Happy travels from Lima, Peru! I honestly didn’t know what to expect arriving in this city, but my first day here has already blown me away.
The City in Color
This city is so full of color and life. We started the morning with a nice brunch with the early group of travelers, visited Kennedy Park (which was full of the most adorable sleeping cats), took MANY photos in front of the cathedral in the main square, and popped into some local jewelry stores.
In the afternoon, we visited the Park of Love where we enjoyed the beautiful Lima coast and met some locals. We then finished at H-elarte, which was a beautiful and unique 2-D cafe that was covered in gorgeous wall art and murals.
One of the biggest things I noticed right away was how different the streets feel compared to home. No loud police sirens, tons of motorcycles weaving through traffics, and cross-walks that are a little scary to watch (lots of jaywalking and horns honking). There aren’t many tall skyscrapers even along the coast. It feels very approachable and spread out, with a lot of public transportation moving people around. Also, the dining culture is more slow-paced and relaxed. One thing that stood out at brunch was how unhurried the whole experience felt. No one was rushing you out the door, and the meal was meant to be savored and enjoyed, not just finished.
People, Connection, and the Unexpected
The most memorable moment so far would be the car ride from the airport. The driver barely spoke English and let’s just say my Spanish is a work in progress, but that somehow made the interaction more meaningful. We figured it out, smiled a lot, and “sì” was said A LOT throughout the duration of the ride. He told us about the city and the places we drove past, and I genuinely felt connected to him by the time we reached our hotel. That interaction set the tone for how I want to approach the next two weeks.
What I Hope to Learn and My Three Goals
As far as what I hope to learn, I’m excited to see corporate sustainability and business leadership up close in a country with such a different economic and cultural context than the US. How do Peruvian businesses think about the community? About the environment? About their workers? Those are some of the questions I want to sit with.
My three personal goals for this trip are simple but meaningful to me. First, I want to push myself to have to have real conversations with the locals, even when it’s clunky and uncomfortable at times. Secondly, I want to pay close attention to how businesses here operate and what lessons might translate to home. Third, I just want to be present. Take in the moment, no overthinking, and no stressing about what’s next. Just literally taking it in.
Lima is already more than I expected. I can’t wait to see what’s next. Here are some of the amazing photos we took today:
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