Introduce Yourself!

[Kelly]

I agree! I think this thread has been great as it's giving new members a place to say 'hey' and sort of break the ice.

And Izumi, thanks for using our taxi service - we hope to have you as a regular customer.

[Alfajor22]

Hi everyone! I'm Emily and have been living in Cusco, Peru for about 2 years. I'm moving to Lima this week....Callao to be exact and am really excited to be living there!! I'm from NJ and lived in NYC for 5 years, so it'll be nice to be in a city environment again. I was working with an NGO here in Cusco and I hope to teach English in Lima. It's nice to meet everyone, and I hope I can make some friends!

[Daniella]

Hello!

My name is Danielle and i moved to Lima with my husband Charlie about 3 weeks ago. We're originally from NH but since college have lived in CO, NM, and WA. I'm an Occupational Therapist but don't feel like my Spanish is strong enough for me to work in my field here. Charlie's an engineer and working in Lima and sometimes at a mine outside of Cajamarca. I'm hoping to start Spanish classes at Idiomas Catolica in February. I can barely get by with the Spanish I know so I'm hoping to learn quickly. Not only is this our first time living in Peru, but it's out first time living in a city! We are outdoorsy people and not used to city life yet. With Charlie spending so much time at the mine, I've had a hard time getting out and meeting people as my Spanish is not great and I'm not so sure how safe it is for me to be out alone at night.

I'm hoping I can meet some other ex-pats through this network and find some people to hang out with. I love the article about day trips outside of Lima. It looks great! Anyone want to take a trip with me?

Danielle

[rob2010]

Hi to everyone. I am here working on a project in Peru for at least a year. Trying to figure out all the little things, like renting an apartment, opening a bank account, etc, etc.

[Kelly]

Just a reminder to everyone - if you click on the logo at the top of the page, it will take you to the front page of the Expat site. There, you can find links to dozens of articles regarding many of the questions you might have. An example of some of the topics: cost of living, teaching English, information on various types of visas, traveling, volunteering, schools, transporting pets, border hopping in Tacna - the list goes on and on. There are also a bunch of articles about things to see and do while you're here, and general information about the country.

It's a great resource for you to look over - you may find the answers to your questions, or it might give you ideas for some new questions.

[EZeeDee]

Hello.

My name is Erica and I will be moving to Lima next month to work for an oil company (on the environment side). I am British and currently live in London. I will be coming over with my partner Stu and little girl Maya, who's 3. I am half Bolivian and have spent a fair amount of time in Bolivia, but haven't really been to Peru before, so everything is new to me. I am actually feeling a bit overwhelmed by all I've got to do for the move (it's all happened quite quickly), particularly the headache that shipping to Peru seems to be. But I'm thrilled about this opportunity, as I've wanted to work in South America for many years, and from what I've read on some of these threads Peru and Lima sound like a great place to be.

This is a great forum, so much good info. It's really nice that people are so good about sharing their experience here. Thank you! I look forward to joining you over there.

Erica

[NewGringo]

Hi everybody, my name is Dan and I currently live in Toronto with my Peruvian wife. We are moving to Lima at the end of Feb to her mom's house for starters. I'd like to thank to all the people that wrote on this forum, seems to me that you are a great bunch. I read a lot of posts and learn a great deal of info. That contributed to the decision to move. I never been to Peru, so many would say 'loco' , but I moved to Canada 15 years ago the same way from my native Transylvania and it worked well. I married my wife last April and she can't live with the cold and without her extended family anymore.
We are looking for business opportunities in Lima as well as meeting new people and seeing the great things that Peru has to offer. I speak very little Spanish, so would be so great to meet English speaking people.
Thank you so much and God bless.
Dan

[NewGringo]

Hello!

My name is Danielle and i moved to Lima with my husband Charlie about 3 weeks ago. We're originally from NH but since college have lived in CO, NM, and WA. I'm an Occupational Therapist but don't feel like my Spanish is strong enough for me to work in my field here. Charlie's an engineer and working in Lima and sometimes at a mine outside of Cajamarca. I'm hoping to start Spanish classes at Idiomas Catolica in February. I can barely get by with the Spanish I know so I'm hoping to learn quickly. Not only is this our first time living in Peru, but it's out first time living in a city! We are outdoorsy people and not used to city life yet. With Charlie spending so much time at the mine, I've had a hard time getting out and meeting people as my Spanish is not great and I'm not so sure how safe it is for me to be out alone at night.

I'm hoping I can meet some other ex-pats through this network and find some people to hang out with. I love the article about day trips outside of Lima. It looks great! Anyone want to take a trip with me?

Danielle

I'm looking forward to those day trips when we get there too

[adrian Thorne]

Hi everybody, my name is Dan and I currently live in Toronto with my Peruvian wife. We are moving to Lima at the end of Feb to her mom's house for starters. I'd like to thank to all the people that wrote on this forum, seems to me that you are a great bunch. I read a lot of posts and learn a great deal of info. That contributed to the decision to move. I never been to Peru, so many would say 'loco' , but I moved to Canada 15 years ago the same way from my native Transylvania and it worked well. I married my wife last April and she can't live with the cold and without her extended family anymore.
We are looking for business opportunities in Lima as well as meeting new people and seeing the great things that Peru has to offer. I speak very little Spanish, so would be so great to meet English speaking people.
Thank you so much and God bless.
Dan

Hi Dan Great to hear from you. We have a few vampire bats here but never had Dracula himself come to visit. Only joking JaJa. Best of luck to you both and we are always around for a chat.. Best Wishes
Adrian

[susita83]

Hello All

My name is Suzy and I live in NY with my husband Luis & two kids plus have one baby on the way! My husband is from Peru, San Bartolo to be exact, and we are seriously considering moving to Lima. I work for the government here and am keeping my eyes peeled for any job openings at the Lima Embassy. I speak Spanish fluently and absolutely love it in Peru.

We have a much better support system in Peru than we do in the states, not to mention how expensive it is getting here. It's becoming increasingly more difficult to buy a home and make ends meet in NY.

If anyone has any suggestions for me - I would appreciate it so much!

Chau!

[Peruviangringa]

Hello everyone,
Im Heidi, I am peruvian born from european parents who was raised in the states and have been living in Lima for the past year. Lived in Colombia south america before coming to Lima as well. Happy to be here and I love the food!

[zarjoe]

Hi everyone... I am the newest member to the board! My name is Joe and I am an American who lives in Vancouver Canada half the year and Lima half the year with my family. My wife and I have two young girls, 3 & 5 years old (my wife is originally from Lima but came to Canada for University). We have a house in Monterrico where we spend the warmer months to avoid rain here in Vancouver! My mother and father in-law live with us in true Peruvian style.... we live together. Which means, that while in Lima..... I am an Expat, but my wife and her family are Limenos. My Spanish is excellent (having grown up in the USA) ... I have even lost much of my gringo accent over the last few years. I am self-employed but most of my clients are in the USA and Middle East. So I travel ALOT. My business focuses on Leadership Development and Organizational Performance.

In our off time, we spend a lot of time with family. We love to travel, especially around South America and the Carribean.... but with so much to see and do in Peru.... we make lots of time for trips up north to Mancora and down to Asia in the summer months.... when friends and family come to visit we also like to tag along every now and again to Cusco, Paracas or Nazca. We still have extended family in Camina and Arequipa... so we get there every couple of years as well.

OK... so that's a LOT about me.... nice to meet you all and look forward to seeing you "on the board".

Cheers,

Joe

[sliderpro]

Hello,

I'm Lance. I'm from Minneapolis but currently splitting my time between Peru and the U.S. My wife is Peruvian and has been here for the past few months studying for a certification. I work as an independent in video and film production so when i haven't been doing larger projects in the U.S. I've been hanging out down here. Love the the country the people and the food and we will eventually move here, hopefully sooner than later. After many trips in 6 years I think I'm finally getting the hang of the roads;)

[zarjoe]

Lance! Nice to see another MINNESOTAN has made it to Lima... I grew up in Bloomington (Jefferson class of '88.... gawd that makes me sound old!) then did my undergrad at Concordia College in Moorhead.

Welcome to the board and looking forward to hear more about your adventures down there.

Joe

[danielkryu]

Hi,

My name is Daniel, US Citizen, living in Bergen County, New Jersey.
I have set up a SAC company in Peru and have been going back and forth since Nov 2003.

My spanishi is quite fluent and have 6+ years of experiences doing business and interacting with Peruvians. However, still feel I have much to learn and discover about Peruvian people, culture, custom and their never ending revisions of laws (Normas).

Personally, I think Peruvians are generally hard working, ingeneous, and fundamentall are beautiful people. However, coming from other cultures and environments, often find myself protesting about the bureaucracy of the state government, taxations and abuse of authorities...

Hope to contribute my opinions and learn much from this forums.

Glad to be a newest member.

[Tito]

Daniel, welcome. I am from right across the Hudson River...The Big Apple.

[gmoran]

Greetings!

I'm German and I moved to Surco, about two weeks ago with my dog Lola. We are joining my wife, Nidia, who has been working in Lima since October of 2009. We're originally from CA but moved to DC where we spent the last 4 years. I used to work for Discovery Communications before moving down here, in HR, but now, I'm kinda taking care of the home initially.

I am truly excited to get to know the city and country. I love the food the people and the weather. It totally beats winters in DC (yuck!). I've started to venture out more and more, so I'm getting the hang of things. I'm hoping to make some new friends that can give me suggestions of things to do and places to go (especially mascota friendly places)! I love the outdoors and feel that I'm fairly adventurous. My wife and I are also foodies and man, are we lucky or what!

I'm trying to gather my courage and try driving out here, but it seems like it just maybe something that I ease into. Any good suggestions or advice on this?

[vanessa0430]

Hello Hello Everyone....Well my Name is Vanessa I am here in Lima (barranco) and loving it but hating it sometimes (gets a little lonely when your surrounded by Peruvians)....I just moved here not to long ago DEC 23 to be exact. I am 29 turning 30 soon I have two beautiful little girls 11 and 7 soon.... I am the daughter of two Peruvians as well....

Well I am a hardcore football and basketball fan..OHIO STATE/gator fan (i can explain later)if you are interested... I love the BROWNS and The CAVS especially lebron James I'm originally from OHIO and lived in Tampa FL for a few years most recently.

I'm looking to meet other expats and make new friends...or sports rivals are welcome too i love steeler fans.

Well i hope to hear from all of you lol....I'm a Gemini so I enjoy the company of others.

[Demeter]

I’m Corla, or Demeter. You see my eldest daughter moved to Barranco last year to join her new husband and start a new life. Since I’m thousands of miles away in the Sierra Mountains of California—I feel much like Demeter must have when her beloved daughter Persephone was abducted to the underworld. No offense of course – to my stellar son-in-law and his family or the magic filled wondrous country that is Peru, but it’s difficult to come to terms with a life bereft of those who are precious to one’s soul. (You see, my other daughter also lives far away--in Pennsylvania.) So I’m considering moving to or at least spending half each year in Peru.

I have some idea of what life if like in Peru. I have visited twice now. Three years ago I traveled with my daughter from Lima to Arequipa and then followed the “gringo trail” from Cusco through the Sacred Valley to Machu Picchu. Just recently I visited the newly weds and extended family for Christmas and New Year’s, spending most of my time in Barranco and Miraflores but with excursions to Paracas, Chiclayo, Trujillo and Pacasmayo (and had a fabulous time!)

Also like Demeter I have abundant resources—but not necessarily in terms of dollars, so I will need to find a way to earn some income in Peru. For the past several years I have run non-profits, serving the needs of the homeless and the underserved in California—currently native American families caught betwixt and between due to unending inequity and injustice—and have many skills related to accounting, administration and grant-writing. But I also hold a master’s degree in psychology and many diverse interests and talents: spiritual counseling, consciousness studies, leading spiritual and wilderness exploration groups, photography, interior decorating, writing, reading and editing.

It seems to me that Peru holds many possibilities to those who are willing to lend their time and talent to serving the needs and exploring the potential of her people. Could I make an income in Barranco and/or Miraflores using the talent and skills I’ve mentioned? What do you think? Also, it seems to me that everyone in Peru is either Catholic or atheist. Is that true? Any Unitarians or Humanists around? Buddhists or spiritualists?

Thank you for taking the time to respond to my question, or just dropping a note of hello.

[kevinstandring]

Hello everybody
My name is Kevin and I am from the United States and I moved to Peru just 2 months ago. I hail from the state of Maine and I am now a retired police officer. I am living in Piura and the weather is hot but very nice. The people are great and very patient with me trying to speak Spanish. We usually all end up laughing. With a little bit of body language and hand movements and maybe even a grunt or two I can get my message across. Peru is very beautiful along with it´s people and culture. I look forward to a new and exciting life here. It is a pleasure to meet you all.

[rama0929]

Hello, I'm Rafael and I live in NY.

I have been to Peru several times through people I've met at work. In my travels, to Peru (Lima, SMP to be exact), I have managed to land a gf. I am in the process of trying to bring her here, but overall, I think our future may be down there.

I've heard of this site, I actually came here through the rachelinperu blog. I am trying to get an idea of what it takes to move down there permanently. I currently am an analyst for MasterCard, I have a degree in IT, and am working towards getting my certifications. I was pleasantly surprised to see Peru so IT friendly.

I have been there 7 times, I make the trip twice a year; once in the spring and once in the fall. My spanish is passable (family's from Honduras), but could use some more work and polish. I've gotten some of the "sing-songy" tone that some Peruvians talk down pat, as well as ending every other sentence with "pues"

I have a fairly strong support group, my gf, her family as well as friends I've made through my trips. I have a taxista who takes care of me (father of a friend I made in the states), has opened his house and family to me. It means a lot to me that he trusts me, and it means a lot that I can trust him, given my experiences with taxistas. On days that Don Oscar isn't available, I can't tell you the amount of times I've had to pay "el impuesto de gringo" for whatever reason. There have been a couple of times that Kattya has apologized because of the amount I've had to pay ( is usually the look I get from her after I told her how much...). It got to the point where she does all the negotiations for cab rides, market runs and the like. Granted, taxis in general aren't that expensive (I've had to deal with taxis in NYC), but still it's the principle. The combi system still throws me for a loop, I haven't gotten the color system down yet (apparently the numbers that I thought were route numbers mean nothing).

There are some things that take getting used to; the lack of "hot" showers, no baseball, the general chaos that comes with Lima, and the little things I take for granted here in the States (like buying clothes that fit). My gf lives near El Parque de Trabajo, near Habich and Lima Central. It's a bit of an eye opener, but I do well. I'm a 6'2, 260 moreno, so more often than not, I get the curious looks. I haven't had much troubles in the way of safety, but part of it's my size, other parts of it are living in less than optimal areas in NYC, and being a bit street smart. Having said that, petty crimes are a bit of a nuisance in Peru, my gf's cellphone was stolen, ripped out of her hand while she was on a combi. Of course, she could pick another one up from Malvinas (which is probably where the stolen phone will wind up ) but again, it's the principle.

Hopefully, I'll find the answers to the my questions, and if at all possible, would maybe like to link up with a few of you the next time I come down there. I'm sure my gf, Kattya wouldn't mind cooking for any of you guys; if there is one thing I've learned is that I'll never go hungry when I'm there

[Zollie Ferrell]

Hi, I'm Zollie, I live in Tennessee and want to live abroad for a while, with the idea of living aboard on a more or less permanent basis, if there's anywhere in the world I can "live and let live" without the place driving you crazy.

If anyone knows of such a place, please let me know!

[rjorosco]

Well, I guess I should introduce myself. My name is Ray. I grew up and live in Chicago most of my life. My mother is an American and my father is Cuban. I have been traveling back and forth to and from Peru since May of 2007. I fell in love with the country on my first visit there. Peru has so many wonderful and exciting things to offer this world. I am thankful for experiencing that!

I currently work in Iraq for the U.S. Gov and will be moving to Lima this May. I plan to start some type of business there and go from there. I am a huge fishermen and outdoors-men. I plan on spending quite a bit of time exploring and fishing the bodies of water of Peru. It would be nice to meet some more like minded people in Peru. Hopefully, everything will work out for the best!

[adrian Thorne]

Greetings!

I'm German and I moved to Surco, about two weeks ago with my dog Lola. We are joining my wife, Nidia, who has been working in Lima since October of 2009. We're originally from CA but moved to DC where we spent the last 4 years. I used to work for Discovery Communications before moving down here, in HR, but now, I'm kinda taking care of the home initially.

I am truly excited to get to know the city and country. I love the food the people and the weather. It totally beats winters in DC (yuck!). I've started to venture out more and more, so I'm getting the hang of things. I'm hoping to make some new friends that can give me suggestions of things to do and places to go (especially mascota friendly places)! I love the outdoors and feel that I'm fairly adventurous. My wife and I are also foodies and man, are we lucky or what!

I'm trying to gather my courage and try driving out here, but it seems like it just maybe something that I ease into. Any good suggestions or advice on this?

Hi gmoran, Nidia and Lola

We are in a simular situation I am a house husband but am actively looking an occupation to keep me busy, but in the mean time are also trying to find places to take my mate Cristofel. We have a garden but all dogs like to have a good run in the country. Anybody have any ideas would be most welcome.

[Ana3]

Hi, I am Ana and I live in NJ, USA with my American husband and 3 children ages 14, 12, and 10. I was born in Peru but I have been living in the USA for most of my life. I work for the State Attorney General investigating discrimination cases and my husband is a cabinet maker and owns a small business in NJ. I still have family in Lima and I want to buy an apartment or a house in Lima so I can visit more often. I want to take my children there because I want them to identify with the Peruvian culture.

[uwwgal]

Lance! Nice to see another MINNESOTAN has made it to Lima... I grew up in Bloomington (Jefferson class of '88.... gawd that makes me sound old!) then did my undergrad at Concordia College in Moorhead.

Welcome to the board and looking forward to hear more about your adventures down there.

Joe

Joe! I am getting my masters from Concordia College in Moorhead! All my course work is done, but I'm still working on my thesis. Woo Concordia! jaja

[frank2218]

hello my name is frank. we currently live in dallas texas, we are moving to lima in march 2010. my wife (isabel) is peruvian, i speak little spanish. we plan on opening a chicken wing restaurant. not sure where yet. i am also a day trader, i plan on day trading once the restaurant is up and running. we asked all of my wifes family and friends and they all said that a chicken wing place would be good. i would like some of your opinions. my wifes family lives in la molina, so we are eithere looking for a place near there or miraflores. well hope to meet some of you when we get there. i would appreciate any comments you make about the restaurant business.
thanks
frank

[sanbartoloian]

hello my name is frank. we currently live in dallas texas, we are moving to lima in march 2010. my wife (isabel) is peruvian, i speak little spanish. we plan on opening a chicken wing restaurant. not sure where yet. i am also a day trader, i plan on day trading once the restaurant is up and running. we asked all of my wifes family and friends and they all said that a chicken wing place would be good. i would like some of your opinions. my wifes family lives in la molina, so we are eithere looking for a place near there or miraflores. well hope to meet some of you when we get there. i would appreciate any comments you make about the restaurant business.
thanks
frank

Frank where were you for the Super Bowl, wings and football????
Good luck!
Jack

[jimmyc3313]

I am J.W. Clifford and I am from Texas. I first traveled to Peru in 1997 to see Machu Picchu, then returned several times over the following years to see the remainder of the country. I fell in love with the people and the culture.

When I retired from the United States Border Patrol after 31 years of service, I decided it was time for a change. My Spanish was fairly good at the time. I had traveled throughout Peru, Ecuador, and several other countries in South America, however Peru was my first choice. I built a home in a small village, a 25 minute drive from Tarapoto, in the northeast of Peru. Tarapoto is located in the last mountain range of the Andes before falling into the Amazon jungle and Brazil. This area is fairly humid with temperatures in the high 80’s during the day and low 70’s at night. My Spanish has improved tremendously. My Peruvian wife speaks no English so I am immersed in the language on a daily basis. Being here has been its own reward. Things continue to surprise me, almost daily. The learning curve never stops.

I immigrated and became a permanent resident in 2007 knowing I was not going to return to the States anytime soon. There are other ‘expats’ in this area; two from the States, two from England, one from The Netherlands, one from Canada, several from Italy, and several others. Most of us are here because of the ‘green region’ – you can grow anything and everything in this area. My garden produces year round, as do the fruit trees, bananas, and pineapple.

I just joined ExpatPeru. I have enjoyed the photo contest and have found some of the comments interesting. Continued good health to all, God Bless. Jimmy

[Kelly]

Welcome, Jimmy - it's always great to see more faces from outside of Lima.