Lima and beyond

I arrived at the Lima airport (via coach...no more business class) and amonst the hoards of people waiting to recieve their loved ones was a taxi driver holding a sign above his head with my misspelled name on it -aerin. It's funny because it felt nice to feel something familiar in a foreign place. He looked like a math teacher I could have had in high school. He welcomed me with a big smile and played American music for me in the cab ride to the hostel. We spoke about the Peruvian people and their culture. As we were driving to the district of miraflores, I noticed numerous ads for the world cup. He asked me if I had a favorite team...without hestiation I replied "the U.S." I then told him that I play soccer in the states. Upon hearing this shocking statement, he glanced in his rear view mirror to get another look at me and he almost lost control of the car with excitment. I arrived at my hostel and the staff were very friendly even at the very late hour of 11:30pm. I befriended my bunk mates straight away and struggled to fall asleep because my mind was teeming with ideas of my adventures to come.
The following day, I walked around Lima all day with my 2 new friends - Sophia (from Singapore) and Sarah (from begium). I would describe Lima as a metropolitian city that is a blend of modern Miami, classic Spanish colonial architecture, and the slums of central America. The buildings are very brightly colored; lots of brillant oranges and Cuban yellows. We walked all around the city. At one point we ended up at the central plaza where the palace and a beautiful catherdral are located. In the middle of the plaza is a beautiful park where there were thousands of people watching the world cup on a giant projector screen. There was a group of peruvian kids playing music and cheering for the game.
After watching some of the game (France vs. Uruguay) in the park we decided to go to Chinatown in Lima...because...who doesn't want to see a Chinatown in a south American country? Ha!
After the full day of Lima adventures we went back to the hostel and drank our Peruvian adventures away. Tomorrow, sadly, the three of us ladies would go their seperate ways.