Las Aventuras en Perú: Diferencias en la vida diaria

The other day Meredith and I were talking about the random differences that stick out in our minds about life in Lima, and I decided it would be a good idea to write some of them down here:

- Families are very close; for example, children generally live at home until they get married, even if they are in their 30’s
-The school system is set up so that you attend primary school for 11 years and university for 5, compared with the U.S. system of 12 years and then 4.
-Most people either do not go to college or do not finish on time because of money or other commitments. It is quite an accomplishment for someone to say that they completed college in 5 years.
-Public hospitals are generally for the poor while clínicas (clinics) are the preferential option for those who can afford it.
-You cannot throw any toilet paper in the toilet, but must throw it in the trash can next to the toilet instead.
-Taxis and cars are never afraid to beep, even if it’s at a policeman!
-There are no set prices on many commercial items and even taxi rides, so bargaining is an essential skill. For example, yesterday Meredith and I wanted to buy flags from a street vendor selling them for the upcoming Fiestas Patrias (Independence Day - July 28th). Originally the vendor told us the flag would be 45 soles (about 15 US dollars), but after some careful bargaining he cut the price down by more than half to 20 soles.

Here are a few more photos from last week: