Random Things We've Learned While Living in Peru

Hello, friends! We thought it would be fun to share some differences from life in the US and facts that we've learned while living in Trujillo for the past 3 weeks. A lot of these may resonate with people who have traveled to other countries, and some might be completely unique to Peru. It's funny how we (as Americans) can think that our way of doing things is "normal" when in reality the United States might be one of the only countries to do it that way! It also makes you realize what all we may take for granted on a daily basis. Read on to find out what we've learned so far!

1. Most buildings here do not have air conditioning so it can get pretty toasty, especially during the middle of the day. During a salsa class that our group took last weekend, we were all dripping with sweat and then noticed a huge fan in the corner that wasn't even turned on! After it was on, we all stood around it for a few minutes while probably being laughed at :)
2. Dryers do not exist here. You can either hang your clothes on a clothesline on the rooftop, or in your apartment on a drying rack, hangers, the kitchen chairs, etc.
   

   

   Daniel's genius sock-drying invention!
3. Drinking bottled water is a must. Even the locals don't drink the tap water (some hardly drink any water at all!). We also have to use bottled water to boil pasta and wash fruit and veggies. But luckily we can wash our dishes and brush our teeth with the tap water. 
4. All used toilet paper goes in the trash can. No further explanation needed...
5. The currency here is the Peruvian sol. The exchange rate is about 0.3 US dollars to 1 Sol, so everything that we buy here we feel like we are getting a huge discount! :)
   

   

   Peruvian Soles

6. Most restaurants have a “menu del dia” (menu of the day) that consists of different variations of rice, yucca root (similar to a potato) and meat/fish. These meals also come with a salad or chicken soup and juice. And the best part – it only costs around 7-12 soles, or 3-4 US dollars!
7. It is not common to tip at restaurants. If it's a nicer restaurant, 10% is an acceptable amount to tip, but 20% is not customary.
8. Most restaurants close for a siesta in the afternoon, any time from 1:00-7:00pm. Also, there are hardly any restaurants open on Sunday evenings. We learned this the hard way!
   

   

   Fried trout and chica morada, a Peruvian drink made from purple corn

9. There are NO rules when driving. The lines on the road don't matter, cars on the inside lanes turn right and cut across traffic, and people honk all the time. But we have yet to see an accident! Also, we haven't seen anyone get pulled over by the police in Trujillo.
10. You don't wave taxis down, they honk you down. They will even honk at people when driving on the opposite side of the road.
11. Adding onto #10, we are pretty convinced that the back-up beeper for taxis is a rendition of Jennifer Lopez's "On The Floor". We will gladly obtain video footage as proof.
12. There are no bus stops. Each bus just has a route that it follows and passengers get on and off wherever they want. So if a bus route passes by your house, that's where you can get on! And whenever you need to get off you tell the driver to "stop" the bus. Convenient? Yes! Efficient? Sure!
    

    

    We somehow were able to fit 22 people into a combi, pictured above

13. Speaking of efficiency, Peruvians will cram as many people into a bus as physically possible. Basically, take the maximum number of people that you think you would be able to fit onto a bus, and then double it. 
14. Getting your coffee “to go” is not normal here in Peru. We have not seen one person carrying around a coffee cup for the 3 weeks that we’ve been here. Also, iced coffee basically doesn’t exist (cue Kayla crying). Which leads us to #15... 
15. It is not common for Peruvians to drink cold beverages. Most of them like their water/juice/basically anything but beer to be room temperature. This is because they believe that the cold causes sickness, therefore drinking cold water would increase your likelihood to get sick. 
16. During our first grocery shopping trip, we spent the longest time looking in the refrigerated section for milk. Little did we know, milk comes in boxes, unrefrigerated! Also, yogurt comes in milk jugs and has a liquid consistency, and Peruvians drink oatmeal and quinoa out of a cup.
    

    

    Yogurt, bottled water, and milk

17. Loud (and we mean LOUD) music is completely appropriate 24/7. Would you like to host a party in your apartment with a live band from 2:00pm-12:00am on a Tuesday night? Or would you like to celebrate getting into work at 6:30am on Monday with Pitbull on full blast? These are all acceptable, and were written in detail for a reason.
18. The typical Peruvian greeting/goodbye between friends and acquaintances is a kiss on one cheek, although men greet other men with a handshake.

We will write about a couple of weekend trips and an update on our volunteering soon! We hope you enjoyed this post! :)