Week 1 - Exploring Lima and getting settled at Right To Play

the coast in Lima

I spent my first week in Lima walking, taking pictures, practicing Spanish and trying to get my bearings in this HUGE city.  With the guidance of people at my hostel and people at work, I learned very quickly which areas are safe to walk around by myself during the day, and which are not safe to go into, day or night.  The kindness of the people so far that I've met in Peru has been incredible - to foreigners and eachother. 

my new neighbourhood

I have walked every street in my area of Lima, Miraflores...being reminded over and over again of being in Havana.  Lima has a sea-wall (a 'malecon') that runs the length of the city, much like Havana.  There are many parks, benches and lookouts.  Lima is becoming a hotspot for sports like surfing, too so there's always lots going on down at the water. 

My first full week in Lima began my first week at Right To Play.  It was a week full of planning sessions for 2012.  All of the Right To Play Peru team arrived in Lima from their various field locations and came together everyday at the office to set goals, reevaluate programs and discuss strengths/weaknesses for Right To Play Peru in 2012.  It was a perfect week for me to start.  I had a chance to meet the whole team (there are 11 people who work permanently at the office in Lima and about an equal amount who work from our project sites in the rural areas of Peru) and get an in-depth look at how things work at Right To Play and what the future of Right To Play in Latin Amerca might look like.  I spent the week listening to presentations about all of the project sites, translating lots of hand-outs and activity sheets and trying my best to participate in discussions.  Peru is the first country in Latin America and the Caribbean in which Right To Play works, so it is a stepping stone for the organization to enter the region.  Meeting everyone this first week was a great way to prepare for my first trip into the field (el campo) that I will take during my second week here, with Marijke and her boss, Sean (back, right in the photo).

the Right To Play Peru team