.

The Next Morning

None of them were able to get any sleep that first night. The jet lag was a problem. They were also missing their son. Both of them however were pleased with the TV. There was a cable company, a subsidiary of Spanish Telefonica, which offered a package of great English speaking channels, much better than those that could be found in Greece. These channels had mainly American series that were clearly up to date. This was a relief because they did not know what to expect. They went to have breakfast and once again realized that English speaking Peruvian people were difficult to find. In any case they were waiting for the CEO to pick them up. They went out of the hotel and were pleasantly surprised. The area they were located in, San Isidro, was absolutely beautiful. This was a district outside the center of Lima, considered to be one of the nicest areas in the city. The houses were beautiful and there were many parks around. There was also a large golf court that people jogged around. The people living in this area were the upper class of Peru and expatriates. Furthermore, this area is considered one of the securest in Lima. Our hero and his wife did not need to think much. They would find an apartment in this area.

Bye Bye Greece- Welcome to Peru

The ride from the airport to the hotel was quite an experience: Bumpy streets, old cars, crazy driving, casinos, bad constructions and beggars everywhere. In other words, a typical third world country. “Where are we?” His wife asked with a smile. They checked in the hotel late that evening. The jet lag was getting the best of them. There was an 8 hour difference with home, so they were affected. They were going to meet the CEO the next morning, so during the first night they tried to rest. In the hotel our hero saw that his impression from the airport was correct. There were not many English speaking people. That would be certainly a problem. Furthermore, they were told not to go out by foot on their first day, since it was already dark, due to security issues. This could be dangerous for people that did not know their way around. Bye Bye Greece, welcome to Peru our hero thought.

New World

The airport was very old, nothing like the modern ones in Europe. After getting off the airplane he was surprised to fall on a very big line. This was something new that we would get accustomed to: Immigration. He had rarely seen such a line in the past since there is no such thing in Europe for EU citizens. But this was L. America, a totally new world. In this line he found out that nearly no local spoke any English at all. This would be a challenge, he told his wife. After being in the line for about 1,5 hour they finally finished. The hero’s driver picked them in the airport along with an employee from the company. Luckily the driver spoke some English. They left for the hotel.